The Government is being urged to provide more support for the self-employed (Joe Giddens/PA)

Thousands of sole traders need immediate help to survive the coronavirus crisis as many are seeing their livelihoods vanish, the Government is being warned.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said ministers must now ramp up support for the self-employed, following last weeks announcement of wages support for workers.

Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, said: Chambers across the UK are hearing from thousands of sole traders, for whom last weeks measures offer little reassurance.

While we understand the complexity involved, there are five million self-employed people who need help similar in scale and scope to that put in place for larger firms in recent days.

We will work closely with ministers to find a way to deliver support to self-employed people and to ensure that the measures announced for larger businesses make it through quickly to the front line.

The most important thing we can all do right now to support our communities and our businesses is to listen to the UKs public health authorities.



If its not absolutely essential - *stay home*. #StayHomeSaveLives #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/FLe4Apq58V  Adam Marshall CBE (@AJBMarshall) March 21, 2020

The BCC warned that many sole traders were seeing their livelihoods vanish in the blink of an eye.

Pamela Morton, freelance national organiser of the National Union of Journalists, said: Freelancers must not be forgotten in the Governments efforts to protect working people.

Already our members are seeing work dry up and face suffering real hardship.

The Chancellor must step up with a meaningful package that will allow our members to be able to work or to fund them through a time when they have no work.

We are working flat-out to secure a proper deal for our members in negotiations with ministers and officials.

Federation of Small Businesses chairman Mike Cherry said: Over the weekend we have heard from thousands of self-employed people  including hairdressers, bakers, childcare providers, taxi drivers and cafe owners  many frightened and in despair at seeing their business fall away, and staring at the prospect of little or no financial support.

While it is welcome that the Government has pledged to cover 80% of the wages of impacted employees, five million self-employed strivers have until now only been offered, at best, access to 94 a week. In desperation, many have attempted to apply for Universal Credit after Friday and have been turned down.

These are people who have worked hard to build up their businesses, paid their taxes and helped the economy to grow. They now face a crunch point, with many unable to operate  leaving them without money, but with bills still stacking up.

We have been strongly urging the Government not to allow the self-employed to be left high and dry, and it is welcome to hear that the Prime Minister is listening and offering new hope.
A British woman has been refused entry to Majorca and put on a plane back to Britain after attempting to go on holiday during the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials on the island said she had been turned away after police ruled she did not have a proper reason for being in the country.

She was due to fly back to Britain this morning after a night at Palma Airport following her frustrated attempt to enjoy a short sunshine holiday at a friend's house.

Her name and age have not been released.

A British woman has been refused entry to Majorca and put on a plane back to Britain after attempting to go on holiday during the coronavirus pandemic

A spokesman for a central government representative in the Balearic Islands, which includes Majorca, confirmed on Saturday: 'The forces of law and order have prevented a British woman from entering Spain today who had just landed in Palma.

'She didn't meet the restrictions in place.'

Local reports said she had told police a female friend had left her the keys to her home in the upmarket resort of Andratx so she could spend a few days there.

British diplomats are understood to have been informed and offered assistance.

The woman was due to fly back to Britain this morning after a night at Palma Airport following her frustrated attempt to enjoy a short sunshine holiday at a friend's house

The Spanish government has ordered the closure of all hotels and tourist apartments in Spain by Thursday.

The British government advised against travel to some parts of Spain earlier this month before warning all Brits in Spain to make plans to return to the UK as soon as possible four days ago.

On Monday Spain closed its borders to deal with the coronavirus crisis, saying only Spanish citizens and residents would be able to enter the country via land-borders along with non-Spaniards citing reasons of 'force majeure.'

On Monday Spain closed its borders to deal with coronavirus, saying only Spanish citizens and residents would be able to enter via land-borders. Pictured: Palma Airport, Majorca

Flights into and out of the Balearic Islands and Canaries have been severely restricted.

Spain is halfway into a two-week lockdown limiting peoples' movement which is expected to be extended by another fortnight.

The number of coronavirus deaths in Spain stood at nearly 1,500 this morning with more than 25,000 confirmed cases.
In Young Heroes of the Soviet Union, Halberstadt recalls traveling from his home in New York to Ukraine in 2004, to meet his nonagenarian grandfather for the first time since Halberstadt was an infant. (Halberstadt had left the Soviet Union with his mother and her parents in 1980, when he was 10.) Vassily turned out to be intermittently candid but mostly evasive. Halberstadt corroborated what he could of Vassilys few recollections with other accounts, thinking that he would write about his grandfathers experiences, trying to piece together and weigh his motives, before realizing he was on to something else  something at once more capacious and intimate than what he originally had in mind. This, I understood finally, was history: not the ordered narrative of books but an affliction that spread from parent to child, sister to brother, husband to wife.
Today is World Water Day. The theme for 2020 is Water and climate change, and how the two are inextricably linked. The official functions that mark such days  the release of reports, speeches by experts and people-centric activities  will be muted this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nevertheless, there isnt a more appropriate time to underline the importance of water and its availability because there is a link between bad public hygiene and the spread of diseases. First, to avoid the spread of diseases, India has to ensure clean and adequate water for all. Second, theres an express need to invest more in water conservation efforts to ensure long-term availability of the resource, given its indiscriminate use and the larger context of the climate crisis. And, third, the State and citizens must continue with the current push to improve general cleanliness and hand-washing even after the current coronavirus outbreak subsides. And for that, citizens will need an assured supply of not just water, but good quality water.

The scale of the water challenge, however, is humongous. A 2017 World Bank report said about 160 million of the countrys 1.3 billion people dont have access to clean water and that 21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water and the lack of hygiene practices. The governments think tank, NITI Aayog, says 600 million Indians face acute water shortages. Even Indias public health infrastructure, which probably is the first port of call for the poor, often lacks adequate water and sanitation facilities. Barely 18% of rural households have access to piped water. Last year, the Centre said that at least 189.7 million rural habitations are getting less than 40 litres per capita per day, which is the norm while implementing rural water supply schemes for providing potable water.

Or take hand-washing. As the number of coronavirus cases detected in India rises, health professionals have suggested frequent hand-washing as a precautionary measure. But getting people to do this may not be easy as many households across the country do not have adequate hand-washing facilities, according to the National Family Health Survey (2015-16).

The enumerators could find a designated place for washing hands in about 97% of households surveyed, but not all of them with adequate cleaning facilities. Water was not available in 14% of these households at the place where hands were washed. In urban areas, the share of such households was only 6% compared to 18% in rural areas. To be sure, among the households that had water, about 19% had no cleaning agent such as soap, ash, mud or sand.

The Centre has been focusing on water conservation and trying to ensure piped water to households under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). However, there is a question of resources. The allocation for JJM in the current financial year is ~11,500 crore, compared to ~10,000 crore last year.

The water challenge is only growing. Twenty-one Indian cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad, will run out of groundwater by 2030, affecting 100 million people, says a NITI Aayog report. Many villages too face a severe water crisis, leading to a development crisis, and it is also forcing people to migrate.

As the coronavirus episode shows, India doesnt have the luxury of time to tackle the related challenges. Since building mega water conservation and distribution projects take time and funds, it is imperative that the State increases its push for small-scale, decentralised efforts to ensure a safe and healthy life for every citizen.

The views expressed are personal

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Gov. Ned Lamont has waived the requirement that town and school budgets be approved by voters at a town meeting.

In his Executive Order issued Saturday, Lamont authorized the Board of Selectmen and Board of Education to vote on and approve their budgets without having any public hearings or a town meeting.

He wrote in the order, The board of selectmen shall authorize the budget-making authority within said municipality to adopt a budget for the July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 fiscal year and to set a mill rate....

He granted the Board of Education the same authority.

Wilton First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice said she will be speaking with town counsel today to receive guidance on the governors order, and will update the public later tonight in an e-alert, as to what the budget process will be for Wilton.

Just as my administration is working tirelessly to protect the health and safety of Connecticut residents, so to are our local mayors and first selectmen, Lamont said. During this unprecedented public health pandemic, its vital that we provide our local leaders with procedural relief.

The order was one of a number of emergency steps the governor has taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Saturday, five deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Connecticut. There have been 223 cases reported statewide. In the U.S., there have been 26,909 confirmed cases, with 348 deaths reported.

Worldwide, there have been 317,300 cases of the virus reported, with 13,642 reported deaths. Italy continues to have a strong upswing, with 53,578 reported cases and 4,825 deaths.

pgay@wiltonbulletin.com

Editors Note: This story was corrected to reflect that Wilton First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice is seeking town counsel opinion about the budget authority and who will be setting the mill rate.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 14:26:53|Editor: zyl

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- By shifting blame, bashing and smearing China, the U.S. government is setting a bad example in the global fight against coronavirus in an increasingly dangerous way.

It seems that the U.S. government is less concerned with focusing on domestic epidemic prevention and control and more fond of criticizing China for a variety of unfounded and absurd reasons and trying to get a rise out of China by using racist and xenophobia words.

White House politicians have tirelessly accused China of being the birthplace of the virus, reacting slowly to the outbreak, making up data and even called the coronavirus the "Chinese virus" or "Wuhan virus."

As infections are rising sharply in the United States, the U.S. government has responded by spending a substantial amount of its energy on shifting blame and ignored the fact that only solidarity and cooperation will defeat a worldwide pandemic that is still developing.

Since January 3, China has been notifying the U.S. side of epidemic developments, prevention and control measures on a regular basis. However, the U.S. side squandered the precious time China had bought for global anti-virus fight.

Smearing and stigmatization can not deny the progress China has made in containing the virus' spread, nor will it help epidemic prevention and control in the United States. It only makes the White House politicians who initiated the smearing campaign against China look ugly and unreasonable.

Such rhetoric makes sense in an election year in the United States when politicians try to shift U.S. voters' attention from dissatisfaction with the government's inability in response to the epidemic to China and shirk their responsibilities.

This reveals the political decay and illusion of "democracy" in the United States. In many aspects, the U.S. administration is setting a bad example in the global fight against the virus.

Since the outbreak, China has made concerted efforts and adopted the most strict, thorough and comprehensive prevention and control measures which generate positive effects.

As the peak of the epidemic in China has recently passed, China has been readily helping other countries. The Chinese government has announced assistance such as testing reagents, masks and protective gowns to 82 countries, the World Health Organization and the African Union. Many batches of these supplies have been delivered to the recipients. Besides, China has shared valuable treatment experience with the rest of the world, held video conferences with health experts from other countries and international organizations and sent medical teams to Iran, Iraq, Italy and Serbia. Local governments in China and Chinese enterprises and civil organizations are also making donations to the affected countries. What China has done has been translated into a popular slogan that reads: "Our partnership, stronger than metal and stone, defies geographical distance."

As a major power, the United States should have been at the frontline of helping other countries fight the epidemic. U.S. officials have said on many occasions that they are going to offer 100 million U.S. dollars to assist China and other countries affected by the coronavirus. But China has not received any funds or supplies donated in the name of the U.S. government so far. The lip service paid by the U.S. administration only undermines its truthfulness, credibility and sense of responsibility.

The U.S. government should keep its own house in order and play a constructive role in enhancing international cooperation in the fight against the virus, stop smearing China and reflect on its own mistakes before more mistakes are made.
The reality is that the presence of Covid-19, which is a new illness that can affect our lungs and airways, has arrived in our communities.

It's caused by a virus called coronavirus and its arrival in Ireland is frightening for many people.

In my own family, I can think of individuals who are significantly at risk and I'm sure most people are in the same boat.

Its the unknowns that generate fear, and the absence of control.

Fear & Anxiety

Some individuals will be particularly anxious, for example those over 65 years, vulnerable elderly, those who have a long-term medical condition  for example, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or liver diseases, cancer and particular mental health presentations e.g. health anxiety and individuals with contamination OCD.

In my experience, fear can be as contagious as the Covid-19! So the challenge is to get some perspective, and before we get perspective lets look at some facts.

Not everyone will be infected by the virus.

And of those that are infected, 85% will only experience mild symptoms.

Its the vulnerable groups that are our real concern.

Estimates for the mortality rate vary a little, but it is mostly thought to be 2% or less.

Minimizing The Risk

Coronavirus is spread in sneeze or cough droplets.

Anyone who knows they have been in close contact with a confirmed case in the last 14 days and has symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, fever) should: isolate themselves from other people - this means going into a different, well-ventilated room, contact their GP, and in a medical emergency if symptoms are severe phone 112 or 999.

Protect yourself from coronavirus

Wash your hands properly and regularly.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough and sneeze.

Put used tissues into a bin and wash your hands.

Avoid people who are coughing and sneezing.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Follow the travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Children and coronavirus

As a parent and mindful of those vulnerable in our family circle that our boys engage with, good hand washing is vital and singing 'happy birthday' twice is the time required for a good hand wash. It's a rhyme every child knows so lets get singing!

Thankfully coronavirus has minimal impact on children. Nevertheless children I think are worried and will need reassurance and guidance on facts. Parents will need to be informed so they can act as myth busters.

Treatment for coronavirus

There is no specific treatment for coronavirus. But many of the symptoms of the virus can be treated.

If you get the virus, your healthcare professional will advise you on the best treatment based on your symptoms. Antibiotics do not work against coronavirus or any viruses. They only work against bacterial infections.

Perspective

We are going to be challenged and have increasing fear/ anxiety as Covid-19 cases increase and its impact evolves.

Increasing uneasiness, stress, irritability and checking for symptoms will emerge. It is likely that we interpret normal aches and pains might to be the virus.

Its time to take a collective view. Together we will be challenged and it's only together that we can get through this.

Good precautions and hand washing are the way to go. Lets minimize getting our information through Dr. Google, WhatsApp etc where rumours and fake news abound. Stick to credible sources including the www.hse.ie and www.hpsc.ie where there are regular updates relating to Covid-19 in Ireland.

We need to tune our stress down, stick to normal routines, make time for rest and relaxation, take walks in nature, avoid crowds, eat healthily, and ensure we are getting good sleep.

Lets be sensible, we will face adversity, we will prevail.
The first case of COVID-19 in Tauranga has been confirmed today, says the Minister of Healths Director-General Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

A Bay of Plenty man in his 30s who recently returned from the United States on March 17 is the first Tauranga person to test positive for COVID-19.

The Director-General has announced the case is amongst the 14 new NZ cases of COVID-19 confirmed today by laboratory testing, bringing the number of confirmed cases in NZ to a total of 66.

The locations are Auckland  five cases, Northland  one, Canterbury  one, New Plymouth  two, Waikato three, one in Tauranga, and one in Dunedin.

The Director-General gave a live update at 1pm today.

All these cases are in self isolation with close contacts being identified, followed up, placed in self isolation and then regularly monitored," says Dr Bloomfield.

 Eleven of these new cases have a history of international travel. One is a close contact of a confirmed case, and two were at the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown earlier in the month which had a range of both New Zealand and international delegates.

We have four probable cases as well. These are cases that have previously been described, however even though we thought they were COVID-19, laboratory testing was negative, we are treating them as probable cases.

Just over 1200 laboratory tests were carried out yesterday around the country. That brings the total number of tests carried out to date to over 6000.

Dr Bloomfield also provided an update on community transmission.

There were two cases announced yesterday where community transmission could not be ruled out. Our further investigations of these two cases have still not identified a firm link to overseas travel.

Just for clarity, community transmission is when we cannot confirm exactly where the infection came from. As we investigate these cases further including close contact tracing, this increases our understanding of what the infection pathway may have been, and we can then communicate with anyone who may have been in close or casual contact, and ensure that appropriate action is taken.

We can also then update local communities about events and situations where contact may have occurred. So, in both of those cases, that work is ongoing.

I understand that people in the areas where those two people live are concerned about the risk of transmission, so I ask everyone in those two regions to continue with good hygiene practice, social distancing, and seek advice if you have symptoms.

Details for each of the cases mentioned today by Dr Bloomfield and of confirmed cases are on the Ministry of Healths website.

COVID-19 Update on Ruby Princess and Celebrity Solstice cruises

The Celebrity Solstice and Ruby Princess cruise ships, which recently visited NZ, have both had confirmed cases of COVID-19, which were confirmed subsequent to their departure from NZ

We are asking any passengers on those two ships who left the ships during their stay in New Zealand, to isolate for 14 days since they last had contact with other ships passengers, and of course to be aware of symptoms and seek advice if they do develop symptoms, says Dr Bloomfield

Details of the movements of both ships can be found on the Ministry of Healths website.

We are also in direct contact with the New Zealanders who were on board those vessels, says Dr Bloomfield. Some are still in Australia, and have yet to return to New Zealand. The Customs officials have the details of those people and they will be identified at the border. They will be asked to self-isolate, along with every other person entering New Zealand now; and to register with Healthline.

Coming back to the Hereford cattle conference in Queenstown, our public health team is following up delegates to that conference which was held from 9-13 March, and four attendees, including two New Zealanders, have tested positive for COVID-19. The other two are an Australian and someone from Uruguay.

Close contacts of those cases are being asked to self-isolate and other attendees at the conference are now considered as close contacts in a precautionary way, and they have also been contacted and required to self-isolate for 14 days, since they were in contact with people who were at that conference.

Southern District Health Board is doing the tracking and tracing work on this with support from the Ministry of Health."

COVID-19 Alert Level 2

Dr Bloomfield says that the COVID-19 Alert Level remains at Level 2.

You will note that from the presentation the Prime Minister made yesterday that as part of Alert Level 2 we are asking people with pre-existing conditions such as chronic respiratory disease which might include severe asthma, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and people who are immune-compromised or if they are having cancer treatment, to remain at home.

A message to the over-70s  many of you are fit and healthy, and living active lives, but the older we are, the less our immune system is able to fight off this virus and indeed other infections, and we have seen from overseas that older people are at more risk of serious complications. So we are strongly urging you to be aware of the need to stay at home and not to have contact with others, says Dr Bloomfield.

Please do adhere the advice to stay at home. Ask friends and families, particularly your children, not to visit. For the meantime this may mean talking to your family on Skype or other methods.

Earlier today, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the government would move to the next two phases of the Covid-19 alert levels, if yesterday's two confirmed cases were proven to be the result of community transmission.

A level 3 alert status recognises a heightened risk that the disease is not contained and demands that authorities further restrict travel and public gatherings.

A host of public venues would face closures, including gyms, libraries, museums, food courts and pools.

Some non-essential businesses would face closure too.

Dr Bloomfield said Healthline was overloaded and he pleaded with people to use it properly. It was not there to give general advice, nor to offer information about self-isolation, he said.

Current Cases of COVID-19 in NZ:
Mumbai, the city thats always hustling and bustling, looks very different today. With Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal to observe Janta Curfew today, Mumbaikars have finally slowed down. And anyone who says, Mumbai never stops needs to see these pictures shared by Mumbais Commissioner of Police, Shri Param Bir Singh. The top cop has posted a tweet to highlight how Mumbai is handling the Janta Curfew.

Mumbai never stops, they say! Well, its not entirely true, though, he says on Twitter. Mumbai knows when to keep going and just about when to stop, he adds using the hashtag #JantaCurfew.

His tweet is complete with pictures of Mumbai streets completely deserted - a sight hardly anyone may be accustomed to.

"Mumbai never stops", they say!



Well, its not entirely true though.



Mumbai knows when to keep going and just about when to stop. #JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/ykZF4Qo9i2  CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) March 22, 2020

Posted about an hour ago, the tweet has collected over 2,100 likes and more than 500 retweets - and counting. The tweet has prompted a ton of reactions from people.

ALSO WATCH | COVID-19: India observes Janta Curfew; streets and roads deserted

Mumbai never stops but Mumbaikers also cooperate with govt when its time to stand shoulder to shoulder. Thank you Mumbai police, without you all its not possible, says a Twitter user. Very well said, says another.

Film legend Amitabh Bachchan also tweeted a picture of Mumbais Marine Drive area. This is what National discipline means, he tweeted.

T 3478 - Marine Drive, Mumbai this morning .. this is what National discipline means .. JAI HIND  !!#JanataCurfew #IndiaFightsCorona #Covid19 pic.twitter.com/jbYPpDgOLS  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 22, 2020

Here are some more pictures from Mumbais janta curfew:

PM Modi, while addressing the nation over the coronavirus outbreak, appealed to citizens to follow Janta Curfew, a self-imposed curfew in which people remain in their homes from 7am to 9pm on Sunday. These pictures from Mumbai show just how well aamchi Mumbai is handling Janta curfew.

What about your city?
Property prices in New Zealand have increased by a third since 2015, according to Trade Mes latest report.

The Trade Me Property Price Index showed that the national average asking price increased by 2.2% to $677,900 in February 2020 compared to the same month last year. The average prices of all types of homes across the country also hit a record high, with small and large house prices having increased by 6% compared to last February.

Medium-sized three to four-bedroom house prices also grew, with the median asking price up 3% to $680,300, Nigel Jeffries, head of Trade Me Property, said. The asking prices on apartments and units nationwide have reached record highs of $696,100 and $457,950, respectively. Following the national trend, apartments and units in the Wellington region hit new highs of $579,900 and $468,250, respectively.
In the wake of coronavirus scare, the Benaras Hindu University (BHU) on Sunday announced that the OPDs of Sir Sunderlal Hospital has been postponed from March 23 till further orders.

"In view of COVID-19, all OPDs of Sir Sunderlal Hospital has been postponed from March 23 till further orders," said a BHU official.

The official also said, "The isolated OPD will continue to run in emergency services and room number 103."

This came in the wake of two COVID-19 positive cases reported from the state earlier today. This included a 38-year old man, a resident of Munger district with a travel history to Qatar, who died of renal failure but who also tested positive for coronavirus later.

Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar said today that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) confirmed two positive cases of coronavirus in the state.

"One patient passed away yesterday due to kidney failure, his tests have come positive for coronavirus. A woman has also tested positive, she is admitted at AIIMS," Kumar said.

The Total number of people in India who have been infected by the virus so far as on 22 March at 02.30 PM including foreign nationals stands at 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Permian Basin producers who already feel they have had the rug pulled out from under them should prepare for things to get worse before they get better.

During a recent online webinar on OPEC and non-OPEC Production: Politics, Fundamentals and Near-Term Outlook, Bernadette Johnson, vice president of market intelligence at Enverus, referenced a graphic that showed a wide gap between crude oil supply and crude oil demand, based on International Energy Agency data.

That graphic showed approximately 3.5 million barrels of excess crude supply.

We are 3.5 million barrels long in supply, she said. Thats not sustainable. We may see more price pressure to push that supply out of the market.

She said that, beginning mid-year, a combination of a drilling slowdown and wells that were drilled earlier in the year but not yet placed on production could bring U.S. production down by at least 1 million barrels a day.

That will fix the gap, but not entirely close it, she said.

She said that beginning in June, the country will see a significant reduction in drilling activity as the energy industry comes to the realization there wont be a quick recovery.

But she offered some hope: The cure for low prices is low prices.

The industry wont see the beginnings of a longer-term price recovery until next year,

By 2023, prices will look a lot better. Demand will continue to grow, well have missed an investment cycle. (But) this year and next year will be pretty tough.

Johnson also speculated that the situation could shake loose the capital markets that have closed the doors on oil and gas firms because assets will become distressed and become available at lower prices.

Shale is not dead, she said. The market is working the way it should work. Operators are already cutting back, and when oil prices go back up, activity will ramp up.

Throwing some uncertainty into the mix is the developing price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, said Bill Farren-Price, UK director at RS Energy Group.

We will see a shake-up in a lot of producing countries, even some OPEC countries may shake up their producing portfolios, he said.

What is different between today -- when Russia declined to go along with deeper production cuts that Saudi Arabia wanted -- and 2014 -- when Saudi Arabia took its hand off the till -- is todays dynamic, he said.

You have to ask if the Saudi action is aimed at the U.S., he said. I think its more aimed at Russia. I think Russia is focused more on the U.S. Its a complex array of focuses thats not easy to understand.

Russia, which benefited less from the production cuts that have supported prices, has always been more focused on market share, Farren-Price said.

If you look at the way they perceive the evolution of the U.S. shale plays and how it was underwritten by their cooperation with OPEC, that and their inability to market their natural gas in Europe roiled Russian oil companies. The Russian leadership decided it wouldnt play ball anymore. They saw some vale in the political project that OPEC has become.

Ultimately, Russia and Saudi Arabia, and its Gulf country partners, will resume talks, he said, but not anytime soon. I think OPEC is ready and waiting to endure a period of very low oil prices, he said.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is preparing to ramp up production to 12.3 million barrels a day. Much of that will come from storage, Farren-Price said, because to sustain that amount would require additional drilling rigs and work on transportation infrastructure.

It will be interesting to see what happens in May and June, if they throttle back to just wellhead production, he said.

Also adding to that uncertainty is the looming possibility of more crude oil from Libya, which has had its million barrels a day of oil production off the market since January. Any political breakthrough there could allow that supply to return to market, he said.

Likewise, Iran, which has been sidelined by sanctions, could return to the market, especially if theres a new occupant in the White House after the November elections who could return the U.S. to the nuclear accord and allow Iranian crude exports to resume.

Thats a challenge for a market thats already oversupplied, he said.

Then there is the NOCAR  Non-OPEC, Canadian, American, Russian  production that could bring millions of barrels to the market through exploration finds in Brazil, Guyana and the Gulf of Mexico Upper Tertiary.

With oil prices so low, said Johnson, only a few areas of the Permian Basin remain economic while most other producing areas will see flat to slightly declining production during the price downturn.

Already, she said, producers have made near-daily announcements of activity cutbacks, laying down rigs and cutting back on completion crews.

We forecast U.S. oil production to grow 260,000 barrels a day, she said. This is early in the process, and we will be revising that forecast down as we get more announcements.

Announcements made already have put 30 to 50 rigs out of service, she said, adding that the rig count is expected to fall to 600 or perhaps less.
Long before sparkling water with brand names like Polar, Perrier and La Croix crowded bodega refrigerators and apartment dwellers used household carbonators to bottle bubbling beverages themselves, New Yorkers relied on seltzer men to deliver refreshment in clanking glass bottles.

Eli Miller, one of the last of the old-fashioned seltzer men, covered a route in Brooklyn from 1960 until he retired in 2017. Mr. Miller died on March 12 at his home in Brooklyn. He was 86.

The cause was complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his brother, Steven, said.

When Mr. Miller started his business, hundreds of seltzer men plied the streets; when he retired, there were only a handful. Through all of the intervening decades, he appeared at his customers homes bearing a wooden box of pewter-topped bottles filled with authentic seltzer.
More than two dozen new confirmed coronavirusn cases are linked to a cruise ship that was docked in Sydney before sick passengers were allowed to disembark.

NSW Health has confirmed 26 people from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which docked in Sydney on March 19, have tested positive to COVID-19.

Seventeen passengers and one crew member were diagnosed in NSW while eight passengers have been diagnosed interstate, a statement says.

Eighteen new confirmed cases of coronavirus are linked to the a cruise ship after sick passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney Harbour (pictured at Circular Quay on Thursday)

The cruise liner had been considered 'low risk' after a short cruise from Australia to New Zealand

Beachgoers are seen at Bondi Beach on Friday (pictured) despite the threat of coronavirus

A NSW Health spokesman says all cruise ships from midnight on Sunday will be held in port until any patients highlighted as having respiratory issues are tested for COVID-19.

'NSW Health will go even further beyond the national protocol and its current own state protocols,' the statement said on Sunday.

The Ruby Princess had 1,148 crew and 2,647 passengers on board when it travelled to New Zealand before returning to Sydney on Thursday.

All cases from the cruise ship are in isolation at home or in hospital and all passengers and crew have been notified and asked to self-isolate for 14 days as investigations continue.

NSW Health on Sunday confirmed 97 new COVID-19 cases overnight, bringing the state's tally to 533 and the national count to 1,354.

Of those 533 cases, 46 have been contracted locally without an identified source of infection.

Several of the new cases were backpackers in the Bondi area - just a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison was forced to close the famous beach when thousands of people flouted social distancing measures.

'Several new diagnoses of COVID-19 have been made in backpackers in the Bondi area,' NSW Health said on Sunday in a statement.

'There were two recent parties that some of the cases attended where the cases may have acquired their infections,' a spokesman for NSW Health said.

NSW Health on Sunday confirmed 97 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the state's tally to 533

Partygoers who attended the Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List (pictured) on March 15 have been asked to self isolate

Those two parties were the Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List on March 15 and a party at Club 77 on the same date.

The announcement comes after Mr Morrison condemned thousands of people who flouted the social distancing measures and flocked to Bondi Beach to soak up the sun this weekend.

'What happened at Bondi Beach yesterday was not OK and served as a message to federal and state leaders that too many Australians are not taking these issues seriously enough,' he told reporters on Sunday.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Of those 533 confirmed NSW cases, 46 have been contracted locally without an identified source of infection.

A childcare worker from the Smeaton Grange Young Academics Centre has also been infected with COVID-19.

Any children or staff who went to the centre between March 2 and March 16 are being told to self isolate.

All beaches in Sydney's eastern suburbs were closed on Sunday, including Bondi, Tamarama, Maroubra and Coogee.

The Northern Beaches Council on Sunday afternoon also closed Dee Why, Freshwater, Manly, Long Reef and Palm Beach due to the 'high number of people gathering in some areas'.

Council mayor Michael Regan is urging the public to change their behaviour to ensure health and safety standards are being maintained.

'We are trying to keep our public spaces open but we need the community to support us and follow the Federal Government rules, otherwise we have no choice but to act to ensure everyone's health and safety, Cr Regan said in a statement on Sunday.

Scott Morrison said he will enforce 'draconian' measures for Australians who ignore social distancing rules

'We are all in this together and every single person has a role to play. I ask everyone to consider the safety of themselves and others by avoiding public places especially ones they know will be busy, today and for the foreseeable future.'

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said about 450 people who showed up at Bondi Beach on Sunday morning were told to leave.

'We are not doing this because we are the fun police. We don't close these public spaces because we want to punish people,' he told Channel 7's Weekend Sunrise.

'Some people are just stupid and want to take the risk. Some people think they are above the law.'

The beaches are closed after images of people cramming on to Bondi Beach were widely condemned amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said authorities may need to crack down even harder if people continue to ignore public health warnings.

Beachgoers seemingly ignored warnings about the closure of the beach on Sunday morning

'What happened at Bondi Beach yesterday was not OK and served as a message to federal and state leaders that too many Australians are not taking these issues seriously enough,' he told reporters on Sunday.

'State premiers and chief ministers may have to take far more draconian measures to enforce social distancing.

'The more Australians themselves assist us in this fight against the virus to protect lives and livelihoods, the more and better able we are to ensure that Australia comes out stronger on the other side.'

Under regulations introduced to control the spread of the deadly virus, outdoor gatherings of 500 people or more have been banned.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard urged young people to take the COVID-19 threat seriously, saying 'the problem is just over the horizon, on the basis of the numbers that we're now seeing'.

'It's a serious matter. Save yourself and save your family,' Mr Hazzard told reporters on Saturday.
263 Indians were evacuated from Italy in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak and the Air India flight carrying them home has landed in Delhi. Most of them are students and now they are back in their own country.

They will be taken to an Indo-Tibetan Border Police-managed quarantine facility in Chhawla. This is after thermal scanning and immigration is done at the airport.



ANI/AP

The passengers are being handled at the isolation bay far away from other terminals, and would be taken out from a separate gate for compulsory quarantine, a Delhi airport official said, according to Hindustan Times.



The relief flight AI 1122 from Rome landed at 9.16 am in Delhi with 263 passengers on board. A big salute to our gallant crew and ground staff, Air India officials said.



Delhi Customs continue to provide its assistance in clearance of the 263 passengers from Rome at the remote bay at the airport. All precautions being exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers being followed. #COVID19 https://t.co/0qZvARpQ7G  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020





"The crew members had been provided with hazmat suits for safety, an official added.

A day before, we had deployed a Boeing 777 with 12 crew members to rescue Indians stranded in Rome.

263 Indian students & compassionate cases departed for India by special AI flight from Rome fulfilling our commitment to ensure their safe return home. Sincere  to @airindiain & Italian authorities @DrSJaishankar @harshvshringla @MEAIndia @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/RmdxdKqfKH  India in Italy (@IndiainItaly) March 21, 2020





This is the second batch to be evacuated. The first batch was 218 people from Milan. Over 500 are still stranded and more flights may have to be sent.

Italy has been badly hit by the disease, as the number of cases has risen to 6,600 and over 800 new deaths have been reported. The total death tally is nearing 5000 - more than China, where the disease originated.


Three more Kolkata residents kept under observation in hospital tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday evening, hours after the state announced a complete lockdown in the city and parts or whole of 22 other districts from 5.00 pm on Monday till midnight of March 27, calling it complete safety restriction.

With them, the number of people testing positive for the deadly virus in Bengal jumped to seven. The infected people are the parents of the 22-year-old resident of a south Kolkata high-rise complex who returned from London on March 13 and allegedly roamed freely and visited his fathers shops before falling ill. The third patient is one of the maids who worked for the family.

Eleven people, including members of the youths family and their employees, had been kept in isolation in state-run facilities after the youth tested positive for Covid-19 on March 19. Till then, the number of infected people in Bengal was two. Two more people subsequently tested positive.

The south Kolkata youth complained of fever and cough on March 16. By then, his two friends, who are residents of Chhattisgarh and Punjab and returned from London on the same flight, had also tested positive, state health department officials said.

The youth was admitted in hospital on March 17. His father has two sanitary ware shops on S P Mukherjee Road and Ishwar Ganguly Street in the Kalighat area of south Kolkata. Residents of this area lodged a written petition with Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim and the police saying the youth and his father came to both the shops and interacted with people and the staff. The residents demanded that the shops be disinfected and people who came in contact with the youth traced.

On Sunday, 21 people were sent to isolation in hospitals in Bengal, taking the number of such people to 52. Also, 1312 people were asked to stay in isolation at home. So far 22,725 people who recently travelled have been enlisted for observation.

The government has banned any gathering of more than seven people during the lockdown. Kolkata and North 24 Parganas district, where people have so far been detected with Covid-19, will be completely locked down along with the districts of Malda, Murshidabad, East Burdwan, Nadia, North Dinajpur, West Burdwan, Howrah and all municipal towns in Birbhum district.

All public transport, taxis, auto-rickshaws, shops, commercial establishments, offices, factories and warehouses have been included in the lockdown. Only vehicles carrying people from hospitals, railway stations, bus terminus and airports and vehicles carrying essential goods have been exempted.

Also exempted from the lockdown are health services, e-commerce and home delivery of food items, courts, police, electricity supply, medical stores, telecom, internet, petrol pumps, banks, LPG agencies, grocery stores, supply of milk, shops selling meat, fish and vegetables, print and electronic media and factories manufacturing essential goods and pharmaceutical products.

The towns of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Siliguri, South Dinajpur, Purulia, Bankura, Bishnupur, Barjora, Midnapore, Kharagpur, Ghatal, Jhargram, Haldia, Digha, Kolaghat, Contai, Hooghly, Serampore, Chandannagar, Konnagar, Arambagh, Uttarpara, Diamond Harbour, Canning, Sonarpur, Baruipur, Bhangar, Budge Budge and Maheshtala will be locked down.

On Sunday, life came to a standstill in Bengal with people responding to the Janta Curfew. Responding to the Prime Ministers call to express gratitude to people involved in essential services, people in most cities sounded bells or blew conch shells. Crackers were also used in many parts.

In north Bengal, where rainfall was reported in Darjeeling and Siliguri, people sounded bells or simply beat utensils on balconies and rooftops.

The government said the lockdown was being imposed under the West Bengal Epidemic Disease Covid-19 Regulations, 2020 which has been framed exercising sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897.
The number of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country has risen to 26, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed on Sunday.

This was disclosed some few minutes after three new cases of the virus were confirmed.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria as at the time of reporting to 26.

However, more cases are still expected to be confirmed as the government has intensified contact tracing of the people who might have had contact with those infected.

New cases

The recently confirmed new case was reported in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

A statement issued by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Sunday, said the new case was reported in a man who returned from the UK recently.

He said the patient was at Bodija area of Ibadan. The patient in his 50s has been in isolation for the past four days.

His sample was taken to Lagos where the result came out positive.

Mr Makinde said that another person who just returned from the U.S. to Oluyole Local Government Area has also been isolated and the result of his test being awaited.

Government Actions

With the increasing number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country, the government has placed restrictions on all international flights.

It has also intensified contact tracing to identify people who might have been in contact with the new confirmed cases.

READ ALSO:

Meanwhile, for the contact tracing of those who had been in contact with the previously confirmed case, Mr Makinde said the family have been identified and notified to isolate themselves for 14 days.

He said a follow up on the Ekiti Covid-19 case revealed that the deceased was picked up directly from Lagos Airport to a private apartment in Ona Ara Local Government Area.

The Health Authorities have contacted the family concerned and the community has been alerted for intensified contact tracing and self-isolation of identified close contacts.

The information given that he stayed in some hotels in Ibadan has been found to be false, he added.

Number of cases

So far, the newly confirmed case is the first of COVID-19 in Oyo state.

As at the time of reporting, 16 cases have been confirmed in Lagos, three in Abuja, two in Ogun, one in Ekiti and one in Oyo State.

As for the other three cases reported this morning, the states where the samples were collected were yet to be disclosed at the time of this report.

Self-quarantine

With the number of infections increasing especially from returnees, the federal government has reiterated that people who just returned into the country should self-quarantine themselves for 24 days.

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire said self-isolation is a required action to be taken seriously for people just coming from foreign countries with cases over 1000.

He also advised them to minimise contacts with others as much as possible and maintain a social distance of about one foot when relating with people.

Mr Ehanire added that the maintenance of good hygiene such as the washing of hands with soap and water, and the use of hand sanitizers are very important.

He, however, said there is no need for Nigerians to use face masks yet, and the government would announce if need be.

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SPA Presidium Releases Decision to Convene SPA Session

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Date: 21/03/2020

Pyongyang, March 21 (KCNA) -- The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) of the DPRK on March 20 released a decision on convening a SPA session.

According to the decision, the Third Session of the 14th SPA of the DPRK will be convened in Pyongyang on April 10, Juche 109 (2020). -0-

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The council was

New York: The UN Security Council called off its two remaining meetings for the week on Monday due to the coronavirus crisis.

After the earlier cancellation of the meeting planned for Tuesday, the Security Council was planning to discuss the situation in Sudan's Darfur region and hold a multilateralism meeting on Thursday.

The council was "still functioning" despite abandoning its remaining sessions for the week, said the Chinese mission, which holds this month's rotating presidency of the body.

"Council members will maintain communication and consultation on issues on the agenda with a view to taking necessary actions as needed to fulfill the Council's mandate," a spokesperson for the mission said in a statement.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told journalists that a positive COVID-19 case had been identified among staff at the organization's Secretariat in New York, after a Philippines diplomat was reported infected last week.

The United Nations building remains open and Secretary General Antonio Guterres was in his office on Monday, Dujarric said.

But he added that the number of people entering the building in New York city has shrunk to around 900 people per day, down from a daily average of several thousand.
Most weeks, Janna Ingeberg works 30 hours as a cleaner for one of the citys largest cleaning companies. Cleaning is hard work, but its stable, and at $17 per hour, Ingeberg was making enough to pay the $300 rent on her room in a four-person home in the North End, along with other expenses.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/3/2020 (660 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most weeks, Janna Ingeberg works 30 hours as a cleaner for one of the citys largest cleaning companies. Cleaning is hard work, but its stable, and at $17 per hour, Ingeberg was making enough to pay the $300 rent on her room in a four-person home in the North End, along with other expenses.

Thirty hours a week, $17 per hour. Do the math, and it comes to $510 per week. It isnt a ton, but its enough, she says.

But what happens when 30 hours a week becomes nine, as it did last week? And what happens when nine becomes seven, as it will this week? In a matter of days, many of her companys regular clients cancelled cleaning services, reducing her hours and thus increasing the burden on her as a tenant.

Her most recent paycheque, which covered two weeks, was $476. With seven hours of scheduled next week, Ingeberg is in line to earn $119, before expenses. Thats 77 per cent less than her usual weekly pay.

Through no fault of her own, Ingeberg  along with thousands of workers in the province  has seen her employment reduced as a result of COVID-19. Restaurants, retailers, and service companies have laid off workers or cut their shifts, and across the country, hundreds of thousands of affected workers have applied for EI.

Her other roommates are still employed, but that could change quickly. "Its a panic, absolutely," she said Saturday. "Im waking up worried if work is going to cancel... Im wondering, How am I going to pay my bills?"

At a time when all Manitobans are being encouraged to stay home, many renters across the province might soon be unable to afford to do so. In Manitoba, roughly 11 per cent of all residents are in core housing need, meaning the residences are either unsuitable, unaffordable, or inadequate. In Winnipeg, according to the 2016 census, two in five renters spend 30 per cent or more of their income on shelter costs. With incomes shrinking, that percentage will grow.

COVID-19 has hurt every facet of Canadas economy. Low-wage workers face even more uncertainty, and although the federal government has extended mortgage relief to homeowners, and while some provinces have implemented eviction freezes and revamped rental assistance program, the Manitoba government has yet to lay out any substantive plans for renter-relief.

Josh Brandon of the the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, says that needs to change now, not later.

"This is an unprecedented economic crisis," he said. "We need all levels of government supporting renters."

Brandon sits on the board of Make Poverty History Manitoba, an advocacy organization that is demanding the provincial government take swift action to protect renters during this time of instability.

The organization is calling for an immediate moratorium on evictions, something the Ontario government implemented last week. Another demand is the guarantee that utilities wont be turned off to any residence, and the third is a retooled Rent Assist program to help with short-term financial instability as a result of COVID-19.

Brandon said those changes are necessary: without a place to live, how can one follow recommendations to stay home? Without guaranteed water, how can one frequently wash their hands? Without sufficient income support, how can one who has lost work afford emergency supplies, food, diapers or pay their phone bill?

"Its a public health concern if people are losing the place they should be self-isolating or social distancing," said Michael Barkman, chairman of Make Poverty History Manitoba. "(These changes) are immediate measures that are needed, and they feel like an obvious choice."

Rental agencies across the province are still anticipating cheques will arrive for the end of the month. Julia Michaud, a freelance graphic designer, says she received a note from her rental company reminding tenants that direct deposits can be taken and that rent must still be paid.

Michaud, who lives in a $1,050 per month unit in Wolseley, said this months rent and next should be manageable. But in May, who knows? "Its going to be a day by day thing," she said, with freelance payments already notoriously slow to arrive. She has some steady clients, but in an unsteady time, that could change.

"There are going to be thousands of people evicted if the province doesnt do anything," she said. "I dont know why were so slow on this."

Taylor Hill, a 24-year-old student and server, says her restaurants management has agreed to pay employees for the last two weeks of March before laying them off so they can apply for Employment Insurance. So far, she hasnt had luck registering. For March, she has enough to pay rent. For April, shell have to dip into her savings. After that, shell need to make tough decisions about what to pay for.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

She says renters need more support, and rental agencies should be prepared to make concessions and compromises to allow renters to stay put. Asked whether a freeze on evictions and added rental assistance should be implemented, Hill said, "Its a no-brainer."

"We have mortgage freezes, why not rental freezes?" she asked.

The Free Press reached out to the provincial government to ask about assistance for renters, but hasnt received a reply.

For her part, Ingeberg believes the government is pulling out all the stops, but said she needs assurance that help is on its way.

"Im OK until April, but after then, I dont know," she said.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
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On March 22, 2020, Russia has started the sending of medical personnel and equipment to Italy in the fight against the COVID-19 using military transport aircraft Il-76. Today, we can see that all military forces in the world also are collaborating with the private sector and other civilian government entities providing military equipment and medical support.



Russian army delivers medical equipment to Italy to fight COVID-19. (Picture source Russia MoD)

The Russian military aircraft will deliver to the Italian air force base Praktik de Mare (30 kilometers southwest of Rome, Italy) groups of military doctors, specialists in the sphere of virology and epidemiology with modern equipment for the diagnosis and conduct of disinfection measures.

Today, the Russian armed forces have an important capacity to fight against attacks CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear ) threats especially trained to conduct the most complex set of measures aimed at reducing the loss of associations and formations of the Ground Forces and ensuring their combat tasks assigned during operations in conditions of radioactive, chemical and biological contamination, as well as at enhancing their survivability and protection against high-precision and other weapons.

The Russian CBRN Troops are developing as dual-purpose forces, able to solve tasks both in war and peace times, in the aftermath of accidents and disasters in industrial facilities hazardous radioactively, chemically and biologically.

A very interesting CBRN decontamination truck of the Russian armed force is the TMS-65U, which is based on a 6x6 military truck chassis Ural-4320 fitted with a modified Klimov VK-1 turbojet engine mounted on a turntable with an operator's cabin. Originally, the TMS-65U is used to perform rapid decontamination of vehicles and towed weapons and equipment.

At the back of the crew cabin is located 1,500 liters of a decontaminant solution with another 4,000 liters of water carried on a twin-axle trailer towed behind the vehicle.

According to our first analysis, Russia has also sent the Multifunctional Mobile Modular Complex which is used for analyzing of pathogenic materials and to perform biological reconnaissance missions.

Another decontamination vehicle that Russia has provided to Italy is the KRPP-2, a special decontamination vehicle. Tomorrow, we will publish news with more technical details about the CBRN vehicles used by the Russian army and delivered to Italy.



Russian army decontamination vehicle TMS-65U (Picture source Army Recognition)



Russian army KRPP-2 special decontamination vehicle (Picture source Army Recognition)



Russian army Multifunctional Mobile Modular Complex (Picture source Army Recognition)
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has expressed his gratitude towards the health workers and "saluted their valiant efforts" in checking the spread of novel coronavirus.

In a release on Sunday, he said while the whole world was "stunned by the unexpected scare of coronavirus", it was the health workers who left their near and dear ones to save lives.

Millions of people across the country stayed indoors on Sunday in an unprecedented and overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janta curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus, coming out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps.

"Health workers, who care for us in the face of every disaster, are fighting across the world and struggling for the survival of humanity. It's the continuous effort of doctors, nurses, lab/theatre technicians, attenders, cleaning staff, pharmacists, ambulance drivers, counsellors, health inspectors, ASHA workers and others that helped us to stay safe," Vijayan said in a release.

He also praised the police, fire and safety, and the prison departments, and said the youth, along with Kudumbashree workers, students and others have shown the way to fight the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

"We have a long way to go in this fight against COVID-19. We will fight our way from this virus scare with everyone's support. I salute each one of you," the Kerala chief minister said in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, police and fire personnel and locals clapped in support of the health workers at 5 pm.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to seven, while the total number of cases soared to 360 as fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country on Sunday, the Union Health Ministry said.

According to the ministry's data, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 67, including three foreigners, followed by Kerala at 52, including seven foreign nationals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"It's been a pretty shit week in the pub game," says Peter Sherwood, general manager at the Empress Hotel in North Fitzroy.

By 9pm Sunday, the bar was already wiped down and the pub's stools stacked up. And instead of a live game of sport on the front bar's TV, it was Prime Minister Scott Morrison on screen - delivering Sherwood the news the he'd been expecting all week.

Closure.

Peter Sherwood watches the prime minister's announcement from his empty front bar. Credit:Rachael Dexter

From midday on Monday, all states will shut pubs and clubs, cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, gyms, indoor sporting venues, churches and places of worship. Cafes and restaurants will only be open for takeaway, the prime minister said on Sunday night.
As the total number of coronavirus cases in Worcester climbed to 12 over the weekend, city officials announced first responders in the community are now being tested.

Almost all the patients have been over 40. Most have been over 50, so it hasnt seemed to hit the Millennials or Gen-Xers or that age group yet," Dr. Michael Hirsh, the citys medical director, said during a press conference Saturday. We do think that those generations are getting the virus. They just arent manifesting symptoms that would make them seek out medical attention.

The tally of COVID-19 patients in the city jumped by five within 24 hours. As of Saturday, the number of statewide cases stood at 525, 24 of which were reported in Worcester County. The first death in the commonwealth due to the viral respiratory infection was reported Friday.

Testing of Worcester Police Department officers began Saturday, and 18 city firefighters will be tested for the virus Sunday, officials said.

The dozen individuals in the community who have been positively diagnosed are being monitored by the Worcester Division of Public Health and remain in isolation, according to Mayor Joe Pettys office.

A shelter in place has not been ordered for the community or for the state at this time, Petty noted.

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The coronavirus outbreak in New Jersey continues to rapidly escalate with 1,914 total known cases and 20 known deaths in the state as health officials announced Sunday another 590 positive tests on the first full day of the latest restrictions on travel and retail businesses.

This is not a surprise," Gov. Phil Murphy said during a telephone briefing with reporters. "We knew, especially as we opened up testing, we could have bigger numbers. Some of this is community spread, no question.

The numbers include four new deaths from coronavirus, Murphy said. The new deaths include a man in his 90s from Bergen County, a man in his 80s from Passaic County, a woman in her 90s from Middlesex County and a man in his 70s from Somerset County. The Bergen and Passaic deaths were both cases with underlying medical conditions, while the other two remain under investigation, said Judith Persichilli, commissioner of the state Department of Health.

There are now coronavirus cases in all 21 New Jersey counties. The state provided a partial county-by-county breakdown for the positive tests, though 211 remain under investigation:

Bergen County: 457

Essex County: 172

Monmouth County: 158

Middlesex County: 147

Hudson County: 126

Union County: 124

Morris County: 119

Ocean County: 102

Passaic County: 95

Somerset County: 51

Mercer County: 40

Burlington County: 26

Camden County: 22

Hunterdon County: 16

Sussex County: 12

Warren County: 9

Gloucester County: 8

Atlantic County: 5

Cape May County: 2

Cumberland County: 1

Salem County: 1

Murphy has stressed that the cases will likely climb into the many thousands," particularly as testing expands in New Jersey, which has 9 million residents.

Officials have not released how many people have been hospitalized with or recovered from the virus.

The first state-run and FEMA supported testing site opened Friday at Bergen Community College to massive lines that stretched for miles. The site hit capacity on Sunday less than an hour after opening in Bergen County, the county with the most cases in the state.

A second state-run site is set to open on Monday at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel.

Murphy took the dramatic step Saturday of signing executive orders shutting down non-essential retail businesses, canceling social gatherings, and instructing people to quite simply stay at home."

The new order calls for nearly all New Jersey residents to stay in and refrain from travel  except for obtaining food and medicine, seeking medical attention, visiting family and those you have a close personal relationship" with (like a caretaker or romantic partner), exercise, and reporting to work at a business that is still open.

The non-essential business shutdown is in effect Sunday. The list of essential businesses that are allowed to keep operating is, according to the state website:

Manufacturing, industrial, logistics, ports, heavy construction, shipping, food production, food delivery, and other commercial operations; and medical facilities where a sick or injured person is given care or treatment, such as doctors offices, hospitals, dentist offices, long-term care facilities and other medical offices.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

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Amidst the deadly coronavirus outbreak, a Belgian distillery has transitioned from producing gin to disinfectants. The distillery made the switch after medical authorities requested additional supplies to cope with the effects of the deadly coronavirus epidemic. On March 20, Belgium announced a $1.1 billion stimulus package in an effort to help hospitals face the crisis.

Adapting in the times of need

Belgium has reported 2,815 positive coronavirus cases and a death toll of 67. According to reports, Rubbens distillery that is located in the town of Wichelen, has decided to play its part and has started treating alcohol with ether, producing a disinfectant liquid for hands and surfaces. Hendrik Beck who owns the distillery has reportedly said that suddenly one day hospitals started calling him and asking if they had alcohol.

He added that last week they were bottling gin but today they are bottling disinfectant, the experience has been unreal for them according to Hendrik but he is happy to help people. Rubbens distillery normally is able to produce around 4,000 litres of liquors a day, now the distillery produces 10,000 litres of disinfectant.

Read: Experts Claim Air Quality Improving In Countries Placed Under Coronavirus Lockdown

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Belgium has gone into lockdown in an effort to contain the deadly coronavirus outbreak. According to reports, Beck has claimed that the distillery was among the businesses that were hit the hardest by the lockdown. He has claimed that his bar and restaurant has had to close down and that even his customers have been hit hard by the lockdown. But the selling of disinfectant helped to soften the blow of the negative effects of the lockdown.

This distillery is not alone in converting its business in an effort to help the fight against the coronavirus. As per reports, LVMH, which is a large conglomerate that is behind Louis Vuitton has said that its factories in France that manufacture perfumes for Christian Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy, will soon start producing hand sanitizer gel for doctors and medical professional battling the coronavirus.

Read: Coronavirus LIVE Updates: PM Modi Appeals To People To Stay Put Wherever They Are

Read: Mexican President Thanks Trump For Not Closing Border Amid Coronavirus Crisis
Crises have a way of sorting out the good people, ideas, and institutions from the bad, and as the Wuhan virus spreads throughout the world, the sorting process is made easier. The decision to close our borders to China, criticized by the WHO, the left, and media as "racist," has proven to be essential, and the bien pensant governments around the world are now following suit, shutting down their borders to aid in containment.

For those who wonder why this variety of flu depends on our isolating ourselves for a while until we can contain it, Lauren Ancel Meyer, my young friend and a scientist, explains:

The recent threats of SARS, swine flu, Ebola, and Zika have brought fame to an epidemiological statistic known as R 0 . It stands for the basic reproduction number and is intended to be an indicator of the contagiousness of infectious agents (it is pronounced R-naught). In short it tells us how many people each new case will infect during the early days of a pandemic on average. An outbreak is expected to continue if R 0 has a value >1 and to end if R 0 is <1. A lot of attention has been paid to recent estimates suggesting that covid-19 has a lower R 0 than SARS, roughly two versus three. Clearly, then, R 0 is not the whole story. It indicates whether one case will turn into two or three or four, but not how quickly or how silently that will come to pass. The level of intervention required to curb an outbreak very much depends on all three factors: its R 0 value, speed, and visibility in the community. We should not be fooled by the relatively modest R 0 of covid-19 as its speed and stealth make it all the more difficult to contain. Even if each case infects only two others, the number of infections can skyrocket undetected in the absence of early and extensive control measures that limit person-to-person contact. Our study highlights the elusiveness of covid-19. Keeping people apart is the only guaranteed way to block infections given the immense challenge of identifying contagious and soon-to-be contagious cases. Whether the policy goal is to stop transmission, protect those at high risk, or "flatten the curve" to ensure that fewer people are sick at any one time, extreme social distancing strategies of the type we have been seeing are strongly recommended.

Speed of containment is of the essence, and the good news is that while the development of any vaccine against it requires more time, there are existing pharmaceuticals, some of which are readily available and not terribly expensive, that seem to be efficacious.

Among these are hydroxychloroquine (brand name Plaquinel) and chloroquine. Jeffrey Satinover reports that a "French clinical study with 24 patients and excellent 5 day elimination of the virus used" the more readily available Plaquinel. It must be taken under medical oversight because of the risk of interactions and the long-term "effects on the retina." Plaquinel is produced by Teva, an Israeli company which will donate six million tablets through wholesalers to hospitals around the country by the end of the month and more than 10 million tablets within a month. Resochin has shown some potential in treating the virus as well, and Bayer just donated three million tablets.

In Italy, remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug produced by Gilead, proved effective. That drug, however, is in limited supply, though Gilead is working "to increase its stock a rapidly as possible." Favipiravir, a Japanese-produced drug, reportedly has proven effective in China. There is certainly reason for optimism that with closed borders, self-isolation, and available drug treatments, we can stem the spread of this virus.

Fly-over country seems largely unaffected, but the big cities on the coasts are not. My muse Iowahawk (David Burge) has a point:

@iowahawkblog BTW, great call on that 20-year campaign to promote high density urban living and public transportation, smart people.

Living in small city apartments without much space to cook or store essentials, urban dwellers might stop looking down on their suburban and rural fellow citizens as restaurants near them are shuttered and grocery store visits restricted to a few customers at a time.

For many decades, big government proponents have worked and spent fortunes of tax revenues to wean Americans from their cars and onto public transportation, and it is now an "obvious fact that crowded subways and buses are the worst thing in the face of a new, extremely contagious respiratory virus."

The same can be said of the misguided (indeed, in my view, idiotic) war on plastic bags by blue-state and local politicians:

New York's environmentalists have terrible timing. The statewide ban on single-use plastic bags took effect on March 1, the same day New York confirmed its first case of coronavirus. To protect the public, officials in the Empire State and elsewhere should immediately suspend their plastic bag bans. Much remains unknown about Covid-19, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it "may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials." Reusable shopping bags may harbor the virus and could facilitate its spread in grocery stores and pharmacies that remain open even as workplaces, schools and restaurants shutter. Yet in California, New York, Seattle and elsewhere, plastic bags are banned, and shoppers are urged to rely on reusable bags.

Social distancing as enough medicines, respirators, and medical facilities are becoming available is made more tolerable because of the internet and the new ways it facilitates delivering services and goods to individual consumers. An early adapter, I have found these to be an enormous saving of time and effort. These services now are proving invaluable in the time of social isolation. They also are providing new jobs for those temporarily dislocated as their normal employment is shut down.

The internet has also made distance learning available, so learning can take place even with schools closed. That may, however, be a mixed blessing, as this laugh-out-loud video from an Israeli mother of four kids reveals:

Another example of independent entrepreneurial genius is the distilleries producing hand sanitizers to alleviate the shortage of them (a shortage, by the way, made worse by the actions of New York governor Cuomo).

Abbott Molecular finally got FDA permission to produce needed test kits and this week deployed 150,000 of them and expects to produce up to one million of them a week by month's end.

In contrast to the private industries are government institutions, which on a national and international level are often so sclerotic that they prevent necessary rapid, effective responses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control comes to mind, as Carl Quintanilla tweeted:

@carlquintanilla WSJ: "While the virus was quietly spreading within the U.S., the CDC had told state and local officials its 'testing capacity is more than adequate to meet current testing demands,' according to a Feb. 26 agency email viewed by The Wall Street Journal.." How Washington failed to build a robust coronavirus testing system Government decisions that limited testing for the pathogen blinded the U.S. to the outbreak's scale, impeding the nation's ability to fight it by isolating the sick and their contacts.

In part this occurred because, instead of concentrating on its core mission of fighting the spread of infectious disease, the CDC had expanded its mission into faddish stuff like racism and obesity.

The World Health Organization was even worse. At a critical time, it was acting as a propaganda arm of the Chinese communists, praising the Chinese who obfuscated the news and lied about it.

China now claims it has no new domestic cases of the virus, to which Iowahawk responds, "Looks like there is a worldwide shortage of grains of salt." And "It's really amazing how people who fancy themselves as exquisitely check-three-times skeptics are the first to sign up for the big multilevel marketing seminar at the Beijing Ramada Inn."

As private industry steps up, the administration has scrapped a number of policies and regulations that slowed down aid. Among them are these: finally, Medicare will pay for TeleMed so that the sick and elderly can get help from doctors by telephone instead of being forced to make trips to doctors' offices. Truckers were given an okay to move emergency supplies without the federal mandates for rests so they can move supplies more quickly to where they are needed.

A new appreciation is due not only to the first responders we always rely on, but also to the truckers, farmers, and grocery and warehouse stockers who are hard at work.

Another lesson of this ongoing crisis  in addition to the need for U.S. domestic production of some key medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, even greater skepticism about the veracity, competence, and agendas of media, and reexamination of the gospel of globalization and open borders  is greater appreciation of muscular labor and those who feed us, protect us, give us energy, and clean up after us, and who cannot afford to stay home, and whom America cannot afford that they might.

Of course, actions by some, notably Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the media, can only be explained, to paraphrase wretchardthecat, by raw fury, because "they were wrong about a whole host of things. Events made monkeys of them." Events still will. Mayors who let thousands of homeless people tent out on their streets where they relieved themselves daily amid piles of rat-ridden heaps of trash and drug paraphernalia will learn some lessons about public health. Nancy Pelosi, who for three and a half years accused the president of treason and exceeding his constitutional powers, now begs him to assume dictatorial powers. The mainstream media are almost entirely discounted as a source of reliable news and are reduced to posing ignorantly framed gotcha questions at the conclusions of transparent first-class White House briefings. The notion that cities like Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, whose leaders have undermined the rule of law and law enforcement, will suddenly be able to get the will and manpower to enforce lockdown of the residents defies all probability.

In the end, I expect and hope that the leadership of the adults in this administration will succeed in making this economic and social dislocation very short-lived and that the not well disguised hopes of the president's opponents for a depression and a huge death toll will end up being no more than self-discrediting monkey business.
Iran's supreme leader refuses US assistance to fight new coronavirus, citing unfounded conspiracy theory virus man-made.

Ayatollah Ali Khameneis comments come as Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

But while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly criticized those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead chose to traffic in the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.

Possibly your (offered) medicine is a way to spread the virus more, Khamenei said. Or if you send therapists and doctors, maybe he wants to see the effect of the poison, since it is said that part of the virus is built for Iran.

There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khameneis comments. However, it comes after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us an explanation!

Lijian likewise offered no evidence to support his claim, which saw the U.S. State Department summon Chinas ambassador to complain.

Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December. In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the Chinese or Wuhan virus, while the World Health Organization used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the virus causes. Even a U.S. senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the unfounded conspiracy theory it was a man-made Chinese bioweapon.

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.

Scientists have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected people. Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan. The now-shuttered Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market advertised dozens of species such as giant salamanders, baby crocodiles and raccoon dogs that were often referred to as wildlife, even when they were farmed.

An article published last week in the scientific journal Nature Medicine similarly said there is strong evidence the virus is not the product of purposeful manipulation.

It is improbable that (the virus) emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus, the articles authors found.

Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live Sunday across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.

His comments come as Iran has over 20,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,556 reported deaths.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus. Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.

Reassigning blame could be helpful to Irans government, which faced widespread public anger after denying for days it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing 176 people. Widespread economic problems as well has seen mass demonstrations in recent years that saw hundreds reportedly killed.

Iranian hard-liners have supported conspiracy theories in the past when it suited their interests. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some publicly doubted al-Qaidas role and state TV promoting the unfounded conspiracy theory that the Americans blew up the building themselves.

Former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad similarly raised doubt about the Sept. 11 attack, calling it a big lie, while also describing the Holocaust as a myth.
Representational picture

Some donned their chef's hats, a few picked up books for late morning reads, and many enjoyed something that has become scarce given the everyday noise pollution - listening to birds chirping on trees - during the 'Janta Curfew' on March 22.

Proposed by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, the "self-imposed curfew" inspired people to stay indoors from 7am till 9pm and spend some quality time with their families.

While Twitter user Vandana Kumar was excited to hear "the call of nature" in the busy metropolis of Mumbai, writer and addiction counselor Smita Barooah "woke up to the call of the peacock".

"Can u believe it, this is Mumbai and for the 1st time we cld hear only the call of the nature ...The birds chirping ...all kinds..The koyal, the crow, the pigeon, the sparrow...How soothing (sic)" Kumar tweeted.

Barooah wrote on the social media website, "In my housing complex, can't see a single person or car move. Can you hear the koel & the other birds? Woke up to the call of the peacock :)" while sharing a video.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Another user, Kunal Rajendra Sagar, from Mumbai also shared a video clip from his balcony.

"it is first time I am able to hear nature's voice of birds instead of human generated noice (sic)" he wrote.

Appreciation towards the birds' chirping was apparent from the trending topic 'Bird' on Twitter with over 64,000 tweets.

While roads across the country wore a deserted look, the traffic on the social media site was booming with over 3.4 lakh tweets trending with #JantaCurfew.

Several users from different cities shared photos and videos of deserted roads that see heavy traffic on usual days including the Connaught Place market in New Delhi, the Bandra-Worli sea link and Palm Beach road in Mumbai, the walled city area in Jaipur, Hazratganj and Chowk areas of Lucknow, and Dhakuria in Kolkata.

Corporate lawyer Aditi shared a video of the Marine Drive in south Mumbai, deserted "for the first time" in her lifetime.

"Bombay, slowing down for the first time in my lifetime (30 years), and coming together as usual in support during these testing times" she said.

The curfew also brought out the chefs in people as several Twitter users shared photos from their kitchens.

Mohit Gupta tried his hand at cooking as he posted a picture while stirring a pan.

"Learning cooking how to make food (sic). The Best way to spend time at home" he wrote.

Venkatesha Prasad, all the way from the Netherlands that is also affected by coronavirus, shared a picture of his children cooking for the family.

"Our kids are cooking food for all of us (10 ppl). They learn important life skill & No boredom! We can make a change, Yes we can Win!" he wrote on the micro-blogging website.

Some Twitter users decided to read during the curfew as they posted pictures of books.

One user, Urvi (Sirf Sana), decided to pick up 'The Goldfinch' by Donna Tartt, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2014. Another user Neeraj Nigam picked up 'The Making of Hero' by Sunil Kant Munjal.

The 'Janta Curfew' was announced by the prime minister on Thursday evening to hinder the spread of coronavirus.

By morning of March 22, the number of COVID-19 positive people in the country had gone up to 324, according to the Health Ministry.
On day 560, a little more than eighteen months into the experiment, the population peaked at 2,200 mice and its growth ceased. A few mice survived past weaning until day six hundred, after which there were few pregnancies and no surviving young. As the population had ceased to regenerate itself, its path to extinction was clear. There would be no recovery, not even after numbers had dwindled back to those of the heady early days of the Universe. The mice had lost the capacity to rebuild their numbersmany of the mice that could still conceive, such as the beautiful ones and their secluded singleton female counterparts, had lost the social ability to do so. In a way, the creatures had ceased to be mice long before their deatha first death, as Calhoun put it, ruining their spirit and their society as thoroughly as the later second death of the physical body.

Calhoun had built his career on this basic experiment and its consistent results ever since erecting his first rat city on a quarter-acre of land adjacent to his home in Towson, Maryland, in 1947. The population of that first pen had peaked at 200 and stabilized at 150, when Calhoun had estimated that it could rise to as many as 5,000something was evidently amiss. In 1954, Calhoun was employed by the National Institute of Mental Health in Rockville, Maryland, where he would remain for three decades. He built a ten-by-fourteen-foot universe for a small population of rats, divided by electrified barriers into four rooms connected by narrow ramps. Food and water were plentiful, but space was tight, capable of supporting a maximum of forty-eight rats. The population reached eighty before succumbing to the same catastrophes that would afflict Universe 25: explosive violence, hypersexual activity followed by asexuality, and self-destruction.

In 1962, Calhoun published a paper called Population Density and Social Pathology in Scientific American, laying out his conclusion: overpopulation meant social collapse followed by extinction. The more he repeated the experiment, the more the outcome came to seem inevitable, fixed with the rigor of a scientific equation. By the time he wrote about the decline and fall of Universe 25 in 1972, he even laid out its fate in equation form:

Mortality, bodily death = the second death

Drastic reduction of mortality

= death of the second death

= death squared

= (death)2

(Death)2 leads to dissolution of social organization

= death of the establishment

Death of the establishment leads to spiritual death

= loss of capacity to engage in behaviors essential to species survival

= the first death

Therefore:

(Death)2 = the first death

This formula might apply to rats and micebut could the same happen to humankind? For Calhoun, there was little question about it. No matter how sophisticated we considered ourselves to be, once the number of individuals capable of filling roles greatly exceeded the number of roles,

only violence and disruption of social organization can follow. ... Individuals born under these circumstances will be so out of touch with reality as to be incapable even of alienation. Their most complex behaviors will become fragmented. Acquisition, creation and utilization of ideas appropriate for life in a post-industrial cultural-conceptual-technological society will have been blocked.
Xiaomi has been furnishing its smartphones with Android 10 updates of late. The Mi 9 SE is the latest of the bunch to receive Google's latest OS, with Xiaomi pushing out updates to EU, Global and Russian handsets simultaneously.

Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here

Following on from last month's update for Chinese handsets, Xiaomi has now brought Android 10 to all other versions of the Mi 9 SE. Specifically, the EU, Global and Russia stable branches of MIUI have been upgraded to V11.0.2.0, harmonising the build numbers across release branches.

The updates will arrive as OTAs if they have not already. Alternatively, you can download the build for your handset below:

Piunikaweb reports that V11.0.2.0 for the Mi 9 SE carries the following changelog. Not all the changes below may apply to all regions, though.

System

Updated Android Security Patch to February 2020. Increased system security.

Stable MIUI based on Android 10

Status bar, Notification shade

Fix: Couldnt open notification settings in the Notification shade in Second space

Camera

Fix: The app crashed in PRO mode

Other
CLEVELAND, Ohio  The coronavirus calls were coming in faster than Dr. Heidi Gulletts medical students and residents could keep up Saturday afternoon at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health in Parma.

Confirmation had just come of the countys first coronavirus-related death, a 91-year-old man, marking the virus third casualty in the state.

The phones kept ringing.

Cases, said Gullett, medical director for the countys health board, were flooding in.

To keep up with the surge of confirmed cases and exposures this week, medical students and residents from Case Western Reserve University have stepped in to bolster the countys health worker staff, which was stretched to capacity. The Board of Health has 50 people dedicated to the coronavirus, working long hours.

Teams of students and staff take shifts. Its hectic in what they call the incident command center, yet somehow still orderly, still calm.

They juggle calls from worried residents, contact the mounting list of people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and deploy resources to help patients safely isolate the ones who reported the telltale symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Army of people on the ground

One thing the CWRU medical students do is call and interview people with a positive coronavirus test.

Their task is to gather extremely specific details over the phone: current symptoms, underlying health conditions, a comprehensive list of people the patient encountered and recent places they visited  even the layout of the home or apartment so the patients can safely isolate.

In some cases, the patient knows theyve tested positive for the virus and is expecting the call. In others, the students are breaking upsetting news.

This is a pretty high stress situation for these folks, Gullett, who also is a family doctor at Neighborhood Family Practice, told The Plain Dealer.

Heidi Gullett, Cuyahoga County Board of Health Medical Director and Case Western Reserve University professor.

As the cases come in, the medical students and preventive medicine residents and faculty also investigate connections between cases reported in the county, which allows them to identify potential clusters of exposure. This is the work of the disease detectives that Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton has explained during daily briefings.

On Saturday, Acton lauded Cuyahoga County for its amazing, five-layered triage system and singled out the medical students and residents, Board of Health Commissioner Terry Allan and Gullett for their work. Gullet, like Acton, trained in preventive medicine and hails from the Youngstown area.

Acton praised Cuyahoga Countys army of people on the ground.

Theyre doing surveillance in high-risk clusters, without all the available testing Theyre using their testing wisely, and theyre going even to family clusters, Acton said.

Each day, Acton has been sharing with Ohioans the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus. As of Saturday, that included 247 confirmed cases in Ohio, 92 of which are in Cuyahoga County. Cleveland had 24 confirmed cases, which were being investigated by the Cleveland Department of Public Health.

Acton has emphasized that those are just a small and mostly delayed snapshot of the virus spread through the state.

Cuyahoga County has been identified by health officials as one of three hotspots for the virus in Ohio, along with Dayton and Tuscarawas County.

Not only do the students talk to patients with confirmed positive cases of the virus, but they call and interview as many of those peoples contacts as they can. If a contact reports symptoms, such as fever or chills, muscle aches or shortness of breath, they are deemed presumptive positive, Gullett said. That is, its assumed they also have COVID-19. Unless their symptoms warrant medical treatment, they also will be told to isolate and treat their symptoms at home.

Then, the contact tracing will extend to all of the people those presumptive positives had contact with as well.

In some cases, if a person attended a large event, was in a school building or attended church, Gullett or another team member will craft a message to distribute. People in close contact would receive phone calls.

The good news is, a lot of people quarantined themselves, Gullett said.

The pace of the public health investigations and contact tracing, though, has ratcheted up in the past week.

Last week, they handled four or five confirmed cases a day, Gullett said.

Today, cases are coming faster than I can take them off the computer, she said.

As the information from the interviews pours in, the medical students and residents quickly share it. They work the phones in separate rooms and cubicles to maintain recommended social distancing.

Andrea Szabo, a third-year medical student, in a phone call from the operations center Saturday, described the scene as a little hectic.

Cases are constantly coming in, said Szabo, a 26-year-old from Columbia Station. You get handed one and run to a desk and dial your phone.

The calls involve gathering and sharing as much information as possible, she said. It has to be done urgently but also calmly and thoroughly.

It can be tricky, Szabo said. Shes been hung up on. Shes been thanked. Szabo said she works to build a rapport, reminding people they arent the only ones going through this.

Many people know the results of their tests before the call. But some dont, and you have to break the news to a person who is scared or upset, she said. Some worry about how they will isolate and still pay their bills or care for their children.

You just soothe them as best you can, she said.

It is kind of crazy, you wish you could reach out and touch someone to comfort them, but you have to do this over the phone, Szabo said.

If a contact has followed public health quarantine directives and stayed at home, its considered a win.

Others, though, tell Szabo they went to work, went to the grocery store, and they went here, and they went there and so her list of new people to contact grows.

The calls arent just about collecting information for public health purposes, Gullett said.

The medical students also ask what the patients need. Do they have a thermometer? Do they have enough food? Do they need cleaning products?

A resource team made up of medical residents and physicians, who have been fitted with personal protective equipment, or PPE, can deliver packages to patients at home, allowing them to safely isolate and for them and their families to stay at home.

We just cannot lose sight of the humanistic part of this, Gullett said. Its not just public health. We want to help people get through this and feel supported.

At first, the team tracked clusters of cases on a whiteboard in a conference room. Later, when space ran out, they switched to giant sticky notes, which now cover most of the rooms walls.

Well be going to the ceiling soon, Szabo said some people joked.

When clusters of cases are identified in a workplace, social gathering place or family  which Gullett said has happened multiple times  a special team of preventive medicine residents and faculty is able to more aggressively deploy resources and information. The team is also doing more preventive surveillance in high-risk places, like skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, she said.

If needed, doctors, not students though, collect sample swabs in the field to send for testing.

David Zheng, a first-year medical student, spent Thursday calling people who have tested positive for coronavirus.

The 26-year-old from Carmel, Indiana, explains that they need to self-isolate and makes sure they have a safe place with access to food where they can do so.

The difficult part of tracking a virus so contagious is figuring out everyone who might have come in contact with someone with a positive case, he said. And, when it comes to clusters of positive cases, the work becomes even more complicated.

Its a really good way to practice those doctoring skills of taking patient history, Zheng said, adding, even though its not in person.

A big thank you to our friend @CommunitySolsED John Corlett, for brightening up our @CCBH_Net incident command center with a beautiful spring bouquet ! pic.twitter.com/5BrTC3RYcU  Terry Allan (@TerryAllanCCBH) March 19, 2020

A multi-layered team

The multi-layered approach and collaboration didnt materialize because of the coronavirus.

The team effort that has unfolded at the operations center was seeded when Gullett, back in 2013 was embedded at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, lending her expertise in public health and preventive medicine and opening up opportunities for medical students at CWRU, where shes also a professor, to train in public health specialties.

For most of the students, this isnt the first time theyve thought through how to handle a public health crisis, Gullett said.

Each first-year Case medical student on the university track (some are on a Cleveland Clinic track) participates in a pandemic simulation during their first week of medical school, she said.

We train them about this stuff, Gullett said, in part, because the medical schools mission includes not only education and research but improving community health.

They all need to learn about population health and public health from the beginning, she said.

Separately, CWRU medical students also are answering Board of Health hotline calls and answering questions about self-quarantine and symptoms for patients who call Neighborhood Family Practice.

Jane Hinkle, a 24-year-old first-year medical student from Glen Gardner, New Jersey, said most of the people answering the hotlines dont have a medical background, and the students can step in to answer medical questions.

Being there is really something special, especially as a first year-medical student, Hinkle said.

Between calls, students read up on the virus and keep up-to-date on the newest developments in testing. And when they dont know something, they turn to the many doctors on hand at the board of health, Hinkle said.

The key is to admit when you dont know something and defer when necessary, she said.

In addition, theres a dedicated call-in line at the Board of Health reserved for confirmed and presumed coronavirus cases, where patients can call and talk to a physician if they feel their symptoms are worsening.

Most coronavirus patients are able to manage their illness at home. If their symptoms worsen, physicians instruct them to call 9-1-1, and an ambulance will take them to the hospital. The physician can call and make sure the nurses and doctors are aware of the circumstances and are ready for the patient.

First-year medical student Mitchell Thom, 26, of Toronto, follows up with symptomatic patients who call the Neighborhood Family Practice center on Ridge Road and determines if they need to see a physician.

We are essentially helping to triage the urgent versus non-urgent phone calls, Thom said. Its great practice for us. It really helps people feel like theyre heard and seen during a really stressful time.

Nurses field calls and enter pertinent information into the patients electronic medical records. Students like Thom then interview patients about their experiences and share public health messages.

Were hopefully helping take some of the strain off the health care workers on the frontlines, Thom said.

While telehealth calls arent what Thom expected to be doing during the spring semester, a period when first-year students usually get to provide supervised patient care, he is happy to play his part in history.

We dont know if were ever going to see something like this again, Thom said. I think in the future people will want to know: What did you do at this point in time to help?

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President Donald Trump said he is moving forward very quickly to approve Californias request for a State of Disaster declaration, along with aid that would include the activation of the National Guard, which would be paid for entirely by FEMA in an effort to relieve state budgets.

Along with that aid, the administration says it will build eight temporary medical facilities with 2,000 beds in California and send the USNS Mercy, the worlds largest hospital ship, to Los Angeles to aid hospitals as they expect a shortage in medical supplies and patient beds in the coming weeks. Similar facilities are also being planned for New York and Washington, two states also hit hard by the virus, with medical supplies coming along with those facilities.

While governors will be able to command National Guard forces in each state they are deployed to, the Trump administration says that FEMA will cover all costs. FEMA Chief Peter Gaynor insisted that the use of the National Guard in these states is not martial law.

Also Read: Trump Lashes Out at NBC News' Peter Alexander Over Question About What to Tell 'Scared Americans'

The new federal aid comes after California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to the Trump Administration asking for it to grant requests for a State of Disaster declaration, saying that such a declaration would provide necessary resources including mass care and emergency assistance, crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance, and disaster legal services.

30 people have died so far in California from the coronavirus with over 1,600 confirmed cases, though the actual number of state residents who have contracted the disease is believed to be much higher as public health officials have not been able to perform enough tests to get an accurate count. Over 31,000 cases have been reported in the U.S. with 390 deaths.

Read original story Trump: FEMA Will Pay 100% of Cost for National Guard in New York, California, Washington At TheWrap
Ruth Langsford has shared a sweet video of her kissing her mum Joan through a window as she wished her a Happy Mother's Day.

The Loose Women star, 60, followed the government's advice to practice social distancing, especially with the elderly, as she greeted her mum through the glass.

Captioning the video, Ruth wrote: 'Locked down but not forgotten! Happy Mothers Day Mum....love her! '

Lovely: Ruth Langsford has shared a sweet video of her kissing her mum Joan through a window as she wished her a Happy Mother's Day

In the short clip, Ruth can be seen chatting away to her mum, before they sweetly pressed their hands up against the window.

Ruth was heard saying: 'Give us a a kiss, Happy Mother's Day'.

She added: 'It is odd isnt it? We miss you.'

The adorable video was flooded with several supportive messages from Ruth's fans and celebrity pals.

Catching up: The Loose Women star, 60, followed the government's advice to practice social distancing, especially with the elderly, as she greeted her mum through the glass

Kate Thornton wrote: 'That made me cry! Happy Mothers Day to you both x'

While Great British Bake Off's Rahul Mandal said: 'This is so touching! Happy mother's day to both of you!'

Lizzie Cundy commented: 'Thats just too sweet for words . Happy Mothers Day to you both.'

Miss you: Captioning the video, Ruth wrote: 'Locked down but not forgotten! Happy Mothers Day Mum....love her! '

While Saira Khan added: 'Ahhhhh Ruth  made me bloody cry.'

Meanwhile, Ruth posted a humorous video of Joan dancing around her kitchen.

Captioning the clip, Ruth said: 'This is what my Mum would normally be doing in my kitchen on Sunday! Makes me smile SO much...thought Id share one of her greatest hits!'

The video sees her mum showing off her best moves as she tap dances to an Anton Du Beke song.

Moved: The adorable video was flooded with several supportive messages from Ruth's fans and celebrity pals

Earlier in the day, Ruth once again paid tribute to her mum as she shared a sweet picture of them standing with their arms around each other.

The This Morning host penned: 'Wish we could be out in the sun together today but sadly not to be this year...

'Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mums out there, but especially to mine... the best in the world.'

She's got the moves: Meanwhile, Ruth posted a humorous video of Joan dancing around her kitchen

How cute: Captioning the clip, Ruth said: 'This is what my Mum would normally be doing in my kitchen on Sunday! Makes me smile SO much...thought Id share one of her greatest hits!'

Ruth joins several stars in wishing their loved ones a Happy Mother's Day.

Leading the way was Victoria Beckham, who uploaded a sweet flashback image of her children Brooklyn, 21, Romeo, 17, Cruz, 15, and Harper, eight, 'sent the virtual hugs to all mums' and urged her fans to 'be resilient' amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden also shared a throwback snap with her lookalike daughters Alexa, 14, and Hollie, eight, as well as her mother Judith, and encouraged her social media followers to follow UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's advice to 'stay safe' during the global crisis.
The Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister, Nitin Patel said on Sunday that the names of the 18 people who have been tested positive for COVID-19 in Gujarat would be declared soon.

"So that the people who came in contact with them will come to know about it, and they will take proper actions accordingly," Patel said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said that there are a total of 13 positive cases of coronavirus in the State.

Rupani also appealed to the people to take precautionary measures and follow government guidelines to contain the spread of coronavirus.

In a meeting held on Saturday, it was decided that Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara will remain under lockdown till March 25, said Gujarat Chief Minister's Office.

However, shops selling daily necessities and essentials things like vegetables, dairy products, and medical items will remain open.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HANOI -- Vietnams health ministry called on Saturday on all healthcare workers, including medical students and retired doctors and nurses, to join hands in the countrys fight against coronavirus.

Vietnam, with 94 reported cases but no deaths yet, has already suspended international flights and imposed restrictions on foreign visitors.

The fight against COVID-19 has entered a new phase that is full of difficulties and challenges, requiring more efforts and determination to contain, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

The ministry called on retired medical staff to take care of the elderly, and on medical students to join volunteer activities when needed.

Starting Sunday, March 22, Vietnam will temporarily bar entry to all foreign nationals, including persons of Vietnamese origin and their relatives who hold visa exemption documents, as part of more drastic measures to fight the epidemic.
Amid the first nationwide school closure in modern British history, 10 Downing Street this week published a list of key workers: those deemed critical to the Covid-19 response in a bid to ensure that the country continues to function during the pandemic.

The list consists almost entirely of public sector and critical infrastructure workers; NHS staff, social workers, the police and military, and those working in energy, utilities and transportation.

The list also includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods, like food and medicine. Note that while essential financial services are included, the financial sector (read as, the City) has not been deemed essential to keeping the country functioning. It turns out then, that the government does value the work of shop workers and delivery drivers, even if they will rarely admit it.

Which begs the question  who really keeps this country together?

Only a few weeks ago, Johnsons government described these jobs as low skilled and therefore low value. We intend to create a high wage, high-skill, high productivity economy, the Home Office said, as the government announced that it would be tightening immigration of such workers from Europe.

Yet this crisis has shown that we still rely on people to keep the lights on, to stock supermarket shelves, and to care for the sick and elderly. These low skill jobs are the bedrock of our society; so why the desire solely for high wage, high-skill work?

For decades, we have heard entrepreneurs and financiers of all stripes described as wealth-creating. The contexts differ, but the reasoning is the same. I am a particularly productive person. I take big risks and so I deserve a higher income than those who simply benefit from the spillover, those commonly regarded as low skilled.

The Conservative belief in the absolute primacy of such entrepreneurial wealth creation on the one hand has manifested itself in Tory governments deregulating and cutting corporation tax throughout the last decade. The pernicious implication of this is that all public sector and national infrastructure inhibits this value creation, serving as a weight around the necks of those who would otherwise fly highest.

Now we see what labour is really most valuable. We see that it is not only doctors and nurses, but also low-wage, low skill workers, confounding entirely the Tory logic of skill and value. The people described by this government as low skilled are the ones keeping this country together. By recognising them as key, the government has finally acknowledged the true wealth creators.

Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Show all 20 1 /20 Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Top: Nabi Younes market, Mosul Bottom: Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Grand Mosque, Mecca Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Nabi Younes market, Mosul Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Basra Grand Mosque, Iraq Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Taj Mahal hotel, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Dubai Mall, UAE Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Gateway of India, Mumbai Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Victoria Memorial, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sidon, Lebanon Reuters

In recognition of their critical role, the government has pledged more benefits. All key workers will be prioritised for education provision, we were told on Thursday; and on Friday, the Chancellor aligned the governments fiscal policy with other Western nations by unveiling a wage retention scheme where the government would pay 80% of the wages of those unable to work due to the pandemic.

But we need a bolder, swifter response from the government which reflects the urgency of the moment. This pandemic, given its scale and projected timeframe, is going to upend our economic order, and so provisions to mitigate it must be proportionately radical. At a bare minimum, the government must extend Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to all key workers.

Currently many shop-workers work too few hours to qualify, an indefensible caveat at such a time like this. Moreover, the paltry 94.25 a week must be augmented in recognition of the service such front-line workers provide. Housing key workers so they can afford to self-isolate now and protecting people from evictions during this pandemic  as well as in the longer term  is a necessity.

The Tories willingness to splash cash when push comes to shove, shows that the denial of benefits before, was down to a lack of will rather than capacity.

We must remember that when this is all over. The decision taken by Johnsons government to put aside public money to protect employees and to fund public services, exposes the truth about a decade of austerity  that it was a political choice. One motivated by unfounded ideas of value and skills, rather than economic necessity. If their evaluation of key workers is unfounded, what makes us believe that the Tories can level up Britain?

When we have beaten this disease, the foundational importance of key workers will remain and so too should their protections. We cannot let this government backtrack on who the true wealth creators are.
It looks as though, in this time of wokeness running amuck, we all are being instructed that we live in a "gender-fluid America." Consequently, if that is the case, I can be on strong ground and not accused of a dreaded sexism charge in pointing out that many members of the White House Press Corps are channeling their inner "Mean Girls."

Almost as part of the plotline from Tina Fey's brilliant movie Mean Girls, the "in crowd," the White House Press Corps turned on an accomplished outsider with this brouhaha:

A reporter from right-leaning One America News was roasted on social media on Thursday after asking President Trump if he thought the term "Chinese food" is racist, with one member of the press calling it "the dumbest question I've ever heard."

Au contraire, you snarky lightweights, the person asking the question for One America News is Chanel Rion, an accomplished Harvard Grad.

In teasing up an important point about the media actually having such a bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that many are taking their lead from Chicom propaganda, she was both entertaining and spot on.

The fact that her clever phrasing drew immediate counter-battery fire from curmudgeons without a sense of humor is a testimony to her hitting the target. The perfidy of PRC leaders  for example, accusing the U.S. Army of conducting germ warfare  combined with most in the White Press corps apparently lacking a sense of humor is the personification of a horrible trend into hotter and hotter nasty ignorant pack journalism. It is just my opinion, but I believe that most Americans see what I am saying.

It is the Chinese or Wuhan Virus, full stop, and just because PRC propaganda can't handle the truth, the truth is still the truth. President Trump is also correct in expressing empathy and understanding about the plight of the Chinese people when he says they have gone through Hell. All of us who have dedicated our professional lives to take on the rise of the People's Republic of China have always separated the long-suffering Chinese people from the communist brutality of their leaders.

Sadly, even now, there are two ugly bounces by the PRC leaders' lying that are directly hurting the health of all humanity. The first is the obvious point that much earlier warning would have saved countless lives before the coronavirus reached pandemic stage.

During a March 11 event hosted by the Heritage Foundation, White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien blasted Beijing for covering up the coronavirus outbreak in China at its early stages. Rather than using best practices during China's early handling of the highly contagious and deadly disease, "this outbreak in Wuhan was covered up," O'Brien declared. "There's lots of open source reporting from Chinese nationals that the doctors involved were either silenced or put in isolation ... so the word of this virus could not get out," he added. If China had been cooperative at the beginning of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could have dramatically curtailed what happened in China and what's now happening across the world," O'Brien said. "It probably cost the world community two months to respond, and those two months ... could have dramatically curtailed what happened in China and what is now happening across the world," he also said.

The second bounce into hurting all is simple: if China lies about events in the beginning, then there is poor trust in the progression of the Chinese virus in China. This is more serious than people think.

Having built mathematical models for the Office of Net Assessment during the Cold War, we know that in many modeling trends, mathematicians' and statisticians' quest for a dynamic called "the law of large numbers" is available and accurate.

This research paper from Cornell is but one of many examples of the need for accurate large numbers:

Suppose that initially there are only a few infective vertices. We prove there is a threshold for a parameter involving the rates and vertex degrees below which only a small number of infections occur. Above the threshold a large outbreak occurs with probability bounded away from zero. Our main result is that, conditional on a large outbreak, the evolutions of certain quantities of interest, such as the fraction of infective vertices, converge to deterministic functions of time.

In other words, as a proud Cornelian with a graduate degree (graduate T.A., essentially for computers and decision-making), I can state that the motto of Faber College is what the professors are saying in their research: "Knowledge is good."

With one clever question, Chanel Rion put pressure on all in the news media to stop covering for PRC dictators and their propaganda machine.

Image: armistiser via YouTube.
By Sofia Menchu and Nelson Renteria

SAN SALVADOR/GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The governments of El Salvador and Guatemala announced curfews on Saturday that will restrict the movement of their residents, as Central America ramps up its fight to contain the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele ordered residents to quarantine at home for 30 days, a measure he admitted would cause "discomfort" but that he said was necessary to slow the spread of the disease which has infected three people in the impoverished nation.

"We are going to make some quick decisions that are going to have mistakes, that are going to cause discomfort, that are going to have incredible costs for our economy," said Bukele in a nationally broadcast speech.

During the curfew only one person per family unit will be allowed out to shop. Also exempted from the curfew will be public servants, doctors, road, energy, banks and restaurant workers, as well as journalists, the military, the police and food distributors.

More than 274,800 people have been infected across the world by the coronavirus and 11,389 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

In Guatemala, President Alejandro Giammattei also ordered an eight-day curfew that begins on Sunday.

"If we look at the growth curve of the disease we are entering the most dangerous weeks," Giammattei said from a warehouse complex that has been turned into a temporary hospital to care for infected patients.

"It has not been easy to make decisions, it has not been easy to feel the responsibility of 18 million (people) on my back. From tomorrow a curfew will go into effect in our country for eight days from four in the afternoon until four in the morning of the next day," he said.

Governments across Central America, a region of some 50 million inhabitants, have over the past week taken increasingly stronger measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, such as restricting flights, cancelling massive events and suspending classes.

Story continues

Still, infections are on the rise, and as of Saturday there were 17 cases and one death in Guatemala, 26 infections in Honduras and two in Nicaragua. Meanwhile, Panama reported 245 cases of coronavirus on Saturday, from 200 a day earlier, including two new deaths.

In Costa Rica, which has 117 confirmed cases and two deaths, congress on Saturday gave its first approval to a $500 million line of credit with the Development Bank of Latin America to combat the crisis.

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City, Elida Moreno in Panama City, Alvaro Murillo in San Jose, Nelson Renteria in San Salvador, Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa and Ismael Lopez in Managua; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Sam Holmes and Christopher Cushing)
JACKSON, MI  Clapping is commonplace during key moments of a church service, like the end of a song or sermon.

Applause was replaced with horn honking on Sunday, March 22 at Bethel Church in Jackson.

Instead of preaching from the front of a sanctuary, Pastor Ken Pierpont led the service from the church roof. Attendees watched from their vehicles and tuned into 99.9 FM to listen to the service.

Such is church, in the age of coronavirus.

Everybodys trying to be creative, Pierpont said. Everybodys got a YouTube video or devotional to try and think of creative ways to help, which I think is really sweet.

Michigan churches and places of worship are crafting alternative ways to gather, following Gov. Gretchen Whitmers order banning groups of 50 or more people last week. Churches were exempted from penalties a few days later, but many churches recognize the risk of traditional gatherings and took to new plans.

Hence, Pierpont took to the roof Sunday morning. Other churches delivered blessings to members doors, hosted drive-thru services or streamed services online.

About 80 vehicles settled in the parking lot for Bethels Sunday rooftop service. Attendees waved at each other through car windows, drank their coffee, took photos and videos and cranked their heads up to watch the service. One little boy popped his head through the sunroof to watch.

Pierpont wasnt alone on the roof. Musicians led worship with a guitar and a box drum  getting up there via boom lift on the sunny, breezy, 31-degree morning. Luckily, Pierpont isnt afraid of heights.

Pierpont was initially worried about damaging the roof. But then he thought of a Bible story, where four friends took a paralyzed man to a house to see Jesus. The crowd was so large, they had to put a hole in the roof and lower their friend through, to get to Jesus.

"These four friends could easily have said, 'Well, it's not going to work today,'" Pierpont said. "They literally tore the roof off to get a guy to Jesus."

Bethel plans to do a rooftop service again next Sunday. Churches need to find ways to meet  in ways that wont spread the coronavirus  during this time of anxiety and fear, he said.

Catholic churches cancel through Palm Sunday

All catholic dioceses in Michigan have canceled mass through April 5, Palm Sunday. But many are finding new ways to minster to parishioners, including Facebook Live streams of priests leading mass in empty churches.

In Grand Blanc, staff from the Church of the Holy Family took to the streets to offer blessings. Families lined up outside their homes in the Indian Hill and Bella Vista subdivisions to receive a blessing.

Joined by Deacon Denny Pennell and Richard Cross, Father Joe Krupp said the idea came from brother priests in Italy that have been doing the same, some of whom have died from COVID-19.

We feel its our call as priests, Krupp said. The core of the priesthood is eucharist and we believe thats God pouring himself out for us, so we want to imitate that. For us, its a sign of solidarity as the eucharist processes through our neighborhood, a reminder that Jesus hasnt left us, and that this community has not forgotten."

Father Joe Krupp, of the Church of the Holy Family, and Deacon Denny Pennell provide blessings in a procession throughout the Bella Vista neighborhood on Sunday, March 22, 2020 in Grand Blanc. (Jake May | MLive.com)The Flint Journal, MLive.com

Sarah Henley took a knee as the group moved by her familys Joseph Drive home.

While worshipers cant go to church right now, Henley appreciates that "theyre kind of bringing church to us and reassuring our faith in an uncertain time.

This is a nice reminder that we just need to continue living our faith every day, whether its doing an act of kindness for others, whether its praying with our family or just trying to continue living our lives as normal to keep things normal for our kids, she said.

Paula Wambaugh waited outside her apartment at Bella Vista Manor for the procession. A long-time member of the church, she said Father Krupp is doing wonderful things for us, including a daily mass via Holy Familys Facebook page.

She began to tear up, seeing the Blessed Sacrament being walked into the apartments courtyard.

What would we do without it? Wambaugh said, of faith. It gives us hope and courage, everything that we need. It can bring peace to our lives too."

For those struggling with faith right now or concerned about the situation, Krupp had some words to share.

The word Israel, it means in Hebrew, wrestles with god, he said. A struggle in faith is not a bad thing. Its an opportunity to see how far our intellect can take us. Its like a bird with two wings. You need your intellect and you need faith. We cant fly without both.

Times of trial strengthen both of those things. Dont be afraid of the doubt, said Father Krupp. Hunt it down and let our Lord speak.

In 'times of calamity,' Christians gather

Westwinds Community Church in Jackson did a live stream of its Sunday morning services. But church leaders wanted to find a way to bring in a face-to-face component.

They decided on a drive-thru.

The alternative service is open to all, takes 15 minutes to get through and goes from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday at 1000 Robinson Road.

"We want to be compliant with all the governor's recommendations and the CDC, but we still think it's important to gather however we can," said David McDonald, Westwinds pastor. "Historically, Christians have always done that, in particular in times of calamity."

The stations include a greeting, a teaching component, prayer, communion  from people whove washed and sanitized thoroughly  and a written blessing, McDonald said. A full worship band is also performing outside.

"There's something special about being face-to-face," McDonald said. "We still think there's something about being able to look someone in the eye and hear the words coming right out of their mouth right in front of you, and know that God is present and that he's in control and that there will be life after this difficult situation."

More Michigan coronavirus coverage:

Jackson hospital further limits who can be tested for coronavirus

Coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Michigan

How Grandma Sarahs soup is inspiring goodwill amid coronavirus crisis

Woman tests positive, dining rooms close: Top Jackson coronavirus headlines from March 15-20

Social distancing prompts city to plan conference call-style special meeting

Signs of the times: Coronavirus-related signs offer prayers and closures in Jackson

Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan


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The number of people infected with coronavirus who show no or delayed symptoms could be as high as one-third of those who test positive for the disease.

According to classified Chinese government data seen by the South China Morning Post, the true scale and of the hidden number of these 'silent carriers' could be higher than first thought.

It said by the end of February more than 43,000 people had tested positive for coronavirus in China without showing symptoms and were quarantined but not counted in official figures, which stood at 80,000 at the time.

This discovery has huge ramifications for the strategies being used by countries to contain the virus.

Scientists are currently unable to agree on what role asymptomatic transmission plays in spreading the disease and how infectious people with no symptoms are.

A Chinese man wears a protective mask as he takes a break from exercising in Beijing, China

A growing number of scientists are now challenging the World Health Organisation's earlier statement that asymptomatic transmission was 'extremely rare'.

The earlier report by the WHO's international mission to China had estimated that asymptomatic infections accounted for 1 to 3 per cent of cases.

In February, a group of Japanese experts led by Hiroshi Nishiura, an epidemiologist at Hokkaido University, wrote a letter to the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Nishiura said: 'The number of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases worldwide continues to grow, and the gap between reports from China and statistical estimates of incidence based on cases diagnosed outside China indicates that a substantial number of cases are underdiagnosed.'

Nishiura put the proportion of asymptomatic Japanese patients evacuated from Wuhan at 30.8 per cent, a figure similar to the classified Chinese government data.

Nishiura added: 'The asymptomatic ratio  could be higher among children than in older adults. That would considerably change our scope of the outbreak, and even the optimal interventions can change.'

The WHO counts all people who test positive as confirmed cases regardless of whether they experience any symptoms, as does South Korea.

The Chinese government revised its guidelines on the 7th February, to count only those patients with symptoms as confirmed cases.

Data collected by the Japanese government from the Diamond Princess cruise ship shows that of the 712 passengers and crew who tested positive, 334 were asymptomatic

Western countries such as the United States, Britain and Italy do not test people without symptoms, apart from clinicians who have been repeatedly exposed to the virus.

Experts now believe that China and South Korea's strategy of testing everyone who has had contact with a patient, even if they themselves are not sick, is more efficient at curbing the spread of the virus.

The USA and European countries are only testing airport arrivals if they show symptoms in contrast to Hong Kong who are testing all arrivals.

Other countries, such as the UAE, are routinely screening arrivals for high temperatures at airports.

Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of South Korea's CDC, told a press briefing on the 16th March that: 'Korea currently has a significantly higher rate of asymptomatic cases than other countries, perhaps due to our extensive testing.'

Data collected by the Japanese government from the Diamond Princess cruise ship shows that of the 712 passengers and crew who tested positive, 334 were asymptomatic.

A separate study by scientists from the University of Texas at Austin, for the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, estimated that people who had not yet developed symptoms transmitted around 10 per cent of the 450 cases they studied in 93 Chinese cities.

Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor at the University of Hong Kong, said there was 'clear evidence that infected persons could transmit infection before symptoms appear'.

He added: 'There are many reports of transmission around one to two days before symptom onset.'

Experts believe a better understanding of asymptomatic cases could lead to better strategies to contain the outbreak.

20million to help top minds crack virus gene code World-leading scientists and doctors have been handed 20million to map cases of coronavirus across Britain and work out how the virus is spreading in an attempt to save lives. Samples of DNA from those who contract the virus will be sent to a network of centres around the UK so experts can monitor changes in Covid-19 at a national scale and crack the code. The testing by the genome sequence alliance should enable scientists to work out the differences between those who display mild or severe symptoms and whether different strains are emerging. Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: At a critical moment in history, this new consortium will bring together the UKs brightest and best scientists to build our understanding of this pandemic, tackle the disease and ultimately, save lives. The Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance said: The UK is one of the worlds leading destinations for genomics research, and I am confident that our best minds, working as part of this consortium, will make vital breakthroughs to help us tackle this disease. The new alliance will join up experts from the NHS, public health agencies, academic institutions and the world-leading Wellcome Sanger Institute, based in Hinxton near Cambridge. Advertisement
The West Australian border will be closed in coming days and Rottnest Island may be turned into a COVID-19 quarantine zone, Premier Mark McGowan has announced.

Mr McGowan said entry to WA would be restricted via road, rail, air and sea from 1.30pm on Tuesday, with exemptions for essential services and trucking.

'These are extreme steps but these are extreme days,' he told reporters on Sunday, as 30 new cases were confirmed overnight, bringing the state's total to 120.

It comes just hours after South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announced that anyone entering the state would be subject to a mandatory 14-day isolation period.

The border lockdowns will not affect the states' essential services, including the supply of food.

South Australia Premier Steven Marshall (pictured) announced the state will close its borders from 4pm on Tuesday

'The health of South Australians is unquestionably our number one priority and that is why we are acting swiftly and decisively to protect them from the impact of this disease,' Premier Marshall said.

'We do not make this decision lightly but we have no choice'.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

South Australia's borders will be monitored 24 hours a day and anyone entering the state will be forced to sign a declaration agreeing to self-isolate.

State authorities moved to declare a 'major emergency' on Sunday, triggering the shutdown.

But Police Commissioner Grant Stevens admitted authorities were limited in their ability to enforce the isolation orders.

SA Police have been checking on those who have already been ordered to self-isolate after disembarking international flights.

He said authorities were 'relying on people's community and sense of goodwill to do the right thing', and that overwhelmingly people had been complying with orders.

Mr Stevens said police had not issued any fines or initiated prosecutions against people caught breaching their obligations.

'We can't check every person, we are relying on people to do the right thing,' he told reporters.

'Every single person we've spoken to during our random checks is complying with the obligation to self-isolate.'

The move comes after Tasmania and the Northern Territory announced similar measures in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 across Australia

South Australia's announcement comes after similar restrictions were put in place in Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

Tasmania Premier Peter Gutwein said people in quarantine will receive daily texts or calls reminding them of their obligations.

'We will be doing some spot audits,' he told reporters.

'We will work with police, biosecurity Tasmania and public health to do what we can to ensure people understand.'

'These restrictions, and I make no apologies for them, they will be difficult for some people but we need to ensure that we keep Tasmanians safe,' Mr Gutwein said.

The isolation requirements will not apply to health personnel and patients or emergency services.

Government officials warned even stronger measures were on the way as the numbers of COVID-19 cases in Australia continues to climb

On Sunday Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there was the possibility of more 'draconian' measures being introduced as people contained to flout the self-isolation rules.

He made the warning while announcing all non-essential travel was being called off.

'Australians can exercise their common sense about the things they know are non-essential,' he sad.

Federal and state leaders will meet again on Sunday evening to discuss stronger measures to deal with local outbreaks.

He stressed Australians can all help protect people's lives and livelihoods.

'It's a simple plea: we need you,' he said.

'We need you to do your bit, when it comes to social distancing, to keeping that healthy distance, to respecting and following the rules that we're setting down.

'But more stronger measures will be coming, and they will be coming in more localised areas to deal with outbreaks.'
The Delhi government is marking all homes with persons advised to home quarantine, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, as he appealed to the people to not stigmatise such families.

Kejriwal appealed to all to stay indoors even after the ' Janta curfew' ends at 9 pm, and stay at home in the coming days too.

"Delhi govt is marking all homes with persons advised to home quarantine. I appeal to all not to stigmatize such families," he tweeted. "Please be empathetic and supportive towards them. The marking is aimed only at cautioning others for their own safety."



"The prime minister has announced 'janata' curfew till 9 pm. We all have to follow it," Kejriwal said. "I appeal to all to stay indoors even after 9 pm. In the coming days too, stay at home."



The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 341 on Sunday after fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country, the Union Health Ministry said.

"The number of Covid-19 cases in India has doubled in less than a week," Kejriwal said. "We should be prepared to see a surge in cases but we must not panic. It is the time to be strong and united as a nation. We must support one another."



The chief minister had on Saturday said his government had not imposed a lockdown in Delhi, but would have to do it if the need arises in the wake of the pandemic.

"Yes, the Govt has an imp role to play. We are taking all steps necessary to save lives and will lockdown where required. We are boosting our healthcare, providing relief to those hurt by the economic fallout," he said." But as citizens, it is our duty to ensure minimal social interaction."



The chief minister emphasised that people should realise gravity of the "threat", and stay indoors and wash hands regularly to protect themselves and those around.

The government has taken several measures to deal with the emerging situation, including setting up of special wards for affected people and helping the vulnerable sections of the society, including the elderly and the poor.

The ration per person has been increased by 50 percent from fair price shops, a move that will benefit nearly 72 lakh people. Also, the pensions for elderly, widows and differently-abled has been doubled by Delhi government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Toronto, Canada-based marketing platform Parent Life Network signed a deal with Ideon Media and SavvyMom Media to acquire online business and events directory Help! Weve Got Kids (HWGK).

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

Help! Weve Got Kids is Canadas first comprehensive online directory for parents and caregivers, listing more than 8,000 camps, attractions, and services in Ontario for families with children ages 014. It also maintains an events calendar and thousands of online articles for families.

Integrating HWGK with Parent Life Network will enable both brands to reach more parents and advertise to new and expecting parents. Led by T.J. Donnelly, CEO,Parent Life Network is a marketing platform offering practical advice, supportive and uplifting stories from real parents in the community, and giving access to deals and offers. It currently reaches more than 800,000 Canadian parents.

FinSMEs

21/03/2020
A group of Russian citizens of Armenian descent protested in front of the Georgian embassy in Armenia Sunday, A1+ reports.

The issue is that these persons are not able to cross the Armenian-Georgian border by car because of the state of emergency that is declared in Georgia.

One of the citizens, Sofya Khachatryan, informed that more than 300 people, who are Russian nationals, cannot return to their homes in Russia because due to the state of emergency, Georgia has imposed a ban on Russian citizens leaving for Russia via Georgia.

She added that they had also applied to the Russian embassy where they had responded that Georgia had blocked entrance to Russia through its territory, and they could not do anything so far.

They also had held a protest on Saturday, but have yet to receive a response.

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan told A1+ in this regard that these persons are Russian citizens, and therefore there must be a Russian-Georgian agreement to allow them to go to Russia via Georgia.

Naghdalyan added that they cannot mediate for the citizens of another country.

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She warned her 166 million Instagram followers to stay inside and practice social distancing earlier this week on the request of the US Surgeon General.

Kylie Jenner made a good example of herself Saturday as she found ways to have fun and stay sane with her daughter Stormi Webster, two.

The 22-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star helped her daughter cake cookies and showed off the toddlers cute dress, even though they didnt have anywhere to go.

Normalcy: Kylie Jenner, 22, tried to stick to her regular routines on Saturday despite self-isolating at home by dress her two-year-old daughter Stormi Webster in a cute leopard print dress

Kylie posted a shot of Stormi looking fierce in a brown leopard print dress to her Instagram Stories.

The little girl had her curly hair tied back in a bun, and she also wore tiny white sneakers as she stood on her mothers massive driveway in front of her black Mercedes SUV.

Getting dressed for no reason [heart], Kylie captioned the snap.

Self-isolating: The cosmetics billionaire has been spending time alone at her Hidden Hills mansion for the past week and a half with her daughter

The motherdaughter duo also decided to bake some cookies on their day in.

The younger sister of Kendall Jenner posted multiple photos and a video of Stormi excitedly decorating her cookies with thick globs of yellow frosting and mounds of blue and pink sprinkles.

I dont know if these are edible, she mused to herself.

Though the cosmetics billionaire was still trying to keep her routines as normal as possible, self-isolation seemed to be getting to her.

She shared another photo to her Insta Stories of a table with plates laid out of thinly sliced sashimi and other Japanese dishes.

Sweet treat: The motherdaughter duo also decided to bake some cookies on their day in

Sushi sounds incredible rn, she captioned the mouth-watering photo, adding a tired emoji.

Kylie didnt specify where the photo was taken, but she and the entire KardashianJenner clan are fans of sushi and regularly dine together at the swanky Japanese spot Nobu in Malibu.

Despite sacrificing yummy food, she seems determined to do her civic duty and stay home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus

On Wednesday, the reality star revealed to her Instagram followers that shed had plenty of practice by not leaving her house for months when she was pregnant with Stormi.

Mouth-watering: Being cooped up at home gave Kylie a serious hankering for some sushi. She and her family are regulars at the swanky Japanese spot Nobu in Malibu

I'm on day 8. My pregnancy prepared me for this, I didn't leave the house for months, she wrote.

As she began to show, Kylie hid her growing baby bump as best she could with baggy clothing, though she dropped out of sight almost completely in late 2017 and early 2018.

She gave birth to Stormi, whom she shares with her ex Travis Scott, on February 1, and the birth announcement was the first official confirmation that shed been pregnant in the first place.

Kylies caution about staying home seems particularly prudent in light of recent reporting about the effects of COVID-19 on young children.

Though the respiratory illness is believed to be less severe for children than for adults and the elderly, a report in the New York Times this week summarized recent data showing that many children still have serious medical complications.
Bay Area health care workers have been pleading for more protective gear, saying some hospitals are forcing them to reuse masks because the nation is running out. A few local companies have responded with massive donations.

They range from the famous, like Facebook, the giant Menlo Park social network, to the less well known, like Flexport, a San Francisco startup ideally positioned to assist because its software helps with global supply chains.

The donations come as President Trump called on American manufacturers over the weekend to switch their assembly lines to making ventilators.

Facebook plans to donate 720,000 masks  a combination of the coveted N95 respirators and more basic surgical masks  and 1.5 million pairs of gloves to health care workers around the world. Facebook officials said they bought the masks for their offices emergency disaster kits following wildfires in California.

Facebook has already donated 375,000 masks and 867,000 pairs of gloves to county officials in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, who are expected to distribute them to hospitals.

As the situation continues to change, our commitment to our community will only get stronger, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg wrote to employees in an internal memo Saturday.

Last week, Flexport donated 60,000 masks and other supplies to San Francisco health care workers, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it would donate 950,000 masks to hospitals across the state.

Facebook also said it has donated $650,000 worth of food to more than a dozen Bay Area senior centers, schools and other organizations, including Food Runners SF, Peninsula Volunteers Meals on Wheels and the East Palo Alto Senior Center. Meanwhile, the company sent $250,000 to the Sequoia Union High School District in San Mateo County to pay for 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots and a year of Wi-Fi for low-income students who need to complete their work online during shelter in place but dont have a reliable connection.

The company, which is the dominant employer in its headquarters city but also has large offices in San Francisco, Mountain View and other Bay Area cities, also pledged to give $500,000 to multiple homelessness prevention organizations in the Bay Area  and promised more local support.

We greatly appreciate Facebooks support in helping us to make sure our front-line health workers are protected as they do the critical work to save lives, said San Francisco Mayor London Breed. Im proud that the city is coming together in the face of this unprecedented crisis, and I know we will get through this incredibly challenging time.

The donation from Flexport, which uses software to make international trade more efficient, includes 60,000 surgical masks, 34,000 gloves, 2,000 surgical gowns and 50 thermometers. Breed announced the delivery Saturday in conjunction with Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who served as an intermediary.

Officials said they would put the supplies to immediate use in San Franciscos Emergency Operations Center.

Our front-line health care workers and first responders are doing heroic work to protect people and save lives during this crisis, Breed said, noting the need for more equipment as the city braces for a surge of COVID-19 cases.

Hospitals throughout the country are confronting a scarcity of masks and other gear, which became so dire in Washington state that medical workers made 500 masks out of vinyl, tape, foam and elastic purchased at Home Depot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines, allowing workers to use bandannas, scarves and homemade masks as a last resort.

Experts cited several reasons for the shortage, including the rapidly spreading virus  which quickly stripped hospitals of their supplies  and a consumer buying spree. Also, hospitals rely on manufacturers from China and Italy for their supplies, said Brent Andrew, spokesman for San Francisco General. Both countries were hit hard by the coronavirus, which led to disruptions.

In San Francisco and elsewhere, concerned citizens have rallied hospital donations online while elected officials work behind the scenes.

I was thrilled  but not surprised  to hear that Flexport is stepping up to deliver thousands of much-needed surgical gowns, gloves, masks, and more to our local efforts to flatten the curve, Stefani said. When we all step up, theres no challenge too great for San Francisco.

Around the country, factories that crank out cars and trucks were looking into making much-needed ventilators. Distilleries intended for beer, whiskey and rum transformed to instead turn out hand sanitizers and disinfectants. And an electronics maker that builds display screens was repurposed for surgical masks.

All are answering the call of duty amid a pandemic that has so far claimed more than 14,000 lives and sickened 335,000 people globally.

But redirecting plants to make completely different products will take a long time and a huge effort  possibly too long for some companies to help with medical gear shortages that become more acute every day.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

When you are repurposing a factory, it really depends on how similar the new product is to the existing products in your product line, said Kaitlin Wowak, a professor at the University of Notre Dame who focuses on industrial supply chains. Its going to be a substantial pivot to start producing an entirely different item.

On Friday, President Trump said he invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act, which allows the government to marshal the private sector to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But he did not give examples as to how he was using it.

No automakers, however, are building ventilators at present. GM announced on Friday that it is working with ventilator maker Ventec Life Systems to ramp up production. The automaker said it would help with logistics, purchasing and manufacturing, but stopped short of saying it would make ventilators in its own factories, which have been idled for two weeks after workers whod been fearful of contagion put pressure on the company.

Crosstown rival Ford, which also suspended factory production along with other automakers with operations in North America, confirmed that it too was in discussions with the Trump administration about helping.

Were looking at feasibility, Ford spokesman T.R. Reid said. It may be possible, but its not you go from Rangers (small pickups) one day to ventilators the next. Were figuring out what is possible now.

Other industries may be better equipped to help with the virus. Rum producer Bacardi, for example, said its distillery in Puerto Rico has shifted to making ethanol needed to produce hand sanitizer. Anheuser-Busch said Saturday it would start producing and distributing sanitizer.

Even though it may take time and a monumental effort to switch factories to medical products, that may have to be done if the virus outbreak lasts for several months or longer, said Notre Dames Wowak.

I think given the circumstance and how critical it is for these surgical masks, ventilators and gloves, I think there is going to be a lot of organizations, government, private, trying to increase (factory) capacity, she said. Maybe the government recognizes how critical of an issue this is.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Dominic Fracassa and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Janelle Bitker and Rachel Swan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker, @rachelswan
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:12:26|Editor: xuxin

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CANBERRA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Australia will close some businesses on Monday as new social-distancing measures to combat COVID-19.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday night that pubs, registered and licensed clubs, cinemas, casinos as well as gyms and indoor sporting venues will be closed from midday of Monday.

Restaurants and cafes will be restricted to takeaway and home delivery. But schools will remain open.

"We will be living with this virus for at least six months, so social distancing measures to slow this virus down must be sustainable for at least that long to protect Australian lives, allow Australia to keep functioning and keep Australians in jobs," said Morrison in a statement.

He has earlier announced that non-essential travels should be avoided.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia was 1,098 as of Sunday morning, an increase of more than 200 from 874 on Saturday morning.

Previously announced social-distancing rules, such as the bans of non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people outside or more than 100 people inside, were ignored by some people despite the worsening situation. Visitors who gathered at the Bondi beach during the weekend were criticized for their "irresponsible behavior."

"We now need to take action because we cannot have the confidence as a group of leaders that the social distancing guidelines and rules that we are put in place won't be followed to the level of compliance that we require to flatten the curve and slow the spread and save lives."

The prime minister said this was only stage one of the social distancing measures. If Australians fail to follow the rules, more draconian measures will be introduced.

On Sunday, South Australia and Western Australia joined Tasmania and Northern Territory in closing the borders.

In New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, non-essential services will be shut down over the next 48 hours.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige talks with reporters at the capitol in Honolulu on Feb. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Cathy Bussewitz)

Hawaii Quarantining Anyone Entering State: Governor

All visitors and returning residents to Hawaii will have to complete a 14-day quarantine starting next week, Gov. David Ige announced.

Ige said in a press conference Saturday that the majority of Hawaiis CCP virus cases have been linked to travel so far, saying he will implement a 14-day quarantine for all visitors and returning residents. He described the move as an extreme action, according to local news outlets.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

We need to come together as a community to fight this virus, Ige said, reported Hawaii News Now. This mandate is the first of its kind in the nation. We want this action to send the message to visitors and residents alike that we appreciate their love for Hawaii but we are asking them to postpone their visit.

Ige said that residents will use their home as a designated quarantine area and visitors will have to use their hotel or their place of lodging as their quarantine area. They can only leave for medical appointments and medical supplies.

Those who break quarantine would face a $5,000 fine and up to one year in jail. Brig. Gen. Kenneth Hara, top military official, said that we think its going to be very difficult to enforce this, News Now reported.

The mandatory quarantine will begin starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, according to Maui News.

Shoppers at a Costco store buy toilet paper after the Hawaii Department of Health advised residents they should stock up on supplies for the potential risks of novel coronavirus in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Feb. 28, 2020. (Courtesy of Duane Tanouye via Reuters)

Ige said that county mayors will be the ones who are in charge of enforcing the quarantine.

We had conversation with county mayors, and the county mayors will be enforcing action in each county, Ige said. There are lots of things that will be required.

Ige, meanwhile, called on tourists to not visit Hawaii, noting that the state will lose revenue.

We are asking them to postpone their visits to our island community. We know that our economy will suffer from this action, but we as a communityand again I truly appreciate the cooperation that weve received from our hospitality industry to understand that these actions are necessary, he said, according to Maui Now.

Over the weekend, presumptive positive CCP virus cases jumped from 37 to 48, local news reports said. No deaths have been reported in the state so far.

A nighttime curfew went into effect Friday night in Kauai, while restaurants and bars have been ordered to provide takeout and delivery. Public schools are closed until at least April 6.
Fire fighters were battling to contain a blaze which has destroyed 200 acres of National Park in southern Thailand. The fire has broke out in the forest area that has been suffered from drought under the blistering sun for several days in Trang, southern Thailand. It spread quickly and covered 200 acres in the Chao Mai National Park area, putting nearby towns and villages at risk. Footage from Saturday (March 21st) morning shows the national park officer and locals were together trying to extinguish the fire. Despite the fire being spread in the opposite direction of the locals, they also were affected by the thick smoke that they were evacuated during the extinguishing. The officers were able to control the fire before the nightfall but worried that the strong wild during the night might light up the fire again. Chief officer Narong Kong-iad said: "We will have the officers on duty to keep watching throughout the night as we are worrying that the wind might light the fire up again."
Vietnams Ministry of Health announced 19 cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Sunday, the biggest number in a single day, taking the countrys total to 113 patients.

The majority of the cases are people returning to Vietnam from foreign countries, including Malaysia, the U.S., the UK, and France, all hard hit by the new coronavirus.

Patient No. 100 is a 55-year-old Vietnamese man who resides in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City and has a history of diabetes and rheumatism.

On March 3, he traveled from Malaysia to Vietnam aboard the AirAsia flight AK524 and was advised to self-isolate at home.

However, he attended religious events five times a day at Jamiul Anwar Mosque at 157B/9 Duong Ba Trac, Ward 1, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City from March 4 to 17.

District 8s medical center took a sample from him on March 18 although he showed no symptoms, as he was found having joined a crowded religious event in Malaysia.

The Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City confirmed him as a COVID-19 patient on Sunday.

He is isolated and treated at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Two of the 19 newly confirmed patients are British citizens who came to a bar in Ho Chi Minh City where an infected British pilot also visited.

Four of the patients are isolated and treated at a hospital in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.

Their flight from the UK touched down at Can Tho International Airport in the deltas namesake city on March 18 and the four were taken to a collective quarantine zone in the province one day later.

Vietnam has recorded 113 COVID-19 patients so far, with 17 having fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital by Friday.

Hanoi has 35 active cases while 24 are being treated in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam treats local patients for free while charging foreigners a fee for their treatment, though their testing and quarantine expenses are waived.

No coronavirus-related death has been reported in the Southeast Asian country to date.

Vietnam has ruled out 7,947 suspects as yet, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country is quarantining 52,790 people having close contact with infected patients and returning from epidemic-hit regions, 30,295 of whom are self-isolating at home.

The ministry said it had tested 17,148 people, with 17,035 returning negative for the virus.

Vietnam has barred entry to all foreign nationals, including people of Vietnamese origin and their relatives who hold visa exemption documents, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has required all passengers to fill out health declaration forms when traveling on long-haul buses, trains, tourist boats, and domestic flights.

The government has advised people to avoid close contact and mass gatherings, while shuttering bars, pubs, clubs, massage parlors, karaoke lounges, and online game centers in major cities to slow the virus spread.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday ruled out complete lockdown in the country, saying it will create chaos and urged people to self-quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far claimed four lives and infected 646 people in the country.

Addressing the nation as cases of the novel coronavirus surged across the country, Khan reiterated that lockdown will create chaos as more than 25 per cent people were living below the poverty line and their lives will be shattered.

He said the situation in Pakistan does not call for a lockdown yet.

"Let me first tell you what a complete lockdown is. It means imposing a curfew and locking people in their homes," said Khan.

We cannot afford complete lockdown as it will create massive unrest, he said, adding that the situation in the country is not as bad as in Italy or France.

If the condition was similar to that of Italy, I would have imposed a lockdown, he said.

He urged the people to follow the policy of self-isolation and stay inside their homes.

He said the government was constantly watching the situation and all necessary measures will be taken accordingly.

The government on Saturday suspended all international flights for two weeks and curtailed train services to curb the spread of the virus, which has turned into a major global crisis.

Official data issued by National Disaster Management Authority showed at least 646 confirmed coronavirus cases.

On Saturday, the public relations officer (PRO) to the Sindh health minister told the media that the number of COVID-19 patients in the province has surged to 392.

Throughout the day, the local media outlets quoted the new figures which took the nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients to 745.

The massive spike in numbers created alarm and sent the people panicking.

However, late in the night the PRO revised the figures downwards to 292 citing a counting error.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday confirmed third death to the novel coronavirus in the province, bringing the country's tally of COVID-19 fatalities to four.

Addressing a news conference, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Spokesperson Ajmal Wazir said a woman who tested positive for the virus had passed away on Saturday.

She had recently returned from Iran.

The Provincial governments in Balochistan, Punjab Sindh requested deployment of the armed forces in the wake of a surge in novel coronavirus cases across the country.

However, Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah announced to lockdown the province from midnight.

Sindh has witnessed more cases of coronavirus than any other part of the country with nearly 300 patients.

He said that all offices will be closed and gatherings banned. Additionally, those who are not required to, will not be allowed to go outside in public.

The Punjab government has written a letter to the interior ministry asking for the deployment of the army to help deal with the coronavirus situation in the province, where over 150 people have been infected with virus.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the army's help was needed to ensure lockdown in the province, where over 150 people have tested positive.

Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday, seeking directions to the federal and provincial governments for effectively dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

Petitioners requested the court to order the federal government to declare a national public health emergency across the country, establish an emergency relief fund, and order utilisation of the dam fund for combating the dreadful virus, the News reported.
Despite lockdowns, cases keep rising, straining hospitals worldwide

BERLIN - Streets, squares and highways were deserted in large parts of the world Saturday as curfews and lockdowns multiplied in the face of a rapidly advancing virus that is severely straining many health systems.

Three American states with a combined population of 70 million are moving to restrict residents to their homes to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. California started Friday and New York and Illinois were to follow this weekend. Connecticut and Oregon were preparing to do the same.

Almost a week into tight restrictions on free movement and the closure of most shops in Spain, police intensified their efforts to enforce confinement rules with fines and extra patrols to stop city-dwellers with second homes in the country from leaving town for the weekend.

Spain now has the third-highest number of infections worldwide. On Saturday it reported almost 5,000 new cases in the past day, bringing the total to nearly 25,000. The death toll rose to 1,326, up from 1,002 Friday.

As hospitals and nursing homes buckled under the burden of the virus outbreak, Spanish health authorities have acknowledged that some intensive care units in the hardest-hit areas are close to their limit, and warned that they expect infections to continue to rise before measures to reverse the trend have an effect.

The army was building a field hospital with 5,500 beds in a convention center in Madrid, where hotels are also being turned into wards for virus patients without serious breathing problems.

In Germany, once-bustling outdoor plazas fell quiet in Bavaria after it became the first of the country's states to tell people to stay home, except to go to work, buy food, visit the doctor or exercise. Police reported fewer people breaching the curfew than in previous nights.

Colombia became the latest South American country to announce a lockdown, and Sri Lanka closed all expressways for a weekend curfew.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in Africa rose above 1,000 Saturday, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 40 of Africa's 54 countries now have cases.

More than 275,000 cases have been confirmed globally, including over 11,000 deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. At least 88,000 people have recovered.

For most people, the new virus 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 recover.

Officials in many countries are desperate to prevent - or at least limit - a repeat of what has happened in China and southern Europe. The coronavirus outbreak overwhelmed medical services in the central Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this year and now is pushing them to the limit in Italy, Spain and France.

Italy's surging case numbers have frustrated health officials. Statements by authorities earlier on in the outbreak had raised hopes that new infections might soon start dropping off. But on Friday, officials reported further record increases, with 5,986 new cases and 627 new deaths. The country, which has Europe's largest outbreak, now has at least 47,021 cases and 4,032 dead.

On Saturday, tighter rules closing down parks and playgrounds nationwide took effect, in a desperate bid to discourage Italians from congregating outdoors.

Germany's southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on Saturday offered to take in patients from the neighboring French region of Alsace that's struggling with a surge of infections overwhelming hospitals.

Britain still lags behind Italy, Spain and France in the spread of the virus, but the country's overstretched health system is creaking. The state-funded National Health Service has about 4,000 critical-care beds and some 5,000 ventilators, and officials say that's far fewer than will be needed as the number of cases spikes in the coming weeks. Britain, which has recorded 3,983 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 177 deaths, has already asked 65,000 retired nurses and doctors to return to work.

Workers near Moscow are rushing to build a clinic to treat hundreds of coronavirus patients as Russia prepares for a wave of infections. Placards in the style of Soviet propaganda posters have been erected near the site, with one showing Mayor Sergei Sobyanin pointing at the viewer and the slogan "Builders - Minutes count!"

China has been sending aid to several European countries, promoting its expertise and experience gained from fighting the outbreak at home. An Air China flight carrying 18 tons of medical supplies including hundreds of thousands of surgical and protection masks landed in the Greek capital, Athens, Saturday morning.
Nepal has imposed a partial lockdown with the government suspending international flights, long-distance transport services and closure of education institutes to tackle the coronavirus outbreak which has claimed more than 11,000 lives globally so far.

The Nepal Communist Party-led government has also halted non-essential services by both private and public sectors starting from March 23 to April 3.

In a live telecast address to the nation on Friday, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said long-journey transport services will be suspended indefinitely from March 23.

International flight operations at Tribhuvan International Airport have been shut from March 22 till March 31. All schools and colleges have been closed and examinations postponed.

Oli said the government would coordinate with neighbouring countries to set up health desks at major border points to ensure no traveller was affected.

Track live updates on the coronavirus here

He said the government would encourage work-from-home system in the private sector.

The prime minister warned of stern action against those involved in black-marketing, hoarding and creating artificial shortages in the market.

Nepal has had just one confirmed case of coronavirus, but it is at risk due its location between China and India.

Thousands of people living temporarily in Kathmandu have started leaving for their homes in rural areas with growing fears of COVID-19.

Around 3 lakh people have already left Kathmandu since Tuesday.

Meanwhile, special worship at the Pashupatinath temple here has been suspended. However, regular worship will be conducted as usual, the Pashupati Area Development Trust said.

The trust authorities have also stopped 'bagmai aarati', a worship ritual on the banks of Bagmati River in the premises of Pashupati temple.

The number of devotee footfalls has declined at the temple amid virus fears.

In a statement, the temple trust said a group of more than 25 people will not be allowed at once at the temple to worship. Hand sanitizers have been made accessible on the temple premises.

In a separate incident, police arrested a 20-year-old youth for allegedly spreading rumours on social media regarding COVID-19 cases being hidden by a hospital here.

Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police arrested Bibek Thapa Magar of Ramechhap district, currently residing in Bhaktapur, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Nabindra Aryal.

Magar was arrested for allegedly spreading false information and causing public fear.
Sergio Ramos on Sunday condoled the death of former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz.

The Real Madrid defender, Ramos, took to Twitter and wrote: "Very sad day for Real Madrid. Lorenzo Sanz connected yesterday and today with two numbers for the story: 7 and 8. His death saddens even more these difficult days in which we find ourselves. My deep condolences to family and friends. Rest in peace."

Sanz, who was 76 years old, died after contracting COVID-19. Fernando Sanz, the son of Lorenzo has said that his father was admitted to the hospital earlier this week with coronavirus-like symptoms, Goal.com reported.

"Real Madrid C. F., the club president and Board of Directors all wish to express the deepest regret at the passing of Lorenzo Sanz, who was club president of Real Madrid from 1995 to 2000," Real Madrid said in an official statement.

"The club wishes to convey its condolences to his wife Mari Luz, his children, Lorenzo, Francisco, Fernando, Maria Luz (Malula) and Diana, as well as his family and friends. Our condolences are shared by all madridista," the statement added.

Sanz was at the helm of Real Madrid for five years from 1995 until 2000, having spent the previous decade as a director.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Doctors and nurses risking their lives every day to treat coronavirus patients feel like 'cannon fodder' because of a lack of protective equipment and testing kits, a top medic warned today.

Doctors' Association chairman Dr Rinesh Parmar made a direct appeal to Boris Johnson today as he urged him to divert more resources to hospital staff fighting to hold back a flood of cases and save lives.

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Programme he said NHS staff dealing with the coronavirus outbreak are still not getting the protective equipment they need.

'We have had doctors tell us they feel like lambs to the slaughter, that they feel like cannon fodder. GPs tell us that they feel absolutely abandoned,' he said.

'We are all pleading with Boris Johnson that they really look into arranging the vital personal protection equipment that all of us need on the NHS frontline.

Medics are working around the clock to save the lives of coronavirus patients, and the public have shown their appreciation, including in Manchester, pictured

Doctors' Association chairman Dr Rinesh Parmar made a direct appeal to Boris Johnson today as he urged him to divert more resources to hospital staff fighting to hold back a flood of cases and save lives

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Programme he said: 'We are all pleading with Boris Johnson that they really look into arranging the vital personal protection equipment that all of us need on the NHS frontline'

'What our doctors are telling us is that although equipment is arriving, some of it is inadequate, some of it doesn't meet the World Health Organisation guidance.

'That really doesn't fill front-line healthcare staff with the confidence that they need.'

It came as seven more people in Wales have died after contracting the coronavirus, taking the UK total to 240 amid a widening social clampdown on movement.

Speaking on Sky's Ridge on Sunday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: 'NHS staff have not all got full protective equipment at the moment or protective clothing, care staff have almost none at all and care workers, some of whom work in care homes, are obviously at risk but even more at risk are the care workers who are going from house to house of their clients and clearly are in danger of either contracting or spreading the virus.'

Earlier Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary and current chairman of the Health Select Committee, told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the NHS has 'moved heaven and earth' to get protective equipment to every hospital.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick added: 'By this afternoon, every hospital in the country will have the next set of supplies of PPE.

'We've also delivered them to pharmacists and the GP surgeries. This coming week supplies will be delivered to all social care providers.

'We are manufacturing and importing very large quantities now. In recent days we've received almost three million face masks for example.

'PPE will get to the frontline as soon as possible.'
Alphabet Incs Google said on Saturday it launched a United States-focused website with information about coronavirus guidance and testing, as the country works on slowing the spread of the highly contagious virus. The site (google.com/covid19), which consists of resources and links focused on the potentially deadly respiratory illness COVID-19, will be available in more languages and countries in coming days, Google said in a blog post.

Emiley Moxley, product management director of Google Search, described the tool in a blog post, "As we continue to see peoples information needs expanding, were introducing a more comprehensive experience for COVID-19 in Search, providing easy access to authoritative information from health authorities alongside new data and visualizations. This new format organizes the search results page to help people easily navigate information and resources, and it will also make it possible to add more information over time as it becomes available."

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in a blog post last Sunday that the search giant was partnering with the U.S. government to create a website by March 16. However, the launch was delayed as local and national guidance changed significantly from Sunday to Monday and the company had said it would roll out the website later in the week.

Further describing the matter, Moxley wrote, "People will also find a carousel of Twitter accounts from local civic organizations and health authorities to help connect them with the latest local guidance as its shared. were adding modules with statistics and a map showing COVID-19 prevalence in countries around the world. This new COVID-19 experience on Search will roll out in the coming days in English in the US."

(With inputs from Reuters)
Egypt on Saturday announced shuttering mosques and churches nationwide in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus

Egypts Dar Al-Ifta, the central authority issuing religious rulings, has said that holding daily prayers or Friday congregations at mosques despite a recently announced ban over coronavirus fears is religiously "forbidden".

Egypt on Saturday ordered mosques and churches to shut to worshippers in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus, joining other countries who have taken the same step.

"Insistence on holding Friday and mass prayers in mosques, under the pretext of practicing rituals and preserving obligatory [duties], despite authorities banning them, is prohibited," Dar Al-Ifta said in a statement on Sunday.

The religious institution said that "preserving lives" is a main aspect of Islam while calling on the faithful to comply with preventative measures taken by the government.

Egypt has reported 294 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 10 deaths.

Egypt had earlier imposed restrictions on the time allocated for prayers and sermons, and religious authorities, including the top authority of Al-Azhar, said Muslims are "permitted" to pray at home to minimize the risk of virus transmission. But last Friday, believers crowded mosques during the weekly prayers.

Meanwhile, Egypts Ministry of Endowments said a special 'azan', call to Islamic prayer, would be broadcast on radio and TV starting Sunday noon.

The move to change to the "cataclysm azan" is aimed to "deliver an awareness message that we are in an emergency and exceptional situation that requires all of us to take the utmost care and caution in preventive and precautionary" measures, the ministry said.

Islamic scholars say the special azan was used during the time of natural disasters, pandemics, or at risk occasions at earlier times in the history of Islam when people were demanded to perform prayers at home.

The Friday prayer is a congregational prayer that must be held and attended at mosques every Friday at noon. In Islam, group prayers are considered preferable to praying by oneself.

All the customary five daily prayers in Islam are also held as congregational prayers at mosques across the country, but it is not an obligation.

Egypts Coptic Orthodox Church, to which the majority of Egypt's Christians belong, on Saturday shut all its churches and suspended masses for two weeks over coronavirus concerns. The church also closed condolences halls attached to churches and halted visits to monasteries.

The Coptic Catholic Church took the same measures.

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Linkedin Anna Bellissens (Reuters) Antananarivo, Madagascar  Sun, March 22, 2020 08:04 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c7fd38 2 News Madagascar,tourism,Tourist,travel,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

On a pristine island off the northwest coast of Madagascar famous for its orchids and turquoise, turtle-filled waters, residents are bracing for disaster - but it's not the coronavirus.

It's the disappearance of tourists that keep the island's economy afloat. Madagascar is already one of the world's poorest nations; most people survive on less than $2 per day.

The island, Nosy Sakatia, is dependent on the steady flow of Europeans visiting each year. This Friday, the last tourists are going home on the last commercial flights between Madagascar and Europe. The government announced it would be suspending all flights for 30 days on Tuesday.

Marie Tato owns a beach-front restaurant, Chez Marie, that employs seven people and serves 80 tourists on a good day.

But the global coronavirus outbreak  which has not yet hit the East African island nation of Madagascar  has frozen international travel, emptying the country of its tourists and forcing business owners like Tato to weigh whether they can save their business by firing employees.

"If I fire them, they will have nothing to eat," Tato told Reuters. "I try to scramble right and left to pay the employees but if there are no customers, there is no activity."

Read also: List of countries allowing Indonesians to visit using visa on arrival, e-visa

Tato's three children, who also work in tourism, have already lost their jobs.

One of Tato's employees, 67-year old Maman'i Tombo, said that if she loses her job at the restaurant, she will have to break stones by hand for the construction industry, one of the few ways to earn money on Nosy Sakatia outside hospitality.

Other employees said they will grow vegetables, especially as prices for basic necessities have already started to climb on the island.

The roughly 300,000 tourists that visit Madagascar each year generate employment for 641,000 Malagasies out of population of 26 million, according to data from the Economic Development Board of Madagascar.

Madagascar's crumbling health care system is already in tatters. It struggled to cope with an outbreak of measles last year, and it is one of the few countries that still reports cases of the plague nearly every year, according to the World Health Organization.
Dubai: Iran's supreme leader refused US assistance on Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iran faces crushing US sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

But while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly criticized those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead chose to traffic in the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.

I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication?" Khamenei said. "Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.

He also alleged without offering any evidence that the virus is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means.

You might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in person," he said.

There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khamenei's comments.

However, his comments come after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us an explanation!

Lijian likewise offered no evidence to support his claim, which saw the U.S. State Department summon China's ambassador to complain.

Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December. In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the Chinese or Wuhan virus, while the World Health Organization used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the virus causes. Even a U.S. senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the unfounded conspiracy theory it was a man-made Chinese bioweapon.

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.

Scientists have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected people. Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan. The now-shuttered Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market advertised dozens of species such as giant salamanders, baby crocodiles and raccoon dogs that were often referred to as wildlife, even when they were farmed.

An article published last week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Medicine similarly said it was improbable that the virus emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus.

Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live Sunday across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.

His comments come as Iran has over 20,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,556 reported deaths.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus. Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.

Iranian officials have criticized U.S. offers of aid during the virus crisis as being disingenuous. They have accused the Trump administration of wanting to capitalize on its maximum pressure campaign against Tehran since withdrawing from the nuclear deal in May 2018. However, the U.S. has directly offered the Islamic Republic aid in the past despite decades of enmity, like during the devastating Bam earthquake of 2003.

Reassigning blame could be helpful to Iran's government, which faced widespread public anger after denying for days it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing 176 people. Widespread economic problems as well has seen mass demonstrations in recent years that saw hundreds reportedly killed.

Iranian hard-liners have supported conspiracy theories in the past when it suited their interests. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some publicly doubted al-Qaida's role and state TV promoting the unfounded conspiracy theory that the Americans blew up the building themselves.

Former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad similarly raised doubt about the Sept. 11 attack, calling it a big lie," while also describing the Holocaust as a myth.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Iran imposed a two-week closure on major shopping malls and centers across the country to prevent spreading the virus. Pharmacies, supermarkets, groceries and bakeries will remain open.

In Saudi Arabia, the kingdom said its armed forces are now taking part in combating the virus, setting up mobile hospitals in various cities.

And in Kuwait, authorities have instituted a nightly curfew from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m., warning violators face up to three years in prison and fines of $32,000 if arrested and convicted
Since 1993, World Water Day is being celebrated every year on March 22. According to the United Nations, the day aims to create awareness regarding the 2.2 billion people who are living without access to clean and safe water.

A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

History of World Water Day

During the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, the General Assembly adopted a resolution by which March 22 was declared World Day for Water. The day was first celebrated in 1993.

2020 theme and significance

The theme for World Water Day 2020 is Water and Climate Change. It explores how water and climate change are inextricably linked.

The campaign by the UN aims to highlight on how sensible using of the natural resource can help minimize the possibility of floods, scarcity, droughts and pollution, and also fight climate change.

The UN campaign of World Water Day 2020 is focusing on the importance of hand washing and hygiene as the world faces a crisis of gigantic proportions in the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign urges everyone to regularly wash their hands with water and soap or with an alcohol-based hand gel.

According to the UN, the World Water Day 2020 campaign explains the following statements:

 There is no time to wait and the climate policymakers must now ensure to put water as their main action plans.

 Water can help fight change in the climate. There are affordable, sustainable and scalable water and sanitation solutions.

 Everyone has a role to play. There are easy ways that we can adopt in our day-to-day lives to address climate change.

Ways to conserve water

Water is one of the precious and indispensable resources and it is the responsibility of each one of us to use it judiciously. On World Water Day 2020, here are five ways by which you can conserve water.

 While bathing, use a bucket instead of shower

 Store rainwater, purify and use it

 Do not keep the tap turned on while brushing teeth, shaving

 Wash vegetables in a bowl of water instead of running the faucet

 Wash only full loads in your washing machine to reduce water consumption.

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Australia on Sunday announced a USD 38 billion spending plan to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, as citizens were told to cancel domestic travel plans to slow the virus spread.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the latest Australian dollars 66 billion announced Sunday brought government and central bank measures to support the economy to Australian dollars 189 billion - or nearly 10 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

"These extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and we face a global challenge like we have never faced before," he told reporters in Canberra.

"Today's announcement will provide hope and support for millions of Australians at a time when they need it most." Small businesses and non-profits will receive cash subsidies of up to Australian dollars 100,000, unemployment payments will be temporarily doubled and pensioners will receive Australian dollars 750 cash.

Workers whose income has fallen by at least 20 per cent due to the coronavirus outbreak will be able to access their retirement funds early, with those facing hardship allowed to withdraw up to Australian dollars 20,000 over two years.

Frydenberg said the economic shock was now expected to be "deeper, wider and longer" than was believed just 10 days ago and additional measures would be required.

The country appears poised to slip into recession as a result of the coronavirus outbreak after a record 29-year run of economic growth. Australia has recorded more than 1,300 cases and seven deaths from COVID-19.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was also "moving immediately" to recommend against non-essential travel, warning further measures were imminent to deal with localised outbreaks.

He said work-related trips, the transport of essential supplies and travel on compassionate grounds could continue but people should cancel any other travel plans ahead of the upcoming Easter school holidays.

"More stronger measures will be coming and they will be coming in more localised areas to deal with outbreaks," Morrison said.

"What that means is, what may be necessary in a part of Sydney may not be necessary at all in... other parts of the country." Australia has already sealed off its borders, putting in place an unprecedented ban on entry for non-residents in the hope of stemming the rise of COVID-19 infections.

Four Australian regions -- the island state of Tasmania, South Australia state, Western Australia state and the Northern Territory -- have also implemented a 14-day self-isolation period for all visitors.

Announcing the state's border closure Sunday, Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said he was considering using Rottnest Island -- a popular tourist destination and former Aboriginal prison site -- as a quarantine zone for people who refuse to self-isolate or are unable to do so.

New South Wales and Victoria states on Sunday announced a shutdown of non-essential services, with supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations among those businesses that are exempt.

Morrison said political leaders would meet Sunday evening to consider stricter isolation rules.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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HAYWARD (BCN)

A facility to test sick people, first-responders, and health care workers with recent suspected exposures to the novel coronavirus will open on Monday, the City of Hayward announced.

The COVID-19 Testing Center is being established at the city's fire station at 28270 Huntwood Ave. "to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, provide quicker answers for recently exposed first responders and health care workers, and to enhance the region's capacity to suppress new transmissions through isolation after testing," the city said in an announcement Sunday.

The will operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and free and open to "anyone regardless of where they live or immigration status," according to the announcement.

Hayward Fire Department firefighter-paramedics will staff the center, supported by ambulance company emergency-medical technicians.

"Suppression, through isolation after testing, or SIT, as we call it, is an approach that has proven to be most effective in countries on the leading edge of this pandemic," said Hayward Fire Chief Garrett Contreras.

People will first undergo a two-part screening for illness, which includes fever, cough and/or shortness of breath, and/or other respiratory symptoms.

The test involves swabbing of nasal cavities and the back of the throat.

"No referral from a medical doctor is required to be screened," the city said. "Results can be available in as little as six hours or the next day in most cases."

The center is made possible through a city partnership with Menlo Park-based Avellino Lab USA Inc., which specializes in "gene therapy and molecular diagnostics with a focus in precision medicine for eye care."

The center is outfitted with enough kits to test up to 350 people a day-and the Hayward Fire Department and Avellino are working with other Bay Area communities to help open additional testing sites elsewhere in the region.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 12:48:36|Editor: huaxia

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HAIKOU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Students in the final year of senior and junior high schools in southern China's Hainan Province will begin their new semester on April 7 after a prolonged winter holiday.

All schools preparing to resume classes must have sufficient epidemic prevention supplies and emergency response measures, with about 180,000 students to go back to campus, said Li Yanyi, deputy director of the provincial education department at a press conference on Thursday.

When the other students can return to school will depend on the epidemic situation, said Li, adding that online classes for all students will continue until official opening of schools.

"I felt a little worried about changing my own study plans after going back to school, as I have been well adjusted to online learning," said Wu Jiajia, a graduating student of Qiongshan Middle School in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province.

Most schools across the country have postponed school semesters amid the coronavirus outbreak, and Chinese students have resorted to online courses for nearly two months.

Ma Shuochen, a chemical teacher of Haikou Middle School, said they will resolve the problems students encountered while studying at home and organize practice tests as soon as possible to help graduating students better prepare for the college entrance exam, or Gaokao.

"We also prepared something about epidemic prevention for the first class of the semester," said Ma.

As the coronavirus epidemic has basically been curbed in China, more and more students are embracing their new spring semester.

According to the National Health Commission, no new infections or suspected cases of the novel coronavirus were reported Saturday in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, for the fourth day in a row. The Chinese mainland reported 46 new confirmed cases Saturday, with only one indigenous case.

As of Friday, over 10 provinces and regions across the country have announced dates and arrangements for starting the new semester, most of which put graduating middle and high school students at priority.

Among them, Qinghai, Guizhou and Xinjiang have already resumed classes for some students, while the rest have scheduled reopening schools in late March or early April.

For instance, students in the final year of junior and senior high schools in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region will in principle resume classes before March 25.

"I have been thinking about going back to school every morning, as stay-at-home studying is not as efficient as at school. I miss my teachers and classmates," said Chen Yidan, a graduating student at Yinchuan No. 2 High School.

Students' health and safety are still paramount despite the pressing needs to prepare for the Gaokao and senior high school entrance exam, generally known as the two most important exams for students, which are usually held in June.

The Ministry of Education has set three conditions for school resumption, namely, the epidemic is under basic control where the schools are located, schools are capable of epidemic prevention, and safeguarding the health and safety of teachers and students.

"Our head teacher has reminded us to wear masks, do disinfection and take body temperatures when we go to school, and my parents have prepared masks, hand sanitizer and a thermometer for me," said Chen.

Dong Yaping, whose daughter will sit Gaokao this year, said she is confident students will be safe in the school, where each class will be divided into two smaller groups and each dormitory accomodate no more than four boarding students to reduce cross-infection risks.

"My daughter has been moved by the medical workers' stories in the fight against the epidemic and learned to love our country more, which I think is more important than only performing well academically," said Dong.
SAN DIEGO - One by one, asylum-seekers from El Salvador and Honduras who are waiting in Mexico for court hearings in the United States appeared before Judge Lee OConnor to explain why, after months of effort, they couldnt find an attorney.

One man said he repeatedly tried names on a list of free or low-cost attorneys that U.S. Customs and Border Protection provides. No one answered, and he began looking for attorneys in Tijuana, who struck him as dishonest. The judge warned that Mexican attorneys may not be licensed to practice in the U.S.

Through sobs, a Salvadoran woman with three children said phone calls rang and rang and rang and nothing happened. She said no one responded to a voicemail and she once heard nothing but music.

Our law is very complicated, OConnor told her in November before offering her a third extension to try to track down an attorney. Immigration law is considered one of the most complicated areas of the law there is. ... Even lawyers struggle.

Such courtroom exchanges are common under the Trump administrations Remain in Mexico policy, which forces asylum-seekers to wait across the southern border in often dangerous cities as their cases wind through backlogged immigration courts. The policy, which has been applied to about 60,000 people, has become a key plank of U.S. border enforcement. The Supreme Court ruled this month that it could stay in effect during a legal challenge.

Only 5.3% of asylum-seekers subject to the Migrant Protection Protocols, as the policy is officially known, had lawyers through the end of January, compared with 85% for asylum-seekers nationwide, according to Syracuse Universitys Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

The scarcity of attorneys helps explain why only 4% of Remain in Mexico decisions resulted in asylum, while the nationwide grant rate was 29% during the 2019 fiscal year.

The coronavirus presents more hurdles as lawyers contend with potential exposure in small courtrooms and a ban on nonessential travel to Mexico for least 30 days. The Justice Departments Executive Office for Immigration Review has closed many courts but continued with Remain in Mexico hearings.

Hearings in San Diego were cancelled without explanation Friday, hours after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered 40 million residents to stay home indefinitely, but the court remained open.

The San Diego judges postponed hearings through next Friday due to the coronavirus, said Ashley Tabaddor, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, which has called for a complete shutdown. She didnt know if judges in other border courts cancelled hearings.

The courts, asked about the cancellations, said in a statement that it doesnt comment on whether judges violate law or policy or deny rights to those seeking to have their day in court.

Before the virus struck, The Associated Press contacted all 21 attorneys offices on U.S. government lists of free and low-cost providers in courts that handle Remain in Mexico cases and found only two have taken on a large load. Jewish Family Service of San Diego has represented 68 people and Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, has taken 76 cases.

Some legal aid groups on the lists have taken a small number of cases, and a few offer free know your rights talks. Jewish Family Service suspended those talks held inside San Diego courtrooms due to the pandemic and prohibited staff from going to Mexico.

To make the list, an office must commit to 50 hours of free service a year. The Justice Department, which vets applicants, lists seven in San Antonio, six in El Paso, five in San Diego and three in Harlingen, Texas.

Asylum-seekers who are sent back to Mexico and given hearing dates at a tent court in Laredo, Texas, get the list for San Antonio, more than two hours drive away. None of the seven legal organizations there take Remain in Mexico cases, but they stay on the list to avoid being cut off from other clients.

Phones ring regularly with pleas from asylum-seekers. Employees sift through hundreds of calls and messages. Their families in the U.S. spend hours calling and following up.

Its a waste of everyones time, said Erica Schommer of the St. Marys University School of Law Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, one of the San Antonio providers. I feel worse for the people who are calling here to have their case placed.

Asylum-seekers are entitled to hire attorneys but, unlike criminal court, the government wont pay for anyone who cant afford it. A private attorney typically charges around $7,000.

For attorneys, meeting clients in Mexico is a huge commitment. OConnor, the San Diego judge, quizzed an attorney on how long she waited in her car to cross back to the U.S. after a client visit, marveling that it took two hours.

El Paso attorney Taylor Levy, who takes limited cases referred by Mexican migrant shelters, said she rushed to Ciudad Juarez to help a client who just escaped kidnappers. U.S. authorities allowed the client to remain in the U.S. but they spent more than three hours in line on the Mexican side of a border bridge while the womans kidnappers sent her text messages, threatening to pursue her.

There are a host of other obstacles, from lack of malpractice insurance in Mexico to safety concerns. Some asylum-seekers dont have phones and move often.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which fields 20 to 30 calls a week from Remain in Mexico asylum-seekers, requires employees to go to Tijuana in pairs for safety. Finding a safe place to meet can be challenging.

Kate Clark, the groups senior director of immigration services, once went to a Tijuana shelter to meet four families who were clients and found many more demanding to know why she couldnt represent them.

Its difficult because youre most likely going to have to say no, she said.

Fatigue is also a factor. A U.N. survey taken last fall of around 650 asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico found 6% reported being kidnapped. Reports of migrants being raped or assaulted are common.

Ive had a lot of lawyers tell me they will not take these cases anymore because theyre gut-wrenching, Levy said.

A group of Homeland Security officials last November made improved access to attorneys one of its recommendations to address the policys shortcomings. Asked last month for an update, acting Secretary Chad Wolf told lawmakers that authorities began showing a know your rights video on immigration law.

Rep. Nita Lowey, a New York Democrat, told him she watched the video on a small television at a Laredo, Texas, holding facility over fans so loud that it was very difficult to hear or understand. Wolf promised to look into it.
White supremacists discussed plans to weaponize coronavirus by infecting non-whites and law enforcement agents through the use of spray bottles, laced items, or saliva, the federal government is alleging.

Federal investigators have reportedly been monitoring communications among white supremacist organizations through Telegram, an encrypted messaging app that has become popular among underground extremist movements.

Violent extremists continue to make bioterrorism a popular topic among themselves, according to an intelligence brief written by the Federal Protective Service.

The federal government said it is monitoring neo-Nazi chats online where extremists have talked about 'weaponizing' the coronavirus. The image above shows a member of the Ku Klux Klan during a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in July 2017

White supremacists have allegedly been promoting the idea of spreading coronavirus against their enemies. The image above shows a high-resolution photo of SARS-CoV-2 as seen under a microscope

White Racially Motivated Violent Extremists have recently commented on the coronavirus stating that it is an OBLIGATION to spread it should any of them contract the virus.

The report, a copy of which was obtained by Yahoo News, covered the week of February 17 - 24.

The Federal Protective Service is a law enforcement agency that operates under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security.

It is an agency whose main mission is to protect buildings owned or leased by the federal government.

According to the intelligence report, the white supremacist groups suggested targeting  law enforcement and minority communities, with some mention of public places in general.

The chatter involved spreading coronavirus by leaving saliva on door handles at local FBI offices, spitting on elevator buttons and spreading germs in nonwhite neighborhoods, according to the document.

The document alleges that white supremacists were beginning to take the threat of a pandemic seriously even though the government kept downplaying the danger.

The federal government says that white supremacists on Telegram have been chatting about their devotion to a siege culture inspired by neo-Nazi author James Mason.

In the 1980s, Mason wrote a series of newsletters titled Siege. The writings called for racial terrorism as a means to speed up a war that would lead to the breakdown of society, also known as accelerationism.

Masons work has gained in popularity among violent neo-Nazi groups like the Atomwaffen Division.

Experts who have been tracking neo-Nazi movements say there is a danger that they could try to exploit the current coronavirus crisis by conducting attacks against minorities and law enforcement.

In recent months, the federal government has been urged to conduct more aggressive surveillance of far-right movements in the wake of several mass shootings by gunmen said to have been radicalized online.

The coronavirus has infected more than 307,200 people worldwide and killed more than 13,000.

In the United States, nearly 350 people have died as of Sunday as the number of confirmed cases surged toward 27,000.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Several Staten Island public and Catholic schools have announced confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), according to letters sent to students, staff and families.

PS 78 in Stapleton, PS 31 in New Brighton, PS 52 in Dongan Hills, PS 861 in Graniteville, Morris Intermediate School (I.S. 61) in Brighton Heights, Barnes Intermediate School (I.S. 24) in Great Kills, Egbert Intermediate School (I.S. 2) in Midland Beach, and Susan E. Wagner High School in Sea View recently sent notices that members of their school community have tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a letter on its Facebook page, PS 78 shared that a member of the school community self-reported he or she tested positive for COVID-19. Susan E. Wagner High School, I.S. 2, I.S. 61 and I.S. 24, shared the same news that a school community member tested positive for coronavirus in letters posted on the schools website.

PS 52 in Dongan Hills sent a letter to families -- acquired by the Advance/SILive.com -- that a member of the school community tested positive for COVID-19.

A disinfection of the school building has been completed in accordance with New York State Department of Health guidelines. As a reminder, the DOE routinely conducts deep cleanings in your school," the letters stated.

In an email to staff on Friday and acquired by the Advance/SILive.com, PS 31 announced two staff members tested positive for coronavirus, and four more are awaiting test results.

Blessed Sacrament School in West Brighton announced in a letter to parents that a member of the school community reported a positive test result for COVID-19. It has contracted with qualified, licensed cleaning professionals who will conduct deep cleaning and sanitization following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

A letter posted to the Staten Island School of Civic Leaderships website from Principal Donna Nilsen confirmed the case at PS 861.

With respect to the SISCL community, I am writing to inform you that a member of our school community has self-reported that they tested positive for COVID-19, the letter dated March 22 read.

It went on to say that the school would be disinfected in accordance with state Department of Health guidelines.

Nothing matters more than the health and safety of our staff and students, and we are committed to keeping our school community fully informed, it said.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Public schools across New York City have been closed since Monday, March 16, after Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the closures until at least April 20, as part of a citywide shutdown to slow the spread of the virus. Teachers, principals and other staff were at school buildings last week as part of professional development to prepare for a move to remote learning beginning Monday.

Private and Catholic schools also are closed, along with universities across the country.

CONFIRMED CASES AT STATEN ISLAND SCHOOLS

Parents of Tottenville High School students were informed Saturday that a member of the school community reported they had tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

A member of the Notre Dame Academy school community has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), according to a notice from President Kathryn Jaenicke released on Friday.

On Friday, it was also announced that two members of the Wagner College community have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), according to a notice from President Joel W. Martin.

Earlier this month, students were re-directed from St. Teresa School in Castleton Corners because a person who was inside the school building tested positive for COVID-19, and a day later NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza issued an update on the closure of New Dorp High School after a student in the building tested positive.

On March 16, one member of the St. Ritas school community tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a letter sent by the principal of the Meiers Corners school to parents and shared with the Advance/SILive.com.

One member of the St. Peters Boys High School community tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a letter sent by the principal of the New Brighton school to parents and shared with the Advance/SILive.com on March 17.

CORONAVIRUS ON STATEN ISLAND

As of Sunday, two more people have died of coronavirus-related illnesses on Staten Island, bringing the total number to six, according to Staten Island University Hospital.

Citywide, as of Saturday evening, 60 people across New York City had died after becoming infected with coronavirus (COVID-19).

By Saturday night, the number of people in New York City who reportedly had tested positive for the virus reached 8,115, which was an increase of nearly 2,000 from a report issued less than 12 hours earlier by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. On Staten Island, 437 people reportedly have tested positive.

***

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53 The coronavirus life in New York City: The new normal

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At least 10 people were killed in clashes Sunday between police and protesters, opposition activists said, as Guinea held a bitterly disputed referendum that critics say is a ploy by the president to stay in power. Anti-government forces came under fire by security forces who "carried out massive arrests, fired blindly, cruelly molested (and) killed at least 10 people," the FNDC, an umbrella opposition group, said in a statement. The FNDC, grouping opposition parties and civil society organisations, called for fresh protests Monday and Tuesday. The authorities could not immediately be reached to confirm the casualty toll. Alpha Conde, who became the West African country's first democratically elected president in 2010, is proposing a change to the constitution to codify gender equality and introduce other social reforms. But his opponents fear the real motive is to reset presidential term limits, allowing Conde, 82, to run for a third spell in office later this year -- a scenario that his government has not discounted. Early Sunday young people attacked police deployed outside a polling station in a suburb of the capital Conakry, according to an AFP reporter and other witnesses. In another school nearby, voting equipment was vandalised. A 28-year-old man was shot dead and several others wounded in another Conakry suburb, Hamdallaye, the victim's brother confirmed to AFP. Officials did not respond to AFP's requests to confirm the death. Clashes also broke out in other Conakry suburbs and elsewhere in the country, a former French colony. Since October, Guineans have protested en masse against the possibility of Conde extending his grip on power. - 'Taking things lightly' - Critics questioned the fairness of Sunday's vote, which took place amid mounting concern about the spread of the novel coronavirus in Africa, including two cases officially reported in Guinea. "I have the impression our country is taking things lightly," said Amadou Oury Bah, a banker and politician who suspected the authorities were more interested in their electoral campaign than keeping the country safe from the pandemic. Conde postponed the referendum, originally scheduled for March 1, late last month over doubts concerning the country's electoral roll. Some 7.7 million people were on the register, out of a total population about 13 million people. The government says it has scrubbed the problematic names on the urging of an expert team from the West African bloc ECOWAS. But Guinea's embattled opposition still doubts the vote's credibility. Cellou Diallo, a former premier and the head of the leading UFDG opposition party, said the process of cleaning up the electoral roll had been opaque. The UFDG and other opposition parties are boycotting both the referendum and a parliamentary election taking place at the same time. - 'Authoritarian' Conde - Conde, a former opposition figure who was jailed under previous hardline regimes, was Guinea's first democratically elected president. Since voters returned him to office in 2015 for his second and final five-year term under the current constitution, critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian. The draft constitution would limit presidential terms to two but extend the length of the term to six years, potentially enabling Conde to govern for another 12 years. The government argues that the new constitution would usher in sorely needed changes in this conservative country, especially for women. These would include banning female genital mutilation and under-age marriage, and giving spouses equal rights in a divorce. Conde has not denied that he might use the new constitution to seek another term when his second runs out this year. He told French media last month that there was "nothing more democratic" than holding a referendum and it was up to his party to determine whether he would run again. burs/jh/gd/jj Clashes between protesters and police had already broken out on the eve of the vote Guinea Alpha Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010
An Air India special flight carrying 263 Indians evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Italy's capital city of Rome, landed at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning.

The flight landed at the airport at 9:15 am. The evacuees -- mostly students -- will be taken to an Indo-Tibetan Border Police-managed quarantine facility in Chhawla shortly after undergoing thermal screening and immigration at the airport.

The Delhi customs provided assistance in the clearance of the 263 passengers at the Remote Bay of the Delhi airport. Precautions were exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers were followed.

This is the second batch of Indians evacuated from Italy, which has reported more than 47,000 cases of the novel coronavirus.

Earlier, as many as 218 Indians -- mostly students -- were evacuated from the Italian city of Milan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CRITICISM: Huge crowds attended the Cheltenham Festival last week. PA via Reuters

AN IRISHMAN who attended the Cheltenham racing festival two weeks ago has tested positive for Covid-19.

The man - who is based in the south - is not seriously ill and has not

required hospitalisation.

However, he has been told to remain in strict self-isolation.

His medical condition is being carefully monitored amid concerns over how those initially displaying only mild symptoms of the coronavirus infection can suddenly deteriorate within a matter of hours.

His self-quarantine is so strict that he was warned not even to collect work equipment and machinery to bring to the safety of his home.

Contact-tracing is now underway to locate all those who were in close contact with the man.

It is unclear whether the man contracted Covid-19 in Cheltenham or in Ireland.

He lives and works in relatively close proximity to two known clusters of virus detections in Ireland, both in the south.

If the Cheltenham link is confirmed, it will represent the third major zone of travel-related infection in Ireland - with cases here previously linked to travel to Italy and France/Spain.

Ireland has a total of 785 Covid-19 cases - with 300,000 cases worldwide.

Italy has now surpassed China in terms of the number of deaths.

More than 20,000 Irish horse racing fans attended the four day Cheltenham festival two weeks ago despite mounting concerns over the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Cheltenham confirmed its first case of Covid-19 in the days before the festival opened.

The Cotswold venue annually attracts more than 20,000 Irish racing fans for what is considered the highlight of the national hunt calendar.

It is estimated that more than 30,000 is gambled every second of the four day event - with total betting estimated at more than 300 million.

However, it took place despite the widespread cancellation of sporting and cultural events in Ireland.

Covid-19 detections are now soaring in the UK and one hospital had to trigger special measures as its emergency department reached maximum capacity.

In Ireland to date, community transmission accounts for 42pc of cases while close contact accounts for a further 23pc.

Some 35pc of Covid-19 detections are linked to overseas travel.

In overall terms, some 20pc of cases remain undetermined and under investigation.

Ireland is now massively expanding its Covid-19 testing regime with three Naval Service vessels berthed in Dublin, Cork and Galway to support on-shore testing centres from tomorrow.

Health Service Executive (HSE) boss Paud Reid will today outline arrangements for the special quayside testing centres which are being supported by the Naval Service.

The three vessels will act as support bases for onshore testing centres - with Covid-19 testing staff supported by electricity supplies, accommodation, food preparation, water supplies and even equipment storage on the berthed vessels.

However, testing will not take place on the vessels.

LE Samuel Beckett has been assigned to Dublin, LE William Butler Yeats has been sent to Galway and LE Eithne has been deployed to Cork's upper docks.

LE Eithne is the fleet flagship but had been out of service for the past six months and was docked at Haulbowline Naval Base.
Highlights A super-spreader spreads infection among large number of people During the Covid-19 outbreak in India, doctors and researchers will also come across super-spreaders A woman in South Korea infected 37 people in her church during the current outbreak

A Super-spreader may sound like someone who is generous in spreading around energy or love, but for experts in infectious disease, the term means entirely something else and has no positive connotations. A super-spreader is the one person who is responsible for spreading infection among an unusually large number of people. Mary Mallon, known to the world as Typhoid Mary, was a super-spreader of the disease.

Mallon was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid and is thought to have infected how many people, how many some of whom died of the infection. She worked as a cook for affluent families in New York. In 1907, a medical researcher identified her as someone who may have infected many and caused outbreaks of typhoid. Mallon was forced into quarantine on different occasions for a total of 26 years until she died in 1938.

During the Covid-19 outbreak in India, doctors and researchers will also come across super-spreaders.

In an Elsevier piece in 2010, Richard A Stein, a scientist from the Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, wrote that identifying super-spreaders can give doctors important clues on managing an infectious disease. He cited several examples. In 1960, researchers described some infants as cloud babies who, after catching a respiratory virus, became highly contagious and were able to spread Staphylococcus aureus (a bacterial infection) widely in the nursery. In early 1983, a nurse infected with the same bacteria was linked to staphylococcal skin infection outbreaks in two nurseries from two different Florida hospitals. Super-spreaders were identified during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outbreak, too.

But a super-spreader gains that distinction based on a combination of factors: immune suppression, delayed diagnosis and quarantine, and misdiagnosis, among many others. For example, a Kalyan resident who has tested positive after returning from the US, is believed to have come in contact with more than 1,000 people. He travelled by train to where and when attend a wedding. A 46-year-old man from Delhi came in contact with 813 people from the time he returned from Italy on which day to testing positive for Covid-19 about 20 days later. The man travelled by metro to work and came in contact with a number of people at work.

The term super-spreader is not described in medical science. But this is basically a person who is capable of infecting several persons. The person may be asymptomatic and hence not in quarantine. The person may not have practised social distancing and may have hugged or shook hands with non-infected persons. We have also seen that those with low immunity transfer more infection. Its called inoculation, said Dr BK Tripathi, professor of medicine at Safdarjung Hospital.

A woman in South Korea infected 37 people in her church during the current outbreak, according to news reports . There is also research on super-spreader events; the outbreak of Covid-19 in Wuhan coincided with the Spring Festival in China when there is a lot of public movement in Chinese cities.

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Uttarakhand woke up to an unusually quiet Sunday morning with the normal sights and sounds of daybreak missing as people chose to stay at home in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a Janata Curfew to check the spread of the coronavirus.

Roads and parks were devoid of joggers and morning walkers and shutters were down at marketplaces across the state.

Shops and business establishments all over Dehradun, including those at Clock Tower, Chakrata Road and Rajpur Road, remained shut as several trade bodies, including the Uttarakhand Vyapar Mandal, are supporting the curfew.

However, milk vans were seen moving through the empty streets to supply milk to the residents.

Essential services have been kept out of the ambit of the curfew.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had appealed to people to strictly observe the curfew, terming it a measure for their own safety.

With the roads being deserted, municipal bodies utilised the opportunity to sanitise those in view of public safety.

Uttarakhand has reported three coronavirus cases so far. All of them are Indian Forest Service (IFS) probationers from the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute (FRI), who had recently returned from a study tour to Spain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A joint venture of Synbiotics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprises (ASE), and CoDiagnostics, CoSara Diagnostics is the first and only Indian company so far to receive a licence from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to manufacture coronavirus diagnostic test kits.

Image used for reprsentational purpose. Photograph: Somnath Sen / ANI Photo.

Ahmedabad-based CoSara Diagnostics has become the first and only Indian company so far to receive a licence from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to manufacture coronavirus (Covid-19) diagnostic test kits.

The company now plans to send sample batches to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for validation, following which it would apply for a manufacturing licence with the Gujarat government.

A joint venture of Synbiotics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprises (ASE), and CoDiagnostics, CoSara Diagnostics is a Gujarat-based molecular diagnostic company.

While it did not share the exact pricing of the kits, the companys chief executive officer and ASEs managing director Mohal Sarabhai said the price would be lesser than the imported kits available in the country. Market sources peg the imported tests price being capped at around Rs 1,000-1,200.

We are not giving the price right now because it is still dependent on various factors. It will be lower than whatever the imported prices are right now. Currently, logistics costs are higher because the cost of materials needed for these kits is increasing day-by-day due to huge global demand. The swing is too high for us to come to a price point until we get the validation from NIV, Sarabhai told Business Standard.

While its US partner CoDiagnostics will share its research and technology of molecular diagnostics for testing Covid-19, among other diseases, the Indian partner will manufacture the same at its facility in Ranoli, Vadodara.

CoSaras plant can churn out 10,000 diagnostic tests or kits per day. Moreover, compared to diagnostic results currently taking around two days, the companys tests can deliver results in two and a half hours.

Our molecular diagnostics platform using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology can deliver results in two and a half hours. We already have manufacturing licence for molecular diagnostics to cover diseases like tuberculosis (TB), Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, human papillomavirus (HPV) and malaria which are being manufactured from the Vadodara plant, he added.

With the NIV Punes validation likely to come in by next week, Sarabhai said the company is ready to commence manufacturing of the diagnostic tests in a week or two.

We have already placed orders for the raw materials including primer and probes right now from approved source in the US. These will be used to manufacture diagnostic tests which are basically tubes with liquid reagents which when mixed with patients samples can then detect whether the patient is infected or not using the PCR technology, Sarabhai added.

The company will be supplying these tests to not only the government-run laboratories, but also to private ones. Around 60 private labs accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories can now test for Covid-19. Until recently, only government-owned labs were allowed to carry out tests for the infection.

Meanwhile, Goa-based diagnostic firm Molbio Diagnostics, along with its subsidiary Bigtec Labs, has also developed and commercialised Truenat, which is claimed to be the worlds first commercial point-of-care molecular diagnostics platform using the PCR technology.

Molio's Truenat can diagnose 22 infectious diseases such as TB, H1N1 and dengue, and has a pipeline of additional 43 diseases including coronavirus and MERS. Recently, India Business Excellence Fund-III, managed and advised by Motilal Oswal Private Equity decided to invest up to Rs 240 crore in the venture.
Whether the United States looks back at those job cuts as a quick blip of prevention or a devastating spiral into an economic depression depends a lot on what Congress and President Trump do in the next few days.

Heres what economists say needs to happen.

Aim to put the v in recovery.

The United States is already falling into a sharp economic contraction: It is producing far fewer goods and services now than it did a month or a quarter ago. That contraction will persist as long as businesses are unable to open and people are not able to work. This is not happening because of any choices those workers or businesses made; its a mandate from the government that has frozen a lot of economic activity.

At some point  possibly when a vaccine for the virus comes to market, or possibly as soon as the rate of infection starts declining and widespread testing allows for more confidence that another surge is not imminent  governments will lift their restrictions and activity will start to thaw.

Ideally, it would thaw quickly, with shops and restaurants reopening, workers rehired, factory production lines restarted and people spending money on things they didnt need or couldnt buy during the freeze. In that situation, the economy would grow much faster for a while than it normally does, as consumers unleash their pent-up demand.

Economists call that a V-shaped recovery, because growth plunges and then shoots up. Its what theyre aiming for now, but it could be hard to pull off.
Lucknow, March 22 : The Uttar Pradesh Congress has issued an advisory to all its party workers, giving them a time table to follow during the 'Janata Curfew' on Sunday.

In the advisory, the party has asked workers to sing the bhajan 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' at 6 a.m and then revise the chapter on Hindi Swaraj.

The party has asked workers to watch the film 'Gandhi' at noon.

The advisory for 3 p.m. is to play a game called 'Bharat Ka Vikas' in which the workers will have to make a list of who led to the formation of important institutes like the ISRO, HAL, DRDO and BARC and also write short notes on the genesis of computer revolution of India and advantages of green and white revolutions.

At 6 p.m. in the evening, the workers have been asked to watch Doordarshan series 'Bharat Ek Khoj' -- based on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's book, Discovery of India.

Reading letters of Bhagat Singh and spending time with family members are the tasks assigned for 7-8 p.m.

The assignment for 8 p.m. is to read 'Letters from a father to his daughter' -- a compilation of letters written by former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter Indira Gandhi from jail.

Party President Sonia Gandhi has also written an elaborate letter to members apprising them about coronavirus and asking them to extend all possible help to any person in need.

National General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi posted a video showcasing the correct way to wash hands as a part of the ongoing campaign against the deadly virus.

Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019
Phukets six new cases include Swiss, Canadian

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has announced that among six new cases of people confirmed as infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus since yesterday were a 26-year-old Swiss woman and a 46-year-old Canadian man.

Sunday 22 March 2020, 06:51PM

Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana at the meeting today (Mar 22). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Governor Phakaphong delivered the news at the Phuket Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Incident Command Center at 3pm today (Mar 22).

Of the six new cases, three are Thai nationals, including a 35-year-old businessmen. Officials are monitoring 15 people who came into close contact with the man, Gov Phakaphong said.

The other two are a 48-year-old man who works as a driver and a 35-year-old Thai woman, he added.

Officials are monitoring nine people who came into close contact with the driver and 12 people who came into close contact with the woman, Gov Phakaphong said.

A 47-year-old Malaysian businessman, named Arip, was also among the new cases, and officials are monitoring 15 people who came into close contact with him, Gov Phakaphong noted.

Officials are also monitoring 15 people who came into close contact with the Swiss woman, and with nine people who came into close contact with the Canadian tourist, he said.

Governor Phakaphong assured that officials have ramped up measures to prevent the spread of the disease, including mandatory checks on all people arriving  and now all people departing  on the island by vehicles passing through the Phuket Check Point at the northern end of the island.

At this time, the situation does not need to be upgraded to Level 3, Governor Phakaphong said.

However, if necessary, we will increase our surveillance. Phuket is ready to take care of patients and our Phuket brothers and sisters, he said.

The six new cases bring the official total number of people in Phuket confirmed as infected with the virus since the outbreak began to 13.

Of the 13, two were Chinese tourists from ground zero Wuhan in China and the remaining 11 are still in hospital receiving treatment.

Of the 593 people found in Phuket suspected of being infected with the virus, 13 have been confirmed as infected, 557 have been confirmed as not infected and the remaining 23 are in hospital awaiting test results.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Only a small fraction of New Mexicos nearly 60 coronavirus patients were hospitalized as of Saturday. But the possibility of hundreds of such hospitalizations to treat the respiratory virus spurred the states biggest hospitals to set up emergency command centers weeks ago.

Nurses are being recruited from Canada. Critical supplies are being stockpiled. State, hospital and city leaders are eyeing in-house offices and out-of-hospital settings, such as at Balloon Fiesta Park, for treatment sites if the demand exceeds available bed space.

Part of being a hospital is to be prepared for a disaster, state Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase told the Journal on Friday.

States hit hard as the coronavirus spreads are planning to open MASH-style field medical units or convert hotels to treat the sick. In Italy, overwhelmed hospitals are having to choose which severely ill coronavirus patients get mechanical breathing machines to stay alive.

I think New Mexico has done a much better of job jumping ahead of this, imposing social isolation so we are really hoping we are flattening the curve (of new coronavirus cases that could stress hospitals), he said.

Scrase is Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams go-to medical official overseeing plans to ensure adequate hospital space and supplies. Last week, he also fielded questions about COVID-19 during webinars for some 1,250 New Mexico physicians.

He has also been meeting with officials from New Mexicos largest hospitals in Albuquerque, which have developed plans to handle a potential surge of patients. A state hospital association official has warned about a limited excess capacity of beds in New Mexico.

These hospitals have had their incident command centers, their emergency command centers up and running for weeks now, Scrase said.

Scrase also said the hospitals assured the governor and her staff they had an adequate supply of ventilators for acute care of virus patients with respiratory problems.

But, he said, the hospitals are concerned about their personal protective equipment for medical workers who come into contact with patients suspected of having contracted the virus.

He said the state is aggressively purchasing such equipment and wants to ensure it receives its fair share promised by the federal government.

So far weve received 25% of our share of the federal stockpile, and we are actively seeking other places to purchase the masks and the gloves to prepare us for a surge, Scrase said.

Another concern from hospitals is the adequacy of the blood supply.

Theres been a dramatic drop-off in blood donations throughout the country, which is to be expected given that people dont want to travel outside, he said. Blood banks in the state are actively seeking donations, and were thinking of ways of doing blood drives that dont involve people all sitting in a room or in a line.

Meanwhile, the New Mexico Medical Board is reviewing how to speed up licensing of new providers.

Take precautions

As of Saturday afternoon, the governors office reported 57 cases, with three people hospitalized.

Scrase said about 80% of COVID-19 cases are very mild forms of the disease. About 14% are more severe, and 6% of patients require life support.

Though hospitals are taking steps to be ready, guidelines for social distancing and isolation recommended by the governor and the state Department of Health offer the best remedy to ensure hospitals arent overwhelmed, he said.

Scrase said the best thing for people who fear they will contract the virus and be without a needed hospital bed is prevention.

I would tell them to stay at home and practice social isolation, wash your hands frequently if thats really what youre worried about, he said.

Those 65 and over should stay indoors, even if it means asking others to bring them groceries.

Thats the best way to protect yourself from the eventuality of being in the hospital with COVID-19, he said.

Capacity issue

New Mexico has fewer hospital beds per capita than the national average and has had a severe shortage of physicians in recent years.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that New Mexico had 1.8 beds per 1,000 people, compared to 2.4 nationally in 2018, the most recent year for which data was available.

New Mexico Hospital Association President and CEO Jeff Dye said in an op-ed column submitted to the Albuquerque Journal that hospitals have little excess capacity with many running at 90% occupancy. Dyes op-ed column can be found on Page A-11 of todays Journal.

If the inevitable surge cannot be mitigated, it will be overwhelming to our already stressed health-care system, he said.

Dye said New Mexico has 46 hospitals and currently has 4,434 licensed beds statewide.

According to an analysis published last week by USA Today, New Mexico would be among 11 states, most of them in the West, that could have the most severe shortages if the virus spikes.

A separate analysis by ProPublica based on information modeled by the Harvard Global Health Institute also raised concerns. Intensive care units (in New Mexico) would be especially overwhelmed and require additional capacity, the report said.

The report said that as of 2018, Albuquerque had 2,910 total hospital beds, of which about 62% were occupied. The bed count included 380 beds in intensive care units, ProPublica reported. Its data came from the American Hospital Association and the American Hospital Directory.

Both Scrase and Dye emphasized that in addition to adding capacity and developing contingency plans, the public must follow precautions. Hopefully, that will head off a surge that floods the system.

Scrase said New Mexico is a rural state and we have some hospitals that really cant care for COVID patients in respiratory failure for a prolonged period of time. Thats why were working hard now to build a network of hospital systems so our larger hospitals with more intensive care unit capacity can reach out and help smaller hospitals.

Conserving resources

Scrase said hospitals have been canceling elective surgeries to free up bed space.

Many of the systems have gone to every single room they have in their system, including outpatient examination rooms and office buildings and identified actual numbers in every facility that could be converted to hospital beds or rooms if needed, he said.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller told the Journal last week that one of the first potential sites for temporary hospital facilities would be at Balloon Fiesta Park. We actually have a cascade of city buildings that can be deployed for this ranging from everything from the convention center to every single community center and other public facilities.

And, Scrase said, We are looking at allowing people from other states to come in and treat  as long as they arent at risk of infection.

One impediment to recruiting nurses from Canada is that right now flying in an airplane is a risk factor.

Lovelace Health System spokeswoman Whitney Marquez said the systems hospitals have 50 critical care beds in Albuquerque and could expand to 90 by using other hospital units as needed. Lovelace also has an alternative triage area and emergency room set aside for respiratory patients in order to avoid contact with other patients.

At Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Dr. Jason Mitchell, chief medical officer, said Presbyterian can double its ICU capacity in the Albuquerque metropolitan area by canceling elective surgeries and flexing some clinical positions, such as anesthesiologists, to expand the critical care workforce. Presbyterian also said it plans to expand its telehealth service.

University of New Mexico Hospital, the states only Level One trauma center, said in an email that it is operating under its pandemic influenza plan and is prepared.

As part of this plan, we are discussing different triage areas that can be set up in the event of a patient surge, said spokesman Mark Rudi. UNM currently has personal protective equipment for personnel and we do not have any concerns of running out at this time.

Sandoval Regional Medical Center is also part of the University of New Mexico Health System.

The New Mexico Hospital Associations website states that flexibility is the key.

Most hospitals in the state are not holding beds open for possible COVID-19 patients. However, this is not a static situation. If beds are reserved before a need arises, that could mean delays in care for people who need services now, the website states.

The public should understand that most cases of COVID-19 will not mean hospitalization, or even a trip to the emergency room, the website stated.

Hospital care is a precious resource that needs to be reserved for those with the most serious symptoms.

Journal staff writer Jessica Dyer contributed to this report.
Prohibitory orders were imposed in Kozhikode district Sunday night in an effort to contain the spread of novel coronavirus and to effectively impose social-distancing measures, District Collector Sambasiva Rao said.

The prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC came into effect from 9 PM banning assembly of any kind for demonstrations, processions or protests.

Any gathering -- social, cultural, political, religious, academic, sports, seminar or conference -- is also not allowed, the order stated.

No shops and establishments other than those selling vegetables, fruits and essential commodities should be opened. These shops and medical stores would remain open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m, it said.

Meanwhile, two persons in the district have been tested positive for the virus -- a 47- year-old Koduvally native woman, who had come from Saudi Arabia last week, and a 27-year-old man, who had returned from Dubai early this week and had been under home quarantine.

They are now admitted to hospital isolation ward.

The district authorities have released the route map of the two and has advised people who had come in contact with them to get in touch with health authorities immediately.

The Kasaragod district collector has also issued a prohibitory order in the district after the Covid-19 cases increased there.

With 15 new positive cases of Covid-19, the total number of infected persons in Kerala had gone up to 67, including the three who have been discharged after recovery last month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some years ago I had the very good luck to fall into the hands of a totally useless doctor. It was hell, and nearly worse than that, but it taught me one of the most important lessons of my life. He was charming, grey-haired, smooth and beautifully dressed. He was standing in for my usual GP, a shabbier, more abrasive man.

I went to him with a troubling, persistent pain in a tender place. He prescribed an antibiotic. Days passed. It did not work. The pain grew worse. He declared that in that case I needed surgery, and the specialist to whom he sent me agreed with barely a glance. I was on the conveyor belt to the operating table.

In those days I believed, as so many do, in the medical profession. I was awed by their qualifications. Yet the prospect of a rather nasty operation filled me with gloom and doubt. As I waited miserably for the anaesthetist in the huge London hospital to which I had been sent, a new doctor appeared. I braced myself for another session of being asked Does this hurt? and replying, between clenched teeth, that yes it blinking well did. But this third man was different. He did not ask me pointlessly if it hurt. He knew it did. He was, crucially, a thinking man who did not take for granted what he was told.

Here I am, asking bluntly  is the closedown of the country the right answer to the coronavirus? writes PETER HITCHENS. Pictured: London's streets were nearly deserted today

He looked at my notes. He actually read them, which I dont think anyone else ever had. He swore under his breath. He hurried from the room, only to return shortly afterwards to say I should get dressed and go home. The operation was cancelled. All I needed was a different antibiotic, which he  there and then  prescribed and which cured the problem in three days. He was furious, and managed to convey tactfully that the original prescription had been incompetent and wrong.

The whole miserable business had been a dismal and frightening mistake. He was sorry. Heaven knows what would have happened if Providence had not brought that third doctor into the room. I still shudder slightly to think of it. But the point was this. A mere title, a white coat, a smooth manner, a winning way with long words and technical jargon, will never again be enough for me.

It never, ever does any harm to question decisions which you think are wrong. If they are right, then no harm will be done. They will be able to deal with your questions. If they are, in fact, wrong, you could save everyone a lot of trouble.

And so here I am, asking bluntly  is the closedown of the country the right answer to the coronavirus? Ill be accused of undermining the NHS and threatening public health and all kinds of other conformist rubbish. But I ask you to join me, because if we have this wrong we have a great deal to lose.

I dont just address this plea to my readers. I think my fellow journalists should ask the same questions. I think MPs of all parties should ask them when they are urged tomorrow to pass into law a frightening series of restrictions on ancient liberties and vast increases in police and state powers.

I think MPs of all parties should ask them when they are urged tomorrow to pass into law a frightening series of restrictions on ancient liberties and vast increases in police and state powers, writes PETER HITCHENS. Pictured: Manchester City Centre was nearly deserted

Did you know that the Government and Opposition had originally agreed that there would not even be a vote on these measures? Even Vladimir Putin might hesitate before doing anything so blatant. If there is no serious rebellion against this plan in the Commons, then I think we can commemorate tomorrow, March 23, 2020, as the day Parliament died. Yet, as far as I can see, the population cares more about running out of lavatory paper. Praise must go to David Davis and Chris Bryant, two MPs who have bravely challenged this measure.

It may also be the day our economy perished. The incessant coverage of health scares and supermarket panics has obscured the dire news coming each hour from the stock markets and the money exchanges. The wealth that should pay our pensions is shrivelling as share values fade and fall. The pound sterling has lost a huge part of its value. Governments all over the world are resorting to risky, frantic measures which make Jeremy Corbyns magic money tree look like sober, sound finance. Much of this has been made far worse by the general shutdown of the planet on the pretext of the coronavirus scare. However bad this virus is (and I will come to that), the feverish panic on the worlds trading floors is at least as bad.

Praise must go to David Davis (right) and Chris Bryant (left), two MPs who have bravely challenged this measure, writes PETER HITCHENS

And then there is the Johnson Governments stumbling retreat from reason into fear. At first, Mr Johnson was true to himself and resisted wild demands to close down the country. But bit by bit he gave in.

The schools were to stay open. Now they are shutting, with miserable consequences for this years A-level cohort. Cafes and pubs were to be allowed to stay open, but now that is over. On this logic, shops and supermarkets must be next, with everyone forced to rely on overstrained delivery vans. And that will presumably be followed by hairdressers, dry cleaners and shoe repairers.

How long before we need passes to go out in the streets, as in any other banana republic? As for the grotesque, bullying powers to be created on Monday, I can only tell you that you will hate them like poison by the time they are imposed on you.

The streets of Liverpool were also empty as Britons stay indoors following the government's announcement

All the crudest weapons of despotism, the curfew, the presumption of guilt and the power of arbitrary arrest, are taking shape in the midst of what used to be a free country. And we, who like to boast of how calm we are in a crisis, seem to despise our ancient hard-bought freedom and actually want to rush into the warm, firm arms of Big Brother.

Imagine, police officers forcing you to be screened for a disease, and locking you up for 48 hours if you object. Is this China or Britain? Think how this power could be used against, literally, anybody.

The Bill also gives Ministers the authority to ban mass gatherings. It will enable police and public health workers to place restrictions on a persons movements and travel, activities and contact with others.

Many court cases will now take place via video-link, and if a coroner suspects someone has died of coronavirus there will be no inquest. They say this is temporary. They always do.

Avoidable deaths are tragic, but each year there are already many deaths, especially among the old, from complications of flu leading to pneumonia, writes PETER HITCHENS. Pictured: Two people wear masks outside Northwick Park Hospital in London

Well, is it justified? There is a document from a team at Imperial College in London which is being used to justify it. It warns of vast numbers of deaths if the country is not subjected to a medieval curfew.

But this is all speculation. It claims, in my view quite wrongly, that the coronavirus has comparable lethality to the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed at least 17 million people and mainly attacked the young.

What can one say to this? In a pungent letter to The Times last week, a leading vet, Dick Sibley, cast doubt on the brilliance of the Imperial College scientists, saying that his heart sank when he learned they were advising the Government. Calling them a team of doom-mongers, he said their advice on the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak led to what I believe to be the unnecessary slaughter of millions of healthy cattle and sheep until they were overruled by the then Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King.

What is usually a city teeming with tourists, students and evening revellers, Bristol is eerily quiet

He added: I hope that Boris Johnson, Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance show similar wisdom. They must ensure that measures are proportionate, balanced and practical.

Avoidable deaths are tragic, but each year there are already many deaths, especially among the old, from complications of flu leading to pneumonia.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) tells me that the number of flu cases and deaths due to flu-related complications in England alone averages 17,000 a year. This varies greatly each winter, ranging from 1,692 deaths last season (2018/19) to 28,330 deaths in 2014/15.

The DHSC notes that many of those who die from these diseases have underlying health conditions, as do almost all the victims of coronavirus so far, here and elsewhere. As the experienced and knowledgeable doctor who writes under the pseudonym MD in the Left-wing magazine Private Eye wrote at the start of the panic: In the winter of 2017-18, more than 50,000 excess deaths occurred in England and Wales, largely unnoticed.

The coronavirus deaths, while distressing and shocking, are not so numerous as to require the civilised world to shut down transport and commerce, nor to surrender centuries-old liberties in an afternoon, writes PETER HITCHENS

Nor is it just respiratory diseases that carry people off too soon. In the Governments table of deaths considered avoidable, it lists 31,307 deaths from cardiovascular diseases in England and Wales for 2013, the last year for which they could give me figures.

This, largely the toll of unhealthy lifestyles, was out of a total of 114,740 avoidable deaths in that year. To put all these figures in perspective, please note that every human being in the United Kingdom suffers from a fatal condition  being alive.

About 1,600 people die every day in the UK for one reason or another. A similar figure applies in Italy and a much larger one in China. The coronavirus deaths, while distressing and shocking, are not so numerous as to require the civilised world to shut down transport and commerce, nor to surrender centuries-old liberties in an afternoon.

We are warned of supposedly devastating death rates. But at least one expert, John Ioannidis, is not so sure. He is Professor of Medicine, of epidemiology and population health, of biomedical data science, and of statistics at Stanford University in California. He says the data are utterly unreliable because so many cases are going unrecorded.

He warns: This evidence fiasco creates tremendous uncertainty about the risk of dying from Covid-19. Reported case fatality rates, like the official 3.4 per cent rate from the World Health Organisation, cause horror and are meaningless. In only one place  aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess  has an entire closed community been available for study. And the death rate there  just one per cent  is distorted because so many of those aboard were elderly. The real rate, adjusted for a wide age range, could be as low as 0.05 per cent and as high as one per cent.

As Prof Ioannidis says: That huge range markedly affects how severe the pandemic is and what should be done. A population-wide case fatality rate of 0.05 per cent is lower than seasonal influenza. If that is the true rate, locking down the world with potentially tremendous social and financial consequences may be totally irrational. Its like an elephant being attacked by a house cat. Frustrated and trying to avoid the cat, the elephant accidentally jumps off a cliff and dies.

Epidemic disasters have been predicted many times before and have not been anything like as bad as feared.

The former editor of The Times, Sir Simon Jenkins, recently listed these unfulfilled scares: bird flu did not kill the predicted millions in 1997. In 1999 it was Mad Cow Disease and its human variant, vCJD, which was predicted to kill half a million. Fewer than 200 in fact died from it in the UK.

The first Sars outbreak of 2003 was reported as having a 25 per cent chance of killing tens of millions and being worse than Aids. In 2006, another bout of bird flu was declared the first pandemic of the 21st Century.

There were similar warnings in 2009, that swine flu could kill 65,000. It did not. The Council of Europe described the hyping of the 2009 pandemic as one of the great medical scandals of the century. Well, we shall no doubt see.

But while I see very little evidence of a pandemic, and much more of a PanicDemic, I can witness on my daily round the slow strangulation of dozens of small businesses near where I live and work, and the catastrophic collapse of a flourishing society, all these things brought on by a Government policy made out of fear and speculation rather than thought.

Much that is closing may never open again. The time lost to schoolchildren and university students  in debt for courses which have simply ceased to be taught  is irrecoverable, just as the jobs which are being wiped out will not reappear when the panic at last subsides.

We are told that we must emulate Italy or China, but there is no evidence that the flailing, despotic measures taken in these countries reduced the incidence of coronavirus. The most basic error in science is to assume that because B happens after A, that B was caused by A.

There may, just, be time to reconsider. I know that many of you long for some sort of coherent opposition to be voiced. The people who are paid to be the Opposition do not seem to wish to earn their rations, so it is up to the rest of us. I despair that so many in the commentariat and politics obediently accept what they are being told. I have lived long enough, and travelled far enough, to know that authority is often wrong and cannot always be trusted.

I also know that dissent at this time will bring me abuse and perhaps worse. But I am not saying this for fun, or to be contrarian that stupid word which suggests that you are picking an argument for fun. This is not fun.

This is our future, and if I did not lift my voice to speak up for it now, even if I do it quite alone, I should consider that I was not worthy to call myself English or British, or a journalist, and that my parents generation had wasted their time saving the freedom and prosperity which they handed on to me after a long and cruel struggle whose privations and griefs we can barely imagine.

If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens click here.
Doctors have warned that people diagnosed with COVID-19 will often see a break in symptoms before their condition suddenly worsens.

Physicians across the country are beginning to get a better grasp of the deadly novel coronavirus as the number of US cases continues to climb - surpassing 30,000 as of Sunday afternoon.

The symptoms are often mild early on, with patients complaining of slight coughs, headaches and low-grade fevers.

Dr Joshua Denson, a pulmonary medicine and critical care physician at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans who has treated about 15 to 20 COVID-19 patients, described the first phase of the disease as a 'slow burn'.

'Patients tend to have symptoms for about a week before either getting better, or getting really sick,' Denson told NBC News.

Doctors have warned that people diagnosed with COVID-19 will often see a break in symptoms before their condition suddenly worsens and they end up hospitalized. Pictured: A man is loaded into an ambulance in New York City on March 18

Fellow physician Dr Ken Lyn-Kew, a pulmonologist in the critical care department at National Jewish Health in Denver, said he's seen a similar trend with his own patients.

'It seems like there's a period of time where the body is trying to sort out whether it can beat this or not,' Lyn-Kew said.

He said that patients who suddenly turn critical often report feeling slightly better before symptoms get worse.

'They're doing okay, and then all of a sudden they're really fatigued, a lot more shorter of breath and having chest pains,' Lyn-Kew said.

WHAT ARE THE CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS? The virus, called COVID-19, is transmitted from person to person via droplets when an infected person breathes out, coughs or sneezes. It can also spread via contaminated surfaces such as door handles or railings. Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Mild cases can cause cold-like symptoms including a sore throat, headache, fever, cough or trouble breathing. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory illness, kidney failure and death. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Advertisement

Dr Christopher Ohl, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, echoed Lyn-Kew's findings regarding patients who end up in the hospital.

'They say: 'Hey, you know, I think I'm getting over this,' and then within 20 to 24 hours, they've got fevers, severe fatigue, worsening cough and shortness of breath,' Ohl told NBC News. 'Then they get hospitalized.'

Chris Kane, a Washington state man who tested positive for coronavirus after returning from a trip to Florida late last month, was among those who felt better before feeling worse, according to his wife Susan.

Susan Kane said her husband developed a nagging cough after his Florida trip but initially had no reason to expect it was anything more than a cold because he did not fit the high-risk criteria.

'It started off as just a little bit of a dry cough,' Susan, who lives in Snohomish County, told NBC News. 'He didn't have any other symptoms but this crazy cough.'

A few days later the cough worsened to the point that he was 'choking and just gasping for air', Susan said.

Chris tested positive for coronavirus about a week later and was hospitalized at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.

'He was really sick,' Susan said. 'They put him on oxygen right away.'

Her husband eventually pulled through thanks to an experimental treatment.

Physicians across the country are beginning to get a better grasp of the deadly novel coronavirus as the number of US cases continues to climb - surpassing 30,000 as of Sunday afternoon. Pictured: Kaylen Smith demonstrates how to put on protective gear at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston

Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions appear to be at the highest risk for the sudden decline, according to physicians.

Denson said most of his critically ill patients had a combination of three underlying conditions: obesity, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

But the doctors warned that severe coronavirus cases have been reported among young people and those without chronic conditions - meaning everyone needs to heed official advice to avoid exposure.

'We don't have a nice COVID-19 textbook to go back to,' Lyn-Kew said. 'We're learning about this disease as it's happening, minute-by-minute.'

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 30,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the US and 385 people have died.

Experts say the majority of patients will recover - pointing to data from China and Europe which shows an 80 percent recovery rate.

But the doctors who have seen cases first hand say it's still crucial to keep track of the virus's progression and know that feeling better doesn't necessarily mean the worst is over.

'Be aware of what's going on,' Ohl said.

'If your symptoms start to get worse after you've been feeling better, then you need to contact your doctor. That's probably something that doctors need to treat in an emergency.'

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 30,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the US and 385 people have died since the outbreak struck the US less than two months ago
Streets were empty and only a few vehicles were seen in Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan on Sunday as people observed 'Janata Curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help curb the spread of coronavirus.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed to the people to stay indoors and be safe.

"The best way to protect ourselves is to stay inside. Barring essential services, Rajasthan has been completely locked down for the safety of the people. Together, we will defeat this epidemic," he said.

Just before the 'Janata curfew' began, people wearing masks were seen buying milk and groceries in some parts of the city. Shops were closed on Chhoti Chaupad, Badi Chaupad, Chandpol Bazar and MI Road.

Other districts of the state such as Udaipur, Bharatpur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jhunjhunu and Bhilwara wore a similar look as people chose to stay indoors. Shops and markets were completely closed.

Earlier on Saturday, Chief Minister Gehlot gave instructions to completely lock down the state from March 22 to 31, except for essential services.

All government and private offices, malls, shops, factories and public transport have been directed to suspend operations during the period.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Australians will be given early access to $20,000 from their superannuation in an emergency effort to help workers suffering financially during the coronavirus pandemic, but there are concerns it is now the worst time for people to dip into their nest eggs.

The new measures revealed as part of the federal government's $66 billion stimulus package on Sunday morning would allow individuals facing financial stress due to the disease to access $10,000 in 2019-20 and another $10,000 in 2020-21.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the access to $20,000 represented about 1 per cent of the $3 trillion sector. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Those who are eligible are able to apply through myGov to access the funds before July 1 for the first $10,000 and have three months after this date to access more. These funds will not be taxed and will not affect Centrelink or Veterans' Affairs payments, with an expected cost to the budget of $1.2 billion.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Sunday that the withdrawals would be available to employees and sole traders who had seen their hours worked or income fall 20 per cent or more as a result of the virus.
Post Mortem

Speeches on Naga Republic Day

By Nagaland Post | Publish Date: 3/22/2020 2:00:39 PM IST

Gen. (Retd) Viyalie Metha, Kedahge, FGN

My dear countrymen,

Today the Naga Nation is celebrating the 65th Republic day as a nation whose God is the Lord to whom we owe our nations survival amidst a whirlpool of political and social confusion as a result of Indias occupation of our country up to this day. We are also indebted to our leaders and predecessors who had sacrificed their all for which we remain a Nation and a people.

I take this opportunity to remind our people for the future generations and the world and India in particular to know that we declared our independence on 14th August 1947, one day before India got her independence from the British on 15th August 1947. Our Naga National Voluntary Plebiscite of 1951 with the result of 99.9 per cent not to join the union of India followed by total non-participation in the first Indian general election of 1952 after her independence. The newly independent India resorted to a policy of civil suppression against the Nagas and by 1955 Nagaland was put under aggressive Indian army operation.

Under a harsh Indian military operation in Nagaland, the Naga National Council led by A.Z. Phizo founded the Federal Government of Nagaland at Parashen in Rengma region on 22nd March 1956. On this day the Naga National flag was hoisted by ;

(1) Thongti Chang, Chief of the Naga Home Guard by reading the scripture, Psalm 33:12  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord...

(2) Khriesanisa Seyie-the first Kedahge (President) read Romans 10:18 ....Their sound has gone out into all the earth.., their words to the end of the world.

(3) Wheha Kent-Rengma, the first Ato Kilonser read Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...

(4) Kruzhalie Peseyie, Angami Ahng read Romans 8:33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of Gods elect? It is God who justifieth.

(5) A.Z. Phizo, President, NNC read Zechariah 4:6 ....Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts. That was how our National government was founded and established on a firm foundation mandated by our people with their faith pledged to God our Lord.

Hence, no more are we islands as individuals, villages or tribes. The establishment of the Federal Government of Nagaland by the National Council under the leadership of A.Z. Phizo has knitted us as one nation under God who has guided us through tough and critical times and continues to guide us on. We are an independent nation built on Biblical Judeo-Christian principles coupled with our God given Naga traditions of Equality, Liberty and the right to protect our individual self, family, property and community. Our forebears with their God-given wisdom have given us the most essential component of a nation-that is our government. It has now fallen upon us to carry on the legacy of our nation conscientiously with faith in God and wisdom in these infernal and troublesome times.

Our founding fathers did not establish a government and frame a constitution with the intention of governing our people with tyranny but to give every individual Naga the opportunity to govern himself/herself in the best way a responsible citizen possibly can, for the greater good of the individual self, the society and the nation. It is, therefore, the duty of the government to protect the life, liberty and property of the individual Naga, for him/her to live his/her God- given life to the fullest extent in freedom as a responsible citizen. We must, therefore, be very clear that our government cannot afford to be tyrannical and oppressive .Hence , our Yehzabo (constitution) must by any means, be taken seriously for a just government to exist, free from corruption and petty politics.

As we continue to traverse through difficult times, it brings great joy and a peace that passes all understanding to remember Gods guiding hands in the establishment of our government legally and with the mandate of the Naga people. It must therefore, be noted that there is no such thing as my truth or your truth, there is only The Truth then theres my opinion and your opinion. As such, no matter what your opinion or my opinion may be about the Federal Government of Nagaland, the truth is, we have a legally established Government mandated by our people, a Government that rests on the shoulder of God and the principle of life, liberty, equality and brotherhood. This is how and why we are a Republic. Let me conclude my speech with a word of caution: Government of India will always try to subvert the Naga National Council and the Federal Government of Nagaland by creating dissentions among the Nagas instead of solving the Indo-Naga problems by peaceful means of understanding between the two Nations, Nagaland and India. India continues her occupation of our country by following a policy of divide, defeat and rule by political trickery and money power and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, AFSPA. Even so, the Naga Nation prevailed by Gods grace and we shall overcome. God bless Nagaland.

KUKNALIM.

Y. Wangtin Naga, president NSCN/GPRN-Reformation

My dearest Naga men and women, most respected Naga national workers, we are luckiest to be the children of living God who sustained us under His care and protection since the time of British empire thus far, though suffered a lot in the hands of another successor empires of India and Myanmar. We must thank our Lord Jesus for His un-failing guidance in the face of multiple challenges and threats. The Nagas are not inimical forces towards any nationality, however, our neighbours India and Myanmar branding the honest Nagas to be hostile and wild without studying the root cause of why and how? These two countries should re-call back their difficulties and sufferings under the British imperialism in the past and try to feel the pulse of the Nagas under their imperialistic regime for more than seventy years.

Through this Republic Day message, I want to appeal the Nagas to reason together instead of blaming one another and provoking the situation and mostly came closer to our God. No force can defeat us, only our dis-unity has destroyed our everything. Therefore, we must move forward for real and biblical reconciliation by forgetting past bitterness. Our sins have delayed our journey as Israelites exodus of forty days turned into forty years by their own sins. We provoked the same God once provoked by hostile Israelites in their exodus. Let us reconcile not only among us but also with our Lord Almighty God.

It is visible that, NSCN (IM)-GoI talk delayed for more than twenty years without any breakthrough. This delayed is World record breaking dialogue but let us not blame either side. To me, it is a serious issue to be reasoned seriously. So also, the NNPGs/WC-GoI talk covered almost three years. However, numbers of talk we may arrange, but it is for one. We must be inclusive and spread our arms to embrace one another in Christ. We must not be religious Christians but faithful and spiritual Christians to show to the world that, we are Christ followers. Unless we reconcile with one another in Christ nothing can and will achieve and our dream will only be a nightmare. The NNPGs/WC-GoI talk is in a positive direction and for which, we must thank Honble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and His Excellency Governor of Nagaland-cum-interlocutor R. N. Ravi for their positivity and understanding of the Naga cause. The preamble signed between NNPGs-GoI on 17th Nov 2017 and status paper was distributed to all leading Naga NGOs for serious study. The NNPG have committed for transparency after all we are for the Nagas and nothing will be hide. Only our honesty to our cause and transparency in our approach will shape our future. We must not miss another golden opportunity. It will not come back once it is missed.

KUKNALIM..!

Brig. (Retd) S. Singnya, kedahge FGN My beloved country men and women, It is a great honour and a privilege for me to address you on this historic occasion of the 65th Republic Day of our Nation. I thank our Almighty God for His continued Guidance, Sustenance and Protection. I also express my gratitude and our indebtedness to the pioneers for laying a firm political foundation for which we are able to stand up today with dignity and pride. I pay my homage to the martyrs who have made the supreme sacrifice for the noble Cause and all the Naga patriots for their visions and sacrifices for the long cherished dream. On this day, on 22nd March, 1956 Nagaland became a Republic when the Naga National Council convened the First Tatar Hoho Session bringing together the Free Nagas represented by the Hongking Government and the erstwhile Naga Hills District represented by the Naga National Council which led to the establishment of the Federal Government of Nagaland. With the National Mandate of 1951 entrusted to them and acknowledging that the Almighty God is the Supreme Sovereign over this world and the authority of the people on the territory is a sacred trust from God, our leaders established our National institution based on the modern principles and ideals of Democracy, Justice, Liberty and Fraternity and instituted the Republic on the concept of the Federal System of Governance. The momentous Declaration of Naga Independence on 14th August, 1947 and the irrevocable pledge of the Plebiscite of 16th May, 1951 created the foundation and also shaped the political course of our people. We chose to determine, forge and shape our own destiny with dignity, integrity and freedom. As we commemorate the 65th Republic Day, we celebrate the exemplary lives and courage of our past leaders who have guided us with their vision. The Federal Government of Nagaland remains deeply committed to what our leaders had enshrined for us as a nation. Our history is our inheritance and to achieve our goal we must move forward. The choice before us is to talk about our past and reminisce with regret and avoid following the path charted for us or to place ourselves within the historical framework of the past by placing ourselves in it and follow the path till our historical rights are expressed in full. The Federal Government of Nagaland strongly feels that we must travel back in time to the distant past to reclaim our rights that was declared in unity and trust. We have divided ourselves into so many groups and factions which is a great detriment to the Naga cause. In the midst of opposition and distrust from others we must free ourselves from our greatest enemy from within, unite once again and with strength proceed forward. There is a future ahead of us and that future is waiting for those who are morally strong, determined and resolute to make it their own. The Nagas as a people have an ardent desire to live in peace and harmony among ourselves and have always sought to live in peaceful co-existence with our neighbours. The Federal Government of Nagaland also prescribes to this desire of our people and for a peaceful resolution of the Indo-Naga political issue, the Federal Government is actively involved in political dialogue with Government of India as an entity of the NNPGs Working Committee to find a political settlement which is honourable and mutually acceptable. The Working Committee of the NNPGs is the right entity to represent our people and can bestsafeguard the interest and rights of the Nagas. The Naga people today need to ardently pray to the Almighty to give wisdom and moral courage to the NNPGs leaders in the decision makings. The FGN is pained to observe that a certain section of the Naga Political Group is employing delay tactics and unnecessarily trying to prolong the political negotiations. All sensible people know that too much procrastinating is harmful and detrimental for solving any human problem. It is also up to the Government of India whether to decide for a political settlement when the entire Naga population is desirous of an honourable and acceptable political solution and restore faith in the Indian system of Democracy as we are also aware that the more than Seven Decade old conflict between the Nagas and India could have been resolved long ago had the Government of India been sincere and serious in resolving it. I believe the time has also come for the Naga people to unite and rally solidly behind the NNPGs and grab the chance for the early solution of the negotiated political settlement based on the mutually resolved issues and continue to democratically pursue the unresolved issues when the opportunity is present. Nagas are a Nation of trustworthy and straight forward people and we expect India to live up to her world image as the largest Democracy in the world. May Gods grace be upon us all and His Wisdom continues to guide and His Will prevails as we continue our journey forward. God Bless My Nagaland. Kuknalim.

Yilow Humtsoe, acting president of NNC (Parent Body) Dear Naga people I praise God for the privilege to observe and celebrate the 64th Anniversary of Naga National Republic Day of 22nd March 2020 at this crucial stage of our political history. On this National Day I on behalf of Naga National Council bow my head in prayer to God for our Naga Martyrs who laid down their lives for our Naga Sovereign Independent State. I also salute the martyrs for their deeds for Naga freedom. The Naga National council stood firmly on behalf of the Naga people for the 1929 memorandum submitted to the British India and consequently the 1935 Act of Naga Hills Excluded Area passed by the House of Lords (Parliament) and this clearly stands as Naga political right today. Also the declaration of Naga Independence Day on 14th August 1947 was acknowledged by the United Nations and the plebiscite (referendum) of 16th May 1951 resulted in 99.9% of Nagas in favour of sovereign independent state of Nagaland. These political rights will remain forever as submitted and become an Act as declared and acknowledged and as conducted and become absolute political right, nobody can deny or erase. And the Naga people will continue to fight democratically until we achieve our freedom of becoming a sovereign independent state of Nagaland as this is already ingrained in our mind and blood. Generation after generation has fought and future generation will continue to fight as long as the earth exist. This is the will of the living God for our Naga people. Therefore, let us the Naga people unite and stand together to achieve freedom without division and compromisation. The Naga division and compromization will prolong our destiny and this will be foolishness on our part. The present and future generation will condemn in totality and remember those responsible leaders for their deeds against the Naga people. Also those responsible leaders whether national workers or civil societies who mislead the Naga people will be answerable to the people and the cost of the blood of the martyrs will be upon them. Therefore this political crisis in the Homeland should be taken seriously with correct stand for freedom of all Nagas inclusive of Naga people of Burma (Myanmar) side. We should never forget our down trodden people of Eastern Nagaland who stood and did their parts for Naga freedom. Therefore let us think seriously for our people in that side as our living God has a big plan and purpose for the Naga people as a whole. May the purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ for the Naga people prevail at this crucial stage and give a heart of realisation to the Naga National political workers about the will and purpose of our Living God. The NNC have been constantly praying for the Naga people and nation for freedom and also for Naga national unity to achieve our freedom of Sovereignty, therefore let us join hands in these efforts for the best interest of the Naga people as a whole. The NNC is also praying to our Living God for the protection of all the Naga people within the homeland and beyond and also for the protection of our land at this critical situation where the world is threatened by the Coronavirus pandemic. Let us Naga people continue to pray to our living God for our protection and also for humanity at large, And also pray to find a solution that will contain and prevent the virus from spreading further. May God bless and protect Nagaland.
Church of England says only 5 people can attend weddings, including bride and groom

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The Church of England has issued new guidance for baptisms and weddings amid the global coronavirus outbreak, limiting attendees to five, including the bride and groom.

Ceremonies can proceed, the church said in official guidance released Thursday, and it should be limited to two witnesses the priest marrying the couple and the bride and groom.

Amid the uncertainty over such drastic measures, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Beatrice, who is engaged to be married, is "reviewing" her wedding plans. Her wedding was set to occur in the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace in London in late May.

The couple will carefully consider government advice before deciding whether a private marriage may take place among a small group of family and friends, a spokesperson for the palace said.

The Church of England guidance goes on to recommend that where relatives and friends are unable to attend in light of the new limits, churches will be glad to facilitate digital means of joining the ceremony through tools like Skype or by recording the service to send at a later date.

Where no audio link can be achieved, an order of service could be sent either by email or post. Apart from the bride and groom, the physical distance should be observed as far as possible," the guidance reads.

No additional church personnel will attend the service, for example organists, vergers or sound system operator etc.

Couples who cancel their church wedding are going to be refunded any fees or deposit in full.

Regarding baptisms, the guidance suggests that it be limited to the candidate, their parents, guardians or carers, in addition to the godparents and minister. The priest ought not to hold the child and the water not be administered with the hands but an appropriate instrument, it instructs.

"Being a part of the Church of England is going to look very different in the days ahead," the archbishops of Canterbury and York, Justin Cantuar and John Sentamu, said in a letter. "Our life is going to be less characterized by attendance at church on Sunday, and more characterized by the prayer and service we offer each day. We may not be able to pray with people in the ways that we are used to, but we can certainly pray for people. And we can certainly offer practical care and support. "

Church buildings are still being urged to stay open "for private prayer wherever possible."

The Church of England guidance is but one of many "social distancing" measures that have been put forward around the world in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus, which first began in China several months ago and has rapidly circled the globe. The elderly, those 65 and over, have been most affected by the disease and account for most of its fatalities.

Earlier last week, the Church of England advised that funeral attendees be limited to immediate family only, and that services be livestreamed to for others who wish to pay their respects.

Weekly religious gatherings and services of all kinds have been suspended in many parts of the world and have been held online through social media platforms.
By Noble Bereans Mar. 21, 2020 | 12:56 PM | WESTERN KENTUCKY





In a matter of days, the Coronavirus has went from an illness that might impact our lives to something that has gripped many in the world with fear and uncertainty. Whether or not this continues to spread, it has already impacted many people I know financially, and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Today a coworker announced that they now know someone personally who has been infected. How should this impact us as believers? How should we react? These are good questions, and ones that many in the church need to consider.





The scripture today will come from Philippians 4, beginning in verse 4 and going through verse 9.







Philippians 4:4 (NET) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! 5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! 6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.







8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.







The Bible says many times to "Fear not!", and we are reminded over and over that God is the Almighty. It's not uncommon for us as believers to get caught up in the hysteria of a world event that is garnering as much attention as the Coronavirus is. Even isolating individual components, whether it is the stock market crashing, store shelves being empty, or businesses being forced to close can cause much worry in the population. Let me give you one truth you can be assured of though: If you are a believer, you have nothing to worry about. If you are not a believer, you should be very worried. This is not just true today though - it is true every day. Does this mean believers will not become sick because of the Coronavirus, or perhaps even die? No, not at all. But believers have an assurance greater than anything this life has to offer.







The passage from in Philippians reminds us that we should always be rejoicing in the Lord. This applies in the good times and in the bad times. Because of His overwhelming greatness, we can approach all things without anxiety or worry - He is much bigger than the Coronavirus or anything else you might face. That doesn't mean we shouldn't bring our concerns to God though - these verses make it clear that we are to bring our concerns and cares to Him, but, in doing that, we can have peace that He is in control. His peace will guard us. From there, we can focus on those things that are true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or praiseworthy.





Make this your daily challenge - find at least ten things today that fit in those categories: things that are true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or praiseworthy. Finally, and this is the crux of what I have to say today, Paul says, "And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you." We are in unprecedented times, and to paraphrase Mordecai's statement to Esther, It may very well be that you have been placed here for such a time as this! The church has a great opportunity that is being presented to it right now. How will we handle this? Will we show the light of God to the world, or will we cower in fear? Will we meet the needs of our less fortunate neighbors - those who are laid off, sick, or hungry? We don't know what all the opportunities we have are, but this can range from something as small as an encouraging word, to delivery of food, payment of utilities, and maybe even caring for the sick. In all our cases we should be listening to the Spirit of God and following His lead. Folks, there is nothing in the Bible telling you to be reckless, and, as such, you should be sensible and care for your own health and the health and well-being of your family, but, and this is a big but, we are called to do the Lord's work, and turning our back on a world in need is the exact opposite of shining His light. That may mean you are to directly reach out to those who are sick or who will be sick.







I want to be clear: I am not fearful of the Coronavirus or the impact it may have on the world, nor should you be. But I am respectful of the potential impact. Even so, I recognize that my future is not this world, and because of that, I will choose to focus on the things that are true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or praiseworthy. I will also be listening to God for my chance to shine His light into this world, and I recommend all believers do the same.





I want to thank you for reading. This is a serious topic, but it is a topic we should all pay attention to. Be safe out there, take care, and until next time, love like Him, live for Him, and reflect His light into this world.







Noble Bereans is dedicated to not only sharing the word of God, but asking Christians to dig deeper into the Bible, seek God, and reflect His love into the world.







Views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of West Kentucky Star.com, Bristol Broadcasting or any employee thereof. Bristol Broadcasting makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.

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Actor Owen Wilson says his fear of public speaking is the reason why he has never hosted NBC's popular comedy sketch show "Saturday Night Live".

Talking to "SNL" alum Kevin Nealon on his YouTube series "Hiking with Kevin", Wilson said the very idea of public speaking makes him feel nervous.

"I get really nervous with public speaking. I've never done any of those commencement addresses or 'Saturday Night Live' just because I get too nervous," the actor said.

Wilson also revealed that he gets nervous when he has to dress up for formal events.

"I feel like it always gives me a bit of panic of, oh, are you going to have the right tie? Where is the cumberbund and cuff links? It just seems a little nerve-wracking," he added.

On the work front, the actor will next feature in filmmaker Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch". The movie will release in July this year. He will also be starring in Tom Hiddleston's Disney Plus series "Loki".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Australian backpacker stranded in South America amid the coronavirus pandemic says consular officials told him to "wash his hands" when his family reached out for help.

Last week, Melbourne man Ben Butler headed for a four-day hike in Argentina's stunning Patagonia region. Four days later, he emerged to "complete madness".

"By the time I walked down the main street all the tourists had their packs on and I was thinking, 'Oh, what have I missed here. Something has gone down'," he said on Saturday.

Ben Butler, 24, said he was hiking in South America for several days and only learned of the coronavirus outbreak on returning. Source: AAP

He says he's had no help from consular officials in navigating the madness.

"I've had my dad contacting them, and they're just saying, 'Oh, there's not really anything we can do, make sure he's washing his hands," he said.

"They're hopeless. There's no point even going to them. I feel totally abandoned."

The 24-year-old was able to get to a bigger city, Bariloche, but has struggled to find a safe place to stay and fears he could become a target if civil unrest erupts.

A scientist conducts tests on the virus in Israel. Source: Getty Images

He says the perception that foreigners are responsible for the spread of the virus complicates things further, and has resulted in hostels shutting their doors.

"In my mind I was thinking 'I've got my tent, I'm just going to run to the bush', but obviously that's not really a solution either," he said.

It was only through the kindness of a friend of a friend that Mr Butler didn't end up on the street.

"Six days ago, I was having a great time and now I'm in a crisis in a foreign country, when I don't even speak the language. It just seems surreal."

Were so stressed

A group of Perth women on a similar trip through South America say they are in the same boat.

The hostel that Ali and Tess MacGregor were staying in, with friend Ashlee Baker, also kicked them out.

They have found other accommodation in Peru, but say they're "haemorrhaging" money.

Story continues

Like Mr Butler, the trio says they are yet to get any real assistance from consular officials.

The only response they've received from the embassy is an automated email reply.

"Basically they are saying there's no plans to repatriate Australians at this stage, which isn't really what you want to hear when you're stranded in a foreign country," 25-year-old Ali MacGregor told AAP on Saturday.

"We're so stressed, but at least we're together."

Jarred Spry says he's stuck in Peru. Source: Nine News

George Hurley and Ruby Heaslip, told Nine News, they both quit their jobs to travel and are now stranded in Peru.

Jarred Spry, another Aussie tourist, told Nine News, Peru has shutdown completely.

(Ive) got my family stressed about my safety and what's going to happen, he told Nine News.

with AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
An intensive care audit has revealed that the majority of those affected by coronavirus are male by a strong majority of 71 per cent.

According to the Observer, a report from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC), has counted the admissions to critical care units from the start of the crisis until midnight last Thursday.

The numbers of patients in the UK needing treatment for the coronavirus has doubled every three days since the pandemic began and the NHS could soon be overwhelmed by patients.

Nurses at Northwick Park Hospital dress in protective gear to treat patients with coronavirus

Pictured top is how the suppression strategy would help the amount of critical care beds being used

Despite warnings that the virus mainly affects the elderly, the median age was only 64 with 37 per cent of patients were under 60.

Coronavirus patients needing the highest level of help soared from 50 on the 9th March to almost 200 on 19th March with London bearing the brunt of these admissions.

Senior doctors are now concerned this dramatic increase could be seen nationwide within a few weeks and are warning hospitals outside the capital to prepare for an influx of patients.

This weekend's announcement that there were 56 new deaths in the UK has raised concerns hospitals could run out of intensive care beds within weeks.

The NHS has ramped u its efforts to control the coronavirus and is increasing the rate at which protective equipment is delivered to clinicians who say they are running out of face masks

Deputy chair of the British Medical Association's consultants committee Simon Walsh said: 'Unless the trajectory is very significantly changed by the government's measures, then the demands at the peak are going to massively exceed our critical care bed capacity across the UK.'

What the previous studies say A study conducted by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last month which published the largest analysis of coronavirus cases to date found that although men and women had been infected in roughly equal numbers, the death rate among men was 2.8 per cent, compared with 1.7 per cent among women. That same report found that men also were disproportionately affected during the Sars and Mers outbreaks, which were caused by different coronavirus strains. According to another study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, despite more women than men being infected by Sars in Hong Kong in 2003, the death rate among men was 50 per cent higher. Advertisement

London hospitals have also had to cope with members of staff having to self-isolate with one teaching hospital reporting 300 staff in isolation.

Northwick Park hospital had to declare a 'critical incident' last Thursday when it had too few staff to handle the influx of coronavirus patients.

A shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves has also been an issue.

GMB union representative, Rachel Harrison, who represents NHS ambulance workers, said: 'The main issue is that the stuff that is coming through, particularly masks, is out of date,' some by seven years,' but welcomed the increased rate at which new equipment was being delivered to hospitals.

When the ICNARC study looked at 33 of the patients, it was found that 16 died while 17 survived recovered.

These patients spent three days on average in intensive care before dying, or recovering enough to be moved out of intensive care.

Only 18 of the total number of patients were reported to have 'severe co-morbidities', such as an underlying heart conditions and sixty-three per cent were overweight or obese.

A deal made between the NHS and the private health care sector means that more beds, ventilators and 20,000 qualified extra staff will be made available from next week.
The sooner that teachers can make those contacts with students and resume instruction, the better-off well all be, he said. For a lot of our teachers, it was a traumatic and abrupt end when they had to send their students out the door, not knowing if and how this virus would affect them, their students or their families, he said.
Maharashtra, which has been



testing around 100 samples daily for coronavirus infection, will now be able to scale up this number up to 600, thanks to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approving testing at three more facilities, a minister said on Sunday.

Two of these testing facilities are in Pune and one in Mumbai, Amit Deshmukh, medical education minister, said.

In an official statement here, Deshmukh said, We were testing around 100 samples on daily a basis. The Indian Council of Medical Research has now permitted Covid-19 detection tests at Haffkine Institute in Mumbai as well as at Sassoon General Hospital and B J Medical College in Pune.

"This will enhance the testing capacity in the state to 600 from current capacity of 100.

The Delhi-based ICMR, which comes under the Union health ministry, is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.

The state government has also demanded setting up testing laboratories at private hospitals as well, he said.

We have sought permission for (Covid-19) testing at seven private hospitals and labs. These are P D Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre, Tata Memorial Centres Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd, Thyro-care Laboratories, SRL Diagnostics (all in Mumbai) and Reliance Laboratories, Navi Mumbai, he said.

"Some technical clearances are awaited. Once they are received, these labs will also be available for carrying out Covid-19 confirmation tests, said the minister.

State-run medical colleges and hospitals at Dhule, Aurangabad, Solapur, Miraj and Latur will also have similar testing facilities, Deshmukh said.

These newly added labs will have a daily capacity to carry out 100 tests, while Nagpur-based centres capacity will be increased to 200 samples, Deshmukh said.

Once all these laboratories are functional, Maharashtra will be able to carry out as many as 2200 tests, which will be helpful in case of a spike in the number of cases, he said.

At 72, Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of positive coronavirus cases among states in the country so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chhattisgarh blast by naxal: Why the de-mining exercise did not work

No intelligence or operational failure, nearly 30 Naxals killed in Bijapur: CRPF Chief Kuldiep Singh

In 2020 most policemen were martyred in naxal attacks, Kerala topped injury list due to riotous mobs

17 jawans martyred in naxal attack

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Following a madsive search operation the bodies of 17 jawans has been found.

The jawans had gone missing following a naxal attack on Saturday.

Eleven policemen were injured in a fierce gun-battle with naxals in forests of Chhattisgarh''s insurgency-hit Sukma district on Saturday, the police said.

The encounter took place at around 2:30 pm near Korajguda hills in Chintagufa area when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-naxal operation, a senior police official said here.

Personnel of the police''s District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) had launched the operation from Chintagufa, Burkapal and Timelwada camps based on information about presence of ultras near Elmagunda, he said.

When the team was advancing through Korajguda hills, located around 450 km from the state capital Raipur, firing broke out between the two sides, he said.

"Eleven DRG personnel sustained injuries. They are being evacuated," he said, adding that two of them were said to be in critical condition.

" Based on the ground inputs, it is believed at least 4 to 5 naxals might have been killed and an equal number injured as security forces retaliated strongly," he said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 18:11 [IST]
The last time a crisis closed businesses and threw Louisiana residents out of work  as the response to COVID-19 has done  the Louisiana Legislature hopped to and slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in spending to stanch a fast evaporating state treasury.

Their bold move proved largely unnecessary and launched a string of unexpected consequences that eventually changed not only the budget but Louisiana politics.

The twin summer 2005 hurricanes  Katrina and Rita  caused a diaspora of Louisiana residents and closed many businesses. The seven-parish New Orleans area that accounted for about $900 million in state revenues back then was largely empty. Personal income tax collections statewide dropped $474 million to $1.9 billion. Sales tax fell $171 million.

Then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco reasonably ordered a November 2005 special session to rebalance the budget by decreasing appropriations for health care services by $222 million and public universities by $71 million along with another $135 million for other services.

+12 John Bel Edwards emphasizes bipartisanship in State of the State address to a redder Legislature Gov. John Bel Edwards marked the start of the first legislative session of the new term Monday by calling for increased funding for education 

What wasnt anticipated was how fast people would buy appliances and furniture to get their lives back in order. Actual tax collections were $10.5 billion  about $1.5 billion above expectations.

Reacting to historic surpluses and taxpayers who wanted a break, the 2008 Legislature, now under Gov. Bobby Jindal, rolled back personal income taxes without compensating for those lost revenues. The state soon faced a $1.5 billion shortfall.

Embracing the rhetoric that government is the root of problems, Jindal cut services rather than raise taxes, setting off years of budget problems until Gov. John Bel Edwards took office in 2016, eventually raising taxes, eliminating some tax breaks, cutting some services. He ran for reelection on the surpluses created.

State Sen. Bodi White, the Central Republican who now heads the Senate Finance Committee, was a legislator throughout those years. He said that experience is uppermost on the minds of this years krewe of legislators as they begin working the budget.

Budget architects dont know yet how deep all the restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus will affect the states revenues, White said. But we want to be careful about our next steps.

Budget considerations aside, the 2005 experience also changed Louisiana politics. The once dominant Democratic Party lost majorities in both chambers, in its congressional delegations, and among agency officials elected statewide.

Republican operative Stuart Stevens predicts this coronavirus event could lead to a similar political realignment on a national level.

The failures of the governments response to the coronavirus crisis can be traced directly to some of the toxic fantasies now dear to the Republican Party. Here are a few: Government is bad. Establishment experts are overrated or just plain wrong. Science is suspect. And we can go it alone, the world be damned, Stevens wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday by The Washington Post.

The presidents initial call to arms on the novel coronavirus was this is their new hoax, blaming the Democrats rather than going with a we will fight them on the beaches reassurance.

During the past week, however, President Donald Trump, has declared a national emergency and wants to send checks to citizens along with money to help state governments. His poll numbers on his handling of the pandemic shot up 12 points, according to survey released Friday by ABC News/Ipsos.

Still, Stevens, a Jackson, Mississippi, native who cut his teeth in U.S. Sen. Thad Cochrans campaigns and worked with GOP presidential contenders back to Bob Dole, sees individuals sitting at home and wondering how long it will be until you can find out if that nasty cold you have is something more.

In Louisiana, Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, of Lafayette, gave full voice last week in a video slamming Edwards restrictions, such as dining in restaurants, indicating that many Louisiana voters still see government as a problem, said political scientist G. Pearson Cross, of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

But Cross is also feeling the start of a shift among hourly workers who supported Trump but now find themselves with fewer resources.

'Go big': Trump's pitch for coronavirus checks increases to $1,200 per adult WASHINGTON (AP)  Members of President Donald Trumps economic team convene Friday on Capitol Hill to launch negotiations with Senate Republic

The idea of limited government only really works when the economy is going well, Pearson said. It may change the fundamental expectation of what people want and need from government.

House Appropriations Chair Jerome Zee Zeringue, the Houma Republican whose bill outlines proposed government spending for the fiscal year starting July 1, says his colleagues ultimately will decide governments role. But he has a bottom line far different than the previous House Appropriations Committee.

Its incumbent upon government to provide the resources for services and provide the opportunities to stimulate the economy. I expect there are things we can and should be doing that we havent been doing, Zeringue said.
There's nothing like a crisis for focusing the mind on what's essential in life. After covering the 2015 terror attacks in Paris, journalist Stefania Rousselle had her own moment of reckoning. Depressed, she headed out on a road trip across France in search of love. In these times of coronavirus, her portraits of what love means to different people can speak to us all.

Rousselle, an award-winning French-American journalist and documentary filmmaker, was freelancing for the New York Times when militants with Islamic State armed group attacked the Bataclan concert hall on 13 November 2015.

She literally jumped out of bed in her pyjamas, grabbed her camera and ran to the scene. Panic, death, terror, hatred was everywhere. And she lost a friend among the 130 killed that that night.

Later, covering the regional elections in France she was embedded with the hard-right National Front. More hatred, more division.

It was sadness, despair, sadness, despair. I needed a way out and I always kept hitting a wall. I didn't feel love, I didn't see love and so I just decided to take my car and ask people one question: What is love? To find out if it still existed.

She hit the road shortly after the presidential elections in May 2017 and spent the following months crisscrossing France and some overseas territories.

The people she met are as varied as the terrain: young, old, straight, gay, happy in a relationship, happy out of one, recovering from abuse, being a mistress, mourning loss, coping with loneliness.

Her travels resulted in a collection of more than 80 interviews, each illustrated with an expressive colour portrait.

I fell in love with everyone I met, she laughs.

There's Julie Lafourcade. When she was 17 she met a man at a village dance and fell in love. He was 55.

She was asking herself, 'Is this man too old for me?' But they fell in love. Then when she was 25 they discovered she had cancer. She told me: 'I can die at any time but I've had this feeling of love and being able to give love.' 

Then there's the story of Lucien Lalanne, an 82-year-old former mason. When he met Rousselle he'd just lost his wife after 47 years together.

He told me: 'In the winter we would watch television, then sit near the fire and fall asleep in our respective chairs. We were happy. I always hoped it would last forever, it didn't.' 

There's Rolande, who found love late in life when she met Claude in her local restaurant.

She's my hero, says Rousselle. Her first husband beat her, and the second died of an epilepsy attack. She was at home and lonely. She spotted Claude in a restaurant, invited him to come to her home for coffee the next day. She asked her daughter to help prepare the bed, put on the pink silk sheets.

It's a beautiful story because it shows a lot about resilience and hope. She was 70 when she fell in love and it shows love is always there for you. And you can always be on your own too.

It was like for each moment of joy there was a sad moment, and for each moment of despair there was a moment of healing. So what's the definition of love? Well there are 92 people in the book I think I could say there are 92 different versions of love.

Going into homes, and hearts

Rousselle had no agenda or profiles of people in mind when she set out, but getting people to open up in this way didn't happen by chance.

I know the French can be extremely reserved. But I'm reserved too, she says. If people opened up, it's because we really got to know each other.

Basically they would say, 'What are you doing here?' And I would say, 'Well, I'm depressed. I don't see love. I haven't seen it for years. And I need to know what love is, what the meaning of life is, what's our purpose.' I think people have the same questions. They don't know either. So we said, 'Let's talk about it, because I need to know too.' "

She stayed at their homes, sharing a slice of their daily life, and of herself.

People are always are looking for a sign that we exist. So we shared meals together, cooked together, we would go on walks together. They knew I wasn't just passing by, I wasn't scraping the surface. We were connecting. They know everything about me, all my life.

Beyond the cliches

Rousselle was well aware of the romantic France cliche but the people she met revealed a different picture.

France is not romantic. Love in France is not forever. Love in France is not Disneyland, that's what I really liked.

She was struck by the fact people made no attempt to put a brave face on things.

The rawness, the honesty...it was crazy. They were so sincere in their feelings. I think that's why they were able to move on. They accepted the pain and were able to overcome it, instead of being super positive all the time, as can happen in some other places.

Rousselle trekked up the Pic d'Ansabere in the Pyrenees to meet Marcel Etcheberry, a shepherd. As was customary for the least favourite child, he'd been sent into the mountains from an early age to herd the sheep.

How do you survive that? he told her. I had a terrible adolescence. It was endless. I was in pain.

I don't like humans. They are twisted. When I see what they are capable of. I am ashamed. I would rather have been a dog. That is why I work with animals.

The Internet connection

Rousselle's road trip took her to regions all over France and to overseas territories like Martinique and Guadeloupe. She found geography had little impact on the way people talked about love, but admits it was more challenging for people in the countryside to meet someone.

In rural areas they were having a much harder time to meet people. In cities, there are bars everywhere. But even in cities a lot of people, maybe 75 percent, actually met their partners through websites or apps. In rural areas they were all on a site called Badoo.

No French exception

Regardless of where people came from, Rousselle was struck by the extent to which people were struggling generally and felt the need to reconnect with others.

There's this idea of French love as a super romantic ideal that lasts forever but it's not true. People here are exactly like anyone else: they have doubts about their ability to love and to be loved. There's a deep feeling of needing to reconnect.

She cites Pascal Grimault, an industrial sauce maker in a factory in Brittany.

He would wake up at 3 am to go prepare some sauce for your frozen food, it's non-stop in these factories.

He told her: I'm not quite sure what love is because I've never really lived it. It would probably be tenderness I didn't love myself before, and now I do.

Love as form of resistance

Rousselle was travelling before the Yellow Vest protest movement began in November 2018. Yet she saw it growing.

Some people are suffering a lot in France, they're having a really hard time, struggling to pay their mortgages, seeing their social rights starting to dwindle. I think that the Yellow Vest movement was a wonderful way for them to say, 'Yes, you actually exist.'

I met a women called Laurence in the Pyrenees mountains in the south of France. As I was leaving, she opened the window and looked at me, and said: 'Stefania, Vive La Resistance!.'

"So what I did about love is a sort of ode to the French. These people are trying to fight the darkness coming upon them through love.

The first person Rousselle engaged with on her road trip was not French, but a migrant from Pakistan called Salam Salar. The 31-year-old was queuing up at a food distribution point in Calais.

When I explained my quest to find out what love means to people he said: 'Love is my mother. Love is in the trees and flowers. Love is good.'

In the worst conditions possible this man was seeing light in the darkness. Even if this is a hard life, there is hope.

Conversations like this and indeed all the others restored Rousselle's faith in love.

It brought me back to life, basically. Each of the encounters mended me.

Stefania Rousselle has gathered photos and interviews from her journey in the book 'Amour, How the French talk about love'.

This piece is part of the Spotlight on France podcast  listen to the audio here, and subscribe here.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she will push for a full lockdown of non-essential services over the next 48 hours with schools expected to close from Tuesday.

Schools will be open on Monday but Ms Berejiklian indicated that would likely change. Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and convenience stores will stay open.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has struck out ahead of any moves by Victoria or the federal government to shut down non-essential businesses and services. Credit:Steven Siewert

"Tonight I will be informing the national cabinet that NSW will proceed to a more

comprehensive shutdown of non-essential services. This will take place over the next

48 hours," she said.

"Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, convenience stores, freight and logistics,

and home delivery will be among the many services that will remain open.
Firstly, you'll need reliable Wi-Fi. Credit:Shutterstock

As Australians face the prospect of cutting back on face time with family, friends and colleagues, it's time to think about how best to work and study at home.

This week marks 15 years since I quit my job at the paper to go freelance. In some ways you're living the dream, but I can tell you working from home is not as easy as it looks. Over the coming months, many Aussies will find themselves in the same situation, perhaps working alongside their children studying from home.

In order to keep the peace you'll need reliable Wi-Fi  if yours struggles then try moving your wireless router higher, clear of obstacles and away from other electrical gear. If that doesn't do the trick, consider upgrading to a mesh Wi-Fi network that places a few base stations around your home to improve coverage.

If the problem is slow broadband, talk to your telco about getting a mobile broadband hotspot or tethering to your smartphone. Many telcos are upping data limits to help customers make it through the months ahead.
A child said what is the grass? Fetching it to me with full hands, how could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he. Walt Whitman

SARS-CoV-2 or COVID19, now declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, has begun to wreak havoc in large parts of the world, with other parts waiting in anticipation. We are in a real struggle, which needs total mobilization; a struggle that needs to put life first and leadership must show up. We will only win this struggle  if people are united and disciplined, if governments earn respect by their actions. Nigeria is not an exception!

Long-term quarantines and shutdowns have taken place in large parts of the world, certainly in Europe and North America, but increasingly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Economic activity has already begun to shudder to a halt. Estimates of the net losses are not possible to make, and even the major international institutions are adjusting their numbers every day. The total losses are  as yet  beyond calculation.

In the United States, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York announced Friday that 100 percent of non-essential work forces are now required to stay home, calling it "the most drastic measure we can take" as he said the entire state of New York was "on pause."

Cuomo acknowledged businesses will be forced to close; families will face severe financial strain, and he announced a 90-day moratorium on all commercial and residential evictions to try and ease the immediate burden. But if all of these measures save just one life, the governor said, they are worth it

Cuomo projects peak infection is still 40-plus days out. By that point, New York state could need 110,000 hospital beds, more than double its current capacity, and more than 37,000 ICU beds. Right now, the state has 3,000 of the latter. Can we read this again as Nigerians!

The governor also said that he has considered altering other, non-medical buildings to become places where more people could be treated  whether it be for COVID-19 or otherwise. Cuomo said in an interview on CNN that he has explored using the Javits Center in Manhattan and college dorms on Long Island as temporary or pop-up hospitals, adding that those backup hospital beds will be necessary.

So on Friday I watched as the school behind my house braced for closure, the circular announcing Schools closure had circulated over the night and not many parents were aware and sent in their wards, I watched as the kids played. I was at the market too, no social distancing, no one was monitoring the parks, a very sizable amount of mass gathering was still going on everywhere.

Less that 0.0001% of the population were wearing any protective mask or hand gloves, while the washing hands culture is managing to fall in place and a few public places had hand sanitizers, this is one pandemic that Nigeria cannot afford in any way, in any ramifications, we are not ready, our children are on the grass.

I would not be drawn into the opposition and ruling party drama of whether the President should address the nation on the COVID-19 pandemic or not, I am not going to be involved in the political economics of our Central Bank's N1trillion largesse with no direction, many of us already know the direction.

But herein lies my kick in the butt, in a national emergency, the president has many legal authorities, has access to expertise of all kinds, most of which are adequate to and for the job. But President Buharis men are inadequate to do the job. He is a president who either lacks familiarity with how government works at any level (or has been made to look so)especially the federal government and especially during a crisis. This is a harsh comment, and without sounding rude, and I am sincerely most apologetic in penning these words, the president who either systematically fires people from their jobs; those who have relevant experience or refuses to fill critical jobs across government. The result has been on full display during this administration, the coronavirus pandemic if it does decide to berth in this clime: chaos and incompetence will be deadly, as our children play on the grass.

Imagine an alternate scenarioone where a group of bureaucrats from the Federal Government, National Council compromising of State governors had been able to walk the talk in the last five years, there would be a list of things the president should do to get ready for a pandemic. Coherence on problem solving comes from the top. The people have lost faith in the top of all cadres of governance in Nigeria. And our beloved Mr. President has done very little to inspire that confidence.

In Plateau State for example there is no provision anywhere to cater for a 50-person emergency for a population of approximately 3million+ and as it is in Plateau so it is in many Nigerian states.

The Buhari administration deprived themselves of needed expertise through its methodology that has not yielded results, whether it is in the security architecture or the nation's economy. And the turnover in the ranks of Buhari appointees has been so extensive and so unprecedented that they have few experienced government servants running major departments, and in cases where there has been consistency, an idiotic efficiency has been witnessed.

Obviously, no one expects a president to go into office knowing the ins and outs or the authorities in a piece of legislation or expecting a downfall in the economy but for a group that desired power, we should expect our president to preside over a nation where people have extensive knowledge of all parts of the government and can provide to him, at a moments notice, the full range of options available to a president confronting a national emergency of any type.

Unfortunately this is not the president we have. This is not so because from the days of the military, to the PDP era, and now the APC, things have changed and still remained the same. In perspective there is need to understand that in the light of all the official drama, The federal government based on the 2020 budget, put N2, 000 per Nigerian to provide for the healthcare of each of the estimated 200 million Nigerian. This is according to the meager N427.3 billion proposed for Healthcare in the proposed 2020 which as at this month is still paperwork and may even go down as oil price drops too.

You may not understand what this means, it means the salaries of all health workers in the Ministry of Health, the fuelling of the ambulances and the generating plants, the rehabilitation and or construction of new hospitals, the drugs for Malaria, Polio, Child Vaccination, Tuberculosis, Meningitis, HIV/AIDS and of course cancer diagnosis machines are all part of the budgeted amount. The list continues to even health research, training and health promotion. And we say that we are ready if Uncle Corona decides to pay us a full visit?

The good thing is that hopefully and quickly at some point, this crisis will pass. As we move through it, lets seek not just to create jobs that can sustain families and communities and promote broad-based economic well being, but to use this as an opportunity to X-ray our health sector and systemsnot simply return to the status quo or else the damage will be unthinkable, albeitonly time will tell.
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United States senator, Rand Paul, who represents Kentucky State, has contracted the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19)

Naija News reports that Senator Pauls office made this known in a statement on his official Twitter handle on Sunday evening, March 22.

The office said Santor Paul was tested out of caution due to his extensive travel and events despite not showing any symptoms.

Naija News reports that the office, however, assured that no staff had contact with the Republican senator because their DC office had been operating remotely for the past ten days.

The statement reads asthus; Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person, the tweet read.

He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.

Meanwhile, Paul is the first senator in the United States to contract the deadly coronavirus. More than 323 people have died from the virus in the country and at least 29,235 confirmed cases as of midday Sunday according to CNN.

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Sydney Kook, walking "Hutch," and Niciole Troia walk under a sign of the times at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville on Thursday. Read more

The boy wrote it on page 3 of a black-and-white composition book that had been brought down from the attic. It was only Week One of our nations stay-home sequestration owing to the global pandemic known as COVID-19, but my kindergartner already grasped a key element of this extraordinary moment in history.

I hate coronavirus," he said in crooked pencil strokes. The journal  my idea  was now passing for classroom instruction since children had been sent home for indefinite at-home confinement to halt the militaristic advance of this disease. I miss my frineds, he continued, and I wonder if my frineds are OK.

Dont we all, little buddy. Dont we all.

To say this first week of no human contact beyond our respective four walls was strange would be an understatement. Most commerce shut down across Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and, as the week wore on, countrywide. Workers were severed from paychecks by the hundreds of thousands.

Suddenly, all of us had been thrust into an alternative universe. One where masked shoppers were abundant, food on market shelves scarce, and optimism low that this odd new reality would be over any time soon.

Our normally frenetic American routines  with all their accompanying anxiety, entitlement, and exhaustion  came to an immediate, disorienting halt. And all because there is no vaccine or substantive treatment for this novel virus that, if allowed to spread unchecked, could overwhelm our hospitals and lead to as many as 1.1 million deaths, according to worst-case projections.

 READ MORE: A sad day as coronavirus forces layoffs at Le Bus. Bakery vows: We intend to survive. | Maria Panaritis

Yet, as state and federal elected leaders have taken drastic measures to thwart its further spread, the preemptive cure has left many of us nonetheless stricken.

Surreal. Unfamiliar. Unsettling. Uncertain.

As a fellow journalist from New York told me, this is different from the 9/11 attacks. Then, the bad thing happened and everyone was left shaken. Now, the bad thing is happening  and yet hasnt happened at all.

On Tuesday, being among the so-called life-sustaining professionals that Gov. Tom Wolf has since declared may continue working in Pennsylvania during this pandemic, I drove into far Montgomery County to interview a mother whod just lost her contract job with a school district. We stood feet away from each other on her familys front porch.

We didn't shake hands.

Before arriving, I had noticed something unusual for a weekday drive up the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It was full mostly of commercial trucks. Passenger cars seemed palpably scarce.

 READ MORE: Restaurant and contract workers need coronavirus cash, cable bill breaks, mortgage help ASAP | Maria Panaritis

Just off the exit on Forty Foot Road in Lansdale, a sign in front of a Mennonite school caught my eye.

'FEAR NOT FOR YOU ARE MINE," it said in large block letters slipped into a marquee. "ISAIAH 43:1 PRAYING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

On Wednesday, more surreal scenes greeted me on my drive over the Ben Franklin Bridge into Audubon, N.J.

A shopping strip on Black Horse Pike was oddly empty  except for the part with a Walmart.

In South Jersey, where highways and shopping malls are the spine of commerce and the butt of jokes, this was stark.

More of the same when, on the way back to Pennsylvania, I stopped at another suburban Philadelphia shopping mecca: Costco at King of Prussia Mall.

A worker was slathering shopping carts clean with a rag and spray bottle. Only then could you help yourself to one. Inside, customers and workers walked around in protective masks and gloves. Despite the panic shopping that had cleared this place and supermarket shelves over the prior two weeks, it was oddly empty of customers.

In my pocketbook were wipes and hand sanitizer. I refused to touch the checkout keypad. The cashier didn't seem to mind.

Never before have I or any of us  of any age, barring perhaps World War II veterans now in their 90s  lived through what is so suddenly upon us.

Some are calling this akin to wartime. Fair enough. My late father was a World War II orphan  he used to talk obliquely about how wars, in his mind, were a tragic training ground for people to learn how to be humane.

Here we are, then, as a region and a nation: in our great humbling moment. This is where entitlement ends. Lets hope that humanity rises to the surface  and to the occasion.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The State would observe voluntary shutdown for 24 hours from 6 am on Sunday to 6 am on Monday in response to the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Janata Curfew from 7 am to 9 pm on Sunday, said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday. He called upon people to stay indoors for 24 hours. This is for your safety and for the safety of the human race, Rao said at a media conference. No auto-rickshaw will ply. It will be a complete shutdown for 24 hours. Telangana should set an example to the entire country in this aspect, Rao said.

The Chief Minister said the entire State would be shut down if necessary and essential commodities would be supplied to people at their doorstep in future. Telangana is not a poor State. We are ready to spend Rs 10,000 crore to tackle the virus spread, the Chief Minister said. Stating that the government would take a decision on closing the State borders in a day or two, the Chief Minister said they would not allow people from other States, especially from Maharashtra, to enter Telangana.

On Sunday, the RTC buses would not be operated, while the Metro Rail services would be cancelled and the inter-State buses would be stopped at the borders.

The Chief Minister, however, said essential services like healthcare, vegetable markets, water supply and sewerage maintenance would be spared from the shutdown.

Rao said after March 1, over 20,000 foreign returnees reached the State. Of them, around 11,000 have been identified so far and they are under observation, the Chief Minister said. He called upon others too to disclose their travel details to the local officials. We will not arrest you. We will provide you medicines free of cost. If necessary, you will be shifted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment, Rao told the foreign returnees.

He said 52 check-posts have been set up at the inter-State borders. As many as 5,274 vigilance teams and 78 joint inspection teams have been deployed. Over 63,000 police personnel and gram panchayat staff are constantly monitoring the situation. A five-member high-level committee under the CMO is monitoring the situation across the globe, the Chief Minister said and added that as of now, the situation was under control in the State.

50,000 tested in Knagar

Rao said the government has tested around 50,000 people in Karimnagar city, where some Indonesians were tested positive for the virus. Asked about Muslim and Christian preachers from abroad testing positive for COVID-19, Rao said they arrived here from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries.

Stay at home

On the occasion, the Chief Minister suggested that it was better for those aged above 65 years and children below ten years to stay at home for at least two to three weeks.

First locally transmitted case

Hyderabad: Telangana recorded its first locally-transmitted case of COVID-19 on Saturday, while another person with a travel history to Dubai tested positive for the virus. This has taken the total number of COVID-19 positive cases to 21 in the State. The first locally-transmitted case is of a 35-year-old man, who was the primary contact of a person designated as patient-14 by the State government, who had returned from Dubai recently. The second new case is of a 33-year-old man, who is employed on a cruise ship in the US, and had a travel history to Dubai. The 21 positive cases in Telangana include 10 Indonesian nationals, who had arrived in Karimnagar in the State on March 13.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed another $66 billion in spending to help the Australian economy through the coronavirus pandemic.

The second package brings the total spend to $189 billion, including $90 billion from the Reserve Bank, worth about 10 per cent of the size of the Australian economy. It includes giving workers early access to $20,000 worth of superannuation funds if they fall into hardship due to the virus.

"We will be focusing on those in the front line, those who will be feeling the first blows of the economic impact of the coronavirus," Mr Morrison said on Sunday.

"We will be supercharging our safety net and supporting the most vulnerable to the impacts of the crisis, those who will feel those first blows."
Just weeks before the pandemic became the top priority for government officials across the country, D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), had proposed making public transit free to all residents  a recognition of its importance to keeping the city affordable and accessible to many of its lower-income residents. To Allen, the coronavirus pandemic has emphasized just how important it is to protect public transportation because, he said, so many crucial front-line workers  including those who stock grocery store shelves  use it to get to work.
Joseph Mbah Ndam archives

The convoy transporting officials and electoral materials to Batibo ahead of todays Parliamentary Election rerun came under attack Saturday, March 21, 2020 with several injuries reported.

According to open sources, armed separatists fighting to secure the independence of a country they call Ambazonia opened fire on the convoy targeting Hon. Mbah Ndam Joseph Njang, incumbent Member of Parliament for Momo West (Batibo).

At least four persons have been injured in an attack carried out by alleged Amba boys on the armoured convoy carrying Hon. Mbah Ndam for Batibo Constituency. He was on his way to prepare for legislative elections rerun scheduled to hold in that area, local media reported.

Other open sources however suggested that four elements of Cameroons defence and security forces were injured as they repelled the assailants. Two workers of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) reportedly sustained injuries. Hon. Mbah Ndam is said to have emerged unhurt after soldiers successfully inflicted heavy casualties on the armed separatists.

Like was the case during the twin Municipal and Legislative elections on February 9, 2020, separatists have vowed to frustrate Sundays election rerun.

The electorate of Momo West along with those of ten other electoral constituencies in Cameroons North West and South West Regions choose 13 Members of Parliament this Sunday, March 22, 2020 in rerun polls.

Todays election rerun follows Constitutional Council decision no. 29/SRCER/G/20 of February 25, 2020 to cancel the election of Members of Parliament in the following constituencies: North West Region  Menchum North, Bui West, Mezam South, Bui Centre, Bui South, Mezam Centre, Momo East, Menchum South, Momo West and Mezam North  and South West Region  Lebialem.

The election rerun in the aforementioned constituencies shall begin at 8.00 a.m. and end at 6.00 p.m., according to a Presidential decree.

Cameroon-Info.Net understands that the partial annulment of the outcome of the February 9, 2020 legislative elections came after the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, seized the Constitutional Council citing irregularities that breached laws relating to elections in the country.

SDF lawyers and candidates had prayed the Constitutional Council to partially annul the elections on grounds of insecurity, and the creation of polling centres which disenfranchised their voters.

Political pundits posit that this rerun may help improve the fortunes of the opposition SDF which emerged from the February 9 twin municipal and legislative elections with its worst performance ever  securing just five seats. They harvested 18 seats in the 2013 elections.

President Paul Biyas Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) got 139 out of 167 declared seats in the February 9 polls.

Hon. Mbah Ndam, who is a graduate of the University of Yaounde and Member of Parliament since 1997, was born on February 28, 1955 in Batibo, Momo Division of the then North West province. He has been a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the SDF since 1991.

Besides being a politician, he was a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Yaounde from 1988-92. Since 1992, he is the adviser on legal and judicial matters of National Financial Credit Bank and he is chair of Union of cultural and development association of Momo division. He is a practicing Protestant Christian and married and a father of four children.

His house in Batibo was burnt down to ashes by armed separatist fighters on Sunday, December 15, 2019. Now they want to deprive him of the parliamentary seat he has occupied since 1997.
North Dakota's Democratic-NPL Party has endorsed candidates for state and congressional offices, using an online convention format amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Through virtual voting on Saturday, delegates endorsed the following candidates:

Dickinson/Killdeer veterinarian Shelley Lenz for governor

University of Mary graduate student adviser Mark Haugen for state treasurer

Bismarck-based Anytime Works construction company owner Patrick Hart for state auditor

Minot retail manager Zach Raknerud for U.S. House

Washburn union ironworker Casey Buchmann for Public Service Commission

Respiratory care practitioner Travisia Martin for insurance commissioner

We know that especially during times of crisis like were in right now, having strong and steady leadership is so important," Party Chairwoman Kylie Oversen said in a statement. "And the Dem-NPL is so proud to put forward a slate of candidates who are competent and talented and smart, and who are connected to their communities. They are excited to get to work for all of you representing this great state of North Dakota.

The party's state convention planned for March 19-22 in Minot was canceled due to the virus outbreak. Candidates on Friday held virtual town halls with delegates. The party posted candidate videos and statements to its website, too.

Buchmann and Martin announced their campaigns in the last week. No endorsements had intraparty challenges, though longtime Libertarian Roland Riemers is running for the Democratic-NPL nomination for U.S. House on the June 9 primary ballot.

Lenz was endorsed without a lieutenant governor running mate. She did not immediately return a phone call Sunday regarding a running mate. North Dakota's governor and lieutenant governor have been elected jointly since 1974.

Also, the party so far has not issued a letter for support for superintendent of public instruction. The position is nonpartisan, but political parties issue letters of support for candidates.

Republicans hold all state and congressional offices in North Dakota, and control its Legislature.

GOP leaders canceled their convention set for March 27-29 in Bismarck due to the pandemic. The party's six incumbents and two candidates for state treasurer will instead have to gather 300 signatures to appear on the June 9 primary ballot.

State treasurer is the only statewide race without an incumbent. Republican Kelly Schmidt is not seeking a fifth term.

North Dakota's Libertarian Party has endorsed businessmen DuWayne Hendrickson of Minot and Joshua Voytek of Fargo for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

The deadline is April 6 to file for the June 9 primary ballot, when voters determine nominees for the Nov. 3 general election.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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Washington County Public Schools asking public for input on funding

Washington County Public Schools is asking the public for input on how they should spend the American Rescue Plan money from the federal government.
Trump refuses to suspend Iran sanctions amid coronavirus outbreak

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 March 2020 1:30 AM

The administration of US President Donald Trump has said it would not suspend sanctions against Iran as the country is battling the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Iran has said the international community should push the United States to immediately lift all "illegal" sanctions it has imposed on the Islamic Republic amid a national endeavor to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

"The inhumane and illegal US sanctions will jeopardize the health and lives of Iranians and other nations through impeding our capabilities to prevent further spread of the coronavirus to other countries," said the permanent mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in a statement on Thursday.

"While the United States ties to contain the virus inside the country, it helps the outbreak overseas by undermining professional capabilities of some affected countries which are trying to battle the disease," it added.

No country, the statement added, can tackle the global health issue on its own, a challenge that knows no boundaries.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefing reporters with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday claimed, "The whole world should know that humanitarian assistance to Iran is wide open, it's not sanctioned."

"We are doing everything we can to facilitate the humanitarian assistance moving in and to make sure that the financial transactions connected to that can take place as well. There is no sanction on medicines going to Iran, there is no sanctions on humanitarian assistance going into that country. They've got a terrible problem there and we want that humanitarian, medical assistance to get to the people of Iran," he said, pedaling a series of outright lies.

When asked again whether the US would remove sanctions against Iran during the Covid-19 crisis, Trump said, "They know the answer, the leaders of Iran, they know the answer to your question."

This comes as the US imposed new sanctions this week. The Trump administration blacklisted five companies based in the United Arab Emirates, three in mainland China, three in Hong Kong and one in South Africa for doing business with Iran.

Pompeo, the hawkish secretary of state and former CIA chief, accused Tehran of "violent behavior."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday called on Americans to urge the US government to lift sanctions against Iran.

"US government sanctions have led to many ordinary Iranians losing their health, jobs and income," Rouhani said in a statement. "Now is the time for the American people to shout loudly at the US government to demand an answer ... and not allow the US history to be blackened further."

The illegal actions were announced amid Tehran's call on world states to defy US sanctions in the midst of Iran's fight with the coronavirus pandemic.

Washington has been urged by China and Russia, along with others, not to impede Iran's efforts to contain the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

On Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan called for the lifting of "unjust" US sanctions on Iran.

"I would stress and insist to the international community to lift the sanctions on Iran," Khan said at a press conference in Islamabad.

"It is very unjust they are dealing with such a large outbreak on one side, and on the other they are facing international sanctions," he added.

The Trump administration, however, insists on keeping up with its "maximum pressure" campaign as the country itself struggles with the fast growing coronavirus pandemic.

Trump reinstated US sanctions on Iran in May 2018 after he unilaterally left the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and major world powers.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ)  known as the World Court  has ordered the US to lift the sanctions it has illegally re-imposed on humanitarian supplies to Iran.

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All non-essential travel within Australia should be cancelled to tackle the spread of COVID-19, the prime minister has announced.

Federal and state leaders are also having to now consider more draconian measures to enforce social distancing, after masses of people gathering at Bondi Beach showed that too many Australians arent taking COVID-19 seriously enough.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state and territory leaders agreed to the recommendation barring non-essential travel overnight.

Essential travel will include travel that facilitates essential work-related activities and some travel on compassionate grounds.

Also when it comes to essential supplies and activities, movements of health workers and other important arrangements that are needed to keep Australia running, Morrison told reporters on Sunday.

Morrison said the step means people who had interstate trips planned for the upcoming school holidays should cancel them.

But even within states, people should scrap travel which isnt part of their standard routine, Morrison said.

Australians can exercise their common sense about the things they know are non-essential, he said.

Federal and state leaders will meet again on Sunday evening to discuss stronger measures to deal with local outbreaks.

The discussion comes after vision emerged in recent of crowds of people at Bondi Beach, ignoring social distancing advice.

What happened at Bondi Beach yesterday was not okay, and served as a message to federal and state leaders that too many Australians are not taking these issues seriously enough, Morrison said.

The measures we will be considering tonight, means that state premiers and chief ministers, may have to take far more draconian measures, to enforce social distancing, particularly in areas of outbreaks, than might otherwise be the case.

He stressed Australians can all help protect peoples lives and livelihoods.

Its a simple plea: we need you, he said.

We need you to do your bit, when it comes to social distancing, to keeping that healthy distance, to respecting and following the rules that were setting down.

But more stronger measures will be coming, and they will be coming in more localised areas to deal with outbreaks.
The State of South Dakota has identified seven additional positive tests. Gov. Kristi Noem said six of those seven positive results were from Beadle County. The other was from Brown County.

The Brown County case is believed to be travel related and the Beadle County cases are a combination of contact with patients who tested positive previously and travel. There is still only one confirmed case in a Pennington County resident. That man died from the illness but he was never in the county after falling ill. There is one positive case of a person from New York who became ill while working in Rapid City, but he counts toward New York numbers.

With 10 positive cases in the county, Beadle County is on the verge of a "community spread" designation which pushed the governor to send a much harsher message for that county.

Gov. Noem said she has spoken to local authorities in Huron and Beadle County and asked them to take this situation seriously.

"Schools remain closed. Telecommuting is important whenever possible. And we have encouraged people there to stagger work schedules," Noem said. She said the new cases makes Beadle the only county in the state to reach the "substantial" level of infection.

Noem said that six of the 14 previous positives have recovered and none of the cases in South Dakota are currently hospitalized.

The governor said criticism of her decision not to shut down businesses in the state is misplaced.

"The governor can give a strong speech to shut down but I do not have the authority to enforce that. That authority lies with local governments," Gov. Noem said. "I had a meeting with class one mayors this week and we discussed that."

The state completed 58 high priority tests yesterday resulting in the seven positives and 51 negatives. The state will complete 29 tests today. Only high priority cases - health care personnel or people who know they were in contact with an infected person - are tested at the State Department of Health. More than 270 cases are pending at the state lab. More than 700 tests have been sent to commercial labs for processing. Those results will be available soon.

Gov. Noem said she and her team are using science, data and facts to make wise decisions to protect South Dakota residents.

"We need to be diligent," Noem said. "This won't be over next week."
The Maharashtra government on Sunday said Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibits gathering of over five persons at public places, is being imposed in the state in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

IMAGE: Bandra-Worli Sea Link wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Mumbai, on Sunday. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo

Two Covid-19 patients have died in the state.

Making the announcement, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the measure was being taken in urban areas across the state from Monday to ensure social distancing.

"The state transport and private bus services will be suspended completely. The only transport that will continue to operate is the intra-city bus services, which will only ferry staff of essential services," he said.

Essential services such as groceries, vegetables vendors, banks, share markets and key financial services will continue to operate, he said.

The 'work from home' practice should be encouraged to avoid the spread of coronavirus, Thackeray said.

The chief minister also indicated that the lock-down in urban areas may be extended beyond March 31, if required.

"To avoid it, I need participation and help of people during the tough time," he said.

"Those who have been advised home quarantine should not mix with their family members. For the mandatory quarantine period, they should stay away from the family members as well for their own safety. If they develop any symptoms, they should approach doctor," Thackeray said.

He also asked the industry to take care of its employees.

"Several companies and offices will not function, but on humanitarian grounds these establishments should pay at least the basic salaries of their employees, he said.

"I have personally reduced the state staff as well. Some days back, we were running offices at 50 per cent capacity. From Monday, only five per cent staff of the government will come to work, he said.

Defending his decision, the chief minister said, "I have unfortunately taken this decision as we are at a stage where the virus is likely to multiply its infection."

To avoid it, like it has been done in some European countries, the Maharashtra government has decided to go for a complete lock-down in urban areas of the state.

The Centre has already restricted commercial international flights at all airports in the state.

"With CrPC 144 in force, we are trying to minimise the spread of coronavirus," he added.
Gov. Murphy provides coronavirus update LISTEN NOW: Gov. Murphy gives the daily New Jersey coronavirus briefing. Posted by NJ.com on Sunday, March 22, 2020

UPDATE: New Jersey coronavirus outbreak rises to 1,914 cases with 20 deaths. 590 new positive tests announced.

Gov. Phi Murphys daily coronavirus update is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday and NJ Advance Media plans to broadcast the audio of the conference call with reporters live on the NJ.com Facebook page. The live audio stream will also be added to this post just before the briefing starts.

Murphy is expected to provide the latest numbers on coronavirus cases in the state. On Saturday, Murphy said at the press conference that all non-essential businesses in the state had to close by 9 p.m. He also said the number of positive cases in the state soared by more than 50% to 1327. Five additional deaths were revealed Saturday, pushing the statewide total to 16.

Previous press conferences, in which Murphy has been joined by other state officials, have generally lasted more than an hour and are streamed most days on the governors YouTube.com page. The briefing Sunday will be held by conference call, with reporters able to ask questions.

New Jerseys first coronavirus case was announced March 4. Salem County was the last to have a positive test - officials in the states least populated county announced the first case on Saturday.

The governor continues to urge people to practice social distancing and said no one should leave their home unless its absolutely necessary. Residents can still go food shopping, to medical appointments or to exercise outdoors.

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:





If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Nearly a billion Indians stayed indoors on Sunday, heeding Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal to citizens to self-isolate as authorities battle to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic.

At least 324 people so far have contracted the disease while four have died in India, according to official data.

While the lockdown is voluntary and not an outright ban on the movement of people, Modis appeal for social distancing has helped dramatically reduce the number of people taking to Indias densely crowded streets.

Modi asked Indias 1.3 billion people to stay home on Sunday and collectively cheer for front-line healthcare workers at 5pm local time (11:30 GMT).

Shortly before 5pm, the cacophony in capital New Delhi began as people on balconies and rooftops clapped, rang bells, banged on pots and pans, played music recordings and set off fireworks, sending crows and parakeets streaming from treetops, and stray dogs and cows into the deserted streets.
On an April day last year, as war raged around Tripoli, two Russian operatives set out from the Libyan capital to meet the man they hoped to install as leader.

Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi, the son and heir apparent of deposed dictator Colonel Moammar adhafi, had been holed up in an area around the Zintan plateau ever since his father was killed in a 2011 rebellion. A fugitive from the International Criminal Court, he was planning to claim what he saw as his rightful place.

Along came Maxim Shugaley, a veteran Saint Petersburg elections consultant, and his translator and colleague, Samir Seifan, with an offer to help make that happen. Russian polling showed that after years of civil war, nostalgia for the old regime was strong: Saif Al-Islam was among Libya's most popular politicians.

This account of their meetings is based on notes taken by the Russians and seen by Bloomberg News after they were arrested in Tripoli. Some records of Russian involvement in Libya were separately published by The Daily Beast in collaboration with the Dossier Center and Russian news site Proekt. Those seen by Bloomberg contain information that has not previously been revealed about interactions with Saif Al-Islam, now 47.

The documents shed light on Russia's apparent efforts to build influence in the oil-rich North African state at a time of U.S. disengagement.

The April get-together was the Russians' last of at least three meetings with Gadhafi's son that year, according to Libyan officials, and he was brimming with plans. Saif Al-Islam wanted them to pass a message to Moscow that he had compromising material on Western politicians showing they'd received campaign contributions from his family. He proposed that together they "think about how this information could be used," one of the Russians noted in a memo at the time.

But the consultants weren't there to discuss "kompromat," a term for damaging material about a person that could be used for blackmail, extortion or public embarrassment. They had bigger things in mind.

Libya, which has Africa's largest oil reserves, has been all but ungovernable since a violent NATO-backed rebellion led to the killing of Gadhafi, who ruled the country for more than 40 years, enjoying warm relations with Moscow even as the West wavered between engaging and isolating the erratic dictator.

Almost eight years on from his ouster, the Russian consultants had been dispatched to plan the return of the Gadhafi regime.

The Kremlin had long thought about how it could maneuver its way back into Libya. Gadhafi's downfall sidelined Moscow, leaving Italy, France and regional powers seeking the spoils while rival Libyan factions fought one civil war after another.

Moscow's official line is that it works with all parties in Libya. Initially, Russia's government kept contacts with both sides of the civil war while promoting Saif Al-Islam as a future president. By September of last year, however, Russia shifted to flat-out support for Khalifa Haftar, a rebel strongman who controls the east of the country, despite misgivings about his past connections to the U.S. and legendary unpredictability.

Russia's Defense Ministry had maintained connections with Haftar for years, even hosting him aboard a Russian aircraft carrier off the Libyan coast in 2017. But different actors close to power in Russia have their own ideas of whom to back and how to support them.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, an insider also known as "Putin's chef," reckoned Saif Al-Islam could be a good bet for an investment in the country, according to three people familiar with his thinking. That was despite war-crimes charges against Saif Al-Islam and the fact he was in hiding.

A former restaurateur who found favor with President Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin branched out from catering into the mercenary business; he's best known as boss of the Wagner private security company, which has sent fighters and political consultants to Ukraine, Syria and Libya, among other hotspots.

In 2018, he was indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. for his companies' alleged role in trying to sway the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors have now dropped the charges against Prigozhin's company, Concord Management and Consulting, although the allegations against him remain. Prigozhin has not entered a plea. Concord didn't respond to requests for comment on Prigozhin's alleged Libyan engagements. However, in a March 17 statement, Prigozhin said the dropped charges showed that the U.S. government "feared publicity and just court proceedings" and the allegations were "mendacious and false."

As Bloomberg reported last year, digital documents collected from Shugaley and Seifan after their arrest linked them to a so-called troll farm, or digital propaganda and disinformation company, connected to Prigozhin. They also showed the company had been in touch with Saif Al-Islam.

"Saif Al-Islam is Prigozhin's project," said Kirill Semenov, a Libya expert at the Kremlin-funded Russian International Affairs Council. But others in the Kremlin had doubts about him, he said.

By the start of 2019, Libya had been divided between a United Nations-recognized but weak government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in the West including Tripoli, while field marshal Haftar held sway in the east and the south. In April, Haftar decided to seize the capital.

Haftar's offensive on Tripoli faltered despite backing from the U.A.E., dragging the warring sides into a stalemate in the city's suburbs. Wagner dispatched more than 1,400 mercenaries, but the move ultimately backfired because the desperate government in Tripoli turned to Turkey for military help, altering the balance of power in the conflict.

Haftar's spokesman Ahmed Al-Mismari has denied that Russian mercenaries are fighting alongside his forces, but acknowledged there were Russian teams deployed to the east to help with maintenance of aircraft and weapons. Putin has publicly distanced himself from the mercenaries, saying that even if they were in Libya, they had nothing to do with the Russian government. A spokesman for the Kremlin didn't respond to a request for comment. Haftar's spokesman didn't respond either.

Moscow's strategy of betting on multiple horses in Libya has hit headwinds before. In late 2018, Russia facilitated a phone call between the field marshal and Saif Al-Islam to try and get them on the same page, according to three people familiar with the conversation. It didn't go well.

In his meetings with the Russian consultants, Gadhafi's son made no secret of his contempt for Haftar.

"Eighty percent of those fighting on the side of Haftar are my people," he told them, according to the Russians' records of the meetings. "When he takes over Tripoli, the people he considers his own will change sides. I know he wants to kill me, but he won't be able to make that happen."

Saif Al-Islam predicted that elections would eventually take place whether or not Haftar won the war-and that he and not Haftar would come out on top. But first, he also sought some Russian assistance, according to the notes seen by Bloomberg.

At one meeting, they discussed training consultants in neighboring Tunisia, and building up a group of "specialists" who would distribute messages over social media. "He's very interested in counter-propaganda," the Russians noted.

They presented him with a slide show, entitled, "Saif Gadhafi. Revival of Libya. Strategy." It laid out steps for him to either become a candidate or support a leader in exchange for a role in a new government. The Russian plan including organizing a "flash mob" of the Libyan community in The Hague. The slogan: "Safe with Saif."

The Hague is home to the International Criminal Court, which issued warrants for Saif Al-Islam and his father in 2011 for crimes against humanity including murder and persecution. Libya challenged the admissibility of the case against Saif Al-Islam, which the court rejected in 2013. In 2015, in a trial of former regime officials, a Tripoli court sentenced Saif Al-Islam to death in absentia. Hours later, lawmakers for the UN-backed government in Libya passed an amnesty for some crimes committed after the uprising.

At their final meeting in April as covered in the notes, Saif Al-Islam promised to provide a list of military commanders loyal to him, and to make arrangements to receive personnel from what the Russians described in the memo as "our Sudanese company," according to the files seized by the Libyans.

Shugaley and Seifan headed back to their Tripoli apartment, and were arrested soon after. A third Russian, Alexander Prokofiev, attended one of the meetings with Saif Al-Islam, according to the notes seized by prosecutors, but left the country before the others were arrested. In a phone interview, Prokofiev said he and the others were in Libya to conduct political research, and denied they acted as consultants to Gadhafi's son. "These are all far-fetched theories," he said. Saif Al-Islam was just "one of our respondents."

Prokofiev denied any links to Prigozhin, saying he worked for the Foundation for the Defense of National Values. The Moscow-based organization is headed by Alexander Malkevich, a former editor-in-chief of the USA Really news website, which is part of a media group that the U.S. linked to Prigozhin in its sanctions designation. Malkevich has also been targeted for U.S. sanctions for alleged involvement in elections interference.

In a statement, Malkevich's Moscow-based organization said it had employed the two consultants in Libya but denied they were there to meddle in elections. The group made public its research, including opinion polls showing Haftar and Saif Al-Islam as Libya's two most popular potential politicians, without mentioning consultancy work for Saif Al-Islam.

An aide to Saif Al-Islam confirmed he had met with the Russian consultants. He wanted good relations with Western countries too, but the Russians offered their help first, the aide said.

The two Russians are being held in a prison at Tripoli's Mitiga airport, which also houses former senior regime officials and Islamist militants. The duo are accused of espionage and seeking to interfere in future elections. When contacted by Bloomberg, a lawyer for the detainees declined to comment.

Russia has privately campaigned for their release. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has raised the issue with Libyan leaders, so far without success, according to people familiar with the matter.

Malkevich took out an ad in the Washington Post demanding the Russians' freedom. The newspaper subsequently took down the ad and refunded his organization to avoid a possible violation of sanctions, which were imposed in Dec. 2018 and generally prohibit U.S. persons from doing business with him.

- - -

Bloomberg's Ilya Arkhipov, Maria Kolesnikova, Henry Meyer and Samuel Dodge contributed to this report.
A Buckingham Palace royal aide has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus, while the 93-year-old Queen was still living there.

Its not known how close the aide would have come to Queen Elizabeth, however the monarch is thought to be in good health, after she was moved to Windsor Castle.

A Buckingham Palace staffer has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. Photo: Getty Images

The worker tested positive before the Queen left for Windsor. But the Palace has 500 members of staff so, like any workplace, its not inconceivable it would be affected in some stage, a source told The Sun.

The staff member is believed to be recovering well from COVID-19 and other aides who worked closely with them have put themselves in self-isolation.

The Queen is thought to have left Buckingham Palace last week and was taken to Windsor Castle.

Plans are in place to quarantine her and Prince Philip, 98, at Sandringham if the outbreak worsens.

While she was in good health, staff thought it was best to relocate her then, The Sun reported.

The Queen has met a lot of people there until recently. But she is weeks away from her 94th birthday and advisers believe it is best to get her out of harms way, the source said.

It comes as the palace had already announced the Queen was cancelling her upcoming travel plans, with other members of the royal family also postponing royal engagements.

The monarch was due to travel to Cheshire and Camden later this month, but due to the ongoing spread of the virus, has postponed the trips.

As a sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances, changes are being made to The Queens diary commitments in the coming weeks, a press release from Buckingham Palace read.

In consultation with the Medical Household and Government, Her Majestys forthcoming visits to Cheshire and Camden will be rescheduled. Audiences will continue as usual. Other events will be reviewed on an ongoing basis in line with the appropriate advice.

The Queen has been moved to Windsor Castle with Prince Philip. Photo: Getty Images

Last week, the Queen implored people to come together to work as one, and insisted that everyone has a vitally important role to play in limiting the spread of the illness.

Story continues

In particular, she urged people as much as possible to stay at home to protect vulnerable groups, including elderly people and those who are immunocompromised.

As Philip and I arrive at Windsor today, we know that many individuals and families across the United Kingdom, and around the world, are entering a period of great concern and uncertainty, she said in the statement.

She highlighted the need to take measures for the greater good, and to make the advised changes to daily life  including social distancing  in order to protect those most at risk.

"We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them, she said.

She drew on the United Kingdoms history of overcoming adversity, saying the countrys history was forged by people and communities coming together to work as one.

The monarch went on to thank frontline workers, calling on all people to rise to the challenge facing us.

"We are enormously thankful for the expertise and commitment of our scientists, medical practitioners and emergency and public services, she said. But now more than any time in our recent past, we all have a vitally important part to play as individuals - today and in the coming days, weeks and months.

And despite being vulnerable to the illness herself, Queen Elizabeth assured people the royal family stand ready to play [their] part.

Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
Sarah Silbiger/Getty

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who was the only senator to oppose a coronavirus relief package last month, announced Sunday that he has tested positive for the virus.

He is feeling fine and is in quarantine, an announcement on his Twitter said. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events.

It added, He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time.

In addition to being the only senator to vote against an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus package, Paul also was one of the eight senators who voted against paid sick leave in a stimulus bill that passed with an overwhelming 90-8 vote last week.

I think that the paid sick leave is an incentive for businesses to actually let go employees and will make unemployment worse, Paul, a physician who has a Kentucky-issued medical license, explained to Newsweek.

CNN reported that Paul closed his Capitol Hill offices over a week ago and urged employees to work from home due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Two people who attended the annual Speed Art Museum ball in Kentucky with the senator on March 7 later tested positive for the virus, according to the Courier-Journal.

But despite reportedly being tested roughly a week ago, Paul continued to interact with colleagues and even worked out at the Senate gymand was swimming in the poolon Sunday morning, shortly before he received his positive test results, Politico reported.

Paul is the first senator to test positive for the novel coronavirus. Two other members of Congress, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Ben McAdams (D-UT), have also gone public with positive test results.

According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is particularly dangerous for people with lung problems. In August 2019, Paul had part of his lung removed after an altercation with his neighbor Rene Boucher. The two had a long-running dispute over lawn care.

Story continues

Second Member of Congress Tests Positive for COVID-19

On March 2, Paul appeared on Fox News and downplayed the global threat of the coronavirus.

While it is worldwide, I think there is room for optimism that this thing may plateau out in a few weeks and not be as bad it as it may have been portrayed, he said to host Neil Cavuto. Weve seen pockets of this around the world and even in Italy and Iran where we have it, but none of it is approaching what started in China.

When asked about institutions taking larger measures to limit the spread of the virus, Paul was resistant to the idea. I think closing down the Smithsonians would be way too premature and I wouldnt advise something like that.

And when Cavuto asked Paul about making personal adjustments to avoid infection, the Senator was particularly defiant. I mean, I fly all the time and Im not cutting back on my flying... I was on a plane today, he said. I could be wrong and this could be really bad in two or three weeks or a month, but Im hoping its not going to be. Im not ready to buy all the toilet paper at Target.

The senators father, Dr. Ron Paul, a physician and a former Republican congressman from Texas, published an essay called The Coronavirus Hoax last week for the New River Valley News, a local outlet based in Virginia.

People should ask themselves whether this coronavirus pandemic could be a big hoax, with the actual danger of the disease massively exaggerated by those who seek to profitfinancially or politicallyfrom the ensuing panic, the elder Paul wrote.

As of Sunday afternoon, there are 30,000 COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and nearly 400 people have died.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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THE OWNERS of horses being illegally grazed on council-owned land in Kilmallock have brazenly now erected an illegal electric fence around them, claims a local councillor.

Cllr PJ Carey said a father was taking his eight-year-old son for a walk in the Kilmallock Business Park on March 9.

The boy grabbed a fence, not knowing it to be live, and got an electric shock. While no serious injury occurred it was obviously an upsetting experience for them both. The fencing was erected very recently. The father of the boy met me and told me what had happened. He asked me if Limerick City and County Council knew of the electric fence and l told him that they certainly did not.

I told him both the fencing and the horses were there illegally. He asked me to make people aware of the electric fence, as the industrial estate is popular with walkers, and even more so in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. I want to warn parents and children  this is very dangerous, said Cllr Carey, who in January called for horses to be banned from the town and he reiterated that demand this week. A story about a horse trotting in the back door of a gym in Kilmallock and surprising those exercising made local and national headlines in January.

Cllr Carey contacted the council about the electric fence but got no reply. There was no response to a Limerick Leader query either.

I went down this week with a friend who is an electrician and the fence is still electric. Its very disappointing, said Cllr Carey.

He said the industrial estate was purchased by Limerick City and County Council last year to use the remaining space for a regional fire service training centre.

However, many local businesses l spoke to recently wish for it to be developed for industry instead - factories, storage, warehouses, an e-hub etc to create badly needed employment for the area.

I also believe, as someone who works in the industrial estate and knows its potential, that developing the remaining area for industry and nurturing jobs would be more beneficial to the area, said Cllr Carey.

Last October, the Independent councillor called on gardai to rein in children as young as six riding sulkies in Kilmallock which, he says, is turning into the Wild West.

Cllr PJ Carey said sulkies are being ridden up and down Kilmallocks Main Street, horses are tied up in green areas and allowed to roam in the towns Peoples Park, which is covered in equine faeces.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke to US President Donald Trump and thanked him for not shutting down the border amid the coronavirus crisis. AMLO expressed solidarity with the people and government of the United States on behalf of Mexico.

The Mexican President said that he has also proposed accelerating the implementation of a regional trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada to boost the economic recovery. He reaffirmed the commitment to always work together and especially during difficult times.

During a press briefing on March 21, Trump said that his administration is working closely with Mexico and Canada to prevent the spread of the virus across the border. He said that the measures will protect the health of all three nations and reduce the incentive for a mass global migration that would badly deplete the health care resources needed for our people.

Read: Mexico Navy Copter Down In Police Operation; 1 Dead, 10 Hurt

Joint statement

The US and Mexico, in a joint statement on the initiative to combat the coronavirus pandemic, said that the strong partnership and close cooperation between both countries has allowed them to maintain a productive border environment. It said that they value the health and safety of their citizens and keep that at the forefront of joint decisions made by their respective leaders regarding cross-border operations.

Recognizing the robust trade relationship between the United States and Mexico, we agree our two countries, in response to the ongoing global and regional health situation, require particular measures both to protect bilateral trade and our countries economies and ensure the health of our nations citizens, said both countries.

Read: New Mexico Has 14 More Cases; 2 Schools Students Cautioned

They agreed to the need for a dedicated joint effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and address the economic effects resulting from reduced mobility along our shared border. In order to ensure that essential travel can continue, the United States and Mexico temporarily restricted all non-essential travel across its borders.

Read: Virus Prompts US And Mexico To Restrict Border Travel

Read: US, Mexico To Curb Border Travel To Control Virus
First responders and healthcare workers who have been potentially exposed to the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, can be tested at a parking at the Walmart in Joliet. Organizers said those workers do need to be showing any symptoms to receive the test. (Frank Vaisvilas/Daily Southtown) (Frank Vaisvilas / Daily Southtown)
Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday ordered the state into a lockdown barring essential services till March 31 to intensify efforts to curb the spread of Coronavirus, said officials.

The chief minister made the announcement on Sunday afternoon after a high-level meeting with the chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh, director-general of police Anil Raturi, secretary home Nitesh Jha and secretary for confidential affairs Amit Negi at his residence.

Rawat tweeted, In order to win this war against Corona, the state has decided to enforce lockdown until 31st March. During this period, all transport- local and interstate- will remain suspended. All the essential services are being kept out of the ambit of this lockdown.

While speaking to a news agency after the meeting, Rawat said, People should minimise travelling during the lockdown, they should not rush from the city or village they are living in at present to other places.

So far 139 people in the state have been tested for Covid-19 including close contacts of positive cases. A total of three people have tested positive for the disease and 107 people have tested negative. The results of 29 people are awaited. The isolation bed facility in the state has been increased to 753 and the quarantine bed facility has increased to 823.

The lockdown will come into effect on Sunday night at 9 pm following which the inter-state border would be closed except for the movement of essential supplies and no public transport including operations of taxis and auto-rickshaws would be allowed within the state. Operations of buses to neighbouring states would be suspended and transport services to hospitals and airports will be allowed only after showing proper documents.

The order also states that, Shops of all essential supplies like groceries and medicines, fuel stations, administrative offices, offices of electricity, water and municipal services would be opened during the lockdown.

During the lockdown congregation of more than five people has been prohibited and anyone violating the norms will be booked under section 180 of IPC accordingly.

Earlier on Sunday, while addressing people following the Janta Curfew, the chief minister had said that the state was ready for any eventuality.

The restraint that we have introduced to the public today (Sunday) raises a lot of expectations in all of us. In difficult circumstances, all Indians become one: that is our strength. We are also in constant touch with the Central Government. I would like to assure the people of the state that we will not allow any shortage of food grains and medicines and if the need arises, we will work to deliver food and medicines from house to house said Rawat.

On Saturday, the secretary for the school education had ordered remaining examinations of the state board for both class 10 and 12 be postponed till further orders.

On Friday, the Uttarakhand government had banned the entry of new tourists, both domestic and foreign, to the state till further orders.
In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, Indian Railways on Sunday announced that all outstation trains will stand cancelled up till March 31. According to reports, all passenger trains have also been suspended till March 31.

Suburban local train services on both Central and Western Railway shall also remain cancelled till March 31 which includes Mumbai local train service as well. The train services will be suspended from Sunday midnight.

In a circular, the railway board; apex body of all zonal railways has stated that suburban trains shall totally be cancelled from 12 am of March 22 till 12 am of March 31.

Suburban trains shall be continued with bare minimum level till 12 am on Sunday. Thereafter all suburban trains and trains of metro railway, Kolkatta shall be totally cancelled from 12.00 am of 22.03.2020 to 12.200 am of 31.03.2020. states the circular.

The Maharashtra government had already suspended the local train services in Mumbai for the general public from March 22 until further order.

As per the order issued by the Konkan Divisional commissioner on Saturday, the local train services were suspended for the general public from today and open to only those who are working for the essential services.

Besides this, Kolkata Metro will also be suspended from March 23 till March 31.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had suspended its operations for today in the event of Janta Curfew being observed across the country as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Monday, DMRC has a staggered service strategy in place to ensure social distancing.

The Delhi Metro service will be in operation from 6 am on Monday but will be available only for essential service providers like fire service personnel, those working with the police, hospitals or with the power services. People between 6 to 8 am will be allowed after checking their identity cards. During this time, metro trains will run at an interval of 20 minutes.

From 8 am, DMRC services will be available to the general public until it is shut at 4 pm. Metro trains will run between 4 pm to 8 pm on Monday evening. Services will not be in operation after 8 pm. Parking facilities at all metro stations on Monday will remain closed.

Although the curbs are there only for Monday, DMRC officials said commuters will be informed if any such measures are required to stay in place for the future to keep coronavirus in check.
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Talk show host and comedian Seth Meyers is getting back to the grind using the Internet to get content out to fans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Variety, the NBC said Meyers will be recording new "Closer Look" segments from his home and will release them via his programme's YouTube channel.

These segments are the signature piece of the comic's "Late Night with Seth Meyers", which runs on NBC.

Snippets of the "Closer Look" are often made available by the show's producers via Twitter and other social media platforms.

Earlier this week, another talk show host Conan O'Brien also announced that he will be doing new audience-less episodes with guests appearing on the show via video feed. These "Conan" episodes will be shot on an iPhone.

Regular programming on films and shows, both scripted and unscripted, have taken a hit due to the pandemic.

The COVID-19, which originated in China's Wuhan city last year, has claimed over 13,000 lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some Sanders supporters even say privately that in deciding whether to throw their support behind Biden, they will be more influenced by the former vice presidents coronavirus platform than whether Sanders endorses him. The pandemic, they say, is likely to be central to the nations political discourse for the foreseeable future, and it is rapidly becoming the venue for hashing out the partys  and the nations  larger policy debates.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 15:39:26|Editor: huaxia

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GUANGZHOU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangdong on Sunday reported the province's an indigenous case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infected by a patient from Turkey.

According to the provincial health commission, the provincial capital of Guangzhou reported three confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, including two from the Philippines and Turkey respectively, and one indigenous case who has had contact with a confirmed imported patient.

The patient, a 34-year-old female surnamed Lin, was on a business trip to Istanbul from Jan. 22 to March 8. She was diagnosed Saturday.

The indigenous case, a 54-year-old male, was confirmed to have been infected Saturday. He first reported symptoms of muscular soreness, fatigue and mild fever on March 17 and went to hospital Friday.

An epidemiological survey showed that he was a close contact of Lin. A preliminary investigation led to 18 close contacts who have all been put under concentrated observation.

The whole province saw eight newly confirmed cases on Saturday. Except the indigenous one, the rest seven were from Britain, Thailand, Spain, France, the Philippines and Turkey.

Guangdong has reported a total of 1,407 confirmed cases so far, including 56 imported ones, and eight deaths.
Just when you think the proud toilet paper salesmen of E-Bay have given the world its fill of deplorable profiteers, along comes Congress.

The news of two U.S. senators dumping millions in stock  after a private coronavirus briefing foretold a market crash  surprises no one. But this example of insider trading is another good reminder why members of Congress, House and Senate, should be forbidden from trading stocks.

While many are genuinely honest public servants, they are also the ultimate insiders. It is often their job to extract inside information  information not made available to the public  to make informed decisions as they shape policy.

But some use it to inform their private investments, or even tweak legislation that boosts the value of those investments.

Cue Republican Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia.

These two sat in on a Senate Intelligence Committee briefing on January 24, and were bluntly informed that the COVID crisis was on its way. They knew that it would be devastating and they knew Americans would be slammed in ways that were never tipped by the Republican attitudes of the time.

Did they ring the alarm, and alert the public? Did they disavow President Trumps tweet that day, which read, Its going to be just fine. Did Barr take back his remarks from 10 days earlier, when he wrote in a Fox News op-ed that America is better prepared than ever for coronavirus?

No, they did something else: They immediately dumped the stocks they knew would tank and avoided the financial meltdown that is crushing other investors.

Barr sold his shares in numerous hotels and resorts, which have cratered since the crisis began. Loefflers portfolio sold 19 stocks with a value of roughly $3 million and put her money in  what else?  teleworking software.

One of Loefflers two purchases was stock worth between $100,000 and $250,000 in Citrix, a technology company that offers teleworking software



Welcome to private life, Senator https://t.co/wSzIauSzsN  Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) March 20, 2020

Now you know why the portfolios of members of Congress outperformed the average investor by 9 percent, according to a recent study.

This is not uncommon. The most recent example was Rep. Chris Collins of western New York, an ardent Trump supporter who had an interest in an Australian drug company. In 2016, purchased an additional $1 million in shares just before he changed a piece of legislation that allowed the company to have more access to the American market. Not surprisingly, the companys stock quickly doubled. Today, Collins is serving 26 months in prison.

We have laws against insider trading, but it is a narrow ban, and the most recent action from Congress in 2013 actually reversed some disclosure requirements. So Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for one, often asks the obvious: Why cant members of Congress be forbidden from trading stocks entirely?

Its a logical question, because public servants arent there to get rich. Accordingly, she has proposed their market investments be limited to conflict-free mutual funds that are subject to pre-approval from ethics officials. It makes sense.

The public is undoubtedly going to bring out the pitchforks and torches for Burr and Loeffler, and it needs a thorough review from the Justice Department, as Rep. Bill Pascrell demanded Friday.

It illustrates our dwindling tolerance for corrupt government. Now we just need someone to pass a law that reflects it.

This needs to be retweeted by everyone until they bring those sell-out senators to justice! pic.twitter.com/FAYmoTTm4c  Alan! (@o2bnobx) March 20, 2020

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Lauren Mand gushed over boyfriend Jimmy Bartel on Saturday.

The 31-year-old office worker shared a picture on Instagram of herself with the former AFL star, 36, calling him her 'best friend.'

Lauren said she was enjoying being in self-isolation with Jimmy amid the coronavirus pandemic, and aptly sipped on a Corona beer in the image.

'Appreciating lock-ins with my best friend': Lauren Mand sipped on a Corona beer on Saturday as she gushed over Jimmy Bartel. Both pictured

'Appreciating lock-ins with my best friend,' Lauren captioned the image, adding the hashtag 'better together'.

In the snap - which appeared to be taken at a bar - the blonde is seen looking directly at the camera as she drinks the beverage and cosies up to Jimmy.

The couple have just spent time in Japan together and made sure to document the trip with their followers online.

Going strong: The pair have just spent time in Japan together and made sure to document the trip with their followers online

She's smitten: While overseas, Lauren called Jimmy her 'favourite person'

While overseas, Lauren called Jimmy her 'favourite person.'

Jimmy was first romantically linked to Lauren just days after his split from wife Nadia Bartel was made public last year.

The Bartels announced their separation on August 15, but it's believed they actually broke up two months earlier.

Moving on: Jimmy was first romantically linked to Lauren just days after his split from wife Nadia Bartel was made public last year (Nadia is pictured)

The former couple married in February 2014 in a lavish ceremony on the Bellarine Peninsula.

They share two children together, sons Aston, four, and Henley, one.

In Australia as of Sunday evening, there are 1,354 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The virus has resulted in seven deaths.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the number of affected cases in our country is increasing every day.



The preventive measures to tackle this deadly virus include washing hands regularly, using hand sanitizers if outside and wearing face masks. In the current situation, face masks and hand sanitisers have perhaps become some of the most coveted properties that people can currently own.

And now there is a dismal shortage in the market for all these products.

 BCCL

The government is constantly making efforts to contain the outbreak of the virus. However, one state has already found a novel solution to counter the growing concern of mask shortage.



The government of Kerala is now making the convicted prisoners to manufacture masks to ensure a steady supply.

#COVID19 | Solving The Mask Problem



In light of the shortage, directions were given to engage the prisons in the State in manufacturing masks. It has commenced on a war footing basis. Today, the Prison officials of Thiruvananthapuram Jail have handed over the first batch. pic.twitter.com/QKgHWqYNOg  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) March 14, 2020

Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, took to his Twitter handle and wrote, In light of the shortage, directions were given to engage the prisons in the State in manufacturing masks. It has commenced on a war footing basis. Today, the Prison officials of Thiruvananthapuram Jail have handed over the first batch.



 BCCL

According to the Economic Times, the state has now put tailoring units in state jails to produce face masks. The Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals will also help in increasing the supply of hand sanitizers and is all set to produce 10 lakh bottles within ten days.



The people on the internet are all praises for the Kerala government and heres what they have to say about it-

Kudos to you and your entire team for wonderful work against Coronavirus outbreak  Rishi (@SunoRishi) March 14, 2020

It is pretty impressive. The state government of Kerala decided to handle manufacturing masks and hand sanitizer, to cope with the huge demand, instead of just relying on existing manufacturers.  Vaishali Dinakaran (@VaishDinakaran) March 14, 2020

Amazing   Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) March 14, 2020

This is a really good idea. Not just to get more masks, but also to give the prisoners the feeling that they can help fight this thing. This will combat despair and riots  Thalia (@ThaliaCrafts) March 14, 2020

Damn i feel so confident in my government. Feel proud to be living here. Proud to have you as our leader.  Kiran K S (@KiranKSGatsby) March 14, 2020

Every #Keralite should be proud now. Forget I'm which ever place you live in. This is one of solide example #Kerala is showing often. Right from this wide spread. #HappyKerala on your initiatives...  Maria Rajan (@Rajan59703460) March 14, 2020

So true..On point!Indeed.Exactly!

What do you think about this novel initiative? Let us know in the comments section below.
Dispatches from the pandemic (Camily Tsai / For The Times)

Wedding postponed

By Ben Houston

I was supposed to get married yesterday.

I was supposed to be cracking cold ones, watching March Madness while getting ready with my groomsmen and my brother Will, my best man for life.

I was supposed to be getting anxious right before the ceremony  just like my dad who had to bring out a paper bag and a shot of whiskey to calm his nerves before his wedding.

I was supposed to lose it when I saw Lauren at the end of the aisle.

Then I was supposed to become we and everyone would lose it.

Our kiss, our first dance, trying to steal a moment to eat at the reception, we were ready for it all.

We should have been twirling around to Whitney Houston in a friends backyard in Phoenix, me looking like Paul Newman in a navy suit and her like Joanne Woodward in a white gown I still havent seen.

Life had other plans.

Instead we are in our pajamas eating Girl Scout cookies, self-isolating in our apartment in Los Angeles along with the rest of the city.

Were devastated and heartbroken but, at the same time, at peace, confident we made the right decision.

Those are the emotions that happen when you call off your wedding six days before the day  because of a vicious global pandemic.

Seriously, what the hell?

The run-up to our wedding ran parallel to the spread of COVID-19. First, several older guests dropped out. Then guests who worked in healthcare couldnt get the time off. Then a bridesmaid was stuck in New York.

Every day, we worried more and more about the big day. Butterflies and joy gave way to travel bans and quarantines.

It was the toughest decision weve ever made. But as soon as we made it, we knew it was the right one.

We all have to make sacrifices to stop this deadly spread. We postponed the most important day in our lives and sacrificed hours of planning and thousands of dollars  but we did the right thing.

Our wedding will mean more than ever, when we can have it. When my new bride and I finally walk out on that dance floor, we will be able to bust the moves weve been practicing in isolation, and it will feel so good.

Story continues

Love in a time of coronavirus, right?

Ben Houston is an advertising licensing director for a motion picture studio.





Protecting the vulnerable

By Mary Lou Fulton

The coronavirus crisis really hit home as I read media accounts of Italian doctors forced to play God in overwhelmed hospitals. Younger, healthier people with the virus received treatment  a bed, oxygen, respirators. Older people might just be left to die.

My mom is one of those people who could get written off. Shes 78 and on kidney dialysis that she performs nightly at home. Her immune system is shot, and it took her six months to recover from a terrible bout of shingles just two years ago.

So if shes going to stay feisty and flirty and ready to play the slots when the casinos reopen, we cant roll the dice.

Ive told my mom it isnt safe for her to leave her Boyle Heights home except for doctor appointments. A week ago, I quit my full-time job, intending to start a new chapter focused on writing and music making. Now my job is protecting us from the virus.

I'm mindful that any move I make could bring infection into her home, so I have new routines. When Im out, I wear gloves and carry wipes to clean door handles and shopping carts. I get to the grocery store when it opens, hoping to avoid crowds. Ive read that heat can kill the virus, so I toss my hoodie into the dryer before going into the house.

Once inside, I wash my hands and wipe down what Ive touched  doorknobs, a light switch, my phone, the credit card I used at the store.

As each day brings more restrictions, Im thinking ahead. Instead of waiting a few weeks for my moms next dialysis-supply delivery, I drove 90 minutes to the warehouse to pick up as many supplies as I could fit in my Kia Soul.

I take my moms temperature twice a day, and mine, too. So far, so good. But that could change, and if it does, my moms odds arent so good. I have Facebook friends who say they arent worried because if youre younger than 50, theres just a 1% chance the virus will kill you, based on Chinese data. For my mom and others in their 70s, its almost one in 10. For folks in their 80s, its 18%.

So Im asking the young and healthy to think about the ripple effect of every choice they make. Stay home, keep your distance, reduce the spread of the virus so that hospitals will have the capacity to care for older people instead of pushing them aside. You can count on me to protect your mom. Will you help me protect mine?

Mary Lou Fulton is a writer, musician and former program officer at the California Endowment.





Hunkering down

By LaVonne Ellis

Back before everything turned upside down  when was that, last week?  I was happily van camping in the Arizona desert with my dog, Scout. This was after we had escaped from San Diego with two parking tickets and a quite rational fear of impoundment. A few years ago, I decided to live in my van so I could stretch my funds and travel. But San Diego and many other cities have made living in a vehicle illegal, and Id already received a police warning on that front.

Since I am working on a book about the conflict between cities and van dwellers, heading to the desert to write in peace seemed the reasonable thing to do. Then I heard about an RV park for the homeless in Austin, Texas. I wanted to see it, maybe interview some of the inhabitants  you know, for research.

But by then, word was making the rounds about a highly contagious virus that started in China. I wondered: Should I worry? I wasnt sure, but heading to a big city and meeting lots of people suddenly didnt sound like such a good idea. I changed my mind about going a couple of times, embarrassed to be perceived as alarmist but also feeling increasingly alarmed.

After I embarked on my trip, the news on the radio got worse every day. There was a death up in Washington state and then more and more deaths. People in my over-70 age group were said to be more likely to die from the virus. The illness had a chilling name, COVID-19, and it sounded like it was spreading fast.

When I stopped to visit friends in a remote corner of eastern Arizona, I looked at a map and saw that my best friend Lindas place, high in the mountains of northern New Mexico, wasnt too far out of the way. Might as well pay her a visit.

The thing about best friends is that theyre always glad to see you. And this very special friend has a permanent welcome mat out for me. The closer I got to her place outside of Taos, the more I realized Austin could wait. And I could wait out this virus far from all the craziness, in a beautiful spot half a mile from the nearest neighbor and 30 miles from the nearest town. No one can call me homeless now.

LaVonne Ellis is a former correspondent for ABC Radio News.





College interrupted

By Remi Godinez

Rumors that we would be sent home started flying on Tuesday morning. The official news broke in an email around 5 p.m.: All undergraduates would have to leave campus by the following Tuesday, and classes would move online for the rest of the semester. For students poised to graduate: Please pack as if you will not return to MIT for classes.

Minutes after the message arrived, the seven seniors in my mechanical engineering seminar sat at a table in the lab with Danny, our professor, all trying to grasp the idea that this was how our senior year would end.

Our seminar was making a windlass, a kind of winch used to raise an anchor. Ours was made according to an 1899 diagram from the renowned Herreshoff boat builders. Sitting in the seminar with my senior year suddenly in shambles, I knew that if I only had one week left at MIT, I wanted to spend it machining. And looking at the faces around the table, I could see my classmates felt the same way.

The mood at our seminar, the determination to make the most of this last week  sand-casting bronze, machining parts, putting teeth in aluminum gears  was echoed by a lot of the seniors I talked to over the next couple of days. MIT can be brutally challenging and demoralizing at times. Theres a campus expression that students often invoke: IHTFP  which translates, in one version, as I hate this frigging place. But what sustains us is what got us there in the first place: our passion for the work we do. We wanted to keep doing what we love with the people we cared about until the bitter end.

The initial high spirits and resolve of that first night faded quickly as we all tried to grasp the ramifications of leaving midsemester. It was easy to say that wed finish our courses online, but chemistry labs and advanced manufacturing courses dont lend themselves to virtual classrooms. And for some students, the news was devastating. One roommates family told her not to come home because of the risk to her pregnant sister and aged relatives, so instead she was planning on holing up alone in Maine. Some lacked access to fast internet in their family homes and wondered how theyd be able to join even a semblance of class. I was with my friend Miguel when he learned he couldnt go home to El Salvador because hed have to quarantine for 30 days upon arrival.

My college experience ended two months early. Ill always be a mechanical engineer who makes things, and I know that Ill stay in touch with my closest friends. But Im sad about leaving all the people that make MIT the intense, passionate community it is. Its the unrealized potential in relationships with people on the gymnastics team, my lab partner whod teased that one of his friends was interested in me, or the friends with a small f that Id wanted to have lunch with before I was done that make leaving so hard.

During orientation, every MIT freshman receives a list of 101 things to do before you graduate. No. 101 on the list is Understand the true meaning of IHTFP. Taking stock of everything Ive lost, both academically and socially, the deeper meaning of the phrase is suddenly so clear  I have truly found paradise.

Remi Godinez is hunkered down in Los Angeles.





Facing risk

By Eric Snoey

I am a 60-year-old ER doc. How do I balance caring for my patients and myself?

Dr. Roberto Stella, a 67-year-old Italian physician, died of COVID-19 on March 10. He had insisted on treating patients even after protective gear ran out. "We don't stop. We are careful, and we go on," he was quoted as saying. His colleagues heralded him as a hero.

Its a romantic image: The selfless doctor stalwart against an indiscriminate virus, much like a soldier carrying a wounded comrade or a firefighter rushing into a burning building.

The analogy, while flattering, is wrong and dangerous for doctors. Police, firefighters and soldiers knowingly put their lives at risk when they raise their hand for that work. Very few physicians are wired that way. What we do may look like courageous improvisation amid catastrophe, but its scripted, routinized for everyones safety and enormously dependent on hospital resources.

All of us in the emergency room are fervently committed to our lifesaving roles. But if being an ER doc means the routine potential of catching a lethal disease, many of us will reconsider our early choices.

This is exactly the situation I find myself in.

The chaotic environment of a county hospital ER or intensive care unit presents a real risk of contamination with the mysterious, transmissible coronavirus. Patients line up at our front entrance with every kind of medical problem; they are medically complex, often non-English speaking, sometimes homeless. To sort COVID-19 from the scores of other possible diagnoses means interfacing in the most intimate way with each of them.

Its hard to do this perfectly and safely even in the best of circumstances, and we are in far from the best of circumstances. In my ER, we ration coronavirus tests  no more than 10 a day for 200 patients. Masks are recycled, provided they werent "touched." I assess patients from the doorway of the exam room, the medical equivalent of social distancing. Is that cough, that fever coronavirus? Or just the flu, asthma, heart disease?

At my age, if I get the virus, I have 3.6% chance of dying from it  about the same as for some forms of heart attack or coronary bypass surgery. COVID-19 has already killed dozens of doctors; hundreds more have become ill. Two ER docs, in Seattle and New Jersey, are in critical condition because of their exposure to the coronavirus; two more have tested positive in Illinois. I pray the U.S. doesnt become like Italy, where the virus has so overwhelmed the healthcare system that infected patients over 65 were simply refused treatment.

My colleagues respond to all this with quiet resignation; resolute, if still anxious. We understand how treating ever growing numbers of infected patients could sweep us down a path to where, like Dr. Stella, we cross a threshold.

A 60-year-old colleague tells me she assumes she will get the virus and survive. Im not that sanguine. Perhaps supplies will get replenished, the tests will become common, containment will help. It cant happen soon enough.

Dr. Eric Snoey is vice chair of emergency medicine at Highland Hospital in Oakland.
School unions are begging parents to 'play fair' and not send their children to class tomorrow amid concerns of overcrowding during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gavin Williamson has come under fire after the Department of Education published confusing guidance on the workers it deems 'key' to the Covid-19 response.

The Government last week ordered mass school closures as the UK death toll hit 281 today and 5,683 patients tested positive for the virus.

However, it exempted parents who work in eight sectors deemed 'critical' to keeping the country's public services and economy afloat from the policy.

This means so-called 'key workers' can send their children to school.

But the guidance has been slammed by school unions for its ambiguity, as headteachers fear up to 1.7million children could attend class in fewer schools.

It has combined with concerns that companies will choose 'profit over people' by encouraging parents to self-identify as 'key workers'.

The National Education Union slammed the Department of Education, saying it was not clear enough and needed an 'urgent clarification'.

School unions are begging parents to 'play fair' and not send their children to class tomorrow amid concerns of overcrowding during the coronavirus pandemic (school in Liverpool)

Gavin Williamson has come under fire after the Department of Education published confusing guidance on the workers it deems 'key' to the Covid-19 response

Children leaving a Leeds school following announcement that all schools in England will close

An empty classroom at Edmund Waller school in London as schools are told to close

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: My appeal to companies and other employers: Please do not interpret the key workers lists liberally for your own ends.

'Do not put profit over people. School places are there for the most vulnerable and to keep truly crucial operations running.'

He said families must keep children at home 'if at all possible'.

'Leave the few spaces available for those that truly have no alternative,' he added.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said staffing will be lower because more will have had to self-isolate or become ill over the weekend, presenting a 'challenging' time for schools.

He added that parents need to be prepared that not every child will get a place.

Mr Barton warned: 'We would appeal to parents who consider themselves to be on the key worker list only to send their child to school if there is no alternative and to treat this emergency provision as a last resort.

'We would also ask them to understand that it may not necessarily be possible to provide a place for every child and that schools may have to prioritise.'

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson hit back: 'You should only send your child to school on Monday if you have to, because your work is critical to our Covid-19 response. If you are able to keep your child at home, you should.'

An empty classroom at Edmund Waller school in London as schools are told to close

Children walk home from Altrincham Primary after Government closed all schools
The tech industry is mobilizing its considerable resources to attempt to support efforts against the growing global coronavirus pandemic. Over the weekend, the CEOs of Amazon, Apple and Microsoft all shared updates regarding some aspects of their company's ongoing contributions, which range from donations of medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers, to software projects that help track and analyze the global spread of infection.

Apple CEO Tim Cook shared on Twitter that the company has been attempting to source necessary supplies that are needed for healthcare workers both in the U.S. and Europe, and that the company is joining "millions of masks" for this use. Apple also detailed some of its other updates via earlier releases, including a $15 million donation, along with two-to-one corporate matching for all employee donations that go towards COVID-19 response.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos provided an update on Saturday on the company's official blog that included details about the change in Amazon's prioritization for its warehousing and logistics operations, which now focus on essential items including daily household staples, baby and medical supplies. Bezos also reiterated Amazon's commitment to hiring 100,000 new roles, along with raising hourly wages for fulfilment workers.

Bezos notes that while the company has "placed purchase orders for millions of face masks" that it intends to distribute to its full-time and contract workers who are not able to work from home, "very few of those orders have been filled" to to the global supply shortage. He further notes that these resources are likely to go to frontline healthcare workers first, and that the company will focus on getting them to their staff in order of priority once they become available.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella provided a lengthy update about his company's various efforts in a LinkedIn post on Saturday, publishing an email he sent to all Microsoft employees for external consumption. Nadella describes some of its telehealth platform software work, as well as a number of collaborative data projects, including the John Hopkins University global COVID-19 confirmed case tracker. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also released a chatbot assessment tool for COVID-19 that uses Microsoft's health chatbot tech as its underlying framework.

Microsoft is also seeing Teams and Minecraft being used globally for remote learning iniativies designed to supplement in-perosn school closures, and it's working on machine learning and big data projects to support global research efforts. Earlier this week, Microsoft's Chief Scientific Officer Eric Horvitz announced that it would be providing an open research data set in partnership with colleagues at academic institutions around the world, as well as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Chan Zuckerberg initiative. The data set, called the COVID-19 Open Research Data Set, includes more than 29,000 scholarly articles about the virus, and will grow as more are published.
The author of many a famed series, including Alex Cross, Michael Bennett and Womens Murder Club, James Patterson celebrates his birthday on March 22.

Born in 1947, he started with advertising and began his writing career with the 1976 novel The Thomas Berryman Number.

It was the novels featuring his character Alex Cross that brought wider recognition to the author. Patterson has written 147 novels since 1976, out of which 114 are New York Times bestsellers.

He also holds the record for the most number 1 bestsellers by a single author. This is also a Guinness World Record.

On the authors birthday, heres looking at 7 books by him one must read:

Along Came a Spider: The first in Pattersons Alex Cross Series, it is about Washington DC homicide detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross investigating the heinous murders of two black prostitutes and an infant. He is pulled off the case to investigate the kidnappings of Maggie Rose Dunne and Michael Goldberg from their exclusive private school by their math teacher Gary Soneji.

The Lake House: This one is about six children with the ability to fly after their DNAs are merged with that of birds. The Lake House traces their adventures as they fight for their lives against scientists who want them killed thinking them to be monsters.

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Suzannes Diary for Nicholas: The 2001 novel shows two interwoven stories that revolve around Katie Wilkinson, a New York City book editor whose relationship with poet Matthew Harrison abruptly ends. During their period of separation, she learns about the poets past through the diary written by Suzanne.

The Murder of King Tut: The non-fictional account by James Patterson and Martin Dugard tries to solve the mystery behind the death of boy king Tutankhamen. The book traces Howard Carters life and journey as he made it is his mission to uncover the pharaohs hidden tomb.

The Midnight Club: Stefanovitch is out to get Alexandre St Germain, the most powerful member of the Midnight Club, an international society of crime lords, until a blast leaves him for death.

However, he makes a comeback, and even though he is wheelchair-bound, he takes help from a journalist and a Harlem cop in his attempts to bring down the notorious secret organisation.

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1st to Die: The first in the Womens Murder Club series, it is about four friends who work together to crack some of San Franciscos most complicated murder cases. The group comprises of a homicide inspector, a medical examiner, an assistant DA and a reporter.

Against Medical Advice: Written by James Patterson and Hal Friedman, the book details the illness and medical struggles of 17-year-old Cory Friedman and his family.

The novel traces the life of Cory arriving at the Dressler Psychiatric Hospital for alcohol abuse. It goes into detail about his life and how he has had to always deal with OCD, Tourette syndrome, and an anxiety disorder.

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Penthouse 50A at 1 Central Park West, New York City $27M Most homes were already virtually (not physically) staged even before this health crisis, the new ordinances only accelerate the trend. Past News Releases RSS

In the wake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, and shelter-in-place orders being issued in cities around the country, virtual staging is quickly becoming the only option available for staging homes.

To accommodate an increase in demand, Ilaria Barion Design (IBD), Americas leader in luxury virtual staging, announced today three new services to help agents sell properties:



Extended business hours

Free visual marketing videos

Deferred payments for qualifying projects

We are in unprecedented times and things are changing around us at an incredible speed, said Ilaria Barion, a pioneer of virtual staging and the owner of IBD.

In New York City, buildings are restricting access to vendors, movers and stagers. Open houses are now officially banned in the city. In California, one of the largest home staging markets, there is a stay-at-home ordinance in place. All major real estate markets are following suit.

Many people cant wait until the curfew is lifted to sell, said Barion. Stunning online visual marketing is the only way they will actually show and sell their home until we reach that stage.

Since its founding in 2005, IBD has been virtually staging some of the most expensive properties around the country. IBDs office staff is now working remotely from home to help minimize contact and spreading of the virus. They are committed to maintaining the high quality of service IBD is known for since, after all, they are an internet-based company.

Most homes were already virtually (not physically) staged even before this health crisis, said Barion. The new ordinances only accelerate the trend and we are ready for it.

###

About Ilaria Barion Design

Ilaria Barion Design (IBD) is Americas leader in luxury virtual staging. The firm, founded by New York City celebrity stager Ilaria Barion, combines home staging expertise and high-end design with state-of-the-art virtual rendering. Learn more about IBD services at https://bariondesign.com.
New Delhi, March 23 : A day after being denied permission to land in India, a KLM flight with 113 Indians who were stranded in Amsterdam landed in New Delhi on Sunday evening.

The passengers shared a video of their arrival.

Government sources had on Sunday indicated that a special KLM flight stuck in Amsterdam with 100 Indian nationals will be allowed to enter India on Sunday as a special case.

The Indians, returning from the US, had been stranded in Amsterdam's Schipol Airport for four days with food or water or place to sleep after their flight was turned back mid-air two hours away from Delhi airport.

Tina Sapra, the wife of Sanjay Sapra who was on the flight, had written to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri pleading to help her husband and others stranded at the Amsterdam airport.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at Panmunjeom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 30, 2019. / Korea Times file



By Kang Seung-woo



U.S. President Donald Trump's personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to offer cooperation in fighting the coronavirus is raising speculation that Washington may be seeking to reopen nuclear disarmament dialogue with Pyongyang.



At the very least, some critics say he is trying to preserve the status quo with the country ahead of the presidential election in November in order to portray the North Korea talks as a major foreign policy win.



Since the collapse of the Hanoi summit between the two leaders in February 2019, nuclear diplomacy between the two countries has stalled. The North has carried out a series of short-range missile tests, the latest of which occurred Saturday, while Trump is now focused on his reelection. And what the two countries pay have in common is containment of the COVID-19 outbreak, as per Trump's letter.



"We regard it as a good judgment and proper action for the U.S. president to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations, and think that this should be highly estimated," Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister and first vice department director of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party, said in a statement released Sunday.



This is the second time that Trump has written to Kim this year following a birthday message in January.



Kim Yo-jung also said Trump had explained "his plan to propel the relations between the two countries" and expressed his intent to render cooperation in anti-pandemic work.



"President Trump said that there were difficulties in letting his thoughts known because communications were not made often recently. He expressed his willingness to keep in close touch with the chairman in the future," she added, praising his letter as a "good example showing the special and firm personal relations" with her brother.



While keeping economic sanctions on the North, the U.S. has expressed its intent to help the country battle the coronavirus pandemic.



Last month, the U.S. State Department said the U.S. was prepared to facilitate the approval of assistance from American and international health organizations, citing the vulnerability of the North Korean people to the coronavirus outbreak; followed by its boss Mike Pompeo saying last week that the U.S. has offered humanitarian assistance to the North and will continue to reach out to the country.



In addition, the statement hinted that Trump may have proposed a new version of U.S. policy toward the North, which could bring the reclusive country back to the negotiating table.



However, it seems from the letter that the plan was not enough for the North, as in the statement Kim Yo-jong threatened that bilateral ties would continue to worsen without impartiality and balance.



Rather than going into detail regarding his policy, Trump may have remained theoretical about improving relations between the two countries.



In that respect, some political watchers say the U.S. president's letter was aimed at maintaining the status quo  the North does not launch long-range missiles or test nuclear devices  to prevent its military provocations from adversely affecting his reelection campaign.



Trump has trumpeted engagement with the North as a diplomatic achievement by his administration, but on Dec. 8, he warned of the country interfering with the election.



"Although keeping the dialogue momentum going, the Trump letter is more of his effort to prevent the North from crossing a red line on its long-range missile or nuclear activities," Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University, said.



Park also said the personal letter cannot have suggested any specific U.S. policy changes that are palatable to the North.



"Kim Yo-jong's response means the North will take its own way and the U.S. needs to offer more concessions," he added.




a close up of a woman and a man's hands each holding a coffee cup sitting at a table

I meet you as were waiting in line for lunch at the hospital cafeteria. Were both a bit bleary-eyed from successive nights of tossing and turning on the sofa beds in our childrens hospital rooms. You ask if I want to join you at a quiet table near the window, with a perspective (although limited) of the outside world.

As we slide into the stiff plastic chairs and manage to fit both of our trays on the compact table, you say, Youve got a lot on your plate.

I smile because I know youre not referring to the food Im about to consume.

You too, I respond knowingly, because having a full plate comes without question to the role of being a caregiver.

How are you managing?

I exhale deeply as my tense shoulders relax and I give thanks for you, my new friend, who has seen me and cares about how Im doing. I stir two packets of sugar into my iced tea and take a long sip before I begin so I can collect my thoughts.

Related: The Truth About Childhood Cancer and Hair Loss

Stumbling through these past two months has taught me a few things about parceling out my plate, and Im clearly doing better in some areas than others.

You nod as I go on.

Ive learned that sometimes I can say no to what gets added to my plate.

After my sons admittance from the ER to the ICU in January, I decided, when I caught glimpses of news headlines, that I just couldnt take on impeachment or Iran. News-worthy events that I would have followed under normal circumstances I could pretty easily choose to keep off my plate.

When a loved one shared concerns with me about our familys future, it hit closer to home than the news, but in a similar way I made the decision not to internalize those worries. I could hear them and even acknowledge them without taking them on myself. I certainly didnt need any more reasons to stay awake at night.

Related: To the Mom Who Will Hear 'Your Child Has Cancer' Today

Story continues

Ive learned that sometimes I have to take on my plate what I would rather not.

Our son who was not hospitalized dealt with some medical issues himself: stomach pains, bloody noses, fever plus cough. Each time an issue emerged, I told myself I really didnt want to take on anything that felt extra. But his needs required attention that I wasnt able to take off my plate.

In an effort to pay better attention to that sons emotional needs and not wanting him to experience the Forgotten Child Syndrome, I contacted his school guidance counselor to let her know what was going on with our family. I also found a counselor through our church for him to have the opportunity to process the complex issues of his life.

Ive learned that I need to regularly touch base with my husband on the status of our plates.

As a parenting team, we are trying to juggle physical therapy,

occupational therapy, speech therapy, music therapy, doctor

appointments, overnight hospital stays, and home-bound tutoring, as well as our other sons school activities. But we dont want our conversations to only be about scheduling, insurance paperwork, blood count numbers, or medications. We need to intentionally take breaks from the Cancer Center our lives have been revolving around.

Related: What Lighting the White House Gold Would Mean to Me as a Pediatric Cancer Survivor

While my husband and I are journeying through our sons cancer together, were different people with unique roles in life, so our plates are not the same. Finding out what each other needs to let go of and what we each need more of is crucial to sharing the load, as our default reaction to the added stress in our lives would be to find fault with each other. Carving out time to listen to each others hearts and to ask What do you need right now? is an area were currently working on.

Ive learned the importance of answering the question, What do you need on your plate?

Its important to identify what brings life and what drains it. In order to make my life as a caregiver sustainable for the long-haul, I need to be sure my life-giving activities outweigh my life-draining ones. Topping my introverted list of what fills me up are reading, writing, taking walks, meeting with friends and family face-to-face or over the phone, spiritual direction, dates with my husband, and connecting with a soul care mentor who has been through cancer. I also just made an appointment today to see a counselor next week.

Sometimes people ask the general question, What can I do? and sometimes they offer practical suggestions. One of our most helpful offers was my mom flying out to support our family during our sons first round of chemo. Because she and my husband handled both the hospital and our home together, I was able to attend a four day retreat as part of my two year Soul Care Institute program. Thinking through the specifics (meals, rides, childcare, etc) that will enable us to get more of what we need on our plates, will allow others to help us thrive and not just survive as caregivers.

Now that youve finished your lunch, Im interested in hearing your story (I pick up my turkey sandwich and ask how youre managing).

What have you learned about parceling out your plate these days?

Read more stories like this on The Mighty:

Navigating What the World Expects of Me as a Childhood Cancer Survivor

Fight or Flight: Life After My Daughter's Cancer

When Your Child Has Cancer, It Feels Like There Are Only 'Wrong' Choices
Social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus was on full display in Rensselaer County Court last week at the quadruple murder trial of James White.

The jury of six men and six women sat at least one seat apart before Judge Debra Young. Four jurors sat in chairs just outside the jury box. Alternate jurors sat in the gallery  a section typically reserved for observers.

A large container of New York state hand sanitizer was nearby.

The focus of the courtroom was the trial of White, 39, who is accused of murdering Brandi Mells, 22; Shanta Myers, 36; and Myers' two children: Jeremiah Myers, 11, and Shanise Myers, 5, on Dec. 21, 2017 inside 158 Second Ave., Troy.

Another focus loomed in the courtroom and courthouse  the potentially deadly coronavirus.

On Tuesday, Rensselaer County Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf, one of the prosecutors, told the judge they were all engaged in a "pandemic beat-the-clock."

On Friday, jurors listened to graphic and grim testimony from Justin Mann, White's alleged accomplice and the prosecution's star witness who described a horrific slaughter akin to a slasher movie. But the jurors listened safely away from one another.

Kurt Haas, the defense attorney for White, acknowledged the atypical circumstances.

It is a very unique situation, one I never anticipated being in, Haas told Law Beat, noting that the judge, defense and prosecution have made every accommodation possible to stop the spread of the virus.

Its a little bit more unique than most cases just because of the social distancing, Haas said. It doesnt change the jurys ability to hear and to see, to digest all of the testimony. Theyre just sitting further apart from each other.

The White trial is unique in that it represents court activity at a time when the legal world of the Capital Region and rest of the state is nearly dormant due to COVID-19.

State court officials announced on March 13 that any new criminal and civil trials that had yet to begin would be postponed. The exceptions were cases like the White trial in which lawyers had already delivered opening statements. On the federal level,the 32-county Northern District of New York, which includes Albany, postponed jury selection for all civil and criminal cases until April 30.

On Thursday, the murder trial in Monroe County of Aries Ash, 31, that began on March 2, was declared a mistrial and adjourned until April 21, when a new date for trial would be chosen. Prosecutors alleged Ash shot, dismembered and burnt the body of 34-year-old Maximillion Cook, 34, and kidnapped and robbed another man in Rochester, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper.

The Monroe County jurors were split into two jury boxes to provide distance between them. Ash's defense attorney, Paul Guerrieri, had moved for a mistrial because "everything is changing so drastically and I worry about my own safety, co-counsel's safety, my client's safety," the newspaper reported Wednesday.

"We're trying to prepare for the next witness," his co-counsel Melissa Wells-Spicer said, according to the report, "and at the same time, our minds are distracted."

Last Monday, the coronavirus prompted Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon to postpone the murder trial of Joseph H. Belstadt, who is charged with the 1993 murder of 17-year-old Mandy Steingasser.

"I had to make a decision that was one of the toughest I've ever made. We're going to stop," Sheldon told the jury, the Buffalo News reported. A new trial date was expected to be scheduled on April 29.

It would have been impossible to hold any trial in the Albany County Judicial Center this past week  it was closed after a deputy who works in the courthouse was diagnosed with the illness.

It is a trend that will continue. On the federal level, the sentencing of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere in Brooklyn, scheduled for April 16, was moved to May 21. The reason was the attorneys for Raniere  the former Halfmoon self-help guru and now convicted sex trafficker and racketeer  will be unable to speak to him in the Metropolitan Detection Center beforehand due to a 30-day prohibition on lawyer visits with inmates prompted by the outbreak.

And on the state level, judges in Brooklyn and Queens were diagnosed with COVID-19, as were an attorney in Nassau County and a court employee in Rockland County.

New York State is experiencing an increase in cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and it is expected that the virus will continue to spread, the Unified Court System said on its website. Please be assured that the New York State Court System is monitoring developments closely and is working with our partners at all government levels to take appropriate measures as the situation progresses, and to ensure that courthouses statewide are prioritizing the health and safety of all visitors.
It was just before Christmas last year when personnel of the Australian police urgently knocked on the doors of a resident of Bega Valley district in New South Wales, some seven hours away from Sydney. Evacuate now, the personnel told him.

The resident, a doctor, quickly gathered whatever belongings he could, dumped them in his car and left. Within a matter of hours, the deadly bushfires in Bega Valley swallowed his house and all that remained was ashes.

The doctor, Akash Raj Saxena, who hails from Hyderabad, was shattered and so was his family back in the city.

I will return but it may take a couple of months more, he told them even as he tried to pick up the pieces.

But the turbulence in his life seems unending. If Australian bushfires snatched away everything he had, the deadly coronavirus has come in the way of his return to Hyderabad. His repeated attempts to get in touch with the Indian High Commission in Australia have proved futile.

I had booked my ticket to India for April 4 and was looking forward to return to Hyderabad. But the worldwide coronavirus outbreak has ruined my plans. Over the last fortnight, I have repeatedly tried to get in touch with the Indian High Commission but no one is answering or even getting back despite leaving several messages. I dont know what to do now, Dr Saxena told Deccan Chronicle over phone from Australia.

Still trying to come to terms with the massive loss he suffered in the bushfire, Dr Saxena says he is lucky to be alive despite the bushfires ruining everything around him.

While the Indian government has banned all international flights, the Australian government has advised people like us not to travel at least till June. The last four months of my life have been very depressing and when I was looking forward to visit my family coronavirus has ruined it, he says recalling how he was not able to communicate with his family during bushfires as all network was down.

There was complete blackout here for major part of January. By mid-February, when things started looking normal came the news of coronavirus by the month-end and now everything has gone haywire, Dr Saxena says.

He says that he has not yet given up his efforts to contact the Indian High Commission.

I lost my mother four years ago and my father is old now. My brother also does not keep well. I have to be in Hyderabad at least by June otherwise things will get very difficult for me here and my family in Hyderabad, he said.

Dr Saxena says that while the situation due to coronavirus is getting worse in Australia, it has come as a double blow for people like him who suffered heavily due to the bushfire and now due to the killer virus.

With reports now emerging that coronavirus cases could explode in India in the near future, I am worried about when I would be home. Though I am making efforts from my side, I am keeping my fingers crossed, he says
The coronavirus outbreak led City Hall to cancel the 25th annual St. Patricks Day parade planned for March 22, much to the disappointment of the events volunteers.

>> To commemorate the parade, take a look at photos from years past and see if you can spot yourself!
The Lagos state government has directed civil servants from grade level one to 12 to stay at home for the next fourteen days. Ba...

The Lagos state government has directed civil servants from grade level one to 12 to stay at home for the next fourteen days.





Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor, announced this in a public address on Sunday.





He said the stay-at-home order would last for an initial period of 14 days.





In addition to previous measures, I hereby direct that all public officers in the entire unified public service from grade level one to 12 which constitutes about 70% of our entire workforce should stay at home from Monday, March 23, 2020, for fourteen days at the first instance, he told the press on Sunday.

Well review this as time goes on. Members of the public are advised to refrain from visiting any of our physical offices and to transact such businesses as is possible on the phone or online channels.





According to the governor, the stay-at-home order does not affect first responders whom he listed to include medical personnel, fire service officers, personnel of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and Lagos Waste Management Authority.





Sanwo-Olu said other patients have been evacuated from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba.





He also said facilities are also being set up at the Gbagada General Hospital and five other locations around the state where confirmed cases can be treated.





The state has confirmed 19 cases of the coronavirus.





In total, 27 cases have been confirmed across the country.
A team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 arrived in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, March 21. (Photo by Shi Zhongyu/Xinhua)

"This exceeds politics. We wish to show respect to people that managed to beat the biggest enemy of today's world, the COVID-19," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in welcoming Chinese medical experts.

BELGRADE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 arrived in the Serbian capital on Saturday evening to help with the Balkan state's battle against the virus.

The six-member expert team were greeted with warm applause of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar, Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin and other government officials at the Belgrade Airport.

The Chinese doctors, who specialize in such areas as infectious disease prevention (IDP), pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM), have also brought with them medical supplies urgently needed in Serbia, where 171 COVID-19 cases have been reported with one death.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic welcomes a team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 who arrived in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on March 21. (Photo by Shi Zhongyu/Xinhua)

With experience in containing the spread of coronavirus, the Chinese experts are expected to provide valuable advice to Serbia, which declared a state of emergency five days ago in an effort to curb the virus' spread and appealed to China for help.

The Chinese medical team came over with ventilators, medical masks, test kits and other medical supplies in the first batch of 16 tons of donations. The second batch are being loaded in China for another flight.

Vucic said in a welcome address that the Chinese experts' coming to help is of "immense importance for our country," and the medical aid is "life-saving."

"From now on, we will listen to everything they say. This exceeds politics. We wish to show respect to people that managed to beat the biggest enemy of today's world, the COVID-19," he said.

Medical supplies from China arrived in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, March 21. (Photo by Shi Zhongyu/Xinhua)

Vucic also thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese people for the friendship and support they extended to the Serbian people at this difficult time.

"We give them our immense gratitude, especially for sending their experts. They have proven as friends in the most difficult times when we fight for lives of Serbian people," said the Serbian president, adding "each of these ventilators means a saved human life here in Serbia."

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo said that the experts from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong came straight from the frontlines of China's battle against COVID-19.

"We are in the most difficult times, China, Serbia and the whole world. The COVID-19 virus represents an enemy to the whole mankind, and solidarity is most important at this moment," noted Chen, who also commended Serbia for its medical aid and support when China was hit hard by the virus.

"Together we are stronger. We will fight together with our Serbian friends until the final victory," said Chen.
To carry out basic essential transactions, the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has asked banks to open only selective branches in areas that have been placed under lockdown across the country in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a late night communique to the heads of banks, the IBA requested the state level SLBC convenor banks and lead district managers to proactively consult the state administration to chalk out a feasible Business Continuity Plan (BCP).

India reported three more coronavirus deaths on Sunday, including the first casualties from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 360, as authorities suspended all passenger trains and inter-state bus services till March 31 and more states imposed unprecedented restrictions to contain the spread of the infection.

"Keeping this in view, after due deliberation, it is suggested that member banks may selectively keep their branches open at such locations after due consultation with the local state government/authorities to carry out the basic essential transactions," the IBA said.

The association asked the CEO of banks to empower their regional or zonal or circle heads to take appropriate decision in the matter.

"State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) convenors should also take concurrence of the regional director of RBI for implementation of BCP prepared by them. The MD & CEOs of the SLBC convenor banks may take the lead in providing guidance to the SLBC convenor and member banks in the state for effective implementation of the contingency plan," it said.

The IBA asked all banks to prepare BCP for uninterrupted availability of banking services through alternate delivery channels for the convenience of the public and expressed hope that all the member banks will rise to the occasion to collectively sail through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier in the day, the association had asked customers to use online and mobile banking channels for making their transactions and avoid visiting bank branches as it could pose a risk to banks' front desk staff.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A group of Indian students have sought refuge within the premises of the Indian High Commission in London overnight on Saturday, demanding to be put on a flight to India despite the travel restrictions in place in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The group of 19 students, mostly from Telangana, have refused offers of alternate accommodation arranged with the help of Indian diaspora groups as India's ban on travellers from the UK and Europe remains in place until the end of this month.

The Indian community has tried to help them and initially it was a group of 59 students, 40 of whom have been allocated alternative accommodation but the remaining 19 are being completely unreasonable and refuse to move, said a community leader, who has been working with the High Commission on arrangements for the stranded students.

Many of them had flights booked back to India for later this month, in time for what is usually an Easter break period at universities in the UK. However, India issued an updated travel advisory earlier this week to say that no travellers would be allowed entry into India after 1200 GMT on March 18 until March 31.

There simply are no flights and we cannot be putting lives in danger at this stage. They were allowed entry into the High Commission building and provided food, water and temporary shelter, but they are now just camping out with their bags and baggage, he said.

The students have been placed within a quarantined space, which houses the visa and consular section within the Indian High Commission building in Aldwych, central London.

It had triggered a last-minute dash for flights as many students took to social media to seek assistance from the Indian High Commission as their travel plans went awry in the wake of the rapid spread of the pandemic.

The Indian mission has introduced an online registry system and has also shared contact information for a number of Indian diaspora groups trying to assist with board and lodging for panic-stricken students and Indian nationals.

I am an Indian Citizen, currently in Newcastle, United Kingdom on student visa. My visa expires on March 24, 2020. I was to travel back to India on March 23, 2020 and all the flights are being cancelled due to the COVID-19 as per Indian rule. What should I do, wrote one student in an appeal to the High Commission.

Such students are being advised to seek assistance from the UK Home Office's Coronavirus Immigration Helpline. Meanwhile, the Home Office has said it recognises the current situation is exceptional and will not take any compliance action against students or employees who are unable to attend their studies or work due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU-UK), a representative body for Indian students in the UK, has been fielding calls and urging students not to panic, support each other and take necessary precautions to be safe.

As the UK went into complete shutdown from Saturday, universities across the UK have said they are mindful of the plight of international students, many of whom have nowhere to go as campuses close down.

Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan said: I am pleased Universities UK has confirmed institutions will be flexible and do all they can to support students to progress to higher

According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, the death toll from the virus globally has risen to 13,044 with more than 307,104 cases reported in over 171 countries and territories.

As of Saturday, there are 5,018 confirmed cases in the UK and 233 people have died due to the deadly coronavirus that first emerged in China's Wuhan city last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


Britney Spears plans to assist fans during the coronavirus crisis.

The 38-year-old pop star has taken to Instagram to reveal plans to select three fans for whom she'll buy much-needed products amid the ongoing pandemic.

In her video message, Britney explained: "Our world is going through such hard times right now. Whether it's with food or I'm getting your child diapers or whatever it is, DM me and I will help you out."

Britney released the video after being nominated for the #DoYourPartChallenge, a movement that has spread across social media during the current crisis.

The singer - who has nominated Will Smith, Kate Hudson and her boyfriend, Sam Asghari, for the challenge - captioned her Instagram post: "My sister @jamielynnspears has nominated me to participate in the #DoYourPartChallenge so I'm picking 3 fans to help out during this difficult time ... DM me and let me know how I can help and I will do what I can !!! GOD BLESS [kissing emojis] I nominate @willsmith @samasghari @cadehudson22 !!! (sic)"

Meanwhile, Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation has announced plans to give $5 million to help fight the pandemic.

Justine Lucas, Executive Director of the Clara Lionel Foundation, recently said: "Never has it been more important or urgent to protect and prepare marginalised and under-served communities - those who will be hit hardest by this pandemic."

The money is set to be used for a multitude of causes, including to help provide supplies to foodbanks - which are feeding the vulnerable and elderly - as well as to fund more coronavirus testing and care in countries such as Haiti and Malawi.

It's also hoped the funds can be used to purchase protective equipment, such as gloves and masks, for intensive care units.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 19:15:24|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Namibian President Hage Geingob at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Namibia relations, and stands ready to work with Geingob to take the 30th anniversary as a new starting point and seize the historic opportunities created by the joint construction of the Belt and Road and the flourishing development of China-Africa cooperation.

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on Sunday with his Namibian counterpart, Hage Geingob, on the 30th anniversary of their countries' diplomatic relations.

In his message, Xi said that since the establishment of China-Namibia diplomatic relations 30 years ago, the two sides have always stood together through thick and thin, and moved forward hand in hand no matter how the international situation changed.

Noting that he has met with Geingob on several occasions in recent years, Xi said that they have reached important consensus on establishing and developing the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, led bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields to new levels, and enhanced the well-being of both peoples.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Namibia relations, and stands ready to work with Geingob to take the 30th anniversary as a new starting point and seize the historic opportunities created by the joint construction of the Belt and Road and the flourishing development of China-Africa cooperation.

He suggested that the two sides consolidate political mutual trust, and deepen practical cooperation, so as to inject new vitality into the development of China-Namibia relations in the new era, and contribute to the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

Containers are seen on a vessel at the new container terminal in Walvis Bay, Namibia, Aug. 2, 2019. The new container terminal located in the port town of Walvis Bay was constructed on 40 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea by China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) under just five years. (Xinhua/Zhang Yu)

For his part, Geingob said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Namibia and China have always upheld unity and win-win cooperation, and their all-weather friendship has stood the test of changing times and global challenges.

Standing at a new historical juncture, Namibia is willing to deepen practical cooperation with China, so as to inject new vitality into bilateral relations and build a peaceful, prosperous and stable community with a shared future, he said.

The Namibian government and people appreciate China's heroic efforts to effectively control the COVID-19 epidemic, and stand ready to continue to work with China in the fight against the global spread of the disease, he said.

Geingob said he is confident that under the strong leadership of Xi, China will grow more thriving and prosperous. 
At a dry cleaner in Abington, four women have come up with a way to help during the coronavirus pandemic. Over 24 hours they have made 200 masks to donate to their local hospital.

If you have any extra cotton fabric or 1/4" elastic that you would like to donate, please place them in a bag, with your name and city for a shout out, in our drop box at either one of our locations, said the businesses Facebook post. Thank you. Wishing you are all well.

JC Fast Tailors and Dry Cleaners have two locations, one in Abington and one in Hanover where they are asking community members to donate materials for the masks.

Three generations of women worked tirelessly to create masks. According to NBC 10 Boston, Carmen Alanya sews, her mother Josephina cuts and her daughter Stephanie secures the straps. June Jackson, who came up with the idea, is in charge of quality control.

In an interview with NBC 10, Jackson said that her granddaughter works at the South Shore Hospital and asked if she could make face masks. Thats when she approached the family.

When she came with this idea actually it wake me up and keep going and had the energy to do something, Carmen Alanya said.

The lack of medical supplies has led to Gov. Charlie Baker announcing on Saturday to a new Life Sciences Emergency Supply Hub created by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and several medical associations.

The supply hub is the latest effort to track down lab equipment, protective gear, diagnostics and other supplies that the state can send to those who are testing and treating coronavirus patients.

We just feel like we are doing something that will help, Jackson said in the interview with the television station.

Related Content:
US Criticizes France for Prisoner Swap With Iran

WASHINGTONThe Trump administration on Sunday harshly criticized France for releasing an Iranian man wanted for prosecution by the United States in an apparent prisoner swap with Iran.

The State Department said it deeply regrets the unilateral French decision to release Jalal Rohollahnejad, who was the subject of a U.S. extradition request on charges of violating American sanctions on Iran.

Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that France had failed to uphold its obligations under a joint extradition treaty and harmed the cause of justice. Rohollahnejad was released from French custody on Friday in an apparent swap for French researcher Roland Marchal who had been detained in Iran for more than eight months on charges of violating state security laws.

The United States deeply regrets Frances unilateral decision to release Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad from its custody, she said. There are multiple outstanding U.S. charges against him related to the illegal export of equipment with military applications in violation of U.S. sanctions.

The United States and France have a shared interest in bringing those accused of serious crimes to justice, particularly in cases with national security implications, Ortagus said. It is regrettable in this instance that France failed to uphold its treaty obligations and prevented justice from being pursued.

Iranian state TV reported late Friday that Marchal had been freed, just hours after French authorities released Ruhollahnejad. It said France had planned to deliver Ruhollahnejad to the United States for his alleged role in violating U.S. sanctions on Iran. It said he had been in jail in France for more than a year.

By Matthew Lee
New Delhi, March 22 : Amid the coronavirus scare, Indian Air Force issued directions to reduce attendance in its headquarters with effect from March 23, excluding personnel engaged in essential and emergency services directly involved in taking measures to control spread of COVID-19.

Indian Air Force officials said it was also decided that 30 per cent of officers and 50 per cent of junior officers will work from home adhering to home quarantine for a week starting March 23.

Further it was also directed that a second group to proceed on home quarantine on March 30, 2020 and intermixing of groups to be avoided.

Two days ago, Indian Army had issued fresh advisory wherein posting of all Indian Army personnel were deferred and soldiers on leave were given extended leave till April 15.

Indian Army Chief General M.M. Naravane had reviewed the force's preparation to contain COVID-19 with important functionaries at Army headquarters as fresh instructions were issued and strict adherence was demanded.

It was decided to run extensive awareness campaigns. "Awareness campaigns are being run on precautions to be taken within the Army and also for communities in near vicinity to Army establishments," said sources in the force.

All conferences and seminars were postponed till April 15 and temporary duty of all ranks are either rescheduled or cancelled till April 15.

All service personnel, except Army Medical Corps, attending courses terminating prior to April 15 will be retained at respective training institutions. For them additional training programmes can be added.

Further annual and periodic medical examinations have been postponed April 15. It has been decided to regulate entry to canteens and crowding and bunching will be completely avoided.
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And this is really the eye of the cyclone. A nightmare. A nightmare. Lombardy for sure is one of the most advanced regions in Italy in terms of health care. 38-year-old with severe respiratory distress. And immediately, in the next two, three hours we see 10, 8, 9 patients exactly with the same clinical presentation. Every single square meter is occupied by beds, every single aisle is filled up by beds. And you can hardly recognize where you normally work. The gastroenterology ward is not there anymore. Internal medicine is not there. Neurology has been replaced. Doctors from other specialties have been called to do shifts. We had seven I.C.U. beds and now we have 24. As many as 5 to 10 percent of the severe cases and of deaths are actually among the health care personnel. We forget to eat, we forget to drink, and we keep on working. Im far away from my family since Feb. 19. The worst is somebody dying in the isolated ward asking for the wife, the husband for the last hours of their life and having no chance to have anybody around and dying on their own. So the problem is that now we dont have any intensive care beds anymore. We have to intubate, put on a helicopter and transfer to another region, actually, because in the region all the intensive cares are full. Prepare more intensive care beds, get more devices for mechanical ventilation. Do the swab to everybody within the hospital and be aware that somebody will not make it anyway. We try to give our best to win not only the battle, but win the war, finally.
Church of God Pastor Kim Jung-rak, third from left, and Jeong Seo-yun, fourth from left, director of the fundraising headquarters of the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association in Seoul, pose after the World Mission Society Church of God donated 200 million won ($160,000) to help COVID-19 patients, healthcare workers and volunteers fight the pandemic. / Courtesy of Church of God



By Han Myung-duck



The Coronavirus Disease-19 outbreak has been declared a global pandemic.



There was a gradual decline in COVID-19 cases in South Korea, but new clusters of infections are emerging, which makes it harder for the country to fight off infections. As COVID-19 is affecting the country's economy and the people's social activities as a whole, many of our neighbors are having a hard time.



One person's comfort, ten people's support, love shared among organizations and countries can greatly help overcome this crisis. On March 20, the World Mission Society Church of God (General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol, hereinafter the Church of God) visited the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association and donated 200 million won ($ 160,000) to help overcome the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, hoping that people will quickly get back to their normal daily routines.



Pastor Kim Jung-rak from the Church of God said, "We truly hope everyone will live a healthy and peaceful life again as soon as possible." Then he added, "If we put our strength and wisdom together, we'll be able to solve this problem. We will continue to help our country and people in every way."



Ms. Jeong Seo-yun, director of the fundraising headquarters of the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association, expressed her gratitude, "Thank you for your heartfelt support for those who are suffering from COVID-19. The government alone cannot manage all types of disasters. So volunteers are of great help to us. I think many people support us through donations, because working at the scene can put them at risk of infection with COVID-19. We will carefully think about those who need help and make sure that the warmhearted support of the Church of God can be extended to every corner of the country, which the government cannot cover."



The donations from the Church of God will be used to support substantial needs in each region, after close consultation among the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association, Ministry of Public Administration and Security, and local governments.



The Church of God is actively participating in the efforts to respond to COVID-19 and to overcome the national crisis. To take part in social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in communities, the Church has decided to conduct services online until the end of March. This measure is being carried out in areas where COVID-19 has been spreading extensively such as Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, Daegu, Gyeongbuk Province, etc.



To prevent COVID-19, the church has been thoroughly observing the guidelines for the prevention and control of infection, established by the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH). The church also actively supports the central and local governments in the efforts to follow the preventive measures against infectious diseases by establishing an emergency response committee and running it, checking the identity of every visitor to the church and taking their body temperature, using masks and hand sanitizers compulsorily, sterilizing the church facilities before and after worship services, fumigating inside and outside of the church, etc.



Additionally, the church makes efforts to increase public participation by uploading video sermons to its official website, so the church members can watch them during worship service in their home, promoting COVID-19 prevention guidelines, and producing video content about the COVID-19 prevention campaign.



Moreover, the Church donated a total of 30,000 KF94 face masks to the Community Chest at the Daegu Branch for the medical staff and citizens in Daegu which was declared a special disaster area. Pastor Sohn Hyeong-han from the Church of God said, "We sincerely give thanks to all the medical staff who are struggling day and night in the front line and to all government officials and related organization staff." He also expressed his hope that all the workers affected by COVID-19 in social, economic, educational, and cultural fields would find strength to overcome the hardships they are encountering.



So far, the Church of God has taken the lead in helping neighbors in and out of Korea whenever a great disaster occurred. Last January, the Church delivered 50 million KRW [appr. 40,000 USD] of relief funds to the Community Chest at the Gangwon Branch to help the forest fire victims in Gangwon Province.



Before now, the Church had carried out devotional volunteer services such as free meal service, disaster recovery, casualty rescue, and relief supplies at numerous disaster sites such as Pohang earthquake, Sewol ferry sinking, Taean oil spill, volcanic eruption in the Philippines, floods in Japan, cold snap in Peru, hurricanes in the U.S., tsunamis in Indonesia, and earthquakes in Nepal.



On top of that, the Church has conducted constant and diverse services for neighbors such as blood donation drives, environmental cleanup programs, educational support, and cultural sharing, and has been honored with over 3,000 awards worldwide through over 20,000 volunteer services: the Presidential Group Citation, the Presidential Medal of Merit, and the Presidential Citation from three Korean governments, the President's Volunteer Service Award Gold (the highest recognition for a group, for 17 times) in the U.S., the Green Apple Awards, an international environmental award, and more.






President Akufo-Addo has announced that government is in the process of securing some 50,000 test kits as part of measures to check the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

Ghana in the last two weeks has so far recorded 21 coronavirus cases with one death .

In an address to the nation on Saturday, March 21, 2020, President Akufo-Addo indicated that contact tracing has been intensified as every person who has come into contact with infected persons will be tested for the virus hence the need to secure more test kits.

The Ministry of Health will not only step up its contact tracing efforts but will also see to it that all persons who have been identified as having come into contact with infected persons are tested for the virus. More personal protection equipment are being acquired to beef up supplies for our frontline health workers. 50,000 additional test kits have been ordered and are being expected in the country shortly, he told Ghanaians. Retired health professionals to be engaged in fight against COVID-19

The President also indicated that the Ministry of Health is engaging the services of retired and new health professionals to boost its current staff strength as the country braces itself for a possible surge in the number of Coronavirus infections.

In his address to the nation, the President indicated that he was amazed by the response of the retired health professionals to the call.

The Ministry of Health is mobilizing new and retired health care professionals to augment our preparedness in dealing with the possible surge in infections. It is heartening to hear the number of healthcare professionals who have stepped forward to offer their services. Ghana to close all borders from Sunday

Ghana will from today, Sunday, March 22 close all its borders to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The border closure is to last for two weeks according to President Nana Akufo-Addo and will not apply to goods, supplies and cargo.

All our borders; by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday, he said during the address.

President Akufo-Addo said the government's aim with all its measures are to limit and stop the importation of the virus; contain its spread; provide adequate care for the sick; limit the impact of the virus on social and economic life and inspire the expansion of our domestic capability and deepen our self-reliance.

Following restrictions from recently reviewed travel protocols, the only admissible travellers into Ghana were Ghanaians and foreign nationals with residence permits in Ghana.

But ahead of the closure, this category of travellers will be subject to a mandatory quarantine.

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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Local organizations that provide food and shelter to people in need are still conducting business as usual and are getting by despite a state directive aimed at keeping everyone home.

In many cases, older volunteers are staying away, while younger people are starting to step up.

Homeless shelters and food banks are essential to the people they serve and cant shut down, even though most businesses have been directed to do so to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Kitchen Angels provides meals to people under 60 who are unable to secure their own food. The organization typically relies on volunteer workers, but Executive Director Tony McCarty said the group is no longer allowing anyone who has traveled recently to help out.

Were a necessary source, so we have to be careful, McCarty said.

About 50 of their normal volunteers have decided to isolate themselves until they feel comfortable coming back, McCarty said.

But so many people have asked Kitchen Angels about volunteering that the organization had to hire someone part time just to help with administrative duties. McCarty said it also has streamlined the screening process to avoid disrupting service to clients.

The Food Depot, which supplies food banks in nine northern New Mexico counties, relies on volunteers, who are typically retired and who happen to be the most at-risk for severe coronavirus symptoms. Development Director Jill Dixon said it also has a screening process that has rooted people out.

Social distancing is also making things tricky. Dixon said spaces that used to house about 30 workers now have only five, causing production to go down.

It takes a lot of planning to spread people out, Dixon said.

Typical volunteers at the Interfaith Community Shelter are also a bit older or have spouses with compromised immune systems.

Sue Carr, a shelter employee, said that younger volunteers have helped fill the void and that 10 to 12 people are there every evening to help serve food.

Because the shelter is considered essential, it doesnt have the restrictions put in place by the state Department of Healths emergency order. But Carr says it still needs all the help it can get.

Our only requirement (for volunteering) is that youre comfortable being here, Carr said.

While organizations in Santa Fe are rolling along, Habitat for Humanity in Taos had to shut down because its spring workforce of vacationing college students is no longer traveling.

Executive Director Kevin Miller said about 500 college students from around the country come to build houses in the area each spring during the organizations Collegiate Challenge. Just recently, Miller said Habitat for Humanity International told each chapter to stop operations.

The donation each student contributed, usually $150, also went to building materials.

Not only are they our biggest source of labor, but also theyre our biggest funding source, Miller said. Now, were shut down without any volunteers whatsoever. Miller said there are three houses for low-income families under construction and one that needs to be revitalized.

All of them have families that are waiting now, Miller said.

The Food Depot is also asking for donations now. Dixon said the organization accrued $200,000 in expenses over the past nine days, all of it related to the coronavirus response.

Our community is so generous, Dixon said. I know people in the community are doing their best and giving what they can, and we have nothing but gratitude for that.

Dixon said the The Food Depot has enough money to keep running.

Its a good thing, too. There are just some places that cant close their doors.

We are an essential service, and were continuing to provide that service, Carr said of the Interfaith shelter. Were continuing to stick together and help our neighbors in need.
Despite preventive measures, coronavirus is spreading rapidly across Germany. According to the countrys agency for disease control, the number of cases across the German territory increased by 1,948 in the past 24 hours taking the toll to 23,129. The jumps represent a 12 per cent increase in figure reported a day before. This comes as the number of deaths rose to 93 on March 22.

Following the developments, the German government is reportedly considering a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of the virus. And in order to discuss further measures, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel is set to meet state premiers on March 22, international media reported.

German states under lockdown

This comes as two German states, Bavaria and Saarland, imposed state-wide restrictions in a bid to combat the spread of the virus. Germany's largest state, Bavaria reportedly said it was imposing "fundamental restrictions" on public life in the fight against coronavirus. According to reports, starting from March 20 evening, people in the state were only allowed to leave their homes for necessities, such as going to work or the doctor and buying groceries or medicine. The measures were for an initial two-week period. Bavarian State Premier Markus Soder told international media that they were shutting down public life almost completely.

Read: German Towns Intensify Virus Restrictions

Meanwhile, the tiny state of Saarland, which borders France and Luxembourg, has closed all restaurants and is putting a curfew into place with some exceptions. Saarland's State Premier Tobias Hans told reporters that decisive action was needed, and a general exit restriction, with exceptions, was agreed by state ministers. The measures went into effect from March 20 midnight.

Read: French Virus Patients Flown To German Hospital

According to reports, the German government is planning an economic aid package worth 822 billion euros to prevent companies from going under during the coronavirus pandemic. The funds will go towards a slew of aid programs, including help for employees forced into shorter work hours. They may also be used to fund the partial nationalisation of large enterprises in order to keep them afloat, according to the text, international media reported.

Read: German Plans 822-bn Economic Aid Package To Fight Virus Crisis: Draft Bill

Read: German Far-right Party Presses Radical Faction To Dissolve
(UPDATED). This story was updated to correct the age of the victim from 8 to 80.



AN 80-year-old woman from Taytay, Rizal had died from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Taytay Municipal Health Office said on Sunday, March 22.

The woman was from Barangay San Juan.

The womans death was not among the mortalities reported by the Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday.

Details of the womanls death were not available. A video posted on the official Facebook page of the Municipal Government of Taytay Sunday did not include such information.

Taytay Municipal Health Officer Jeffrey Roxas said they have confirmed three Covid-19 cases in their town.

Aside from the woman, other patients are a 77-year-old male also from Barangay San Juan, who is admitted in a hospital in Metro Manila, and a 48-year-old female from Barangay Dolores, who is under home quarantine.

As of Sunday, Taytay has 12 patients under investigation (PUIs) and 117 persons under monitoring (PUMs), Roxas added.

The WHO earlier warned that young people could also get infected, although older people are the most vulnerable to the disease. (Neil Jean Navarro/SunStar Philippines)
Egypt's central bank will allocate EGP 20 billion ($1.28 billion) to support the stock exchange during the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pendamic, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said in his first speech since the outbreak.

El-Sisi has urged Egyptians to strictly comply with a series of sweeping measures the country has taken to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

"Let's hold on for at least two weeks," the president said in comments broadcast live on TV on Sunday. "[we need] more commitment, responsibility, seriousness and discipline."

"Help us pass at least two weeks without having a big increase in the number of infections."

"Its a fast-spearing virusnumbers can turn to thousands in a few days," El-Sisi said.

Egypt has taken drastic steps to try and slow down the spread of the virus, including halting international flights, shuttering mosques and churches, closing schools and universities and shutting malls and restaurants every night.

Responding to panic buying during the outbreak, the president affirmed the country has sufficient reserves, while urging people "not to put financial pressure" on themselves by stocking up to prepare for lengthy home quarantines.

"We dont have any problems with commodities," he said. "Reserves of key food commodities are enough for at least three months."

He had earlier announced a 100 billion Egyptian pound ($6.39 billion) fund to finance a comprehensive government plan for tackling the outbreak.

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Akira 4K Restoration Still Set for IMAX Debut in Japan Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak zo Zo is a staff writer at Okayplayer where he covers

The iconic anime film is opening in 36 theaters across Japan as COVID-19 cases keep mounting.

Amidst a global pandemic, it appears Japanese IMAX theaters are still welcoming the debut of Akiras 4k restoration.

According to Hypebeast, plans to screen the revamped 1989 anime film have yet to be canceled. In fact, a tweet from Toho Theaters yesterday confirmed screenings will commence on April 3rd. Though Japans Coronavirus infection rate remains considerably lower than that of neighboring countries, the commitment to screening is at odds with global protocols that have restricted public gatherings and the general mobility of citizens. And considering a box set of the restoration (packaged with an unreleased mini-doc on the films creation,) is slated for released just weeks later (April 24th,) attendance seems hardly worth the risk.

Meanwhile, on this side of the pond, many theaters remain closed due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions, which have sent the whole industry (and virtually every other segment of the economy) into a historic spiral. But for those looking to get their fix, maybe just wait for the set to drop?

You can pre-order your copy here ahead of the official release.
Its no secret, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed serious hardships on many South Dakotans and Americans across the country. From the closing of schools, to the negative effects on small businesses, as well as the struggles of social isolation, this illness is greatly affecting all our day-to-day lives. To mitigate these effects, South Dakotas delegation is working around the clock alongside our state and local officials to provide relief to those affected.

Our governor quickly called on the Small Business Administration (SBA) to activate the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program in South Dakota because of the pandemic. I, along with Senators Thune and Rounds stood alongside her, urging the SBA to approve this request immediately.

On March 14, I voted in support of a comprehensive bipartisan federal aid package  the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This relief package ensures the continuation of support services, prioritizes testing and diagnosing COVID-19 cases, bolsters containment and mitigation efforts, and creates programs to financially support employees and employers adversely impacted by the pandemic. This includes the creation of a temporary national paid sick leave program and a refundable payroll tax credit to cover the cost that will inevitably be incurred by employers. The Senate joined the House in passing this relief act, and the bill was signed into law by President Trump on March 18, 2020. This relief is in addition to the $8.3 billion of emergency supplemental funding I supported in early March to assist the initial response to the coronavirus.

The Senate and House are working on a third comprehensive package that will focus on the economic impacts the pandemic has had on small businesses, individuals, and hard-hit industries, as well as additional health care resources. We need to ensure any phase three bill is fact-based, fiscally responsible, and helps not only big industries like the airlines and manufacturers, but smaller businesses that are being hit hard by this economic uncertainty. Most importantly, we need more tools to stabilize volatility in the ag economy. Our ranchers and producers were struggling before this pandemic and market conditions have only deteriorated.

While it is the governments duty to provide assistance to the nation in great times of need, we also have responsibilities as good citizens to take care of one another. Take the CDCs social distancing recommendations seriously. Check in on friends and neighbors. Make sure those at higher risk in your communities have the supplies necessary during this uncertain time. South Dakotas communities are strong and will be a significant factor in how we survive this crisis as a state.
He said that Laird-Hammond often battled nausea after his treatments for leukemia but had seemed in February to be in some of the best health Dunham had seen him in for years. He said he grew worried about a coronavirus diagnosis when he heard Laird-Hammond had been hospitalized and was shocked when he saw the picture of the thermometer.
A teenager and two others were shot and critically wounded in an incident in the citys Tioga-Nicetown section late Saturday afternoon, police said.

One of the victims, a 17-year-old, was shot four times in the back and once in the arm about 4:45 p.m. in the 1800 block of West Tioga Street, police said.

A 20-year-old suffered three gunshot wounds, and a man, described at being in his mid-20s to late 30s, suffered multiple wounds to the torso, police said.

All three were taken to Temple University Hospital, where the 20-year-old was listed in critical but stable condition, and other two, in critical.

Police, who said they had made no arrests, did not release the names of the victims.
Tullamore-based Mor Irish Gin are beginning to produce sanitiser amid a shortage for medical staff and institutions during the current coronavirus emergency.

In a post, the company said: "Not what you would have expected a month ago, but sure here we are."

"Due to the shortage of hand sanitiser in Ireland and globally, and as we are in a position to manufacture this in our distillery, we are beginning production and will have supply available ASAP.

"This will be made at The WHO spec of 75%, for hands and surfaces. This is predominantly being supplied to the healthcare industry however, is there any interest in us also selling excess supply to the public?"

If so, get in touch with Eoin.Bara@MorIrishGin.com

The company are also now seeking help to get their hands on HDPE plastic bottles for the sanitiser.
COVID-19: Russian Disease Specialist May Have Spread Virus; Georgia Declares State Of Emergency

By RFE/RL March 21, 2020

The top infectious-disease specialist in a Russian region may have coronavirus and could have spread it to students and doctors after she failed to quarantine herself following a vacation in Spain, the daily Kommersant has reported.

Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on March 19 in an Instagram post that the region had its first suspected case of coronavirus and that a final determination will be made following a laboratory test in Novosibirsk.

He immediately announced that all kindergartens and universities would be closed as of March 23 and that additional measures to contain its spread would be taken.

Vladimirov did not name the person that tested positive, but Kommersant said people on social media immediately identified the individual as Irina Sannikova, the region's leading infectious-disease specialist.

Sannikova reportedly returned earlier this month from Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries by the virus, and did not quarantine herself, the paper said. She held a few lectures at the medical university for students and resident physicians, people on social media said.

The medical university was immediately put under quarantine on March 19 while students and professors who came into contact with a person "suspected of having the novel coronavirus infection" have been asked to take tests and isolate themselves in the meantime at home, Kommersant reported.

Stavropol's infectious-disease hospital, Sannikova's main workplace, has also been put under quarantine, Kommersant reported, citing social media. Kommersant said it could not confirm that because it could not get through on any of the hospital's telephone numbers.

During a press conference on March 20, Stavropol Deputy Health Minister Olga Drozdetskaya confirmed that the person that tested positive for coronavirus was a female doctor that had returned from vacation in Spain. Drozdetskaya said the doctor had taken part in a few events at the Health Ministry and that some participants had now been quarantined.

The infected doctor was in stable condition and no longer on oxygen, Drozdetskaya said.

Russia's official tally early on March 21 showed the total number of infections at 253, a day after Moscow's coronavirus crisis center announced 54 confirmed new cases across the country.

One coronavirus patient, a 79-year-old woman, has died. Russian authorities said the cause of her death was not officially registered as COVID-19 because an autopsy revealed she had died of a blood clot.

But a global resource center at Johns Hopkins University early on March 21 was listing the woman as Russia's only confirmed coronavirus death.

Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare said on March 21 that more than 36,000 people were under medical observation in the country due to the situation with coronavirus.

Russia has temporarily barred entry into the country of foreigners because of the pandemic. Russian officials also have imposed restrictions on passenger flights and public gatherings.

Russia's national health watchdog has decreed that "all individuals arriving in Russia" must be isolated for medical observation.

Georgia

Georgia's parliament has approved a presidential decree that imposes a one-month nationwide state of emergency in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

President Salome Zurabishvili on March 21 sent the decree to parliament as the number of cases in the former Soviet republic rose to 49. The parliament passed it later that evening.

Zurabishvili told the parliament deputies that the monthlong measure might seem excessive with still relatively few cases, but that it's "better this way than an epidemic starting and entering an acute phase."

She warned that the measures were not meant to infringe upon freedom of expression, media freedom, or political rights and expressed hope it would not delay elections planned for October.

Under Georgia's constitution, a national election can only be held six months after the end of a state of emergency.

The president called on citizens to follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Georgian Health Ministry in order to slow the spread of the virus and avoid a "new level" of restrictions.

So far, there have not been any deaths in Georgia from the virus.

Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia had earlier initiated the call for the state of emergency to battle the disease.

"Our main task today is preventing a fast spread of coronavirus among the population," Gakharia said, adding that punishments should be imposed against those who violate "quarantine and self-isolation regulations during the state of emergency."

Gahkharia said restrictions on traffic, except for the transport of cargo, also should be imposed.

He also said property rights for individuals and legal entities could be restricted during the state of emergency.

A few lawmakers expressed disappointment that the state of emergency -- as it now stands -- would extend into the Easter holiday, which will be celebrated this year in Georgia on April 19.

North Macedonia

The government of North Macedonia on March 21 said it has decided to impose a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning on March 22 in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, the first time such a step has been taken since the country's independence in 1991.

In an emergency address, Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski said that "we have decided to introduce the most radical measures in order to protect the health of citizens."

"Starting [March 22], we will restrict the movement of all citizens. It is forbidden for the population to move outside between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. every day. There is no compromise when it comes to the health of citizens," Spasovski warned.

The prohibitions exclude persons who need medical assistance or whose lives are endangered. Those who need dialysis are allowed to arrive for treatment with up to two other people.

Employees in health-care facilities are also excluded from the curfew, as are members of the Ministry of Interior, the army, fire crews, and workers in municipal hygiene.

North Macedonia has registered 85 cases and no deaths.

Romania

The Romanian government on March 21 announced a curfew that will restrict the movement of people from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and go into effect on March 23. It is expected to last through the 30-day state of emergency declared on March 16.

Those exempted include people going to work and those requiring medical assistance.

Interior Minister Marcel Vela and other officials said the measures will also prohibit gatherings of more than three persons outside the home and will mandate the closing of shopping malls and dental clinics. Restaurants and other gathering places were ordered closed earlier in the week.

During the night curfew hours, the only people allowed to move about are medical professionals, those engaging in work activities, shopping for necessary items, and caring for children or the elderly or people walking their pets.

"Everything we have decided to implement is meant to limit the risks to the population," Vela said.

He also warned those who are price-gouging or taking other actions to profit from the crisis.

"We have taken strong actions against those who have tried to speculate on the situation in order to get rich. It's not just illegal -- it's also cynical," he said.

Romania has registered 367 coronavirus cases with no deaths.

Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the government will extend a curfew that is already in effect by three hours as the country attempts to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus, making it a 12-hour ban from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m.

He said the steps are necessary "for our survival," and he threatened a 24-hour curfew if residents continue to ignore orders to remain indoors.

Serbia has registered 171 cases and one death related to the coronavirus.

Ukraine

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has called for a nationwide quarantine to slow the spread of coronavirus as its largest city, Kyiv, said it would shut down all public transportation for noncritical personnel.

Avakov, one of the most powerful officials in Ukraine, said the measures already put in place to fight the spread will be "significantly toughened" in the coming days. He said only "critical" industries should remain open and everyone else sent home.

"A total, full quarantine is my position, which I want to ask each of you. And I will insist on it, according to the power of my position," Avakov said in a Facebook post on March 21.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on March 20 that a state of emergency had been declared in the city of Kyiv, the east-central Dnipropetrovsk region, and the western Ivano-Fankivsk region.

"No new restrictions are yet to be expected. The emergency mode is designed to mobilize efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19," he wrote on Telegram.

Earlier, states of emergency were declared in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions in the north-central part of the country and the southwestern region of Chernivtsi.

Under the state of emergency, the heads of the affected regions are expected to implement coordinated measures to curtail the spread of the virus and to submit daily reports to the Health Ministry.

Ukraine had reported 41 coronavirus infections and three fatalities as of the end of March 20, prompting the country to declare a state of emergency to better mobilize efforts to fight the virus.

The total represents a rise of 15 cases over the past 24 hours. However, the country has done limited testing, suggesting the number of people infected could be much greater.

The country has already ordered restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters, shopping malls, and schools to close. It has also essentially sealed its border to foreign travel and domestic long-distance travel by means of bus, rail and plane.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said in a March 21 video post that only people whose work was vital to the city will be allowed to use public transport. The new measure goes into effect as of March 23, he said

Kyiv shut down its subway on March 17, causing chaos as tens of thousands of people struggled to get to work via other means. Transportation by private cars will still be permitted.

Supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, post offices, and parcel companies will remain open in Ukraine, officials said.

Armenia

The number of coronavirus cases in Armenia has risen to 160, an increase of 24 infections during the previous 24 hours, according to the country's heath authorities.

Armenian Health Minister Arsen Torosyan said in a live broadcast on Facebook on March 21 that there were 11 patients among those infected with the coronavirus who have been diagnosed with pneumonia.

Torosyan said three patients required intensive care. But he said none of the patients were in critical danger.

Details about new cases had not been released by the afternoon of March 21.

Armenia has not reported any fatalities from the disease.

Yerevan declared a national emergency on March 16 in an attempt to slow the spread of the pandemic disease.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan's Security Council has recommended that Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev declare a national state of emergency beginning on March 22 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The recommendation, made during a Security Council meeting in Bishkek on March 21, was announced by President Sooronbai Jeenbekov's office.

Local officials in Kyrgyzstan have already declared a state of emergency in the southern district of Nookat, where three coronavirus cases were reported on March 20.

A state of emergency has also been announced by local officials in the Suzak district, where three men have tested positive for coronavirus.

All six confirmed cases in Kyrgyzstan are people who recently returned to Kyrgyzstan from Saudi Arabia.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's Health Ministry announced four more confirmed coronavirus infections on March 21, raising the total number in the country to 37.

The ministry said a total of 3,200 people who had contact with the infected patients have been placed in quarantine.

All kindergartens, schools, and universities in Uzbekistan have been temporarily closed and public gatherings have been prohibited.

The Transport Ministry said on March 20 that it had suspended international travel into the country for 40 days. The regulation does not affect cargo shipments, it said.

Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, five more coronavirus cases were reported on March 20, including the first two cases outside Nur-Sultan, the capital, and the country's largest city, Almaty.

With three more cases in Almaty and two in the central city of Qaraghandy, the total number of coronavirus infections in Kazakhstan on March 21 was 49.

Nur-Sultan and Almaty have been sealed off since March 19, with police, security forces, and military personnel blocking roads and highways within and around the two cities.

In Tajikistan, the government suspended all international flights starting on March 20. No coronavirus cases have been reported by authorities in Tajikistan so far.

In Turkmenistan, RFE/RL correspondents report that the capital, Ashgabat, has been surrounded with security checkpoints since March 19 in an attempt by authorities to regulate entries into the city.

Only residents of Ashgabat are allowed to enter the city now, and travel between cities has been restricted, RFE/RL correspondents report.

Turkmenistan also had not officially confirmed any cases of coronavirus as of March 21.

Pakistan

Pakistan says it has suspended all international flights for two weeks in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus, joining dozens of other countries that have taken similar measures.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan said in a statement on March 21 that the ban would go into effect that evening and last until April 4.

The ban includes charter flights as well, officials said. Diplomats and cargo will be allowed to land in the country.

Individuals who have had their flight canceled can either get a refund or rebook for other dates without any charge, officials at Pakistan International Airlines said.

The announcement comes after Pakistan said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country jumped to 531 as of March 21 with three deaths.

Iran

The death toll from coronavirus outbreak is nearly 11,500 people around the world, with Europe at the center of the pandemic as the number of confirmed cases globally topped 275,000.

Iran's official death toll was the third-highest in the world on March 21 with 123 newly reported deaths raising the total across the country to 1,556.

Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on March 21 that an additional 966 infections had been confirmed during the previous 24 hours.

That raised the total number of confirmed infections in Iran to more than 20,600, according to officials in Tehran.

Many Iranians believe the government in Tehran is underreporting the extent of the outbreak there.

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University early on March 21, the confirmed number of cases worldwide had reached 275,434 -- including 11,399 deaths.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Uzbek services, AFP, Reuters, TASS, UNIAN, Interfax, Ukrayinska pravda, Financial Times, and Khaleej Times

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/covid-19-kyrgyzstan- mulls-state-of-emergency-ukraine -locks-down-kyiv/30500831.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Mumbai, March 22 : Amid the coronavirus outbreak, actor Hrithik Roshan has appealed to the public to avoid travelling-- especially by train.

Retweeting Ministry of Railways' tweet, Hrithik wrote: "It is seen that many people are still using the train and railway station. I would like to request people not to do this. Don't travel by train right now unless absolutely necessary." "Do not put yourself and your co-passengers at risk. The government is taking proactive steps. Support them," he further said.

On March 21, the Ministry of Railways shared that it has "found some cases of coronavirus infected passengers in trains which makes train travel risky".
India may make some special arrangements to bring home its nationals stranded in transit in airports in Paris, Frankfurt, London and Amsterdam within the next few days, but its citizens living or visiting in Europe are unlikely to be evacuated as long as the travel curbs imposed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic remains in place.

After a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines plane on Sunday brought to New Delhi the 117 stranded Indians from Amsterdam, New Delhi has made it clear that no other passenger aircraft would now take off from Schiphol Airport in the capital of the Netherlands for any destination in India till March 31 in view of the pandemic.

Follow latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak here

All international flights to India have been stopped since March 22 (Sunday). All Indian nationals in (the Netherlands) are requested to stay in their places of residence & (and) follow the instructions issued by local health authorities, the Embassy of India in Amsterdam posted on Twitter.

Indias diplomatic missions in France and United Kingdom too posted similar statements on Twitter  ostensibly to drive home the point that Indian nationals currently living or visiting any foreign country should stay put wherever they were, instead of trying to return home, till the curbs imposed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic were not withdrawn.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

The ban on arrival of passengers onboard any international commercial aircraft to any airport in India scheduled to come in force from 1:30 a.m. (Indian Standard Time) on Monday. Hence, no aircraft of any international airlines took off from any airport around the world for any destination in India after 5:30 a.m. (Indian Standard Time) on Sunday.

The Government is fully aware that many Indian might be returning from abroad and would be feeling inconvenienced due to the curbs imposed to contain the pandemic in the country, a source in New Delhi said, adding: The Government is doing its best. Officers and employees are putting in the hours and days of work to make their safe return possible.

Also Read: Coronavirus: Indian Railways suspends all passenger services from March 22 midnight to March 31 midnight

New Delhi indicated that might continue to either make special arrangements to evacuate the citizens stranded in transit in airports in Europe or relax the restrictions to allow commercial aircraft to bring them home even after Monday.

Sources, however, told the DH that while special arrangement could be made to bring home the Indians, who were traveling from US, Mexico, Canada and Brazil and got stranded in transit in Paris, Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt airports, the ones, who were living or visiting in Europe, would not be brought back home immediately. The evacuation of 263 Indian nationals from Italy by an Air India aircraft on Sunday was the latest mission New Delhi conducted to bring home the citizens of the country from Covid-19 hotspot in Europe and no such mission is likely to be carried out till March 31, added the sources.

A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines aircraft earlier on Sunday flew from Amsterdam to New Delhi with 117 Indian transit passengers from the United States, Mexico and Canada onboard. The aircraft had been scheduled to land in New Delhi early on Saturday, but had returned to Schiphol Airport after it had been denied permission to land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital of India  apparently due to confusion over implementation of the travel restrictions imposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Embassy of India in Amsterdam got in touch with Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation and coordinated with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as well as the Government of the Netherlands to get the flight rescheduled. The aircraft finally returned to New Delhi on Sunday.

India already restricted entry of Indian nationals as well as of foreign citizens from Europe, in view of the rapid spread of the pandemic across the continent.

New Delhi also announced that no passenger would be allowed to disembark from a scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft in any airport in India after 1:30 a.m. on Monday till the same time on March 31.

Currently no flights operate from Schiphol Airport to any destination in India. There are also no plans for any special flights. The Government of India has ordered all airlines not to pick up any passenger after March 18 from Europe, the Embassy of India in Amsterdam added in another post on Twitter on Sunday.

The Embassy of India in Paris too advised Indian nationals against transiting through France to return home. All Indian nationals are advised not to transit through France, especially (through) the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. There is no flight connection currently available from France to India. India has currently prohibited landing of all international flights.

Since no commercial flight would be allowed to carry passengers from France to India henceforth, till the temporary travel restrictions are in place, all Indian nationals are requested to stay safe and isolated within their residential premises and follow the advisory of the French Government, it stated in another tweet.
London, March 22 : UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked people not to visit their families parents on Mothers Day as the coronavirus pandemic in the country was "accelerating".

In a stark message to the country on Satusday, he said that the National Health Services (NHS) was in danger of being "overwhelmed" in the same way as Italy's healthcare system unless people obeyed government advice on "social distancing", reports the Metro newspaper.

Johnson said that while "everyone's strongest instinct" was to visit their mother on Mother's Day, the best single present they could give her was to stay away and spare her the risk of becoming infected.

"This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity. And why? Because if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus. We cannot disguise or sugarcoat the threat." Asked at his Downing Street press conference last week whether he would be seeing his own mother, 77-year-old Charlotte Johnson Wahl, the Prime Minister said that he would "certainly be sending her my very best wishes and hope to get to see her".

A Downing Street source on Saturday clarified that his contact with his mother on Sunday would be confined to a conversation over Skype.

The warning came as Ministers urged the 1.5 million people the country considered to be most at risk from the most severe side effects of COVID-19 to begin "shielding" themselves by staying at home, said the Metro newspaper report.

Letters will go out to those concerned, "strongly advising" them not to go out for at least 12 weeks starting from Monday.

At the same time, the government announced a new local support system to ensure people self-isolating at home without the support of family or friends can get basic groceries delivered.

Military planners, already helping councils and local resilience forums in their responses to the outbreak, have been centrally involved in setting up the new network.

It follows the dramatic announcement on Friday that all pubs, restaurants, cinemas and theatres are to shut in the latest move to combat the disease.

The latest official figures showed the number of people across the UK who have died due to the coronavirus has increased to 233, with 53 more fatalities reported on Saturday in England, two in Wales and one in Scotland.

The number of confirmed cases stood at 5,067.
COVID-19  Global travel advisory Effective December 15, 2021: Avoid non-essential travel outside Canada, regardless of your vaccination status. Omicron travel health notice

Warning: Read this handout carefully. It contains instructions from a quarantine officer, screening officer, and the minister of health that you are required to meet under the Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Quarantine, Isolation, and Other Obligations). They are legally binding under the order.

Your compliance with this order is subject to monitoring, verification and enforcement. If you do not comply, you may be transferred to a quarantine facility, face fines, and/or imprisonment.

A government representative will be calling you from 1-888-336-7735 and may visit you to verify you are complying with the quarantine measures.

Keep this handout for reference for the next 10 days.

Government of Canada border measures

The Government of Canada has put in place emergency measures under the Quarantine Act to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19 and variants in Canada. You are required to meet the requirements under the Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Quarantine, Isolation and Other Obligations).

Every person who enters Canada and who has reasonable grounds to suspect they have COVID-19, exhibits signs and symptoms of COVID-19, knows that they have COVID-19 or has received a positive result for any type of COVID-19 test that was performed on a specimen collected within a period of 10 days before the day on which they enter Canada or on the day on which they enter Canada, as well as every person who travelled with that person must isolate themselves without delay in accordance with the instructions provided below.

Mandatory requirements

You must:

Isolate

Go directly to the place where you will isolate without delay, or as directed by a screening officer or quarantine officer.

Isolate at your suitable place of isolation for a minimum of 10 days.

Take COVID-19 tests as directed

Take COVID-19 molecular tests in Canada as directed, unless you have evidence of a positive COVID-19 test taken 14 to 180 days prior to arrival to Canada.

Keep a copy of your COVID-19 molecular test results until the end of your isolation.

Provide your test results upon request to the Government of Canada or government of the province or territory, or to the local public health authority during your isolation period upon request.

Report and monitor

Report your arrival at your place of isolation within 48 hours in ArriveCAN or 1-833-641-0343 (if you did not use or cannot use ArriveCAN).

Monitor for symptoms throughout your isolation period.

Transiting to your place of isolation

Do not use public transportation (e.g. aircraft, bus, train, subway, taxi or ride-sharing service) to get to your place of isolation.

Wear a well-constructed, well-fitting mask while in transit.

Remain in the vehicle as much as possible.

Avoid stops and contact with others while in transit.

Symptoms

If your symptoms worsen or if you develop new symptoms, follow the COVID-19 instructions of the local public health authority (see below). If you receive a positive COVID-19 molecular test, you must isolate for an additional 10 days.

The isolation period starts on the earliest of:

the date you completed the COVID test, if the date is validated by the test provider or

the date of the test result

Understand the common signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

Actions in isolation

Do

Avoid all in-person interaction with others, including members of your household, if possible. When unable to avoid sharing a space with members of your household, everyone should wear a medical mask or a well-constructed and well-fitting non-medical mask.

Access the necessities of life (e.g., water, food, medication and heat) without leaving isolation. Food, groceries or other necessities should be left at your door for contactless delivery.

Only go outside on a private balcony or yard while respecting physical distancing from other household members.

Use a separate bedroom and bathroom.

Do not

Do not use shared spaces such as lobbies, courtyards, restaurants, gyms or pools.

Do not have any visitors.

Do not leave your place of isolation except for an essential medical service or treatment, to obtain a COVID-19 molecular test, or as authorized by a quarantine officer. If you must seek medical care, do: wear a medical mask use a private vehicle, and do not take public transportation



Public health authorities

Provinces and territories Telephone number British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories and Yukon 811 Manitoba 1-866-626-4862 Ontario 1-866-797-0000 Quebec 1-877-644-4545 Nunavut 1-867-975-5772

Links to provincial and territorial COVID-19 information and resources can be found at:

For more information
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has directed civil servants on graded 1 to 12 to stay at home for two weeks.

The governor gave this order on Sunday following an increase in the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria. Lagos is the most hit state with 19 of Nigerias 27 COVID-19 cases as at Sunday evening.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said that the stay at home order would last for an initial 14 days for civil servants from levels 1  12.

This order excludes civil servants in the health sector, waste management, fire services and other emergency response units.

In addition to previous measures, I hereby direct that all public officers in the entire unified public service from grade level one to 12 which constitutes about 70% of our entire workforce should start at home from Monday, March 23, 2020, for fourteen days at the first instance.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the order will be reviewed as the situation progresses, enjoining civil servants in the category to comply with the order.

Two of Nigerias 27 COVID-19 cases have fully recovered while none has died.

The virus has caused over 13,000 deaths globally with over 300,000 people infected.
Why Italy? Loads of people have been wondering why the beautiful Mediterranean country has become the new epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic. Experts list a range of reasons -- from Italy's relatively high age to its strained healthcare system to some old fashioned bad luck -- that add up to a disaster not seen in generations. None of the answers alone explain why the nation of 60 million accounts for over a third of the nearly 11,500 deaths officially reported across the 7.7-billion strong world. But other countries will want to examine each of these factors and address them through various preventive measures in their bids to avoid becoming the next Italy. - Old nation - One of the first factors almost everyone who looks at the figures points to is Italians' average age. It is high. The median age of the overall population was 45.4 last year -- greater than anywhere else in Europe. It is also seven years higher than the median age in China and slightly above that of South Korea. Figures released Friday showed the age of Italians dying of COVID-19 averaging out at 78.5. Almost 99 percent of them were also suffering from at least one pre-existing condition or ailment. Italy's mortality rate among those infected with the virus is thus a relatively high 8.6 percent. "COVID-19 fatalities are hitting older age groups hard," University of Oxford professor Jennifer Dowd noted on Twitter. "Countries with older populations will need to take more aggressive protective measures to stay below the threshold of critical cases that outstrip health system capacities," Dowd said. Yet Japan's median age of 47.3 makes it an even older nation than Italy -- and it has just 35 officially registered deaths. So age is clearly not the only factor. - Bad luck - Some scientists think that it could really have been almost any other country after China. "I think the question of 'Why Italy?' is the most important question and it has a simple answer: No reason at all," Yascha Mounk of Johns Hopkins University told Canada's CBC television. "The only thing that makes Italy different is that the first couple of (locally-transmitted) cases arrived in Italy about 10 days before they arrived in Germany, the United States or Canada." More than 4,000 people have died in Italy in the month since a 78-year-old builder from the Lombardy region of Milan became the first known European fatality of COVID-19. European nations such as Spain and France are now following Italy's trajectory and could theoretically have as many deaths and infections in a few weeks. "If other countries are not going to react in exactly the right way, they are going to become Italy," said Mounk. - Systemic collapse - The grim reality learned across Italy's devastated north is that diseases start spreading much faster once the healthcare system reaches its saturation point. Doctors have to start making life and death decisions about whom they help first -- and why -- when they run out of equipment such as respirators and even beds. "Sometimes you have to weigh the chances of success against the patient's condition," Brescia hospital's emergency unit head Paolo Terragnoli told AFP this week. "We try to do our best for everyone, while doing an extra something for those who have better chances." Old and frail patients who are turned away are extremely contagious and -- tragically but realistically -- fated to die. One of the Italian government's gravest fears is that the virus will start spreading to Italy's much poorer and far less equipped south. - Screening and counting - The world has suddenly realised that it does not have enough test kits to screen for COVID-19. Nations such as Italy dealt with this problem by only testing those who already exhibited symptoms such as a fever and a dry cough. South Korea had the kits and the means to conduct more than 10,000 tests a day. Germany followed a similar model and its death rate began to drop once even the mild COVID-19 infections began being counted. This partially explains both why Italy's mortality rate is so high and why COVID-19 was contained faster in some other countries. Harvard University professor Michael Mina said that 100,000 tests per day "might be optimal" for a country such as the United States.
Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has reportedly confirmed a total number of number of 3631 cases after 637 new cases were detected within the last 24 hours. As per the reports, the number of fatalities from the deadly virus has reached 136.

A statement reportedly read that since March 20, around 637 people have tested positive for the COVID-19 bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3631.

READ: Netherlands: People Line Up To Buy Weed After Dutch Govt Announces Lockdown

As from Thursday, 19 March 2020 18:00 entry conditions to the Netherlands will be stricter.



Read the questions and answers for more detailed information about the travel ban: https://t.co/TjVm0MgIHF  Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs  (@DutchMFA) March 19, 2020

According to the international media reports, the statement added that most deaths occured between 80 and 84 years of age. The WHO declared the Coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic on March 11. The deadly outbreak that emerged in Wuhan, China have infected 298,262 people and the death toll stands at 12,836 worldwide, as per reports.

READ: Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Netherlands Reports First Death; Cases Soar To 82

Just now, the Netherlands had three minutes of cheers nationwide for medical staff. 



This is in Amsterdam: pic.twitter.com/fN5ZXktQnR  Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) March 17, 2020

Air France-KLM grounded flights

Along with the closing of public spaces, the Netherlands government has announced that Airline Air France-KLM will ground virtually its entire fleet for at least the next 60 days and the passenger numbers are expected to plunge by up to 90 per cent.

In a bid to keep the airline company afloat, the authorities have said that it will do all it can. Moreover, the budget airline Easyjet which reportedly has a major hub at Amsterdams Schiphol airport is also halting flights.

According to reports, the Amsterdam stock exchange opened down 5.5 per cent on March 16 and has continued to fall in early trading, reportedly dipping below 400 points. Moreover, the AEX blue-chip index has also lost 20 per cent of its value in a week.

READ: Merkel Speech To Mark End Of WWII Occupation Of Netherlands

READ: Rare Crown Returned To Ethiopia From The Netherlands After 21 Years


My goal with the song is to bring some love, light, and little bit of levity to this dark situation. ... I really just hope it helps people to get through this tough time in some way.

The response has been exactly what he hoped, with lonely commenters noting they shared his video with a partner in another city or even another country. I sent this to my girlfriend ... in St. Petersburg, Russia. Im planning to visit soon but its looking dicey at this time, Ian McMath wrote.

Eversole is acutely aware of the pandemics international impact, due to his job.

He says hes an international banjo ambassador with Banjo Earth, a 5-year-old music and video project that sees him traveling the world in search of the folk music of past, present, and future, creating cross-cultural music collaborations.

Among the countries involved in the project is China, where the virus reportedly first began spreading earlier this year.

All his shows have been canceled through April due to the outbreak, he told McClatchy News.

Im back home in North Carolina now. Basically self isolating for a couple of weeks, Eversole said in an email.

I think the song is resonating because it reminds us of the human element in all of this. In the midst of all the masks, hand-washing, and social distancing, theres still this human urge to connect with and love each other.

This article is published through the N.C. News Collaborative, a partnership of Lee Newspapers, Gannett and McClatchy newspapers in North Carolina that aims to better inform readers throughout the state.
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has launched a new series "Oprah Talks COVID-19" for Apple TV Plus.

The 66-year-old former TV host announced the show on social media and for its first episode, she sat down with actor Idris Elba via Facetime to talk about his coronavirus diagnosis.

"Like millions of people all over the world, I've been staying safer at home for over a week now. I know a lot of people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, & uncertain. Because of that, I want to offer some hope & gather thought leaders & people going through it to add some perspective



"Which is why I FaceTimed @idriselba and his wife Sabrina who are safely quarantined together after he tested positive for COVID-19. Idris fills me in on his journey and Sabrina reveals the result of her test after they decided to quarantine together," Winfrey posted.

In the episode, Elba, 47, said he has been dodging interviews with the press but wanted to talk to Winfrey as a "friend" because "journalistic approach to doing things like this is probably one of the best".

About his decision to go public with his diagnosis, Elba said, "COVID-19 has come to a sort of pressure point right now but for the last two weeks, it's been a talking point and I really felt that a lot of people didn't know what was gonna come ... It didn't really feel relatable. There were a bunch of theories going around: it's a conspiracy! Is it even real?



"And when I got tested and it came back positive, it became very real. It was always real for me but it became very real. And I just felt compelled to tell people this is very real. Someone like myself, in the public eye, can press a button and 30 million people will get a message the next day, I think is a really important component in the messaging around COVID-19 right now," the actor said.

Sabrina, who sat besides Elba, said she has also been tested positive for COVID-19.

Throughout the series, Winfrey will continue to have remote conversations with experts and people facing challenges caused by the pandemic, which first originated in China and has so far claimed the lives of over 13,000 people.

"Oprah Talks COVID-19" is now streaming and can be viewed on Apple TV Plus by its subscribers. People who don't have a subscription can also watch the show on the streaming service's application.

The show is part of Winfrey's multi-million dollars deal with Apple for creating content for the company's newly-launched streaming service.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, March 22 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Liberal Democratic Party policymaker Fumio Kishida on Sunday called for a supplementary budget far over 15 trillion yen to cut the negative impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy.

"We must consider a size far exceeding the level at the time of the Lehman crisis," Kishida said in a television debate program aired by Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK.

Japan released an economic stimulus package featuring 15.4 trillion yen in state funds in April 2009 in response to the global financial crisis triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008.

"We need more drastic measures," Kishida said, proposing cash handouts and other steps that directly reach households.

Noritoshi Ishida, the policy head at Komeito, the ruling LDP's coalition partner, said it is best to distribute a fixed amount without setting an income limit for eligible recipients.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Former employees and fans of Ellen DeGeneres have taken to Twitter to blast the renowned talk show host for her alleged 'mean' behavior.

Comedian Kevin T. Porter kicked the entire social media movement off on Friday, when he sent out a tweet urging people to message him 'the most insane stories [they've] heard' about DeGeneres in an effort to raise money for the Los Angeles Food Bank.

Shortly after posting, Porter was flooded with written accounts by various Twitter users who claimed to have had less than savory interactions with Ellen - who he labeled as 'notoriously one of the meanest people alive' - over the years.

Yikes: Former employees and fans of Ellen DeGeneres took to Twitter Friday to blast the renowned talk show host for her alleged 'mean' behavior

On a roll: Comedian Kevin T. Porter kicked the entire social media movement off, when he sent out a tweet urging people to message him 'the most insane stories [they've] heard' about DeGeneres in an effort to raise money for the Los Angeles Food Bank

'Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen Degeneres always talks about!,' wrote Porter. '[And] I'll match every [story] w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank.'

Before scanning his Twitter thread for the best responses, Porter reminded his audience that the stories they submit 'have to be real! Cause we need some REAL kindness right now.'

According to one user, former head writer for The Ellen DeGeneres show Karen Kilgariff was 'fired' because she 'wouldn't cross the picket line' during a writer's strike.

'When Karen wouldn't cross the picket line she was fired and Ellen never spoke to her again,' they wrote.

Alleged hostility and mistreatment of writers proved to be a reigning theme in the thread, with one user claiming that her 'friend' who had written for Ellen 'for two years' was never acknowledged by her.

Loyalty tested: According to one user, former head writer for The Ellen DeGeneres show Karen Kilgariff was 'fired' because she 'wouldn't cross the picket line' during a writer's strike

Talk to the hand: Alleged hostility and mistreatment of writers proved to be a reigning theme in the thread, with one user claiming that her 'friend' who had written for Ellen 'for two years' was never acknowledged by her

Served: Another user, who had waited on the 62-year-old comedian at the Los Angeles vegan eatery Real Food Daily, claimed that Ellen 'wrote a letter to the owner & complained about [the waitress'] chipped nail polish

'[She] told me Ellen didn't greet her once. In fact, upon employment, staff were told they weren't allowed to talk to her'

TV writer Benjamin Siemon decided to provide the thread with some stories of his own, that included DeGeneres having an irrationally 'sensitive nose' and often picking 'someone different to really hate' each day on set.

'Everyone must chew gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her and if she thinks you smell that day you have to go home and shower,' he alleged.

'A new staff member was told 'every day she picks someone different to really hate. It's not your fault, just suck it up for the day and she'll be mean to someone else the next day. They didn't believe it but it ended up being entirely true.'

Another user, who had waited on the 62-year-old comedian at the Los Angeles vegan eatery Real Food Daily, claimed that Ellen 'wrote a letter to the owner & complained about [the waitress'] chipped nail polish (not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand).'

She continued: 'I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morning, almost got me fired.'

Another terrible restaurant experience included a story which she 'threw a place of salmon' in a waiter's face 'bc it wasn't what she ordered.'

Ellen, a staunch vegetarian, appeared to have multiple negative run-ins with waitstaff, with one Twitter user claiming that the talk show host 'threw a plate of salmon' at her friend because it 'wasn't what she ordered.'

Comedian Josh Levesque wrote to Porter explaining that a friend of his had worked as a production assistant for The Ellen Show during a time when actor Russell Brand was set to appear as a guest.

Brand allegedly 'came into the employee break area to chat with the crew and hangout,' but then 'Ellen came in and got mad at him.'

Apparently, Ellen told the Get Him To The Greek star that he 'didn't have to interact with these people' and 'that's why guests have their own area backstage.'

Writer Alison Freer recounted a time when she had been working for a production on the Warner Brothers lot - where The Ellen Show is filmed.

'[It] was our showrunner's 50th Bday. Caterer grilling steaks outside for special fancy lunch. Ellen sent someone over to demand they stop, as she doesn't eat meat.'

Freer added: 'She's the worst.'

One user, not speaking from experience, recalled hearing that Ellen had 'insisted' a newly employed assistant take her 'fancy-a** car on a run,' even though the assistant was 'not comfortable' driving the vehicle.

'The assistant accidentally backed it into a pole and was immediately fired for it,' they wrote.

Lots of stories: People had more than a few anecdotes to share

Though mostly negative experiences with DeGeneres were documented in Porter's thread, some Twitter users did voice positive exchanges they had had with the chatty gal.

Actor Jordan James Smith recounted a time he had worked alongside Ellen on a shoot, where he described her as 'really nice.'

'I once worked on an American Express commercial with her and Beyonce. We talked and I made a joke that made them both laugh. She was actually really nice.'

'Oh nice, I'm glad you had a good experience with her!,' replied Porter to the optimistic commenter.

Porter's initial tweet has since garnered more than 5,000 retweets and nearly 1,000 replies, since posting.

Daily Mail has reached out to DeGeneres' reps for comment.

Mixed bag: Actor Jordan James Smith recounted a time he had worked alongside Ellen on a shoot, where he described her as 'really nice.' 'I once worked on an American Express commercial with her and Beyonce. We talked and I made a joke that made them both laugh. She was actually really nice'

Ellen - who is married to actress Portia de Rossi - has currently been holed up in her Los Angeles mansion in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since entering quarantine, the star has been using her personal social media to document her day-to-day, which has included calls to her famous pals and various attempts at learning new skills.

Ellen announced on Twitter last Friday that The Ellen Show would 'suspend production' as a result of the growing seriousness of coronavirus.

'So, after some more thought, we have decided to suspend production completely until March 30th. We just want to take every precaution to ensure that we do our part to keep everyone healthy,' tweeted the talk show host at the time.

DeGeneres continued: 'I love you guys, and can't wait to come back. I'm already bored.'
>>> Top leader stresses avoiding complacency in COVID-19 fight

>>> One COVID-19 patient discharged from hospital

On Friday (Mar 20), the committee sent an urgent dispatch on this issue to the relevant ministries and local authorities, instructing them to organise concentrated isolation for all people from countries and territories entering Vietnam from 0:00 on Saturday.

In case of any entry showing signs of fever, cough or shortness of breath, they should be taken immediately to medical facilities for isolation, treatment and testing.

Those coming to Vietnam for diplomatic and official purposes who are in good health, have no signs of disease and are guaranteed by their representative mission to ensure absolute isolation conditions will be quarantined at diplomatic agencies or accommodation establishments for the full 14 days from their date of entry into Vietnam.

In special cases, written documents from the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries (when necessary) are required, according to the notice.

On Friday, the MoH announced six more cases testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, bringing the total in Vietnam so far to 91. Among them, 17 have recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung speaks at the meeting. (Photo: NDO/Nguyen Trang)



* On Friday afternoon, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung announced that the medical lockdown at a neighbourhood in Truc Bach street, where patient No. 17 resides, lasted for the full 14 days as of Friday evening, and that all 189 people there have showed negative test results.

Chung authorised the chairman of the Truc Bach Ward People's Committee (in Ba Dinh District) to sign a decision to lift the lockdown on Friday afternoon.

In the near future, Hanoi will welcome 20,000 Vietnamese from abroad. Therefore, it is recommended that local people continue to promptly report cases showing signs of the disease and participate in monitoring those individuals subject to medical isolation in the community, the Hanoi leader suggested.

Many foreign tourists completing medical isolation

Prof., Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital (R) presents flowers and a letter from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to a British female traveller who has completed her medical isolation in Hue City. (Photo: NDO/Cong Hau)



On the afternoon of March 20, the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Steering Committee in Thua Thien - Hue Province announced that the province has granted 14 days of medical isolation completion certificates to 34 foreign tourists and local citizens who had close contact with COVID-19-positive patients detected in Thua Thien - Hue.

The same day, Hoi An City in Quang Nam Province also granted certificates recognising 39 foreign tourists who had finished their isolation period with negative test results before returning their home countries. They were on the same flight to Vietnam with cases identified positive for COVID-19 before, so they must conduct isolation for 14 days in accordance with the regulations of the MoH.

Sa Pa Town authorities on Friday also released 34 citizens who had close contact with two British patients infected with COVID-19, after they completed their two-week isolation.
Imitation is said to be a form of flattery, but UK airliner EasyJet has had to apologise after it plagiarised Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in a motivational address to staff.

The video was sent to pilots and cabin crew as they were asked to make sacrifices in the coming weeks due to the coronavirus crisis. It mimicked the Taoiseachs address to the nation on St Patricks day.

In the clip, EasyJet chief operating officer Peter Bellew repeated Varadkars gambit that this is a time none of us will ever forget. He went on to echo the Taoiseachs call that people will tell their grandchildren about the crisis and how everyone stayed at home to protect each other.

He continued with his address, replicating the Taoiseachs speech throughout.

Expand Close Peter Bellew. Photo: Goh Seng Chong/Bloomberg / Facebook

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A video online has spliced the separate speeches in to one clip, highlighting how consistent they are with each other. Some sections of the speeches are identical.

In a communique to staff Bellew apologised, before praising Varadkar.

According to the Guardian, he told colleagues: Some of you have spotted similarities between the message I did last week and a recent speech by the Irish Taoiseach, Leo VAradkar. I can only hold my hands up and apologise.

I thought the Taoiseach struck exactly the right note and it really resonated in my mind with what we are going through, so I borrowed some of his phrases in my recent message to cabin crew and pilots, which I realise now I should not have done.

I would like to say sorry to the Taoiseach and to all of you. I will write all of my own speeches in future.
Many movie and TV productions have shut down in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that's a problem for services like Netflix that depend on a steady stream of shows. To that end, Netflix has created a $100 million fund to support workers in the creative community, whether they're actors or set crews. Most of that money will go to the "hardest hit" staffers for Netflix's original shows, but about $15 million of it will go to third parties and non-profits providing relief, such as SAG-AFTRA's COVID-19 Disaster Fund and the Actors Fund Emergency Assistance.

The exact amounts delivered to in-house projects will vary "production by production." Netflix had already promised two weeks of pay promised to productions that stopped work last week.

This is an investment in Netflix's future more than anything. While its blockbuster projects are relatively safe, it could lose many of the smaller originals whose teams can't afford to stop for weeks or months at a time. What it spends now could be worthwhile when work resumes and viewers have plenty of new material to watch.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday ruled out complete lockdown in the country, saying it will create chaos and urged people to self-quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far claimed four lives and infected over 700 people in the country.

Addressing the nation as cases of the novel coronavirus surged across the country, Khan reiterated that lockdown will create chaos as more than 25 per cent people were living below the poverty line and their lives will be shattered.

He said the situation in Pakistan does not call for a lockdown yet.

"Let me first tell you what a complete lockdown is. It means imposing a curfew and locking people in their homes," said Khan.P



We cannot afford complete lockdown as it will create massive unrest, he said, adding that the situation in the country is not as bad as in Italy or France.

If the condition was similar to that of Italy, I would have imposed a lockdown, he said.

He urged the people to follow the policy of self-isolation and stay inside their homes. He said the government was constantly watching the situation and all necessary measures will be taken accordingly.

The government on Saturday suspended all international flights for two weeks and curtailed train services to curb the spread of the virus, which has turned into a major global crisis.

Though Prime Minister Khan has ruled out complete lockdown, Pakistan's biggest city and its financial hub, Karachi in the Southern Sindh province is set to go into complete lockdown from midnight after the provincial government confirmed 41 new coronavirus cases in the province on Sunday, taking the provincial tally to 333.

The nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients has jumped to 703, the Express Tribune reported.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in a video message said he had no other option left but to go for a 15-days complete lockdown in Karachi and rest of the province as the government could not sit by and risk the health and safety of its citizens to the coronavirus.

Sindh has witnessed more cases of coronavirus than any other part of the country.

The provincial government said that all offices will be closed and gatherings banned. Additionally, those who are not required to, will not be allowed to go outside in public.

Shah said all mosques, religious spots would also be closed for 15-days.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday confirmed third death to the novel coronavirus in the province, bringing the country's tally of COVID-19 fatalities to four.

Addressing a conference, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Spokesperson Ajmal Wazir said a woman who tested positive for the virus had passed away on Saturday. She had recently returned from Iran.

The Provincial governments in Balochistan, Punjab Sindh requested deployment of the armed forces in the wake of a surge in novel coronavirus cases across the country.

The Punjab government has written a letter to the interior ministry asking for the deployment of the army to help deal with the coronavirus situation in the province, where over 150 people have been infected with virus.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the army's help was needed to ensure lockdown in the province, where over 150 people have tested positive.

Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday, seeking directions to the federal and provincial governments for effectively dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

Petitioners requested the court to order the federal government to declare a national public health emergency across the country, establish an emergency relief fund, and order utilisation of the dam fund for combating the dreadful virus, the reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sixteen Ukrainian citizens are undergoing treatment abroad.

As many as 59,494 Ukrainians have returned from abroad thanks to Ukrainian diplomats' efforts amid the current coronavirus pandemic.

Some 152 Ukrainians were put in quarantine in other countries, the press service of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.

Read alsoUkraine's confirmed coronavirus cases increase to 47 on March 21

Another 16 citizens of Ukraine are undergoing treatment in Germany, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Poland, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Seychelles.

Six Ukrainians have already recovered  four in Japan, one in Italy and Poland each.

However, three Ukrainian citizens died from coronavirus abroad.

As UNIAN reported, there were 47 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine as of the evening of March 21, three of them were fatal; one patient recovered and was already discharged from hospital.
Iraq on Sunday imposed a total nationwide lockdown until March 28 to fight the novel coronavirus, as the number of cases grew and the death toll climbed to 20.

Most of Iraq's 18 provinces had so far imposed their own local curfews but the new measures would include the whole of the country, according to a new decision by the government's crisis cell.

Schools, universities and other gathering places would remain closed, as would the country's multiple international airports, it said in a statement seen by AFP.

Many had feared a potential influx of cases from neighbouring Iran, where 1,685 people have died after contracting the COVID-19 respiratory illness.

Iraq first shut it 1,500-kilometre border with Iran about a month ago and deployed troops to enforce the decision.

The virus has killed only 20 people in Iraq while 233 others are infected but there are concerns that many cases are going undetected, as only 2,000 people of the country's 40-million population have been tested so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United States has said it is evacuating thousands of Peace Corps volunteers from abroad due to the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus.



The Peace Corps, a U.S. government-funded agency providing assistance around the world, announced on its website it would temporarily suspend volunteer operations from "all posts."



"We are acting now to protect the health of volunteers and prevent a situation where volunteers are unable to leave their host countries and return to the United States," the agency said.



The Peace Corps did not specify how it was arranging for the volunteers to leave the foreign countries and told them "not to share evacuation details with others online, including on social media."



The United States has imposed international travel restrictions to help slow the spread of the coronavirus and has advised citizens abroad to return home. Many other countries have also imposed international travel restrictions that have already left some U.S. citizens stranded abroad.



Peace Corps volunteers work in developing countries where health-care systems are generally underfunded. The coronavirus is overwhelming some health-care systems in advanced economies and could do the same in developing countries, experts have said.



The agency said it was returning volunteers to the United States now, even though the country currently has the fourth-largest number of coronavirus cases globally, because it could be difficult to evacuate them for other medical emergencies, such as trauma or surgery, due to airport closures.



The Peace Corps currently has 7,334 volunteers serving in 61 countries, according to the agency's website. About 13 percent, or nearly 1,000 volunteers, serve in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Albania, Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine.



They serve in jobs that focus on health, education, agriculture, community development, and the environment.



The volunteers, who normally serve for a period of two years, are paid living expenses that are in accordance with local standards and could be just a few hundred dollars a month.



The Peace Corps said it will pay the volunteers an "evacuation allowance" that is calculated based on the length of service. The volunteers will also receive two-month health-care coverage upon their return to the United States.



As volunteers, they are not eligible for unemployment benefits.



The volunteers will be able to reapply for service when the coronavirus threat is over, the agency said on its website. The Peace Corps said it was not closing paid staff positions.



AmeriCorps, the U.S.-focused equivalent of the Peace Corps, has told some volunteers to pause their work.
Imagine starting a fashion brand with your mum.

For many of us, that prospect is as implausible as it is incomprehensible. As undesirable as it is unattractive.

But for Antwerp-based, mother-daughter duo Charlotte and Bernadette De Geyter, this was far from the case.

The two formed cult brand Bernadette (in honour of Charlottes mum) just two years ago and already has managed to earn its stripes with the fashion crowd, owing to its variegated use of colour and streamlined silhouettes.

It feels like it was meant to be that we would be designing together eventually, 26-year-old Charlotte remarks, referencing their shared love of vibrant fashion.

Charlotte and Bernadette / Eva Donckers

And it was precisely this shared admiration for clothes which instigated the genesis of Bernadette.

In the eighties, Bernadette (who Charlotte lauds as having amazing taste in fashion and interiors) enjoyed a period working in buying for Ralph Lauren, before focusing on growing and developing Antwerp-based boutiques.

Fast forward several years and Charlotte graduated with a masters in fashion from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, before going on to work for bucolic London-based designer, Simone Rocha.

It was Charlottes stint in the Capital which sparked a flame of inspiration in her.

What I learned and saw at Simones that really attracted me was that she would work so closely with her parent (her dad is the fashion designer, John Rocha,) Charlotte muses. It was beautiful to see how they were all so close and really lived and breathed the DNA of the brand.

Charlotte and Bernadette / Eva Donckers

The focus on family at Rocha made Charlotte yearn to emulate the same environment for her own brand. I knew that this was what I wanted as well for my own company one day, she says.

And, in 2018, there was a meeting of a mother and her daughters minds, and Bernadette was born.

Bernadettes designs comprise chaotic colourways in a series of throw-on-and-go styles. The kind of dresses that last you a lifetime and have enough personality to withstand superfluous fads and trends.

The brand, which has amassed a 13,000-strong Instagram following, is proud to be the antithesis of the aforementioned trends which have emerged in recent years, including neutral-toned colour palettes and body-conscious pieces.

Were inspired by women that dont follow trends and who prefer to buy what moves them emotionally, Bernadette explains, admonishing the trend-driven world which her brand exists in. These are the exact trends which push the pair even more to create more of their fun and unapologetic designs.

The pair cite style mavens Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly and Elisabeth Taylor amongst their inspirations.

But given that the brand has cross-generational appeal thanks to its ageless designs, and the age-gap between its two founders, how do the women merge their two styles while still nurturing the allure of their clothes?

Were controversial in our colours  extremely feminine in our attitude  and always minimal in the styling, Charlotte explains.

Bernadette is the Antwerp-based brand you need to know about / Eva Donckers

54-year-old Bernadettes focus, meanwhile, is on the designs having lots of fun and being timeless and elegant.

Attributes which arguably resonate across age groups. But with nearly two decades separating the pair, and with the inevitable close bond shared between mothers and daughters, there must come challenges from working so closely with a parent/child.

We have to tell each other not to talk about work during our family dinners, it is really difficult sometimes, but were getting better at it! jokes Bernadette.

Conversations at the dinner table may be a challenge, but ultimately, Charlotte summarises, I always have my best friend with me for the important moments.

In a fraught world which is currently trying to navigate the unchartered territory of a global pandemic, the pair aim to use their designs and brand to evoke happiness and inspire beauty.

We want to create beauty and things that make you happy and were proud that we can stand out, Charlotte states.
SALEM, Ore. --- Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-11, placing a temporary ban on residential evictions for nonpayment during the COVID-19 crisis. The order is effective for 90 days.

Through no fault of their own, many Oregonians have lost jobs, closed businesses, and found themselves without a source of income to pay rent and other housing costs during this coronavirus outbreak, said Governor Brown. The last thing we need to do during this crisis is turn out more Oregonians struggling to make ends meet from their homes and onto the streets.

Under the governor's emergency powers, the order places a temporary hold throughout Oregon on law enforcement actions relating to residential evictions for not paying rent.

Recognizing that landlords and property owners face their own costs if tenants are not able to pay rent, the governor and her Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council are engaging lenders to find potential solutions and are exploring various state and federal policy options that might be available to provide assistance to borrowers or other options for relief.

Oregon Housing and Community Services and the Department of Consumer and Business Services are also pursuing relief options at the direction of the governor.
Union Minister for Steel, and Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan along with his family in New Delhi expressed gratitude to people fighting coronavirus aka COVID-19 on Sunday by clapping and ringing bells. Just like people across the nation, who came out to thank doctors, nurses, police, delivery boys and others for providing essential and emergency services at this time of distress, Pradhan also clapped and rung a bell for the heros of the country who are countinously battling against the virus to keep the country running. Union Minister also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking an important call of janata curfew and making all come together in this testing time.

In a video, Dharmendra Pradhan can be seen with his family members at his residences lawn clapping, ringing bells, thanking and boosting confidence of people fighting corona virus. Notably, all the members were standing a distance from each other and followed all precautionary direction shared by the government.

Other heavyweight politicians like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, MP Manoj Tiwari, BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, NCP chief Sharad Pawar also expressed gratitude for heroes fighting against coronavirus.

So far, 349 positive coronavirus cases have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Sunday. The numbers have shoot up shockingly and 3 deaths were reported in 24 hours taking the death toll to 7.

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria came in support of 'Janta curfew' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged on the government to provide relief to the poor who are "suffering" due to lack of jobs in the wake of COVID-19 threat.

Speaking to ANI Sudhindra Bhadoria said, "The surge in coronavirus cases has created fear among people but the Indian masses are behaving in a very responsible manner. They have responded to every call made by the government including observation of the Janta curfew."

"But I must also say the responsibility of the government is to see that poor people are suffering due to lack of jobs, no incomes are available and therefore they are leaving their workplaces in such a situation," he added

Bhadoria urged the Government that it should act and create a task force and arrange for their livelihood otherwise the situation might lead to panic and create problems.

On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation urged the citizens to refrain from stepping out of their homes and self impose a "Janata curfew" on Sunday. He asked people to exhibit "resolve" and "restraint" while fighting the virus.

The self-imposed curfew, as per the Health Ministry, will help contain the coronavirus transmission, which has so far claimed the lives of four people in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A railways official checks temperature of daily wage laborers, returning from Mumbai amid Coronavirus concerns in Prayagraj , India (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Covid-19 has infected hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. Here are the latest updates.

- JAPAN

Japan has issued a travel warning for its nationals, urging not to make unessential trips to the United States because of the rapidly expanding coronavirus outbreak there, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Japan has taken similar steps to most European countries and banned trips to China, South Korea, Iceland, San Marino and parts of Italy, Switzerland and Spain.

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As of Saturday, the US had 15,219 confirmed cases and 201 deaths, the ministry said, citing the US Centre for Disease Control.

The US has urged Americans not to make non-essential trips to Japan, and Japanese nationals entering the US are required to undertake a 14-day self-imposed quarantine.

- SINGAPORE

Singapore said it will fully shut its borders from Tuesday after recording its first two deaths.

Expand Close Members of the National Ambulance Service with members of the Defence Forces on Sir John Rogerson's Quay in Dublin as Defence Forces tents have been set up alongside the LE Samuel Beckett, ahead of it becoming operational as a testing centre for Covid-19. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA / Facebook

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The city-state has banned visitors from several countries and requires all short-term visitors to observe a 14-day home quarantine. But the government said that from Tuesday all short-term visitors will be barred from entering or transiting through the country.

It said in a statement on Sunday that this will reduce the risk of imported cases and free up resources to focus on its citizens. Singapore citizens, permanent residents and foreigners with a long-term work permit can return but must undergo a 14-day self-quarantine.

The city-state of nearly 6 million people has recorded 432 cases so far. On Saturday, it reported that a 75-year-old Singaporean woman and an Indonesian visitor, 64, have succumbed to the virus.

- COLOMBIA

Colombia has reported its first death from the new coronavirus.

Officials said he was a 58-year-old taxi driver who had driven tourists from Italy, one of the countries worst hit by the virus.

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Whatsapp The streets of the Jordanian Capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic (AP)

Colombia's Ministry of Health said the man had previous health issues, including untreated diabetes.

President Ivan Duque has prohibited all non-resident foreigners from entering the country and has decreed a mandatory quarantine starting on Tuesday.

Colombia has confirmed 210 cases of the coronavirus.

- SRI LANKA

Police said they have detained 291 people for breaching a three-day curfew which has been imposed as part of strict measures designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus on the Indian Ocean island.

Officers said the detentions were made during patrols to ensure that people stay in their homes. The curfew was imposed on Friday and will end on Tuesday.

Some people were arrested for drinking in a playground, while others were loitering in streets during the curfew.

The government is urging people to stay at home as the number of positive cases has risen to 77.

Expand Close Italian army soldiers patrol streets after being deployed to the region of Lombardy to enforce the lockdown against the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Milan, Italy, March 21, 2020. REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo / Facebook

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Whatsapp Italian army soldiers patrol streets after being deployed to the region of Lombardy to enforce the lockdown against the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Milan, Italy, March 21, 2020. REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

- AUSTRALIA

Australia has unveiled a 66.4 billion Australian dollar (33 billion) stimulus package in a bid to ward off a recession and safeguard employment from the coronavirus pandemic.

The package includes cash payments for eligible small businesses and welfare recipients. The total economic assistance packages so far total almost 10% of the country's GDP.

Australia has recorded more than 1,000 cases of the virus as fears grow that it is heading for its first recession in nearly three decades.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: "We want to help businesses keep going as best they can or to pause instead of falling apart. We want to ensure that when this crisis has passed Australia can bounce back."

He said more draconian social distancing measures would be considered during a Cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Sydney's famous Bondi Beach was closed on Saturday after thousands of people flouted regulations that prohibit more than 500 people gathering.

- SOUTH KOREA

South Korea reported 98 more cases of the new coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total to 8,897.

Deaths increased by two to 104, according to the state-run Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

- HAWAII

Hawaii's governor instituted a mandatory 14-day quarantine starting on Thursday of all people travelling to the state as part of efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Hawaii News Now reported.

The order applies to returning residents as well as visitors.

"We need to come together as a community to fight this virus," said Governor David Ige. "This mandate is the first of its kind in the nation. We want this action to send the message to visitors and residents alike that we appreciate their love for Hawaii but we are asking them to postpone their visit."

The state announced 11 new cases of people with the coronavirus, taking Hawaii's total to 48, according to Hawaii News Now. Three of them are in hospital.

The US Army announced a soldier with the 25th Infantry Battalion based in Hawaii tested positive for the coronavirus, the first case linked to the Army community in the state, Hawaii News Now reported. The soldier is in isolation.

- CHINA

The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic was first detected, went a fourth consecutive day on Sunday without reporting any new or suspected cases of the virus.

Elsewhere, the country reported 46 new cases over the previous 24 hours, 45 of them coming from overseas. The health ministry did not say where the domestic case was found.

Another six deaths were also reported, one in Wuhan, four in the surrounding province of Hubei and one elsewhere.

China has now recorded a total of 81,054 cases and 3,261 deaths. A total of 72,244 people have been declared cured and released from hospital.

Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland

Wuhan must go 14 straight days without a new case in order for draconian travel restrictions to be lifted and the city remains isolated from the rest of the province, which is itself closed off to the rest of the country. Even while social distancing and quarantines for new arrivals remain the norm, China is striving to restore activity in the world's second-largest economy.

Wuhan is a centre of China's crucial auto industry and a special train carrying more than 1,000 employees of Dongfeng Motor Corporation arrived in the city on Saturday for the first time since the outbreak. All were sent directly by bus to factories or residential communities.

- RUSSIA

The Russian Defence Ministry said it is ready to fly its mobile medical teams and disinfection equipment to Italy to help it deal with the new coronavirus.

The ministry's statement followed a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday in which the Russian leader offered to send military medical personnel and equipment to help Italy contain the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its transport planes stand ready to airlift eight mobile medical teams along with various medical equipment and aerosol disinfection trucks to Italy.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had a call with his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Guerini, who said Italy was ready to receive Russian planes with medical personnel and equipment starting on Sunday.

- MIDDLE EAST

The Palestinian Health Ministry has announced the first two cases of the coronavirus in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry said early on Sunday that the cases were two people who returned recently from Pakistan.

The discovery increases fears of a potential outbreak in the crowded enclave, amid an overstretched healthcare system that struggles under years of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade and Palestinian political division.

- CZECH REPUBLIC

A giant transport plane landed in the Czech Republic late on Saturday, loaded with more than 100 tons of much-needed supplies for the medical sector to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus. The transport was part of a Nato programme.

The Czech Defence Ministry said the plane was flying from the city of Shenzhen in south-eastern China with more than 106 metric tons (117 tons) of equipment.

The Czech Republic has 995 people infected with Covid-19.

The flight was made possible by the Strategic Air Lift International Solution (Salis), whose goal is to provide participating Nato allies with a capability to transport heavy and outsized cargo.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin asks members of the media to practice social distancing, as he departs a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Mnuchin: Family of 4 Could Get $3,000 Amid CCP Virus Crisis

Lockdown Could Last 10 to 12 Weeks, He Says

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that as businesses continue to close and people lose their jobs over the CCP virus lockdown affecting parts of the United States, a family of four could receive $3,000 as well as unemployment insurance following the passage of a new stimulus package.

Mnuchin was to meet March 22 with House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), to discuss a relief package that is worth $1 trillion.

I think we have a fundamental understanding and we look forward to wrapping it up today, Mnuchin told Fox News Sunday, adding that he expects the country to stay on lockdown for a 10- to 12-week scenario.

He said that one key component involves keeping small businesses afloat.

A man wearing a face mask boards a bus on campus at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada, on March 13, 2020. (Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images)

You need to retain them. Youll also get some overhead. And if you do that, those loans will be forgiven, Mnuchin said. That will allow small businesses to keep people, and make sure when we open up the economy, theyre up and running.

In the interview, he said that up to $3,000 could be provided to families, for a family of four, via direct deposits. Enhanced unemployment insurance will also be provided for those who were laid off, he said.

Mnuchin told Fox that the next part involves a significant package working with the federal reserve that will allow up to $4 trillion of liquidity that we can use to support the economy.

The U.S. economy is strong. Weve stopped major parts of it, but when we get through this virus, as Ive said, I think youre gonna see the U.S. economy come back to the strength; we have great companies, we have great workers, he said. What we need to do is have a bridge to get through this. And this isnt the financial crisis thats gonna go on for years.

The governors of New York, California, New Jersey, Illinois, and others instituted statewide lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus. A number of businesses deemed nonessential were closedexcept for banks, restaurants that serve takeout or via drive-through, grocery stores, hardware stores, and others, which means that a number of people have been laid off and have been forced to collect unemployment insurance.

New York announced on March 20 that its experiencing an unprecedented increase in unemployment claims, which caused outages and disruptions.

We need to get the money into the economy now. If we do that, we think we can stabilize the economy, Mnuchin said on the program. I think the president has every expectation that this is going to look a lot better four or eight weeks from now.

The Treasury Department has already announced that the tax filing date will be pushed back 90 days to July 15.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the 14-hour-long 'Janta Curfew' on Sunday was just the beginning of a long battle against coronavirus outbreak, as he lauded the people for their overwhelming response to his appeal for self-restriction, saying together the countrymen can defeat any challenge.

He also thanked people for expressing gratitude towards those at the forefront of fight against coronavirus.

"Today's Janta Curfew may end at 9.00pm, but this does not mean we start celebrating," he tweeted.

He said that observing the self-imposed curfew should "not be considered as a success"and that "it is the beginning of a long battle."



"Janta Curfew is beginning of a long battle. Today, the countrymen have proved that they are capable and once they decide they can together take on any challenge," he said.

In an earlier tweet, he had said the country thanked each person who led the fight against the coronavirus. "Many thanks to the countrymen," Modi wrote.

He said that with this "resolve and patience, let's restrict (social distancing) ourselves as part of this long battle."



The prime minister thanked elderly women of the country for expressing their gratitude to those fighting the deadly virus.

He also tagged a video which shows his mother Heeraben beating a plate in an expression of gratitude to those fighting the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has killed seven people and infected 360 in India.

"With the blessings of crores of mothers like you, the doctors, nurses, medical staff, police personnel, security personnel, sanitation workers and members of the media fighting coronavirus are encouraged," he wrote.

In his address to the nation on Thursday, Modi had lauded the hard work of medical professionals, sanitation staff, airline crew, home delivery persons and media personnel among others.

Modi had asked people to express gratitude to them by giving a five-minute standing ovation at 5 pm on Sunday by clapping hands, beating plates or ringing bells.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has launched a new series "Oprah Talks COVID-19" for Apple TV Plus.

The 66-year-old former TV host announced the show on social media and for its first episode, she sat down with actor Idris Elba via Facetime to talk about his coronavirus diagnosis.

"Like millions of people all over the world, I've been staying safer at home for over a week now. I know a lot of people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, & uncertain. Because of that, I want to offer some hope & gather thought leaders & people going through it to add some perspective "Which is why I FaceTimed @idriselba and his wife Sabrina who are safely quarantined together after he tested positive for COVID-19. Idris fills me in on his journey and Sabrina reveals the result of her test after they decided to quarantine together," Winfrey posted.

In the episode, Elba, 47, said he has been dodging interviews with the press but wanted to talk to Winfrey as a "friend" because "journalistic approach to doing things like this is probably one of the best".

About his decision to go public with his diagnosis, Elba said, "COVID-19 has come to a sort of pressure point right now but for the last two weeks, it's been a talking point and I really felt that a lot of people didn't know what was gonna come ...It didn't really feel relatable. There were a bunch of theories going around: it's a conspiracy! Is it even real?

"And when I got tested and it came back positive, it became very real. It was always real for me but it became very real. And I just felt compelled to tell people this is very real. Someone like myself, in the public eye, can press a button and 30 million people will get a message the next day, I think is a really important component in the messaging around COVID-19 right now," the actor said.

Sabrina, who sat besides Elba, said she has also been tested positive for COVID-19.

Throughout the series, Winfrey will continue to have remote conversations with experts and people facing challenges caused by the pandemic, which first originated in China and has so far claimed the lives of over 13,000 people.

"Oprah Talks COVID-19" is now streaming and can be viewed on Apple TV Plus by its subscribers. People who don't have a subscription can also watch the show on the streaming service's application.

The show is part of Winfrey's multi-million dollars deal with Apple for creating content for the company's newly-launched streaming service.
As the spread of COVID-19 has utterly transformed life as we know it, it has also emerged as the most profound test of political leadership in a generation or more.

Of course, the pandemic is, first and foremost, a health crisis. In the global response, doctors and public health authorities have been foregrounded, and rightfully so. But it is also a crisis of public confidence and so it is appropriate to look at the crisis through the lens of the political leadership as well.

In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, having gotten Brexit done, now faces an even greater challenge. He has been forced to pivot from an initial anachronistic approach of herd immunity (i.e., letting the virus run amok) to proper suppression and mitigation efforts as in the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, in Ireland, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was voted out of office last month, but while a new government has been unable to form, the former doctor-turned-politician has, quite literally, risen to the role of caretaker government. On St. Patricks Day, he delivered a national address that marked the high watermark of his premiership.

The pandemic has forced Angela Merkel, long averse to televised displays of leadership, into doing precisely that. And in so doing proving why she continues to be primus inter pares among world leaders.

As for Donald Trump, there is only one word: disaster.

Here at home, Canadian leaders, at all orders of government, have acted on the advice of scientists, doctors and public health experts, as they bloody well should. And for that we can, as a people, be grateful.

From Prime Minister Trudeau to our premiers and mayors, the performances of our leaders have been commendable.

But perhaps the biggest success has been the commanding performance of Ontario Premier Doug Ford. It was not even two weeks ago that Ford was embroiled in a kerfuffle over manufacturing defects with new provincial licence plates; today, it seems hard to imagine a scandal with smaller stakes. And a protracted dispute with the teachers unions had dragged his governments approval rating underwater. Now, in his daily briefings about the provinces response to COVID-19, he is modelling leadership in real time.

As the crisis has deepened, Ford is exemplifying the tenets of good crisis communication. He has been transparent and forthcoming, hosting daily briefings which may seem routine, but are in fact distinguished by attention to small details.

The premier begins promptly on time, wearing a suit and tie. He has been honest and plainspoken about the scale and severity of the challenge before us. He has delegated and empowered his bench of ministers, including Deputy Premier and Health Minister Christine Elliott and Finance Minister Rod Phillips. He has put aside partisan considerations.

He is working hand in hand with his federal counterparts. And, for a man whose political career has been defined by animosity towards the mainstream media, this weeks explicit recognition of their essential role marked a turning point.

The premier has consistently struck the right tone in these briefings and in his other public comments, tempering the flow of essential information with genuine compassion. If there has been one misstep, it was his comment that families should go away for March Break and have a good time.

But as even his predecessor and opponent Kathleen Wynne noted, this rare, off-message comment can be chalked up to a surplus of empathy. He was trying to do that out of the goodnesss of his heart, the former premier told Newstalk 1010. I could hear it in his voice, he was trying to calm the waters.

In the past, Ontarians have been quick to recognize and reward leadership during a crisis. Former premier Ernie Eves approval jumped after he confronted the SARS epidemic in 2003. Premier Ford might come to enjoy the same.

There are uncertain times ahead, to be sure. Scientists tell us that no one knows how long this crisis may last or how severe its consequences might be. But, today, Ontarians can take solace in the actions and behaviour they have seen to date from the premier.

Such leadership has saved lives.

Jaime Watt is executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Twitter: @jaimewatt is executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Twitter: @jaimewatt

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A batch of 263 Indians evacuated from Italy in view of the COVID-19 outbreak there were brought back to the country on Sunday and sent to a ITBP quarantine facility, officials said.

"The special flight had 263 passengers. It landed at around 10 am at Delhi airport from Rome," an Air India official said.

The Air India flight had taken off from the Delhi airport on Saturday.

"All the 263 people are being taken to our quarantine centre in Chhawla area of south-west Delhi after thermal screening and immigration at the tarmac," an ITBP spokesperson said.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police quarantine already has 215 Indians housed since March 15 after they were similarly evacuated by a special Air India flight from Rome.

The facility has earlier hosted two such batches of Indians and foreigners who were brought back from Wuhan in China in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pennsylvania recorded its third death from coronavirus Sunday, a 72-year-old man in Montgomery County.

County officials announced the death shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday. It was the first known death from Covid-19 in Montgomery County.

The patient resided in Abington Township and had been hospitalized for several days, according to a news release by Montgomery County. He died Saturday.

Today, we are deeply saddened to announce the first loss of life to COVID-19 in Montgomery County, the news release said quoting Valerie A. Arkoosh, chair of the county commissioners. On behalf of our entire community, we extend our most heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of this individual.

Arkoosh said: While most people with COVID-19 exhibit mild or moderate symptoms, this loss of life underscores the urgent need for everyone to stay at home, unless absolutely necessary, to protect individuals who are particularly vulnerable to developing more serious illness, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, as well as our critical workforces like healthcare workers and first responders.

The county, which was an epicenter for cases in the Commonwealth, recorded 33 additional positive Covid-19 cases, bringing the countywide total to 110. The state earlier had reported 87 cases in the county.

The state on Sunday reported 479 coronavirus cases across Pennsylvania, including the first in Dauphin County. That state total was up from 371 cases on Saturday. The statewide cases cover 33 counties, or about half of the states counties.

Montgomery County officials provided detailed statistics from its cases, which stem from 14 municipalities, four of which were reporting their first cases.

This is a breakdown of todays reported cases in Montgomery County:

Age Range: 27 to 77

Average Age: 51.8

Age Brackets: (2) 20  29, (6) 30  39, (5) 40  49, (10) 50  59, (6) 60  69, (4) 70 - 79

Gender: 15 females, 18 males

Hospitalized: (16) No, (16) Unknown, (1) Yes

The states second death was announced Saturday in Allegheny County. The patient was a person in their late 60s who lived in Clairton, Pa., about 12 miles south of Pittsburgh.

The states first death from Covid-19 was recorded last week: 55-year-old Carmine Fusco in Northampton County, who worked as a harness trainer out of Wind Gap Borough. He was a member of a family that has lost four members to coronavirus.

READ: Restarting kids education wont be easy: Its putting superintendents in a tremendous bind
With each patient infecting two or three others on average, even a perfect response may not have contained the spread.

But Chinese officials did not alert the public to the risks in December. It wasnt until Dec. 31 that they alerted the World Health Organization and released a statement  and a reassurance.

The disease is preventable and controllable, the government said.
B rits have been warned to not visit their parents this Mother's Day as Boris Johnson issued a stark warning to heed social distancing measures to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The prime minister yesterday said the NHS faces the prospect of being overwhelmed, similarly to how Italy's health service has struggled amid the outbreak having seen more than 53,000 cases, if people do not limit their contact with each other.

Giving a warning ahead of today, when many people would usually visit their mothers, the PM said: This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity.

And why? Because if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus, or Covid-19. We cannot disguise or sugar coat the threat.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

Mr Johnson's spokesman said that the Tory leader would be contacting his own mother via a Skype call.

It comes as:

Those being urged to stay at home include people who have received organ transplants, those severe with respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis and severe chronic bronchitis (COPD).

People with some cancers such as those of the blood or bone marrow are also among those to be warned.

They also include some  though not all  of those receiving certain types of drug treatments including those which suppress the immune system, as their bodies may be less able to fight off the virus.

Government urges shoppers to be responsible and 'think of others' before stockpiling

Where possible, they will receive regular text messages containing advice and guidance on how to manage their condition while at home.

This will include information on getting prescriptions delivered and accessing support for daily living, while hose living with them are also urged to stringently minimise any personal contact.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the Government was imposing measures never seen before either in peace or war..

He said they were essential as the outbreak gathered pace.

The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating. We are only a matter of weeks  two or three  behind Italy. The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand, he said.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Moldovan President Igor Dodon announced on Monday that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would visit Moldova on Thursday

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th March, 2020) Moldovan President Igor Dodon announced on Monday that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would visit Moldova on Thursday.

"Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban will arrive in the country with an official visit on March 12.

An agreement on strategic cooperation of Moldova and Hungary, as well as several other agreements, will be signed during the visit," Dodon said.

According to the Moldovan president, this visit has considerable importance for the country's economy as Orban will be accompanied by a group of businessmen said to be ready to invest in the Moldovan infrastructure. Dodon also said that Budapest will loan 100 million Euros ($113.7 million) to Chisinau to facilitate business development and the creation of new companies.
Film producer Ritesh Sidhwani has shared a statement on rumours about his niece for undergoing coronavirus test. He posted a lengthy statement on social media, saying she recently returned from London and underwent test for Covid-19 at Kasturba Hospital after she developed a fever and cough. However, even before her test results were declared, Sidhwani said people had already started spreading rumours about her health.

But while the medical report was still awaited, a certain WhatsApp Medical College had already declared her positive. And they dont just reveal her identity but also spell out where she resided.

While this so caring WhatsApp Medical College was advising everyone to stay home! Theres no advise on not stigmatising anyone even if they test positive. Not to forget these are our so called friends and neighbours who dont care a damn about the privacy of a young little girl, Sidhwani wrote.

The producer said his niece has now been tested negative for coronavirus but she will still be taking precautionary measures for the next two weeks.

Also read: Kanika Kapoor gets strong answer from hospital: Stop throwing tantrums like a star, behave like a patient

I would like to thank BMC for the exemplary work being done by the doctors and staff at Kasturba Hospital in taking extraordinary care of people visiting for tests! My niece was all praises for the facility and hospitality extended by the medical staff. Thank you for your selfless service and dedication, he added.

Riteish then shared a picture of him and his family playing board games amid self-isolation. Home is where health is & this time, not just for you & your family but the whole city & the whole country! Join the #JantaCurfew tomorrow, host your health at home & avoid unwanted guests like #CoronaVirus in your lives.

(with PTI inputs)

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Scammers are using robocalls that spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and lying about offering low-priced health insurance and free coronavirus test kits.

CNN's KFile listened to and reviewed data of coronavirus robocalls provided by the protection app NoMoRobo and found more than 60 different phone numbers falsely claiming to have free coronavirus test kits or advertising health insurance.

Another kind of robocall, sponsored by the Support American Leaders PAC, uses a recording of President Donald Trump and asks callers to sign a petition to ban flights from China. The group is not affiliated with Trump and, unlike most other super PACs, doesn't raise money for advertisements to support Trump, either. It mostly raises funds to pay for more robocalls, which are used to raise more funds, with the owner of the group pocketing the difference. The PAC did not respond to CNN requests for comment.

Related video above: How to protect yourself from digital scammers

The coronavirus robocalls are dangerous for a myriad of reasons, said Aaron Foss, the founder of NoMoRobo.

"With all of the confusion around the mobilization efforts, you really don't know what to believe," Foss said over email. "With everyone on social isolation, many, many more people are at home, especially seniors," making them more available to accept the calls and likely to give their credit card information or a donation if asked, he explained.

While there are automated calls from scammers, legitimate automated messages from federal, state and local officials continue to inform the public on the coronavirus pandemic by offering informational resources, like a referral number to the coronavirus hotline or a government website. If a robocall offers free or discounted services, contacts you without your previous consent or tells you to press "1" or some other key to be taken off a call list, it is likely a scam call.

Consumers are advised by federal agencies not to pick up the phone if it is an unknown number and not to engage with the robocall if they do. They can also block the call using software or a service from their phone provider and report an unwanted or illegal call to the Federal Trade Commission.

Several federal agencies oversee the fight against robocalls, including the FTC and the Federal Communications Commission.

A spokesperson for the FCC, Will Wiquist, told CNN over email the agency was aware of such calls and were looking into them.

"As a general matter, we wouldn't weigh in on if a certain example might be a violation, and we cannot comment on if we would formally investigate," he told CNN. "That said, we are aware of some such communications and are looking into it."

How the coronavirus robocalls work

A robocall is defined by the FTC as illegal if it is trying to sell you something unless a company has your written permission to call you that way.

Purely informational calls, such as reminding you of an appointment, school delays or flight updates, are legal, as are calls from health care providers reminding you to pick up your prescription. Automated political calls, debt collection calls and messages from charities are also exempt.

But the calls falsely advertising free coronavirus test kits are illegal.

According to Foss, the scam works like this: Criminal robocallers blast out millions of automated calls using "gateway carriers," which accept foreign call traffic and direct it to U.S. consumers. Once a person accepts the phone call, they hear a prerecorded message regarding the coronavirus that can go like this:

"The coronavirus has caused the US to declare a national emergency. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act has made coronavirus testing more accessible immediately. If you want to receive a free testing kit delivered overnight to your home, press 1."

The message is riddled with inaccuracies. While the U.S. has declared a national emergency, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was not signed into law when the robocall first sprang up March 16. While coronavirus testing is ramping up in the U.S., there is no legitimate way to get a home-delivered kit. Testing is still limited through lab facilities ordered by medical professionals.

If a person presses 1, they are transferred to a call center, which can either be in the U.S. or overseas, where an operator impersonates the federal government and tries to scam the caller into handing over their credit card information, usually for the "shipping and handling" of the "free" coronavirus test kit, Foss said.

"It's a field day for the robocallers," Foss told CNN over email. "Best case, the scammers steal their money and are never heard from again. Worst case, the scammers ship a non-working 'test kit' that could make the pandemic even worse."

"If that fake test kit says you don't have the virus, you're more likely to go out and get infected or infect others," Foss added.

And if a person does fall for one of these scams, it's just the beginning. Foss says that your number is then put on a "high-value target" list that leaves you vulnerable to more robocall scams in the future.

One robocall called CNN's KFile trying to sell health insurance plans. A CNN reporter pressed "1: to speak with a representative." A woman answered: "Hi, this is Christina. Do you have insurance and don't like it or need insurance?"

The conversation quickly turned hostile before CNN could identify itself as journalists. When asked who was sponsoring the call, the representative responded: "Who's sponsoring what? If you were transferred to me, you had to push a button to get to me. We were reaching out to make sure you have health insurance. Have you been watching the news?"

"I have been watching the news, yeah," a CNN reporter said.

"OK, we were just reaching out to make sure you have health insurance because things are pretty scary right now. So do you need help with health insurance? Because I'm an independent broker. I don't work for an insurance agency, I actually work for my client. If you need help, I can definitely get you some insurance," she said.

"Who's your client? Like, if you're an independent broker?"

"I'm reaching out to people. If you're not my client, then we shouldn't be talking anymore," she said.

After the reporter tried to clarify who she worked for, the representative snapped.

"Do you need help? You pressed the button because you said you needed insurance. There was a button that said if you want to be put on the do not call list, you could have pressed that one but you chose to press the one, to reach me, and now you're asking me 20 questions. All you had to do was push 2, and you would have been put on the do not call list. But I'll take care of it for you on this end." Then she hung up.

Not the World Health Organization

Another call seemingly impersonates the World Health Organization, claiming to be the Worldwide Health Organization, and offers protective equipment from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"Greetings, this is an automated message alert from the Worldwide Health Organization to inform you about the EPA's Emerging Viral Pathogen Program for the coronavirus protection," the call says. "We offer you the opportunity to obtain the most powerful and secure protection equipment to protect yourself and all your family members."

A callback number from the robocall is no longer in service. The EPA does not review those types of devices.

In an email to CNN, a spokesperson for the EPA wrote, "The emerging viral pathogens claim is a real thing, but it only applies to EPA-registered disinfectants has reviewed data on, not devices or machines."

Super PAC robocalls play on people's fears and politics

Some robocalls are taking advantage of public anxiety by playing to people's politics. Support American Leaders PAC, a super PAC that CNN previously reported on for impersonating the Trump campaign, begins its robocalls with a recording of Trump.

"I'm Donald Trump. We have to fix this because it just doesn't work," the recording says, followed by a male voice saying: "President Trump needs your emergency support to pressure Congress to suspend all flights from China to the U.S. so we can stem the coronavirus outbreak. If I have your permission to sign your name to suspend all flights from China to the U.S. and support President Trump, press 1."

If the listener presses 1 on their phones, they get taken to a phone operator who then asks for a donation.

The call was detected March 12; Trump suspended virtually all flights to and from China in January, making the PAC's assertion that he needs support to pressure Congress false. Also, unlike most other super PACs that raise money to support candidates by running ads or supporting efforts to increase voter turnout, Support American Leaders PAC effectively raises most of its money for robocalls, which are then made to solicit more money, and so on. Matthew Tunstall, the man who runs Support American Leaders PAC, takes home whatever money remains.

As CNN previously reported, Tunstall has a history of running these types of shadowy groups that target people with politically charged messages before asking them for a donation under the guise that the person's donation is actually going toward helping a candidate.

Neither Tunstall nor Maureen Otis, the PAC's listed treasurer, returned a CNN request for comment.

The Trump campaign condemned the PAC robocall in an email to CNN's KFile.

"Scammers will use every trick in the book to try to convince people that something is sanctioned communication from the President or his campaign. This call is not authentic and we do not condone it," wrote spokesman Ken Farnaso.

Despite this, there's little the Federal Elections Commission can do, according to Christian Hilland, the FEC's deputy press officer.

"The agency is currently operating without a working quorum, and as a result, the Commission is unable to move forward on enforcement matters at this time," he said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday the coronavirus outbreak was "accelerating" as the UK government told 1.5 million people most at risk to stay at home for 12 weeks.

Johnson's warning came amid a growing debate about whether people are taking warnings to socially distance from each other seriously enough and whether or not government should enforce stronger restrictions.

"The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating," said Johnson.

"We are only a matter of weeks - two or three - behind Italy. The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand."



The PM's plea came after latest health department figures showed that 233 people have died from COVID-19 in the UK, with the number of those testing positive for the virus standing at 5,018.

The government has outlined emergency legislation to give police, public health and immigration officers extra powers to contain the outbreak.

On Friday, Downing Street announced stronger measures to try and combat the spread, including the closing of bars, pubs and restaurants.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky TV on Sunday morning that if the public did not follow their advice they will "have to consider other options".

Asked if the government was acting too late to take protective measures, as Britain appears to be on a similar path to Italy in terms of numbers affected, if several weeks behind, Jenrick said he did not think that was the case.

As part of the latests measures to try and protect those most at risk, the government advised those with underlying health conditions such as bone or blood cancers, cystic fibrosis, or who have had an organ transplant to do all they can to shield themselves from the virus, including confining themselves at home for a long period.

"People should stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives," Jenrick said in a statement.

He added that the government was asking "extremely vulnerable individuals" to take "extra steps to shield themselves".

A statement from the communities department outlined the time frame the government wanted the most vulnerable to follow.

"People identified as belonging to one or more of the at-risk groups will be contacted by their GP practice, specialist or both strongly advising them to stay at home for a period of at least 12 weeks." A dedicated phone line and arrangements to deliver groceries or medicines will also be announced.

Paul Johnstone, director of Public Health England, said those contacted should "not go out for shopping, for leisure or for travel".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SINGAPORE  The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Saturday (21 March) confirmed the first two deaths in Singapore due to the novel coronavirus.

In a doorstop with reporters, Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong said, We are deeply saddened by their passing. Our thoughts are with their families during this difficult time. We will render all necessary assistance to their families.

Case 90: 75-year-old Singaporean woman

The first patient was a 75-year-old female Singaporean with a history of chronic heart disease and hypertension. She was admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on 23 February for pneumonia, and was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on the same day, the ministry said.

The woman had been cared for in the intensive care unit (ICU) since admission to NCID. She developed serious complications and eventually succumbed to the infection 21 March at 7.52am.

She was linked to the cluster at The Life Church and Missions Singapore.

Case 212: 64-year-old Indonesian man

The second patient was a 64-year-old male Indonesian with a history of heart disease. He was admitted in critical condition to the ICU at NCID on 13 March, after arriving in Singapore from Indonesia on the same day, the ministry said. He was then confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 14 March.

He had been cared for in the ICU since 13 March. He developed serious complications and eventually succumbed to the infection 21 March at 10.15am. He had been in the ICU for nine days.

Prior to his arrival in Singapore on 13 March, he had been hospitalised in Indonesia for pneumonia.

In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conveyed his deepest condolences to the loved ones of those who succumbed to their infections. As we get more COVID-19 cases, more patients will need ICU care, and we must brace ourselves for more losses, he added.

Cases in Singapore

As of noon on Friday, the MOH said:

Most of the 254 hospitalised patients are stable or improving.

A total of 16 are in critical condition in the ICU. This figure includes the two patients who were in the ICU before their deaths.

In all, 131 have fully recovered and have been discharged, about 34 per cent of the total number of cases.

The total number of confirmed cases in Singapore stands at 385.

Story continues

(INFOGRAPHIC: Yahoo News Singapore)

Enhanced border control measures

As of 11.59pm on Friday, all travellers entering Singapore must serve the 14-day stay-home notice, while Singaporeans have been urged to defer all travel abroad immediately.

All short-term visitors are required to provide proof of the place where they will serve their notice, which bars them from leaving the premises during the period.

In addition, those who are ASEAN nationals  from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam  must submit requisite health information for approval before travelling here.

Similarly, all new and existing work pass holders  including their dependants  planning to enter or return to Singapore from any country will have to obtain the Ministry of Manpower's approval before commencing their journey.

Even with these controls, we have to be mentally prepared for the number of imported cases to increase, because more Singaporeans want to come back  students, people working overseas, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, who is the taskforces co-chair, said at a doorstop on Wednesday.

But at least with the new measures, we can ensure that all arrivals will be required to self-isolate for 14 days, and we will enforce this strictly.

Short-term visitors with recent travel history to mainland China, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Spain remain banned from entering Singapore.

Any traveller exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever will continue to be subjected to a nasal swab test for the coronavirus across all checkpoints.

As of Saturday, there are over 276,000 COVID-19 cases globally, Over 11,400 have succumbed to the virus, the majority of them in China and Italy. The latter is now the country with the highest number of fatalities with over 4,000 deaths, surpassing Chinas official count.

(INFOGRAPHIC: Yahoo News Singapore)

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Related stories:

COVID-19: All events, gatherings with at least 250 attendees here suspended until end-June

Singapore launches COVID-19 contact tracing app

COVID-19: Singapore's Anglican, Methodist churches to suspend services until 3 April

Mufti urges Muslims in Singapore to avoid large religious gatherings overseas
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs announced on Sunday that she requested the assistance of the Dutch Military in the event of an outbreak of the COVID-19 on St. Maarten, she said the request is being handled by Governor Eugene Holiday.

On the Dutch side of the island, there are now two confirmed cases of COVID-19, the second is a student that returned to the island last week in the Netherlands and went into isolation.

Besides the two confirmed cases, CPS was monitoring 13 cases, 10 of whom were tested and are negative, one positive and one is pending.

Jacobs also announced that the essential businesses that are allowed to remain open during this partial lockdown will have to close off by 6 pm starting Monday, March 23rd, 2020.

Beach Vending and Beach Parties prohibited.

Jacobs also announced that beach vending is not authorized while beach parties are also not allowed. Persons who do not adhere to these restrictions will risk losing the right to go to the beach during this partial shutdown.

Covid-19 Update - St. Maarten

Government has decided that the following services may remain open until 6 pm Monday to Saturday as of Monday, March 23, 2020:

Grocery stores

Pharmacies

Gas stations

Banks

Emergency and paramedic services

Hotels

Restaurants

Essential government services: telecommunications and post, judicial and utilities

Public transportation

Hardware stores

Shipping and cargo companies

The above must observe social distancing and allow groups of no more than 20 persons at a time. If not adhered to, the businesses will be shut down by government with immediate effect.

For Sundays for the next two weeks, besides emergency services, only gas stations, pharmacies, hotels with attached amenities for guests only and newspapers will be allowed to open until 6 pm.

No beach vending allowed until further notice.

No beach parties are allowed.

No group of more than five persons is allowed on the beach.

After today, Sunday, no airline will bring in residents of St. Maarten or anyone else to the country for the next two weeks. The only flights that will be coming into the airport are cargo flights or flights to pick up passengers to return them to their home destination.

The second case of Covid-19 on St. Maarten. The new case is a student who returned home a week ago and immediately went into self-quarantine. There is no chance for local transition at this time.

Of the 13 persons being monitored for Covid-19, 10 are deemed negative and one is pending. Rounding off the 13 are the two positive cases.

(Source: Prime Minister of St. Maarten)

Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs National Address on COVID-19 MARCH 22, 2020

People of St. Maarten, both here and abroad, I hereby address you, as Prime Minister and Chair of the EOC (Emergency Operations Center), in an update for today Sunday, March 22nd, 2020, as part of the process to keep the community of St. Maarten informed about the latest developments and Governments COVID-19 preparedness, prevention, mitigation and response measures.

Firstly, Saturday, March 21st, 2020, a strategic meeting held with ESF 5, including Police and Immigration The official request was sent to His Excellency Governor E.B. Holiday for Military assistance in advance of an outbreak. This request is being handled via the usual channels.

Today, Sunday, March 22nd, 2020, in another strategic meeting held with ESF 5 and ESF 10 (Ministry of TEATT) related to business closures, it has been decided that business closures, as of Monday, March 23rd, 2020, businesses may remain open for service until 6:00 PM from Monday through Saturday. The following services are grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, emergency and paramedic services, hotels, restaurants, essential government services, (including telecommunication & postal services, judicial services and utilities), public transportation operators, hardware stores, shipping and, cargo companies.

This is as long as each continues to ensure proper provisioning for social distancing of 1 to 2 meters and maximum large groupings of no more 20 persons. If the required Social Distancing and maximum grouping of 20 persons are not adhered too, then the establishment or institution will be shut down by the authorities with immediate effect.

On a positive note, Police Chief Carl John has commended all business owners on St. Maarten for their compliance in adhering to the closure time of 8:00 PM which started last night and looks forward to the same compliant behavior as new closure time goes into effect tomorrow Monday, March 23rd. On Sundays for the next two weeks, besides emergency services, only gas stations, pharmacies and hotel (with attached amenities for guests only) will be allowed to remain open after 6:00 PM. Also, allowed after 6:00 PM, are nighttime employees of news outlets and necessary emergency services.

As related to the aforementioned restritions for businesses, I wish to add; NO beach vending will be allowed until further notice, NO beach parties are allowed and NO groups of more than 5 persons are allowed on the beach. Social Distancing, for those persons who wish to visit the beach, must be the recommended one to two meters apart. If this is not adhered to, you will be asked to leave the beach. If this continues, then this will also be curtailed.

The Government building has instituted guidelines for persons who are unable to get service via phone or email to be able to continue to come to the building during limited times and by appointment only. See our Governments Facebook page for details as to the particular service you may need.

Travel Restrictions

Today, (Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 at 11:59 PM) is the last day for the residents(passengers) of St. Maarten to travel back to St. Maarten for the next 2 weeks. Therefore, no airlines will be bringing in residents or persons during the next 2 weeks. The only flights that you will see coming into the airport would be cargo flights or flights that are coming in to pick up passengers to return them to their home address. These 2 weeks, will be used to assess and maintain spread within our borders in collaboration with our French counterparts. I also wish to update, that we will have our weekly meeting on Monday, March 23rd, which is also the Treaty of Concordia Day. Thus, a fitting day to continue to collaborate and cooperate with our French partners.

COVID-19 Case Update

Since my last address on Friday, March 20th, 2020, Collective Prevention Services (CPS) has noted a spike in calls to 914 for persons wishing to register as having traveled home in the past week and they are currently being monitored. I would like to thank, all persons who have heeded the call of the Prime Minister to do so.

Also as CPS had medical personnel present at the airport on Friday, Saturday and today, Sunday, collecting the forms filled in by returning residents, we expect that number to go up, which will allow us to monitor all returning residents over the past few days.

All persons who have returned to the island since Friday, March 13th, are requested to register with CPS by calling 914 or downloading the document provided for such on Governments website page at www.sintmaartengov.org/coronavirus, fill it in and email to CPS.

As of today, March 22nd, 2020, I can update that there are currently 13 persons who are in self-isolation and are being monitored as having been exposed to persons who have COVID-19. This is the first confirmed person on Dutch St. Maarten, as well as one of the confirmed persons on French Saint Martin whom were closely related to 3 persons on the Dutch side. As of today, we can also confirm that we have now 2 cases. The second case is a student who returned to St. Maarten a week ago and immediately went into self-isolation. There is no chance for local transmission at this time. The student continues to be monitored and has one more week of isolation left. Of the 13 persons being monitored, 10 have been deemed negative and one is still pending. Therefore, we have now 2 cases positive, 10 negative cases and 1 pending. As mentioned before, the others who have registered with CPS over the past few days are now being monitored and if they exhibit symptoms, they will be tested as well.

I would like to remind the general public of St. Maarten to be aware of fake news. Today, circulation has been going around about closures for spraying by some helicopter. This is fake news. Please do not follow any news that does not come from official Government sites or official Government administration.

Follow our Government Radio station  107.9FM for official information, statements, and news updates or visit the Government website at www.sintmaartengov.org/coronavirus and our Facebook Page: Government of Sint Maarten.

As Prime Minister of St. Maarten, I wish to encourage all of us to remain steadfast and continue to practice proper hygiene and prepare for what is a worldwide pandemic. I believe that we have been doing an extremely good job of containing the spread thus far by being very proper in our hygiene, by stepping up our cleaning and hygiene at home, on the job and when we go out in public. While we currently have now 2 confirmed cases, all measures over the past weeks and today have been aimed at containing the COVID-19 virus.

Knowledge is power! Stay informed and be prepared. We are strong, resilient and faithful people and together WE CAN beat this monster that has toppled economies and health infrastructures around the world. Continue to be vigilant and report any persons you know have traveled to CPS at 914 in helping to mitigate the spread of this virus on our small island-nation. CPS will most definitely follow up with all tips about persons who have traveled or who may have been exposed to the virus. By doing so you are doing your civic duty to ensure that the island is safe.

The general public is asked to live up to the responsibility of being good citizens and adhere to the regulations and guidelines put in place to protect you. Persons behaving in reckless and irresponsible behavior during this partial lockdown aimed at minimizing movement and contact within the community will have stringent measures taken against them in the form of fines, and even worse. Take this time to enjoy quality time with your family, for self-reflection and to do projects around the house.

Stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. The Government and other essential businesses should arrange for persons who can work from home as much as possible. The safety and security of our population depend on your compliance with our regulations.

God bless St. Maarten and her people as we work together; Government, community and each and every St. Maarten resident, to keep her safe.
The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Sunday (this file will be updated throughout the day):

11:05 P.M. The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 11:05 p.m. on March 22, 2020:

There are 1472 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

British Columbia: 424 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 6 resolved)

Ontario: 425 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 8 resolved)

Alberta: 259 confirmed (including 1 death)

Quebec: 219 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 1 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 33 confirmed, 19 presumptive

Nova Scotia: 28 confirmed

Manitoba: 11 confirmed, 9 presumptive

New Brunswick: 8 confirmed, 9 presumptive

Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 13 confirmed

Newfoundland and Labrador: 3 confirmed, 6 presumptive

Prince Edward Island: 3 confirmed

The Territories: 3 confirmed

Total: 1472 (43 presumptive, 1429 confirmed including 21 deaths, 15 resolved)

11:01 P.M. Yukons chief medical health officer says the territory has its first two cases of COVID-19. Dr. Brendan Hanley says a couple from Whitehorse who attended a conference in the U.S. were tested upon their return.

10:30 P.M. Ontario records another COVID-19 related death as a man in his 80s died at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Ont. Both pneumonia and COVID-19 were listed as the cause of death. This brings the provinces total deaths to six.

9:34 P.M. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020 due to COVID-19 risks.

6:35 P.M. Ontario is closing its drive test centres due to the COVID-19 pandemic, starting March 23, 2020 until further notice. It says those who currently have a drivers license will not lose it, and those with pending tests wont lose their test fees or have to pay a penalty.

6:30 P.M. Alberta says it has 33 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Saturday, bringing its provincial total to 259. Of these cases, 18 are currently hospitalized, up seven people from Saturday, and one additional patient is in intensive care for a total of seven.

5:40 P.M. Ontario is reporting a fifth death related to COVID-19.

The province says a woman her 70s in York Region, north of Toronto, who had recently travelled, has died.

4:25 P.M. The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada on March 22, 2020:

There are 1,435 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

British Columbia: 424 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 6 resolved)

Ontario: 424 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 8 resolved)

Alberta: 226 confirmed (including 1 death)

Quebec: 219 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 1 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 33 confirmed, 19 presumptive

Nova Scotia: 28 confirmed

Manitoba: 18 confirmed, 1 presumptive

New Brunswick: 8 confirmed, 9 presumptive

Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 13 confirmed

Newfoundland and Labrador: 3 confirmed, 6 presumptive

Prince Edward Island: 3 confirmed

The territories: 1 confirmed

Total: 1,435 (35 presumptive, 1,400 confirmed including 19 deaths, 15 resolved)

4:15 P.M. Prince Edward Island has a third confirmed case of COVID-19  a woman in her 20s who had travelled to Spain. The woman flew into Toronto on March 14 and self-isolated at a hotel. She then flew to Moncton, N.B., on WestJet flight 3456 on March 16, and drove back to P.E.I.

3:58 P.M. Saskatchewan is reporting eight new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 52 reported cases. Thirty-three of those cases are confirmed and 19 cases are presumptive positive.

3:15 P.M. Torontos first death related to COVID-19 is a man in his 70s who had travelled to the United Kingdom, according to a release from Toronto Public Health. The individual was admitted to a hospital in Mississauga on March 14 and died on March 21. There are currently 220 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Toronto. Read Ted Frasers story for more details.

3:00 P.M. At least 13 Toronto health care professionals  doctors, nurses and long term care workers  have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Toronto Public Health. Tied in to this revelation is a new testing directive in Toronto where public health is focusing its testing efforts on people who work in healthcare settings, homeless shelters or other places where the nature of their job puts them in contact with large groups of people. Read Kevin Donovans story for more.

2:45 P.M. A reprieve for renters in Toronto could come soon. Mayor John Tory is planning a conference call on Monday with landlords in a bid to get some rent leniency for tenants during the pandemic. Patty Winsa reports, here.

2:35 P.M. The Scarborough courthouse will be closed Monday after a person who works there began displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Alyshah Hasham reports.

2 P.M. Quebec Premier Francois Legault says all shopping malls, restaurant dining rooms and salons in the province must close until May 1 in an effort to keep people from gathering. Legault says the measure does not apply to grocery stores, pharmacies and liquor stores located in shopping centres.

11:30 A.M. Blue Mountain is reporting tourism to the area is operating at just 10 per cent of what is normal for March Break. Blue Mountain Resort suspended operations on March 15, closing all lift operations, base lodges, attractions and rental services.

11:00 A.M. Ontario hospitals have been given broad new powers to cope with COVIID-19 outbreaks and special day care centres are being set up for the children of health care workers, paramedics, police and firefighters to help them stay on the job, Rob Ferguson reports.

The new powers under the provincial state of emergency declared by Premier Doug Ford last week include the cancellation of staff vacations and carte blanche in transferring employees to where theyre needed most.

Volunteers can also be pressed into service doing work usually done by staff, freeing them up for other duties, and temporary workers hired as needed, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones says. Designated day care centres are being exempted from the order that all licensed day care centres shut to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus so they can care for the children of health sector and front-line emergency workers, including correctional officers at jails. Read more here.

10:55 A.M. Conservative leadership candidate Erin OToole is calling for the race to be suspended. OToole is the latest contender to suggest the party needs to delay the June 27 vote.

10:50 A.M. The House of Commons will reconvene Tuesday to vote on measures to ease the burden of COVID-19 on individuals and businesses. Government officials say theyve been working behind the scenes with opposition parties to make sure the legislation can be debated and passed as quickly as possible. Read more from Bruce Campion-Smith.

10:45 A.M. Ontario has announced 47 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the provinces total case count to 424. That number includes eight resolved cases and three deaths. More than 8,300 cases remain under investigation.

10:35 A.M. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil is declaring a provincial state of emergency due to COVID-19. He says people are blatantly ignoring the need for social distancing. As of 6 a.m. Monday, anyone who enters the province will have to self-isolate for 14 days. Police are being given the power to enforce social distancing with $1,000 fines for individuals and $7,500 fines for businesses.

10:30 A.M. Quebec health authorities are opening a walk-in COVID-19 test clinic in the heart of Montreals entertainment district on Monday. The outdoor site includes heated tents and 125 staff members who will be able to take up to 2,000 tests each day. Appointments arent needed, however tests will be limited to people who have travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days, who present symptoms, or who have been in contact with confirmed cases.

8:50 A.M. Ontario Provincial Police are warning that people will face fines for violating orders to close certain businesses and to limit gatherings. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has suggested citizens who know of anyone not self-isolating after returning from international travel should call police. And in Quebec City, police arrested a woman who was infected with the virus but was still walking around outside after being mandated to stay indoors.

8:28 A.M. There are now nearly 312,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins.

The virus pandemic advanced Sunday after the U.S. and Europe reported soaring new cases. Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose by 6,600 with nearly 800 new fatalities from the virus that causes COVID-19. The countrys total death toll of more than 4,825 has surpassed the number of deaths in China, where the first cases emerged late last year.

In the U.S. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the government is literally scouring the globe looking for medical supplies. Staff at a Detroit hospital began creating homemade face masks for workers. Even rural hospitals were strained as people increasingly felt the pandemic closing in.

7:58 A.M. Late last night 444 Canadians who had been stuck in Morocco arrived in Montreal aboard an Air Canada commercial flight from Casablanca.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also tweeted late Saturday night that he has been speaking with his counterparts in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Morocco, Peru, Turkey and the United Kingdom about how to safely repatriate citizens abroad, including those stuck on cruise ships.

7:00 A.M. : Clergy across Canada are moving services to the digital world as they adapt to support their congregations amid the global COVID-19 pandemic that has seen governments restrict large gatherings.

Religious leaders say the unprecedented situation has forced them to seek creative alternatives to community-based worship at a time when people are anxious and in need of spiritual support.

7:00 A.M. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says the fight against COVID-19 means sheathing partisan swords. Scheer says while the job of the Opposition is to challenge the government, what that looks like in a national crisis is different. There really isnt much philosophical difference when it comes to fighting a virus or keeping Canadians healthy and safe, he said. What that means in practical terms as a minority Parliament gets set to deal with an $82-billion emergency aid package the Liberal government has promised is reframing how the party will approach its work, he said. Its less of a debate of the what and more accountability on the how,  he said.

7:28 AM Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be updating Canadians again today on the latest measures being taken to try to protect the country against the steadily escalating COVID-19 threat. Trudeau has been holding daily late-morning briefings outside his Ottawa residence where he remains in self-isolation after his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, tested posted for the novel coronavirus.

4:02 A.M. The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. on March 22, 2020:

There are a total of 1331 cases in Canada (45 presumptive, 1286 confirmed including 19 deaths, 13 resolved)

British Columbia 424 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 6 resolved)

Ontario 377 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 6 resolved)

Alberta 226 confirmed (including 1 death)

Quebec 181 confirmed (including 5 deaths, 1 resolved)

Saskatchewan 25 confirmed, 19 presumptive

Nova Scotia 9 confirmed, 12 presumptive

Manitoba 18 confirmed, 1 presumptive

New Brunswick 7 confirmed, 10 presumptive

Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton 13 confirmed

Newfoundland and Labrador 3 confirmed, 3 presumptive

Prince Edward Island 2 confirmed

The Territories 1 confirmed

SATURDAY

8 p.m. The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board is recommending its 56,000 members stop holding in-person open houses during the COVID-19 pandemic. TRREB says it will suppress open houses on its websites because the practice is not conducive to social distancing. The board says the decision to hold open houses ultimately lies with the real estate brokerage, but the organization is strongly recommending they stop.

7:30 p.m. The Quebec government forbids most indoor and outdoor gatherings in its effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
It ought not to be a hard sale to convince anyone, that try as we may and have, Nigeria is well behind the emergency response curve required for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, now is the time to escalate the national resiliency level holistically, and in an unfettered manner. Luckily, we have global response examples, best practices and lessons learned to borrow from, as well as mistakes that should be avoided entirely.

My assessment of this matter in non-partisan and purely from the policy and complex emergency response perspective. First, I believe that those who are against shutting down non-essential public and academic institutions are wrong. They are putting their economic considerations first. We must be aware, that whatever economic of financial losses we incur nationally in our preventive efforts, will ultimately pale, when compared to eventual national losses, if we fail to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 expeditiously.

Here is the painful reality. Nigeria now has a total of 27 cases of coronavirus in the country. Covid-19 infections in Nigeria will extrapolate exponentially. For now we seem comfortable in orchestrating containment. The spread of infections will eventually rise because of indiscipline, our fluid form of urban and rural transportation, lack of societal control regimes and structures during emergencies, poverty, compelling need to fulfill sustenance and hierarchy of needs at any cost, poor national safety net, illiteracy and poor national orientation in compliance with public orders. Furthermore, we seem to be allowing our success in managing the limited scope Ebola outbreak to induce a false sense of response capabilities.

The wide distrust gap that exist between the national population and the government is a critical factor. If we must sell fear and use shock therapy to induce compliance with preventive measures, now is the time. That may be the only way to guarantee the escalation of our national resiliency to the required level. Federal and state cooperation will be imperative, beyond setting up the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, and the National Economic Council meeting intermittently. Our national leaders must also lead by example; first by personally exhibiting publicly, the value of social distancing. That is not happening yet.

There are some other biting realities we must contend with. What, for instance, is the acceptable national casualty and fatality threshold. Will we accept hundreds, thousands or millions before the blame game starts. For now, fate has been kind to us, but I suspect it wont be for long. We, as a nation will eventually overcome the Covid-19 challenge, but the costs and fatality rates will only be mitigated, if we act proactively and expeditiously.

I have commented elsewhere on the prevailing challenges. My point of view remains unapologetically consistent. Im not into dooms day scenarios, but its better to be safe than sorry. Bearing in mind that Nigerians including traders, fuel vendors, contractors, consultants and even healthcare providers tend to profiteer from crisis and emergency situations, the federal government must take the lead. We must have a strict Presidential Executive Order on hoarding and price gouging. That order must also be enforced. Various states might have some comparative response advantages in terms of finances and social and health structures; but this is time to collaborate and not compete. Decentralization will work best and help overcome the red tape and bottleneck approach, associated with all efforts, policies and finances coming out of Abuja.

So what to do? The healthcare providers need more support. But we must have structured and uniformed response units at the state level. The reactive responses so far are grossly insufficient for the scope of impending complex emergency and crisis that could be cataclysmic for Nigeria. At the state level, we must to start setting up centralized and localized testing and holding spheres, as well as quarantine areas. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its state counterparts (SEMAs), military and para-military agencies and all first responders should now be on Code Yellow operational mode across the nation. Our national prevention advocacy is disjointed. Television and Radio jingles and handbills in various ethnic languages are not reaching the critical masses out there. This explains the recent cases of chloroquine overdoses, by those self-medicating. It also explains the lackadaisical response to social distancing. We need to escalate public awareness preventive measures advocacy process. Such campaign should be national in scope.

We must also marshal all available national financial resources required to tackle this pandemic. Announced Federal Government response funding and Central Bank intervention support of N50 billion soft loans to small businesses are worthwhile. Likewise the announced CBN increase in its intervention by another N100 billion in loans to support in 2020 the health authorities and ensure that laboratories, researchers and innovators work with global scientists to produce vaccines and test kits in Nigeria to prepare for any major crises ahead.

Yet, I have, even at the risk of sounding unrealistic advocated that FGN should as a matter of urgency release at the minimum, N74 billion directly to the 36 States, the FCT and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). I stand by that recommendation. The resources recommended might seem outrageous, but Nigeria has expended far larger amounts on less critical national security matters. I remain convinced that not responding robustly and expeditiously now, will ultimately cost Nigeria more, financially, materially, morally and certainly, in terms of human casualties.

Covid-19 challenge to Nigeria, will demand collective national leadership that is assertive and robust. Nigerians need to see President Muhammadu Buhari and VP Osinbajo personally leading that campaign. Presently Nigeria is on the lower rung of the COVID-19 spiraling totem pole. The extrapolation and increase will definite come, if lessons from Iran, Spain, Italy and US are anything to go by. Our demographic mosaic is much more diverse and equally much more susceptible. Our local population will involuntarily shift from epicenters of infections, and in doing so abet the spread. The crisis high-point will come if and when we are eventually required to lockdown cities, towns and communities. We must, therefore, contemplate what our contingency sustenance plans will be for city and rural families in terms of healthcare, food, finances, if we arrive at the critical juncture.

From past experience, some, including bureaucrats, policy makers and consultants, have exploited moments of dire national emergencies as means of getting rich quick. It happened in Niger Delta and in the North East, and even the 2012 flood disaster. Yet, we should not allow such experiences from stopping the federal government in releasing the funds required to combat this pandemic robustly. States cant go it alone and should not pretend to be ready, when they know they are not. We must escalate our national resiliency now. We must seize the moment.

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Obaze, MD/CEO Selonnes Consult, is former Secretary to the Anambra State Government and a former U.N. official.
By Online Desk

With the COVID-19 death toll rising to seven, the Centre and state governments, in a high-level meeting, have decided to completely lock down 75 districts across the country where coronavirus cases have been reported, officials said on Sunday.



New Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan, have announced a complete lockdown that involves shutting down public transport, malls and shops starting Monday.

As the number of deadly COVID-19 positive cases increase in India, it was agreed that there was an urgent need to extend the restrictions on the movement of non-essential passenger transport, including interstate transport buses till March 31.

The districts where lockdown was announced are from states that include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

All metro rail services were also suspended till March 31 in major cities Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and others.

The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India has crossed 380 on Sunday after fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country.

COVID-19: CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR STATE HERE
On the appeal from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a 'Janata curfew', people across Jammu region on Sunday stayed back at their homes to check the spread of coronavirus that has so far infected four persons in the Union territory.

In a related development, a Jammu-based English daily announced its decision to close its offices for the day in response to the Prime Minister's call.

Jammu and other parts of the region, which are under virtual lockdown for the past couple of days, witnessed unprecedented response to the 'Janata curfew' with residents preferring not to venture outside their homes to lend their support to the government's efforts to fight the pandemic.

Police has blocked many roads by barbed wires and deployed its personnel in the main towns and vital thoroughfares across Jammu region as the administration led by Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu made repeated appeals to the people to ensure the success of the 'Janata curfew'.

Except those involved in delivery of essential services, nobody came out of their homes even in remote and far-off places understanding the threat due to coronavirus, an official said quoting reports from various district headquarters.

The people need to pay heed to the advisories issued by the administration from time to time for their safety. We will overcome this challenge when we stand united in the fight against this novel and deadly virus, he said.

In its front page, the State Times group of publications announced closure of its offices in response to the call for 'Janata curfew' by the Prime Minister.

The decision to close the offices is aimed at promoting and encouraging the people to stay indoors with the avowed objective of maintaining social distancing, a keyword, among other measures to combat coronavirus", a spokesperson for the publication said adding that there would be no issue of the paper on Monday.

Meanwhile, five persons were arrested for spreading rumours on social media about detection of more cases of COVID-19 in Jammu.

A case was registered under relevant provisions of law against the arrested persons -- Raman Gupta and Vikas Sharma of Gandhi Nagar, Vikas Aroraof Shastri Nagar, Amit Sharma of Roop Nagar and Rajinder Sharma of Trikuta Nagar, a police official said.

He said all the five accused were arrested on Saturday after police zeroed in on them during investigation of false information on coronavirus cases that created panic among the residents.

Police appealed to people not to share any unverified information and said strict action would be taken against anyone found involved in spreading rumours on social media.

So far, three positive COVID-19 cases have been reported from Jammu region and one case from Kashmir valley.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The coverage on this live blog has ended  but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team. All times below are in Eastern time. Global cases: More than 311,000

Global deaths: At least 13,407

U.S. cases: At least 26,747

U.S. deaths: At least 340 The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

8:50 pm: Op-ed: Thank the health-care, front-line workers for their service too

In my 30-plus years as a financial journalist, I have lived through the '90s Asian financial crisis, the tech dot-com crash, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and the 2008 financial crisis. Now, however, America is faced with something entirely different. We are at war with a pandemic, and the people we rely on most  our health-care and front-line workers  are unmatched. I am a military service and war veteran. People who know I have served go out of their way to thank me for my service and I appreciate their regard every time. Now, however, I call on all of you to thank every health-care worker and all front-line workers (pharmacy, grocery, take-out, gasoline, etc.) to thank them for their service. They are likely more frightened than you are of the virus and its fallout on their financial lives. These people are risking their personal health  and the health of the people they love  for you. Can we all, please, as Americans, listen to the young girl crying when she thanks me for thanking her for her take-out service? It took me a long time to appreciate people thanking me for my military service, and I was never on the front lines like these people are. We are America. Let us come together and get through this. Thank the people caring for you and keeping you safe. Terri Cullen

8 pm: Cisco commits $225 million in fight against coronavirus as Silicon Valley initiates investment blitz

A technology giant is committing $225 million to assist in efforts aimed at combating the coronavirus while the rest of Silicon Valley initiates an investment blitz to help in the fight. Cisco, a company that focuses on crafting telecommunications equipment and networking hardware, among other items, is putting up the massive investment, according to a blog post that was written by its CEO, Chuck Robbins Sunday night. Brian Schwartz

7:30 pm: NYSE readies itself for first ever all-electronic trading day

The Securities and Exchange Commission published rule changes on Saturday that allow the New York Stock Exchange to conduct all-electronic trading. On Monday, the first day the trading floor will be closed, the NYSE opening at 9:30 a.m. ET should happen immediately for almost all stocks, subject to certain trading bands. Existing circuit breakers that would halt trading briefly should the S&P 500 decline by 7%, 13% and 20% will continue to be in effect. The SEC noted the rule filings were temporary until May 15 or sooner if the trading floor reopens. Bob Pisani

7 pm: UAE suspends all passenger and transit flights to and from the country, state news agency says

UAE suspended all passenger and transit flights to and from the country for two weeks over coronavirus fears - state news agency WAM said on Sunday citing National Emergency and Crisis and the Civil Aviation Authority. WAM added the decision will take effect after 48 hours and will last for two weeks, subject to review and evaluation. Reuters

6:45 pm: Coronavirus stimulus bill fails in key Senate procedural vote

A massive funding package to combat the impact of coronavirus did not get enough votes in a key Senate procedural vote Sunday evening. The stalemate came hours after Democratic leaders warned that the bill was not to their liking because they said it did too much to bail out companies and not enough to help workers. Stock futures cratered as the two parties failed to agree on the terms of the package. Still, President Donald Trump expressed optimism that lawmakers would eventually reach a deal. "I think you'll get there," Trump told reporters at the coronavirus task force press briefing shortly after the vote became final. Lauren Hirsch, Leslie Josephs

6:30 pm: Airbus says plants will reopen at slower production rate

Airbus confirmed on Sunday it would resume only partial aircraft production when its French and Spanish factories reopen on Monday after a four-day shutdown to tackle health concerns over the coronavirus. Some French labor unions said on Saturday it had been decided that production would resume at a slower than normal rate. Reuters

6:12 pm: Trump activates National Guard in California, New York and Washington state

US President Donald Trump (L) and US Vice President Mike Pence (C) listen as White House Trade and Manufacturing Policy Director Peter Navarro speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on March 22, 2020, in Washington, DC. Eric Baradat | AFP | Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Sunday announced he is deploying the National Guard to California, New York and Washington state - the current epicenters of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. Trump's announcement comes after state governors say their demands for more masks and other medical equipment are not being met, forcing them to compete with each other for critical supplies as the coronavirus pandemic escalates in the United States. The state governors will retain command of the National Guard, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] will cover all costs of the missions to respond to the outbreak, the president said during a press briefing. Emma Newburger, Riya Bhattacharjee

6 pm: Virgin Australia plans to cut more domestic flights as travel restrictions tighten

Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd said on Monday it expected to make a "material reduction" in its domestic capacity after the Australian government advised against non-essential domestic travel and some states tightened travel restrictions. Australia's No. 2 airline said more information would be provided in the coming days. Virgin last week had said it would ground all international flights and cut its domestic capacity in half as travel demand plunges due to the coronavirus outbreak. Reuters

5:30 pm: Sen. Mitt Romney to self quarantine after contact with Rand Paul

The office of Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Ut., said Sunday that Romney will not vote on the Senate floor and will immediately self-quarantine since the senator has been in contact with Paul in recent days. Romney has no symptoms but will be tested for the virus, his office said. Emma Newburger

4:10 pm: Senate delays vote until later this evening

Senate leaders have delayed the procedural vote on the coronavirus economic stimulus package from 3:00 pm to 6:00 p.m. Sunday. When asked about delaying the vote, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that the talks are continuing.

Democrats have argued that the GOP's legislation doesn't include some of their key demands.



The relief package includes providing a cash payment to American families and loans to small businesses, among other things. The legislation could total over $2 trillion. Emma Newburger

4:05 pm: Pelosi signals disagreement over relief package: 'From my standpoint, we're apart'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks to the media during her weekly briefing March 12, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled that she's not on board with the Senate stimulus plan in negotiations to combat economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic. "From my standpoint, we're apart," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol when asked if she expects there to be a deal today. Pelosi said there's no bipartisan deal at this point, but that Democratic congressional leaders will be prepping their own legislation. "It's on the Senate side now because that's their deadline for a vote," she said, "but we'll be introducing our own bill and hopefully it'll be compatible with what they discussed on the Senate." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that "we need a bill that puts workers first, not corporations." He declined to say if he supports the bill. The stimulus package under negotiation will likely total more than $2 trillion, according to estimates from White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow. The Senate has been under pressure to finish a plan with the House and administration as quickly as possible. Lawmakers this weekend are pushing to meet the Trump administration's deadline for finishing the deal by Monday. There will be a 3 p.m. ET procedural vote on the Phase III bill later in the day. Emma Newburger

3:21 pm: Trump declares major disaster in Washington state

President Donald Trump declared that a major disaster exists in Washington state, according to a statement from the White House. He ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in areas affected by the coronavirus. Local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations can receive federal funding for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance. There is also federal funding for affected individuals to receive crisis counseling in Washington state. Hannah Miller

3:16 pm: Ohio, Louisiana become latest US states to declare lockdowns

Ohio and Louisiana became the latest states to announce broad lockdowns to slow the spread of the virus with nearly one in three Americans under orders to stay at home. The two states join New York, California, Illinois, Connecticut, and New Jersey, home to 100 million Americans combined, as cases nationwide top 33,000 with at least 390 dead, according to a Reuters tally. "Every piece of evidence that I can lay my hands on indicates that we're at an absolutely crucial time in this war and what we do now will make all the difference in the world," said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. "What we do now will slow this invader. It will slow this invader so our health care system ... will have time to treat casualties." Ohio has 351 cases and three deaths while Louisiana has 837 cases and 20 deaths, several in a senior care facility. Reuters

2:32 pm: Olympic Committee increases 'scenario-planning,' holds off canceling

The International Olympic Committee announced that it is stepping up its scenario-planning for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. "These scenarios relate to modifying existing operational plans for the Games to go ahead on 24 July 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the Games," the IOC said in a statement. "This step will allow better visibility of the rapidly changing development of the health situation around the world and in Japan." The IOC said that though the coronavirus situation is improving in Japan, the "dramatic increase in cases and new outbreaks" in other countries led it to make the decision to step up scenario-planning. The organization said that cancellation of the Olympics is currently not on its agenda. Hannah Miller

2:55 pm: The government budget deficit is about to explode

Remember when people were all worked up over trillion-dollar government budget deficits? Those might seem like the good old days, once Congress and the White House finish up the coronavirus rescue package expected to be approved in the next few days. Estimates of just how big the final bill would be vary, but it's assured that it will be a historic moment for sheer fiscal force being exerted at a time of economic duress. Administration statements over the past few days point to something on the order of $2 trillion in economic juice. By contrast, then-President Barack Obama ushered an $831 billion package through during the financial crisis. That type of fiscal burden comes as the government already has chalked up $624.5 billion in red ink through just the first five months of the fiscal year, which started in October. That spending pace extrapolated through the full fiscal year would lead to a $1.5 trillion deficit, and that's aside from any of the spending to combat the coronavirus. Jeff Cox

2:29 pm: Sen. Rand Paul tests positive

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) Joshua Roberts | Reuters

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has tested positive for coronavirus. He is the first known U.S. senator to test positive. "Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine," Paul's office wrote on Twitter. "He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person." He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends. No staff member has been in contact with Paul since his D.C. office began working remotely 10 days ago, according to the tweet. Emma Newburger

2:26 pm: New York cases jump, accounting for about half of all US reported infections

2:10 pm: Chancellor Angela Merkel in quarantine after contact with doctor who tested positive

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives to make a press statement on the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Chancellery, in Berlin on March 22, 2020. Michael Kappeler | AFP | Getty Images

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made the decision to self-quarantine in her home after having contact with a doctor who subsequently tested positive for the coronavirus.



Merkel was informed after a press conference Sunday that a doctor who administered a pneumococcal vaccine to her on Friday afternoon has tested positive for the virus, according to German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.



Merkel decided to immediately quarantine herself in her home, Seibert said. She will be tested regularly over the coming days and will continue to conduct her duties as chancellor from home.



Merkel's decision to self-quarantine comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate across Europe, including in Germany. Spencer Kimball

2:05 pm: Pentagon reports first death from the virus

The Pentagon confirmed that a contractor, who worked at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, passed away on March 21, after testing positive for the coronavirus. This is the first death within the Department of Defense. "Our condolences go out to his family, friends and co-workers and we thank the medical professionals who worked to save his life in the face of this virus," the Pentagon wrote in a statement. Amanda Macias

1:55 pm: 3M to provide New York, Seattle with 500,000 N95 respirators

A worker restock popular 3M N95 particulate filtering face mask at a store in East Palo Alto, California, United States on January 26, 2020. Yichuan Cao | NurPhoto | Getty Images

3M Chairman and CEO Mike Roman said the company will supply New York and Seattle with a half-million N95 respirator masks to address the ongoing shortage of health-care equipment. "As I write this, more than 500,000 respirators are on the way from our South Dakota plant to two of the more critically impacted areas, New York and Seattle, with arrivals expected starting tomorrow," Roman posted on LinkedIn. Since the initial coronavirus outbreak, 3M has increased production levels of N95 respirators to the maximum capacity. In the U.S., 35 million respirators are produced per month and more than 90% are now designated for essential employees, such as health-care workers, and other industries, including energy, food, and pharmaceutical companies, according to Roman. "We are working with the U.S. and other governments, investigating alternate manufacturing scenarios, and exploring coalitions with other companies to increase capacity further," Roman said. Alexandria White

1:23 pm: Germany bans meetings of more than two people in public

Germany tightened curbs on social interaction, including a ban on public meetings of more than two people, to slow the spread of the coronavirus. "The great aim is to gain time in the fight against the virus," Chancellor Angela Merkel told a press briefing. For at least the next two weeks, people will not be allowed to form groups of more than two in public unless they live together in the same household or the gathering is work-related, she added. As part of a bundle of stricter rules, restaurants can only offer takeaway services and hairdressers and beauty, massage and tattoo parlors must close. Reuters

1:19 pm: Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo tests positive

Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo says he has become infected with the coronavirus. The 79-year-old Domingo said in a post on his personal Facebook account that, "I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive." The tenor says he and his family are in self-isolation and that he is feeling well despite having fever and a cough. Associated Press

1:03 pm: FedEx CEO says he is not expecting to seek federal aid, or resort to layoffs

FedEx CEO Fred Smith said he doubts the company will be seeking any federal aid since business has increased amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company is also not expecting any layoffs, Smith said. Forecasts indicate that as many as 3 million people will have filed for unemployment by next week. "Our people are working very heavily on both the business-to-business side, moving things for hospitals and diagnostic labs, picking up specimens and getting them into the various locations where they can be tested," Smith said on CBS' "Face the Nation." FedEx, one of the largest shipping and logistics companies in the country, has seen delivery service demand surge as more Americans are shut in at home. Smith said there are "massive efforts" underway in facilities to socially distance employees and provide supplies like gloves and antiseptic swabs. "We're doing absolutely everything we can, cleaning our facilities prolifically," he said. Truckers and warehouse workers at FedEx and rival UPS are continuing to show up to work, even with coronavirus symptoms, out of fear of retaliation or punishment if they don't, according to a New York Times report. Emma Newburger

12:10 pm: Africa gets emergency medical supplies from China's Jack Ma

Founder and former chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma attends the 'Ma Yun Rural Teachers Prize' awards show on January 21, 2018 in Sanya, Hainan province, China. Wang HE | Getty Images

Africa has received a much-needed coronavirus care package from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma. A cargo flight containing more than 6 million medical items arrived Sunday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The supplies from Ma, the founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, will be distributed to African countries in need of supplies to battle the spreading COVID-19 pandemic. An Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight from Guangzhou, China arrived with 5.4 million face masks, 1.08 million testing kits, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 protective face shields, according to Ethiopian officials and the Jack Ma Foundation. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week pledged to distribute the supplies to other countries in Africa. Ma has sent similar shipments of medical supplies to countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. Associated Press

11:59 am: New York state has more cases than France or South Korea as infections soar to 15,168

New York state now has more coronavirus cases than France or South Korea as the number of confirmed infections soared to 15,168, according to new data released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The outbreak across the state is the worst in the United States. New York now has more COVID-19 cases than several countries struggling to manage their own caseloads, including France, South Korea, Switzerland, and the U.K., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Within the U.S., Washington state has the next highest number of cases at 1,647 followed by California with 1,518, according to a chart Cuomo presented at a press conference in Albany. Dawn Kopecki

11:49 am: Air pollution falls as outbreak slows travel, but scientists warn of longer-term threat

The coronavirus pandemic is shutting down entire countries across the world, causing a significant decline in air pollution in major cities as heads of state implement stricter quarantines and travel restrictions. The unintended air pollution declines from the virus outbreak are just temporary, experts say. But the pandemic's unintended climate impact offers a glimpse into how countries and corporations are equipped to handle the slower-moving but destructive climate change crisis. So far, researchers warn that the world is ill-prepared. "As for the environmental benefits we see from the slowdown of day-to-day life and economic activity in terms of improving air quality and other slight benefits, it's a good sign that our ecosystems are somewhat resilient if we don't completely destroy them," said Peter Gleick, a climate scientist and founder of the Pacific Institute in Berkeley, California. "But it would be nice if we could improve our environment without having to cripple our economy," he added. Emma Newburger

11:43 am: NY Gov. Cuomo says state to start clinical drug trial, authorizes temporary hospitals

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during his daily news conference amid the coronavirus outbreak on March 20, 2020 in New York City. Bennett Raglin | Getty Images

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he's asked the federal government to nationalize the purchase of medical equipment and has signed off on several locations to build temporary hospitals to treat coronavirus patients across the state, which is the hardest hit in the U.S. Cuomo said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will build temporary hospitals in Stony Brook, Westbury, Westchester, New York, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, which will contain four federal hospitals with 250 beds each. New York state is also running a clinical trial beginning Tuesday of a treatment regimen of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, two drugs that doctors in Africa and elsewhere say they've seen good results in fighting the virus. Cuomo said the federal government needs to nationalize the purchase of needed medical supplies, adding that the shortage of personal protective gear like masks and life-saving equipment like respirators is leading to price gouging. Masks that used to cost 85 cents are now $7, "why because I'm competing against other states," he said. Dawn Kopecki

11:31 am: Merck to supply NYC health-care and front-line workers with 500,000 surgical masks

Merck said it will supply New York City with a half-million masks to address the severe shortage of health-care supplies. "In response to the urgent need for personal protective equipment for health-care workers and other front-line responders battling the COVID-19 pandemic," the drugmaker will be providing 500,000 masks, a company spokesperson told CNBC. Merck specified that the masks are surgical masks, not N95 respirators. Meg Tirrell

11:22 am: Companies should keep as many people employed as possible, Gary Cohn says

Gary Cohn, former chief economic adviser to President Donald Trump Getty Images

Companies should keep as many people employed and on payroll as possible amid the pandemic, former White House economic advisor Gary Cohn said. He said that the economy will eventually bounce back and people should be able to return to work immediately rather than having to go through the re-hiring process.



"It would be a shame if we let people go, terminated them, put them on unemployment and then had to try to rehire them once we restarted the economy," Cohn said on CBS' "Face the Nation."



The coronavirus crisis will likely result in layoffs on a scale that the U.S. has never seen before, with Bank of America forecasting that as of next week a total of 3 million people will have filed for unemployment. The numbers are expected to be so bad that the Trump administration has asked state officials to delay releasing precise figures.

Financing packages to help the economy recover from the pandemic would be worth $4 trillion, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday. Part of that would include efforts between the Treasury and the Federal Reserve to provide liquidity to businesses. Emma Newburger

10:45 am: FEMA unclear about mask quantity and distribution

FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor did not offer a solid timeline for when the national stockpile of masks will be distributed or give a number for how many masks are currently being shipped. "We are shipping all those supplies to all the demands, to all the asks from the governors every day," Gaynor said on ABC News' "This Week." He said that there are still masks in the national stockpile, but that FEMA is prepared to "go to zero" to meet demand. He cited New York, Washington state, and California as critical hotspots where masks are being sent. Hannah Miller

10:20 am: Illinois governor says states are competing for supplies  'It's a Wild West out there'

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, alongside other lawmakers and stakeholders, announces a major step forward to legalize cannabis, at Black United Fund of Illinois, on Saturday May 4, 2019. The bill also looks to expunge thousands of class-4 felony marijuana convictions. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images) Abel Uribe | Tribune News Service | Getty Images

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state only received a fraction of supplies requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The shortage of supplies continues to result in states and countries compete against each other for critical personal protective equipment in the open market.



"This should have been a coordinated effort by the federal government...It's a Wild West out there...Indeed we're overpaying for PPE because of that competition," Pritzker said on CNN's "State of the Union."



The governor also mentioned that there should have been a national stay at home order. Pritzker said he instituted one for his state because he has to protect the 12.7 million people that live in Illinois.



"It will work...Unless we tell people to stay home and to stop interacting in the way that they were, we're going to see...tens of thousands of more deaths," Pritzker said. Alexandria White

10:08 am: Mnuchin working with Fed to provide $4 trillion in liquidity, trying to reach a deal today with Congress

Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin said the administration is working with the Federal Reserve to offer up to $4 trillion in liquidity financing that can be used to support the economy.



"We can lever up to $4 trillion to help everything from small businesses to big businesses to get through the next 90 to 120 days," Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday.



Mnuchin also said the administration is trying to reach a deal with Congress today regarding an economic relief package that could top $1.8 trillion. Highlights of the package include small business retention loans that would give businesses two weeks of cash flow, a direct deposit for Americans with the average deposit being $3,000 for a family of four and enhanced unemployment insurance for people laid off because of the coronavirus.



Hospitals would also receive approximately $110 billion in aid, according to Mnuchin. Hannah Miller

About Covid19 signs are seen at the Times Square in New York City, United States on March 20, 2020. Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

9:25 am: Virus outbreak in NYC will worsen, de Blasio says

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the coronavirus pandemic will worsen in the next few months and urged the federal government to employ the U.S. military to help combat the outbreak. "The president will not lift a finger to help his hometown. ... I can't be blunt enough: If the president does not act, people will die who could have lived otherwise," the mayor said on NBC News' "Meet the Press." The mayor said that ventilators produced anywhere in the country should be sent to New York within the next 10 days. The state has become the most affected area in the country and is seeing a surge in cases every day. A bulk of the cases are in New York City, which now accounts for about one-third of all cases in the country. "Our federal government needs to be in this fight rather than on the sidelines," de Blasio said. Emma Newburger

8:39 am: Airlines tell Congress they need cash coronavirus aid or thousands will be furloughed

U.S. airlines on Saturday warned they will have to furlough workers unless Congress approves a $58 billion aid package that includes grants, not only loans, as the industry reels from the impact of coronavirus. Senate Republicans last week proposed legislation that included a $58 billion in aid for passenger and cargo carriers, but in the form of loans airlines would later have to repay. "Time is running out," wrote the CEOs of Southwest, Delta, Alaska, American, United, JetBlue, Hawaiian, UPS Airlines and FedEx, and their lobbying group, Airlines for America, to congressional leaders. It was one in a series of grim messages from airline chiefs and labor unions this week about the abrupt collapse in bookings that coronavirus caused and the potential toll on workers. "Unless worker payroll protection grants are passed immediately, many of us will be forced to take draconian measures such as furloughs." U.S. airlines employ close to 750,000 people and airlines are now shrinking their international networks to the smallest in decades, cutting thousands of domestic flights, parking hundreds of jets and urging employees to take unpaid leave, in a bid to save cash as demand crumbles. Leslie Josephs

7:42 am: Fed's Bullard says shutdown is not a recession but an investment in survival

James Bullard Olivia Michael | CNBC

In normal times massive unemployment and a collapse in economic output would be tragic. This time, as the coronavirus cloisters millions of Americans and shuts down the U.S. economy, it should instead be saluted as an investment in public health that lays the groundwork for a rapid rebound. That is the view of St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard, who argues that a potential $2.5 trillion hit coming to the economy is both necessary and manageable if officials move fast and keep it simple. It may seem an unconventional view in a moment of global anxiety, but Bullard argues the shutdown measures now being rolled out are essential to shortening the course of the pandemic. They must also be coupled with massive federal government support to sustain the population through its coming isolation and prime the economy to pick up where it left off. To Bullard, that means: Match any lost wages. Match any lost business. No questions asked. Reuters

6:51 am: Spain's death toll passes 1,700, cases exceed 28,000

Spain's death toll rose to 1,720 from a previous count of 1,326, according to multiple media reports citing the most recent health data, which also reported cases at 28,572 from a previous tally of 24,926. Spain is currently under a nationwide lockdown. Spain's prime minister is seeking to extend the country's 15-day state of emergency, first declared on March 14, for a further 15 days to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, which is the second-worst in Europe.

4:48 am: UK receives new ventilator prototypes, housing minister says
- 35-year-old Ghanaian who tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated under isolation conditions has spoken about his experience

- According to the gentleman, he does not experience any symptoms but chose to get tested since he had returned from France recently

- It is indicated that the 35-year-old spent 14 days in France on an official assignment after which he returned to the country

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

A 35-year-old Ghanaian male who returned to Accra after spending 14 days in France and tested positive for COVID-19 otherwise known as coronavirus has spoken in an interview.

According to Myjoyonline who organized the interview, the gentleman had gone on an official assignment in France after which he returned and decided to get tested for COVID-19.

The 35-year-old who chose not to disclose his name narrates that he does not exhibit any symptoms at all and actually feels stronger than most people who may be without the virus.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Ghana likely to be put on lockdown from Sunday - Bright Simons hints

'Case 7' as he is referred to as, indicates he has no cough, no sneezing, no rise in temperature and absolutely no sign of fever at all.

He, however, admits that life is not the same despite his health being absolutely normal. 'Case 7' says that being in isolation feels like a time spent in prison.

He describes being in isolation as a special prison because the doors are locked outside and your rights are taken away from you.

READ ALSO: Ghana confirms 3 more cases of COVID-19; total number hits 19

Aside from the excruciating pain of being stuck in one position, 'Case 7' says that the medical staff who attend to the patients are highly supportive which is great for the patients.

Also, the 35-year-old mentions many friends and families have called to comfort him. He hopes to recover and be rejoined with his family in the coming days.

In other news, top Ghanaian celebrity King Promise has stated that he is in self-isolation after returning from the UK in the past days

According to the Ghanaian musician, he shows no symptoms of COVID-19 but has decided to undergo the 2-week isolation in line with WHO protocols

King Promise mentions that although his London and Amsterdam concerts pulled massive crowds, he had to call off the rest of the concerts due to the coronavirus outbreak

Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Only God can save Ghana from the Coronavirus outbreak - Pastor declares | #Yencomgh

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Source: YEN.com.gh
Eric Adams, holding a picture of his late mother, is sworn in as New York mayor during the New Years celebration in Times Square. (Reuters)

In his first 10 days, Eric Adams has veered between swagger and tragedy, praise and criticism, as he begins leading the nations largest city.
McDonalds said it had taken the difficult decision to close all its restaurants in Ireland and the UK over fears of the spread of Covid-19.

All locations will close on Monday by 7pm latest.

CEO of McDonald's UK and Ireland, Paul Pomroy, said that it became clear that "maintaining social distance whilst operating busy takeaway and Drive Thru restaurants is increasingly difficult".

"We have not taken this decision lightly and know that our restaurants have been playing an important role in the community providing hundreds of thousands of free drinks to frontline health and social workers and emergency services personnel," Mr Pomroy said.

An update from McDonalds UK and Ireland  See you soon pic.twitter.com/43moFRrWRR  McDonald's UK (@McDonaldsUK) March 22, 2020

"But I have been clear throughout this that we would only continue to operate whilst it was safe for our people and together with our franchisees, we feel now is the time to make this decision to temporarily close."

The company will continue to work with community groups across the UK and Ireland to distribute food from the restaurants to those most in need, Mr Pomroy said.

"Ahead of closing tomorrow evening, we will ensure frontline health workers and emergency services personnel do not have to pay for any food or drink in our restaurants on sight of their work pass."

He thanked their 130,000 employees as well as customers and couriers.

"Take care of one another in these unprecedented times, we look forward to seeing you again as soon as it is safe for us to reopen."

CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Adrian Cummins, said on social media that the Taoiseach has been notified of the development.

McDonald's closed the seating areas in their restaurants earlier last week, but drive-thru operations were still running up until now.

While restaurants have not been advised to close, the Government has asked all pubs to shut - and those that remain open will be forcibly closed, Health Minister Simon Harris said.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Keep away from the sick, the newspaper advised, avoid crowds, wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.

Sound measures for combating the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic confronting us now. But those instructions appeared in the Oct. 24, 1918, edition of the Raton Range as part of that papers Ten Commandments for the Control of Influenza.

By that date, the dreaded Spanish flu was stampeding through New Mexico, and officials, slow to react to the threat, were desperately trying to turn it back.

They closed down schools, churches, banks, everything. Just like now, said Richard Melzer, who, until his recent retirement, had been a professor of history at University of New Mexico-Valencia campus for 40 years. Taos required people to wear surgical masks.

This disease, however, was difficult to slow down, impossible, it seemed, to stop. By the time it had run its course in 1920, the Spanish flu had killed an estimated 17 million to 50 million, maybe even 100 million around the world.

It took the lives of 195,000 Americans in October 1918 alone and by 1920, 675,000 people had died in the United States. Deaths attributed to the flu in New Mexico range from 1,000 to 5,000.

The demand was so great they ran out of coffins in some places, Melzer said.

That was then. Now, New Mexico has the infrastructure and the information to deal swiftly and aggressively with scourges such as the Spanish flu and COVID-19.

Fast and ugly

Near the end of August 1918, two sailors on a Boston pier were reported ill with flu-like symptoms.

The next day, eight cases were reported, and the third day the count had climbed to 58.

By Sept. 8, the disease had galloped 40 miles to Camp Devens, Massachusetts, a military training installation, and two weeks after that, there were 10,500 cases in the camp and men were dying at an average of 100 a day.

The Spanish flu was a virus so vicious its like had never been seen before or since. Unlike most flus, which prey particularly on the very old and the very young, the Spanish flu savaged young adults as well. It killed fast and ugly.

Victims developed mahogany spots on their cheeks within hours of contracting the disease, then their faces turned blue or purple from lack of oxygen in their blood, they bled from their ears and noses and finally suffocated, choking to death on their own blood and mucous.

But the terror that ravaged unchecked back east failed to penetrate to the heart of New Mexico, a state for just six years in 1918 and a mecca for people seeking a cure for tuberculosis in its sunny days, dry climate and clean air.

There was little chance, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported on Sept. 28, 1918, that the epidemical malady would inflict itself on the Southwest, because the region was so far from those eastern ports and the Southwest atmosphere so salubrious.

We didnt think we were going to get this thing, said Nancy Owen Lewis, scholar in residence at Santa Fes School for Advanced Research. We were unprepared. We had 70 tuberculosis sanitariums geared for out-of-staters, but very few hospitals to treat local people. We were the only state of the 48 that did not have a public health department.

The disease had reached New Mexico even before the New Mexican issue dismissing its danger hit the streets. On Sept. 20, a soldier just arrived from the east coast died of the illness at Fort Bayard in Grant County. A week later, the virus killed a 17-year-old boy in Deming.

Even then, the Albuquerque Journal advised on Oct. 8 that the biggest peril was panic. Labeling the disease nothing more or less than the grippe, the Journal warned its readers not to allow themselves to be frightened into their coffins.

Three days later, the virus claimed the life of its first Santa Fe victim, the wife of a dentist.

By Oct. 28, there were 821 cases in Albuquerque and 98 deaths statewide, said Lewis, author of Chasing the Cure in New Mexico: Tuberculosis and the Quest for Health. The flu sweeps through the U.S. (tuberculosis) sanitarium at Fort Stanton. There were 149 cases of the flu among the 300 TB patients and 18% deaths.

Military casualties

It probably didnt start in Spain. It got tagged the Spanish flu because the press in that neutral country freely reported the diseases progress while wartime censors, seeking to protect morale as much as possible, suppressed news of the flu in countries  including Germany, Great Britain, France and the United States  fighting in World War I.

As a result, the public perception was that the flu had hit Spain harder than other parts of the world.

It may have started at a British army base in France, in northern China or at Camp Funston, a U.S. Army training center on Fort Riley, southwest of Manhattan, Kansas.

Early in March 1918, a Camp Funston mess cook complained of flu-like

symptoms, and five weeks later, 1,000 of the camps soldiers had been infected and 47 were dead.

There were 29,000 soldiers and 10,000 mules and horses at Camp Funston, said David Holtby, retired associate director and editor in chief of the University of New Mexico Press and author of Lest We Forget: World War I and New Mexico.

Holtby said that instead of shipping away the animals manure as other military installations did, Camp Funston burned it, creating what he suspects are the kind of noxious conditions ripe for viruses.

The Camp Funston outbreak subsided in the summer months,

but the flu resurfaced with a vengeance on that Boston pier in August.

Massive movements of personnel across America, into Europe and back to the United States during World War I no doubt played a significant role in the spread of Spanish flu.

Holtby said 30,000 members of the military died of the flu at training and embarkation centers in the United States. In Lest We Forget, he notes that 128 soldiers, including nine New Mexicans, died at Camp Cody, a National Guard training center northwest of Deming, in the six weeks leading up to the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918.

The war played a part in the epidemic in other ways as well, especially in New Mexico.

We were a poor state, said Melzer, whose article, A Dark and Terrible Moment: The Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918, appeared in the New Mexico Historical Review in 1982. We were dealing with the wounded and those with other problems coming back from the war. We had few doctors and nurses and those were depleted by the war.

Holtby said that one flu victim was taken to a veterinarian in Tucumcari because no medical doctors were available.

Prior to the war, Tucumcari had several doctors, he said.

But Holtby said the war also generated some positive factors in the battle against the flu.

People in 1918 had been conditioned by two years of forced compliance due to the war, he said. You eat meat just three times a week. So they were (receptive) to decrees  the closures, wearing masks in grocery stores  that were in effect throughout New Mexico by the middle of October because of the flu.

Winchester welcomes

Even though most people were willing to do their part to beat back the flu epidemic, some New Mexico citizens felt a little added encouragement was needed.

There was vigilante activity, greeting committees with Winchesters who met the trains, Holtby said during a phone interview from his Albuquerque home. If you came from a community that was infected, you didnt get off.

Melzer said that in Belen, the town in which he makes his home, only people who were from Belen were allowed to leave trains during the height of the flu epidemic.

As if people from Belen could not be infected themselves, he said.

In fact, Melzer said about half of Belens population had the flu.

Albuquerque, however, a railroad town like Belen but much larger, suffered relatively few infections and deaths considering its size and density.

Albuquerque, because of the actions it took, was more successful in fighting off the flu, said Rick Hendricks, former state historian for New Mexico and now the states records administrator. Albuquerque put notices on the doors of people who were ill and banned gatherings. Dawson, the mining camp (in Colfax County), had a much higher mortality rate.

And thats the way it was. Some locations in the state fared better than others.

In his New Mexico Historical Review article, Melzer writes that Albuquerque, Tucumcari and Raton were among the more fortunate places, while Gallup, Belen, Socorro, San Pedro in Santa Fe County and Baldy in Colfax County got slammed. According to Melzer, all 200 of Baldys residents were ill.

He told the Journal there was just one death per thousand people in Raton, compared to 13 deaths per thousand in Dawson, where Mexican nationals had been brought in to work the coal mines.

Unfortunately, the flu had run wild in northern Mexico, where an estimated half million people had died of flu or pneumonia and many were infected.

Possibly the death toll would not have been so great in the isolated coal camp if germ carriers had not been haphazardly recruited from flu infected regions, Melzer wrote in his Historical Review article.

No direction

New Mexicos American Indian population was also pummeled by the Spanish flu.

The death rate at San Ildefonso was unbelievable, Hendricks said.

In an article that appeared recently in El Palacio, the magazine of the Museum of New Mexico, Hendricks writes that only 85 of the 140 residents at San Ildefonso Pueblo survived the epidemic.

In a phone interview from Santa Fe, he told the Journal those figures are based on census reports, because just one death was officially recorded at the pueblo between 1918 and 1920.

Those are not ironclad figures, but what appears to have been happening is that people were dying at such a rate that no one was going into the pueblo, he said. (Catholic) priests were not going in for funerals, no deaths were recorded.

Kim Martinez, a retired high school teacher living in Santa Fe, said the Pueblo of Pojoaque lost so many people to the flu that it had to search for people with Pojoaque blood just to continue to exist.

Martinezs thesis, written for a masters degree in history from Colorados Adams State University, is titled Their Harrowing Experience: A Social History of the Spanish Influenza in New Mexico, 1918-1919.

What I was looking at was how people react (to the epidemic) when they had no direction from the outside, she said during a phone interview.

What she discovered was that people responded to the disease in traditional, but ineffective, ways.

Navajos burned the hogans of people who had died, forcing survivors into the hogans of others. Navajos sought cures in sweat lodges, a particularly hazardous thing to do when faced with a respiratory disease such as the flu.

Pueblo medicine men filled the rooms of the sick with smoke, and Hispanic villagers crowded around the dying, saying the rosary and praying novenas.

Martinez said the Spanish flu may have killed 5% of the Navajo population. But how many people was that? No one knows for sure.

The flu may have taken the lives of 1,000 people in New Mexico, maybe 5,000, maybe more. There was no organized method of keeping track.

Gov. (Washington) Lindsey was collecting, as best he could, numbers from the counties, but it was not scientific, Hendricks said.

The epidemic in New Mexico waned in November and December of 1918. On Dec. 2 of that year, Albuquerque lifted its quarantine measures.

Good to go

In High and Dry in New Mexico: Tuberculosis and the Politics of Health, a 2012 article that appeared in the New Mexico Historical Review, Nancy Lewis writes about a 1914 assessment of public health commissioned by the American Medical Association.

According to Lewis, Charles V. Chapin, superintendent of health in Providence, Rhode Island, gave New Mexico a grade of zero out of a possible thousand points.

In a subsequent survey conducted in the flu year of 1918, Dr. John W. Kerr of the U.S. Public Health Service urged New Mexico to create a state department of health.

Embarrassed by the Chapin report and sobered by the horrors of the flu epidemic, the state Legislature did just that on March 15, 1919.

More than 100 years after the flu epidemic, New Mexico has an organization equipped to take on the coronavirus that plagues us now.

Because we now have a statewide organization, when this (pandemic) has passed, we will have learned a great deal about what to do the next time it happens, Hendricks said.

Lewis said we were better prepared this time.

Thank God, we have a public health department, she said. Thank God we started doing social distancing before we had many cases. We have come a long way since 1919.

Pandemics through the ages

One of the deadliest epidemics ever, the Spanish flu killed an estimated 50 million to 100 million people around the world in 1918-1920.

Here for comparison are some other deadly pandemics down through the ages.

Antonine Plague, A.D. 165-180, Roman Empire: Named for the family of Marcus Aurelius Antonius, who was Roman emperor at the time, this virulent scourge killed more than 5 million people, many of them in Rome itself.

Plague of Justinian, A.D. 541-542, Constantinople and the Eastern Roman Empire: This one is named for the Emperor Justinian, who was stricken by it but survived and recovered. It killed 25 million people in Constantinople and throughout the empire.

Black Death, 14th century, Europe: Carried by fleas, this plague killed 75 million to 200 million people, 30% to 60% of the European continents population.

Americas Smallpox Epidemic, recurring 16th through the 19th centuries, North and South American continents: Introduced by European explorers, the epidemic killed millions, about 90% of the continents native populations.

AIDS, ongoing, worldwide: A virus that attacks the immune system, this pandemic has killed more than 30 million people since it was first recognized in 1981.

Ollie Reed Jr.
Pakistan on Saturday suspended all international flights for two weeks and curtailed train services as the coronavirus cases surged to 730 in the country after more pilgrims who returned from Iran tested positive for the deadly virus, which has turned into a major global crisis.

The government in a statement said all international flights are being suspended for two weeks to curb the spread of the virus. From 8 pm tonight, "all incoming international flights are being suspended for two weeks," a statement issued read.

National flag-carrier PIA however will be allowed to bring back its planes. Cargo flights will also be allowed. Earlier, the PIA had said all international departures were being suspended till March 28.

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: Punjab orders complete lockdown; two COVID-19 deaths reported form Patna, Mumbai

Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad ordered to reduce the number of trains running in the country from March 25 until the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, which would start around April 25. "We have decided to suspend 34 trains out of total 142 running in the country while another eight trains will be suspended from April 1," he said.

The government announced the measures as the number of confirmed cases in the country jumped to 730. The worst-affected Sindh province reported 90 new coronavirus cases, taking the provincial tally to 396.

The new cases have been detected in pilgrims who returned from Iran and have been quarantined in Sukkur, according to a spokesperson for the Sindh health department. The number of COVID-19 patients in Balochistan rose to 104 with 12 new cases.

After 41 new cases surfaced in Punjab, taking the total number of cases to 137, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar announced the closure of all shopping malls, markets and public places from 9 pm on Saturday till 9 am on Tuesday.

However, pharmacies, petrol pumps and grocery stores will remain open. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the number rose to 27 as new cases came forward, provincial health minister Taimur Jhagra said. Gilgit-Baltistan has 55 cases, Islamabad 10 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir one case.

So far three patients have died in Pakistan while five have recovered. Pakistan reported the third casualty from the virus in Karachi on Friday, two days after two men both pilgrims returning from Iran and Saudi Arabia died of the coronavirus in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The 70-year-old who died in Karachi was a cancer survivor. He had other medical problems, like hypertension and diabetes, but did not have any travel or contact history, officials said.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has said that all provinces of the country now have laboratories where coronavirus tests can be done. Speaking at a press conference, Mirza said that the number of labs would increase in the future.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday ruled out total lockdown but asked people to reduce unnecessary travel and go for self-quarantine for at least another 45 days to help tackle the coronavirus crisis which has killed over 11,000 people and infected 250,000 worldwide.

Pakistan, despite its close proximity with China, remained unscathed by the virus until February 26 when a man from Karachi tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Express Tribune reported.

The man, in his twenties, had returned from Iran, which is also one of the worst-hit countries. After a brief pause following the first case, COVID-19 cases witnessed a sharp surge as more pilgrims returning from Iran tested positive despite the fact that they were quarantined for 14 days at the Pak-Iran border crossing of Taftan in Balochistan.

Amid an imminent threat of spread of coronavirus, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the release of under-trial prisoners detained in Rawalpindi's overcrowded Adiala jail in minor crimes and directed the Islamabad police not to make arrest in petty matters, the Dawn reported.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has summoned the first meeting of its Crisis Management Committee on March 24.

The government has exempted import of 61 diagnostic support and personal protective equipment from all duties and taxes for a period of three months in order to reduce the rising prices in the domestic market.

The government has also allowed the use of non-utilised amount of the World Bank-funded projects worth USD 40 million for purchase of COVID-19 equipment.

The provincial government of Balochistan has decided to impose a 21-day partial lockdown across the province to control the spread of highly contagious disease.

Under the lockdown, which is similar to the restrictions imposed by the Sindh government, all major shopping centres, markets and food restaurants will remain closed. However, food delivery will be allowed during the lockdown.

Prime Minister Khan while addressing the media in Islamabad on Friday had said the country's strategy is a little different from a complete lockdown, considering Pakistan's socio-economic realities. "Pakistan isn't a rich country like Italy, where people can get through a sustained period without economic activity," he said.

Meanwhile, pressure mounted on the government to completely lockdown the country. Pakistan Peoples Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged the government to announce lockdown to combat the virus.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and leader of opposition in parliament Shehbaz Sharif is returning to Pakistan from London after staying there for four months, party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said. Aurangzeb said Shehbaz would arrive to "play his role in saving the nation from coronavirus".
Among the 12 new cases reported on Saturday, six are from Kasargod district and three each from Ernakulam and Kannur. (PTI)

Kochi: The number of novel coronavirus infected persons is rapidly increasing in Kerala with 12 more cases reported by Saturday evening. With this, the total number of COVID cases reported from the state has risen to 52, including the three patients recovered earlier.

Forty-nine patients are under treatment in various hospitals across the state. Among the 12 new cases reported on Saturday, six are from Kasargod district and three each from Ernakulam and Kannur.

A total of 53103 people are under observation including 228 persons in isolation wards of hospitals and the remaining under home quarantine.

With the fast increasing number of virus infection, the chief minister warned that the government will be forced to impose prohibitory orders if the public does not comply with the guidelines.

While the majority of the public is strictly following the government instructions, a section of people are paying scanty regards to the advisory. These people are trying to sabotage the stringent defensive measures imposed to tide over the crisis. Strict measures will be taken against such persons, the chief minister added.

The state government has written to Indian Council of Medical Research to give permission for conducting a rapid test of Covid-19. A committee has been constituted with the chief secretary, home secretary and DGP to ensure availability of essential goods in the state. The Tamil Nadu government has informed that no goods vehicles will be blocked at border points, said the chief minister.

Cases have been registered against individuals and religious institutions for organising mass gatherings in violation of the government order.

Most of the temples and churches have banned the entry of devotees while several trade bodies have asked its members to close the shops till March 31.

The chief minister also urged people to avoid long-distance journeys while there are no restrictions on travelling within one's own district.
Sen. Rand Paul Tests Positive for COVID-19

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tested positive for the CCP virus and is currently being quarantined, his office announced on Sunday afternoon.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

The 57-year-old junior Kentucky senator is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person, his office wrote in a statement.

With the positive test, Paul, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2016, is perhaps the highest-profile official in the United States to have contracted the virus.

Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.  Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020

He is planning on returning to the Senate after his quarantine is over, according to a Twitter post. Its not clear when that will be.

Paul will still work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time, his office said in a Twitter post. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.

Over the past week or so, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) have also tested positive for the CCP virus, while a staffer working for Vice President Mike Pence was confirmed to have contracted it. Pence and his wife were tested for the virus, and the results came back negative on Saturday.

Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual. Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines, Pence spokeswoman Katie Miller said in a statement.

Earlier in the month, President Donald Trump tested negative, according to his physician. His daughter, Ivanka, self-quarantined at home before her COVID-19 results came back negative, allowing her to work in the White House on Friday.

More than a dozen lawmakers have entered voluntary self-quarantine amid the pandemic, and its likely that more will be infected. Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) office said last week that Congress will be the last to leave.

Brett Giroir, a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who serves as the Assistant Secretary for Health under the Trump administration, recently told reporters that testing should be prioritized for front-line workers dealing with the pandemic. Those with symptoms should also be tested, he said.

Clearly, everyone across the country should understand that those hospitalized or in an ICU are a priority for testing. Symptomatic health care workersfor obvious reasons we want to make sure that their health is preserved and that they are not going to spread to those that may be seriously ill, Giroir said.
(Alliance News) - UK military planners have been called in to help with localised support systems as people at high risk from the coronavirus were urged to stay home for at least 12 weeks.

The move came as Boris Johnson called for Britons to resist visiting their parents on Mother's Day, with the UK prime minister warning the Covid-19 outbreak is "accelerating".

The government and health officials have urged the 1.5 million people in England considered most at risk from the disease because of their health conditions to begin "shielding" themselves by staying at home.

Letters will go out this week "strongly advising" them not to go out for at least 12 weeks from Monday.

The government has also announced a new local support system to ensure people self-isolating at home without support networks can have basic groceries delivered.

Military planners, already helping councils and local resilience forums in their responses to the outbreak, have been centrally involved in setting up the new network.

In a stark message to the country, Johnson said the NHS was in danger of being "overwhelmed" in the same way as the Italian healthcare system unless people heeded government advice on "social distancing".

His message follows Friday's dramatic announcement that all pubs, restaurants, cinemas and theatres are to shut in the latest move to combat the disease.

The UK's Covid-19 death toll reached 233 on Saturday, the same as Italy's total two weeks ago. Italy's toll has since risen to 4,825, making it the hardest-hit country in the world.

Johnson acknowledged the government was imposing measures "never seen before either in peace or war", but said they were essential as the outbreak gathered pace.

"The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating. We are only a matter of weeks a two or three a behind Italy. The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand," he said.

"The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing. Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread a then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed."

Downing Street dismissed a report Johnson had only ordered the measures after French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to block all travellers coming from the UK if he did not act.

The French newspaper Liberation said that in a telephone call on Friday morning, the president had warned the rest of the EU would follow suit unless Johnson abandoned his policy of "benign neglect".

A No 10 spokeswoman said: "As the PM said on Friday, these new measures were taken based on scientific advice and following the government's action plan set out two weeks ago."

Johnson said while "everyone's strongest instinct" was to visit their mother on Mother's Day, the best single present they could give their parent was to stay away and minimise the risk of infection.

"This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity," he said.

"And why? Because if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus, or Covid-19. We cannot disguise or sugar-coat the threat."

Asked on Friday whether he would be seeing his own mother, 77-year-old Charlotte Johnson Wahl, the prime minister said he would "certainly be sending her my very best wishes and hope to get to see her" before his voice trailed off.

A Downing Street source later clarified that his contact with his mother on Sunday would be confined to a conversation over Skype.

The latest official figures released on Saturday showed the number of people across the UK who have died after testing positive for Covid-19 has risen to 233, with 53 more deaths in England, two in Wales and one in Scotland.

Those being urged to stay at home include people who have received organ transplants, those severe with respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis and severe chronic bronchitis, and with some cancers such as those of the blood or bone marrow.

They also include some a though not all a of those receiving certain types of drug treatments including those which suppress the immune system a leaving the body less able to fight off the virus.

Where possible, they will receive regular text messages containing advice and guidance on how to manage their condition while at home, including having prescriptions delivered and accessing support for daily living.

Those living with them are urged to "stringently" minimise any personal contact.

By Gavin Cordon, PA Whitehall Editor

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
At least 13 Toronto health-care professionals  doctors, nurses and long-term care workers  have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Toronto Public Health.

Tied in to this revelation is a new testing directive in Toronto where public health is focusing its testing efforts on people who work in health-care settings, homeless shelters or other places where the nature of their job puts them in contact with large groups of people.

At this time there have been approximately 13 health-care workers who have tested positive for COVID-19, said Dr. Michael Finkelstein, Torontos acting director of communicable disease control and associate medical officer of health.

Finkelstein released the information to the Star in response to questions related to the high risk of health professionals during the pandemic.

It is important to note that as the situation evolves, it is expected that this number will continue to change daily, Finkelstein said.

Toronto Public Health will not say how many are doctors, how many nurses, and how many are personal support or social workers in health-care settings. All 13 Toronto health-care professionals are self-isolating, according to Toronto Public Health. Officials would not say if any had to be hospitalized.

Finkelstein said it is vital that all health-care workers should track how they feel closely. He said they need to diligently monitor themselves for signs of illness over the course of the pandemic and tell their manager if they feel unwell.

Health-care workers on the front line of the epidemic take different precautions depending on where they work. Doctors and nurses seeing patients in an office do not typically have the same precautionary equipment as, for example, doctors and nurses working in public health or hospital settings.

At one large hospital in Toronto, a patient told the Star she was met by a nurse in full protective gear and taken to an assessment room for the COVID-19 test, which typically involves a nose and throat swab. As soon as the patient left the waiting room, another person in protective gear came and wiped down the chair the patient was sitting in.

Toronto Public Healths Dr. Finkelstein reiterated the importance for all people  health-care professionals and non-health-care professionals  to limit their social interactions as much as possible.

Corresponding with the concern over health-care professionals who are on the front line, Toronto Public Health has made a change in its testing regime. This relates to the COVID-19 tests that are done at the assessment centres in Toronto.

Due to evidence of community spread of COVID-19 in Toronto, the assessment centres in the Toronto Region will be shifting their focus to people who are at risk of transmitting COVID-19 to large groups of people, says a directive by Toronto Public Health issued Friday. Everyone else, even those with mild symptoms who have returned from travel, do not need testing unless they get sick enough to go to an emergency department.

Medical sources have told the Star this shift is due to the current scarcity of testing kits and the fear that submitting too many tests into an already overburdened testing system will create an even bigger backlog. Public Health Ontario and hospitals are working on ramping up their testing ability in the province to handle 5,000 tests a day, a goal that is still two weeks away.

In its new directive from Friday, Toronto Public Health states that people with mild COVID-19 symptoms who are not at high-risk of transmission to larger groups should not go to one of the assessment centres for a test. Instead they should self-isolate for 14 days.

Toronto Public Health defines mild symptoms as mild symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection (cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, runny nose, and joint aches, and may also include nausea, diarrhea and stomach pains) OR fever.

But if people have these mild symptoms and work in any health-care setting (hospital, long-term care, retirement home, paramedics, etc.) or in settings that include homeless shelters or correctional facilities), Toronto Public Health states they should visit an assessment centre.

As for the general public, Toronto Public Health states that if their mild symptoms are accompanied by unusual shortness of breath, chest pains, lethargy or drowsiness they should go to emergency.

As of Saturday, Toronto Public Health has had 193 cases of COVID-19 reported in Toronto. Ten of these people are hospitalized and of these, six are receiving care in the Intensive Care Unit. To date, there have been four other people diagnosed with COVID-19 who have recovered from their illness.

The daily briefing does not provide detail on the professions or the specific location where the person was believed to have been infected.
CASEVILLE  Kelly Jaworski is not just a third-grade teacher at Caseville Public School. She is one of those special educators who take great pride in devoting extra time and care to each of her students.

I love being a constant support for my students and helping them to grow as learners, as well as human beings, Jaworski said. I love the ability to foster a love for learning that continues once students leave my classroom.

The committed elementary teacher did not grow up dreaming of becoming one. As irony would have it, educators helping to cultivate and foster dreams was how she received her calling into a life of teaching.

I took a children's literature class to fulfill a requirement for my undergraduate degree, Jaworski said. My professor helped me to realize that education, especially early literacy, was a discovered passion that developed quickly.

Jaworski graduated from Alma College in 2009, before receiving her graduate degree from Concordia University-Portland in 2016. Her undergraduate degree consisted of a major in elementary education, minoring in English and sociology. She even received an early childhood endorsement. Her master's degree was in early childhood education curriculum and instruction.

It only made sense that Jaworski would go on to teach language arts and social studies to young children.

I tell my students that reading should take them on a journey, and if it doesn't, then find something new to read, Jaworski said.

Jaworski never moved to the city to live the big city life she had originally hoped for. After that first early childhood class, she had fallen in love.

There are so many things that I love about teaching, Jaworski said. Building relationships with families and community members is another reason that being an educator is amazing. I am so blessed to be able to pay forward the educational experience that I received as a Caseville student.

Jaworski shared some of her favorite memories on the job, including taking the preschoolers tree climbing at the nature center. She actually acted out the metamorphosis of butterflies with the class, before releasing some live. Jaworski was also able to teach her own niece, an opportunity neither took for granted. She shared some rather humorous moments, as well.

We were studying the invasion of Fort Mackinac during Michigan History and the students had to build an indestructible fort from various materials, Jaworksi said. Their fort had to withstand three canon fires (nerf darts) in order for their fort to be deemed indestructible. The kids had a blast and so did I!

Sometimes teaching gets serious, and there was a time in particular Jaworski wished to talk about. She was working with a head start group, upon noticing a student was in need of services. It became necessary to collaborate with the caregivers to determine how to best meet the students needs and support the family.

I was so thankful to be a part of the team for this student's success, Jaworski said. After many appointments and meetings, there was hope for all of them to see improvement in the child's development. It is so neat to now have that student in my elementary classroom being a successful learner and classroom citizen. That student is one of my greatest sources of pride as an educator.

Jaworski believes that a great educator should try different strategies, accepting that they may not always work out. She pointed out how important it is to keep the strategies that worked in a toolbox to use appropriately in meeting the unique needs of learners.

A good educator is many things, but a great educator knows what aspects of education on which to capitalize and which to edit, Jaworski said.

The English teacher added the importance of being a good listener. It is necessary to learn from others in the profession, because there is always more knowledge to gain and things to improve upon. Therefore, she has made it a personal habit to find peers she is able to grow with.

According to those peers, patience may very well be one of Jaworskis greatest assets. Another could her relationship-based style of teaching.

I always say that I do not truly know my students until I know all of their pets' names, Jaworski said. Although this seems silly to some, I truly enjoy getting to know my students as people.

It is when students recognize acceptance from Jaworski that they truly begin to feel comfortable. That is how one of Casevilles most prized teachers is to break barriers, so that she may better understand the social, emotional, and cognitive development of each student in order to deliver the best instruction in her toolkit.
A fake news following the federal governments directive shutting tertiary institutions in Nigeria due to the COVID-19 epidemic on Sunday caused a panic among students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) who resorted to unusual means to get out of town.

In compliance with the federal government directive, the authorities of FUOYE announced that the school would be shut down on Monday, March 23.

After a case of coronavirus was detected in Ekiti, the state government also issued a statement that Operators of commercial vehicles shall not carry excess passengers and some guidelines were listed.

Some people in Ekiti State, however, misinterpreted the memo. On Friday, a WhatsApp message was sent to several groups. It reads: No interstate bus will be allowed to come in and out of Ekiti State as from Monday 23rd of March. So youre advice (sic) to travel before the stipulated date to avoid been stranded here.

The memo was allegedly signed by the Ekiti State Commissioner for Road Transport.

The memo cause panic among students of FUOYE who mostly reside in Lagos, Ibadan, Osun and Abuja. They have since been fleeing the town. On Sunday, thousands of them besieged the major motor park around UBA in Oye, seeking vehicles to take them out of Oye-Ekiti.

In the early hours of the day, some student representatives had liaised with the local motor park officials to ensure students travelling were not charged excessive fares. The officials agreed that students headed to Lagos would pay N2500, while those going to Ibadan and Abuja were charged N1500 and N3000 respectively.

At about 9 a.m, however, the tide turned. The available vehicles were not enough to convey a quarter of the passengers. Drivers immediately took advantage of this by charging twice the normal fares.

FUOYE Students React to Fake News by Travelling on Trailers

I got to the park this morning by 6:12 a.m., a student, Isaac-Orji Praise, said. You need to have seen the thousands of students there already. I waited under the sun until around 11 a.m. Before, the price was normal but the buses were limited. Later, they said Ibadan is N2500 and Lagos is N4000. People were still fighting for it. I was still not able to enter those ones. Later, there were no buses coming at all. I had to go back to my hostel and I will try again tomorrow.

Information has it that students soon stopped trailers headed to Ibadan and Lagos. According to Adedokun Abolore, a 400-level student of Peace and Conflict Management Studies, the people in the trucks were instructed to pen down their names in case anything happened. The blue truck driver collected N500 from everybody and he will drop them in Lagos.

Mr Abolore said Now I can see the effect of misinformation. The message originated on WhatsApp with no authentication and this was the main reason why students are panicking and later resorted to what is currently happening in Oye.

He continued by saying It is very risky and I am disappointed this is coming from undergraduates. For Gods sake, they are literate enough to know what they are doing is dangerous. But at the same time,I wont blame them. I will blame those elements of fake news.

Yinka Oyebode, the spokesperson to the state governor, said the false memo did not emanate from the state government.

The directive of Mr Governor is clear on the matter. Motorists are to obey some rules, including not putting more than three passengers on the back row seats and limit passengers on the front seat to one.
Goodsell, 58, is also an artist whose work focuses on making images of living cells at the molecular level, and he has produced his own watercolor of the coronavirus, with his own invented color scheme. In Goodsells painting, the virus is seen in cross section, not in the round as in the CDC image, and the colors resemble the vibrant, jazzed-up earthiness of Arts and Crafts-style wallpaper that was fashionable in Victorian homes of the late 19th century. In Goodsells painting, the characteristic spikes are bright pink, the core of the virus, known as the nucleocapsid, is lavender, and the whole is rendered in a floral sea of green, orange and brown mucous.
National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Mohammad Akbar Lone on Sunday released Rs one crore from his MPLADS fund to combat the spread of coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir, a party spokesperson said.

"MP North Kashmir Mohammad Akbar Lone has released an amount of Rs one crore to combat COVID-19 threat in his Parliamentary constituency," the spokesperson said.

Lone's constituency of Baramulla in north Kashmir is spread over the districts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara.

Lone followed the example of two of his party colleagues and MPs Farooq Abdullah and Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi who Saturday released Rs one crore each from their respective Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds tocombat the spread of coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to order the closure of school for final year students has gingered me to write this romantic letter to our cherished WASSCE and BECE candidates.

My dear, intelligent, romantic, COVID 19-free, nationalistic future leaders of Ghana, I know you are all aware that it is the Novel COVID 19 that has coerced our leaders to take this decision. As typical of me, I would want to suggest to you in this romantic letter to take advantage of the situation. I mean instead of joining irresponsible self-centred guys who would drag you into a needless debate on the closure of classes for you, you should rather be thinking about what you can do as individuals to turn this situation into a blessing for yourselves rather than a bane.

My first love, you know something, they are going to tell you that you have a lot of topics to cover so this can cause your failure. Nevertheless, I consider it as a statement made on impulse and principle of absurdity. The truth is that, you are in school to revise and address topics of relevance with respect to your examination, based on your teachers' predictions. If per adventure, you were not able to cover certain topics at all, this is the time to address them yourselves. Should they be right at all, you should let them know that you prefer failing your examination to contracting COVID 19.

My "coin of gold, shining coal, you, my night, my sun," ( I Will Pronounce Your Name, Leopold Sedar Senghor) I now want to respectfully appeal to your emotions and heart, so please listen to me with the mood of romance and tone of acceptance. As I hinted earlier in the above that you should take advantage of the situation to brighten your chances of getting better grace, I now want to reason with you on how to achieve that.

We are all aware that there are subjects we can learn on our own as students. The first thing I want "my night and my sun" to do is to master those subjects before GES or WAEC say jack. This can easily be done by spending greater percentage of your time on your books as you adhere to the social distance measures put in place. The joy of a student is derived from learning and understanding topics on their own. On a functional note, you are going to learn how to be independent students, a hallmark of first-class students.

For difficult topics which call for guidance of teachers, I will suggest that you, first of all, go through them and then reach your teachers or people with fair understanding of such topics to help you. This is also time for you to use the internet by way of digging for information on difficult issues. This creates platform for you to develop interest in electronic learning. Visit YouTube with your issues. Just be specific as you attempt to seek for solutions to your issues.

Above all, "my sugared clarity of blooming coffee trees," the best way you can prepare for your examination under this directive is to go into calculated self-quarantine. Avoid unnecessary visits. Do not also allow visits unless it has to do with your preparation for this examination. Even with that, observe social distance of more than the prescribed 2 meters.

Sweety, your jealous lover cannot conclude this letter without telling you to treat with the highest level of contempt, I mean, disrespect, any comment that intends to encourage you to engage in acts that will not only let you fail your examination but can also expose you to the COVID 19.

YOUR LOVER

BALA ALI

MPOHOR DISTRICT INFORMATION OFFICER
ALTON  The Alton School District, with the help of Aramark and Illinois Central Bus Co., started free breakfast and lunch delivery Thursday to students confined at home during the coronavirus school closures begun Tuesday.

The school closures mandated by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. But they could leave district students without a guaranteed meal. The delivery system is an attempt to address that problem.

At the time of need, everyone has really stepped up and we really appreciate it, said Alton School District Superintendent Mark Cappel. In a short amount of time, a lot of great stuff has taken place.

Lunch pick-up is available at five different schools and 16 other locations throughout Alton, Godfrey and Fosterburg during two separate one-hour periods each day.

A lot of people have been very kind and appreciative of it, said Sheri Kelley, senior contract manager at Illinois Central School Bus in Godfrey. I think its a fantastic thing the district is doing for these kids. Im glad we can help.

Although concerned some kids may sit at home without food while parents are at work, Kelley is hopeful the number of delivery locations and their proximity to area homes will meet students needs.

My bus did almost 50 lunches today, but I really anticipate those numbers to go up, said Amanda McDonald, a driver with Illinois Central Bus Co. Most of our people came up in cars and they seemed very thankful. The whole process was smooth. The people at Aramark were very organized and I think thats what made it go so well.

A parent named Laura who didnt wish to share her last name said she was thankful for the lunches because the grocery stores are running out of a lot of items. Families who dont have a lot and cant afford to stock up may need to conserve what they have, she said.

Im glad theyre doing this, she said. For some kids that dont have something to eat at home or parents that dont really have much money and cant afford it, its a good thing because then the kids do have something to eat.

Keith Brueggeman of Aramark, the school districts food service provider, said they served about 350 students Thursday and handed out about 625 prepared meals on Friday.

The people are starting to pick it up a little bit more, he said. Were trying to be out there so they know and are getting used to it. We were able to work with Sheri (Kelley) at the bus garage and all of her staff was great.

Brueggeman said current bus delivery locations are based on anticipated areas of need, but theyre still seeing what works best. He said hes been getting ideas from other parts of the country.

Local businesses also have been helpful. Farm and Home on Homer Adams Parkway and a local Schnucks store donated several thousand plastic bags to the effort when issues arose with the use of brown paper sacks.

We have a lot of support from everybody, said Brueggeman. We have so many people just volunteering to help us. Altons been great.

For district students, Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, meal pick-up is available each weekday morning at Alton High School, Alton Middle School, East Elementary, North Elementary and West Elementary.

Neighborhood school bus deliveries are planned 9-10 a.m. at:

Evangelical School Parking Lot, Godfrey

Old Milton School Parking Lot (by Maevas), Alton

Oakwood Community Center, Alton

Alton Acres Community Center, Alton

Villa Marie Subdivision (Neighborhood Swim Club), Godfrey

Olin Park (State Street), Alton

Enchanted Village (front of neighborhood), Fosterburg

Springhaven Subdivision (bus at Faith Baptist Church on Humbert), Godfrey.

Neighborhood school bus deliveries are planned 10:30-11:30 a.m. at:
Russia is testing facial-payment technology at supermarkets and could roll it out on a large scale by the middle of the year.

VTB, Russia's second-largest lender, is testing the technology in the Lenta supermarket chain, the head of the bank's digital division told Izvestia.

Promsvyazbank, another Russian lender, is holding talks to launch the technology in other supermarket chains next year, the paper said, citing a top manager at the bank.

The technology will enable shoppers who have linked an image of their face to a bank account to pay for goods by posing in front of point-of-sale machines equipped with cameras.

China, which has one of the most advanced mobile-payment systems, has already rolled out facial-recognition technology in many stores.

SnapPay, a Canadian company, announced in October it would offer the payment method in North America.

The popularity of the technology could receive a boost from the novel coronavirus, amid concerns that the virus can be transmitted through cash and cards, Finam analyst Aleksei Kornenev told Izvestia.

Advocates say it's more convenient and speeds up the checkout process.

However, the use of facial-recognition technology has raised concerns over privacy, especially in countries with authoritarian governments.

With reporting by Izvestia
What better time to immerse ourselves in the blues than now? Taking an approach with a wide focus, I thought I would pick a few favorites with no principle of selection other than my own deep fondness for the artists and the songs. The level of writing, performance, and production is so high that these songs overcome their thematic sadness.

For historical purposes I recommend the work of my favorite music writer, Peter Guralnick. Guralnicks pioneering collection of profiles was Feel Like Going Home: Portraits In Blues and Rock n Roll (1971). In it Guralnick takes up Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, and Charlie Rich, among others. I have learned much from him.

Howlin Wolf is a giant in Guralnicks pantheon and he he was extremely influential on the gentlemen of the British Invasion. Indeed, several of them gathered together with Mr. Wolf to back him on Howlin Wolf in London (1971). On Killing Floor (1964) we find Mr. Wolf growling in classic style with Hubert Sumlin and Buddy Guy on guitars, Lafayette Leaks on piano, Andrew McMahon on bass, and Sam Lay on drums. The composer is Mr. Wolf himself.

Everybody knows Born Under a Bad Sign. Written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones, it was a hit single for Albert King on Stax in 1967 with the Stax house band backing him  Steve Cropper on guitar, Booker T. Jones on piano, Duck Dunn on bass, and Al Jackson on drums. It was a hit single before the Stax team made it the title track of the album. Guralnick profiles that team in his aptly named Sweet Soul Music, a classic in its own right.

Willie Dixon wrote I Aint Superstitious, but it was the estimable Mr. Wolf who first recorded it (1961). I thought Jeff Beck and his band including Rod Stewart on the vocal turned in a powerful and witty performance of it on Truth (1968). Becks guitar does a lot of the talking on this one.

The double album Fathers and Sons (1969) is one of my favorites. Its a Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield) album in part recorded live at Chicagos Super Cosmic Joy Scout Jamboree (so they said). The group backing Muddy included Michael Bloomfield on guitar, Paul Butterfield on harmonica, Otis Spann on piano, and Sam Lay on drums. You can demonstrate your knowledge by sorting the fathers from the sons. The video below includes both Got My Mojo Working, part 1 and Got My Mojo Working, part 2, with Buddy Miles taking over on drums for part 2. I had to check my copy to confirm that the late, great Duck Dunn plays the incredibly active bass. Oh, what a night!

I love Tracy Nelson. She recorded an album of folk blues and gospel numbers released on Prestige in 1964 or 1965 while she must still have been a student at the University of Wisconsin. Long out of print, the entire album is now accessible on YouTube. Tracy taps into the distaff side of the blues and gospel legacy. On the Mother Earth album Satisfied (1970), she turned in an anthemic performance of Irma Thomass Ruler of My Heart. I think Otis Redding borrowed from the song for his Pain In My Heart. Seeing Tracy perform live at the Dakota in Minneapolis a few years ago was a thrilling experience and a bucket list item for me. She did not disappoint.

Muddy Waters had a latter day hit with the album Hard Again (1977), produced by Johnny Winter. Bus Driver is one of the albums most memorable numbers. Muddy is backed on it by musicians including Pinetop Perkins on piano, Bob Margolin on guitar, and James Cotton on harmonica.

Boz Scaggs recorded Loan Me A Dime for his debut album on Atlantic over 50 years ago. Written by Chicago bluesman Fenton Robinson, the song is an extended outpouring of grief for love lost. Ive heard Boz perform it live several times as the closing encore in his visits to the State Theater in Minneapolis, most recently from the first row with our friends Tom and Randy Edelstein in 2018. It was if anything the best version Id heard yet. Boz brings something special to the song. The video of the performance below is from Greatest Hits Live (2004).
Today, we'll introduce the concept of the P/E ratio for those who are learning about investing. We'll apply a basic P/E ratio analysis to Bank of Tianjin Co., Ltd.'s (HKG:1578), to help you decide if the stock is worth further research. Based on the last twelve months, Bank of Tianjin's P/E ratio is 3.78. That corresponds to an earnings yield of approximately 26.4%.

View our latest analysis for Bank of Tianjin

How Do I Calculate Bank of Tianjin's Price To Earnings Ratio?

The formula for P/E is:

Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share (in the reporting currency)  Earnings per Share (EPS)

Or for Bank of Tianjin:

P/E of 3.78 = CN2.836  CN0.750 (Based on the year to December 2019.)

(Note: the above calculation uses the share price in the reporting currency, namely CNY and the calculation results may not be precise due to rounding.)

Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?

The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future.

Does Bank of Tianjin Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. If you look at the image below, you can see Bank of Tianjin has a lower P/E than the average (5.3) in the banks industry classification.

SEHK:1578 Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 22nd 2020

This suggests that market participants think Bank of Tianjin will underperform other companies in its industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

If earnings fall then in the future the 'E' will be lower. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. Then, a higher P/E might scare off shareholders, pushing the share price down.

Story continues

Bank of Tianjin increased earnings per share by 8.9% last year. In contrast, EPS has decreased by 3.2%, annually, over 5 years.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.

So What Does Bank of Tianjin's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Bank of Tianjin has net debt worth a very significant 137% of its market capitalization. This is a relatively high level of debt, so the stock probably deserves a relatively low P/E ratio. Keep that in mind when comparing it to other companies.

The Verdict On Bank of Tianjin's P/E Ratio

Bank of Tianjin has a P/E of 3.8. That's below the average in the HK market, which is 8.5. The meaningful debt load is probably contributing to low expectations, even though it has improved earnings recently.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

But note: Bank of Tianjin may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova and new Prime Minister Igor Matovic shook hands while wearing face masks and gloves on March 21 as a new cabinet assumed duties. Caputova received the new ministerial line-up at the presidential palace in Bratislava. Matovic won the parliamentary elections on February 29 and put together a coalition of four parties and movements, ending 14 years of the rule of the Direction-Social Democracy (Smer) party.


Eva Chura lives in an old gold mining town high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. She works with women known locally as pallaqueras or gold-pickers. She searches through the rocks of the Andes looking for small pieces of gold.

Twelve years ago, Chura moved to the village of La Rinconada from her hometown of Chupa. La Rinconada is believed to be the highest settlement in the world. It is home to about 50,000 people.

Five of Churas eight children live with her in a metal structure. She walks for an hour to reach the place where local women work. When they arrive, they sit down and chew coca leaves, smoke cigarettes and drink a little alcohol for luck.

I dont count my husband, because he is no help as a father or a husband, she said. Im the papa and the mama. ... We dont want for anything. We have everything.

To remove gold from the rocks the men and women use mercury, a toxin that they wash away with water from a nearby glacier. The water flows down the mountain into rivers.

The water used in mining is just dumped and all the communities downstreamreceive polluted water to support their farms, said Federico Chavarry. He is a lawyer and has worked on cases involving environmental crimes.

The pollution goes directly in Lake Titicaca, he said.

Titicaca is the largest lake in South America. It provides the drinking water and fish for the areas population. It is so badly polluted that the Global Nature Fund, a German environmental group, named it the most threatened lake in the world in 2012.

In the past, the pieces of gold found by the women made their way to jewelers and telephone manufacturers. In 2018, a Swiss company that had been taking the metal for years stopped after Peruvian government lawyers claimed the company was connected to organized crime.



Now, Chura and the others in La Rinconada say the gold supply is running out. Its not like it used to be. Thats why so many ugly things happen, she said.

Sometimes theres gold, other times no. At the moment its very low, Chura said.

The men of La Rinconada bar all women from the mines dug under the rock. The men believe the mine has a female spirit which becomes angry if the women try to take her gold. So, the pallaqueras climb onto black scree the men have dropped on the ground and search through it. They hope to find gold the men have missed.

The women take any gold they find to the black market gold dealers whose stores line La Rinconadas main street.

In a week sometimes I can get 1 gram or 2 grams of gold, Chura said. Black market prices often change, but that can mean anywhere from $50 to $100.

If Im lucky it can sometimes be 20 grams, but thats down to luck, she added.

Thousands of women search for small amounts of gold. Some people say there are more than 15,000 pallaqueras in Peru.

No one collects garbage in La Rinconada. Women and men alike risk their lives and live in dirty conditions in the mountains thin, cold air.

Life is hard, Chura said.

As the gold runs out and officials try to stop the pollution, her way of life is ending.

Im Susan Shand.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

chew  v. to use your teeth to cut food into small pieces before you swallow it

scree  n. an area of loose stones on the side of a mountain

black market  n. an illegal market

garbage  n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out

toxin  n. a poisonous substance and especially one that is produced by a living thing

glacier  n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope

dump  v.
How telling that the Wuhan Virus is so highly skewed against the elderly and health compromised, yet the massive shutdown of the country is aimed at everybody. It seems that many of our D.C. rulers are older folks who don't want to miss something, so instead, the rest of us stay home while they parade about.

A good example is 79-year-old Dr. Anthony Fauci, the most energetic capital camera hog not named Chuck Schumer. Dr. Fauci means well, but the anti-Trump press easily spins him around like a top. If he is going to be the media point man, he needs to be shooting down all the lies emanating from people like Joe Biden, but he's not up to it. He should leave the media to somebody else and work from home. But apparently, he thinks he is too important for that.

But that also brings up a point: what is the good doctor's real job? He helps run the NIH, a research outfit that has little to do with the current emergency reaction of the federal government. No doubt, he is a great lab researcher of diseases. Looking at his bio, though, he has no real expertise in statistics and apparently has been way too high in estimating virus mortality rates. This has only played into the panic brought on by the scare study from Britain last week predicting millions of dead. The new numbers from reliable places like Germany and South Korea are showing mortality no worse than a typical bad flu season.

Add to that that Dr. Fauci was the one conducting the panic-level secret briefings that have landed Sen. Richard Burr in so much trouble. Instead of telling everybody what he really thought, and giving others a chance to question and challenge what he was saying, Dr. Fauci played the usual sneaky bureaucrat games, which may wind up burning a lot of people.

Dr. Fauci also seems to have a rather bad track record in dealing with past crises. Peter Chowka just wrote extensively in AT about the good doctor's abysmal failures during the AIDS epidemic.

In fact, this whole pandemic has been yet another failure for the government expert class. The things our experts talked about for years were not in place. If we were prepared, there should have been a stockpile of basic items we would need in any circumstance: ventilators, masks, ICU air systems, army medical tents. Many of these concerns were brought up in the 2011 movie Contagion. It's pretty bad when even Matt Damon is years ahead of our government experts.

Thankfully, the non-government experts and amateurs may have already solved the crisis. One of the first things smart doctors do with a problem patient is to see if they already have a drug they can repurpose  going "off-label." As soon as the Wuhan Virus showed up, doctors started trying the super-safe antiviral drug hydroxychloroquine, and by all reports, it works like a charm. (My mom took this stuff for 30 years for her rheumatoid arthritis.) It shouldn't take too long to crank up production and get it to every emergency room in the country.

Dr. Fauci doesn't like this; medicine for him happens only with expensive, excruciatingly long double-blind government-run studies. Real-world experience counts for naught. He is stuck in a 1920s Sinclair Lewis novel.

But President Trump thankfully has pushed ahead on obvious commonsense ideas like off-label drugs and international travel bans. The experts are furious at him, such as this guy, still arguing against travel bans. For political correctness reasons, not scientific reasons, travel bans are a big no-no among the medical expert community.

Mr. Trump has also been all over the Federal Reserve for weeks now, insisting that their response has got to be much bigger to the financial crisis, and on the Congress to pass massive temporary tax cuts and rebates. He's the one older guy in D.C. who has been ahead of the curve the whole time.

The two-and-a-half-week lockdown of the country was a prudent move. But it can't go on for months, and even then, it would be of only marginal help. It needs to end by April for the vast number of Americans not living in the hotspot towns and neighborhoods. Warmer, wetter weather will abate this virus, and people are now used to regular hand sanitizing and the wearing of gloves and even masks in the workplace. Also great news: With gas prices so low, everyone can afford to commute by his own vehicle, leaving behind the filthy mass transit systems.

As the rest of us return to work and to school, older folks at risk like Dr. Fauci must be using this critical period to prepare to remain at their homes until mid-summer, to figure out how their friends and relatives can safely bring them food, medicine, and other supplies. And if Dr. Fauci still feels the need to blab, maybe an I.T. person at the NIH can set up Skype on his home computer. In this crisis, it's time for the good doctor to set a good example and start following his own advice.

Frank Friday is an attorney in Louisville, Kentucky.

Image: Los Angeles Times via YoutTube.
The chairman of the South East governors forum and governor of Ebonyi state, Chief David Umahi at the weekend denied plans of running ...





The chairman of the South East governors forum and governor of Ebonyi state, Chief David Umahi at the weekend denied plans of running a joint Presidential ticket with governor Nasir El- Rufai in the forthcoming 2023 general election.





Umahi made this known in a press statement he signed and forwarded by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Francis Nweze in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state.





He berated the originators of such campaign posters for trying to drag his image and that of the Kaduna state governor El-Rufai to mud, just as he warned them to refrain from bringing fake and uncalled for rumours that would soil his relationship with some northern governors.





The statement reads in part: My attention has been drawn to an ill conceived political poster that is currently circulating on social media, bearing the image of the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Nweze Umahi as contesting for President of Nigeria in the forthcoming 2023 general election, with the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El- Rufai as his Vice Presidential running mate.

The Poster bears the imprint of detractors and political desperados who thrive on gossip, rumours and have resorted to producing a smokescreen, where they attempt to drag the name of the Governor to the mud via the poster.





One could not help but come to a sane conclusion that enemies of the state probably quoting the harmless expression of an Igbo born industrialist, Chief Cletus Ibeto who said when it is time, we will send Umahi, decided to stir the hornets nest and heat up the polity with such embarrassing poster.





In as much as Governor David Umahi has towering credentials that in any contest makes him visible, he has not made public, any intention to contest for any position in 2023, let alone choosing a successor as he is a governor who is presently committed to delivering dividends of democracy to his Ebonyi people as he believes that politicking ends immediately after election.





I, therefore, call on all lovers of good governance and the general public to ignore such posters as it is nothing, but the handiwork of mischievous elements who are determined to put the Governor against his admirers. 2023 is too far to start politicking now he stated.




Superstar Salman Khan on Sunday appealed to his fans to take the risk of coronavirus seriously and follow the government's call for observing social distancing.

In a video posted on Instagram, the 54-year-old actor started by lauding all those who are fighting the battle against COVID-19.

He urged people to follow the government advisories, saying people are mistaken if they think they cannot contract coronavirus.

"I want to appeal to everyone that the government is asking something, so please take it seriously and don't spread rumours. It is a problem with everyone for a long time that they believe it will not happen to them. Anyone can get infected with the coronavirus, be it in bus, train or in market place. So why do you want to take that risk," Salman said.

He asked people to not treat the lockdown as a public holiday and appealed to them to stay indoors.

"This is not a public holiday, it is a very serious matter. Stop doing all this and start wearing masks to protect yourself. Wash your hands regularly, keep yourself clean and maintain a distance from others.

"What is the problem in doing all this. If it saves countless lives, including your own, then why are you not doing it. Please do this as it is a matter of life and death. This is my request to all of you," the superstar said.

The country is observing a 14-hour Janata Curfew on Sunday, as appealed by Minister Narendra Modi.

The PM made a fervent appeal to all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by coronavirus and called for the curfew on March 22 from 7 am-9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of the house.

Celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Hrithik Roshan among others had previously applauded PM's statement on Janta Curfew.

Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn also shared a video message where he asked people to defeat the biggest villain of all time -- coronavirus.

"Every film has two kinds of characters one hero and one villain.In real life also, you will find many such characters. Today, not just for India but for the whole world, the biggest villain is coronavirus. The biggest heroes are those battling this virus.

"There many people like cleaners and alert citizens who are playing supporting roles in this battle. But the most interesting thing is that we are the casting director of this movie. It is in our hands whether we want to become hero or villain. Hands clean, then you're a hero. Hands dirty, then you're a villain," Ajay said.

The actor lauded the government, the authorities and the police for their efforts towards safeguarding the lives of the people.

"We just have to give support to them. So support them and take care of yourself. Do not go out of your house without any reason. Stay away from crowd. Do not let coronavirus survive. Climax is fun when the villain dies," Ajay added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Rouhani expects virus restrictions in Iran to ease in two weeks

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 March 2020 10:00 AM

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says social distancing will continue for two or three weeks as the coronavirus outbreak in the country is expected to slow down by then.

Social distancing measures to stop the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country will be needed for two or three weeks as the outbreak is expected to ease by then, Rouhani said on Saturday.

The measures include travel restrictions and school closures.

The president urged people to stay indoors and restrict their social interactions as much as they can to help slow the spread of the contagious virus.

He made the comments in an address to a meeting of the country's national headquarters tasked with containing the outbreak of the coronavirus, COVID-19.

Rouhani said "anti-revolutionary elements" have orchestrated plots to shut down Iran's economic production, noting that every necessary measure needs to be taken in order to "return economic production to normal".

COVID-19 slows down across Iran

Iran's Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi on Saturday put the total number of infected individuals across the country at 20,610.

"With 123 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the death toll from the virus has reached 1,556. Unfortunately, we had 966 new cases since yesterday," he said on state TV.

Raisi also said that so far 7,635 patients have been recovered from the infection.

He said the outbreak is showing signs of slowing down in almost all provinces, including hardest-hit provinces like Tehran and Mazandaran.

US sanctions have exhausted Iran's economic resources: Zarif

In a recent interview with the Brazilian daily newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said US sanctions have drained the country's economic resources, calling for their removal.

"The sanctions have exhausted our economic resources, not only the reserves from our oil industry but also the private sector. The policy of maximum pressure against us prevents our exports, so we have fewer resources to invest," he said.

He added, "We are a rich country, but because of the sanctions we are not able to obtain necessary resources to help the affected population. Sanctions prevent us from buying drugs and equipment."

Elsewhere in the interview, he was asked about Washington's offer to help Tehran with the outbreak and why Iran spurned it.

"This offer was hypocritical. All the US needs to do is to stop economic terrorism. We will take care of ourselves and have enough friends in the world to help us. If you are not ready to do this, then we ask the world to stop just watching this bullying. This is inhumane. Iranians are dying".

'Iranians harmed both by coronavirus and US economic terrorism'

In a message issued to the American people on Friday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said "brutal" US sanctions unilaterally imposed on the Iranian nation are robbing a great number of Iranians of health, jobs and sources of income.

"At a time that the Iranian people are harmed by both the deadly coronavirus and the most brutal form of US economic terrorism in history, the US government is not willing to abandon its malicious policy of maximum pressure; and is thus in practice aiding the spread of this virus with its sanctions."

Rouhani urged the American people not to allow the current administration's hostile attitude toward Iran to tarnish history of their country.

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Governor Pritzker and Illinois state health officials announced Sunday 3 more deaths from COVID-19 in Illinois. The total deaths in the state from the virus is now at 9. The 3 new deaths included a Cook County man in his 80s, a Chicago man in his 80s, and a McLean County woman in her 70s.

Here in the Northern Illinois Rockford Region, more cases were announced. Winnebago County confirmed its 5th case along with Jo Daviess and Stephenson Counties confirming their first cases.

A resident in their 20s tested positive in Winnebago County. A resident in their 70s tested positive in Jo Daviess County and a teenager in Stephenson County tested positive for COVID-19. The teen is quarantined at home, according to Stephenson County Health Officials. With these 3 new cases announced, the region how has 9 positive cases. Cases have occurred in ages from the teens to 70s.

As expected, we are seeing additional cases in the Northern Illinois Rockford Region. The local health departments in the region continue to work closely with IDPH to identify and notify those that may have been in close contact with the individuals who have tested positive. To slow the spread of COVID-19, it is important for everyone to take steps to prevent exposure. Stay home and only leave your house for basic needs, including visiting the doctor or buying groceries, medicine, gasoline or similar supplies.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for parts of Massachusetts as some areas are expected to see snowfall beginning Monday.

The winter storm watch will be in effect Monday morning and was issued for Franklin, Worcester, Hampshire, Hampden, Berkshire and Middlesex counties.

The storm watch will last from Monday morning/afternoon until Monday night except for Berkshire County. The National Weather Service said the storm watch for Berkshire County will be from Monday until 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Heavy snow is expected to fall on parts of Western Massachusetts with some areas possibly seeing 6 inches of snow or more.

The National Weather Service said North Adams could see 8 to 12 inches of snow with Pittsfield possibly seeing 6 to 8 inches. Springfield could see 3 inches of snow.

In Worcester County, Fitchburg could see 6 to 8 inches of snow while Worcester could have 4 to 6 inches of snow.

The expected snowfall totals decrease in the eastern part of the state with Lawrence possibly seeing 2 inches of snow. Boston will see light snow, but accumulation is expected to be fewer than an inch, according to the National Weather Service.

Cape Cod is not expected to see snow.

The National Weather Service said the snow could impact the evening commute.

There will be a few hours of heavy snow changing over to rain Monday night.
A powerful Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) collaboration has revealed that a bacterial superbug can prevent stem cells in the gut from carrying out their vital role of regenerating the inner lining of the intestine. This causes potentially severe disease, particularly in the elderly.

The research found that Clostridioides difficile infection, the most common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea, damages colonic stem cells via a toxin called TcdB, impairing tissue repair in the gut and recovery from disease. This understanding may now lead to new treatments or prevention methods.

C. difficile is responsible for more than half of all hospital infections related to the intestine and more than 90 per cent of mortalities resulting from these infections.

It grows after antibiotic treatment is administered to a patient, where it can upset the host-microbial balance in the gut allowing the bacterium to colonise.

The superbug can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice-versa and is now being uncovered in patients who have not had a recent hospital visit or taken a recent course of antibiotics. Instances have also been seen in a younger demographic than previously recorded.

The findings could have wider implications for those going through treatments for cancer such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy that also damage the gut.

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The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) today, was led by senior authors Professor Dena Lyras, an expert in infectious diseases, and Professor Helen Abud, an expert in stem cell biology, in conjunction with US collaborator Professor Borden Lacy from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, who specialises in the structure of toxins. Joint first authors were Dr Steven Mileto (Lyras lab) and Dr Thierry Jarde (Abud lab).

"Our study provides the first direct evidence that a microbial infection alters the functional capacity of gut stem cells," Professor Abud said.

"It adds a layer of understanding about how the gut repairs after infection and why this superbug can cause the severe damage that it does. The reason it's important to have that understanding is that we're rapidly running out of antibiotics -- we need to find other ways to prevent and treat these infections," she said.

"It shows that the toxins C. difficile makes are very important -- TcdB targets the stem cells and damages them directly" Professor Lyras said.

"As a consequence the gut can't be repaired. So where it normally takes five days to regenerate the gut lining, it can take more than two weeks. This can leave patients (particularly people aged over 65 years and who are already debilitated) with pain, life-threatening diarrhea and other serious conditions.

"By understanding this new mechanism of damage and repair, maybe we can find ways to prevent the damage happening or develop new treatments," Dr Jarde said.

The findings might also apply to other infections that behave in similar ways.

"There are a lot of different conditions that can make the gut more vulnerable -- maybe there's a common way we can target them too instead of thinking in isolation about an infectious disease problem," said Dr Mileto.

The work was funded by a joint National Health and Medical Research Council project grant gained by the two senior Monash BDI investigators. Professor Lyras was also supported by the Australian Research Council.
As global coronavirus cases shot past 250,000 Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, joined the "CBS Evening News" to discuss possible treatments and best practices for slowing the spread of the disease.

Here are our top takeaways from the interview:

1. A website is coming to connect patients and doctors

Dr. Fauci told us the FDA is working on "an online system where people can actually get on and have a doctor make the determination whether or not they should be put on" hydroxychloroquine. The website will also allow researchers to gather data about patients taking the drug for coronavirus, in addition to the clinical trial.

2. There is not a proven treatment or prevention for COVID-19

Dr. Fauci cautioned that while there is some hope that two drugs could be effective, "there is not a proven  treatment or prevention. However, there's some anecdotal information that one or two of these may possibly have some benefit." The CDC is fast-tracking studies the effects of hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir on the virus.

3. On trying possible treatments

Because hydroxychloroquine was approved by the FDA more than half a century ago, it is currently available for doctors to prescribe for off-label use. Fauci did not recommend the drug for people who have not been exposed to the virus, but said "if someone is in a dire situation, they need something, should you try it even though you don't know it works? That's a decision between the physician and the patient."

4. On the decision to order most New Yorkers to stay at home

More than 70 million Americans have been ordered to stay home in California, Illinois, and New York. "I don't think necessarily every single situation every single region or location needs to be that way," Fauci said. But in the case of New York, which has topped 7,000 cases and accounts for 90% of new infections in the U.S., Fauci told us, "I think that was an appropriate move."

Story continues

Fauci said he was particularly concerned about New York City, which has seen a surge of cases: "the slope of that curve is quite troublesome."

5. Washing your hands when you walk into a building is the "right thing to do"

In addition to other social distancing guidelines put out by the White House, Dr. Fauci advises that when you enter your house or arrive at work, you should wash your hands first  "it's the right thing to do," he said.

Governor Cuomo on brother Chris: "No one is immune" from coronavirus

2 dead, dozens have COVID-19 at California nursing home

Protesters show up at packed Louisiana church
Patients were last night ordered to stay away from doctors surgeries under the latest dramatic moves to tackle the crisis.

GPs are telling everyone on their lists not to walk into the practice for appointments or to try to get prescriptions.

Patients are even being urged not to phone family doctors as they are so overstretched and instead rely on online assessments.

Patients were last night ordered to stay away from doctors surgeries under the latest dramatic moves to tackle the crisis. Pictured: A man wearing a mask in London

If anyone with Covid-19 symptoms does need to be seen in person, they will be asked to wait outside to avoid infecting others.

GPs have also been warned they must also return to the days of making home visits  because some patients who need face-to-face consultations will be self-isolating or have been sent home from hospital.

Senior medical figures admit the drastic changes to general practice will cause huge upheaval for patients and doctors.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, told The Mail on Sunday: It will be different for patients, which can be challenging, but it is a necessary measure in our efforts to tackle this virus.

Senior medical figures admit the drastic changes to general practice will cause huge upheaval for patients and doctors. Pictured: Staff outside a hospital in London

'Were optimistic patients will be adaptable and understanding.

'Remote consultations will not work for all patients and not all patients will have the necessary technology to make it happen, so to ensure they dont miss out on vital care, some flexibility will be necessary.

The move follows guidance from NHS England last Thursday that stops most patients from seeing their GP for any reason.
Passengers wearing face masks, amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, walks through the arrival area at Changi International Airport in Singapore on March 16, 2020.

Singapore will bar entry and transit to all short-term visitors starting from 11:59 p.m. on Monday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The health ministry also said that Singapore will also restrict reentry for long-term work pass holders and their dependents to workers who provide "essential services, such as in healthcare and transport."

Citing the "heightened risk" of imported coronavirus cases, the ministry said these measures are meant to "conserve resources so we can focus on Singaporeans."

In its statement, the health ministry said nearly 80% of cases in the past three days were imported from residents or long-term pass holders returning from overseas. Singapore has confirmed 228 imported cases, according to the ministry's website.

As of noon Saturday, Singapore has reported a total of 432 confirmed cases, of which 140 have been discharged. The city-state on Saturday announced its first two confirmed deaths in the outbreak of COVID-19, the formal name of the new coronavirus.

The measures announced Sunday follow Singapore's other efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The tiny Southeast Asian nation has won praise from the World Health Organization, which said it was "very impressed" with Singapore's contact tracing and moves to limit transmission.

Singapore had previously asked travelers to self quarantine upon return and strictly enforced the policy. Violating stay-home notices can result in work passes or re-entry permits being revoked or validity shortened.

But in contrast with in Europe and the U.S., restaurants and malls in the city state remain open, allowing economic activity to continue. Many businesses have taken precautions like regular temperature checks, staggering work hours, encouraging telecommuting and maintaining a distance of at least one meter (three feet) between people.

 CNBC's Weizhen Tan contributed to this report.
Russia sees a silver lining in the oil price collapseit now believes that the oil price war will help it win the war for natural gas market share in Europe. Russias gas giant Gazprom, the single largest supplier of natural gas to Europe, has watched with apprehension the growing volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States that have arrived on European shores over the past two years.

However, the coronavirus pandemic and the crash in oil priceswhile negative for all gas sellers around the worldare likely to hit LNG exporters more than it would hurt Gazprom, Russian energy analyst Alexander Sobko argues in an article in Russias state news agency RIA Novosti.

The oil price collapse will not drag Russian gas down, Sobko argues, saying that the majority of long-term LNG contracts, especially older ones, are indexed to oil prices, compared to 32 percent of Gazproms long-term contracts that are tied to oil prices.

Crashing oil prices are set to lower the revenues and profits of LNG exporters whose contracts are indexed to the price of oil. The LNG glut amid depressed demand and economic slowdown (and outright recession in many mature markets) is likely to keep spot LNG prices lower for longer, eating into LNG producers profits and potentially forcing them to defer final investment decisions on new LNG liquefaction and export projects.

Related: U.S. Oil Industry Could End Up Losing More Than 200,000 Jobs

At the same time, low natural gas prices in Europe are hurting Gazproms sales revenues, too, and the pain could become worse in the coming months as European demand will likely fall off a cliff with major economies under lockdown and industrial activity significantly down.

The U.S.-Russia Gas War In Europe

The U.S. strongly encouraged molecules of U.S. freedom to be exported to the world, with U.S. LNG exporters selling growing volumes of the super-chilled fuel to a growing number of buyers in Europe who are willing to reduce their dependence on Russian pipeline gas.

Russia was the biggest supplier of natural gas to the European Union (EU), both in 2018 and in the first half of 2019, ahead of Norway, EU data show.

But the share of suppliers other than Russia, Norway, Algeria, Qatar, and Nigeria, rose from 4.8 percent in 2018 to 8.8 percent in H1 2019, at the expense of the market shares of Norway and Russia, as per Eurostat estimates.

Elena Burmistrova, Director General at Gazprom Export, said at Gazproms investor day last month that the companys share in the gas consumption of Europe and Turkey was 35.6 percent in 2019.

At the European Gas Conference in Vienna in January, Burmistrova admitted that Gazproms export volumes to Europe dropped in 2019 compared to 2018, but downplayed the less than 1.5 percent decrease from record 2018 volumes. She argued that LNG had one main drawback, and this was its inability to quickly meet demand in peak periods of consumption. Gazproms pipeline gas ensures stability and reliability in supplies to Europe, the Russian giant argues.

Some European customers, however, are looking to free themselves from the Russian stability and reliability, which often come with a political price attached.

This is the key sales pitch of U.S. LNG sales to Europefreedom gas can help European countries to diversify their gas imports.

And Then The Black Swan Muddled The Market

A perfect storm of milder winter weather and new LNG supply from the U.S. and Australia led to a global LNG glut and crashing LNG spot prices at the end of last year. In March 2020, European gas storage is fuller than normal for this time of the year, and Europe will likely be unable to absorb the LNG volumes that Asia wont pick up as its demand growth is slowing.

As if this situation wasnt bad enough for LNG sellers and LNG projects slated for approval, the coronavirus pandemic spread another contagion on the gas marketsdemand in China significantly slowed down and demand in Europe is taking a hit, too.

Italy, the country worst hit by the pandemic apart from China, has seen its power demand drop after it went into lockdown last week, Peter Osbaldstone, Research Director, Europe Power and Renewables at Wood Mackenzie, said on Thursday. Power generation dropped by 8.8 percent in the first week of the nationwide quarantine compared to the previous week, with gas-fired productionwhich accounts for over 40 percent of overall supply in the market  down by 5 percent, according to WoodMac.

Related: WTI Rallies 24% In Panic Stricken Markets

Further demand reductions are expected across Europe as lockdowns become more widespread. Industrial and commercial demand is set to be particularly weak as economic activity slows, Osbaldstone said.

Winners and Losers

LNG imports into Europe may be hit hard, but Gazprom may not be as insulated from the current situation on the oil and gas markets as Russia wants to imply.

Gazproms revenues from gas exports in January 2020 crumbled by 41.1 percent compared to January 2019 due to warmer weather and high inventories that countries had amassed in case Russia and Ukraine had failed to strike a transit deal at end-2019, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported last week, citing data from the Federal Customs Service of Russia. In January and February, Gazproms exports are expected to have fallen by 20-25 percent, Sergei Kapitonov, natural gas analyst at Skolkovo Energy Center in Moscow, told Vedomosti.

With gas prices in Europe now below $3 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) before winters end, the question is who will blink first, Mike Fulwood wrote in an Oxford Institute for Energy Studies comment this month. With prices so low, something has to giveit could be prices dropping further into the low $2s per MMBtu, or Norway cutting production in the summer, or Russia holding back exports especially if Gazproms netback per MMBtu is lower than the one for its domestic sales, or LNG capacity could be shut in in significant quantities, Fulwood says.

There wont be a clear winner in this war for gas market share in Europe  LNG imports to Europe will drop, but Gazproms exports and revenues will too, and so will the revenues for the Russian state.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Experts say that sealing off international borders was one of the things India did well in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.

As many as 60 new cases of coronavirus infection were reported across India on Saturday - Kerala confirmed 12 additional cases of COVID-19 infection, 11 more people tested positive in Punjab and Gujarat reported seven new cases of novel coronavirus infection.

Other states, too, reported fresh cases on Saturday, taking Indias total tally of active patients to 296 (according to health ministry data, 24 patients have recovered from the viral infection and four others have died on Indian soil). Active patients are those who confirmed sick and havent been discharged from the hospital or died.

Several states are imposing lockdowns and partial lockdowns in an effort to contain the infection. As of now:

All of Rajasthan is in lockdown from 22 - 31 March.

Theres a lockdown in four districts of Punjab  Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr  till 25 March, Wednesday. In the capital city, Chandigarh, government offices are closed until 31 March.

Government offices are also closed in Chhattisgarh till 31 March.

In Maharashtra , Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur are in partial lockdown till 31 March and Akola is in complete lockdown till 24 March, Tuesday.

In Odisha , cities like Puri, Rourkela Sambalpur and Balasore, as well as the districts of Khurdha, Cuttack, Ganjam, Kendrapada and Angul, will be under lockdown from 7 am-9 pm till 29 March.

In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday evening held his first-ever digital press conference to say that there would be no lockdown in the Capital for now. However, all social, political and religious gatherings are to be limited to under five people.

Other states, too, are taking measures to avoid large gatherings and encourage social distancing. In West Bengal, restaurants, pubs and bars are closed till 31 March.

In Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populated state with 199,812,341 people according to the 2011 census, the tally of confirmed patients has grown to 25.

For Sundays 'janta curfew'  set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech on Friday  Indian Railways has cancelled over 3,700 passenger trains till 10 pm Sunday. Delhi Metro rail services have also been closed till 10 pm today.

Starting today, no international flights will be allowed to land in India for a week till the midnight of 28 March. Experts say that sealing off international borders was one of the things India did well in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 - the coronavirus that is less deadly but far more infectious than SARS-CoV-1 which claimed over 700 lives globally in 2002-03.

5 Worst affected states in India, by number of patients

State

Number of confirmed cases, according to health ministry data

Maharashtra

63

Kerala

52

Delhi

27

Uttar Pradesh

24

Rajasthan

22

Data sourced from https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ at 11:00 am Sunday.

On Saturday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) shared guidelines for testing for coronavirus infection with private labs. In addition to putting a ceiling of Rs 4,500 on tests, the medical authority has guided labs to do a home collection of samples, take care of biosafety and biosecurity while taking samples and testing and disposing of biowaste. The private labs have been instructed to conduct real-time PCR based assays rather than test for antibodies in the blood.

International news

Italy saw around 800 deaths from COVID-19 related complications on Saturday. Irans total death toll has now crossed 1,550. Even Syria  after years of war and strife  is patching together resources to disinfect areas and fight the infection. While Singapore recorded its first COVID-19 death on Saturday morning, Columbia saw the first COVID-19 death on Saturday night. Singapore is banning the entry of short-term visitors from Monday, 11:59 pm.

The total number of cases globally has increased to 3,07,278 cases. The number of people who have recovered from the illness is also encouragingly close to one lakh - 92,373.

Things to do

As the weeks and months go by, we understand more about this novel strain of coronavirus - so named because the virus has a corona or crown when seen under the microscope.

While a cure and a vaccine for COVID-19 may take a bit longer in testing, doctors around the world are sharing knowledge resources for the management of symptoms like respiratory distress and discussing the merits of malaria medicine.

In the meantime, here are nine things you can do to stay safe:

Avoid turning on the AC if you live in a large apartment complex with central air-conditioning or are still working from the office - this is because air conditioning can suck up cough droplets and transport them to multiple levels and ducts.

Stay indoors as much as possible.

Wash your hands properly for at least 20 seconds  and ideally up to 1 minute  with soap and water.

If you get symptoms like fever and cough, call the National helpline 1075 for guidance on what to do next.

Postpone any non-essential visits to the hospital and any elective surgeries.

Dont panic and dont stock too much food at home - remember, the Prime Minister in his address to the nation has promised adequate supply of food in the coming months.

If you are considering self-quarantine, remember that you are in good company. Many celebrities from Shabana Azmi to Alia Bhatt are in self-quarantine.

If you must step out, make sure to maintain a social distance of 1-2 meters from everyone else. Try not to touch surfaces, especially doorknobs and lift buttons.

Remember to exercise, stay healthy and keep your mind occupied. Anxiety and stress will not help your immunity at this time.

For more tips, read our article on Coronavirus Infection: Symptoms, Types, Diagnosis and Treatment.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
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The Joint Commission of Hospital Accreditation requires hospitals to ask the patient for their level of pain, just subjectively. They require we use a 10-point scale, from 0 for no pain to 10 being the worst pain ever.

I knew instinctively that this was a bad thing and would lead to more narcotic addiction, as it did eventually. But in our patients, the pain scores went down as we detoxified patients from the narcotic medications. Significantly lower pain scores meant the patients were in less pain after stopping the narcotic medications.

When I published these results, I had to review the medical literature for opioid medications. I found others had published findings that opioid medications actually caused pain when taken for a period for a period of time and called it opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Opioid is the term for narcotic pain medications, and hyperalgesia means increased pain. Hyper meaning increased, and algesia is pain. These results were published in national, prestigious medical journals as early as 2001. You would think most doctors would read and care about these results  but sadly, no.

Studies show that total annual cost burden for a patient with opioid abuse or dependence diagnosis was significantly higher than that for a patient with no such diagnosis, due to high rates of comorbidities, and utilization of medical services.

The total annual charges associated with an individual who was diagnosed with opioid abuse or dependence were 56% higher than the average annual per-patient charge based on patients charges.

In 2015, the average per-patient charge across all diagnoses and claims was $11,404. Comparatively, the patient average total charge for patients identified with opioid diagnoses in the same year was $63,356.

Patients in hospitals receive narcotic medications, whether they need them or not.

It is standard practice to start with Dilaudid or Vicodin on admission, whether the patient wants it or not. Some patients seek it out and even pursue fraudulent medical and psychiatric care to get narcotics. It seems doctors and hospitals make money off addicts as they increase their pain by prescribing opioid medications.

Many doctors and hospitals figure out that they make money from knowingly admitting and treating addicts for the consequences of their addictions. And they dont even have to identify and treat the addictions. What is the incentive beyond good medical care to discontinue prescribing opioid medications?

There is a great incentive to increase prescribing opioid drugs to escalate medical utilization and costs from the opioid medications, and certainly to continue providing narcotic medications to supplement the bottom line.

All in the name of pain, even if not prescribing decreases pain. Why is it hard to get doctors and hospitals to do the right thing? The answer is: money-driven by addiction and ignorance.

Also, because the medications cause pain instead of reducing pain, physicians (particularly pain specialists), perform expensive procedures such as injections that have no medical value against opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

These procedures carry their own risks, such as spinal infections, paralysis, and increased pain. These procedures are on top of the money these doctors make for prescribing the narcotics in the first place  another money maker.

Pain doctors charge $1,000 to $2,000 per injections, that takes 10 minutes, and does no good as the pain problem is narcotics. Injections dont work for opioid addiction.

Hydrocodone, a narcotic medication, is the most commonly prescribed medication of any kind, greater than insulin, even antibiotics  and it has been for many years.

Hydrocodone is a highly addicting medication, similar to heroin, so it is no small wonder it is greatly sought after. Remember, addiction is a powerful, instinctive drive; that we seek compulsively addicting drugs to the extent of life, liberty, and happiness.

As many as 16,000 people die a year from opioid medications, and 12,000 die a year from heroin. Thats 28,000 deaths from opioid drugs. Are they really worth it? When they dont have benefit, dont decrease pain, rather increase pain and cause disability and death?

Other reasons hydrocodone is so commonly prescribed is pain is very common, and is a major reason people seek medical care. Often the type of pain is chronic  sources of pain are muscle, skeletal, headaches commonly  a setup for developing an addiction to opioid medication.

Most people will develop an addiction to opioid medications if taken for weeks or months; if pain is chronic, the risk for onset of addiction is high.

Accordingly, addiction to opioid medications is the second most common drug addiction next to marijuana in the U.S. People of all ages become addicted, but the most common reason for becoming addicted is seeking medical care for common sources of incurable pain. Yet opioids bring no comfort, rather discomfort.

I performed peer reviews on patients who were addicted to narcotic medications prescribed by physicians. I also reviewed the dangerous and fraudulent prescribing of medications that were not medically necessary.

Patients were on large doses of Vicodin (hydrocodone), Percocet (oxycodone), Duragesic (fentanyl).

Because of addiction to the narcotics, the patients wanted to remain on the drugs; because the doctors knew very little about these medications, they either didnt know about what the patients were experiencing or didnt care.

Additionally, the doctors and hospitals profited. All they focused on was the patients complaint of pain, and their demands to get more drugs. Many physicians were intimidated or entrepreneurs.

They also didnt know about the addictions that drove the patients demands and use. They were clueless that the opioids cause pain.

Narcotics are disabling because they lead to loss of function, poor quality of life, disruption of interpersonal relationships, unemployment, depression, anxiety, and increase rather than a decrease of pain.

Imagine the additional costs of unnecessary medical care for medications, doctor visits, and surgeries and what that does to costs of health insurance and government health programs.

The author is an anonymous physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
On ExpressNews.com: Many reasons to do the right thing: Self-quarantine against coronavirus

Be Monk, not Mary

My father was born in 1912  five months after the Titanic sank. The story of Typhoid Mary was one he told whenever a family member coughed, sneezed or used a tissue.

Mary Mallon worked in restaurants and then in private homes as a cook. She was asymptomatic, so she may not  at first  have realized how many people were sickened and even died because of her contagion.

Two weeks may seem a long time to be inconvenienced by quarantine. But we still do not know exactly when coronavirus symptoms appear, how long they last and for how long the infected person is able to infect others. Until we do, everyone should behave as if she or he may be carrying COVID-19, especially in dealing with anyone whose immune system is impaired.

Meals on Wheels provides food to shut-ins, now leaving the victuals outside the recipients homes. The delivery person rings the bell or knocks on the door, backs up and tells the person who answers what food has been provided.

We can do the same for relatives, friends and neighbors who may not be able to shop for themselves. Monk, the OCD detective, seems a good man to emulate these days. Pandemics grow into epidemics when too many ignore good advice.

Bill Gisler

Another way to give

Re: Maintaining food security in a crisis, Editorial, Tuesday

I was very pleased to see that your paper recognized a most-important group of organizations providing food distribution for the needy. While the editorial addressed two such programs, there are about 90 similar programs in the San Antonio area.

I am familiar with one such program at University Park Baptist Church. It distributes food and other products to approximately 90 families on a biweekly basis, providing two weeks of food and supplies.

Daily Bread is the central collection and distribution center providing products to the churches and other organizations with food-distribution programs. Daily Bread collects donated products from H-E-B, Costco, etc., and distributes the items to the charities.

Each of the organizations, including University Park Baptist Church, deserve an enormous THANK YOU! Without their efforts, many would go hungry.

Ron Bird, Helotes

Congress, act now

Travel and tourism is an integral part of the San Antonio economy, generating an annual economic impact of more than $15.2 billion and employing a workforce of more than 140,000 people - thats 1 of every 7 San Antonians.

The unprecedented public health crisis has ground travel to a halt and put the businesses and workers who rely on visitor spending in peril.

Visit San Antonio exists to promote business and leisure travel to visitors around the country and the world, and those visits fuel the local economy and jobs. The travel industry businesses that contribute so much to our community, most of them small businesses, simply cannot weather this storm on their own.

Our broader industry has called on Washington to establish a fund to keep workers employed, provide emergency liquidity for travel businesses to remain open and bulk up the Small Business Administration loan program. Congress must act today to ensure the San Antonio travel industry and its more than 140,000 workers can sustain themselves through this painful economic period.

Casandra Matej, president and CEO, Visit San Antonio
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Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
The novel pandemic COVID-19 has brought unprecedented despair to the world and people are struggling to stay safe. However, with several countries calling for a lock down, there is still hope of containing the infection. However, the death toll is still in thousands and there are still some accounts of people not taking the threat seriously.

AFP

So, since a lot of us believe real-life accounts more than news reports, here are some that will help you understand the magnitude of the situation. Please take these words very seriously and follow every protocol that has been advised by health officials and your government.

Chilling words from the head of ER at Pompidou Hospital:

"In the paris area 20% increase of hospitalisations over 24h, 35% more patients on respirators, they walk in speaking, 2h later they're asphyxiated. Plz stop going out, this thing is of a gravity that you cannot imagine" https://t.co/cHVk3JSt6K  Rym Momtaz   (@RymMomtaz) March 21, 2020

Losing a family member is a pain most of us know but if we can prevent it by staying indoors, do it.

My grandad is the 143th person to die of coronavirus in the UK. Learn from this. This virus will only spread if we dont start to STRICTLY implement the measures encouraged by the NHS. Stay at home. Wash your hands. Dont be ignorant. Dont end up in my situation.  Hen (@hent3369) March 20, 2020

If places of worship which are the first people go to when in crisis can be empty, the least you can do is stay and not put yours and others life at risk.

#CoronaVirus has emptied The Vatican, the capital of Catholicism. It caused restrictions in Jerusalem, and Mecca. Synagogues, Churches and Mosques have banned services. What is God telling us? That He is not in places or buildings, but in people!#FreeLeahSharibu #RenosNuggets  Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) March 22, 2020

Nobody wants to read about endless obituaries in the newspaper and we need to take proper care in order to make sure that we or someone we know doesn't end up there.

Chilling.



Almost 10 pages of death notices in yesterdays edition of LEco di Bergamo, local paper of Bergamo, one of the Lombardy towns most hit by #coronavirus #Covid19 in #Italy.



Normally, they are 1 or 1 &1/2 pages. pic.twitter.com/Hn1wYui8Yy  Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) March 14, 2020

The old deserve to live their life to the fullest and they are the most vulnerable to the virus right now. It is unfortunate that we are losing so many people. May their families find peace.

Chilling. Coronavirus cases surge at nursing homes as workers battle almost perfect killing machine. With at least 55 deaths in elder care facilities, more than a quarter of the nations deaths have occurred in nursing homes https://t.co/k9IHFRw0Xw  Charles Ornstein (@charlesornstein) March 21, 2020

Nurses and doctors are at the front line with all of this and are watching people die every day; they are putting their lives at risk so they can save others. Please think of them the next time you 'feel like stepping out of the house'.

One nurse I spoke to said the population she's seen in her hospital with COVID19 are NOT majority over 65. There is a real mix. Worried people are coming to the hospital too late, when symptoms are bad  Erin Banco (@ErinBanco) March 21, 2020

The situation has gotten to the point that the Italian government has called on retired health experts to come and help them during this crisis.

Italian government has made a call on duty to all retired or formers doctors and nurses to help, as they needed 300 units asap in their fight against #coronavirus .



300.



7000 doctors and nurses have volunteered.



My little big Italy.  Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) March 21, 2020

Countries have varying mortality rates and that just means you never know when it could get worse.

Germany: 0.18% mortality.

Italy: 10% mortality.



These are approximate fatal #Coronavirus cases in neighbourhood countries, as informed by a Doctor friend in Europe.



Why such a massive contrast?  Kiran Kumar S (@KiranKS) March 22, 2020

People are also dying due to stress and other reasons because the fear is real and is a huge trigger for those with mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

a death in my family (my mother's cousin died), not because of coronavirus but hypertension and depression resulted in cardiac arrest.

Reason: Her sons are in #Italy and she was depressed after listening stories of deaths and lockdown there.  Shiraz Hassan (@ShirazHassan) March 22, 2020

No one should have to bid goodbye to their loved ones from far away. Stay home for those who have already lost someone, stay home for those who could lose someone.

Death due to #Coronavirus "Wrapped in a bag can't bathed, can't bring the body home, and the family can't watch unless it's buried". Do you still think this is not serious? pic.twitter.com/gz6MxowetH  Tanveer Mirani (@Mirani213) March 22, 2020

This is a reality no one should suffer from. Families will never be the same again and it's time we act responsibly and take this extremely seriously.

My Uncle in Iran passed away from corona virus. He was gentle and kind. Hed been battling cancer for several years. His family had to stand one hundred meters away and watch him be buried by men in hazmat gear. My Aunt is now sick. Please take this virus seriously.  Ramtin Arablouei (@ramtinarablouei) March 13, 2020

lost my auntie and my cousin's husband on monday to coronavirus. they both lived in iran. not being able to hug or kiss your fellow mourners hurts more than anything. when my uncle died young, we said things can't get any worse. but they did.  Khali (@fatkhali) March 12, 2020

Take care, people of the world. It's us against the virus.




The Daily Beast

Scott Olson/GettyDonald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NPR on Tuesday after he was repeatedly called out on his baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.A video of the interview, published Wednesday morning, shows Trump becoming increasingly irritated as NPRs Steve Inskeep asks him why hes still pushing debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat.After Inskeep told the ex-president that his fraud claims have repeatedly been proven false, the reporter a
President Donald J. Trump announced Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will fund all the costs of the National Guard being activated in New York, Washington and California, Washington, the states that are most affected by COVID-19.

Title 32 allows the governor of a state to order a member to duty for operational Homeland Defense activities. In this case, its to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Through FEMA, the federal government will be funding 100% of the cost of deploying the national guard, said Trump. To carry out approved missions to stop the virus.

This is the second time Title 32 has been used under the Trump presidency. The first time was in 2018 when President Trump sent troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to fight illegal immigration after signing a proclamation.

He has also announced that extra equipment will be sent to New York and Washington. California has also requested extra aid which will probably be later tonight, the president added.

According to the president, New York received: 444,078 surgical masks, 84,560 face shields, 68,944 surgical gowns, 352 overalls and 245,486 gloves.

Washington State has received: 369,000 N-95 respirators, 507,206 surgical masks, 63,788 face shields 107,850 surgical gowns and 240,376 gloves.

The president also said there is more being sent.

Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts

Related Content:
FLINT, MI  Hurley Medical Center will host a medical supply donation drop off site Monday, March 23 to help keep healthcare employees safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.

With the influx of patients during the coronavirus outbreak, medical supplies such as disposable masks and gloves are in demand.

Hurley Medical Center will be accepting donations Monday, according to a press release from the medical center.

Donations will be accepted from 1-3 p.m. at the Hurley West Flint Campus parking lot, 1085 Linden Road.

Items that the medical center can accept include:

N95 masks

Disposable face masks

Face shields and safety goggles

Disposable gowns

Disposable non-latex gloves

Bleach or anti-microbial wipes

Items that the medical center cannot accept include:

Homemade masks

3D printed ventilator parts

Medications

Other medical equipment

Monetary donations can be made online at hurleyfoundation.org/donate.

Genesee County has seen a rise in coronavirus cases Sunday compared to numbers reported Saturday.

Mayor Sheldon Neeley issued an advisory on Sunday, March 22 asking residents to shelter in place in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. The issue will not order businesses to close and will not keep residents from getting groceries, medication or going to work, Neeley said.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores.

Complete coverage of coronavirus in Michigan.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Also on MLive:

Flint mayor advises residents to shelter in place to slow coronavirus spread

Rooftop preaching, drive-thru services encapsulate church in the age of coronavirus

Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Michigan governor calls on federal government for more coronavirus tests and supplies
Major hotels will be turned into quarantine zones and even hospital wards in an emergency plan that is also mobilising industry to fill looming shortages for medical equipment to fight the coronavirus.

Hotels are demanding they be treated as essential services when governments order community shutdowns within days, arguing they can make rooms available for healthcare or self-isolation. The head of Australia's largest private health insurer also predicts private hospitals will be required to treat COVID-19 patients amid concerns intensive care units and other health services will be overwhelmed.

Hotels could be used as quarantine zones for people who cannot self-isolate at home.

With experts warning hospitals will be overloaded within weeks, the Morrison government is working with manufacturers to make thousands more ventilators, masks, sanitisers and other essential products. Australian Hotels Association chief executive Steve Ferguson said a number of hotels and motels had advised the NSW and Victorian governments they were prepared to help with individual self-isolation.

Mr Ferguson said the industry needed to be added to the essential services list for many accommodation venues to continue to trade and was working with governments for that to happen.
Canberra, March 22 : All pubs, clubs, cinemas, casinos, nightclubs and places of worship in Australia will close down from Monday in view to curb spread of coronavirus cases, which have risen to 1,315, Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday.

The decision was announced after a national cabinet meeting, the BBC reported.

Cafes and restaurants will have to switch to takeaway only, while home delivery services will continue running and supermarkets will remain open.

Schools are not being closed nationwide but some states have suggested they might do so.
When will President Muhammadu Buhari address Nigerians on the coronavirus pandemic has become the topic of a passionate debate across the nation.

The concerns were especially triggered by live television broadcasts of several African leaders to their people on the pandemic, including Cyril Ramaphosa of South-Africa and President Yoweni Museveni of Uganda.

The Nigerian government has been taking drastic steps towards reducing the spread  banning international flights, closing down schools and restricting religious and public events to the barest minimum.

But what has remained constant is Mr Buharis silence even as cases soared to 27 across five states, including the nations capital Abuja and its commercial nerve centre, Lagos.

While leaders of African countries with far fewer cases have been speaking up, President Buhari has remained silent 24 days after Nigeria recorded its first case of the disease on February 28 in an Italian national who has now fully recovered.

African Leaders speaking up

President Museveni of Uganda is billed to address his Northeastern African nation again on Sunday.

This will be the third time in less than a week the president will make a public speech on the coronavirus pandemic even though the country only recorded its first case on Saturday, unlike Nigeria where the tally rose to 27 Sunday morning.

The first was last Wednesday when he banned all public gatherings, including closing down schools, local news  Soft Power  reported.

Mr Musevenis Sunday address will be on the countrys first confirmed case, a 36-year-old Ugandan male who arrived from Dubai on Saturday.

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana has also made three national addresses. On Saturday, being the third, he announced the closure of all borders to human traffic in the West African nation.

President Akufo-Addo made his first and second addresses on March 11 and 15.

Presidents of other African countries like South Africa, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Egypt, and Morocco have all addressed their nations at least twice.

Presidencys Defence

The presidency and government officials have been defending President Buharis silence in the face of the grave health situation.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said the time is not yet appropriate for the president to address the nation.

The Senate which earlier called on the president to address Nigerians later said it is too early to question Mr Buharis silence.

Criticism

But Nigerians have increasingly become uncomfortable with the posture of their president. Other prominent leaders in the country, including governors and religious leaders have been speaking to encourage citizens.

Nigerias biggest opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has repeatedly berated the presidencys handling of the outbreak, said Mr Buharis silence shows he has failed as a leader.

PDP is worried at President Muhammadu Buharis delay in standing up to the responsibilities of his office to address heightening national anxieties since the detection of the deadly COVID-19 in our country, the party said in a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.
BERLINGermany announced on Sunday new nationwide measures to limit contact between people  barring groups of more than two people, except for families, to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the new social-distancing rules, which will be put in place for at least two weeks, are among the strictest by any country on movement outside the home, as global infections surpassed 300,000 and the death toll topped 13,000. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany had risen to more than 23,900 by Sunday, with more than 90 deaths.

We are further reducing public life and social contact and ensuring that the measures will be nationwide, the chancellor said, adding that the regulations would remain in place for at least two weeks. Everyone should organize their movements according to these regulations.

Under the new restrictions, restaurants, which were previously allowed to seat customers during the day at a safe distance from each other, will be allowed to stay open but provide only delivery and takeout services. Hairdressers, massage studios and tattoo parlours must now close their doors.

Merkels announcement, after a telephone conference with the governors of Germanys 16 states, fell in line with restrictions put in place by the state of Bavaria, which on Friday restricted all movement outside the home, except for trips for shopping, work, doctors visits and exercise.

The announcement came as officials prepared to make 150 billion euros (more than $160 billion U.S.) available to help the country weather the fallout.

Germany also planned to take on new debt for the first time since adopting a law requiring a balanced budget after the 2008 financial crisis. It will enact an exception to the law to allow the government borrow tens of billions of euros to help companies survive the looming recession and secure millions of jobs.

The measure is expected to be passed by Merkels government on Monday and voted on in Parliament later in the week.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz justified the decision to borrow more than 10 times more than the countrys budget rules would normally allow, saying that 150 billion is a very big sum, but it gives us the opportunities that we need now.

We have a big challenge ahead of us, he told the public broadcaster ARD on Saturday.

Among the countries limiting crowds to promote social distancing and stall the transmission of the coronavirus, the U.S. federal government said this month that no more than 10 people should gather in one place. Switzerland said people in groups of fewer than five must stay at least two metres apart, subjected to a fine for those flouting the rules. Austrias chancellor also announced major restrictions on movement in public places this month, banning gatherings of more than five people.

Many Germans were still not following the social distancing guidelines set last week to stem the outbreak, leading to the further restrictions announced Sunday. Merkel discussed the prospect of harder curfews with the leaders of Germanys 16 states on Sunday afternoon.

Bavaria was the first German state to pass a curfew, after many Bavarians last weekend appeared to be taking a casual approach to social distancing. The curfew, which came into effect Saturday, prompted criticism from some opposition politicians. But others predicted that it could become a blueprint for measures elsewhere in the country.

Some cities needed no prompting to take tougher action: Freiburg, near Germanys southwestern border with Alsace, France, where the virus has spread particularly aggressively, barred groups of people from gathering in public squares.

There have also been reports of corona parties held by youths in different corners of Germany, causing alarm among authorities in a country better known for adhering to rules. Some parties, where youths in large groups drank alcohol and chanted, Corona, corona, had to be broken up by police.

Merkel, in a sobering televised address to the nation Wednesday, asked all in the country to avoid social contact in a spirit of solidarity with those most at risk in society. Her chief of staff, Helge Braun, issued a sterner warning a day later.

We call on everyone to implement the measures so far passed, Braun said. And that means, apart from your core family, avoiding ideally all social contacts.

We will look at the behaviour of the population this weekend, he added. Saturday is a decisive day.

Merkel, meanwhile, demonstrated what responsible shopping looks like in times of the coronavirus, when she was spotted at her local supermarket in Berlin this weekend.

Keeping her distance from other shoppers, a smiling Merkel dropped cherries, soap, several bottles of wine and toilet paper  one pack  into her shopping cart, photos on social media showed.

The chancellor paid by card, effectively discarding another German tradition: paying cash. Many stores have become averse to exchanging coins and notes during the outbreak.

Read more about:
In a mid morning update, the government has confirmed a total of 798 cases of coronavirus infection in Luxembourg.

There have been no further deaths recorded.

The new total shows an increase of 128 on yesterday's figures.

The authorities have made several appeals this week asking everyone to "stay at home".

A guideline that has not been followed everywhere.

Deputy Prime Minister Francois Bausch confirmed this week that he would call on army personnel to enforce containment measures "if necessary"."

2,000 calls are taken by the Coronavirus hotline daily.

1,500 people are tested daily (revised from 750 as per Saturdays information) across the Grand Duchy, and the average age of a person taking a test is 46 years old.

The information so far given on the details of those who have lost their lives, we are aware of only the facts that all were over 80 years and old and had previous health issues.

Follow all the info on our Live Ticker



Our colleagues at 5Minutes maintain this visual aid on a daily basis, charting the infections and deaths in the Grand Duchy.
Atanga Nji votes in March 22, 2020 election rerun Ndi Tsembom

Polls have timidly opened in 10 parliamentary constituencies in Cameroons North West Region in Sundays parliamentary election rerun amidst calls for boycott by armed separatists as well as a scare occasioned by the Coronavirus Outbreak.

Although government banned gatherings of more than 50 persons as part of measures to contain the Coronavirus that has seen 40 positive cases, scores of voters were spotted in some polling stations in Bamenda Sunday, March 22, 2020.

Atanga Nji Paul, Minister of Territorial Administration and Permanent Secretary of the National Security Council voted at the Regional Delegation of Mines at Up-Station Bamenda, alongside Governor Lele Lafrique Tchoffo Deben Adolphe and Ex-Governor Fai Yengo Francis who heads the National Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission for ex-separatist fighters and repentant Boko Haram militants.

The Commander of the 5th Joint Military Region, Brigadier General Nka Valere and the Commander of the 5th Gendarmerie Region, Brigadier General Ekongwese Divine Nnoko also voted in Bamenda.

While Mbayu Felix, Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth voted at Old Town Bamenda, Fongod Edwin, the Director General of Customs voted in Bali.

After casting his vote, Minister Atanga Nji called on all registered voters to do same and to accept the verdict of the polls.

His words: Everything is going on smoothly. The governor of the region has given me a report of what is going on. So far, so good, you can see the local population struggling to go and vote because it is a legitimate exercise. Any proud Cameroonian should go and vote for their parliamentarians who will go and debate laws in parliament. The Head of State who convened the electorate just respected the constitution. As for now, the electoral agenda is being respected. We had an evaluation of what ELECAM has done around the region. Everything is in place. As early as 8 oclock, the polls were opened. At the end of the day well get feedback.

So far, so good, you can see that the region is calm and people are voting. I think this is the best way to exercise democracy. Those who are going to vote are voting for the construction of the nation. And I think it is important that we all remain republicans and at the end of the day the ballot boxes will decide the future of the elections and we should all stand by the verdict.

Sundays election rerun follows Constitutional Council decision no. 29/SRCER/G/20 of February 25, 2020 to cancel the election of Members of Parliament in the following eleven constituencies: North West Region  Menchum North, Bui West, Mezam South, Bui Centre, Bui South, Mezam Centre, Momo East, Menchum South, Momo West and Mezam North  and South West Region  Lebialem.

The partial annulment of the outcome of the February 9, 2020 legislative elections came after the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, seized the Constitutional Council citing irregularities that breached laws relating to elections in the country.

SDF lawyers and candidates had prayed the Constitutional Council to partially annul the elections on grounds of insecurity, and the creation of polling centres which disenfranchised their voters.

At press time, there were reports of gunshots in Batibo (Momo West) and Mbengwi (Momo East) as polls timidly opened. Armed separatists in these areas are said to have engaged defence and security forces in desperate efforts to frustrate the election.
New Delhi, March 22 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced a complete lockdown in the national capital from Monday to March 31, barring all essential services.

Addressing the public along with Lt. Governor Anil Baijal, Kejriwal said all borders of Delhi with Harayan and Uttar Pradesh will be sealed, but essential items from neighboring states, such as food items like vegetables, milk etc. will keep coming.

"Lockdown in Delhi from Monday 6 a.m. to March 31 midnight. The borders will be sealed and only essential items will be allowed," he said.

All flights -- domestic and international, inter-state buses, trains and metros will be suspended too, he said.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an extraordinary situation and calls for extraordinary measures," sais Kejriwal as he shared announcements towards containing the spread of the virus.

Delhi has 27 coronavirus cases, he said, of which 21 are from people coming from abroad. Only six people have received the virus, Kejriwal said adding controlling the virus at this stage will be helpful.

He said Delhi is yet to enter the community transmission stage and to prevent the outbreak, he added he is putting Delhi under the lockdown.

Kejriwal said that certain exceptions have been made to ensure essential items are available for purchase and basic services continue to operate.

No public transport services, including operation of private buses, taxis, autorickshaw, rickshaws and e-rickshaws shall be permitted, he said.

"Only DTC buses shall operate at not more than 25 per cent capacity to cater personal engaged in essential services." The Delhi government also issued an order, saying all shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, warehouses, weekly bazaars, etc shall be closed in the city during the lockdown.

"The motorable and unmotorable borders of Delhi with neighbouring states of Delhi and Haryana shall be sealed. All domestic and international flights coming to Delhi will be suspended," it said.

It says all construction and religious activities are also barred during the period.

Kejriwal says people are requested to stay indoors and come out only for basic services within the vicinity of their residence while strictly following the social distancing guidelines.

Government offices dealing with electricity and water issues, law and order, sanitation, as well as print and electronic media offices among others will stay open, he said.

All the restaurants have been ordered shut, and only takeaways and home deliveries will be permitted, Kejriwal said.

During the lockdown, dairies, grocery shops, chemists and petrol pumps will remain open.

Also, all religious places will be shut during lockdown.

Kejriwal said no certificate will be required from the people if they move during the lockdown.

"No certificate will be required to move across the city. Gathering of five or more people will be barred. All the private establishment will be shut, while the employees should be paid," he said.

On the hoarding of masks and sanitizers, he said it is not just against the law but humanity.

"We did 327 raids and 437 cases have been filed, so far. We will be continuing raiding for hoarding," he said.

Kejriwal said taking preventive steps at this stage will be helpful.

-- With inputs from IANS
At a time when the country is battling the coronavirus pandemic, former Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, posted a five-year-old picture of a crowded railway station on Twitter raising questions over steps being taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tweet which was posted at 10.23 pm on March 21 shows the overcrowded Dadar Railway Station in Mumbai. The tweet has now been deleted by him.

The tweet read," Oh God, this is how we are going to combat coronavirus? If this breaks out in our villages, we are in for BIG BIG trouble. How stupid."

Union Health Ministry on Saturday said that a total of 315 cases of coronavirus positive cases have been reported in the country so far, out of these cases West Bengal has reported four positive cases.

Meanwhile, the country is observing self-imposed "Janata Curfew," today on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal. The move is aimed at containing the spread of the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On balconies, rooftops and front steps across India on Sunday, people came out to make noise in a show of support for medical workers and the emergency services  and in defiance of the global coronavirus pandemic.

With pots and pans, metal plates and shankha (horn-like conches used in Hindu prayer), families who had been observing a nationwide all-day curfew embraced the opportunity to take part in a kind of neighbourhood social interaction.

The five-minute ovation at 5pm was called for on Thursday in a national address by prime minister Narendra Modi, to boost morale of doctors and public workers and as a salute [to] their service.

As a result, it lacked the spontaneity of the musical performances on balconies that have gone viral across Europe in recent weeks.

But the Indian public appear to have made up for that with enthusiastic observance, as videos were posted on social media from across the country of entire communities taking part.

It came on Sunday as lockdown measures were extended across the country, with most train services now suspended and many major cities metro networks closing.

In Delhi and other major cities, restaurants and cafes were ordered to close in the past couple of days, following the shuttering of schools, cinemas, gyms and other public gatherings earlier on.

India was also one of the first countries to implement extensive foreign travel restrictions, which on Sunday was extended to a total ban on the arrival of all international commercial passenger jets.

Officially, Indias coronavirus caseload rose to 370 today, with seven deaths. But the countrys testing has been limited and, particularly given the extensive measures taken by the government, experts say it should be assumed the true count of infections is already well into the tens of thousands.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that everyone should be prepared to see a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country but should not panic in such a situation. The Delhi CM called for citizens to remain strong and united.

The number of Covid-19 cases in India has doubled in less than a week. We should be prepared to see a surge in cases but we must not panic. It is the time to be strong and united as a nation. We must support one another.#DelhiFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCorona  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 22, 2020

The number of Covid-19 cases in India has doubled in less than a week. We should be prepared to see a surge in cases but we must not panic. It is the time to be strong and united as a nation. We must support one another, Kejriwal tweeted out today.

Kejriwals tweet comes on the day when the entire nation observes 14-hour long Janta Curfew as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Saturday Kejriwal announced a ban on gatherings of more than five people in the capital in a significant reduction from the previous cap on gatherings exceeding 50 people in the wake of coronavirus spread in the country. He also cautioned that a lockdown could be considered in future if the situation demands.

Delhi government has also cut down on presence of government staff in offices except for those employed with the essential services and also urged private firms to allow staff to work from home.

Chief minister said the government had not imposed a lockdown for now, but it would have to do if the need arises in the view of the coronavirus outbreak.

On Monday, a day after todays Janta Curfew, Delhi administration has decided to stagger metro services to ensure social distancing.
Imagine a pristine T&T where there are no more homeless people or animals. One where hunger has been eliminated as the relic of a bygone era.

A world where pipe-borne water is delivered to every home every day, not wasted in an archaic system where significant leaks are either ignored or washed out to sea.
Coronavirus 1) Stay away this Mothers Day, says Johnson

Boris Johnson will today urge Britons to celebrate Mothers Day remotely by using video calls  as he admits the NHS is on the brink of being overwhelmed by the coronavirus outbreak. The Prime Ministers warning that the numbers are very stark and they are accelerating came as the UK death toll soared to 233  up 56 in a day. Doctors warned that a tsunami of severely ill patients was about to engulf them, describing near-apocalyptic scenes amid chronic shortages of basic equipment and fears that unprotected medics could either become desperately ill themselves or become carriers and infect others. As hospitals raced to convert operating theatres into intensive care wards and begged vets to hand over ventilators normally used for pets, Mr Johnson pleaded with the public to reduce social interaction, even with their mothers.  Mail on Sunday

1.5 million told to self-isolate at home for three months  Sunday Times

NHS sends guidance letter to over-70s, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions  FT

UK braces for Italian-style crisis  Sunday Telegraph

Britain is exactly two weeks behind Italy  Mail on Sunday

Saturday marks worst day for European casualties since crisis began  FT

Analysis:

Unmitigated, the death number was 510,000  Sunday Times

>Today :

>Yesterday :

Coronavirus 2) Boris Johnson: Videocall her, Skype her, but avoid unnecessary physical contact

Today is Mothers Day. It is a day when we celebrate the sacrifice and the effort of those who gave us life. Across the country, I know that millions of people will have been preparing to do something special  not just a card, not just flowers. I know that everyones strongest instinct is to see their mother in person, to have a meal together, to show them how much you love them. But I am afraid that this Mothers Day the single best present that we can give  we who owe our mothers so much  is to spare them the risk of catching a very dangerous disease.  Mail on Sunday

>Yesterday :

Coronavirus 3) NHS enlists English private hospitals to fight virus

The entire capacity of the private hospital sector in England will be used to treat coronavirus patients, and take on work the NHS is too overwhelmed to carry out, under a deal announced by the government on Saturday. As the taxpayer-funded health service braces for hundreds of thousands of extra patients, the agreement will provide nearly 20,000 extra staff to help manage the surge in cases, NHS England said. The arrangement, which in effect puts the whole private hospital sector under contract to the government, will start on Monday.  FT

Doctors complain of equipment shortages  Sunday Times

Companies enlisted to create thousands of ventilators  FT

Three junior doctors struck down by coronavirus in the same hospital  The Sun

Families fearful of elderly coronavirus patients being discharged  Daily Telegraph

Pharmacies low on paracetamol  The Sun

Thousands more beds, ventilators and staff to become available next week  Manchester Evening News

Doctor made 2.5m a week from coronavirus tests  Sunday Times

February was really the time when we should have been full speed ahead  Sunday Times

Coronavirus 4) Sunak accused of forgetting self-employed

Rishi Sunak was last night racing to plug gaps in his latest support package for businesses and workers, as he faces claims that he has left behind the self-employed. The Chancellor is actively considering possible ways to broaden the scope of measures announced on Friday, which included paying up to 80 per cent of individual employees wages. He is being lobbied to mirror the approach of Norway, where the government is to pay self-employed workers grants equating to 80 per cent of their average income over the past three years. Mr Sunak is also under pressure to announce major additional support for airports and airlines.  Daily Telegraph

Millions could lose job despite Chancellors intervention  Daily Telegraph

Five million self-employed workers call for more help  The Sun

Zero-hours workforce despairs  The Guardian

Dont stop paying our fees, plead private schools  Daily Telegraph

Coronavirus 5) We need you, Hancock tells former medical staff



A massive 4,000 nurses and 500 doctors have returned to the NHS since they were called to return to work to help battle coronavirus on Friday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the figures in a video shared to Twitter today, but stressed the country needs many more. In an impassioned plea, Mr Hancock called all recently-retired medics to come back to help in this unprecedented crisis and said: Your NHS needs you. The UKs coronavirus death toll skyrocketed by 56 in 24 hours bringing the total fatalities to 233.  Daily Mail

Youre the glue holding all of us together, Patel tells emergency services, police officers and firefighters  The Sun

Coronavirus 6) Number 10 draws up designated survivor plan

Downing Street has drawn up a designated survivor plan to ensure the continuity of the government if Boris Johnson or his top aides fall sick, after a host of senior officials were forced to self-isolate last week. Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary who is also first secretary of state, will stand in for the prime minister if he contracts the coronavirus  but the decision has unleashed acidic exchanges among ministers jostling to be next in line.  Sunday Times

Gove and Hancock both vying to become Johnsons coronavirus chief executive  Mail on Sunday

Coronavirus 7) NHS boss: Panic buyers should be ashamed

A TOP NHS official has slammed people panic-buying to stockpile amid the coronavirus crisis and leaving overworked medics without food. NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis said panic buyers were depriving NHS staff of the supplies they need, adding: Frankly we should all be ashamed. This week has seen queues outside supermarkets and many shelves stripped bare amid concerns about a lockdown brought on by the outbreak.  The Sun

>Yesterday :

Coronavirus 8) Government prepares to rescue British Airways

The UK Government is drawing up plans to buy shares in British Airways and other airlines hit by the Pandemic Crisis to keep them afloat, insiders confirmed. Talks are in place which could see the State holding equity stakes in companies on the brink of collapse as coronavirus panic damages the UK economy. Billions of pounds would be injected into the likes of BA, whose boss Alex Cruz told his 45,000 staff that the viral outbreak is threatening the companys survival. Mr Cruz warned that the escalating crisis is of global proportions like no other we have known  including the 2008 Financial Crisis and 9/11.  Daily Mail

We cannot allow [coronavirus] to force well-leading, well-run firms out of business, says Shapps  Daily Mail

Hedge funds make 1bn through betting on downfall of major airlines  Daily Telegraph

Coronavirus 9) Troops on call to assist with lockdown

DEFENCE chiefs are today poised to deploy troops on the streets to support police, the NHS and local authorities, as Downing Street prepares to enforce travel restrictions and escalate the countrys fightback against Covid-19. Lt Gen Tyrone Urch, head of the Armys Standing Joint Command, has been tasked with generating a force of 20,000 personnel, with an initial 5,000 soldiers ready to move from midnight last night.  Daily Express

Coronavirus advice ignored by almost a quarter of 25 to 34-year-olds  Sunday Telegraph

90 to 95 per cent of Brits must comply to make shutdown plans work  Daily Telegraph

Reports of packed pubs in parts of the country  Daily Telegraph

Visitors flock to Skegness  The Guardian

Police vow to enforce virus pub ban  The Guardian

Comment:

We can commemorate tomorrow, March 23, 2020, as the day Parliament died, Peter Hitchens  Mail on Sunday

Foreign Office diplomat told US to put Anne Sacoolas on next flight out of Britain

One of Britains top diplomats has been removed from his post after it emerged he told the United States they should feel able to put fugitive spy Anne Sacoolas on the next flight out of Britain following the death of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn. Neil Holland was serving as the Foreign Offices Director of Protocol and Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps when he sent the incendiary text message to a US counterpart last September. It came just two weeks after the 19-year-old was killed in a crash with Ms Sacoolass 44 outside RAF Croughton, a US spy base in Northamptonshire.  Mail on Sunday

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Linkedin (Reuters) Paris, France  Sun, March 22, 2020 14:04 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c8f307 2 Health LVMH,mask,coronavirus,COVID-19,France,China,health,luxury Free

LVMH, the world's biggest luxury goods group, is ordering 40 million health masks from a Chinese supplier to help France cope with the coronavirus outbreak.

The first order, for a total of 10 million masks, will be delivered in coming days, LVMH said in a statement on Saturday.

This initial batch will be given to the French health service for distribution to those in need early next week.

The rest of the order, on which LVMH cooperated with the French government, will be funded by the state and should be delivered in coming weeks.

Read also: Perfume giant LVMH to make hand gel for French hospitals

LVMH, owner of brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior and controlled by France's richest man Bernard Arnault, is already producing and delivering free-of-charge hand sanitizer to French hospitals.

"In order to secure this (mask) order during an extremely tense period and to ensure that the production begins today, Bernard Arnault arranged for LVMH to finance the whole of the first week of deliveries, amounting to 5 million euros ($5.4 million)," the group said.

Countries around the world are struggling to deal with the biggest public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic, with medical supplies and protective gear in short supply.

Many health professionals in France have criticized the shortages as the country fights coronavirus and entered a unprecedented lockdown on Tuesday.
President Trump listens during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)

Administration and congressional leaders raced on Saturday to reach agreement on a more than $1-trillion stimulus plan for an economy reeling from pandemic-related closures and job losses, as Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative for the coronavirus after a member of his White House staff proved to be infected.

President Trump said at a White House briefing that the negotiators were "working hard" to reach a deal to stem the economic hemorrhaging as the country has nearly shut down to prevent the spread of the virus. Stock markets Friday ended their worst week since 2008 and analysts predict that next weeks unemployment claims could set a record.

"I think we're getting close," Trump told reporters. In anticipation, the Senate scheduled votes on Sunday to take the first legislative steps to approve a stimulus plan. The price tag likely would exceed $1 trillion; when combined with actions from the Federal Reserve, the stimulus could reach double that, Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said Democrats were pressing for a massive investment in public health infrastructure as hospitals fear they will soon be overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases. "We need it right now, not two weeks from now," he said.

Democrats are also pushing to replenish the treasuries of state and local governments. Schumer warned that they're "running out of cash and they may soon be broke."

One of the most controversial issues has been Senate Republicans' plan to send one or more payments directly to most middle-income taxpayers. Many payments would be $1,200 a person, or $2,400 a couple, and $500 per child. But low-wage workers would receive only about $600.

At the White House, Pence announced that he and his wife, Karen, were to be tested, even as he and the president continued to be on the defensive over the continued scarcity of tests nationwide. Pence, who heads the administration task force on the epidemic, disclosed late Friday that a member of his staff, who was not identified, had experienced mild, cold-like symptoms" and tested positive for the coronavirus.

Story continues

The man had not been to the White House since Monday, Pence added, and had no direct contact with himself or Trump. A White House doctor did not believe either of the men had been exposed, the vice president said, but he and his wife were to be tested in an abundance of caution.

Earlier in the briefing, the vice president had urged those without symptoms not to be tested because they were taking resources away from others who might need them more.

Pence's press secretary tweeted Saturday evening that the couple had tested negative for the virus.

Trump was reportedly tested for the virus last weekend after having come in contact at his Florida resort with a Brazilian official who subsequently tested positive. The White House reported the test results were negative. Trump, who had initially resisted being tested, said Saturday he was feeling "great."

Much like on Friday, the briefing turned testy at times as Trump and Pence defended the administration's efforts to mitigate the crisis, amid shortages of test kits, ventilators and protective gear for first-responders.

More than 300 people in the U.S. have died from the disease  just over three weeks since the country's first death  and the virus has infected 26,000 others, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. Coronavirus has infected more than 300,000 people and killed over 13,000 worldwide.

In the United States, its rapid spread has put intense pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers, particularly in New York, California and Washington, the states that have been hit hardest.

Public health officials are so concerned about a shortage of hospital beds that the Army Corps of engineers is working to convert a convention center, dorm rooms and possibly hotels in New York into intensive care wards that could treat 10,000 patients. It expects to expand that effort to at least 15 other states, including California.

More beds will not be enough to help meet what could be a crushing demand for medical care, however. Public health experts say hospitals and clinics are already running short on scrubs, masks and eye protection that are needed to protect doctors and nurses from infection.

To alleviate the pressure, governors and public health officials have urged Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to compel companies to produce such supplies and to prevent price gouging. The president on Saturday pushed back on such demands after days of conflicting signals about his willingness to consider such a move.

On Wednesday, Trump said he would be invoking the law just in case we need it." On Thursday, he indicated he had used his authority with several companies. Yet in the same briefing, as on Friday, he said he didn't need to act because states and companies were acting on their own.

We have so many companies making so many products, Trump said Saturday, citing Hanesbrands Inc.'s willingness to retrofit clothing factories to produce masks. We have the act to use in case we need it.

A spokesman for Hanes confirmed it was going to produce cotton masks that can be used when more effective N95 respirators and surgical masks are not needed or not available.

Pence said the administration had ordered "hundreds of millions" of N95 masks, respirators that can filter out 95% of airborne particles and are essential to protect medical workers treating those suffering from the virus. The vice president and other administration officials could not say how soon those masks would get to medical workers.

"We are responding specifically to state requests where the needs arise," Pence said.

Trump has come under withering criticism for having spent two months downplaying the threat from the virus on Twitter, at rallies and in interviews, rather than mobilizing his administration to prepare for its spread.

Though his predictions soon proved wrong  on Feb. 27, for example, he predicted there would soon be zero cases of infection  Trump continued to offer rosy assessments. He predicted a vaccine would soon be ready, though experts said one would not be available for more than a year.

The president has also trumpeted the potential use of a drug combination, one designed to treat malaria and an antibiotic, even though health officials have cautioned that such medications must be rigorously evaluated before widespread use. Trump tweeted on Saturday that the drugs "taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine."

Yet Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, later said at the White House briefing that he was "not totally sure what the president is referring to."

He reiterated his contention from Friday's briefing that the drugs must be further tested. However, he declined to discourage physicians from prescribing the medicines "in an arena where you don't have anything that is proven" to treat coronavirus. "The president is talking about hope for people, which is not an unreasonable thing," Fauci said.

Trump continued to criticize China, where the novel virus originated late in 2019, for not warning the United States sooner about its spread. I wish they could have told us earlier because we could have come up with a solution, he said, adding, China was very, very secretive."

He downplayed praise he heaped on Beijing in January and February, and particularly on its president, Xi Jinping, for the response to China's epidemic  even as his advisors, among others, criticized the country for covering up bad news.

On Jan. 24, for example, Trump tweeted, "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!"
Hospital employees wearing a protection mask and gear tend to a patient at a temporary emergency structure set up outside the accident and emergency department at the Brescia hospital, in Lombardy, Italy, on March 13, 2020. (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)

Anthony Fauci: Italys High Virus Mortality Rate Due to Elderly Population

Italys older population and overwhelmed healthcare system are two of the biggest causes behind its skyrocketing CCP virus death rate, according to Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Speaking to Fox News on March 20, Fauci said the countrys elderly population, many of whom have underlying health conditions, is a major contributing factor to its alarming 8.3 percent mortality rate.

I think the most logical issue for Italy is that one, they have an older population, and as a matter of fact, these serious consequences such as hospitalization, intensive care, and even death are very heavily weighted towards both the elderly and those who have underlying conditionsheart disease, lung disease, diabetes, etc, Fauci said.

Speaking about South Korea, which was one of the earliest countries to report a significant CCP virus outbreak, but which has since seen a dramatic decline in new cases, Fauci said Italys demographic population is different to that of the East Asian nation.

So they probably have a demographic population thats a bit different than South Korea. But the other thing is that they may have been so overwhelmed, that they had is they ran out of the kind of intensive care capabilities that you would like to give the maximum care to an individual, he said.

So, when you overwhelm the system, youre not able to give maximum care. So they may have been really double-whammied. One, they have a population thats an older population but they have also been terribly hit, very strongly.

Elsewhere, Fauci said it is still unclear when the virus will reach its peak and begin to subside in the United States but that he expects Americans will have to stay home and practice social distancing for at least several weeks.

If you look at the curve of the outbreaks in places where we now have experienceslook at China, look at what happened in South Korea, look at what is happening in Italyyou see the outbreak putters along and then it goes way up, peaks, and then comes down. The height of the peak and the duration is obviously influenced by the things you do to mitigate it, the kind of things we are doing right now; physical separation of people.

But if you take a look at a typical duration of an outbreak, its measured in a few weeks. The China one was about six or eight weeks before it was really way down theres no question when you look at the various models, it is going to be a few weeks.

Chinas national health commission claimed on March 19 that there were no new infections in the entire country. Data from China has been opaque at best, while netizens say they dont trust the Chinese regimes narrative.

A comparison with Italy suggests the death toll is significantly underreported. Italy adopted the solutions that the Chinese regime used in China and experienced a pandemic. The CCP virus death toll in Italy, which currently sits at 4,825, translates to a death rate of 9 percent. In China, with a much larger population exposed to the virus, the reported death toll of 3,265 results in a death rate of 4 percent, less than half that reported in Italy.

The activity in the CCP virus epicenter in Hubei Province seems to contradict the reported death toll in China. The seven funeral houses in Wuhan, China were reported to be burning bodies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in late January. China also has used 40 mobile cremators, each capable of burning 5 tons a day, in Hubei Province since Feb. 16. In addition, outside some villages bodies have been observed being burned in open air pits.

Italys death toll leaped by 793 to 4,825 on Saturdayan increase of 19.6 percent and the largest daily rise in absolute terms since the contagion emerged a month ago. Of those originally infected nationwide, 6,072 had fully recovered on Saturday compared to 5,129 the day before, while 2,857 people were in intensive care compared to the previous figure of 2,655.

Nicole Hao contributed to this report.
The AFL may be suspended for at least two months but the NRL insists the show must go on.

The ARL Commission will on Monday meet to discuss the future of the competition before briefing club bosses, following a dramatic day in which the AFL postponed its matches for the foreseeable future, Prime Minister Scott Morrison banned all "non-essential" interstate travel and state governments across the country moved to lock borders.

The AFL's swift decision, the lock downs and a sharp shift in public sentiment about the image of sport being played while many in Australia fail to heed social distancing measures, has placed NRL bosses under growing pressure.

But ARL Commission chair Peter V'landys says the show will go on until health authorities say otherwise.
Cases rise to 64, highest in West Africa, amid worries coronavirus will overwhelm its threadbare healthcare system.

Four government ministers in Burkina Faso have been infected by the new coronavirus, according to officials, as the number of reported cases rose to 64 from 40, the highest in West Africa.

The ministers of foreign affairs, mines, education, and the interior have all tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, a government spokesman said on Saturday.

The rumour has become reality  I have just been notified that I have COVID-19, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alpha Barry said in a tweet late on Friday, referring to media reports that had speculated about his health.

Minister of Mines Oumarou Idani, Minister of Education Stanislas Ouaro and Minister of the Interior Simeon Sawadogo each confirmed their cases via Facebook posts.

A ministerial meeting was held on March 11, the governments website shows, but it was not immediately clear if all the ministers attended.

Threadbare healthcare system

A poor country of some 20 million people, Burkina Faso has been struggling to deal with a swiftly deteriorating security situation that has seen campaigns by multiple armed groups rendered parts of its arid territory ungovernable and forced nearly a million people to flee their homes.

International health officials worry that the virus could spread out of control and overwhelm its threadbare healthcare system.

The government has put measures in place to stop the spread, including closing land and air borders and banning gatherings of more than 50 people.

Last week all schools and universities in the West African country closed for the rest of the month.

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But before a suspension of religious ceremonies on Friday, the central mosque in the capital, Ouagadougou, was filled with hundreds of worshippers packed together for prayers.

Burkina Faso reported its first case of COVID-19 on March 9, 10 days after the first case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced in Nigeria on February 28.

NGOs have warned that the conflict, displacement and weak health infrastructure could lead to a devastating loss of life.

In a best-case scenario, which is what were living in at the moment, we would have only a few cases, Jerry-Jonas Mbasha, cluster coordinator for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Burkina Faso, told Al Jazeera last week.

In a worst-case scenario, we could see fatality rates five to 10 times higher than the global average.

Al Jazeera reported last week that there were only 400 coronavirus test kits available in Burkina Faso, with only three health facilities in the country able to carry out the tests  two in Ouagadougou and one in the second city of Bobo Dioulasso.

Mbasha urged the international community to step in to help avoid a major crisis.

We need technical and financial partners to come in and protect Burkina Faso, as do other African countries which are facing the same situation, Mbasha told Al Jazeera.

Some 40 nations across the continent have reported more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19.

Worldwide more than 304,500 people have been diagnosed with the infection while nearly 13,000 people have died from the disease, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 22 (Reuters) - The Palestinian stock exchange said on Sunday it was shutting down until further notice to protect staff and prevent market volatility amid the spread of the coronavirus.

The Palestine Exchange is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where authorities have confirmed 59 coronavirus cases.

Forty-eight companies are listed on the exchange, with a total market capitalization of about $3.8 billion.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has told West Bank residents to stay at home and ordered the closure of schools and crossings with Israel and Jordan. (Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
We live in a state of coronavirus-fuelled anxiety. In such times, we try to build walls and fences to keep the danger out. So, India has enforced sweeping restrictions on outsiders coming into the country, and stringent testing for those returning from abroad. The governments strategy to contain this pandemic is largely based on surveillance and restrictions on international travellers, and now, a push towards social distancing. Will this work to keep the virus from spreading in the country? Or is the enemy already within, slowly entrenching itself?

The evidence from other countries is mixed on how useful travel bans are in stamping out the virus. The United States (US) was the first country to ban travellers from China on February 1. India followed suit a few days later along with Singapore, Vietnam, Russia, and the Philippines. But this did not stop the virus from entering any of these countries. The US is seeing an explosion of cases, while other places, including India, are seeing slow, steady rises in case numbers.

This particular coronavirus spreads easily from one human to another, carried mostly by respiratory droplets. It passes from human to human in difficult-to-detect chains of transmission. This is because the majority of cases have mild symptoms  a cough or a barely detectable fever  and may not realise they are infected, but can still pass the virus on to others. A recent study published in Science estimated that mild and asymptomatic patients in Wuhan, who were never tested and did not know they were infectious, played an important role in the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). This being the case, restrictions on travellers from abroad will only bring a brief respite since the virus is already in the country.

Once the virus is in a country, governments across the world have responded in three ways.

The first is aggressive testing, to quickly detect and isolate sick patients and trace their contacts before they have a chance to spread the virus further. As the director-general of the World Health Organization put it, the only way to contain the virus is to find, isolate, test and treat every case to break the chains of transmission. Every case we find and treat limits the expansion of the disease.

The second way is through social distancing, to the extent of shutting down normal life. This is what Wuhan and other cities in China did, and which cities and regions across the world, including parts of Italy, and the bay area in California, are doing. The shelter in place order that was imposed on parts of California required people to stay in their homes except to shop or for medical emergencies.

This is what India seems to be moving towards, with the Janata Curfew on Sunday. But more will be required if the speed at which the virus spreads is to be slowed down. Wuhan and other cities in China shut down transport systems, issued stay-at-home orders and kept only essential services going for an extended period. In India, an extended Wuhan-type shutdown is going to be extremely difficult to implement, and the impact will be felt disproportionally by the poor, who need to work every day for their survival, and dont have the luxury of working from home. Wealthy countries like the US can afford to dole out money to lessen the shock. Countries like India cannot.

The third, and most important way governments across the world have acted, is by strengthening the hospital system. The majority of those infected by Covid-19 will have mild, or perhaps no symptoms. But the 20% or so who get infected will require hospital beds, and the more severe cases will require intensive care beds. Once the virus really gets going, and case numbers take off, patients requiring hospitalisation will come not in an orderly way, in ones and twos, but in waves. From the experience so far of how this virus behaves, those above the age of 60 with other underlying medical conditions will be at the greatest risk of severe illness.

Doctors, nurses and other health care workers will also be at great risk, given the high number of infected patients they will be examining, and the long stressful hours they will have to work. Infection control protocols become even harder to follow when health personnel are stressed and overworked. Supplies of ventilators, oxygen, masks, gloves, disinfectants could run short. Any lack of preparedness in Indias health system will be cruelly exposed.

By the Indian Council of Medical Researchs reckoning, the disease is not yet spreading in the community beyond immediate contacts of infected people. But given the experience of other countries, it is highly probable that the virus will spread in the community, with cases popping up all over the country.

The walls and fences that were built have not kept the virus out. But they have bought the country time to prepare for its eventual spread. That time needs to be used wisely to prepare people as well as the hospital system for the full impact of a pandemic.

Thomas Abraham is the author of Twenty First Century Plague The Story of SARS. He is an adjunct professor at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre, Hong Kong University and worked in the WHO during the 2009 swine flu pandemic

The views expressed are personal
According to the journalists, the politician made this decision after visiting her doctor, who, as it turned out, was infected with a coronavirus.

As we reported, a sudden loss of smell  known as anosmia or hyposmia  could be a symptom of the coronavirus, even if patients experience no other symptoms, according to leading rhinologists in the UK, Business Insider reports.

In South Korea, China, and Italy, about a third of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 have also reported a loss of smell  known as anosmia or hyposmia  leading ear, nose, and throat experts in the UK have reported.

"In South Korea, where testing has been more widespread, 30% of patients testing positive have had anosmia as their major presenting symptom in otherwise mild cases," the president of the British Rhinological Society Professor, Clare Hopkins, and the president of the British Association of Otorhinolaryngology, professor Nirmal Kumar, said in a joint statement.

The professors said that many patients around the world who have tested positive for COVID-19 are presenting only the symptoms of loss of smell and taste  without the more commonly recognised symptoms of high fever and coughing.
I have a friend since high school named Karen. She was a smart and focused student, a cheerleader  popular but always a kind soul. We lost touch through the years but reconnected when, to her surprise, she saw my name on a book at Barnes & Noble. Karen was always engaged and helpful. Raised by kind parents, she was always one of those people who were  well, just that way.

Sunday morning, Karen rose early and headed to the grocery store in her small Michigan town. She had a plan to arrive as the doors opened and get the few items she needed and did. Toilet paper was on her list and she bought the only package left  a package of eight rolls. She, like most of us, was surprised by the empty shelves. She bought what she could and headed out of the store and to her car. In the parking lot, she encountered an elderly man, visibly upset. Karen asked if he was OK.

My wife and I are out of toilet paper. Ive been searching for days. I dont know what to do, the troubled old gentleman explained. He didnt know what to do, but Karen did. She broke open the package of eight rolls and tried to give him half. He would only accept two and was touched to tears. He didnt have to leave empty-handed because of the generosity of Karen Tyson. She, and others like her, give me hope and optimism in a time wrought with despair and pessimism.

We still live in the richest nation in the history of the world. Is it truly necessary for some of us to survive, that others must go without?

No.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

When fear sets in, irrational behavior begins. Saturday, I witnessed a man and a woman struggling in the aisle of my local store over a bottle of bleach. Theres really not a shortage of bleach, there is only the fact that some bought more than they needed and left others without. The same with hand sanitizer. Ive seen some on social media bragging about how much they have while others are driving all over town and cant find a single bottle. I personally know of a 65-year-old man with cancer who is at high risk and cant find a single bottle anywhere.

Being prepared is admirable, while hoarding is only selfish.

Last week, I wrote a column that I thought would be whimsical but by the time it went to print was not. There are people in serious need of the basics of life. No, not having toilet paper may not be life-threatening, but a lack of food items and basic products for disinfection are. If you have a little to spare, please share. Call your local house of worship, food pantry, Salvation Army or any organization who can help get these into the hands of someone in need. Be inspired by the kindness and willingness to share that Karen, and many like her have displayed.

No. I am not asking you to share what you need for the survival of the next few weeks or month, but please examine your heart and ask yourself if you have a little to spare. I believe the supply chain of these items will catch up with demand sooner than later. The shelves will soon be filled again. Thats the beauty of capitalism. Just look into your heart and pantry and see, like Karen, if you can graciously give a little to help someone who is in need.

Keep your eyes open. Most people in need will never ask. Karen saw a man who was distraught and asked him. Will you do the same? Do you have elderly neighbors? Will you stop by and check on them? See if they are in need?

Be kind  be optimistic  and pray.

If you have nothing to give, share a kind and encouraging word. Do not take part in the negative gloom and doom conversations. Be uplifting and encouraging in public and in private, if you are so disposed  please pray.

Weve always been a nation that looked out for our neighbor and pitched in to help where we can. Yes. These are unprecedented times, but we will survive then thrive. And besides  I am old enough to brag that I have survived at least 10 end-of-the-world predictions.

Im optimistic the world will survive this one, too.

Gary W. Moore is a columnist, speaker and author of three books.
The coronavirus disease has had a gargantuan impact on the worlds economies. However, politicians will have it worst because it is an election year. Already Donald J. Trump, the U.S. President, has been complaining on Twitter that the coronavirus pandemic is a threat to his reelection bid and blames China for it.

In Ghana, the opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), recently announced that the lockdown by President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a means for him to rig the 2020 election. As to whether there is a substance to that allegation, nobody knows.

Aside from the tumbling of the worlds and Ghanas economy, there have been reported death of several individuals who will have voted but now cannot vote because they are dead.

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana also had a plan of recompiling the voters register in April but this coronavirus scare has had it postponed. Since time is not on the side of the EC, the whole recompilation might be stopped. This development will hurt the ruling party of Ghana, NPP since they were in support of the recompilation of a new voters register.

Furthermore, no one knows when this coronavirus pandemic will be over. Assuming it continues further into the year, it might hurt political rallies. Political parties might not be able to gather their supporters and then talk to them. This will be the first time something like that has happened in Ghana. However, with the introduction of Comcent, a software created by Kwadwo Dwomo II and his team, political parties can be able to call on members in the various communities in Ghana and broadcast their message to them.

In 2014, when the Ebola outbreak occurred, the opposition leader at that time, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, sent a message to the President at that time, John Dramani Mahama, that if the Ebola outbreak kills anyone in Ghana, he, John Mahama, will be blamed. Fortunately for Ghanaians and John Mahama, the Ebola disease wreak havoc in the neighboring countries of Ghana but left Ghanaian untouched.

Now, the former president, John Mahama, has also sent a word of caution to the sitting president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that if the coronavirus kills anyone in Ghana, he must rather be blamed. Since we are hearing reports of a death of a Lebanese who is residing in Ghana, it comes to stand that the coronavirus might hurt the chances of the sitting president because Ghanaians might think that he wasnt proactive enough in stopping this coronavirus from spreading in Ghana.

We are yet to witness the full impact of this coronavirus, however, if things continue the way they are going right now, then this coronavirus will pose a threat to the reelection of most worlds government.
Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Generic Sweden (STO:GENI) share price has dived 43% in the last thirty days. Looking at the bigger picture, the stock is up 68% in the last year.

All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

Check out our latest analysis for Generic Sweden

Does Generic Sweden Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 19.20 that there is some investor optimism about Generic Sweden. As you can see below, Generic Sweden has a higher P/E than the average company (15.2) in the it industry.

OM:GENI Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 22nd 2020

Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Generic Sweden shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. Therefore, even if you pay a high multiple of earnings now, that multiple will become lower in the future. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

Story continues

It's nice to see that Generic Sweden grew EPS by a stonking 30% in the last year. And it has bolstered its earnings per share by 29% per year over the last five years. I'd therefore be a little surprised if its P/E ratio was not relatively high.

A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. That means it doesn't take debt or cash into account. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.

So What Does Generic Sweden's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Generic Sweden has net cash of kr20m. This is fairly high at 12% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be.

The Verdict On Generic Sweden's P/E Ratio

Generic Sweden's P/E is 19.2 which is above average (13.8) in its market. The excess cash it carries is the gravy on top its fast EPS growth. So based on this analysis we'd expect Generic Sweden to have a high P/E ratio. Given Generic Sweden's P/E ratio has declined from 33.5 to 19.2 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is significantly less confident about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer to invest with the flow of momentum, that might be a bad sign, but for a contrarian, it may signal opportunity.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free visual report on analyst forecasts could hold the key to an excellent investment decision.

But note: Generic Sweden may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Malacanang declared on Sunday the fourth week of March 2020 as the National Week of Prayer, in response to the crisis being faced by the nation due to the coronavirus disease 2019.

President Rodrigo Duterte urged all Filipinos of all faiths and religious backgrounds to unite in prayer as the country faces the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea signed Proclamation No. 934 yesterday, which aims to pray for those who are now suffering from, for comfort to those who lost loved ones, and for the protection of all, especially the most vulnerable sectors of society.

The proclamation also calls for prayer to those working in the frontlines during the crisis. It specifically mentioned medical professionals, health workers, military, law enforcement officers, government officials, and other Filipinos who are sacrificing their lives in dealing with the outbreak.

The Philippines has been placed in a state of calamity for six months because of the increasing COVID-19 cases. Luzon is placed in an enhanced community quarantine to avert the threat of the disease.

As of this writing, the country has 380 confirmed COVID-19 cases along with 25 fatalities and 15 recoveries.
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The Gujarat government on Sunday extended partial lockdown of all shops, except those selling essential items and services, to capital Gandhinagar a day after ordering their closure till March 25 in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot.

In order to contain the spread of coronavirus, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced closure of all shops-malls except those selling essential items in Gandhinagar as well after ordering this in four metros of Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Rajkot till March 25, said a release.

In these five cities, shops selling essential items like milk, vegetables, food items, medicines, medical equipment, as well as hospitals and laboratories, will remain open, while all others will remain closed till March 25.

It was also decided that government offices will operate with 50 per cent class III and IV employees working on a rotation basis till March 29, though the rule will not be applicable to employees working in essential services of local self governance institutions and those working towards controlling coronavirus, said the release.

Till now 14 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been found in Gujarat.

In his message to the citizens on Sunday, CM Rupani said the decision has been taken to to ensure people do not come out of their houses without any emergency.

"For three days, we need not come out without emergency (in five cities). If people maintain this, we can come out of this very serious situation," he said, adding that factories should also be closed for these four days so that people do not have to go out for work.

"Once cities are secured, the state will be secured. Hence, I appeal the people to support us. Milk, vegetable store, financial services, banking, etc. will continue to operate," he said.

Rupani said 4,271 people are under self-isolation across the state, and government has started 31 quarantine homes for people who have returned from abroad or those who were in contact with such people.

"The fact is that we are going into second and third stage (of coronavirus spread). So far in Gujarat, most of the cases are of people coming back from abroad. But if social contacts expand, the number (of positive cases) will increase, and this is a matter of concern. Hence, we need to be cautious," he said.

The government is going to start infection isolation hospitals for positive cases in cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, he said.

"State government and urban development authorities have started 631 quarantine homes. People who have come from abroad or those who came in contact with them can either go for self quarantine or in these homes," he said.

He also asked for clsoure of factories in GIDC for a few days so that workers do not have to travel and gather in groups.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government's move to promote domestic manufacturing of critical bulk drugs is a major step in the creation of a self-sufficient healthcare ecosystem in the country, industry body Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) said on Sunday.

The statement came a day after the government approved a package comprising four schemes with a total outlay of Rs 13,760 crore to boost domestic production of bulk drugs and medical devices, and exports.

The approved scheme will promote bulk drug parks for financing common infrastructure facilities in three bulk drug parks with a financial investment of Rs 3,000 crore in the next five years, the IPA said.

The package will also create a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs)/Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the country with financial implications of Rs 6,940 crore for the next eight years, it added.

"India has the capability and competence to manufacture all APIs. The announcement by the Government will help revive the API industry in the country and will help the sector regain the dominance that was lost over the years," IPA President and Chairman Dr Reddy's Laboratories Satish Reddy said.

The investment in creating bulk drug parks is an important step in the right direction for the development of the industry, he added.

"China has gained importance in fermentation-based APIs namely, antibiotics and vitamins. The government policy to encourage fermentation-based industry will help build self-reliance," Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj Patel said.

Sun Pharma MD Dilip Shanghvi said the new policy is a bold announcement by the government and will give the necessary fillip to the API industry in India.

"India is the pharmacy of the world and contributes 20 per cent to the global generics market. Every third tablet sold in the US is from India. However, the industry is currently dependent on China for many APIs & KSMs which go into the manufacturing of formulations," IPA said.

The medical device industry body, AiMeD, has also welcomed the government's schemes for the promotion of the domestic manufacturing of medical devices in the country.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved outlay of Rs 9,940 crore and Rs 3,820 crore for bulk drugs and medical devices, respectively.

The Cabinet also approved a sum of Rs 3,000 crore for the next five years for the scheme on the promotion of bulk drug parks for financing common infrastructure facilities in three bulk drug parks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Trend

The measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in Azerbaijan are underway, Trend reports quoting the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.

Starting from March 22, the working hours of cafes, restaurants, tea houses, Internet clubs and other public catering enterprises operating in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan are set from 09.00 to 15.00.

Catering enterprises can deliver their products to addresses on the basis of online orders until 21.00 and sell food to citizens at home.

The goal is to minimize the contact of citizens, as well as ensure the necessary nutrition.

Enterprises violating the rules will be severely punished.

----

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Real hunger is affecting Britons on a scale not seen in decades as food banks are hit by the dual impact of soaring demand and dwindling supplies due to panic buying sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, charities have warned.

Staple components of emergency food packages are just not on the shelves, one charity boss told The Independent, while another spoke of his fear that worse was to come given that the UK would be on lockdown for months.

British households have stored an estimated 1bn worth of goods in their homes during the pandemic, according to figures given at the latest government press conference, creating shortages despite manufacturers having produced 50 per cent more food than usual in the last week, as shoppers ignore assurances that supply chains are robust.

Charities are warning that the unprecedented circumstances are hurting the most vulnerable, including those who had lost their jobs and the elderly.

The appeals come as the government used Saturdays coronavirus briefing to reassure shoppers that Britain has sufficient food supplies, and to end recent scenes of shoppers clearing shelves of staples such as pasta and rice. Stephen Powis, NHS England national medical director, accused panic-buyers of depriving healthcare staff of the food supplies they need, adding: Frankly we should all be ashamed. These are the very people that we all need to look after perhaps us or our loved ones in the weeks to come.

When asked by The Independent whether measures would be taken to help food banks, enabling them to bulk buy, environment secretary George Eustice acknowledged the problem and said that talks were ongoing with supermarkets.

Justin Byam Shaw, founder and deputy chairman of the Felix Project, which collects just-in-date and surplus food from supermarkets and restaurants to distribute to charities and schools across London, said many food banks had been forced to close due to a shortage in supply.

People are stockpiling and no longer wish to donate food. Food banks rely on members of the public and that has dried up. They just cant keep going, he said.

For the first time in my lifetime were starting to see real hunger in London. Its incredible that in the 21st century we are seeing actual hunger. Its completely unprecedented.

Mr Byam Shaw said the impact of this drop in donations, as well as a reduction in volunteers due to illness and self-isolation, had been made more stark by the increase in demand.

If you have just lost your job, you have no income and no prospect of income until you can get universal credit. You still have to pay rent and utility bills, food comes second, he said.

And then youve got people who are self-isolating and a lot of them are elderly. Schools have closed, and although vulnerable children are allowed back in, there are others who we know dont get good food provision in the holidays.

Discussions are said to be taking place between the government and supermarkets about whether food banks might be able to access supplies before shops open to the wider public, or be made exempt from purchase restrictions.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, the UKs largest network of food banks, said the lack of food on supermarket shelves was a huge issue for the charitys service providers.

Over this next week it will increasingly become a problem. While many of us have been able to think what do we get in, for people on very low incomes or no income at all, stockpiling isnt a possibility, she said.

Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Show all 20 1 /20 Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Top: Nabi Younes market, Mosul Bottom: Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Grand Mosque, Mecca Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Nabi Younes market, Mosul Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Basra Grand Mosque, Iraq Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Taj Mahal hotel, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Dubai Mall, UAE Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Gateway of India, Mumbai Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Victoria Memorial, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sidon, Lebanon Reuters

Appealing to the public for help, she added: People should consider what theyre buying, and as they do so they should consider food banks and those who might not be able to access it. Ask local food banks and see what they need.

Bob Ashford, chair of trustees at Fair Frome, a Somerset-based charity which runs a food bank, said demand had spiralled over the past week, with the number of people collecting food parcels up around fourfold.

Its unprecedented. There are queues every day. And its going to increase further. Most of our clients are already highly disadvantaged, and the virus is increasing their vulnerability hugely, he told The Independent.

But the staples we normally put in food parcels, like bread and other basics, are hard to source because of the stockpiling. Its just not on the shelves.

Many food banks have also seen a sudden drop in volunteers as many, often due to their age or pre-existing health conditions, have been unable to leave their homes due to the risk of contracting the virus.

Mr Ashford encouraged the public to generate a wider community response by looking out for their neighbours and donating to their local food bank or offering to volunteer.

James Quayle, who heads up the North Paddington Food Bank, said he and his team were having to scratch around to obtain the supplies they needed because they were subject to purchase restrictions in supermarkets.

As it is, we havent been able to get all the food we need for next week. Everyone knows that food banks are already stretched, so there should be alarm bells ringing that we wont be able to respond to the need now, he said.

More people will be going hungry. Its worrying that things are already at this point because we know were not at the worst of it yet.

The current demand rivals that seen at Christmas, said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, speaking at Saturdays press conference, only without the four-month build-up period. She added that there was plenty of food in the supply chain.

Amid the mounting concerns, many companies have established initiatives aimed at bolstering emergency food supplies, with Asda donating 5m to community charities and extending accessible hours for NHS workers, while Manchester City and Manchester United donated 100,000 to food banks.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on March 22 that his government would impose stricter measures to curb the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19 if people do not follow the guidelines on social distancing.

According to the reports, pubs, clubs and gyms have been shuttered in the UK but social media on Sunday was flooded with people gathering in parks and food markets while ignoring government advice to stay two metres apart. Johnson, in a news conference at Downing Street, urged people to follow the government's advice and practice social distancing.

READ: 'UK 2-3 Weeks Behind Italy Like Condition': Boris Johnson On COVID-19 Situation

We will get through this together, and we will beat the virus.



To win this fight, we need everyone to follow our advice: as far as possible, we want you to stay at home. The more effectively everyone does this, the faster this country will recover.#StayHomeSaveLives  Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) March 22, 2020

665 new cases

Boris Johnson expressed concern over escalating cases of coronavirus in the UK and added that the government would not hesitate to further stricter measures if people fail to heed to advice. According to the reports, the latest official statistics show the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 5,683 on Sunday with 665 new cases and 48 new deaths.

The numbers significantly spiked from 5,018 on Saturday which suggests that they are now rising more rapidly in Britain than they did in either China or Italy at the same stage.

READ: Virus 'accelerating' In UK As Fears Grow Of Italy-like Trajectory

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday, March 22, said that the number of deaths and infections in the UK were continuously rising adding that they cannot disguise or sugarcoat the threat' of the COVID-19 outbreak. He also said the current situation in the country was similar to what was in Italy two or three weeks ago.

READ: Indian Envoy In UK Reassures Nationals Stranded In Britain, Appeals For Calm

Mother's Day message

In a Mother's Day message to the UK, Johnson reportedly said that the single best present people could give their mothers was to 'stay away' and spare them the risk of catching a 'very dangerous disease' adding that statistics show that older people are much more likely to die of coronavirus.

(Image Credit: AP)

READ: UK Virus 'accelerating' As 1.5 Mn Most At Risk Told To Stay Indoors
BANGKOK, March 20 (Reuters) - Thailand reported 50 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally to 322, a health official said on Friday, with the majority located in Bangkok, the capital.

A group of 41 new cases is linked to earlier infections, while another, of nine, centres on overseas arrivals and contact with foreigners, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the disease control department, told a news conference.

Thailand has had one death in the outbreak, with 43 patients having recovered and gone home, while 278 are still in hospital. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
A loving gran who can't see her grandchildren because of Covid-19's social distancing has started reading them online bedtime stories - and other kids are fast adopting her as their own surrogate nan.

Maire Hughes from Ahascragh, Galway was missing her grandchildren so much that she asked her daughter Aisling to film her reading the younger ones a bedtime story on her Instagram page, The Irish Horse Life, last Thursday.

But the sprightly native of Clontarf in Dublin is already gaining a big following from other kids who are tuning in to her vivid and engaging storytelling -which is partly down to her drama background.

"I have six grandchildren - aged from five to 14 years old - all around the country, who I can't see at the minute because of social distancing and I miss them terribly," she said.

"I normally read the younger ones bedtime stories when they visit so I asked my daughter to put me on Instagram and Facebook so I could keep in touch and still read to them.

"I was always a big reader and I've loads of books here in the house from when my children were little so Enid Blyton is among the authors getting revisited," she laughed.

Maire, who is chair of the Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre, also reads to elderly people at the Social Services Day Care Centre but can not at present due to the Coronavirus visiting restrictions.

The community-minded lady also bakes and drops scones and home-made jam to the gate of an elderly neighbour and then waits until she comes out to converse with her from a distance.

I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime or heard of anything like it in the past but people seem to be following advice so hopefully we will be able to get it under control here.

As for now, Maire is sorting out her children's books for the 7.30pm Monday night online reading and getting used to her fame on social media.

"I love the fact that my grandchildren can see me and I can see them all snuggled up in their PJs. I just can't give them a hug, but hopefully I will again soon.

"My three brother's grandchildren will also be tuning in from across Ireland and as far away as Rotterdam.

"I'm also being told other kids are loving the stories as well and sure if I can be someone else's surrogate granny and make them smile and appreciate the art of reading, then that's great."
Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has signed an agreement with the Landmark Group, a leading retail and hospitality provider in the Mena region, to link DTC app with its Shukran Loyalty Points Programme.



Accordingly, customers can book limos through DTC app and have a chance to earn Shukran points on all rides booked through the app.



Shukran Loyalty Programme, the biggest in the retail sector in the Mena region, encompasses more than 50 trademarks open for customers to earn and burn points on their purchases, said Marwan Al Zarouni, Director of Operations and Commercial Affairs, DTC.



The agreement entitles users of limo operated by DTC to benefit from the loyalty points when tapping Shukran card after the end of the trip. They can also avail of the discount on the trip through burning their accumulated points on Shukran card, or else using them in shopping at retail outlets affiliated to Landmark Group in the UAE, so long as they book their limo rides via DTCs app.



The signing of this agreement stems from the commitment of DTC to find ways and means for improving the quality of services to clients. It also reflects our commitment to delivering best-in-class services to clients and realise the strategic goals of the DTC, namely smart operation and people happiness, he added.



Rahul Jagtiani, group director  Digital Landmark Group, said: We are pleased to announce our association with Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC). DTCs luxury limousines can now be used by Shukran members for their commuting needs, easily and conveniently by booking through their DTC App. With a digital-first approach, we at Landmark Group are constantly optimising and improving our customers journey with us, through loyalty experiences and benefits. With DTC on board now, we are enhancing that journey.



Points earned through DTC can be used at more than 50 of our Groups much-loved brands  online or in-store. We will continue to look at ways to integrate digital and mobile-first initiatives to reward our customers and make their shopping experience more rewarding.  TradeArabia News Service
The countries ranking high in the global diamond mining, cutting and polishing, and trading are generally considered to be the world diamond centers. The diamond-mining countries, cutting and polishing hubs and diamond sales centers are among them.

Diamond mining in Canada

Diamonds were first discovered in Canada in 1991, in a place where few expected kimberlite inclusions. The diamond production at the Ekati mine that is still in operation began in 1998. Diamond mining helped maintain Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. In Canada, almost 90% of the population live and work about 200 km from the border with the United States, so the Northwest Territories where most of the diamond mining in Canada is concentrated has a population of only 50,000 people in an area of 1.34 mn sq. km; this makes these territories together with the Yellowknife administrative centre located 2,000 km north of the US border similar to Western Yakutia where diamonds are mined in Russia. Diamond mining is the main source of employment and tax revenues for these territories that effectively utilize their subsoil resources (Fig. 1).

Diamond mining in Canada has provided tremendous opportunities for the areas with limited possibilities, and the tax revenues continue to support the government at various levels. According to the Kimberley Process, in 2018, Canada exported diamonds worth about $2.16 bn; taking into account 10 percent royalties, diamond mining annually brings about $216 mn to the country. Since the onset of diamond mining in Canada, over $10 bn has been invested in the development and operation of four diamond mines. Two new long-life mines have recently been launched, and many more are in the early stages of their development.

Canada is included in the pool of the BRANCS countries - Botswana, Russia, Angola, Namibia, Canada and South Africa, - in which, in addition to the extraction of diamonds worth about one billion dollars or more, the cutting and polishing industry is also being developed.

The BRANS countries produce about 92% of the total value of the mined diamonds in the world. In the diamond production by volume, Australia and the Democratic Republic of Congo that produce lower quality diamonds can also be classified as the largest diamond-mining countries. These 8 countries account for about 96% of global diamond production (Table 1).

Table 1

Diamond production, imports and exports by major diamond-mining countries, 2017-2018





Notes: * BRANCS countries. The numerator is the data for 2017, the denominator - the data for 2018.

The table is compiled by the author based on the data from the Annual Global Summary: 2017, 2018 Production, Imports, Exports and KPC Counts.

The analysis of the data in Table 1 shows that the major diamond-mining countries mainly export their goods and this is where their participation in the diamond business ends. The exceptions are Botswana and South Africa that buy diamonds from the neighboring poor African countries and sell them in rather large volumes earning additional income from re-exporting diamonds through diamond exchanges in Gaborone and the UAE. In 2018, Canada ranked third in the diamond production, and the same year, it became third in the cost of rough diamonds mined, surpassing South Africa in this indicator.







Diamond cutting and polishing

Canada's attempts to develop its own cutting and polishing industry gave mixed results. The governments of provinces and territories, having greater autonomy to enact laws within their jurisdiction, used various rules, which sparked the competing interests among the diamond manufacturers in the country. In two of the three diamond mining provinces, the local governments obliged diamond miners to sell up to 10 percent of the mined diamonds by value to the local diamond manufacturers, but in fact, the demand was less than 10 percent, and the local diamond cutting and polishing industry did not develop to the anticipated levels.

Canada, like Russia, imports gem-quality diamonds to use them for further manufacturing polished diamonds. It should also be noted that the volume of diamonds processed at their own cutting enterprises in the beneficiary countries is not as significant as in India or Israel, which are traditional diamond cutting and polishing centers. The cutters in those centers are, as a rule, the craftsmen from other global diamond centers - Belgium, India and Israel.

The cutting industry did not create jobs for Canadian workers, as promised. Referring to the lack of trained local manpower, many firms hired third-party cutters. Preferential conditions for foreign workers in Canada allowed this to continue constantly, and local workers were practically unable to take advantage of this employment opportunity.

Probably, the advantage that outweighs all the shortcomings of the cutting and polishing industry is the branding of the Canadian polished diamonds. Several different brands are on sale in the country, and they are promoted as mined, cut and polished in Canada. At the same time, for marketing purposes, retailers can use the environmental data of the Canadian mines, workers salaries, and the flawless reputation of the diamond industry in the country. This helps a small number of factories to create a niche for themselves in the market, and the industry still maintains its sustainability.

Conclusions and recommendations

1. It should be recognized that the experience in developing the diamond industry in Canada has been poorly studied by national institutions dealing with the problems of the diamond complex in Russia and Yakutia that still claim that the creation and development of the diamond industry in Yakutia is an unrivalled experience in the world.

2. The beneficiation in Canada should also be interesting to the Yakut diamantaires  as for cutting and polishing firms, the proximity to resources and guaranteed regular supplies are important, but this is not enough for the development. When there is pressure from other costs, the beneficiation should rather develop due to a good business reason or based on a strategy.

3. The branding strategy in Canada definitely worked and created a sales niche to sell the diamonds to the Canadian consumers. The next step is to promote these brands to the rest of the world, primarily to the United States, taking into account the pressure from the lab-grown diamonds.

Yu. G. Danilov, Ph. D. in Economics, independent expert analyst

S. P. Leontyev, Senior Lecturer, the Institute of Informatics and Mathematics at the Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University




Irans supreme leader refused American assistance to fight the new coronavirus citing a conspiracy theory claiming it could be man-made by the United States government.

Ayatollah Ali Khameneis comments came on Sunday as Iran faces crushing US sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

While Iranian officials in recent days have increasingly criticised those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead echoed Chinese officials about the possible origin of the coronavirus.

I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication? Khamenei said. Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.

He also alleged the virus is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians, which they have obtained through different means.

You might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in person, Khamenei said.

US response

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced Ayatollah Khameneis remarks on Monday, saying his lies were endangering peoples lives.

Calling COVID-19 the Wuhan virus, Pompeo said Khameneis fabrications are dangerous and they put Iranians and people around the world at greater risk.

The statement also mentioned failed steps taken by Iran to counter the virus as facts that Iran regime would like to keep from the world.

The US secretary of state accused Iran of putting millions of lives at risk and infecting its people with running 55 flights between Tehran and China in February, ignoring repeated warnings from its own health officials, and denying its first death from the coronavirus for at least nine days.

He works tirelessly to concoct conspiracy theories and prioritises ideology over the Iranian people, Pompeo said of Ayatollah Khamenei.





Be transparent

There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khameneis claims.

However, his comments come after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month it might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe[s] us an explanation!

Lijian likewise offered no evidence to support his claim, which saw the US State Department summon Chinas ambassador to complain. A Chinese state newspaper tweeted on Sunday another allegation trying to link the virus to Italy, similarly hard-hit by the outbreak.

Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December.

In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the Chinese or Wuhan virus, while the World Health Organization (WHO) used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the virus causes.

A US senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the conspiracy theory it was a man-made Chinese bioweapon. Relations with China and the US have been tense under President Donald Trump amid a trade war between the nations.

Ayatollah Khamenei continued to berate the US on Sunday. No one trusts you. You are capable of bringing into our country a drug that will keep the virus alive and prevent its eradication.

The American leaders are liars, manipulators, impudent and greedy  They are charlatans, he said, also labelling them absolutely ruthless.

Improbable

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.

Scientists have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected people. Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan. The now-shuttered Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market advertised dozens of species such as giant salamanders, baby crocodiles and raccoon dogs that were often referred to as wildlife, even when they were farmed.





An article published last week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Medicine dismissed the idea the virus was man-made. Its authors said it was improbable that the virus emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus.

Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live on Sunday across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and the Islamic commemoration known as Isra and Miraj. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.

His comments come as Iran has reported more than 21,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,685 reported deaths, according to government figures released Sunday. Experts still fear Iran may be underreporting its cases.

Maximum pressure

Across the Middle East, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried it to other countries.

Iranian officials have criticised US offers of aid during the virus crisis as being disingenuous.

They have accused the Trump administration of wanting to capitalise on its maximum pressure campaign against Tehran since withdrawing from the nuclear deal in May 2018.

US sanctions have made it more difficult for Iran to access the global market.

On Sunday, Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan echoed the call on the US to lift its sanctions.

I want to appeal to President Trump on humanitarian grounds to lift the sanctions against Iran till the COVID-19 pandemic is over, Khan said in a tweet.

The people of Iran are facing untold suffering as sanctions are crippling Irans efforts to fight COVID-19. Humanity must unite to fight this pandemic, he said.
China Lilang Limited (HKG:1234) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its shares fell 4.6% to HK$4.58 in the week after its latest full-year results. It looks like the results were a bit of a negative overall. While revenues of CN3.7b were in line with analyst predictions, statutory earnings were less than expected, missing estimates by 4.6% to hit CN0.68 per share. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

See our latest analysis for China Lilang

SEHK:1234 Past and Future Earnings, March 22nd 2020

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus, from the four analysts covering China Lilang, is for revenues of CN3.56b in 2020, which would reflect a noticeable 2.7% reduction in China Lilang's sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to drop 10% to CN0.61 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of CN4.20b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN0.81 in 2020. It looks like sentiment has declined substantially in the aftermath of these results, with a substantial drop in revenue estimates and a large cut to earnings per share numbers as well.

It'll come as no surprise then, to learn thatthe analysts have cut their price target 17% to CN6.55. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on China Lilang, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at CN8.18 and the most bearish at CN4.97 per share. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure.

Story continues

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 2.7%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 7.2% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 14% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - China Lilang is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for China Lilang. Unfortunately, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and our data indicates revenues are expected to perform worse than the wider industry. Even so, earnings per share are more important to the intrinsic value of the business. Furthermore, the analysts also cut their price targets, suggesting that the latest news has led to greater pessimism about the intrinsic value of the business.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have estimates - from multiple China Lilang analysts - going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Plus, you should also learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with China Lilang .

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
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New Delhi [India], Mar 22 (ANI): Dutch-based KLM flight will land at the international airport here with over 100 Indians today in the evening. Indian authorities have confirmed to ANI that "KL-871 Amsterdam to Delhi flight has been given permission to land at Delhi airport. Over 100 Indians are on-board and is expected to land at Delhi airport around 2000 Hrs."

"Flight KL871/20 March from Amsterdam to Delhi had to be redirected to Schiphol due to conflicting information on the entry restrictions in the country," KLM said in a statement.

"120 passengers on board this aircraft are residents of India, who were on their way to Delhi via a transfer at Schiphol, are now on airside at Schiphol. In the current situation with government regulations changing rapidly, KLM ensures to abide and respect the regulations by the Indian authorities."

"KLM will fly these passengers if and only a final agreement is provided by the authorities in India. KLM is committed to doing everything it can to repatriate as many travelers as possible," said the statement.

"KLM will re-operate flight KL 872 for the passengers in Delhi who were supposed to return to Amsterdam on the above-mentioned flight for a departure on the night of 22 March," added KLM in the statement.

Earlier, the Government of India had issued an advisory on March 19 that travel ban across countries and continents. India has temporarily banned all passengers coming from a host of countries and vice-versa.

The list includes European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden), European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland), Turkey and the United Kingdom have been prohibited from entering India from any of the Land/Air/Seaport ICPs.

"Further, all passengers coming from UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait will be placed under compulsory quarantine for a minimum period of 14 days, which shall come into effect from 1200 hrs GMT on March 18, 2020, at the port of the first departure," reads the advisory.

A total number of confirmed coronavirus cases so far in the country, as on March 22 including foreign nationals is 341 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 10:47:14|Editor: Wang Yamei

Video Player Close

Chinese medical team pose for a group photo with medics working at the Pavia hospital in Pavia, Italy, March 21, 2020. The Chinese medical team in Italy left from Padova to Pavia on Friday and Saturday to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak there. (Xinhua)

ROME, March 22 (Xinhua) -- "In May 2008, I had the opportunity to be in China, in Chengdu after the earthquake that hit the Sichuan Province. I was there to lead a team of experts sent from EU and Italy to support China after the earthquake," said Luigi D'Angelo, director of the Emergency Office of the Italian Civil Protection Department.

"Now I'm here in Italy, in Rome, engaged in the emergency management due to the coronavirus and I have the pleasure and opportunity to receive support and help from Chinese colleagues. They came to Italy to help us, (to help) our doctors and nurses to face this terrible emergency," D'Angelo told Xinhua.

As a member of the first Chinese medical team to arrived in Rome last week, Tang Menglin, a Chinese medical expert from Sichuan Province, had much the same feelings as D'Angelo.

"As a Sichuan local, I'm fortunate to be here to repay Italians' kindness," said Tang.

A popular cartoon drawn by an Italian girl recently impressed her a lot. In the picture, two medical staff from Italy and China worked together to protect the boot-shaped country from falling down.

The nine-member Chinese medical team also brought tons of medical supplies from China, including ventilators, monitors, defibrillators and 30 sets of ICU equipment.

The Chinese medical team, organized by the National Health Commission and the Red Cross Society of China, aims to offer medical supplies, share China's experience, and help Italy build confidence in epidemic prevention and control.

"We have spent a lot of time sharing epidemic prevention and control measures, and strengthening people's confidence in home quarantine," said Sun Shuopeng, head of the team and vice president of the Red Cross Society of China.

The joint efforts are producing effects. "Compared with the situation when we came to Rome, there are fewer and fewer people on the streets now," said Sun.

"We also helped the hotel where we stayed set up a preventive and control system. The hotel isolates and measures the body temperature of every guest and includes disinfection in its daily operation. By the time we left, the hotel had become a standardized unit for epidemic prevention and control," said the Chinese team leader.

The Chinese doctors had intensive and extensive communication with their Italian counterparts and their efforts paid off. "I think Italy is moving towards a more institutionalized pattern for epidemic prevention and control. And it is a hard-won trend," said Sun.

To help a large number of overseas Chinese, including employees of Chinese-funded enterprises, Chinese students and stranded travelers in Italy, the expert team expound on the symptoms, prevention methods and treatment of COVID-19 via a livestream at the Chinese embassy on Sunda, which attracted nearly 700,000 viewers.

"Tensions and anxieties are very common," said Yang Huichuan, a doctor on the Chinese medical team. "I spoke with a Chinese student who was anxious about the spread of the disease in Italy. We encouraged him to overcome panic and protect himself through effective means."

"Once home quarantine becomes more organized, early detection and reporting mechanisms are in place, and hospital capacity and treatment system are improved, overseas Chinese will feel safer," said Sun.

After staying in Rome for several days, the first expert team headed north to Padova on Tuesday to help local medical staff.

The second batch of the Chinese medical team arrived in Milan on Wednesday with 9 tons of medical materials in a continued effort to fight alongside Italian medics against the pandemic.

As Yang wrote in his diary, when he first entered his hotel room in Rome, there was a note in Chinese, English and Italian on his desk that read "We stand together, we fight together, we win together."
Bill de Blasio said Sunday that if Donald Trump doesn't send more aid to New York City to combat coronavirus then 'people will die' of the disease who otherwise would have lived.

'The truth is, and New Yorkers and all Americans deserve the blunt truth, it's only getting worse,' de Blasio said in an interview on NBC News' Meet the Press Sunday morning. 'And, in fact, April and May are going to be a lot worse.'

'Right now, we are a third of the cases in the country  that's going to get worse. We're about two-thirds or more the cases in New York State  that's going to get worse,' The New York City mayor continued.

A little less than one-fourth of the coronavirus cases in America are congregated in New York City.

'The President of the United States is from New York City and he will not lift a finger to help his hometown, and I don't get it. I don't get it,' he claimed.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday morning that Donald Trump has not done enough to help his 'hometown' of New York City as it faces the most amount of cases of coronavirus than anywhere else in America

'The truth is, and New Yorkers and all Americans deserve the blunt truth, it's only getting worse,' de Blasio said in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press Sunday morning

'I can't be blunt enough, if the president doesn't act, people will die who could have lived otherwise,' de Blasio said, claiming Donald Trump needs to mobilize the military to help get supplies to New York City

New York has gone on lockdown, with streets eerily empty as the millions of residence stay at home as coronavirus rocks the nation's largest city

De Blasio said he has requested Trump mobilize the military and enact the fullest of the Defense Production Act so New York can get more ventilators and other necessary medical equipment and supplies.

'I can't be blunt enough, if the president doesn't act, people will die who could have lived otherwise,' he charged.

The nation's largest city is suffering most from the coronavirus outbreak, with more than 12,300 of the nearly 27,000 nationally confirmed cases coming from New York State  with the majority congregated in New York City.

The city's Democratic mayor has been critical of Trump's response to the pandemic, and asserted he wants the president to order more military response.

'The military has extraordinary medical capacity of its own that's been honed in fighting wars. They can handle any situation,' he insisted. 'All military personnel who are medically trained should be sent to places where this crisis is deep  like New York  right now.'

'The military is the best logistical organization in the nation. If there are ventilators being produced anywhere in the country, we need to get them to New York, not weeks from now or months from now, in the next ten days,' he said, expressing the urgency of the situation. 'And the only force in America that can do that is the military.'

'Why are they at their bases? Why are they not being allowed to serve? I guarantee you they're ready to serve, but the president has to give the order,' he said, again putting the onus on Trump.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of Queens and The Bronx, agreed with de Blasio during her earlier interview with CNN's State of the Union.

'One of the things that we're hearing over and over again from hospitals, again, is this point on personal protection equipment. There are not enough face masks, gloves, ventilators, hospital beds to get us through this. Many hospitals are already at capacity, or are approaching capacity,' Ocasio-Cortez said, slamming the government on not giving an answer on when and if shipments can be expected.

'The fact that the president has not really invoked the Defense Protection Act for the purpose of emergency manufacture is going to cost lives,' she continued, going against what the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter Gaynor said earlier Sunday morning.

Gaynor claimed this action is not needed because American companies are donating the necessary equipment and orders are being put in.

'We cannot wait until people start really dying in large numbers to start production we need to start this production right now to get ready for the surge that is coming in two to three weeks,' Ocasio-Cortez pushed back.

De Blasio also told a local ABC affiliate for the New York City area Sunday that hospitals in the area are 'about 10 days away' for shortages of fundamental supplies to handle both coronavirus cases and those hospitalized for other reasons.

'April is going to be a lot worse than March,' he said, reiterating the point he made earlier in the day that the worst is yet to come with the outbreak.

De Blasio brought up during his NBC interview Sunday morning that New York City is the president's 'hometown,'  and while Trump is a native New Yorker, he and first lady Melania Trump recently changed their residency to Florida.

Trump has said a massive amount of ventilators have been ordered, but also urged state governors to work on obtaining their own supply  claiming it might be faster than the federal response.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed Saturday the locations for makeshift hospitals in the state and has ordered more than 1.5 million masks and 6,000 ventilators to be delivered

The president and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo claim they have had good conversations over the last few weeks about getting help to New York.

Cuomo revealed in a live-streamed press conference Saturday locations for makeshift hospitals and said more than two million masks and 6,000 ventilators are being rushed across the state.

Confirmed cases of the virus in New York State surpassed 12,300 on Sunday.

Cuomo said the state's 19 million residents that he had identified a number of locations to set up makeshift hospitals as hospitals including the Jacob K Javits Center on 11th Avenue, New York City; SUNY Stony Brook; SUNY Westbury; and the Westchester Convention Center.

The Democrat governor urged New Yorkers to comply with the shutdown rules, saying that the New Rochelle containment zone had been successful in slowing the spread of the deadly virus  even though New York State has amassed a little under half of the cases in the U.s.

Cuomo pled with Trump to waive all costs for the state as part of the federal government's emergency declaration, claiming the 'state is broke.'

While there are close to 27,000 cases of coronavirus nationally, a little less than half of that comes from New York State

About 1/4 of the confirmed coronavirus cases are congregated in New York City as cases skyrocketed in the last week

De Blasio claimed that everyone except the administration is stepping up to help New York City as it faces the mounting challenges of a city-wide lock down and a swift increase of cases and deaths from the fast-spreading respiratory virus.

'Every-day people are stepping up,' he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Sunday morning. 'It's true companies are trying their damnedest to step up but the president is not stepping up.'

'If you don't order companies to maximize production of ventilators, surgical masks, all the things desperately needed, prioritize where it will go, it won't happen in time. This is not something where everyone makes up their own mind, you hope the stuff arrives in time. We're not getting shipments. We're not getting the stuff we need,' he continued.

'If we don't get more ventilators in the next ten days, people will die who don't have to die.'
Only five women continued to protest at Delhis Shaheen Bagh, the site of nearly 100-day-long sit-in against the Citizenship Amendment Act, on Sunday, and one of them was quick to point out that the decline in numbers was on account of the Delhi governments restrictions on the assembly of more than five people, not a response to Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for a peoples curfew to combat the spread of Covid-19.

Symbolically, other protestors left their slippers on wooden beds.

In the densely populated residential lanes of Shaheen Bagh, residents came out to their balconies and rooftops at 5 pm but only a few clapped or rang bells --- suggested by Prime Minister Modi as a way of thanking the medical fraternitys work in fighting coronavirus.

We acknowledge the work by medical staff but will thank them in our own way. We need not clap or ring bells, said Afsana, a local resident who gave only one name.

The protesters at Shaheen Bagh have refused to vacate the road despite appeals by the government, police and civil society members over the past two weeks that they do so to prevent endangering themselves and others at a time when India is facing a threat from a highly contagious virus that has prompted a lockdown in several states (including Delhi).

On Saturday night, hours before the peoples curfew was to kick in, two groups of protesters engaged in a minor scuffle arising from differences over continuing the protest or calling it off.

Actor Swara Bhaskar, who has been a supporter of the Shaheen Bagh protesters, too urged them to vacate the road. She tweeted, My appeal to the amazing Dadis (grandmothers) of Shaheen Bagh and all the feisty women& people of the sit-in protest, across the country & I say this as an ally. In solidarity, Stand up!Self isolate! vacate the streets!Jai Hind.

Lawyer Menaka Guruswamy also asked the protestors to withdraw the protest till this pandemic abates in a tweet on Saturday.

Sultana, 45, one of the five protesters, said they were breaking no rules. We are aware of the coronavirus but will protest until the government takes back the draconian law. We are taking precautions by wearing masks and using sanitisers. The government has allowed the assembly of five persons. Look at us. We are only five here but we will not leave.

Another protester, Prakash Devi,50 said: We support the governments call on Janata curfew. There were hundreds of women before. We are only five now.

Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, unidentified people threw bottles filled with some inflammable substance at two places near the siteone at a police barricade and another in a lane. Both places are around 100 metres from the site

No one was hurt, police said. Till late evening, police were looking at CCTV footage to identify the attackers.

The five women continued to protest till late Sunday night . Volunteers stood guard outside their tent. Abid Sheikh, one of the organisers of the agitation which started on December 16 last year, said, We decided last night that only five women and a few volunteers would stay. They would sit at a distance and take all precautions. Our fight is against CAA-NRC and we will support all moves taken to fight the disease.

Sultana described the attacks near their tent as attempts to silence them. .

Road 13A is an important link between Delhi and Noida.
Punjab Health Minister BS Sidhu on Sunday appealed to all citizens to follow government advisories in order to fight coronavirus successfully.

The minister also assured the people that during the lockdown, there will be a regular supply of all essential commodities.

The statement by the minister came soon after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday ordered statewide lockdown till March 31, in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic.

Till now, a total of 14 positive coronavirus cases have been reported in the state. India so far has 341 confirmed cases of coronavirus as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
This week could bring some reprieve for renters in Toronto hit with the economic fall-out of the pandemic.

Mayor John Tory is planning to talk to landlords Monday and has been in discussions with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, which the city owns.

I will gather major landlords and their representative associations on a conference call on Monday to explore ways to achieve my previously expressed desire to see tenants who need it given some leniency on their rents, Tory said in an email Sunday, especially if they have been recently displaced from jobs by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will be many tenants both inside and outside TCHC who will be hurt by current economic conditions, and we will work with private sector landlords and TCHC to achieve a result which will bring some relief for both groups.

Organizations such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, have been calling for a temporary rent-free period for all renters and an immediate freeze on all rent rates, as well as numerous other measures to help Canadians through the pandemic.

Mortgage deferrals are great for homeowners, but what about tenants? wrote Marva Burnett, president of ACORN Canada in a statement. Were in the middle of the worst housing crisis in North America and now people are scared to work or getting laid off. We need a rent break or families are going to end up homeless when this is over.

ACORN is a national organization of low-and moderate-income families. It has advocated for minimum wage increases and better building standards for apartments, among other things. It says 53 per cent of Canadians live paycheque to paycheque.

One tenant, who pays market rent in a Toronto Community Housing building, is one of them.

He wrote to the mayor, as well as some councillors and a tenant organization, asking for a six-month rent deferral.

I am a low wage earner who has been asked to remain home by the federal, provincial and municipal governments, the tenant said in the email. I dont know how I will pay my $1,306 rent next month. I live paycheck to paycheck and I dont have the comfort of working from home.

Can you please take the lead for all the landlords in Canada privileged to get a six-month mortgage deferral and gives us TCHC renters a rent deferral also?

As of Sunday, nearly 600,000 people had signed a petition started by Toronto resident Mark Rutherford to help people who no longer had the finances to pay rent.

Major banks offered to defer mortgages but there are still no guarantees offered to tenants and we are still extremely vulnerable, he wrote on change.org. Were continuing to push the provincial government to suspend rent payments during the Covid-19 pandemic and provide direct subsidies to compensate for these suspensions.
As Sydney began to shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, crews of workers were still tunnelling below the city last week, making the last breakthrough of the massive metro rail project.

Having chewed an almost 900 metre tunnel beneath Sydney Harbour, the boring machine Kathleen broke through rock near Blues Point on Tuesday without the usual fanfare such events would attract from government MPs, who were instead grappling with a health crisis.

Work on big infrastructure projects like the Sydney Metro could be delayed if workers catch COVID-19. Credit:Nick Moir

And while the event has been lauded as historic, there's now doubt as to how heavily COVID-19 will affect the NSW government's mammoth $100 billion infrastructure plan and the jobs it was likely to create.

Asked whether the pandemic posed a threat to the states big building plans, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the government was committed to continuing the existing budgeted capital program.
A FORMER mayor of Limerick wants to see shops introduce signs calling for genuine shoppers only.

Jim Long was speaking out after visiting a Limerick shopping centre this week, and seeing a huge number of people wandering around and browsing, just passing the time.

That shouldnt be allowed, he said. You could ask shops to place notices saying if they are not shopping, please pass on. Its hard. But they could ask for genuine shoppers only, due to the problem. Its a common sense approach, Mr Long said.

Mr Long, who served a decade on the old City Council between 2004 and 2014, said the relationship he developed during his year as mayor in 2011-12 with Nanjing in China has proven to serve Limerick well.

He was criticised then when he led a delegation to the province in eastern China, the country where the disease originated.

But after the onset of the coronavirus, Monica Hao from Nanjings foreign affairs office reached out to the former FG man seeking help obtaining masks.

Chinese officials hope the country has now seen off the worst of the virus, with Europe now considered its epicentre, and Ms Hao has been in touch again to share information on how they got to the stage where the Covid-19 death count is falling.

Authorities imposed strict laws around curfews, and tough penalties if people did go out into the streets.

While Mr Long stopped short of supporting such draconian measures, he says he can see why they did it

They put people under pressure in the interests of getting this over with. But it worked. They went through a lot of pain. But they suffered the pain to get the gain, he said.

In an email to Mr Long, Ms Hao has provided the following advice to people to prevent the contraction of coronavirus.

On behalf of the Chinese government, she writes that people should self-test their own temperature, as well as keeping a sufficient supply of paracetamol on hand.

Carry out an in-house deep-clean, all contact surfaces, wipe down with household disinfectant, then wipe contact surfaces daily: telephones, laptops, TV remotes and light switches, she wrote.

Ms Hao suggested regular changes of bed linen, while you should also sanitise your car both on the inside and outside, as well as bikes, wheelie bins, gates, doors, keys, shopping bags, baby buggies and prams.

Travel should be out of the question, while cups, plates, bowls, knives and forms should be rinsed in warm water before being fully cleaned.

Shoes worn on the outside should be left at the door when one enters the home. Person to person contact should be avoided, as should public transport.

She said meter readers should be prevented from accessing ones home  householders should provide meter readings to electrical staff.

Pens should not be used in public places, Ms Hao advised, while windows should be opened each day for a set period. Kids should play in groups of just two or three, the official added.




South Korea reported 98 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, down from 147 new cases a day earlier, bringing the nation's total infections to 8,897 amid lingering concerns about new cluster infections and imported virus cases.







The 98 new cases detected Saturday are in line with last week's double-digit daily new infections, except for Wednesday and Friday's numbers.







So far, 104 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying illnesses, have died in South Korea from the respiratory virus that emerged in China late last year, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.







About 60 percent of the confirmed cases have been linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu, which has a population of 2.5 million and is the country's fourth-largest city.







The pace of daily new infections has shown marked signs of slowing since the second week of this month as health authorities completed extensive testing of 210,000 Shincheonji followers.







But the authorities are still on high alert over new clusters of infections, including at a call center in Seoul's Guro district and Protestant churches in Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul.







Also, the authorities are closely monitoring new confirmed cases coming from outside of the country as 11 new cases were reported. Earlier in the day, the country began conducting new coronavirus tests on all arrivals from Europe and requiring even those with negative results to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine.







Of the 98 new cases, 43 are in Daegu and 11 are in surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, the KCDC said. The total number of confirmed cases in Daegu and North Gyeongsang, the two epicenters of the virus outbreak here, stood at 6,387 and 1,254, respectively.







Other major provinces and cities have also reported some infections, with Seoul reporting 10 additional cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 324. (Yonhap)


Mark Meadows is immersed in one of the most extraordinary job training sessions an incoming White House chief of staff can get: how to manage thousands of staffers  and President Trump  in the middle of a pandemic.

The state of play: The retiring Republican North Carolina congressman, who's slated to formally take over Mick Mulvaney's post on April 1, has been coming to the White House daily as he transitions into the job.

The intrigue: Trump announced he was moving out Mulvaney for a new chief of staff on March 7, in the midst of the coronavirus' spread around the globe and into the U.S.

Then came a twist: Mulvaney thought he was exposed to the coronavirus and went home to South Carolina to quarantine himself.

Flashback: Two former White House chiefs of staff who learned the ropes during national crises shared their thoughts with Axios.

"Hes got to make sure that all of the other responsibilities that the president has to meet are understood," Andrew Card, chief of staff to George W. Bush during 9/11, told Axios. "You can't allow the president to be completely consumed by the crisis because he has other responsibilities to meet at the same time."

Card added that he thinks Meadows is "a little bit more of a creature of Washington than most people would expect," which could help him in this particular role. "I think during his time in Congress he became a good student of Washington, D.C."

"This is a weird time to have the transition of a chief of staff," said former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was Barack Obama's first chief of staff amid the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis.

"He has one thing  Trump's trust," Emanuel said, but warned that for Trump's previous chiefs, that's been a commodity with an expiration date.

A former congressman himself, Emanuel said one day "your staff size is 18" and suddenly you're thinking about the entire federal government. "The White House itself is a multiple of 10" to a lawmaker's staff.

Behind the scenes: Mulvaney, who'd been preparing to depart for months, has been active in the transition period.

The two worked out a shadowing system where Meadows followed Mulvaney "basically around the clock," as one source familiar described it.

But during that process, Mulvaney's niece, Maggie Mulvaney, came into close contact at Mar-a-Lago with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's press secretary, who later tested positive for the virus. Soon after, she began exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

Because Mulvaney and his niece share an apartment in D.C., Mulvaney decided to self-quarantine at his home in South Carolina  leaving Meadows to navigate the halls on his own.

Mulvaney planned his return after Maggie's test results came back negative, two people familiar with the test told Axios. (Meadows declined to comment for this story, and the White House didn't respond to a request for comment.)

Between the lines: Mulvaney's already diminished power, compounded by his absence, left a vacuum filled largely by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who already wields significant influence internally.

That could impact Meadows' ability to take command of the staff as he embarks in his new role.

While Meadows has been reporting to the White House daily, he's also deferred on the coronavirus response, observers said.

"Hes taken a hands-off approach [to the response], and the transition has been very methodical, working closely with Mulvaney the entire time," a White House official tells Axios. "An 'Im the captain now' attitude has never been his style and never will be."

Meadows already has spent a lot of time in the West Wing and has a close working relationship with Trump.

The big picture: Meadows will be Trump's fourth chief of staff in a little more than three years.

General John Kelly, Trump's second chief of staff, operated with an iron fist, working to restore order to the West Wing following his predecessor, Reince Priebus, who was seen as wielding insufficient control.

Mulvaney took a more hands-off approach, especially when it came to trying to manage the president himself. "Mick really cast the role in that he let Trump be Trump," one administration official told Axios.

The official said that "there are a million more similarities between Meadows and Mick than differences. The two of them are very close in policy and in how they view the job."

But unlike Mulvaney, who brought on several members of his team at the Office of Management and Budget, Meadows will "have more of a lean shop," the administration official said.

"Dont expect him to bring over a lot of policy people" and try to populate the West Wing, the official said. "He might take a few with him, but not a whole team."

Editor's note: This post has been corrected to reflect that Meadows will be Trump's fourth chief of staff.
Air India on Sunday said that it stands with the nation in the hour of coronavirus crisis. Air India has been pulling out all stops to operate flights to evacuate Indians stranded at Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus.

Similar rescue flights were operated to bring back Indians stranded in Japan, Milan, and Rome.

In a statement, Air India said to have taken every precaution to ensure the safety of its crew and protect their well being for each and every flight they have undertaken to fly to cities affected with COVID-19 with all essential and non-essential measures to arrest the spread of coronavirus among the crew and passengers.

"In January 2020, guidelines for crew members and operational staff were issued by the Air India Medical wherein a detailed protocol to handle passengers and self-care was formulated. Air India has always ensured that sufficient hand sanitisers, gloves, and masks for the crew as well as for passengers are made available onboard," said the Air India.

It further said: "Crew members, who are landing into India from affected cities, are sent on home quarantine and also to designated hospitals for a checkup as part of the protocol. Hazmat suits are also placed in the cockpit for use in aircraft by the crew in the event of any suspect COVID -19 on board."

"These thorough safety measures have been providing adequate protection to our crew, who have been discharging their duties in as selfless a way like doctors or nurses, paramedics and other agencies who are out in the field for fellow Indians.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The senior officer leading the Garda response to the coronavirus crisis has warned that the force will take very seriously the theft of protective equipment that is vital to keeping front-line health workers safe.

Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey confirmed that the force has been in contact with a number of hospitals about the disappearance of protective equipment, including gloves, masks and sanitisers, as the outbreak causes demand for supplies to skyrocket.

A number of hospitals are understood to have reported to gardai that protective equipment has gone missing.

Mr Twomey said anyone who removes material without authorisation will be investigated.

"It is a crime and we will treat it as such. We will investigate it and perpetrators will be brought to justice," he said. "There is no need to do it. People need to be conscious that this equipment in a hospital is for the vulnerable people."

The contact with hospitals is one of a wide range of responses to the coronavirus pandemic by An Garda Siochana. More than 300 recruits were fast-tracked through their training last week to boost officer numbers during the emergency.

Mr Twomey said the force is adopting a twin-track approach which involves continuing crime investigations and enforcing new emergency legislation aimed at keeping people safe.

"We have introduced a 12-hour roster for most of our staff to make sure we have maximum availability of resources to meet demand," he said.

"We have a twin-track approach. We will continue to police the streets, we will continue to arrest people and bring people to justice. We will continue to enforce the law."

Gardai will also be serving the elderly and vulnerable in communities across the country. "We are there, we want to help in whatever way we can to address those concerns," Mr Twomey said.

"We are conscious again of the demands that are growing on us on the crime side of it, but the elderly and vulnerable we are saying to them, if they need anything to contact An Garda Siochana. We are supporting them through this crisis."

The force hired up to 210 additional 'contingency' vehicles last week for the use of gardai around the country, to help them engage with communities, and to assist in collecting medical prescriptions, attending hospital appointments and other supports that they may need.

"We are working flat out to support the Health Service Executive in dealing with the crisis," Mr Twomey added. "We will endure, we will get out the other side of it."

The Garda's response to the crisis is being managed through the Covid-19 co-ordination unit from Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park, which is operational round the clock.

"All of the resources from Garda headquarters have been reassigned to support that particular unit," Mr Twomey said.

The coronavirus crisis, which has resulted in widespread closures of government agencies and restrictions on the court service, has had ramifications across the criminal justice system.

Mr Twomey said the system ensures that gardai have line of sight of the different issues arising around the country, ranging from bail, immigration and childcare issues to protection supplies for frontline officers.

Gardai could also be called upon to enforce measures in the emergency legislation passed by the Dail last Thursday. The Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill will allow officers to force businesses to close and they can also break up public gatherings and parties.

Mr Twomey added: "Our advice and our ask is that everybody heeds the public health guidance. The next steps and phase of this will be dictated by the success of the current guidelines.

He said gardai will deal with the next phase in whatever form it takes and that won't be known until the impact of current containment measures becomes apparent.

Mr Twomey also warned that online fraud has increased internationally and the force is expecting to see an increase in the number of Irish people being targeted by scammers.
Peter Weber announced that he plans to move out of his parents' house and and spend a year in New York or relocate to Los Angeles.

The 28-year-old Bachelor star shared his goals during an Instagram Q&A while hunkering down with his family during the coronavirus pandemic.

'Pilot Pete,' who was living at home even before the quarantine, was asked if he had 'Any plans to not live at home.'

Intentions: Peter Weber announced that he plans to move out of his parents' house and and spend a year in New York or relocate to Los Angeles.

'They're cutting the cord. It's time to say goodbye,' Peter sang in response, to the tune of the John Denver number Leaving On A Jet Plane.

As he walked out the front entrance of his home his father Peter Sr. quipped: 'Don't let the door hit you on the way out!'

All kidding aside, Peter offered a straight answer to the query: 'But real talk yes, either NYC for about a year or LA.'

Peter announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this January that he was only planning to stay with his parents for 'a couple more months,' but that was before the lockdown.

Goofing around: As he walked out the front entrance of his home his father Peter Sr. quipped: 'Don't let the door hit you on the way out!'

Family matters: Peter announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this January that he was only planning to stay with his parents for 'a couple more months,' but that was before the lockdown

The reality TV heartthrob explained that 'I come from a Cuban family. Cuban culture, it's a little bit different than, like, the American culture,' and 'it's not unusual for family to live together for a long time.'

During his latest Instagram Q&A this weekend Peter also shared with his fans that he would not change how his season turned out.

'One of the biggest takeaways I took was we have 0% control of the past but 100% control of the future. And thats a beautiful thing,' wrote the dreamboat.

Stormy waters: The end of Peter's season was dominated by a love triangle involving contestants Hannah Ann Sluss and Madison Prewett

The end of Peter's season was dominated by a love triangle involving contestants Hannah Ann Sluss and Madison Prewett.

Peter proposed to Hannah Ann during the finale, but between that and the live After The Final Rose special, he changed his mind.

He broke his engagement to Hannah Ann and during After The Final Rose he got back together with Madison - only to split from her two days afterward.

For better or worse?: Peter proposed to Hannah Ann during the finale, but between that and the live After The Final Rose special, he changed his mind

Whoops: He broke his engagement to Hannah Ann and during After The Final Rose he got back together with Madison - only to split from her two days afterward

Although Barbara was a scene-stealing presence on the show and openly preferred Hannah Ann to Madison, Peter has insisted he made his own decisions.

'This is stuff between Madi and I, solely, 100%, and people have their opinions but this is just between the two of us and it's just mutual respect and love and that's all,' Peter told TMZ when they asked if Barbara had a hand in the split.

He and his mother do have similar taste in music - when Peter's breakup with Madison went public, Barbara danced to Leaving On A Jet Plane on social media.
Proceedings in the Iowa District Court for Winnebago County for the week of March 2, 2020

Brandon Michael Charlson, 11/15/1978, Lake Mills, was sentenced on the charge of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Lake Mills Police Department on June 17, 2019. Charlson was sentenced to serve an indeterminate prison sentence not to exceed 2 years and ordered to pay a $625.00 criminal fine, applicable surcharges, court costs and victim restitution. The prison sentence and fine were suspended. Charlson was placed on probation for a period of 2 years to the Department of Correctional Services. Charlson was ordered to complete a mental health evaluation and follow through with treatment recommendations.

Thomas Micheal Duane Folkerts, 10/4/2001, Mason City, pleaded guilty to "Operating While Intoxicated  First Offense," a serious misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Iowa State Patrol on July 2, 2019. Folkerts was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $1,250.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. Folkerts was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations. Folkerts drivers license was revoked by the DOT.

Jeremy Fred Frederick, 11/20/1981, Forest City, pleaded guilty to Count 1 Possession of Contraband, a class D felony, and Count 2 Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug, a serious misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Forest City Police Department on September 29, 2019. Frederick is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2020.

Josilynn Christine Hasler, 8/9/2000, Ventura, pleaded guilty to Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Marijuana), a serious misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Lake Mills Police Department on November 8, 2019. Hasler was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $315.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. Hasler was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations.

Amanda Kay Haugen, 6/24/1985, Forest City, pleaded guilty to Theft in the Fifth Degree, a simple misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Forest City Police Department. Haugen was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay applicable surcharges, court costs and victim restitution.

Benjamin Roy Monson, 8/19/1999, Lake Mills, pleaded guilty to Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Lake Mills Police Department on September 2, 2019. Monson was sentenced to serve 7 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $625.00 fine, applicable surcharges, court costs and victim restitution. The fine was suspended.

Eric Michael Robertson, 3/23/1987, Leland, pleaded guilty to "Operating While Intoxicated  First Offense," a serious misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on September 15, 2019. Robertson was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $1,250.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. Robertson was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations. Robertsons drivers license was revoked by the DOT.

Steven Robert Roethler, 12/14/1998, Lake Mills, pleaded guilty to Count 1 Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Hydrocodone), a serious misdemeanor; Count 3 Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Marijuana), a serious misdemeanor; and Count 4 Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug, a serious misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on November 3, 2019. For each Count, Roethler was granted a deferred judgment and ordered to pay a $315.00 civil penalty, applicable surcharges and court costs. Roethler was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations. Roethler was placed on probation for a period of 1 year to the Department of Correctional services.

Justyn Dennis Bronson, 12/29/1997, Leland, was sentenced on the charge of Forgery, a class D felony, stemming from an investigation by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on July 6, 2019. Bronson was granted a deferred judgment and ordered to pay a $750.00 civil penalty, applicable surcharges, court costs and victim restitution. Bronson was placed on probation for a period of 3-5 years to the Department of Correctional Services.

Christina Jean Bush, 12/12/1978, Lake Mills, pleaded guilty to Operating While Intoxicated-Second Offense, an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Lake Mills Police Department on November 16, 2019. Bush was sentenced to serve 10 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $1,875.00 fine, applicable surcharges and court costs. Bush was ordered to follow through with all substance abuse treatment recommendations. Bushs drivers license was revoked by the DOT.

Joshua Adam Cox, 8/8/1980, Forest City, pleaded guilty to Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), a serious misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Forest City Police Department on August 15, 2019. Cox was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $315.00 fine, applicable surcharges and court costs. Cox was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations.

Enrique De Jesus Rivera, 2/19/1984, Rake, pleaded guilty to Driving While Barred, an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on October 9, 2019. Rivera was sentenced to serve 7 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $625 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. The fine was suspended.

Brandy Michelle Harrington, 2/16/1978, Forest City, pleaded guilty to Fraudulent Practice in the First Degree, a class C felony, stemming from an investigation by Iowa Workforce Development between February 18, 2018 and November 3, 2018. Harrington is scheduled to be sentenced on May 5, 2020.

Michelle Lee Lenning, 5/13/1985, Platteville, WI, pleaded guilty to Operating While Intoxicated-Second Offense, an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Forest City Police Department on November 23, 2019. Lenning was sentenced to serve 10 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $1,875.00 fine, applicable surcharges and court costs. Lenning was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations. Lennings drivers license was revoked by the DOT.

Terra Jane Morgan, 3/31/1973, Albert Lea, MN, pleaded guilty to Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), a serious misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on October 8, 2019. Morgan was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $315.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. Morgan was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations.

Quincy Monted Robinson, 6/19/1984, Forest City, was sentenced on the charge of Fraudulent Practice in the First Degree, a class C felony, stemming from an investigation by Iowa Workforce Development between December 27, 2015 and February 9, 2019. Robinson was sentenced to serve an indeterminate prison sentence not to exceed 10 years and ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine, applicable surcharges, court costs and victim restitution. The prison sentence, fine, and 35% criminal surcharge were suspended. Robinson was placed on probation for a period of 5 years to the Department of Correctional Services.

Rusty Shane Rogers, 2/20/1989, Clear Lake, was sentenced on the charge of Count 1 Domestic Abuse Assault, a class D felony, and Count 3 Domestic Abuse Assault-Third or Subsequent Offense, a class D felony, stemming from an investigation by the Forest City Police Department on October 18 and October 20, 2019. For Count 1, Rogers was sentenced to serve an indeterminate prison sentence not to exceed 5 years, and ordered to pay a $750.00 fine, applicable surcharges, costs, and victim restitution. The fine was suspended. For Count 3, Rogers was sentenced to serve an indeterminate prison sentence not to exceed 5 years, and ordered to pay a $750.00 fine, applicable surcharges, costs, and victim restitution. Defendant was ordered to complete IDAP. The prison sentences imposed in Count 1 and Count 3 were ordered to run consecutively with FECR018021.

Rusty Shane Rogers, 2/20/1989, Clear Lake, was sentenced on the charge of Conspiracy to Deliver or Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), a class C felony, stemming from an investigation by the Forest City Police Department on August 10, 2019. Rogers was sentenced to serve an indeterminate prison sentence not to exceed 10 years, and ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. The fine was suspended. The prison sentence was ordered to run consecutively with FECR018087.

Tina Marie Seltun, 11/5/1988, Bricelyn, MN, pleaded guilty to Forgery, an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Lake Mills Police Department, on May 27, 2019. Seltun was sentenced to serve an indeterminate prison sentence not to exceed 2 years and ordered to pay a $625.00 fine, applicable surcharges, costs, and victim restitution. The prison sentenced was suspended and Seltun was placed on probation for a period of 2 years to the Department of Correctional Services.

Brenda Lea Teneyck, 4/29/1971, Clear Lake, pleaded guilty to Operating While Intoxicated-First Offense, a serious misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on October 21, 2019. Teneyck was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $1,250.00 fine, applicable surcharges and court costs. Teneyck was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations. Teneycks drivers license was revoked by the DOT.

Mason John Wolff, 1/12/1996, Bancroft, pleaded guilty to "Operating While Intoxicated  First Offense," a serious misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on July 7, 2019. Wolff was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $1,250.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. Wolff was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations. Wolffs drivers license was revoked by the DOT.

Taylor John Wonsmos, 6/15/1993, Forest City, pleaded guilty to Count 1 "Operating While Intoxicated  First Offense," a serious misdemeanor, and Count 2 Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Marijuana), a serious misdemeanor, stemming from a traffic stop by the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office on April 21, 2019. For Count 1, Wonsmos was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $1,250.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. For Count 2, Wonsmos was sentenced to serve 2 days in the Winnebago County Jail and ordered to pay a $315.00 fine, applicable surcharges and costs. Wonsmos was ordered to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with all treatment recommendations.

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We knew that it was likely only a matter of time before our campus community would be more directly affected by COVID-19, which is why weve taken the steps that we have over the past several days and weeks to prioritize the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff, as well as the broader community, Hammond said in the news release. We have been told by public health officials to expect additional cases in the days and weeks to come; that information doesnt make todays news any less upsetting.
Cuban doctor Luis Herrera, creator of Interferon Alfa 2-B medicine, argues, health is not a commercial asset but a basic right

This pandemic calls for structural reforms both within economic and health systems across the world. Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkson in their book The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger argue that egalitarian societies are healthy societies. There is a strong link between inequality, poverty and poor health.

Poor people are more vulnerable to coronavirus. Therefore, all government policies need to steer towards poor and working-class people both in short run and long run. Emancipatory politics and policies are only alternatives that the state and governments need to emulate. Nationalisation of pharmaceutical industries, private hospitals and medical facilities, universal access to medicine are few primary steps in fighting coronavirus pandemic.

China was the epicentre of coronavirus pandemic. State capitalism or socialism with Chinese character with all its limitations has managed to contain and reduce the spread of coronavirus. China and Cuba provide medical aid to Italy now when European Union looked the other way. In spite of all liberal criticisms, Cuba has managed to develop infrastructure to produce highest number of doctors, nurses and medical professionals in the world.

Cuba has established the BioCubaFarma group which is rolling out Interferon Alpha 2B drug that can be used to treat coronavirus pandemic. Unlike developed capitalist countries, Cuba shares the technology with many countries like Finland, China and USA. Cuban doctor Luis Herrera, the creator of the Interferon Alfa 2-B medication, argues that health is not a commercial asset but a basic right". Cuban provides medical aid and many doctors and health professionals are working in many African and Latin American countries.

This crisis offers the limitless possibilities of socialist alternative which means borderless solidarity, sharing economy and technology for people and caring for healthy environment. It is our choice for a healthy and harmonious economy for the present and future. Lets fight for socialism together or perish together under pandemic incubator called capitalism.

---

*With the Coventry University, UK

The coronavirus pandemic is battering lives and wreaking havoc in world economy at the same time. This worldwide health and economic crisis reveal the inherent structural fault lines within neoliberal economic system dominated by global corporations. The fault lines are further exacerbated by the amoral market led states that protect interests of big businesses and pharmaceutical corporations. The incoherent, incomprehensive and reluctant strategic response to this crisis by the developed counties like UK and USA reflect utter failure of the neoliberal ideology that promotes business of sickness by privatising public health.The Thatcherite and Blairite neoliberal economic policies are destroying the National Health Service (NHS) in UK; one of the best healthcare systems in the world. The NHS is suffering from funds crunch, shortages of doctors and nurses due to under investment in health infrastructure for decades.How do we expect the NHS to face complex challenges of coronavirus pandemic? The conservative governments response to the crisis is pumping up money to sustain business and less focus on fighting the pandemic. The focus is more on the survival of the businesses than lives of ordinary people. The Tory governments failure to face such a crisis is giving rise to racism and maskophobia against Chinese and other migrant population.Donald Trump calls coronavirus as Chinese virus. Such statements fuel racism and anti-Chinese sentiments in the society. His governments policy response abandons poor Americans ability to access healthcare during this pandemic. It puts nearly 58 per cent American lives in risk.His government is an utter failure to deal with coronavirus in USA. The American imperialist trade embargo is directly responsible for the higher percentage of deaths in Iran due coronavirus pandemic. It is important to demand for the removal of American trade embargo on Iran on humanitarian grounds. But capitalist geopolitics is all about business.The business of sickness is an integral part of neoliberal ideology and its economic system. This pandemic is an opportunity for profit hungry pharmaceutical corporations, private healthcare providers, insurance agencies and other businesses. The stockpiling of essential goods by people is selfish, nasty and brutish. But such Hobbesian solitary behaviours are reinforced by the neoliberal economic policies practiced over last four decades.The individualistic response to crisis is a product of neoliberal capitalism that reshaped us from social beings to mere customers under a market led society and state. Therefore, it is important to break away from such a system that promotes death and destitution by using pandemic as an opportunity to make the empire of profit.Courtney Davis and John Abraham in their book Unhealthy Pharmaceutical Regulation: Innovation, Politics and Promissory Science argue that drug regulatory agencies in US and EU are corrupted. These agencies and their policies promote commercial interests of the pharmaceutical industries and undermines the interests of the patients for last three decades. People in Italy, Spain, UK, France and USA are in the receiving end of such policies.
Of the 4,964 people screened at the two outpatient departments (OPDs) in the past two weeks, only one patient with a foreign travel history has been found positive for the disease, according to data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), giving doctors hope that the city has not reached the category-3  community-based transmission  yet. The rest were found from BMCs follow-ups.

Community transmission is when a person with no risk factors such as travel history or possible exposure to an infected person acquires the pathogen. Some countries, including Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, have been witnessing cases of sustained community spread. OPD cases are the ones where people go for a check-up for flu-like symptoms and considered the basis to ascertain community spread.

Currently, there are two coronavirus OPDs  Kasturba Hospital and Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Municipal Hospital (which became operational on March 17)  functional in the city.

According to health officials, had the community-based infections started in Mumbai, the number of patients testing positive at OPDs would have been higher, especially in an urban region with more than 20 million residents. Every day, more than 500 people have been visiting OPDs to get checked for the infection. Most of them either have a travel history or are concerned as they have been ailing from flu-like symptoms, which are similar to coronavirus. But until now, only one patient has been identified with the infection after screening more than 4,000 people, said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner (health), BMC. Kakani said the patient has been admitted to the hospitals isolation ward. The patient had developed symptoms such as fever and sore throat after returning from abroad and visited the coronavirus OPD at Kasturba Hospital. Next day, the report of the swab test confirmed that the traveller had Covid-19, Kakani said. In Mumbai, all reported positive cases are due one of the two risk factors. Until now, we havent found any patient with community-based infection, said Dr Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer (EHO), BMC.

Pune on Friday reported a unique case of a 41-year-old woman who tested negative for swine flu, but was detected with the coronavirus. The woman had not travelled out of India and does not know if anyone in her close contact has the coronavirus. The patient attended a wedding in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, on March 3, and she developed symptoms five days later. However, health officials have refuted claims of it being the first community-acquired coronavirus infection in India. We have informed the Union health ministry, which is now looking into the case. Also, we are running a background check of her domestic travel history. It is possible that she has unknowingly got in contact with a person carrying the infection, said Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer.

Doctors claimed some coronavirus infections may go unnoticed as this season usually witnesses a spike in respiratory diseases. Influenza and common cold have symptoms similar to the coronavirus. The state health department has asked doctors to inform them of cases in which patients develop acute pneumonia, although not all cases of pneumonia are caused by the coronavirus. The pathogen of coronavirus affects the respiratory tract from the nose to the lungs. In some patients, it may only affect the upper respiratory tract with mild symptoms. When it reaches the lung, the patient develops pneumonia, accompanied by breathlessness. It is tough to differentiate the symptoms of pneumonia from coronavirus-acquired pneumonia without tests, Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of Chest Research Foundation.
With Jude Law and Sadie Frost as her parents, Iris Law has spent her entire life among the elites of the showbusiness and fashion worlds.

And now, aged 19, she is tipped to join them in her own right  following in the footsteps of her famous godmother, Kate Moss.

After making her catwalk debut earlier this month, Iris has become one of the fashion worlds most sought-after young models, with insiders tipping her to soon become a millionaire.

Her first runway appearance was at Paris Fashion Week for Miu Miu, part of the fashion house Prada, alongside her friend Kaia Gerber, the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford. Days later, she launched her own collection of handbags, Iris By Iris, made by Mulberry.

With Jude Law and Sadie Frost as her parents, Iris Law has spent her entire life among the elites of the showbusiness and fashion worlds

Iris, pictured here as a baby with Kate Moss, is described by friends as 'very, very sensible'

She only finished her A-levels last summer, now Iris could be the biggest British fashion star since Kate Moss, one insider tells me. She ticks all the boxes and is absolutely beautiful. With her family history and her well-known friends, she is quickly becoming a brand.

Iris grew up with Londons infamous Primrose Hill set, which included her parents, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Meg Mathews and Pearl Lowe. She first made headlines aged just two when, in 2002, she found an ecstasy pill on the floor of members club Soho House during a childrens party  and put it in her mouth.

Today, Iris  who is described by friends as very, very sensible  is part of the so-called Primrose Hill Set 2.0 whose members include Mosss daughter Lila Grace, 17, and Liam Gallaghers daughter Anais, 20.

Iris was a bridesmaid at her godmothers wedding to rock star Jamie Hince in 2011 and appears to share her fondness for bad boys. She is dating Jyrrel Roberts, 22, a jewellery designer who is fond of posting photos online of marijuana plants.

Iris has appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue and has deals with Calvin Klein Jeans and Burberry, joking: Ive been wearing Burberry since I was really young. My first baby carrier was from Burberry.

Crush of the week... Poppy Honey Oliver

Jamie Oliver's first-born Poppy Honey turned 18 last week and thankfully, Im sure he will agree, she hasnt inherited his Essex Boy looks.

The teenager also got away with arguably the least embarrassing name in the Oliver clan. Jamie and wife Jools named their other children Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Buddy Bear Maurice and River Rocket Blue Dallas.

Poppy is hoping to start university in September and Jamie marked her landmark birthday with a touching tribute, saying: Words will never be able to express how absolutely proud of you we are. Our little curly blonde-haired baby, and first born.
Evening Standard

Here are all the bank holidays you should note in 2022. What bank holidays are planned for the Queens Jubilee and is there an extra day? In celebration of the Queens 70th year as monarch, bank holidays have been rearranged to allow for four consecutive days of celebration.
Many Americans may be taking safety preparation into their own hands amid the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Nationally, firearms and ammunition sales have risen drastically amid news of the new coronavirus. The FBI reported that background checks through their system totalled 2.8 million in February, a 36 percent increase compared to the same month last year, The New York Times reported. Alex Horsman, marketing manager for Ammo.com, told USA Today that the online retailer alone has reported a 68% jump in sales; economic and political instability tends to bring increases in the sale of guns and ammunition, he said.

In Illinois, some feared municipalities would clamp down on sales of firearms and ammunition. The National Rifle Association of Illinois sent out an alert about Champaigns emergency declaration, saying that it would allow the mayor to ban the sale of guns. On March 13, the city of Champaign issued a statement clarifying that it did not intend to ban the sale of firearms. Access to gun shops may be limited by Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order  under which businesses deemed non-essential must stop operating until April 7.

Craig Plummer, a manager at Midland Farm & Home Supply in Jacksonville, said employees there cannot keep ammunition  along with paper towels, animal feed, dog food, bleach and water  on shelves. Once the shelves are stocked, they usually are empty again within a half-hour, Plummer said.

Gary Marlow, who manages Midlands gun counter, said ammunition was selling quickly.

Boxes of bullets are coming off the shelves as quickly as I stock them, Marlow said.

Not every Jacksonville gun store has seen increases in gun purchases. Brown Arms & Ammo reported that the store has not seen an increase.

Morgan County Sheriff Mike Carmody advised residents not to panic in this time of uncertainty, to check in on their neighbors and to call law enforcement if they witness anything suspicious. Sheriffs deputies will take information over the phone and will respond to emergency situations, Carmody said, adding that he was keeping track of Pritzkers order and that adjustments may need to be made to comply with it.

The best thing is to look out for your neighbors and keep them informed, Carmody said.

Associate Editor Darren Iozia contributed to this story.
(Natural News) Mega carrier American Airlines is grounding 450 planes, or half of its fleet, as well as suspending 55,000 flights in April, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

American Airlines made the surprise announcement in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

As per the mega carrier, all long-haul international flights are to be suspended through May 6, including all routes from Miami International Airport to Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Saint Maarten and Peru. In addition, all flights to Europe are also grounded, except for one flight daily from Miami and Dallas to London Heathrow, as well as three flights per week from Dallas to Tokyo Narita.

American Airlines domestic flights, on the other hand, will drop by 30 percent in April with further reductions expected to be enacted in May.

According to the mega carrier, they will also be offering 13,500 employees the option for voluntary unpaid leave, which would allow them to keep their health benefits, as well as early retirement for those who have 15+ years of service at the company. In addition, American Airlines also announced a hiring freeze and pay freeze, as well as the suspension of new flight attendant training classes.

This is a crisis unlike any weve faced in the past. Together, we will continue to be aggressive on all fronts so that we ensure Americans future is intactWe are in the fight of our lives, and we will win. Now is the time to come together and rally against a common enemy, American Airlines president Robert Isom said.

Isom, in another statement, announced that American Airlines will be making their first cargo-only flights in 36 years.

According to Isom, American Airlines will temporarily convert some of their passenger planes into cargo-only aircraft, in order to focus on shipping items such as medical supplies, mail for active U.S. military personnel, telecommunications equipment, electronics and e-commerce packages between the United States and Europe.

Challenging times call for creative solutions, and a team of people across the airline has been working nonstop to arrange cargo-only flight options for our customers, Isom stated.

Flights will be operated only by necessary crew members, the airline added.

American Airlines made the announcement after the United States State Department issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory urging its citizens to not travel internationally and for American expatriates to return to the United States if possible.

While not mentioned as being one of the reasons for the grounding, American Airlines made the announcement about a week after upper management confirmed to the public that one of the pilots based at their Dallas-Fort Worth hub has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Aside from grounding its fleet and suspending most of its flights, American Airlines is also taking out a $1 billion line of credit from Citibank, in the event of even more financial pain in the travel industry in the wake of COVID-19.

The loan brings the companys available liquidity to a total of $8.4 billion, of which $4.2 billion is in unrestricted cash, which it can then use to prepare for the coming months.

Isom, in his statement, warned however that the company?  and the rest of the airline industry?  do not expect things to get better anytime soon.

While these steps are unparalleled in our history, we expect demand to fall even more before it gets better, Isom said, adding that more network reductions are being worked in real-time as flight bookings decline.

Earlier this week, airline stocks plummeted in trading, including a 25 percent decrease for American Airlines shares.

The current plunge in demand for air travel brought about by severe travel restrictions across different countries is considered by many to be aviations biggest crisis since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Other major American carriers such as United Airlines and Delta Airlines have shut down their operations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Budget airlines Jetblue, Spirit and Allegiant have likewise cut their flights in the meantime.

As of press time, the coronavirus has been confirmed to have infected 274,092 and killed 11,369 people around the world.

Sources include:

MiamiHerald.com

FoxNews.com

DallasNews.com

BusinessInsider.com

USAToday.com
ROME - Italy has recorded its highest day-to-day-rise in the number of deaths of people infected with the new coronavirus.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/3/2020 (662 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A nun wearing a mask and gloves stands at the Istituto Figlie di San Camillo (Institute of Daughters of St. Camillo) in Grottaferrata, near Rome, Friday, March 20, 2020. Outbreaks of the coronavirus have stricken two convents in the Rome area. Rome daily Il Messaggero quoted the Lazio region's health commissioner on Friday as saying 59 nuns at the Institute of Daughters of St. Camillo in the hill town of Grottaferrata have tested positive for COVID-19. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)

ROME - Italy has recorded its highest day-to-day-rise in the number of deaths of people infected with the new coronavirus.

Civil Protection Chief Angelo Borrelli said Friday the country recorded 627 more deaths in the 24 hours since Italy surpassed China on Thursday as the nation with the most COVID-19-related deaths. The total now stands at 4,032.

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Authorities said most of the people who died had existing health problems such as heart disease and diabetes before they were infected with the virus.

Borrelli says Italy also saw a staggering increase of 5,986 cases from a day earlier, bringing the official total in Italy to 47,021.

The soaring numbers come despite a national lockdown that drastically limits when residents are allowed to leave their homes. Police have issued citations to thousands of people for being out and about without valid reasons, such as going to work or shopping for food.

Mayors and governors throughout the country have been demanding even stricter measures. Italy's national government is widely expected to respond soon.

For days now, Italian authorities have said at daily briefings that the virus outbreak that emerged in northern Italy four weeks ago could reach its peak in a matter of days and the number of new infections might start going down.

Borrelli addressed the question Friday by saying, ""We'll never know when the peaks will be" n advance. He noted that some experts have spoken of cases peaking "the next week or the week after" that.
A young girl whose birthday was scuppered by coronavirus was gobsmacked when she received a personal letter from Boris Johnson, her 'teary' mother has revealed.

Josephine Booth, seven, tugged on the nation's heartstrings when her message to the Prime Minister explaining how her celebrations had twice been cancelled went viral.

Despite, the dismay at having her Go Ape party in Southampton scrapped because of tough new distancing measures, the child said she 'didn't mind because she wanted everyone to be ok'.

The grown-up and selfless approach advocated by Josephine prompted Mr Johnson to take time to pen a personal reply, which left the little girl stunned.

Mother Phillipa Booth, 34, said she was bursting with pride that her daughter had been praised by the Prime Minister in a completely unexpected response.

Josephine Booth (right) whose seventh birthday was scuppered by coronavirus was gobsmacked when she received a personal letter from Boris Johnson, her 'teary' mother Philippa, 34, (left) has revealed

Josephine tugged on the nation's heartstrings when her message to the Prime Minister explaining how her celebrations had twice been cancelled went viral

'We are thrilled  I have even been a bit teary. When we told Josephine her jaw dropped, it was amazing,' she told the Sunday Mirror.

'We weren't expecting anything so to have a response so quickly at a time like this really brightens things up and makes it a bit less overwhelming.'

Ms Booth, from Stubbington, Hampshire, said that in spite of her young age, Josephine was incredibly understanding.

The full-time mother described how initial disappointment quickly evaporated as her daughter realised the gravity of the UK's accelerating health emergency.

She said: 'It's the kind of thing that is quite upsetting for a seven-year-old.

'But there were no tears at all, just a look of disappointment which actually turned into an understanding sense of, 'Yes, we have to do this for our world'.'

The grown-up and selfless approach advocated by Josephine prompted Mr Johnson to take time to pen a personal reply, which left the little girl stunned

Instead of racing around the Go Ape climbing equipment with her friends, Josephine enjoyed a day of fun and games at home, while opening presents with aptly included a writing set.

The schoolgirl's letter to Downing Street was published online yesterday, and read: 'I am staying at home because you asked us to.

'I think mummy and daddy might have to cancel my party but I don't mind because everybody to be ok.

'Please keep working hard to keep us all well.'

It ended with a signed blue heart, a 'wash hands' reminder and even a cheeky question  'Are you remembering to wash your hands?'

To her amazement, the PM inked a personal response back on official Number 10-embossed paper.

Josephine, aged seven, wrote a touching letter to the Prime Minister about the coronavirus epidemic

Mr Johnson wrote: 'Happy birthday! I am glad to hear you are staying at home, though I am sorry to hear about your party'.

He added: 'We have all got to do our bit to protect the NHS and save lives, and that is exactly what you are doing, so well done!

'You are setting a great example. We are working round the clock to keep people safe, and if we work together we can send coronavirus packing. And once we have done that you can DEFINITELY have a party with your friends!'

The PM, whose fiancee Carrie Symonds is expecting a baby in the summer, added: 'In answer to your question  I'm regularly washing my hands with soap and water for 20 seconds: the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice!'

The Prime Minister tweeted the image of his letter, with the caption: 'Josephine sets a great example to us all by postponing her birthday party until we have sent coronavirus packing.

'Together we can beat this. In the meantime let's all wish her happy birthday (twice) whilst washing our hands'.

When the PM tweeted the letters to He added the hashtags#BelikeJosephine and #StayHomeSaveLives.
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Linkedin Margioni Bermudez (Agence France-Presse) Guiria, Venezuela  Sun, March 22, 2020 19:35 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c9e314 2 Health venezuela,coronavirus,COVID-19,health,healthcare Free

Faced with the coronavirus pandemic on top of an economic crisis that has left shortages of medicines and medical supplies, Venezuelans are turning to homemade remedies to protect themselves.

Whether it's hot drinks infused with lemon, salt, garlic or onions, cash-strapped Venezuelans are cooking up concoctions handed down from one generation to another.

No sooner had Venezuela announced its first coronavirus cases than Dilia Zorrilla ran to the shops to buy face masks, anti-bacterial gel, alcohol and chlorine, but also onions for the hostel she runs in Guiria, a remote village in the northwest, 600 kilometers east of the capital Caracas.

She asked her employees to place the onions in a glass bowl at the feet of a statue of the Virgin Mary, who is particularly venerated on the Caribbean coast.

"And that is not too many," she said. Local legend has it that onions can ward off illnesses.

When new guests arrive at the hostel, which smells of onions, Zorrilla puts a drop of antiseptic gel in their hands and advises them to go out and buy gloves and face masks.

She also serves them a citric herbal tea. "You must drink it," she orders.

In this remote area, Zorrilla feels cut off from information. Television and telephone signals are unreliable.

"Here, everything we know has come from social media," the 42-year-old told AFP.

Read also: Venezuelans sew homemade face masks amid coronavirus quarantine

'Part of the desperation'

In this region infested with drug-traffickers and armed groups, these elixirs form part of the secrets handed down from one generation to the next.

For surgeon Jaime Lorenzo from the United Doctors NGO "these measures are part of the desperation" caused by a pandemic that has already killed 13,000 people worldwide, but which has affected just 42 people so far in Venezuela.

"As scientists, all remedies need to be based on scientific evidence," Lorenzo told AFP.

While these concoctions may have been passed down through generations, none of them has been scientifically tested, Lorenzo said.

The best advice, as espoused by President Nicolas Maduro, is to stay at home.

Since the beginning of the week, Venezuela has been under a near-total lockdown.

People are only allowed out to buy food or medicines. Schools are closed and most air transport links suspended.

Police and soldiers patrol the roads to ensure the decree is respected.

But long before COVID-19 arrived in Venezuela, the health system had already collapsed and it was often hard to get hold of medicines, either due to their exorbitant cost or scarcity in pharmacies.

Read also: Panic hoarding of herbs, medicinal plants amid virus scare takes toll on 'jamu' vendors

'We're not prepared'

People have turned to homemade remedies even to treat cancer.

So "we're just not prepared" to face a pandemic, said 53-year-old trader Alodia Anton, who turned up at the Guiria hospital to have her blood pressure taken.

But it wasn't possible "because they don't have a blood pressure meter on the emergency ward."

Her biggest fear is that she or someone close to her would need emergency medical care: the main hospital in the region is in Cumana, a six-hour drive away on poorly surfaced roads.

So Anton makes do with "advice" her sister sends her by WhatsApp from the United States, such as "drink hot tea" with lemon, camomile or "whatever," wash the floor with vinegar and keep onions in her room.

Lorenzo warns against believing "myths" that hot drinks can weaken COVID-19, but that message isn't getting through.

"We're drinking boiled water with garlic and lemon," says a tearful Rosa Solangel through a face mask.

The 56-year-old cook fears for the health of her three children who have left the country for Brazil, Peru and Colombia -- 4.9 million people have fled Venezuela's economic meltdown since the end of 2015 according to UN data.
The Jalandhar district administration on Sunday seized a huge quantity of masks and sanitisers that were allegedly hoarded to be sold at high prices in the wake of coronavirus threat, officials said.

A case under relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the IPC has been registered against the owner of the shop, they said.

During the raid at a surgical equipment stockist in Jalandhar, district and police administration officials seized 1,340 pieces of N-95 masks, 238units of sanitisers (189 units of 500ml and 49 of 100ml) and 6,050 pieces of two ply masks, they said.

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, a joint team of Sub Divisional Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Police raided the shop, near Jail Road, acting on a tip-off.

The team found some materials without bills at the shop after which they raided the house of the owner in Vijay Nagar and seized the items.

They said that further investigation into the case was going on. More such crackdowns would follow in the coming days, they added.

Both the officers said these items were illegally stored in the house.

They said the administration would not allow hoarding and profiteering of essential goods and this drive would continue in the future too.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KEY WEST, Fla.  In the end, said passengers who fled a cruise ship because of a coronavirus outbreak at sea, the evacuation and journey back to the United States was more harrowing, chaotic and frightening than their ill-fated maritime voyage.

Weak and sick from no food for nearly 24 hours, several passengers fainted. Two went into respiratory distress. Others had fevers so high that they had to be separated from the rest of the travelers aboard the chartered flight. Several had severe coughs.

TRACKING CORONAVIRUS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID-19 across Houston, rest of Texas

This was almost as much of a debacle as the cruise was, said Jennifer Catron, a former medic who spent the entire 9 1/2-hour flight providing medical care. At one point, she took over the in-flight announcements and begged passengers to donate spare peanuts to help revive those who were passing out from low blood sugar.

It was probably scarier than the cruise, Catron said of the flight, which landed at about 6:30 a.m. Friday and then idled on the tarmac in Atlanta for about five hours, because health officials learned that three of the evacuees had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The test results became known to officials during the flight, triggering the hourslong delay that frustrated, angered and scared those on the plane. The Carnival Corp. confirmed that the tests were taken before the passengers left France, but the results came while the plane was en route.

The return trip itself had been a harrowing all-night odyssey, with busloads of the passengers stuck for hours in Marseille, France, before boarding the flight to Atlanta.

The long voyage had been doomed almost from the start.

PORTRAITS FROM PANDEMIC: Houstonians' lives in the time of coronavirus

The Costa Luminosa cruise ship, owned by Carnival, left Fort Lauderdale on March 5. Its destination: Venice, Italy.

Three days later, an Italian woman was evacuated in Puerto Rico because she had symptoms of the coronavirus. Her test results were delayed, and it took a week for the ships captain to enact strict sanitary protocols.

Another man, who had been on an earlier leg of the trip, died of the disease in the Cayman Islands on Saturday. The same day, several passengers with symptoms got off the ship in the Canary Islands.

It made our cruise actually living hell, said Anna Smirnova, 67, from California. People were scared, and nobody knew what to do next.

The cruise was to be a grand affair with stops in Antigua; Puerto Rico; Malaga, Spain; the Canary Islands and Marseille. But Antigua and Spain would not let the 1,400 passengers disembark.

Since last Saturday, the passengers had been isolated in their cabins. The ship arrived Thursday at Marseille where the Americans, Canadians and French were allowed to get off.

French health authorities tested a few dozen people who had fevers, and French media reported that 36 of the French peoples tests came back positive. Carnival said French authorities have not shared that information with the company.

Before the test results for the Americans were known, the passengers climbed aboard buses and headed to the airport, where they sat in a parking lot for five hours. They then took a red-eye that the cruise line chartered, with nothing but juice and snacks.

It was so crowded. There were so many sick people coughing, said Nilda Caputi, 82, who lives in Fort Lauderdale. It was horrible. Im old, but Im healthy. These people were really sick and very old, in wheelchairs with a pitiful cough.

In emails sent from the plane, Catron chronicled the journey: This plane is a medical disaster, she said at one point, adding that one man looked about 60 with bronchitis like coughs and like he was going to fall over at any minute.

This is NUTS! she wrote.

Catron said the crew considered diverting the plane to Bermuda, but feared if they did, local hospitals would turn them away once they learned the passengers had been aboard a cruise ship with travelers who had the coronavirus.

Once the plane landed in Atlanta, Kelea Edgar Nevis, 47, texted journalists in real time whenever someone fainted.

7:58 a.m.: Another HOUR. Were stuffed in here like sardines and its hot.

8:09 a.m.: People are starving.

8:11 a.m.: People are starting to gather. Were going to have a mutiny on here shortly.

8:30 a.m.: Even the crew doesnt know what were doing as we race across runway after runway to who knows where.

9:20 a.m.: Everyone is up in arms.

At 9:46 a.m., more than three hours after landing, Nevis wrote that the plane no longer had toilet paper or tissues. Still no food since lunch yesterday French time, she texted. Catron called 911.

Eventually, health officials removed sick passengers before the others walked off the plane.

Nobody told Catron or the others, they said, that two people from Florida and one from Massachusetts had tested positive for the virus.

Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the plane was diverted to a remote part of the Atlanta airport and that all the passengers were screened. The sick passengers were separated, she said.

CDC is working with the state of Georgia and other federal partners to determine a plan for these passengers, she said in a statement. Passengers with no symptoms upon arrival were given health information advising them to stay home for 14 days after returning from travel, monitor their health and practice social distancing as they continued to their final destination.

Several passengers acknowledged that they or someone in their party had high temperatures when the CDC checked. But as long as their temperatures fell after repeated tries, they were allowed to go home.

Passengers said they booked flights to California, Arizona, Florida and elsewhere across the United States and Canada.

Nordlund did not respond to questions asking whether it made sense to allow people who had been instructed to self-isolate to travel on commercial aircraft, potentially exposing them to other passengers.

We got off the plane and you had to mark off a form asking, Do you have a fever? Do you have a cough? I put that I had a fever and I went through secondary screening, because I was feeling terrible, said Kelly Edge, a passenger from Miami. I watched three-quarters of the people from the ship, and they did not do that. They marked themselves safe, got their temperatures taken and that was it.

They are roaming free, she continued.

Edge said she went to an urgent care clinic afterward.

A fever is considered a telltale marker for the coronavirus, which has killed more than 10,000 people globally. (However, the man who had been aboard the Costa Luminosa and died in the Cayman Islands never had a fever, hospital officials there said.)

A Georgia state official who was not authorized to speak about the case said the three people who tested positive for the coronavirus were not exhibiting symptoms, and that 13 others, who were sick on the plane, had not been tested.

In the early afternoon, the passengers were being sent to a hangar for screening. State officials said they had encouraged the Department of Health and Human Services to send two commercial buses to the airport to be standing by once the screening was complete.

In a statement, Carnival said that its affiliate, Costa Crociere, which owns Costa Cruises, worked closely with the French health authorities to conduct medical screenings and interview guests to prioritize those who required additional evaluation.

Ten of the evacuated American and Canadian passengers had been tested in France, and three came back positive.

We are working closely with CDC and Georgia health officials to determine next steps, the company said.

The company did not say why they let the people leave without medical attention, food or test results. Nor does Carnival know whether the people who disembarked in the Canary Islands tested positive.

There are still 864 crew and 719 passengers from other countries on the ship, which is off the coast of southern France. More people were disembarked Friday, but the Italians will be returned to Savona, Italy.

Catron decided that flying home to Virginia would be irresponsible, and she said she was trying to find a place to spend the night in Atlanta.

We had so many medically unstable people who should never have been on that plane, she said. It was the most irresponsible thing I have ever seen.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
<! Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State >

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in the state.

The COVID-19 confirmation test for the suspected case at Bodija has come back POSITIVE. The result was released at 17:35 PM of March 21, 2020, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, said in a statement on Sunday morning.

This brings the tally of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Nigeria at this time, to 23.

There are 16 patients in Lagos; one in Ekiti; two in Ogun, and three in the federal capital territory (FCT).

Makinde, said public health officials in the state are collaborating with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadans team on the case.

The governor added that someone who just returned from the US has also been placed under isolation.

A follow up on the Ekiti COVID-19 case revealed that the deceased was picked up directly from Lagos Airport to a private apartment in Ona Ara Local Government Area.

The Health Authorities have contacted the family concerned and the community has been alerted for intensified contact tracing and self-isolation of identified close contacts. The information given that he stayed in some hotels in Ibadan has been found to be false.

Another returnee from Texas, USA, has also been identified at Oluyole Local Government Area. She has been kept in self-isolation with close monitoring by the State Epidemiological Team. All recent returnees are again urged to identify themselves to Ministry Officials and self-isolate for 14 days.

We have released funds for; Activation of Emergency Operation Centre at the Ministry of Health; establishment of Diagnostic Centre for screening of Coronavirus and other related infectious diseases to be stationed at the UCH, Ibadan; equipping of the newly designated Oyo State Infectious Disease Centre at Olodo that has the capacity for over 100 cases.

The governor listed health helplines for residents as: 08038210122/08023229267/08073431342

<!

after_article responsive (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

>
An unprecedented shutdown commenced across the country on Sunday morning on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janata curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus.

As the 'Janata curfew' got underway at 7 am, people largely kept themselves indoor as part of the social distancing exercise to stop the spread of the virus and bare number of public transport vehicles plied on nearly empty roads.

All markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services will be closed for the day.

The 'Janata Curfew' will end at 9 pm.

Ahead of the start of the curfew, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace".

He said the steps to be taken now will help in the times to come.

"Stay indoors and stay healthy," he said on Twitter.

In the national capital, the roads were deserted with barely some private vehicles and buses plying. Vendors were off the roads in the morning hours with people confining themselves to their homes.

In Mumbai, the usually bustling western and eastern express highways and other arterial roads looked empty as people stayed in their homes to support the curfew.

Same was the situation at the suburban train stations which normally see thousands of commuters jostling to get inside the overcrowded trains.

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and others leaders have urged the people to follow the self-imposed curfew, noting that "social distancing" was key to breaking the chain of transmission, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 283 after 60 new cases were detected on Saturday, the highest so far in a day.

States like Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Bihar have announced either complete or partial lockdown till month end.

No passenger train will originate from any railway station in the country from midnight to 10 pm on Sunday while all suburban train services will be reduced to a bare minimum as well. Metro services, including in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, will remain suspended for the day.

Air carriers like GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara have announced that they will be curtailing domestic operations on Sunday.

Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has announced that they will keep their establishments shut across the country for the 'Janata curfew'.

From suspending regular prayers involving large gatherings in shrines of various faiths, including Sunday mass, to disallowing jail inmates from meeting their families on the day, organisations and institutions in every sphere have announced restrictions.

Modi had on Thursday called for the 'Janata curfew' from 7 am to 9 pm on March 22, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses, and asserted that it will be a litmus test to show India's readiness to take on the coronavirus challenge.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked chief secretaries of all states to ensure that the 'Janata Curfew' is observed properly and to see that local bodies, fire services, police and civil defence blow sirens or ring bells on Sunday evening to express gratitude towards those involved in tackling the disease.

"We are looking for unity in isolation," Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal had said.

Describing it as the need of the hour, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asked everyone in the country to support the step.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had also made a fervent appeal to the people of the country to confine themselves to homes. He said that since the virus spreads through physical contact, social distancing is an effective measure to contain its spread by avoiding contact during the incubation period of the virus.

"It is a matter of great assurance that people have responded very positively to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Saturday.

In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that 50 per cent of the buses will ply on roads on Sunday considering some people may have to travel due to an emergency.

Autos and taxis will, however, be off roads in the national capital as several unions including the Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union, Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union and Delhi Taxi Tourist Transport Association, have decided to join the 'Janata curfew'.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also appealed to the people of the state to stay indoors on Sunday.

"Metro trains, roadways buses and city buses will not operate on Sunday," the statement said on behalf of the chief minister.

"To curb this infection, we are working on a war footing. Isolation wards have been set up in every district hospital and medical college. So far, 23 patients have been identified in the state, out of which nine have completely recovered. There is no need to panic, but prepare yourself to fight against this challenge," the UP chief minister had said in the statement.

Leaders and other prominent personalities also urged the traders not to hoard essential items and the people to purchase only necessary things.

Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: Surat diamond industry braces for Rs 8,000 crore loss

Also Read: No, coronavirus doesn't spread from non-veg food! Here's a myth buster
Drive-thru testing unit now open daily



MTTV / Paul Moulton

A mobile COVID-19 testing unit will open daily at the Grandstand.

The unit set up to take samples from members of the public to test for coronavirus will operate from 10am  midday seven days a week.

Staff are now testing people referred to them on the day by clinicians at the COVID 111 helpline who have assessed their symptoms. The new hours will ensure that processing is undertaken in a manageable way, now that the team has caught up with a backlog.

Once swabs are taken they have to be prepared for dispatch to the UK by air, where they are taken to a specialist laboratory for analysis. The process involves a number of protocols and so the operating hours of the mobile unit tie in with the admin side of the process later in the day.

The public are reminded they should not attend the unit asking for a test unless they have been referred there via COVID 111.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York Attorney General Letitia James today called on the state to ban in-person voting for the April 28 Democratic presidential primary in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

James wants an absentee ballot sent to every eligible voter for the presidential primary and five special elections scheduled on that date, according to a news release from the attorney general.

Voters shouldnt have to choose between their health and the right to cast a ballot, James said in the news release.

If we act now, we have more than a month before the presidential primary and numerous special elections across our state to take action and ensure every eligible New York voter receives an absentee ballot. Lets make it easier for every voter to cast their vote without spreading the coronavirus and jeopardizing public health. Democracy should not be suspended if there is a safe alternative, she added.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

James is calling for a new executive order to be signed on March 29 and extend through April 28. The order would suspend election laws that keep polling locations open and dictate that New Yorkers have to meet certain criteria to vote with an absentee ballot.

James said that currently, New York voters who wish to cast absentee ballots must fill out a New York State Absentee Ballot Application and indicate that they cannot vote in person at the polls on the day of an election for one of six reasons:

Absent from ones county or, if a resident of New York City, absent from said city, on Election Day;

Temporary illness or physical disability;

Permanent illness or physical disability;

Duties related to primary care of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled;

Resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital;

Detention in a jail or prison, awaiting trial, awaiting action by a grand jury, or in prison for a conviction of a crime or offense which was not a felony.

***

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India reported three more coronavirus deaths on Sunday, including the first casualty from Bihar, taking the toll to seven and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 360, officials said, as authorities suspended all train passenger and inter-state bus services till March 31 in unprecedented steps to contain the spread of the infection.

IMAGE: Health department officials pump sanitiser on the hands of a horse rider in the wake of deadly coronavirus, at Marina beach in Chennai. Photograph: PTI Photo

Though the AIIMS-Patna superintendent said the 38-year-old man with a kidney ailment and recent travel history to Qatar died of the virus, the Union Health Ministry was yet to confirm.

A 63-year-old patient died in Mumbai due to the virus while the third death of a 67-year-old patient was reported from Surat in Gujarat.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), "A total of 396 individuals have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases".

As many as 18,127 samples from 17,237 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 so far, the ICMR said.

According to the Health Ministry, the total number of active COVID-19 cases are 329 now and 24 people have been cured/discharged/migrated, while seven have died, taking total number of cases to 360, including 41 foreign nationals.

As millions of people stayed indoors following an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to observe a 'Janta Curfew' on Sunday, the Centre and state governments decided to announce a lockdown in 80 districts where coronavirus cases have been reported.

Only essential services will be allowed in the districts, a Union Ministry of Home Affairs official said.

The stricter measures to control the virus spread came as the health ministry said at least 341 people have been infected by COVID-19 across the country, the highest 74 reported from Maharashtra.

IMAGE: Passengers stand in queue to be screened at Howrah station during Janata curfew, in Kolkata, on Sunday. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo

The Railways announced it was suspending all passenger services from March 22 midnight until March 31 and said only goods trains will run during the period. The suspensions include all suburban train services.

Trains that commenced their journey prior to 4 am on March 22 will complete their journeys, it said, adding that passengers can claim a full refund for trains cancelled during this period till June 21.

Also, the government suspended all inter-state bus services until March 31.

The extraordinary decisions were taken a day after the Railways reported three incidents (12 positive cases) of people asked to remain in quarantine travelling on trains and amid an exodus of people from urban areas to their home states, raising fears of the virus spreading to the countryside.

A Union Home Ministry official said the Centre and state governments decided to completely lockdown 75 districts in states that include UP, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.

Delhi Police said prohibitory orders have been imposed in Delhi till March 31, adding that protests and other gatherings of people have been banned. The Delhi government urged residents to remain indoors even after the 'Janta Curfew' ends.

The West Bengal government said in a notification that Kolkata and several other areas of the state will be under lockdown from Monday 5 pm till Mar 27.

In Assam, the second test of a four-and-a-half-year-old girl, who had initially tested positive for coronavirus, has turned out to be negative, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday.

'The 4-year-old child who was suspected of #covid19 and tested in Jorhat Medical College and RMRC, Dibrugarh has been found NEGATIVE. There is no Covid19 positive case in Assam so far,' Sarma tweeted, attaching a copy of the report.

The total number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra rose to 74 with 10 more positive cases reported in the last 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.

Of the 10 new cases, six are in Mumbai and four in Pune, they said.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases, including three foreigners, followed by Kerala at 52 including seven foreign nationals.

Delhi has reported 27 positive cases, which include one foreigner, while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 25 cases, including one foreigner.

IMAGE: A worker sprays disinfectant at Azadpur vegetable market, in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo

Telangana has reported 22 cases with a 24-year old man testing positive for coronavirus on Sunday. The 22 cases in Telangana include 11 foreigners.

Four new cases were found in Gujarat on Sunday, taking the total number of those infected with it to 18 in the state, officials said.

Of the four new coronavirus cases, two each were reported from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, they said.

"Total number of cases of coronavirus has risen to 18 in Gujarat," Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told reporters.

Earlier, 14 coronavirus cases were reported in the state till Saturday, including that of a woman from Kutch district who returned from Mecca recently.

Two new cases were reported in Ahmedabad on Sunday, taking the total number of cases in the district to seven.

Besides, with two new cases in Gandhinagar, the total number of cases in the state capital went up to three.

Three cases each have so far been reported from Vadodara and Surat while one case each has been found in Rajkot and Kutch, officials said.

Rajasthan has reported 24 cases, including two foreigners.

In Haryana, there are 18 cases, which include 14 foreigners. A 40-year-old woman in Panchkula tested positive on Sunday.

The authorities have launched a health check in the slum where she lived with her family, officials said.

The slum in Panchkula, with a population of around 9,000, has been cordoned off and residents have been asked to quarantine themselves in their homes, they said.

Karnataka has 20 coronavirus patients. Punjab and Ladakh have 13 cases each. Gujarat has 14 cases while Tamil Nadu has 6 cases which includes 2 foreigners.

Chandigarh has five cases.

Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal reported four cases each.Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand have reported three cases each. Odisha and Himachal Pradesh reported 2 cases each.

Puducherry and Chhattisgarh have reported one case each.
The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has urged asked the government to clean up mountains in the country where tourism has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In his proposal, NMA president Santa Bir said the current partial-lockdown period in the country was the right time to clean up the peaks, including Mt Everest. Nepal has imposed a partial lockdown with the suspension of international flights, long-distance transport services and closure of education institutes.

Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation last week suspended permits to climb all mountains in the country and stopped issuing tourist visas. The Himalayan nations has just one confirmed case of coronavirus, but it is at risk due its location between China and India.

"It is the best time to clean up garbage that has piled up on Nepal's mountain. If we begin the clean-up campaign, it will give a positive message to all mountain lovers of the world," Lama told journalists.

The halting of climbing activities has panicked tourist business owners and other stakeholders, including porters and expedition operators. However, some mountaineers see this period as an opportunity. "This might be the best time to clean-up the garbage in the mountains that have been piled since many decades," said mountaineer Mingma Dorji Sherpa.

He said people from all quarters have demanded the clean-up of the mountains to preserve it for the future. Doma Sherpa, Everest summiteer and a journalist by profession, said all stakeholders, including the government, traders and the locals, need to take initiatives to make it clean and preserve its beauty. Everest summiteer Nima Doma said in her recent Everest-camp III expedition she saw piled-up garbage and even rotting carcass spoiling the beauty of the Himalayas.

Similarly, Jangbu Sherpa, who has successfully climbed Mt Everest 16 times, has welcomed the idea of cleaning the peaks. "It is wise to clean Everest as there are no climbers in the Everest area in this season," he told an online portal Khabarhub.

Sherpa is excited with the plan saying that such clean-up programme not only helps to make tidy the mountain peaks but also sustain the lives of the locals and the 'sherpas' who as cleaners get employment through the campaign.

Image Credits: ANI




152 cases of coronavirus confirmed here in the commonwealth. We know 5 cases are here in our hometowns, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

5 patients from Southwest and Central Virginia have received positive test results for COVID-19. While the map on the VDH website still only shows 3 cases in our area, we have confirmation that there are two more cases, one in Amherst County and another in Lexington.

Here's what we know about the patients: The patient in Amherst county is a man in his 30's and is isolated at home. According to Centra Health, the patient was not tested or treated at one of their facilities.

No specifics have been released about the patient in Lexington, but we know the person is isolated.

In Franklin county, the confirmed patient is a woman in her 60's, and she is isolated at her home.

In Botetourt County, the patient is a woman in her 80's and is being treated at Carilion.

The Southside Health District confirmed its first COVID-19 case in the district. Southside includes Halifax County. The resident of Mecklenburg is a man in his 50s who had contact with a person in another part of Virginia who was diagnosed with COVID-19. The man is isolated at home and monitoring his health, according to the health district.

VDH says a patient who is diagnosed will be kept at home or 14 days and if it's more serious, they will be hospitalized. VDH then does an epidemiological search.

"The index case is the first person who comes in that gets sick, so then we find all the contacts of the index case, and if it's a significant risk, we will have them isolate, self-isolate themselves for 14 days," Molly O'Dell, Director of Communicable Disease Response for Roanoke/Alleghany Health District with Virginia Department of Health, said.

If you're worried about whether you may have come into contact with a person infected, a VDH spokesperson told WDBJ7, the best thing you can do is wash your hands, keep surfaces clean, and avoid people who are sick.

This morning Governor Northam encouraged social distancing at his daily press conference.

"I want to thank those who are taking social distancing seriously," he said.

And he warned businesses to follow the 10 or fewer customers rule or they could face a misdemeanor charge and lose their operating permit.

"We will get through this but it is imperative that everyone does their part to limit social interactions and slow the spread of this virus," Governor Northam said.
Muslim and Christian leaders in Kaduna State, on Saturday, agreed to support Federal and

state governments directives on the closure of worship places and stoppage of

large gatherings over Coronavirus pandemic.

The decision was reached in Kaduna at a meeting between government and major stakeholders to

enlighten religious leaders on the need to advocate and support measures rolled

out to curtail the spread of Covid-19.

Dr Mohammad Adams, Chief Iman of Sultan Bello Mosque, Kaduna

said Covid-19 was real, especially as it was reported with high record of

deaths all over the World.

He assured that they would lead by example and encourage all

Muslims to abide by the state governments directives, saying, it was not

contrary to the teachings of Islam.

Adams explained that, already the same decision had been

taken by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.

The Imam emphasised the need for people to obey the laws of

the land and all other measures adopted by government to stop the spread of the

virus.

Also, Yusuf Ishaya, the Anglican Bishop, Ikara Diocese said

the situation on ground warranted the measures taken by government.

We are happy that Federal and state governments came up

with the idea of stopping people from attending large gatherings.

We have no problem with the decision because we are aware

the decision is for the welbeing of Nigerians, he said.

He called on all Christians to worship at home, saying, God

hears and answers prayers wherever you are.

You can pray alone or with your family, God listens and

answers.

Other religious leaders who gave supported the government

directive were Bishop Jonathan Dodo Zaria, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi, Chairman

Fitiyanul Islam, Sheik Tukur Adams and Dr Ahmad Gumi.

Speaking on the pandemic, Dr Neyu Iliyasu, a Director with

the state Primary Health Care Development Agency, said government was taking

all necessary measures to curtail the spread of the disease.

He said people should practice social distancing of about

1-3 metres, engage in serious hand washing and use sanitizer.

Iliyasu emphasised that the virus has no cure for now, but

said taking specific preventive measures will go along way in reducing its spread.
After a call for 'Janta Curfew' or self-imposed curfew, by the Prime Minister, millions of people across the country stayed indoors, and streets wore a deserted look. This was done to curtail the spread of coronavirus, as number of people with infections rises in the country.



Take a look at what it looked like, when a country of over a billion people decided to stay off the roads.
No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported today.

Russia-led forces mounted one attack on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Sunday, having used proscribed weapons.

In particular, they lobbed five 82mm mortar shells to attack Ukrainian troops deployed near the village of Vodiane in the Skhid (East) sector, the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces said on Facebook in an evening update as of 19:00 Kyiv time on Sunday, March 22.

Read alsoDonbas war update: 10 enemy attacks on Ukrainian positions, one soldier wounded on March 21

"Members of the Joint Forces took the necessary measures to stop the enemy's provocation. Today's attack has not caused any losses among Joint Forces troops," it said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the enemy violated the ceasefire in Donbas 10 times, as a result of which a Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action.
Iranians, some wearing protective masks, walk outside the capital Tehran's grand bazaar, during the CCP Virus pandemic crisis, on March 18, 2020. (-/AFP via Getty Images)

Dealing With Chinese, Iranian Lies in a Time of Pandemic

Commentary

This will be a big story when the CCP virus panic is over, although our ability to forget such things is apparently limitless.

The London Times reports:

Chinese laboratories identified a mystery virus as a highly infectious new pathogen by late December last year, but they were ordered to stop tests, destroy samples, and suppress the news, a Chinese media outlet has revealed.

A regional health official in Wuhan, centre of the outbreak, demanded the destruction of the lab samples that established the cause of unexplained viral pneumonia on January 1. China did not acknowledge there was human-to-human transmission until more than three weeks later.

In other words, the Beijing regime lied about the virus from the beginning, and then destroyed the evidence that they had lied. Once they thought they had covered up the scandal, they continued their air traffic with the Europeans, a practice that was emulated by the Iranians.

As the Jerusalem Post reported:

German airports and authorities defied on [March 18] the announcement from Transportation Minister Andreas Scheuer to bar flights from the coronavirus-infected hotspots of the Islamic Republic of Iran and China.

The daily Die Welt titled its [March 18] online article: Flight IR721 [IranAir] exposes Scheuers ban on landing as an empty promise.

German media outlets reported that IranAir flight IR721 from Tehran arrived in Frankfurt on [March 18] and additional planes are slated to arrive from China, including China Southern Airlines flight CZ461, which departs from Shanghai and will arrive in Frankfurt.

Meanwhile, Western reporters in China were telling their readers that Chinese officials were still lying about the true state of affairs, that the disease was still rampant, and that in fact in Wuhan, in a video circulating on social media, residents can be seen shouting at visiting leaders from the apartments where theyre being quarantinedFake, its all fake.'

Chinese and Iranian citizens werent fooled; they saw the facts with their own eyes. Only Western leaders were taken in by the lies, but by now, the facts are known to everyone, and the regime in Beijing is expelling American correspondents from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. That way, Chinese officials hope to blame the pandemic on the United States.

We dont know the effect of Chinese and other disinformation, but we do know that there are big arguments in the White House about the proper response to Iranian and Chinese lies. They are more or less the same divisions, on the one hand, led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump, pushing for a tough response, while on the other hand, the secretary of defense and the military service chiefs taking it slow, arguing that, for instance, we dont have convincing evidence that Iran was behind the rocket attacks that injured U.S. soldiers.

And for the umpteenth time, a tough response didnt bring about a change in Iranian behavior.

According to The New York Times, Some American officials now admit that the killing of General Suleimani has notas some had hopedled Iran and its proxies to think twice about fomenting violence inside Iraq and elsewhere.

There is 40 years worth of evidence to document the Iranians refusal to make a deal with the United States, and the Americans insistence that, eventually, a deal would be reached. With the exception of the brief moment following the assassination of Soleimani, Trump has persisted in his conviction that Khamenei and his cohorts would eventually make a solid deal.

Unfortunately, this is a terrible moment to maximize the pressure on Tehran, since anything that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets would threaten the demonstrators. No American president would want his name associated with such a debacle.

Trump is accordingly forced to hope for a miracle: that the combination of the virus and the sanctions will be lethal to the Khamenei regime, and bring to power a new generation of Iranians.

Not likely, but the world is increasingly unlikely, isnt it?

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Michael Ledeen is freedom scholar at Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He has served as a consultant to the National Security Council and the departments of State and Defense, and as a special adviser to the secretary of state. He is the author of 35 books, most recently Field of Fight: How to Win the War Against Radical Islam and its Allies, co-authored with retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
NEW YORK  No more play dates, no more picnics in the park with friends, no more pickup games of basketball. No more commuting or using public transport  unless absolutely essential. New York implemented dramatic restrictions Sunday to slow a pandemic that has killed more than 14,000 people worldwide and was threatening to make the state one of the biggest hot spots.

As coronavirus infections soar  or in anticipation that they will  leaders warned of a critical shortage of medical supplies. Spain was erecting a field hospital in a convention center, British health workers pleaded for more gear, saying they felt like cannon fodder, and President Donald Trump ordered mobile hospital centers be sent to Washington, California and New York.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all nonessential businesses in the state to close and nonessential workers to stay home, tightening earlier restrictions.

Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also called for getting everything from masks to ventilators, as well as doctors and other medical workers to New York, warning a mounting death toll might grow more steeply without more federal help.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, promised on CBS Face The Nation that the medical supplies are about to start pouring in and will be clearly directed to those hot spots that need it most.

Hours later, Trump said he had ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ship mobile hospital centers to Washington, California and New York.

No American is alone as long as we are united, Trump said.

But efforts for a quick aid package from Congress faltered. The U.S. Senate voted against advancing a nearly $2 trillion rescue package. Democrats argued it was tilted toward corporations rather than workers and health care providers. But negotiations continued.

The delay shook investors. U.S. futures declined before Mondays reopening on Wall Street, which is coming off its worst week since 2008. With travel and public entertainment halted and restaurants and bars closed, large swaths of the economy have suddenly stopped.

Pressure was building on the largest event still on the global calendar: the Tokyo Olympics. Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said a postponement would be unavoidable if the games, no scheduled to begin in July, cannot be held in a complete way.

The Canadian Olympic Committee said it wont send athletes unless the games were postponed by a year, and Australias officials told athletes to prepare for a delay. The IOC said it will take up to four weeks to consider postponing.

Worldwide, more than 335,000 people have been infected and more than 14,600 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

There were more than 33,000 cases across the U.S. and more than 400 deaths. New York state accounted for 117 deaths, passing Washington state, the initial epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, in the number of fatalities.

Along with the staggering numbers, there are individual reminders of the reach of the virus. Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky became the first U.S. senator to announce he was infected. Opera superstar Placido Domingo announced he has COVID-19, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel put herself into quarantine after her doctor tested positive.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Some 98,000 people have recovered, mostly in China, where the virus was first detected in late December.

As the virus has spread and testing has increased, the United States has grown to the third-most cases in the world. But deaths from COVID-19 continued to rise in the hot spots of Italy, Spain and Iran.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte went on live TV to announce that he was tightening the countrys lockdown. Italy now has more than 59,000 cases and 5,476 deaths.

We are facing the most serious crisis that the country has experienced since World War II, Conte told Italians during a broadcast at midnight.

Irans supreme leader refused U.S. assistance to fight the virus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the outbreak could be an American plot. Ayatollah Ali Khameneis comments came as Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions over its nuclear actions. Iran says it has 1,685 deaths and 21,638 confirmed cases of the virus  a toll that experts from the World Health Organization say is almost certainly underreported.

The world kept shutting down, too. The United Arab Emirates is suspending all passenger flights and the transit of airline passengers through the country for two weeks. Dubai has the worlds busiest international airport, which is a vital hub connecting West and East. Singapore said it will fully shut its borders beginning Tuesday, and New Zealand will go into a full lockdown for about four weeks.

The British government had a stark message for those marking Mothers Day on Sunday: Visiting your mother could kill her. Instead of parties, lunch or tea, Prime Minister Boris Johnson implored Britons to call Mom on a video chat.

Doctors in Britain made urgent pleas for more protective equipment as the number of coronavirus patients in U.K. hospitals soared to more than 5,000. Almost 4,000 medical workers signed a letter to the Sunday Times saying front-line staff felt like cannon fodder. They warned that medics would die if they did not receive better equipment.

Spain has the fourth-largest number of infections  more than 28,500 and 1,750 deaths. Intensive care units in some areas were close to their limits, and a field hospital with 5,500 beds was going up in a convention center in Madrid. Health officials warned more than 10% of the countrys health workers were now infected with coronavirus.

We cant just repeat the slogans that we will get through this together, said Dr. German Peces-Barba, a lung specialist at Fundacion Jimenez Diaz hospital in Madrid.

In anticipation that the worst is yet to come for New York, Cuomo has told hospitals to increase their current bed numbers by at least 50%. Predictions from health officials are that COVID-19 cases needing advanced medical care will top 100,000 in the state in the next month or so.

Hospitals feeling the crush are creating emergency room overflows and dedicating COVID-19 wings, with officials in the New York City borough of Brooklyn saying a number of medical centers were becoming overwhelmed.

Health care workers said they were being asked to reuse and ration disposable masks and gloves.

The building is on fire, said Dr. David J. Ores, describing the chaotic and ever-changing guidance medical professionals have been given. Its a mad scramble.

One glimmer of hope was China, which peaked last month with thousands of cases daily and where most people infected have now recovered. The National Health Commission reported 39 new cases Monday, all imported in recent arrivals from overseas, continuing a trend of nearly no domestic infections.

The original epicenter city of Wuhan, which was the first city put under lockdown because of the virus, began allowing limited movement for the first time since late January. Public transportation was starting to resume, and the municipal government said Monday residents confirmed as healthy could leave their residential neighborhoods if they have proof they are returning to work.

Leaders in many parts of the United States were sounding the same note that global leaders were: Stay away from other people. Officials called them different things  social distancing, sheltering in place, or in the case of Nashville, Tennessee, a safer at home order.

Were all in quarantine now. Think about it, Cuomo said.

He expressed exasperation that people  facing an invisible threat rather than billowing smoke or blowing snow  were gathering in parks, playing basketball or having block parties, rather than staying home or staying 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart as ordered.

Its insensitive. Its arrogant. Its self-destructive. Its disrespectful to other people, Cuomo said. It has to stop and it has to stop now.

As Californians, too, headed to beaches and parks despite their states stay-at-home order, officials closed some strands and trails.

Enforcement of any of the U.S. orders is uncertain. Most locations simply broke up large gatherings and sent people home because one of the last things health officials wanted was putting people in confined spaces like jails.

Many governments were even releasing nonviolent inmates. Trump said he was weighing early release of elderly nonviolent offenders in federal prisons.

___

Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press reporters Frank Jordans in Berlin; Colleen Barry in Soave, Italy; Joseph Wilson in Barcelona; Yanan Wang in Toronto; Antonio Calanni in Milan, Italy; Frances DEmilio in Rome; Jill Lawless in London; Jon Gambrell in Dubai; researcher Henry Hou in Beijing and other AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.

___

This story has been updated to correct that 53,000 is the number of regular hospital beds in New York state, not city.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Iran's Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi has reportedly said that the latest figures of Coronavirus cases in the nation has witnessed a downtrend in almost all provinces of the country. He purportedly said that the latest figures indicate the slowing down trend in new cases in the hardest-hit provinces like Tehran and Mazandaran.

According to the reports, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the ministry, Kianush Jahanpur, has confirmed 20,610 cases in the country on March 21 with 966 new cases and 123 new deaths.

READ: Indian Who Tested Positive For COVID-19 In Iran Has Died: Ministry Of External Affairs

#Iran says #coronavirus is now killing 1 person every 10 minutes. 149 people have died in the past day. Health minister, Alireza Raisi, says some Iranians still not taking the spread #COVID2019 seriously. Says if people help in the fight #COVID2019 could be controlled.  Rozita Riazati (@RozitaRiazati) March 19, 2020

1556 people died

Jahanpur also added a total of 1,556 people have died and 7,635 people have recovered, as per state news agency. He reportedly said that over 30 million Iranians have gone through the screening process for novel Coronavirus infection.

Meanwhile, Iran has reportedly banned the traditional Persian New Year fire festival to curb the spread of the deadly virus and has prohibited the public gathering.

Chaharshanbe Soori is a festival that is celebrated on March 20 during the spring holiday of Nowrouz in Iran which is marked by fireworks.

READ: L-G Puducherry Kiran Bedi Tweets Hinting Food Link To Coronavirus; Advises 'non-violence'

Iran restricts gatherings

Tehran's police chief General, Hossein Rahimi reportedly said, that any gathering on the occasion of Chaharshanbe Soori was strictly prohibited due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. The police will forcefully confront those who do not comply with the orders, he added.

Keyvan Zahiri, another police officer, was also quoted saying that people must stay indoor during the festival and cooperate with the containment measures of the government. As the assembly of large groups of people has been prohibited to curb transmission of the disease, people run a risk of contracting the strain of virus if they assemble outside, he further added.

As per the state media agency reports, people living in Isfahan, Golestan and Khuzestan province were cautioned against observing the festival and were asked to remain indoor. The Islamic Republic also took drastic measures of suspending mass assembly during the Friday prayers and closed key Shiite pilgrimage sites.

READ: 103-year-old Woman In Iran Becomes Oldest Person To Beat Coronavirus

READ: Iran Bans Persian New Year Fire Festival Celebrations Amid Coronavirus Scare
People stay off the roads in Rajkot as they observe "Janata Curfew" on Sunday.

Earlier, in a high-level meeting held on Saturday, it was decided that Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara will remain under lockdown till March 25.

Such measures are being taken to limit rush in public spaces to avoid community transmission of the deadly virus.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive cases of Covid-19 in India stands at 341, which includes 41 foreigners. Five people have died in the country-- two in Maharashtra and one each in Delhi, Karnataka and Punjab. 14 cases in total have been noted in Gujarat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The number of anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh has gone down significantly as the capital observes "Janata Curfew" Day.

Although there are protesters at the site, however many of them were wearing masks and maintaining distance to mitigate the chances of spreading the deadly virus.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation asked people to refrain from stepping out of there homes. This comes when social distancing has proven to be useful to contain Covid-19 spread.

Earlier, the protestors at Shaheen Bagh alleged that a petrol bomb was hurled near to the protest site.

The protest is in response to the Citizenship Amendment Act, that grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian refugees who came from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afganistan on or before December 31, 2014. Amid the Covid-19 scare, many urged the protestors to suspend their protest.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive cases of Covid-19 in India stands at 341, which includes 41 foreigners. Delhi has witnessed 26 cases with one death.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Deutsche Telekom AG (ETR:DTE) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days time. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 27th of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 31st of March.

Deutsche Telekom's upcoming dividend is 0.60 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of 0.60 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Deutsche Telekom stock has a trailing yield of around 5.0% on the current share price of 12.086. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Deutsche Telekom

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Deutsche Telekom paid out more than half (74%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 41% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

XTRA:DTE Historical Dividend Yield, March 22nd 2020

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. This is why it's a relief to see Deutsche Telekom earnings per share are up 4.5% per annum over the last five years. Earnings growth has been slim and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.

Story continues

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Deutsche Telekom has seen its dividend decline 2.6% per annum on average over the past ten years, which is not great to see. It's unusual to see earnings per share increasing at the same time as dividends per share have been in decline. We'd hope it's because the company is reinvesting heavily in its business, but it could also suggest business is lumpy.

The Bottom Line

Has Deutsche Telekom got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? While earnings per share growth has been modest, Deutsche Telekom's dividend payouts are around an average level; without a sharp change in earnings we feel that the dividend is likely somewhat sustainable. Pleasingly the company paid out a conservatively low percentage of its free cash flow. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.

In light of that, while Deutsche Telekom has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for Deutsche Telekom and you should be aware of these before buying any shares.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday announced a stay-at-home order to continue combating the spread of coronavirus, essentially telling all residents to remain in their houses and apartments most of the time.

Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton signed the order, which will go into effect at 11:59 p.m. Monday and remain in effect until April 6. At a news briefing, he said his administration will re-assess at that point.

The order, which is the strictest one the state has imposed to date, does allow people to leave their homes to pick up essential supplies, see the doctor and to go outside to exercise or walk the dog.

It also closes certain nonessential businesses, though grocery stores, gas stations, take-out restaurants, pet stores and pharmacies will remain open. So will many government services. (See other exceptions to the order.)

DeWine noted that other states, which include New York, California and Illinois, have issued similar mandates, with some calling them "shelter-in-place orders. He said he preferred stay at home but that the effect is essentially the same.

Time is of the essence and we have to buy that time, DeWine said.

DeWine on Sunday also announced an order that said daycares will not be allowed to operate unless they obtain a special pandemic license. That order goes into effect Thursday.

The orders came at the news briefing where the Health Department reported 351 positive tests for coronavirus throughout the state. Three people have died from the virus.

This is an order, DeWine said. It is a reasonable order. If everybody does this were going to save a lot of lives.

Related:

Q&A: How will Ohios stay-at-home order to combat coronavirus affect your life?

What is open, closed under Ohio stay-at-home order?

I know it feels like life is shutting down: Dr. Amy Acton on stay-at-home order

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine closes all public playgrounds to limit spread of coronavirus

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine orders special coronavirus restrictions on state daycares

Grocery stores, pharmacies, food takeout and delivery to remain open

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine officially orders nonessential businesses closed in response to coronavirus

What does the order mean for pet owners?
Coronation Street legend Ken Morley has claimed that he narrowly escaped death after contracting coronavirus 15 months ago.

The veteran actor, 77, is convinced he caught an early strain of the killer bug over a year ago, with his illness leaving him hospitalised for three days.

Ken, who played Reg Holdsworth in the ITV soap until from 1989 to 1995, told how he was in a 'daze' for days after falling ill around Christmas 2018 while starring in the Cinderella pantomime in York.

Illness: Coronation Street legend Ken Morley has claimed that he narrowly escaped death after contracting coronavirus a year ago

The former soap star went on to say that he'd 'never been that seriously ill ever before' having had several bouts of 'severe flu' in his lifetime.

While in hospital, he was informed by doctors that the unnamed illness had mainly affected 'Chinese students' living in the area.

He told the Daily Star: 'I had suffered severe flu several times before in my life, but nothing to compare to that virus. What I went through was entirely different to anything I had ever had before.'

Ken added: 'The run-in with what I thought was the flu, but am now convinced was a precursor to coronavirus, was looking like the final nail in the coffin  I can honestly say Ive never felt as close to the final curtain as when I collapsed after being helped off stage.

Hospitalised: The veteran actor, 77, is convinced he caught an early strain of the killer bug over a year ago, with his illness leaving him hospitalised for three days

'I had never been that seriously ill ever before and was taken by ambulance to the hospital in York, where I was literally in a daze for three days.'

Ken has had several health scares in the past including prostate cancer and a quadruple bypass, but he says 'nothing was as bad' as his virus.

Reg's words come as a whole host of stars have confirmed they have been tested positive for COVID-19.

Scary: Ken, who played Reg Holdsworth in the ITV soap until from 1989 to 1995, told how he was in a 'daze' for days after falling ill around Christmas 2018 while starring in the Cinderella pantomime in York (pictured in character in 1993)

Struck down: The former soap star went on to say that he'd 'never been that seriously ill ever before' having had several bouts of 'severe flu' in his lifetime

The former GMTV host Fiona Phillips revealed on Twitter that she was suffering from coronavirus.

Fiona, 59, added that the virus is 'not very pleasant' and outlined her symptoms as a sore throat, dry cough, headache and tiredness.

Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were the first Hollywood couple to reveal they had been tested positive for coronavirus during a holiday to the Gold Coast in Australia.

The Forrest Gump actor and his wife, both 63, announced the positive test results earlier this month on Instagram urging the public to 'take care'.

Hanks revealed they had experienced symptoms including the common cold, body aches and chills before they decided to get tested.

Days later, Idris Elba revealed he too had contracted the virus and that he and wife Sabrina had gone into self isolation.

The Luther star, 47, had attended the WE Day UK Charity event and concert in London on Tuesday March 4 with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Another case: The former GMTV host Fiona Phillips revealed on Twitter that she was suffering from coronavirus

Taken ill: The news comes a week after Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for the novel coronavirus during a holiday to the Gold Coast in Australia

Sophie announced she tested positive for the virus last week and has gone into self-quarantine.

Bond girl Olga Kurylenko revealed on Wednesday she's 'feeling better' three days after announcing she had tested positive for coronavirus.

Meanwhile, it was revealed recently that former page 3 girl Linda Lusardi, 61, and her husband Sam Kane, 51, have been taken to hospital and will be tested for COVID-19 after contracting symptoms.

Sam posted on Facebook on Friday afternoon that the couple have been hospitalised and will be tested for the virus 'very soon.'

The talent agency director added that he and Linda are both 'stable but 'very ill,' and asked for 'prayers and positivity.'

Brave: Days later, Idris Elba revealed he too had contracted the virus and that he and wife Sabrina had gone into-self isolation
22.03.2020 LISTEN

ABANTU for Development wishes to underline the critical importance of womens full representation and participation in local governance, in spite of the dismal outcome for women of the 2019 District Level Elections.

With 909 candidates and 216 winners, the 2019 District Assembly Elections recorded the second-lowest number of women contestants in the history of the District Assembly elections coming after the 547 women contestants and 196 winners in 1998. Compared to the 17,601 male contestants in the more than 6000 electoral areas countrywide.

In a press statement released by ABANTU for Development indicates that the 2019 Local Government Election shows that the goal of parity is a long way off and the nation needs to take decisive measures immediately.

"Elections are failing to deliver district assemblies that are devoid of gender marginalisation against the desire to institutionalise political legitimacy and fulfill promises of equitable, sustainable and effective local governance which requires gender sensitivity".

On Tuesday 17th December 2019, Ghanaians went to the polls to cast their ballots to elect members to serve in the District Assemblies nationwide for a period of four years. The process was intended to consolidate constitutional democracy and afford the opportunity to all to be part of the decision making process.

Ghanas District Assemblies were created as the highest political authorities in the districts under the decentralised system of governance to help leapfrog community development.

The objective is to make these assemblies effective centres of self-governance, intensify mass local participation in decision-making, planning and in the sustainable development process. The motivation is to support democracy and afford all possible opportunities to all the people to participate in decision-making at every level in national life.

The system and its processes are therefore expected to facilitate effective popular participation of the marginalised, especially women, as central to ensure accountability, equal opportunities and access to national resources.

Unfortunately, since the introduction of the decentralised system in Ghana, women have been denied a chance to attain the 30 per cent UN recommended minimum threshold in representation in the assemblies in the election since 1988.

This makes gender-based exclusion in these structures a major deficit inequality in participation. Women continue to have a checkered history in both representation and participation. The highest number of women contestants and those elected came in 2006 Elections when 478 got elected as Assembly Members out of 1,772 who contested.

The issue of parity in womens participation in policy-making structures should be a core concern in the desire to strengthen democratic culture and help build ideals of good governance. Local governance has the potential to empower citizens to express and exercise their views effectively and influence government priorities and processes, and women can articulate their needs and concerns more concisely from their own experiences.

Equal participation and sharing of power should engender engagement in policy-making affecting both women and mens lives within the concept of equal citizenship rights.

By perennially allowing for low representation of marginalised groups, especially women, Ghana not only limits the diversity of the decision making bodies like District Assemblies but also poses a challenge to the provision of societal benefits central to true democracy.

The statement continues that, many countries including several in Africa are acting decisively by reforming electoral systems, undertaking constitutional reviews and passing legislation such as Affirmative Action Laws to ensure womens equal participation and representation in politics and decision-making.

These efforts are in direct response to the globally agreed conventions and instruments that mandate all states to act resolutely to accelerate the increase of women in political participation as a critical component of democratic governance and sustainable development. Ghana can do same by passing the Affirmative Action Law.
Trump ignored warnings by intelligence agencies about coronavirus threat: Report

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 March 2020 8:10 AM

US President Donald Trump ignored reports from American intelligence agencies in January and February that warned about the dangers posed by the coronavirus outbreak in China, according to a report.

Trump and members of Congress underestimated the coronavirus threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing US intelligence officials.

The intelligence reports didn't predict when the virus might reach the US or recommend specific methods that public health officials should take, but they did track the spread of the virus in China and other countries, the newspaper reported.

The reports warned the need for swift measures by the US government to contain it, but Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans, the Post said.

Trump has been mistrustful of the US intelligence community, describing it as part of a "deep state" of established bureaucrats that seek to undermine his policies.

"Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were  they just couldn't get him to do anything about it," a US official told the newspaper. "The system was blinking red."

The warnings from US intelligence agencies increased near the end of January and early February and Trump's advisers struggled to get him to take the virus seriously, multiple officials with knowledge of the issue said.

By early February, senior US officials including Trump's deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger, began calling for a more effective response, but Trump resisted and continued to assure Americans that the coronavirus would never run rampant as it had in other countries, according to people briefed on White House meetings.

"I think it's going to work out fine," Trump said on February 19. "I think when we get into April, in the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that and that type of a virus."

But earlier that month, a senior official in the US Department of Health and Human Services delivered a drastically different message to the Senate Intelligence Committee, warning that the virus posed a "serious" threat.

Trump eventually altered his comments after being shown statistical models about the spread of the virus in Asian and European nations and hearing from business leaders last week shaken by a plunge in the stock market, the report said. But by then, the signs were indicating a major outbreak in the United States.

About 60 percent of Americans are now "very" or "somewhat worried" they or a family member will be exposed to the coronavirus, up from 36 percent in February, while confidence in the government's ability to respond has fallen sharply, a Gallup poll released on Monday showed.

US health experts have sharply rebuked the Trump administration for initially downplaying the crisis and lagging behind in testing efforts.

Sick people across the US say they are being denied the coronavirus test, as American states scramble to slow the spread of COVID-19 and stop hospitals from being overwhelmed with a surge in critically ill patients.

As of Saturday morning, at least 19,624 people across the US have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 241 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Globally, over 275,000 people have now been confirmed with the virus, while nearly 11,400 have died.

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An elderly woman with lung cancer has been told by the Home Office she must return to Ukraine despite a ban on all air traffic to the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, her lawyer has said.

The Ukrainian national, 80, was in the UK visiting family and had planned to return home before her visa expired on 19 March, but was unable to do so due to a travel restrictions.

Alex Piletska, a trainee solicitor at Turpin and Miller who represents the woman, contacted the Home Offices newly established coronavirus immigration helpline to ask for advice.

According to Ms Piletska, the civil servant she spoke to first stated that her client could travel by car back to Ukraine, and when questioned how a woman of her age could do this, said: We would expect foreign nationals to make every effort to return home.

When the solicitor pointed out the governments advice for people over 70 to self-isolate, the Home Office staff member reportedly said this advice applied only to British nationals, claiming this was government policy.

The elderly Ukrainian national, who has visited the UK each year for the last 20 years and never overstayed her visa, has now applied for a visa to remain for an extended period in the UK  at a cost of more than 2,000.

It comes as the Home Office is under mounting pressure to update its immigration guidance in order to ensure that foreign nationals who cannot return to their home countries as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak are not treated as immigration offenders.

On 17 February, the Home Office announced that Chinese citizens in the UK would automatically have their visas extended without their needing to do anything, as long as they met certain conditions.

Lawyers are urging the Home Office to extend this to all foreign nationals currently in the UK whose visas are set to expire in the coming months.

Describing her elderly clients current state, Ms Piletska told The Independent: Shes very stressed. Shes terrified of the coronavirus in itself. The idea that she would then make this long journey across Europe is absurd. It would be absurd even without the pandemic and if the countries shed have to travel through hadnt closed their borders. Shes now also worried that her application will be refused on top of everything else.

Ms Piletska said many other foreign nationals would be in a similar situation, unable to leave the UK in time for their visa expiry date due to travel restrictions or the need to self-isolate, with some in an even worse position than her client it they couldnt afford to apply to extend their leave.

There will be people who have just come for a short trip who must be bewildered at the idea of having to navigate our immigration system. This comes in the same week that the Windrush review has come out, and while its not exactly the same, the general insensitivity to peoples circumstances can be seen here as well.

We are expecting a new policy to be announced any day now that we hope will be comprehensive enough to cover everyone affected by the coronavirus. Otherwise, people will become overstayers through no fault of their own.

A series of recommendations published by the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) earlier this week calls on the Home Office to adopt a flexible and pragmatic approach to anyone affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by granting an automatic extension of limited leave to remain for any foreign national currently in the UK to at least September 2020.

It also urges the department to confirm to third parties such as employers, landlords and the NHS that their residence in the UK remains lawful, in order to prevent them falling foul of the hostile environment.

The briefing states: International measures reducing the impact of Covid-19 are affecting foreign nationals who either wish to enter for example to take up a job or are currently in the UK and are unable to leave or apply to extend their stay. It is also having an impact on businesses who rely on them.

An urgent comprehensive policy update is needed now as individuals are already facing situations which compromise their UK immigration position.

Sonia Lenegan, legal director at ILPA, told The Independent it was difficult to see why the Home Office had not updated its immigration guidance, and that its failure to do so was no doubt contributing to the confusion of those advising on the helpline.

She added: There is no justification for prioritising immigration controls over the public health. These are unprecedented times, and the response from the Home Office must match this, and quickly.

The Home Office said it was actively putting plans in place to support people whose immigration status has been affected.

A spokesperson added: An initial phase of visa extensions for Chinese nationals who are unable to return has already been announced and we will shortly be setting out arrangements for other foreign nationals. In line with the arrangements already announced, we will continue to take a compassionate and pragmatic approach.

To keep people informed and to provide support, a dedicated helpline has been established for those who want to discuss their individual circumstances.
Nathalie Ogando sits with her adopted cousin, Lean Martinez, 5, after she was adopted during a ceremony in an adoption court on National Adoption Day marked at the Miami Children's Museum in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 20, 2015. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Faith-Based Adoption Agency to Plead Its Free Exercise Case to the Supreme Court

Commentary

In June 2018, a mother known as Doe Foster Mother #1, and who had fostered 14 children in 18 years, wrote the following in a signed affidavit:

That she had been certified to receive placements through Catholic Social Services (CSS), a reputable adoption agency. That some of the children she fostered were diagnosed with autism. That the city of Philadelphia refused to place one such child, diagnosed with autism, with her again because she worked exclusively with CSS and the city deemed that agencys beliefs violated the citys anti-discrimination ordinance.

Thus, the child, Doe Foster Child #1, who could barely speak in full sentencessuch was the severity of his autismlanguished in a temporary home. Without the foster mother guiding him, the boy struggled to eat. He failed to receive the therapy he needed. His school marked him absent.

Not because a loving mother who had decided to adopt him was unavailable, but because Philadelphias Department of Human Services would rather sever ties with a faith-based adoption agency, accusing them of discrimination for maintaining deeply held religious beliefs about marriage, than continue to facilitate adoption for a child with autism and for whom a loving, stable home is a balm for an erratic mind and heart.

Though the city eventually relented and allowed for the foster child and mother to be reunited, they did not offer to renew CSSs contract with the city, making it another tale of woe of faith-based business owners and organizations on the receiving end of government animus.

CSS and three foster mothers sued the City of Philadelphia in May 2018, asking for CSSs suspended contract to be renewed as the citys actions went against its religious-freedom rights. They lost their case twice, but now the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case in the fall.

Other Cases

This isnt the only case of state-sanctioned targeting of faith-based adoption services. There have been at least two other similar cases in New York and Michigan.

They all have one thing in common: All the adoption agencies have a faith-based foundation. All espouse traditional, centuries-old, Judeo-Christian views on marriage. All facilitate the adoptions of children, who often have significant emotional or physical needs. The state intervened in all these cases, accusing the adoption agency of discrimination while ignoring their own bigotry.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services targeted New Hope Family Services for conducting faith-based adoptions in 2018. New York threatened to force New Hope to shut down its adoption program. New Hope responded, asking a court to stop the state from targeting it for its religious beliefs and to preserve its ability to continue placing children in adoptive homes while the lawsuit moves forward, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, the law firm representing New Hope.

In 2017, the ACLU sued the state of Michigan because they had partnered with agencies such as St. Vincent Catholic Charities and that agency does not endorse same-sex couples for adoption certification. Then, in early 2019, in an unprecedented political move, the new state attorney general made a settlement deal with the ACLU and got on board with their efforts to try to halt adoptions through only the faith-based agencies with which the state had partnered.

St. Vincent received taxpayer subsidies, which made the case all the more complex. But in April 2019, St. Vincent filed a lawsuit against the state regarding the settlement. In September 2019, a federal court ruled that the States real goal is not to promote non-discriminatory child placements, but to stamp out St. Vincents religious belief and replace it with the States own. St. Vincent is still functioning as a faith-based adoption agency today while the case continues to be heard.

Growing Hostility

The experience of Doe Foster Child #1 amplifies the blatant violation of CSSs rights to function with deeply held religious beliefs about marriage, and makes this particular story a double-edged sword of bigotry: Its not just the agency whose business facilitating adoptions was halted. Mankind was my business, as Charles Dickens wrote centuries ago. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business.

In essence, children suffered because of Philadelphias attenuated, bigoted, agenda toward an organization rooted in faith.

Its unfortunate to see states exercising such obvious hostility toward organizations operating from strong religious convictions. In fact, such instances seem to have increased since Supreme Court Justice Kennedy scolded the state of Colorado in his 2018 Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission opinion for not considering the case of the baker and the gay couple with the religious neutrality that the Constitution requires.

That thousands, hundreds, or even just one autistic child would suffer the loss of family or a home as a result of this state-based anti-religious animus makes all these adoption agency casesand particularly the one before the Supreme Courtthat much more important to resolve.

Nicole Russell is a freelance writer and mother of four. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Politico, The Daily Beast, and The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter @russell_nm.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Anne Graham Lotz more concerned about fear, mass panic COVID-19 has provoked than the virus

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Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of famed evangelist Billy Graham, suggested the new coronavirus might be a sign of the end times and stressed the importance of making sure we are right with God so that we are ready to meet Him whenever the time comes.

In an op-ed, Lotz, founder of AnGel Ministries, said the coronavirus has created national fear in a way I have not witnessed in my lifetime.

As of this writing, ball games are being canceled; theaters are shutting down; schools are closing; travel is restricted, and the stock market is on a crazy, wild rollercoaster ride. Its almost as though our nation is being attacked by an invisible enemy seeking to destroy us, she wrote.

Lotz said that while she is at risk for the disease due to her age and recent struggles with cancer, she is more concerned about the fear the coronavirus has provoked than I am of the virus itself. We seem to be caught up in a national panic.

The evangelist pointed out that Jesus warned that at the end of time, there would be pestilences, adding: In the last few years, we have endured SARS, the swine flu, ebola, avian flu, MERS, West Nile virus and now the coronavirus.

Could COVID-19 be one more sign that our redemption is drawing near? Is the end in sight? Is Jesus coming  soon? If so, is fear the proper response?

Citing the example of the prophet Isaiah, Lotz said prayer should be the response in times like these.

"This is a time to pray for ourselves, our families, our nation, and all those worldwide whose lives are being devastated by the death and disruption this disease is causing, she said. You and I need to make sure we are right with God so that we are ready to meet Him whenever the time comes. And then join me in helping someone else get right with God.

Lets pull out all the stops as we tell others that its possible to have peace in the midst of the storm and confident hope for tomorrow, claiming Jesus promise, Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age, she concluded.

The novel coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, and has since spread around the world. As of Friday morning, the number of cases has topped 209,800 in 166 countries and territories with 8,778 deaths, according to the World Health Organization, and the U.S. has declared a national emergency.

In 2010, 41% of respondents to a survey told Pew Research Center that they expected Jesus to return by 2050. Recently, several Christian leaders have weighed in on whether the coronavirus is a sign of the end times.

In January, theologian Al Mohler noted that Revelation 6:7-8 reads: When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. So I looked and behold a pale horse, and the name of him who sat on it was Death and Hades followed with him.

That fourth horseman has often been associated with plague, with illness, with a violent death by means of this kind of disease, which we now identify primarily with deadly viruses spreading across the human population, he explained.

According to Mohler, All of this presented in Scripture as aspects of God's judgment, not only in the past, but a warning of an apocalyptic future in which God's judgment is going to be poured out on humanity in horrifying ways.

The theologian said that beyond the issue of public health, Christians need to understand the deep biblical and theological overtones to all of this.

Eventually there is going to come a plague that will not be stopped, for which no antidote will be found, for which no vaccine will be effective. It is because that plague is going to come as an act of God's judgment upon humanity. And Christians know in this case as in every other, there is no safe place to be but in Christ, he wrote.

Michael Brown, host of the Christian radio show The Line of Fire, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, also said coronavirus is not a sign of the end times, but a prime opportunity for believers to reflect on what's to come.

I see this as a trial run to see how we respond to calamity and hardship, he told The Washington Post. If were shaken now, how are we going to react when it really gets wild?

Evangelical pastor Max Lucado told The Christian Post that COVID-19 could be a sign of the end times and encouraged Christians to keep our Bibles and hearts open more than ever before.

We have situations like this in history and it will happen again," he said. "I dont know if this is an indication that were near the end of the world as we know it, but it could be. Nobody knows. But its a reminder to us to turn our hearts to the Lord and keep praying.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: A 63-year-old male coronavirus positive patient died in Mumbai on Saturday late night. This is the fifth coronavirus casualty in India.

The man was earlier admitted in Reliance Hospital then shifted to government hospital and then shifted to a government hospital.

He had a high chronic history of diabetes, blood pressure, ischemic heart disease and after contracting coronavirus he also developed acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDC) leading to his death.

COVID-19 LIVE | India observes 'Janta curfew' as confirmed cases reach 324, five dead so far

As per reports, ten more coronavirus positive patients were detected on Sunday that includes five from Mumbai while 5 from Pune.

The fifth patient had international travel history while the rest of them succumbed to the infection post coming in contact with other coronavirus positive patients.

Maharashtra currently has 74 positive coronavirus patients.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra government has already announced preventive measures to curb the spread of virus like prohibiting people from using the local trains from Sunday, and being asked to stay at home.

Only those working in in essential services and government officers are only allowed to travel in the local trains.

Government has also deployed Maharashtra Police, Railway police, health officer and revenue officers team at the entrance and exit of the railway station to check the ID cards.

The thermal gun has been given to check the temperature of travelling passengers.
The 32-year-old Fort Lee man who became New Jerseys first coronavirus patient has been released from the hospital, a Hackensack Meridian Health spokeswoman confirmed to NJ Advance Media.

James Cai, a physician assistant who was treated at Hackensack University Medical Center, told the New York Post he was released on Saturday.

Cai had told ABC Eyewitness News earlier this month that he was stunned he became so sick considering his young age.

He contracted the virus during a medical meeting at the Westin Hotel in New York Citys Times Square, the report said. He started feeling symptoms a few days later and went to an urgent care facility. He was ultimately admitted to an emergency room March 3.

A woman who answered Cais phone declined comment.

Though Cai said he did not have any underlying conditions, he told ABC Eyewitness News earlier this month that his symptoms  fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea  had been worsening.

After contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, Cai suffered damage to his lungs, requiring oxygen treatment, the New York Post reported. The hospital discharged him with a portable oxygen machine and a larger machine for when he sleeps.

Cai said its possible that lung fibrosis could lead to health problems later in life, and that its still unknown whether he will have permanent damage, according to the report.

Cai, the report said, remains in isolation at home for 14 days  as a precautionary measure  while his family stays with relatives.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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2020-03-21 22:10:44

Jak oszusci wykorzystuja koronawirusa

u2 <u...@o...pl>

https://fortune.com/2020/03/18/hackers-coronavirus-c

ybersecurity/



How hackers are exploiting the coronavirus--and how to protect yourself



By

David Z. Morris



March 18, 2020 5:01 AM EST



The race is on to create a coronavirus antiviral drug and vaccine

Gilead's drug Remdesivir is already being tested on patients.



We all have new worries thanks to the current coronavirus pandemic, but

the old worries haven't gone away. Among them: malicious hackers, some

of whom are trying to use the outbreak to steal or ransom victims' data.



Several recent attacks have attempted to leverage the coronavirus by

getting people to click on links in messages about the illness,

according to a report by cybersecurity firm Nocturnus on Wednesday.

Hackers have also tried to use the influx of people working at home

because of the virus to their advantage.



Chief among the techniques are coronavirus-themed phishing campaigns

targeting countries hard-hit by the coronavirus, including China, Japan,

South Korea, and Italy. As with many other phishing efforts, the

hackers' goal is to get a user to click on an emailed link that

downloads malicious malware, which can be used to steal victims'

personal data or freeze their computers.





Nocturnus said the emails have tried to bait users into clicking with

subject lines such as "Coronavirus: Important information on

precautions" (in this case, in Italian). Other phishing emails spotted

by a second security firm, Nuspire, include messages about a coronavirus

vaccine (which doesn't exist yet), deals on medical equipment, and

investment opportunities related to the outbreak.



Coronavirus-themed ransomware, which can encrypt a computer's hard

drive, enabling hackers to demand payment to unlock it, has also been

used. One piece of malware spotted warns victims: "Just because you're

home doesn't mean you're safe," before demanding payment to unlock

files, according to Nocturnus.



Software appearing to provide information about the coronavirus, while

actually delivering malicious software, is another problem. "Coronavirus

map" software that appears to track the global pandemic, for example,

also hides the password-stealing malware AZORult, cybersecurity firm

Reason Security said. The Nocturnus report also identified a mobile app

that promises "Ways to Get Rid of Coronavirus," which, in fact, delivers

malware that steals banking information.



Nocturnus has also found suspicious domains claiming to distribute VPN,

or virtual private network, software. Many white-collar workers who are

now working from home may need such software. But attempting to download

it from an untrustworthy site could leave computer with--again--a

dangerous malware infection.



How to avoid malware



Broadly, avoiding most of these risks means following the same advice as

during more normal times. Don't click on links from unknown people. Only

download or install software from trusted sources. And verify that the

URL of any website that asks users to enter a password is accurate:

Hackers often set up URLs that are similar to real websites to harvest

passwords.



Remote-work vulnerabilities



The sudden increase in remote work that many companies have instituted

over the past week introduces a new set of cybersecurity risks to

organizations. The fundamental problem: Communication that is entirely

online makes it much easier for bad actors to use deception to gain

access to systems. This type of hack, generally known as social

engineering, relies on con artistry rather than code.



Hackers may "call into a department and pretend to be another

department" of an organization, says Marty Puranik, president and CEO of

cloud computing provider Atlantic.net. Chris Wysopal, cofounder and

chief technology officer of security firm Veracode, warns that hackers

may pretend to be employees having remote access problems thus tricking

IT staff into giving them access. Both scenarios suggest taking

additional care when verifying identities remotely.



Even more worrisome, Puranik says hackers "could impersonate Department

of Homeland Security [personnel] and call a police department, call a

hospital chain and say, we need access to your system so we can, for

example, enforce a curfew." DHS did not respond to inquiries from

Fortune about how companies can confirm the identities of government

agents remotely, but one simple solution would be for them to contact

DHS directly to investigate suspicious requests.



Hackers impersonating government agents may have goals well beyond

stealing bank account information, or even infiltrating corporate

systems. An attempted hack of the U.S. Health and Human Services agency

website on Sunday appears to have been aimed at slowing emergency

information systems and spreading false information through text messages.



Much is unclear about the attack, but some sources told Bloomberg that

it was likely state-backed. The incident suggests that the coronavirus

pandemic could become partly a replay of the 2016 U.S. election, with

governments angling to destabilize opponents by sowing fear and distrust.



At their most extreme, hacks could even interfere with systems vital in

the fight against the virus. A Czech hospital appears to have been hit

by a ransomware attack, in which hackers shut down its information

systems and asked for money to eliminate the problem, though there is no

evidence that attack was state-backed.



The fluid situation is likely to make serious cyberattacks of many sorts

easier, says Puranik. "Sometimes the rules go out the window when

there's a lot of volatility. Someone might let down their guard.



"It makes it easier for malicious actors to take advantage of the system."



[...]


- Ghana has implemented measures at its border with Togo to detect the coronavirus among travelers

- It is expected to follow up with travel restrictions to and from the country

- Measures introduced at the border include a thermal scanner and training for border officials

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Ghana has taken steps to fortify security around its border with Togo in a bid to detect the virus in time.

This comes after both countries confirmed cases of the coronavirus which has resulted in the loss of lives around the world.

YEN.com.gh understands that the measures were confirmed by the Aflao Sector Commander of the Immigration Service, Chief Superintendent Fred Duadu.

READ ALSO: Bob Chapek: New Disne CEO faces first test as coronavirus 'shuts down' Disneyland

Speaking to Accra-based Joy FM, he indicated that "a thermal scanner has been installed at the border health post to help identify travelers who may be infected with the virus.

Border officials have also been trained to handle people who may have been infected.

Per a Business Insider report, he added that everyone who travels from Togo to Ghana would be subjected to a screening process at the border.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the minister of Information, has meanwhile stated that the government would soon impose travel restrictions to and from Ghana.

This comes after restrictions were placed on all foreign trips by public officials.

According to him, a meeting to be chaired by President Akufo-Addo would reach a decision on the matter shortly.

In other news, the health minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has announced two confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus otherwise known as COVID-19 in Ghana.

According to the Health Minister, the two persons tested positive after laboratory tests from the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research on Thursday, March 12.

A statement sighted by YEN.com.gh from the Ministry of Health indicates that the two confirmed cases were reported as imported cases since both individuals returned to Ghana from Norway and Turkey.

He made this revelation while addressing an emergency press briefing organized by the Information ministry, Yesterday, March 12, 2020.

READ ALSO: Hopes of possible cure of coronavirus leads to boom in world markets

Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana

Yenkasa: Coronavirus: Is Ghana ready? | #Yencomgh

Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos

Source: YEN.com.gh
A Pune woman who tested positive for coronavirus and went on to infect four more people even as her source of her own infection remains untraceable so far, could be a possible community transmission case of coronavirus, officials at the Pune district administration said Sunday.

Pune recorded four more cases on Sunday taking the count in district to 27. Maharashtras health minister Rajesh Tope said the number of positive cases in the state has gone up to 74 with 10 more cases including Punes four cases reported since Saturday evening.

According to health officials at Pune Municipal Corporation, four of the six first contacts of the woman have tested positive. The four include her family members who will be brought to PMCs Naidu hospital from Bharati Hospital where the woman is admitted and undergoing treatment. The rest of her family is currently quarantined in that hospital. The woman is currently in critical condition and on ventilator support.

Also read: 63-year-old Covid-19 patient dies in Mumbai, death toll in India at 5: Officials

The four include the patients son, brother-in-law, sister and sisters daughter. The patients husband and daughter too have shown symptoms like fever, said a doctor at Bharati Hospital.

The 41-year-old woman does not have a history of travel to foreign countries and had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 17. A central team visited Pune on Saturday to investigate the possible sources who could have infected the woman, a resident of Sinhgad road area from where Punes first two Covid-19 cases were reported on March 10.

Follow coronavirus live updates here.

The woman attended a wedding at Navi Mumbai earlier this month and had also used public transport to go to Aangandwadi at Panshet area in Pune where she works as a sevika. A driver who drove her family from Navi Mumbai to Pune is also quarantined.

Divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar on Saturday said, about four family members who came in direct contact with the patient have been isolated at their homes while driver of cab she hired has been quarantined at Naidu hospital.

We have already traced over 100 people who had come in contact with the patient and also contact tracing those who came in contact with the four family members of the patient. This number may run in hundreds. A Central government team has visited the hospital where the woman is admitted to decide on whether the case is of local transmission or community transmission. Officials believe that it could be due to local transmission if the patient came in contact with any positive patient unknowingly, Mhaisekar said.

Community transmission is the third stage of the pandemic which India desperately wants to avoid. The pandemic is currently in its second stage in India.
Streets in the capital city and other parts of the state wore a deserted look as the 'Janata curfew' began on Sunday morning. (AFP)

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to shut state borders, also postpone all exams including LC (class 10), aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19 virus, chief minister B S Yediyurappa said on Sunday.

Streets in the capital city and other parts of the state wore a deserted look as the 'Janata curfew' proposed by prime minister Narendra Modi to help check the spread of coronavirus began.

The chief minister complimented and thanked people of the state for supporting the prime minister's call for observing the 'Janata Curfew'.
Governor Bill Lee signed Executive Order 17 calling for businesses across the state to utilize alternative business models beginning at midnight CDT on Monday, March 23, until midnight CDT April 6. The order also outlines ways businesses and citizens should work to protect vulnerable populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created both an economic and a health crisis and our response must continue to address both aspects, said Governor Lee. Our goal is to keep the public, especially vulnerable populations, safe while doing everything possible to keep Tennesseans in a financially stable position.

Executive Order 17 prohibits social gatherings of 10 or more people and also enacts the following provisions regarding restaurants, bars, and similar food and drink establishments:

Establishments are to exclusively offer drive-thru, take-out or delivery options to support families, businesses and the food supply chain during this emergency.

Establishments may sell alcohol by take-out or delivery (with the purchase of food) in closed containers to those who are age 21 and up.

Gyms and fitness/exercise centers or substantially similar facilities are to temporarily close and suspend in-person services until April 6. In the interim, these businesses are encouraged to pursue digital programming if possible.

The order also pursues additional measures to keep vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with underlying conditions safe.

Visitation to nursing homes, retirement homes, and long-term care or assisted-living facilities is now limited to visits involving essential care only.

Businesses are encouraged to enact policies that take extra steps to assist vulnerable populations by considering measures such as shopping hours exclusive from the general public.

I urge every Tennessean to take these actions seriously - our physical and economic health depend on this as we work to beat COVID-19, said Governor Lee.

More information regarding COVID-19, health resources and support for small business is available HERE.
Some donned their chef's hats, a few picked up books for late morning reads, and many enjoyed something that has become scarce given the everyday noise pollution - listening to birds chirping on trees - during the 'Janta Curfew' on Sunday.

Proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, the "self-imposed curfew" inspired people to stay indoors from 7am till 9pm and spend some quality time with their families.

While Twitter user Vandana Kumar was excited to hear "the call of nature" in the busy metropolis of Mumbai, writer and addiction counsellor Smita Barooah "woke up to the call of the peacock".

"Can u believe it, this is Mumbai and for the 1st time we cld hear only the call of the nature ...The birds chirping ...all kinds..The koyal, the crow, the pigeon, the sparrow...How soothing (sic)," Kumar tweeted.

Barooah wrote on the social media website, "In my housing complex, can't see a single person or car move. Can you hear the koel & the other birds? Woke up to the call of the peacock :)," while sharing a video.

Another user, Kunal Rajendra Sagar, from Mumbai also shared a video clip from his balcony.

"it is first time I am able to hear nature's voice of birds instead of human generated noice (sic)," he wrote.

Appreciation towards the birds' chirping was apparent from the trending topic 'Bird' on Twitter with over 64,000 tweets.

While roads across the country wore a deserted look, the traffic on the social media site was booming with over 3.4 lakh tweets trending with #JantaCurfew.

Several users from different cities shared photos and videos of deserted roads that see heavy traffic on usual days including the Connaught Place market in New Delhi, the Bandra-Worli sea link and Palm Beach road in Mumbai, the walled city area in Jaipur, Hazratganj and Chowk areas of Lucknow, and Dhakuria in Kolkata.

Corporate lawyer Aditi shared a video of the Marine Drive in south Mumbai, deserted "for the first time" in her lifetime.

"Bombay, slowing down for the first time in my lifetime (30 years), and coming together as usual in support during these testing times," she said.

The curfew also brought out the chefs in people as several Twitter users shared photos from their kitchens.

Mohit Gupta tried his hand at cooking as he posted a picture while stirring a pan.

"Learning cooking how to make food (sic). The Best way to spend time at home," he wrote.

Venkatesha Prasad, all the way from the Netherlands that is also affected by coronavirus, shared a picture of his children cooking for the family.

"Our kids are cooking food for all of us (10 ppl). They learn important life skill & No boredom! We can make a change, Yes we can Win!" he wrote on the microblogging website.

Some Twitterati decided to read during the curfew as they posted pictures of books.

One user, Urvi (Sirf Sana), decided to pick up 'The Goldfinch' by Donna Tartt, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2014. Another user Neeraj Nigam picked up 'The Making of Hero' by Sunil Kant Munjal.

The 'Janta Curfew' was announced by the prime minister on Thursday evening to hinder the spread of coronavirus.

By Sunday morning, the number of COVID-19 positive people in the country had gone up to 324, according to the Health Ministry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha said that from 12 am on Monday, the entire state will be under lockdown till 31 March. 'State borders have been sealed. Action will be taken against the people who will violate the lockdown,' he said.

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Markets regulator SEBI and stock exchanges on Sunday said all segments of the bourses will operate normally on Monday. Exchange and regulatory officials dismissed suggestions about curtailment of trading hours.

Meanwhile, the ongoing anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh saw lesser numbers. At the beginning of the outbreak, some protesters had remained adamant about not stopping the agitation.

A day after the Janta Curfew, a lockdown began in Delhi on Monday and will continue till 31 March as the coronavirus toll in India rose to seven.

Curfew will remain imposed in Pune, Maharashtra till 31 March. All establishments, excluding emergency services and essentials will remain closed during this period. Any offender shall be punished under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, Pune Police told ANI.

Additionally, persons who have been diagnosed as infected with COVID-19 shall mandatorily remain in an isolation facility of a hospital and shall leave the premises only after being discharged by the treating doctor:.

The Delhi government ordered that 35000 foreign-returned persons staying in the city since 1 March and their contacts shall comply with directions of 14-day home quarantine. Any person found disobeying directions shall be prosecuted and punished with imprisonment or fine or both.

He said Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine on Friday against pneumococcal infection.

The German chancellor was informed about the doctors test shortly after holding a news conference on Sunday announcing new measures to curb the fast-spreading virus, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

German chancellor Angela Merkel went to self-quarantine after being informed that a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said earlier the Olympics may have to be postponed if it can't run in "complete form," and the International Olympic Committee confirmed it's in talks with organizers on issues surrounding the impact of the virus on the Games, "including the scenario of postponement."

Canada is the first team to announce it won't go to the Games because of COVID-19 risks.

Canada will not send athletes to the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Canadian officials confirmed in a statement Sunday night. It's calling on organizers to postpone the Games for one year.

"The danger right now with the lockdowns, if we don't put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up," said Ryan.

"What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them," Mike Ryan said in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

Countries can't simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert said on Sunday, adding that public health measures are needed to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on.

As Maharashtra continued to lead in the number of active cases, Health Minister Rajesh Tope again appealed to people to refrain from stepping out of their homes as 'isolation' is the key to battling the COVID-19 virus.

Another 15 coronavirus cases were reported in Maharashtra since Sunday evening, taking the state's tally to 89, according to new agency ANI.

The union territory administration in Sunday announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till 31 March as part of its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. People associated with 16 essential services, including healthcare, have been exempted from the restrictions.

People were requested to stay indoors and not venture out unnecessarily.

Police vehicles fitted with public address systems went around residential areas in the city and elsewhere in the Valley early in the morning to announce that restrictions under CrPC Section 144, barring assembly of people, had been imposed.

Authorities in Kashmir on Monday started enforcing a lockdown to help check the spread of the novel coronavirus in the Valley.

The exams were scheduled on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Laloo said, adding that spot evaluations have also been postponed.

The decision was taken in view of safety and security of students, the board's controller of examination TR Laloo said.

The state government has directed the Meghalaya Board of School Education to postpone remaining examinations until further notice, the official said.

The ongoing Class 12 state board examinations in Meghalaya have been postponed for an indefinite period as a preventive measure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said on Monday.

Ola is operating with few vehicles to support essential services in the city. An Ola spokesperson said the company "will enable a minimal network of vehicles to support essential services in cities, wherever applicable, as part of this national effort to reduce the contagion of COVID-19".

The Delhi government on Sunday said the city will be in lockdown from 23 to 31 March, under which no public transport, including private buses, taxis and autorickshaws will be allowed.

Services of Ola will not be available in Delhi till 31 March as the state government announced complete lockdown to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus infection.

His Washington office began operating remotely 10 days ago, the statement said, and hence virtually no staff has had contact with him. The statement did not detail how long Paul had been in quarantine.

Mr Paul "is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events," his office said on Twitter, and he has since self-quarantined.

Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced in a statement on Sunday. He is the first senator and the third member of Congress to test positive for the deadly virus.

All Sensex components were trading in the red, with Axis Bank tanking up to 20 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Hero MotoCorp and M&M.

As an automatic mechanism to freefall in the market, when an exchange plunges 10 per cent before 1 pm, trading is halted on stock exchanges for 45 minutes.

After opening 2,718 points lower, the BSE barometer plunged 2,991.85 points or 10 percent to 26,924.11. Similarly, the NSE Nifty fell 842.45 points, or 9.63 per cent, to 7,903.

Equity benchmark Sensex sank nearly 3,000 points to hit its lower circuit limit in morning session on Monday, triggering a 45-minute trading freeze as coronavirus-led lockdowns across the world stoked fears of a massive global recession.

He died at the private hospital late Sunday night, it said.

The man had initially tested positive for coronavirus and was under treatment at the civic-run Kasturba Hospital. He was later shifted to a private hospital after his test report came out negative, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a statement.

This is the third death reported from Mumbai in connection with COVID-19.

A 68-year-old man from Philippines, who tested positive for coronavirus infection and later recovered, has died at a hospital in Mumbai, the city civic body said on Monday.

In an attempt to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak in India, several states announced they will be imposing lockdown till 31 March. In some of these states the lockdown is state-wide while in others only the districts that have reported novel coronavirus cases have been put under lockdown. So far, 80 districts across the country have reported Covid-19 cases.

The Centre has issued an order on Monday asking state governments to strictly enforce lockdown in coronavirus-affected areas as it was announced on Sunday. The government has also warned of legal actiona gainst violators.

With this, Ahmedabad now has total 13 cases, Vadodara-six, Surat and Gandhinagar-four each, and Kutch and Rajkot-one each, the health department said. So far, one coronavirus patient has died in the state.

Among the new patients, five are males and six females. Of these, five cases are of localtransmission and six patients have history of recent visits to countries like Saudi Arabia, France, Sri Lankaand the UK, it said.

Eleven new coronavirus cases have been reported in Gujarat, taking the total number of those infected by the deadly virus in the state to 29, the state health department said on Monday.

We shdould all be focussed on how to minimise spread of the problem. Situation is changing rapidly not just in India, but even in our export markets, added Bajaj.

"There will no job losses and no salary cuts in the aftermath of production units being shut down to contain the novel coronavirus," Rajiv Bajaj told CNBC-TV18. The auto major will also take care of all its suppliers and vendor companies, he added.

Rajiv Bajaj, managing director and CEO of Bajaj Auto said the company is preparing for a eight-week halt in its production units at Akurdi, Chakan, Aurangabad, Pantnagar.

Delhi has reported 29 positive cases, including a foreigner, while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 28, also including a foreigner, it added.

The number of novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra stands at 89, which includes three foreigners. Kerala also reported 67 cases, including seven foreign nationals, data issued by the ministry showed.

Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the nation as on 23 March is 415, including the foreign nationals, according to Union Health Ministry.

"Extremely proud of this team of @airindiain, which has shown utmost courage and risen to the call of humanity. Their outstanding efforts are admired by several people across India. #IndiaFightsCorona," the prime minister tweeted.

The airline in a press release on Sunday said it was alarming that in many localities Air India crew members were facing ostracisation because they travelled abroad to evacuate Indians.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the crew of Air India which has been evacuating stranded people from coronavirus-hit countries, a day after the airline complained that some "vigilante" resident welfare associations and neighbours were ostracising its crew members who went abroad as part of their duty.

The high court directed the authorities to hold an urgent meeting on Tuesday to explore alternate methods for the test.

The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered the concerned authorities to suspend the Breath Analyser Test (BAT) through tube process for air traffic controllers till 27 March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

They have also have been constantly updating the public with all relevant information during this pandemic. A list of helplines for all the states and union territories have been released that people can call and ask for any information regarding the virus.

In order to ensure that anyone who experiences symptoms of the disease can be tested, the government of India along with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Ministry of Health and Family welfare have opened 52 testing sites around the country.

As of 23 March, India has reported a total of 415 confirmed cases. Seven people have died due to the virus, meanwhile, 24 have been reported to have recovered.

"Provide sanitisers for staff and passengers. Seat between two passengers must be kept empty," read the DGCA directive.

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued social distancing Measures for Airlines and Airport Operators on Monday. Some of the measures include to ensure adequate spacing in check-in counters between passengers.

The Delhi government submitted that it will amend its prison rules to provide the options of special parole and furlough. It said a notification would be issued within a day to amend the prison rules to include the new provisions.

A Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad, taking note of the submission, directed the Delhi government to take the necessary steps during the day to implement the measures.

The Delhi government told the Delhi High Court on Monday that it has decided to decongest the prisons in the National Capital by providing convicts with the options of special parole and furlough to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus.

The HIgh Powered Committee will comprise - Chairman, who shall be chairman of the legal services commitee, Concerned Secretary of the State and DG prisons.

In the wake of the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court has asked each State to form a High Power Committee headed by chairman of state legal service authority to determine which class of prisoners can be released on parole or on interim bail. The decision was taken to avoid overcrowding in jails.

In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the Kerala High Court will remain shut till 8 April. Sittings will be held on Tuesdays and Fridays to consider emergency cases. Cases which affect individual freedom, Habeas corpus petitions and bail pleas will be considered only on these days.

Across India, 80 districts including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru were placed on complete lockdown on Sunday, which means only essential services will be allowed.

Any person disobeying any regulation or order made under this Act shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, which can lead to a jail term of six months, a fine of Rs 1000, or both.

Senior government officials said there are provisions under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to take action against people disobeying lockdown ruled under the Epidemics Diseases Act of 1897.

The Centre has asked state governments to strictly enforce lockdowns and take legal action against those who violated the restrictions after confirmed cases of coronavirus jumped to 415 on Monday.

Earlier, the Benaras Hindu University (BHU) on Sunday announced that the OPDs of Sir Sunderlal Hospital has been postponed from 23 March till further orders. "In view of COVID-19, all OPDs of Sir Sunderlal Hospital has been postponed from March 23 till further orders," said a BHU official.

In view of the increasing threat of the novel coronavirus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) OPD services will remain closed till further notice, ANI reported. "All OPD services in All India Institute of Medical Sciences and all centres to remain closed till further orders."

However, in order to contain the fast-spreading infection, the state government has decided to prohibit movement of all Inter-State passenger vehicles up to 31 March. All goods carrying vehicles, personal vehicles, vehicles on government duty and those used for emergency services are exempted.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on his official Twitter handle posted, "We have noticed that this WhatsApp message is being circulated, which is completely baseless. We will let everyone know if the government takes any such decisions. Request everyone not to panic in our fight against COVID-19."

Amid the coronavirus scare, several social media groups on WhatsApp are spreading fake news of a probable lock-down in the state of Assam, however CMO Assam's Twitter handle dismissed all allegations on Monday.

A case under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered.

Twitter user Akhu Chingangbam took to the social media platform to narrate the incident where a middle aged man allegedly spat on the woman "before fleeing from the spot on his white scooty".

The Delhi Police on Monday registered a case against a man who allegedly spat on Manipuri woman and called her corona. The incident allegedly took place in Vijay Nagar area of North Delhi on Sunday night.

"The functioning of this court as well as the courts subordinate thereto is hereby suspended till 4 April, 2020," the notification said.

The decision, taken by an eight-judge committee headed by Chief Justice DN Patel, was communicated in a notification issued by the high court's Registrar General.

The high court also said that the limitation period for any court proceeding would not be considered from 23 March till 4 April, 2020 subject to further orders. Period of limitation means the time period under which a suit, appeal or application has to be filed.

The Delhi High Court Monday suspended its functioning as well as of district courts till 4 April in view of coronavirus threat. The matters of extreme urgency will have to be mentioned before the registrar or joint registrar telephonically and hearing will take place through video conferencing.

District borders will be shut and only essential services will be available. With this, Tamil Nadu became the 15th state to go under lockdown as the number of confirmed cases climbed to 415.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday enforced Section 144 across the state, effective from 6 pm on 24 March (Tuesday) till 31 March, in an effort to curb the fast-spreading coronavirus.

The Arunachal Pradesh state government has invoked the Epidemic Act and has announced complete safety restrictions of state from 5pm on 23 March till the midnight of 31 March. All essential services shall be exempted, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. According to reports, Banerjee asked the Centre to stop all flights coming to the state and said that flights are causing a breach in the shutdown and quarantine protocol.

"The statement said this decision was taken in view of the rapid spread of coronavirus (COVI-19) pandemic in the state. Acsording to the statement, around 10,000-15,000 people come to the Pune market at a single time. This increases the risk of spreading the infection. The state government has assured that the functioning of these markets will go unhampered as they come under essential commodities," The Indian Express reported.

Fruit and vegetable sellers in the Pune wholesale market have decided to shut their businesses till 31 March, reports said, adding that commission agents and traders associations issued a joint statement saying that they "will suspend their operations from Wednesday (25 March) till 31 March.

ANI reported that a 57-year-old patient admitted to the AMRI hospital has died of a cardiac arrest and was detected as having contracted the novel coronavirus on Monday. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the patient had travel history with Italy.

Airlines have to plan operations so as to land at their destination before 11.59 pm hours on 24 March, the reports added.

The operations of domestic scheduled commercial airlines will cease with effect from midnight on 24 March to 31 March as part of the government's measure to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. Reports added that the restrictions will not apply to cargo flights.

No case of coronavirus has been reported in the state so far, while cases across India crossed 400 on Monday.

He also said that banks and ATMs will function but all religious activities will be stopped.

"In view of the fiscal year ending, only skeletal staff needed for financial transactions will be allowed in government offices and once those transactions are done the office will be immediately closed down," he said.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday announced that the state will be on a "complete lockdown mode" from 6 pm on Tuesday to the midnight of 31 March. Only grocery shops, chemists, petrol pumps will remain open, the chief minister said in a press briefing, adding that except for ambulances and goods vehicles, Assam borders will be sealed for all kinds of vehicles.

He added, "Yesterday we sealed the state borders and today we are sealing district borders. We will not allow it to spread to the districts which are unaffected as of now."

"All district borders sealed, no inter-district transportation allowed as Maharashtra government announces a statewide curfew. All essential services to function and their transportation also allowed but with restrictions," he said.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he was "compelled" to announce a statewide curfew because "people were not listening" to quarantine guidelines.

"A casual approach will not be tolerated at all," he added.

"Eye patients in Gauhati Medical College have been shifted to Sankaradeva Nethralaya. The eye unit will become a COVID-19 hospital. Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital in Guwahati will be converted to a COVID-19 hospital if needed," the chief minister said.

The Assam government on Monday said that the leaves of medical professionals were cancelled in the state and that deputy commissioners have been asked to requisition hotels and guest houses to be accomodation for medical staff.

Hong Kong on Monday banned all the arrival of all non-residents over the spread of the novel coronavirus. Hong Kong will ban all non-residents from entering the city from midnight on Tuesday evening in a bid to halt the coronavirus, AFP reported, adding that Chief Executive Carrie Lam unveilled plans to stop restaurants and bars serving alcohol.

The health ministry, in its daily press briefing on Monday, said that a complete lockdown has been announced in 19 states and union territories. Some parts of six states and union territories have been kept under lockdown.

Indian authorities have permitted the Iranian airlines, Mahan Airways, to evacuate around 600 Indians from Iran on 24 and 28 March. All these Indian nationals have tested negative for coronavirus, ANI reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with Indian industry leaders through video conferencing, over the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"415 confirmed cases reported so far, 23 patients discharged, 7 deaths reported - some of them also had co-morbid conditions," Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry said.

"12 laboratory chains have been registered and they have started functioning. These 12 have 15,000 collection centres across the country," he added.

"I'd like to clarify that FDA/CE approval isn't mandatory. ICMR-NIV approved tests which will be done there on fast-track basis will also be acceptable for COVID-19 testing," he said.

ICMR director general Balram Bhargava on Monday said that the process of kit manufacturing has been fast-tracked at the National Institute of Virology in Pune and two kit manufacturers have been already approved.

The number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 92 on Monday.

The Kerala government on Friday announced a complete lockdown in the state. All borders in the state to remain closed, operations of all public transport to cease. All places of worship to also remain closed reports said.

ICMR director-general Balram Bhargava said, "Hydroxychloroquine is recommended only for a healthcare worker who is treating a coronavirus-infected patient. Secondly, it's recommended only for persons staying and caring for a household positive patient. They can take that only for prophylaxis, only for prevention."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned the Centre on Monday, claiming that the government had given approval to export protective gear like surgical masks till 19 March.

The MHA on Monday said, "There have been cases where people of the Northeast, including athletes, have been harassed by linking them to the novel coronavirus. This is racially discriminatory. It is requested that all law enforcing agencies in states and Union Territories may sensitise to take appropriate action in these cases."

The total number of positive cases in India on Monday rose to 433, including 23 discharged patients and 7 deaths, the health ministry said.

We want the International Olympic Committee to make a definitive decision soon to bring clarity to all of those involved," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by CNN. "... (the players') health and safety, alongside that of sports fans and officials due to work at the Games, must be absolutely paramount.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson on Monday said that the organisers of the 2020 Olympics "should look at cancelling" the event.

The Karnataka government on Monday said, "All public and private passenger transport services including Ola, Uber, taxi and autorickshaws shall be stopped from tomorrow in Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Kalaburagi, Chikkaballapur, Mysuru, Madikeri, Dharwad, Mangaluru and Belagavi where restrictions are in place."

Following the governor's initiative, the Raj Bhawan employees too decided to donate their one day's salary to the government, the report said.

The Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra has donated his one-month salary for the state government's efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, News18 reported. "The governor also sent an amount of Rs 20 lakh from the Governor's Relief Fund to COVID-19 Fund of Rajasthan CM Relief Fund," a Raj Bhawan statement was quoted as saying.

"Only bare essential sections/ offices to function on a daily basis. Work from home to be implemented.

"Additional districts/ extension of lockdown time frame by state governments will be adhered to as when promulgated.

"Home delivery of grocery/ essential items catering to the requirements of the cantonments.

The advisory was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, "All tasks related to response to COVID-19 should continue without hindrance.

The Indian Army on Monday asked more of its personnel to work from with the aim of taking precautions against the novel coronavirus spread in the country. In a fresh advisory, the defence force said that the measures are to be enforced in all military establishments/cantonments/formations/units in 82 districts under lockdown.

The nationwide lockdown in Nepal will be in place till 31 March, ANI reported.

The Nepal government on Friday announced a nationwide lockdown from 6 am (local time) on 24 March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. One more positive case was reported in the country on Monday, taking the total number of positive cases to 2.

"The total includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as all repatriated cases," the report said.

CNN on Monday reported that at least 34,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the US, while 414 people have died.

Later, the statement also said that media personnel don't need a curfew pass. "Media personnel do not require a curfew pass, they will need to carry their identity cards," Delhi Police said.

The Delhi Police has directed people who are on the move for essential services to get curfew passes from the district office to ensure the adherence to Section 144, reports said.

"Manoj Parida, IAS, Adviser, has stated the individuals engaged in Essential Services including Police, Medical etc. will only be allowed curfew passes. Employees of Punjab, Haryana and central government will request for passes through their Chief Secretaries only. The deputy commissioner, Chandigarh will decide about the curfew passes. Moreover, the relaxation in curfew hours will be given for purchase of essential items in due course. The detailed orders are being issued by the deputy commissioner, UT, Chandigarh," the report said.

The curfew mandates that all residents should stay indoors and the DGP has given "strict directions" to enforce the curfew without any relaxation, The Indian Express reported.

Administrator of Chandigarh, VP Singh Badnore, said that curfew will be imposed in the union territory from midnight on Monday till further orders, reports said.

Reportedly, the order is valid till 29 March, after which it will be reviewed.

The Meghalaya government on Monday announced relief measures for construction workers who have suffered a hit to their livelihood due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, The Indian Express reported. The state government said that such people registered with the labour commissioner are entitled to Rs 1,000 per person, per week.

"In addition to this two more major changes are railway station and bus stands are removed form the exempted category for internal transport and eateries located in them. Now railways and bus transport is completely blocked in the entire state," the advisory said.

"Lockdown extended to full districts of Puri, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur. Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda districts from tomorrow morning. So now the total number of districts under lockdown is 14.

The Odisha government on Monday extended the statewide lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown was also extended to 21 districts and the railways and busstands areas.

In absolute terms, New York has by far the greatest need in the nation, he said. He added that at least 157 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state as of Monday.

Over 20,000 people in the state of New York have been infected by the novel coronavirus, the state governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference on Monday.

The health ministry on Monday said that deaths due to the novel coronavirus all over the country have risen to nine. This is after a statement by the ministry said that the total number of positive cases in India were 467.

According to the latest update, there are 97 coronavirus in Maharashtra, Mumbai Mirror reported . The report also gave a break down of the rise in cases in the last 24 hours, saying that out of 23 new cases, 17 were reported in the Mumbai-MMR region, one in Pune and Satara, and four in Sangli district.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development authority on Friday directed insurers to extend grace period premium renewal by additional 30 days, CNBC-TV18 reported.

In wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the entire state of Karnataka will be locked down from midnight on 23 March to 1 April, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Monday. "People are requested to strictly follow it," he added.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan chief minister said that all private vehicles will be banned from Tuesday. "To save lives from coronavirus, we have taken the decision to ban all private vehicles on roads from tomorrow. Only vehicles related to essential services and those in exempted services would be allowed. State highway tolls will also be closed from midnight," he said.

Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha said that from 12 am on Monday, the entire state will be under lockdown till 31 March. "State borders have been sealed. Action will be taken against the people who will violate the lockdown," he said.

The Telangana Police registered a case against a Deputy Superintendent of Police and his son who had returned from UK, for not following quarantine protocol. The DSP's son has been tested positive for COVID-19 now, ANI reported.

A statement by the WHO's South-East Asia regional office said, Airborne spread has not been reported for COVID-19. Based on the information received so far and on our experience with other coronaviruses, COVID-19 appears to spread mostly through respiratory droplets (for instance produced when a sick person coughs) and close contact. This is why WHO recommends maintaining hand and respiratory hygiene. "The Chinese authorities reported that there could be a possibility of aerosol transmission in a relatively closed environment with prolonged exposure to high concentrations of aerosols, like in ICUs and CCUs in hospitals, but more investigations and analysis of epidemiological data is needed to understand this mode of transmission of the virus."

Meanwhile, seven COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Andhra Pradesh, the state public health department said.

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanaswamy said that curfew has been imposed in the union territory with immediate effect till 31 March to contain the spread of coronavirus. "All shops and offices except for those involved in essential services will remain closed during this period," he said.

The Tihar Jail will release around 3,000 inmates in the next 3-4 days, ANI reported. Of these, 1500 convicts will be released on parole and other 1500 undertrial prisoners to be released on interim bail, the Tihar Jail administration said.

"Thats why WHO has launched the SOLIDARITY trial, to generate robust, high-quality evidence as fast as possible. The more countries sign up to the trial and other large studies, the faster we will get results on which drugs work and the more lives we will be able to save," he added.

"Small, observational and non-randomized studies will not give us the answers we need. Using untested drugs without the right evidence could raise false hope and even do more harm than good and cause a shortage of essential drugs that are needed to treat other diseases," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference.

CNN quoted the World Health Organisation as issuing a warning against using "untested drugs" to treat patients of the novel coronavirus on Monday.

Uber Pool and Uber Intercity services have been suspended across the country, until further notice.

On Friday, Uber said that in compliance with government directives to limit movement for reducing the spread of COVID-19, Uber services across India have been affected. While the company will continue to offer services for essential and urgent travel needs of commuters, some or all of Ubers rides services will not be available till further notice in the following cities:

"In Sao Paulo, the city with the largest number of confirmed deaths and cases, the mayors office announced that 2,000 hospital beds would be added to the Pacaembu stadium and the Anhembi convention center in the next few weeks," the report said.

Brazil will convert some stadiums, arenas, and convention centres into field hospitals to treat patients of coronavirus, CNN reported.

Italy is currently facing 63,927 cases of the novel coronavirus.

Italy has confirmed 601 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, CNN reported. This brings the total number of casualties to 6,077. The European country has crossed the number of casualties reported in China.

Yamuna Expressway has been closed and police barricading has been done on the route. Those passing through the barricading will be allowed only if they have a valid reason for their movement. It'll also remain open for emergency services, said DCP (Greater Noida) Rajesh Kr Singh.

We are strongly urging UK travellers overseas to return home now where and while there are still commercial routes to do so. Around the world, more airlines are suspending flights and more airports are closing, some without any notice. Where commercial routes dont exist, our staff are working round the clock to give advice and support to UK nationals. If you are on holiday abroad the time to come home is now while you still can," he said.

UK's foreign secretary Dominic Raab on Monday said that all citizens abroad should return, CNN reported. In a statement, Raab "warned international travel is becoming highly limited with the further closure of air routes, land borders and domestic restrictions introduced daily," the report said.

A statement by the WHO's South-East Asia regional office said, Airborne spread has not been reported for COVID-19. Based on the information received so far and on our experience with other coronaviruses, COVID-19 appears to spread mostly through respiratory droplets (for instance produced when a sick person coughs) and close contact. This is why WHO recommends maintaining hand and respiratory hygiene. "The Chinese authorities reported that there could be a possibility of aerosol transmission in a relatively closed environment with prolonged exposure to high concentrations of aerosols, like in ICUs and CCUs in hospitals, but more investigations and analysis of epidemiological data is needed to understand this mode of transmission of the virus."

Meanwhile, seven COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Andhra Pradesh, the state public health department said.

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanaswamy said that curfew has been imposed in the union territory with immediate effect till 31 March to contain the spread of coronavirus. "All shops and offices except for those involved in essential services will remain closed during this period," he said.

The Tihar Jail will release around 3,000 inmates in the next 3-4 days, ANI reported. Of these, 1500 convicts will be released on parole and other 1500 undertrial prisoners to be released on interim bail, the Tihar Jail administration said.

"Thats why WHO has launched the SOLIDARITY trial, to generate robust, high-quality evidence as fast as possible. The more countries sign up to the trial and other large studies, the faster we will get results on which drugs work and the more lives we will be able to save," he added.

"Small, observational and non-randomized studies will not give us the answers we need. Using untested drugs without the right evidence could raise false hope and even do more harm than good and cause a shortage of essential drugs that are needed to treat other diseases," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference.

CNN quoted the World Health Organisation as issuing a warning against using "untested drugs" to treat patients of the novel coronavirus on Monday.

Uber Pool and Uber Intercity services have been suspended across the country, until further notice.

On Friday, Uber said that in compliance with government directives to limit movement for reducing the spread of COVID-19, Uber services across India have been affected. While the company will continue to offer services for essential and urgent travel needs of commuters, some or all of Ubers rides services will not be available till further notice in the following cities:

Four new cases of coronavirus have been reported from Rajasthan's Pratapgarh and Jodhpur, taking the total number of COVID19 cases to 32 in the state, the state health department said.

"In Sao Paulo, the city with the largest number of confirmed deaths and cases, the mayors office announced that 2,000 hospital beds would be added to the Pacaembu stadium and the Anhembi convention center in the next few weeks," the report said.

Brazil will convert some stadiums, arenas, and convention centres into field hospitals to treat patients of coronavirus, CNN reported.

Italy is currently facing 63,927 cases of the novel coronavirus.

Italy has confirmed 601 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, CNN reported. This brings the total number of casualties to 6,077. The European country has crossed the number of casualties reported in China.

Yamuna Expressway has been closed and police barricading has been done on the route. Those passing through the barricading will be allowed only if they have a valid reason for their movement. It'll also remain open for emergency services, said DCP (Greater Noida) Rajesh Kr Singh.

We are strongly urging UK travellers overseas to return home now where and while there are still commercial routes to do so. Around the world, more airlines are suspending flights and more airports are closing, some without any notice. Where commercial routes dont exist, our staff are working round the clock to give advice and support to UK nationals. If you are on holiday abroad the time to come home is now while you still can," he said.

UK's foreign secretary Dominic Raab on Monday said that all citizens abroad should return, CNN reported. In a statement, Raab "warned international travel is becoming highly limited with the further closure of air routes, land borders and domestic restrictions introduced daily," the report said.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha said that from 12 am on Monday, the entire state will be under lockdown till 31 March. "State borders have been sealed. Action will be taken against the people who will violate the lockdown," he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan chief minister said that all private vehicles will be banned from Tuesday. "To save lives from coronavirus, we have taken the decision to ban all private vehicles on roads from tomorrow. Only vehicles related to essential services and those in exempted services would be allowed. State highway tolls will also be closed from midnight," he said.

According to the latest update, there are 97 coronavirus in Maharashtra, Mumbai Mirror reported. The report also gave a break down of the rise in cases in the last 24 hours, saying that out of 23 new cases, 17 were reported in the Mumbai-MMR region, one in Pune and Satara, and four in Sangli district.

The Delhi Police has directed people who are on the move for essential services to get curfew passes from the district office to ensure the adherence to Section 144, reports said.

The Indian Army on Monday asked more of its personnel to work from with the aim of taking precautions against the novel coronavirus spread in the country. In a fresh advisory, the defence force said that the measures are to be enforced in all military establishments/cantonments/formations/units in 82 districts under lockdown.

The advisory was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, "All tasks related to response to COVID-19 should continue without hindrance.

"Restricted movements in Cantonments and military stations.

"Personnel engaged in essential services permitted to function (Medical establishments, fire, electricity/ water supply, communication, post offices and sanitation services).

"Home delivery of grocery/ essential items catering to the requirements of the cantonments.

"Social distancing while performing all tasks.

"Additional districts/ extension of lockdown time frame by state governments will be adhered to as when promulgated.

"All station CSDs to be closed forthwith.

"Measures at IHQ of MoD(Army)/ (Army HQ)

"Only bare essential sections/ offices to function on a daily basis. Work from home to be implemented.

"Conferences and seminars postponed. Routine meetings and movements to be restricted.

"Personnel attending office will adhere to staggered timings."

The Nepal government on Friday announced a nationwide lockdown from 6 am (local time) on 24 March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. One more positive case was reported in the country on Monday, taking the total number of positive cases to 2.

The nationwide lockdown in Nepal will be in place till 31 March, ANI reported.

The Kerala government on Friday announced a complete lockdown in the state. All borders in the state to remain closed, operations of all public transport to cease. All places of worship to also remain closed reports said.

The number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 92 on Monday.

ICMR director general Balram Bhargava on Monday said that the process of kit manufacturing has been fast-tracked at the National Institute of Virology in Pune and two kit manufacturers have been already approved.

"I'd like to clarify that FDA/CE approval isn't mandatory. ICMR-NIV approved tests which will be done there on fast-track basis will also be acceptable for COVID-19 testing," he said.

"12 laboratory chains have been registered and they have started functioning. These 12 have 15,000 collection centres across the country," he added.

"415 confirmed cases reported so far, 23 patients discharged, 7 deaths reported - some of them also had co-morbid conditions," Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry said.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday announced that the state will be on a "complete lockdown mode" from 6 pm on Tuesday to the midnight of 31 March. Only grocery shops, chemists, petrol pumps will remain open, the chief minister said in a press briefing, adding that except for ambulances and goods vehicles, Assam borders will be sealed for all kinds of vehicles.

"In view of the fiscal year ending, only skeletal staff needed for financial transactions will be allowed in government offices and once those transactions are done the office will be immediately closed down," he said.

He also said that banks and ATMs will function but all religious activities will be stopped.

No case of coronavirus has been reported in the state so far, while cases across India crossed 400 on Monday.

The operations of domestic scheduled commercial airlines will cease with effect from midnight on 24 March as part of the government's measure to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. Reports added that the restrictions will not apply to cargo flights.

ANI reported that a 57-year-old patient admitted to the AMRI hospital has died of a cardiac arrest and was detected as having contracted the novel coronavirus on Monday. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the patient had travel history with Italy.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday enforced Section 144 across the state, effective from 6 pm on 24 March (Tuesday) till 31 March, in an effort to curb the fast-spreading coronavirus.

District borders will be shut and only essential services will be available. With this, Tamil Nadu became the 15th state to go under lockdown as the number of confirmed cases climbed to 415.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday that companies' expenditure to fight the coronavirus pandemic will be considered valid under corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The coronavirus outbreak will be treated as a disaster, the Finance Minister said on Twitter.

"Keeping in view of the spread of novel coronavirus, its declaration as pandemic by the World Health Organisaton (WHO), and decision of the government to treat this as a notified disaster. It is hereby clarified that spending of CSR funds for COVID-19 is eligible CSR activity," Ministry of Corporate Affairs said in an official notification.

In view of the increasing threat of the novel coronavirus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) OPD services will remain closed till further notice, ANI reported. "All OPD services in All India Institute of Medical Sciences and all centres to remain closed till further orders."

Supreme Court on Monday said that the lawyers chambers inside the court premises will remain shut from Tuesday 5 pm onward. The top court also said there will be no more in-person hearings till further orders. The Court will conduct videoconferencing to hear urgent matters.

"Urgent matters will be taken up by court via video conferencing; lawyers may appear from their own offices. Lawyers chambers in the SC to be sealed at 5 pm on Tuesday.

The Centre has issued an order on Monday asking state governments to strictly enforce lockdown in coronavirus-affected areas as it was announced on Sunday. The government has also warned of legal action against violators.

In an attempt to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak in India, several states announced they will be imposing lockdown till 31 March. In some of these states the lockdown is state-wide while in others only the districts that have reported novel coronavirus cases have been put under lockdown. So far, 80 districts across the country have reported Covid-19 cases.

Complying with the Central and the Delhi government directives, Uber is likely to suspend its services in the National Capital till 31 March to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Speaking about its pool services, an Uber Spokesperson said, "We are determined to help reduce the spread of coronavirus in the cities we serve. With that in mind, we are suspending the Uber Pool service across India. In line with the Government advisory, we urge people to stay safe and discourage non-essential travel."

However, there have been no official statement from Uber about shutting services in Delhi. but off the record, it said, "as of now services suspended in Delhi."

Another 15 coronavirus cases were reported in Maharashtra since Sunday evening, taking the state's tally to 89, according to new agency ANI.

As Maharashtra continued to lead in the number of active cases, Health Minister Rajesh Tope again appealed to people to refrain from stepping out of their homes as 'isolation' is the key to battling the COVID-19 virus.

Curfew will remain imposed in Pune, Maharashtra till 31 March. All establishments, excluding emergency services and essentials will remain closed during this period. Any offender shall be punished under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, Pune Police told ANI.

India reported three new deaths due to the coronavirus on Sunday, including the first casualties coming in from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven. While the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 341 in the country, the citizens, as asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, observed a 'janata curfew' from 7 am to 9 pm, with most people staying at home as a precaution against the virus.

The Centre has also decided to shutdown 75 districts across 22 states and Union Territories, which have reported cases of the COVID-19 and asked the respective governments to enforce a strict lockdown, allowing only essential services. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Union health ministry, clarified that essential services would include "ration, groceries, milk, medical services, transport of essential needs, among others."

The Indian Council of Medical Research's Director-General Balram Bhargava, during a joint press conference with the Union health ministry, emphasised that "isolation, isolation, isolation" is the only way to halt the infection's march. He said that the country has the capacity to perform 50,000 to 70,000 tests for the coronavirus a week, and that 16 to 17 thousand tests have been conducted till now.

Bhargava added that as many as 60 private laboratories have been registered to conduct the COVID-19 tests.

Addressing the media, Bhargava said, "It is essential to understand the ailment. Eighty percent of the people will experience cold-like fever and they will recover. Some may need to be admitted to the hospital."

On the restrictions imposed in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, Agarwal said, "All train services including suburban and metro services, interstate passenger transports are suspended till 31 March. These are efforts to break the chain of transmission."

The joint secretary also said that the Centre has provided additional N95 masks and personal protection equipment to states as per their requirements. However, he noted that states were asked to procure equipment through a letter on 17 January.

Janata curfew observed nationwide

Meanwhile, citizens across cities and states observed "janta curfew" in "letter and spirit" as urged by the prime minister, while some misconstrued the point of it all and took it a step further. Modi had urged the citizens to come out in their balconies and "clap" to show appreciation for the health workers and doctors who are working to fight the pandemic which has sent the whole world into a tizzy. Italy and France had demonstrated how, earlier this month. Modi's foremost message, during his address to the nation earlier this week, was "social distancing" and "self isolation".

Visuals shared widely on social media and by news outlets, however, showed that while some stayed in their homes and clapped and beat utensils, several others took it to mean a community activity. Several people from across the country disregarded prime minister's appeal to stay at home, and participated in large processions in the evening.

A Twitter user posted several videos of 'celebrations' in several cities. In Jaipur and Mysuru, crowds of people were seen on streets beating utensils and clapping. Crowds of people chanting slogans and dancing in Punjab. At Indore, people were seen taking part in large processions carrying the national flag.

Some senior journalists strongly condemned such processions, and said that assembling in public during such an outbreak amounted to "obscurantism" and quackery."

A little before 5 pm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted:

Do remember, 5 PM this evening for 5 minutes... Be on your terraces, balconies or windows to express gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 so that our nation becomes free from COVID-19. #JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/Cwds0v4cJ8  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

In the national capital, roads were deserted with barely some private vehicles and buses plying. Vendors were off the roads in the morning hours with people confining themselves to their homes.

The busy streets of #Delhi bear a deserted look as people in the national capital observe #JantaCurfew#JantaCurfewMarch22 #IndiaFightsCoronavirus pic.twitter.com/pZ83wDGitK  PIB India (@PIB_India) March 22, 2020

In Kolkata, the usually bustling Esplanade, and Dalhousie areas, besides airport and railway stations wore a deserted look as people stayed indoors to support the prime minister's call.

Commercial capital Mumbai observed the restrictions on Sunday with the usually bustling western and eastern express highways and other arterial roads wearing an empty look and people staying indoors to support the curfew.

However, at 5 pm, people rang bells and blew conchs, acknowledging the services of the thousands of doctors, nurse and other medical staff leading India's response to the deadly virus and making sure essential services remain unhindered.

Prime Minister Modi thanked the people for expressing their gratitude and solidarity.

Follow LIVE updates on the CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK here

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and others leaders urged the people to follow the self-imposed curfew, noting that "social distancing" was key to breaking the chain of transmission, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 324 on Sunday.

States like Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Bihar have announced either complete or partial lockdown till the month end.

No passenger train from any railway station in the country has originated beginning Saturday night and the restriction will continue till 10 pm on Sunday while all suburban train services will be reduced to a bare minimum as well. Metro services, including in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, has been suspended for the day.

Air carriers like GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara have curtailed domestic operations on Sunday.

Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had announced that they will keep their establishments shut across the country for the 'Janata curfew'.

Italy reports biggest day-to-day increase

Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose by 6,600 with nearly 800 new fatalities from the virus that causes COVID-19. The country's total death toll of more than 4,825 has surpassed the number of deaths in China, where the first cases emerged late last year.

Emirates Airlines, in a statement on Sunday, said, "Today we made the decision to temporarily suspend most passenger flights by 25 March 2020. SkyCargo operations will continue. This painful but pragmatic move will help Emirates Group preserve business viability and secure jobs worldwide, avoiding cuts. Having received requests from governments & customers to support repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to few countries until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand."

In the US, where multiple states have ordered residents to stay indoors, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the government is literally scouring the globe looking for medical supplies.

Health care workers from Oklahoma City to Minneapolis sought donations of protective equipment. Staff at a Detroit hospital began creating homemade face masks for workers. Even rural hospitals were strained as people increasingly felt the pandemic closing in.

Behind China and Italy, Spain now has the third-highest number of infections worldwide, followed by the US.

Spanish health authorities have acknowledged that some intensive care units in the hardest-hit areas are close to their limit. The army was building a field hospital with 5,500 beds in a convention center in Madrid, where hotels are also being turned into wards for virus patients without serious breathing problems.

With inputs from agencies


Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, right, listens as President Trump speaks during a media briefing with the coronavirus task force at the White House on March 17. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

To the editor: Economist James K. Galbraith is dead-on right about a government bailout that benefits primarily corporate shareholders and gives cash mainly to employed Americans.

I am a 70-year-old man with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. I don't want $1,200 from the government. I want toilet paper and Kleenex and a hospital bed when and if I need one.

Instead of throwing that money off the back of a campaign train, President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should spend it on beefing up our medical infrastructure.

Bob Warnock, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Instead of a check for $1,200 to every American, why not send $2,500 to every person among the 4 in 10 that the Federal Reserve says would have trouble paying for a $400 emergency expense?

The total cost to the government would be about the same, and those who really need help would get twice as much money.

Glenn Shull, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: The proposed bailouts for companies aren't what is needed, will not be very effective and are very shortsighted. The $1 trillion that is to be spent should be directed exclusively at combating the coronavirus.

If you have a headache, you don't go to the pharmacy and buy motor oil.

Fred Lakey, Los Angeles
Caleb Cook already had three meltdowns by 11:30 in the morning Wednesday.

It was his third day home since Fort Bend ISD and virtually every other Houston school announced they would close their campuses until at least April 10. Unlike his first and sixth grade sisters, 14-year-old Caleb, who is autistic, has several intellectual disabilities and microcephaly, in which a child is born with a significantly smaller head, often caused by abnormal brain development.

Natalie, his mother, said his special education teachers already had given her access to his school computer username and passwords, and that his teacher would go to the school to retrieve Calebs school-issued iPad loaded with assistive technologies.

The rest of Calebs seventh-grade school year remains anything but certain.

I think everybody, special needs and not, is nervous to see how this is going to go, Cook said. Were waiting on direction from the district, but I have to trust they will do everything in their power to accommodate students.

As schools pivot to online learning in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and the illness it produces, COVID-19, education leaders are scrambling to figure out how to best serve their students with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, including English language learners.

So far, it is proving a challenge.

As long as general education students are receiving any type of instruction, the U.S. Department of Education and the Texas Education Agency require schools to provide services to students with disabilities, as spelled out in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Students with so-called 504 plans, which offer accommodations such as more time to take tests, must be given equitable access to school work.

However, the law does not account for times when students cannot meet face to face with speech therapists, dyslexia interventionists, physical therapists or special education aides who help them through general education coursework.

Complicated, difficult

The TEA put out guidance for districts on March 13, which reiterated that if a school district is providing online or distance instruction, leaders must ensure that students with disabilities also have equal access to the same opportunities as general education students, and ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, each student with a disability  be provided the special education and related services identified in the student's individualized education plan.

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has announced he will form a special education task force to look into those issues.

This is going to be a big, complicated, difficult challenge for all of us, Morath told superintendents and state leaders on a March 15 conference call. There are issues that will undoubtedly surface with regard to legal risk and issues with regard to compliance.

Part of complying with IDEA will mean more than just making sure students with disabilities have access to the same video instruction as their general education peers, said Mara LaViola, an Austin-based special education advocate. IDEA also requires that students make progress.

Determining how to serve those students has left educators with a series of hard-to-answer questions, said Kristin McGuire, director of governmental relations for the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education.

How does a district account for personal health and safety of everyone involved and try and provide certain related services, such as (occupational therapy), physical therapy, visual impairment services, while schools are closed? McGuire asked. Some services appear to be more easily transitioned over to virtual services, but some just simply arent possible without face to face interaction.

In Houston ISD, interim Superintendent Grentia Lathan said the district is working to get more laptops, and students with disabilities will be given priority when it begins to distribute them. The district has not released other details on how it plans to provide special education services during the shutdown, which is expected to continue until at least April 10.

Texas struggle

Texas schools are not alone in facing these questions. Denver Public Schools spokeswoman Winna Maclaren said her district is using its extended spring break, which is scheduled to last until at least April 7, to try to come up with equitable remote learning plans for all students, including supports for students with a disabilities. Right now, however, district leaders focus is on access to core curriculum.

Denise Marshall, executive director of the nonprofit Council of Parent Attorney and Advocates, said she has yet to see any states take a uniform approach to providing special education services remotely. Some districts, she said, have been creative and innovative in helping parents and families while schools remain closed, which she hopes more districts will do. Those schools have been proactive in reaching out to families and making plans to use video-chatting, prerecorded videos and having physical therapists show parents techniques they could use to help their kids at home.

But weve heard all the way to the other extreme, where a district said If we provide any services at all to any students, well have to provide equitable access to students with disabilities. Therefore, we wont provide anything to anyone, Marshall said. Its unfathomable to me that any education administrator would take that approach.

More than other states, Texas schools have struggled to meet federal requirements for educating students with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education found that Texas violated IDEA by putting an arbitrary cap on the percentage of students each district could provide with special education services, a finding first revealed in a Houston Chronicle investigation. Since then, the TEA has struggled to implement its federally mandated corrective action plan and families have said their children with disabilities still are being denied access to special education services.

When it comes to Texas schools Im usually skeptical, but Im far more empathetic now, LaViola said. Nobody knows what to do. No one thought about how were going to teach students with severe disabilities remotely.

Some special education services may be easier to provide for than others. For example, LaViolas 17-year-old son, who has autism, has a short attention span and struggles to pay attention to video instruction. He is much more attentive with music therapy, which is written into his individualized education plan, and would be more receptive to receiving those services online.

The key, LaViola said, is to make sure parents have conversations about those services with school staff and get any changes to their services or individualized education plans in writing.

Equally important is what happens once schools reopen, said Steven Aleman, attorney and policy specialist at Disability Rights Texas.

Along with a statewide spike in initial special education testing since 2017, educators likely will have to evaluate existing special education students to see how far they may have fallen behind while campuses were closed. That could put more strain on diagnosticians and school psychologists who already were stretched nearly to their limits before schools began to close over COVID-19.

"For special education, what we need to start planning and preparing for is when this is all over, doing those rounds of reevaluations for students who really need them," Aleman said.

English language learners

Similar concerns exist for Texas 1.1 million English language learners.

Hector Bojorquez, director of operations and educational practices for the Intercultural Development Research Association, said lower income English language learners may lack access to internet access at home.

For example, he said, the American Communities Survey found Brownsville and Laredo, which have high rates of English language learners in their schools, have some of the lowest rates of internet access in the country. Less than 55 percent of residents in some South Texas counties had broadband subscriptions, according to the American Communities Survey.

Its definitely going to present a lot of challenges for teachers and English learners, Bojorquez said. Face-to-face instruction is always best because it helps build rapport and language skills.

While school leaders work on plans for these unprecedented challenges, families also are adjusting.

Cook said her other children are not putting in the same level of effort that they did at school because it is easier to get distracted at home.

Still, she has faith, and hope.

I feel like people need to give districts some grace, give teachers some grace, Cook said. Not just special education, but all teachers, all educators right now doing the best they can. Everybody just has to have faith because theyve never had to do this before.

shelby.webb@chron.com
TEHRAN, March 21, 2013 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks on the first day of Iranian new year at the city of Mashhad, northeastern Iran, March 21, 2013. Iran would annihilate the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa if attacked by Image Source: Sandeep Mahankal/IANS

Tehran, March 22 : Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday called the US "the most evil enemy of the Iranian nation", saying Washington's offer to help the Islamic nation to fight the coronavirus outbreak was "weird".

"Today, we have no less of enemies but the most evil enemy of the Iranian nation is America," the Tehran-based Press TV quoted Khamenei as saying in a televised address to the nation.

"Americans have said several times that 'we are ready to help with treatment and medicine; just ask us and we will help'. This is one of the weirdest things which they tell us to ask them," he said.

Khamenei said the US officials have continuously sent messages to Iran about their offer, but Tehran did not accept it since the country "does not trust" them.

While the US has refused to lift the sanctions it imposed on Iran, President Donald Trump has said that "all they have to do is ask" for help to deal with the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Iranian health authorities have said that the coronavirus pandemic in the country, one of the worst-hit in the Middle Eastern region, was showing signs of slowing down although the overall number of cases has now reached 20,610.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education said that the death toll from the novel coronavirus increased to 1,556, while the number of cured people rose to 7,635, reports Xinhua news agency.
Editor:

In response to the guest column opinion vis-a-vis tax credits for solar in New Mexico written by an advocate for energy companies: Why shouldnt renewables receive some funding like the oil, gas and coal industries? We the taxpayers have in one way or another paid the high price for the results of oil and gas drilling as well as pollution from coal.

Since some of us deny global warming, perhaps we can balance its effects for some of us who experience ill health as a result of the greed (rate increase of 20 percent) coming from the power of the future.

There have been too many government giveaways for the few and not enough for a lot of us, we the people, ordinary citizens who just might be environmentalist and/or just plain struggling to pay our bills.

Irene Terrronez

Rio Rancho
CBC

The mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is calling out the department of national defence's decision to host an Italian military transport aircraft at CFB Goose Bay amidst COVID-19 concerns.

When Mayor Wally Andersen learned of the plans, he immediately requested a meeting with representatives from the military base Saturday morning.

"While we were reassured that all steps will be taken to minimize risks, the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is not comfortable with the decision of the department of national defence to move forward with this plan," Andersen said in a statement.

"I want to assure residents that the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay will continue to advocate on their behalf and that the health and safety of all is the first and foremost priority."

Katie Breen/CBC

The aircraft and its eight person crew will arrive sometime Saturday evening and is scheduled to depart sometime on Monday.

According to the statement, Mayor Anderson spoke at length with Wing Commander, Col. Stephane Racle about his concerns. Racle informed the mayor that Canada is required  as a member of NATO  to provide assistance to allies.

Additionally, the base informed Andersen that they're following strict precautions and the eight crew members were tested and confirmed negative for COVID-19 prior to leaving Italy.

Other precautionary measures being taken include isolating the Italian crew members in a secure area of the base and limiting their movements between that area and the aircraft. They will have minimal or no contact with staff, with meals being delivered without contact.

In the event that base staff should need to interact with the visiting crew members, personal protective equipment will be utilized and the secure area that housed them will be closed for four days in order to be properly sanitized.

MP proud to help ally

Labrador MP Yvonne Jones says she has spoken with both the mayor and the department of defence.

She said Canada was called upon to help support the Italian Air Force in getting aircraft based in the U.S. back to Italy safely, and Goose Bay is in a unique position to be able to support an ally in a time of need.

Story continues

The federal government wouldn't authorize a mission that would put Canadians at risk, Jones said, and she's proud the base is able to step up and help other countries.

"I feel very comfortable in what the department of national defence has decided [to do]," she said.

"We are a military community, we are a military base. We are very proud of our strategic location that we have that we can support Canada in many different ways, through many different crises. This happens to be one of those times."

Katie Breen/CBC

Jones ensures that the Italian crew have been screened and that there will there will be no interaction with the public and no risk to the community.

"Strict protocols are being followed here," she said.

"They will be isolated within 5 Wing Goose Bay. They will carry out their exercises very quietly, very skillfully and certainly in a way that will be very safe and healthy for the local community."

Jones said Canada has also had to reach out to other countries to get citizens and troops back home safely, and she's happy Goose Bay is able to help.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Jamia Millia Islamia students on Saturday temporarily suspended their sit-in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement was made by the Jamia Coordination Committee, a group comprising JMI students and alumni. The group was formed after alleged police brutality on the campus on December 15.

We temporarily suspend the ongoing 24 hour sit-in protest at Gate no. 7, JMI and appeal to all protesters to kindly take the situation with utmost seriousness and save themselves and others from this fatal illness, the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) said in a statement.

The JCC said the university was vandalised, students terrorised but in the face of the pandemic facing the nation, we shall direct all our efforts to its containment, relief work and spread of awareness among people.

The members of the committee said they are not in favour of janata curfew and no situation must be utilised to normalise curfews.

We again appeal to the government to repeal the discriminatory anti-constitutional CAA, NRC and the NPR. The current crisis is a clear reminder of the fact that humanity is for all irrespective of religion, the JCC said.

Withdraw the Foreigners (Tribunals) Amendment Order, 2019 and withdraw all instructions for construction of detention camps and release all people in detention camps after running COVID-19 tests on them, it added.

The students demanded adequate monetary and policy measures to combat COVID-19.

Doctors need proper medical infrastructure such as safety gear and testing kits, more than appreciation and heroism, the JCC said.

The affected people must not be treated as criminals. They should be given adequate treatment and proper facilities in isolation, it added.

The students also appealed to the central government to immediately suspend the exercise of NPR which in ongoing in many states and direct all its efforts in fighting coronavirus.
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MLW FUSION REPORT: EIGHT MAN TAG MATCH, A PHILADELPHIA LEGEND IN ACTION, AND MORE

We beigin with a look back at last weeks main event between Tom Lawlor and Killer Kross and the involvement of Team Lawlor, the Von Erichs, and Davey Boy Smith Jr.

We are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and your announcers are AJ Kirsch and Rich Bocchini.

Match Number One: Zenshi versus El Lindaman

They lock up and Lindaman with a waist lock and Zenshi with a take down and wrist lock for a near fall. Zenshi with another near fall. Zenshi misses a drop kick when Lindaman moves. Zenshi offers his hand and Lindaman thinks about shaking it and he does but then he hits a forearm. Zenshi with a forearm. Zenshi runs around the ring to avoid Lindman and then he sends Lindaman to the mat and hits a standing moonsault for a near fall.

Zenshi with a suplex and then he goes to the apron for an attempted slingshot move but Lindman moves. Zenshi goes to the floor and Lindman with a plancha. Lindaman runs Zenshi back first into the apron. Lindaman with an elbow to the injured arm and Lindaman stands on the arm but the referee makes his count because of the ropes. Lindaman chokes Zenshi in the corner. Zenshi with a rollup for a near fall. Lindaman with a Fujiwara arm bar but Zenshi with a rollup. Zenshi gets to the ropes and Lindaman releases the hold. Lindaman continues to work on the arm. Lindaman with a leg drop to the arm. Lindaman with a forearm but Zenshi with kicks to the leg. Lindaman sends Zenshi to the apron and Zenshi with a head butt and kick and leg sweep. Zenshi with a slingshot twisting elbow drop. Zenshi with an Irish whip and Zenshi is sent to the apron.

Zenshi with a slingshot neck breaker for a near fall. Zenshi goes for a handspring back elbow into the corner but Lindaman catches Zenshi. Zenshi lands on his feet on a German suplex. Lindaman with a cross arm breaker but Zenshi gets to the ropes. Zenshi kicks Lindaman and Lindaman goes for a deadlift German suplex but Zenshi gets to the ropes. Lindaman with a Northern Lights suplex into the turnbuckles followed by a German suplex for a near fall.

Zenshi with a pele kick and both men are down. Zenshi gets to his feet first and he connects with a forearm. Lindaman fires back. They continue the exchange until Lindaman gains the advantage. Zenshi with a back heel kick and drop kick. Zenshi goes for a cutter but Lindaman counters into a blut thunder bomb for a near fall. Lindaman with a Tiger suplex for the three count.

Winner: El Lindaman

We go to Killer Kross, The Von Erichs, and Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the back and Ross says he got good advice from his dad. He told them to choose their friends wisely. Davey says he has the Von Erichs backs and Killer Kross back. They spilled their blood in the ring. Stu Hart trained Ross and Marshalls grandfather. Davey tells Pajama Boy he is going to shove his head so far up his ass he wont know if it is Friday or Tuesday. Kross says Team Smells Like A Fart, he doesnt give a rats ass. You picked a fight with people you cant beat. He tells Tom to never cross a killer because in the end, you always pay the toll.

We go to Mance Warner. He is asked who is the mystery man. Mance says he will pick up his mystery man and take him to the venue. He will then drink some light beers. He says he has something special for MJF.

Richard Holliday is with Alicia Atout. He is asked about his match and how does he prepare against a mystery opponent. Holliday says it could be a drunk at the bar Mance goes to. It could be his garbage truck driver. It could be Kwang or it could be the ghost of Carlos Colon. Whoever the opponent will be, smelling rarified air. Richard is asked about the Caribbean title belt and Holliday says it is at the cleaners.

Josef Samael says there have been whispers of Contra Units next attack. It will not be an attack. Prepare for the upcoming war. While they may be in Katmandhu or in Siberia, the soldiers are hidden among you. The infiltration of the infidels is underway.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Richard Holliday does not feel that he should be in this match and neither does his father/lawyer. His father reviewed the contract and it says that he cannot be put into a match by an intoxicated person. Mance says he got one up on the Dynasty, but the Dynasty always wins.

We go to footage of an incident involving Brian Pillman Jr. and Injustice. Davey Boy Smith Jr comes to help Pillman.

Mance Warner comes out and he says here is the deal. He gets to pick Hollidays oppponent. He says he has been making a lot of phone calls and drinking a lot of light beers. You may know the fellow he is going to bring out. He is part of a group that dominated. He is someone who was extreme. Mance asks for them to play his music and out comes the Blue Meanie.

Match Number Two: Richard Holliday versus Blue Meanie

Hollidaydoes the Meanie dance and then Meanie shows Holliday how it is done. Holliday applauds Meanies performance. Holliday asks Meanie to do it together and Holliday hits Meanie from behind. Holliday with kicks and forearms. Holliday with kicks in the corner. Meanie with an Irish whip and Holliday with a clothesline out of the corner. Holliday does the Meanie dance.

Holliday gets a near fall. Holliday with a forearm and snap mare followed by a knee to the back. Holliday with a boot to Meanie followed by a forearm and punch. Holliday misses a clothesline and Meanie with jabs and a punch for a near fall. Meanie misses a splash into the corner and Holliday with a back elbow for a near fall.

Holliday with punches and forearms to Meanie and Warner has something to say to Holliday from the announce table. Holliday confronts Warner and they have some words. Holliday asks Warner for a beer. The referee makes his count and Warner pulls Holliday off the apron and spits beer in Hollidays face as the referee gets to 20.

Winner: Blue Meanie (by count out)

After the match, Meanie and Warner celebrate with some adult beverages in the ring.

We go to commercial.

We are back and next week Brian Pillman Jr. will be facing Jordan Oliver.

Alicia Atout is with Injustice in the back and she asks if they have any issues with AAA.

Oliver says he doesnt have a beef with AAA. Myron says he does not have a beef with AAA. Oliver says he has a beef with MLW Management bringing in people from other countries when there are superstars here.

Alicia asks about issues with Brian Pillman Jr. Myron likes the idea of the match next week. Jordan says that will be some good TV. They hope that Brian will be healthy for the match next week.

We take a look at the MLW Top Ten rankings.

We go to Low Ki. He says in a week, he faces King Mo. He is a professional fighter with a hell of a reputation. You are great and you have that acumen, but you are a pro fighter coming into wrestling. Do you want to run your mouth against someone you dont know about? You sound punch drunk but you are going to end up kicked s***faced.

King Mo is with Alicia Atout and she asks about Low Ki. Mo says he thinks Low Ki is a fraud. He did a Youtube search of Low Ki and he saw a midget getting knocked out, not knocking anyone out. Dan Lambert says that he is demanding a cornerman to throw in the towel so Mo does not kill him.

We go to LA Park en la cocina, pendejos! with LA Park and Hijo de LA Park. Park says he is going to show us how to cook sausage and eggs. They are going to show you how to make a meal worthy of a champion. He says they will also explain their strategy to destroy their opponents. They will defeat their opponents and kick them in their huevos. He tells the American wrestlers to eat their huevos. Park says they are the future champions of MLW. Park complains about how they were not given the proper items to prepare the proper meal. Park complains about not having any salt so he storms out.

We are told that Mance Warner has challenged Maxwell Jacob Friedman to a Loser Leaves MLW Empty Arena match.

Before the main event, Tom Lawlor has something to say. He says if you hear the crowd, you know that Tom feels right at home in this garbage city. For twenty plus years, he had to hear about the Philadelphia wrestling fans. We have a crowd full of people who consider themselves to be smart marks . . . smart fans. You have been looking for the definition of smart marks, take a selfie and throw your phone off the Walt Whitman Bridge so you dont have to look at your image.

Tom tells the people that there are kids in the crowd as some of their comments might be a bit inappropriate but Tom says screw it.

Match Number Three: Tom Lawlor, Kit Osbourne, Erick Stevens, and Dominic Garrini versus Marshall Von Erich, Ross Von Erich, Killer Kross, and Davey Boy Smith Jr.

All eight men brawl in the ring and the referee calls for the bell to start the match. Marshall and Kit are the last two in the ring and then all eight men are on the floor and they pair off. Smith with a head butt to Garrini. Ross sends Lawlor into the apron. Ross drops Lawlor on the apron with a backdrop driver. Smith chokes Garrini and Marshall with a forearm to Stevens.

Stevens with a kick and chop to Marshall. Kross with a knee to Garrini. Lawlor with forearms to Ross in the apron as the other six fight on the floor. Lawlor with a forearm to Ross as order is restored. Lawlor with more forearms. Ross with slingblade and a drop kick. Lawlor goes into the wrong corner and Ross with a running boot into the corner. Ross with a splash into the corner and he Irish whips Lawlor and Stevens pulls Lawlor out of the way and Ross hits the turnbuckles. Stevens tags in and kicks Ross.

Garrini with kicks as Lawlor holds Ross. Stevens with a surfboard set up and he stomps on the knees. Lawlor tags back in and Stevens with a snap mare and Lawlor with a kick while Stevens chops Ross. Lawlor with a European uppercut and jabs in the corner. Stevens tags back in and Lawlor back drops Stevens into Ross in the corner for a near fall. Garrini tags in and he hits a back breaker. Osbourne tags in and kicks Ross and slams Ross. Osbourne with an elbow drop. Osbourne with kicks to the back followed by a leap frog neck snap. Osbourne with a sliding clothesline for a near fall.

Ross with an enzuigiri and Kross tags in and hits an exploder. Kross with an exploder to Stevens and Garrini. Lawlor gets into the ring and Kross with forearms but Lawlor with a spinning heel kick. Kross gets up while Lawlor poses and Kross with a Saito suplex. Kross with a forearm to the referee when Osbourne moves. Smith goes for a power bomb on Osbourne but Osbourne with a low blow to Smith. Osbourne gets a chair and Marshall stops Osbourne and applies the claw. Marshall with a claw slam and he goes up top for a moonsault for the three count.

Winners: Marshall Von Erich, Ross Von Erich, Killer Kross, and Davey Boy Smith Jr.

After the match, Killer Kross gets on the mic and he says the party is just getting started. Kross goes under the table to get a board. Dominic Garrini hs a kendo stick and he hits Marshall while Stevens chokes Marshall with a chair. Kross has Osbourne and he feeds him to Smith for a power bomb through the board.

Team Filthy pull what is left of Osbourne out of the ring.

The brawl continues to the back.

We see more brawling in the back and King Mo hits Kross with a 2x4.

We go to credits.

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Lending: The new emergency loans will be interest-free for the first year

Banks will tomorrow promise to hand small businesses interest-free loans of up to 250,000 within 48 hours to survive the economic crisis.

Sources told the Mail on Sunday that Chancellor Rishi Sunak's emergency coronavirus loans would initially take the form of overdrafts.

Business customers will be able to borrow a quarter of a million pounds from one of 40 lenders without having to secure the loan against assets such as property.

Small companies will be able to apply for larger loans of up to 5million under the Government's 'business interruption' loans programme, but banking sources warned these would take longer to arrange and may need to be secured against the company's assets.

Yesterday, bosses warned that they if they are to survive the crisis they face getting into debts that could drag down their profits for years.

Sir John Timpson, chairman of Timpson cobblers, which has 5,500 staff, told Radio 4 Today his firm would go from having 15million cash in the bank to 20million in the red  despite being a 'strong business'.

The new emergency loans will be interest-free for the first year and the Government is on the hook for 80 per cent of the debt.

Sources at several major lenders said banks had been told to tear up safety rules to get funding to struggling businesses faster.

Banks will be able to hand out loans to businesses that were viable before the coronavirus outbreak, rather than asking firms to forecast their future cash flows.

Banks were flooded with loan applications last week after Britons were urged to avoid public places, such as cafes and restaurants.

Loan inquiries to Lloyds Bank jumped by 16 per cent, while Co-op Bank's small business loan applications rose by 20 per cent. The Chancellor said last Tuesday the Government would guarantee 330billion of loans to stop small firms going bust.

Hotel owner: I was offered a costly last-ditch overdraft Small business owners were last week offered expensive overdrafts and loans by their banks  even though the Chancellor had promised 'interest-free' deals within days. Christopher Morgan, owner of the Cotford Hotel in Malvern, Worcestershire, said his Lloyds bank manager offered him an overdraft at 4.6 per cent or a loan at 2.9 per cent after he lost three months of business worth 180,000. Expensive offer: Christopher Morgan, the owner of the Cotford Hotel in Malvern Morgan almost signed up  until his local MP Harriett Baldwin told him to wait for Government assistance. 'It's a bit unscrupulous. I think they should have been more honest with us,' he told the MoS. 'They should have said, 'We've heard of this opportunity [from the Treasury], bear with us and give us a few more days.' ' Lloyds said: 'We are working as quickly as we can to ensure that once the business support is available, customers can access the finance they need.'

However, bank bosses last night warned some small business owners would be reluctant to get deep into debt.

The Government has also said it will give companies tax holidays on business rates bills and cover 80 per cent of salaries up to 2,500 a month (equal to 30,000 a year) as long as employers keep workers on their books.

But the wages scheme, to be backdated to March 1, will only begin in April and so small firms will need to find funding until then.

Paul Lynam, chief executive of Secure Trust bank, said: 'The problem is that the vast majority of small businesses are non-borrowers  probably about 70 per cent.

'These loans won't work for them because they don't have a clue about how to borrow money and some of them might not want to.'

Trade bodies also warned many banks have not informed small businesses of the interest-free loans coming online tomorrow.

Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'We've heard numerous instances of small business owners approaching lenders and being met with short shrift. That needs to change, and fast.

'Those responsible for deciding whether or not loans go ahead in the coming days need to recognise that, in a lot of cases, they'll be deciding whether a small business survives or goes bust.'

Ian Rand, chief executive of Barclays business banking, said: 'We're standing by next week to make sure we have all the resources we need to tackle this.'
Thousands of Oregonians streamed to the coast under sunny skies for the start of spring break, but locals angrily told visitors the welcome mat is not out.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not just an opportunity for a traveling vacation, said Tillamook Mayor Suzanne Weber in a video message. Its a threat to our very lives.

The crowds came despite directives from Oregons governor, Kate Brown, to stay home, stay healthy and avoid nonessential travel to keep from spreading the coronavirus. Thousands paid no heed. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, just hours after encouraging Portland residents to stay home, tweeted, Bumper to bumper traffic headed to the coast.  I cannot stress this enough. #COVID19 continues to spread because people dont know they have it."

The city of Warrenton responded rapidly, giving visitors 24 hours to leave town and closing campgrounds. Tillamook County announced Sunday morning it had closed all access to state and local parks, including day use, boat launches and county parking lots and will limit access to beaches. The county is also closing hotels and short-term rentals to visitors not providing essential services.

On Sunday evening, the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners ordered all lodging, hotels, short-term rentals and campgrounds in Seaside to close, effective Monday. The city of Seaside restricted access to public buildings and parks, streams and some beach areas.

Manzanita also served visitors with eviction notices with other coastal towns preparing to follow.

We have a full-time population of 600 with an average age of 60. Its a more at-risk population, said Manzanita Mayor Mike Scott. People became frightened. Everyone is considering what to do. They all feel they have to do somethingnot just Manzanita, but all of the Oregon Coast.

He noted Oswald West State Park and other beach turnouts were overrun with people -- as if it were a typical spring break. Local residents are totally up in arms, he said.

It wasnt just college students on spring break, which started Friday, but families and people of all ages took to the highways and headed to the beach.

The fear is not only that visitors will spread COVID-19  as of Sunday, no coastal counties had identified a positive case of the virusbut that most coastal communities have limited medical services.

Lincoln County is considering how it might legally also evict tourists, said Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall. If significant numbers of people do become ill, we have about 50 hospital beds in the county. We probably wont have the capacity to serve our own people, let alone visitors.

Stories of rude or aggressive behavior were posted on numerous social media sites. One woman reported a visitor told her she came to the coast because she can get products she cant get at home, and the motel would provide toilet paper.

Parked cars lined the roadway near Agate Beach in Lincoln County over the weekend.Courtesy of Chan Christiansen

Hall shared a story from a retail store in Lincoln City, where an employee asked a customer to follow some guidelines aimed at keeping everyone healthy.

His response was: Im not (expletive) sick. He left, then came back in, grabbed the manager by the shirt and coughed all over him, she said. The aggressiveness of some people, the denial of some people is quite disheartening.

The crowds caught many coastal communities off guard as most towns had been quiet through Thursday. But that all changed on Friday as beaches, state parks and popular tourist neighborhoods suddenly filled.

Jeff Schons and Mary Jones, owners of the Pelican Brewery, Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa and other businesses in Tillamook County, made the decision Saturday to close restaurants and hotels. They had originally planned to provide take-out and delivery services and rent rooms in a way they believed could be safe and comfortable while complying with social distancing guidelines.

A couple of days into it we realized there were way too many people coming to town, Schons said. We just didnt feel safe for our employees, the community, the world at large. It just became really uncomfortable, so we just decided we should close everything. We basically just feel we should adhere to the guidance of the CDC.

Schons wasnt sure how long the closure would last, but said he hoped it would not be more than a month. The business owners have also put on hold a plan to build a new brewery on Siletz Bay. That project could be delayed for at least a year.

Were turning all of our focus to, how do we come through this and help all our employees? Schons said. It will be different for sure. We think well make it through, but its going to take everyone working together. The good thing, weve been through this a couple of times. 9/11 was tough, but short-lived. The 2007-2008 recession was devastating. Everyone pulled together, made sacrifices. This is different. There are lives at stake, a lot of them. It isnt just financial like it was, its just a whole different game.

-- Lori Tobias, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa and his family members clap to express their appreciation for those who have worked round the clock to contain the deadly COVID-19, during Janata Curfew, in Bengaluru on March 22, 2020. (Phto: IANS) Image Source: IANS/PIB

Bengaluru: Children at an NGO clap to express their appreciation for those who have worked round the clock to contain the deadly Covid-19, in Bengaluru on March 22, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS/PIB

Bengaluru, March 22 : Thousands of people across Karnataka on Sunday cheered the medical fraternity for containing Coronavirus by clapping, ringing bells and blowing conch shells for 5 minutes at 5 pm, as urged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Thousands of people, including men, women and children from all walks of life came out of homes in cities and towns across the southern state, clapped, cheered and lauded doctors, nurses and paramedics for treating the Covid-19 affected patients in the country," an official told IANS here.

Leading the applause to Corona warriors, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his family members clapped loudly 5 minutes non-stop outside his personal residence in the city's northern suburb.

"Yediyurappa thanked the people for their collective response to Modi's call for expressing gratitude to the medical fraternity in containing the communicable disease risking their health and welfare. He also lauded the people for staying at home through the day as urged by Modi to observe janata curfew," the official said.

Sounds of clapping, bells ringing, striking plates and blowing conch by the denizens reverberated across this tech city for over 5 minutes as many continued to do longer to break the monotony of staying home for 14 hours from 7am to 9pm.

Police personnel on duty across cities and towns in the state also joined the public in appreciating the medical community in containing the infection from spreading rapidly so far.

Hundreds of people living in high rise apartments across the city also stepped out of their flats and stood in balconies, clapped and cheered the unnamed doctors, nurses and the health staff for their yeomen service to the Covid-hit.
Swab samples are taken for Covid-19 tests in Hanoi, March 18, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

10 patients being quarantined and treated for Covid-19 have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, Vietnams Health Ministry confirmed Sunday.

Three of them have tested negative twice and seven others have done so once.

The three patients who tested negative for the second time are a 26-year-old Hanoi woman coming back from London and confirmed infected on March 6, and two British tourists diagnosed on March 8.

All three are being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Disease in Hanoi. The facility has 34 Covid-19 patients  22 Vietnamese and 12 foreigners.

Among seven patients who have tested negative once are three in Hanoi: a British tourist, a Vietnamese flight attendant and a 25-year-old French woman. They are awaiting their second results at the National Hospital of Tropical Disease in Hanoi.

The other four are two British tourists and being treated in Da Nang, one British tourist in Hue and a Vietnamese woman in HCMC.

The Health Ministry said most of the patients are in stable condition with no fever, cough or breathing difficulties, and their chest X-ray readings are normal. A few patients who showed signs of pneumonia were treated with a specific regimen for the disease, the ministry said.

Under Health Ministry regulations, a person infected with the novel coronavirus is deemed healthy once she/he shows no sign of fever for three days and tests negative twice in three days. Other signs include improved clinical symptoms, overall stable status and vital signs, normal organ function and improved chest X-ray readings.

Most recently on March 20, a 27-year-old Vietnamese man found infected with Covid-19 after returning from South Korea was discharged from hospital after having no fever and being tested negative three times in a row.

Vietnam has recorded 99 Covid-19 infections, of which 17 have been cured and discharged. Of the 82 active cases, 26 are foreigners.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 188 countries and territories so far and its global death toll has increased to more than 13,000.
The only certainty in the coronavirus-induced global chaos is that the idea of the nation-state as the all-powerful, enforcer of social order is back. After decades of globalisation, neo-liberalisation and privatisation, in this moment of crisis, people across the globe are looking to their national governments and willingly giving up their civil liberties in favour of absolute State control. From Europe and the United States (US) to India, citizens are encouraging, in fact, demanding, that their governments improve surveillance and build capacities to police everyday life. Social distancing, social isolation, lockdowns are the new normal. The State commands it and people are willing to comply.

Ironically, this demand for excessive State control is in part a consequence of State failure in managing public health systems and developing robust mitigation strategies. Many countries in Europe and the US failed to test and contain the virus in its early days. South Korea and Singapore that seem, for the moment, to have avoided large-scale lockdowns focused on deploying State capacity toward mitigation through aggressive testing and contact tracing. But the trade-off is greater State capacity for surveillance.

These strategies are perhaps necessary but with their invocation, the nature of State-society relationships and the dynamics of State capacity in shaping State behaviour are likely to undergo a fundamental transition, globally.

As India readies itself for greater restrictions, it is important to examine the State capacity failures that led us to a place where lockdowns seem inevitable, and ask what needs to be done to redeploy State capacities in ways that protect citizens, while keeping State power in check.

In India, the coronavirus pandemic is unfolding in the context of a broken health system. Indias health failures are well known  our health infrastructure is weak and under-resourced, health facilities are poor, and quality of care is abysmal. In this context, it is perhaps easier to focus on containment through lockdowns rather than invest our faith in a broken health system. This is why the governments appeal to move in the direction of a slow but inevitable lockdown in our cities has been well received and widely supported. But social distancing, despite lockdowns, in a poor country with high population density is near impossible. And with cases mounting every day, without a war like effort to strengthen our health system, this may do little to contain the deadly virus.

The Indian State, for all its failures, has a remarkable ability to shine when it goes in to mission mode  the State can conduct elections even as we routinely fail in basic administrative functions such as health and education. Given this, a well-coordinated mission-mode response is not unfeasible. But to do this, our policymakers have to first start believing in our public health system and begin investing in its capacities, rather than focusing on coordinating and managing shutdowns.

At a minimum, three critical things need to be done. First, aggressive testing. The relative success of countries that adopted this strategy is well-known. The Indian Council of Medical Research is slowly changing protocols and bringing in the private sector to expand testing. This is good news, but more needs to be done urgently.

Second, service readiness. India will not be able to pull off a Chinese miracle and build hospitals in 10 days. But it certainly can prioritise hospital readiness by upgrading facilities  add beds and procure equipment. This will require the administration to reduce red tape and speed up expenditure. Utilisation levels of government health budgets in India are extremely low. In 2018-19, only 59% of the total National Health Mission budget for the year was spent. At the hospital level, spending is even lower  only 38% of the funds made available for hospital upgradation were spent. Moving money at this stage is critical. Once the system starts moving, more resources can be added. In addition, funds need to be provided to prepare primary health centres and wellness centres built under Ayushman Bharat to triage and treat mild cases so that hospitals do not get overwhelmed.

Third, human resource management. India doesnt have enough doctors, but, in many parts of India, government MBBS doctors are under-utilised. As economist Jishnu Das work has shown, doctors in rural primary health centres see barely eight to 10 patients a day. These doctors can easily be redeployed to service clusters where outbreaks take place. At the same time, community health workers (the one resource India has invested in over the last decade) can be trained with clear protocols and guidance to raise awareness, help patients navigate the health system, and seek appropriate care. In the event of an outbreak, we need to ensure that only critical patients reach hospitals. Some states are doing this, it needs to be scaled rapidly.

But to do this, we need to set up robust Centre-state coordination mechanisms. State governments such as Kerala are ahead of the curve, while others, especially in northern India, will struggle. The Centre needs to play a crucial coordination role, sharing strategy, expertise and human resources. In the short-term, investing in the existing public health system will help us deal with the crisis better. In the long-term, they can serve as the foundation for an agile and functional public health system.

The coronavirus pandemic has sharpened the focus on the role of the State and its relationship with citizens. The future of the State, particularly in India, will depend on the choices we make today. This could be our opportunity to strengthen our health systems and rebuild faith in public systems. Or we could invest in building capacities for enforcement and policing, which may have unwelcome consequences in the long-term.

Yamini Aiyar is president and chief executive, Centre for Policy Research

The views expressed are personal
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 22:25:02|Editor: huaxia

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by Dana Halawi

BEIRUT, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese engineers and medical experts are developing local ventilator prototype amid the spread of COVID-19.

Hussein Al Haj Hassan, a Lebanese telecom and network engineer, initiates the ventilator prototype project with Hisham Issa, an electrical engineer and Hussein Hamdan, a mechanical engineer.

"We are happy to see that our initiative has made a huge impact not only on the personal level but also on the corporate level where we have seen many factories and companies starting to work on such prototypes, which will help Lebanon to get prepared in case the number of patients increase," Al Haj Hassan said, adding that the product is a critical medical device which needs time to be produced.

The engineer said his team, consisting of 300 people, aims to meet basic requirements with its product by gathering information from medical doctors.

Ventilators are machines that help people breathe when they can't breathe on their own. The machine works by delivering air through a tube in the patient's windpipe into the lungs.

"What we worry about for now are technical challenges. When we succeed with the prototype we will go to the funding phase," the young engineer said.

He noted that that the Industry Ministry showed high interest in and great support for the project.

Lebanese officials have voiced their concerns about the shortage in the needed materials to fight against COVID-19 including ventilators, masks and disinfectants.

According to the Health Ministry, there exists a total of 1,185 ventilators in Lebanon with 750 of them functionable while the rest need maintenance. Among the 750 functionable ventilators, 500 are currently in use while the rest are stored for COVID-19 emergency cases.

Meanwhile, the Association of Lebanese Banks recently allocated six million U.S. dollars for the import of 120 new ventilators.

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections has reached 248 so far.
Colombia Will Hold Almost Three-Week Quarantine to Contain COVID-19

Sputnik News

04:26 GMT 21.03.2020

On 18 March, the nation's President Ivan Duque ordered mandatory preventive self-isolation at home for citizens aged 70 and older over the coronavirus outbreak. On Friday, it entered into force.

Colombia plans to announce a nationwide quarantine from Tuesday night, President Ivan Duque's office said on Friday. The quarantine will last for 19 days to 13 April, it added.

On 6 March, the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country, according to the National Health Ministry.

Earlier in the week, the president said that Colombia would close its border with Venezuela due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at 05:00 a.m. (10:00 GMT) on 14 March.

In addition, beginning last Monday, foreigners who do not have a Colombian residence permit and have traveled to Europe or Asia during the past two weeks were banned from entering the country. Meanwhile, Colombian citizens and residents were required to be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival.

According to the World Health Organisation, as of 19 March, there were 108 coronavirus cases registered in Colombia. As of 21 March, Colombia has 128 people infected by the virus, Johns Hopkins University data shows.

 Sputnik

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Peter Webers season of The Bachelor was a turbulent journey  and it has the backlash to prove it. From the very beginning, viewers criticized the 28-year-old by his inability to make decisions. Then in the finale, everyone was outraged when Pilot Pete flipped between his final two contestants, Hannah Ann Sluss and Madison Prewett. But recently on Instagram, Weber revealed he learned an important lesson from The Bachelor. And ultimately, it seems he does not regret leading the 2020 season.

How did Peter Webers season of The Bachelor end?

Peter Weber from The Bachelor on Jimmy Kimmel Live | Randy Holmes via Getty Images

In The Bachelor Season 24 finale, Weber was torn between his final two picks, especially after the two women met his family in Australia. The Webers appeared to approve of Sluss. However, they saw red flags when it came to Prewett.

Regardless, during their final date, Prewett decided to leave Weber after citing the major differences in their lifestyles. The bachelor was heartbroken. However, he chose to propose to Sluss anyway.

A month after their engagement, Weber changed his mind and broke off his engagement with Sluss. Meanwhile, The Bachelor production team believed that Prewett and Weber still had feelings for each other. So host Chris Harrison spoke with Prewett and brought her back to Weber.

During the After the Finale Rose taping, Weber and Prewett seemed in good spirits. But they didnt exactly confirm they were dating or even thinking about marriage. Rather, the couple said they would take things one step at a time.

But merely two days later, Weber and Prewett announced their split in separate posts on Instagram. On March 12, the bachelor wrote:

Madi and I have mutually decided to not pursue our relationship any further. Believe me this was not easy for either of us to be ok with, but after a lot of honest conversations, we have agreed that this is what makes most sense for the two of us. The love and respect I have for Madi will continue to endure.

Then a week later, People revealed Weber and Prewett were never really back together and the couple just realized they couldnt make it work. The publications unnamed source also confirmed Webers single status and shared how the Delta pilot was doing after the show stopped filming.

Everything that Peter went through on The Bachelor really hit him hard, the source said. He is aware that people think he made a ton of mistakes. But he never wanted to hurt anyone and he truly hoped hed find a relationship that would last.

Peter Weber shares his biggest takeaway from The Bachelor on Instagram

Clearly, Webers season of The Bachelor had a lot of ups and downs. And of course with that comes some backlash from fans who are invested in the show. Nevertheless, Weber doesnt regret his experience on the ABC reality series.

On March 20, Weber asked his followers on Instagram to send in questions. For the most part, Pilot Pete gave answers to light queries, such as his go-to karaoke song and his favorite food. He also shared he plans to move out of his parents home to live in New York City or Los Angeles for about a year. But then Weber dove right into The Bachelor.

If you could redo your season would you? a fan asked.

Peter Webers Instagram Story about The Bachelor Season 24 | Peter Weber via Instagram Story

Weber replied, No. One of the biggest takeaways I took was we have 0% control of the past but 100% control of the future. And thats a beautiful thing.

Now Webers remarks may not come as much of a surprise. Back in January 2020, the bachelor warned fans he made mistakes, but he didnt necessarily regret them. According to Us Weekly, Weber said:

One of the hardest things of the entire season was saying bye to relationships because thats why I applied. I didnt want to say bye to them, and I really got attached to a lot of women and it got me in trouble at some points, as you guys would see. But again, I dont necessarily regret that because that was just wearing my heart on my sleeve.

Regardless of how you feel about Weber and his season of The Bachelor, the 28-year-old is moving forward. And quite frankly, we are too.

Read more: The Bachelor: Peter Webers Ex-Girlfriend Was Right All Along But No One Wanted to Believe Her  Until Now
The HRD ministry on Saturday advised all educational institutions to let students who are still in hostels to stay put and take necessary precautions in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Students who are still in hostels, particularly foreign students, should be allowed to continue in their hostels and advised to take all necessary safe precaution, HRD Secretary Amit Khare said in a letter to the institutions.

The universities and colleges have been issuing advisories to students to leave for homes and not stay in hostels as classes have already been suspended in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, the HRD Ministry had directed that all exams in schools and colleges be postponed till March 31 and evaluation work be suspended.

The letter which has been sent to the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and other autonomous bodies under the ministry, also said that faculty members, researchers and non-teaching staff be permitted to work from home.

The faculty members should utilise this period for academic activities such as development of online content, online teaching and online evaluation. Preparing lesson plan and developing instructional material for the courses to be offered during next year or semester, writing articles and papers and preparing question banks, are among the activities which can be pursued during the period, Khare said.

While the teaching and non-teaching staff is required to be available on phone and email, the institutions have been directed to count the period as being on duty.

The HRD Ministry has also asked students to continue their learning by making full use of the available digital e-Learning platforms during the period the educational institutions are closed as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 283 on Saturday after 60 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country, the Union Health Ministry said.

The total includes 39 foreign nationals, including 17 from Italy, three from the Philippines, two from the UK, one each from Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.

It also includes four deaths reported from Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra.
A doctor volunteering to help critically ill coronavirus patients said she wants to "scream" until people listen to social distancing warnings.

Dr Natalie Silvey, an anaesthetic registrar, shared a selfie of her looking exhausted following a nine-hour stint, in which she moved those suffering from the outbreak around facilities in London.

"I feel broken and we are only at the start," she wrote on twitter.

"I am begging people - please do social distancing and self isolation."

Dr Silvey said she had spent the day in protective equipment assisting on the frontline of the crisis, describing how the protective gear had left her face with "red/purple marks".

"Those red/purple marks across my face are from my mask and are deeper than you think.

"Today I have seen just what Covid-19 is doing and now I just want to scream at people to listen to us," she said.

"I volunteered to do this. The consultant anaesthetist I was with volunteered.

"This is bringing out the best of us. Now can the rest of the country please bring out their best and listen."

Coronavirus: Brits Urged To Stay Away From Parents On Mother's Day

It comes as more than 5,000 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK, while at least 233 people have died after being confirmed to have been infected.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued stark warnings that the NHS could be overwhelmed if people do not heed warnings to limit their social interactions.

Dr Silvey was inundated with messages of support after sharing the photo.

One wrote: "I am so grateful to you and your colleagues and truly shaken by the staggering stupidity and selfishness of some of my fellow citizens."

Another said: "You are a hero. You are amazing for doing your thing. Words can't express how I feel for you and your colleagues and how much you are giving."

WHO: Young people 'not invincible' against coronavirus

Andrew Gwynne MP wrote: "Thank you doesnt seem enough.

"But thank you - and please, please, follow Natalies advice on social distancing and self isolation. This virus will be a killer for far too many. Do your bit and #StayHomeSaveLives #COVID19."

Dr Silvey later wrote: "Bit blown away by the responses to this. I was a crying mess when I sent it.
Thai woman and son identified as the two new Phuket coronavirus cases

PHUKET: It has been confirmed that the two new cases of COVID-19 infection in Phuket reported yesterday (Mar 21) have been identified as a Thai woman and her son.

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthSafety

By The Phuket News

Sunday 22 March 2020, 09:57AM

The now-daily meeting of the Provincial Communicable Diseases Committee at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Mar 21). Photo: PR Dept

Phuket Governor Phakaphong Taviphatana presided over the now-daily meeting of the Provincial Communicable Diseases Committee at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, joined by Mr Raywat Areerob, assistant to the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Bancha Khakhong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Health, relevant officers, and business owners in Phuket.

Governor Phakaphong revealed the two new cases are a Thai woman and her 7-year-old son who is half Italian.

He also confirmed that 29 people who had been in close contact them are under observation for 14 days.

For the previous five cases, Governor Phakaphong also explained that the first two infected were Chinese tourists from Wuhan who had recovered and already returned home. People who had been in close contact with the two had also been tested and quarantined for 14 days, but none of them were infected.

The Governor also confirmed that the Danish family identified as contracting coronavirus are still in hospital, and that the 32 people who had been in contact with them had been tested and were negative although they are still under quarantine for 14 days.

So far 565 people have been put under observation for possible infection of the virus, while 543 Persons Under Investigation (PUI) had been checked and gone home. The remaining 22 are still in hospital under observation. (See story here)

Mr Raywat cited Phuket as a successful example of how to best control and prevent the spread of the virus, as it has been effectively screening people traveling from the epicentre of Wuhan since Jan 5, and been continuously and intensively screening people coming through various ports into the island.

Dr Bancha concluded the meeting by reiterating the health warning that people should avoid crowded places such as markets, department stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and religious places to mitigate the spread of the disease and protect health.
The Air India Crew onboard a special flight that evacuated 263 Indians from the coronavirus-hit Italian capital Rome, have been advised home quarantine as per the established norms of the company, an official of the carrier said.

The special flight had returned to New Delhi carrying 263 Indians -- mostly students -- on Sunday morning. Later in the day, they were sent to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police-managed quarantine facility in Chhawla here.

Prior to being taken to the quarantine centre, the passengers had undergone thermal screening and immigration procedures at the Delhi airport.

The Delhi customs had provided assistance in the clearance of these passengers at the Remote Bay of the Delhi airport. Precautions were exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers were followed.

This is the second batch of Indians evacuated by the Indian government from Italy, which has reported more than 47,000 cases of the novel coronavirus.

Earlier, as many as 218 Indians -- mostly students -- were evacuated from the Italian city of Milan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A suspected Coronavirus case has been detected at Paga in the Kasena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.

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The suspected case was discovered on Saturday, March 21, 2020, by health workers at the Nakolo Clinic.

Health authorities at Paga are making efforts to find out more details about the COVID-19 case.

Disclosing details of the latest suspected case to ghanaweb.com, the District Director of Health Service, Hypolite Yeleduor, said the suspected sufferer came to the Nakolo Clinic from a nearby village close to the border on the side to Burkina Faso to seek health care.

READ ALSO: COVID-19 update: Ghana records first-ever coronavirus death

Hypolite Yeleduor said the workers, after admitting the patient noticed symptoms similar to Coronavirus and detained him for further observation.

He said further interrogations revealed that the man joined a attended a funeral home and later got sick.

This raised fears he might have been infected with the COVID-19 there.

According to Hypolite Yeleduor, health authorities at the regional level have been duly informed about the case and samples would soon be transported for tests in Accra.

He added that some other samples have also been sent to the regional hospital for testing for other suspected conditions.

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Ghanas President Akufo-Addo has announced an update on recent enhanced measures taken by the government against the spread of the novel coronavirus.

On Sunday, Mach 15, 2020, the president outlined new measures to deal to with rise of the number of infected persons in the country which had increased from the first two recorded cases to six. The number of COVID-19 infected persons stand at 21 with the country recording its first coronavirus death on March 21, 2020.

This is the third time in the last 10 days that the president has given an update on the progress on the countrys fight against the coronavirus.

READ ALSO: Bus driver carries policeman who jumped on top of his car away (video)

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Australia on Sunday announced a USD 38 billion spending plan to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, as citizens were told to cancel domestic travel plans to slow the virus spread.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the latest Australian dollars 66 billion announced Sunday brought government and central bank measures to support the economy to Australian dollars 189 billion - or nearly 10 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

"These extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and we face a global challenge like we have never faced before," he told reporters in Canberra.

"Today's announcement will provide hope and support for millions of Australians at a time when they need it most." Small businesses and non-profits will receive cash subsidies of up to Australian dollars 100,000, unemployment payments will be temporarily doubled and pensioners will receive Australian dollars 750 cash.

Workers whose income has fallen by at least 20 per cent due to the coronavirus outbreak will be able to access their retirement funds early, with those facing hardship allowed to withdraw up to Australian dollars 20,000 over two years.

Frydenberg said the economic shock was now expected to be "deeper, wider and longer" than was believed just 10 days ago and additional measures would be required.

The country appears poised to slip into recession as a result of the coronavirus outbreak after a record 29-year run of economic growth.

Australia has recorded more than 1,200 cases and seven deaths from COVID-19.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was also "moving immediately" to recommend against non-essential travel, warning stronger measures were imminent to deal with localised outbreaks.

He said work-related trips, the transport of essential supplies and travel on compassionate grounds could continue but people should cancel any other travel plans ahead of the upcoming Easter school holidays.

"More stronger measures will be coming and they will be coming in more localised areas to deal with outbreaks," Morrison said.

"What that means is, what may be necessary in a part of Sydney may not be necessary at all in... other parts of the country." Australia has already sealed off its borders, putting in place an unprecedented ban on entry for non-residents in the hope of stemming the rise of COVID-19 infections.

Three Australian regions -- the island state of Tasmania, South Australia state, and the Northern Territory -- have also implemented a 14-day self-isolation period for all visitors.

New South Wales state on Sunday announced a shutdown of non-essential services, with supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations among those businesses that are exempt.

Morrison said political leaders would meet Sunday evening to consider stricter isolation rules.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 22:23:51|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Romanian policemen check people on the street of Bucharest, Romania, March 23, 2020. Romania on Sunday recorded the first two deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as the total confirmed cases rose to 433. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

BUCHAREST, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Romania on Sunday recorded the first two deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as the total confirmed cases rose to 433.

"Today, March 22, the first two deaths were recorded in the territory of Romania of patients infected with the new type of coronavirus," said the Strategic Communication Group, the government agency authorized to publish information on COVID-19.

The first deceased, aged 67, was also suffering from advanced-stage cancer. The man was confirmed with coronavirus infection on March 18 at a local hospital where he had been treated for worsening cancer after returning from France in early March.

The second patient, aged 74, was from the capital city of Bucharest, with a pre-existing chronic disease for which he had been under the dialysis program.

In the past 24 hours, Romania reported 66 new cases of coronavirus, raising the total to 433, according to the Strategic Communication Group, which publishes a daily report at noon.

It also reported that there are 4,803 persons in institutionalized quarantine in the country, while another 65,799 people are in self quarantine at home. Meanwhile, 9,967 tests have been processed at national level.

Romania, which reported its first case of COVID-19 on Feb. 27, declared a state of emergency on March 16.

Late Saturday, authorities declared a curfew from Sunday evening which requires citizens to stay at home as much as possible during day time, in a latest move to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  A recovered COVID-19 patient, the first Filipino to test positive in the country, narrated how he battled with the viral disease, which has been increasingly afflicting people worldwide.

I was COVID-19 patient no. 4. As patient no. 4, I was the first Filipino to be confirmed positive after a lull of more than a month following the three Chinese travelers from Wuhan, Carlo Llanes Navarro said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Navarro, who travelled to Japan with his family, said they knew it was a risk to take a trip out of the country. However, he said at that time, Japan was not yet battling with community transmission. He also noted that there were no quarantine measures implemented yet by the government for returning passengers.

In an effort to protect themselves from the viral disease, Navarro said he and his family were careful in practicing preventive measures while in Tokyo.

In Tokyo, we thought we were making-up for the risk by always wearing our masks, vigorously washing and rubbing our hands with alcohol and Thieves essential oil, and wearing disposable latex gloves which we regularly changed and threw away throughout our five days there, he said.

However, it was on their flight back home, on February 25, that he suspects he contracted the virusfrom a Filipino man he described to be coughing vigorously behind him.

While they had their masks on the whole time, he said nothing could be done" as they sat in the plane for more than 4 hours.

Onset of COVID-19 symptoms

A week after their flight home, on March 3, Navarro said he came down with the chills and a low grade fever of 37.7 degrees Celsius. He clarified that he did not report to work days before the symptoms appeared.

That night of March 3, I decided to play it safe and that I be immediately tested. St. Lukes hospital did not see the need to test me. The hospital said my symptoms were mild, and Japan is not a Covid-19 hotspot, he shared.

He said he was only tested after he insisted, and that he went home after being discharged. At the time, his wife was in Lipa, and as precaution while waiting for his test results, his daughter and their helper stayed at his mother-in-laws house to isolate themselves.

Two days after, Navarro said his fever was gone, but that it was replaced by muscle pains and a bad cough. It was also that evening that he received his test results confirming he was infected with the virus.

Following the confirmation, Navarro was immediately brought to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang. His entire household, including their drivers, also had themselves tested for the virus the following day.

At this point, while in RITM, I prayed fervently to spare all of them. My mind was raising with scenarios that Evie and Gia [wife and daughter] wouldn't survive in RITM. All their tests came back negative. Thank God! All I need now is to worry about myself, he said.

Navarro also narrated how he was vomiting endlessly and had diarrhea probably due to stress while confined in RITM. According to him, "it was not the physical pain that is frightening," but "the psychological effect that made it difficult."

After two weeks at the hospital, Navarro said he was discharged with no symptoms.

"I never knew my test results and perhaps will never know. I know those doctors are busy with more severe and critical cases."

'Ignorance and inaction will cause virus to spread faster'

He also shared in his Facebook post a number of realizations he had while in confinement.

I realized that ignorance and inaction will cause the virus to spread faster, he wrote. That should anyone experience ANY symptoms, they should stay home and limit contact with others. They should NOT shrug-off any symptoms and downplay them. This community quarantine is something we need to protect the people that we love.

Navarro emphasized the need for people to have themselves tested quickly in order to minimize potential health risks, saying that the virus may spread "inadvertently by their non-quarantine and late testing. He also warned people that even mild symptomssuch as cough, sore throat, or muscle painsmust not be taken for granted, as some who tested positive for the virus did not, in fact, display symptoms.

Because I got myself quickly tested, by my immediate confinement, I shielded my elderly parents. I shielded our senior household helpers. I shielded my family, he added.

He also stressed the importance of being transparent about being infected with the virus. He noted that by disclosing the fact, all those he had been in close contact with were tested by the Health department and were quarantined.

As of March 22, there are a total of 380 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country. Of these, 17 have already recovered, while the viral disease claimed the lives of 25 patients.

Worldwide, some 308,000 people have contracted the virus. Over 93,000 have since recovered, while the disease proved fatal to around 13,000 patients, according to the Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 global tracker.
" " Teenage girls and women scream during a Beatles visit to Toronto in the 1960s. Mass hysteria comes in many forms. Fox Photos/Getty Images

For two weeks in 1956, people who lived near Taipei, Taiwan, were terrified of a mysterious slasher roaming the streets. The fiendish character would surreptitiously slice people as he slipped through crowds or brushed past them. About two dozen folks, most of whom were poor women and children, reported being slashed [source: Bartholomew and Goode].

But then something even stranger happened. After police spoke with the victims, it became clear that there was no mass slasher. Spurred by hysterical news reports, people thought that regular minor cuts on their bodies were the work of a crazed killer. In one case, the "slash" was an old injury which the person had scratched and re-opened.

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Such mass hysterias, or collective delusions, are actually quite common. They happen often in places where small, tight-knit groups of people are gathered together and may be under stress  like schools, convents and factories. Young women are the most likely victims. The hysterias generally spread rapidly but are relatively short-lived [sources: Bartholomew and Goode, Dominus].

In medical terms, mass hysteria occurs when people become afflicted with conversion disorder,also called functional neurological symptom disorder. When this happens, a bad scare or stress  something mental or emotional  transforms into a medical issue. There are two types of conversion disorders: anxiety hysteria and motor hysteria. In the former, people develop symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and nausea, typically after perceiving something threatening, such as a foul odor or unusual stain. Hundreds of these cases occur annually in the U.S.

Motor hysteria involves everything from twitching and stuttering to catatonic states and melodramatic outbursts. This is rarer and is often found in restrictive social settings, such as discipline-heavy boarding schools or prisons [sources: Bartholomew and Goode, Dominus, Mayo Clinic].

Mass hysterias have occurred across cultures and throughout time. Here's a chronological look at 10 of the stranger ones.
A woman studying law, who recently returned from London, tested positive for coronavirus in Bhopal on Sunday, making it the fifth case of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh and first in the state capital, officials said.

Earlier four persons- three who returned from Dubai and one from Germany- had tested positive for coronavirus in Jabalpur, they said.

A 26-year woman, who had returned from London on March 17 and reached Bhopal next day tested positive fort COVID-19, an official said.

"The student recently returned to Bhopal from London where she was pursuing a post-graduate law course and her test report was found positive for coronavirus," Bhopal commissioner Kalpana Shrivastava told PTI.

She is admitted to a hospital and being provided treatment as per the protocol, another official said, adding that the area where she resided is being sanitised.

Bhopal collector Tarun Kumar Pithode said there was no need to panic as standard protocols were immediately followed.

"Yesterday, as soon as we got information, they were advised to remain in quarantine. Her sample was collected and its result was found positive today. She was admitted to a hospital and her treatment has already begun," Pithode said.

The student's parents were also advised to be in quarantine and not to meet anyone, he said, adding that all precautionary measures were being taken.

Meanwhile, taking the matter seriously, the district administration has announced a 72-hour lock-down in Bhopal till March 24 midnight, Srivastava said.

"We are taking all precautions to ensure safety of the citizens and there is no need to panic, she added.

Pithode said that the locality, where the patient lives, has been sanitised and the family members have been quarantined.

This is the first case of coronavirus in the state capital, the collector said.

Meanwhile, Bhopal district collector ordered the total lockdown of the district till the midnight of March 24.

The people have been asked to stay inside the houses.

All the business establishments and markets will remain closed during this period.

The borders of the district will be sealed and only vehicles engaged in essential services be allowed.

Only emergency and essential services will be allowed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thousands are getting laid off in the KC metro due to the coronavirus. Here's who is hiring KANSAS CITY METRO -- Here is a sobering statistic: a new report from the Brookings Institute found 15% of Kansas City workers will be laid off because of COVID-19. "There are jobs out there," As Keely Schneider with Workforce Partnership of Greater Kansas City told FOX4. "We are seeing a downturn in certain sectors."

The numbers here are a bit lower than other places we've seen BUT this report stands out because it offers a bit of hope and a solution. Read more:
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Governor Andrew Cuomo slammed 'arrogant' New York City residents for ignoring social distancing guidelines at a press conference on Sunday (pictured)

Governor Andrew Cuomo slammed 'arrogant' New Yorkers for ignoring social distancing guidelines on Sunday as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state surpassed 15,000.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Cuomo described his horror at visiting New York City on Saturday and seeing parks crowded with people who have been instructed to limit contact as much as possible.

'There is a density level in New York City that is wholly inappropriate,' the governor said.

'You would think there was nothing going on in parts of New York City. You would think it was just a bright sunny Saturday.

'I don't know what I'm saying that people don't get. I don't know what they're not understanding.

'This is not life as usual. None of this is life as usual.'

Cuomo warned that the COVID-19 outbreak is on pace to last nine months and said 80 percent of the state's 19 million residents could become infected.

He revealed that he's asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to set up four hospitals within Manhattan's Javits Center as the state struggles to prepare for the expected influx in COVID-19 patients.

'This is literally a matter of life and death,' he said. '[If] we get these facilities up, we get the supplies, we will save lives. If we don't, we will lose lives. That is the simple fact of this matter.

'From my point of view, construction can start tomorrow.'

Cuomo said he visited New York City on Saturday and was horrified to see parks crowded with people who have been instructed to limit contact as much as possible. People are seen walking through Central Park on Saturday afternoon

'There is a density level in New York City that is wholly inappropriate,' the governor said

Cuomo has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to set up four hospitals within Manhattan's Javits Center (pictured)

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in New York state jumped to 15,168 on Sunday - accounting for nearly half of the more than 30,000 cases across the US.

The majority of those cases - 9,654 - are in New York City, where high population density has facilitated the virus's rapid spread.

Cuomo issued a state-wide order requiring all non-essential workers to stay home on Friday. According to his visit on Saturday, Cuomo said, the message wasn't received in New York City.

Addressing residents ignoring the order by congregating outside, Cuomo said Sunday: 'This is just a mistake. It's a mistake. It's insensitive, it's arrogant, it's self-destructive, it's disrespectful to other people, and it has to stop. It has to stop now.

'This is not a joke, and I am not kidding.'

Cuomo said he's spoken to Mayor Bill de Blasio and asked the city to come up with a plan to decrease public gatherings outside within the next 24 hours.

He said he is not at all against citizens going out to get fresh air, but insisted that they do so away from other people.

He acknowledged that the population density in New York City is higher than anywhere else in the US but said there are ways officials can conduct crowd control, such as by blocking streets to traffic to give residents more space to move.

Addressing residents ignoring official orders by congregating outside, Cuomo said Sunday: 'This is just a mistake. It's a mistake. It's insensitive, it's arrogant, it's self-destructive, it's disrespectful to other people, and it has to stop. It has to stop now.' People are seen enjoying the sunshine in Brooklyn's Prospect Park on Saturday

A woman wearing a mask is seen at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park on Saturday

Cuomo said he's spoken to Mayor Bill de Blasio and asked the city to come up with a plan to decrease public gatherings outside within the next 24 hours. People are seen exercising in Brooklyn's McCarren Park on Saturday

A farmer's market at Grand Army Plaza outside Prospect Park in Brooklyn drew a crowd on Saturday despite warnings from officials

Gatherings of more than 10 people have been banned across New York state, but the Grand Army Plaza farmer's market proceeded as usual

Cuomo has warned that up to 80 percent of the New York state population could be infected with coronavirus is people don't take social distancing measures seriously

New York state accounts for nearly half of the nation's coronavirus cases. As of Sunday night, more than 35,000 cases have been confirmed in the US and 417 people have died

Cuomo also offered new details on the state's efforts to prepare the healthcare system for an influx of COVID-19 patients.

He said he has asked all hospitals to increase capacity by 100 percent as there are currently 53,000 beds available and data suggests some 110,000 beds will be needed by the time the outbreak reaches its peak.

NEW YORK CONFIRMED CASES TOTAL CASES - 15,168 NYC - 9,654 ALBANY - 123 DUTCHESS - 82 ERIE - 54 MONROE - 57 NASSAU - 1,900 ORANGE - 247 ROCKLAND - 455 SARATOGA - 24 SCHENECTADY - 21 SUFFOLK - 1,034 ULSTER - 38 WESTCHESTER - 1,873 The following counties have fewer than 10 cases: Allegany, Broome, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Livingston, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Putnam, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming Updated 11.45am Sunday Advertisement

The state will be waiving regulations to help hospitals meet that goal, which he admitted was 'ambitious', 'difficult' and may be impossible in some places.

A Department of Health Emergency order effective Sunday will require all hospitals to increase capacity at least by 50 percent, Cuomo said, with each strongly encouraged to meet the 100 percent goal.

The mandate also includes the cancellation of all elective, non-critical surgeries, which Cuomo said could free up '25 to 35 percent more beds'.

'Hospitals are not happy about it because elective surgeries are a major source of revenue, but this is not about money, this is about public health,' Cuomo said.

He said it is likely that efforts within hospitals alone will not meet the demand for beds, so the state is taking additional steps to convert existing residential facilities such as hotels and nursing homes so they can treat COVID-19 patients.

Cuomo said the state is moving forward with plans to erect four hospitals within the Javits Center in Manhattan, which could hold up to 1,000 patients.

The 1.8 million-square-foot center - which typically hosts auto and trade shows and other major events in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood - will be converted to house four 250-bed hospital units under the management of FEMA, Cuomo said.

The state was also looking at several other venues as possible hospital sites, including the campuses at SUNY Stony Brook and SUNY Westbury, and the Westchester Convention Center.

Cuomo's latest comments came as:

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US climbed past 35,000 on Sunday, including 471 deaths

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin warned that lockdowns affected 80 million Americans count remain in effect until June

Congress prepares to vote on a coronavirus relief deal that will pump $1trillion into the US economy and give families $3,000 each

Five students at University of Tampa tested positive for COVID-19 after ignoring social distancing guidelines by going on spring break

13 states have cancelled primaries for the 2020 election due to the pandemic

Lab trials are underway for drugs that have shown promising results against COVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine, Zithromax and chloroquine

New York City Mayor de Blasio echoed Cuomo's heightened concern during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning, warning that if Donald Trump doesn't send more aid to New York City to combat coronavirus, then 'people will die' of the disease who otherwise would have lived.

'The truth is, and New Yorkers and all Americans deserve the blunt truth, it's only getting worse,' de Blasio said. 'And, in fact, April and May are going to be a lot worse.

'Right now, we are a third of the cases in the country  that's going to get worse. We're about two-thirds or more the cases in New York State  that's going to get worse.

A little less than one-fourth of the coronavirus cases in America are congregated in New York City.

'The President of the United States is from New York City and he will not lift a finger to help his hometown, and I don't get it. I don't get it,' de Blasio said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday morning that Donald Trump has not done enough to help his 'hometown' of New York City as it faces more cases than anywhere else in America

'I can't be blunt enough, if the president doesn't act, people will die who could have lived otherwise,' de Blasio said, claiming Donald Trump needs to mobilize the military to help get supplies to New York City

De Blasio said he has requested Trump mobilize the military and enact the fullest of the Defense Production Act so New York can get more ventilators and other necessary medical equipment and supplies.

'I can't be blunt enough, if the president doesn't act, people will die who could have lived otherwise,' he charged.

The Democratic mayor has been critical of Trump's response to the pandemic, and asserted he wants the president to order more military response.

'The military has extraordinary medical capacity of its own that's been honed in fighting wars. They can handle any situation,' he insisted.

'All military personnel who are medically trained should be sent to places where this crisis is deep  like New York  right now.'

'The military is the best logistical organization in the nation. If there are ventilators being produced anywhere in the country, we need to get them to New York, not weeks from now or months from now, in the next ten days,' he said, expressing the urgency of the situation.

'And the only force in America that can do that is the military.'
Oregon health officials said Sunday one more person has died from the novel coronavirus in the state, bring the death toll to five.

The state also reported 24 new cases of the virus, bringing the total to 161 as of 8 a.m. Sunday.

New cases were reported in Benton County (2), Clackamas County (1), Deschutes County (1), Lane County (1), Marion County (3), Multnomah County (1), Washington County (13) and Yamhill County (2).

There are now known coronavirus cases linked to 17 of Oregons 36 counties: 55 in Washington County; 22 in Marion County, 19 each in Linn and Multnomah Counties; 12 in Clackamas County; 10 in Deschutes County; six in Yamhill County; five in Lane County; four in Benton County, two each in Jackson and Umatilla counties, and; one each in Douglas, Grant, Josephine, Klamath, Polk and Union counties.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, the person who died from COVID-19 was a Linn County resident and a veteran in his 90s. Officials said he tested positive on March 11 and died Sunday morning at the Oregon Veterans Home. They added that the man had underlying medical conditions.

Clark County in Washington reported one new case of the virus, bringing the total in that county to 10. County health officials said that case was diagnosed in a man in his 70s who had contact with another confirmed case in Clark County.

He is quarantined and recovering at home.

Oregon Health Authority reported Sunday that 43 of the 161 known cases in the state had led to hospitalizations, and 88 had not. There were 21 cases that officials could not provide that information about.

Out of those confirmed cases, four each were found in people under 17 years old and in people 18 to 24 years old. Officials reported 13 cases in people between 25 and 34, 49 in people 35 to 54 and 91 in people over 55.

Gov. Kate Brown halted evictions for 90 days Sunday in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The governor also continued to implore Oregonians to stay home during spring break to slow the spread of the disease before hospitals become overwhelmed, even as many flocked to beaches and the gorge over the weekend, and coastal towns took measures to kick tourists out.

This story will be updated.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
They welcomed their first child together earlier this month, a son named Roman Ravello.

And Lucy Mecklenburgh celebrated her first Mother's Day on Sunday alongside her fiance Ryan Thomas and their sweet newborn.

The former TOWIE star, 28, shared a gorgeous photo to commemorate the day and penned: 'My first Mothers Day with my special little man- love you so much Roman'

Adorable: Lucy Mecklenburgh celebrated her first Mother's Day on Sunday alongside fiance, Ryan Thomas and their sweet newborn

She also shared a Story that showed her enjoy a cup of tea on the sofa out of an Emma Bridgewater mug that reads Mummy, along with a card.

Coronation Street star Ryan shared a similar photo to his Instagram of him alongside his family.

He said: 'Happy first Mothers Day' and fans were quick to take to the comment section to share their adoration for the sweet pic.

Family: She also shared a gorgeous photo to commemorate that day and penned: 'My first Mothers Day with my special little man- love you so much Roman'

Lucy looked stunning in a camel coloured T-shirt and had her arms wrapped around her bundle of joy.

The reality star wore her tresses loose in a cropped bob and decorated her features with a pretty palette of natural makeup.

In Ryan's snap he is gazing affectionately at his newborn who is curled up in his mother's arms.

The fitness guru announced her pregnancy last August, after fiance Ryan, 35, proposed during a trip to Italy's Amalfi Coast in June. Ryan is already dad to Scarlett, 11, with his ex Tina O'Brien.

The couple met on Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls in early 2017. They brushed off split rumours in December 2018 after Lucy was pictured looking cosy with a man in a Dubai nightclub, believed to be her friend and business associate Adam Rossiter.

At the time, Ryan was said to be 'in pieces' over the pictures but the couple quickly moved on after Lucy explained it was her pal.
Express News Service

NEW DELHI: On a day when the entire nation is observing Janata Curfew, following Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement, two unidentified miscreants hurled "chemical bomb" at the epicentre of anti- CAA protest-- Shaheen Bagh.

According to the witnesses, bike-borne perpetrators disguised as delivery boys threw glass bottles full of "unknown" chemical at barricades placed at a distance from the protest site and fled.

They further allege that the bikers had also fired some shots in the air but the police are yet to confirm the incident.

The organisers of the protest added that the "attackers" were carrying three bags due to which the registration number of the bike couldn't be noted.

The protest at Shaheen Bagh began on December 15 against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and has been facing criticism from certain sections especially the right-wing organisations.

It started when the Delhi Police barged inside the Jamia Millia Islamia campus injuring around 200 students and damaging property worth Rs two crores.

The demand to suspend the agitation growing in view of Coronavirus pandemic in the country. Even, people including social activists, who were supporting the movement, are now seeking suspension of the protest for some time.

According to some reports, which couldn't be verified, a group of demonstrators are in favour of taking a break and resuming the sit-in after a gap.

The protesters who refused to call off the protest even after huge criticism, in wake of Coronavirus, were also observing Janata Curfew.

Around 10 AM , some miscreants threw some chemical bomb at the protest site from behind on the barricades. It was not petrol but some kind of chemical that led to fire. However, no one was injured, senior volunteer at Shaheen Bagh, Syed Taseer Ahmed told this newspaper.

He said, this was a gift for observing the Janata Curfew.

We did not allow women to the protest site today except for four of them inside the tent. We want to stand with the people of our country as this is for the better of our country and yet we were showered with such kind of bombs, Taseer added.

The police confirmed the incident saying that chemical has been recovered from the area.

The incident took place in the morning at around 9.30-10 am. The senior police are investigating the matter. Chemicals have recovered in good amount from the area, said a police official.

Police is further investigating about the persons behind the incident.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 12:15:32|Editor: yhy

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ADDIS ABABA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Eritrea on Saturday confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in a 39-year-old Eritrean who was linked to travel to Norway.

"The Eritrean Ministry of Health announced on Saturday evening the first confirmed case of a coronavirus patient who arrived at Asmara International Airport from Norway with Fly Dubai on Saturday morning," the Eritrean Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel said in a statement.

The patient, who was quarantined immediately after the screening process at the airport, has tested positive for COVID-19 in subsequent tests at the national laboratory, the minister said.

The patient, an Eritrean national with permanent residence in Norway, is currently receiving "all necessary" medical treatment, Gebremeskel added.
Beijing: The virus pandemic has advanced with the US and Europe reporting soaring numbers of new cases, prompting a scramble in some regions to set up additional hospital beds and replenish much-needed medical supplies.

Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose by 6600 with nearly 800 new fatalities from the virus that causes COVID-19. The country's total death toll of more than 4825 has surpassed the number of deaths in China, where the first cases emerged late last year.

A worker wearing a protective suit and a mask sprays disinfectant at a mosque near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Credit:Bloomberg

In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned the National Health Service could, like the Italian health system, be "overwhelmed" within weeks by the coronavirus.

"Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread - then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed," he said.
Hundreds of thousands of seasonal farmworkers, mostly Mexicans, enter the United States using H-2A visas to make sure that there is enough food amid the threat brought by COVID-19 according to a recently published article.

MEXICAN FARMWORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES

Hundreds of thousands of Mexican farmworkers are arriving in the Mexican city of Monterrey to pick-up their H-2A visas at the U.S. consulates for temporary agricultural workers. They are bound to the different farms in the United States.

While hundreds of thousands of Mexican farmworkers are working hard to ensure that there is enough food chain in the U.S., many Americans are in their home to avoid COVID-19.

The agricultural industry is the backbone of the U.S. economy and Mexican farmworkers are playing a big part in it. They are the main workforce of the country's agricultural sector. In fact, there were around more than 250,000 who came to the U.S. last year using H-2A visas and the majority of them are Mexicans.

According to Justin Flores, AFL-CIO's Farm Labor Organizing Committee Vice President, that he spoke to different people who plan to travel in North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, and more to support the agricultural industry of the country.

The efforts of the Mexican workers to work in the United States as farm workers to sustain the food chain of the country amid the threat brought by COVId-19 illustrates the paradox in the country. Mexicans work, while Americans stay at their home.

SUSPENSION OF NON-EMERGENCY VISAS

U.S. embassy in Mexico has announced already that they are suspending for the meantime the non-emergency visa appointments because of the health concerns of their employees and visitors.

However, they also notified the Mexican farmworkers who participated in the program last year that they can still get their H-2A visas and they don't need to have an in-person appointment at the consulate.

With the notification and announcement from the embassy, it is expected that around 85 to 90 percent of workers from the Pacific Northwest will be exempted according to the Director of Wafla, Ryan Ogburn.

Moreover, influential farm organizations in the United States are also asking President Trump and his administration to ease the entry of farmworkers from another country. Through this, they can assure that there will be enough food in the coming days as the country is still facing COVID-19 pandemic.

FOOD SUPPLY IN THE COUNTRY

According to the food producers that their operations are still normal for now. Even though, consumers are prowling the half-empty shelves at the different supermarkets.

Meanwhile, slaughterhouses, dairies, and vegetable food producers assured that they are open for business and are ready to feed the nation. In a statement released by the President of the National Pork Producers Council Howard Roth, he wrote: "telecommuting is not an option for us; we are reporting for work as always."

Food distribution in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic has also redirected from shuttered businesses to places where people crave for it specifically in the grocery stores. Mexican farmworkers are sacrificing their health just to make sure that they can help sustain the food chain in the U.S. and that they have something in return to feed their families.

Read related articles:

Eligio "Kika" de la Garza: A Mexican-American Agricultural Revolutionary

Climate Change Affects Mexico's Cradle of Corn
Dubai-based Emirates has announced plans to suspend all flights to France, Germany, Nigeria, New York and New Jersey due to the coronavirus outbreak, said a report.

Flights to France, Germany and Nigeria will be suspended from March 23 until further notice, said a report in the Saudi Press Agency citing a Reuters report.

Flights to New York JFK and New Jersey's Newark EWR would be suspended from March 24 until further notice, it said.
TV personality and Korean-American lawyer Suh Dong-joo, 36, has expressed fears of being targeted for coronavirus-related racism. Suh's Instagram



By Lee Min-young



The new coronavirus is spreading fast around the world and so is racism against Asian people.



TV personality and Korean-American lawyer Suh Dong-joo, 36, lashed out at the increasing number of racially motivated attacks against Koreans and other Asians in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic.



"Do you want us to wear a mask or not wear a mask? I'm getting mixed messages here," Suh, who lives in San Francisco, wrote on Instagram. "If Asians get beat up for both wearing a mask and not, what do you expect us to do?"



The comment comes five days after she posted the photo of herself wearing a face mask, saying she was concerned about growing racism.





Suh posted news articles about racially motivated attacks against people of Asian descent on Instagram. Suh's Instagram
New Orleans based DJ Black N Mild has passed away at age 44 after contracting coronavirus.

The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office confirmed the death, according to NOLA.com.

Black N Mild, whose real name is Oliver Stokes Jr., passed away on Thursday.

Stokes, who also worked as an 'in school suspension coordinator' at Arthur Ashe Charter School, left campus with a fever on March 9 and did not come back, said Sabrina Pence, the CEO of FirstLine Schools.

New Orleans based DJ Black N Mild has passed away at age 44 after contracting coronavirus

'Our school community is devastated,' Pence, whose charter company operates Arthur Ashe, told NOLA.com.

Stokes kept followers up-to-date on his ailment via Facebook.

On March 9, the day he left school, he posted he was 'feeling sick at Ochsner Urgent Care - Lakeview (New Orleans).'

The next day he posted, 'I haven't had the flu in years... This sucks monkey balls.'

Black N Mild, whose real name is Oliver Stokes Jr., passed away on Thursday

In his final status update on March 11, he wrote, 'Pneumonia not the flu.'

Stokes has been credited with bringing New Orleans bounce music, a genre of energetic hip-hop, onto the radio.

The DJ declared on Facebook back in February: 'I was the first DJ in Nola history to have a radio mix show dedicated to Nola Bounce from 03-05 (up to Katrina).'

Stokes has worked with the likes of Drake and Lil Wayne, hosted a mix show in Houston, and also DJed at various events for the last two decades.

The next day he posted, 'I haven't had the flu in years... This sucks monkey balls'

His music once even caught the attention of the Human Beatbox Doug E. Fresh.

'One of the biggest and best compliments I ever got from somebody in the industry, is when I was playing an industry event I was doing in '04...' he said in an interview with Tulane University in 2012.

'I was DJing the event and there were a lot of industry people there and Doug E. Fresh was hosting. ... Doug E. Fresh pulled me to the side and was like, "Man, I've heard a lot of DJs in my time; you were one of the smoothest DJs I've ever heard."'

Stokes was also a father of four, according to Billboard.
Kampala, Uganda (PANA) - A 36-year-old Ugandan citizen, who arrived on a flight from Dubai on Saturday, tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) hours before the government unveiled stringent measures, including a total ban on all passenger flights
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Sunday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in the national capital till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak, banning protests, and other gatherings.

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code bans assembly of four or more people in one place.

The order issued by Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava will come into effect from 9 pm on March 22 and will remain in force till March 31.

According to the prohibitory orders, assembly of any kind for demonstrations, processions or protests is banned.

Any gathering -- social, cultural, political, religious, academic, sports, seminar or conference -- is also not allowed, the order stated.

Weekly markets (except for vegetables, fruits and essential commodities), concerts, exhibitions, etc have been banned.

Guided group tours conducted by various private tour operators are also prohibited, it said.

"Any individual suspected or confirmed with COVID-19 shall take measures for preventions or treatment that is home quarantine, institution quarantine, isolation or any such person shall cooperate to render assistance or comply with the directions of the surveillance personnel," Shrivastava said in the order.

ALSO READ | Kolkata, several areas in Bengal to be under lockdown from Monday 5 pm till March 27

Any person contravening prohibitory orders shall be punishable under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of Indian Penal Code, the order said.

Novel coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 341 on Sunday.

Delhi has reported 27 cases so far, according to the Union Health Ministry.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The cause of a fire early Sunday morning at a California Bank & Trust branch in Japantown is under investigation, the San Francisco Fire Department said via social media.

The fire was reported shortly before 12:28 a.m. and was contained less than 10 minutes later.

There were no injuries reported.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Tadano, the largest Japan-based manufacturer of cranes, said lifting companies operating in the Europe, Middle East and Africa and Russia (EMEAR) region will experience a more streamlined sales approach that offers the full range of Tadano and Demag crane equipment from a single sales contact.

Beginning March 1, each crane equipment business manager within Tadanos EMEAR territory began offering the full range of Tadano and Demag all terrain and crawler crane models to customers, increasing sales efficiency, expanding market coverage and showing one face to the customer.

As part of the companys efforts to advance the One Tadano business strategy for the region, Thomas Schramm and Klaus Kroppel now lead sales efforts for both brands, separated by new sales regions.

Schramm is leading Tadano and Demag sales for the Benelux countries, Russia, Asia Pacific, Turkey and France, while Kroppel has responsibility for crane sales in DACH (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland) countries, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Nordics.

As we continue with Demag integration, Tadano customers will experience a faster and more efficient sales approach for the full range of Tadano and Demag equipment, remarked Kenichi Sawada, Chief Commercial Officer for Tadano.

By working as one and leveraging synergies, we are stronger together in support of our customers success, he added.

Business leaders reporting to Schramm and Kroppel in the individual markets also provide sales support for both Tadano and Demag brands.

Many of these leaders are the same individuals who have helped customers in these markets with crane equipment purchases for years.

Former business leader of the Demag DACH organization, Christian Kassner, will now lead the newly integrated Tadano and Demag Used Cranes equipment organization for EMEAR, said the statement from the company.

Along with sales, the new customer support organizational structure will follow the same One Tadano model, as all members now provide support for the Tadano and Demag machines.

The new support structure is led by Manfred Schlumberger, Customer Support Director. By redirecting customer support efforts from being brand-centric to company-centric, Tadano effectively uses synergies and best practices from both organizations.-TradeArabia News Service
Voters in Guinea are casting ballots in a contested referendum and parliamentary election held against the backdrop of deadly protests and the coronavirus pandemic.

Conde is proposing a change to the constitution to codify gender equality and introduce other social reforms. But his opponents fear the real motive is to reset presidential term limits, allowing the 82-year-old president to run for a third spell in office later this year  a scenario his government has not discounted.

Shortly after voting began at 08:00 GMT, young people attacked police deployed outside a polling station in a school in Ratoma, a suburb of the capital, Conakry, according to an AFP news agency reporter and other witnesses. In another school nearby, voting equipment was vandalised.

Since October, Guineans have protested en masse against the possibility of Conde extending his grip on power. At least 31 people and one gendarme have been killed to date, according to reports.

Residents and anti-riot police look on as a water cannon sprays water during demonstration in Conakry ahead of a constitutional referendum in the country [Cellou Binani/AFP]

Originally scheduled for March 1, Conde postponed the referendum late last month after international criticism of some 2.5 million dubious names on the countrys electoral roll. Some 7.7 million people were on the register, out of a total population about 13 million people.

The government says it has now scrubbed the problematic names, after an expert team from the West Africa bloc ECOWAS urged doing so last week. But Guineas embattled opposition still doubts the votes credibility.

Cellou Diallo, a former prime minister and the head of the leading opposition party, the UFDG, said the process of cleaning up the electoral roll had been opaque.

It is an electoral masquerade, he said, adding that the roll did not reflect the electorate. His party, as well as the other large opposition parties, are boycotting both the referendum and the parliamentary election.

In a deeply polarised political environment, opposition figures have also promised to stop the votes from taking place.

Authoritarian

Sidya Toure, the head of the opposition UFR party, said Conde wants to convince the international community he is open to criticism while pursuing a third term anyway.





Conde in 2010 became Guineas first democratically-elected president. He was returned to office by voters in 2015 for his second and final five-year term under the current constitution, but critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian, citing arrests of protest leaders.

The draft constitution would also limit presidential terms to two but extend the length of the term to six years, potentially enabling Conde to govern for another 12 years.

Guineas government argues the new constitution would usher in badly-needed changes in the country, especially for women. These would include banning female genital mutilation and under-age marriage and giving spouses equal rights in a divorce.

Conde has not denied that he might use the new constitution to seek another term when his second term runs out this year. He told French media last month that there was nothing more democratic than holding a referendum and it was up to his party to determine whether he would run again.

Amid concerns about the fairness of Sundays vote, there is also increasing concern about the spread of the new coronavirus. Guinea has confirmed two cases to date.

I have the impression our country is taking things lightly, said Amadou Oury Bah, a banker and politician.

The governing party called for people to vote but also insisted on the strict respect for health measures.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday said the National Guard could begin monitoring drive-in testing sites on Monday and prodded the federal government to do more to help states secure more tests and medical supplies to fight the spreading coronavirus outbreak.

The Republican declined at a news conference to follow the lead of other states with a statewide shelter in place order. But he warned Texans that it could be coming if they dont heed his previous orders on Friday that limited social gatherings to under 10 people, closed schools, bars and gyms and banned dine-in eating at restaurants.

DISASTER EXPERT: Houston area needs shelter-in-place and coronavirus team now

Stricter standards will be taken, if necessary, Abbott said. If you dont have an essential reason for leaving your home, you should not be leaving your home.

The announcement came as the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 334 people statewide have tested positive for the virus, up from 304 on Saturday, and officials in Dallas said a man in his 80s has become the sixth Texas with the disease to die.

The vast majority of people who contract the virus recover within weeks. It causes only mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but it can lead to more severe illness, including pneumonia, especially in older adults and people with preexisting health problems.

Abbott did not dissuade big-city mayors in Dallas, Houston and Austin from issuing a shelter-in-place order if they think that is best. He said local authorities have the power to enforce stricter standards than he has so far, and noted that more than 200 counties havent had a reported positive coronavirus test.

PORTRAITS FROM PANDEMIC: Houstonians' lives in the time of coronavirus

Dallas County has the greatest number of cases, with 30, according to the health department. It is followed by Harris County, with 27, and Bexar County, with 24.

Abbott previously told the National Guard to get ready and said Sunday they can help local officials set up medical tents, reboot previously closed hospitals and medical facilities or monitor the traffic at drive-thru testing sites that are sprouting up the states major cities.

He said Texas shares the frustration of other states regarding the the federal government's slow response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The governor also urged the federal government to ramp up production of personal protection equipment. He said the state has tried but cant deliver quickly enough.

We've tried strategies. And the delivery date's in July. That's not going to work. We need delivery dates tomorrow. The next day, Abbott said. And we have ready money to pay for anybody who can sell (personal protection equipment) to uso us. We'll cut you a check on the spot.

Abbott also announced new measures to free up hospital resources to address the pandemic. He said that he issued executive orders to allow hospitals to treat two patient in a room, rather than one, and directing heath care workers to postpone all "elective or non-essential medical procedures.

___

Bleiberg reported from Dallas

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Assam came to a near standstill on Sunday along with the rest of the country as the state observed a janata curfew to put the brakes on the spread of coronavirus.

Streets in the state capital including the Guwahati-Shillong road, which passes through the heart of the city and connects with Meghalayas capital, remained deserted with very few vehicles providing essential services seen plying.

All business establishments including small shops and markets remained closed. Pharmacies, however, remained open. Essential services like ambulances, water supply etc. continued to operate.

Due to low passenger bookings and in view of the janata curfew, Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has cancelled all trains originating from Saturday midnight till Sunday 10 pm.

Follow coronavirus live updates here.

However, all those trains which were plying before Sunday 7 am will continue to operate till they reach their final destinations.

NFR is taking all precautionary steps to discourage people from taking non-essential journeys and to encourage social distancing by the passengers for their safety to restrict spread of the virus. Trains with low occupancy are already being cancelled, said a NFR release.

The Assam Chamber of Commerce has appealed to all business establishments to remain shut between 6 am to 9 pm on Monday as a preventive measure against coronavirus.

There is no report of any Covid-19 positive case in Assam till date. A four-year- old child who was initially said to be positive on Saturday was announced as negative for the disease after a second test.

MANIPUR

Manipur also shut down in response to PM Modis call for janta curfew to combat coronavirus.

Almost all roads and lanes in the state capital Imphal with a population of more than three lakh wore a deserted look since early morning with almost all residents staying indoors. All markets, business establishments across the state including iconic three ima keithels (mothers market) in Imphal have already for closed on Saturday for five days.

There are also similar reports of observing Janata curfew in other district headquarters in the state which have 16 districts.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is an assistant editor based in Guwahati. He covers all eight states of North-East and was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times . ...view detail
(Newser)  One of the world's biggest long-haul airlines announced Sunday that it will fly passengers to only 13 destinations instead of its usual 145. Emirates Airline had said earlier in the day that it would ground all passenger flights by Wednesday, the AP reports, but reversed itself after governments and customers asked that it help repatriate passengers. The airline plans to cut employees' pay by as much as half for the next three months but not eliminate any jobs, per Axios. The CEO of the Emirates Group, which is owned by the government of Dubai, said the airline has been doing well financially, has "substantial cash liquidity," and should be able to weather a lengthy slowdown caused by the global pandemic.

story continues below

Emirates said it will still fly passengers to the US, UK, Japan, Australia and Canada. The airline will continue to move cargo, including medical supplies. The cargo business remains strong, per CNBC. Spending reductions are planned in the interim, including 100% cuts in basic salary for the top two executives. The CEO expressed hope that keeping employees will allow Emirates to resume flying passengers quickly when demand returns. "We cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns," he said. (US airlines have asked for $50 billion in government aid to help them weather the pandemic.)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On Tuesday morning Jazmin Moreira of West Brighton rushed her sick 8-year-old daughter to Urgent Care.

Moreira said her daughter, Victoria Peterson, woke her up that morning and told her mother she felt warm and her body was in pain.

Peterson was tested for the flu that day, but the results came back negative. Then for strep throat, but those results were negative too.

So, Petersons doctor decided to test her for the coronavirus, which Moreira learned Saturday morning her daughter has tested positive for.

Its hitting home on Staten Island, Moreira said of the coronavirus impact on the borough. Its real, its happening.

Peterson is one of the hundreds of Staten Islanders who have tested positive for the virus in recent days.

On Wednesday the number of confirmed cases on the borough stood at 75 and by Saturday evening, that number had increased by 482% to 437 cases.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Citywide, confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 8,115 by Saturday evening, including 60 deaths. Confirmed coronavirus cases within New York City accounted for 72% of cases across the state on Saturday.

Though the city and state have ramped up their coronavirus testing capacity in recent days, which is also behind the increase in confirmed cases, tests are still hard to come by.

Not everyone can get tested. Only those that show symptoms, which include fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath, the city has said.

And the city made those guidelines even more stringent in recent days.

On Friday evening, City Hall said the Department of Health would direct healthcare facilities to immediately stop testing non-hospitalized patients for the virus unless a hospital thinks its vitally important a patient be tested.

The Department of Health has also started advising providers and hospitals to stop testing asymptomatic people including healthcare workers and first responders.

Moreira said she and her 12-year-old son are both asthmatic, a group of people the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deem to be at higher risk of contracting the virus.

But Moreira said she has not asked for a test because she and her son both do not have any symptoms and knows that tests are hard to come by.

I would love for us to get tested because I do have asthma and my son has lung restrictions, so I know that if we catch it, it would be more severe for us than it would for my daughter, Moreira said.

Currently, the citys Health Department does not require doctors to test people who live in the same household as a positive coronavirus patient, even if they show symptoms unless they have to be hospitalized.

Since her daughter has tested positive, Moreira said she and her children have not left their home, and she said she thinks all Staten Islanders should also do the same to stop the spread of the virus.

Moreira also notified The Michael J. Petrides School, where her children both attend, to let them know about her daughters condition.

Even though this happened to my child and it may not have been as severe, if she would have gotten in contact with elderly family members, it could have been more severe for them, Moreira said.

As of right now, I might have a risk of developing symptoms, my son does, we have weak lungs, people have to just be more aware of whats going on and just stay home, she continued. The best thing to do for everyone is to just stay home and keep away from each other, only go out for the necessities.

As of Saturday morning, Moreira said her daughter has not had a fever since Wednesday and is on her way to recovery.

The borough opened its first drive-through coronavirus testing site in Ocean Breeze on Thursday.

The site, located at 777 Seaview Ave., will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. De Blasio has said drive-through sites will be reserved for serious cases only and not for everyone.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.

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If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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On Friday 20 March 2019, South Africas national energy regulator, Nersa, published two draft determinations by Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe in terms of Section 34 (1) of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA).

These so-called draft S34 determinations are the first step in the process of procurement of new electricity generation capacity in South Africa totalling some 13 813 MW from independent power producers (IPPs).

The first draft S34 determination relates to the procurement of 2000 MW of new generation capacity between 2019 and 2022, and the second draft S34 determination to the procurement of a further 11 813 MW between 2022 and 2027.

These draft S34 determinations begin the procurement process after the gazetting of the South African national integrated resource plan for electricity, IRP 2019 on 18 November 2019. The determinations were submitted to Nersa by the minister on 21 February 2020 for concurrence by the energy regulator.

A high court judgement in April 2017 ruled that in terms of the ERA and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA), Nersa is required to concur with the draft determinations following a public consultation process before they become final and are gazetted.

The public consultation process commenced after Nersa published two consultation papers on 18 March 2020. These call for public comment and input on the two draft S34 determinations issued by Minister Mantashe, by 14 April 2020 and 7 May 2020 respectively.

Despite the current electricity supply emergency, which has resulting in up to Stage 6 (6000 MW) loadshedding in South Africa, Nersa has indicated that now, more than a month since receiving the draft S34 determinations, it will require a further three months to concur with the first S34 determination, and six months for the second.

Nersa does not seem to have got the message from Minister Mantashe when he said recently: Officials in the department are used to working according to rules, where it takes three months to do this, or six months to do that. The situation we are in requires a change of approach. Thats why we are engaging with Nersa and everybody to say: Guys, lets accelerate processes, because if we dont, we are going to be plunged into darkness.

The Department of Minerals and Energy (DMR&E) and Nersa are coming under increasing pressure and criticism for the snails pace of their bureaucratic processes and decisions. The energy regulator refutes this criticism and says that Nersa is cognisant of the urgency of the request [for concurrence] as evidenced by the proposed fast-tracked concurrence process in the consultation papers.

The draft S34 determinations indicate that electricity produced from the new generation capacity will be procured from IPPs through one or more tendering procedures which are fair, transparent, competitive and cost effective.

The electricity procured from IPPs by the DMR&E in terms of the draft S34 determinations may only be sold to Eskom as the designated buyer of the electricity, in accordance with power purchase agreements (PPAs) concluded in the course of the procurement programmes.

Recent statements by the ministers of Public Enterprises and the Mineral and Energy have indicated that Eskom should not be excluded from building, owning and operating new renewable energy generation capacity. However, the draft Section 34 determinations indicate that all new generation capacity up to 2027  wind, solar, energy storage, gas and coal-fired  will come from IPPs. None of the new generation capacity will come from Eskom itself.

This is a big shift away from the current Eskom monopoly, towards a more diversified electricity supply industry. It also represents a significant diversification away from South Africas over-dependence on coal as primary energy for power generation, which currently stands at about 80% of the total electricity generated in South Africa.

 2020  EE Business Intelligence (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. This article may not be published without the written permission of EE Business Intelligence.

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Francis, who began streaming his audiences earlier this month due to virus concerns, said he would also lead a global blessing to an empty St Peter's Square on Friday. The "Urbi et Orbi," blessing, normally reserved for Christmas Day and Easter, will be broadcast to the faithful. In the US, where several states have ordered residents to stay indoors, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the government was "literally scouring the globe looking for medical supplies." Health care workers from Oklahoma City to Minneapolis sought donations of protective equipment. Staff at a Detroit hospital began creating homemade face masks for workers. Buildings and streets in Turin, Italy, are seen during the lockdown due to the coronavirus. Credit:AP Negotiators from Congress and the White House resumed top-level talks on a ballooning $US1 trillion-plus economic rescue package, urged by President Donald Trump to strike a deal to steady a nation upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump appeared confident about the nation's ability to defeat the pandemic soon even as health leaders acknowledged that the US was nowhere near the peak of the outbreak. Nationwide, there were 26,747 cases and 340 deaths as the US overlook Germany as the country with the fourth-highest number of cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. At least 38 people tested positive at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex - more than half of them inmates. Another inmate became the first in the US to test positive in a federal jail. Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose to 53,000 people, with nearly 800 new deaths. As bodies piled up in Italian hospitals, morgues and churches, and as medical workers pleaded for more help, there was no sign that Italy was yet taming its arc of contagion. Italy now has 4825 deaths, more than all of China, where the virus first emerged late last year.

In Britain, where Sunday was Mother's Day, the government had a stark message for millions: Visiting your mother could kill her. Prime Minister Boris Johnson implored Britons to forego traditional family visits, parties and Sunday lunches. "If your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus," Johnson said. "This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity." Iran's supreme leader refused US assistance Sunday to fight the virus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that it could be made by America. Loading Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments came as Iran faces crushing US sanctions over its nuclear actions. Iran says it has 1685 deaths and 21,638 confirmed cases of the virus - a toll that experts from the World Health Organisation say is almost certainly under-reported.

Worldwide, nearly 312,000 people have been infected and over 13,400 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. About 150 countries now have confirmed cases, and deaths have been reported in more than 30 American states. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Some 93,800 people have recovered, mostly in China. In the US, New Jersey and St Louis were added to a growing list of areas where residents were ordered to stay home. Hawaii's governor instituted a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine starting Thursday for both returning residents and visitors and urged people to delay planned vacations to the Pacific archipelago. Loading Milan, the capital of Italy's prosperous Lombardy region, appeared more deserted than ever. The square in front of the Duomo was empty except for one older couple walking a dog.

Lombardy has raised the fines for people out without a good reason from 207 euros ($384) to 5000 euros. Officials lamented last week that the number of people on the streets was still too high to break the pandemic. The number of buses, trams and metros were cut - but that only caused more Italians to go out in their cars and was revoked. The first of nine hulking Russian Il-76 cargo planes left Chkalovsky military airport in Moscow on Sunday, bringing Russian medical personnel and supplies to Italy, including eight mobile medical teams. The Chinese city of Wuhan - where the global pandemic was first detected and the first city to be locked down - went a fourth consecutive day on Sunday without reporting any new or suspected cases. Pope Francis delivers his blessing from the window of his studio overlooking an empty St Peter's Square, at the Vatican. Credit:AP Wuhan must go 14 straight days without a new case in order for draconian travel restrictions to be lifted, but a special train brought in more than 1000 car factory employees for the first time since the outbreak.

Parks and other public gathering places were reopening in China as people return to work and businesses resumed. However, the country has placed increasing restrictions on those coming from overseas. All arrivals to Beijing from abroad must be quarantine themselves for two weeks in a hotel at their own expense. And beginning Monday, flights into the capital will be diverted to airports in other cities, where passengers will have to pass a health inspection. China's first recent case of community infection was reported Sunday in the southern province of Guangzhou, reportedly caught from a Turkish arrival. As the outbreak has died down domestically, an influx of people coming into China has stoked fears of a resurgence. Borders kept closing and airlines kept slashing flights. The long-haul carrier Emirates, a crucial East-West link that has now cut 70 per cent of its routes, had been flying into Beijing despite the virus outbreak. Its Beijing flights, however, will end Monday. After recording its first two deaths, Singapore said it will fully shut its borders beginning Tuesday. All short-term visitors will be barred while returning locals will face a 14-day quarantine. Sri Lanka blocked all passenger flights and ships from entering.

In Spain, Europe's hardest-hit country after Italy, intensive care units in some areas were close to their limits even before Sunday's new tally of 28,572 infections and 1720 deaths. The army was building a field hospital with 5500 beds in a convention centre in Madrid, where hotels are also being turned into wards for virus patients without serious breathing problems. Fernando Simon, director of Spain's centre for health alerts and emergencies, said that over 3400 health workers have been infected, more than 10 per cent of the total. "This is a statistic that concerns us," he said. The Health Ministry has said it will distribute 500,000 masks to health workers and 800,000 to patients in the coming days. Dr. German Peces-Barba, a lung specialist at Fundacion Jimenez Diaz hospital in Madrid, said more than half of the 600 beds had been dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients. "This will likely get worse in the coming days," he said. "For now, the hospitals are bearing up the huge demand, but the emergency services are in bad shape."
Bodies of 17 security personnel, who were missing after an encounter with Naxals in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, were found on Sunday, police said.

IMAGE: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel visits Rama Krishna Hospital in Raipur to meet the security personnel who were injured in an encounter, in Sukma. Photograph: ANI

"Bodies of 17 security personnel were recovered by a search team and were being evacuated from forests," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

Earlier, in a major joint offensive, separate teams of nearly 600 personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) -- an elite unit of Central Reserve Police Force, launched an anti-Naxal operation from three sides towards Elmagunda after getting inputs about a huge gathering of ultras there on Saturday.

When the patrolling teams were near Minpa village forests, a group of around 250 heavily armed ultras ambushed them, leaving 15 personnel injured, he said.

The gun battle lasted for about two-and-a-half hours, he said.

"Later, 17 personnel were found to be missing for which a search operation was launched. Today, their bodies have been recovered and the search team is on the way back," he said.

Earlier, the police in a statement said 14 police personnel were injured and 13 were missing after the gunfight.

The injured personnel were airlifted to Raipur and admitted to a private hospital where the condition of two of them is stated to be critical, he said.

According to police sources, at least 16 automatic weapons, including AK47 and an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) were missing following the encounter.
Kamal Naths decision to resign as Madhya Pradesh chief minister, before facing the trust vote in the assembly, draws the curtains on the 15-month rule of the Congress in the state. Once it became clear that the party had lost the support of close to two dozen members of the Legislative Assembly, following the decision of senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia to shift to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr Nath appears to have calculated that resigning, and projecting himself as a martyr, may be politically more prudent.

There are two clear messages from the entire episode. The first is that the Congress is not just facing a crisis of credibility with the electorate  with its failure to win polls, particularly at the national level. It is also facing an internal crisis  where the central leadership is weak, state-level factionalism is rampant, and incentives for legislators to stay on in the party is limited. As political scientist Gilles Verniers has pointed out, the Congress has been successively losing states despite having the highest number of legislators in an assembly. In Goa, Manipur, and Meghalaya, it was unable to form the government; in Karnataka, its legislators defected, paving the way for a BJP government last year. And now, the loss of MP represents a big setback in the heartland. The party must do a serious review of its defects.

The second message concerns the BJP. In MP, it had lost by a narrow margin and was waiting for an opportunity to return. But in this term, the BJP will have a tougher time  both in terms of political management and governance. It has to accommodate Congress defectors; this will, in turn, cause resentment among old-timers. It will also have to immediately handle the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. The episode reveals its hunger for power, but also throws up questions about the political legitimacy of forming a government in this manner. To offset this, the BJP has to attain legitimacy through its performance.
We have seen emergencies like coronavirus before in the United States, such as the 1918-20 flu pandemic, which left my grandmother and her siblings orphaned. During the same time of that horrific flu, the United States was dealing with two other major crises. The first was World War I, which was brought to an end by the November 11, 1918 Armistice. But there was another too: hunger and malnutrition in the war-torn countries.

At the end of 1918, U.S. schools took part in World Relief Week. The idea was to promote the saving of food so more could be sent overseas to feed the hungry. The influenza wreaked havoc with this event, forcing the closing of schools. But it did ultimately take place in some schools after postponement. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Ohio schools had a lesson plan learning about hunger in Europe.

The students studied maps and food reports from Herbert Hoover, who led world relief efforts. The students were asked to share their findings with parents and others so everyone would know about hunger and preventing food waste. Even though a flu crisis was gripping the country, students were helping others overseas. This gives us a shining example for students today coping with school closings caused by the coronavirus. They can learn online about hunger emergencies overseas and what can be done. In Southern Africa severe drought has led to hunger for millions.

In Yemen, over twenty million people are starving because of a civil war. In Afghanistan conflict and drought have increased hunger. There are many other countries living in hunger from war and drought caused by climate change. The UN World Food Program, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, CARE, Action against Hunger and other agencies are working hard to bring them relief.

The coronavirus is also starting to appear in these nations already weakened by hunger. Barron Segar of the World Food Program USA explains, The number of coronavirus cases around the world is rising fast, crossing borders and threatening vulnerable, hungry populations. In places like Yemen, Syria and Bangladesh, health systems are already barely functioning, there is limited access to clean water, and sanitation products are out of reach for millions.

Students could write letters to their representatives urging them to help nations suffering from hunger and coronavirus. Mount St. Joseph University and University of Cincinnati are holding a Free Rice challenge, to see which school can answer the most questions using the online educational game. When you play Free Rice, every correct answer means ten grains of rice donated to the World Food Program (WFP). This helps WFP feed the hungry in war-torn Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Afghanistan and many other impoverished nations. Even though schools are closed, students can still learn and take action to make the world a better place.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the UN World Food Program and Catholic Relief Services on the book Ending World Hunger. His writings have been published by the USA Today, History News Network, Baltimore Sun and other news outlets.
Mountain View: Google has launched a new website and enhanced its search options for people seeking information about the new coronavirus, but the effort falls short of a plan initially announced by President Donald Trump.

As of Saturday, when US users typed in coronavirus or related terms, information about symptoms and links to state health departments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention popped up on the right.

Google also unveiled a new website, http://www.google.com/covid19/, that links users to data, safety videos and relief efforts. Google said the website will soon be available in more languages and countries.

A little more than a week ago, Trump said Google would facilitate a website that would guide users through a series of questions to determine whether they should be screened for the virus. Then it would direct them to a local testing location.

In fact, a Google sibling company, Verily, which focuses on health care confirmed it was working on such a site, but so far it is only available in certain counties in the San Francisco area.

Google also announced Friday that it would no longer hold its annual developer conference this year. The Google I/O conference was initially moved online, but the company said it has been canceled to comply with Californias shelter in place directives.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
While some physicians are shy about using testosterone and other hormones to treat patients with a traumatic brain injury, that hasn't stopped one southern California physician.

Studies have found testosterone hormone therapy can damage patients' brains, but Mark Gordon, Millennium Health Centers founder and medical director, has found a way to carefully increase this and other hormones in his patients.

For example, he has found clomiphene citrate, a drug commonly used for women trying to become pregnant, can increase the production of testosterone in men. If the patient does not respond to this, Gordon said he will use a low dose of testosterone, along with two other hormones that he claims will counteract testosterone's negative effects on the brain.

"This has been a battle I have been fighting for more than 15 years with my esteemed colleagues," Gordon said in an email. "In assessment of testosterone levels in a person with blast trauma, the traditional health care providers tend to do a very limited blood test."

Related: This Pager-Sized Device May Make It Easier to Diagnose TBI on the Battlefield

Gordon said its more than just testosterone. He looks at the patient's levels of neurosteroids, the brain's hormones, and neuroactive steroids, which are produced by the body, and works to get those in balance.

"Using the science of neuroendocrinology, we assess the brain's hormones and those produced by the body as reflections of our brain's health since, after trauma, these can be greatly affected," he said about his Millennium-TBI Biomarker panel in a statement.

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, which tracks and studies TBI cases in the military, says mild TBI (mTBI) can cause temporary gaps in memory, irritability, depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping. Many physicians currently are treating mTBI in patients through cognitive and physical therapy, but Gordon says he has found success with hormone therapy.

Defense Department Health Affairs officials said March 12 they are not currently aware of Gordons work, but added they are researching neuroendocrine dysfunction (NED) in patients.

So far, the DoD recommends clinicians consider a NED diagnosis when symptoms like those Gordon has seen -- insomnia, impaired cognition and memory loss, as well as emotional and mood disturbance -- persist or appear after three months post-injury.

Symptoms of NED are similar to the symptoms of other post mTBI medical diagnoses such as sleep disorder, memory difficulties, depression, PTSD and/or post concussive syndrome, states the DoD NED guidance from 2012. Considering NED may avoid a delay in diagnosis and improve prognosis.

Gordon said his treatment regime has had great success, helping veterans, a Guinness World Record surfer and a New York City firefighter.

One patient is Green Beret veteran Andrew Marr, who went on to co-author a book with his brother, "Tales from the Blast Factory: A Brain Injured Special Forces Green Beret's Journey Back From the Brink."

Marr's story, along with a couple of other patients', are told in a newly released documentary called "Quiet Explosions: Healing The Brain." The film's next showing will be in Los Angeles on March 18.

-- Dorothy Mills-Gregg can be reached at dorothy.mills-gregg@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DMillsGregg.

Read More: A Soldier Compared Coronavirus Quarantine to Prison. Pentagon Vows to 'Do Better'
The Passing of Time During the Pandemic Confinement

Commentary

I live in a fairly close-knit neighborhood of about 100 houses. While we are friendly with one another, we have always practiced social distancing with other neighborhoods for the simple reason that we are cut off from them by water on one side, tidal marshes on the others.

Its an ideal place to adopt a shelter-in-place quarantine. There is plenty of space to go for walks outdoors without trespassing on the hygienic six-foot distance recommended by the authorities; it is easy to exercise appropriate precautions when we venture afield to forage for sustenance, and we receive almost no visitors from outside the neighborhoods these days.

It will be interesting to gauge the mood of the neighborhood in the daysI hope it will not be weeks (I will not even raise the possibility of months)to come. Already, eight or nine days into our medical isolation due to the CCP virus (often referred to as the novel coronavirus), I have noticed signs of boredom tinctured with irritation and, here and there, alarm.

I havent spoken enough to my fellow inmates to know for sure, but I think that the alarm is due partly to the medical situation but mostly to a dawning recognition of what the countrys response to the virus has meant for the economy. Samuel Johnson once observed that the prospect of hanging in a fortnight did wonders to concentrate the mind. Having ones retirement funds cut by a third has a similarly galvanizing effect.

It is still brisk outdoors, but that hasnt stopped many from sitting on their front stoops, congregating in their driveways, milling about in twos and threes in their yards or neighborhood roadways. I can sense that time has begun to hang heavy.

I am fond of a little poem that the late historian John Julius Norwich quotes in one of his celebrated Christmas Crackers. It appears on the pendulum of a clock at a churchyard in Kent, England.

When as babe I laughed and wept,

Time crept.

When as a youth I dream and talked,

Time walked.

When I became a full-grown man,

Time ran.

Later, as I older grew,

Time flew.

Soon shall I find when traveling on,

Time gone.

I can think of no more poignant expression of the oft-noticed phenomenon that time seems to speed up as you get older. The fact that the poem is inscribed on the moving pendulum of a clockand a church clock at thatmakes it all the more fetching. (Perhaps I should have included the last two lines: Will Christ have saved my soul by then? Amen.)

But as our enforced leisure reminds me, our experience of time is not strictly linear. It may often seem to speed up as one gets older. That summer holiday that seemed to stretch out forever when one was in grade school goes by in a flash once one hits middle age.

Yet there are several things that can put a brake on ones experience of time. One is novelty. Go someplace new for a couple of weeks. The first few days always seem much longer than the last when one has become used to a new routine and fresh sights.

There is also the curious effect of boredom, which seems to elongate the present while accelerating ones experience of longer stretches of time.

This was something that Thomas Mann explored in his great novel, The Magic Mountain, set in a Swiss sanatorium in the 1920s.

Many false conceptions are held concerning the nature of tedium, Mann notes. In general, it is thought that the interestingness and novelty of the time-content are what make the time pass; that is to say, shorten it; whereas monotony and emptiness check and restrain its flow.

But this, Mann observes, is only partly true. Vacuity, monotony, have, indeed, the property of lingering out the moment and the hour and of making them tiresome. But they are capable of contracting and dissipating the larger, the very large time units, to the point of reducing them to nothing at all.

At the same time, a full and interesting content can put wings to the hour and the day; yet it will lend to the general passage of time a weightiness, a breadth and solidity which cause the eventful years to flow far more slowly than those poor, bare, empty ones over which the wind passes and they are gone. Thus what we call tedium is rather an abnormal shortening of the time consequent upon monotony.

I am thinking of re-reading The Magic Mountain during this viral confinement. I long ago decided that it was Manns greatest work. It will be interesting to see if I still agree with my younger self.

I am confident, at any rate, that the story of Hans Castorp, the young tubercular engineer confined suddenly to a seemingly endless convalescence, will acquire new depths and resonances as we wait out the ultimate dissipation of this latest gift of the CCP.

Roger Kimball is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books. His most recent book is The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.




Haiti - Social : Religions at the time of Covid-19





Friday as part of the awareness of the religious sector on measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19 Claude Joseph, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship met with several representatives of the various religious currents in Haiti.



He held a working session with the Apostolic Nuncio in Haiti, Mgr Eugene Martin Nugent, around the new measures adopted by the Government to curb the spread of Covid-19. Bishop Nugent, who is also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, assured that "the Catholic Church will follow the instructions of the State", starting with the prohibition of all public religious activity in the country https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30324-haiti-social-the-catholic-religion-in-quarantine.html



Subsequently, he met with the national ATI Carl-Henry Desmornes and the Mambo Euvonie George Auguste on the new decisions of the Haitian Government aimed at fighting the spread of COVID19 in the country. The Representatives of the Konfederasyon Nasyonal Vodouyizan Ayisyen (KNVA) welcomed the efforts of the Government to protect the population and promised to facilitate the implementation of these measures through the networks of willors throughout the National territory.



On the same day, he met with Pastor Fleuridor Calixte, President of the Protestant Federation of Haiti, who gave his support to all the measures that would protect the population and promised to collaborate in their implementation within his community.



Then he received pastors Andre Muscadin and Jacques Maurice, from Shalom Tabernacle De Gloire, who confirmed to him that they were going to use their different networks to help popularize the instructions of the Government in its fight against Covid-19



In addition Claude Joseph at the end of a meeting with the representatives of the Adventist community welcomed the commitment made by these representatives to support the efforts of the Haitian Government specifying "The representatives have promised to put the Adventist hospital at the disposal of the Haitian State to provide the necessary care to those infected."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30324-haiti-social-the-catholic-religion-in-quarantine.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30191-haiti-health-religious-rally-and-preventive-measures-against-covid-19.html



HL/ S/ HaitiLibre


















Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 10:41:09|Editor: zyl

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KAMPALA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- At least three prisoners were killed and six others injured after riots occurred Saturday afternoon in the northwestern Ugandan district of Arua, prison authorities said.

Violent clashes took place after a prisoner who had tried to climb the perimeter of the prison to escape was gunned down, Frank Baine, spokesperson for Uganda's prisons service, told Xinhua by telephone.

"It's true there was a mass escape of 23 prisoners. Three were shot dead in the scuffle, six injured and eight recaptured. No staff causality. No gun lost," said Baine.

The joint security forces managed to quell the riot following the clashes, the spokesperson said.

"Now situation is back to normal. The search for escapees is on," said Baine.
The Springfield Police Department, like everyone else and every business, is trying to adapt to a new environment of worry, uncertainty and cautiousness due to COVID-19.

I have sent all important information out department-wide regarding the virus and how law enforcement may be playing a new role because of it. I have met with my command staff, and we have come up with a contingency plan to relocate officers if need be.

At this point in time, I believe my most important role is to help calm and inform the employees of the Police Department, do my best to keep everyone healthy and keep a force available to answer emergency calls for as long as possible.

Im meeting with Mayor Domenic Sarno daily to provide essential updates and gather any new guidance as this is a very fluid situation. My partnership with fire commissioner Bernard Calvi and health commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris is very important, and we continue to share information and assist each other.

Some services and events we normally provide may be sidelined for a bit until the health of citizens and officers are not at risk. Im sure during these times everyone understands. We will continue to provide core services, information and stress common sense and self-awareness for Police Department employees and the citizens of Springfield.

We have spread out our officers at our Metro Substation on Dwight Street, the Public Safety Complex on East Street, office on Maple Street and 130 Pearl St. headquarters to limit contact and be prepared in the case of one of our officers or employees tests positive in one of our buildings.

Weve shifted our operations so that officers are now in one-man cars to reduce the potential of exposure. For an emergency call that would typically be dispatched to a two-person cruiser, now instead two, one-person cars will respond.

Ive directed our civilian employees to stagger their shifts and work from home when possible to reduce the number of people in an office at any given time.

Were also asking the public to avoid going to the lobby of police headquarters except for emergencies. We ask everyone to conduct their business with the Police Department by telephone if possible.

Heres some guidance for the days ahead:

 If you need to make a report, and it is an emergency, please call 9-1-1;

 If you need to make a report for an incident that you would have done in person at the Springfield Police Department we are asking that you call our non-emergency report line in our records division, 413-750-2525. If no one answers, please leave a message and someone will return your call;

 If you need to request a report from our clerks office, please call 413-787-6310 weekdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. We will have a staff member respond to all requests either over the phone or in the mail;

 For victims of domestic violence, if you have questions, concerns or need assistance developing a safety plan, you can call our domestic violence advocates at 413-735-1519; and

 The Springfield Police Department also suspended license to carry (LTC) firearms applications and processing. If you have already filed a renewal application, your receipt suffices until your permit is processed. If this continues for an extended period of time, we will receive guidance from Gov. Charlie Baker and the Firearms Records Bureau on how to proceed.

We really need everyones cooperation to get through this. This type of response is new to everyone here as well, so please be patient as we all work through this pandemic together.

The more we adhere to these precautions now, the sooner we will begin to get back to our normal everyday activities.

Cheryl Clapprood is police commissioner for the city of Springfield. Her column will appear monthly.

Editors note: Information on the Springfield Police Departments community calendar is available on the departments website, springfield-ma.gov/police, and Facebook page, Facebook.com/Springfield PoliceDeptMA.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to be a part of the 'Janta curfew' today and said that it will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace.

"In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against #COVID19 menace. The steps we take now will help in the times to come," Prime Minister Modi tweeted minutes ahead of the curfew.

On Thursday, Modi had urged citizens to follow "Janta curfew" on March 22 from 7 am till 9 pm in an effort to take on the coronavirus outbreak.

In Assam's Guwahati, shops remained closed as people followed the Janta Curfew.

Situation was similar in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The total number of positive coronavirus cases rose to 63 in the state, said Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday.

In Chennai, Tamil Nadu, there was minimal traffic on roads. Indian Railways officials on Saturday said that the suburban train services in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Secunderabad will be reduced to a bare minimum in the wake of 'Janta Curfew'.

Roads in Punjab's Ludhiana bear a deserted look as shops remained closed on Sunday morning.

In West Bengal capital Kolkata also people mostly preferred staying back at their respective homes as streets remained empty in the morning.

In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh also people observed the Janta Curfew called by the Prime Minister. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Saturday said that 23 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh and asserted that a sufficient number of isolation wards are there in the state.

No passengers were seen at Majestic bus station in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Sunday morning as people observe the self-imposed 'Janta Curfew' to fight coronavirus.

BJP president JP Nadda urged the people to unite and fight a big battle against coronavirus.

"Today we need to unite and fight a big battle against #COVID19 infection. 'Janata Curfew' is an important step by the people for the health of the people. I request all of you to follow the guidelines given by PM Narendra Modi, regarding #JantaCurfew," Nadda said.

So far, there have been 315 positive cases of coronavirus in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The global coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 339,000 people and killed nearly 15,000 worldwide, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.

Here's a roundup of developments in RFE/RL's broadcast countries.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Health Ministry says a 40-year old man has died from coronavirus, becoming the country's first fatality from the disease.

Afghanistan has 34 confirmed cases of the virus.

Iran

Health officials say Iran's death toll from coronavirus has reached 1,685, as the country continues to struggle with mounting cases and an overloaded health-care system.

The Health Ministry said on March 22 that another 129 people had died over the past 24 hours. The ministry also said the country's overall tally of confirmed cases of COVID-19 was 21,638.

Iran has been one of the worst-hit countries outside of China and Italy.

With the country reeling from the outbreak, officials have recommended Iranians stay home during the Norouz holiday, which began on March 20 and is one of the biggest holidays of the year for Iranians.

Officials have worried that efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 will be hampered as people travel for the holiday to see friends and relatives.

The government has closed schools at all levels, banned sports and cultural events, and curtailed religious activities.

Many Iranians have also been angered by the temporary closure of Shi'ite sites, prompting some crowds to storm into the courtyards of two major shrines.

In a televised speech to mark Norouz, Iran's supreme leader rejected an offer from the United States for assistance in fighting coronavirus.

"We have many enemies, but the worst is the U.S.... and now they want to help us," Khamenei said.

He said the United States would be better off helping its own people, with hundreds of American deaths being linked to the virus after a spike in cases over the last week.

Khamenei also cited an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be manmade by the United States.

"Possibly your [offered] medicine is a way to spread the virus more," he said.

Georgia

Two southern Georgian regions will lock down on March 23 as part of an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the countrys prime minister said the previous day.



Giorgi Gakharia said at an emergency news briefing that the Marneuli and Bolnisi regions, both of which border Azerbaijan, would be closed off for entry and exit.



The regions would be supplied with food and medicine, and only grocery stores and pharmacies are to remain open as well.



Critical infrastructure and services would be available as well.



The decision was made after a woman who had contact with at least 90 people after attending a relatives death anniversary dinner was diagnosed with the COVID-19 respiratory illness.



At this point, doctors were able to identify at least 85 people with whom the infected woman had contact.



The South Caucasus country of 3.7 million had 54 cases of coronavirus as of March 22, with no deaths.



Georgia's parliament over the weekend approved a presidential decree that imposes a one-month nationwide state of emergency in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.



President Salome Zurabishvili on March 21 sent the decree to parliament as the number of cases in the former Soviet republic rose to 49. The parliament passed it later that evening.



The president called on citizens to follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Georgian Health Ministry in order to slow the spread of the virus and avoid a "new level" of restrictions.

Kosovo

Local authorities say an 82-year-old man has died from coronavirus, Kosovo's first death from the disease.

The Public Health Institute said in a statement on March 22 that the man, who died in a hospital, had underlying health issues, including chronic cardiac and pulmonary problems.

Officials said the tally of confirmed infections in the country stood at 31 as of March 22.

The death comes as Kosovars grow increasingly impatient with the government, which has struggled to mount a coherent response to the outbreak.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti's shaky coalition government, which took four months to assemble after October elections, is on the verge of collapse because of disagreements over coronavirus measures.

Angry residents of the capital, Pristina, banged pots and pans from their balconies on March 19 to protest the government's actions.

Most of those infected in Kosovo have come from Italy or are related to someone who returned from a European Union member state.

Authorities have closed all schools, borders, bars, and restaurants to curb the spread of the virus. Only supermarkets and pharmacies remain open.

Romania

Romanian authorities report that two people have died from the coronavirus, the first such deaths for the country.

The government's Strategic Communications Group said on March 22 that the number of confirmed cases in the country had risen sharply and now stands at 433, up from 322 just a day earlier.

Officials said the first victim was a 67-year-old man who had been suffering from terminal cancer and who died after having been infected on March 18.

The man had returned to Romania 12 days earlier, on March 6, from France, before restrictions on international travel had been imposed. The government did not say when he died or how he had become infected, saying only that he was being treated at a hospital in the southern city of Craiova.

A total of 23 medical workers who were in contact with the man have been tested for the coronavirus. Of the 18 tests that have been returned so far, all were negative, officials said.

The second victim was a 74-year-old who had been diagnosed just the day before and was already being treated for kidney problems. Officials said that person died in a medical facility in the capital, Bucharest.

The government declared a state of emergency on March 16 and on March 21 announced a nighttime curfew.

The curfew will restrict the movement of people from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and go into effect on March 23. It is expected to last through the 30-day state of emergency declared on March 16.

Those exempted include people going to work and those requiring medical assistance.

Interior Minister Marcel Vela and other officials said the measures will also prohibit gatherings of more than three persons outside the home and will mandate the closing of shopping malls and dental clinics. Restaurants and other gathering places were ordered closed earlier in the week.



During the night curfew hours, the only people allowed to move about are medical professionals, those engaging in work activities, shopping for necessary items, and caring for children or the elderly or people walking their pets.

"Everything we have decided to implement is meant to limit the risks to the population," Vela said.

He also warned those who are price-gouging or taking other actions to profit from the crisis.

"We have taken strong actions against those who have tried to speculate on the situation in order to get rich. It's not just illegal -- it's also cynical," he said.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has 60 confirmed coronavirus cases as of the morning of March 23, following another confirmed infection the previous evening.



The Health Ministry says there are 31 registered cases in the capital, Nur-Sultan, 25 in the largest city, Almaty, and two in the Karaganda and one each in the Almaty and Aktobe regions.



Almaty and Nur-Sultan have been on lockdown since March 19 and a state of emergency was announced earlier this month.



Kazakhstan had already announced the cancelation of Norouz holiday celebrations and a military parade devoted to the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.



The oil-rich Central Asian country recorded its first cases of COVID-19 on March 13 after three patients tested positive upon returning from separate trips to Germany and Italy.



Kazakhstan shares a 1,800-kilometer border with China where the respiratory illness emerged late last year.



The outbreak has since grown to become a global pandemic, infecting more than 300,000 worldwide and leading to over 14,000 deaths.

Russia

Russia has widened its ban on international flights as the number of registered coronavirus cases in the country reached 367.

As of March 23, Russian airlines will only service foreign capitals or large cities like New York and only from Moscow airports, state agency Rosavia said.

Russia will continue to permit charter flights exclusively for the evacuation of citizens stuck overseas, it said.

Nearly 20,000 Russian citizens have been evacuated from countries suffering from a high number of coronavirus cases.

The flight-ban announcement comes as Russia registered another 61 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country's total to 367.

However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the Russian capital will not close its metro, a step three Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, took where subways operate. The Moscow metro transports several million people a day to work and its closure would have severe consequences for the city's economy.

The Culture Ministry has recommended that as of March 23 all movie theaters be closed. Earlier in the month, the ministry closed all theaters, philharmonics, circuses, and movie theaters that belong to it.

Russia, the world's ninth-most populous country, has registered relatively few cases of COVID-19 on a per capita basis compared to its European neighbors, raising questions about the accuracy of the tally. Italy has more than 47,000 while Spain has more than 25,000.

Moscow, Europe's largest city with about 12 million inhabitants, has registered just 137 cases of COVID-19. New York City, which has just over 8 million people, has registered more than 8,000 cases.

Russia also shares one of the world's longest borders with China, where the new coronavirus originated. China has registered more than 81,000 cases.

Russian news agency RBK reported last week that the country had experienced a spike in the number of pneumonia cases this year.

While the majority of people who contract COVID-19 suffer only mild symptoms resembling the common cold, severe cases can develop into pneumonia.

Ukraine

Ukraine saw the number confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 73 as the capital, Kyiv, on March 23 is closing all public transportation for noncritical personnel.



The Health Ministrys Center for Public Health said that as of 10:50 p.m. local time on March 22, there were 26 new cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19 in nine regions and the city of Kyiv.



The ministry says it is further monitoring more than 360 suspected cases, including over 239 patients in hospitals.



Health Minister Illya Yemets said on March 22 that he supports declaring a nationwide state of emergency.



I have been talking about this since the first day of my work in the government. It had to be done from the beginning. If it were to succeed, there would be no such [virus] spread, which is now developing geometrically, Yemets told 112 TV in an interview.



Meanwhile, one of several planned medical supply flights from China has arrived in Kyiv, the Ukrainian presidential office said on March 23.



It brought an unspecified number of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests as well as 250,000 express tests including different kind of protective medical masks, disinfectants, and artificial ventilation apparatus and other means necessary to combat the spread of COVID-19, President Volodymyr Zelenskiys office said.



Each regional laboratory on March 23 will receive the PCR tests.



The procurement was made with the assistance of large Ukrainian business owners.



This is only the first batch of medicinal cargo from China. Several more flights are planned for this week, the presidential office said.



There are three deaths related to the virus as schools have remained closed nationwide. Eateries, bars, gyms, theaters, and shopping malls, as well as subways operating in three cities, have been also been kept closed.



Interior Minister Arsen Avakov the previous day called for a nationwide quarantine to slow the spread of coronavirus as Ukraine's capital and largest city, Kyiv, said it would shut all public transportation for noncritical personnel.



Avakov, one of the most powerful officials in Ukraine, said the measures already put in place to fight the spread will be significantly toughened in the coming days. He said only critical industries should remain open and everyone else sent home.



A total, full quarantine is my position, which I want to ask of each of you. And I will insist on it, according to the power of my position, Avakov said in a Facebook post on March 21.



Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said in a March 21 video post that only people whose work is vital to the city will be allowed to use public transport. The new measure goes into effect on March 23, he said.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria's president has vetoed new nationwide restrictions passed by parliament as part of the state of emergency imposed to fight the spread of coronavirus.

Rumen Radev said on March 22 that he opposed the new proposals, calling them "extremely restrictive" and a threat to civil liberties in the country.

"The lack of adequate measures will bring about a situation where hunger will prevail over fear and the consequences will be destructive, he said in a statement that was released announcing his veto.

Parliament passed the proposed measures on March 20 after an initial proposal from the cabinet a week before.

Among the proposed measures that Radev said he opposed were allowing authorities to track mobile-phone users, to ensure people infected with the coronavirus are properly observing quarantine.

The measures also call for giving increased public-safety duties to military units, and for freezing prices for some goods at a three-month average, in an effort to prevent price gouging.

As of March 22, Bulgaria has confirmed 171 cases of people infected with the virus. Three people have died since March 8, when the first death was announced.

Three people have also recovered.

North Macedonia

In neighboring North Macedonia, a 57-year-old woman has become the country's first coronavirus fatality.

The woman had caught the infection during a trip to Italy, which has the most cases in Europe. Her son has been infected, too, and is hospitalized in stable condition, health officials said on March 22.

North Macedonia had 114 registered cases of the novel coronavirus as of March 22, officials said.

On March 21, the government said it had decided to impose a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning on March 22, the first time such a step has been taken since the country's independence in 1991.

In an emergency address, North Macedonias prime minister, Oliver Spasovski, said that "we have decided to introduce the most radical measures in order to protect the health of citizens.

"Starting [on March 22], we will restrict the movement of all citizens. It is forbidden for the population to move outside between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. every day. There is no compromise when it comes to the health of citizens," Spasovski warned.

The prohibitions exclude persons who need medical assistance or whose lives are endangered. Those who need dialysis are allowed to arrive for treatment with up to two other people.

Employees in health-care facilities are also excluded from the curfew, as are members of the Ministry of Interior, the army, fire crews, and workers in municipal hygiene.

Serbia

President Aleksandar Vucic said the government will extend a curfew that is already in effect by three hours as Serbia attempts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, making it a 12-hour ban from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m.



He said the steps were necessary "for our survival," and he threatened a 24-hour curfew if residents continued to ignore orders to remain indoors.

Serbia has registered 171 cases of the coronavirus and one death as of late on March 21.

In neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, the governments of the two entities on March 21 imposed nighttime restrictions on people outside their homes, with the Muslim-Croat federation ordering a 6-p.m.-to-5-a.m. curfew, and Republika Srpska restricting people to their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Uzbekistan

Uzbek officials have ordered all companies in the capital, Tashkent, to switch to remote working.

They also made protective masks mandatory in all major cities in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Officials on March 22 said citizens not wearing masks in public in major cities would be fined $22 for the first offense and $67 for repeat offenses.

Uzbekistan, which has a population of 34 million, has just 43 confirmed cases, nearly all in Tashkent.

Pakistan

Sindh, the hardest-hit province in Pakistan, has announced a 15-day lockdown starting March 23.

Sindh has nearly half of the country's 687 registered cases.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, meanwhile, issued orders banning intercity transport starting from March 24.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Ukrainian services and Radio Mashaal, Reuters, AP, RIA Novosti, and TASS
Network Norfolk helps keep people connected in virus outbreak

At this important time, the Network Norfolk website will continue to share news of the local Christian community and to help with the vital role of keeping people connected.

Our purpose remains to build up the local Christian community by sharing news stories, opportunities to support people and testimonies of those who take action inspired by their Christian faith, along with your alternative ways of doing church for the next few months.

Sign up for weekly enews bulletin

One of the best ways for you to keep in touch with the local Christian community is to visit regularly and to sign up for our weekly enews bulletin.



We will continue to send our weekly enewsletter with a summary of stories for the week. If you dont receive it or know someone who you think would appreciate receiving this, please ask them to email web@networknorwich.co.uk with their full name and email address to subscribe.

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Our team of four  Keith, Helen, Tony and Eldred are already used to working from home to write and edit the stories for the website and invite contributions from the Christian community . If you have a story for us please email web@networknorwich.co.uk

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After decades of decline, Buffalo touts a 'Refugee Renaissance.' Can it last?
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 05:07:44|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, in Iran soared to 1,685 on Sunday, as Syria reported the first case of infection.

A total of 21,638 people have been infected with the highly infectious virus so far, 7,913 of whom have recovered.

Earlier Sunday, the Iranian authorities ordered the closure of commercial centers, excluding convenience stores and pharmacies, in the capital Tehran amid the COVID-19 spread.

Iran Mall, Iran's biggest shopping center located in the west of Tehran, will be used as a temporary hospital to provide 3,000 beds for treating coronavirus patients.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Hossein Baqeri said Sunday that 52 of 58 military hospitals across the country have begun receiving the coronavirus patients.

In Damascus, the Syrian Health Ministry confirmed the first confirmed case of COVID-19 infection, who came from abroad. All needed measures were taken to deal with the case.

Earlier on Sunday, the Syrian government announced suspension of public transportation starting Monday evening, which will be applied in all Syrian provinces.

So far, only two countries in the Middle East, Libya and Yemen, have not publicly reported any cases of COVID-19 infection.

In Turkey, the death toll from COVID-19 rose to 30 on Sunday, after nine more deaths were recorded, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet.

A total of 289 COVID-19 new cases were diagnosed on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Turkey to 1,236. Turkey has now become the second hardest-hit country in the Middle East following Iran.

Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced that it would suspend all its international flights, except for five destinations, as of March 27. The five destinations include China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Russian capital Moscow, the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and New York and Washington D.C. in the United States.

In Israel, 188 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 1,071.

Israel has launched a cellphone application for tracking anyone's contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, the Israeli Ministry of Health said.

At the same time, Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology announced the launch of a coronavirus research database. It called on doctors, scientists, technologists and others to submit proposals for researches that could be carried out soon.

In Algeria, two more deaths and 60 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, bringing the death toll to 17 and the total number of confirmed cases to 201.

Egypt confirmed on Sunday 33 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 327, including 14 deaths and 56 recoveries, the Egyptian Health Ministry said.

Four new deaths were confirmed, who are Egyptians whose ages varied between 51 and 80, the ministry said.

In Iraq, the Health Ministry confirmed three more deaths from COVID-19 and 19 new cases, bringing the total number of the infected to 233, of whom 20 have died and 57 have recovered.

Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi said that Iraq decided to extend the curfew across the country until March 28 at 11:00 pm (2000 GMT). The suspension of schools and universities as well as international flights will be extended until March 28.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Morocco rose to 115, after 19 new cases were reported. Out of the infected cases, four have died and three have recovered.

Morocco declared on Sunday an one-month state of medical emergency, which will last until April 20.

In Beirut, Lebanon's Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi said that 18 more COVID-19 cases were recorded, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 248.

Fahmi warned that the situation in Lebanon could be out of control and the nation "should be prepared for the worst scenarios."

Tunisia reported 15 new coronavirus cases, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 75, which included 54 imported ones. A third death from COVID-19 was also reported, who was an elderly man in the governorate of Tunis.

Kuwait reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases to 188.

The Kuwaiti government decided to impose a nationwide curfew from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting Sunday to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The suspension of work in all ministries and state agencies will also be extended by two additional weeks.

Palestine on Sunday reported four new coronavirus cases in the West Bank city of Ramallah, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 59.
New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich is backing legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide benefits for veterans suffering from four diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure.

Veterans with health conditions related to their exposure to the defoliant during the Vietnam War are currently eligible for benefits and health care from VA. But Heinrichs office said coverage has been denied for about 190,000 veterans struggling with bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, parkinsonism and hypertension  four conditions the Democratic senator said have an association with exposure to the toxic herbicide.

The Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act of 2020 would add these illnesses to the VAs list of service-connected presumptive conditions and provide essential benefits and care to Vietnam veterans.

All of our veterans who put their lives on the line deserve the best possible medical care, based on the best available science, Heinrich said, adding that he was appalled by the denial of benefits to thousands of veterans suffering from diseases related to Agent Orange.

It is time to stop denying scientific evidence and expand the VAs list of medical conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange, he said.

HAALAND CALLS FOR CENSUS EXTENSION: U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., is calling for a 2020 Census extension deadline after the Census Bureau announced it would suspend field operations until April 1 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Census is vitally important to make sure New Mexico receives its fair share of resources for health care, schools and infrastructure, said Haaland, who is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Though the Census Bureau announced it will be temporarily suspending in-person outreach to keep everyone safe, everyone should know that this should not affect your ability to respond over the phone. By responding now, you will ensure that the Census Bureau does not need to send a census worker to your door  Well be monitoring this change, and Im calling on the Census Bureau to extend the Census deadline so that all of our communities can be counted.

REPS TURN TO ELECTRONIC TOWN HALLS: Haaland and U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small are using electronic town halls as a way to update constituents on the coronavirus.

Haaland held a telephone town hall last week, while Torres Small is pledging to do so in the coming weeks.

Torres Small said her office will also use social media, her website, conference calls and video conferences to keep residents informed about COVID-19.

My office remains focused on staying connected with New Mexican families across the district and keeping them as updated as possible during this public health emergency, she said in a statement to the Journal.

CANDIDATES SUSPEND CAMPAIGNS: Two Republican candidates for the 3rd Congressional District seat in northern New Mexico being vacated by U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luj a n have suspended their campaigns after failing to receive 20% of the vote at the state pre-primary convention on March 7.

Audra Brown announced her intentions to followers on Twitter last Tuesday.

Its been a wild ride, but this trail is at an end, she posted.

Anise Golden Morper announced her intentions to suspend her campaign in a release by the state Republican Party on Tuesday.

Her petitions to qualify for the ballot were originally disqualified by New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olivers office, but the state Supreme Court overruled the decision.

Brown and Golden Morper could have submitted additional petitions to get on the ballot, but decided not to do so.

Scott Turner: sturner@abqjournal.com
Rep. Maxine Waters Helps Americans Fly Back From Morocco Amid Pandemic



Los Angeles Congresswoman Maxine Waters has announced that the U.S. State Department has chartered emergency flights for U.S. citizens stranded in Morocco after the government there suspended international flights to and from its airports as a protective measure against the spread of the coronavirus.

I am elated that my constituent and all Americans who were stranded in Morocco will now be able to safely return home to the United States, Waters said late Friday.  I am pleased that the State Department has decided to uphold its responsibility to protect American citizens who are stranded abroad as we confront the coronavirus pandemic, and I commend American Airlines for their assistance with this matter. I urge my colleagues in Congress to continue to monitor reports of Americans who may be stranded in other countries, and ensure that the Trump administration is providing assistance and safe passage home to all Americans who are stranded abroad.

Waters said she received a call from a constituent Tuesday requesting help with reaching the State Department and U.S. Embassy in Morocco, which had ignored requests for assistance from Americans who were stranded in

Morocco.

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The number of Americans needing to fly home from Morocco turned out to be about 3,000, she said.

The special return flights, which were chartered by the State Department through American Airlines partner British Airways, began transporting Americans home from Morocco on Friday.

Waters, a Democrat representing Californias 43rd Congressional District, is the Chair of the House Financial Services Committee.
US coronavirus cases to surpass China within 2 weeks: experts

Global Times

By Zhang Hui and Chen Qingqing Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/21 11:06:06 Last Updated: 2020/3/21 17:05:46

After California, as Connecticut, Illinois, and New York followed suit in ordering non-emergency workers to remain at home amid the US' spike in COVID-19 cases this week, experts warned that the US' confirmed cases will surpass that of China's total infections of more than 80,000 in the next one or two weeks with an incessant surge.

Wu Yuntao, a professor at George Mason University's National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases told the Global Times Saturday the number of confirmed cases in the US will exceed 80,000, surpassing China's total confirmed cases, in a week or two.

It took four days in China for the number of confirmed cases to rise from 100 to 1,000, and 10 days for the US. And from 1,000 to 10,000, it took China seven days and the US nine days. While to surge from 10,000 to 20,000, it took both China and the US three days.

Mei Xinyu, a current affairs commentator, said the US' confirmed cases are likely to be 10 times higher than China's next month.

Wu said the spike in the US has stirred up a panic among locals, as many in Washington D.C. rushed to supermarkets to store disinfectant and food.

The US coronavirus epidemic is fast spreading, Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the Global Times on Friday.

Some analysts forecast there would be about 50,000 to 500,000 infections in the US, and the US has adopted an influenza-tackling policy which will see 28 million infections, 250,000 in hospitals and 16,000 deaths. "We may see much higher infections, and may reach a similar range as influenza," Chen Xi, an assistant professor of public health at Yale University, told the Global Times on Friday.

Some Harvard University research also said 30 percent to 60 percent of the US population could be infected, Chen said.

The US has recorded more than 18,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday, growing from more than 10,000 on Thursday as states increased testing and the virus continued to spread across the country.

To prevent further spikes, California has asked its residents to stay indoors as much as possible, although they could still spend time outside as long as they maintain a distance of six feet from one another in public places. The order was deemed, by sections of US media, as the "most aggressive action" taken by any governor so far. On Friday, with Connecticut, Illinois and New York joining in, the US media said more than 1 in 5 Americans live in a state under general stay-at-home orders.

However, medical experts said that the US' actual number of cases could be much higher, considering its delayed and insufficient tests nationwide, and its rather "loose" advice instead of mandatory measures from state governments may push the number of infections significantly higher in the following weeks as young people who don't take the control policies seriously still hang out.

Testing in the US has been hampered by delays and strict criteria on who could get tested. Some US netizens complained that their test results took a week, calling on "aggressive tests" across the country.

So far, both public and private labs have run about 60,000 tests in the US for a population of 330 million, federal officials said Tuesday. However, Wuhan City ran a daily average of 20,000 tests in February.

Zeng said that US public health sectors have yet displayed their full potential due to politics.

It's not that US health departments run by its government have no ability to test more, it's that Trump administration officials do not listen to public health experts, Zeng said.

The supply shortage of materials used in tests has also led to the insufficient and delayed tests.

The US has been short on the reagent chemical used in tests since last week, and this week, a lack of swabs used for tests became the new bottleneck, US media reported.

Several counties in Washington and Michigan have reported a limited number of swabs which resulted in a logjam in their testing capabilities, National Public Radio reported on Wednesday.

Peng Zhiyong, director of the intensive care unit of Wuhan University's Zhongnan Hospital, told the Global Times that he received a growing number of phone calls and emails this week from his US counterparts seeking treatment plans not just for elderly people, the normally considered high risk group, but also for young people.

"Some American doctors who called me have been saying that the US has recorded a relatively high infection rate among younger people, as they are reluctant to listen to government advice," Peng said.

US CDC data showed that nearly 40 percent of US hospitalized COVID-19 patients are between the ages 20 to 54.

Peng said that to reduce the new infections, the US has to adopt strict and mandatory measures, such as curfew for all states, to stop large gatherings.

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Air quality is improving in countries under coronavirus lockdown as nitrogen dioxide level in quarantined areas has dropped, experts say.

Despite dramatic decreases in toxic fumes over cities in Italy, Spain and China it is far too early to know if a long-term change has been made.

Images by the United States space agency NASA are clear: In February, the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) fell dramatically in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, passing from an indicator that was red/orange to blue.

NO2 is mainly produced by vehicles, industrial sites and thermal power stations.

As China moves past the peak of its crisis, however, recent images by the European Space Agency (ESA) show a resurgence in NO2 emissions.

Data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite reveal the decline of air pollution, specifically nitrogen dioxide emissions, over Italy. Pictured is nitrogen dioxide emissions across Europe from January 2020 until March 11, 2020

Pictured above are the reduced emissions following coronavrus lockdowns around Europe. This reduction is particularly visible in northern Italy which coincides with its nationwide quarantine

Schools of fish have been seen under the usually murky water of Venetian canals in the wake of Italy's coronavirus lockdown. Sediment is no longer being brought to the surface since boat rides have effectively stopped

A striking reduction has also been observed by the ESA in northern Italy, which has been locked down to fight a spread of the coronavirus.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) reports a similar change in Barcelona and Madrid, where Spanish authorities issued confinement orders in mid March.

'NO2 is a short-lived pollutant, with a lifetime in the atmosphere of about one day,' said Mr Vincent-Henri Peuch, from the EU earth surveillance programme Copernicus.

'As a result, this pollutant stays near the emissions sources and can be used as a proxy of the intensity of activity in different sectors,' he said.

Mr Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre, noted the change in China, saying: 'This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event.'

NASA maps showing NO2 levels over Wuhan during three periods in 2020: (left to right, top row) from January 1 to 20 (before Lunar New Year), from January 28 to February 9 (around New Year celebrations), and from February 10 to 25 (after the event). Pictured below are the 2020 values compared to the same periods in 2019 for reference with orange shading, representing NO2 levels

Fish swimming in the canals in Venice this month with the Italian economy grinding to a halt because of coronavirus, sparking a drop in pollution in the city's waterways

Even during the economic crisis more than a decade ago, the decrease in NO2 levels 'was more continuous in time', according to EEA air quality specialist Alberto Gonzalez Ortiz.

In northern Italy, 'average NO2 concentration levels have been almost halved on average,' Mr Peuch said.

The pollutant can provoke serious inflammation of the respiratory system.

As for other countries or regions that have told inhabitants to remain confined at home, notably Argentina, Bavaria, Belgium, California, France and Tunisia, specialists are poring over the data to see if the trend is similar.

Meanwhile, less NO2 does not necessarily mean purer air.

Beijing experienced episodes of pollution owing to fine particles in February, Nasa's Earth Observatory reported.

The air in Paris was also rated as moderately polluted last Friday owing to the presence of fine particles and NO2 even though the population had already been confined at home for three days.

Mr Peuch explained that the concentration of polluting matter can vary with the weather.

NASA and Earth Observatory shows maps showing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) values across China from January 1 to 20, (before the quarantine) and February 10 to 25 (during the quarantine)

'Some emissions sources, like energy production and residential use of energy are likely not to be decreasing markedly when more people have to stay at home,' he noted.

The concentration of so-called PM2.5 and PM10 particles and carbon monoxide (CO) are 'also expected to be reducing over time,' he said.

These are a mixture of minute solid particles and liquid droplets present in the atmosphere with diameters of 2.5 and 10 micrometres (microns).

In Europe some of the major pollutants caused by factories and road traffic are still present as the lockdown has not been in place as long as in China.

So what should we expect in terms of improvements to health, given that air pollution provokes around 8.8 million premature deaths each year according to a recent study?

Fine particles irritate the eyes and throat and inhibit breathing.

In extreme cases, elderly people and those who suffer from asthma risk death if not properly treated.

In the longer term, air pollution can cause chronic respiratory or cardiac problems or lung cancer. 'Less pollution is always good,' notes Mr Gonzalez Ortiz.

Confinement measures thus protect in two ways, by reducing the risk of Covid-19 infection and by easing pollution from road traffic, according to a group of French doctors known as Air-Sante-climate.

It is nonetheless hard to know how much benefit the world's population will actually experience because, according to the health experts, 'what will have more impact is the long-term exposure', Mr Gonzalez Ortiz said.
The late Richard (Dick) Doherty

The death has occurred of Richard (Dick) Doherty; Ballyrobin, Ferrybank and late of Davidstown, Glenmore, Co Kilkenny, 21st March 2020. Dick passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his loving family. Predeceased by his sister Mary, brothers Jimmy, Paddy & John. Deeply regretted by his wife Bessie, son Sean daughters Mary, Bethann, Leoine & Elenor, grandchildren Hannah, Luke, Sarah, Hugh, Tom, Lily, Oscar, Molly & Michael, sons-in-law Sean, Derek, Julian & John, sisters Jo, Neliie & Stasia, brother Willie, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends.

Reposing at his residence for family only, Requiem Mass will take place at 10am on Monday 23rd March in The Church of the Sacred Heart, Ferrybank, with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.

In light of Government Directives, please be advised that Mass in Sacred Heart Church Ferrybank will be restricted for family only. The family fully understand under the current circumstances if people refain from attending the funeral. Please use Condolence Book at the bottom of this notice. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

The late Damien Harrington

The death has occurred of Damien Harrington, Damien ("Littlefield", Brownstown, Kylerue, Kilkenny) 17th March 2020, unexpectedly at his home, after a short illness, beloved husband of Jenny and loving brother of William, Stewart and Patrick, sadly missed by his wife and brothers, sister-in-law Avice, nephews and nieces, extended family and a wide circle of friends.

A private Funeral will take place due to government advice regarding public gatherings. A celebration of Damian's life will take place at a later date. If you wish to leave a message for family, please use the condolences section below. House private please.

The late Davy Kelly

David (Davy) Kelly, Clonmel Road, Callan, Co. Kilkenny has passed away. Davy died peacefully on Friday 20th March 2020, surrounded by his loving family, in the exceptional care of the staff at Castlecomer District Hospital, Kilkenny. Pre-deceased by his wife Bridie (nee Leahy), parents Paddy and Mai and his recently deceased sister Barbara. Deeply regretted by his loving family, relatives, neighbours, his John Lockess Family and a large circle of friends.

Due to HSE and Covid-19 guidelines, and with the support of Davys family, his funeral shall be private. Please use the online condolence page below as an option to offer your sympathies. The Funeral Mass will be broadcast live on Parish Radio on Sunday 22nd March at 10am. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.

The late Peter Lupton

The death has occurred of Peter Lupton, Bricana, Crosspatrick, Kilkenny. Peter died, peacefully, surrounded by his loving family in the loving care of Dr. Emmett Jordan and his wonderful team at Waterford Regional hospital after a long illness bravely borne.Deeply regretted by his loving wife Mary, sons John, Willie, Brendan and Joe, daughters in law Ellen and Vivienne,grandchildren Jack, Victoria and Holly, brothers Joe and Billy, sister Joan, sister in law, nieces, nephews, relatives and a wide circle of friends.

Family funeral Mass will take place in St. Michael's Church, Crosspatrick, on Sunday at 12 noon, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to The Irish Cancer society.

Please note, in an effort to follow best practice, in line with H S E guidelines, there will be no handshake with the family or use of a condolence book. We suggest using the online condolence page below as an option to offer your sympathies. The Lupton family would like to thank you for your co-operation at this difficult time.
Results from a randomised controlled trial involving 300 prostate cancer patients find that a molecular imaging technique is more accurate than conventional medical imaging and recommends the scans be introduced into routine clinical practice.

A medical imaging technique known as PSMA PET/CT that provides detailed body scans while detecting levels of a molecule associated with prostate cancer could help doctors better tailor treatments for their patients, by determining the extent of disease spread at the time of diagnosis, a randomised controlled trial involving 300 patients in Australia published in The Lancet journal has found.

The approach combines two imaging technologies - positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) - and is almost one third more accurate than standard imaging at pinpointing the spread of prostate cancer throughout the body. PSMA PET/CT proved to be 92% accurate compared with only 65% accuracy with standard imaging.

Although the study did not assess whether the scans had any effect on patient survival, the researchers say this approach could improve outcomes by helping doctors decide whether to offer a localised treatment, such as surgery or radiotherapy, or to use more advanced treatments to treat the whole body if the cancer has already spread.

Costs associated with PET/CT vary by geographical area and the researchers caution that a full economic analysis will be critical for determining the feasibility of widespread use. Nevertheless, they recommend a review of current clinical guidelines and for PSMA PET/CT to replace the use of conventional imaging where possible for men with high risk prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is commonly treated by surgery to remove the prostate or intensive radiotherapy to target the tumour. If there is a high risk the cancer may have spread to other parts of the body, patients may be offered medical imaging - typically CT and bone scans - to help doctors determine if additional treatments are needed.

Study lead Professor Michael Hofman of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia, said: "Taken together, our findings indicate that PSMA-PET/CT scans offer greater accuracy than conventional imaging and can better inform treatment decisions. We recommend that clinical guidelines should be updated to include PSMA PET/CT as part of the diagnostic pathway for men with high risk prostate cancer." [1]

Researchers sought to investigate if a molecular imaging approach could help doctors better define the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis. This approach involves giving patients a radioactive substance that detects a molecule called Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA), which is found at high levels on prostate cancer cells. They then undergo a PET/CT scan. The CT scan produces detailed images of the body's organs and structures, while the PET scan lights up areas where PSMA is present at high levels, indicating the presence of prostate cancer cells.

The study involved 300 men recruited to ten sites across Australia. All of the men had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, confirmed by tests on prostate tissue samples, and were deemed to be at high risk of having aggressive disease. The men were randomly assigned to receive either conventional CT and bone scans (152 patients) or PSMA-PET/CT (148 patients). Men then swapped over and were given the scans using the alternative imaging arm unless more than three sites of cancer spread were detected on the initial scans (18 patients). A low number of men dropped out of the study or follow up information was not available for them (five patients). The remainder were given a second round of medical imaging at their six month follow-up appointment. The results of these scans were used to confirm tumour spread, in addition to biopsies and change in blood tests.

Overall, the researchers found the PSMA-PET/CT scans were much more accurate than conventional CT and bone scans at detecting cancer spread (92% vs 65%). This is because the new technique was better at detecting small sites of tumour spread. Conventional imaging failed to detect that the cancer had spread in 29 patients, giving a false negative result. By comparison, PSMA-PET/CT gave false negative results in just six patients. Furthermore, fewer men had false positive results obtained with the new technique (2 with PSMA-PET/CT and 9 with conventional imaging).

Patients who underwent PSMA-PET/CT scans had fewer ambiguous results than conventional imaging (7%, 11/148 patients vs 23%, 35/152 patients).

Both imaging techniques involve exposure to radiation but the dose associated with PSMA-PET/CT was less than half that associated with conventional imaging (8.4mSv vs 19.2mSv).

PSMA-PET/CT scans had greater impact on the way patients' disease was managed, with 28% having their treatment plans changed after the scans (41/147) compared with 15% following conventional imaging (23/152).

When PSMA-PET/CT was given at the second round of imaging after conventional imaging, disease management plans were still changed in more than a quarter of cases (39/146, 27%). When conventional imaging was used at the second round, however, just 5% of patients had their treatment plans changed (7/135 patients).

Professor Declan Murphy, senior author, said, "Around one in three prostate cancer patients will experience a disease relapse after surgery or radiotherapy. This is partly because current medical imaging techniques often fail to detect when the cancer has spread, which means some men are not given the additional treatments they need. Our findings suggest PSMA-PET/CT could help identify these men sooner, so they get the most appropriate care." [3]

Associate Professor Roslyn Francis, co-author, of the University of Western Australia, said: "Costs associated with PSMA-PET/CT vary in different regions of the world but this approach may offer savings over conventional imaging techniques. A full health-economic analysis will help to determine the cost effectiveness of introducing PSMA-PET/CT, both from a patient and a healthcare perspective"

Some patients in the study had undergone further tests to confirm the spread of disease, which involved removing tissue from their pelvic lymph nodes. This is acknowledged as the most reliable test for assessing the stage of prostate cancer disease spread. The researchers caution that as not all patients underwent the procedure, it may lead to an overestimation in the sensitivity of PSMA-PET/CT scans at detecting smaller tumours. However, as patients had been randomly assigned to their groups, the researchers conclude that their study provides robust comparative data.

Writing in a linked Comment article, Professor Caroline Moore, University College London (who was not involved in the study), said: "Introduction of novel imaging into routine practice requires careful assessment of the potential burden to both individuals and to society, taking into account changes in treatment which can result. The proPSMA authors have planned an economic analysis of the potential effect of replacing conventional staging with PSMA-PET, which will be crucial in assessing the feasibility of widespread use of PSMA PET-CT in men being considered for radical treatment for high-risk prostate cancer."

###

NOTES TO EDITORS

This study was funded by Movember Australia and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. It was carried out by researchers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Australia), The University of Melbourne (Australia), Austin Health (Melbourne, Australia), University of Western Australia, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (Perth, Australia), Queensland University of Technology (Australia), The University of Queensland (Australia), University of Newcastle (Australia), Monash University (Australia), St Vincent's Health (Australia), the University of Sydney (Australia), The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (Australia) and The University of Adelaide (Australia).

The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com

[1] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article.

Peer reviewed / Randomised Controlled Trial / People
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Kim Yo Jong, First Vice Department Director of WPK Central Committee, Issues Statement

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Date: 22/03/2020

Pyongyang, March 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Yo Jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued the following statement Sunday:

We received a personal letter sent to Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un by President of the United States of America Donald Trump.

We regard it as a good judgment and proper action for the U.S. president to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our Chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations, and think that this should be highly estimated.

In the personal letter, President Trump said he was glad to hear that his congratulations to Chairman on his birthday was correctly conveyed, and wished the family of the Chairman and our people wellbeing.

In the letter, he also explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries of the DPRK and the U.S. and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic.

Saying that he values his relations with Chairman

Kim Jong Un, President Trump said that there were difficulties in letting his thoughts known because communications were not made often recently. He expressed his willingness to keep in close touch with the Chairman in the future.

We view such a personal letter of President Trump as a good example showing the special and firm personal relations with Chairman Kim Jong Un.

Chairman Kim Jong Un also mentioned his special personal relations with President Trump again and appreciated the personal letter.

Fortunately, the personal relations between the two top leaders are not as far away as the relations of confrontation between the two countries, and they are very excellent.

But the relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and their development should not be judged in haste in the light of the personal relations between the two top leaders, and furthermore, neither predictions nor expectations should be made based on them.

As they are the close relations between the two men representing the two countries, they would have positive impact but nobody knows how much the personal relations would change and lead the prospective relations between the two countries, and it is not something good to make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about it.

If impartiality and balance are not provided and unilateral and greedy intention is not taken away, the bilateral relations will continue to aggravate.

In my personal opinion, I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries, not merely by the personal letter between the two leaders.

Even at this moment we are working hard to develop and defend ourselves on our own under the cruel environment which the U.S. is keen to "provide".

We try to hope for the day when the relations between the two countries would be as good as the ones between the two top leaders, but it has to be left to time and be watched whether it can actually happen.

However, we will never lose or waste time for nothing, but will keep changing ourselves to be more powerful for that time just as how we made ourselves for the past two years.

At the end I would like to extend sincere gratitude to the U.S. president for sending his invariable faith to the Chairman. -0-

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After Texas schools were ordered to close until April 3 and Midland day cares followed suit, working parents were left scrambling, with some forced to leave their children with family members for extended periods of time.

Rosemary Olivier works for an airline company, checking passengers in, loading bags and securing flights. Her two children, 14 and 9, have been staying with her mom four hours away in Paducah because Midland ISD first closed schools on March 16.

Now that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all schools to remain closed until at least April 3, Olivier said her children will continue staying with her mom. She said shes been covering the shifts of other employees who had to take off for reasons related to the coronavirus.

Olivier said she usually works 20 hours a week. This past week, shes been working up to 16 hours a day. Still, she believes everything will soon return to normal.

Im sure they will find a cure soon, she said. Any further than the end of April, [my children] will come back home.

Sara Harris, director of operations at Midland Development Corp., was less optimistic.

She said her 1-year-old son attends day care at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, which is planning to stay closed as long as MISD is closed. At this point, she believes they wont re-open until the fall.

So far, Harris said shes been able to take her son to the office with her in the morning and work from home in the afternoon.

Its far from ideal, but were making it work, she said.

If the closures continue much longer, Harris said her son likely will have to stay during the week with her parents in New Mexico, an hour and a half away. But she said she worries if itll be safe for her parents, who are elderly, to be around other people so often.

Harris said she and her husband are still deciding the best course of action. They dont see a clear alternative, she said.

Olivier also said she didnt feel she had another option. She said she tries to make up for the distance by spending as much time as she can with her children while theyre home.

It is never easy, but when you work in a city where we have to pay thousands in rent and utilities, you do what you can to survive, she said. It is too expensive to live here, but it is too expensive to leave.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-21 21:03:45|Editor: huaxia

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A China-Europe freight train carrying anti-coronavirus supplies departs for Spain at the Yiwu west train station in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 21, 2020. A freight train carrying donated face masks and other anti-coronavirus supplies departed Yiwu city in east China Saturday morning for Madrid, Spain. The donation included 110,000 surgical masks and 766 protective suits. It was the first China-Europe freight train to carry anti-epidemic supplies to Europe, which will arrive in Madrid in about two weeks. (Photo by Gong Xianming/Xinhua)

HANGZHOU, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A freight train carrying donated face masks and other anti-coronavirus supplies departed Yiwu city in east China Saturday morning for Madrid, Spain.

The donation included 110,000 surgical masks and 766 protective suits. It was the first China-Europe freight train to carry anti-epidemic supplies to Europe, which will arrive in Madrid in about two weeks.

There will be no transportation charges for any institutions, groups or individuals that donate anti-epidemic supplies to Spain. The train from Yiwu to Madrid will increase frequency from one trip a week to two trips per week, said Feng Xubin, CEO of the Yiwu Tianmeng Industrial Investment, a private operator of the train service.

Since November 2014 when the first freight train was operated from Yiwu to Madrid, some 1,200 trains have carried over 96,700 containers to Europe.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Just a day after the state recorded no new positive cases of COVID-19 and the number staying at 15, there was a big jump on Saturday, taking the tally to 20 cases. This is the highest number of cases recorded in a single day in Karnataka. While three cases were reported from Bengaluru, the two others were from Mysuru city and Gowribidanur in Chikkaballapur district.

A 53-year-old domestic help, who was attending on Patient 11 (P-11), a chronic kidney patient who had travelled from Dubai to Goa and then to Bengaluru, was found positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Health officials said that she is a high-risk contact of P-11 and was in strict quarantine, but has now been admitted at an isolation hospital in Bengaluru. She showed symptoms on March 19 and was immediately tested. The woman (Patient 16) would return home every evening. As a precautionary measure, the entire family (husband and two children) is in quarantine and their tests are underway.

A 39-year-old male (Patient 17), who came to Bengaluru from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on March 19 tested positive on Saturday. Another 21-year old male (Patient 18), who arrived in Bengaluru on March 17 from Edinburgh, Scotland, also tested positive. They are now admitted at designated isolation hospitals in Bengaluru. In neighbouring Chikkaballapur district, a 31-year-old man (Patient 19), with travel history to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, also tested positive. He had returned to India on March 14 and is admitted in an isolation hospital. The district administration is now taking steps to contain the village where the patient resided.

His mother is also being tested and, as a preventive measure, she has been quarantined. The Patient 20 is a 35-year-old man from Mysuru who had travelled from Dubai and arrived at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on March 19. From there, he took a taxi to Mysuru and got admitted at KR Hospital. The contact tracing of the taxi driver and the mans co-passengers on the flight is going on, the authorities said. Health officials said the number of contacts seems to be low as the patient directly got admitted in the hospital.
Chinese company NetDragon's distance learning platform Edmodo will help Egypt's students learn online as the novel coronavirus epidemic closed schools in the country.





NetDragon, headquartered in Fuzhou city, said Edmodo was selected by Egyptian education authority as the online learning platform for the country's K12 education system.





The platform will be rolled out to over 22 million students and over 1 million teachers in Egypt in the period of school suspension due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus.





As part of this roll-out, Edmodo will also join hands with the Egypt Knowledge Bank, one of the world's largest educational digital libraries, to bring in a massive volume of interactive content including research journals and other exclusive educational resources for students and teachers.





"The deployment of Edmodo across Egypt will create a positive transformation in the use of innovative and effective approaches to teaching," said Simon Leung, vice chairman of NetDragon.





In 2018, NetDragon acquired 100-percent stakes of Edmodo, once a leading U.S. online learning community.





Edmodo was one of the recommended distance learning applications and platforms by UNESCO in view of the disruption to education worldwide due to the coronavirus epidemic.





According to UNESCO, over 100 countries have suspended schools so far, affecting over half of the world's student population. UNESCO has updated a "distance learning solutions" section on its website with a recommendation list of distance learning platforms.




Two New Orleans nurses stranded in Guatemala due the coronavirus-related border closure could be coming home as early as Monday.

Meanwhile, others, not just in Guatemala but in countries around the globe, continue to struggle through a maze of cancelled flights, closed airports, exorbitant non-refundable plane tickets and conflicting information.

Leigh Kalbacher and Elyse Bower, who were vacationing in Guatemala last week when the border was abruptly closed, have purchased plane tickets to fly to Miami on Monday via Airlines.

The duo bought the two tickets  which were about $1,000 each  unsure of whether the airport would even be open for them to fly out of. But they took the chance after being told by the office of U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise that the tickets would be honored.

A flight on the same airline carrying some missionaries they had met on Facebook managed to get off Sunday night, adding to their sense of relief.

Another nurse stuck in Guatemala, Stephanie Aguilar, said she bought a ticket yesterday on for over $1,000 after a week of getting no guidance from the U.S. Embassy, but she said she got an email this morning saying there would be two American Airlines charter flights to Dallas to take U.S. citizens home.

"Unfortunately our tickets with are non-refundable, so I will need to stick with my original plan," Aguilar wrote, saying she wants to get home to her clinic and 13-year-old son. "I am hoping to be home by tomorrow night and back to work soon!"

Aguilar, who was visiting Guatemala with her fiance, also thanked Scalise and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. She said they both had been a tremendous help in connecting her with other Americans stuck in Guatemala.

Kalbachar and Bower's plight, which also attracted the attention of U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, began on March 16, when they arrived in a tiny resort town four hours from the nearest airport to find the border had been closed without notice.

They made it back to the colonial city of Antigua, where they rented an Airbnb and have been staying in touch with colleagues gearing up to get slammed by COVID-19 cases, and relatives working any lever they can find to try to get the two women home.

Part of me feels sad not being there for my co-workers, because its very scary and stressful, Bower said. The more nurses the better, so I really just want to get back to help.

All three nurses asked the newspaper not to disclose the names of the New Orleans-area hospitals where they worked, citing company policies related to contact with the media.

New Orleans, Bower said, is our home.  We need to get back to take care of it.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Three days into their trip, Kalbacher and Bower arrived at San Pedro La Laguna, a small town on the shores of Lake Atitlan on March 16. There, a traveler from Europe asked if they were American, and told them a friend had just gotten the last flight back to the States.

Even as coronavirus testing expands, social distancing critical in Louisiana, official says The volume of coronavirus testing in Louisiana is expanding rapidly as commercial labs ramp up capacity and hospitals begin processing tests a

Kalbacher said she had checked for travel advisories that morning and had seen nothing, and it wasnt until about 2 p.m. that the U.S. embassys website posted the border closure even though it had gone into effect two hours earlier.

We were kind of in shock, Kalbacher said, noting the airport was four hours away. It was way too late for us to even attempt to get out.

Back in Antigua, calls to the U.S. embassy continued to go mostly unanswered. The few times they did reach a live person, they were transferred to another unhelpful recording and no one picked up.

Kalbacher and Bower heard some people were renting cars and driving for the U.S.-Mexico border, which has since been closed. But Bower and Kalbacher didnt think the roughly 30-hour journey would be safe for two women.

Guatemala had only six confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Friday. Many Guatemalans are wearing masks, some scarce consumer goods are rationed at stores and restaurants are only doing takeout, much like in the U.S., though Bower noted no one there is hoarding of toilet paper.

It could be a lot worse, Bower said. Were healthy, were safe, but obviously we want to get home.

Bowers mother, younger sister and brother-in-law are all nurses, and Kalbachers mother and two sisters are nurses.

Im nervous about how long Im going to be stuck here, and what if one of my family members gets sick? said Kalbacher, whose twin sister works in Seattle, where the first coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. occurred.

The woman said that while coronavirus cases had cropped up in New Orleans before they left, none had been reported in Guatemala at the time. They always figured they could monitor the alerts and get home if they needed to.

Every time Ive gone out of the country Ive always been able to get back, she said. I never imagined I wouldnt be able to get back home.

Editor's note: This story was changed on March 25, 2020 to correct the name of Eastern Airlines.
The flora, the fauna, the strange and wonderful world studied by Charles Darwin to help develop his theory of Natural Selection proved to be everything they had hoped.

The animals and the landscape were amazing, Powell wrote. The park guides (were) so knowledgeable and committed to the islands. Trip of a lifetime.

They got a few days in, one for the boat ride into the Pacific and four on the islands before the bottom fell. The park was ordered closed, and back to Quito, the capital, they went.

Still, since their return flight was set for Thursday, they figured theyd be fine. But that was a false sense of security.

The State Department issued that same day a Level 4 travel advisory, a rare occurrence, that told Americans not to travel internationally. More ominous, it included a warning that they may have to remain on foreign soil for an indefinite time frame.

Flights to the U.S. dried up or were canceled. Some 50 fellow travelers, Americans, huddled into the Quito Wyndham Airport Hotel, and the scramble to find a way home was on.

They fanned out and researched options independently, regathering to compare their findings.
Iran's supreme leader Sunday refused US assistance to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

But while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly criticized those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead chose to traffic in the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.

Possibly your (offered) medicine is a way to spread the virus more, Khamenei said. Or if you send therapists and doctors, maybe he wants to see the effect of the poison, since it is said that part of the virus is built for Iran."



There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khamenei's comments.

However, it comes after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us an explanation!



Lijian likewise offered no evidence to support his claim, which saw the U.S. State Department summon China's ambassador to complain.

Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December.

In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the Chinese or Wuhan virus, while the World Health Organization used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the virus causes.

Even a U.S. senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the unfounded conspiracy theory it was a man-made Chinese bioweapon.

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.

Scientists have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected people. Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan.

The now-shuttered Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market advertised dozens of species such as giant salamanders, baby crocodiles and raccoon dogs that were often referred to as wildlife, even when they were farmed.

An article published last week in the scientific journal Nature Medicine similarly said there is strong evidence the virus is not the product of purposeful manipulation.

It is improbable that (the virus) emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus, the article's authors found.

Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live Sunday across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.

His comments come as Iran has over 20,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,556 reported deaths.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus. Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the



Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.

Reassigning blame could be helpful to Iran's government, which faced widespread public anger after denying for days it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing 176 people. Widespread economic problems as well has seen mass demonstrations in recent years that saw hundreds reportedly killed.

Iranian hard-liners have supported conspiracy theories in the past when it suited their interests. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some publicly doubted al-Qaida's role and state TV promoting the unfounded conspiracy theory that the



Americans blew up the building themselves.

Former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad similarly raised doubt about the Sept. 11 attack, calling it a big lie," while also describing the Holocaust as a myth.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the global race to find the vaccine for COVID-19 continues while the world grapples with a pandemic, New Jersey-based pharmaceutical companies are on the forefront of finding treatment.

Johnson & Johnson and Merck are working around the clock to develop a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 300,000 globally and killed more than 12,000. In New Jersey, the coronavirus has infected at least 1,327 and killed 16.

Since the first case was reported in Wuhan, China in late December, thousands of researchers have been working on a vaccine to curb whats become a global pandemic. The World Health Organization said Friday scientists are working on at least 20 different coronavirus vaccines.

And New Jersey, home to 14 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies, has been no different in fighting the spread of novel coronavirus.

This stuff is right in our backyard, said Navaneeth Narayanan, clinical assistant professor at Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers. If its a New Jersey company that finds the vaccine  and it could be because theres so many companies, it could certainly put us on the map. This is an extraordinary time."

Since January, New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson has been researching a vaccine and treatment for those already infected with novel coronavirus, Richard Nettles, Vice President of Medical Affairs with Janssen Infectious Diseases told NJ Advance Media.

Nettles, who works with J&J, said the drugmaker is trying to develop a vaccine as fast as it can by working with federal authorities to quicken testing phases.

This is a special situation where the risk to the population of not having a vaccine is so great, that were able to go faster and not through all the phases of development, he said.

J&J will likely begin a clinical trial with humans before the end of the year, he said. The countrys first clinical trial for a potential vaccine started Monday in Seattle.

Neal Browning receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Browning is the second patient to receive the shot in the study. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) APAP

Johnson & Johnson is teaming up with Harvard Medical School and Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority of the federal Department of Health Human Services to speed up the process.

Typically, it could take as long as a decade to develop a vaccine, Narayanan said. But a mission of the greater good is pushing usually competitive companies to collaborate because of the risk of coronavirus.

Nettles didnt provide a timeline for when a vaccine would be ready, but pointed to the expedited trial, which usually takes between five to seven years.

This will go above and beyond as much as we can, he said, adding this is a solution the world needs everywhere.

Merck, which received FDA approval for an Ebola vaccine in December, has high hopes for a potential cure. The Branchburg company is using its experience with developing antiviral medicines to find a way to slow the spread of COVID-19, CEO Kenneth Frazier told CNBC.

We have a vast library and were going to continue to test those assets to see if any of them have effectiveness against this particular coronavirus, he said.

While J&J and Merck have been involved in treatment for months, President Donald Trump asked the Food and Drug Administration to look into malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, during a White House briefing on Thursday.

Trump said he believes the drugs show tremendous promise. But theres limited evidence chloroquine, which is manufactured by Rising Pharmaceuticals in Somerset, offers any healing benefits for COVID-19.

Risings Chief Operation Officer Ira Baeringer told the New York Times they increased production roughly three weeks ago.

We are experiencing an extraordinary demand, as you can imagine, but we are shipping to all of the orders, Baeringer said. Were really trying to understand what the need is going to be.

Narayanan urged companies to look at the scope of the current crisis and begin prepping for large scale production to get the eventual vaccine out as fast as possible.

Hopefully they understand how much theyre going to have to produce for this, he noted. Knowing about this well ahead of time will hopefully allow them to anticipate it.

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Thank you very much for agreeing to speak at our Distinguished Lecture Series this coming April. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control it is necessary to cancel your talk. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. Note that the Psychology Department has already purchased plane tickets for you. You may continue to use those tickets if they help with your travels to the east coast in April. Our apologies for this development once again.

Elizabeth Loftus is perhaps one of the world's most renowned cognitive psychologists. She is a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California-Irvine where she lectures about the cognitive sciences and in the law school. She has influenced the field with decades of research focusing on the malleability of memory. She has written 23 books and has been awarded seven doctoral degrees for her achievements.Dr. Loftus is what anyone would call an expert.And, because of her expertise, New York University's psychology department invited her to speak as part of NYU's Distinguished Lecture Series in September of 2019. The series focuses onIn his invitation letter, associate professor of psychology and neural science Jon Freeman wrote that he and his colleagues had "recently polled the faculty as to scientists they would like to invite for this series, and you were voted for by a large number of faculty" and that they "would be thrilled" to have Loftus visit.All seemed well and good; Loftus' appearance was set for April 2020 and preparations were beginning, including the university purchasing Loftus' plane tickets.However, on February 6th, the Los Angeles Times published an article that highlighted Loftus' upcoming role as an expert witness in the Harvey Weinstein trial. The article explained that she would testify as an expert on memory called by the defense the next day-which she did.The same day as the L.A. Times article was published, however, Loftus received a curt email from Ben Rehder, the chair of the NYU psychology department, telling her that her distinguished lecture had been canceled.The email reads:Of course,is quite vague, and Loftus wanted more detail.After reaching out to the department multiple times for further explanation and receiving no reply, Loftus got suspicious that this had to do with her role as an expert witness in the Weinstein trial. She eventually sent another email asking outright if the cancellation of her lecture was in response to her taking on this witness capacity. She again received no reply and has not received one at the time of this article's publication.Both professors-Freeman and Rehder-and NYU did not respond to requests for comment for this article.At the moment, we are left in quite a situation.On the one hand, it is entirely possible that there was a routine reason for the cancellation: a budget issue, a venue that is suddenly booked, an administrative error, etc. Yet, why not just say that? The unwillingness to provide an explanation to the speaker is odd at best, and evidence that the university is hiding something at worst.On the other hand, it seems entirely plausible that the haphazard cancellation had something to do with Loftus' role as an expert witness. The notice Loftus received conveniently fell on the same day the Los Angeles Times published its article. What's more, the issue with budgeting seems unlikely, as they already paid for her travel. If it were a venue or administrative issue, it seems it would have been simple to come clean about it.It appears that the cancellation is another instance of an academic being punished for taking on expert roles in a legal system of due process.It has become somewhat of a recent trend to punish scholars who use their expertise to serve in unpopular legal roles. Universities are quick to concede to the political pressure that follows. Last year, for instance, Harvard dismissed then-faculty dean Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. after students protested his role as a defense attorney in the Harvey Weinstein case-the same case that Loftus was called upon to testify as an expert witness.Expertise does not wane in the face of controversy-it is arguably needed most at such times. At moments of great controversy, or trials where the crimes at hand are the most egregious, expertise is fundamental to articulating the proper course of action. To do without the resource of the expert's knowledge at a time when truth is most needed, when lives are irrevocably shaped, is immensely irresponsible of any legitimate liberal society.But there is a broader issue.If academics are not allowed to take on expert roles in society, what ought they participate in? Social norms ought to encourage-not disparage or condemn-academics who take on active roles in public that highlight their specialized knowledge.Having a PhD should reach beyond the halls of ivory towers. It should be the symbol of an individual who has dedicated her life to the advancement of human understanding.In a world where the Trump administration fills its cabinet with loyalists who lack government experience and society has a growing antipathy toward higher education, expertise is being attacked and we ought to applaud people like Dr. Loftus.In an interview conducted for this article, Loftus' asks her critics,Due process, even for the most vile among us, is a principle that allows us the presumption of innocence-a presumption that very few have enjoyed throughout history. As the guilty verdict handed down in Weinstein's trial shows, due process and the presumption of innocence can still deliver justice and punish the wicked.Perhaps NYU had a legitimate reason to cancel Loftus' lecture. However, as it stands, it appears that they punished a respected professor for her part in furthering due process in the criminal justice system.
Last weeks statewide shelter-in-place order was an attempt to not only slow the spread of the coronavirus but also to give hospitals a better chance of keeping up. Gov. Gavin Newsom threw Californias medical field another life raft Saturday in the form of $42 million in emergency funding.

The money will allow California to lease two hospitals, as well as secure more equipment to serve patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

As of Saturday, there were 1,464 coronavirus cases in California, including 646 in the Bay Area, and 26 people have died. The total number of cases is up 45.5% from Thursdays 1,006 confirmed cases. At that point, there were 19 deaths. The latest figures from Johns Hopkins University show that global coronavirus cases have reached 300,000, with more than 13,000 deaths. U.S. cases have surpassed 26,000.

California is mobilizing every part of government to support our health care delivery system, its workers and those among us who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, Newsom said in a statement.

The state will lease Seton Medical Center in Daly City and St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles for three months for $30 million. Seton will expand capacity to offer 120 more beds for COVID-19 patients as soon as Wednesday. St. Vincent is expected to provide up to 366 beds.

Its a significant turnaround for both hospitals, which are owned by Verity Health System. Verity filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and closed St. Vincent in January. Seton has been on the verge of closure ever since a potential sale fell through in late 2019  this month, San Mateo County supervisors decided to contribute $20 million to help keep the hospital intact. Verity will reopen St. Vincent on behalf of the state, though no timeline was given.

The emergency funding will also bring $1.5 million to the states public health lab in Richmond to expand its capacity. Another $2 million will provide patient transportation through American Medical Response. And the state will spend more than $8.6 million on new ventilators and IV fusion pumps, in addition to refurbishing ventilators.

A nationwide shortage of protective gear for medical professionals has sparked an outcry for donations. Nurses protested Thursday outside a Kaiser Permanente hospital in San Francisco, saying they were forced to reuse masks because theyre running out. Some companies are responding quickly, like PG&E, which on Friday promised to donate nearly 1 million masks to hospital workers, and Facebook, which on Saturday announced a donation of about 720,000 masks.

In a Saturday news conference, Newsom said Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk has pledged to provide 250,000 masks for health care workers and has committed, with other companies, to produce 1,000 ventilators. Apple CEO Tim Cook is pledging 1 million masks, Newsom said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

In response to complaints about the lack of masks, President Trump promised Saturday that more are coming quickly. The administrations efforts are getting tremendous reviews from many people who cant believe how fast (masks) are coming, Trump said.

Newsom announced that the state did, in fact, start receiving some equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile, including 358,381 N95 masks, which are the most protective, and 853,730 surgical masks.

But California needs much more. The state has already requested 20 million N95 masks, 10 million surgical masks and hundreds of thousands of surgical gowns, face shields and other protective gear.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
The government of India has decided to lock down 80 districts that had reported positive cases of coronavirus. However, residents need not panic. Here is a list of services that you can still avail and things that you cannot do.

Will any kind of public transport ply?

No operation of public transport including private buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws, and e-rickshaws will be permitted. Only DTC buses will operate at not more than 25 percent capacity to cater to personnel engaged in essential services. Movement of inter-state buses, trains, and metro will be suspended.

Can I book Ola/Uber?

No, most states have placed a ban on public transport including taxis. Some states, however, will allow taxis to allow to go to hospitals and airports. Uber and Ola on Monday suspended operations in Delhi.

Will private cars and two-wheelers be allowed?

Yes, but only for those travelling for essential purposes. You may be stopped at airports and questioned.

Can I walk my dog in my colony?

Yes, but avoid groups and staying out for too long.

Will local stores operate?

All shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, godowns and weekly bazaars will close their operations.

Will my maid or driver be able to come?

Yes, however it is advisable to stick to essential services. They may be questioned for venturing out of their homes.

Will roads from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh and Haryana be free to commute?

The motorable and unmotorable borders of the NCT of Delhi with the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will be sealed.

Will I be able to buy petrol?

Yes, petrol pumps, LPG and oil agencies will continue to operate.

What if I have flight tickets for Delhi?

All international flights arriving to Delhi during this period will be suspended. Domestic flights, however, will remain operational.

What about places of worship?

All religious places of any denomination will be closed.

Can I go to a hospital?

Yes, hospitals and medical stores will remain open.

What if I need medicines?

Chemist shops and pharmacies will be open.

Can I order items for delivery?

Yes, e-commerce of all essential goods including food items, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, groceries, dairy products, general provision stores will be open. Take away and home delivery services of restaurants will be open.

Can journalists go out to report?

Yes, print and electronic media journalists can.

Will I able to withdraw money?

Yes, cashier and teller operations of banks (including ATMs) will be open. However, individuals need a self-declaration to venture out.

Will internet and couriers be suspended?

No, telecom, internet and postal services will continue to operate.

Can I go out in a group?

No. Any congregation of more than five people is strictly prohibited and punishable by law.

What are the services and establishments excluded from this order?

Offices charged with law and order and magisterial duties, police, health, fire, prisons, fair price shops, electricity, water, municipal services, activities related to functioning of legislative assembly, pay and accounts office are exempted from this order.

What happens if I have animals?

Trade, commerce and logistics related to manufacturing, processing, transportation, distribution and storage of animal fodder and other goods and services, including their delivery, will continue.
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North Korea watchers say there are cases in the country and are concerned it will devastate impoverished nation.

Seoul, South Korea  More than 160 countries across the world are battling COVID-19, but as coronavirus challenges even the worlds most sophisticated health systems, there is one nation that claims to have no cases at all: North Korea.

Not one novel coronavirus patient has emerged, Song In Bom, an official from North Koreas emergency health committee said last month in the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

But even if North Korea is free from coronavirus, the Kim Jong Un regime is not doing a good job at convincing the rest of the world.

In South Korea, analysts and medical experts are highly sceptical of Pyongyangs claims  and those with sources in North Korea said the virus is already ravaging its way through the country.

Despite the fact that North Korea closed its borders or refused to allow Chinese or foreign travellers in, it is very likely that some North Koreans are already infected, said Roh Kyoung-ho, a doctor at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital Department of Laboratory Medicine.

I dont think its even possible to measure cases there because North Koreas medical system is not well-established or advanced.

Virus verified?

Nobody knows for sure if anyone in North Korea has already contracted coronavirus, but recent political moves seem to signal worry in Pyongyang.

200320051400949

Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke months of diplomatic silence by penning a personal letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The letters contents were not released, but a briefing from Moons senior press secretary stated that it was full of well-wishes and concern about South Koreas COVID-19 outbreak. The sudden move has some experts wondering if North Korea is working on an appeal for coronavirus aid.

I think that the North Koreans would probably accept masks or hand sanitiser or respirators, and maybe also some other forms of health assistance. And I think it should be done for humanitarian reasons, said Peter Ward, a researcher on the North Korean economy and writer for NK News.

But at the same time, I think we should be under no illusions that such humanitarian support will give us any leverage in dealing with North Korea in terms of denuclearisation.

Talks over North Koreas nuclear and missile capabilities have been on hold for months after the collapse of a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in February last year.

North Korea has carried out a series of missile launches since then, most recently on Saturday, when the state-run KCNA also revealed that Kim had received a letter from Trump.

A senior White House official confirmed the letter had been sent saying it was consistent with efforts to engage global leaders during the ongoing pandemic, according to Reuters.

Seo Jae-pyoung, an activist originally from North Korea who now heads the Seoul-based Association of North Korean Defectors, said that he had heard reports of COVID-19 in North Korea.

Ive spoken directly with people in North Korea and have heard that North Korea declared a state of emergency, Seo said.

I heard that the first case in North Korea was confirmed on January 27, and that the Peoples Army locked down roads and railways in provincial cities, and that people were not even able to walk in the streets.

Information coming out of North Koreas tightly controlled borders is often scarce and hard to verify.

Nevertheless, Seo claims he has received messages from sources stating that face masks are being smuggled into the country through China, and that masks from South Korea are being sold on the black market and given as gifts to high-ranking officials.

And because of the countrys limited access to test kits, North Korea is often basing its diagnosis on patients symptoms, he said.

Regular, everyday North Korean people dont really know about this virus, Seo said. In North Korea, theyre just seeing it as some scary disease.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week addressed a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Pyongyang General Hospital [KCNA via Reuters]

Journalists and researchers have also heard about an outbreak.

Robert Lauler, a former NGO worker and English editor at the Daily NK, an online publication that has contacts in North Korea, said its sources reported 82 people in quarantine and 23 dead from COVID-19 in the country.

That information is from a couple of weeks ago, Lauler said.

Last week, we also ran a story about a military report that stated that around almost 200 soldiers had died from symptoms that appeared to be coronavirus. But in all these cases, the numbers we put out are not necessarily 100 percent from coronavirus. The sources we have suggest that there has been an outbreak and that people are dying.

Risk of devastation

A coronavirus outbreak would be devastating to the North Korean people and an economy that is already suffering under economic sanctions.

Were talking about an amazing level of devastation to the North Korean economy and particularly to the breadbasket region in North Korea, which is on the northwestern side of the country, Lauler said. Im pessimistic  Given that sanctions and all the other conditions are still in place, it doesnt really bode well for the economy going forward.

As an authoritarian state, the North Korean government does have the power to unilaterally order people into lockdown or stop travel throughout the country. Some foreign diplomats were reportedly forced into quarantine, for example, and ultimately flown out of the country after being released.

Swedish ambassador to North Korea Joachim Bergstrom poses for a selfie in Pyongyangs Kim Il Sung Square on March 3, after being allowed to leave following a month-long quarantine imposed on foreign diplomats over coronavirus fears [Joachim Bergstrom via Reuters]

North Korea is already vulnerable to devastation because of last years blows from Hurricane Lingling and African Swine Fever. Moreover, North Koreas weak healthcare infrastructure would probably be overwhelmed by a rapid spread of COVID-19.

Outside of Pyongyang and Hamhung, I believe there are virtually no medical institutions where everyday people can easily get treatment, Seo said. Most cities do not have an ambulance or transportation for patients, and many people who quarantine would have to do so at home.

Malnutrition and disease across North Korea have been rising since the middle of 2019, when harvests were significantly damaged by droughts and floods. More than 10 million people suffered from severe food shortages, according to the UN.

Given the relatively low levels of nutrition in the country and the chronic disease rates, you would imagine the fatality rate would be higher in North Korea than a lot of other places, Ward said.

That is why he believes North Korea is keeping its suspected outbreak a secret from the rest of the world.

The government is concerned about a public awareness of a serious outbreak that could kill hundreds of thousands of people, he said. They are trying to avoid social panic and social instability.

Mitch S Shin contributed to this report.
The Houston Chronicle has lifted the paywall on this developing coverage to provide critical information to our community. To support our journalists work, consider a digital subscription.

9:47 p.m. With the American sports industry at a standstill, Houston is bracing for the impending financial impact, reports the Chronicle's David Barron.

Each canceled game at Minute Maid Park or Toyota Center is a million dollar-plus hit to the Astros and Rockets, and it also has financial consequences for the downtown entertainment center that has sprung up around Discovery Green in the wake of Houstons two most recent Super Bowls and the downtown venue cluster that also includes BBVA Stadium.

But how much does each team stand to lose from fans, now that everyone is under quarantine? Barron analyzes the question using the Fan Cost Index compiled by Team Marketing Report. Read more.

8:51 p.m. More than 500 "high-risk" symptomatic people were tested for COVID-19 over three days at Houston's first drive-thru testing site , according to a tweet from the Houston Health Department.

The tweet did not say whether the health department has received any results back. Services will continue Monday, March 23, for symptomatic medical professionals, first responders, people 65 and older and people with chronic illnesses, according to the post.

8:24 p.m. You won't have to pay for public transit in Houston starting Monday, reports the Chronicle's Dug Begley.

Passengers will now use the rear door to board and exit buses to limit exposure to drivers and other riders, Metropolitan Transit Authority officials announced Friday.

The changes are aimed at providing some social distance for passengers and employees while also offering some savings for Houstonians facing job and wage losses during the pandemic-induced economic downturn.

Everyone is facing economic hardships, so we are going to adjust the system, Metro CEO Tom Lambert said.

6:55 p.m. There are 697 known cases statewide. That's an increase of about 90 from this morning, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis.

As of this update, there are:

146 regional cases -- 74 in Houston/Harris County alone.

Two additional deaths today, bringing the total up to 7.

8,756 people who have been tested statewide -- an increase of more than 2,200 from yesterday's count.

6:14 p.m. The U.S. Department of Justice took its first action against fraud related to the new coronavirus, according to a news release.

According to a civil complaint filed in federal court in Austin, the operators of the website coronavirusmedicalkit.com are engaging in a wire fraud scheme "to profit from the confusion and widespread fear surrounding COVID-19," the release said.

The website claimed to offer consumers access to World Health Organization vaccine kits in exchange for a shipping charge of $4.95, which consumers would pay by entering their credit card information on the website.

"In fact, there are currently no legitimate COVID-19 vaccines and the WHO is not distributing any such vaccine," the release said.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman issued a temporary restraining order requiring that the registrar of the fraudulent website immediately take action to block public access to it. Prosecutors today moved to shutter the site while the investigation continues.

5:45 p.m. Dallas County just implemented a shelter-in-place order for its 2.6 million residents, according to the Dallas Morning News.

This comes after multiple other U.S. states implemented similar orders.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday afternoon that he would not issue a statewide shelter-in-place order because the majority of Texas counties were not reporting any COVID-19 cases, he said. He said he first wanted to gauge the effectiveness of his existing order.

Abbott said he would "applaud" any local governments who take such action on their own.

5:19 p.m. San Antonio reports its first coronavirus-related death -- the seventh in Texas, according to the San Antonio Express News.

The patient, a woman in her 80s, died Saturday. She was being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and had a history of underlying health issues. No other information about the patient or her case was released.

4:05 p.m. Galveston County health officials are reporting their 12th case of the novel coronavirus.

A woman in her 40s, who recently traveled internationally, had contact with someone who tested positive for the illness. She went to a nearby clinic in Galveston County and is self-quarantined.

3:42 p.m. Five more cases have been reported in Harris County involving four men and one woman.

Four cases were attributed to community spread while a fifth case, a man in his 50s who lives in northwest Harris County had contact with person who tested positive for novel coronavirus, public officials said Sunday afternoon.

There are more than 50 reported COVID-19 cases in Harris County.

3:34 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott will not be ordering a statewide shelter-in-place at this time, pointing to the lack of positive novel coronavirus cases in more than 200 counties.

He said the brunt of the cases are in urban areas, such as Dallas and Houston, but what may be right for some urban areas may not work in more rural communities. He said if local leaders want stricter mandates, such as a shelter-in-place order, they are welcome to do so.

It was also too soon after his prior executive order, Abbott said, and that he wants to see the level of effectiveness from that order before making a decision.

3:27 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott is waiving some state regulations which allow some nurses to work to address the shortage in hospital staffing.

The order, announced Sunday afternoon, will allow retired nurses to fast track the renewal of their licenses and for graduate nurses to work without having taken their licensing exams.

3:04 p.m. Two more cases of the novel coronavirus have been found in Montgomery County involving a man and a woman, who made contact with a positive case in Smith County.

The woman is in her 40s and recently traveled to Smith County. She is in isolation at home.

The man, also in his 40s, recently traveled to Houston and northeast Montgomery County for work. He is in isolation at home at home.

As of 3 p.m., the Montgomery County Public Health District said it is waiting on the results of 145 more tests.

3:00 p.m. The city of Houston has announced another case involving a man in his 30s who recently traveled to Idaho. He is at home and recovering.

2:45 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott is set to speak during a news conference Sunday at 3 p.m. with state health and emergency management officials. He will follow the address with a call with local lawmakers.

The briefing will follow the news that Louisiana leaders have ordered a statewide stay-at-home order to begin 5 p.m Monday. In the neighboring state, officials have found more than 800 cases of the novel coronavirus.

1:49 p.m. Houston police Chief Art Acevedo took aim at Sen. Rand Paul  who tested positive for the novel coronavirus  for getting access to a test before some frontline workers, such as police, paramedics and doctors.

Our first responders and health care providers are finding it next to impossible to get tested for COVID-19, but @RandPaul and other elites can, Acevedo tweeted. This is unconscionable and needs to be addressed posthaste.

The Kentucky Republican said he tested positive but is feeling fine and not showing symptoms, associated with the COVID-19 infection.

He is the first senator to test positive for the novel coronavirus.

1:06 p.m. Four Houston firefighters are self-quarantining at a hotel because they are unable to do so at home, city officials said Sunday.

The firefighters came into contact with a confirmed novel coronavirus case and pulled from service. None of the firefighters are showing symptoms associated with the illness.

Chief Sam Pena found them the lodging, according to a news release. The taxpayer cost, he said in a text message, would be $69 per night, per employee. The cost would additionally be impacted by the number of firefighters who need lodging and the time needed to isolate them.

The firefighters will be monitored for two weeks.

12:24 p.m. A sixth Texan has died after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

Dallas County Health and Human Services officials said a second person in Dallas County has died, a man in his 80s who did not have any high-risk chronic health conditions.

Four others have died in Matagorda, Harris, Collin and Tarrant Counties.

More than 650 cases of the virus have been confirmed statewide, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis. This includes 69 cases that the Texas Department of State Health Services have yet to assign to a county.

Dallas County remains the most heavily affected area with 131 cases.

The Greater Houston region has 137 known cases as of noon. There are confirmed cases in at least 54 Texas counties now. More than 8,700 Texans have been tested for the novel coronavirus, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

More than 2,200 people were tested yesterday across the state.

12:12 p.m. The man behind the Houston regions first known novel coronavirus case  linked to the Nile river cruise he participated in  is back home and sleeping off a nearly three-week hospital stay.

The man in his 70s, who declined to be identified, wrote to the Chronicles Emily Foxhall to say he was thankful of the staff at CHI St. Lukes Health in Sugar Land who cared for him.

Read: Houston area coronavirus survivor returns home, with a note of thanks to medical staff

They risked their own lives to save mine, he wrote. I will consider them my angels forever.

His case was announced in Fort Bend County on March 4.

11:38 a.m. A Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office distribution site for disinfectant is running low on spray bottles, Maj. Chad Norvell said.

There are about 1,000 32-ounce bottles  which arrived on an 18-wheeler from Houston  left and Norvell believes the supply may only last through Sunday afternoon.

He said many of the motorists lining up for the bleaching agent are families but also business owners who are unable to find cleaning supplies at the store. Theyve handed out anywhere from 2,000 to 2,5000 bottles since Friday.

The company De Nora is making the solution onsite through a process normally done at oil fields for fracking, Norvell continued.

11:14 a.m. Three more cases of the novel coronavirus have been found in Galveston County, according to health officials.

Two women, in their 20s and 50s, tested positive for the rapidly-spreading illness. Both are self-quarantined. A man in his 70s who recently traveled to an unspecified location in the U.S. also tested positive. He is also self-quarantined.

There are 11 known cases in Galveston County, which are among the 137 in the greater Houston area.

9:23 a.m. The Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office is distributing disinfectant products Sunday in Richmond to county residents, either until 4 p.m. or when supplies run out. They will be at 1521 Eugene Heimann Circle.

Yesterday, at a similar distribution site, there was a wait time of anywhere from 25 minutes to three hours.

To expedite the line, the sheriffs office was asking motorists to fill out a waiver of liability for the product, identified as sodium hypochlorite solution  a bleaching agent. One 32-ounce spray bottle and a gallon of the solution is allocated per household.

8:22 a.m. On todays front page of the Houston Chronicle, restaurant critic Alison Cook pens a mournful tribute to Houstons restaurants  and their workers  as they struggle to make ends meet during the pandemic.

Read: Houston can't afford to lose its restaurants

Investigative reporter Jenny Deam reports on a doctor at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital recalling her struggle to get tested for the novel coronavirus.

Read: Texas doctor on pandemic's 'front line' wages harrowing, 8-hour battle to get tested for COVID-19

8:00 a.m. Cases of the novel coronavirus are popping up in the Houston areas more rural communities.

Two women  one in their 40s and another in their 50s  tested positive for the rapidly-spreading illness late Saturday in Liberty and Chambers counties, becoming the first cases to be reported from each. The Chambers County case was believed to be connected to recent travel.

As of Sunday morning, 134 cases have been found in the following counties: Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston, Liberty and Chambers.

Only Waller County has yet to report a positive case.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo said temporary hospitals will be set up at the Javits Center in Manhattan, in Westchester and on Long Island to help treat the growing number of people who are contracting the coronavirus (COVID-19).

There were no sites mentioned for Staten Island by Cuomo at a press conference on Sunday.

He said that the Army Corps of Engineers will be erecting the temporary hospitals inside the Javits Center, Manhattan, as well as on SUNY college campuses, including Stony Brook and Old Westbury on Long Island and in Westchester County Center.

Now we have to get it done, and get it done quickly," said Cuomo. These temporary hospitals are helpful, but they dont bring supplies. And they dont bring staff. That compounds our problems of not having enough medical supplies, and frankly compounds our problem of not having enough medical staff.

TOTAL STATEN ISLAND CONFIRMED CASES RISING

City Hall announced on Sunday that there have been 9,654 positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 63 fatalities in New York City. Currently, there are 593 confirmed cases on Staten Island.

As of 6 p.m. on Saturday, at least 1,450 people were hospitalized for the virus. Of those individuals, at least 370 are in the ICU, according to City Hall.

CONSTRUCTION CAN START TOMORROW'

The temporary hospital sites chosen allow for in-door assembly," and two of the sites have dormitories where the healthcare staff can stay," said Cuomo.

The governor said he received all necessary approvals, and construction can start tomorrow. Everything is ready to go. There is no red tape, said Cuomo. We get these facilities up, we get the supplies, we will save lives. If we dont, we will lose lives.

Although there were no temporary sites announced for Staten Island at Cuomos press conference, Trump said earlier this week he will deploy a Navy Hospital to New York Harbor. The vessel, which contains about 1,000 beds, will supplement the areas hospitals as they prepare to deal with the worst of the coronavirus.

EXISTING RESIDENTAIL FACILITIES

Cuomo said the state is also taking over at least 600 beds in existing residential facilities, like nursing homes and hotels, across the state to use as temporary hospitals. However, he didnt say which facilities have been earmarked for this purpose.

4 FEMA HOSPITALS

The governor is also asking the Federal government to erect four hospitals at the Javits Center.

The FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] hospitals come with staff and supplies, he said. We are asking for four 250 bed configurations to be configured in t he Javits Center. Its in the heart of Manhattan. ...This will give us regional coverage in Downstate New York, which is our most heavily impacted area.

TRIAL DRUG

Cuomo said he has secured 70,000 hydroxychloroquine, and 10,000 zithromax drugs. Officials are looking at a possible treatment with the two drugs for coronavirus engineered by Regeneron, a New York-based pharmaceuticals company, said the governor on Saturday.

The Federal Drug Administration is acquiring 10,000 doses, which could help treat patients in New York who are in serious condition, said Cuomo.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

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SHASTA COUNTY, Calif.- Deputies with the Shasta County Sheriff's Office arrested a man suspected of burglarizing Meeks Lumber Saturday morning.

Officials say this occurred Saturday, March 21, at approximately 5:40 a.m., when deputies were dispatched to a commercial burglary alarm at Meeks Lumber, located at 6781 Eastside Road.

As deputies arrived on scene, they observed a suspect, later identified as Jason Michael Kenyon, 36, of Anderson, inside the business.

Deputies say after setting a perimeter, they cleared the interior of the business with the assistance of K-9 Fritz. No suspects were located inside the business. As deputies continued their search of the property, deputies located Kenyon.

Officials say Kenyon was given numerous commands that he was under arrest and to get on the ground. Kenyon failed to comply and fled from deputies over a fence. Deputies utilized a K-9 to track Kenyon, however, they were initially unable to locate him.

Officials say at about 8 a.m., deputies located Kenyon walking on River Ranch Road. Kenyon fled on foot and deputies tracked him into a commercial property. Kenyon was located and failed to comply with lawful commands and continued to attempt to flee custody. K-9 Fritz was utilized and apprehended Kenyon.

Deputies say that upon taking Kenyon into custody, they located property on his person belonging to Meeks Lumber, as well as additional evidence linking him to the burglary.

Officials say Kenyon was transported to a local area hospital and was medically cleared. Kenyon was booked into the Shasta County Jail for burglary and resisting arrest.




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The activity at Bungalow by Middle Brow was so strong that, by Saturday, the Logan Square brewery and taproom only had one variety of canned 4-packs remaining. The brewery expects to have more this week and announced via Instagram that it will be closed through Thursday to recuperate.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:07:11|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China has 61 percent of the world's self-made women entrepreneurs with fortunes of more than a billion U.S. dollars, up 4 percent year on year, according to a recently released Hurun list of 100 self-made women billionaires from 16 countries.

China has far outstripped its followers including the United States in second place and the United Kingdom in third, which has 19 and six self-made female billionaires respectively, according to the list.

Zhong Huijuan, a 59-year-old Chinese entrepreneur who started a pharmaceutical company empty-handed, has been named the world's richest self-made women billionaire with 106 billion yuan (about 15.1 billion U.S. dollars), read the list.

It also showed that nine out of the list's top 10 female moguls are from China.

China's Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai have the most self-made women billionaires on the list, while Hangzhou and Xiamen have broken into the first five spots, the list added.
Nov. 26, 1954 - March 9, 2020

Charles James (Chuck, Charlie, Chuckie, Old Blue, Silver Tongue, Gramps) Starcevich unexpectedly passed away on March 9, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona. Chuck was the oldest child born to Chuck and Pat Starcevich on November 26, 1954, in Butte. Chuck was fortunate to be raised in the McQueen addition until the family relocated within Butte in 1972.

Chuck was part of the last graduating class of eight students from Holy Savior grade school in 1968, and later graduated from Butte Central High School in 1973.

Chuck married Debbie Waltee April 6, 1974. They had a beautiful baby girl named Stacy, who they tragically lost to SIDS at three months. Their prayers were answered when they were blessed with three more children, Crysta, Charlie, and Corey. Family was everything to Chuck. His love and unwavering devotion to his family remained a constant comfort and inspiration.

Chuck was employed during high school at Town Talk Bakery, then for 10 years at the Safeway Warehouse in Butte, until it closed. He later became an insurance agent for the Knights of Columbus.

In the late 1980s, Chuck and his family relocated to Tucson, Arizona. In Arizona, Chuck continued his career in the insurance field working for Geico Insurance, from which he retired in February 2020.

While growing up, Chuck and his brother John spent countless days fishing at Harrison Lake with their uncle, Bob Tokle. All the family treasured their lake days with their Aunt Lil and Uncle Bob. During this time, Chuck learned to waterski. Before wetsuits were invented, Chuck could be seen jump starting from shore on his ski wearing an army jacket to keep him warm. Even though he was an avid water skier, he did not like water! Later in life, Chuck enjoyed fishing and spending time with and raising his family recreating on Canyon Ferry Lake. He also enjoyed the Montana big game hunting season while living in Montana, dressing his kill with surgical gloves.

Chuck was the oldest of six children. He was the best brother that life could ever offer! He was kind, encouraging, and the most lovable person you could imagine; his witty personality was unmatched! For his family, the loss of Chuck is devastating and cannot be defined. His grandkids were the light of his life. Chuck was a very involved and devoted grandfather. He always put the kids first. His warmth, support, and love were unwavering through everything. He was always a source of calm in the chaos and never let us go without a hug and a "Love yas."

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, what things are true, what things are dignified, what things are righteous, what things are pure, what things are lovely, what things are well spoken of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of these things.

This is the character Chuck expressed to all of us.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, Chuck and Pat Starcevich; daughter, Stacy Starcevich; his grandparents, and many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Chuck is survived by his children Crysta Starcevich, Charlie Starcevich, and Corey Starcevich. He is survived by his cherished grandchildren, Crystas kids, Nicole Starcevich, Alaryk Trejo, Gvanni Barajas; Charlies boy, Gavin Starcevich; and Coreys kids, Azaela, and Kai Starcevich. He is also survived by his brothers, John (Karen) Starcevich, Jim (Sheri) Starcevich, Mark Starcevich, Bob Starcevich; and sister, Cathy (Ernie) Frey. Chuck is also survived by his dear aunt, Lillian Tokle and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Rest in peace, dear brother.

The family will have a Mass in Tucson, AZ. A memorial will take place in Butte, MT in July. Details will follow.
And so we flew home. Early last week we booked flights. On Saturday morning we arrived back in Australia. For 48 hours it seemed like a tough decision, until we asked ourselves: wheres family? For us  and we are incredibly lucky to have flexible jobs  that made it simple.

For other Australians overseas it is more complicated. They have jobs they cant leave, or partners who dont want to go to a country that isnt home and which they might not be able to leave for, what, six months? More? These emotional tugs-of-war are happening across the world. And these people are among the luckiest - people with jobs, people who can (or could) afford to travel.

Beachgoers descended on Bondi beach in their thousands on Friday, despite the coronavirus threat. Credit:AAP

One of the most exhausting features of this crisis, so far, has been the constant communication. Also one of the most rewarding, the most cheering, the most distracting  though Im not sure distraction quite works when you are distracting yourself from articles about the virus by reading group messages about the virus.

I am, like many of you, getting messages on Twitter, on Instagram, on various Whatsapp threads, on Facebook, on Slack. This is just life, of course, but it is more constant now and feels more urgent. Still, for all the extra blocks of stress it adds to the already very tall pile, it also adds to the sense of community. And that, right now, is tremendously heartening. Tangible generosities are happening all over the country. So many people offered us help for our arrival, offered to drop groceries off as we went into self-isolation.
Russia Registers 4 Ceasefire Violations in Syria Over Past 24 Hours  Defene Ministry

Sputnik News

10:12 GMT 21.03.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian side of the Russian-Turkish commission monitoring the implementation of the Syrian truce has recorded four ceasefire violations in Syria over the past 24 hours, while the Turkish side has recorded no truce breaches, the Russian Defence Ministry said in its daily bulletin on Saturday.

"The Russian side of the Russian-Turkish joint commission reviewing issues related to the ceasefire violation has registered four cases of firing, including one in Hama, and three in Latakia. The Turkish side has registered no cases of firing", the bulletin says.

According to the centre's bulletin, 36 Syrian refugees have returned home from Lebanon over the past day via Jaydet-Yabus and Talkalakh checkpoints.

Additionally, the Syrian army engineering units have cleared 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres) of territory and defused 60 explosive devices, the bulletin added.

The centre's bulletin of 20 March said that 42 Syrian refugees have returned home from Lebanon over the 24 hours via the Jdeydet-Yabus and Talkalakh checkpoints. Six residential buildings have been repaired, the centre said.

The Syrian army engineering units cleared 2 more hectares (5 acres) of territory and defused 60 explosive devices, according to the bulletin of 20 March.

The centre also said that it had carried out one humanitarian operation on 20 March, having delivered 350 food kits to the Sheikh Khader region in northern Aleppo.

The Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides and Refugee Migration Monitoring was established in 2016 to promote the ceasefire in war-torn Syria and recruit more combatant groups to join the truce, as well as monitor the humanitarian situation and repatriation of refugees.

A Sputnik

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Late this week, Carnival (NYSE:CCL) announced its offer to governments and health authorities to use its cruise ships for temporary medical facilities, as the growing number of COVID-19 cases could put pressure on land-based hospitals. This could be seen as a good PR move for the company and a positive move as well since the cruise industry has been under intense pressure because of ships being linked to the spread of the disease.

Shares of Carnival are down 76% year-to-date, following the global public health debacle around the coronavirus. Carnival announced plans to suspend all cruises through April 9, with service resuming on April 10. On March 19, Carnival announced that its first-quarter earnings were halved to $0.22 a share versus $0.49 a year ago, citing a $0.23 per share impact from COVID-19-related cancellations.

Given the severity of the current health crisis, on top of the COVID-19 deaths and infections linked to some cruise ships, it will likely take time for consumers to become fully comfortable with taking cruises. The move to offer its ships as hospitals is a step in the right direction for Carnival to regain goodwill from customers.

How Carnival plans to help

Carnival, the world's largest cruise operator, is offering a number of its ships as makeshift hospitals in the midst of the pandemic. It is offering governments and health authorities the use of vessels from its Princess Cruises, Carnival, Holland America, and P&O Cruises Australia brands.

Cruise ships can be provisioned to serve as floating hospitals with monitoring devices and medical equipment that can help patients dealing with non-COVID-19 issues. The cruise ships' medical centers could be transformed into seven intensive care units (ICUs) with key medical devices and ventilators. "If needed, cruise ships are capable of being quickly provisioned to serve as hospitals with up to 1,000 hospital rooms that can treat patients suffering from less critical, non-COVID-19 conditions," according to Carnival's press release.

The use of cruise ships for floating medical facilities would free up space in existing hospitals to treat cases of COVID-19, which could be a life-saving measure for some severely ill patients. Italy's hospitals have been overrun with novel coronavirus patients, leading to staff having to decide who gets a hospital bed and who is turned away. U.S. medical experts are warning that some hospitals here could also face a shortage of intensive care beds for the growing number of COVID-19 sufferers.

This move helps Carnival's brand

This is likely a good move for the leisure travel company's image, which will need a boost once the pandemic has receded. The whole cruising industry will likely need to rebuild trust with customers following reports of eight COVID-19 related deaths aboard the Diamond Princess and quarantines of thousands of passengers on other ships.

Consumers have been spooked by reports of coronavirus transmission on cruise ships. The U.S. State Department has advised Americans, especially those with underlying health issues, against taking cruises, warning that there's higher risk of contracting COVID-19 aboard cruise ships. The government noted that cruise passengers could face quarantines and other international travel restrictions.

COVID-19 tends to cause serious complications for elderly people and those with underlying health conditions. The median age of travelers on cruise ships is between 60 and 69, with 19% of passengers in this age bracket, according to travel provider Cruise1st. If this demographic continues to shun cruises after the pandemic is controlled, it could hurt Carnival's business for a prolonged time, and it may need to woo a younger demographic.

With the offer of its ships in treating the ill, Carnival could be viewed positively after coronavirus resolves, by doing its part to assist in the global health crisis, potentially generating goodwill.

The cruising industry will recover eventually, but it's uncertain how much time it will take. While offering ships as temporary healthcare facilities is a move in the right direction, Carnival will likely experience short- to mid-term turbulence as the whole industry normalizes.




Covid-19 is a multi-dimensional plague facing us









by Dr Ruwantissa Abeyratne

writing from Montreal





If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles

Sun Tzu, The Art of War





The other day, I read an excellent article by Alain de Botton titled Albert Camus on the Coronavirus in this newspaper  originally published in The New York Times (which I commend to the reader) - and it impelled me to read Albert Camus work The Plague, which I dusted off my bookshelf, once again.





Camus starts the novel, which he started in 1941 and published in 1947, with a description of an ugly French Algerian town called Oran where  certainly nothing is commoner nowadays than to see people working from morn till night and then proceeding to fritter away at card-tables, in cafes and in small-talk what time is left for living at Oran amidst the violent extremes of temperature, the exigencies of business, the uninspiring surroundings, the sudden nightfall, and the very nature of its pleasures call for good health. An invalid feel out of it there. Think what it must be for a dying man, trapped behind hundreds of walls all sizzling with heat, while the whole population, sitting in cafes or hanging on the telephone, is discussing shipments, bills of lading, discounts! It will then be obvious what discomfort attends death, even modern death, when it waylays you under such conditions in a dry place









Then one day  April 16th  the protagonist, Dr. Bernard Rieux, steps out of his apartment and treads on something soft which turns out to be a dead rat. He kicks it to the side nonchalantly and proceeds to his surgery, only to realise in a few minutes that a dead rat on his landing was an unusual sight. More dead rats appear in the following days, appearing to have spurted blood from their mouths.





After a few days, his charwoman tells him that several hundred dead rats had been collected in the big factory where her husband worked. The townspeople are awakened to an epidemic. Bernard Rieux reminisces:  everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world; yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our heads from a blue sky. There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise. Camus posits : A pestilence isnt a thing made to mans measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. But it doesnt always pass away and, from one bad dream to another, it is men who pass away, and the humanists first of all, because they havent taken their precautions.





Sounds familiar?





Camus, who was an atheist, brings to bear the indifference of a self serving world to human suffering and the meaningless pursuit of ascribing to life a precise meaning and purpose through consequentialism and materialistic values. The character of Cottard in the novel, who has committed a crime and fears arrest, welcomes the plague which offers him comfort that the rest of the town is sharing his state of fear of death and punishment. The plagues serves many purposes, depending on the subjective circumstances of individuals.





The people in Oran are incredulous  that the plague could hit them - they who are enjoying their comfortable lives. This could only happen to others:, not to them. But they die in their hundreds. After some months, the disease goes away, and everything is forgotten. The gates of the city open and people proudly exclaim that they have conquered the pestilence.





Camus message is both literal and metaphorical  that any disaster should not be treated as an irritation but as a serious existential threat. Liesl Schillinger, who is quoted in a literary Hub article titled What We Can Learn (and Should Unlearn) From Albert Camuss The Plague says: he addresses any contagion that might overtake any society; from a disease like cholera, the Spanish Influenza, AIDS, SARS, or, yes, COVID-19; to a corrosive ideology, like Fascism, or Totalitarianism, which can infect a whole population.





Sun Tzu in his Art of War posits one must know oneself as much as one knows ones enemy. The problem is that, as Camus reflects in his novel, we do not seem to know ourselves and our vulnerabilities and choose to ignore red flags not only in the face of epidemics and disease but also when confronted with other existential threats. Politically, grave and ominous threats that portend danger to the global community are ignored as minor irritations that will go away. Covid -19 teaches us that we need determination, self reliance and optimism in the face of hardship. We have to believe despite all the evidence to the contrary, that we could restore a sense of community to a world torn by conflict and that despite all personal tragedy, we have a sense of control over our own destiny.





Finally, we must also realise the fragility and randomness of our own health and life and teach ourselves a collective humility. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the bestselling author of The Black Swan, in his book Antifragile introduces the reader to the interesting and well-reasoned concept called Antifragile. He states that any system which depends on predictability and presumption is fragile and that some things benefit from shocks and they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder and stressors. According to Taleb black swans (which as we all know are a rarity) are large-scale unpredictable and irregular events which can either devastate those that are fragile and dependent on a certain rigid stability or energize risk takers and flexible persons into action.





This is a time when we must also be careful of exploitation. Naomi Klein in her book The Shock Doctrine, The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Alfred A. Knopf: Canada, 2007) bases her thesis on the premise that people who are devastated by a disaster look towards rebuilding what they lost whereas free market forces look for exactly the opposite  to start with a clean slate by exploiting the disaster to their advantage. Covid-19 is a multi-dimensional plague facing us. This must not happen.
The number of coronavirus cases in Massachusetts increased to 646, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Sunday.

Middlesex County continues to be the region hardest hit by COVID-19, with 199 positive diagnoses reported.

The newest numbers released Sunday shows an expected increase as more tests are being conducted. There were 525 cases reported Saturday.

There have been five deaths in Massachusetts connected to coronavirus, the state Department of Public Health said on Sunday.

The first death due to a COVID-19-related illness was reported Friday. The second death was reported Saturday.

Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts

A man in his 80s from Winthrop was the first death. He had been hospitalized and had pre-existing health conditions that put him at higher risk for the viral respiratory infection, according to DPH.

The second death, a woman in her 50s from Ayer, was confirmed by town officials on Sunday. The woman had a pre-existing medical condition.

Three more deaths were reported Sunday - the first in Western Massachusetts.

Two of the men were in their 70s from Berkshire and Hampden Counties and the third man was a Suffolk County resident in 90s.

All three men were hospitalized prior to their deaths.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency earlier this month and ordered school programming to be canceled through April 6. He has also deployed the Massachusetts National Guard to help.

Massachusetts joined more than two dozen states in enlisting help from the Guard in fighting the pandemic.

Here are the cases listed by county:

Barnstable County: 24

Berkshire County: 23

Bristol County: 24

Dukes and Nantucket Counties: 2 (Nantucket reported one case Sunday that has yet to be reflected in the state totals but we have included here.)

Essex County: 60

Franklin County: 2

Hampden County: 12

Hampshire County: 4

Middlesex County: 199

Norfolk County: 75

Plymouth County: 25

Suffolk County: 126

Worcester County: 37

Unknown location: 34

The state reported there have been 3,403 people tested by the state public health lab and another 2,601 by LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics.

Related Content:
Oregonians response to the coronavirus crisis hasnt always showcased the community-mindedness that we like to promote. As in other parts of the country, theres been panic purchasing of toilet paper, shaming over social distancing deficiencies and flare-ups of intergenerational conflict. The fear, hazards and uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic have understandably set everyones nerves on edge.

But it doesnt take long before you also see glimpses of Oregonians at their best. Backs against the wall and facing a looming need, people are drawing on their creativity, collaborative spirit and profound generosity to finding solutions  from multigovernmental efforts as big as remaking the Oregon Convention Center into a homeless shelter, down to neighborhoods where residents are running errands for one another. While the actions of local, state and federal leaders will drive how well Oregon withstands and recovers from the pandemic, its people are showing the innovative instincts and resilience that will be key to the community getting through the intense pressures ahead.

Certainly, those who deserve the greatest appreciation are the health care providers, grocery store workers, delivery truck drivers and many others who are shouldering the burden of meeting Oregonians growing needs while facing health risks that most of us can avoid. Their commitment and work are critical to how well the community fares through the next several weeks of uncertainty. An effort organized by three OHSU medical students  Chris Graulty, Emily Lane and Audrey Tran  for OHSU and University of Portland students to provide free child care and grocery shopping is a laudable way Oregonians can support those on the front lines of this crisis.

But many are stepping up across the state, taking on such unfamiliar responsibilities as procurement and manufacturing because the existing system has failed. With the supply of N95 masks dwindling at hospitals and care facilities  locally and nationally  individuals are looking at how to fill the gap. Lian Rameson, whose husband is a doctor, launched a social-media drive with her sister, asking their Portland neighbors, school families and others to donate any masks they might have on hand for the hospital where he works. In a few days, they had amassed hundreds, Rameson said, as people scoured their earthquake preparedness kits and garages for leftovers from previous construction projects.

Oregonian editorials Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Therese Bottomly, Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, John Maher and Amy Wang. Members of the board meet regularly to determine our institutional stance on issues of the day. We publish editorials when we believe our unique perspective can lend clarity and influence an upcoming decision of great public interest. Editorials are opinion pieces and therefore different from news articles. To respond to this editorial, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor If you have questions about the opinion section, email Helen Jung , opinion editor, or call 503-294-7621.

Similarly, Keika Ruttan, who works for a Portland assisted-living and memory-care home, has been eyeing the rapidly vanishing stock of masks at her workplace. Recognizing that the employees themselves likely pose the greatest risk of introducing the novel coronavirus to the residents in the facility, she started stitching her own masks for employees to wear to help protect their patients. Her boss mother-in-law soon joined the effort. After Ruttan posted her efforts on a school community Facebook page, two other parents volunteered to sew masks as well.

One of several masks sewed by Keika Ruttan for her workplace.

Examples of individuals going above and beyond abound. In Pendleton, Brandon Krenzler started a Facebook group for area businesses and residents called the Pendleton Coronavirus Supply Chain, in which members can find and trade food, supplies and other products, The East Oregonian reported. Developer Barry Menashe announced plans to hand out 1,500 $75 New Seasons gift cards to people at random in Portland and Gresham. In Eugene, Justin Zinser, owner of the Full House Poker membership club, has started a fund for poker dealers in Oregon facing economic hardship and seeded it with thousands of the clubs own money. In Northeast Portland, neighbors like Jeane Gaiennie are walking block by block, leaving flyers outside homes and offering to get groceries or run errands for those unable to go out themselves. And in Milwaukie, Simran Samra, the owner of two 7-Eleven stores on McLoughlin Boulevard is providing a free slice of pizza and a banana to school kids between 11 a.m. and noon.

Oregonians are also showing their creativity in staying connected and providing the social connection thats being lost at a time where hugs and handshakes are no longer safe. Neighbors are eating dinner on their lawns in virtual picnics; launching letter-writing campaigns to connect with seniors isolated in care centers or in their homes; singing gatherings that observe social distancing recommendations but are anything but socially distant. These steps are necessary both for maintaining the kinds of connections that keep morale up but also for showing those who have been reluctant to follow distancing guidelines that its not as burdensome as they might think. The message must come through that Oregonians need to voluntarily observe these restrictions for their health, others health and the ability of hospitals to keep up with the expected surge in cases.

None of these solve the big problem. None of these will inoculate us from COVID-19 or replace the thousands of paychecks that Oregonians are missing as restrictions ramp up. But collectively, every single one of these efforts  along with the many other acts of kindness around the state  address hundreds of problems that feel insurmountable to the individuals facing them. Maintaining that spirit of progress, solving the problems we can and collaborating as part of a connected community is the definition of resilience.

We hear over and over that were just beginning to see what this pandemic will look like for Oregon. Officials could very well adopt more stringent restrictions to try to limit the spread and preserve hospital capacity for the sickest among us. None of us knows how bad this crisis will be or how devastating the economic fallout.

But we do know who we are. And even if our reactions waver between rational and irrational, superhuman and simply human, Oregonians are already showing that they understand what it will take to get through this  ordinary people creating a new normal for an extraordinary time.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
Paris (AFP) - France's two-chamber parliament on Sunday declared a health emergency in the country to counter the spread of the coronavirus, giving the government greater powers to fight the pandemic.

The text, first agreed by the upper house Senate, passed its final legislative hurdle later in the evening when it was adopted by the lower house National Assembly dominated by President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party.

The law also allows the government to take measures to support companies and backs up its decision to delay a second round of municipal elections, to June at the latest.

The text, based on legislation agreed after 2015 terror attacks in France, declares a "state of health emergency" along the lines of a state of emergency declared during a threat to national security.

The emergency lasts two months from the day of its adoption, and is renewable.

France has from Tuesday been in a nationwide lockdown, with only essential trips outside the house allowed, to battle the coronavirus that has already killed 674 and infected thousands more in the country.

Only a handful of lawmakers were physically present to pass the legislation, with most voting by proxy, in line with the social distancing rules currently in force to fight the coronavirus.

Adoption of the text by the Senate, which is controlled by the opposition, was impeded by wrangling between the two chambers, with right-wing parties fearing infringements on civil liberties.

"We are not in agreement on all the points," said Bruno Retailleau, leader of the opposition Republicans in the Senate. "But we are voting for it as we don't want to hold up the government's action."

The bill passed in the Senate by a show of hands.

It was then passed in a near-deserted National Assembly with lawmakers present only to represent factions and declare proxy voting in a procedure agreed by speaker Richard Ferrand.

Meanwhile, France's civil security director general Alain Thirion said that police had booked people on 91,824 occasions for violating the lockdown regime, a transgression punishable by a fine of at least 135 euros ($145).
With current restrictions on social distancing keeping everyone away from Luxembourg's best nighttime spots, RTL Today are stepping in to help.

Packo Gualandris, a local DJ, hosted a live set on Saturday at 8pm on the RTL Today Facebook page.

Packo also encouraged viewers to post photos of themselves tuning into the set in fancy dress.

The evening was a (adopt Borat voice) great success.

Packo will be back with another stream on Friday 27 March.

It's party time!
The Delhi Police personnel, today gave out roses to those who stepped out on the streets, as the country observes 'Janta Curfew' as directed by the government. In the one-day lockdown, citizens have been asked to stay indoors till 9pm, as the country tackles the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

Here's more top news of the day:

1) Homecoming: Flight With 263 Indians Evacuated From Coronavirus-Hit Italy Touches Down In Delhi

AP

263 Indians were evacuated from Italy in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak and the Air India flight carrying them home has landed in Delhi. Most of them are students and now they are back in their own country. Read more

2) A Big Breakthrough: IIT-Delhi Researchers Have Developed Affordable Test To Detect Coronavirus

AFP

As the global coronavirus pandemic continues to claim lives and affect thousands globally, scientists and researchers are racing against time, to develop a drug and a vaccine to counter it. Read more

3) MP: Coronavirus Positive Man Evaded Screening, Now His Family & 8 Employees Show Symptoms

Xinhua / Redux

A man from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, despite having travelled to a foreign country, allegedly evaded the screening process and was later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The state police registered an FIR against him on Friday. Read more

4) Duty Before Self: Doctors & Nurses Are Losing Their Lives So They Can Save Others

representational Image

The global pandemic coronavirus has claimed thousands of lives across the word and the doctors and nurses who are on the frontlines of fighting the disease, and treating patients relentlessly. This leaves them exposed more than anyone else, and it takes a lot of courage to keep doing your duty, despite that knowledge. Read more

5) Pakistanis Urge Imran Khan To Impose Lockdown As Tally Of Active Coronavirus Cases Reaches 733

With the number of people in Pakistan affected by coronavirus increasing to 733, worried citizens have appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to impose a lockdown. Read more
The servers at Fish Pond Restaurant in Willis normally see a full dining room and write an estimated 100-150 checks Monday through Saturday with a team of about 30 employees. But now, to-go orders are running 25-26 with a skeleton crew as the old-fashioned cafe struggles to remain open during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Many businesses across the United States have had to close their doors. Others fight to adapt to a constantly evolving public health crisis threatening the global economy by offering amended hours and new services, including to-go orders, curbside pickup, and delivery options.

At the family-run, down-home cooking Fish Pond Restaurant that opened in 2008 at 17091 Texas 75, Ronnie and Kathy Wonzer are offering to-go plates and promoting their business and menu options on Facebook, including for breakfast and lunch, and their steam table.

But Kathy Wonzer said some customers simply do not have the money to spend or are choosing to eat groceries at home. Now the couple is beginning to worry about the future, including payroll and paying bills. They are choosing to take it day by day, while hoping customers will come in when they can.

He has cut down as much as he can, Kathy Wonzer said. We will have to wait and see.

The restaurant is offering a full menu to-go from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. The steam table offers quick meals from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pacific Yard House

The Pacific Yard House in downtown Conroe reported that it has had to layoff several employees, dropping from a total of nearly 50 cooks and servers to now only six salaried positions.

The restaurant remains open and started a new hospitality tamale program Saturday to support the employees who have lost their jobs. The tamales are on sale for $1.25 and all sales go toward the laid off cooks and servers.

Burger Fresh

While also striving to survive within the parameters of restrictions and recommendations, the locally owned and family-run Burger Fresh at 804 Gladstell in Conroe is currently offering curbside pick-up from 11 a.m. to 8.p.m., delivery within a 20-mile radius, various meal options, and family-sized casseroles, including chicken spaghetti that can feed a family of four to six.

We are having to adapt, Burger Fresh Manager Karen Holick said. Some employees dont want to come in. We have to work extra hours and do whatever we can to keep the business afloat.

Holick said the burger joint has remained consistently busy for the past two or three days. While the owner had to search six different locations for the groceries he needed, she said so far, the restaurant has been able to keep the supplies it needs. The eatery has reached out to an emergency room to look into options to serve health care workers with an interest in serving first responders as well.

In my opinion, they are on the front lines as a soldier directly in contact with a virus that doesnt have a cure, Holick said. I could only imagine the fear that they must have about the coronavirus that people are dying from and hoping not to carry it home to their families and themselves.

Conroe Fire Department Lt. Lloyd Sandefer said the fire department has suspended visitors at fire stations, including for those who are dropping off food and treats to try and limit and minimize the risk of potential exposure.

Sandefer said H-E-B has opened its store early to firefighters to get groceries and supplies for their shift from 6 to 8 a.m. The firefighters can participate in curbside pick-up to help support local businesses, he added.

Vernons Kuntry Katfish

Vernons Kuntry Katfish on Texas 105 in Conroe has started to offer curbside pick-up 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily with a full menu and offers discounts to first responders.

Like my late husband and son always said, we are here to feed the people and we will, Mary Bowers said.

The late Vernon Bowers started the family-run business over 30 years ago. Since then, the restaurant has gained popularity and has even been recognized as one of the top 10 catfish restaurants in Texas. In 2017, the restaurant survived Hurricane Harveys approximately 4 feet of flood water with the support of the community that helped the family renovate and reopen. Only two years later, this past September, grieved the unexpected loss of the owner Buster Bowers who had continued to run the business with his mother Mary Bowers and Sister Debbie Bowers.

Mary Bowers said the restaurant has been following government mandates and CDC recommendations, while remaining open to continue to serve the community and restaurants 45 employees that has supported the business. While the restaurant has scaled back the number of employees working per shift, she said the business continues to receive its supply and will keep working as long as it can. If supplies become more limited, it will go to a limited menu. She has concerns about the future as she prays the crisis will pass soon. Her heart goes out to those who are unable to leave their homes and she hopes to help anyone she can.

Weve gotten through everything else and we can get through this too, she said wiping away tears while sitting in a room full of empty tables.

Conroe resident Dale McDaniel has food at home, but ordered a fried shrimp plate to go to support the economy.

I think that this will just be a blip on the radar screen, something that we can remember, but I have great faith in our economy and our businesses, McDaniel said. I think somebody in the United States will come up with a cure or come up with a vaccine. If government gets out of their way, I think that will happen.

Kuntry Katfish Catering

Starting next week, Kuntry Katfish Catering, which shares a parking lot with Vernons Kuntry Katfish, will also be offering various family size meal options for lunch and dinner on specific days and hours. The owner, Clint Campbell, an old friend of Vernon Bowers, started the catering business in 1994. Today, the catering business supports two families, including his daughters family.

Meal pick-up schedule includes lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Dinner will be available for pick up 5 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, except for Wednesday. Orders need to be received an hour before pick-up time and must be called in at 936-760-2737.

Meating Place BBQ

The faith-led and locally owned Meating Place BBQ has temporarily closed its Montgomery location, where the owner Bobby Adams said there are other restaurants in the small town such as Uncle Bobs BBQ and the Cozy Grape. However, Adams said his Pinehurst location is still offering a drive-thru option with a full menu, which operates from 10:30 a.m. to about 8 p.m. or when the food runs out for the day.

In lieu of being charged a fee for Uber Eats delivery, the restaurant has started offering a 20 percent discount to customers and like many of the restaurants, including Fish Pond, Burger Fresh, Vernons Kuntry Katfish and Kuntry Katfish Catering, Adams has turned to social media to promote his business that remains busy.

He expressed concern about the business and about people in the community not getting fed, but he remains optimistic that the hardship will pass.

I encourage the community to support these businesses that are around because they are important to the community and the workers that are employed by all of these businesses, Adams said. I do worry about the people that dont have an income.

Im trying to keep working to keep everybody with some kind of income. But Im dismayed and shocked like everybody else. Its new to us all. One day at a time, every day is a different.

mellsworth@hcnonline.com
MILFORD  Two people were taken to the hospital and one cat was rescued in a fire Saturday morning, according to fire officials.

The fire department fielded several calls for a reported working fire at 28  Crowley Ave. just before 9 a.m.

Crews responded to the scene and found a 2.5-story room and boarding house with heavy fire coming through multiple windows from the second floor, according to Battalion Fire Chief Thomas A. Thornberg.

Fire attack started with a quick darkening of the fire venting from the exterior as a second fire attack line advanced to the second floor through the interior stairs, he said.

Crews came across heavy fire in the second-floor hallway, Thornberg said, that had burned through the top of the closed door of the apartment room.

A third attack line was stretched to the third floor because of the flames burning through the ceiling and walls.

Thornberg said firefighters searched the dwelling and rescued a cat that was still inside.

The homes smoke detectors alerted the occupants when the fire broke out, Thornberg said.

Another major factor that kept the bulk of the fire in place was due to a closed door to the fire apartment, he said. Although the top of the door was burned away when crews got to the second floor, it gave the occupants enough time to exit the building.

Seven people were self-rescued, Thornberg said, but two had to be transported to the hospital. One patient had burns on their hands and the other was treated for smoke inhalation.

The Red Cross is helping relocate those displaced by the blaze.

The fire marshal is investigating the cause and origin of the fire.
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US forces reportedly planning to withdraw from two bases in Iraq

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 March 2020 12:28 PM

US troops are planning to withdraw from two bases in Iraq's northern provinces of Kirkuk and Nineveh, an Iraqi military source says, only a few days after forces from the US-led military coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group pulled out from a base on the Iraq-Syria border.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Lebanon's Arabic-language al-Akhbar newspaper in an exclusive interview on Saturday that the US forces intended to evacuate their bases in the oil-rich Kirkuk region and Qayyarah district, which lies on the west bank of the Tigris river and about 60 kilometers (35 miles) south of Mosul, after withdrawal from al-Qa'im base, which was established in late 2017.

"The second withdrawal (of US forces) will include the K1 camps in Kirkuk province, and Qayyarah district in Nineveh province. There are also talks of pullout from three other bases close to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad," the source added.

The source highlighted that the US-led coalition has already informed the Iraqi government of its intention to withdraw from the bases and facilities it runs in the near future.

On March 17, troops from the US-led coalition pulled out from al-Qa'im base in western Iraq on the border with Syria.

The withdrawal came amid an uptick in rocket attacks targeting Iraqi military bases hosting US troops.

Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)  better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi, and their companions in a US airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport two days earlier.

Later on January 9, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, the former Iraqi prime minister, called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the move.

According to a statement released by his office at the time, Abdul-Mahdi "requested that delegates be sent to Iraq to set the mechanisms to implement the parliament's decision for the secure withdrawal of (foreign) forces from Iraq" in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The 78-year-old politician said Iraq rejects any violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military's violation of Iraqi airspace in the assassination airstrike.

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By Trend

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has donated 215,000 manat to the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus, Trend reports referring to MFA.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has decided to donate 215,000 manat to the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus, set up in accordance with the presidents decree dated March 19, 2020 on measures regarding the protection of health of population and strengthening the fight against coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the country, said the ministry.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
MOSCOW, March 19 (Reuters) - Russian steel and coal producer Mechel confirmed on Thursday it was in talks to sell its flagship Elga coal project, one of the world's biggest coking coal deposits, ahead of the imminent expiry of a debt claim relief deal.

Mechel has been negotiating the sale of the Elga coal project, its biggest growth asset, which requires significant further investments to develop, as part of the latest round of protracted debt restructuring talks with its creditors.

"In January 2020 the group began negotiations with potential buyers over the sale of the Elga coal complex, which will allow it to reduce its debt burden," the company, controlled by businessman Igor Zyuzin, said in a statement, adding it had not yet reached a deal.

It did not name the potential buyers. Russian company A-Property said in January it had formally requested permission from the country's anti-monopoly regulator to buy a 100% stake in the Elga project.

A spokeswoman for A-Property declined to comment.

Mechel holds a 51% stake while one of its main creditors, Gazprombank, holds the remaining 49%. Lender VTB is another principal creditor.

Mechel's net debt, as of the end of 2019, stood at 400 billion roubles. The company has the resources to continue servicing this debt, but is unable to complete repayments or to continue investing in the development of the Elga mine, whose ore reserves stand at 2.2 billion tonnes.

The company has asked its creditors to delay the start of its repayments by over 12 months, its financial results report showed on Thursday.

Earlier this year, VTB and Gazprombank agreed not to demand any early debt repayments, but this breathing space expires on April 1 and March 31.

If the deal to sell Elga does not go through, debt restructuring plans will have to be altered, Mechel said in its report on Thursday.

A sale of the stake, however, could bring the company some relief. The Vedomosti business daily cited sources as saying last week that Mechel had requested 100 billion roubles ($1.24 billion) for the 51% Elga stake, which would bring the total value of the mine to 196 billion roubles. ($1 = 80.6096 roubles) (Reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova; Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Polina Devitt and David Evans)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 14:10:50|Editor: zyl

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KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Four Afghan soldiers and 24 militants were killed and 27 people wounded in predawn Taliban attacks in northern Kunduz province on Sunday, the provincial government spokesman said.

"The clashes broke out after militants stormed security checkpoints in surrounding areas of Imam Sahib, Arch and Khan Abad districts on Sunday, triggering fierce clashes," spokesman Esmatullah Muradi told Xinhua.

Six security force members, two civilians and 19 militants were wounded during the clashes.

The Kunduz province, as well as neighboring Baghlan and Takhar provinces, has been the scene of heavy clashes for long.

Violence decreased in Afghanistan after a peace deal was signed between the United States and the Taliban in Doha of Qatar as well as a joint declaration issued by the U.S. side and the Afghan government in late February.

However, sporadic clashes and fighting occur in countryside as Taliban militants have been attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions.
U.S. Rep. John Katko will discuss the federal and local response to the novel coronavirus pandemic during an upcoming telephone town hall meeting.

The telephone town hall is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Monday, March 23. You can sign up by filling out the form at katko.house.gov/services/telephone-town-hall. The deadline to submit the form is noon Sunday.

If you can't connect by phone, you can listen to the telephone town hall on Katko's Facebook page at facebook.com/repjohnkatko.

Katko, R-Camillus, will be joined on the call by a medical professional from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse and a representative from the Food Bank of Central New York. He will take questions from callers and Facebook users.

"Federal, state and local officials are working tirelessly to combat this pandemic, but with new information coming out every day, I understand how difficult it can be to keep up with the latest developments," Katko said. "This telephone town hall will serve as a great resource for central New Yorkers to get more information on the disease, find out what federal and local officials are doing to respond to the crisis and ask any additional questions they may have."

The novel coronavirus, a respiratory illness, is spread across New York. In Katko's district, there are nearly 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19, most of which are in Onondaga County.

With more than 10,000 positive tests, New York has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Maruti Suzuki has announced that it will be temporarily suspending operations at its facility in Manesar, Haryana, in accordance with the government's policy in the backdrop of the Coronavirus outbreak. The firm will be shutting its operations in Gurugram and Haryana indefinitely dependent on Government policy.

READ: Hero Motocorp Suspends Operations Globally Till March 31

Maruti temporarily suspends operations due to COVID-19 outbreak

A statement by Suzuki read, "The Company will shut production and office operations at its facilities in Gurugram and Manesar, Haryana with immediate effect till further notice. The Research and Development Centre at Rohtak will also remain closed."

The firm went on to state that the suspension of operations will go on until a change in government orders.

READ: Manufacturers Shut Plants, Markets Down Again As Virus Rips

Hero Motocorp temporarily shuts down manufacturing due to COVID-19

Earlier today, Hero Motocorp also announced the suspension of its manufacturing facilities across the world till March 31.

A statement released by the firm read, "With the safety and wellbeing of its employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, Hero MotoCorp has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities  including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh - and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020."

"Employees at all the other functions and locations including the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan will continue to work from home, except for those whose physical presence is necessary to run the day-to-day essential services," the firm added.

READ: Experts Claim Air Quality Improving In Countries Placed Under Coronavirus Lockdown

Coronavirus outbreak

At least 341 confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in India with at least seven reported deaths.

Globally, more than 13,000 people have died due to Coronavirus, with the epicentre being China. The virus has infected around 3,08,000 people globally and has now spread to North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and more than 100 other countries.

READ: Trump Accuses China Of Being 'very Secretive' About Coronavirus Outbreak
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The deadly Covid-19 virus has forced more than half a dozen automotive manufacturing plants, that make cars, bikes, trucks and earthmovers, in Maharashtra to shutdown operations till March 31.

"With a view to the deteriorating situation arising out of COVID-19, SIAM and ACMA have requested their member in OCM and Auto Component industry to consider plant shut down for a limited period to overcome the critical period so that workers are not exposed to the virus. This is in line with SIAM's motto of Building the Nation, Responsibly," said Rajan Wadhera, President, SIAM.



The need for closure of establishments was also called for by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), which recommended all vehicle manufacturers and component manufacturers to consider plant shutdowns to overcome this critical period.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), together with Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL)  FCAs joint venture manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon  announced today that it will work with the government to temporarily close down operations and suspend production.

The temporary suspension, which will be in effect until March 31, 2020, is in response to the increasing spread of coronavirus in Maharashtra, particularly in Pune. More than two dozen COVID-19 positive cases have been reported from the twin cities of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Tata Motors, which has the biggest production base among automotive companies in Maharashtra, was the first company to announce a shutdown followed by Bajaj Auto. Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz also shut down its assembly factory located at Chakan, Pune.

"Due to the worsening situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercedes-Benz India has decided to suspend the majority of production at its manufacturing facility located in Chakan as well as work in selected administrative departments, for an initial period starting 21st March to 31st March. Mercedes-Benz Indias leadership team is constantly evaluating the situation and will decide on further measures as required. Full operations will be resumed when the situation improves", a statement from Mercedes-Benz India said.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

German automotive giant Volkswagen has been shut since the past few weeks and this has been extended till March 31. Force Motors, the maker of mini buses, announced on March 21 that all manufacturing operations at its Akrudi, Pune plant will be shut till March 31.

Construction equipment giant JCB has also shut down its excavator manufacturing facility at Chakan till March 31.

FIAPL had already implemented increased sanitary processes coupled with improvements to protect employee safety, including thermal screening and extra buses for the work commute, ensuring social distancing. During this closure period, the Ranjangaon plant will also undertake intensified cleaning and sanitisation, including total fumigation to ensure a safe return for employees, said a statement from Fiat.

No automotive company so far has announced any retrenchment or cut back on salaries to the employees during the period.

There will be no retrenchment of any plant employees as a result of the plant closure and all will continue to receive their salaries during this closure period, Fiat added.

A directive from the Maharashtra government mandated a near-shutdown of the state to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. Private establishments have been asked to stay shut even as government offices and services will run at 25 percent of its full strength.

Suburban train services in Mumbai, that constitute more than half of the public transport, will not allow people belonging to non-essential services to board trains till March 31.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Coronavirus: 10 more test positive for Covid-19 in Maharashtra, total jumps to 74

As many as 10 more people have been tested positive for novel coronavirus in Maharashtra. With this, the total number of Covid-19 positive cases in the state has climbed to 74. According to the Maharashtra Health Department, six out of 10 new cases come from Mumbai while 4 people tested positive in Pune. Read more

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  For Andrea Kimmel, the news that childcare centers in Ohio will be winnowed Thursday brought a measure of certainty after a week of anguish.

Since last Monday, Kimmel has laid off three-quarters of her staff at Sweet Kiddles, the childcare centers she owns and operates. Shes tuned in to Gov. Mike DeWines daily briefings, waiting for the governor to follow through on his March 15 warning that daycare closures were looming. Shes grappled with the financial fallout of parents pulling their children out of centers en masse  and with the anxious families who are still enrolled, who have no other options.

We are a train wreck, she said of her staff. Everyones bawling. No ones sleeping. We look like weve aged 10 years in the last seven days.

By Sunday, Sweet Kiddles had received temporary pandemic childcare licenses for all five of her centers, in Avon Lake, Hudson, Medina, Strongsville and Clevelands University Circle neighborhood. That means Kimmel can stay in business but cater only to children whose parents are on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. That list of essential workers, released by the state Sunday, ranges from doctors to grocery clerks.

DeWine said Sunday afternoon that childcare centers, if they want to stay open, must reposition themselves by Thursday as pandemic centers, under a program that will run through at least April 30. To combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, which causes the illness known as COVID-19, centers cannot place more than six children in a single room, with a single teacher.

The pandemic-license application became available Wednesday through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. By Sunday afternoon, the department had issued more than 900 licenses. Though there was talk early on about hospitals setting up their own, on-site childcare centers for employees, established facilities are the ones raising their hands.

But its unclear how many applicants actually will be able to stay open, and make ends meet, under the constraints of the pandemic licenses. Many childcare centers in the state have shut their doors this month due to safety concerns or financial strain.

Andrea Kimmel, the owner of Sweet Kiddles childcare centers, sits with 3-month-old Liam Smith on Friday at her University Circle facility.Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer

On Sunday afternoon, Kimmel quickly ran the numbers to see whether she could stay afloat, based on the governors comments. Before DeWine even finished speaking, parents were emailing her proof that they qualify for pandemic care.

There will be no money made during this, Kimmel said, adding that she expects to be able to cover limited payroll but none of her other business expenses, such as rent, milk, food and supplies.

She brimmed with unanswered questions about how the pandemic program will work  questions that she and other childcare operators have been fretting over for a week.

DeWine has received national accolades for his handling of the crisis and a series of orders that culminated in Sundays announcement of a stay-at-home requirement for most people in the state. But his handling of the childcare business has been brutal for parents and professionals, who have spent seven days waiting for guidance, and worrying.

On Friday, after receiving a pandemic license for only her Strongsville operation, Kimmel informed her staff and customers that Sweet Kiddles would close three sites, including the University Circle center near University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic. On Saturday, she reversed that decision after hearing that her other applications would be approved. They just hadnt been reviewed yet due to a paperwork snafu.

This was a joke. The whole thing has been a joke, she said Sunday.

Liam Smith gets his temperature checked before being admitted to Sweet Kiddles in University Circle on Friday morning. Many childcare centers in the state have closed in the last week, citing concerns for staff and families or financial strain. The centers that remain open have implemented new procedures, including temperature checks and curbside drop-off and pick-up.Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer

Susan Smiths son, 3-month-old Liam, started daycare last Monday at the University Circle center. A nurse practitioner at University Hospitals, Smith recently returned to work after maternity leave. She and her husband, who is a product analyst at Progressive Corp. in Mayfield Heights, live in University Circle.

When the fate of Sweet Kiddles was uncertain, the couple faced the challenge of finding alternative care.

His parents are in town, Smith, 30, said of her husband, Will, but we really dont want to expose them to anything, especially because I work at the hospital with really sick people.

Midwife Javonne Gray and her husband are in a similar situation with their daughter, Emery, who is 22 months old. The South Euclid couple enrolled Emery at Sweet Kiddles in University Circle two weeks ago, as Kinga Grays seasonal road-construction work picked up.

By mid-March, as the coronavirus spread and tension mounted across the nation, the Grays no longer felt comfortable asking a grandparent to take care of their toddler.

My mother-in-law was helping us before, said Gray, 30, who works at University Hospitals and is pregnant. But we thought  especially with me constantly running the risk of exposure, it would be safer for her not to help us care for our child. We were kind of limited.

Even as Kimmel wrestled with fear for her business, her finances and her industry on Sunday, she said she was grateful to be able to provide an essential service to parents who will care for the sick and keep other families and companies in Northeast Ohio safe, supplied, informed and fed.

We are going to have a thankful afternoon, she said, as she prepared to sit down with her husband, her two children, and two close family friends for a Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. In this crisis, to be in this seat  it means weve had a lot of good opportunities that got us here.

Resources for families and providers:

Pandemic childcare information, and forms, for families

Pandemic childcare information, and forms, for providers
The global pandemic coronavirus has claimed thousands of lives across the word and the doctors and nurses who are on the frontlines of fighting the disease, and treating patients relentlessly. This leaves them exposed more than anyone else, and it takes a lot of courage to keep doing your duty, despite that knowledge.

In India, a Kerala doctor who had treated a coronavirus-infected man who died in Kalaburgi last week, has tested positive for COVID-19.

The 63-year-old doctor has been placed under quarantine at his home along with his family members and is being shifted to an isolation ward.

AFP

In Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, a 25-year-old junior doctor at the King George Medical University here has tested positive for novel coronavirus after coming in contact with two patients undergoing treatment for the disease at its premises.

The doctor has been kept in an isolation ward and is undergoing treatment, the spokesperson said.

"A woman from Canada and one of her relatives, who came in contact with her, are undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at an isolation ward at KGMU. A 25-year-old junior resident doctor had taken the samples of these patients. Suddenly, some symptoms were seen in him and he was tested at the university laboratory, where he was found to be coronavirus positive," KGMU spokesperson, Dr Sudhir Singh, told PTI.

In Rajasthan, a doctor at a private hospital was tested positive fro COVID-19.

BCCL

There are several other cases from around the world where doctors and nurses, who are working day and night are getting infected with the virus and some have eventually lost their lives too.

In Italy, the most-severely affected country where thousands of people have died, reported 13 deaths among the medics. More than 2,629 health workers have been infected.

There have been growing concerns about the safety of front-line medical staff who come into regular contact with infected patients.

The latest figures on infected healthcare workers were released by a health foundation which said the 'huge number' of infected medics showed that procedures and protection equipment for doctors were 'still inadequate'.

Luigi Ablondi, 66, the former general manager of Crema hospital died at the Cremasco hospital on Monday/DailyMail

The problem is far worse than in China, because '8.3 per cent is more than double the percentage of the Chinese cohort', the Gimbe foundation's president, Nino Cartabellotta, told Italian media.

Doctors around the world, who are testing thousands of patients are at a great risk of getting infected with coronavirus, due to shortage of masks and other safety gear, especially in countries which aren't adequately equipped to handle the health crises.

The novel coronavirus has so far infected 308,540 people and killed 13,069, globally.
A health worker checks a patient's temperature at a COVID-19 screening station at Watts Health Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Levitt, a Nobel laureate and Stanford biophysicist, began analyzing the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide in January and correctly calculated that China would get through the worst of its coronavirus outbreak long before many health experts had predicted.

Now he foresees a similar outcome in the United States and the rest of the world.

While many epidemiologists are warning of months, or even years, of massive social disruption and millions of deaths, Levitt says the data simply don't support such a dire scenario  especially in areas where reasonable social distancing measures are in place.

"What we need is to control the panic," he said. In the grand scheme, "we're going to be fine."

Here's what Levitt noticed in China: On Jan. 31, the country had 46 new deaths due to the novel coronavirus, compared with 42 new deaths the day before.

Although the number of daily deaths had increased, the rate of that increase had begun to ease off. In his view, the fact that new cases were being identified at a slower rate was more telling than the number of new cases itself. It was an early sign that the trajectory of the outbreak had shifted.

Think of the outbreak as a car racing down an open highway, he said. Although the car is still gaining speed, it's not accelerating as rapidly as before.

This suggests that the rate of increase in the number of deaths will slow down even more over the next week, Levitt wrote in a report he sent to friends Feb. 1 that was widely shared on Chinese social media. And soon, he predicted, the number of deaths would be decreasing every day.

Hospital equipment is disinfected. (Getty Images)

Three weeks later, Levitt told the China Daily News that the virus' rate of growth had peaked. He predicted that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in China would end up around 80,000, with about 3,250 deaths.

This forecast turned out to be remarkably accurate: As of March 16, China had counted a total of 80,298 cases and 3,245 deaths  in a nation of nearly 1.4 billion people where roughly 10 million die every year. The number of newly diagnosed patients has dropped to around 25 a day, with no cases of community spread reported since Wednesday.

Story continues

Now Levitt, who received the 2013 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing complex models of chemical systems, is seeing similar turning points in other nations, even those that did not instill the draconian isolation measures that China did.

He analyzed data from 78 countries that reported more than 50 newcases of COVID-19 every day and sees "signs of recovery" in many of them. He's not focusing on the total number ofcases in a country, but on the number of new cases identified every day  and, especially, on the change in that number from one day to the next.

"Numbers are still noisy, but there are clear signs of slowed growth."

In South Korea, for example, newly confirmed cases are being added to the country's total each day, but the daily tally has dropped in recent weeks, remaining below 200. That suggests the outbreak there may be winding down.

In Iran, the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases per day remained relatively flat last week, going from 1,053 last Monday to 1,028 on Sunday. Although that's still a lot of new cases, Levitt said, the pattern suggests the outbreak there "is past the halfway mark."

Italy, on the other hand, looks like it's still on the upswing. In that country, the number of newly confirmed cases increased on most days this past week.

In places that have managed to recover from an initial outbreak, officials must still contend with the fact that the coronavirus may return. China is now fighting to stop new waves of infection coming in from places where the virus is spreading out of control. Other countries are bound to face the same problem.

Levitt acknowledges that his figures are messy and that the official case counts in many areas are too low because testing is spotty. But even with incomplete data, "a consistent decline means there's some factor at work that is not just noise in the numbers," he said.

In other words, as long as the reasons for the inaccurate case counts remain the same, it's still useful to compare them from one day to the next.

The trajectory of deaths backs up his findings, he said, since it follows the same basic trends as the new confirmed cases. So do data from outbreaks in confined environments, such as the one on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Out of 3,711 people on board, 712 were infected, and eight died.

This unintended experiment in coronavirus spread will help researchers estimate the number of fatalities that would occur in a fully infected population, Levitt said. For instance, the Diamond Princess data allowed him to estimate that being exposed to the new coronavirus doubles a person's risk of dying in the next two months. Most people have an extremely low risk of death in a two-month period, so that risk remains extremely low even when doubled.

Nicholas Reich, a biostatistician at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said the analysis was thought-provoking, if nothing else.

"Time will tell if Levitt's predictions are correct," Reich said. "I do think that having a wide diversity of experts bringing their perspectives to the table will help decision-makers navigate the very tricky decisions they will be facing in the upcoming weeks and months."

Levitt said he's in sync with those calling for strong measures to fight the outbreak. The social-distancing mandates are critical  particularly the ban on large gatherings  because the virus is so new that the population has no immunity to it, and a vaccine is still many months away. "This is not the time to go out drinking with your buddies," he said.

Getting vaccinated against the flu is important, too, because a coronavirus outbreak that strikes in the middle of a flu epidemic is much more likely to overwhelm hospitals and increases the odds that the coronavirus goes undetected. This was probably a factor in Italy, a country with a strong anti-vaccine movement, he said.

But he also blames the media for causing unnecessary panic by focusing on the relentless increase in the cumulative number of cases and spotlighting celebrities who contract the virus. By contrast, the flu has sickened 36 million Americans since September and killed an estimated 22,000, according to the CDC, but those deaths are largely unreported.

Levitt fears the public health measures that have shut down large swaths of the economy could cause their own health catastrophe, as lost jobs lead to poverty and hopelessness. Time and again, researchers have seen that suicide rates go up when the economy spirals down.

The virus can grow exponentially only when it is undetected and no one is acting to control it, Levitt said. That's what happened in South Korea last month, when it ripped through a closed-off cult that refused to report the illness.

"People need to be considered heroes for announcing they have this virus," he said.

A guard holds a thermal gun to check the body temperature of visitors at the entrance of a restaurant area in China. (Hector Retamal / AFP-Getty Images)

The goal needs to be better early detection  not just through testing but perhaps with body-temperature surveillance, which China is implementing  and immediate social isolation.

While the COVID-19 fatality rate appears to be significantly higher than that of the flu, Levitt says it is, quite simply put, "not the end of the world."

"The real situation is not as nearly as terrible as they make it out to be," he said.

Dr. Loren Miller, a physician and infectious diseases researcher at the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said it's premature to draw any conclusions  either rosy or bleak  about the course the pandemic will take.

"There's a lot of uncertainty right now," he said. "In China they nipped it in the bud in the nick of time. In the U.S. we might have, or we might not have. We just don't know."
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang  Sun, March 22, 2020 10:40 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c84ff3 1 National Semarang,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Ganjar-Pranowo Free

Makers of jamu (herbal medicine) in the Wonolopo jamu village in Semarang, Central Java, have started producing a drink they claim can provide protection against COVID-19.

The drink, called Jamu Corona, was concocted based on doctors suggestions for herbal recipes that can help strengthen the body's immune system against viruses, they said.

Titi, a 60-year-old jamu brewer, explained that the drink was a mixture of brewed ginger, curcuma, turmeric and lemongrass, which she said would increase ones stamina as well as boost the immune system.

Drink jamu routinely and exercise. Your body will be healthy and it wont be easily attacked by viruses, Titi said on Saturday.

Another jamu maker, Supriyanto, told The Jakarta Post the benefits of each ingredient.

Ginger keeps us warm. Curcuma is good for stamina. Turmeric is good for digestion, so it can be consumed for weight loss. It is also good to increase the blood flow during menstruation, Supriyanto said.

The villages fame drew the attention of Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, who stopped by for a visit on Saturday morning, using the opportunity to see the jamu-making process.

Ganjar himself tried Jamu Corona and said that it tasted good.

This is delicious! And its good for your health, too. Its not a cure for novel coronavirus, but it can help protect you against the virus, he said.

Ganjar also told the people of Wonolopo Jamu village to protect themselves and their families against the outbreak.

Keep your distance from each other. Wear a face mask immediately if you feel sick. Dont forget to wash your hands with soap as often as possible, he said.

As of Sunday morning, Indonesia has reported 450 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 38 deaths. (dpk)
Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, exiled chairman of the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), has strongly condemned Pakistan's move to shifting coronavirus affected people from Punjab to Mirpur district and other parts of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He told ANI: "Pakistan must stop deliberately spreading coronavirus in PoK to get international aid. The Pakistani establishment is deliberately spreading the coronavirus to get international aid and is also trying to use the territory of Kashmir to house their sick, which is a diabolical move."

He added: "It's heartening to note that the people of Mirpur are aware and resisting. Pakistani security personnel forced locals to evacuate their properties (plazas) and Mohi-Ud-Din teaching hospital to convert them into quarantine centres. Pakistani secret agencies are approaching and forcing locals to stop opposing and cooperate, otherwise be ready to face the consequences".

Kashmiri said that such actions are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

"Pakistan is a huge country. It has a lot of free areas, too many free plazas and hospitals, which can be converted into quarantine centres. Then why she is shifting corona affected people to our areas? It is an open secret that Pakistan has always used our areas for its nefarious designs and gains. It launched operation Gulmarg, Operation Tupac and Operation Gibraltar to spread the virus of extremism, terrorism, and religious hatred, which resulted forced division and we lost one whole generation," said the PoK leader.

Kashmiri said that Pakistan now wants to spread the coronavirus in our areas to get international aid.

Over the last 73 years, apart from a total lack of development and basic political rights, the people of PoK have suffered from the lack of health facilities, sanitation and hygienic conditions in hospitals. All this is providing fertile ground for diseases and infections, he said.

Sardar Shaukat Kashmiri further said that Pakistan has neglected our area's development; military controls health system in the name of Combined Military Hospitals (CMH). Local people and local medical staff have no say.

"We are the most deprived and marginalised people. There is not a single credible laboratory in PoK for miner treatment or get a blood and urine test done. Our people on their own are forced to travel hundreds of kilometers to go to Rawalpindi and Islamabad to get medical help and treatment," said Shaukat.

He said that in such poor health conditions and lack of basic health facilities in PoK we cannot accept such inhuman actions of Pakistan.

"We urge upon the Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations (UN) and the international community to intervene and ask Pakistan to stop sending corona affected people to disputed areas of PoK which can take the life of millions of people in the region," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 17:51:30|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian authorities on Sunday ordered the closure of commercial centers in the capital Tehran amid the challenges of COVID-19 spread.

Only convenience stores and pharmacies are allowed to stay open in Tehran and any business that disregards the new order will be punished, Hamidreza Goudarzi, deputy governor of Tehran Province, was quoted as saying by state TV.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, head of Iran's Food and Drug Administration, said pharmacies across the country are replenished with protective masks, hand sanitizers and other hygiene products, promising no shortage in such supplies.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries by the coronavirus epidemic, with the total number of confirmed cases having surpassed 20,000.
They thought their fate rested on the always drama-filled group round. Surprise! Surprise! American Idol is changing things up. Gone are groups. New is the duets round, a round which will determine the fate of Michigans Genavieve Linkowski, who has made it past auditions and the first Hollywood round to get here. UPDATE: Watch the duet between Linkowski and Finlay and see if they advanced

Tonights show, which was pre-recorded weeks before the coronavirus pandemic, is the second of three rounds in Hollywood. Then the finalists are chosen. In seasons past, the groups round gave a lot of contestants fits as they often disagreed with song choices with fellow group members, or one member always seemed to forget lyrics.

After her first round song put her through to the surprise duets round, Linkowski, who is a social media influencer from Goodrich near Flint, said she actually was looking forward to groups. Im very excited for group round because that was my favorite part when I came to Hollywood week for the first time. Singing with other people is my jam and Im super excited to do it.

How to watch American Idol" live: The second and third nights of Hollywood week air on ABC or on Hulu Live TV tonight and tomorrow night at 8 p.m., March 22 and 23, 2020. You can always catch up with past episodes of shows on Hulu Live TV as well.

You can watch Linkowski team up with Travis Finlay for tonights duets performance. She tells MLive they are singing The Prayer by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. Finlay is from Long Island, New York. He has something in common with Linkowski as they both were previously on Idol before this season. Finlay made it to Hollywood on season 14 in 2015. Linkowski also advanced to Hollywood when she auditioned in 2018.

Linkowskis life has changed a lot since then. Her 18-year old sister, Corinn, died in a head-on crash. Video of Corinn cheering her sister on during her 2018 first Idol audition was shown during her first audition this time around.

You can follow Linkowskis American Idol journey tonight on ABC and on Hulu Live TV. If she advances to the final Hollywood round, you can see that tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Idol will soon be postponed once the live shows begin, featuring the finalists, due to the coronavirus.

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When it comes to his dating life, Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam is most often associated with his long-time girlfriend Morgana McNelis. The two have been going strong since the mid-2000s and, although they have experienced a few bumps along the way, they have one of the most solid relationships in Hollywood. But long before Hunnam met McNelis, he dated a number of different women, some of whom might surprise you.

Charlie Hunnam | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Charlie Hunnam ties the knot

One of Hunnams first big relationships was with actress Katharine Towne. According to Ranker, the pair met during an audition for Dawsons Creek in 1999.

Hunnam and Towne only dated for a couple of weeks before taking their relationship to the next level. They officially tied the knot in Las Vegas in 1999, only to call it quits three years later.

Charlie Hunnam recalls "terrible, painful, expensive" three-year marriage to actress Katharine Towne: https://t.co/YoaSk57Ol8 pic.twitter.com/MNDb6B8t6N  Us Weekly (@usweekly) April 17, 2017

Shortly after breaking up with Towne, Charlie Hunnam started dating Sophie Dahl in 2002. That romance fizzled out after a few weeks and Hunnam soon found himself in a more stable relationship with Stella Parker.

Parker and Hunnam were together for nearly two years before parting ways. From that point on Hunnam was briefly linked to Georgina Townsley, though it is unclear how long they were together.

Inside Hunnams surprising dating history

It is unclear when Hunnam and McNelis started dating. The Sons of Anarchy star has given conflicting dates himself, though it is evident that their relationship really took off somewhere between 2005 and mid-2006.

That said, Charlie Hunnam reportedly dated Rashida Jones at some point in 2006. We have no idea when they started seeing each other or where they met, but suffice it to say that the romance did not go anywhere.

Jones, of course, is best known for her parts in the hit television shows The Office and Parks and Recreation. She was also once engaged to Mark Ronson, whom she split from in 2004. She is currently dating Ezra Koenig.

After things did not work out between Jones and Hunnam, the Lost City of Z star started dating McNelis on the steady. Although Hunnam seemingly had trouble keeping a long-term relationship, his romance with McNelis is about as solid as it gets.

Charlie Hunnam dishes on when things got rocky with McNelis

There is no denying that Hunnam and McNelis have one of the best relationships in Hollywood, but even they are not impervious to some challenges. In fact, the couple faced one of their biggest hurdles when Hunnam was filming The Lost City of Z in Colombia.

According to People, Hunnam admitted that he completely stopped writing to McNelis during the shoot, mainly because the countrys postal service was terrible and was constantly losing his letters.

Charlie Hunnam is opening up about his and longtime girlfriend Morgana McNelis' differing views on marriage https://t.co/KswHBTV7Du  JustJared.com (@JustJared) January 14, 2020

We went to Colombia, and the mail system doesnt really work very well, Hunnam shared. Its completely unreliable. I received a letter from her, and I realized that from the tone of it and things she was saying that she hadnt received the two letters that I sent before.

Looking back, Charlie Hunnam confessed that it was not a wise decision to stop writing, even if his letters were hit and miss. Although he felt like a total bastard for leaving McNelis in the dark, he made it up to her when he returned home.

The actor bought some emeralds for McNelis, a jewelry designer by trade, when he was in Colombia. The gift was not enough to make up for the lack of communication, but it did help get Hunnam on McNelis good side once again.

Is Hunnam ready to get married?

The actor also addressed the topic of marriage. The Gentlemen star revealed that he is completely open to tying the knot with McNelis, but only because she is very eager to make things official.

She does not feel the same. Shes very eager, he explained. Ill do it because its important to her but I dont have any great romantic feelings towards it.

Charlie Hunnam went on to say that he tries hard to keep his romance alive and well. This includes cooking for his long-time girlfriend and sometimes surprising her with a clean house  which we can only imagine is the best thing ever.

The Sons of Anarchy alum, of course, has not commented on the reports surrounding his dating history. The actor is currently working on a new television show for Apple called Shantaram, which is now in production.

If Charlie Hunnam and Morgana McNelis decide to exchange vows, we can only hope that he keeps his fans informed on the plans.
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has revealed that a sharing-size bar of chocolate a day has become her treat while self-isolating at home.

The 60-year-old foodie revealed in a tweet that she's eating a 250g bar of chocolate per day while holed up in her London home.

Nigella certainly isn't the only one padding back and forth to the kitchen though; her tweet sparked comments from hundreds of people who said they'd also turned to various treats in order to cope with their lack of activity or social life.

Under current government advice, UK residents face a potential 12-week hibernation while the country battles coronavirus.

Foodie Nigella Lawson revealed in a tweet yesterday that she's eating a 250g bar of chocolate a day while self-isolating in her London home (pictured in 2013 in Pasadena at the Disney 2013 Winter TCA tour)

Many admitted turning to sweet treats in order to cope with their self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic (pictured: a stack of chocolate squares)

People have been asked to stay home in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus (pictured: melted chocolate)

Self-isolating like millions other Brits, Nigella has been sharing recipes with her 2.6million followers on Twitter, as well as updating on her daily indoor activities.

The TV personality tweeted: 'All I can do is eat chocolate at the moment. Im on a 250g bar a night at the moment. And rising.'

The light-hearted tweet was shared more than 1,200 times and liked 22,400 times on the social platform, where Nigella retweeted it herself, adding the hashtag #fattenthecurve.

And the chef is not the only one turning to food for comfort. Hundreds have agreed that sweets and chocolate have been helping them through the unprecedented pandemic.

Many admitted to indulge in sweets ans chocolate during their own self-isolation, and shared examples (pictured)

'Im on a pack of Ritter Sport Salted Almond and a quarter bottle of gin per night. So far so good,' one said.

'I hear you...the struggle is real,' said another, sharing a picture of a Snickers bar.

'Staying home eating chocolate saves lives,' penned another chocolate-loving wit.

'Chocolate is the solution to any problem, as long as you define the problem correctly,' said one.

'I cannot stop eating. Hoping to be alive come autumn. But knowing that if I am, Ill be weighty,' commented broadcaster and author Sali Hughes.
Chandigarh, March 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Janata curfew' to prevent coronavirus spread evoked a good response on Sunday in Chandigarh, Punjab and its neighbouring Haryana.

Most of the towns and cities witnessed deserted streets with shops and business establishments closed to mark the pan-India solidarity.

Reports of the shutdown of shops and other establishments were received from the Congress-ruled Punjab's Ludhiana, Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda and other places.

With state-run roadways shutting their services, buses were off the roads in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

In Chandigarh, a majority of shops were slowly opening in various sectors. People also avoided morning walks in the parks in their localities and the famed Sukhna Lake.

However, the supply of milk was normal.

In neighbouring BJP-ruled Haryana, establishments providing essential services like grocery shops, petrol pumps and medicine shops were opened.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has urged the people not to panic and strongly adhere to the appeal of the Prime Minister and stay indoors to prevent the coronavirus epidemic from spreading.

He directed the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that there is no unnecessary hike in the wholesale and grocery rates of essential commodities. Also, steps should be taken to stop profiteering and hoarding.

In Punjab, all establishments in Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur districts have been closed while the partial lockdown has been ordered in Jalandhar from 7 a.m. on March 22 up to midnight of March 25 by the government.

Likewise, it has also been advised to close down establishments in the Kapurthala district from March 23 as precautionary measures.

Factories engaged in production of essential items like flour mills, cattle feed, food processing and pharmaceuticals would not be closed by enforcing staggering of workers and other preventive safeguards.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) announced at a news conference Saturday night a mandatory 14-day quarantine order for all travelers newly arrived in the state  effective midnight Thursday.

Why it matters: "This mandate is the first of its kind in the nation," Ige said of the order, which both returning residents and nonresidents must comply with. Hawaii now has 48 cases, per the state health department. With most linked to travel, "it is critical that we further mitigate the spread of the virus by both residents and visitors who are coming from out-of-state," Ige said. He implored travelers to postpone their visits.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Go deeper: U.S. coronavirus case numbers now third-highest in the world
Film producer Ritesh Sidhwani has called out people spreading false news about his niece being coronavirus-positive. In a lengthy statement on social media, Ritesh said that his niece returned from London and underwent a test for COVID-19 at a Mumbai hospital after she developed a fever and cough, but gladly she was not tested positive. However, even before her test results were declared, the producer said people had already started spreading rumours about her health.

Have been absolutely disgusted with forwards about my niece back from London, having tested positive in coronavirus test, Ritesh captioned his post.

While the medical report was still awaited, a certain WhatsApp Medical College had already declared her positive. And they don't just reveal her identity but also spell out where she resided. This so caring WhatsApp Medical College was advising everyone to stay home! There's no advise on not stigmatising anyone even if they test positive. Not to forget these are our so-called 'friends and neighbours who don't care a damn about the privacy of a young little girl," read an excerpt from his statement.

Ritesh added that though his niece has now been tested negative for coronavirus but she will still be taking "precautionary measures" for the next two weeks.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 341 on Sunday and the pandemic has so far claimed seven lives. Large gatherings have been banned, metro and train services have been cancelled till March 31 owing to the outbreak. Malls, theatres, gyms and public places have also been shut. While shootings have also been halted till the end of this month. People have been asked to remain indoors as precautionary measures.
Emirates Airlines, one of the worlds largest aviation businesses, has announced suspension of all passenger flights from March 25.

The airline said Sunday afternoon its cargo operations would continue to provide critical logistics as the world battles to stymie the fury of COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by coronavirus.

As a global network airline, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries reopen their borders, and travel confidence returns, Emirates CEO Ahmed Al Maktoum said in the statement.

By Wednesday 25 March, although we will still operate cargo flights which remain busy, Emirates will have temporarily suspended all its passenger operations, the CEO added.

The airline said it would continue to watch the situation closely and be ready to resume operations once the situation returns to normal across the world.

The long-haul carrier, which operates more than 1,800 flights out of its main hub in Dubai every week, flies to more than 140 destinations in over 80 countries.

The announcement appeared to be the biggest blow to air travel since the coronavirus forced dozens of countries to shut borders or impose far-reaching travel restrictions in a race to slow down the spread.

Other major airlines like the American Airlines, Delta and British Airways have all announced steps to cut down operations, but not cease passenger flights entirely like Emirates has just decided.
A frightful microbe has closed schools and shuttered offices. But open space is still open.

Which is why people and their dogs, can take a break from home schooling and home office work in these overturned days and explore the world.

Its free. Even if there are other people around, you can easily maintain a social distance. And its renewing, even healing.

And its a good time of the year. The spring equinox came at 11:49 p.m. on March 19  the earliest equinox in 124 years.

The violets are ready to blossom, said Diane Swanson, executive director of the Pratt Nature Center in New Milford, said.

People should go out hiking, said Paul Elconin, land conservation director for Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust, which has preserved more than 10,000 acres of open space in Litchfield County. Its good for you physically and its good for you mentally. Get away from the screens for a while.

Like other organizations, the offices at the Pratt Center are closed. So are Weantinoges offices in Kent.

But their trails are open. So are hundreds of miles of trails throughout the region.

And when you pause, things open up to you.

Skunk cabbage is already showing up in swamps, Swanson said.

The hellebore is starting to come up, Ann Taylor, director of New Pond Farm in Redding, said of another wetland plant.

Unlike other nature centers, New Pond Farm is entirely closed to the public  and the threat of Covid-19  because it has staff who live there and cannot work apart from the farm.

But Taylor said there are things people can see and hear anywhere.

The red maples are just about to bud, she said. The peepers are out. The wood frogs are out.

And although theres been no snow to melt, theres been enough rain to fill the vernal pools, where amphibians come to breed, leaving egg masses behind.

And birds are singing, rather than just chipping. The usual suspects at the backyard feeders  chickadees, titmice, cardinals  are all vocalizing, hoping to find a mate.

I have bluebirds nesting in my bluebird boxes, said Margaret Robbins, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Brookfield. The first hummingbirds should be back by April.

Woodpeckers rather than singing are rapping, hammering away to establish territories as well as to find insects to eat.

Which is one of the other things people can do, even in their backyards. Listen.

Its great to learn 10 bird calls, Taylor said.

Along the states shoreline, theres new life as well.

Killdeer are on the move, said Patrick Comins, executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society. Piping plovers are back. Oystercatchers are back. The swallows are coming back.

Comins said Connecticut Audubon offices are closed at its different centers in the state. But its properties and their trails are open.

Another thing you can do is sit still in the darkness. On Saturday, March 28, its Earth Hour. People can take part by turning their lights off for an hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.earthhour.org

And if you dont feel like sitting in the dark, go out and look at the night sky.

At that time Venus will be shining in the west  the brightest thing shining in the night sky.

Its high up in the sky, said Monty Robson, director of the McCarthy Observatory in New Milford. Venus is just spectacular.

The winter constellations  Orion, Taurus, and Gemini  are still around. And Leo the Lion  one of the best spring constellations, with its sickle and triangle  is high overhead.

Cliff Watley, who helps organize astronomy nights at New Pond Farm, also said if you want to be an early riser, get up about an hour before dawn and look to the southeast. Three planets  Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars  will be grouped together.

Jupiter is pretty bright and Mars is getting brighter, Watley said.

Nearby to the right is the constellation Sagittarius. In mythology, Sagittarius was bold  a centaur, an archer. His constellation, traced out, looks more like a teapot. But galactically speaking, hes in the middle of things.

When youre looking at Sagittarius, youre looking at the center of the Milky Way, Watley said.

Day or night, you can find your own center in these hard times. Go outdoors, even in your own backyard.

Its good, said Swanson of the Pratt Nature Center. Emotionally, physically, socially, environmentally, and spiritually.

Contact Robert Miller at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
Did you know the karram kurram crunch that you enjoy at every meal is brought to you by an all-women team, who tirelessly hand-roll the papads day in and day out? Swati Paradkar, president of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad, takes us through its fruitful journeyThey had one common goal in mindthey wanted to come together to start a venture to create a sustainable means of livelihood in order to reduce the financial burden on their husbands, using the one skill they were adept atcooking.With a borrowed sum of Rs 80, that afternoon, the inspirationaland her comrades, and, rolled out four packets, which they sold in a local market.Chhaganlal Karamsi Parekh, the person who lent them cash for their initial capital, became their mentor. They used the money to buy the necessary bits and pieces to make papads.In a 2009 interview with a leading media house, Popat, who was 80 then, said about Parekh, He advised us that if we wanted to experience success, never accept donations. We have never ignored his advice.The policy is adhered to till today.informs Lijjat president Swati Paradkar. Like then, every papad is hand-rolled even today, and the women are paid, in cash, as soon as the final foodstuff is delivered. That translates into each sister being paid on the third day after she is assigned the work, a system that they do not wish to change.Reports say by the end of the first year, the institution had 25 women members, and 150 and 300 in the second and third years respectively.For instance, during the monsoon when they had to stop production owing to the rains, they innovated by placing a stove under a cot and drying the papads on it.It is no wonder then, that the institution has stayed as far away from the process of mechanisation as it can.she says.



Paradkars own story is not too different from that of the first Lijjat sisters, whose initiation into the process happened when she was 10. My mother used to roll papads for the organisation. My fathers passing away left her shell-shocked, unwilling even to get out of the house. Thats when my neighbour asked me to step in and take up her work since we had no other means of sustenance, she narrates.

Over time, Paradkars dedication and ability were noticed by her branch sanchalika (in-charge), and she was asked to sit at the desk to hand out the wages. Gradually, she moved up to becoming store-keeper, and later a branch sanchalika. Around the same time, she was instated in the 21-member Central Managing Committee, went on to become its secretary, and finally, has been the president for 11 years. My sisters, mother, and I used to collectively roll out 35 kgs worth of papads regularly. We owe everything we have to Lijjat. I have been associated with it for 50 years! she says. Interestingly, the experiences of almost all the sisters of Lijjat catch a similar vein, with most of them being associated with it since childhood.



Also Read: Mushroom Mahila Supports A Family Of 18, Empowers Other Women



After the stabilised start, under the able guidance of Parekh (fondly known as Chhagan Bapa at the institution) the turning point came in 1966 when it was registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act 1950, and also registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and received recognition of Khadi & Village Industries Commission as a village industry. Following that, the commission granted Lijjat a working capital of Rs 8 lakh, allowing certain tax exemptions as well.



One cant but marvel at the words of Popat, just ahead of the golden jubilee celebrations of the institution that she told the media house, I feel I am living in a dream world. When we started our business it was not meant to become so big. Today, the Rs 1,600 crore business, besides papads, encompasses several other items, exporting to over 15 countries worldwide. All growth occurs solely from the tireless hard work and cooperation of the sisters, beginning daily at 4.30 am, without any inhibition of caste, creed, or financial standing. They operate on the idea of equality, including mental equality. According to Paradkar, the respect that these sisters have garnered at home brings an indescribable feeling.

Women feel proud that we have earned such respect. We come from humble backgrounds, and even though our husbands have been breadwinners all along, we know now that we are walking tall with them, she says.



Paradkar also informs that if a particular lady is unsure whether to register as a sister, other sisters convince her of the profession, demonstrating how it is better than gossiping the day away while garnering respect and making a living, apart from being creatively engaged. It is a win-win. These women have stood by each other through thick and thin, being each others pillars of support, friends, guides, and if need be, operated like family members for each other. Women empowerment apart, they provide a certain sense of security to each other (me included) that no other relationship can provide. This is the model that has brought us so far, and will continue to march us ahead, she signs off.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 13:34:52|Editor: zyl

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CANBERRA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a second economic stimulus package and warned against all non-essential travel as COVID-19 continues to spread.

Morrison on Sunday afternoon unveiled the 66-billion-Australian-dollar (38.2 billion U.S. dollars) package, building on measures included in the 17.6-billion-Australian-dollar (10.2 billion U.S. dollars) package he announced on March 13.

Under the second package small businesses will receive cash payments of up to 100,000 Australian dollars (57,865 U.S. dollars) in an attempt to save jobs.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra, Morrison urged Australians to cancel all non-essential travel within the country in order to stop the spread.

He was joined by Josh Frydenberg, Australian Treasurer, who said that the economic impact of COVID-19 Australia would be "deeper, wider and longer" than previously thought.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia was 1,098 as of Sunday morning -- an increase of more than 200 from 874 on Saturday morning.

"We cannot prevent all the many hardships, many sacrifices that we will face in the months ahead," Morrison said about the economic package.

"And while these hardships and sacrifices may break our hearts on occasion, we must not let them break our spirit and we must not let them break our resolves as Australians."

The national cabinet, which is comprised of Morrison and state and territory leaders, will meet on Sunday night to discuss how the government's social distancing measures can be enforced.

The Premiers of New South Wales and Victoria, which together account for 63.6 percent of Australia's confirmed cases, will reportedly use the meeting to push for a blanket lockdown on non-essential activities, including businesses.

"People cannot be cavalier about these things and must take them extremely seriously because lives and livelihoods are at stake," Morrison said.

"The more social distancing we do, the less severe the economic impacts have to be and so that is why I appeal to Australians that you are and listed in our fight against the virus. You have a role to play.

"All non-essential travel should be canceled."

Only minutes after Morrison's press conference concluded Steven Marshall, the Premier of South Australia (SA), announced that the state will effectively close its borders indefinitely from Tuesday, becoming the first state or territory to do so.

Anyone who enters SA from 4 p.m. local time on Tuesday will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day isolation period.

"What we have seen in recent days is an increasing number of people who have contracted the virus from people visiting from interstate and South Australians who have been interstate, returning to South Australia," Marshall said.

"This is forced our decision to close our borders in South Australia. We make this decision in the interest of public health in South Australia.

"This is no longer something which is optional. It is mandatory. It is the social responsibility of every single person in this state to make sure that they are abiding by these rules."
Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has donated his annual salary to the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a Decree on March 19 on measures regarding the protection of health of population and strengthening the fight against coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the country.

Under the Decree, the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus, aiming to take preventive measures and speed up the fight against COVID-19, was established.

In accordance with the decree signed by Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev on March 19, 2020, 20 million manat was initially allocated to the Fund from the Presidential Reserve Fund.

Individuals and legal entities can voluntarily donate funds to the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus, which has been established to provide financial support for measures taken to combat coronavirus infection and prevent its spread in Azerbaijan.

The funds will be used to finance the fight against coronavirus, in particular, creation of medical institutions of a special regime, rewarding health care workers and providing them with material assistance, improving the infrastructure in medical institutions and strengthening their material and technical base.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Its often said that journalists dont like to be part of the story theyre telling, but with increasing frequency, we here at the Register find ourselves smack in the middle of the action.

From the 2014 earthquake to the fire and smoke disasters of 2017 and 2018 and the public safety power shutdowns in 2019, were trying to chronicle events even while were affected by them. Fortunately, none of our staff lost homes or family members in these disasters, but some suffered damage, or were evacuated or living in the dark. All of us were touched in one way or another.

Now again, were trying to write about a disaster even while we live through it. This time, instead of just affecting Napa, or Napa County or Northern California, this involves all of humanity in one way or another.

Its obvious from the calls, emails, and social media messages that were getting that plenty of you are upset and frightened by this coronavirus emergency. We are too.

A little planning goes a long way Register Editor Sean Scully reflects on how we cover the disasters that seem to come around with increasing regularity.

But were committed to remaining calm and bringing you the best possible information in this crisis. Were also trying to be responsible citizens and help in the world-wide effort to slow the spread of this disease so as not to overwhelm our medical infrastructure.

Its a tough balance because that means we have to keep working even while trying to limit our exposure to others.

So heres what were doing.

Were closing all our offices to the public  Napa, St. Helena and Calistoga. We do have staff present occasionally to receive deliveries and generally keep the lights on and the critical technology infrastructure running, but were only letting non-staff members in by appointment and for good cause.

Were sending as many staff members to work from home as we possibly can. As of late last week, that was more than half the news staff and much of the advertising department. For those of us that have to be in the office, were relentlessly reminding ourselves to wash hands, remain a respectful distance from colleagues and wipe down exposed surfaces.

For all our staff, were trying to limit in-person contact with sources and customers. We still need to be out in public occasionally to get photos and witness how the community is dealing with this event, but were trying to do as much interviewing and reporting as humanly possible by telephone, email, or text. Same with our advertising and business operations.

Were bringing you expanded national and world coverage both in print and online. Our corporate parent has prepared many great features that we can use while our local staff focuses on events here in Napa County. Were taking the unusual step of putting a national story on the front page every day to help keep you informed of the worldwide picture.

Locally, were delaying some projects we had hoped to do this spring and summer. We were planning to do our second annual tribute to nurses for Nurses Week in May. It was a hugely popular special section and event last year.

Obviously, however, nurses are a critical part of our health infrastructure and they have a lot more to worry about between now and May than sitting down for an interview with us. Well reschedule for later this year, whenever this emergency fades.

In the meantime, you can still nominate a nurse. If you get particularly good care from a nurse during this emergency, please make sure to let us know about it and well consider including that nurse in our tribute section, whenever that may be rescheduled: napavalleyregister.com/forms/napa_county_nurses.

Likewise, we were hoping to bring back our very popular They Served With Honor series over the summer, profiling local veterans. But not only are our staff members busy covering coronavirus, the veterans wed need to interview and photograph are themselves among the most vulnerable to the disease. We dont want to inconvenience and endanger them. So well talk about how to get that project back on track once we see how the virus plays out.

From the Editor: Introducing the Napa Valley Publishing team A lot of times, its the editor of the paper who becomes the face of the organization. Its our job to field your phone calls and emails, to h

If you have any great ideas for veterans to profile, however, please drop me an email. I got lots of suggestions last time, far more than I could include in the 10-part series last summer, but I lost all of those emails in a computer crash recently. So even if you think youve told me about a great veteran story already, please drop me a fresh note.

The bottom line is that were all in this together. Were doing our best to keep you informed while still keeping our staff and our readers safe.

From the editor: The struggle to recover Just weeks before my family was set to move to Napa County in 2011, fire broke out in my mothers garage at her central Virginia home.

We greatly appreciate all the kind words youve sent us about our coverage so far. If you have feedback, positive or otherwise, or suggestions for stories we could do, please give me a call or email.

And as I mentioned last week, were bringing you all the coronavirus-related coverage online outside our normal paywall, so subscribers and non-subscribers alike can keep track of this fast-moving story.

If you are not a subscriber and you are finding our coverage useful, please consider joining us as a member. Visit napavalleyregister.com/members/join and help us keep you informed. Local journalism matters.

You can reach Sean Scully at 256-2246 or sscully@napanews.com.

Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A fourth patient diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland has died.

The patient is a male, in the east of the country, with an underlying health condition, the health service said.

Earlier, Irelands top health service official said huge orders have been placed for Covid-19 testing equipment and protective gear for staff.

The massive increase in demand is due to everyone with coronavirus symptoms being asked to self-isolate and await a check.

Almost 40,000 sample test kits are being distributed. Another 20,000 will be in Ireland by Wednesday, the health service said.

(PA Graphics)

The Republic is at an advanced stage of negotiations with China to secure a further 100,000 and good progress is being made, it said.

Health Service Executive (HSE) chief executive Paul Reid said: We are implementing this process at pace.

The worldwide nature of the coronavirus pandemic means there is a lot of competition to secure supplies.

On Saturday night, 177 people were in Irish hospitals with Covid-19, up from 151 on Saturday morning.

A total of 11 million masks, one million face shields and one million goggles for workers are on order.

Another 400,000 gowns and suits are also being purchased.

11 million masks

1 million face shields

1 million goggles

400,000 gowns and suits

The Republic usually spends 15 million euro (13.8 million) a year on personal protective equipment, the health service said.

Its bill since January has already hit 60 million euro (55 million).

Plans for field hospitals for the less seriously ill have been put in place at hotels that have been closed due to the outbreak, the HSE said.

Templemore Garda training centre in Co Tipperary has also been made available and naval boats used for testing.

The aim is that people who are less sick can be treated outside of hospitals.

Mr Reid said: The health system will be under stress like we have never known before.

We are working around the clock to secure medical supplies.

Story continues

It is a very difficult worldwide market and we are making progress.

(PA Graphics)

A total of 1,200 people are involved in contact tracing positive cases and a major recruitment campaign for new staff is under way.

Around 1,000 doctors have put their names forward, 200 of whom are not working in the healthcare system.

A total of 50 test centres are expected to be set up, Mr Reid said.

He added: We have flexibility and will go to areas in need.

Intensive care unit (ICU) capacity at hospitals has been increased and progress is also being made in getting extra ventilators.

Meanwhile, Irelands Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the Government will introduce an economic package that will go well beyond what they have announced to date.

He told RTEs This Week that ministers will treat everyone equally.

He added: It will not separate those who have already lost their jobs from those who might lose their jobs next week.
What to read while youre self-isolating to avoid the coronavirus? How about books about all the various plagues humankind has survived before? There are classics like Giovanni Boccaccios 1353 collection The Decameron, about Italian aristocrats who flee the bubonic plague in Florence, or Daniel Defoes 1722 novel A Journal of the Plague Year, an account of the Black Death in London half a century before, or Albert Camus 1947 existentialist novel The Plague, set amid an epidemic in a French Algerian city. Sinclair Lewis won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1925 novel Arrowsmith, a wrenching novel about an idealistic young doctor battling a plague.

There are many more recent works about pandemics, some nonfiction, some historical fiction, some speculative fiction. On March 8, Stephen King resisted comparisons of the current crisis to his 1978 novel The Stand, set in a world where a pandemic has killed 99% of the population. King tweeted, No, coronavirus is NOT like THE STAND. Its not anywhere near as serious. Its eminently survivable. Keep calm and take all reasonable precautions.

Despite Kings protestations, readers often look to books to help explain real-world phenomena, especially in bewildering times like these. Here are a few more plague books to consider.

Fiction

Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939) by Katherine Ann Porter is a short novel set during the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed five times as many Americans as did World War I. Its main character, Miranda, is a young reporter who falls in love with a soldier; the books fever-dream style captures the experience of the disease.

The Andromeda Strain (1969) by Michael Crichton is a bestselling techno-thriller that begins when a military satellite crashes to earth and releases an extraterrestrial organism that kills almost everyone in a nearby small town. Then things get bad.

Love in the Time of Cholera (1985) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is the great Colombian authors beguiling tale of a 50-year courtship, in which lovesickness is as debilitating and stubborn as disease.

Grass (1989) by Sheri Tepper is an intricately woven science fiction novel set on a planet that is mysteriously immune to a plague sweeping the rest of the galaxy, and where one woman is sent to find out why.

Doomsday Book (1992) by Connie Willis is described by reader Kate Hilton as running on two stories/tracks -- the first follows a historian time-traveller who finds herself stranded in 14th century England during the plague; while in the future/present a new virus has been unleashed to which humans have no immunity. Hilton calls the novel absolutely on point for today. A terrifying book. Deeply moving. And sometimes very funny.

Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio (1996) by Washington author Peg Kehret is a memoir about her experience as a 12-year-old patient during the U.S. polio epidemic of the mid-20th century. The book, written for children, is a past Oregon Battle of the Books selection.

Year of Wonders (2001) by Geraldine Brooks is a lyrical, haunting historical novel about loss and love amid a plague that decimated 17th-century England.

The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood, which includes Oryx and Crake (2003), The Year of the Flood (2009) and MaddAddam (2013), is a masterwork of speculative fiction by the author of The Handmaids Tale. Set in a near future in which genetic engineering causes a plague that almost destroys humanity, its savagely satirical, thrilling and moving.

The Road (2006) by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, beautifully written, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set after an unspecified extinction event has wiped out most of humanity. An unnamed man and boy travel on foot toward a southern sea, fending off cannibals and despair.

Nemesis (2010) by Philip Roth is the authors 31st and last novel, a sorrowful story set in Newark, New Jersey, in 1944, as the United States is in the grip of the polio epidemic that killed and disabled thousands of children.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds (2013) by Oregon author Cat Winters is a historical paranormal young-adult novel set during the 1918 influenza epidemic.

Station Eleven (2014) by Emily St. John Mandel is a bestselling novel about a group of actors and musicians traveling through the Great Lakes region in future years after a mysterious pandemic called the Georgian flu has killed almost everyone.

The Mortal Coil young-adult trilogy by Portland author Emily Suvada, which includes This Mortal Coil (2017), This Cruel Design (2018) and This Vicious Cure (2020), takes place on a future Earth where humans know how to hack their DNA, but still fall victim to a horrifying pandemic whose victims literally explode.

Severance (2018) by Ling Ma, another reader recommendation, is about a plague whose effects include turning people into what one Amazon reviewer called mindless automatons.

The Old Drift (2019) by Namwalli Serpell is a dazzling debut novel set in Zambia, spanning a century but focusing in part on the disaster wrought in that country by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The Dreamers (2019) by Oregon author Karen Thompson Walker tells the story of a town succumbing to a mysterious contagion that puts all of its victims to sleep, sometimes permanently. The Dreamers is among this years finalists for the Oregon Book Award for fiction.

Nonfiction

The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance (1995) by Laurie Garrett is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters clear-eyed look at how rapidly the modern world has changed the nature of disease, how important preparedness is and how endangered we are without it.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic (2013) by David Quammen is the great science writers fascinating look at zoonotic diseases, such as AIDS and Ebola (and now coronavirus), that jump from animal species to ours.

Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present (2019) by Frank M. Snowden, a retired professor of history and the history of medicine at Yale University, examines the impact of outbreaks on politics, social structures, morality and more.

awang@oregonian.com; Twitter: @ORAmyW

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Israel has extended its support to India for Janta Curfew being observed across the country on Sunday, March 22, to fight the novel Coronavirus outbreak. Israeli Embassy to New Delhi shared photographs of their nationals supporting India during the Janta Curfew with hashtag #JantaCurfewChallenge.

Read: China Can Be Held 'legally Accountable' For Concealing Information On COVID-19: Israel

The embassy said that the Israelis in India and across the world have pledged to support Janta Curfew Challenge and stay home to stay safe in the global fight against COVID-19.

Israelis in India and around the  join our Indian brothers and sisters in the #JantaCurfewChallenge today, as we all pledge to #StayHomeStaySafe in the global fight against #COVID19outbreak  pic.twitter.com/KB4OVth25o  Israel in India (@IsraelinIndia) March 22, 2020

Read: Video: Israeli Man Walks His Dog Via Drone Amid Coronavirus Crisis

'Stay home, stay healthy'

Israeli Ambassador Maya Kadosh also took to Twitter to inform that she is working from home to take part in the Janta Curfew. She said the over 3000 Israeli nationals are present in India who are also supporting the curfew by staying at home.

With over 3000 Israelis still in India my hands are full of work- but still I work from home today and take part in #JanataCurfew . Please do the same #StayHomeStaySafe we will go through this together  pic.twitter.com/BpflwIdeZ1  Maya Kadosh (@MayaKadosh) March 22, 2020

Its always a good time to strengthen your immune system , specially now when we all pray for our health. Here is some Gond Ke Laddu from me to you . Stay home, stay health #JantaCurfewChallenge #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/8TbuOKfx9u  Maya Kadosh (@MayaKadosh) March 21, 2020

Read: Israel Slams Attack On Indian-origin Jew, Calls It 'deplorable' & 'totally Unacceptable'

Read: Israel Parliament Speaker Shuts Knesset, Enraging Opposition
Hydrogen gets a lot of attention as a feasible, green alternative to traditional fossil fuels, and even as the potential solution to commercial nuclear fusion, often referred to as the holy grail of clean energy. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel source for myriad different industrial processes and combustion engines, and when it burns it leaves nothing behind but water vapor. Sounds great, right? While it gets a lot of buzz, however, not all kinds of hydrogen are really a greener option. In fact, a lot of hydrogen is produced by using fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and coal, which means that its use really isnt cutting down on emissions at all. This kind of hydrogen, called gray hydrogen, is already used in industries and industrial processes such as ammonia production, in refineries and as a feedstock for chemicals. This is what makes green hydrogen such a big deal - not just the hydrogen part, but also how its made, with zero greenhouse gas emissions on either the production or the consumption end of the supply chain. The only issue is that we havent yet found an economically viable way to produce green hydrogen without using tons of cash or tons of energy inputs. But were getting close.

For one thing, green hydrogens buzzworthy nature has gotten a lot of attention from investors, and recently even supermajor oil companies have been heading for greener pastures with new sustainable hydrogen projects. Just last month Royal Dutch Shell announced their involvement in a green hydrogen project involving an offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.

Whats more, experts are predicting that the biggest obstacle to bringing green hydrogen to market--its capital cost--is about to come down. Everybody is predicting that the cost curve will come down, just as it has with solar and wind power, Recharge News wrote last month. The article titled Why green hydrogen is key to the global energy transition continues: Though, to get the price point right, you have to reach economies of scale. Then its just a matter of when the industry is primed to take the next step. involvement from major players like Royal Dutch Shell is already getting us closer to that threshold.

And now, we may be even closer thanks to a breakthrough this month by a group of Japanese scientists from the Tokyo University of Science, who have managed to efficiently produce green hydrogen in a novel way. While the researchers' paper, Hydrogen Production System by Light?Induced ?FeOOH Coupled with Photoreduction, published in Chemistry: A European Journal, makes it sound complicated, it actually couldnt be simpler. This green hydrogen recipes two humble main ingredients are rust and a light source.

Related: Space Robots Could Help Colonize Mars

In laymans terms, as translated from science-speak and paraphrased by Science Alert, the set-up uses just a few basic ingredients - light from a mercury-xenon lamp, a solution of water and methanol, and a particular type of rust (or iron oxide) called -FeOOH. In the lab, this combination was a smashing success, with a hydrogen yield 25 times greater than existing methods that use titanium dioxide catalysts.

One of the biggest challenges in hydrogen fuel production is teasing hydrogen atoms apart from other molecules, and keeping them that way without the entire thing blowing up, the Science Alert article continues. In the new method, by swapping titanium with rust, the hydrogen gas generated seemed to be blocked from recoupling with oxygen, making the separation of the elements easier, and reducing the risk of explosion at the same time.

This cheap, stable catalyst combo could be the winning ticket to get green hydrogen to market. If so, this would have seriously positive implications for some of our dirtier industries, and any reduction in emissions is a very good thing on the eve of peak oil and catastrophic climate change.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-21 23:51:24|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on March 20, 2020 shows an empty street in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

The U.S. sanctions are "inhumane" as Iran is faced with an acute shortage of means to solve urgent healthcare problems caused by COVID-19, Ryabkov said.



MOSCOW, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Saturday called on the United States to abandon its unilateral sanctions against Iran, as the country is plagued by the coronavirus outbreak.

The U.S. sanctions are "inhumane" as Iran is faced with an acute shortage of means to solve urgent healthcare problems caused by COVID-19, Ryabkov said in a statement.

"Washington is well aware of the difference between one-off deliveries of humanitarian aid and Iran's lack of ability to earn export revenues, which are important for the financing of relevant programs, due to many years of unprecedented harsh sanctions from the U.S. side," he said. 
Floods menace big area

Heavy and almost continuous rain for the past six days threatens the south-east corner of New South Wales with the severest flooding for 25 years. Streams are raging torrents. They are still rising, and with rain still falling over most of the area, record flood levels are being predicted. The N.S.W. Weather Bureau has issued flood warnings for the Murray, Murrumbidgee, Snowy, Yass and Tumut river areas.

Crimes Act may be invoked

It was stated in Government circles that unless the industrial position improves, the Government may invoke the Crimes Act tomorrow to deal with the Brisbane waterfront strike and other industrial disturbances. This step would be taken pending the completion of anti-Communist legislation. The Prime Minister has called a special Cabinet meeting for tomorrow morning, when the latest reports will be examined.

No decision on comeback
At times of crisis, we expect government leaders to lead, not to look out for their own interests.

Several senators appear to have failed that basic test, with Richard Burr, R-N.C., topping the list.

Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sold a significant part of his stock holdings, between $598,000 and $1.62 million on Feb. 13 in 33 separate transactions, according to financial disclosure reports.

Among the stocks Burr dumped were hospitality companies Wyndham and Extended Stay America, which are down by more than half since Burr sold. Also: Park Hotels, a real estate investment trust, recently spun off from Hilton, that owns hotel properties. Its down 70%.

Sens. Thad Cochran and Richard Burr share a laugh as they walk off the Senate floor following a vote at the U.S. Capitol on July 26, 2017.

At the same time, Burr was reassuring the public about the governments ability to respond to the coronavirus. Two weeks later, on Feb. 27, he began to tell a different story, but first only to a select group that included high-dollar donors at a meeting in his home state.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., unloaded as much as $400,000  also a significant portion of his holdings  in five separate companies after receiving a special briefing on the coronavirus.

Two other senators, Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., made sales that, while large in dollars, appear to be small portions of their ample household wealth. Both said the decisions were made by third-party financial advisers, and Feinstein said her holdings are in a blind trust.

As she was selling, Loeffler blithely tweeted: "FACT: America is doing an incredible job working to keep its citizens safe and healthy in the wake of the #coronavirus outbreak. ALSO FACT: Democrats are intentionally misleading the American public and its dangerous."

Clearly, there is room for some variance in the level of outrage, and each senator should be judged individually based on the facts. But, focusing on the more blatant acts, this is only going to undermine Americans faith in government at a time when it needs to be bolstered.

Story continues

Now, when people hear government officials, elected or appointed, asking them to stay home or shut down their businesses, they will think: Why am I asked to sacrifice when certain public leaders are looking out for themselves first?

This will increase peoples suspicions about the inside information that government leaders are privy to. In his intelligence committee post, Burr gets daily briefings on global threats, which these days are likely to be heavily centered on the pandemic.

All of these senators were party to Jan. 27 closed-door briefing with Trump administration officials on the state of the outbreak and efforts to prepare for it.

While it is appropriate that senior government officials get more detailed briefings than the general public, particularly on national security matters, it is assumed that they will used this information wisely and for the publics good.

In general, members of Congress shouldn't be trading in individual stocks. And they surely shouldn't be seeking personal gain while parroting positive sentiments about the nations ability to deal with a pandemic.

Burrs behavior was so egregious that some prosecutors have suggested that insider-trading charges should be brought. The senator has requested an Ethics Committee investigation. Unless exculpatory information emerges quickly, resignation is perhaps the more appropriate response.

At a time when Americans are facing disease, job loss and drastic declines in their retirement holdings, the message from our elected officials needs to be "we're all in this together," not "I'm dumping stocks while the getting is good."

Sen. Burr's office did not respond to a request for an Opposing View to this editorial. In a statement Friday he said, "I relied solely on public news reports to guide my decision regarding the sale of stocks on February 13. Specifically, I closely followed CNBC's daily health and science reporting out of its Asia bureaus at the time. Understanding the assumption many could make in hindsight however, I spoke this morning with the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and asked him to open a complete review of the matter with full transparency."

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view  a unique USA TODAY feature.





To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion email newsletter. To respond to this editorial, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senator Burr's shameless stock sales erode trust in government: Our view
A short stretch of the meandering Rio Grande  the river that marks the border between the United States and Mexico  has been for a long time a focal point for migrants looking to head north, seeking a better life.

In the first half of 2019, it became a scene of chaos and misery as unprecedented numbers of asylum seekers arrived, mostly central Americans. Families fleeing poverty and gang violence sought to cross at a record rate, overwhelming the border patrol agents on the US side.

As summer gave way to autumn, the numbers declined dramatically. Donald Trump, who had campaigned on an anti-immigration platform, passed a series of measures to curb entry and pressured Mexico to make its own border more secure. As a result of the new policies, tens of thousands of migrants have been turned back across the border to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their immigration cases and the US government has more tools to deny asylum seekers outright.

The US border patrol said total apprehensions at the southwest border hit a high of nearly 133,000 in May 2019. By November that decreased to some 34,000.

Reuters photographer Adrees Latif has spent much of the last year in the Rio Grande Valley, documenting the extraordinary scenes.

It begins in early 2019, on a dirt road through a cotton farm in Texas that is known as a migrant trail. The road leads from the Rio Grande to the border wall, about a mile away. In winter, the trail is cold and muddy. Already, families are lining up to be processed  including Gabriella, a 16-year-old mother from Honduras, who has arrived with her baby and younger brother.

By late March, the land is more verdant and trees provide more cover. A raft crosses the Rio Grande, watched by the border patrol on the US shore. Migrants scramble up a steep slope and an agent meets them at the top to detain them.

Recommended Pregnant teen falls to her death trying to climb over US border wall

Family groups are increasingly common. Eduardo carries his eight-year-old nephew on his shoulders. A young girl, walking with her family, looks eager. It has been a long voyage from Guatemala and the border wall now looms large on the horizon.

However, the journey is not over. Wait times for processing are increasing as the numbers of migrants rise and it could be months before their status is finalised.

Children, many still in nappies, are vulnerable. Smugglers travel back and forth across the Rio Grande transporting their human cargo and will sometimes hold back a child and threaten to throw them in the water if agents get too close, border agents say.

Many smugglers are linked to drug trafficking gangs. In April, border agents hear about a group who they believe are bringing in marijuana. They chase them in the dark and catch about 30 men on a river bank studded with spiky cactus plants.

By May, as the migration wave reaches its peak, massive groups of people are sitting in fields for days, waiting to be processed. Even with the mosquitoes and heat, that is better than the overcrowded holding stations, the agents say. Eight-year-old Juan from Guatemala stands in the dark at a table in a field set up to process minors travelling alone.

As the ramped up Mexican security makes it harder to cross, the numbers of migrants dwindle noticeably. By September, long periods go by with few asylum seekers, punctuated by groups of hundreds that come through in one go when a gap opens up.

Now, once again, agents find they are dealing more with the traditional crossers known as runners  economic migrants, mostly young men, looking to enter illegally into the United States in order to work.

The other familiar find is drugs. Bundles tied up with string and abandoned in the wintry November woods after smugglers heard security vehicles approaching are an indication of how some things remain constant along the Rio Grande.

Reuters
I worry that going into a depressive state is a real danger for myself and others who must vigilantly self-isolate during this time. I also worry about those who have not had to experience this level of social separation before. Even though I cannot physically meet with the people who helped me in the past, I will use those resources virtually. I encourage everyone to do the same and reach out for help because there are always people wanting to support others at a time like this.
In a move aimed at a complete lockdown, the union government Sunday ordered the suspension of all metro rail services and inter-state transport till March 31 as positive COVID 19 cases rose up to 340 in India.

The Centre has also advised state governments to issue orders to allow only essential services to operate in the 75 districts which have reported confirmed cases or casualties relating to COVID 19.

The decisions were taken at high level meeting chaired Sunday with the Chief Secretaries of all the states by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

In view of the need to contain the spread of COVID 19, it was agreed that there is urgent need to extend the restrictions on the movement of non-essential passenger transport including inter-state transport buses till March, a statement issued by the Cabinet Secretary said.

The State governments were told that they may expand the list of 75 districts depending on their assessment of the situation.  It was noted that several State Governments have already issued orders in this regard, the statement said.

Union government on Sunday also decided to suspend all passenger train operations till March 31. Only the operation of freight trains carrying essential goods will be allowed, the ministry of railways said.

In view of current global pandemic of the Corona Virus, for containing its further spread through inter-personal proximity, it has been decided to close down metro rail services on all operational networks across the country till 31st March, 2020. This is being done in continuation of the closing down of metro services today 22nd March on the day of Janta Curfew. This will help in breaking the chain of further infection of COVID-19, urban ministry secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said.

To be sure, it hasnt been clarified yet whether the ban on inter-state passenger transport would also include flights. At present airlines are cutting down on flight operations due to low passenger load. GoAir on Saturday announced the suspension of all flights on Sunday in the wake of Janta Curfew. Indigo had also announced the airline will be operating approximately 60% of its normal domestic schedule.

Till Sunday five states including Punjab, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Bihar announced partial lockdown till month-end.

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SEOUL, South Korea  President Trump has sent a letter to North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-un, expressing his willingness to help the North battle the coronavirus, North Korea said on Sunday.

I would like to extend sincere gratitude to the U.S. president for sending his invariable faith to the Chairman, said Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leaders sister and policy aide, in a statement carried by the Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency. Ms. Kim lauded Mr. Trumps decision to write the letter as a good judgment and proper action.

In the letter, Mr. Trump wished the family of the Chairman and our people well-being, Ms. Kim said, referring to her brother by one of his official titles.

According to Ms. Kim, Mr. Trump also explained his plan to move relations between the two countries forward and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic.
Rajesh Abraham By

Express News Service

KOCHI: As the entire world is battling the Covid-19 pandemic, the steps taken by Kerala to prevent its spread have been lauded. The state governments measures not only bring clarity on Covid-19 precautions but also give the people a sense of confidence that the authorities are pulling out all the stops to keep the public safe from the deadly virus.

But, the economic damage Covid-19 has inflicted on the already broken finances of the state is growing by the day and is expected to reach humongous proportions. Tourism, which is one of the biggest revenue earners, contributing about 10 per cent of the states economy, has come to a halt; hundreds of hotels and restaurants across the state have had barely any customers in the last one week or so and many workers were either sacked or asked not to come for duty in the next two weeks and lottery sales, which contribute nearly `10,000 crore to the state exchequer, have plummeted, with thousands of vendors on the brink of poverty.

There are others too, like migrant workers, who have been rendered jobless and are returning to their native UP, Bihar, Bengal and the northeast; or hundreds of daily wage earners in the film industry; those associated with festival economies like caterers, artists, event management companies etc. Kerala, which has a large expatriate population working in West Asia, also faces the unforeseen consequence due to the slump in crude prices to less than $25/barrel as it means an economic slowdown in many Gulf countries, leading to job losses there.

Rudra Sensarma, economist and dean, IIM-Kozhikode, says, Unfortunately Keralas economy is mainly dependent on two types of inflows -- travellers and remittances. While tourism sector has already been severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, I expect even remittances to slow down as the global economy goes into a recession. Therefore, the economic impact in Kerala is expected to be the most severe among all the Indian states.

A look at the data explains Keralas reliance on the two key segments-- foreign exchange earnings from tourism stood at a whopping ` 10,271.06 crore in 2019, a healthy growth of 17.19 per cent over the previous year. Similarly, Kerala accounts for 19 per cent of the total forex remittances to India, which is the highest among the states. The state received $15 billion out of the $79 billion the country had received in 2018.

The travel and tourism industry is in lockdown, says Jose Dominic, travel industry veteran and former CEO of CGH Earth group, as international tourism is closed due to visa restrictions and domestic tourists have stopped travelling due to Covid-19 fear. But right now thats the only way forward, he says. During the flood, we had stage I, which is rescue operations; stage II, which is relief and stage III which is rehabilitation. In the case of the Covid, we are in stage I and rescue here means checking the spread of the virus. We can prevent the spread only through the steps such as prohibiting travel and imposing restrictions on public gatherings, he explains.

Binny Emmatty of Kerala Samsthana Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi, which is the apex traders body in the state, said the losses faced by the traders run into hundreds of crores. The hotels and restaurants havent practically done any business in the last two weeks and we do not know how long this will prolong. Many hotels have closed and their daily wage workers, including waiters and cooks, sent on leave without pay for two weeks, Emmatty says.

Among the sectors, the poultry industry has taken the biggest hit, not just in Kerala, but across the country. Pramod T S, state secretary of Poultry Farmers Traders Samity and proprietor of Perumbavoor-based Farms India Chicken, a big poultry company, reckons the loss incurred by the poultry industry in the last two months comes to `32 crore. Kerala produces about 35 lakh chicken per day, and the prices are hovering around `15/20 kg at the retail level whereas the cost is `70 per kg, says Pramod. At the farm gate, the poultry is sold for as low at `8/kg, says one proprietor.

The losses are colossal for textiles shops, jewellery and other non-essential commodities as they have been sitting idle ever since the Covid-19 news gathered steam in the last five-six days. We still do not know why we open our shops, said one textile shop owner. Adds Ramesh S Pai, partner, A Geeri Pai Gold & Diamonds: We have closed the second and third floors of our outlet in Kochi. Only one floor is open where too theres hardly any customer. We have also shut down our other showroom in Kochi for maintenance.

As world is focused on containing the spread of the virus, experts say this is not the time to count financial losses. Across the globe, country after country has announced economic stimulus packages. Kerala too announced a `20,000 crore financial package. Sensarma terms Keralas economic package robust and comprehensive. It has a clear focus on three crucial areas-- food supply, livelihood support and health system. While Kudumbashree loans will be useful to the poor and needy, the government should provide some relief to small and medium businesses that form the backbone of the economy but are seeing their own backs being broken by the fall in consumer demand, he says.

The big question is Is this the time to count the losses? The fact remains we still do not know when and how this pandemic will end. When it ends, the government should ensure that companies and businesses are still alive and do not go bankrupt, says Jose Dominic. Once the pandemic is over and recovery begins, the government needs to launch a policy of economic reconstruction that must include more cash injections and moratoriums on tax and bill payments, adds Sensarma.

Remittance

Remittance accounts for a third of Kerala economy

19% of $79 billion remittances in 2018 came to Kerala; that is $15 billion

Job losses in West Asia may lead to a slump in remittance

AGRICULTURE

Remains largely unaffected

Will be hit when it becomes community spread

May face crisis in the coming weeks as migrant labourers have started

leaving the state Ongoing paddy harvest in Palakkad unaffected

The agriculture sector is not affected by virus spread, according to the Agriculture Ministers Office. Considering the threat of a community spread, we have asked to Horticorp and VFPCK to make arrangements for direct purchase from farmers and hassle-free delivery to customers, said a senior officer

There wont be a big shortage of vegetables due to travel restrictions effected by Tamil Nadu. Kerala produces 12.5 tonnes of the total requirement of 20 tonnes. Four tonnes of vegetables include onion and beans, which cannot be produced in the state. In the worst case, we will have to live without them, he said

poultry industry

Chicken production:30-35 lakh per day

Cost of production:`75-80/chicken

Chicken prices fell from over `100, 3-4 months back, to `15/20 per kg

Loss per day: `32 crore

RETAIL SECTOR

10.5 lakh retail shops in Kerala

Range from small provision shops to super markets

Employs 50,000 persons

Sector hit after Covid-19 social distancing

80 pc trade loss

Business only in shops selling essentials

Worst-hit are shops figured in route maps
A 95-year-old grandmother who was diagnosed with the coronavirus this month has become the oldest patient in the Italian province of Modena to recover from the illness.

Alma Clara Corsini, from Fanano, was rushed to a hospital in the city's northern province of Pavullo on March 5 after showing signs of the virus- which has now claimed the lives of 5,476 in the nation.

However medical staff have now confirmed the pensioner's body has shown a 'great reaction' and made a full recovery.

Ms Corsini told Italian newspaper Gazzetta Di Modena: 'Yes, yes, I'm fine. They were good people who looked after me well, and now they'll send me home in a little while. '

Grandmother Alma Clara Corsini (centre), 95, from Fanano, Modena, Italy, has recovered from the coronavirus

The pensioner, who was rushed to a hospital in the city's northern province of Pavullo on March 5, has made a full recovery, staff confirmed

The 95-year-old has since been been discharged and has returned home.

Specialists at the hospital added that the grandmother was able to recover without 'antiviral therapy'- medications which are administered to a patient to help them fight a viral infection.

According to the Italian paper, Ms Corsini became the 'pride of the staff' during her stay at the hospital which has been trying to cope with the the rising number of cases of COVID-19 in the country.

The latest recovery comes after doctors announced a 79-year-old Italian man, from Liguria, with the virus had recovered with the help of the experimental the Ebola drug remdesiver after 12 days in hospital.

The drug has also shown signs of success in a woman from the U.S. who was diagnosed with the illness on February 26 and 14 Americans who tested positive for COVID-19 after travelling on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Today it was confirmed the army would be deployed to impose a lockdown in Italys worst hit region of Lombardy after its coronavirus death toll surpassed 3,450 in the last 24 hours.

Ministers in Rome were forced to stop person-to-person contact and place all 60million citizens into lockdown as the pandemic continued to spread with force across the country.

The recovery comes as the government banned travel within the country in yet another attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Pictured: A nearly empty Porta Nuova station in Turin, Italy on March 22

Pictured: Medical staff carry away man who was lying unconscious on the ground in Rome, Italy, as the country continues its nationwide lockdown

Italy, which recorded its first coronavirus death in February, now has more fatalities than China with 5,476, as well as having 59,138 infections with 7,024 recoveries.

The third worst hit country is Spain with 1,720 fatalities and 28,572 cases, Iran with 1,685 fatalities and 21,638 cases, followed by France with 674 deaths and 16,018 cases, and the United States with 390 deaths and 31,057 cases.

On Sunday, Italy banned travel within the country in yet another attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

A month after the first death from the highly infectious virus was registered in Italy, the government also issued an order freezing all business activity deemed non-essential in an effort to keep ever more people at home and off the streets.

The businesses have until Wednesday to shut down operations and will have to remain closed until April 3.
The coronavirus crisis is forcing US military planners to look at 'extraordinary circumstances' and prepare for a range of radical scenarios, including the possibility of widespread domestic violence and the deaths of the country's top politicians.

In a report published Sunday, Newsweek reveals that standby orders were issued more than three weeks ago to ready Above-Top Secret contingency plans if 'all Constitutional successors are incapacitated' and martial law needs to be imposed across the country.

'We're in new territory,' one anonymous senior military officer told the publication.

Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy is the 'combatant commander' for the United States and would lead the country if Washington were crippled by the current Covid-19 crisis.
Germany banned gatherings of more than two people and Italy decreed a halt to almost all domestic travel, escalating Europe's restrictions to check the spread of the coronavirus.

While the German measures don't confine people to their homes, Chancellor Angela Merkel put herself in quarantine as a precaution after coming into contact with a doctor who tested positive for the virus. Merkel will work from home, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

Decisions by Merkel and other German leaders on Sunday move Europe's biggest economy a bit more toward drastic steps taken in Italy, the country with the most novel-coronavirus deaths worldwide. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Britons that they'll face "tougher measures" if they don't heed calls to halt social gatherings and non-essential travel.

Before heading home from the Chancellery, Merkel said Germany's two-person rule won't apply to families and people sharing a home.

"No one wants to stand before the people and discuss such rules," she told reporters in Berlin. "We are in a really tough situation."

Italy, where the disease has killed almost 5,500 people, ordered people to stay in their municipalities except for "non-deferrable and proven business or health reasons or other urgent matters," according to the Health Ministry. The measure applies to all private and public transportation. However, Sunday's toll of 651 fatalities was lower than the day before.

"We all hope that this trend can be confirmed in the new few days," Angelo Borrelli, head of Italy's civil protection agency, told reporters. "But we must not lower our guard."

The Italian measures followed Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's decision late Saturday to temporarily halt all non-essential business activity in the country of 60 million people. Supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and post offices and other essential businesses will stay open, he said.

The latest source of concern is thousands of idled workers with roots in southern Italy who could head there and bring the disease with them. Vincenzo De Luca, governor of the Campania region that surrounds Naples, urged Conte in a phone call Sunday to take "drastic measures" to block such a flow of citizens, the regional government said on its website.

U.K. Sunday newspapers reported that people were still meeting in parks and making trips to coastal towns after the government last week ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close.

"Some people are not making it easy for us because they are congregating in a way that helps spread the disease," Johnson said at a news conference on Sunday. "We need to think very carefully now about how we take steps to correct that."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will seek parliamentary approval to extend a state of emergency to April 11 after almost 400 coronavirus deaths this weekend lifted the total to 1,720, the second-highest in Europe after Italy.

Merkel has been at odds with some of the Germany's 16 state governments about how best to contain the virus, which has infected almost 25,000 people and claimed more than 80 lives.

The chancellor is against a rigid lockdown, fearing that such a measure could backfire, and wants a more coordinated national approach on restrictions to public life. Most German states indicated they will implement the new rules, which include closing restaurants except for delivery and takeout.

Croatia called out the army after an earthquake on Sunday caused damage in Zagreb, the capital, potentially complicating the country's response to the coronavirus.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is seeking to extend a state of emergency indefinitely and threaten prison time for anyone found to be spreading false information about the virus. Those measures would require support from opposition lawmakers to pass.
A doctor puts on protective gears at the HCMC Hospital of Tropical Diseases, March 13, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

With 14 new people testing Covid-19 positive, Vietnams Sunday tally went up to 19 and the national total to 113.

Of the new patients, one is quarantined in HCMC, six in the Mekong Delta and seven in Hanoi.

Sundays 19 new infections was the highest number in a day since Vietnams first Covid-19 case was recorded late January. The country recorded five new cases in the afternoon.

"Patient 100" is a 55 year-old man living in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. He has a history of diabetes and arthritis. He returned to Vietnam from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on AirAsia flight AK524 on March 3 and had quarantined himself at home. From March 4 to 17, he went to pray five times a day at the Jamiul Anwar Mosque in District 8.

On March 18, he was still asymptomatic, but his samples were taken by the District 8 medical center because he was among the people who had participated in a Muslim ceremony in Malaysia that later recorded hundreds of infections. He was confirmed Covid-19 positive Sunday by the HCMC Pasteur Institute. He is currently being treated at the HCMC Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

In the quarantine zone of Mekong Deltas Dong Thap Province, four more Covid-19 patients were detected - all passengers on Vietnam Airlines flight VN50 from the U.K. that landed March 18 in Can Tho. All of them were asymptomatic on arrival.

"Patient 101" is 26-year-old Vietnamese woman from Vung Tau who was on seat 26F; "Patient 102" a 9-year-old girl from Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, on seat 20D; "Patient 103" a 22-year-old man from Phu Nhuan District, HCMC, on 12F; and "Patient 104" a 33-year-old man from District 12, HCMC, on seat 27D.

The remaining two patients are quarantined in the Mekong Deltas Tra Vinh Province. They had boarded AirAsia flight AK575 from Malaysia and landed March 18 in Can Tho. These two were also asymptomatic on arrival. "Patient 105" is a 35-year-old woman living in the Mekong Delta's An Giang Province, who was on seat 6E. "Patient 106" is a 20-year-old woman also from An Giang, seat 6C. Their swab samples were tested at the HCMC Pasteur Institute.

Among the seven Hanoi patients, six are Europe returnees.

"Patient 107," a 25-year-old Vietnamese woman, is the daughter of one of two Covid-19 infected nurses working at the Bach Mai Hospital. The mother and daughter live together in Thanh Xuan District.

"Patient 108" is a 19-year-old resident of Cau Giay District studying in the U.K. He landed in Hanoi March 18 on Vietnam Airlines flight VN054.

"Patient 109" is a 42-year-old lecturer at a U.K. university who resides in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi. He landed in the capital city March 15 on Thai Airways TG560 seat 37E after transiting in Thailand.

"Patient 110" is 19-year-old student in the U.S. who lives in Dong Da District, Hanoi. He flew from the U.S., transited in Japan and landed March 19 in Hanoi on Japan Airlines flight JL571, seat 1A.

"Patient 111" is a 25-year-old woman from the northern province of Nam Dinh who is studying in France. She landed in Hanoi March 18 on Vietnam Airlines flight VN18.

"Patient 112" is a 30-year-old man living in Hanois Hoan Kiem District studying in France. He also landed March 18 in Hanoi on flight VN18.

"Patient 113" is an 18-year-old resident of Hoan Kiem District who is studying in the U.K. She landed in Hanoi March 18 on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54.

As of Sunday, Vietnam had recorded 96 Covid-19 cases since March 6. The earlier 17 patients have been discharged from the hospital. Of the current active cases, 10 have tested negative either once or twice.

The Covid-19 pandemic has so far infected more than 300,000 people globally, claiming more than 13,000 lives.
Senators and aides said they still hoped to reach a compromise on the legislation, with Mr. Schumer declaring after the vote that were closer than weve been at any time over the past 48 hours to an agreement.

Can we overcome the remaining disagreements in the next 24 hours? said Mr. Schumer, who estimated he met with Mr. Mnuchin for six times late Sunday evening, according to a spokesman. Yes, we can and we should. The nation demands it.

Later as he entered Mr. Schumers Capitol office, Mr. Mnuchin said the two were this close to a deal, holding up two fingers with scarcely an inch of distance between them.

But even as talks continued in private, Mr. McConnell laid blame for the delay at the feet of both Mr. Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who returned to Washington on Saturday to partake in a leadership meeting in his office on Sunday.

Republicans and Democrats, as well as President Trump, have agreed that the plan is crucial to cushioning the economic blow of the rapidly spreading disease, which has shuttered entire industries, forced workers to stay at home and wreaked havoc in the global markets. It would send $1,200 direct payments to millions of Americans and additional jobless benefits and aid to states, and provide hundreds of billions of dollars for loans to businesses.

But as its outlines emerged on Sunday, Democrats denounced the package as a corporate giveaway that favored big business over workers and failed to ensure that bailed-out companies would not enrich themselves after receiving government aid. They were particularly incensed at the inclusion of a provision that would give the Federal Reserve access to $425 billion that could be leveraged for loans to broad groups of flailing companies, leaving Congress with little or no say in which businesses could receive assistance or how it could be used.

In the midst of an unprecedented national crisis, Republicans cant seriously expect us to tell people in our communities who are suffering that we shortchanged hospitals, students, workers and small businesses, but gave big corporations hundreds of billions of dollars in a secretive slush fund, said Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, who has largely negotiated over the phone in part as a precaution.
At least 20 armed separatists were killed and many wounded in a recent military offensive by the Cameroon army in Ngoketunjia, a division in the restive English-speaking region of Northwest, a senior army official said on Saturday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Brigadier General Valere Nka, commander of the 5th Joint Military Region with command post in Bamenda, chief town of Northwest, told reporters in Bamenda that a separatist commander called "general action man" was among those killed.

All those killed were "terrorist secessionists" who attacked security stations in Galim locality of West region on March 7, killing four members of government forces, he said.

The army said that 10 camps of the separatists were dismantled and some arms and munitions were seized during the raids which lasted for about five days. Some of the seized weapons were presented to reporters during a media briefing in Bamenda.

According to the United Nations, over 700,000 people have been displaced internally and externally since separatists began clashing with government forces in 2017 to establish an independent nation in the English-speaking regions of the country.
Beijing/London/IBNS: Amid reports of racist attacks triggered by so-called 'maskaphobia', several Chinese students are attempting to 'flee' the United Kingdom to reach their home country, media reports said.

Some students have returned but many are still trying to grab a seat in a flight where tickets are available in inflated prices.

There are also reports that some are trying to book private jets to get home, The Guardian newspaper reported.

I was a bit shocked by how quickly the UK is hit by the coronavirus, Tao Wang, a politics PhD student at the University of Manchester told The Guardian. Many Chinese students are now fleeing back to China, and I have been struggling to make a decision.

Wang told the newspaper many in the Chinese student community believed they would now be safer in China than in the UK, and their families were begging them to return.

I think people are very suspicious about the [UK] government measures. Here, until now, weve seen some soft measures calling for people to wash their hands. As a Chinese student you expect more draconian measures, Wang said.

Amid COVID 19 crisis, Chinese students also reported an increase in the number of racist attacks faced by them.

Yinxuan Huang, a sociology research fellow at City University London, has been conducting research among Chinese Christian communities in the UK, who have been supporting Chinese students during the coronavirus crisis, told The Guardian: "Almost all incidents they reported were associated with maskaphobia."

Most of the victims  some got called virus and others got shoved  were wearing masks when attacked," Huang said.

Many Chinese students feel that the issue of the mask is the single biggest cultural shock they have ever experienced in the UK. They are now facing a dilemma and have to choose between two bad choices - insecurity (for coronavirus) and fear (for racism)," added Huang.

A 26-year-old Chinese postgraduate student, also in Manchester, are ordering food online.

We are not only afraid of coronavirus, but the violence brought by racism is also much more scary now. I have got the feeling I am an outsider in the UK. And now I finally find we are not welcomed by British people. Diversity sounds like a joke," the student told the newspaper.

A growing number of Chinese students are currently studying in the UK.

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the number rose above 120,000 for the first time last year, up from 89,000 in 2014-15, reported The Guardian.

Wang told the newspaper: International students choose to study abroad in countries like the UK for a reason. That is, they believe that this is a place that values tolerance, equality, diversity and rule of law. The growing coronavirus-related racism is truly disturbing."

China is considered as the epicentre of the disease from where the outbreak occurred. Now, it has hit several countries across the globe.
Coronavirus wreaking havoc in the whole world. This situation like lockdown of rescue is going on all over the world and in such a situation, movie stars are coming forward to help the needy. In this fight against Covid-19, 'Deadpool' actor Ryan Reynolds has helped $ 1 million (more than about 7 crores).

'Deadpool' actor Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively have come forward to help the corona virus victims. He wrote in tweeting, 'Covid-19 is having a very bad effect on the elderly and low-income family. Blake and I have donated a million dollar feeding America and Food Banks Canada. If you want to help, do it because these institutions need your help. In this tweet, Ryan has also advised people to take care of their loved ones and themselves. Along with this, he has also advised people to call people who are isolated maybe they need you.

I think we can all agree, Covid-19 is an asshole. If you can help, visit, https://t.co/gDZHbYYurJ and/or https://t.co/2fserjQQQs pic.twitter.com/4rb4WpoDKo  Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) March 16, 2020

For information, let us tell you that after Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and Olga Kurilanco, Hollywood actress Idris Elba, Game of Thrones fame actor Christopher has also been hit by Corona. Apart from all this, 'Frozen 2' fame and 'Happy Death Day' film actress Rachel Mathews also shared on Instagram that she has also been infected with the disease and she also told her symptoms.

Also Read:

Hollywood actor Andy Cohen become victim of corona, found positive

After testing coronavirus, positive Idris Elba shared a video

Sister gives this update on Tom Hanks's health

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston to marry soon
Here are some of the big developments on March 22 on the coronavirus pandemic from India and around the globe.

WHAT HAPPENED:

Death toll rises, active cases advance | The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to seven in the country, while the total number of cases rose to 360 as fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country on Sunday. The data includes 63 cases in Maharashtra (three foreigners), followed by Kerala at 40, including seven foreign nationals, according to the ministry data;

Govt locks down 75 coronavirus affected districts | The centre and state governments announced a complete shutdown of 75 districts across the country where COVID-19 cases have been reported. The districts where lockdown was announced are from states that include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala;

In a first, NSE allows stock brokers to work from home | To ensure the soundness of the Indian stock market in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) temporarily allowed dealers and employees of brokers to log into trading systems from remote locations to carry out day-to-day activities;

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announces virtual shutdown | Section 144 to be enforced in Maharashtra from tomorrow (March 23) morning. Banks, essential services, stock exchanges will be open. Trains and buses have been stopped. State transit buses and private buses also stopped. Other buses shall be used only and only if there is an emergency. Thackeray also said, "Churches, temples, masjids will remain closed. But, grocery, medical outlets will be open."

Lockdown on all trains, metro and inter-state bus services until March 31 | The government said all train, metro and inter-state services will remain suspended until March 31 as part of renewed efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus. Only goods trains have been exempted from the list of suspended train services;

People embrace 'Janta Curfew' | PM Narendra Modi had proposed 'Janata curfew' on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm as part of social distancing to check the spread of the deadly virus. General life came to a standstill. as seen in the picture below. (A shot of Cannaught Place in Delhi which generally bustles with thousands of people wore a desert look on Sunday) (Photo: Shome Basu);

Autos and taxis were a rare sight due to the support extended by various unions representing such vehicles to PM Modi's appeal for Janata curfew. (Photo: Shome Basu)

India salutes first responders | People came out on their terraces and balconies to clap, clang utensils and ring bells to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Reuters);

People clap and bang utensils from their balconies to cheer for emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus, in Mumbai. (Photo: Reuters)

THE BIG NUMBERS:

75: Number of districts under lockdown | The districts where lockdown was announced are from states that include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala;

329: The number of active virus cases in India | The total number of active COVID-19 cases across the country stands at 329 so far, and 24 people have been cured/discharged/migrated, while seven have died, taking the total number of cases to 360, including 41 foreign nationals, the Health Ministry said;

REMEMBER, STAY SAFE:

The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, in most people. Older adults and people with existing health problems are more vulnerable as the virus can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Good news: the vast majority of people recover.

Do The Five:

1. Hands: Wash them often with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under finger nails before rinsing off.

2. Elbow: Cough into it, turning your face away from a person near you.

3. Sick? Stay indoors.

4. Safe distance: Maintain enough space between others.

5. Face off: Dont touch your face, nose and eyes.

You should wash your phone too. Heres how

OUR INDOOR WATCHLIST:

Confined to your home is not all that bad. Our columnist has you covered with a watchlist from Netflix and Amazon Video.

IN GLOBAL NEWS:

Trump accuses China of being 'very secretive' about COVID-19 | "Just so you understand, China is not a beneficiary here. China has thousands and thousands of people. China has gone through hell over this. They've gone through hell. I've had conversations with (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping). I just wish they could have told us earlier. They knew they had a problem earlier. I wish they could have said that," Trump said;

Italy reports almost 800 new virus deaths, new daily record | Italy on Saturday reported 793 new coronavirus deaths, a one-day record that saw its toll shoot up to 4,825 -- 38.3 percent of the world's total. The number of COVID-19 infections rose by 6,557 to 53,578, another record;

| The impact of the global coronavirus pandemic will be "quite severe," but a long expansionary period and high employment rates mean the global economy should weather the current shock, a top International Monetary Fund official said.
This article originally appeared on the Austin Patch

AUSTIN, TX  The first local testing collection point for detection of the new coronavirus was launched on Saturday, Austin Public Health officials announced.

This site is one of 11 test collection points with a public-private partnership between Austin Public Health (APH), St. Davids, Ascension Seton, UT Health Austin (Dell Medical School) and Baylor Scott & White, officials said.



While this site will specifically focus on gathering information and tests across Austin and Travis County, patients will be prioritized contingent on medical referrals and with pre-scheduled appointments, officials said. Those without a referral will be given information on how they can be referred so they can go through the proper channels to get qualified for testing, officials added.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in the Austin area. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily

We have to prioritize those who are at higher risk, hospitalized, our health care workers, first responders, and those who work in critical infrastructure to ensure that they have access because it's important for the public health and safety of our city, Dr. Mark Escott, Interim Health Authority for Austin-Travis County, said in a prepared statement.

Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott hinted at the testing site's arrival during a Friday press briefing, saying it could be installed as early as Saturday. The expanded ability to test potential patients comes amid evidence of community spread of the virus, as Escott said at the time  noting five clusters of human congregation are being studied as possible sources for illness transmission.

"It's important for us to understand we are now at a critical state in the pandemic in Travis County," Escott said during Friday's press conference. "Our success in battling and defeating this virus depends on our community," he added in reiterating the critical need for self-isolation and social distancing to flatten the curve of illness in mitigating its spread.

Story continues

Photo courtesy of Austin Public Health.

While Austin Public Health recently received approximately 1,000 COVID-19 test kits from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Escott noted, there is still a significant gap between the number of tests available and the number of people seeking a test.

Under criteria laid out by the Texas Department of State Health Services, prioritization is given to individuals with a specific combination of symptoms combined with risk factors such as travel, close contact with confirmed cases, or underlying health conditions, officials said.

Photo courtesy of Austin Public Health.



Austin-Travis County EMS, Austin Police and Fire Departments are also assisting with logistics at these test collection points, officials said.

Related stories:

Guide for potential patients

If you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), avoid the risk of spread at clinics and hospitals by using telehealth virtual visits (see a list of services here) or calling your health provider.

Your physician will determine if there is another plausible diagnosis with similar symptoms (i.e. influenza). People with no insurance and no established provider experiencing Coronavirus-like symptoms should call CommUnityCare at 512-978-8775. CommUnityCare will triage people over the phone and send them to the appropriate location.

For suspected COVID-19 cases, your doctor will fill out a form. Austin Public Health will use this information to assess risk and criteria to determine whether a test is appropriate. You will be notified on whether you qualify for a test and will be provided with a test-site location. Until then, stay at home and self-distance.

Patients are advised that private healthcare providers in their areas may be providing their own testing, and they should contact their doctors office for further guidance.

Austin Public Health is stressing the importance of practicing good personal hygiene, gathering with others only if it is essential, and checking on elderly friends and family who might need some assistance during this time. If people feel sick they should stay home.

For more information, visit www.austintexas.gov/COVID19.

Health officials noted the exact locations for testing are only being released to patients referred to them by medical professionals. Patch is honoring a request from health officials to media outlets not to publish locations of testing sites to avoid a potential surge of residents without medical referrals. "This may change in the future as we receive more test kits and supplies," officials added.
Photo for illustration (Source: VNA)

The 93rd case is a 20-year-old male student from Hungary. He landed at Noi Bai airport on March 18th on Flight SU290. His samples were tested positive by the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control for the first time on March 20th.



Second test by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology showed the same result on March 21st.

The 94th case is a 64-year-old woman from the northern province of Bac Giang. She came to the Czech Republic to visit her daughter from February 29. She landed at Noi Bai airport on March 18 on the same flight as the 93rd patient.

Both patients are being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases No.2 in Hanoi's Dong Anh district, and in stable condition.

Among the 94 COVID-19 cases in Vietnam so far, 17 have fully recovered./.
The Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) on Sunday alleged that some miscreants fired bullet and hurled a petrol bomb at the Gate Number 7 of the Jamia Millia Islamia.

Police have registered a case at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar Police Stations.

"Some miscreants fired bullet and hurled a petrol bomb at the protest site at Gate Number 7 of the Jamia Millia Islamia. As per the CCTV footage, miscreant had a get up of delivery boy with a helmet and has three bags on his bike, due to which the number plate of the bike was not visible," said the JCC.

"Police have taken away the bullet, while pieces of glass bottle are still here," added the JCC.

"A case regarding the incident has been registered at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar police stations. Today at around 9:15 am, information was received regarding firing by inflammable substance at barricades near Shaheen Bagh. Immediately police visited the spot," a police official told ANI.

"A few broken bottles, a lighter and an empty cartridge were found at the site. A few milk bottles of the same type were also found. During an initial investigation, it has been revealed that a person set a banner on fire by pouring some inflammable substance and using a lighter," added the official.

A team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) inspected the spot. Multiple teams of police have been formed. The investigation is undergoing.

In the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, the strike which began on December 12, 2019, against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Population Register (NPR) and the proposed Register of Citizens (NRC) at the Gate Number 7 of the Jamia Millia Islamia was temporarily called off on Saturday by the JCC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump's insistence on speaking of a "Chinese virus" has a dark historical precedent for some Asian Americans, who say his word choice is fueling an at times violent backlash. Speaking daily on the global coronavirus pandemic, Trump has incessantly called COVID-19 the "Chinese virus," with one photo even showing his notes in which he had crossed out clinical terms preferred by health professionals. Asian American advocates say that such language plays into centuries-old stereotypes of the community as perpetually foreign and unclean -- and signals, incorrectly, that individuals of one ethnicity are responsible for spreading illness. While US incidents appear to be fewer than in Europe, New York police said that a man last month chased and beat an Asian woman wearing a protective mask on the subway, calling her "diseased." On Thursday, civil rights groups launched a site for Asian Americans to report bias crimes linked to the pandemic to see how widespread the problem has become. The site received 36 submissions in its first 24 hours, said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. She pointed to one incident where a middle school bully in the Los Angeles area punched an Asian American classmate in the head some 20 times, accusing him of carrying the coronavirus, and telling him to "go back" to China. Kulkarni said she saw the violence as part of a wider history in the United States dating back to the "Yellow Peril," when suspicions about Asians led the United States in 1882 to ban all Chinese immigration. "I definitely think it will get worse, partly because of the president's relentless effort for weaponizing hate against communities," Kulkarni said. "He has the bully pulpit. With that comes tremendous power. People listen to him," she said. - Caught in US-China tensions - Trump rose to power on vows to keep out Latin American and Muslim immigrants but has signaled that his intention in saying "Chinese virus" may be more about geopolitics. "It's not racist at all," he told a news conference. "It comes from China. I want to be accurate." The United States has wide-ranging tensions with China and Trump voiced anger over a Beijing official who promoted an unfounded conspiracy theory that the US military brought the virus to Wuhan, where cases were first reported. China's foreign ministry has accused Trump of seeking to shift blame over his own response to the pandemic. Frank H. Wu, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law and author of "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White," acknowledged that diseases were long given geographical names and said it was fair game to criticize Beijing's actions. "What's important here isn't the intent. It's the consequences. And these words matter, because this is a time of incredible stress," Wu said. Wu said that Asian Americans have long been associated with dirtiness, pointing to contemporary perceptions of Chinese restaurants. "Cleanliness has always been a metaphor for whether you're a morally deserving, good individual and part of a good community," he said. "So this isn't actually about just disease and the source of disease. It's symbolic of much, much more." - Targeting Chinese over plague - In vivid examples of the association of Asian Americans with disease, authorities in 1900 sealed off the Chinatowns of both San Francisco and Honolulu after outbreaks of the bubonic plague. Charles McClain, a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law who has written a book on the history of Chinese Americans' efforts against discrimination, said medical professionals at the time concluded that Asians were more susceptible to the plague. "It was a very crowded area," he said of San Francisco's Chinatown. "I don't think morbidity was any worse there than it was any other part of the city. But there was this sort of stereotype that played a large role in forming opinion." San Francisco was eventually forced to end its mandatory quarantine of Chinatown after a court agreed that authorities needed to prove that Chinese Americans were more likely to get infected. While no US officials are suggesting that Chinese Americans are spreading the coronavirus, Asian Americans have repeatedly borne the brunt of wider international tensions. Most notoriously, the United States detained 120,000 Japanese Americans in camps during World War II as it questioned their loyalty. Wu said that Asian Americans still struggle in not being identified as foreigners. "You can be an assimilated, English-speaking Christian who has never been to China and has high sanitary standards. People still somehow associate you with dirtiness and disease." People wear surgical masks as they walk in San Francisco's Chinatown in February 2020 amid the coronavirus outbreak Michael Lin, chair of a coalition seeking a statement of regret over the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, speaks at a 2011 news conference in Washington in front of a reproduction of a 19th-century sign that aimed at rousing up sentiment against Chinese Americans US President Donald Trump addresses reporters at the White House on the coronavirus People walk past a Chinese restaurant after a snowstorm January 2016 in Washington People walk through New York's Chinatown in Feburary 2020 as the coronavirus epidemic hits
Medical workers in coveralls wheel a patient under intensive care into the newly built Columbus Covid 2 temporary hospital to fight the CCP virus, at the Gemelli hospital in Rome on March 16, 2020. (Andreas Solaro /AFP via Getty Images)

One Belt, One Road One Virus

Commentary

As the entire world has struggled to cope with the fallout from the CCP virus, all eyes have remained fixed on Italy, where the virus is reaping its most awful toll. Deaths in Italy from the virus have now surpassed the official count claimed by the communist officials of China.

As of March 23, China has acknowledged a total of 3,270 deaths from the disease, while Italys toll has far surpassed that at 5,476 and is climbing rapidly.

Another of the hardest-hit countries is Iran, which claims 1,812 dead, although as with China, theres good reason to believe the Iranian regime is hiding the true numbers. Spain and France have also been deeply affected, with 2,206 and 674 deaths, respectively.

When you consider that the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) and Irans numbers are likely far higher than what has been reported because those regimes cant be trusted to accurately self-report, the true impact of this disaster on Italy is even more apparent. Italys numbers can be trusted, as can Spain and Frances, and so the disparity is stark, ranging from 5,476 to 2,206 to 674.

So the question immediately arises: Why does Italy, a free, democratic country, have such a high death toll?

Why Italy Indeed

There has been much recent speculation and commentary about this development, mostly centering around Italys aging population or the quality of available health care.

In fact, the chief reason that Italy now finds itself at the center of the worst of this current pandemic isnt due to a larger elderly population or substandard medical care. It can be summed up in one word: globalism.

Italys political elite class made two key mistakes.

The first mistake was to allow a huge migration of ethnic Chinese into the country. There are now an estimated 320,000 Chinese living in Italy, many of them in the northern part of the country where the virus has been especially bad. (The actual number could be far higher since there is a booming illegal human-smuggling trade.)

The second mistake was to enter into an economic agreement with the CCP called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road). The Party is using this economic policy in countries such as Italy to position itself for world dominance, and specifically as a competitor to the United States.

As the Council on Foreign Relations explained in an article published in January, titled Chinas Massive Belt and Road Initiative:

Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever conceived. Launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, the vast collection of development and investment initiatives would stretch from East Asia to Europe, significantly expanding Chinas economic and political influence.

Opening the Door to a Pandemic

Tracy Beanz of the investigative news website UncoverDC.com published an amazing report on March 20, titled Why Italy? that took an in-depth look at why it so quickly became the worlds most vulnerable country to the CCP virus and its devastating effects.

In her report, Beanz cites several news articles from years ago where this decades-long mass migration from China to Italy was examined in a mostly positive light, such as this article, which appeared in September 2010 in The New York Times, titled Chinese Remake the Made In Italy Fashion Label.

It was exactly one year ago that the BRI economic agreement between the CCP and the Italian government was finalized.

Now, it appears a far more accurate title for this policy would be One Belt, One Road One Virus.

The biggest overall result of this worldwide pandemic launched from inside China is that it is causing many of the worlds political leaders to reassess their relationship, both economic and diplomatic, with the CCP.

A World Awakens to the Globalist CCP Threat

The pandemic has awakened many to the direct and very real danger of being dependent on the regime in Beijing, under the CCPs iron-fisted control, for vital products and services such as medical supplies, lifesaving drugs, and key electronics.

Globalism was sold by our political elite class as a wonderfully positive concept over the past several decades, since it was framed as the inevitable wave of the future. However, there are also very real dangers and pitfalls that come with outsourcing your countrys vital medical and national security infrastructure to what may very well be a hostile foreign power.

Before the outbreak of this pandemic, the CCP had certainly engaged in enough blatantly bad behavior in recent years to lead any responsible political leader to seriously question any policy of outsourcing vital infrastructure to China.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and several other legislators have been tirelessly working to point out the very real threat of the CCPs rampant spying and tech theft, and also how outsourcing 5G technology to Huawei was a direct compromise of the United States national security.

In just the past year, with its crude handling of the Hong Kong protests, followed by the NBAs blatant self-censoring, along with the revelation of massive concentration camps created for Uyghurs, there were already plenty of reasons for President Donald Trumps administration to begin looking for ways to decouple from the United States economic and infrastructure dependence on China.

Even some top Democrats who were at the forefront of the globalist agenda in the Bush and Obama years have come around to the wisdom of steering clear of the CCP when it comes to vital US infrastructure.

Stark Truth Emerges: CCP Is a Hostile Foreign Power

Had Chinas present totalitarian government been honest with the rest of the world from November 2019 through January, the virus could have been contained within China.

Instead, even into mid-January, the CCP was lying to the World Health Organization, which was passing fake information to Trump. That was while the Chinese authorities were desperately trying to suppress the truth, arresting and imprisoning doctors and whistleblowers who were revealing the reality of the situation.

The CCP government has followed this duplicity with engaging in an infuriating disinformation campaign about the viruss origins in China, followed by a threat to withhold Chinese-manufactured medical drugs from the United States during this present crisis.

These arent the actions of a friendly government. They certainly arent the actions of a trusted business partner.

The CCP is a hostile foreign power, and it is far past time that many governments around the world began treating it that way.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
We have two new confirmed

cases in our area - it's the first in Danville and the first for Bedford. There are now seven confirmed cases in our region, and health officials are racing to stop the spread.

The number of coronavirus cases keeps rising by the day and as of Sunday, we have 67 new cases in Virginia.

You could hear only the wind and birds chirping in downtown Roanoke Sunday. It's pretty unusual for a warm March day. But the empty streets show people are listening to orders from the government and the

to keep at a distance of six feet from others.

We know social distancing helps slow the spread of the coronavirus across the globe and in our region. The Virginia Department of Health confirmed Sunday there is a new case in Bedford County. The Pittsylvania-Danville Health District also announced its first case of COVID-19. The patient is a man in his 40s from Danville, who was exposed to a coronavirus case somewhere else in Virginia.

Danville's mayor, Alonzo Jones, said he was saddened but not surprised when he heard the news. He issued the following statement, "We knew it was just a matter of time before there would be a confirmed case in our area. This brings home the importance of practicing social distancing, frequent hand washing and disinfecting high traffic areas."

The other five cases are in Amerhest County, Lexington, Franklin County, Botetourt County and Mecklenburg County.

VDH is working day and night to identify other COVID-19 cases.

Molly O'Dell, director of Communicable Disease Response for Roanoke/Alleghany Health District with the Virginia Department of Health, says a patient who is diagnosed, known as the index case, will be kept at home for 14 days and if it's more serious, the person will be hospitalized.

"So then we find all the contacts of the index case, and if it's a significant risk, we will have them isolate, self-isolate themselves for 14 days," O'Dell said.

If a contact becomes symptomatic, VDH then tests them. O'Dell says while the hospitals help treat patients, VDH is here to help track the disease, contain it and slow it down.

Governor Northam told people in Sunday's press conference that slowing this disease down is going to be no easy or quick task.

"Part of our message, as we speak to Virginians, is that this is not a matter of weeks, this is a matter of months," Northam said.
A couple from Cork have again appealed for help from the government to have them and about 38 other Irish people brought back to Ireland from Peru.

They are among about 40 Irish tourists trapped there under martial law as the country deals with the worsening COVID-19 crisis.

And they have just been informed less than 24 hours to get out of the country.

If they dont - they face arrest if caught outside their hotel, food rationing and growing hostility from local people.

Andrew Cotter, from Mitchelstown, and his girlfriend Marie Barry, from Conna, were given just a few hours notice that tourists had to

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And they have been trying ever since to get a flight out of the country, which is now under a military-imposed lockdown expected to last until at least March 31.

The couple are in a hotel in Cusco, some 20 hours by land from the countrys capital city, Lima.

They have called on the Irish governments to get them out.

However, the only flight available to them at the moment is going to cost between $3,500 and $7,500 - money Mr Cotter and his girlfriend do not have.

He told the Irish Examiner: As the situation here in Peru is deteriorating by the day, we ask that the government please do your utmost to repatriate Irish Citizens.

Just as the French/German/Israel/Mexico governments have done in the last few days.

The Peruvian government has today stated all repatriation flights will be stopped from March 22.

Other countries have been able to solve this within the last six days, can you tell me why the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs cannot?

Can we ask other countries for help if we can't manage it ourselves?

With over 600 people dead today from the virus we need your help to get home.

And he added: We have today been told that food rationing has to be increased as food availability is reducing.

Medics arriving to test an Italian tourist at the hostel for Covid-19

The portions are meager at best.

We go out to the supermarket singly and try to get some non-perishable food to supplement this although we do so only every few days.

We are not to gather in groups within the hostel in case the police raid and shut down the place, which has happened to neighboring hostels.

Staff in the hostel as great and doing their best to look after us.

I won't say I fear for our safety but the uncertainty is worrying.

Some people do not have the money to be able to hold out for more than a few weeks not to mind the excessive cost of potential flights back to UK.

There is an air of hostility against foreigners, examples being not allowed into supermarkets by police, locals shouting and offering rude gestures.

A spokesperson for Perus president announced today: Tomorrow is the last day that facilities are being given to foreigners to leave and to compatriots to return.

The president has ordered that as of Sunday all airports and all borders are closed completely to take a much stricter measure.

It had been relaxed due to the problems our compatriots had abroad and the main compatriots who had problems in other countries are being repatriated.

As of Sunday, all airports are closed and immobilization measures at the national level are extreme.

Earlier this week, Andrew told the Irish Examiner he had been in contact with the Irish embassy in Chile and the consulate in Bolivia.

Andrew Cotter

He was offered a potential flight back to London this weekend at a cost between $3,500 and $7,500 dollars.

But, he said, most people will not be able to afford that flight if it goes ahead.

They are two of four Irish staying at the Milhouse Hostel in the southeastern city of Cusco, where most of the Irish are staying.

The couple was two and a half months into their eight-month South and Central America trip, which started on December 31 in Rio, Brazil.

While flights normally cost about 300, the Irish Embassy has told Mr Cotter the high price being asked for reflects the cost of bringing a sufficiently-large plane to Peru, a connecting smaller flight from Cusco, and what is involved in negotiating permissions from the authorities.

He said the email the couple received from the Irish Embassy also told them: Avianca can only commit to this charter once they know there is sufficient demand.

This is the only charter option we are aware of that is likely to be available direct to London at this point.

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Shiv Sena MPs in both houses will not be attending Parliament from Monday amidst coronavirus threat, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said.

"Keeping the Covid-19 situation in mind, all Shiv Sena MPs won't be attending Parliament from today (Monday). The decision has been taken by our Party Chief and honourable CM Uddhav Thackeray for helping the government to fight this pandemic," Raut who is a Rajya Sabha MP tweeted on Sunday.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday confirmed 396 positive cases of coronavirus in the country including foreign nationals.

"A total number of #Coronavirus positive cases has spiked to 396 in India (including foreign nationals)," said an official from the ICMR.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 7 deaths due to coronavirus have been reported.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases followed by Kerala.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli hospitals and universities, including Tel Aviv University, have joined forces to build an enormous student volunteer base to expand and improve the detection of people infected with novel coronavirus all over Israel. In addition, TAU, together with the Weizmann Institute of Science and other institutes in Israel, has recruited over 600 doctoral students to volunteer their time and assist overburdened hospitals process coronavirus tests in laboratories.

The medical student initiative was launched by researchers and doctors at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Hadassah Medical Center and Shamir Medical Center, together with the co-chairs of the Medical Students Association, which represents medical students at Israel's five universities.

The volunteer base is geared at scaling up Israel's capacity to conduct tests and produce critical coronavirus infection results more quickly. Accordingly, over 1,000 medical student volunteers from all over the country are helping Magen David Adom, Israel's National Pre-Hospital Medical and Blood Emergency Services Organization (MDA), collect test samples from people in communities across the country.

Dozens of volunteers have already joined MDA medics in collecting test samples this week, and some have even started to carry out the tests themselves." Prof. Carmit Levy of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine

This week, five doctoral students underwent coronavirus testing training, led by Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor of TAU's Sackler School of Medicine and the head of the Sheba Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory.

"It is inspiring to see students from all of the higher education institutions in the country enlisted bravely and resolutely to establish new laboratories and to assist existing laboratories in their efforts against the coronavirus," Prof. Levy adds.

The doctoral student volunteer mission was the brainchild of TAU, the Technion, Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University, Ariel University and many medical centers, including Sheba, Shamir, Hadassah, Soroka, Wolfson, and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Several HMOs are also taking part in this effort in full coordination with the Ministry of Health.

"The level of collaboration between faculty, physicians, health professionals and medical and graduate students at the universities, hospitals, HMOs, MDA, and Ministry of Health, is unprecedented in Israel," concludes Prof. Karen Avraham, Vice Dean of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. "This will set the stage for years to come for how much we can accomplish when working together so selflessly."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 17:53:22|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in battle against the common threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 180 countries and regions around the world.

The following are the latest updates on the contagious illness.

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WASHINGTON -- Italian general practitioners remember seeing strange pneumonia cases as early as November, which could mean the virus was circulating in parts of Italy before doctors became aware of China's COVID-19 outbreak, a U.S. radio outlet reported, citing a paper on Italy's coronavirus crisis.

The report published Thursday by U.S. media outlet National Public Radio (NPR) cited Giuseppe Remuzzi, co-author of a recent paper in The Lancet about Italy's epidemic.

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ADDIS ABABA -- Eritrea on Saturday confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in a 39-year-old Eritrean who was linked to travel to Norway.

"The Eritrean Ministry of Health announced on Saturday evening the first confirmed case of a coronavirus patient who arrived at Asmara International Airport from Norway with Fly Dubai on Saturday morning," the Eritrean Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel said in a statement.

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BUCHAREST -- The Romanian government late Saturday declared a curfew and required citizens to stay at home as much as possible during daytime in the latest move to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Interior Minister Marcel Vela said the curfew will be imposed between 22:00 and 06:00 beginning Sunday, with the exemptions for professional reasons, shopping of daily necessities, and necessary medical services.

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HAVANA -- A Cuban medical corps on Saturday arrived in the Jamaican capital Kingston to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Jamaican media reported.

Jamaica earlier this month declared the island a disaster area and requested Cuba to send medical professionals for help.

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NEW DELHI -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 315, said the official data issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Four deaths have been reported so far, and no casualty reported in the past few days.

"Total number of confirmed cases so far in the country as on March 21 at 10.45 p.m., including foreign nationals, is 315," said a statement put up on the ministry's website on Sunday.

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BANJUL -- The Gambia's government announced on Saturday night it will close borders with Senegal and suspend all flights from Monday in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"President Adama Barrow has approved the closure of the border between the Republic of The Gambia and the Republic of Senegal, effective midnight, on Monday," said a statement from the presidency.

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WUHAN -- No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported Saturday in Wuhan, marking the fourth day in a row of zero report at the epicenter of the epidemic in a months-long battle with the deadly virus.

The health commission of Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, said Sunday the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan and Hubei remained at 50,005 and 67,800 by Saturday.

Hubei saw five new deaths, four of which were in Wuhan, bringing the total number of deaths in the province to 3,144.

----

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 66.

The newly reported cases are in both North Island and South Island regions of Auckland, Northland, Canterbury, New Plymouth, Waikato, Tauranga, Coromandel, and Dunedin, the Ministry of Health confirmed.

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BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland reported 45 newly imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Saturday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 314, according to the National Health Commission.

Of the 45 newly imported cases, 14 were reported in Shanghai, 13 in Beijing, seven in Guandong, four in Fujian, two in Jiangsu, one in Hebei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong and Sichuan respectively, according to the commission.

The commission said it received reports of 46 newly confirmed cases on the mainland Saturday, including one domestic infection transmitted by imported cases in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.
The country's leading automakers, including Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), Mahindra & Mahindra and Honda Cars, on Sunday announced suspension of manufacturing activities across plants in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The country's largest car maker MSI halted production at its Gurgaon and Manesar plants with immediate effect, while Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) decided to suspend manufacturing at its two plants in the country till March 31. Similarly, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) announced to suspend production at its manufacturing plants in Maharashtra.

Automaker Fiat also put brakes on production in the country till the end of this month. In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) suspended production across their manufacturing plants. MSI in a statement said, "The company will shut production and office operations at its facilities in Gurugram and Manesar (Haryana) with immediate effect till further notice."

The company's research and development centre at Rohtak will also remain closed, it added. The duration of this shutdown will depend upon government policy, MSI said. The company's two plants in Haryana Manesar and Gurgaon churn out 15.5 lakh vehicles per annum. MSI said it has been taking all recommended precautions against the spread of coronavirus, including sanitisation and hygiene measures.

READ: UNMISSABLE: Arnab Completes Adnan Sami's 'Lift Kara De' With Custom Janta Curfew Lyrics

"As a next step, the government policy now requires closure of production and, accordingly, the company has taken a decision on production closure," it said. HCIL said production operations at both its manufacturing plants in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Tapukara (Rajasthan) will be temporarily suspended from March 23 till March 31.

The company said its intention is to restart production on April 1, however, this will be dependent upon advice from the government, health authorities, and market and supply conditions. M&M said it has suspended manufacturing operations at its Nagpur plant with immediate effect and will also halt production at Chakan (Pune) and Kandivali (Mumbai) from Monday.

None of the company plants is working on Sunday as well, M&M added. "We are carefully monitoring the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to take swift and appropriate action on other plants in Maharashtra and across the nation," the company said. Meanwhile, all company offices across the country have already implemented work from home, it added.

Similarly, automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) together with Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL), FCA's joint venture manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, said the temporary suspension is in response to the increasing prevalence of positive COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and particularly in Pune. "There will be no retrenchment of any plant employees as a result of the plant closure and all will continue to receive their salaries during this closure period, the company said. MG Motor India said production at its Halol (Gujarat) plant is closed till March 25.

Market leader Hero MotoCorp said it has suspended production until March 31. "With the safety and well-being of its employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, the company has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020," Hero MotoCorp said.

Employees at all the other functions and locations, including the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) at Jaipur, will continue to work from home, except for those whose physical presence is necessary to run the day-to-day essential services, it added. Similarly, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) said it has suspended operations across its four manufacturing plants in the country with immediate effect.

"The well-being of employees and all stakeholders being the top priority, the company has temporarily announced shutdown of operations across all its four manufacturing plants with immediate effect till further notice," HMSI said in a statement. The duration of this shutdown will depend upon the government policy, it added.
Deputy Governor of Tehran Province has announced that all commercial establishments must stay closed from Sunday, March 22, except for chain supermarkets and pharmacies.

Meanwhile, a health official in Tehran said there has been a five percent spike in visits of people infected with coronavirus to hospitals in Irans capital.

Hamidreza Goudarzi, deputy governor was quoted by IRNA as saying, the order to keep businesses closed has been issued to all officials who have a duty to enforce the decision.

Irans central government has resisted closing businesses and offices to stem the tide of the deadly virus. President Hassan Rouhani on March 21 alleged that anti-revolutionaries wanted to bring Irans economy to a standstill.

Critics say that an early decision to quarantine the hotspots of the epidemic and restrict travel between provinces would have made a big difference in the severity of the epidemic.

The government, while not placing restrictions is blaming citizens for not following guidelines and warnings to stay home.

Alireza Zali, the head of the Corona Task Force while announcing a five percent increase in hospital visits by people infected with the virus, also said there has been a 12 percent jump in critical cases among patients. Zali also complained that Tehran residents have not taken coronavirus seriously and think it is just another kind of common cold.

While inter-city trips on the Iranian New Year on March 20 decreased compared with last year, still millions of people travelled to other provinces for their two-week new year break.

In some regions local officials and residents have been turning away cars arriving from other parts of the country.

The health ministry put the official number of deaths from the epidemic at 1,556 as of Saturday and infections at 20,610, but according to Radio Fardas independent estimate at least 2,216 have died and around 47,000 have contracted the virus.
- The landlord identified as Michael Munene left the tenants smiling after telling them he was well aware of the tough economic situations in Kenya which have been worsened by coronavirus

- The kind-hearted man said he was touched by the plight of his tenants who may experience challenges in raising rent

- He said he may consider extending non payment to the third month if the situation does not improve

- In February, a God-sent Kiambu landlord reduced rent at his Deluxe Apartments in Ruaka from KSh 30,000 to KSh 25,000 for 12 months

It will be a huge sigh of relief for some tenants in Nyandarua county after their landlord asked them not to pay rent for the next two months due to the coronavirus crisis that has threatened to halt operations in the country.

The landlord identified as Michael Munene left the tenants smiling after telling them he was well aware of the tough economic situations in Kenya which have been worsened by the pandemic.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan orders Eastleigh imams to stop communal worship in mosques

Michael Munene has left his tenants smiling. Photo: Macharia Wangui.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: UK High Commissioner pleads with Britain to buy Kenyans flowers as they are rotting without ready market

Speaking to Citizen TV in the evening of Saturday, March 21, Munene said he was touched by the plight of his customers who may experience challenges in raising rent.

"I have stayed with these people for quite some time and I have always had an agreement with them to pay their rent before the tenth of every month but most of them have challenges.

The notice asking tenants not to pay rent for two months being placed at a strategic location. Photo: Macharia Wangui.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Wafanyibiashara Eastleigh wakadiria hasara baada ya moto kuteketeza maduka yao

"When this pandemic (coronavirus) came to Kenya, life became unbearable and some of them could not afford to raise the rent early enough resorting to borrowing, that's why I have decided to not to charge them for the next two months," he said.

Soon after he made the announcement some of his tenants rejoiced thanking him for the good gesture.

A close-up photo of the notice. Photo: Macharia Wangui.

Source: Facebook

"He is Dr Michael Munene a dentist who works with North Kinangop Catholic Hospital. He has a heart of gold, He has warmed my heart. He has said if situation worsens he will add them more free months until the situation is contained. It's no longer about material gain, but service to humanity. God bless you for all this," Macharia Wangui said.

Some of his tenants were paying KSh 3,000 monthly while others paid KSh 5,000.

In February, TUKO.coke, reported a similar story when a God-sent Kiambu landlord reduced rent by KSh 5,000.

In the review, Bekam Properties gave its customers residing at Deluxe Apartments, relief by lowering the rent from KSh 35,000 to KSh 30,000 for a period of 12 months.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

How street families in Kenya are dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The latest suspensions by Emirates Airlines take the carrier's total closed routes to 111

Dubai: Dubai carrier Emirates airlines announced saturday it would suspend flights to dozens more cities, taking its total route closures past 100, in a bid to forestall the spread of coronavirus.

The United Arab Emirates on friday announced its first two deaths from the disease. Total recorded infections in the UAE stood at 153, of which 38 have recovered.

The latest suspensions by Emirates airlines take the carrier's total closed routes to 111.

The airline normally serves 159 destinations.

"In response to the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak around the world, Emirates is taking extra steps that go above and beyond industry and regulatory requirements to ensure our customers' health and comfort," the company said in a statement.

Emirates said flights to some destinations would be suspended for up to three months while others, including to Paris, Frankfurt and Islamabad "until further notice".

Gulf countries have imposed various restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus, particularly in the air transport sector.

The UAE has stopped granting visas on arrival and forbidden foreigners who are legal residents but who are currently outside the country from returning.
Calumet College of St. Joseph has a strong history of educating teachers, business leaders, and criminal justice and public safety professionals, and I want our strengths in those areas, which are supported by strong liberal arts, to be a resource for our community. Over the next decade, I see an expanded role for CCSJ in the areas of health care and mental health. These are all areas that need to be strong to ensure quality of life in our cities.

Over the last three years, I have been a part of many conversations about exciting initiatives and future possibilities that will shape the Calumet Region, and I want to ensure that Calumet College of St. Joseph is also part of the momentum. I have been part of One Region initiatives, the Forums Ignite Indiana planning sessions, Calumet Collaborative efforts, various presentations by state and local leaders, and in many conversations with my colleagues in education.

With each, I feel a sense of extreme optimism in Northwest Indiana. The impact of improved public transportation and transit oriented development can be transformative for our cities. Creating walkable cities can be energizing for our communities and local businesses. Having colleges and communities working together, with an eye towards how we can be better together, will help ensure we are stronger together.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 20, 2020 - 23:44 | World, All, Coronavirus

Nepal said Friday it will suspend all international flights as a precautionary measure against the new coronavirus that has still left the Asian country largely untouched.

Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli said during a televised address to the nation late Friday that all international flights to and from Nepal will be suspended from Sunday to March 31.

Oli, who underwent a renal transplant earlier this month, also announced a halt of all nonessential public and private services from Sunday to April 3.

Long-distance bus services will also be suspended across the nation from Monday.

[Getty/Kyodo]

"The measures are subject to revision, with your cooperation, depending on how the pandemic progresses," Oli said, urging people to heed the World Health Organization's recommended measures on hygiene and social isolation.

He also encouraged service providers to switch to telework and urged people to stay home.

On Wednesday, Nepal completely banned the entry of people from Japan as well as some other Asian countries, Europe and all Gulf nations.

Friday's announcement expands the ban to all nations and nationalities, including Nepali citizens living abroad.

Nepal has confirmed only one coronavirus case so far. The infected man later recovered and was discharged from quarantine.

The increasingly strict measures will likely hit tourism in the peak season from March through May.

(File photo of Mt. Everest taken on March 2015)

During this season each year, hundreds of mountaineers flock to Nepal's mountains including Mt. Everest. Nepal makes up to $4 million annually from royalty fees for Mt. Everest alone.

Nepal has already called off the spring climbing season on all mountains, including Mt. Everest, fearing spread of the virus.

"There's no business. I pay 1.3 million rupees per month to banks. If there is no business for months, I don't know how I will manage," said Buddhi Basnet, who runs budget hotels in the tourist district of Thamel in capital Kathmandu.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 15:37:14|Editor: huaxia

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A water diversion project has transformed an "uninhabitable" land in Dingxi, northwest China. It helps lift villagers out of poverty as they are able to use clean water to irrigate dry farmlands and develop new industries. Dingxi, located in the gully area of the Loess Plateau of Gansu Province, is one of the driest and least developed areas of western China. A water diversion project, put into operation in 2014, has dramatically eased water shortage. By diverting water from the Taohe River, a major tributary of the Yellow River, locals are able to use clean tap water and irrigate their dry farmlands.
Deaths from the coronavirus COVID-19 have continued to grow exponentially in Italy nearly two weeks after a nation-wide lockdown. This holds a lesson for Australia. Because the symptoms of COVID-19 develop slowly, the number of people who feel ill and test positive indicates the number of new infections that happened in the prior week or two. If we could prevent all new infections starting now, the number of detected cases would still grow exponentially for a week or two. This time delay between our actions and their effect is even worse for deaths from COVID-19, which occur about a month after infection. Compound interest is murderous in the hands of this virus. With cases in Australia growing 20 per cent daily, the number of deaths could increase a hundred times or more after we take actions to stop new infections, just as it has in Italy.

Australias window of opportunity to avoid catastrophe is closing soon. To protect your local hospital from being overwhelmed, the latest time for actions may be around the first time that a patient with COVID-19 needs its intensive care unit. Reducing transmission at that time may limit subsequent cases to only a few hundred more ICU admissions. If lifestyle changes to prevent transmission are delayed until hospitals are straining, the number of critically ill people will keep growing for weeks after hospital capacity has been exceeded. When there arent enough ventilators for everyone who needs one, the fatality rate of COVID-19 skyrockets; in Italy, it has reached eight per cent. Australians are beginning to take actions to protect themselves and their families. These actions cannot come soon enough, but could easily come too late. - Professor Adam C Palmer, University of North Carolina

As an immunologist with a history in the development of diagnostic kits, I ask your expert readership to explain why the testing for the current coronavirus is now done taking the difficult route first. By that I mean searching for the virus through a complex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in individual tests. Of course, it is the golden standard for detecting the virus, but it is a slow, expensive test that needs highly qualified personnel, exclusive reagents and dedicated equipment. Why not use simple tests like the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which detects antibodies to the virus, for an initial screening? This is done with many virus infections, like AIDS. They detect the HIV antibodies first, then confirm the presence of the virus by PCR. The antibody test is inexpensive and can be done in hundreds or thousands at a time. Its a screening test that can indicate exposure to the virus, not necessarily a current infection. Some will be totally negative; some will be positive but healthy because the immune response has completely got rid of the virus; there will be some with the virus still present in their bodies. Only the third group needs attention. - Dr Alex Pucci, Mosman

In the Netherlands, all elective surgery has been cancelled, and they plan to use operating theatres for patients requiring ventilators (equipment that would otherwise be used during anaesthetics for elective surgery). This is bound to happen here. NSW will be first. In this situation, patients presenting to public hospitals requiring urgent surgery may face a situation where there are very limited or no resources available. Less than a week ago, the Victorian and NSW governments announced they had money to "ramp-up" elective surgery. This money should be used to negotiate an agreement with private hospitals, so that life-saving surgery can be performed there. The infrastructure is already in place, and this could be achieved overnight. - Drs Bernie and Victor Bourke, Central Coast

Greatest fear is not death but medical desertion
The number of cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) confirmed in Morocco exceeded one hundred this Sunday after the Ministry of Health announced thirteen new cases between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

With the thirteen additional cases, the total number of COVID-19 infected patients in the country jumps to 109.

Since the start of the outbreak, Moroccan laboratories have performed 498 medical tests for suspected COVID-19 cases that came out negative.

The epidemic has so far claimed the lives of three people: An 89-year-old woman, a 75-year-old man, and a 39-year-old man. Three people recovered from the virus in Morocco, including two Moroccans, and a Senegalese-French woman who had arrived in Fez, coming from France.

On March 18, Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb reported the appearance of local clusters of infection and the following day, Morocco declared a state of health emergency to keep the epidemic under control.

Under the state of emergency, entered into force Friday March 20 at 6 p.m., citizens are called to stay home and to limit their movement and travel to health and professional reasons.

In this connection, Moroccos Ministry of the Interior announced Saturday the suspension of all intercity travels, by public and private transport means, the National Railways Office (ONCF) announced the same day that it will suspend all train connections with the exception of some proximity trains, while the national carrier suspended all its domestic flights.

The bans do not concern the transport of goods and basic products, which is carried out normally to meet the daily needs of citizens.

Morocco had earlier taken a set of other preventive measures to limit the propagation of the virus. After it suspended air and maritime connections and closed land borders, Morocco, as of Monday, March 16 at 6 p.m., ordered the closure of all public venues considered non-essential, such as cafes and restaurants, gyms, hammams (public baths), cinemas, mosques and other gathering spaces. It cancelled sporting events and all cultural, artistic, music and religious festivals.

Also beginning Monday, March 16, classes in all educational public and private institutions, from kindergartens to universities, have been cancelled until further notice. Lessons are provided online or via TV.
From Australia's Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia ramped up efforts this weekend to stem the coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control.

Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries while Malaysia deployed its army to enforce a lockdown as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 -- a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows.

Outside China -- where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people -- South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with over 8,500 cases.

South Korea has been hard hit by the virus /  AFP

While the number of infections in China has been falling for weeks, other countries are seeing the toll gather pace as the highly contagious virus takes hold.

Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections.

Three doctors treating virus patients in Indonesia died, taking the country's death toll to 48 with 514 confirmed infections.

Most cases are in the capital of Jakarta where businesses have been ordered to close for two weeks.

Sydney's Bondi Beach was closed after huge crowds flocked to the popular sunbathing spot despite a government ban on large gatherings /  AFP

After shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents, Australia has told citizens to cancel their domestic travel plans too as the number of cases topped 1,300.

Bondi Beach and several other popular swimming spots were shut to the public after crowds of sunbathers defied a ban on large outdoor gatherings.

Pubs, casinos, cinemas and places of worship will be shuttered for up to six months from Monday.

- India curfew -

Pakistan suspended international flights in a desperate bid to prevent the virus spreading in a country with more than 300 reported cases.

Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tests the country's ability to fight the pandemic /  AFP

Officials in Sindh -- the country's second-most populous province -- ordered a provincial lockdown effective midnight.

Pakistan has reported 5,650 suspected cases, 646 confirmed infections, and three deaths from the virus.

Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tests the country's ability to fight the pandemic that has killed over 13,000 worldwide.

Officials said everyone in New Delhi in the private sector would have to work from home this week unless they were involved in an essential service, and most public transport would be halted.

Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections /  AFP

Billionaire Anand Mahindra, whose Mahindra Group business empire spans everything from cars to real estate, said his manufacturing facilities would try to repurpose to make ventilators.

Vehicle manufacturers Tata, Maruti Suzuki, Fiat and Hero Motocorp all said they were suspending operations.

Testing has also been expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people amid concerns that the more than 320 reported cases vastly understate the true scale of the health crisis.

The World Health Organization has called for "aggressive" action in Southeast Asia amid fears a major outbreak of the virus could cause some decrepit health care systems in the region to collapse.

- Second wave -

In places where outbreaks appeared to have been brought under control, authorities are now dealing with a second wave of infections as people return from abroad.

Officials said everyone in New Delhi in the private sector would have to work from home this week /  AFP

Singapore is banning all short-term visitors to the densely populated city-state after a surge of imported cases took its total to 432 -- including its first two deaths on Saturday.

In Hong Kong, where the worst had appeared to be over, the number of cases has nearly doubled in the past week as more people fly back to the financial hub.

Infections in Malaysia hit 1,306 -- more than half linked to an international Islamic gathering held last month, with attendees later returning to Singapore and Indonesia with the virus.

Prison guards opened fire on inmates in Sri Lanka's north after they tried to break out in protest over a ban on family visits to prevent the spread of the virus.

Two convicts were killed and six others wounded.

Authorities also put restrictions on the sale of two malaria treatments in the country amid fears of a run on the drugs after US President Donald Trump tweeted they could be a game changer in the treatment of the Coronavirus.

Papua New Guinea, which has one confirmed infection, declared a 30-day state of emergency and halted domestic flights and public transport for two weeks.

Guam, which has 15 cases, confirmed a 68-year-old woman had died of COVID-19 -- the first virus-related death in the Pacific.

burs-amj/fox/kaf
The price of Carnival (NYSE:CCL) stock is down about 70% on the year so far. Quite a number of our readers may have taken cruises over the years and even own CCL stock. But now much of that might change.

CCL Stock: Carnival May Need More Time to Find A Bottom

Source: NAN728 / Shutterstock.com

After all, those numbers belong to a world before the coronavirus from China. Now investors are wondering whether they should be concerned about the future of travel and tourism shares, especially those of cruise stocks like CCL, which have plummeted in recent weeks.

Today Id like to discuss the prospects for the company in more detail, so that you can make a better informed decision about your portfolio holdings. However, I wouldnt necessarily rush to bet on a fast and full recovery soon.

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

Why CCL Stock Has Been Sinking

Headquartered in Miami, FL, and London, U.K., Carnivals stock is dually listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and London Stock Exchange (LSE).

The company owns the Princess Cruise brand, which in turn operates Grand Princess and Diamond Princess, the cruise ships that have recently been in the news, especially during the initial days of the global coronavirus outbreak.

Over the past few weeks, Carnival has released several trading updates. The press release of March 13 announced that the group was pausing operations immediately across its fleet of ships based in North America.

Earlier on Feb. 12, even before the novel coronavirus outbreak had not yet become a global pandemic, CCL management said as a result of Coronavirus, the company believes the impact on its global bookings and cancelled voyages will have a material impact on its financial results which was not anticipated in the companys previous 2020 earnings guidance. Since the situation continues to evolve, the company is currently unable to determine the full financial impact on its fiscal year 2020.

Story continues

Understandably these developments have been bad news, or even black swan events, not just for Carnival, but for other cruise companies, including Norwegian (NYSE:NCLH) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL).

As a result, shares of these companies have been tumbling while coronavirus fears continue to ripple through broader markets. In recent days, we have witnessed many countries close national borders and even limit the domestic movement of citizens.

In its 2019 annual report, management emphasized the importance of three angles for Carnivals 2020 earnings forecast. They include demand, supply and cost control. At this point, there is no demand or supply. Therefore, the pain may not yet be over for CCL stock and most of its peers.

Can Carnival Shares Recover Soon?

Until we have more clarity on the global fight against the virus, there will likely be more turbulence ahead for cruise and other travel companies, including Carnival.

Many travellers worldwide now have to back out of travel plans completely. It may take months before calm and normality returns to the cruise industry.

Buying when markets are in a free-fall takes courage. But if you liked a given stock several weeks ago for solid fundamental reasons, you would probably like it more when the price is lower.

Many analysts indeed believe the recent crash gives investors a buying opportunity as markets tend to bounce back, usually in matter of months. Nonetheless, prices may go even lower after you buy into the shares.

But we cant deny that at least for the rest of the year, the fundamentals of the cruise industry have changed. CCL and its peers are operating in a different world right now.

Finally, if you are an investor who also pays attention to technical charts, you may want to know that there will likely be more volatility ahead.

On March 16, CCL stock made a new 52-week low at $14.50. The last time we were at these levels was in late 2008. Carnival shares would need to stabilize and form a base before they can start to make a sustainable leg up.

That said, many governments are likely to introduce various stimulus packages to support industries or even offer direct help to specific companies. In such a case, Carnival stock may rally along with other travel shares.

Falling Prices, Higher Dividend Yields

A lower share price obviously boosts the prospective dividend yield, assuming the company does not cut the dividend.

And as long as companies do not reduce their dividends, this passive income keeps rolling in regardless of how the market behaves. CCL stocks current dividend yield stands at an eye-popping 11.2%.

Yet given the rather poor earnings results to be expected in 2020, Id urge potential investors to remember that the stocks dividend may indeed be cut.

The dividend payout ratio can show investors if a stock is paying out either less or more than the company earns. In other words, if a company earns $1 per share but pays a dividend of $1.30, management may have to decrease the dividend at some point in the near future. A payout ratio of over 100% means that a company is paying out more in dividends than it earns.

Carnival stocks payout ratio is 0.82, which makes the dividend sustainable as long as the company keeps the earnings around current levels. However, that is not likely to be possible. Im expecting dividend cuts from many travel companies in the coming months.

Investor Takeaway

If you are currently a shareholder in CCL stock, you may want to check its website for regular investor updates, especially on dividends as well as other metrics.

Ultimately, Carnival as well as other cruise and travel companies have suffered over the past few weeks for good reason. The novel coronavirus outbreak has put the industry in uncharted waters.

It may take months before so many of us are able to travel again for pleasure. Older generations form the core customer base for the cruise industry. Until nations have the all clear from health authorities, those clients are not likely to be sailing ship.

This year will not be an easy year for the industry. Yet Im hopeful that many of the companies that investors liked prior to the COVID-19 outbreak will likely be back in business fully in 2021.

Therefore, any decision regarding your portfolio holdings that may be fundamentally affected by the current market dynamics, especially on cruise and travel stocks like CCL. You should make decisions carefully within your own risk/return profile and your investment horizon. You may also want to talk to a financial advisor regarding your own circumstances.

Tezcan Gecgil has worked in investment management for over two decades in the U.S. and U.K. In addition to formal higher education in the field, she has also completed all 3 levels of the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) examination. Her passion is for options trading based on technical analysis of fundamentally strong companies. She especially enjoys setting up weekly covered calls for income generation. As of this writing, Tezcan Gecgil did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

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At Railway stations in Mumbai, officials checked ID cards of people, allowing only those part of government emergency services, medical professionals and people who wished to travel for urgent work, even as millions remained indoors to observe the 7 am- 9 pm 'Janta Curfew' called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to isolate the spread of coronavirus.

"In view of coronavirus, we are appealing all passengers of Mumbai local not to travel unnecessarily andstay at home if they do not have any urgent work. We have e decided to allow only passengers who are part of emergency services run by government, medical-related people and some people with very urgent work including medical treatment etc. They will be allowed after checking their ID cards and necessary papers," said Shivaji Daund, Divisional Commissioner, Konkan division.

"Regarding this, every station will have a team of police, GRP and medical experts to allow pass to travel in locals," Daund added.

The ID checking of passengers will go on till further orders.

Thin crowd was seen at the Dadar Railway Station here as security personnel were checking IDs of people.

"People are supporting the 'Janta Curfew' and we would like to thank them for doing so. We are checking IDs of people and allowing only those who work in the medical field," said Head Constable Vijay Pratap, Railway Protection Force, Dadar.

Mukesh, a BMC worker, said, "I want to thank the Prime Minister for the 'Janta Curfew'. At the Dadar station here, there is less crowd today. Officials here are checking ID cards of people."

The Indian Railways has cancelled all passenger trains originating between Saturday midnight to 10 pm today and all long-distance mail/express and Intercity trains (including premium trains) originating between 4 am and 10 pm today. The changes have been made as part of the regulation of train service during Janta Curfew in the wake of COVID-19.

"No passenger or express train will originate from any railway station on the country between Saturday/Sunday midnight to 10:00 pm on Sunday," said an order issued by Indian Railways.

There were no passengers at the Ranchi Railway Station in Jharkhand on Sunday morning as all passenger and intercity trains have been cancelled till 10 pm today.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation, had urged citizens to follow "Janta Curfew" from 7 am till 9 pm in an effort to take on the coronavirus outbreak.

The number of confirmed COVD-19 cases in India has soared to 324, including four deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 18

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

If necessary, a team of volunteers is ready to assist in the implementation of measures to combat coronavirus in Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Public Association of Volunteers Imameddin Guliyev told Trend on March 18.

Guliyev stressed that it is the duty of every citizen of the country including volunteers to be ready for this kind of responsible work in such a period, which is difficult for everyone.

In general, in the current situation due to coronavirus, everyone regardless of age must show solidarity and follow the preventive measures which are taken by Azerbaijan, the chairman added.

Guliyev stressed that presently, Azerbaijan is successfully implementing preventive measures against infection.

The chairman said that volunteers may contribute to the implementation of measures to combat coronavirus and support awareness campaign.

In this issue, the volunteers can mainly contribute to raising public awareness, the chairman said.

They may convey the messages on the importance of observing sanitary rules related to coronavirus through information which also can be shared via social networks, he noted.

Earlier, vice speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament Adil Aliyev suggested involving volunteers in the activities to combat coronavirus.

Aliyev said that given the fact that the president declared 2020 the "Year of Volunteers", it would be advisable to create a specialized volunteer team due to a difficult situation for the country.

These volunteers may also bring food and medicine to the elderly, Aliyev added.
The global aviation network system is turning into a frantic game of musical chairs.

Every player is orbiting over its landing site. The music stops, the there's a mad dash for somewhere to park.

At any given time -- pre-coronavirus era -- there were usually as many as 20,000 planes swirling around the planet at altitude. The system isn't designed for that amount of planes to be anywhere else apart from in the air -- the only place they generate revenue.

Parking at airports is also pricey. Major European hubs can charge in the region of $285 an hour.

Airlines hit the pause button

Earlier this month, the music stopped abruptly with population lockdowns dominoing across the world. The whine of airplane engines was rapidly muted into an eerie silence.

Some airlines are operating just a skeleton service, and the massive reduction of transatlantic flights in mid-March has kick-started a chain reaction of airplane groundings.

Delta Air Lines has instigated a 70% system-wide pullback, parking at least half of its fleet -- more than 600 aircraft. "We also will be accelerating retirements of older aircraft like our MD-88/90s and some of our 767s," the airline's chief, Ed Bastian, said in a memo to Delta employees.

Australia's Qantas is temporarily grounding 150 airplanes, a mix of A380s, 747s and B787-9s. The carrier says discussions are progressing with airports and the government about parking for these aircraft.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce noted that "efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus have led to a huge drop in travel demand, the likes of which we've never seen before."

In Germany, Lufthansa Group is reducing seating capacity on long-haul routes by up to 90%. And for its 29 March to 24 April timetable it announced that a total of 23,000 short, medium and long haul flights were being canceled.

Europe's low-cost carrier Ryanair expects to reduce seat capacity by up to 80% over April and May, and admitted in a company statement that "a full grounding of the fleet cannot be ruled out."

With so many major airlines reducing capacity, where will all those planes be stored?

At such a sensitive time, many storage facilities are being justifiably discreet. No one wants to be misconstrued as doing business at the expense of the airlines' misfortunes.

The logistical complexities of where to park thousands of airplanes is made even more complicated by the technicalities required when storing planes.

To ensure they are stored in a way that enables them to return to service in tip-top condition when flights eventually resume, a kind of aeronautical embalming process is required.

This involves draining various fluids, covering the engine intakes and exhaust areas, protecting external instruments like pitot tubes (used for monitoring the airplane's speed during flight), covering windows and tires -- along with other tasks specific to each plane.

Go West

Just north of the Catalina Foothills of Arizona lies Pinal County Airpark, originally set up as a facility in the 1940s for training military pilots. Today the airpark provides a range of storage and heavy maintenance services for wide-body commercial jets.

The airpark has 500 acres suitable for airplane storage, the cost of which depends on a matrix of factors -- how big the plane is, and then what additional "extras" the owner/operator wants.

"If the customer wants it kept airworthy and up-to-date with minimal time for reactivation, it runs higher than just storage because there are so many things that the aircraft specifically needs done," says Jim Petty, the economic development director for the airpark.

If the aircraft is parked and not managed, the costs are reduced. Generally the airport will lease land to storage companies that then provide the storage services to the ultimate customer.

Petty tells CNN Travel that average rates for monthly parking fees charged in the Southwest area are in a range that is segmented by aircraft weight categories. These span between $56.50 per month for 12,500 lbs -- 24,999 lbs, to $300 per month for between 100,000 lbs - 200,000 lbs.

These, he points out, are the rates charged by the airport for each aircraft and not necessarily the rates charged by the airport storage businesses which are higher, to account for added services.

Why is America's Southwest an attractive destination for airliner storage? One of the main advantages is the arid climate.

"That helps to retard corrosion," says Petty. "Another reason is the relative openness of the region. That's why other airports in the vicinity offer the same services."

Pinal County Airpark also has tenant businesses that provide one-stop shopping -- they can store aircraft and handle them from landing to departure back into service, and are able to manage and reactivate and perform any type of maintenance on the aircraft.

Borderline decision

Over the border in New Mexico, the Roswell International Air Center is in the process of adding 300 more acres of asphalt parking space to its existing 4,000-acre footprint -- enough space to accommodate up to 800 airliners.

"We're working with local companies here at the air center that currently have over 200 planes parked here to reposition and nest aircraft together to maximize available parking areas," says Mark Bleth, air center manager and deputy director at Roswell.

Storage prices are set by the City of Roswell's resolution 10-25, with three price ranges depending on size of aircraft. Planes up to 99,000 lbs are charged at $7/day; medium sized aircraft between 99,001 - 200,000 pounds, $10/day; and large airplanes over 200,000 lbs are $14/day.

"This is what we charge our tenants that are accepting these aircraft on behalf of an airline," Bleth tells CNN. "But what they're billing won't be the same because of added services they provide."

The pricing was set 10 years ago and was scheduled to be updated. However, Bleth emphasizes that, "We don't want to add any additional costs to the airlines, so we will hold our pricing until the [coronavirus] event is over."

Runway model

At Copenhagen Airport in Denmark they've come up with a different solution for generating new parking capacity.

Two of the airport's three runways have temporarily been decommissioned and are being used to accommodate airplanes, leaving runway 22L/04R active for all takeoffs and landings.

Dan Meincke, chief of traffic at Copenhagen Airport (CPH) tells CNN that with the current scheme they expect to be able to accommodate about 60 aircraft on the two deactivated runways, in addition to the 80 aircraft that are normally parked at the airport's regular aircraft parking stands.

"Our aircraft storage scheme is designed to allow airlines the greatest flexibility possible for retrieving a single aircraft when it's needed in operation or for maintenance," says Meincke. "This flexibility somewhat reduces the total capacity but if airlines request more parking spots, we can change the scheme dynamically."

Operating an airport with only one of the three runways serviceable has created somewhat of a challenge, with some extra planes also being parked on the taxiways. So there's a balance to be struck between parking and still maintaining flight operations.

"We don't consider the parked aircraft a problem right now," says Meincke. "In the current situation we will do everything possible to park as many aircraft as possible and we'll negotiate terms on a fluid basis with airlines, but at the moment both short and long-term aircraft parking is an option."

Currently CPH is running with approximately 58% less takeoffs and landings than usual (figures as of March 19). Yet, while the airport prioritizes resources to assist those airlines that are its regular customers, the airport says it's ready to discuss terms and try its utmost to assist any airline that has a need for aircraft storage in Copenhagen.

A global challenge

The world of aviation storage has to cope with grounded planes from all over the world -- the Asia-Pacific region included.

In Australia, former Deutsche Bank vice president and research analyst Tom Vincent set up a storage facility called Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage (APAS) over a decade ago at Alice Springs. It is in the process of expanding its capacity footprint from the present 30 planes to 70.

"The climatic conditions are ideal for aircraft asset value preservation, with extremely low humidity," Vincent tells CNN Travel. "Storage in high humidity environments such as Asia can have very adverse ramifications on the aircraft, particularly engine and airframe corrosion."

That could be of interest to airlines specifically located in and around the original epicenter of the coronavirus.

With airlines not knowing how long their planes might remain inactive, Vincent says that customers can choose from a range of storage programs, "ranging from relatively short-term parking 3 to 6 months, or longer-term programs."

Final call

The biggest unknown at the moment is how long it will be until travel restrictions are lifted and airlines can start flying again.

The massive hit to everyone's pocket could mean that consumer demand for flying could take a long time to regain momentum before returning to pre-Covid 19 traffic levels.
The government has initiated measures to ensure adequate domestic production of raw materials going into pharmaceutical drug manufacturing amid coronavirus outbreak. The decision will help Indian manufacturers reduce their over-dependence on China for key raw materials. Almost three-fourth of raw materials used by pharmaceutical manufacturers in India are currently imported from China.

The government has announced it will promote common infrastructure facilities in three 'Bulk Drug Parks' with the financial investment of Rs 3,000 crore in the next five years. Further, it will create a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs), drug intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the country with financial implications of Rs 6,940 crore for the next eight years.

India contributes 20% to the global generics market. Every third tablet sold in the US is from India.

Welcoming the move, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), a group of 24 domestic companies that account for over 80 per cent of pharmaceutical drug production in India, said this was a major step in the creation of a self-sufficient healthcare ecosystem in the country. "We believe the government's policy announcement today will give the sector a huge boost," Satish Reddy, IPA President and Chairman, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, said.

"India has the capability and competence to manufacture all APIs. The announcement by the Government will help revive the API industry in the country and will help the sector regain the dominance that was lost over the years. The investment in creating bulk drug parks is an important step in the right direction for the development of the industry," Reddy added.

"China has gained importance in fermentation-based APIs namely, antibiotics and vitamins. The government policy to encourage fermentation-based industry will help build self-reliance", said Pankaj Patel, Chairman, Zydus Cadila.

Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director, Sun Pharma said, "The new policy is a bold announcement by the government and will give the necessary fillip to the API industry in India. I would like to congratulate the government as this will safeguard healthcare security and create ecosystem for strong Indian API industry."

Other incentives for the healthcare sector include a Rs 3,400 crore revamp of primary health centres and Rs 400 crore for development of medical equipment parks in states.

Also Read: Coronavirus: Lockdown in 75 districts; trains, metros, interstate-state bus services shut till March 31

Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Railways cancels all passenger trains till March 31

Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Hero MotoCorp, Fiat, Tata Motors suspend production; others likely to follow suit
A general view of Bondi Beach is seen in Sydney, Australia on March 20, 2020. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

Coronavirus Infects Bondi Backpackers

Backpackers living near Sydneys famous Bondi Beach are among the 97 new coronavirus cases confirmed in Australias most populous state of New South Wales.

Coronavirus has infected several backpackers near Sydneys famous Bondi Beach, which has been shut down after hundreds ignored urgent public health warnings.

NSW Health on Sunday confirmed 97 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the states tally to 533.

Of those 533 cases, 46 have been contracted locally without an identified source of infection.

Several new diagnoses of COVID-19 have been made in backpackers in the Bondi area, NSW Health said on Sunday in a statement.

There were two recent parties that some of the cases attended where the cases may have acquired their infections.

Those two parties were the Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List on March 15 and a party at Club 77 on the same date.

A childcare worker from the Smeaton Grange Young Academics Centre has also been infected with COVID-19.

Any children or staff who went to the centre between March 2 and March 16 are being told to self isolate.

All beaches in Sydneys eastern suburbs have been closed on Sunday, including Bondi, Tamarama, Maroubra, and Coogee.

People are seen walking towards tape cordoning off Maroubra Beach as all of Sydneys eastern suburbs beaches are closed in Sydney, Australia, on March 22, 2020. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said about 450 people who showed up at Bondi Beach on Sunday morning were told to leave.

We are not doing this because we are the fun police. We dont close these public spaces because we want to punish people, he told Channel 7s Weekend Sunrise.

Some people are just stupid and want to take the risk. Some people think they are above the law.

The beaches are closed after images of people cramming on to Bondi Beach were widely condemned amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said authorities may need to crack down even harder if people continue to ignore public health warnings.

What happened at Bondi Beach yesterday was not OK and served as a message to federal and state leaders that too many Australians are not taking these issues seriously enough, he told reporters on Sunday.

State premiers and chief ministers may have to take far more draconian measures to enforce social distancing.

The more Australians themselves assist us in this fight against the virus to protect lives and livelihoods, the more and better able we are to ensure that Australia comes out stronger on the other side.

Under regulations introduced to control the spread of the deadly virus, outdoor gatherings of 500 people or more have been banned.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard urged young people to take the COVID-19 threat seriously, saying the problem is just over the horizon, on the basis of the numbers that were now seeing.

Its a serious matter. Save yourself and save your family, Hazzard told reporters on Saturday.

By Steven Trask and Jodie Stephens
Singapore Reports First Coronavirus Fatalities

By VOA News March 21, 2020

Singapore has reported its first coronavirus-related fatalities, a 75-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man.

Singapore's health minister, Gan Kim Yong, made the announcement at a news briefing Saturday.

"While we all know that there will be fatalities in COVID-19 patients, we are deeply saddened by their passing. I know Singaporeans will worried and anxious. We must take courage, and not give into our fears," Gan said.

Both patients had prior health conditions.

"The first patient has an underlying history of heart diseases, as well as hypertension. She developed serious complications and eventually succumbed to the disease after 26 days in the ICU. The second patient was admitted to ICU in critical condition after arriving from Indonesia. He had underlying history of heart disease, and also eventually succumbed to his disease after nine days in the ICU," Gan said.

Singapore has confirmed 385 cases of the infection, and the two deaths reported Saturday were the first in the country since the COVID-19 outbreak began in the city-state in late January.

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Nearly a quarter of people in the United States have been ordered to stay at home to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, while regulators approved a diagnostic test that has a detection time of 45 minutes.

As legislators neared a deal that could inject a record sum into the economy to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus, New Jersey followed four other states in imposing unprecedented restrictions amid efforts to curb the transmission of infections, which have risen exponentially.

New Jerseys directive required residents to remain indoors except for trips to grocery stores, pharmacies, petrol stations and other essential businesses.

We can no longer maintain a sense of business as usual during this emergency, said Governor Phil Murphy, adding that it is no time to panic but a time to be smart, proactive, transparent, aggressive.

Stay-at-home orders now apply to 84 million people in five states  California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey  that account for a third of the worlds largest economy.

The state directives were for the most part issued without strict enforcement mechanisms to back them up.

Other states encouraged residents to reduce activity but did not put restrictions in place. Missouri went in a different direction, allowing childcare providers to take on more children.

At least 23,941 cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in the US and 306 people have died from the COVID-19 disease it causes as of Saturday evening, according to a tally of state and local government websites.

Test results in 45 minutes

As hospitals braced for an influx of patients, Anthony Fauci, the US governments top infectious disease expert, urged people to postpone non-essential surgeries to keep beds available.

The Trump administration has struggled to line up tests to diagnose the disease, masks to slow its transmission and medical equipment to treat those who have contracted it.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a test that can deliver a result in 45 minutes, rather than days, Cepheid, its maker, said on Saturday. The California-based company said units would be ready to be shipped next week.

Fast testing is seen as a key part of efforts to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.

The move would be part of a wider effort by federal and state governments and the private sector to rapidly ramp up testing capacities. Other companies say they plan to roll out millions more test units.

The FDAs emergency authorisation for the device came amid a severe shortage of test kits in the US. Governors and health care workers in many states are saying they cannot do enough tests.

Point-of-care testing means that results are delivered to patients in the patient care settings, like hospitals, urgent care centres and emergency rooms, instead of samples being sent to a laboratory, said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.

Limited help

At the White House, officials said they were delivering more tests and equipment where they were needed, but declined to say whether they had met benchmarks they had laid out earlier in the week.

State and local officials say they are scrambling for supplies.

Weve gotten no help from the federal government, or limited help, Illinois Governor Jay Robert Pritzker said at a news briefing.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state had identified 6,000 ventilators to help sick patients keep breathing, but needed 30,000 more. He said the state is sending one million N95 respirator masks to New York City  short of the three million city officials are seeking.

We are literally scouring the globe for medical supplies, Cuomo said.

In Washington, DC, Republican and Democratic leaders appeared to be approaching a deal to pump more than $1 trillion into the economy, adding to the hundreds of billions of dollars in fiscal and monetary stimulus that have already been deployed to prop up the worlds largest economy.

I think were clearly going to get there, said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who scheduled a vote for Monday.

Hard-hit airlines are pressing for $29bn in cash, promising in return not to furlough employees before September. But legislators said they were inclined to offer loans instead.

Two members of the US House of Representatives have tested positive, and US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative after an unidentified aide was diagnosed with the virus.

Pence staffers said the aide had mild symptoms and had not had close contact with Pence or President Donald Trump.

Trump tested negative for the virus last week, according to his doctor.
They refuse help from local diaspora to find alternative accommodation

London: A group of Indian students have sought refuge within the premises of the Indian High Commission in London overnight demanding to be put on a flight to India despite the travel restrictions in place in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The group of 19 students, mostly from Telangana, have refused offers of alternative accommodation arranged with the help of Indian diaspora groups as India's ban on travellers from the UK and Europe remains in place until the end of this month.

"The Indian community has tried to help them. Initially it was a group of 59 students, 40 of whom have been allocated alternative accommodation but the remaining 19 are being completely unreasonable and refuse to move," said a community leader, who has been working with the High Commission on making arrangements for the stranded students.

Many of them had flights booked back to India for later this month, in time for what is usually the Easter break period at universities in the UK. However, India issued an updated travel advisory earlier this week to say that no travellers would be allowed entry into India after 1200 GMT on March 18 until March 31.

"There simply are no flights and we cannot be putting lives in danger at this stage. They were allowed entry into the High Commission building and provided food, water and temporary shelter, but they are now just camping out with their bags and baggage," he said.

The students have been placed within a quarantined space, which houses the visa and consular section within the Indian High Commission building in Aldwych, central London.

It had triggered a last-minute dash for flights as many students took to social media to seek assistance from the Indian High Commission as their travel plans went awry in the wake of the rapid spread of the pandemic.

The Indian mission has introduced an online registry system and has also shared contact information for a number of Indian diaspora groups trying to assist with board and lodging for panic-stricken students and Indian nationals.

"I am an Indian citizen, currently in Newcastle, United Kingdom on student visa. My visa expires on March 24, 2020. I was to travel back to India on March 23, 2020 and all the flights are being cancelled due to the COVID-19 as per Indian rule. What should I do," wrote one student in an appeal to the High Commission.

Such students are being advised to seek assistance from the UK Home Office's Coronavirus Immigration Helpline. Meanwhile, the Home Office has said it recognises the current situation is "exceptional" and will not take any compliance action against students or employees who are unable to attend their studies or work due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU-UK), a representative body for Indian students in the UK, has been fielding calls and urging students not to panic, support each other and take necessary precautions to be safe.

As the UK went into complete shutdown from Saturday, universities across the UK have said they are mindful of the plight of international students, many of whom have nowhere to go as campuses close down.

Universities minister Michelle Donelan said: "I am pleased Universities UK has confirmed institutions will be flexible and do all they can to support students to progress to higher education."

According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, the death toll from the virus globally has risen to 13,044 with more than 307,104 cases reported in over 171 countries and territories.

As of Saturday, there are 5,018 confirmed cases in the UK and 233 people have died due to the deadly coronavirus that first emerged in China's Wuhan city last year.
CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) - Uber Taxi suspended its operations in Saudi Arabia until further notice due to measures announced by interior ministry, a company statement said on Friday.

Saudi Arabia has suspended taxi services as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"As per the measures announced by the Ministry of Interior, we are suspending Uber Taxi in the Kingdom until further notice", an Uber spokesman told Reuters. (Reporting By Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Coronavirus can sicken or kill young people, who must also avoid mingling and spreading it to older and more vulnerable people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a stern message to the youth.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, told a virtual press conference: "Today I have a message for young people: You are not invincible, this virus could put you in hospital for weeks or even kill you. Even if you don't get sick the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else."

Ghebreyesus said the deadly Covid-19 respiratory illness has claimed over 11,000 lives across the world and nearly 250,000 patients had tested positive overall.

The veiled warning from WHO comes following reports that young people in many countries are being complacent about health warnings, because of the greater susceptibility to the virus among older patients.

The coronavirus outbreak was first recorded in China in December. But now the centre of the pandemic is Europe.

In Italy - where the virus has killed more people than in any other country - the death toll rose by 627 on Friday, reaching a total of 4,032, making it the deadliest day for one country since the outbreak began.

"I am grateful that so many young people are spreading the word and not the virus," the WHO chief said, commending young people who are protecting elders by protecting themselves.

Tedros also sent out a message to the millions who are forced to stay indoors as their authorities have imposed various forms of lockdowns.

Confined people should take extra care to eat healthy food, to avoid tobacco and alcohol, and to take good care of their bodies and minds.

"If you can't leave the house, find an exercise video online, dance to music, do some yoga, or walk up and down the stairs," the Ethiopian UN health chief said.

"Keeping in contact with family and friends, and reaching out to neighbours is another way to protect one's well-being," he added.
Wouldnt it be interesting if there was panic buying in bookshops? Because one thing that may help us all to get through the next few weeks and months is reading.

In the past few years weve seen the rise of bibliotherapy, a therapeutic approach that involves reading literature to improve your mental health. Its also applicable to the worried well (which means most of us these days).

The Australia Reads campaign to promote the book industry in 2020 has come up with a timely reminder of the benefits of reading. Research shows that reading a gripping novel causes positive biological changes in the brain that can last for days, it says.

Climate activist Daisy Jeffrey's book about hope could be just the ticket for these troubling times. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The School of Life, based in Melbourne, offers a personal service where a bibliotherapist will guide you through books that have the power to enchant, enrich and inspire. The therapists choose from fiction, philosophy, poetry and creative works of non-fiction.
Everybody in the world seems to be social distancing and self-quarantining themselves during this coronavirus pandemic... except for one person: "Ant-Man" actress Evangeline Lilly.

The actress refused to follow health officials and the government's advice to self-isolate themselves, as she is still going about her day as usual.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Lilly wrote, "Just dropped my kids off at gymnastics camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing. #businessasusual."

The "Ant-Man" star's decision to send her children to an extracurricular activity sparked some backlash from fans, who started to question her decision not to self-isolate in one location -- similar to what people are now doing globally.

A fan commented on her post, "No Corona House Arrest?" to which she replied with, "Not for this family."

Another person commented on her Instagram pic saying she has always been a fan of Evangeline; however, she criticized the actress for being irresponsible with other people's lives.

"You know, carriers with no symptoms do exist," the fan wrote.

The mother-of-one defended her stance in replies to the comments. She downplayed the coronavirus as just a respiratory flu and maybe even a political ploy because "there's 'something' every election year."

"Where we right now feel a lot too close to Marshall Law for my comfort," Lilly said, referencing to martial law which is the imposition of direct military control of normal civilian functions by a government.

To make matters worse, when a follower asked why Lilly was not staying home, she answered: "I am living [with] my father at the moment, who has stage 4 leukemia. I am also immune-compromised at the moment."

In order to defend her stance even more, she emphasized that some people "value their lives over freedom" and "some people value freedom over their lives." Lilly added that each people make their own choices with love and respect.

Some fans of Marvel want Lilly to be fired, as she is risking not only her life but also her family's.

Backlash For Celebs

These are very hard times for people who are being forced to stay indoors, and that is probably the reason why people are hot-headed these days.

However, Lilly is not the first celebrity to get backlash amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Gal Gadot posted a video with her friends Natalie Portman, Will Farrell, Kristen Wiig and other stars performing a group rendition of John Lennon's classic song "Imagine."

The three-minute video montage of celebrities singing is supposed to uplift the spirit of many in these times of crisis.

The former Miss Israel's music morale boost rang hollow with social media users, who labeled the video as "cringy" and "out of touch."

While the celebrities made it with the best intentions, the "Wonder Woman" actress' video was ridiculed on social media, with people asking if this was the only way for the rich to give back after the COVID-19 crisis prompted business closures and worker layoffs.

"Just donate if you care about the world right now," said one social media user.

"Look at all the rich people singing 'Imagine.' Everything will be all right now, even though we both lost our jobs. This was so much better than money and not cringy at all," another person said in mockery.

Other social media users then sarcastically said that the coronavirus no longer scares them because they have seen the "Imagine" video.

On Thursday, the global death toll due to the coronavirus is at 9,800. More than 242,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus were reported.

In the U.S. alone, the death rate jumped to 176, with more than 13,000 confirmed cases reported.
(Natural News) Just one day after its total number of COVID-19 deaths surpassed that of Chinas, Italy announced what looked to be the highest number of coronavirus deaths to be reported in a single day: 627.

In addition, the Mediterranean nations number of infections jumped by 15 percent, with the total number of confirmed cases now pegged at 47,021.

As of press time, Italy has 4,032 reported deaths due to the coronavirus, while China?excluding Macao and Hong Kong?with a population of over 1.4 billion people, only has 3,255 COVID-19 deaths.

In response to this massive death toll, the Italian government has called in the support of its armed forces, in order to help with the enforcement of rules related to the countrys strict national lockdown.

[The request to use the army] has been accepted and 114 soldiers will be on the ground throughout Lombardy it is still too little, but it is positive, said Attilio Fontana, regional president of Lombardy. This northern region is the hardest-hit region in Italy and where the outbreak began. Unfortunately we are not seeing a change of trend in the numbers, which are rising. Up until this point, the Italian army had been deployed to act as general security units. (Related: So many coronavirus deaths in Italy that the government has to call in the ARMY to haul away all the bodies in truck convoys.)

Fontanas decision was influenced by a Chinese delegation of medical experts who are currently helping Italy deal with their coronavirus crisis. They said that the restrictions on movement were not strict enough.

Minister for Education Lucia Azzolina even believes that the government might extend the length of school closures beyond the set date of April 3, adding that schools would most likely reopen once the government is certain of absolute safety.

Officials have stated that the countrys current school year is considered complete and that students will either graduate or move on to the next year as usual.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera quoted Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte on Thursday as saying that the measures to tackle the pandemic in Italy, both the one that has closed a lot of the countrys businesses and individual activities, and the one that concerns the school, can only be extended to the deadline.

Officials all over northern Italy meanwhile, have been pleading with Contes government to enact tougher quarantine measures, even at the expense of the countrys flagging economy, such as extending the lockdown and deploying more law enforcement agents to enforce its regulations more strictly. Northern Italy accounts for the lions share of Italys gross domestic product.

According to Luciana Lamorgese, the Minister of Interior, police performed checks on more than one million Italians between March 11 and March 17 and found that nearly 50,000 people had violated the lockdown. The rules of the national lockdown include restrictions on the freedom of movement and a near-complete ban on all businesses except for essential services such as groceries, pharmacies and gas stations.

Contes spokesperson further told reporters that while the Prime Ministers cabinet is heavily considering extending the countrys national lockdown, no official decision has been made yet.

The head of a Chinese delegation visiting Italy warned the country isn't sufficiently enforcing the #coronavirus lockdown. Sun Shuopeng said Wuhan only saw infections peak after one month of strict lockdown pic.twitter.com/MN0tNvpfhM  QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) March 20, 2020

Situation in the Lombardy region continues to deteriorate

Lombardy has borne the brunt of Italys coronavirus outbreak. As of Friday, the Lombardy region alone has 22, 264 total cases, including 2,549 deaths. This represents nearly half of the countrys confirmed number of cases.

Daniela Confalonieri, an Italian nurse working in a hospital in Milan, the capital of Lombardy, said in an emotional video that the situation in her hospital was so out of control that they werent even counting the dead anymore.

Were working in a state of very high stress and tension, said Confalonieri to a reporter from Reuters. Unfortunately we cant contain the situation in Lombardy, because theres a high level of contagion.

By the end of Confalonieris video, she begged the world to take the pandemic more seriously. Look at the news thats coming out of Italy, and take note of what the situation really is like. Its unimaginable.

"We're not even counting the dead anymore." Listen to this nurse's emotional plea about working during the #coronavirus outbreak in Italy. The country's death toll surpassed China this week at over 4,000 deaths. pic.twitter.com/knoC7gT0Is  AJ+ (@ajplus) March 20, 2020

Stefano Magnone, a frontline doctor in Bergamo, another city in Lombardy, told reporters that their hospital is unable to handle the amount of patients coming into the hospital. They have resorted to sending patients who need the most care to other parts of the country because they have run out of space to house them. He said that the hospital sent 50 patients south, to less-affected regions of Italy. Less than half of the patients that were relocated had COVID-19.

Giorgio Gori, mayor of Bergamo, announced on Thursday plans to build an emergency field hospital in the city to help local authorities manage the situation. The province of Brescia, where Bergamo is, is the second-worst affected province in Lombardy.

In the city of Cremona in Lombardy, Dr. Romano Paolucci, who works at the Oglio Po Hospital said that he is seeing plenty of dead patients, and that the citys health workers have to deal with a lack of medical equipment, long hours and a startlingly increasing number of infected medical personnel.

Paolucci states that the small hospital he works at is at the end of its strength. The hospital is taking in too many people and they are over capacity, and only around 70 percent of their patients are surviving.

Figures released by Italian health authorities show that 86 percent of the countrys fatalities were people over the age of 70, while another 10 percent of fatalities came from people who were 60 to 69 years old.

In a statement, Prime minister Conte pledged to direct up to 300 doctors to support Italys most hard-hit areas. This volunteer task force will be made up of doctors from less-affected parts of Italy.

Furthermore, the Italian government has decided to draft 10,000 graduating medical students into service. Universities are reporting that the government has decided to waive their mandatory exams and release the 10,000 new doctors into the employment of the countrys national health system. Officials state that the new graduates will be sent to practice in low-risk working conditions such as general practitioners clinics and seniors homes so that their more experienced colleagues can be sent to hospitals to deal with COVID-19 patients.

As of press time, 14 doctors in Italy have lost their lives to COVID-19 and at least 3,559 other health workers have been infected with the virus. This accounts for around eight percent of the total number of confirmed cases in Italy. This shows the countrys pressing need for more health workers, which explains why the government has decided to conscript medical students.

Sources include:

AlJazeera.com

Bloomberg.com

OpenDataDPC.Maps.ArcGIS.com

NHC.gov.cn

Edition.CNN.com

Salute.gov.it [PDF]

ABCNews.go.com

GlobalNews.ca
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has brought historic attention to early childhood education across our state, making broad steps towards the professionalization of the field. We laud the formation of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department and her successful efforts to expand early childhood funding in New Mexico. These steps represent essential progress towards better treatment of our youngest citizens. Yet: where is that same commitment to childcare workers and their families at this critical moment?

The Governors Office, Public Education Department and Department of Health announced the three-week closure of K-12 public schools last week. However, state-funded child care (centers) and the workers who serve these children, many of whom are uninsured and poorly compensated, are not covered under this proactive measure to limit the potential community spread of COVID-19.

Is it coincidental that Gov. Lujan Grisham is asking early childhood educators  non union hourly workers, 70% living below the poverty line  and not K-12 educators  unionized, salaried, benefited  to reach into their hearts and find their community spirit? If childcare workers were organized like public school educators, would we be facing this dilemma?

Suggesting public child care (centers) remain open while public schools close is disheartening. Not only does it put low-income care workers and their families at increased risk, it undermines the governors stated intention to encourage social distancing. We are disappointed that state-funded child care workers do not deserve the same precautions afforded other educators.

Elizabeth Groginsky, first secretary of the new Early Childhood Education and Care Department, held a phone call with over 200 early childcare providers throughout the state. Groginsky comes to New Mexico with extensive experience, earning early widespread support from the ECE community. During the call, Groginsky and colleagues told participants that childcare centers are exempt from the ban on large-group gatherings. She implored centers to remain open to serve their communities, citing what an essential service this is for families.

We agree: childcare is essential; early educators are important. If we are so important and essential, however, why didnt (the Department of Health), which stated they had been working on the crisis for weeks, outline specific measures to support workers in state-funded centers with hazard pay or childcare for our own K-12 children?

Why are PreK programs within public schools closing, while PreK programs outside of public schools remain open? Why will centers only be closed after a confirmed case when its well documented that tests are in short supply and slow to be processed?

While we understand the underlying complexities the Governors Office and (the Department of Health) are grappling with: financially precarious homes, food insecurity, child care for first responders, keeping publicly funded child care (centers) open and potentially increasing their populations is reckless. By strongly encouraging centers to stay open, we are not helping families; we are facilitating widespread infection, putting the elderly, immunosuppressed and otherwise vulnerable at increased risk.

We ask the Governors Office to rectify this injustice. Support providers with more than platitudes. Offer hazard pay directly to childcare workers serving households of first responders. and medical professionals. Close all remaining childcare centers. Public school teachers are receiving pay while on leave; ensure childcare workers are similarly compensated.

The Governors Office has made huge strides on behalf of early childhood education. Dont set us back by asking us to take one for the team, when weve only just now been invited onto the roster.

Kristi Goldade and Melissa Scott are advocates for children, families and the workers who care for them. Goldade also is community outreach manager for Pegasus Legal Services which provides legal aid to vulnerable children and youth throughout New Mexico.
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a new challenge for property brokers who have been facing many since last year due to the low supply in the market. - Photo Internet

Le Thi Hong Tham, a broker in HCM Citys District 7, posted an image of a beggar on her Facebook page and said soon she would become like that.

A broker for many years, she told Viet Nam News the situation is very difficult for her and others.

In recent days there have been no transactions, not even lease contracts. I cannot find any clients.

Since the beginning of this year she has managed only one transaction.

A client asked me to sell over 10 shops in formerly-bustling Bui Vien Street in District 1 of HCM City. In the past this would have been a very good deal, but now it is not. I posted the information over 10 days ago, but no one is interested.

In Ha Noi too there is a similar situation.

A broker in Cau Giay District with nearly 10 years experience said he had never ever seen a difficult period like now.

The market has been in a slump since the middle of last year and worsened in the last three months, and his company has not carried out any transaction, he told Dau Tu Bat Dong San (Property Investment) magazine.

To earn a living, he moonlights as a Grab car driver, he said, adding if the situation persists, he would have to sell his car.

A report from the Viet Nam Real-Estate Brokers Association said many brokerages closed last year due to low supply.

In addition to the low supply, the new Decree 100 and the Law on Alcohol Harm Prevention have also had a huge impact because few people are looking for places to open restaurants with many existing ones in fact wanting to shut even before the lease contract ends.

This year would be another challenging one with the pandemic worsening the situation.

Nguyen Van Dinh, deputy chairman of the association, said the problems related to licensing property developments had not been resolved and even less money than last year would flow in.

But professional and renowned brokerages could still do well, he added.
Dalata, the country's biggest hotel operator, is in talks with a number of Government agencies about potentially providing accommodation to coronavirus-related front-line workers.

Dalata operates almost 9,000 owned and leased rooms across about 30 hotels in Ireland and the UK. It owns the Clayton and Maldron brands.

Founder and chief executive Pat McCann told the Sunday Independent that talks are at an early stage and could lead to key workers such as gardai and healthcare staff taking rooms in hotels.

"We are talking to a number of agencies but they are at an embryonic stage. It's about reducing risk. For example, it could eliminate the need for workers to commute," he said.

It is understood that Dalata - which has laid off staff and reduced working hours at its own operations where it employs thousands of staff - would also be open to providing hotels as alternatives to hospitals if the need arose.

However, it is not clear how this would work at an operational level.

The virus has taken its toll on Dalata in other ways too. As recently as December, it had a market capitalisation of more than 1bn but that figure was just over 360m last week.

McCann said: "I have never seen anything like this. However, there will be life after it; we'll all come out the other end of it."
New Delhi, March 22 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday saluted the medical fraternity for working hard and with compassion at a time when the nation faces coronavirus, adding there is a need for more testing facilities in the country.

"I salute all the docs, nurses and other members of medical fraternity who are working so hard and wid (with) compassion. The whole country is proud of u (you)," the Chief Minister tweeted.

In another tweet, he said we need to increase our testing facilities "substantially, just like Korea is doing".

The total cases of coronavirus in India has crossed 300-mark, with four deaths so far.
Outbreak of coronavirus is spreading all over the world. The neighboring country has confirmed the third death due to coronavirus. The third death from Corona is in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, which is the capital of South Singh province. The highest number of coronavirus patients have been found in this province. On the other hand, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has advised people to stay indoors for at least 45 days to prevent the spread of Corona. He said that people should not get out of the house. The Health Minister of Sindh said that the 77-year-old man was confirmed dead and said that the deceased was suffering from cancer. He had other problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The deceased did not travel to any country. The Chief Minister of Southern Sindh Province, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has asked people to stay home for the next three days to prevent the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

CORONAVIRUS: China almost contols virus, problem of rest of world increases

Provincial spokesman Murtaza Wahab said that the number of confirmed cases of corona in Sindh province has increased to 249. Prior to this, two patients have died in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The number of corona cases has reached 23 here. According to a notification issued by Health Department spokesman Qaisar Asif, at least 16 more cases were reported in Punjab. Most cases have been reported in Balochistan, where the number of infected persons is 81. Another 21 are in Gilgit-Baltistan, 10 in Islamabad and one in Ghulam Kashmir of Pakistan.

Building collapsed due to earthquake in Greece

While commenting about the future action to prevent the outbreak of Corona, Khan said that our strategy is based on the socio-economic realities of Pakistan. Ours is a little different from a complete lockdown. He said that Pakistan is not a prosperous country like Italy, where people can live for a continuous period without economic activity. He announced the partial opening of the border with Afghanistan which helped the trucks carry various supplies. Despite the global epidemic of COVID 19, we remain committed to supporting our Afghan brothers and sisters.

Agreement between Iran and France, interchange of prisoners released
As class suspensions drag into a third month, we look at who exactly is responsible. Surprise: it's not the Government, which can only advise, and it's now time for schools and their governing bodies to take the lead and learn from the parallel case of Singapore, where schools have remained open without causing an outbreak. We also call on HK to ban non-resident arrivals, and look at what other countries must do, or suffer, to get COVID-19 under control.

HK Government has no power to suspend school classes



The HK Government's Education Bureau (EB) yesterday announced that "classes of all schools will remain suspended until further notice", abandoning its previous 20-Apr-2020 target date for re-opening.

Note the choice of words "will remain". Is that an opinion, a forecast or an order under a statutory power? Stop and think. Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, the Government has been behaving, and making statements, implying that it has the power to order schools to suspend classes but without explicitly claiming that power. The media, in their reporting, have without question assumed that the Government has that power, and all schools have complied with the purported directives.

But who actually has the right to decide whether school classes should be suspended or resumed? Is it the management of each school, or the Government? Is the EB merely expressing an opinion, one which non-Government schools can take into account in their own decisions, or does the Government have statutory powers to order class suspensions? To remind you of the timeline:

On 25-Jan-2020, the day after schools closed for the Chinese New Year holidays, the EB announced that "all schools... will extend their Chinese New Year holidays to February 16 (i.e. class resumption on February 17)".

their Chinese New Year holidays to February 16 (i.e. class resumption on February 17)". On 31-Jan-2020, the EB announced that "all schools...would resume classes on March 2 [at] the earliest pending further assessment".

On 13-Feb-2020, the EB announced that " the Education Bureau decided today that schools will not resume classes before March 16".

On 25-Feb-2020, the EB announced that " the Education Bureau (EDB) decided today that classes of all schools will continue to be suspended until end of the schools' Easter holidays, i.e. classes will be resumed on April 20 the earliest. The exact date of class resumption is subject to further assessment.

On 21-Mar-2020, the announcement of indefinite class suspension above.

The wording of those announcements implies that the Government has the power to decide and direct the suspension of classes. However, close examination of the Education Ordinance (EO) and its Education Regulations do not reveal any such power. The EO requires schools and their "Managers" to be registered, and application processes for both. For those with a "sponsoring body" and an "incorporated management committee", their functions are set out in Section 40AE, while for an unincorporated management committee, its responsibilities are set out in Section 33. It is, implicitly, a matter for the management committee to decide on in-school class suspensions. It is their duty and responsibility.

On 15-Feb-2020, we wrote to the EB with this simple question:

"For those schools which are operated by entities other than the Government, please explain what statutory powers (if any) you are invoking in order to decide, require and order that non-Government schools will suspend and not resume classes prior to the respective dates announced above. "

Other than an acknowledgement 9 days later, there was silence until a final reminder prompted a reply on 13-Mar-2020 which failed to answer the question. They have no such powers! Long-time readers of Webb-site should not be surprised by this. In 2014, during the "Occupy" movement, the Government purported to order schools to suspend classes, and as we reported on 13-Jan-2015 (Occupy school suspension order was invalid), they had no power to do so. The EB gave evasive replies to our queries about its authority then, and the Ombudsman subsequently upheld our complaint that the EB had not properly answered our query.

If the Government wants statutory powers, then it can always propose them to the Legislative Council. The UK Government is doing just that with its 329-page Coronavirus 2019-21 Bill introduced on Thursday 19-Mar-2020, which seems likely to pass through Parliament on a fast track in the next few days, temporarily imposing drastic curbs on civil liberties, including the power to order any premises, commercial or not, to close. The HK Government has not proposed any such legislation.

What should schools managers do?

We urge school managements and their governing bodies across Hong Kong to take note of this. We place them on notice that in suspending in-school classes, they are not acting under Government directions, nor can they claim to be. At best, each school is voluntarily following Government advice when making its own decisions. Any decision to continue suspending classes is the school management committee's legal responsibility. They can certainly take the Government's views into account, but the decision is for the school management committees, and the consequences to the education of their students as well as the mental and physical health risks should also be taken into account.

Unfortunately, the Government has not provided any evidence-based justification for its views on suspensions. It operates as a black box, periodically issuing purported directives without any public analysis.

Fortunately, we can take evidence from a parallel control study in another densely-populated international Asian city that has kept its schools open. Singapore schools have been operating on their normal timetable throughout the crisis, with appropriate precautions to reduce the physical interaction of students. Overall, Singapore has had a similar number of COVID-19 cases to HK, particularly when measured in terms of clusters - for examples, one cluster from a dinner function in Singapore produced 47 cases, and 2 churches with connected congregations produced 34 cases. Notably, despite detailed contact tracing, there have been no clusters emanating from the Singapore school system. Children, who are remarkably resilient to the virus, have not been acting as intermediate vectors between adults - not to teachers or parents of their schoolfriends. This lack of transmission through the school system also suggests that asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 is very low. HK should learn from the Singapore experience.

In Australia, the Government has reached a similar view, urging schools to stay open, guided by the published and reasoned advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. There's far more transparency downunder than in HK. The downside risks of closure include that having kids at home would keep some parents in critical sectors (including healthcare) off work, and that some kids would stay with vulnerable grandparents while parents work, so if the kids do turn out to be good at transmission then this would expose the grandparents.

Of course, there is the basic fear of being different, or peer pressure. If one school opens its doors and then suffers a single case of COVID-19 amongst its students and staff, it could be (unfairly) accused of recklessness, even though businesses around the city, including restaurants, bars and cinemas, are still operating, with occasional closures to sanitise after a case visits them. So schools should co-operate in a joint approach to the problem, and agree amongst themselves a re-opening date, and also a sanitisation protocol in the event of any case of COVID-19 at the school. The after-Easter date of 20-Apr, with sensible, Singapore-style precautions in schools, would be the most feasible. Multi-school operators such as the English Schools Foundation or the Catholic Diocese could take the lead on this.

The virus may loiter in our community for months or years, but HK needs to follow Singapore's example and get back to school.

The Government may have one irrelevant factor in mind when continuing to advise school suspensions, namely the fact that thousands of Chinese children, born in HK but neither of whose parents have right of abode here, were commuting daily across the border to HK schools and currently cannot do so. That birthright-of-abode game was nearly ended by then-Chief Executive C Y Leung in 2012, but its legacy lives on and is now aged 8 and above. We don't see why the interests of non-resident children should stop classes resuming for those who live here. Arrangements could be made for non-resident children to participate in classes via video-link if schools see fit to do so.

HK should ban entry to non-residents, for now

HK and Singapore have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in the last few days, almost entirely due to people returning from more heavily-infected countries before a mandatory 14-day home-quarantine on arrivals took effect in HK on 19-Mar-2020 and Singapore on 21-Mar-2020. The rate of new infections will fade over the next few days, as long as our valiant contact-tracing teams keep up their stellar work. Singapore has today gone further, banning entry or transit by non-residents starting Tuesday morning (24-Mar-2020). Australia and New Zealand have already done so, to prevent non-residents fleeing chaos at home and potentially overloading the healthcare system with inbound cases. HK should do likewise.

Building a safe network of countries

After about 2-3 more weeks, new cases in sealed countries and territories which have been early and successful at contact-tracing and containment, including Singapore, New Zealand and HK, will be down to sporadic background levels, with the occasional imported-but-quarantined returning resident. At that point, these places can, on a bilateral basis, re-open air passenger traffic without quarantining arrivals from each other, leading to a network of "safe" countries and territories while the chaos continues elsewhere. The safe zone may eventually include mainland China, which is already reduced to mostly-imported new cases, although some caution is needed while we learn whether tens of thousands of discharged cases still have reservoirs of virus in their bodies.

Other countries, such as the USA, which left contact-tracing and containment too late to be manageable, will have to go through Hubei/Italy-style urban lockdowns for a few weeks, at huge economic cost, while they work to find households with infections and quarantine them. Only when they get the numbers of new infections down to around 1-5 per day per million of population will they be able to adopt the tracing and containment approach to terminate the chains of transmission. Typically each case has around 20 "close contacts" during their symptomatic phase before being identified, so a day of 50 new cases can generate around 1,000 close contacts to be located and tested before they can become symptomatic and start spreading.

Herd immunity: through infection, or vaccination?

Some poorer countries may not have the resources or political ability to force a lockdown and will just settle for letting the virus run through their population. Poorer countries typically have younger populations, so the inadequacies of their healthcare maybe offset by more resilient subjects, but they will lose perhaps 1-2% of their people, mostly elderly or with pre-existing conditions, until the remainder have herd immunity, which might be achievable with a 60-70% infection rate.

Amazingly, the UK (not yet a poor country) briefly flirted with the objective of developing herd immunity through coronavirus infection, before swiftly being reminded by the public that they would rather lock down, suppress the virus and wait for a vaccine than kill half a million grannies and overwhelm the health system. Yes, old people are (on average) economically unproductive and represent pension liabilities and a future burden on the healthcare system, but no open society can deliberately pursue such a policy.

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U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, are introduced during CPAC 2019 in National Harbor, Md., on March 1, 2019. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Vice President Mike Pence, Wife Test Negative for CCP Virus

Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence have both tested negative for the CCP virus, the White House announced on the evening of March 21.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Pleased to report that the COVID-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence, Katie Miller, press secretary for the vice president, said on Twitter.

Pleased to report that the COVID-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence.  Katie Miller (@VPPressSec) March 22, 2020

The Pences said they would be tested on the afternoon of March 21 because a member of his staff earlier tested positive for the virus.

The vice president, who heads the White Houses coronavirus task force, told reporters that the staff member was last at the White House on March 16 but didnt come into direct contact with him or President Donald Trump. Pence added that the affected individual had mild cold symptoms, but hes doing well.

Pence said that while there was a priority to give tests to people with symptoms, he would take one due to his strategic role as chief of the task force. He said that neither he nor President Donald Trump had any direct contact with the staffer. Health authorities have traced the mans contacts.

Pence and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have urged Americans not to get tested unless theyre symptomatic, in order to preserve the personal protective equipment for medical workers, which is in shortage.

If you dont have symptoms, dont do a test, Pence said.

Brett Giroir, a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who serves as the assistant secretary for health under the Trump administration, said at the briefing that testing should be prioritized for front-line staff dealing with the outbreak, as well as for those with symptoms, particularly if they fall into certain categories.

Clearly, everyone across the country should understand that those hospitalized or in an ICU are a priority for testing. Symptomatic health care workersfor obvious reasons we want to make sure that their health is preserved and that they are not going to spread to those that may be seriously ill, Giroir said.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
Britain's biggest drugs company has joined the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

AstraZeneca is using a pioneering approach to develop potential medicines to treat patients with the virus.

The company is understood to be in talks with Western governments and academic institutions about research agreements that could be announced in the coming days.

A deal would see the company team up with experts on monoclonal antibodies  an area in which AstraZeneca specialises.

AstraZeneca is using a pioneering approach to develop potential medicines for coronavirus

Monoclonal antibodies are man-made substitutes for the antibodies which are produced by the immune system to fight diseases. They mimic natural antibodies and can boost the way the human body reacts to viruses.

AstraZeneca has deployed dozens of its top virus experts to look at various monoclonal antibodies that could be used to treat Covid-19 and which could then be trialled in humans.

The company said in a statement to The Mail on Sunday: 'We are actively identifying monoclonal antibodies as a treatment to prevent Covid-19 disease using our proprietary antibody discovery technology.

'Through our scientific expertise in infectious disease and antibody development, we have rapidly mobilised our research efforts.'

The statement added: 'Our research and development team of more than 50 virology experts across research, clinical, regulatory and manufacturing are placing the highest priority to developing a treatment to coronavirus to minimise the global impact on the overall health of patients and the public.'

Other companies are also ramping up their efforts to help battle the global outbreak.

A smaller British firm called Synairgen  which was previously a partner of AstraZeneca  is this week starting human trials to test if its existing lung treatment will help patients who have contracted Covid-19.

If the results come back positive, the company hopes to be able to start treating patients within the next year.

The pilot phase, beginning this week, will last two months and will involve 100 patients  half of which will be given placebos while the remainder take the potential treatment.

If the results are positive, the company will begin a larger human 'pivotal' trial.

Richard Marsden, chief executive of the AIM-listed company, said he is convinced that getting a treatment ready for widespread use within a year is 'feasible'.

In normal circumstances these trials take several years to complete.

'There might be two or three drugs which produce positive data over the next eight weeks,' Marsden told The Mail on Sunday. 'If we get good data and it's well tolerated, I would expect governments to be under pressure to want to talk to us about larger supplies of the drug.'

Marsden hailed the authorities for giving his company fast-track approval for its test medication which it is also hoping will treat asthma and the lung condition known as COPD.

Meanwhile, London-based Behold.ai claims its artificial intelligence-based algorithm could help identify the patients with Covid-19 who are most at risk.

London-based Behold.ai claims its artificial intelligence-based algorithm could help identify the patients with Covid-19 who are most at risk (Pictured: A hospital in Cremona, Italy)

The company, whose algorithm has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration this month and which works with the NHS and has been hailed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, specialises in detecting abnormal chest X-rays almost instantly.

That includes pneumonia, which has been a major cause of deaths from Covid-19.

The company analysed 28 Italian X-rays and said it correctly identified 85 per cent of them as 'abnormal'.

Jerome Custers, senior scientific director of vaccines at Janssen, said collaboration between companies and organisations was happening on an unprecedented scale.

He said: 'Information has never been shared as quickly as is happening now. If you compare it with the Sars outbreak, it took months before the first information was available.

'Information is now being shared publicly and very quickly. It's a crisis situation so this collaboration is absolutely needed.'

Janssen, which is the pharmaceutical arm of American giant Johnson & Johnson, is testing different vaccine prototypes in its labs in the Netherlands. It will select a lead vaccine candidate in two weeks and will start manufacturing so it can be trialled in humans by November.

Custers said the company has 'looked at every opportunity that is there to accelerate the development of this vaccine'.

He added: 'It's important we have multiple vaccines from different companies or organisations in development because we will learn from each other.'

Custers said that Johnson & Johnson had been contacted proactively by its suppliers of raw materials so that they are ready to manufacture on a large scale when needed.
Streets, roads and public places in Punjab, Haryana and the common capital of the two states, Chandigarh, wore a deserted look on Sunday as people chose to stay at home in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a "janata curfew" to check the spread of the coronavirus.

The 14-hour-long "janata curfew" is part of a social-distancing exercise to help stop the spread of the virus. It began at 7 am and will end at 9 pm.

Responding to the prime minister's call, people chose to stay indoors. Only a few people ventured out to purchase essentials like milk and medicines.

Shops and commercial establishments remained shut as traders supported the prime minister's appeal while buses stayed off the roads.

Hours after the "janata curfew" began, the Congress government in Punjab announced a lockdown in the entire state till March 31 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

"Ordered statewide lockdown till 31st March to check spread of Covid 19," Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said in a tweet.

He informed that all essential and government services would continue during the lockdown.

The Chandigarh administration also imposed restrictions in the Union Territory till March 31, including suspension of public transport, shutting down of offices, schools, colleges and business establishments, to prevent the spread of the infection and advised people to stay indoors during the period and not to come out unless there was an urgency.

Chandigarh's famous Sukhna Lake, which used to bustle with morning walkers, wore a deserted look. Boating activities have already been suspended in the lake.

The markets also wore a deserted look and only the shops selling essential items like milk, bread and medicines were open.

"We have to help the government combat the pandemic, which has gripped the world. We as citizens too have an equal responsibility to ensure that there is no spread of the coronavirus in the community," Baldev, an elderly resident of Chandigarh, said.

"Staying indoors for the next few days or till whatever time the government orders is the best option if we have to check the spread of the deadly virus," Aditya, a Class 10 student, said.

In Punjab, reports of shops and other establishments remaining shut came in from various places, including Mohali, Zirakpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Bathinda, Amritsar and Patiala.

The number of devotees visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar fell drastically and the heritage street leading to it wore a deserted look.

At some places, the civic authorities could be seen sanitising crowded places including bus stands and railway stations.

In Ludhiana, policemen used loudspeakers from PCR vans in the morning, asking people to stay indoors.

Likewise, several places in Haryana, including Panchkula, Ambala, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Sonipat and Karnal, wore a deserted look as people preferred to stay indoors.

In Rohtak, the civic authorities pressed 18 fire tenders into service to sanitise the public places and building complexes that are thronged by the public.

Only a few private vehicles could be seen plying on the busy Delhi-Ambala and Delhi-Ambala-Jalandhar-Pathankot national highways.

In Sonipat, Subhash Chowk, which used to be congested with traffic even on Sundays, wore a deserted look.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unifarm SA Company has concluded a framework contract with a producer in South Korea for the acquisition of 2,000,000 molecular diagnostic tests (Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction - PCR), the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) informed on Sunday.

According to the quoted source, next week, the first batch of 200,000 tests will be delivered to the company's warehouses."We mention that in this period, Unifarm SA Company is constantly seeking to obtain, from authorized manufacturers around the world, diagnostic tests, other devices, but also medicines necessary to limit the spreading of COVID-19, which it distributes to sanitary units or medical offices, order-based," the same source mentions.
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Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung  Sun, March 22, 2020 15:45 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c922ee 1 National Unpad,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,Padjadjaran-University,West-Java,university Free

As many as 364 students have stayed behind at Padjadjaran University (Unpad) dormitories in Sumedang, West Java, after the campus was shut down on Friday.

Based on the current conditions, students who are still inside the dormitories have to stay inside the premises," university spokesperson Dandi said on Saturday.

He said there were 913 students who lived in 15 dorms within the Unpad grounds. As of Friday, 559 students had returned to their hometowns, including 11 foreign students.

Dandi said the students who stayed inside the dorms were state-sponsored scholarship recipients.

We advised them to stay inside the dormitories. They are also able to report their health condition and other needs to their resident assistants, who are connected to the universitys COVID-19 task force, Dandi said, adding that the university would accommodate the students throughout the lockdown period.

The students living in the dorms would only attend online classes, just like other students.

He said that if students felt unwell, a medical team from Padjadjaran Clinic would visit the dorms.

To help supply the students with needs, Unpads COVID-19 task force has been collecting donations from the public. Those who wish to donate can send supplies such as food, as well as cash donations or internet data plans.

Some cellular providers are already willing to help. However, some of the students cannot use [the internet plans] since they use different providers. The donated funds will be used to purchase internet packages for them, Dandi explained.

The campus was put in an indefinite lockdown on Friday. Dandi said that residents of the dorms who returned to their respective homes should not return to the university for the time being.

This lockdown policy will be implemented indefinitely until we see any improvement in the situation, he said.

As of Sunday morning, Indonesia reported 450 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide and 38 deaths. (dpk)
New images have shown North Korea appearing to fire two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, South Koreas military said.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired around 6:45 (2145GMT) and 6:50am (2150GMT) on Saturday from an area around the county of Sonchon, western North Korea.

They flew 410 kilometers (255 miles) cross-country on an apogee of 50 kilometers (31 miles) before landing in waters off the eastern coast.

South Korea and the US were analysing the launches.

Seoul's military urged the North to immediately stop its very inappropriate military demonstrations when the world is struggling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

The apparent missile launch was held as North Korea continues to expand military capabilities amid deadlocked nuclear negotiations with the US Trump administration and the crippling global health crisis.

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New Delhi, March 22 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the government is marking all homes with persons advised to be in home quarantine, but people around them should not stigmatsze such families but be empathetic and supportive towards them.

The Kejriwal government is also stamping the hands of the people asked to stay in home quarantine, so that those not following the orders can be identified.

"The Delhi government is marking all homes with persons advised to home quarantine. I appeal to all not to stigmatize such families. Please be empathetic and supportive towards them. The marking is aimed only at cautioning others for their own safety," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has reached about 350 with six deaths so far.
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown the school year into disarray, with closures and the cancellation of NAPLAN as infection rates grow.

Few would envy year 12 students as their final year of school is hijacked by a global health emergency.

Kindergarden students play during recess. Credit:Janie Barrett

But very young students, who are learning the basics of literacy and numeracy, are also vulnerable. Not yet independent learners, they will need parents and carers to keep their education on track.

Macquarie University associate professor Penny Van Bergen said the extent to which Australians valued different stages of education  early childhood, primary and secondary  was reflected in our response to COVID-19.
The House of Representatives held plenary and performed other legislative duties throughout last week, even as the coronavirus pandemic continued to harass mankind. Below are some of the discussions in the lower chamber last week.

House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila at a two-day retreat on Monday urged the Nigerian military to be proactive and intensify their efforts by using swift surveillance to clamp down on attacks. He said the House was determined to improve budgetary allocation to the sector.

Also on Monday, at another forum with journalists, Farah Dagogo (PDP, Rivers) urged the House of Representatives to jettison the 37 billion fund for the renovation of the National Assembly complex as well as the ongoing purchase of vehicles for lawmakers.

He said instead it should be used for the education of the nations 10.5 million out-of-school children, the highest in any country in the world, according to UNICEF.

Moving on, at an investigative hearing on the same day, the counsel of the Nigerian Air Force told the House Committees on Justice and Air Force that they lacked the power to investigate the activities of NAF Holding and NAF Property Limited as they were not funded by public money.

The counsel, Uche Duruibe, also said the Chairman, Air Force House Committee, Shehu Koko (APC, Kebbi), must excuse himself from the investigation if it must go on because he was being investigated by the ICPC for wrongdoing. However, all the grounds of objections filed by Mr Duruibe were dismissed.

At the resumption of plenary proper on Tuesday, in a motion moved by Unyime Idem (PDP, Akwa Ibom), the House resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to interface with Multichoice Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) and other service providers to introduce the Pay as You Go Tariff (PAYG) plan. MultiChoice had in the past said it could not introduce a pay-as-you-view system because it was not viable.

On Wednesday, in a bid to stem the spread of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic, the House moved to ban entry of visitors into the premises of the National Assembly. This was a sequel to a motion of urgent national importance moved by Mukhtar Chawai (Kaduna, APC).

Under the same motion, the green chamber also called for a ban on public gatherings especially at churches, mosques and other places of worship. Many state authorities, including the FCT, have banned gatherings of more than 50 people. Lagos has reduced its directive to 30 people.

During a House Public Accounts Committee meeting, the committee issued a summons to the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, and former managing directors of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting PLC.

This is for their failure to submit an audit report in eight years and for not constituting the companys board.

One of the bills that scaled second reading on Thursday was the forest guards agency bill. The bill seeks to establish an agency that would curb crimes and preserve law and order strictly within all forests lying 100 metres adjacent to all federal roads and highways in Nigeria, Usman Shiddi (APGA, Taraba), the sponsor of the bill, said.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2020 ) :Japanese Ambassador in Pakistan Matsuda Kuninori has conveyed his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for the health of the leadership and the people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the auspicious occasion of Pakistan Day to be celebrated on Monday (March 23).

According to a press release on Sunday, in his message of felicitation, Ambassador Matsuda said the day held a great national significance for the people of Pakistan.

He said the longstanding friendship between Japan and Pakistan was unwavering even through this difficult time when the entire world was grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic.

"Japan is fully determined to support Pakistan in fighting COVID-19, as it was the first country to have provided the test materials, also we are working on supporting the country to ably counter the feared damage in the agricultural sector caused by the desert locusts. As the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, I am convinced that both countries will be able to overcome the challenges together," the press release quoted the ambassador as saying.
Aindrea Kiss, a registered nurse, stood outside Sanctuary Torontos church doors and gently placed a hand-held thermometer into the left ear of mourners lined up for Chris Vanhartskamps funeral. She ejected and replaced the disposable ear coverings with a fluid swing of her right arm.

Kiss scrutinized each temperature reading in the frigid morning air. A fever meant no entry.

No fever  and a no to Kisss inquiries about recent out-of-country travel or stubborn coughs  led to another mandatory step: Use the provided hand sanitizer before walking into 25 Charles Street East where the body of Vanhartskamp  also known as Chris Carpenter, born 45 years ago to Aboriginal parents  lay in a simple wooden casket, soon surrounded by nearly 150 family and friends connected to Torontos homeless community. On every chair: A tiny packet of tissues and a sealed alcohol swab.

This is the new normal in the age of the novel coronavirus. Screening a funeral crowd. Its part of Sanctuarys new operational plans, built on recommendations from its nursing staff and Toronto Public Health, to stay open for their homeless and street-involved guests who are isolated and lack support.

Funerals are not banned in Ontario, and on the morning of the Sanctuary memorial, gatherings of up to 250 were still permitted by the province. In these uncertain times, preventing grieving people from seeking comfort together would have been deeply troubling, said Vanhartskamps aunt Joyce Carpenter after Mondays service.

It was really important to hold the funeral because his friends all loved him so much, said Carpenter, who with a friend had tied a mound of tobacco pouches for her nephews friends to take in his memory.

Carpenter recalled Vanhartskamps compassion, humour and courage as a street sheriff who could referee tense moments arising on the street. She also knew, as did his downtown friends, that her nephews large heart had been battered by unspeakable tragedy and loss. Controlling substance use was another challenge that, ultimately, he could not meet; Vanhartskamp, a well-loved man in the community, overdosed on March 6, Joyce Carpenter confirmed.

Chris Vanhartskamp is the fourth Carpenter sibling who, while experiencing homelessness, died while living in Toronto (one of the four became a transwoman as an adult) A fifth sibling, a brother who also lived on the citys streets, died after he returned to northern Ontario.

The Carpenters were all scooped children.

While living in Moosonee, Ont., the five Carpenter sons, as well as two sisters, were adopted by three different families during the 1960s Scoop that saw Indigenous children taken from their parents. Most of the deceased Carpenters are listed on the Toronto Homeless Memorial, an unofficial ledger that through dedicated volunteers, like social workers and street nurses, have recorded names of those who passed away in the city using community knowledge and city statistics.

This grim accounting stretches back to the 1980s and now tops 1,000 names. Chris is one of the most recent additions; siblings Mark, Andrew, Joanne (formerly Joseph) and Fred preceded him. The list is not comprehensive, despite best efforts, and falls short of capturing every death, according to those who maintain the information.

The siblings are also part of the extended Carpenter clans turbulent history in which family members have met disturbing, sometimes horrific, ends in Toronto.

Joyce Carpenter lost her 14-year-old daughter Patricia in 1992  a coroners inquest jury ruled her death as suspicious but no further action was taken. Then her ex-husband, Patrick died; he lived on the street after they separated. Next, her brother-in-law Eddie. Lucie, her sister-in-law. Last fall, another nephew, Robin Besito. Now Chris.

Trisha, Patrick, Eddie, Lucie, Ive just got too many to name, said Carpenter, who upon reviewing the Toronto Homeless Memorial earlier this year recognized more than 30 names of people she knew, about 10 of them family.

How many more do we have to lose? she said, exasperated.

With the Carpenters, the manner of death varied. Some were substance related. Others, poor health; Patrick had a brain tumour. Suicide. Besito was killed. But a common element for many of 1,000 lost souls on the list: Homelessness. No safe, stable shelter. A precarious type of existence that, statistically, has homeless people dying decades earlier than the average Canadian life expectancy of around 80.

According to city of Toronto statistics for shelter resident deaths, 48 people  38 men, 10 women  died in 2019. The average age of the deceased men was 57.2; women were 14 years younger at 43.2 years.

I think a lot of (Indigenous) people come into the city hoping for something better  hoping for a better education, hoping for a better life, said Carpenter, 69, who left her Alderville First Nation home near Peterborough in the mid-1970s for Toronto.

It was a kinder Toronto back then, said the woman who became a career bookkeeper for Womens College Hospital, the Ontario government and after retirement, Aboriginal drop-in centres. Now, Joyce Carpenter worries for Aboriginal youth travelling to Toronto because affordable, stable housing doesnt exist but risk and danger do.

They see something special here, she said. They see the bright lights and say, Im going to make something of my life here, but its not all roses and candies. There are drugs, alcohol. Theres sex trafficking and theres no housing for those young people.

They also come to Toronto to search for relatives, Joyce Carpenter adds. After being torn apart as children, reuniting as family is a powerful, sometimes deadly, pull.

I hate it when we lose people and the higher authorities dont care, she said.

A WEDDING AND A FUNERAL

Chris Vanhartskamp walked Lorraine Lam down the aisle at her 2018 wedding.

In the photos, he looks at her with genuine affection. She gazes up, radiant. Their long friendship  she, an outreach worker at Sanctuary, he a guest who visited other welcoming drop-ins around the city, but who frequented Sanctuary  enabled this treasured moment.

Heres how it unfolded: Lam said when Vanhartskamp found out she was engaged, he was so excited. He also knew Lam didnt have anyone to give her away, so he volunteered.

He said, Hey, can I walk you down the aisle? Lam recalled. He said, Im never going to do that in my life for anybody else and I said, Are you sure you want to do that?

Vanhartskamp was sure. Lam and her fiance agreed, but were careful not to pressure him to follow through. She told him that even on the wedding day, if he wasnt feeling up to it, he didnt have to show. I would totally get it, she said. There was no pressure.

But he was there. Dressed up, dapper and handsome. Fresh haircut. Arm-in-arm with Lam at the Metropolitan United Church at Queen Street East and Church Street. A marriage witnessed by the bride and grooms immediate families and their street families, with Vanhartskamp proud and beaming. A big, happy celebration.

It was really, really lovely, Lam said.

Lam sent Joyce Carpenter the wedding photos.

I cried when I saw the pictures, Carpenter said. When I saw him looking at her, it was like he was her father.

Lam met Vanhartskamp more than a decade ago at Church of the Redeemer, another Toronto homeless drop-in. She was just a University of Toronto student then, volunteering at Redeemer. Vanhartskamp told her he could juggle five oranges. Then he upped the ante; he said he could juggle seven. Lam didnt believe him. The bet was on.

But he found seven oranges and juggled them. He won. She gave him $20.

Lam and Vanhartskamp developed a level of trust that allowed him to share his feelings. There were happy, fun times. There were moments of candour, too. Lam said Vanhartskamp would speak about his biological mother telling him, as the oldest boy, to watch out for his siblings. He felt he failed to protect them in Toronto.

When youre told that (by your mother) as a kid and you see your siblings leave when theyre adopted out, then you come to Toronto and see your younger siblings (die), I think there was a huge sense of guilt in terms of him not being able to do anything to protect them, she said.

And that loyalty transferred to other people in his life, not just his biological family.

The march of death through Torontos homeless community can be numbing. Sanctuary, alone, held at least 13 memorials last year.

Last Sunday, the day before Vanhartskamps funeral, the Sanctuary staff held an emergency meeting. With escalating closures by the province and the city to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Christian organizations full set of novel coronavirus protocols were discussed; part of that conversation involved whether to stage Vanhartskamps funeral, said outreach worker Greg Cook.

We did have a number of discussions about, do we have to cancel it? And do we have the resources and the ability to make it safe enough? Cook said.

The family wanted a memorial and we wanted to make that go forward said Cook, adding Sanctuary was also ready to follow any last-minute government instructions if funeral cancellations were announced.

We said, lets keep posted with what the government was saying and obviously, we wanted to make sure everything we were doing was legal and wanted everyone to stay safe.

It was a go.

The church was thoroughly cleaned on Sunday night and again, the next morning. Surfaces, handles, door knobs, railings disinfected. On Monday March 16, Chris Vanhartskamps friends said goodbye to him.

A FUNERAL

Music played softly  Americas Horse with No Name, Cyndi Laupers Time After Time among them  as the mourners filed in. Joyce Carpenter stood over the casket, her hands lightly touching it. Head bowed for a time, then she sat.

An Elder gave a welcome in Ojibway, then explained in English that shed thanked grandmothers and the Creator for this young man who has gone into the western doorway, Chris. A sacred fire burned in the churchs backyard, another place for reflection.

Three drummers drummed and sang as a cleansing smudge pot was offered to each guest. A family member named Daniel played guitar and sang for Vanshartskamp. Mourners were encouraged to speak, using a microphone that was held solely by a Sanctuary member who wiped it with a disinfecting cloth after each tribute (he asked people not to be offended by the germ-killing routine).

The tributes were funny, touching, loving.

One woman said Vanhartskamp could tell when she was upset and ask her to keep her chin up. Rest in peace buddy, I miss you very much. Another woman recalled he had a heart full of love and pain.

A former drinking buddy recounted a day when he panhandled and shared a bottle with Vanhartskamp, two security guards beat them up, police arrived and arrested the men, not the guards. Media got wind of it and the the men were released. Thats one time we did win, he said, getting laughs from the crowd.

Roy, a cousin from Moosonee, told Joyce Carpenter he knew the Carpenter children when they were young. Carpenter said she teared up when he came in. I was so happy to see Roy.

Lorraine Lam, her voice quavering with emotion, thanked everyone for showing up despite all the apocalyptic messages in the world right now, because this is really special.

Doug Johnson Hatlem is a street pastor who works one day a week at Sanctuary. He said its critical for those in homeless communities to mourn their friends, who, unlike the general population, die young and at a relatively rapid pace. Under COVID-19 precautions, its also become increasingly difficult for people to find shelter beds in an already tapped-out system  and a situation compounded by the closing of libraries, community centres, coffee shops with seating where the homeless could rest, read, escape snow and rain or charge their phones.

These deaths just start building on each other and if you arent able to grieve them publicly, it almost starts to build like a physical presence within your body that has to come out somehow, said Johnson Hatlem, in self-quarantine after a trip to the United States and unable to attend the memorial where hed been asked to be a pallbearer.

It can come out in acting out in society. It can come out in depression. It can come out in relationships with other people. But humans have a deep need to grieve loss like this in the community. Its spiritual, its physical, its emotional, its a communal need and it starts to affect community if you cant grieve.

Two days after Vanhartskamps memorial, the Bereavement Authority of Ontario, which is responsible for administering provisions of the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act on behalf of the provincial government, released an announcement advising that funeral homes keep gatherings to 50 or less, not counting staff, for funerals and visitations.

Joyce Carpenter said she was pleased her nephew received a proper, respectful send-off from the community that held him in esteem.

There were a lot of people (at the Sunday visitation in a downtown funeral home) who were intoxicated, but they were all there on Monday and every damn one of them was sober, said Carpenter, who does not allow alcohol in her west-end home.

I thought Christopher would be happy and a little bit shocked to know they all sobered up to celebrate him leaving this earth. They came sober to say their final goodbye.

What does that tell her?

How much he was loved.
With poetries, claps, drums, utensils and songs, city residents stood in solidarity with the medical fraternity dealing with Covid-19 cases. Some started five minutes early than the designated time of 5pm, while others live-streamed the event to reach out to their friends and family.

Naveed Afroz, a mechanical engineer from Chembur, did not expect so many people to turn up in solidarity and follow the clap call, and was surprised when 60% of the society was out; one person even came with a dhol.

My family and I were just waiting around; we didnt expect so many people to come to their balcony. At 4.55pm, almost everyone was out. It indeed showed we are all together in this time of crisis. However, the noise pollution from banging of utensils could have been avoided, he said.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested citizens to be on their terrace and balconies to express their gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 to fight coronavirus, and observe janta curfew on Sunday.

However, people had mixed reaction to the incident, with some calling it phenomenal show of solidarity to some calling it a PR strategy.

For some societies, the idea of the clap call was to gather together and make a community time, though defying the purpose of the curfew.

Narendra Gada, a host from Ghatkopar, randomly recited a couplet praising the country which he had heard a few months ago, drawing applause from everyone in the nearby societies.

Our medial workers are like our soldiers. Seeing so many people out in their balcony, I couldnt resisting doing what I always do, recite a few lines. I thought that was a good way to boost the morale of everyone, said Gada.

Amrita Bhattacharjee, an activist and a Goregaon resident, was just sitting in her living room, unaware of the clap call, when she heard people around her clapping and banging utensils. There was a bird sitting in the balcony; when people started banging, the bird got scared and flew away. I am not against showing solidarity for healthcare workers and government employees who are working in these difficult times, but there could have been another way, she said.

Earlier this month, people in Italy, which is on a complete lockdown with more than 53,000 recorded infections and 4,800 deaths, started coming out on their balconies or leaning out their windows to join together in singing, wherein they coordinated the effort by spreading the word via social media. They also sang their national anthem to applaud healthcare workers.
Steve Keathley, partner in the Corsicana Law Firm of Keathley and Keathley was recently a featured speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars in College Station and in Waco. The seminars were presented by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association as part of the Criminal Defense Lawyers Project. The Texas Criminal Dense Lawyers Association is a statewide professional organization that was founded in 1971 to educate and support criminal defense lawyer across the state.

Steve Keathley was selected to present a training program on closing arguments in criminal cases. He has over 25 years of experience as an attorney in criminal law and served as the Navarro County District Attorney from 2002 to 2007. His experience and background in criminal law was one of the key reasons that he was asked to make the presentation. During the course of his career, Steve Keathley has conducted over 150 jury trials and made the closing argument in those cases.

For nearly 50 years, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association has provided resources and training for criminal defense lawyers in Texas. Criminal Defense Lawyers Project was started in 1973 and receives a grant each year from the Judicial and Court Personnel Training Fund. The goals of the grant include:

1) Legal Education on criminal law, mental health, forensic issues and trial practice for lawyers who represent indigent defendants.

2) Creating educational materials on criminal law to assist lawyers in defending those accused of crimes.

3) Training attorneys to be better qualified to represent indigent clients accused of capital murder

4) Training attorneys to be more knowledgeable on mental health

5) Providing technical assistance to attorneys that are representing clients accused of capital crimes.

The Criminal Defense Lawyers Project exists to promote the effective and equitable administration of criminal justice in partnership with the courts of the State of Texas.

The Law Firm of Keathley and Keathley has offices in Corsicana and Waxahachie and represents clients throughout Central Texas. For more information about the Keathley and Keathley Law Firm go to http://www.keathleykeathley.com or call 903-872-4244.
Military medical teams will take part, at the instruction of King Mohammed VI, in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside their civilian counterparts.

King Mohammed VI, Supreme Chief and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), gave his high instructions so that military medical teams join their civilian counterparts in the sensitive mission of fighting the Covid19 pandemic, the Royal Office announced Sunday evening in a statement.

The instructions were given to FAR inspector general, General Abdelfettah Louarrak; to Commander of the Royal Gendarmerie, General Mohamed Haramou; and to the inspector of the FAR military health service, Brigadier General Mohamed Elabbar, the statement said.

The statement explained that in a bid to remedy certain shortcomings noted at the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and in order to facilitate the transmission and exchange of information between the various departments involved, the Monarch gave his instructions to deploy military medical means to strengthen the medical structures dedicated to the management of the pandemic. In this respect, medical and paramedical personnel of the FAR will join their civilian counterparts as of Monday, March 23, 2020.

The Social Services of the FAR and of the Royal Gendarmerie will also be mobilized within the framework of this operation, the statement said, adding that the Monarch urges, in this particular context, the civil and military doctors to work in harmony and intelligence, as they have always done, because the health of Moroccans and foreigners in Morocco is at state.
Chennai, March 22 : Tamil Nadu on Sunday reported three more positive coronavirus case, taking to total cases to nine.

State Health Minister C.Vijayabaskar, in a tweet, announced the three new positive cases.

According to him, a 64-year-old woman, who travelled from California, is under isolation at the Stanley Medical College here and a 43-year-old man who had returned from Dubai is under isolation at Tirunelveli Medical College.

He also said a traveller from Spain had tested coronavirus positive.

All the patients are undergoing treatment.

According to him, two Thai nationals who had earlier reported Covid-19 positive are undergoing treatement at Perundurai Medical College and hence the Central government has put Erode district under lock down.

On Saturday, three persons had tested positive for the coronavirus infection in Tamil Nadu -- the two Thail nationals and one from New Zealand.

Three Tamil Nadu districts - Chennai, Kancheepuram and Erode - and Mahe in Puducherry have been included in the Central government's list of 75 districts where only essential services will be operational till March 31.
THE government is promising a "significant" financial support package that goes "well beyond" payments already on offer for people who lose their jobs in the coronavirus crisis.

Taniaste Simon Coveney made the remarks as the government comes under pressure from Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein over the supports that have been provided so far.

The main measure put in place is a 203-per week 'Covid payment' which the opposition say has not gone far enough.

Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath claimed the government's response for workers has been "weak" and out of step with other countries, including the UK which is pledging to maintain pay for virus-hit workers at 80pc of salaries.

Mr McGrath said: "It is not tenable to expect those who have lost their job to survive on 203".

There are reports today that the government is considering a wage subsidy scheme that pays up to 75pc of wages to affected workers as has been introduced in Denmark.

Sinn Fein is suggesting an income support scheme that will guarantee an income of up to 525 per week for 20 weeks for all workers that are laid off.

Mr Coveney said he spoke to Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe this morning.

"I want to reassure people that the government are going to introduce a significant and supportive economic package in the coming days that will go well beyond what we have announced to date".

He told RTE Radio that the measures will keep employees and employers connected through this crisis they will "treat everybody equally" including people who have already lost their jobs and those who will in the weeks to come.

"We're not going to do what some of the countries have done which is to provide support packages for certain sectors, or certain numbers of employees but not others.

"We want to do something that provides a guaranteed level of income for everybody across the country that have lost their jobs."

He said the purpose of keeping employers and employees connected is so after the emergency "we can allow the economy to recover as quickly as possible."

Mr Coveney added: "that is complicated" and criticised anyone that "outlines simplistic ideas that involves billions of euros and hundreds of thousands of people".

"That is not a straightforward process, we want to be able to announce something and then deliver on that announcement straight away."

He said government Departments are finalising the package and he hopes it will be announced in the middle of the week.

Mr Coveney said he hopes the political cooperation seen so far in the crisis is not fraying.

He said that Mr McGrath didn't raise such concerns during talks with Fine Gael last week.

"I would say to people is, this isn't an election. This is an emergency, and party politics should be set aside."

"If people have sensible proposals that are cost or thought out that they believe are necessary and will make a difference we want to hear about them," he said.

"We have an understanding, I thought, with other political parties - all of them including Sinn Fein - that if people have contributions that they want to make the government wants to take them on board if they make sense."

Mr Coveney said that hand hygiene and social distancing advice must be taken "deadly seriously".

He said: "if you look at what's happening in Italy right now, the extraordinary tragedy that unfolded - 800 people yesterday died of this virus.

"We need to make sure that we do everything we can to make sure that that's not Irelands story in a few weeks time."

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has today called for Ireland's response to coronavirus needs to be scaled up.

She told Newstalk Radio's On The Record that every workplace where it's not possible to have safe social distancing should be closed.

Earlier she put out a statement arguing that while her party welcomed interventions to slow down the virus "the truth is that we now need more urgent, decisive action from the government."

She said: "Social distancing is central to this strategy, but Government Ministers can't criticise young people for gathering together, while at the same time saying that gathering of up to five hundred people outdoors are still allowed. The mixed messages must stop."

Ms McDonald added: "It is time now to scale up emergency measures and restrictions. Other countries have learned, to their cost, that delay costs lives. We dont want to learn that lesson here."

Mr Coveney said he had listened to what Ms McDonald and others said today but added: "we need to be very careful here that we don't make decisions on the basis of political pressure."

He said the government's decisions are made on the basis of the advice of the Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and his team.

"If it is necessary in the days and weeks ahead to tighten the restrictions that we've currently asked people to comply with we will do that."

He said this is the advice of the CMO it will be done immediately.

"But its important that we do make decisions on the basis of information and expertise and not on the back of political statements that don't necessarily have a basis in medical expertise," Mr Coveney said.
Along with rest of the country, Mizoram on Sunday observed a 14- hour nationwide Janta Curfew, a call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid a spurt in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Mizoram government also on Saturday night ordered a week-long partial lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Janata Curfew, which coincided with the partial lockdown on Sunday, was total as people across the state stayed indoors, police said.

Only a few officials, policemen and media persons were on duty, they said.

All streets in the cities and towns across the state wore a deserted look as vehicle stayed off the road and churches suspended their Sunday services, a police officer said.

All shops remained closed since 7 am.

Officials of local bodies across the state also asked people to support Janata Curfew by staying at home, the police officer said.

The partial lockdown was also imposed in the state from Sunday.

The state government on Saturday night advised people not to venture outside except those on medical duty, essential service, media and persons dealing in essential commodities. All business shops, shopping malls and markets barring pharmacies and those selling essential commodities will remain closed, the government order said.

The government also sealed all international and interstate borders except for those transporting essential commodities. All public transport and private vehicles, including two-wheelers, were told not to ply during the week-long partial lockdown.

However, ambulance, fire and emergency services, vehicles used for law and order duty, medical duty, and vehicles for journalists were exempted from the ban.

The order said that the partial lockdown may be extended as per the necessity of the situation. Meanwhile, GoAir has suspended its operation following the partial lockdown in the state till further notice. Officials said that other airlines are yet to intimate about suspending flights.

In his address to the nation on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to the people to observe a 14-hour Janata Curfew on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm to fight the rapidly-spreading coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A call was made for immediate State protection for the role of newspapers and their staff

Journalism must be designated an essential service providing accurate, fact-checked, information in the Covid-19 crisis and newspapers need economic support now to continue operating, the Government has been urged.

In a joint letter from representatives of both national and local newspapers to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, a call was made for immediate State protection for the role of newspapers and their staff.

Free movement of journalists in reporting on the crisis must be protected and no restrictions should be placed on supplies for the industry and deliveries to shops. News website traffic should be prioritised through ISPs should the internet become congested.

Advertising in newspapers has plunged 65pc in the current crisis and is set for further dramatic falls. Advertising is essential to fund the continuing operation of newspapers and a commitment from Government to invest in health and information adverts is needed immediately, according to Newsbrands Ireland, representing national newspapers, and Local Ireland, representing local newspapers.

Smaller local newspapers are already threatened with closure which will leave local communities without trusted news provision. Publication of the Offaly Independent has already been suspended.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:51:25|Editor: xuxin

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MADRID, March 22 (Xinhua)-- The number of coronavirus cases rose to 28,572 on Sunday, an increase of 3,646 cases from Saturday's number of 24,926 cases, according to figures published by the Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare.

Close to 400 new deaths were registered on Sunday, bringing the total death toll to 1,720. Meanwhile, 2,575 people have recovered from the disease.

The health ministry also confirmed that 3,475 health workers have been infected by the coronavirus.

Madrid continued to be the worst hit of Spain's 17 regions, with 9,702 cases, including 1,021 deaths and 834 patients in intensive care units.

Sunday saw the first patients arrive at the field hospital which has been set up at the IFEMA exhibition center in Madrid by members of the Spanish military's Emergency Response Unit.

The field hospital will eventually have space for 5,500 beds and also an intensive care unit. A similar hospital is also being established at the Fira exhibition center in Barcelona.

The Spanish government has announced that it will extend the 15-day state of emergency by another 15 days until April 12.
NEWTOWN BOROUGH >> The Newtown Borough Council welcomes the new year with three new members of council and a new borough mayor. District Court Judge Mick Petrucci was on hand on January 3 to administer the oath of office to the towns new mayor, Republican John Burke, who replaces longtime mayor Charles Corky Swartz who decided not to run for...
Criminals have been posing as health officials online to extract personal details from victims amid the coronavirus crisis, National Crime Agency chiefs have warned.

Gangs will exploit the outbreak to commit fraud and steal financial information, a spokesman for the NCA said.

He added that school closures will also leave children vulnerable to online predators.

And stretched police forces, expected to enforce pub and restaurant closures, will have to prioritise crimes as they turn to 10,000 volunteer special constables for assistance, a senior officer said.

Criminals have been posing as health officials online to extract personal details from victims amid the coronavirus crisis, National Crime Agency chiefs have warned (stock image)

The warnings come after a man from West Sussex appeared in court charged with making fake kits claiming to treat Covid-19.

NCA investigators have already come across Covid-19- themed malicious apps and websites designed to steal personal and financial information.

The NCA said: 'The Covid-19 outbreak may provide opportunities for criminals, and we are monitoring intelligence and crime trends to ensure that we can react as needed.'

National Police Chiefs Council chairman Martin Hewitt said that if too many officers are ill or self-isolating then they could be supported by the Army.

He told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: 'We have written out in the last week to over 10,000 special constables around the country who volunteer to help, about how they can assist.

'As our resources become more stretched, we have to prioritise those things that are the most likely to cause harm.'

National Police Chiefs Council chairman Martin Hewitt (pictured) said that if too many officers are ill or self-isolating then they could be supported by the Army

The comments come after reports of yobs coughing and spitting at emergency workers in West Yorkshire while they dealt with a serious incident on Saturday night.

PC Rachel Story and PC Charlotte Nicholls both said they had to wash spit from their boots.

The NCA said that despite travel restrictions affecting the volume of traffic at UK borders, drug and people smugglers continue to operate.

Last week half a tonne (500kg) of cocaine was seized at Dover, and German national Kawus Rafiei, 56, was charged with importing drugs.

People-smugglers are telling migrants the UK is safer than the Continent to drive up demand, NCA intelligence suggests.

The crime agency said the Thinkuknow website gives safety advice for young people.

In West Sussex, Frank Ludlow, 59, was arrested allegedly in the act of selling fake testing kits from a post office near his home on Friday, after US customs officers in Los Angeles intercepted a package on Wednesday containing 60 fake kits sent from the UK, labelled 'antipathogenic treatment.'

Ludlow, who appeared at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Saturday, was allegedly planning to distribute 60 more fake kits.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clinton Blackburn said: 'While police have taken swift action to arrest this individual, we believe some of these kits may still be in circulation.'

Tariq Sarwar, of the Medical and Health Products Regulatory Agency, said: 'When buying online, beware of illegitimate websites, suspicious URLs and remember that claims like "100 per cent safe", or "quick results", are often warning signs.'
Kathmandu, March 21

Many border points between Nepal and India have been closed in the countrys bid to prevent the coronavirus infection in Nepal. Major border points, however, are still open as the government is waiting for the Indian governments consent to close them.

The Jamunaha border point, near Nepalgunj of Bara district in Province 5, is the biggest border point closed fearing the infection. Officials say the border point has been closed for the next one week beginning today.

In the past few days, thousands of Nepali migrant workers, working in India, had returned to Nepal via this border points, but the officials had failed to take

Likewise, smaller border points across Province 2 have been shut. Major crossings of the province such as Raxaul, Gaur, and Bhittamode, however, will remain open till the next notice.
A Russian photographer who had set out on a traditional excursion roaming into the wilderness in far north was reportedly shocked to know about the coronavirus global pandemic. Max Avdeev left in late February with a group of reindeer herders on snowmobiles to Yakutia, and completely cut-off from the rest of the world.

Avdeev shared his experience on Facebook saying, A couple of weeks ago, I left for the wilderness in the north of Yakutia to shoot deer stands. There was no connection there. It's not hard to imagine my surprise when the day before yesterday I opened the news to read what happened during my absence, the Russian post translated. His friend named Alexey Amyotov wrote while narrating the incident, Imagine his face when he comes back and goes on the internet. While he was away: Putin fell off, rubble fell, borders in Europe closed, planes do not fly. In short, I was looking forward to his reaction.

Read: Iran President Foresees Virus Relief, Even As Death Toll Tops 1,500

Read: Fellaini Is First Coronavirus Case In Chinese Super League

Did not imagine coronavirus

Avdeev told the news agencies that it was his third trip to the eastern Siberia thats just roughly 20 per cent of Russias territory, and the coldest region on the Earth. Last he visited the region was to finish and an eight-year project that he wanted to publish in a book, he added. He was quoted saying that when he started his journey, a federal judge had sentenced Roger Stone to three years in prison, and Russia was blamed to have interfered in Democratic primaries to aid Senator Bernie Sanders. He did not quite imagine that a pandemic termed as coronavirus would have hit the world when he returned, he said.

Facebook poured in supportive comments for Avdeev. And how do you like the return? wrote a user, And yes, stop this madness with your beautiful, or it's already hard to tolerate", he added. Another user replied, He is saturated, curious. A bright shock for a better change.

Read: With Coronavirus Cases Across India On Rise, TMC, NCP MPs Not To Attend Parliament

Read: World Ice Hockey Championship Cancelled Due To Coronavirus Pandemic
State governors say their demands for more masks and other medical equipment are not being met, forcing them to compete with each other for critical supplies as the coronavirus pandemic escalates in the United States.

"This should have been a coordinated effort by the federal government...It's a Wild West out there...Indeed we're overpaying for PPE because of that competition," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on CNN's "State of the Union."

PPE stands for personal protection equipment, which includes critical medical supplies such as face masks.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that the federal government needs to nationalize the purchase of needed medical supplies, adding that the shortage of personal protective gear like masks and life-saving equipment like respirators is leading to price gouging.

Masks that used to cost 85 cents are now $7 because New York is vying with other states, according to Cuomo.

"Currently when states are doing it, we are competing against other states. In some cases, we're savaging other states," Cuomo said. "This is just an impossible situation to manage, if we don't get the equipment, we could lose lives that we could otherwise save if we had the equipment."
CALHOUN COUNTY, MI -- A second case of coronavirus was reported in Calhoun County Sunday.

The Calhoun County Public Health Department reported a second case of the virus in the county Sunday, March 22, according to a press release from the health department.

The person is currently being treated at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, the health department said.

According to the county health department, the person is a resident of Advantage Living Center, a nursing home in Battle Creek. There are no other confirmed cases of coronavirus at the facility at this time.

Those with questions specific to the nursing home are asked to call Advantage Living Center at 313-573-2600, or visit their website at advantageliving.net.

The first case in Calhoun County was reported Saturday.

Statewide, the number of cases jumped to nearly 800, and eight deaths related to COVID-19 were reported.

The Calhoun County health department is communicating with anyone who was in close contact with the individual and will be monitoring symptoms as appropriate, the department said.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Also on MLive:

Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

8 people now dead from coronavirus in Michigan; infant tests positive




To stay? To leave?

Panic swept residents of Zagreb Sunday morning when, while sheltering at home from the coronavirus, a 5.3 magnitude earthquakethe largest in 140 yearsstruck Croatias capital city. Tremors shook the Chabad House. Rabbi Pini and Raizy Zaklas, Chabad representatives to Croatia, raced out at 6:45 a.m. with their six children, to survey the damage.

The scene was frightening, Raizy told lubavitch.com. Clouds of dust from the shattered concrete rose up on rooftops, shattered buildings, broken windows and debris lay everywhere.

Then the calls came pouring in. Theres a terrible state of panic here, Rabbi Zaklas said in a Sunday morning phone conversation with lubavitch.com. One woman whose roof collapsed, ran from her house to her car with her children. Speaking through sobs, she called the rabbi. I am now in the car with my children, and would be grateful if I could come stay with them for a day or two at Chabad.

Fortunately, the newly renovated Chabad House structure was not damaged. Weve placed two families with children on different floors of our Chabad House so that they can be safe during this time of social distancing, explained the rabbi. But many more who are stranded have turned to the Zaklases, who are scrambling for solutions to provide at least 25 families with a safe place to stay.

We are doing everything we possibly can to help all those whose homes are not livable, Zaklas told lubavitch.com. The coronavirus is making this especially challenging, as we cannot put a lot of people together, and we dont know when they will be able return to their homes.

Adding to the fear and panic, said Raizy, is that people here are really poor. They dont have the means to move house, or to undertake the kinds of costly repairs that their damaged apartments will require to make them livable again.

Chabad of Croatia is launching a charity fund to help this effort: www.charidy.com/helpcroatia




If youre going through hell, order pizza. I think it was Winston Churchill who said that, but someone should double check. I would go to the library myself and look it up but, well, you know.

But I am quite sure this moment in time calls for pizza. Having that familiar cardboard box arrive at your front door, its contents steaming hot and deliciously glorious, is one of the few slices of normalcy we still have during the coronavirus pandemic. No pun intended.

Plus, it is practically your civic duty. The fate of our small businesses, including the restaurants that are so important to our communities, is hanging in the balance during this time of social distancing. So tonight, as you contemplate what to feed your stir-crazy family, your should stand in your kitchen and declare the following:

For the good of our country, I demand we order two large pies with sausage and extra cheese!

LATEST CORONAVIRUS UPDATES FROM NJ.COM

And if youre in Belmar (or Bradley Beach or Spring Lake or anywhere close)? Please consider ordering from Federicos on Main Street. Throw in the chicken wings and some garlic knots and some penne with vodka sauce. Keep ordering, because owners Bryan and Michael Morin did something so generous last week, they deserve some good karma -- and, more importantly, greenbacks -- headed their way.

When Gov. Phil Murphy ordered that restaurants close their dining rooms, they knew that they would no longer need most of their employees with the decline in business that was certain to follow. But they also believed that it was unfair to the men and women they considered their second family to hand them pink slips during these tumultuous times.

So Bryan Morin went to the bank, took out a $50,000 line of credit, and made the 20 employees on Federicos payroll a promise: No matter what happens over the next two months, they would still receive a paycheck.

My father told us a long time ago: Youve got to take care of your employees first, because without those employees, you dont have a business at all, Morin said. I definitely owe them a debt -- even if it means I might go into debt.

Think about that. At a time when hundreds of thousands of waiters, dishwashers and other restaurant employees around the country are losing their jobs, Morin is writing checks to his staff even at a time when he knows his bottom line is going to suffer significantly.

Were all looking for heroes during this crisis. Well, if youre in Belmar, look at the men standing in front of the pizza oven. And order something.

I have a lot of friends who work as bartenders and waiters, and they have no idea what theyre going to do with themselves, said Chelsea Phillips, who started as one of Federicos phone girls 12 years ago and now manages the place. When I tell them (what Morin did), they want to know why Im so lucky to work for the greatest people.

Look: We all have plenty to worry about as it is. Were worried about elderly parents and grandparents, home-schooling our kids, keeping our own bosses happy. Were worried about having enough toilet paper, about our shrinking portfolios, about everything and anything.

The fate of our favorite restaurants might not crack that list. But many of them, more than we want to contemplate, might not survive a prolonged shutdown. These are places that are an important part of our lives, a reliable diner or a favorite taco shop, owned and operated by hard-working people who live in our communities.

People like Morin. He isnt worried about shutting down. He hopes the summer months bring more tourists to the Jersey Shore, but even as he keeps his fingers crossed, he understands that might be wishful thinking given the projections.

He is doing what he can to help. Now its up to the rest of us, wherever we are, to do our part. You should dial your favorite Indian restaurant on Tuesday night, not just because youre too mentally fried to cook, its your duty as an American citizen. Order now. Order often.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said during another crisis in this countrys history, The only thing we have to fear, is the fear of not having pizza. Or something like that. Hey, the libraries are closed, okay?

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Home  Just In  Three Nepalis in Bahrain test positive for coronavirus

Kathmandu, March 22

Three Nepalis living in Bahrain have tested positive for coronavirus, informs the Nepali Ambassador to Bahrain, Padam Sundas.

They have been quarantined in Bahrain, according to him.

Around 35,000 Nepalis are working in the Middle Eastern country currently. So far, Bahrain has 310 confirmed cases. Of them, 125 have recovered whereas one died.
Schools for Classes 1 to 8 wont reopen in Puducherry

Depression soon, heavy showers likely in several regions of TN; Puducherry

Puducherry makes COVID19 vaccination compulsory for all; violators to be prosecuted

Puducherry in lockdown mode as nation observes Janta curfew

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Puducherry, Mar 22: All shops and establishments, hotels, places of tourist interest in Puducherry remained closed Sunday as the union territory responded to the call for a 'Janata Curfew' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure social distancing to control the spread of coronavirus.

Puducherry came to a standstill due to the 'Janata curfew.'

The local bus terminals, railway stations and municipal markets wore a deserted look.

Lockdown ordered in Rajasthan amidst coronavirus outbreak

The entire stretch of beach road which is normally teeming with people, tourists and others was out of bounds for the people as the government had closed the road till end of this month.

Vegetable markets and other outlets suspended their business.

The territorial government had already declared closure of all retail outlets selling liquor, arrack and toddy in Puducherry and outlying regions of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam which are traditionally wet pockets.

All temples, Aurobindo Ashram, Bharathi park and tourist centric boat houses were closed and there was restriction on visitors in several other places of worship.

Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy had already made separate appeals to the people to respond to the Prime Ministers call for 'Janata Curfew.'

They also urged the people to clap hands at 5 p m Sunday as a mark of appreciation of the work done by the health staff, police and other volunteers.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 13:32 [IST]
Two mid-Michigan counties have seen a rise in COVID-19 cases in the latest figures.

Updated figures provided Sunday afternoon by the state Department of Health and Human Services show 1,035 cases in Michigan, including 14 in Genesee County, two in Saginaw County and one in Bay County.

Thats seven more for Genesee County and one more for Saginaw County compared to Saturday.

First coronavirus case reported in Saginaw County; 7 in Genesee

Among the statewide reported cases included a third Michigan Department of Corrections employee, though it wasnt immediately clear which county his case is included in.

Chris Gautz, MDOC spokesperson, confirmed a prison employee at the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer tested positive Saturday.

We immediately made contact with that individual and theyve been very cooperative he said. They have been giving us names of anyone they had close contact with.

The employee and those in close contact are being self-quarantined for 14 days, Gautz noted. No prisoners have tested positive.

Information provided by the Saginaw County Health Department notes the latest positive case in that area is a woman in her 90s.

The patient is current hospitalized at a local health care facility. SCHD will be contacting those who have been in close contact with the patient and they will be assessed for symptoms and monitored appropriately, said Christina Harrington, the countys health officer, in a news release. To date, 60 Saginaw residents have been tested for COVID-19. There are 23 negative results, 2 positive results and 35 results are still pending.

She urged residents take appropriate precautions to reduce the spread, including washing hands for at least 20 second, covering coughs and sneezes, staying at home when sick, avoiding touching your face, disinfecting commonly touched surfaces, and practice social distancing of at least six feet.

As of Thursday, the Genesee County Health Department reported 114 samples had been submitted that the office is processing; fifty seven of the tests were negative, but 57 results were yet to be reported at that time.

In Bay County, health officials said on Thursday approximately 30 tests were being monitored; one doctor was confirmed as testing positive and seven were negative with the remainder pending.

Harrington also called on residents to check reputable sources for their information such as www.cdc.gov/COVID-19, www.michigan.gov/coronavirus, or www.saginawpublichealth.org for current national, state, and local information.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

PREVENTION TIPS

Michigans State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips:

What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases:

 Always cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.

 Stay home if you are sick and advise others to do the same.

 Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

 Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

 Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if soap and warm water are not available.

 Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces(computers, keyboards, desks, etc.).

 Its not too late to get your flu shot! While the influenza vaccine does not protect against COVID-19 infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season.

Related:

Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Act if you have the coronavirus,' urges doctor who tested positive

Hundreds of Michigan health care workers, first responders line up to get tested for coronavirus
The Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release Sunday that its troopers will aid in enforcement of Gov. Tom Wolfs order closing physical locations of non-life-sustaining businesses.

Enforcement action begins at 8 a.m. Monday.

The priority of the Pennsylvania State Police is protecting lives and maintaining order in the commonwealth. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, troopers and liquor control enforcement officers are prepared to ensure compliance with Governor Wolfs order," Col. Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, said in the news release.

Private businesses, organizations, and other noncompliant entities face possible criminal penalties under the Administrative Code of 1929, 71 P.S.  1409 and/or the Pennsylvania Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955, 35 P.S.  521.20(a). Both violations are summary offenses punishable by fines and even jail time. Violators may also be subject to additional administrative penalties under certain circumstances.

We believe most Pennsylvanians want to act responsibly and do their part to help slow the spread of this deadly virus. Troopers and liquor control officers will make every effort to achieve voluntary compliance by educating business owners and using discretion when appropriate. But our message is clear: COVID-19 is a serious health and public safety risk that requires an extraordinary response from law enforcement and the public. I urge everyone to stay home, stay calm, and stay safe.

Email Jeff at jpratt@cumberlink.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelPratt.

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(Natural News) Remember three weeks ago when you thought our pandemic projection model that predicted 580 deaths by April 4th seemed impossible or insane?

That same model originally predicted 2.1 million deaths in the USA by July 4th if nothing was done to achieve social distancing and aggressive isolation. I published that model at a time when President Trump was still in the denial stage, and when there were barely in deaths in the USA. At that time, most people couldnt fathom even 500 deaths happening in the USA.

Fortunately, some governors and mayors came to their senses and measures were put in place over the last two weeks to achieve strong social distancing  with now almost 30% of the US population under lockdown  which means the catastrophic worst case scenario has been avoided.

However, were still in a scenario where probably tens of thousands of deaths in the USA cannot be avoided, and well be lucky to get out of this with fewer than 250,000 fatalities in the USA. At the same time, the economic impacts of the shutdown, of course, will be devastating to the economy in the short term.

To understand why were still on track for a flood of fatalities in the weeks ahead, compare my original pandemic projections with the actual number of deaths from the coronavirus that have been recorded. The following chart also shows you the future dates and projections from my original projection model:

USA deaths from coronavirus  original projections released early March, 2020  since revised with stronger social distancing factors

Date Projected Deaths Actual

Deaths 6-Mar 13 17 7-Mar 15 19 8-Mar 18 22 9-Mar 22 23 10-Mar 26 30 11-Mar 30 32 12-Mar 35 41 13-Mar 40 50 14-Mar 47 54 15-Mar 54 60 16-Mar 62 79 17-Mar 71 100 18-Mar 81 143 19-Mar 92 179 20-Mar 104 264 21-Mar 118 344 22-Mar 134 388 (so far) 23-Mar 151 24-Mar 170 25-Mar 191 26-Mar 215 27-Mar 241 28-Mar 270 29-Mar 303 30-Mar 338 31-Mar 378 1-Apr 421 2-Apr 469 3-Apr 521 4-Apr 580 5-Apr 644 6-Apr 714 7-Apr 791 8-Apr 877 9-Apr 970 10-Apr 1073 11-Apr 1186 12-Apr 1310 13-Apr 1446 14-Apr 1595 15-Apr 1758 16-Apr 1938 17-Apr 2134 18-Apr 2349 19-Apr 2585 20-Apr 2844 21-Apr 3127 22-Apr 3436 23-Apr 3775 24-Apr 4147 25-Apr 4553 26-Apr 4997 27-Apr 5483 28-Apr 6015 29-Apr 6597 30-Apr 7233

Its now rather obvious that we will have far more than 7,233 deaths by April 30th. Then again, the lockdowns and isolation orders will most definitely flatten the curve quite dramatically in another 3-5 weeks, so I do expect real fatalities to diverge from this model quite dramatically toward the end of April.

And thats the good news in all this. The lockdowns break the cycle of exponential spread. Lockdowns work because the Wuhan coronavirus spreads from person to person, obviously. So stopping the spread requires people to stop coming into social contact for a period of time.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is now saying we should expect a 10  12 week lockdown situation across America, after which the number of new infections should plummet dramatically. But Gov. Cuomo is now warning the lockdowns may last up to nine months.

If you thought New Yorkers were out of their minds right now, imagine nine months in lockdown not a pretty picture.

So were looking at, earliest, mid-June before America starts to get back on its feet again. The question is whether America can make it to June under lockdown status without people losing their minds over the shortages of food and nationwide house arrest. Sadly, I dont have an answer to that question at this time. Well know a lot more by the end of March. But I will share something with you: Being able to walk my ranch with goats and donkeys sure seems like an amazing luxury right now, even though I have been mocked for living in the country and caring for animals in years past. (Funny how everything changes overnight, right?)

Theres one other thing I do know for sure: I wouldnt want to be anywhere near a large city right now, and especially not Los Angeles, as LA County just yesterday announced a surrender to the virus, telling doctors to stop testing for infections because the battle was already lost and the epidemic was far beyond containment there.

Seriously, its starting to turn into a Kurt Russell action movie, Escape from New York / L.A.

Brighteon.com/b87647e2-e2e6-40d4-b4a6-d987d7583d7b

Read more at Pandemic.news if you want to stay alive and survive all this.
Children who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes under the age of seven have a different form (or "endotype") of the condition compared with those diagnosed aged 13 or above, new research has shown.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, destroying them. This means they no longer regulate blood sugar levels effectively and people affected by the condition must inject insulin several times a day to do this job.

The new study, conducted at the University of Exeter, is published today in Diabetologia -- the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]. The research, funded by Diabetes UK and JDRF, shows for the first time that children who were diagnosed under 7 years old do not process insulin properly and the cells that make it are quickly destroyed. Surprisingly, those who are older at diagnosis (aged 13 or over) often continue to produce normal insulin; findings which reignite important questions about whether these "dormant" insulin-producing cells could be reinvigorated to work more effectively.

In their paper, the Exeter team has suggested new names for the two distinct endotypes: Type 1 Diabetes Endotype 1 (T1DE1) for that diagnosed in the youngest children, and Type 1 Diabetes Endotype 2 (T1DE2) for those who are older at diagnosis.

Professor Noel Morgan, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said "We're extremely excited to find evidence that type 1 diabetes is two separate conditions: T1DE1 and T1DE 2. The significance of this could be enormous in helping us to understand what causes the illness, and in unlocking avenues to prevent future generations of children from getting type 1 diabetes. It might also lead to new treatments, if we can find ways to reactivate dormant insulin-producing cells in the older age group. This would be a significant step towards the holy grail to find a cure for some people."

The paper proposes that children diagnosed between the ages of seven and 12 could fall into either the T1DE 1 or T1DE2 group. The research team is now working on more precise ways to define which type of diabetes such children have by studying the small amounts of insulin released into their blood.

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The Exeter team reached their conclusions by analysing two bioresources including the unique Exeter pancreatic biobank comprising more than 130 samples, many of which come from children and young people who died soon after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This is the most extensive resource of its type anywhere in the world. They also studied whether the differences seen in the pancreas are mirrored in the blood of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at increasing ages.

Sarah Richardson, Associate Professor at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "Our research could have a significant impact on current emerging therapies for type 1 diabetes. We're seeing a lot of promise in immunotherapies which can slow disease progression, but so far that hasn't translated into effective new treatments. It could be that we need to focus on the use of different therapies in each age group, for these to be effective."

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said: "The era of being able to halt the immune attack behind type 1 diabetes is in reach, but to make new treatments as effective as possible we need to really get to grips with the complexity of the condition. Today's news brings us one step closer to achieving that.

"Being able to make the distinction between different subtypes of type 1 diabetes is an exciting new development and we're proud to have supported this landmark research.

"We now need to make sure this discovery is used to help design trials and tailor future treatments, so we can move closer to stopping and preventing type 1 diabetes."

Karen Addington is UK Chief Executive of the type 1 diabetes charity JDRF, which provided funding for the study. She said: "In order to prevent, treat and cure type 1 diabetes, we need to understand how this complex and challenging condition differs in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. These exciting study results provide a new perspective on type 1 diabetes across different age groups. We congratulate the research team on their progress. JDRF looks forward to further research in this area, exploring and applying these findings."

The study is entitled 'Studies of insulin and proinsulin in pancreas and serum support the existence of aetiopathological endotypes of type 1 diabetes associated with age at diagnosis'. Authors are by P Leete, RA Oram, TJ McDonald, BM Shields, C Ziller, AT Hattersley, SJ Richardson and NG Morgan.
Kosovo's Government Approves Partial Lifting Of 100 Percent Tariffs Against Serbia

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service March 21, 2020

PRISTINA -- The government of Kosovo has approved the decision to partially lift a politically divisive import tariff on goods from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, at least on a temporary basis.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti wrote on Facebook on March 20 that the 100 percent tariff on raw materials from the two countries will be lifted, although import duties on other products will remain in place for now.

"In a vote of 10 in favor and two abstentions, it was decided to remove the 100 percent tariffs on imports of raw materials from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina," Kurti wrote.

He said the borders between Serbia and Kosovo will be open for import of raw materials as of the early morning of March 21. But he said if Belgrade did not respect Kosovo's act of goodwill, then beginning on April 1, Kosovo would reciprocate in kind -- first in trade and then in political terms.

The imposition of the tariffs had raised objections from the Kosovar opposition and even within Kurti's ruling coalition government. The United States and European Union had also demanded that the punitive fees be lifted in full.

Kurti had originally set out a plan that would ease other tariffs, contingent on Serbia ending its campaign to have Kosovo's independence revoked. But he said that no agreement could be reached within the Kosovo government, leading him to scrap the wider plan.

The tariffs, imposed on Serbia in November 2018, came in response to Belgrade's diplomatic campaign to encourage some of the 110-plus countries that have recognized Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 to reverse their position.

Since taking power, Kurti has resisted removing the tariff and instead has suggested a partial lifting -- something rejected by President Hashim Thaci as well as the United States, Kosovo's most important ally.

Richard Grenell, the U.S. special envoy to Kosovo and Serbia, on February 27 wrote on Twitter that the partial lifting was not enough, calling it a "half-measure."

On March 10, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee called on Kosovo to annul the tariffs or face a withdrawal of U.S. troops who have helped guarantee the small Balkan state's sovereignty.

A partner in Kosovo's ruling coalition, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), has also pressed for a full lifting of the tariffs and has formally filed a no-confidence motion in parliament against the government, potentially engulfing the country in a political crisis even as it battles along with the rest of the world to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-partially- lifts-tariffs-against-serbia -bosnia/30500652.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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All through his daily commute, plodding up roads bumper-to-bumper with families fleeing by truck, car, motorbike and on foot, Dr. Hnak worries that something will happen to his own wife and children before he can return.

When I get to the hospital, he said, the first thing I do is call home to check on my family.

Schools also have been targeted by Russian and Syrian forces. More than 180 schools are damaged, destroyed or currently housing the displaced.

On a single day in February, local aid groups said, airstrikes hit eight schools around Idlib City, killing three teachers and a student. At least six more students were injured as they tried to evacuate.

But everywhere there are children in need of schooling.

Mr. Ahmad, the teacher at the Return School, once planned to teach philosophy to college students. Now it is a good day if he can hold his young pupils attention. The distractions are many: cold fingers, one-meal-a-day bellies, warplanes that snarl overhead. And that is if the children come to school at all.

I put in so much effort, but with almost no results, he said. The students? Most of them are just scared every time they hear the sounds of the planes. We dont have anything to distract them with or teach them with. We only have this tent.

For Mr. Ahmad, his wife, Malak, 28, and their young son and daughter, home was the village of Al Iss, outside Aleppo, until they fled two months ago. Ever since, they have lived in a leaky abandoned building near the camp, sharing one room with 17 other people.

Some of the displaced live in tents, but many sleep in half-finished buildings, under olive trees or, in some cases, under nothing. Tents along the Turkish border, which is sealed shut against refugees, hold an average of nine people each, an International Rescue Committee survey found.
Taking cognisance of fake reports on the internet, the IT ministry has asked all social media companies to immediately remove false spreading misinformation about coronavirus from their platform.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT issued an advisory on March 20 asking social media companies to inform their users about not posting false that can create panic among the public and disturb social tranquillity.

"Intermediaries are urged to... take immediate action to disable or remove such (false news) content hosted on their platforms on a priority basis," Meity cyber laws and e-security Group coordinator Rakesh Maheshwari said in the advisory note issued to all social media companies.

The advisory said that the coronavirus outbreak has become a global concern with Wolrd Health Organisation declaring it a global health emergency.

It said that as per media reports there is a trend of circulation of misinformation/false news and sharing anonymous data related to coronavirus in social media platforms creating panic among the public.

The advisory asked social media companies to initiate "awareness campaign on their platforms for the users not to upload or circulate any false news or misinformation concerning coronavirus which are likely to create panic among the public and disturb the public order and social tranquillity"



The ministry has asked social media companies to promote the dissemination of authentic information related to coronavirus to the extent possible.

The total number of coronavirus positive cases India reached 341 on Sunday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data.

Globally, the number of deaths due to coronavirus crossed 13,000 on Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday telephoned his counterparts from Sri Lanka and Nepal and proposed to host the SAARC health ministers conference to firm up efforts to jointly fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement that Qureshi also proposed that a video conference could be organised first in view of the prevailing global health emergency.

During his conversation with his Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs Dinesh Gunawardena, the two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the situation arising from the coronavirus outbreak and ways to enhance cooperation to combat the threat posed by the rapid spread of the pandemic.

"Reaffirming abiding commitment to the SAARC process, Foreign Minister Qureshi reiterated Pakistans readiness to host the SAARC Health Ministers Conference to enhance cooperation among member countries and development partners in the health sector, with particular focus on Covid-19," the Foreign Office said.

Qureshi underscored that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) provided an important platform for regional cooperation. There was a need to revitalise this key organization to tackle common challenges.

In the context of effective efforts to combat the global pandemic, the Foreign Minister noted that Pakistan has proposed that sanctions on Iran be lifted so that humanitarian relief can be provided at this time of crisis to save precious human lives.

Qureshi further noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan has proposed that developed countries may facilitate developing countries to meet the challenge through debt restructuring so that they can use limited resources to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on their economies and provide effective relief to the poor people.

During his conversation with his Nepali counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, detailed discussions were held on the situation arising from the spread of Covid-19, reiterating readiness to host the SAARC Health Ministers conference.

The Foreign Minister noted that Pakistan has proposed that sanctions on Iran be lifted so that humanitarian relief can be provided.

The Foreign Minister of Nepal appreciated the proposal. He also expressed concerns on the humanitarian crisis in Iran.
In April 2009, less than three years after University of Miami President Julio Frenk completed his term as Mexicos minister of health, the countrys disease surveillance system picked up a minor but troubling trend in flu cases. Beginning with one small boy, an odd cluster triggered an investigation that quickly led to the isolation and genetic sequencing of swine flu and a prompt warning to global health authorities about the new H1N1 virus.

Frenk, who had just become dean of Harvard Universitys T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was not surprised Mexico acted swiftly. A former World Health Organization official who was also involved in the avian flu and SARS epidemics, Frenk had followed a long line of health ministers who understood the value of robust epidemiological surveillance, rapid and transparent reporting, aggressive control measures, and generous sharing of data.

Now, five years after taking the helm at the University of Miami, Frenk is monitoring COVID-19. After erupting in China in December, the novel coronavirus is spiking in South Florida and forced the University to embrace social distancing and move all classes online. He shares his insight on the lessons we need to heedand remember in the future.

Youve now been involved with four pandemics. Did you ever envision the day the world would be at a near standstill, with a tumbling economy, and billions of people facing dire consequences beyond their health?

The world has been through this before. These are not new events. The big difference now is, first of all, were much better-equipped to deal with those outbreaks in a timely fashion, and second, we have many more tools to address them than we have had at any time in the past. What we have is a larger gap because people dont expect these things to happen, whereas our ancestors were used to life being short and brutish. Today, because we live in societies that have reaped enormous benefits from the investment in science, we dont expect these sorts of things to happen. And therefore, it is easy to fall into a sort of complacency. But I have to tell you that the experts who look at pandemics have been warning the world that this was not a question of if, but a question of when. Thats why we have been pleading for better tools to be better prepared for this kind of event.

The CDC just reported that nearly 40 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations are people in the 20 to 54 age range. What does that mean for our students?

The message is fundamental: Young people should also follow the directions of social distancing. There are other ways of expressing love and affection for your family members that do not require closeness in proximity. Its the emotional proximity that matters in this situation. The new data showing that a large population of hospitalizations are happening in younger people should be a wake-up call so that young people also take the measures we are adopting very seriously.

Do the increasing hospitalizations among young adults mean the virus is changing?

No, I do not think that this reflects a mutation in the virus. It reflects that there are more people in that age group than in older populations. The United States has a younger age distribution than European countries, because of immigration. Comparatively, we have a greater proportion of younger people in the U.S. than Italy, Spain, or China. China, with their one-child policy, has sort of skewed the age structure of its population.

Is the scarcity of COVlD-19 tests skewing the reported number of people who have it in the U.S.?

Absolutely. There are a lot of people who have not been diagnosed who are out there because they have no symptoms, and they can be spreading it. Thats why social distancing is so important. What we need to derive comfort from is, if we do social distancing, the number of people infected will go down. Weve seen the results of that in previous pandemics and were seeing that now in the countries that were first affected, like China. And like Singapore, which introduced very, very severe social distancing measures. So, we see that, irrespective of the amount of tests, if you generalize social distancing measures, you will stem the rise of the epidemic. By the way, its not just about flattening the curve so we dont get so many cases that it will overwhelm the hospitals. Its also that by doing so, we gain valuable time so that an antiviral drug will become available. That will change the course of the epidemic. The more we can spread the appearance of casespeople who are infected and then develop the diseasethe less we will overwhelm the health system, and the more likely we will have enough time to develop tests and deploy new drugs and eventually a vaccine.

Will most of us get COVID-19?

A very large proportion of adults will be infected. All the epidemiological models show that. Most of them will exhibit no symptoms or mild symptoms. But, look, we live in a world with a lot of people. When we hear about 20 percent will require hospitalization we may say, Oh thats a small proportion. But 20 percent of 330 million people is millions of people. Most will only get a mild disease, but there are enough numbers who will get a serious disease that we need to take this very seriously. No despair. No panic. But take this with the seriousness it deserves.

What about closing our borders?

The illusion, that if you just keep the rest of the world outside we will be safer, is a very dangerous delusion. Its quite the opposite. In 2009 the swine flu virus was isolated by a team of Mexican epidemiologists, the leadership of which had been trained in the U.S. The virus was sequenced in Canada. That information became quickly available and there were scientists all over the world working on a vaccine. We quickly developed this global response, which is the only way to deal with these threats. So, we cannot shut ourselves from the rest of the world. The solution to be better prepared, to detect early, and to respond quickly lies in international cooperation, not isolation.

So, if we do what were supposed to and COVID-19 wanes and eventually disappears, what are the chances we will be better prepared the next time?

We cannot let our guard down, which has been the systematic failure in all the previous pandemics that I have observed closely. If we now learn that lesson, we will be much better prepared for the next one. Let me give you an example: We have a group here at the University of Miami working on rapid diagnostics for Zika. They were getting substantial funding because, while it was not a pandemic, it was an outbreak affecting a lot of countries and Miami. And, as soon as we got over that outbreak, the funding was reduced. If we keep such funding, we design these platforms that we can then use to develop a specific tool for the next virus. We are actually doing that now for COVID-19, but the funding agencies shouldnt have lost interest in the platforms after the Zika outbreak.

How much funding do we need?

A minute fraction of 1 percent of whats been lost in the stock market would be enough to fund a global health security initiative that would make everyone in the world safer. So, the lesson is: we will get through this, just as weve gotten through every pandemic. But once we get through it, we would be foolish to assume that this was the last one. There will be another one; and if we let our guard down, we will again incur the same disruption and cost we are suffering now. We owe it to everyone who is undergoing the sacrifices and to all the people who will have died not to relinquish our responsibility, and to keep the necessary investments and the capability around the world up to the level of the challenge. This is a challenge that we can face. We have the tools. It will be faced successfully. I am very confident, thanks to science. But we need to keep those investments. Because it is from the basic sciences that the insights, the innovations, and the discoveries then lead to the vaccines, the diagnostic tools, and the drugs stem.
A group of more than 100 passengers stranded at Amsterdam's airport after their flight to New Delhi turned around midair due to confusion over coronavirus rules finally departed for India on Sunday, officials said.

Because of the pandemic, India has imposed a bar on flights from Europe and from Sunday a one-week complete ban on all incoming international commercial flights comes into force.

The KLM flight carrying around 120 passengers left Amsterdam's Schiphol airport late Friday but had to make a U-turn over Russia mid-flight after being told by India to return to its point of departure.

"Today a group of stranded travellers from India have left from Schiphol to go home," said Hans Leijtens, the head of the Dutch Royal Military Police, which deals with borders.

"Good work by the Royal Military Police, KLM, Schiphol and other organisations involved in receiving and taking care of the group in recent days," he said on Twitter.

KLM confirmed the flight was leaving, saying it was a "result of consultations between various authorities", the Dutch news agency ANP reported.

The passengers included a pregnant woman who needed medical treatment on returning to Amsterdam.

Most were forced to camp out at the airport while the problem was resolved as the Netherlands also refused to grant them entry -- most had been transit passengers from the US and Canada.

The Hindu daily had reported that despite the bar on flights from Europe, the Indian foreign ministry originally gave clearance to the KLM flight because the passengers were only transiting through Amsterdam.

But India's Ministry of Civil Aviation thought otherwise and the plane was asked to head back to the Netherlands, the paper said.

India has so far confirmed 258 cases of coronavirus and four deaths. The Netherlands has confirmed 3,631 cases abd 136 deaths.
To understand the influence Stephen Sondheim has had on the musical theater, imagine in the rock world that one artist had roughly the impact of Bob Dylan plus the Beatles. The undisputed master of his medium is turning 90 (March 22), and his influence remains as dominant as ever, even as two major New York productions of his work sit frozen and anxious, awaiting the all-clear signal.

Rock, once a province of brainless lyrics and cotton-candy musical schemes, entered maturity with first the protest anthems and apocalyptic prophecies of The Freewheelin Bob Dylan (1963), then the anguished soul-searching and musical shadows of Beatles for Sale (1964). Broadway, a cultural lagging indicator guided by the tastes of its gray-haired audience, grew up a few years later, in 1970, with Sondheims landmark musical Company. While respecting the mediums traditional devotion to bubbly delight, Sondheim dug out deep new foundations, taking stock of the reverse-Copernican revolution that had swept through popular culture. Now the self was at the center of everything, all was subjective, the artists gaze was directed inward, and he was mightily unsettled by what he found there. O what a beautiful mornin, oh what a beautiful day gave way to a plea for someone to force you to care, someone to make you come through . . . As frightened as you of being alive. Sondheims protagonist, Bobby (who is to be played by a woman, Katrina Lenk, in the latest Broadway revival, which was due to open on Sondheims birthday) bobs along on a surface of cocktail parties and flings without forging any emotional bonds with anyone and cannot understand the source of his disaffection. In the languorous, beautiful but wounded morning-after song Barcelona, Bobby hesitantly asks a flight attendant he has slept with to stay instead of jetting off to Spain, then panics when she does remain. The song has the same aching fineness  that delicate despair  captured by John Lennon in Norwegian Wood five years earlier. Company rips through ingenious triple-speed patter (Getting Married Today), hilarious caricature (The Ladies Who Lunch) and urban lament (Another Hundred People) on its way to the finale of all finales, Being Alive. Company is a colossus, and yet it isnt even Sondheims finest achievement. He had two even greater masterpieces coming within the decade.

Story continues

Youre always sorry, youre always grateful, was a married mans weary take on marriage in Company, and Sondheim mined the possibilities of equivocation, hesitance, doubt. He practiced social distancing from his own core, notably in the song he has often called his favorite of his own creations, Someone in a Tree, from Pacific Overtures (1976), in which the narrator luxuriates in hiding, in maintaining distance from history and memory. By contrast, in the enchanting A Little Night Music (1973) Sondheim settled into the one sunroom in the chilly mansion that was the career of Ingmar Bergman and focused himself on romance. As this is Sondheim, his choice of source material was that rare romcom (the 1956 film Smiles of a Summer Night) that contains a Russian roulette scene. But the show finds Sondheim with a big heart, engorged and pulsing with feeling. The barrel-aged longings of Sondheims middle-aged characters are more potent than the hectic obsessions of the desperate youth he developed in Somewhere, Tonight, Maria, and the other lyrics he wrote for West Side Story (1957), whose music was composed by Leonard Bernstein. Early in A Little Night Music, after three of the principal characters map the contours of their desires in the songs Now, Soon and Later, Sondheim interweaves all three together in one magnificent helix, Soon/Later/Now, full of absurdity and misdirection and hope. Later, Sondheim will look at love via an old womans satisfied remembrance of a life of rumpled sheets (Liaisons,), a young womans lip-licking anticipation of the same (The Millers Son), rageful jealousy (You Must Meet My Wife), parting (Send in the Clowns), and the numbness of being wronged (Every Day a Little Death). This is the greatest genius on the greatest subject; in two and a half lambent hours Sondheim rescues love, reclaims its conceptual complexity from all of the insipid lyricists and three-chord composers who profaned it. This is the greatest musical ever written.

Or possibly its tied, with Sweeney Todd. Broadway makes a virtue of its frivolousness and limitations, but Sweeney Todd sets out to overwhelm the borders of its form and succeeds so completely that it is frequently performed in opera houses. Intricately and thrillingly plotted, the story of a vengeful barber who slashes his clients throats (then makes pies of their flesh) unleashed Sondheims mischievous misanthropy in the sanguinary waltz A Little Priest, a riot of wit in which Sweeney and his partner Mrs. Lovett consider the possibilities of human meat pies, such as a shepherds pie peppered with actual shepherd on top. The music ranges from the thundering (The Ballad of Sweeney Todd) to the limpid (Green Finch and Linnet Bird), set off by those impeccable comic numbers (The Worst Pies in London, Pirellis Miracle Elixir). Sondheims affinity for obsession enabled him to so fully inhabit Sweeney that he made this furious serial killer a figure of sympathy. Sweeneys inevitable fall hits the audience like Sophoclean tragedy. Sweeney Todd is hilarious, gorgeous, terrifying, immense.

Those three constitute a brilliant career, but in addition to them some of Sondheims second-tier works approach perfection, notably Sunday in the Park With George (1984), in which Sondheim reflected on his own art via a painting by George Seurat, and Into the Woods (1987), whose woozy second act is an unbuilding of fairy tales. Even two famous Sondheim flops, Follies (1971) and Merrily We Roll Along (1981), later became adored. A song from the former was intended as the international anthem of brassy old dames but today its defiance sounds personal to Sondheim: Ive seen it all and my dear/Im still here. Take a curtain call, Mr. Sondheim.

More from National Review
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

By Peter Apps

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - As Serbia's European Union neighbours closed their borders and halted many medical exports, President Aleksandar Vucic made an appeal https://www.euractiv.com/section/coronavirus/news/serbia-turns-to-china-due-to-lack-of-eu-solidarity-on-coronavirus. "Serbia now turns its eyes to China," he said. "All my personal hopes are focused and directed toward China and its president."

As the world heads into uncharted territory amid the coronavirus outbreak, it is undergoing stark and dramatic geopolitical shifts. Assumptions over globalisation and free movement have been torn up overnight. In their haste to address the outbreak, the vast majority of nations have been focused heavily within their borders. Structures such as the European Union and United Nations that had been expected to be at the centre of response to crises have been largely ignored.

Having managed to get much of its domestic outbreak under control, Beijing is now unambiguously positioning itself to build new friends and influence. That's included the shipment of medical supplies and small numbers of experts to affected European states, including Italy, France and Spain. Russia, meanwhile, is also clearly watching closely, its media outlets vigorously broadcasting details of what it claims is a flawed and sometimes chaotic Western response.

Some international cooperation is clearly taking place  for example, to keep limited goods flowing across the European Union despite the lockdown. Even the battle for a vaccine, however, is increasingly portrayed in terms of national competition rather than cooperation.

CRISIS

If headlines from major English-language outlets in both countries are any guide, the crisis has further damaged already difficult relations between China and the United States. President Donald Trump has clearly infuriated Beijing with his repeated references to the disease as a Chinese virus, comments he says were a response to suggestions from a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman last week that the disease had in fact originated in America. Beijing has largely avoided repeating that comment since, but if anything Trump has continued to double down on his rhetoric.

Story continues

These multiple geopolitical battlefronts have many strands, few receiving much attention against the backdrop to the wider crisis. Iran, amongst the most affected countries, finds itself in a particularly complex position. It is lobbying furiously  albeit unsuccessfully  for the United States to soften its sanctions to help it tackle the outbreak, even as its proxy forces gain influence against Americas allies in Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere.

Relations with China and Russia remain extremely hard to predict. Earlier this week, Chinas Global Times reported Chinese fighter jets had made a show of force near Taiwan, while threatening potential electronic warfare or other unconventional attacks against U.S. ships if they continued to probe waters the Chinese have claimed in the South China Sea. Such rhetoric seems to have been scaled back, for now at least  but aggressive nationalism in multiple locations is at least one potential outcome of the crisis.

What is clear across the board is that almost every nation has looked to seal its borders against population moves from the outside world  and that in many cases, the virus has also exacerbated pre-existing racism and xenophobia. Simultaneously, and paradoxically, nations such as Serbia have also become more aware of their dependence on the outside world, for economic and basic human needs.

PARADOX

That points to a much larger paradox from this crisis. In some respects, the global system has proved much more vulnerable than many anticipated. In other ways, however, it is demonstrating impressive levels of resilience. For all the economic shock of hundreds of millions of people ceasing travel and working from home, food supplies and particularly communications are broadly holding up. Huge swathes of the planet are locked down, but people are still talking to each other with relative ease.

What is currently happening is a challenge for globalisation on a scale not previously seen  as well as an experience being simultaneously shared across the planet in ways that are at least equally unusual. Who wins and loses from that is a very open question, but what is clear is that those contests are already underway. *** Peter Apps is a writer on international affairs, globalisation, conflict and other issues. He is the founder and executive director of the Project for Study of the 21st Century; PS21, a non-national, non-partisan, non-ideological think tank. Paralysed by a war-zone car crash in 2006, he also blogs about his disability and other topics. He was previously a reporter for Reuters and continues to be paid by Thomson Reuters. Since 2016, he has been a member of the British Army Reserve and the UK Labour Party, and is an active fundraiser for the party. (Editing by Giles Elgood)
The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has forced citizens to adapt to a new lifestyle. There is advocacy around these social changes, staying home, maintaining high standards of personal hygiene, and practising social distancing to remain safe. These changes are radically disruptive. But some of them could end up as somewhat more fundamental changes.

With the evolution of technology, we, as social beings, have pushed social distancing to become inversely proportionate to virtual proximity in these times. There is an ecosystem of telecom infrastructure, social media platforms, digital content and digital services that allow virtuality to fill the physicality void, and remain productive, with significantly mitigated continuity risks.

To achieve this though, at the least, you need a telecommunications infrastructure, that connects all these dots. This allows you to do video conferencing, access content over the Internet, access your office software and servers, as many applications and content have moved to the cloud. All the content you require to work from anywhere is possible because of this virtual infrastructure. WiFi is not as pervasive in India due to a low fixed-line penetration, and, therefore, wireless  especially technologies such as 4G  provide you access and connectivity to deal with disruptions. It may not be true in the hinterland, but, at least in the big cities, this is a very powerful medium to ensure that there is the least amount of disruption and productivity loss in your personal and professional lives.

Of course, there are businesses such as aviation, hospitality and travel that get impacted immediately. But other than the demand spikes for online grocery and pharmacies, if there is one sector that is delineated from a demand perspective in the market, it is telecom. The industry, especially wireless telecommunications, is one that seems insulated from this crisis from a business perspective. Fixed lines need a lot of physicality, because you may need a person to fix things if they go wrong. The bulk of wireless issues, on the other hand, are sorted out virtually with built-in redundancies.

The demand for telecommunications and connectivity in a crisis such as the coronavirus has a reasonable probability of going up. Without, in any way, undermining the tragedy that the disease represents, and the costs the nation is incurring, the moment will benefit a sector which is so plagued by financial losses, sustainability issues and the Adjusted Gross Revenue verdict, which entails telecom companies to pay huge dues.

Millions forced to stay at home amid the outbreak have driven up the demand for online games and streaming services in China. India may be no different, and there is a high probability of data consumption going up, despite our wireless networks being more disposed in commercial districts rather than homes.

But the benefits go beyond the merely commercial. Telecom helps people combat the disease at a social level through enhanced awareness. All the communication on social media is, virtually, real-time, which is possible only because of this telecom infrastructure. Its precisely because of this infrastructure that the Prime Minister could bring all South Asian leaders on a virtual platform to discuss the crisis.

Even for those who are not connected to the Internet, voice connectivity remains relevant. It may not be real-time, but it still helps them operate with a slight lag. The telecom sector is playing the role of a catalyst  for those who are suffering, for those who are not, for people who are anxious to get information, for those who are experts. It is providing a lot of connect and information flow. If there was no virtual connectivity providing real-time information, citizens would suffer from anxiety and fear. It also helps deal with boredom. For millions who are not used to staying at home, it makes the confinement a lot easier. And businesses benefit the most, for it helps them continue their operations, both domestically and internationally, even when physical interactions are not possible.

What we are witnessing is a temporary adjustment to manage the sudden arrival of the coronavirus crisis. Depending upon the longevity of this problem, it could actually lead to transformational change in how businesses function and people lead their lives. It is difficult to ascertain, at the moment, the extent to which this will happen. But there might be a reasonable possibility of arguments in favour of working from home gaining traction, beyond this crisis. We had never experimented with the idea at this scale, and we were not sure of the experience we and our employers would have with it. Now that we are practising it at this scale, and if we can sustain a good experience, there is no reason why work from home wont be a viable option in future.

It can also bring social change within the home. There is a usual division of labour at home between men and women. With the virtualisation, the time spent with family will go up, and the chores that you deal with also get more gender-balanced. That equality is more pronounced in the western world than in our region, but this could be one likely result of the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis.

And, quite simply, achieving some sort of permanency in areas like personal hygiene the advocacy for which telecom sector helps magnify  will do good to society and mitigate future virus attacks.

Sanjay Kapoor is former CEO, Bharti Airtel for India and South Asia, and former chairman, Micromax

The views expressed are personal
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 01:59:08|Editor: huaxia

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DUBAI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s cabinet on Sunday approved an additional 16 billion dirham (4.38 billion U.S. dollars) to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 outbreak.

The financial support package was endorsed during a UAE cabinet meeting held virtually for the first time ever, Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) tweeted.

"Our message for everyone is that we are completely ready to deal with all circumstances," said Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai who chaired the remote meeting, on his twitter page.

Also on Sunday, Emirates Airlines announced it will suspend all passenger flights.

"Today we made the decision to temporarily suspend all passenger flights as of March 25," the airlines said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The UAE, the first among Gulf states to report the coronavirus, announced on Saturday 13 new cases, bringing to 153 the total confirmed infections in the Gulf country, the state TV reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:17:44|Editor: yhy

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by Liu Fang

PARIS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- "We, the Chinese living in France, have two homes -- when China was in distress, we were all with Wuhan; now as the disaster falls upon France, we are all Parisians," said the Association of Chinese Residents in France in an open letter widely reposted by WeChat users over the weekend.

"Join the French people in this combat. Let's pull through the darkest time together," said the open letter, urging some 700,000 Chinese living in their second homeland to collect protective gears and donate them to the frontline health workers.

Days before the release of this open letter, "Chinese Parisians" originated from Wenzhou, a city in southeastern China known for its large number of emigrants with the reputation of being entrepreneurial as they succeed in restaurants, retail and wholesale businesses in their adopted countries, have already taken actions on their own accord.

In Belleville in Paris and Aubervillers on the outskirts of the capital, two areas home to numerous Asian shops, they distributed face masks to passers-by and shared their small stock of this precious protective gear much needed by people affected by the virus.

Face masks are a common sight across East Asia. Many Chinese are used to having some pieces of masks in reserve. Like many in East Asian countries, they share the common practice of wearing face masks in public, especially during the winter months. With this barrier, a social courtesy widely accepted in Asian culture, people with coughs or cold symptoms seek to avoid passing their droplets onto others while healthy people look to prevent the onset of illness.

A Chinese student in Clemont-Ferrant in central-south France told Xinhua that he had returned 15 face masks to a nearby pharmacy, where he bought them in January when no prescription was needed for the purchase.

He did not use a single piece in the past weeks as local health experts strongly advised against healthy people wearing masks. "I did not want to attract attention. Others would find me 'bizarre' (if I wore a mask)," said the young man.

"Now I stay home almost all the time, just like all other people here. There is no need of those masks any more," he said. "The pharmacy will send them to hospitals or give them to patients. They need masks more than I do."

What he did was answering the call of the French government call to all citizens. With over 15,000 infection cases confirmed, health workers in the country are in dire need of protective gears. Official figures showed that some 24 million masks are needed per week but the country only has a "state stock" of 86 million pieces.

Chinese associations and enterprises also took actions. On Monday, the alumina association of Wuhan University, together with EDAM Paris, a private school for higher education, brought 16,000 face masks to SAMU, France's pre-hospital medical emergency body.

On Wednesday, the Paris branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) donated 40,000 N95 respirator masks to Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere in Paris, one of the 157 hospitals designated by the French government to receive COVID-19 patients.

On Friday, a Chinese association in Seine-Saint-Denis, a region to the north of Paris, donated masks to Hopital Beaujoin located in their area, which was home to a large community of immigrants.

More and more Chinese are expected to join the fight against the virus and make their contributions to Europe's war against the pandemic, commented Nouvelle d'Europe, a Paris-based daily paper run by and for the Chinese diaspora, in its Saturday editorial.

"When our motherland suffers, overseas Chinese rush to the rescue. When our second homeland is enduring a hard time, we will also shoulder our responsibilities," read the editorial.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that 15 districts in the state would be under lockdown in the first phase till Wednesday in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement came soon after the central and state governments decided to put under lockdown 75 districts across the country, where cases of novel coronavirus have been reported.

"Fifteen districts in the state will be locked down in the first phase from Monday," Adityanath told reporters in Gorakhpur.

The districts where the lockdown has been enforced in the first phase are Lucknow, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Aligarh, Moradabad, Lakhimpur Kheiri, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Meerut, Gorakhpur and Saharanpur.

The lockdown will continue till Wednesday, he said. "I appeal to all the citizens that they should stay indoors and not venture out of their homes."



"Unnecessary crowding should be avoided, and people should avoid gathering at public places. This is because as we are standing at a juncture, where even a slight laxity can prove to be harmful," the chief minister said.

Adityanath said officials of the police and district administration would patrol these districts.

"No activity will be done in these districts, where lockdown has been enforced. We will review the situation tomorrow. If any family needs anything in emergency, 112 service of the state police will be available," he said.

"The 15 districts where lockdown has been enforced are those districts, where coronavirus infected cases have been found. These districts will be thoroughly sanitised. Cleanliness drives are already going on for the last three days," the chief minister said.

"People from Mumbai, Surat and other places arrived in large numbers at Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Mau, Kushinagar, Jhansi, Ghazipur, Ayodhya, Basti, Barabanki, Deoria, Ballia, Santkabirnagar and Gonda district yesterday and today. My appeal to them is to stay at home. The administration is making the list of such persons, and making provisions to keep them separately," he said.

On the slightest suspicion, they would be immediately sent to isolation wards, and given free treatment, he said.

"Residents of districts bordering Nepal -- Maharajganj, Siddharthanagar, Shrawasti, Balrampur, Bahraich and Pilibhit -- must remain alert. If there are any health issues, people can call on 102 and 108 helpline numbers," the chief minister said.

The Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation will remain completely closed from March 23 to 25.

"Inter-state connectivity of UP with other bordering states will remain completely shutdown. For the next three days, no bus from Uttar Pradesh will go to any other state," Adityanath said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid looming cornavirus (COVID-19) threat, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Sunday sough Armys help to airlift emergency inventory being utilized in sterilization exercise.

An order vide number SMC/PS/COM/1993/95 issued by SMC Commissioner, Gazanfar Ali, reads: As desired by Mayor SMC you are request to coordinate to help in provision of an Indian Air Force Cargo airlift from Surat, Gujrat to Srinagar Airport for emergency inventory required by SMC to be utilized in sterilization exercise in view of COVID-19 precautions being undertaken in Srinagar.(sic)

According to the order, the emergency inventory includes 150 back mounted sterilizing sprayers (mechanized)12 kg per box, and 3,000 litres of Quaternary Ammonium Compound chemical (QAC) sealed with proper documentation.
The Phoenix Hill Sports Park in the capital of Southwest Chinas Sichuan province hosted the 2021 Chinese FA Cup final as its inaugural event Sunday. Covering an area of 128,000 square meters, the park consists of two world-class sports venues, a retail and hotel complex, and a public plaza. It will be one of the venues of the 31st Summer World University Games

Jan 12, 2022 05:45 PM
Archimedes was so preoccupied with a mathematical diagram he was constructing during the invasion of Syracuse in Sicily in 212 BC, that he told a Roman soldier about to slay him: "Let me finish my numbers." He was not professorially absent-minded, but present-minded. His obligation to truth took precedence over life itself.

In our exceptional times, the President has declared a national emergency. This is not unprecedented, and I have an oral tradition of my own family witnessing to the influenza epidemic of 1918, when my grandparents' venerable parish rector survived the infection while ministering to the ill, but whose two daughters died. The causalities were much higher than now, with a much smaller global population.

We pray for our leaders, and the scientists enlisted to mitigate the spread of infection. We also deplore those who would exploit this crisis for political gain. Our Lord had the greatest contempt for demagogues. It is thankworthy that months ago, our government prudently imposed barriers on immigration from China, in spite of criticism from politicians who faulted that policy for what they called "xenophobia."

In any generation, crises provoke a reaction to the fact of human mortality. In their anxiety, those unwilling to acknowledge that tend to decry catastrophes as if they were intrusions into the obvious circumstance that life is a fragile gift. So they become paranoid about disease, demographics, climate change and other metaphors for the simple reality of impermanence.

Death is nothing new. Until now, everyone has done it. Our Lord would speak of it with a strange mixture of gravity and nonchalance. It is prelude to a permanent realm of which every anatomical breath is an intimation by virtue of its impermanence. Anxiety ignores the promise that accompanies the warning: "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

Saint Charles Borromeo led a procession in prayer to mitigate the plague in Milan in 1576, caring for upwards of seventy thousand dying and starving people. Death meant nothing to him, save an opening to Paradise. For all his mystical intuitions, he also enjoyed playing billiards, and when asked what he would do if he had only fifteen minutes more to live, he responded, "Keep playing billiards."

One of the Church's youngest saints, Dominic Savio, told Saint John Bosco that if the Holy Angel blew his trumpet for the end of all things while he was on the playground, he would just keep on playing. That is how we should want to play each day of our lives, in a friendship with God that will not find Heaven unfamiliar. In 1857, fourteen-year-old Dominic's last earthly words were: "Oh, what wonderful things I see!"

A saint is one who can stand at the eternal gates and say, "Hello. I am home."
They include those using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

Ukraine's Health Ministry has announced the arrival of a batch of two types of coronavirus test kits in the country; they will be delivered by plane.

They include those using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, which is considered to be the gold standard for diagnostic testing, and rapid tests, the ministry said.

Read alsoUPDATE: Eight suspected coronavirus cases in Ukraine have negative test results

"We emphasize that rapid tests will be used by emergency teams for 'sanitary sorting,' that is, if an emergency worker arrives at a person who has a fever and is a suspected case for coronavirus, doctors should perform two tests: flu testing and a rapid test for coronavirus. This is necessary to decide which algorithm of actions should follow," the ministry said.

"If it's a flu case, doctors should take appropriate measures. If a rapid test confirms the coronavirus, doctors should take an additional sample for PCR testing. After that, one can talk about a confirmed case of the disease and take the necessary anti-epidemic measures," the ministry explained.

At the same time, the ministry added that in case the results of both tests (flu and the rapid test for coronavirus) are negative, a patient should anyway adhere to the self-isolation regime for the next two weeks under the conditions of nationwide quarantine.

"PCR tests are currently performed in the regional laboratories every day. In addition to those PCR tests, another 11 devices for PCR diagnostics will be available in Ukraine this week. This will increase the number of labs in the country able to detect the coronavirus," the ministry said.

As of 10:00 Kyiv time on March 22, there had been 47 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine, including three deaths and one recovery.
Today was a day like no other. Narendra Modi in his speech had announced that March 22, 2020 is going to be Janta Curfew, wherein people won't step out of their house the entire day. However, at 5 pm, to respect people who are risking their lives amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has taken over the world, people are supposed to step out in their balconies and clap and even use their kitchen utensils to ring in unison as a mark of respect.

Around 4.55 pm, people had already started clapping and ringing bells in their balconies, and as the minutes passed the ringing sound exponentially increased. While the street dogs got scared after a relatively peaceful day sans human interaction, people were blasting ringing music on their Marshall speakers. Some people were recording this strange affair and put it up online. The hashtag #5baje5minute is going to be trending for a while now. Here are some reactions online and how celebrities participated today.

1. Here are the residents in Ahmedabad.

2. More people recording it from their colony.

3. Some were more enthusiatic about taking selfies with kitchen utensils like never before.

4. We can't deny, it was a little funny.

The one time my father clapped (and not slapped) despite seeing my marksheet #5baje5minute #JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/7TCoCAPa6a  Mihir Chury (@MihirChury) March 22, 2020

5. Even Bobby Deol was out in the Balcony supporting the initiative. This only makes sense after playing major roles in films like Soldier .

 whatsapp

6. Akshay Kumar was out with his neighbours Hrithik Roshan and Sajid Nadiadwala. Take a look here:
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Occasional snow showers. High 33F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Chhattisgarh blast by naxal: Why the de-mining exercise did not work

No intelligence or operational failure, nearly 30 Naxals killed in Bijapur: CRPF Chief Kuldiep Singh

In 2020 most policemen were martyred in naxal attacks, Kerala topped injury list due to riotous mobs

Sukma naxal attack: Massive search operation for soldiers

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: A massive search operation has been undertaken after several soldiers went missing following a naxal attack in Bastar. No information is available about the soldiers and this has led to a major search operation.

A report filed by news18 quoted Shalab Sharma, SP Sukma and stated that no information is available yet about the missing personnel.

Eleven policemen were injured in a fierce gun-battle with naxals in forests of Chhattisgarh''s insurgency-hit Sukma district on Saturday, the police said.

India strongly condemns terror attack in Kabul

The encounter took place at around 2:30 pm near Korajguda hills in Chintagufa area when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-naxal operation, a senior police official said here.

Personnel of the police''s District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) had launched the operation from Chintagufa, Burkapal and Timelwada camps based on information about presence of ultras near Elmagunda, he said.

When the team was advancing through Korajguda hills, located around 450 km from the state capital Raipur, firing broke out between the two sides, he said.

"Eleven DRG personnel sustained injuries. They are being evacuated," he said, adding that two of them were said to be in critical condition.

" Based on the ground inputs, it is believed at least 4 to 5 naxals might have been killed and an equal number injured as security forces retaliated strongly," he said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 12:34 [IST]
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) takes an elevator at the U.S. Capitol for a vote on March 18, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has tested positive for coronavirus. He is the first known U.S. senator to test positive.

"Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine," Paul's office wrote on twitter. "He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person."

He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends. No staff member has been in contact with Paul since his D.C. office began working remotely 10 days ago, according to the tweet.

But his diagnosis has set off concerns over whether other GOP senators who Paul was likely in contact with should immediately self-quarantine. That's triggered additional worries over how Congress will pass the major coronavirus economic stimulus legislation, as Democrats and Republicans have not yet reached a deal.

Paul was the only senator to vote against the first round of emergency coronavirus funding of $8 billion earlier this month.

Two members of the House  Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah  have tested positive, adding urgency to their efforts to hold votes on an economic relief package. Several other House members said they had self-quarantined in recent days because of exposure to infected people.

The office of Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Ut., said Sunday that Romney will not vote on the Senate floor and will immediately self-quarantine since the senator has been in contact with Paul in recent days. Romney has no symptoms but will be tested for the virus, his office said.

Paul is one of the most hawkish senators on fiscal policy, often arguing against new spending. He has repeatedly signaled opposition to the massive, multi-trillion dollar spending packages being negotiated by the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

He has instead proposed smaller measures including a payroll tax holiday and temporary enhancements to state unemployment programs.

As the virus continues to rapidly spread across the country, there is growing concern that more government leaders will become infected.



President Donald Trump tested negative for the virus after contact with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's press secretary, who tested positive. Vice President Mike Pence also tested negative after a member of his office tested positive.

 CNBC's Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report
AIADMK leader and Tamil Nadu Minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji was on Sunday relieved of the post of party's Virudhunagar district secretary.

The minister for Milk and Dairy Development is known for his sharp remarks that have triggered controversies in the past.

He was relieved of his post with effect from Sunday, a party release said, but did not elaborate on the reason behind his removal.

The AIADMK leader from southern Tamil Nadu had recently said that "if DMK continues its support to Islamic terrorism, nobody can stop Hindu terrorism".

The DMK had demanded the AIADMK leadership to take action against the minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh and Nepal pledged to contribute $1.5 million and $1 million respectively to the Corona Emergency Fund proposed by PM Narendra Modi with an initial offer of $10 million from India to help combat the fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the amount in favour of the Secretariat to combat the in South Asia, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told PTI. He said Dhaka has communicated with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat as the fund transfer process was underway and sent a verbal note to New Delhi about the contribution.

India first announced to provide $10 million to the fund and subsequently Nepal and Afghanistan promised $1 million each and the Maldives and Bhutan committed $200,000 and 100,000 respectively.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are yet to declare their contribution for the fund.

In a video conference on forming a joint strategy to fight COVID-19 in the region, Prime Minister Modi on March 15 proposed the emergency fund with an initial offer of $10 million from India and asserted that the best way to deal with the pandemic was by coming together, and not growing apart.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Momen said that during the video conference, Prime Minister Hasina suggested that the SAARC Secretariat could coordinate the regional collaboration on the to secure the people in the region from the pandemic.

He said various funds were there under different SARRC protocols like tackling natural disaster and ensuring food security but "unfortunately no such protocol was there to prevent health hazards" until the virtual summit was held.

Founded in 1985, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation and geopolitical union of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Apart from Modi, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepalese Prime Minister Oli, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza, participated in the conference.

In a related development, a Bangladeshi High Court bench on Sunday ordered authorities to procure sufficient personal protective equipment (PPEs) and ensure their smooth supply to doctors, nurses and staff at all hospitals and clinics across the country to prevent the spread of the virus.

The bench directed the health ministry to immediately form an advisory committee to prepare a list of necessary equipment in the next 48 hours to tackle coronavirus.

The order read that in line with the list, the authorities would collect the equipment in the next seven days to be distributed among the doctors, nurses and hospital staff nationwide.

Healthcare officials, meanwhile, reported that three more persons were tested positive overnight for COVID-19 in Bangladesh, raising the total number of cases to 27 while the virus has so far killed two persons.
The government's top infectious disease expert says he remains hopeful the US is not on the same trajectory as Italy in the coronavirus struggle after figures have shown a similar pattern in increased COVID-19 illnesses.

The number of deaths of people with the coronavirus in Italy jumped 651 to 5,476 in the last 24 hours, while new infections rose by 10% to over 59,000. The head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency, Angelo Borrelli, noted that the increases had narrowed from recent days, adding 'we hope that this trend can be confirmed in the coming days. We should not lower our guard'.

By Sunday the US had over 30,000 confirmed infections and over 400 deaths and experts have previously noted the country is only 10 days behind the path of Italy.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says the stringent measures being put in place in the US including travel restrictions, the closing of schools and many businesses and other social distancing will go 'a long way' to prevent the US from becoming like Italy.

Asked whether the country was on the same track he said on CBSs Face the Nation: 'Not necessarily.'

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, remains hopeful the US is not on the same trajectory as Italy

The number of deaths of people with the coronavirus in Italy jumped 651 to 5,476 in the last 24 hours, while new infections rose by 10% to over 59,000. By Sunday the US had over 30,000 confirmed infections and over 400 deaths and experts have previously noted the country is only 10 days behind the path of Italy

Above shows the number of confirmed US infections and deaths related to coronavirus as well as how the numbers have escalated since January's first confirmed infection

'Obviously, things are unpredictable. But if you look at the dynamics of the outbreak in Italy, we dont know why they are suffering so terribly,' Fauci said.

'But theres a possibility, and many of us believe, that early on they did not shut out as well the input of infections that originated in China and came to different parts of the world.'

Italy has had to turn ill people away from hospitals as they struggle to keep up with the demand for bed space and equipment for safe treatment.

In the United States New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned medical workers may also struggle with the increase rate of infections that has forced governors to order stay-at-home initiatives.

Fauci told CBS host Margaret Brennan that it's hard to know exactly why Italy is 'suffering so terribly' but that they did not appear to shut out as well the input of infections originating from China and other parts of the world.

'One of the things we did very early was the travel restriction coming from China to the United States and most recently from Europe to the United States because Europe is the new China,' Fauci said.

Fauci (right) told CBS' Face the Nation's Margaret Brennan it's hard to know why Italy is 'suffering so terribly'

Italian hospitals have been overflowing with patients and some people have been turned away

A general view taken on March 20, 2020 in Cremona, southeast of Milan, shows a newly operative field hospital for coronavirus patients, financed by US evangelical Christian disaster relief NGO Samaritans Purse. - Fully operational, the structure will consist of 15 tents, 60 beds, 8 of which will be in intensive care

Fauci told Face The Nation that what has happened in Italy - the worst hit country in the world, even surpassing Wuhan the Chinese epicenter of the virus - is not an indication their experts aren't trained well.

'I dont know why this happening there to such an extent. But it is conceivable that once you get so many of these ... they spread exponentially and you can never keep up with the tsunami,' Fauci explained.

'That's what our dear friends and colleagues in Italy are facing. They are very competent. It isnt that they dont know what theyre doing... They've been so overwhelmed from the beginning that they cam't play catch up.'

Fauci said the US appears to be in a better position because 'we have from the beginning put a kind of clamper' on the virus.

'Were going to get hit, no doubt about it, we see it in New York.. New York is terribly suffering,' he admitted. 'But the kinds of mitigation issues that are going on right now the things were seeing in this country... this separation, at the same time preventing an influx of cases coming in.

'I think thats going to go a long way to prevent us from becoming an Italy.'

He said Trump's travel restrictions, the closing of schools and many businesses and other social distancing will go 'a long way' to prevent the US from becoming like Italy

He said viruses like this will always mutated with no substantial impact on its function. Experts haven't so far seen an changes in behavior but Fauci said they are monitoring COVID-19 closely.

NOTABLE TIMES FAUCI HAS REBUKED TRUMP March 19 - Trump claimed anti-malaria drug hydrochloroquine could be a 'game-changer' in the fight against coronavirus. Dr Fauci later responds: 'There is no magic drug.' March 13: Trump says he does not need a test for COVID-19 despite coming into contact with a Brazilian official who was infected with the virus. Dr Fauci stated that it would be advisable for Trump to take a test March 4: Trump tells pharmaceutical executives he hopes for a coronavirus vaccine in 'three to four months'. Dr Fauci responds: 'A vaccine that you make and start testing in a year is not a vaccine that's deployable' Advertisement

It was as the host brought up the unexpected number of young people being affected.

Fauci said he have to make sure that the demographic is not young people with 'underlying conditions' because with them 'all bets are off'.

But with young people who don't have underlying conditions, we have to look into why we're seeing it here but not in China.'

President Trump this week gave new hope about curbing the illness with an anti-Malaria drug and Fauci appeared to quash his claim. But Fauci added Sunday that he wasn't slamming the leader.

'I, on the other side, have said Im not disagreeing with the fact anecdotally they might work, but my job is to prove definitively from a scientific standpoint that they do work,' he clarified.

'So I was taking a purely medical scientific standpoint and the president was trying to bring hope to the people.'

President Trump (center) this week gave new hope about curbing the illness with an anti-Malaria drug and Fauci (right) appeared to quash his claim. But Fauci added Sunday that he wasn't slamming the leader
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Flo Siegel timed herself. Without major interruption from her toddler, she can sit at her sewing machine and crank out 10 or so face masks an hour.

"I know there's been such a mask shortage," said Siegel, a first-grade teacher from Santa Clarita. "So I just figured this is one small thing I can do."

Around Los Angeles, stitchers and sew shops are using this time of self-quarantine to make masks to give away to health care workers increasingly desperate for protection from the coronavirus.

Siegel said she has already taken orders for 100 masks from individuals, including 25 for an ER nurse in Twentynine Palms.

Flo Spiegel's 2.5-year-old daughter likes to sit on her lap while she's sewing masks for health care workers. (Courtesy of Flo Spiegel)

But will medical institutions, with their strict protocols, accept homemade masks? Should stitchers try to donate them?

The answer depends on the hospital. But more are starting to say "yes."

"Go ahead and do it," said Dr. Stephanie Hall, chief medical officer at Keck Hospital of USC. "Later down the road, it'll be ready to go. And if we need to use it, we'll use it."

At Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, spokeswoman Molly Lawson said the preference is for unused, commercially produced medical-grade masks, but "homemade masks are also acceptable."

Meanwhile, at UCLA Medical Center, officials are "establishing processes to accept donations while ensuring appropriate quality control," according to a statement.

Enough hospitals around the country are taking DIY masks that students at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health have started a list. The website GetPPE.org features a map of those hospitals. In Southern California, they're located in cities ranging from Encino to Los Angeles and Fontana.

WHY HOSPITALS ARE HAVING A CHANGE OF HEART

While none of the hospital officials we spoke with said their personnel have started using homemade masks, they worry that day will soon come.

Hall said the shortage of masks stems from a disrupted supply chain in China and panic buying in the United States.

"As the news of the pandemic moved forward, a lot of people were making orders through online vendors and completely stripped our supply," she said.

Across the country, doctors and nurses have shared on social media how they've had to disinfect dirty masks or extend their use for days.

Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George works on creating masks at Stitch House in Dorchester, Mass. to donate to local hospitals. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday that the federal government had ordered hundreds of millions of N95 masks, which are the most effective at filtering out droplets and small particles.

But some hospital systems aren't waiting. In Washington state, the Providence hospital chain is providing medical-grade material for home stitchers for what is being called the 100 Million Mask Challenge.

Meanwhile, hospitals in states like Indiana, New York and Ohio are willing to accept homemade masks made of cotton from community volunteers.

At USC's Keck, the hospital currently has about a week's supply of medical-grade masks, Hall said. Shipments of supplies continue to trickle in, but Hall questioned whether the pace can keep up with demand.

She said right now her hospital epidemiologist and other infectious disease experts are studying homemade masks to see "what is the best way to use it that's safe and effective."

'A LAST RESORT,' AND WITH A FACE SHIELD

In light of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention issued guidance on homemade masks (i.e. bandanas, scarves) saying they can be used while treating patients as "a last resort," and ideally under a plastic face shield similar to what you'd see on a welder.

That's left some expert sewers wondering if they should help -- and how. Our resident stitcher Sharon McNary, who covers infrastructure, put her skills to the test and performed with aplomb as you can see here.

I dont kid myself that this cotton mask

is any kind of substitute

for the surgical face masks

so badly needed right now by health care workers.

But I made it myself.

And it matches my shirt. pic.twitter.com/1d8VvIIMo7  Sharon McNary (@KPCCsharon) March 22, 2020

In Altadena, Anne Marie Bannon and a handful of sewing friends have teamed up to fill orders for health care workers and others whose work involves a lot of personal contact. An order has already come in for 30 masks from a domestic violence shelter.

Bannon, an author, said she thought the cloth masks would be an improvement over the bandanas the CDC had suggested.

"It may not be as big a help as I'd like to think," Bannon said. "But at the same time, it's better than nothing."

Over in Frogtown at Suay Sew Shop, co-owner Heather Pavlu aspires to design a mask that will offer higher protection than even a tight-weave cotton. She's working with her team of professional sewers to produce cone-shaped masks similar to the N95's that fit more snugly around the mouth and nose than a flat mask.

There would be room to fit a filter inside the mask; Pavlu plans to test several different types.

"The filter is going to be what makes the level of protection higher," she said. "We're really trying to focus on something that'll be really effective because if these masks that everybody's producing and then wearing aren't effective, then we're going to see major problems from it."

The stitchers at Suay shop in Frogtown plan to produce 10,000 masks in a week. (Courtesy Suay Shop)

Pavlu's goal is to make 10,000 masks in a week, and she's sought help through crowd-funding.

In less than two days, more than 740 donors had given nearly $43,000 on GoFundMe as of Sunday afternoon. The money will cover the labor to make the masks, and keep Suay's sewers employed. Their orders for clothing and home goods have dried up in the outbreak.

"This might be a simple project for them and their sewing level," Pavlu said of the sewers who are mostly immigrants from Thailand, Mexico and Central America. "But they're able to make something that someone needs immediately."

Pavlu said the plan is to share her mask pattern with the sewing community once she settles on the best one.

N95s are the gold standard in protecting health care workers from particles and droplets in the air. (Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images)

HARRY POTTER AND GAME OF THRONES MASKS

Meanwhile, Flo Siegel is thinking about how she can improve the fit of her masks so they can better filter out particles. She's making adjustments to a pattern she created from watching YouTube tutorials and hanging out on Facebook sewing groups.

"Masks with wire in them can be pinched better along the nose," she said.

Siegel knows that not all hospitals may want her creations, but she figures her masks can be used by others who have to work every day with the public, like pharmacy technicians, grocery employees and delivery people.

If they use her masks, that frees up the commercially made ones for the health care workers.

Siegel has large swaths of fabric she uses to make her 2 1/2-year-old daughter's dresses, including bright and busy patterns from Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.

"I just figure the happier that we can make these, the better it'll be for everybody's morale," she said.

Though Dr. Stephanie Hall of USC's Keck Hospital said she hopes her medical teams never have to depend on homemade masks, she was heartened by the enthusiasm of their makers.

"It's a message that we're in this together and people care about each other," Hall said. "That's the kind of thing that keeps us going when things get tough."

Have you been thinking a lot about h.c. workers these days?



Dr. Stephanie Hall at USC's Keck Hospital feels the love and thanks everyone who's donated supplies to fight #coronavirus, even homemade masks.



"That's the kind of thing that keeps us going"



More soon @LAist @KPCC pic.twitter.com/FmJsv9WEXf  Josie Huang (@josie_huang) March 22, 2020

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Snapshot Sydney, Saturday morning. Driving through Woollahra the cafes are packed with people happily imbibing their coffee, cheek to jowl. The social distancing imperative, so fundamental to our fight against COVID-19, is not resonating here. A taxi pulls up and two young girls alight and greet a friend waiting for them with enthusiastic hugs and kisses.

The Kings Cross market is bustling and in the adjacent playground, dozens of children play excitedly, pushing and shoving each other as they climb the ladder to the slide. Four mums are huddled together on a bench centimetres apart - clearly no thought of the crucial need for social distancing rules. In South Koreas terrible epidemic, most adults who died were infected by contact with infected but asymptomatic children.

Beachgoers at Bondi Beach on Saturday morning before the beach was closed. Credit:Steven Siewert

On to Coles at Bondi Junction, where the store is crowded with people anything but two metres from each other. You can

practically see the virus jumping around the store and falling on solid surfaces waiting for a human hand. How ridiculous (and dangerous) to have the elderly given a special time to congregate at shops and supermarkets. Clustering the most susceptible makes a mockery of social distancing. TV footage of large numbers of oldies jostling for service is distressing.
(Natural News) As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across America  with caseloads surpassing 7,000 on Wednesday  the U.S. Navy is looking to send its two hospital ships into action.

In a press briefing, President Donald Trump said that the USNS Comfort (T-AH-20), currently moored in Norfolk, Virginia, will head for New York City, while the USNS Mercy (T-AH-19), homeported in San Diego, will be deployed to the West Coast.

Weve already given orders to the Navy to lean forward in terms of getting them ready to deploy, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters.

The USNS Mercy will be the first to be prepared for deployment, which will take in days, according to Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. Currently, the USNS Comfort is undergoing maintenance and will see action in the coming weeks. Prior to the ships activation, medical staff and active duty units, as well as medical equipment, will be brought aboard. (Related: US coronavirus death toll blows past 100, with 7,300 infected while global infections surpass 200,000  and many Americans still remain in a state of total denial.)

Hospital ships deployed to reduce pressure on coastal hospitals, not take in COVID-19 cases

However, defense officials pointed out that the hospital boats will be deployed to ease the burden on hospitals in coronavirus-stricken areas. Sources familiar with the matter told USNI News that the ships will take in trauma cases and other combat casualties, so field hospitals can open up more rooms for COVID-19 cases.

They dont have necessarily the space, the segregated spaces, you need to deal with infectious diseases, Esper added. So, one of the ways by which you could use either field hospitals, the hospital ships or things in between, is to take the pressure off of civilian hospitals when it comes to trauma cases, is to open up civilian hospital rooms for infectious diseases.

The statement was echoed by Joint Staff surgeon Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, as he detailed how the ships can support civilian hospitals.

If, for example, a community has a large outbreak and theres a need for emergency room support or trauma support, a hospital ship is perfectly designed to do that, Friedrichs said. Its hard to get the hospital ship to St. Louis, but along the coasts, it is an option to use.

Before the Navy converted them into hospital ships, both the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort started out as oil tankers. The floating hospitals can accommodate 1,000 patients each and have a crew of nearly 1,300 Navy personnel and civilian medical staff. Both ships have been deployed to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and even to disaster-stricken regions in Central and South America.

A challenging task

Outfitting the two ships also comes with its unique set of challenges. Most of the reserve personnel, for instance, will come from civilian medical facilities, and bringing them would certainly pull them out  something that the Defense Department is carefully looking into.

All of those doctors and nurses either come from our medical treatment facilities or they come from the reserves, which means civilians, Esper said. What I dont want to do is take reservists from a hospital where they are needed just to put them on a ship to take them somewhere else where theyre needed.

The Pentagon, on its part, reiterated that the two will be ready, willing and able to support civilian hospitals.

We just want to make sure that the conversation that is being had is informed by the facts of what is possible, what is not, and what those trade-offs are, Hoffman added.

Learn more about the coronavirus pandemic by following Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

News.USNI.org

VOANews.com

Wired.com
It may seem surprising, but this coming April, 2020, Ballymahon mart will celebrate sixty years of business.

Having been first established back in April of 1960, Longford/Westmeath Farmer's mart, otherwise known as Ballymahon mart, has since become a focal point in south Longford and surrounding areas. The mart was first founded by a group of local stakeholders, all of which came from a strong farming background. This included local names such as Paddy Donnelly, Christy Roche, James Delaney, George Mears, John Sammon, Eunice Kenny and Michael Kenny.

They decided to embark on the new venture, as they felt the time had come to transition away from the old traditional fair day, where animals were sold on the streets of Ballymahon and other towns and villages throughout the country.

Former manager of Ballymahon mart John OHanlon, previously explained to the Leader, They got together in the late 50s and it was eventually established in 1960.

At the time, there were a lot of buyers coming over from the UK and Scotland. A modern method of sourcing and trading cattle was needed.

These lads saw the opportunity and jumped in and set up a limited company. It has been trading ever since. he continued.

Also read: Golden Anniversary celebrations for Golden Vale Mart in Carrigallen

The first ever sale at the mart took place on April 13, 1961, and soon the establishment became a fundamental part of life in Ballymahon. It not only helped increase business in the town, but also helped promote the further regeneration of Ballymahon.

John explained, At the time it was a seismic shift from the traditional way of doing business.

Traders in the town would have welcomed the move really, as it was taking all of the cattle and sheep away from out in front of their doors and they still had the custom because people still went into town after the mart.

It would have brought a lot of business to the town over many, many decades. It certainly consolidated Ballymahon as a trading town.

Over the years, many nearby marts began to cease operations, such as Edgeworthstown and Moate, however, Ballymahon only grew bigger and bigger, with people travelling from all over to buy and sell top quality stock. To this day, it remains the same and has garnered a fantastic reputation in farming circles, with the team trading an average 14,000 head of cattle each and every year.

Daisys kitchen, the onsite restaurant, has also developed quite the reputation as the go-to place to eat in Ballymahon. All of this success is mainly due to the committed team behind the operation. The company itself is run by five directors on behalf of the 51+ shareholders, while Lily Trautt holds the role of both secretary and assistant mart manager.

Lily has been involved in the mart since her schooldays, a significant feat in itself. The team is also bolstered by two top class auctioneers, Denis ORourke and Larry Gilligan.

John O Hanlon said of Lily's role: She would be more suited to running a big Multinational Corporation.

We have staff here for many decades who have always remained incredibly loyal to the company.

When you have good auctioneers and a good trade, there is a great energy around the ring, he said of Denis and Larry.

Another milestone met by the team at Ballymahon mart, is that they were one of the first marts to bring themselves into the 21st century, with the live-streaming of sales through Farmers Forum.

Although facing the issues of rising insurance costs and increased competition from online sales platforms, Ballymahon livestock mart continues to thrive and long may it continue. Heres to another 60 years around the rings!

Also read: Marts to remain open but with ringside restrictions
High-profile media pundits are calling for broadcasters to stop live coverage of Donald Trump's daily coronavirus briefings  because his statements are so full of misinformation.

The president has made a series of false, misleading or dubious claims about the pandemic, some of which have had to be immediately corrected by health experts such as Dr Anthony Fauci.

Mr Trump has claimed there are plenty of tests available  although there aren't  and hailed the use of an anti-malaria drug to treat Covid-19, although experts insist any hopes for its effectiveness are based on only "anecdotal" evidence. He said Google was about to launch a website that would help people get tests, something the tech giant had to play down.

After weeks of playing down the risks of the coronavirus  at one point saying there were only 15 cases and that they would soon be down to "close to zero"  the president has now claimed that he predicted it would be a pandemic before anyone else.

He has also neglected to follow advice on social distancing, appearing on a stage at the White House every day surrounded by officials. As recently as last week he was continuing to shake hands.

And asked by a journalist what his message would be to Americans who are scared, the president replied: "I say that you're a terrible reporter."

Now several commentators say Mr Trump's efforts to bluster and "happy talk" his way out of the crisis could cost lives.

Writing in the Washington Post, Margaret Sullivan says the briefings have taken the place of the president's regular freewheeling campaign rallies, which he has been forced to put on hold during the pandemic.

She argues that rather than treat them as a forum for vital public health advice, Mr Trump is using them for self-aggrandisement and media-bashing characterised by "exaggeration and outright lies".

Sullivan writes: "Trump is doing harm and spreading misinformation while working for his own partisan political benefit  a naked attempt to portray himself as a wartime president bravely leading the nation through a tumultuous time, the FDR of the 21st century."

In the New York Times, Jennifer Senior writes that people should call the president's briefings what they are  "propaganda".

She writes: "We may as well be watching newsreels approved by the Soviet Politburo. We're witnessing the falsification of history in real time. When Donald Trump, under the guise of social distancing, told the White House press corps on Thursday that he ought to get rid of 75 to 80 percent of them  reserving the privilege only for those he liked  it may have been chilling, but it wasn't surprising. He wants to thin out their ranks until there's only Pravda in the room."

Senior contrasts his performances with the factual briefings being given on a regular basis by Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.

Referring to Mr Trump, she adds: "Only a liar  and a weak man with delusions of competence  would be so unnerved by the facts."

On Friday Rachel Maddow, an MSNBC host, said the White House briefings should be taken off the air because the president's misinformation "could cost lives".

She said: "I know we ought to be getting used to this kind of thing by now, but I'm not. President Trump today, again, just flat-out wrong in public about this malaria drug that has gotten stuck in his mind, quite some distance from the facts.

"If the president does end up saying anything true, you can run it as tape but if he keeps lying like this every day on stuff this important, all of us should stop broadcasting it. Honestly, it's gonna cost lives."
Schools are where the next generations of workers and leaders will learn the importance of not only obtaining skills and knowledge but also the need to contribute to our communities beyond just the world of work. In addition to preparing young people to become productive citizens, we feel an obligation to instill the importance of being fair and cooperative with others. These are values our schools strive to impart in all of our students.

In the past, we referred to these as soft skills. More and more we are labeling them employability skills or even critical skills. These critical skills are developed through home and school partnerships. Our focus on soft skills is not new, but it does require intentional effort on the part of everyone to produce graduates who will contribute to our democratic society.

Our level of commitment to meet the complex needs of 21st century learners has never been higher. Evidence of the dedication of teachers and support staff could be its own topic in a future writing. Region school districts are proud to serve the public as we partner with our communities to prepare children for the many challenges ahead.

Larry Veracco is the superintendent of Lake Central School Corp. The opinions are the writer's.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Countries can't simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert said on Sunday, adding that public health measures are needed to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on.

"What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them," Mike Ryan said in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"The danger right now with the lockdowns ... if we don't put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up."

Much of Europe and the United States have followed China and other Asian countries and introduced drastic restrictions to fight the new coronavirus, with most workers told to work from home and schools, bars, pubs and restaurants being closed.

Ryan said that the examples of China, Singapore and South Korea, which coupled restrictions with rigorous measures to test every possible suspect, provided a model for Europe, which the WHO has said has replaced Asia as the epicentre of the pandemic.

"Once we've suppressed the transmission, we have to go after the virus. We have to take the fight to the virus," Ryan said.

Italy is now the worst hit country in the world by the virus, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Britain's health system could be overwhelmed unless people avoid social interactions. British housing minister Robert Jenrick said that production of tests would double next week and ramp up thereafter.

Ryan also said that several vaccines were in development, but only one had begun trials in the United States. Asked how long it would take before there was a vaccine available in Britain, he said that people needed to be realistic.

"We have to make sure that it's absolutely safe... we are talking at least a year," he said.

"The vaccines will come, but we need to get out and do what we need to do now."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Catherine Evans and Susan Fenton)
One of the biggest ideas in physics is the possibility that all known forces, particles, and interactions can be connected in one framework.

String theory is arguably the best-known proposal for a "theory of everything" that would tie together our understanding of the physical universe.

Despite having many different versions of string theory circulating throughout the physics community for decades, there have been very few experimental tests. Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, however, have now made a significant step forward in this area.

By searching through galaxy clusters, the largest structures in the universe held together by gravity, researchers were able to hunt for a specific particle that many models of string theory predict should exist. While the resulting non-detection does not rule out string theory altogether, it does deliver a blow to certain models within that family of ideas.

"Until recently I had no idea just how much X-ray astronomers bring to the table when it comes to string theory, but we could play a major role," said Christopher Reynolds of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, who led the study. "If these particles are eventually detected it would change physics forever."

The particle that Reynolds and his colleagues were searching for is called an "axion." These as-yet-undetected particles should have extraordinarily low masses. Scientists do not know the precise mass range, but many theories feature axion masses ranging from about a millionth of the mass of an electron down to zero mass. Some scientists think that axions could explain the mystery of dark matter, which accounts for the vast majority of matter in the universe.

One unusual property of these ultra-low-mass particles would be that they might sometimes convert into photons (that is, packets of light) as they pass through magnetic fields. The opposite may also hold true: photons may also be converted into axions under certain conditions. How often this switch occurs depends on how easily they make this conversion, in other words on their "convertibility."



Some scientists have proposed the existence of a broader class of ultra-low-mass particles with similar properties to axions. Axions would have a single convertibility value at each mass, but "axion-like particles" would have a range of convertibility at the same mass.

"While it may sound like a long shot to look for tiny particles like axions in gigantic structures like galaxy clusters, they are actually great places to look," said co-author David Marsh of Stockholm University in Sweden. "Galaxy clusters contain magnetic fields over giant distances, and they also often contain bright X-ray sources. Together these properties enhance the chances that conversion of axion-like particles would be detectable."

To look for signs of conversion by axion-like particles, the team of astronomers examined over five days of Chandra observations of X-rays from material falling towards the supermassive black hole in the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster. They studied the Chandra spectrum, or the amount of X-ray emission observed at different energies, of this source. The long observation and the bright X-ray source gave a spectrum with enough sensitivity to have shown distortions that scientists expected if axion-like particles were present.

The lack of detection of such distortions allowed the researchers to rule out the presence of most types of axion-like particles in the mass range their observations were sensitive to, below about a millionth of a billionth of an electron's mass.



"Our research doesn't rule out the existence of these particles, but it definitely doesn't help their case," said co-author Helen Russell of the University of Nottingham in the UK. "These constraints dig into the range of properties suggested by string theory, and may help string theorists weed their theories."

The latest result was about three to four times more sensitive than the previous best search for axion-like particles, which came from Chandra observations of the supermassive black hole in M87. This Perseus study is also about a hundred times more powerful than current measurements that can be performed in laboratories here on Earth for the range of masses that they have considered.

Clearly, one possible interpretation of this work is that axion-like particles do not exist. Another explanation is that the particles have even lower convertibility values than this observation's detection limit, and lower than some particle physicists have expected. They also could have higher masses than probed with the Chandra data.

A paper describing these results appeared in the February 10th, 2020 issue of The Astrophysical Journal and is available online. In addition to Reynolds, Marsh, and Russell, the authors of this paper are Andrew C. Fabian, also from the University of Cambridge, Robyn Smith from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, Francesco Tombesi from the University of Rome in Italy, and Sylvain Veilleux, also from the University of Maryland.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science and flight operations from Cambridge and Burlington, Massachusetts.

Image credit: NASA/CXC/Cambridge Univ./C.S. Reynolds larger image

For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/chandra



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
If you blinked, you missed it.

On Tuesday morning, H.4014 was just another obscure bill  it changed which state agency got to select state-owned property to be leased for geothermal exploration  that had been dying a slow death in a S.C. Senate committee since the House passed it 50 weeks earlier.

+3 McMaster signs bill giving DHEC $45M to fight coronavirus after unanimous vote South Carolina's public health agency gained access to $45 million to combat the coronavirus pandemic following a unanimous vote Thursday in the House

By early Thursday afternoon, it was a state law delivering $45 million in emergency appropriations to help the Department of Health and Environmental Control fight the coronavirus pandemic.

In the intervening hours, the Senate stripped out its original contents and replaced them with the DHEC funding, passed the bill and sent it back to the House, which agreed to the amendments and sent it to Gov. Henry McMaster. Who signed it within an hour.

It would have been over and done with Wednesday if House members had been in town.

Speaker Jay Lucas was taking only slight liberties when he explained to the House that, The Senate has a magic way of being able to give two readings on a bill in one day.

Technically, senators gave the bill the second of three required readings on Tuesday and then, by unanimous consent, gave it an automatic final reading on Wednesday. The House routinely does the same with bills that havent been gutted and transformed. But the point is well taken.

The extreme legislative shortcut was defensible under the circumstances: DHEC needs the money to contain the spread of COVID-19, it needs it now, lawmakers have surplus money on hand, and they shouldnt be hanging out at the Statehouse any longer than they have to. Also defensible was the Senates decision to strip another House bill of its contents and transform it into  the state budget.

A continuing resolution, actually, to keep state government operating under the terms of the current years budget if a new one isnt passed before July 1. You know, just in case a national state of emergency bars them from returning to work. Senators gave it only tentative approval after some objected that sending it on to the House on Tuesday conveyed the wrong message, but they left the measure as little as an hour or two away from the governors desk.

But while justified in the midst of a public-health crisis, those actions offer a crucial reminder of how easy it is for lawmakers to slice through the normal legislative process  a slow process by design  and make things happen  well, in that one eye blink.

Editorial: Shut down SC Legislature, local councils until coronavirus threat passes Livestreaming the SC Legislature is not an acceptable alternative to full public access, and inviting the public to gather for meetings is irresponsible during the coronavirus crisis. All routine business should be halted until it's safe to encourage full public participation.

Theres a long tradition of legislators short-circuiting that slow process of careful vetting and dissent, by hollowing out one bill like a soon-to-be-stuffed bell pepper and inserting the contents of an entirely different one, as happened last week. Or adding only marginally related amendments to bills. Or  and this is the most abused and dangerous shortcut: using the state budget  the one bill legislators must pass every year  as a vehicle to pass laws that have nothing to do with the state budget.

This is never safe.

Sometimes the problem is merely that it allows laws to pass that dont have enough support to pass on their own. This is how the Legislature opened our state to the nations nuclear waste. And hazardous waste. And medical waste.

Sometimes the new material simply doesnt get vetted properly, so it ends up doing things no one imagined it would do.

Sometimes the new material is disguised by sponsors who manage to sneak through laws that the Legislature never would pass knowingly; this is, recall, the way the Legislature passed a bribery-tainted retroactive tax break, and legalized video gambling.

This year, with the legislative session significantly abbreviated  Mr. Lucas told representatives theyd likely be out the next two weeks, and probably a good bit longer  and with the prospects of a lot of difficult and complicated COVID-19 decisions ahead, the shortcuts could be more pervasive than ever.

Editorial: Coronavirus will cut SC revenue, raise costs, force new approach to state spending plan The S.C. House passed a state budget last week that included $128 million for income tax rebates that Gov. Henry McMaster had requested. The n

The budget that the House passed this month doesnt include a lot of temporary laws that have no business in a state budget, but it has some: a surcharge for dumping coal ash, for example, and a tax break for renewable-energy generators and a punishment for cities that choose to enforce parking meters past the hours legislators consider appropriate.

That number could increase exponentially as time runs out for lawmakers to pass all their pet bills and the budget passes through the Senate and then goes back to the House for what could be a single-day add-on session. Of all years, this is the one when legislative leaders and the governor have to be extra vigilant, and all of us have to watch the legislative minutia ... without blinking. Otherwise, the consequences could be dire.
About 2000 people are expected to return to Pakistan from Iran through Taftan border in the coming days, while over 500 are already undergoing quarantine at the camps set up at the border area, Balochistan chief secretary retired Captain Fazeel Asghar has said.

Iran on Saturday had over 20,000 cases of the highly contagious virus.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Asghar informed that a total of 104 cases have been reported in Balochistan and have been kept in isolation wards established in Sheikh Zayed and Fatima Jinnah Chest hospitals, Dawn reported.

People currently in the Taftan camp have complained of squalid living conditions and the unavailability of adequate screening and treatment procedures at the facilities, prompting concerns about the spike in coronavirus cases among those housed there.

Many have lamented the lack of medical facilities at the camp.

The claims have been denied by the Balochistan government, which said it was doing its best with limited resources.

Pakistan has so far reported 645 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 292 in Sindh alone. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 267,000 people and killed 11,201 people, as per the latest data available on the Health Organisation website.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 03:28:06|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed the 1st novel coronavirus case in the country, state TV reported.

The patient had arrived in Syria from abroad, said the ministry.

All needed measures to deal with the case have been adopted, it added.
All roads, streets and public places wore a deserted look in Himachal Pradesh as people observed 'Janata curfew' on Sunday to check the spread of coronavirus.

The 14-hour-long 'Janata curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is part of a self-imposed exercise to maintain social distancing of at least one metre to help stop the spread of the virus. It began at 7 am and will end at 9 pm.

People chose to stay indoors in the hill state as streets, roads and public places remained empty.

The historic Ridge Maidan, Mall Road, Jakhu, Lakkar Bazar, Chhota Shimla, Khalini in Shimla city wore a deserted look as the roads were empty.

No trains and buses are running in the state. While all the trains on the Shimla-Kalka and Pathankot-Joginder Nagar sections were cancelled a few days ago, the state government decided not to run any bus to make 'Janata curfew' a success.

Barring few persons who ventured out to purchase essentials like medicines, most people in the state preferred to stay inside their homes.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in an all-party meeting on Saturday here had sought support from leaders of all the political parties to make the self-imposed curfew a success.

Assembly of four or more persons was already banned by imposing Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in Kangra, Solan, Hamirpur and Chamba districts of a total of 12 districts in the state.

Shopkeepers in Shimla city decided to close their shops for three days till Tuesday. Shimla Vyapar Mandal president Inderjeet Singh said all the shops except those selling essential commodities of vegetables, karyana and medicines will remain closed till March 24.

In Solan, Deputy Commissioner K C Chaman ordered closure of all business establishments except those selling essential commodities till March 29.

In Hamirpur, a complete 'Janata curfew' is being observed. Even vegetable sellers and those selling milk are observing it by not opening their shops. Vehicular traffic has come to a near standstill as buses and taxis are off the road and people are staying in their houses.

The first two cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in the state were confirmed in Kangra district on Friday. A 32-year-old man from Harchakkian tehsil and a 64-year-old woman from Dohabe village in Shahpur subdivision with a recent travel history to Singapore and Dubai, respectively, have tested positive for coronavirus in the district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There was drama at the Gods Glory Ministry in Jos, when Rufus Aplang, a groom reportedly walked out on Judith, his supposed bride, on...





There was drama at the Gods Glory Ministry in Jos, when Rufus Aplang, a groom reportedly walked out on Judith, his supposed bride, on their wedding day.





According to NAN, Judith collapsed inside the church and was taken to an undisclosed hospital around Plateau State Polytechnic, shortly after the incident on Saturday.





Aplang had left guests and worshipers in shock when he walked out of the church when it was time to take the marital vows.





Unconfirmed sources told NAN that Aplang walked out of the church to execute a 10-year plan to disgrace his supposed bride on their wedding day.

Julian Dogo, a witness at the event, said the fleeing groom gave shocking answers to the pastor while he was taking his marital vows.





When Aplang was asked by the Pastor, if he was ready to take Judith as his wife for better or for worse, he said `no Dogo was quoted as saying on Sunday.





The Pastor put the same question to him, and he replied, Pastor, I heard you clearly, and understand English very well and my answer is still No





The curious Pastor then asked him `but you are well dressed and came ready for this wedding, why?, to which Aplang replied sorry, I made up my mind 10 years ago to disgrace her on our wedding day.





As soon as he said that, he walked out of the Church, and was followed by his best man and his friends who drove out of the Church premises.





Peter Sani, best man to Aplang, who also narrated the incident, described it as very embarrassing, wondering why his friend would do such to a lady he had dated for 12 years.





Aplang is my childhood friend, Judith has been a friend and sister too, and he dated her for over 12 years.





I was in the church to serve as a best man, and also as a fulfilled man to witness their wedding, but I was shocked and highly disappointed with what happened in the church today, he said.





Sani, who attributed his friends behaviour to some sort of diabolism, added that Aplangs action was not ordinary.





This is not ordinary; Aplang will always confide in me on any issue if he had the plan to walk out on the altar he would have told me.





What happened today is unimaginable, I came out of the church weeping profusely he added.
Police in France are using the latest drone technology, as well as helicopters, to ensure that residents are staying indoors during the lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Helicopters will give us a larger view of the situation in real time to help guide patrols on the ground, the National Police said.

Police helicopters have been seen throughout Paris, including near the Eiffel Tower and around parks to make sure people are not leaving their homes for non-essential trips.

France has imposed a two-week confinement order to combat the coronavirus pandemic, with a view to expanding the lockdown if necessary.

Residents are only allowed to leave their homes for grocery shopping, to go to the pharmacy, or light exercise within a two-kilometre radius of their home.

The order has affected all businesses, with people are required to work from home unless they are essential staff, including hospital workers, petrol station attendants, or grocery store employees.

Nice already under drone patrol

Police in Nice have already deployed drones to accompany police and serve as warning loudspeakers to enforce the coronavirus lockdown.

"A reminder of the instructions relating to the Covid-19 epidemic: all travel outside the home is prohibited unless exempted. Please respect a safety distance of at least one meter between each person," says the drone repeatedly, piloted by the company Drone06, owned by former police officer Sabri ben Hassen.

The police drone packs a punch: the speaker delivers the power of 100 decibels, says ben Hassen.

"By comparison, an Airbus taking off produces 120 decibels, he adds.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has already used his municipal powers to impose a 11pm - 7am curfew on the city, an initiative not yet seen in Paris or other parts of France.

Frances scientific council will make an announcement on Monday on whether to extend or expand emergency measures throughout the country, according to Health Minister Olivier Veran.
Coronavirus Live Updates: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced a complete lockdown of the national capital from 6 am on Monday. The lockdown will continue till March 31. Kejriwal added that essential services such as groceries, pharmacies, hospitals, food takeaways and home delivery will remain open. The Delhi government has also imposed Section 144 in the national capital as the total number of novel coronavirus cases increased significantly across the country. All inter-state passenger transport has also been suspended till March 31. All railway operations will be suspended till March 31 in wake of the coronavirus outbreak in India. All metro rail services suspended till March 31, 2020. State governments to issue orders allowing only essential services to operate in about 75 districts with confirmed COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, two people have died due to the deadly coronavirus on Sunday, with the first victim, a 63-year-old patient, from Mumbai, while other, a 38-year-old man, from Patna, Bihar. This takes the total number of deaths due to coronavirus in India to six. Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India have surged to 341.

Catch all the latest updates on coronavirus outbreak on BusinessToday.In live blog

10.00 pm: Jharkhand government announces lockdown till March 31. All shops, commercial institutions, offices, factories, godowns, weekly markets will remain closed. Movement of all public transport has been prohibited. All places of worship will also stay closed for devotees during this period.

9.17 pm: MPs want Rajya Sabha to be declared sine die

We've mailed to chairperson of Rajya Sabha that we are not going to attend Parliament session either in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha from tomorrow.Let the House be declared sine die. How can Parliament function when the country is in lockdown?: Sudip Bandyopadhyay,TMC MP #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/S6dFt4sugY ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

9.07 pm: Private laboratories face problems due to shutdown of local trains.

8.46 pm: Police has arrested a person under Section 151 of CrPC for spreading misinformation that a girl has been infected with coronavirus in Dalanwala area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

A person has been arrested under section 151 of CrPC for spreading misinformation about a girl being infected with #Covid19 in Dalanwala area of Dehradun in Uttarakhand: Police ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.34 pm: Civil aviation ministry has decided that domestic flights to and from Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi shall continue to operate and the airport shall remain functional. Earlier today Delhi government had banned flight while announcing that the national capital will remain under lockdown from 6 AM on Monday till March 31.

8.33 pm: Supreme Court will hear cases via video-conferencing from Monday. Lawyers will argue from a different spot.

8.28 pm: Union Department of Personnel and Training has said that heads of department may draw up a roster of staff, who are required to render essential services within their respective departments. They alone may be asked to attend office from March 23 until March 31.

8.15 pm: Indian Railways increases time limit of refund counters in case of train cancellations from 3 days to 3 months.

8.10 pm: Coronavirus update: Section 144 imposed in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary has written to all Deputy Commissioners, directing them to issue orders under Section 144 of CrPC and to shut all establishments except those providing essential commodities and services in their districts from 8 PM of March 22 till 6 PM of March 31.

8:10 pm: WATCH: Soldiers of Dawar Battalion of Snow Leopard Brigade, at Gurez valley, participate in the exercise called by PM Modi to express gratitude to those providing essential services

#WATCH Jammu and Kashmir: Dawar Battalion of Snow Leopard Brigade, at Gurez valley, participated in the exercise called by PM Modi to express gratitude to those providing essential services amid #CoronavirusPandemic. (Source: Indian Army) pic.twitter.com/KE1fsMWnHF ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.00 pm: Coronavirus in Assam: Janata curfew extended till 8 am on Monday

The Assam government has extended the Janata curfew in the state till 8 am on Monday in the interest of public safety.

7.54 pm: Andhra Pradesh put under lockdown

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday announced a lockdown in Andhra Pradesh. He said only emergency services will run till March 31. "We are closing the borders. We will review the situation after March 31," he said.

7.52 pm: Coronavirus in Punjab: Number cases rise to 21 in the state

The total number of novel coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 21 in Punjab, according to the State Health Department. One person has died in the state due to the disease, reports ANI.

7.48 pm: Coronavirus in India: All domestic flights will continue to operate: DGCA

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clarified on Sunday that all domestic flights to an from Indira Gandhi International Airport will be functional and the airport will also remain operational, reports ANI.

7.42 pm: Coronavirus: Corporate head offices and plants closed across Mumbai-Pune

The Coronavirus crisis has stalled manufacturing in the industrial townships in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Several companies in these states have begun production cuts since the last two days.

Read more here: Coronavirus crisis: Corporate headquarters and plants shut across Mumbai-Pune

7.30 pm: Coronavirus outbreak news: Bihar reports 3rd COVID-19 positive case.

7.24 pm: Coronvirus in UP: 2 more COVID-19 positive cases reported in Noida

Two more people tested positive for novel coronavirus in Noida on Sunday. With this the total count in Uttar Pradesh has climbed to 26.

7.20 pm: Coronavirus in India latest news: Mangaluru reports first COVID-19 case

Mangaluru on Sunday reported its first novel coronavirus case. A 22-year-old youth from Bhatkal who had travelled from Dubai on March 19 has been tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases to 21 in Karnataka.

7.10 pm: Coronavirus news: PM Modi's mother clangs utensil to thank COVID-19 warriors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben also joined in the nation to thank the COVID-19 warriors by clanging utensil at her residence.

#WATCH Gujarat: Mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Heeraben clangs utensil at her residence to express gratitude to those providing essential services amid #CoronavirusPandemic. pic.twitter.com/ipaI1yOtoB - ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

6.55 pm: Coronavirus in India news: Dubai-return man tests positive for COVID-19

A 22-year-old man from Bhatkal, Karnataka who had returned from Dubai on March 19 has been tested positive for COVID-19, said Sindhu B Rupesh, District commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, reports ANI.

6.52 pm: Coronavirus outbreak news: "It's the beginning of a long battle": PM Modi

"JanataCurfew will end at 9 pm but it doesn't mean we should start celebrating. It's the beginning of a long battle. People shouldn't come out of houses in states which have announced a lockdown. In rest of the states if it is not very important don't come out of the houses," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

6.40 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: Lockdown is necessary

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that although people will face difficulties due to COVID-19 but the lockdown is necessary to prevent the deadly virus from spreading further.

6.30 pm: Coronavirus in Haryana: Lockdown imposed in 7 districts, says CM Manohar Lal Khattar

Lockdown will be imposed in 7 districts of Haryana- Faridabad, Gurugram, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Panipat and Panchkula, till March 31: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

6.24 pm: All Delhi borders to be sealed: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

6.23 pm: Food takeaways, home delivery to continue: Arvind Kejriwal

6.22 pm: Essential services such as groceries, hospitals, pharmacies to remain open, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

6.19 pm: Delhi govt announces complete lockdown from 6 am tomorrow till March 31

All shops, construction activities, transport services have been ordered closed by the Delhi government.

6.18 pm: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal begins press conference

6.17 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: All types of assemblies bannes, says police

All assemblies/demonstrations/processions banned. All gatherings - social/cultural/political/religious/academic/sports event/seminar banned. Weekly markets-except vegetables/fruits/essential commodities, banned. No guided group tour, by private tour operators allowed: Delhi Police PRO

6.04 pm: Coronavirus news: Indian origin Singaporeans clap, ring bells

Singaporeans of Indian origin came out to clap and ring bells at 5 pm to express solidarity and gratitude to those at the forefront fighting COVID-19 pandemic.

#WATCH: Singaporeans of Indian origin join in to clap and ring bells at 5 pm IST, to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid #CoronavirusPandemic in India. pic.twitter.com/dkqtHI2Ikt - ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

5.49 pm: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Janata Curfew! PM Modi thanks people for applauding COVID-19 warriors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people for coming out in their balconies to show support and gratitude towards the COVID-19 warriors by clapping, banging pots, shouting and singing.

5.37 pm: Coronavirus in UP: 15 districts, including Noida and Ghaziabad under lockdown, says CM Yogi Adityanath

The Uttar Pradesh government has put a total of 15 districts under lockdown in the wake of rising novel coronavirus cases in the state. The decision was announced by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The 15 districts include Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Meerut, Lakhimpur, Azamgarh and others.

5.27 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in India at 360

India's total count of positive COVID-19 cases has reached 360 with five new cases reported in Kasaragod in Kerala. The state's total count has climbed to 57.

5.15 pm: Coronavirus in India news: People across India celebrate, shout and bang pots to applause COVID-19 warriors

People came out on their terraces and balconies to clap, shout, sing and bang pots to express their gratitude to those providing emergency and essential service amid novel coronavirus pandemic. Visuals from Dehradun.

#WATCH Uttarakhand: People come out on their terraces and balconies to clap, clang utensils and ring bells to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid. #CoronavirusPandemic. Visuals from Dehradun pic.twitter.com/5Jn0rYGD9R - ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

5.00 pm: Coronavirus in India latest news: Death in Patna yet to be confirmed as COVID-19 casualty, says Health Ministry

The Health Ministry said on Sunday that Patna death is yet to be confirmed as novel coronavirus casualty. The ministry said that it is checking details and awaiting confirmation from Patna.

4.46 pm: Coronavirus in India: 60,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in a week; every state to get dedicated hospital

The central government has asked every state to ready at least one hospital dedicated only for treating novel coronavirus cases. It has also approved three private labs for testing COVID-19 cases to ramp up the testing facilities.

Read more here: Coronavirus in India: 60,000 tests possible in a week; every state to get dedicated COVID-19 hospital

4.35 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal and LG Anil Baijal to address media at 6 pm today

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal will address a joint digital press conference today (Sunday) at 6 pm.

4.20 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Queen Elizabeth II's aide tests positive for COVID-19: Reports

A royal aide at Buckingham Palace has reportedly been tested positive for the COVID-19. This was while Queen Elizabeth II was still at her London residence. However, she shifted out of the palace to Windsor Castle indefinitely on Thursday as a precautionary step, with all her official engagements cancelled. Reports are that she is healthy.

4.10 pm: Delhi govt imposes Section 144

The Delhi government has imposed Section 144 in the national capital as the total number of novel coronavirus cases increased significantly across the country.

Section 144 restricts:

l. Assembly of any kind for demonstrations, processions, protests is prohibited.

2. Any gathering social/cultural/political/religious,'academic/sports/ seminar / conference is prohibited.

3. Organisation of weekly markets (except for vegetables. fruits and essential commodities), concerts, exhibitions etc. is prohibited.

4. Guided group tours conducted by various private tour operators are prohibited.

5. Any individual suspected/confirmed with COVID- 19 shall take measures for prevention/treatment i.e. home quarantine/institution quarantine/isolation or any such person shall cooperate to render assistance or comply with the directions of the surveillance personnel.

6. Any person contravening this Order Shan be punishable u/s 188 of Indian Penal Code.

4.00 pm: 75 districts put under complete lockdown, says Health Minitry

The central government has directed state governments to issue instructions to the 75 districts that have positive COVID-19 cases to stop all services except the emergency services, said Luv Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry. "To break the chain of transmission, the easiest method is to isolate the people coming from outside. The virus is not present in the air, it can be transmitted through droplets released, " said Balram Bhargava, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research

3.45 PM: Uttarakhand goes under lockdown

The Uttarakhand government has ordered a statewide lock down till March 31 to check spread of novel coronavirus in the state, officials said.

Essential supplies - medicines, food grains, vegetables - were kept out of the lockdown, they added. The lockdown was imposed on a day when PM Narendra Modi had called for a nationwide "Janta Curfew."

3.31 PM: Maharashtra CM on coronavirus

I would like to request everyone to continue Janata Curfew till tomorrow morning. Number of cases has increased considerably. I have no option left but to apply Section 144 in Maharashtra. No flights outside of India will be allowed to land in Mumbai.

CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/iTiVPFcC5F CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) March 22, 2020

3.20 PM: In a telephonic conversation with the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has suggested suspension of all flights coming to Bihar.

3.10 PM: Don't clap for me, says doctor

"Instead, as responsible citizens, demand and pressurise the Modi-led BJP government to spell out the allocation of disaster relief funds and medical aid strategy for all," Dr Manisha Bangar from Hyderabad.

3.02 PM: "We've decided that inter-city and inter-state bus services will remain suspended till 31 March. People should travel minimum during the lockdown, they should not rush from the city or village they are living in at present to other places," Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.

We've decided that inter-city&inter-state bus services will remain suspended till 31 March. People should travel minimum during the lockdown, they should not rush from the city or village they are living in at present to other places: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.#COVID19 https://t.co/rbxUfNMcXp ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

3.01 PM: "After the nationwide Janta Curfew that was observed today against Coronavirus, we have decided to continue the curfew in the entire state till 31st March. However, essential services, such as food and medicines, will be available for all," Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.

3.00 PM: JantaCurfew is a unique way and a great initiative by Prime Minister to deal with Coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister has given a responsibility to each&every citizen of the country towards their health and society. People have supported it wholeheartedly: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.

2.59 PM: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat holds meeting with state Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director General of Police on measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in the state.

2.40 PM: Trinamool Congress MPs to not attend Parliament from 23rd March till 3rd April, as per the instructions of party leader Mamata Banerjee who has directed them to be present in their respective constituencies to create awareness on Coronavirus.

2.30 PM: Teachers advised to work from home

The teachers/researchers/non-teaching staff of schools/organisations are permitted and highly advised to work from home till 31st March 2020. The said period shall be counted as being on-duty for all faculty members/teachers/researchers and non-teaching staff.

2.16 PM: All Metro train services suspended till March 31

All metro rail services suspended till March 31, 2020. State governments to issue orders allowing only essential services to operate in about 75 districts with confirmed COVID-19 cases. All inter-state passenger transport has also been suspended till March 31.

2.10 pm: General people will not be allowed to travel in Mumbai local trains.

Mumbai Suburban Railway will stop carrying the general public from midnight of March 22, 2020, till the midnight of March 31, 2020, as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus outbreak.

2.00 pm: Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand extend Janta Curfew till Monday morning

The Tamil Nadu government has extended the Janta Curfew till 5 am on March 23. Jharkhand's Principal Secretary has also issued a similar order asking cops and local administration to extend the Janta Curfew till 5 am on Monday.

1.50 PM: Train services suspended, roads free from traffic as citizens of Mumbai observe Janta Curfew announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

1.47 PM: Shashi Tharoor on Janata Curfew

Im at home in Delhi, in support of the #JanataCurfew. Took the opportunity to sweat it out for half an hour, outdoors & on the treadmill. One way to thank our tireless health workers is by keeping ourselves fit & healthy rather than adding to their burdens! pic.twitter.com/AsoxDSLDCE Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 22, 2020

I'm at home in Delhi, in support of the Janata Curfew. Took the opportunity to sweat it out for half an hour, outdoors & on the treadmill. One way to thank our tireless health workers is by keeping ourselves fit & healthy rather than adding to their burdens!

Strengthening precautions against COVID-19, Railways has decided that no passenger train will run up to 31st March.



Let us work together as #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/374b0V5sD3 Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 22, 2020

1.19 PM: Air India crew who evacuated Indians citizens from Rome, Italy today have been advised home quarantine as per the established norms of the company, says Air India official.

Indian Railways cancels all passenger trains till March 31, due to #Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/sKY70sU8v1 ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

1.15 PM: As per the Indian railways, minimum suburban services, including the Kolkata Metro service, will continue till March 22 midnight. Thereafter, the services will stop till Mar 31 midnight.

1.12 PM: Only goods trains will run from March 22 midnight till March 31 midnight, says the Indian Railways.

1.00 PM: Indian Railways cancels all passenger trains till March 31.

The people of India have decided- we are in this together. We will fight the menace of COVID-19 together. #JantaCurfew https://t.co/A1KsBWKTNR Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

12.50 PM: The people of India have decided -- we are in this together: PM Modi

The people of India have decided- we are in this together. We will fight the menace of COVID-19 together. #JantaCurfew https://t.co/A1KsBWKTNR Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

12.53 PM: Everyone is trying to contribute in their own way regarding Janata Curfew: PM Modi

The number of Covid-19 cases in India has doubled in less than a week. We should be prepared to see a surge in cases but we must not panic. It is the time to be strong and united as a nation. We must support one another.#DelhiFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCorona Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 22, 2020

12.52 PM: We must not panic, says Kejriwal

The Delhi CM says the number of COVID-19 cases in India has doubled in less than a week. "We should be prepared to see a surge in cases but we must not panic. It is the time to be strong and united as a nation. We must support one another."

ICMR has confirmed 2 positive cases of Coronavirus. One patient passed away yesterday due to kidney failure, his tests have come positive for Coronavirus. A woman has also tested positive, she is admitted at AIIMS: Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar pic.twitter.com/hk8DnnKfoJ ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

12.47 PM: J&K Govt declares holiday in all offices on March 24. March 23rd and March 25th are holidays. Essential services to continue undisturbed: Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Planning, Jammu & Kashmir.

12.45 PM: A 38-year-old man has passed away in Bihar today due to kidney failure; he has been tested positive for Covid19. He was from Munger. He died yesterday at AIIMS in Patna, and had returned from Kolkata two days back.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has announced lockdown till 9pm on March 29 in districts of Khurdha, Cuttak, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, the towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur town and Bhadrak. #CoronavirusPandemic . #JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/0sty1f3CLa ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

12.30 PM: The 38-year-old man who has passed away at AIIMS in Patna and tested positive for #COVID19, had foreign travel history to Qatar.

12:26 AM: Odisha government has announced a lockdown in districts of Khurdha, Cuttak, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, the towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur town and Bhadrak till 9 pm on March 29.

IRRESPONSIBLE GYM OWNERS CHASTISED

04 cases registered against gym owners and arrests affected for endangering human lives by facilitating gatherings despite directions on #SocialDistancing Please follow #JantaCurfew and prevent corona spread. @ANI @HMOIndia @LtGovDelhi @CPDelhi DCP West Delhi (@DCPWestDelhi) March 22, 2020

12:09 PM: Delhi Police has registered four FIRs against gyms operating despite the Delhi government's order to close down all gyms and spas till March 31.

Around 4,500 properly equipped workers from Authority's Public Health, divided into 32 teams, are currently sanitising Noida with Sodium Hypochlorite mixed water & with bleaching powder in narrow streets.

Do stay at home & help prevent the spread of #COVID19.#IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/zLyjsyolUR CEO NOIDA Authority (@CeoNoida) March 22, 2020

12:06 PM: A Spanish traveller in Tamil Nadu tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is going through treatment in isolation. This is the seventh confirmed case in the state.

11:59 AM: Samples from a 38-year old man who died in AIIMS Patna on Saturday has tested positive for coronavirus. He was initially admitted for kidney failure. He had a travel history to Qatar.

11:55 AM: Noida Authority has appointed 32 teams with around 4,500 properly equipped workers from Noida Authority's Public Health department to sanitise Noida with Sodium Hypochlorite mixed water & with bleaching powder in narrow streets.

Delhi: Empty streets and closed shops in Connaught Place area, as self-imposed #JanataCurfew is being observed in the country to fight #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/kTjP7b0IzA ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:48 AM: All railway operations may be suspended till March 25 in wake of the coronavirus outbreak in India. If that happens, no passenger or freight train will be allowed to operate till March 25, and trains finishing their journeys will be terminated at the point. Right now, about 400 freight trains are operational and they could be stopped after they reach their destinations, suggest reports. The final decision on this will be taken during a Railways board meeting today.

11:36 AM: Shops in Delhi's Cannaught Place have been closed and the streets were empty as the nation observes Janata Bandh.

Maharashtra: Juhu Beach in Mumbai wears a deserted look as people observe self-imposed #JantaCurfew, amid rising Coronavirus cases in the country. pic.twitter.com/OaUAcQHSgb ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:33 AM: Mumbai's Juhu Beach carries a deserted look on Sunday as people observe Janata Bandh due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Delhi: The 263 Indian students who have been evacuated from Rome today by a special Air India flight are being taken to ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility, after thermal screening and immigration at the airport. #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/QclDtDWlhV ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:27 AM: The Karnata High Court has decided to hold virtual courts where cases listed before the Principal Bench of the Karnataka HC in Bengaluru and the benches in Dharwad and Kalaburagi can be presented before judges using Skype or other video-calling applications.

11:25 AM: The total number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra has reached 74. Since Saturday evening, 10 more cases have been found in the state.

11:21 AM: The 263 Indian students who were evacuated from Rome today by a special Air India flight have been taken to ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility, after thermal screening and immigration at the airport.

Delhi: Protesters at Shaheen Bagh allege that a petrol bomb was hurled nearby the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest site today pic.twitter.com/tHVzQfmKii ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:08 AM: Punjab: Cheif Miniter Amrinder Singh ordered a complete lockdown of the state.

11:00 AM: Shaheen Bagh protestors decided to self isolate from the area due to the novel coronavirus. Only 5 people are being allowed to protest there at a time on March 22. Protestors also alleged that someone threw a petrol bomb at the protest site.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath: #JantaCurfew is being observed across the country today. It is a battle against #Coronavirus. Social distancing is the best way to defeat the pandemic and prevent its spread. State govt has taken all essential measures to fight COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/16VGRMxmPh ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 22, 2020

10.44 AM: A 56-year-old man in Maharashtra died due to coronavirus on Sunday, making him the fifth casualty due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The patient, who was admitted to the HN Reliance Hospital in Mumbai, was tested positive on March 21.

10.20 AM: Number of Coronavirus cases in India rises to 324: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

10.14 AM: It's battle against coronavirus: Yogi

Janta Curfew is being observed across the country today. It is a battle against coronavirus. Social distancing is the best way to defeat the pandemic and prevent its spread. State govt has taken all essential measures to fight COVID-19.

The special Air India flight carrying 263 Indian students that took off from Rome has landed at Delhi airport. #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/ccyykMlJ9L ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

10.13 AM: Karnataka: A 33-year-old man with recent foreign travel history has tested positive for Coronavirus, contact tracing underway; 3 km area around Hosayellapur where this infected person was living has been quarantined: Dharwad DC Deepa Cholan.

10.00 AM: The special Air India flight carrying 263 Indian students that took off from Rome has lands at Delhi airport. Delhi Customs continue to provide its assistance in clearance of the 263 passengers from Rome at the remote bay at the airport. All precautions being exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers being followed.

9.45 AM: The 'Janata Curfew' is an important step by the public for the health of the public: JP Nadda

9.35 AM: DCP New Police: "We are on the roads for your safety. Please stay at Home!! Policemen giving flowers to motorists requesting them to stay at home. Please support us!!"

Tamil Nadu: #JantaCurfew underway in Chennai as Coronavirus cases in the country stands at 315 pic.twitter.com/X8JrYUtESP ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

9.25 AM: Varanasi detects first coronavirus case, a resident of Thana Phoolpur. He has a travel history from Dubai. With this, the total number of positive cases in UP rise to 28.

9.15 AM: Hero Motocorp: "With the safety and wellbeing of its employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, Hero MotoCorp has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities - including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh - and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020."

9.10 AM: Be ready for more such curfews in coming days, says Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh reports 27 COVID-19 cases, of which 11 patients have recovered.

9.00 AM: Noida reports 6th Coronavirus case. The patient, a 31-year-old man, has a travel history to Dubai.

8.56 AM: Delhi Metro close for today

The Delhi Metro rail services are closed in view of Janta Curfew today. "In the wake of 'Janta Curfew' to be observed this Sunday i.e, on 22nd March 2020, DMRC has decided to keep its services closed. The move is aimed at encouraging public to stay indoors and maintain social distancing, which is essential in the fight against Covid-19," the DMRC said in a statement.

8.46 AM: Coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu

Total number of coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu stands at six, including three person -- two Thailand nationals and one from New Zealand, who were tested positive on Saturday.

#JantaCurfew being observed today as positive Coronavirus cases in the country stand at 315; Visuals from West Bengal's Kolkata pic.twitter.com/YQP9ojGq8H ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.42 AM: Coronavirus cases in West Bengal

A woman, who's a resident of Habra in North 24 Parganas district and a recent travel history to Scotland, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday, making her the third confirmed Covid-19 case in West Bengal, the state health department officials said. The woman, in her early 20s, returned from Scotland on March 16.

Maharashtra: Deserted roads in Nagpur following commencement of #JantaCurfew from 7 am today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed for the self-imposed curfew in his address to the nation on 19th March. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/0gDMsyAXar ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.40 AM: Coronavirus cases in Punjab

Three more people in Punjab were tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday. Now the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stand at six. "Three more people have tested positive in Mohali," Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said on Saturday.

8.31 AM: Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra

Deserted roads in Nagpur following commencement of Janta Curfew from 7 am today. The confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra have touched 64 on Saturday.

8.30 AM: Janata curfew in Assam

"Let us all join PM Narendra Modi ji's call for Janata Curfew from 7 AM - 9 PM and show our collective resolve to tackle COVID-19," state CM Sarbananda Sonowal. Assam reported its first case of novel coronavirus with the initial test of a four-and-a-half-year-old-girl in Jorhat district turning out to be positive.

#JantaCurfew commences amid rising Coronavirus cases in the country. According to ICMR, positive cases of Coronavirus in India stand at 315; Visuals from Assam's Guwahati pic.twitter.com/Hmo0bDFVqR ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.30 AM: Coronavirus cases in Andhra

Number of positive coronavirus cases in the state stands at five. All five patients have foreign travel history.

8.27 AM: Stay indoors and stay healthy, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges people to be a part of the Janata Curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace.

In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences.



Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace. The steps we take now will help in the times to come.



Stay indoors and stay healthy. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/11HJsAWzVf Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

8.25 AM: Embassy of India in Italy

As many as 263 Indian students and compassionate cases departed for India by special Air India flight from Rome fulfilling our commitment to ensure their safe return home. Sincere folded hands to Air India and Italian authorities.

Indian students checking in @FCO Rome for their return to India. We thank @DrSJaishankar @harshvshringla @MEAIndia

for helping us get here pic.twitter.com/ApIsIxtjQa India in Italy (@IndiainItaly) March 21, 2020

8.21 AM: 800 deaths in Italy in one day

Italy recorded a jump in deaths from coronavirus of almost 800 on Saturday, taking the toll in the world's hardest-hit country to almost 5,000. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte orders shutdown of all 'non-essential' companies.

8.16 AM: Pakistan reports 733 active COVID-19 cases

Total number of active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan have risen to 733, including 396 in Sindh and 137 in Punjab. The neighbouring country has suspended all international flights for the next two weeks. It also reported the third casualty from the virus in Karachi on Friday, two days after two men both pilgrims returning from Iran and Saudi Arabia died of the coronavirus in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.nal flights for two weeks and curtailed train services. - PTI

8.14 AM: Passengers stranded outside railway stations

Passengers stranded outside the New Delhi railway station as all passenger and intercity trains have been cancelled till 10 pm today. In Mumbai too, the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus wore a deserted look as all trains have been cancelled.

Delhi: Passengers stranded outside New Delhi railway station as all passenger & intercity trains have been cancelled till 10 pm on 22nd March, in view of 'Janta Curfew' announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/e8Lj0inOJa ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2020

8.05 AM: 51 prinsoners released from Madurai jail

Prisoners are being released from jails to avoid overcrowing. A total of 51 prisoners, who were imprisoned under minor charges, were released on bail from Madurai Central jail yesterday to avoid overcrowding at the jail.

Tamil Nadu: 51 prisoners, who were imprisoned under minor charges, were released on bail from Madurai Central jail yesterday to avoid overcrowding at the jail. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/ihp4dF4tmX ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2020

8.00 AM: No international flight from today

Passengers queue up at the departure lane of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (T-3). No scheduled international commercial passenger flights is allowed to land in India from today for one week as per Government of India's advisory.

7.45 AM: COVID-19 cases in UP

Posters stating "Do not enter, house under supervision" put outside residences of those likely to be infected by COVID-19 by the district administration in Etawah, UP.

Delhi: Passengers queue up at the departure lane of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (T-3). No scheduled international commercial passenger flights is allowed to land in India from today for one week as per Government of India's advisory. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/A7dv87neSv ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2020

7.30 AM: Private labs can't charge over Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 test

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issues guidelines for COVID-19 testing by private laboratories. Maximum cost for testing samples capped at Rs 4,500 (Rs 1,500 for screening test for likely cases and additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test).
Gardai were continuing to search a quarry last night where it is suspected pipe bombs were being made by dissident Republicans.

The search operation at a rural location on the Carlow/Kildare border follows the arrest of three men today by heavily armed gardai.

This is an investigation into the manufacture of improvised explosive devices by a dissident Republican grouping, a senior source said last night.

The arrests followed a lengthy surveillance operation, the source added.

The target of the probe is a 55-year-old Carlow who was arrested along with two Dublin men both aged 41 who travelled from the capital to meet him yesterday.

The Carlow man had previously been the target of a major surveillance operation during the time of the State visit of Britain's Prince Charles in 2015 when the Real IRA plotted targeting the prince.

The trio were being questioned about terrorism offences last night at Clondalkin and Ronanstown Garda stations by officers from the Special Detective Unit (SDU).

The arrested Dublin men each have address in the southside and northside of the capital and these homes were searched by officers last night.

The three men were arrested together after the Dublin duo travelled to meet the Carlow man in what sources last night called an armed interception.

Gardai announced details of the operation last night.

The Special Detective Unit were supported by the Emergency Response Unit and other National Units during the arrest operation.

This remains a live operation and further searches are being carried out by the Special Detective Unit supported by Divisional Search team and the Garda Dog Unit, a garda spokesman said.

Deputy Commissioner Twomey, Policing and Security said: This ongoing operation demonstrates An Garda Siochana determination to ensure the security of our state, in the midst of the ongoing critical COVID-19 situation.

All of An Garda Siochanas' specialist units whose responsibility it is to protect the security of the state continued to be fully resourced and active keeping people safe at this time.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 13:30:45|Editor: zyl

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Empty shelves of antibacterial soap are seen at a pharmacy in Toronto, Canada, March 21, 2020. With shortages of many items like face masks, surgical gowns, protective eye-wear and hand sanitizers, Canada's Ontario Provincial Premier Doug Ford appealed to the province's manufacturing sector to help produce key medical supplies on Saturday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks to reporters after a meeting on an economic rescue package to deal with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

Congressional leaders and the Trump administration raced Sunday evening to reach agreement on an enormous financial rescue package totaling nearly $2 trillion meant to steer the U.S. economy through the coronavirus crisis and help ordinary Americans weather devastating job losses. But lawmakers appeared far apart as negotiations headed deep into the night.

Although both parties said they agreed on the urgency of passing a measure quickly as unemployment rapidly mounts and jittery markets prepared to reopen Monday, the two sides remained at loggerheads on several key issues, including how much money to provide state and local governments faced with the crisis and how much authority to give administration officials to decide which major businesses to bail out.

As lawmakers and their staffs prepared to meet into the wee hours, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), warned of "an ugly" Monday in financial markets without a deal. He planned to try again to bring to the floor a key procedural vote on Monday.

"Our nation cannot afford a game of chicken," McConnell said, adding that he hoped for a "change of heart" from Democrats.

But Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said he had been meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, representing the administration, and that there was a "good chance we'll have an agreement" in the morning.

The hardball tactics from both parties came at the end of a weekend of negotiations among rank-and-file lawmakers and between congressional leaders and Mnuchin.

Earlier Sunday, Democrats defeated McConnell in a test vote. The motion, which would have required a bipartisan 60-vote majority to pass, failed 47-47, with six senators absent. Futures markets fell sharply.

The bill, which currently totals about $1.8 trillion, would include direct payments to individuals and families (on average about $3,000 for a family of four, Mnuchin said), expanded unemployment benefits and a massive loan program to tide over small businesses.

Story continues

It would be by far the largest such measure in U.S. history, equivalent to roughly half the current federal budget.

The bill is intended as a bridge to get the country through the worst of the crisis over the next eight to 10 weeks, with the possibility of further spending later if the emergency continues.

I think the president has every expectation that this is going to look a lot better four or eight weeks from now, Mnuchin said of the outbreak and efforts to contain it. If for any reason, 10 weeks from now with this virus, we havent won this, well go back to Congress again.

While the two sides agree on major parts of the bill, they remain far apart on some elements. Democrats say that a $500 billion fund to bail out industries hard-hit by the economic disruption caused by the virus amounts to a "corporate slush fund" that the administration could use to reward its friends. And, they say, the bill doesn't contain enough protections against layoffs by businesses that get federal help.

McConnell and other Republicans say they already have made major concessions to Democrats.

President Trump, at a White House news briefing Sunday evening, took an unusually conciliatory tack, declining to criticize Senate Democrats for holding out.

We all want to get to the same place, he said.

Were very close, Trump said. "The Democrats want to get there," and so do Republicans, he said. "I dont think anybody has a choice."

Asked if he would swear off receiving assistance for his own businesses, Trump demurred, saying that "it cost me billions and billions of dollars to be president" and that he had gotten no credit for declining his annual salary.

McConnell was in a less conciliatory mood than Trump, blaming Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) for derailing bipartisan negotiations.

Were fiddling here, fiddling with the emotions of the American people, fiddling with the markets, fiddling with our healthcare.

Schumer, who met several times during the day with Mnuchin, said the two sides were making progress and were "closer than we have been at any point in the last 48 hours."

In addition to fears about the economy, lawmakers faced another pressure toward quick action  concerns about their own health. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Sunday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, although he said he felt fine.

Worry has run high in the Senate about other members falling ill, since many had spent time with Paul. By Sunday afternoon, four Republican senators announced they were self-quarantining on the advice of congressional doctors because of their contact with Paul or others with the virus.

Their announcements threatened to wipe out the Republican majority in the Senate, which does not allow members to vote remotely.

All senators are going to seek medical advice as to what action we should take to make sure that we dont in any way spread the virus ourselves, said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), one of those who announced a self-quarantine. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) told colleagues he saw Paul in the Senate gym Sunday morning, before he found out the result of his test, according to Moran's spokesman.

Members of the House are already back in their districts, with no return date in sight. There is increasing speculation that once senators pass the latest economic stimulus bill, they could leave Washington for weeks.

Meanwhile, the full effects of the public health emergency are only beginning to be felt, experts warned, as state governors stepped up pleas for more robust federal intervention.

In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a stay-home order and closed nonessential businesses, saying the state had "the fastest growth rate of confirmed cases in the world" and risked becoming "the next Italy," which currently has the worst death rate from the disease caused by the coronavirus.

This emergency is going to get worse before it gets better, he said. Were in a race against time with this." The state currently has the third-highest per capita rate of cases after New York and Washington: 830 cases and 20 deaths, according to state figures.

In New York City, which has the nation's highest concentration of cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the crisis could last months.

The worst is yet to come. April is going to be a lot worse than March. And I fear May could be worse than April, he said.

Nationwide, were going to get hit, theres no doubt about it, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious-disease specialist, said Sunday.

But Fauci, the director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said in an interview on CBS Face the Nation that the drastic steps being taken across the country  school closings, business shutdowns, shelter-in-place orders  would pay off by helping to stem the virus' spread.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter Gaynor, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," said federal authorities were trying to keep up with states demands for medical equipment and protective gear for healthcare workers.

But Gaynor struggled to say precisely when the federal government would be able to provide states with hospital masks, gowns, respiratory equipment and other badly needed medical supplies. His advice for the nations governors: If they find a supply source on their own, go buy it.

Current and former officials warned that the financial impact will mirror the health crisis, with immense hardships to come. Asked what kind of economic pain lay ahead, President Trump's former economic advisor Gary Cohn replied: "Enormous."

As negotiations continued in the Senate, Pelosi said that House Democrats would be drafting their own bill.

"We'll be introducing our own bill, and hopefully it will be compatible" with what the Senate passes, Pelosi told reporters.

Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Houston contributed to this report.
Italy has recorded 793 new deaths from coronavirus, a one-day record that saw the country's toll rise to 4,825, 38.3 per cent of the world's total.

Despite extensive measures to prevent the disease from spreading, Italy remains the worst affected country in Europe.



The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections rose by 6,557 to 53,578, reported ITV news on Saturday.



The total number of fatalities in the northern Lombardy regions around Milan surpassed 3,000.



Northern Italy has been the hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak. It accounts for nearly two-thirds of Italy's fatalities.





Italy has reported 1,420 deaths since Friday, a grim figure that suggests the pandemic may be breaking through the government's various containment and social distancing measures.



The Mediterranean nation of 60 million has been under an effective lockdown since March 12, when public gatherings were banned and most stores shuttered.



Police were out in force across the streets of Rome on Saturday, checking documents and fining those outside without a valid reason, such as buying groceries.



Joggers were asked to run around the block of their houses, parks and beaches were closed, and the government in Rome prepared to extend school and other closures into the summer months.



But the outbreak keeps gathering pace in the new global epicentre of a virus that was first reported in December in China and has since transformed the world, straining health care systems, upending lives for millions and pummelling stock markets globally.



The figures released Saturday showed deaths still largely contained to Italy's richer north, whose world-class healthcare system is creaking under the pressure of coronavirus patients.



But it is better that what is available in the poorer south, where some regions have registered a few dozen deaths - and which the government in Rome is watching closely.



The Lazio region that includes Rome has recorded a total of 50 deaths and 1,190 infections.



How authorities are battling to keep Italians at home



The rising death toll comes despite widespread efforts to lockdown the entire country.



Italy announced 627 new deaths on Friday, as its number of fatalities went past that of China, where the virus originated.
Few commuters took to the streets in West Bengal on 'Janata Curfew' day on Sunday announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in wake of the novel coronavirus spread in several parts of the country.

Skeletal train and bus services operated by the Railways and the West Bengal government respectively ran almost empty as most people chose to stay indoors.

An Eastern Railway official said that the number of passengers in the suburban trains was low, which are much lesser in number than normal Sunday services in its different divisions, including Howrah and Sealdah.

In South Eastern Railway, another zonal railway headquartered in the city, few suburban trains running on Sunday were almost devoid of any passenger, its spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said.

"The state transport undertakings in West Bengal are running some buses as per requirement," state Transport commissioner A P Roy told PTI.

The Metro Railway ran near-empty trains as few passengers were available, an official said.

In view of the Janata curfew, the Eastern and South Eastern Railway cancelled all mail/express trains originating from the two zones from 4 am till midnight on Sunday, which has later been extended till March 31.

The Indian Railways on Sunday announced the cancellation of all passenger train services in the country till March 31 in a bid to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Both ER and SER ran some suburban services, while the Metro Railway also plied some trains on Sunday.

SER cancelled all passenger trains originating within its jurisdiction from Saturday midnight.

However, 32 EMU local trains in Howrah-Midnapur, Howrah-Amta, Panskur-Haldia and Panskura-Digha suburban sections were to be run as bare minimum essential services, according to SER spokesman Sanjay Ghosh.

Eastern Railway cancelled all mail/express and intercity trains from 4 am on Sunday.

According to an ER spokesman, 341 suburban trains in Howrah division and 500 local trains in Sealdah division were to be run on Sunday.

The Metro Railway was scheduled to run 54 trains on Sunday, instead of the normal 124 services, its spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said.

In the East West Metro, instead of 50 services, 34 services were to be run at 30-minute intervals, Banerjee said.

There will be no suburban train or Metro Railway services from midnight of Sunday till March 31, according to a PIB release.

Bus stations across the state wore a deserted look as few passengers turned up to avail of the services that were being operated.

While skeletal services were maintained by state transport undertakings, there were almost no private bus or taxis on the streets of Kolkata and other parts of the state.

The state government has also ordered a ban on inter- state buses to and from West Bengal from Sunday till March 31.

Departure and arrival of all interstate buses have been stopped from Sunday, West Bengal Transport secretary N S Nigam said. "Interstate buses originating in the neighbouring states shall not be allowed to enter into the state of West Bengal with immediate effect till March 31," a Transport department order said.

"Considering the emergent situation developing due to spread of Novel Coronavirus, all inter-state bus operations originating from this state shall remain suspended till March 31," the order said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The mayor of Clairton, Pa. confirmed in a Facebook post Saturday that the states second coronavirus fatality was a resident of his small city in Allegheny County, about 12 miles south of Pittsburgh.

The patient, described as a person in their late 60s, died Saturday at Jefferson Hospital.

We were made aware that a resident of Clairton has passed away from the COVID-19 virus that has plagued our nation and found our city," Mayor Rich Lattanzi wrote. "Prayers from all of us from city hall and condolences to the entire family.

According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mr. Lattanzi declined to provide any more personal information about the patient out of respect for the family.

Clairton Mayor Rich Lattanzi posted the announcement on the city's Facebook page Saturday afternoon.

At a Saturday afternoon news conference in Pittsburgh, Dr. LuAnn Brink, Allegheny County Health Departments chief epidemiologist, said that tracing the contacts of the person who died had already been completed, and that everyone believed to have been in contact with the deceased patient have been put under quarantine.

There have been 31 positive tests for the novel coronavirus in Allegheny County through Saturday, according to state Health Department numbers. The Post-Gazette quoted Dr. Debra Bogen, director of Allegheny Countys Health Department, as saying everyone should expect that number to rise in coming days because there is some community spread in the region.

People who are ill should not go out, Dr. Bogen added.

The state Health Department reported a statewide total of 371 cases as of Saturday morning, but Johns Hopkins Universitys Coronavirus Resource Center has put the states count at 399 as of 7:43 a.m. Sunday.
By Michael Nienaber, Holger Hansen and Christian Kraemer

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is readying an emergency budget worth more than 150 billion euros ($160 billion) to shore up jobs and businesses at risk from the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the finance minister said on Saturday.

Government sources told Reuters hundreds of billions in additional backing for the private sector would be raised, as Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said a ceiling on new government debt enshrined in the country's constitution would be suspended due to the exceptional circumstances.

"A hundred and fifty billion is a large amount, but it gives us the flexibility that we now need," Scholz said.

"In addition we are laying the ground for various other institutions of our nation to take the steps necessary to stabilise our companies ... it's important to send a clear and strong signal right at the beginning," he told a news briefing.

According to senior officials and a draft law seen by Reuters, the package will include a supplementary government budget of 156 billion euros, 100 billion euros for an economic stability fund that can take direct equity stakes in companies, and 100 billion euros in credit to public-sector development bank KfW for loans to struggling businesses.

On top of that, the stability fund will offer 400 billion euros in loan guarantees to secure corporate debt at risk of defaulting, taking the volume of the overall package to more than 750 billion euros.

Under Germany's so-called debt brake rule, Berlin is allowed to take on new debt of no more than 0.35% of economic output, unless the country is hit by a natural disaster or other emergencies.

Scholz said on Saturday the government would invoke such an exception, confirming a Reuters report on Thursday.

"We will take out more debt than what is normally allowed under the constitution," Scholz said, adding that austerity in previous years had prepared the ground for such a move and that a debt-repayment schedule would be part of the draft law.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to do "whatever it takes" to counter the epidemic's economic impact, and her cabinet is set to back the package of fiscal measures on Monday.

A government source had told Reuters on Friday that a 150 billion euro supplementary budget was underway.

(Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Alexander Smith and Helen Popper)
Inspired, I shared an idea with Jason Feifer, editor in chief at Entrepreneur: a simple, organized list of free product and service offerings from all types of companies. Access to these powerful tools can help organizations, teams and families.

He responded quickly. "I like that. Maybe it starts as a post on Entrepreneur.com?"

Boom. Here we go:

Communications

Facebook : Free premium version of Workplace Advanced, which provides users with an internal version of Facebook complete with services such as video calling and file sharing, is now available to emergency services and governments for 12 months. Organizations have until June 30 to sign up for the offer.

Freshworks : Free and unrestricted use of Freshworks customer engagement tools, Freshchat and Freshcaller, for small businesses with less than 50 employees. Businesses can use these tools to manage surging customer queries via digital channels and switch to remote work with ease.

BirdEye : Free two months of access to communicate with your customers via text messages, web chat on your website, bulk text and email messages. This comes with full access to BirdEyes online reputation management platform, a centralized inbox to respond to all customer communication, surveys, the ability to update all your online listings or hours and more. This offer is valid during the month of April 2020.

Breezy : Free live video interview and assessment capabilities to all organizations for at least 60 days.

Diligent : Free software available to nonprofits and K-12 school boards who need to conduct remote board meetings during the COVID-19 crisis.

Otter.ai : Free access for two months to Otter.ais enterprise offering, Otter for Teams, which automatically transcribes meetings, distance learning classes and other things. Those who sign up for the service by May 1 will be able to add up to ten of their employees to the service as users.

Boardable : Free 90 days to manage virtual meetings and committees for nonprofits who sign on before the end of April.

Whispli : Free platform to keep an open line of communication with employees, who are often working from home for the first time in their lives and have questions regarding the new normal.

Numa : Free business messaging platform and virtual answering service to companies impacted by the pandemic.

Chatfuel : Free access to all Pro plan features for nonprofits and qualified individuals who are offering emergency aid and information as a public service. Plus, free weekly onboarding and live office hours for anyone who needs help setting up their Messenger bot.

Cira Apps : Free communications software. Available to first-responder and emergency organizations, CiraSync Enterprise Edition automates syncing of Office 365 shared contacts and calendars to smartphones.

Seam Social Labs : Free SMS survey tool to the public sector to use for canceled public meetings and to engage vulnerable populations that do not have access to wifi.

Genesys : Free access to Genesys Cloud with deployment in just 48 hours, comprehensive training and support, and no premiums for volume spikes. Organizations must sign up by April 30, 2020.

Rev : Free, unlimited call recorder app on the iOS app store. Users can order a transcript of recordings directly through the app.

ServiceNow : Free software to help organizations digitize workflows, has rolled out several new applications. One that was developed in conjunction with the state of Washington States Department of Health manages incident-response workflows and is being made free to other agencies. The other applications, which are free for ServiceNow customers and can be accessed by non-customers too, include ones that help businesses deal with workflows associated with sharing COVID-19-related information and situations in which employees have to self-quarantine.

Jamm : Free audio-visual communication tool used by remote and distributed teams. You can quickly record videos or do a live call with your team. Available for 3 months.

Yext : Free, new site search product, Yext Answers, for a 90-day period. Eligible businesses will be able to transform their website into a search engine capable of answering consumers COVID-19 specific queries in real-time.

Panopto : Free three-month access to capture and distribute video content for businesses, universities, colleges and schools will enable employees and students to continue learning and working remotely.

Ribbon Communications : Free Work@Home licenses are available until June 30, 2020. With Work@Home, enterprises that need to switch their operational model to an all-remote workforce have access to a complete Unified Communications and Collaboration solution.

Lifesize : Free unlimited licenses for all organizations impacted by coronavirus worldwide are immediately eligible to use the companys cloud-based video collaboration platform for six months.

EZTexting : Free emergency text alert services to schools. Receive 100,000 free outgoing text messages for six months, access to a set of coronavirus message templates, and one-on-one consulting.

Bloomz : Free premium version of its communication service to all schools through Jun. 30, 2020. The software allows users to communicate updates in real-time to parents and students; and share lessons, student work and feedback.

8x8 : Free video meetings to all users. Offers 80+ local dial-in numbers (11 toll-free) from 55+ countries and meetings of up to 50 participants without any time restrictions.

BlueJeans : Free access to video conference service to first responders and NGOs for 90-days.

Panopto : Free three-month access to capture and distribute video content for businesses, universities, colleges and schools will enable employees and students to continue learning and working remotely.

Dialpad : Free two months of its cloud-based phone system, Dialpad Talk Pro. This also includes video conferences and UberConference Business.

Discord : Free, enhanced Go Live streaming service so that it can now support 50 simultaneous users rather than 10.

Vonage : Free 3 months of Vonage Business Communications services for educational, healthcare and non-profit organizations within the US, UK, and Australia.

Intermedia : Free Video Conferencing for all of 2020, and Pro Video Conferencing until 2021.

Loom : Free video recording and sharing service for teachers and students at K-12 schools, universities and educational institutions. They have also removed the recording limit on free plans and have cut the price for Loom Pro in half.

LogMeIn : Free site-wide licensing for 3 months of its video conferencing solution, GoToMeeting, for eligible organizations (health care providers, educational institutions, municipalities and non-profits).

Comcast : Free Xfinity WiFi for everyone, with hotspots available to all, including non-Xfinity subscribers. To access the service, look for the xfinitywifi network name in a list of hotspots.

Slack : Free upgrades to paid plans for teams working on coronavirus pandemic research, response, or mitigation. Interested teams can email a special address to get this set up, and a consultation on how best to get started with remote collaboration.

Google : Free, premium version of its workplace video chat tool until July, to help businesses and schools working remotely due to coronavirus. Those features include having up to 250 participants per call, live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within a domain, and the ability to record meetings and save them to Google Drive.

Supply Chain/Logistics

Bonfire : Free strategic sourcing software for public-sector organizations in North America through the end of July.

FarEye : Free access to delivery optimization software for organizations making home deliveries of daily essential items and for deliveries to hospital sites or supply of food and medicines.

Project44 : Free transportation tracking for organizations including non-profits, NGOs, government agencies, hospitals, pharmacies and grocers to help them support coronavirus relief and prevention efforts.

Collaboration and productivity

Wildix : Free six months of Wildix Collaboration, a web-based communications tool that enables simple, instant and secure communication between employees situated all over the world. Users can participate in a conference, make calls (video, audio), chat, share screens, transfer files and set up virtual reminders.

Anaplan : Free access for 90 days for qualifying nonprofits, government agencies, health care providers, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies and others on the front lines of the pandemic response.

Noisli : Free two months of the Business plan, which gives team members unlimited access and enables them to stay productive and focused no matter where theyre working from. Noisli provides background sounds that help to mask distracting noises and create a personal sound environment for calm and focus.

FeedbackFruits : Free student engagement and assessment LMS tools for higher-ed teachers. You can make your videos, presentations and documents interactive and automatically assess student performance within LMS.

Workhuman : Free special editions of Life Events and Conversations products until March 2021 to help mitigate isolation during the COVID-19 disruption. The software platform motivates employees to establish and deepen relationships and build trust, thus fostering greater innovation, creativity and collaboration.

Hiver : Free email collaboration platform for teams which helps them manage shared inboxes like info@ or support@ without leaving Gmail. Hiver is committed to helping small businesses who are at the frontlines of fighting Coronavirus. To that effect, the company is offering Hiver's Shared Inboxes on the highest plan free for the next two months to eligible organizations.

Vyopta : Free access to Collaboration Performance Management (CPM) trials for enterprises, higher education, K-12, and healthcare organizations to help them scale video collaboration in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Range : Free team success tool used by Twitter, Carta, Pocket and more, is now available to organizations in the following categories: Nonprofits, first responders, public health officials, hospitals and clinics, groups supporting the COVID-19 PPE supply chain and any other non-political humanitarian effort. For startups and small businesses who are especially vulnerable, Range offers a $1,000 credit.

JotForm : Free healthcare forms to all first responders, healthcare workers, governmental agencies and nonprofits.

Avaya : Free business edition of Avaya Spaces to educational and nonprofit organizations worldwide through August 31, 2020. Avaya Spaces provides a cloud meeting and team collaboration solution that enables people and organizations to connect and collaborate remotely.

Digicoop : Free 30-day trial period and extra two months of free use to all new customers who request the extension online by April 30, 2020. Kantree is a flexible work management platform, made by Digicoop.

Wundamail : Free three months of remote-team-management software. Wundamail works directly in your email inbox, asking a daily question and collating all team responses into one easy to digest team update. Simple, efficient, and helps to drive productivity.

Zapier : Free starter account through 2020 for health-workers and first responders as well as non-political humanitarian efforts towards fighting Covid-19.

ClickUp : Free access to the productivity platform to help get all your tasks, docs, conversations, goals, reminders and more in one place.

Monday.com : Free and complete use of its work-operating system to any non-profit organization working to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. The company also provides unlimited support to get the platform up and running quickly and efficiently. Its also entirely free for any student to use!

Miro : Free access to Miro's collaboration tool and core features. Free Education Plan for students for two years, and for faculty forever. The Enterprise plan is available to Educators at 50 percent forever.

GForge : Free 12 months for organizations new to GForge in both SaaS or on-premises. For existing customers, the company offers a free upgrade to unlimited users for up to 12 months.

Relytree : Free trial of Stackby, a cloud software that combines best of spreadsheets, databases and business APIs to let anyone build their own custom work tools and collaborate with their team. Offer is Free Economy plan for 3 months till July 1st and free access to NGOs and Non-profits supporting C-19 relief efforts for life.

Igloo Software : Free access to digital workspace solution with Igloos Business Continuity Bundle for new customers until July 6, 2020.

RedmineUP : Free Small plan for 10 users until the end of the year. Project Management is simple with RedmineUP Cloud, and you can manage your projects from home.

Threads : Free access to their collaboration tools and Pro/Team plans for all users through July 1, 2020.

Nimbus Note : Free Business Version for next few months. Nimbus Note is a flexible yet comprehensive information repository that helps you simplify your work and bring your team together.

GanttPRO : Free account till August 15, 2020, for healthcare and non-profit organizations. Other businesses that suffered from covid-19 are welcome to apply for a free account too. GanttPRO  chart-based software for project planning and management. It help teams execute their projects efficiently even from home.

Evernote : Free sign up and access of Evernote Basic plan. Take notes. Keep a journal. Clip anything from the web. Evernote lets you store and share information quickly and securely.

Calendly : Free Zoom And GoToMeeting integrations for their online appointment scheduling software to help remote workers stay connected. These were previously Premium tier features and will be available through June 30th. Also Free premium plan access to teams working directly on COVID-19.

Airtable : Free use of Airtable Pro plan as a modern database for any non-political, humanitarian effort tackling COVID relief. There is no time limit. It is also planning to make service free for students too.

Lucidchart : Free single user account with access to Lucidchart introductory library and basic templates. Lucidchart is the ultimate online collaboration platform where teams can share, collaborate, visualize complex concepts and save their work in real-time.

Smartsheet : Free templates that can be used by other organizations to build their own coronavirus preparedness dashboard, rich with CDC documentation and other resources, and related sheets and forms.

Wrike : Free licenses of the versatile collaborative work management platform (Professional edition) to new customers for 6 months. Current customers are able to add unlimited collaborators. Webinars and advice on remote work are both on the website.

Box : Free secure file sharing and collaboration platform for 3 months. The offer is for the Business plan and includes unlimited storage, mobile access, and advanced user and security reporting.

Dropbox : Free Dropbox Business and HelloSign Enterprise subscriptions for a three-month period to nonprofits and NGOs that are focused on fighting COVID-19. Organizations working to stop the virus or providing relief to those impacted are encouraged to apply.

Zoho : Free suite of Remotely apps until July 1. There are 11 apps in all, including ones for online meetings, training sessions, storage, project management and everyday work (in the form of word processing, spreadsheets and presentations).

Atlassian : Free access to Cloud products for issue-tracking and project-tracking software including Jira and Confluence. Also Free access to Trello Business Class for organizing plans is offered for one-year to educators at K-12 and higher education.

Unbounce : Free three-month access to landing pages, pop-ups and stick bars for organizations in healthcare, education, nonprofit and government. Sign up for this offer anytime before June 1 2020.

TigerConnect : Free trial of a simple email marketing solution designed to help you create and send compelling campaigns with ease.

Wistia : Free video-hosting services for folks in education, healthcare or the nonprofit sector who are using video to support current community needs. This includes adding videos to the web, tracking performance and building audiences. Email support@wistia.com.

XANT (formerly InsideSales.com): Free program that leverages the company's sales engagement platform, Playbooks, to help companies and individuals in sales or revenue generation roles as they transition to a work-from-home setting.

Keap : Free access to trial with full features of CRM, email marketing, getting paid, appointments and more.

GoDaddy : Free version of Websites + Marketing, the companys website builder with marketing tools built in, so that anyone can quickly get their idea or business online and start generating income during the Covid-19 crisis. The free version includes the option to publish a website with unlimited pages. It includes social media tools, email marketing, one-time appointments, SSL, and PayPal. It also includes a gift card widget to help facilitate the purchase of gift cards.

Chamaileon.io : Free plan for email design editor tool. It's specialty, the collaborative suite: it's the best email design builder for teams featuring real-time multi-user simultaneous design editing and many other remote-work enabling features.

Hatchbuck : Free trial of the companys all-in-one sales and marketing platform combines email marketing, CRM and marketing automation to turn emails into conversations, website visitors into handshakes, and customers into raving fans. It also provides marketing agencies an alternative solution for their small business clients.

Benchmark : Free trial of a powerfully simple email marketing solution designed to help you create and send compelling campaigns with ease.

Adobe : Free home access to Creative Cloud apps is available by request of students and educators until May 31, 2020. Adobe also offers free 90-day access to Adobe Connect for web conferencing until July 1, 2020.

Ubersuggest : Free plan for Neil Patel's Ubersuggest, which helps you generate keywords for your content marketing strategy and production.

SurveyMonkey : Free questionnaire templates written by survey research experts to gather data/feedback from employees, customers and broader groups impacted by the coronavirus.

Salesforce : Free access to technology for emergency response teams, call centers and care management teams for health systems affected by coronavirus.

Hootsuite : Free access for Hootsuite Professional to small businesses and nonprofits until July 1st, 2020. Helping to manage social media, and stay connected with your customers and communities.

Aisera : Free software for 60 days to help healthcare organizations and government agencies manage a crush of queries and phone calls from people worried about the COVID-19 outbreak.

Espressive : Free 90-day Rapid Assistance Program to quickly help enterprise organizations automate their IT help desks, enabling your agents to focus on critical issues while ensuring your employees are able to be fully productive at home.

Push Technology : Free real-time enterprise-grade data delivery until October so your company will have one less thing to worry about.

Hyperproof : Free software that can help organizations stay compliant with privacy regimes in the U.S. and Europe.

DataRobot : Free enterprise AI platform for organizations helping with the COVID-19 response effort. This enables users to prepare data for machine-learning models and then to run them.

Trustwave : Free Remote Work Security Information Pack. The informational pack from Trustwave Security Colony includes BYOD Device Security Checklist, Phishing Tips Sticker and more. Registration required.

AdGuard : Free licenses during COVID-19 pandemic to make the web experience better for everyone while we all stay at home. AdGuard is a cross-platform ads and tracking blocker that has all the necessary features for a clean, ad-free, uninterrupted and private web surfing: Whole-system ad blocking Advanced privacy protection Traffic usage reduction Protection from phishing and malware Available for Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android platforms.

Netsparker : Free Team licenses to help organizations keep their websites and web applications secure during this unprecedented global crisis. This is for organizations involved in fighting COVID-19.

ManageEngine : Free fully functional products until July 1, 2020. ManageEngine has tools that help organizations build multiple layers of security to enable remote access to critical systems.

Connectify : Free 10 GB per month for all new Speedify users. Speedify bonding VPN uses channel bonding technology to securely combine 2 or more connections together at once. You get faster, more reliable and secure Internet.

PagerDuty : Free product licenses for healthcare organizations managing minute-to-minute COVID-19 response to keep systems running, and free licenses for all other new customers to help business teams across industries transition to distributed work.

Dynatrace : Free trial access to the Dynatrace Software Intelligence Platform, through May 19, 2020. In addition, new users will receive free access to the Dynatrace Real User Monitoring (RUM) for SaaS vendor experience, through September 19, 2020. These actions are designed to help global organizations, especially those on the frontlines in the travel, logistics, and healthcare industries, keep their teams productive and maintain digital performance during the global response to the coronavirus.

Carbonite : Free trials for 60 days of Carbonite Endpoint Protection and Carbonite Backup for Microsoft Office 365. Carbonite and Webroot are working to help SMBs and MSPs who are dealing with a remote workforce and overloaded networks to make cyber resilience simple, reliable and accessible.

Webroot : Free trials for 60 days of Webroot Business Endpoint Protection, Webroot DNS Protection and Webroot Security Awareness Training. Carbonite and Webroot are working to help SMBs and MSPs who are dealing with a remote workforce and overloaded networks to make cyber resilience simple, reliable and accessible.

Blackberry : Free licenses for 60 days to a number of BlackBerrys services that support remote-working connectivity, including BlackBerry Desktop and BlackBerry 2FA.

Creatio (formerly bpm'online) : Free customer center edition to organizations working to stop the spread and/or mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 through October 1, 2020. It will help organizations on the front line in the fight against COVID-19 react to requests quickly and in accordance with their rules and guidelines.

Aventri : Free registration and website software for 60 days for non-profits, schools, universities, cities/towns, and other organizations that are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The software can be used to set up online sign ups or informational websites for meal pick up times, volunteer sign ups, online learning, aid requests and more.

Commvault : Free Metallic Endpoint Backup and Recovery with unlimited Microsoft Azure backup storage for up to 1,000 endpoint devices, in the U.S. and Canada through September 1, 2020.

Systancia : Free teleworking service from Systancia Gate, a cybersecurity solution which provides ultra-secured access to corporate resources and applications for any type of remote user (roaming users, teleworkers, third party service providers, etc.)

Ericom Shield : Free trial of Ericom Shield remote browser isolation (RBI) technology protects endpoints and enterprise resources from the dangers of the public web, bringing Zero Trust security to browsing, email and downloads.

Clappia : Free licenses to the Nocode platform for apps created to implement COVID19 use cases.

TechSmith : Free licenses to TechSmith Snagit screen capture software and the TechSmith Video Review software through June 30th, 2020.

OneClick : Free remote access Basic Starter Package for the next three months to assist those working remotely.

Waterfall Security : Free Remote Screen View product licenses available to customers whose vendor personnel or key employees are no longer able to travel to industrial and critical infrastructure sites. Remote Screen View sends real-time images of industrial workstations to a web server that remote vendors can access.

SentinelLabs : Free cybersecurity platform SentinelOne Core between Monday, March 16 through Friday, May 16, 2020. SentinelOnes cloud-based platform seamlessly scales, making it well suited to protect both businesses and employees rapidly transitioning to a work-from-home environment.

Bitdefender : Free 12 months of enterprise-grade, end-to-end protection services available to healthcare customers until the end of June 2020.

OneLogin : Free access to the Trusted Experience Platform for educators who are moving to a virtual learning environment in light of health concerns. The free platform, consisting of single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and certificate-based authentication, will deliver secure virtual experiences for all educators K-12, colleges and universities.

Cloudfare : Free Teams products to small businesses and remote workers to operate securely and easily. This policy will continue for at least the next 6 months.

1Password : Free business accounts for the first 6 months. Manage your workforce from anywhere, and safely share logins and other important resources with remote workers.

Ping Identity : Free cloud single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA). This way, everyone can conveniently access all your IT resources remotely to keep business running.

Kaspersky : Free six-month licenses for core solutions. Health-care facilities are struggling with the current coronavirus epidemic, so its important to help them with cyberprotection.

Support.com : Free tech support to anyone working or studying remotely right now.

Cisco : Free license for new customers of Duo Securitys two-factor authentication tool, and current customers can go above their user limit as their employees increasingly work from home. Same deal for its web security tool Umbrella and its VPN product AnyConnect, which is available until July 1. Cisco is extending services for existing customers of Webex, its video conference platform. The offer includes unlimited usage without time restriction, support for fewer than 100 participants and toll free dial-in.

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Autodesk : Free access to select Autodesk products and services. Products and services will include BIM 360 Docs, BIM 360 Design, Fusion 360, Fusion Team, AutoCAD Web and Mobile and Shotgun  all for commercial use.

Nvidia : Free 90-day license to Parabricks to any researcher in the worldwide effort to fight the novel coronavirus.

Qualtrics : Free for all organizations to use Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse.

BlackLine : Free premium training, select software and expert coaching session to all current customers for the next 6 months.

Spendesk : Free one-month access for new customers to spend-management platform for SMBs. Finance has full visibility and control over all company spending while remote teams pay securely online with virtual cards.

TillyPay : Free processing of recurring or one-off payments for small businesses up to 500.

Kabbage : Free account through Kabbage Payments, and you can start sharing your custom gift certificate URL on your website, through social media and in other communications. Your business will also be searchable on the site by industry and location.

Wave : Free financial software solutions (accounting, bookkeeping, invoicing) for small businesses to help with cash flow, which becomes increasingly important during economic turmoil. In response to COVID-19, Wave has reduced paid services where possible to active customers, in an effort to provide financial relief during a time of need.

Expensify : Reimburse you up to $50 for essential goods and groceries purchased on your SNAP card.

Bill.com : Free 90-day subscription for new customers impacted by COVID-19. The cloud-based service helps small and mid-sized businesses to automate the processing of bills, generate invoices, send/receive payments, and manage their cash flows.

Aware : Free Spotlight through May to understand the conversation health, sentiment and trends of your collaboration communities over time.

Keka : Free 14-day trial to get a glimpse of the HRMS product, attendance management, employee management, Core HRIS and employee self-service.

Novoresume : Free one-month access to all resume and cover letter templates in our Premium membership.

MeetFrank : Free 30 days for companies and talent to meet based on their aspirations and skills.

Zenefits : Free payroll for one year including all tax filings with any base HR package.

OutMatch : Free access to OutMatch's video interviewing platform for 60 days  no strings attached. HR professionals can use pre-recorded and live video interviewing to screen and hire candidates 100 percent virtually.

Harver : Free pre-employment assessment platform for hiring at scale for those affected by COVID-19. Offer valid for at least 60 days. No strings attached.

Lever : Free video interviewing for 1:1s and panels via Zoom Integration. Levers recruiting software enables scheduling and joining Zoom meetings from within its app.

HR Acuity : Free version of its SaaS solution to help businesses manage employee issues related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The limited edition provides employee documentation and tracking functionality that will equip businesses to monitor the people impact of the crisis. The limited edition will be available through at least July 1 to businesses with more than 100 employees.

Workable : Free use of the new video interviewing software for all customers, and access to a library of Covid-19 response content for use by HR professionals and business leaders.

Humu : Free nudges to anyone who wants science-backed advice for how to best work remotely, partner with colleagues who are all over the place, show appreciation for those who don't have the flexibility to work remotely (e.g. cashiers, medical personnel).

Linkedin: Free 16 learning courses that provide tips on how to stay productive, build relationships when youre not face-to-face, use virtual meeting tools and balance family and work dynamics in a healthy way.

Codeacademy: Free 10,000 scholarships to Codecademy Pro to high school and college students across the world for the rest of the school year.

Amazon: Free online access to sponsored computer science courses in the United States. That's intended for learners in grades 6-12, and teachers who are remotely teaching this age group. Parents can also access this curriculum.

McGraw-Hill: Free resources for out-of-school learning to help K-12 teachers make the transition to remote instruction.

Scholastic: Free five days of content, and 15 additional days is on the way.

Age of Learning: Free at-home access for families at affected schools to ABCmouse, a learning resource for ages 2 to 8.

Crowdmark: Free access to its online grading and analytics platform until May 31.

Epic: Free remote access of its reading platform to elementary educators and librarians until June 30, 2020, with no credit card required. Students may access the company's digital library, which has 35,000-plus books, read-to-me and audiobooks, videos and quizzes. Teachers and librarians can stay connected to their students by assigning books or collections and monitoring their progress.

ClassTag: Free communication platform available to help districts and schools communicate with their families. The software sends messages through SMS, email, apps and the web and automatically translates them into one of 55 languages. The platform can also be used to post videos, assignments and other resources for students to access at home and allow users to run virtual lessons with a video conferencing tool.

Listenwise: Free access to the Listenwise platform that supports distance learning by allowing you to roster your students, make online customized written assignments, and assign multiple-choice autos-cored listening quizzes. This will give you and your students the ability to learn through May 31st, or until your school reopens.

Avid: Free, temporary licenses of creative tools to qualified media enterprise and educational customers. Starting today, March 16, through Friday, April 17, users who must work remotely because their facility has been closed may obtain 90-day licenses free of charge for Media Composer | Ultimate, Pro Tools, Pro Tools | Ultimate and Sibelius | Ultimate. In addition, any student of an institution who uses its products and can no longer attend school and/or access school facilities can receive a 90-day license of the same products.

JetBrains: Free project-based learning platform for students and teachers who need to continue their programming education.

Abundance Digital: Free 30-day trial to Abundance Digital. This membership includes access to monthly live content, a global community of abundance-minded technologists, and a course library with over 100 hours of content.

Cengage: Free access to Cengage Unlimited through the end of the current academic term for U.S. students attending colleges affected by COVID-19. This includes the entire Cengage catalog of eBooks, online courseware, study tools and more.

Kahoot!: Free access for teachers to Kahoot! Premium until your school starts.

Babbel: Free month of language learning to all affected students.

Coursera: Free access to Coursera for Campus will be available globally to any university impacted by COVID-19. This includes access to 3,800 courses and 400 Specializations. Up to 5,000 licenses for enrolled students at impacted organizations. Institutions may enroll students in courses through July 31, 2020, and students can complete courses through September 30, 2020

Udacity: Free month on one of 40 premium Nanodegree programs.

DataCamp: Free access to more than 325 courses from DataCamps Classroom.

Sharetribe: Free trial for Sharetribe Go with unlimited users for any non-profit initiative aiming to help during the Coronavirus pandemic. All essential features, payment options and hosting are included, which means you can operate the platform at no cost.

Skillshare: Free access to its Premium Membership for students. If you sign up today, you can unlock full access to over 24,000 classes taught by creators from around the world.

Learn Squared: Free, first lesson of each course until May 30, 2020. You just need to sign up and make an account to access the content.

Rosetta Stone: Free access to Rosetta Stone for Students for the next three months.

Scribd: Free for 30 days will be millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazine articles and more  available to anyone.

Ureeka: Free platform access using the code UreekaHelp and a guaranteed one-hour session with a mentor to talk about your unique business challenges and what you should be doing right now to steer through coronavirus disruption.

Flevy: Free best-practice frameworks used by global management consulting firms. Topics span from growth strategy to change management and operational excellence.
A batch of 263 Indians evacuated from Italy in view of the COVID-19 outbreak there were brought back to the country on Sunday and sent to a ITBP quarantine facility, officials said.

"The special flight had 263 passengers. It landed at around 10 am at Delhi airport from Rome," an Air India official said.

The Air India flight had taken off from the Delhi airport on Saturday.

"All the 263 people are being taken to our quarantine centre in Chhawla area of south-west Delhi after thermal screening and immigration at the tarmac," an ITBP spokesperson said.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police quarantine already has 215 Indians housed since March 15 after they were similarly evacuated by a special Air India flight from Rome.

Also read: Centre stares at shortage as sole procurer of COVID-19 gear struggles to supply

Also read: Coronavirus pushes India Inc into financial chaos
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 22, 2020 15:59 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c92362 1 National coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Wisma-Atlet-Kemayoran,Kemayoran,pandemic,hospital,Public-Works-and-Public-Housing-Ministry,PUPR Free

The Public Works and Housing Ministry is rushing to convert four apartment towers of Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, an athletes village in Central Jakarta, into a hospital to treat as many as 22,000 COVID-19 patients.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimoeljono said on Sunday that construction work on the apartments had been completed and that the COVID-19 hospital would be operational by Monday.

"One-hundred percent [of the work] has been completed, all that's left is the installation of equipment, which will be organized this afternoon," Basuki said at a press conference on Sunday. "Tonight is the dress rehearsal, tomorrow we will start operations."

State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, who was also at the press conference, said that SOEs would supply the hospital with equipment and a telecommunications network.

I am sure that if we are united, Insya Allah [God willing], we can get through anything well. I sincerely appreciate all those who have moved quickly to help the government to form this emergency hospital," Erick said.

Some 700 construction workers were deployed to convert the buildings and, on Saturday, the complex was sprayed with disinfectants by the Central Jakarta Red Cross.

With the rush of people checking for COVID-19, government hospitals in Jakarta are running out of wards, and with the number of confirmed patients expected to grow in the coming days, the government is expanding its infrastructure and facilities.

The 10-tower Wisma Atlet was built for the 2018 Asian Games, which Jakarta co-hosted with Palembang, South Sumatra.

The renovation involves seven state construction firms: PT Adhi Karya, PT Nindya Karya, PT Waskita Karya, PT Brantas Abipraya, PT Wijaya Karta and PT Pembangunan Perumahan and PT Bina Karya, the planning and supervision consultant.

Government spokesperson for COVID-19-related matters, Achmad Yurianto, said on Wednesday that the emergency hospital could be used for rapid testing. (mfp)
A minor protest rally has become manifest where local American Chinese carry signs protesting MY ETHNICITY IS NOT A VIRUS.

Yeah, we know. We know.

This is plain ignorance. All such viri and zone-born flus have a name attached. It isn't ethnic or racist. It's fact. The Chinese let this happen and did nothing. The virus developed or escaped from a biolab in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Red China.

A well-meaning comment from a well-meaning Jewish person notes that Jews have a special responsibility to defend the Chinese from suchwhatever 'slurs' or the like. Unintended by our president. Understood by all save the mentally impaired and the historically benighted."

If the local Chinese don't like it, talk to the millions of Germans who have a measles named after them, or the Spanish, who are forever attached to a flu from the past century. Isn't being self-quarantined and frightened enough to worry about? Must we be damned PC, too? This garbage is unnecessarily exhausting when we have more than enough to worry about. Jews do not have any special debt to society to excuse the cupidity and envy of the unscrupulous Chinese leadership.

Does anyone stand up for the Jew in the face of millennial and intensifying anti-Semitism? The answer is sadly, aside from caring Gentiles, usually Christian, no? But the Chinese rallying and carrying useless bilge signs do nothing for their cause if they fail to note the historic attachment of place-names to diseases. Usually, too, the Chinese are among the smarter people in these or similar equations.

We Jews are, of course, grateful that the Chinese nationalists (later thrown out by the communists) took in fleeing Jews from the vicious Nazi juggernaut in the mid-40s, after having had Jews living in their land for at least a century, and having improved the cities in which they lived and worked and built factories and businesses that lasted for decades. Kaifeng still bears the buildings and the neighborhoods, the graves and the cemeteries, of the Jews who settled there.

Jewish merchants from Persia, now Iran, settled in the Henan area. At its height, in the Middle Ages, Kaifeng's Jews numbered as many as 5,000 faithful, with rabbis, synagogues and impedimenta intact. Kaifeng, which was one of the capitals of imperial China, was notable at the turn of the past century as being one of the most successful and flourishing of Chinese towns, thanks to the Jews investing, energy, ingenuity, architecture and philanthropy. They did the Jews proud by featuring trade organizations, businesses, flourishing communal institutions, associations for support of the widow and the needy  like Jews in virtually every shtetl, outpost and ghetto, for at least 1,000 years. .

That said, those Jews and their descendants are long absquatulated to the continent, to Israel or the U.S.

Current Chinese make a clever if fetishistic showpiece for [largely Jewish] tourists in Beijing, knowing how Jews are wont to travel, and even more, how they throw ducats at the vestiges of ancient or nearby kin. The synagogues that remain in Beijing, and the cemeteries where the gates bear inscriptions in Mandarin, Hebrew, and Yiddish get their share of visitors, and the Chinese investment in refurbishing the few synagogues that were not razed in the Maoist period have been handsomely recompensed. Remnants of the Kaifeng community moved en masse to Israel in 2009.

Today, the modern Chinese have a strong respect for the husbandry and educational success of the Jew, or the Israeli who to them typifies what Jews can accomplish. When I lived there, the locals watched my every move  not so much for spying purposes (though who could really tell?) as to discern what made my people such financial standouts. We were Yo Tai, Jews. But the Mandarin name has even now a tinge of something unclean, tainted, animal, even. I was of much more interest, certainly, than were my colleagues with atheistic, formerly Christian, backgrounds.

And true, there is still an ancient settlement of Jews so old in the living that they are virtually indistinguishable from their longtime neighbors. In the Henan province of China, they had largely assimilated into Chinese society after untold centuries of cultural suppression and intermarriage, while preserving some Jewish traditions and customs. They look for all intents like Chinese, but for their scattered sampling of ancient Hebraic traditions that can be seen on Friday nights or the Sabbath, should you be so fortunate as to find and befriend any out of the mass of regular Han Chinese. Otherwise, all is silence.

But that was all long ago. Jews today, despite the ritual surveillance of how we all 'got so smart' and 'so rich,' have no special responsibility to the Chinese, with little institutional memory of their forebears in China, let alone the Henan burg of Kaifeng where Jews once contributed so much to the kingdom,which few visited or knew of back then.

So are we supposed to intervene on behalf of the PC-bent Chinese, American or otherwise, objecting to the unremarkable nomenclature of a disease entity much like forebear viruses and flus?

We Jews are a microscopic people in terms of our numbers. To say we 'owe' anything to the exorbitantly multitudinous Chinese, whether in homeland Peoples Republic or the U.S. of A., is perhaps overstatement, perhaps an egg foo yung slightly too old.

Image credit: Needpix / Pixabay public domain
West Bengal witnessed a near- total shut down on Sunday as people chose to stay indoors amid the 'Janata Curfew' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Private vehicles were off the roads, and all markets and business establishments were shut in the city and the districts.

Major railway stations and airports in the state also wore a deserted look as people avoided venturing out.

A handful number of state-run buses were, however, seen in the city, besides a few yellow taxis.

Few police vehicles and those associated with the emergency services were also out on the streets.

Most of the gated-colonies and apartments in the state were locked from inside, while civic bodies took up the job of sanitising public places such as parks and bus stands.

Those associated with milk and newspaper delivery, however, did not skip their routine.

Kolkata's Mayor Firhad Hakim toured different areas of the city to oversee the sanitisation works.

Despite the shutdown, the indefinite sit-in by 50 women against the Citizenship Amendment Act at the Park Circus Maidan here continued, amid pleas from the mayor to postpone it by two weeks.

The beach town of Digha in East Midnapore district, which usually teems with tourists, was completely vacant, except a few fishermen who were returning from the seas. The scene was similar in Darjeeling and other tourist destinations in the state.

Earlier in the day, around 1,000 passengers arrived at Howrah railway station on a special train from Mumbai and were screened by medical officers of the West Bengal government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government and health officials continue to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as confirmed cases rapidly increase over these past few days.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of essential resources like face masks, alcohol, and personal protective equipment (PPE), it may seem impossible to contain the pandemic.

Following this, authorities have issued emergency lockdowns in different countries and states to help control the spread of the virus that is sweeping across the globe.

New York City Seeks Medical Supplies To Combat The Pandemic

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that all workers in non-essential businesses are required to stay home to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuomo also pointed out that the city needs more medical supplies, hospital beds, and ventilators to cater to the patients.

Moreover, the governor asked private sectors and businesses to help them manufacture personal protective gear such as masks and gloves.

Christian Siriano To The Rescue

With the government's plea for assistance, fashion designer Christian Siriano has offered to make free face masks for medical service workers.

"If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some. I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help." the designer posted via his Twitter.

The governor immediately replied through his Twitter and thanked the fashion designer for his help.

"We're in contact with @CSiriano. I appreciate his help so much. Who's next? Let's do this together, NY!"

Meanwhile, Siriano's publicist Bianca Bianconi confirmed to BuzzFeed News that they have already started sewing the face masks; however, this is strictly for "hospital personnel."

"Christian has a staff of sewers on salary sitting at home and ready to work. They're starting to make them now, which we will donate and then a plan will be put together as we flesh it out to manufacture them/more," Bianconi said.

The "Project Runway" alum's movement has inspired small business owners and other designers to consider doing the same thing and help the community the best way they can.

"I was thinking the same thing. I've got a small factory that can pump out masks, too. We're in the east village, small. But could probably make 500 a day," a Twitter user wit the handle @pamelabarsky commented.

Hollywood A-listers Gives Back To Fight The Outbreak

Several high-profile celebrities have also pledged their donation in the fight for the health crisis that has struck the world.

This includes power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, who donated $1 million to Feeding America and Food Banks Canada to provide affected families decent meals during the COVID-19 crisis.

"Frozen" star Kristen Bell announced on Instagram that she is donating $150,007.96 to No Kid Hungry. The actress also shared that her two daughters also pitch in money from their piggy banks.

The British pop star Rita Ora has teamed up with the United Nations to design merch to benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.

International pop icon Lady Gaga has also shared that her cosmetics company Haus Labs plans to donate 20 percent of its online profits from the previous week to local food banks in New York City and Los Angeles.
TORONTO, March 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of its efforts to repatriate Canadians, Sunwing is bringing home over approximately 11,000 additional Canadians today, which will bring the total number of repatriated Sunwing customers to nearly 55,000 to date.



Sunwing is operating close to 60 flights across a wide range of destinations across the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida and Cuba, leaving today, in order to bring these Canadians home safely. The schedule may change as the situation on the ground in various destinations continues to evolve.

Sunwing also continues to offer available seats on its repatriation flights from southern destinations to stranded Canadians, free of charge  including for non-Sunwing customers. We understand a lot of Canadians are still stranded outside the country and struggling to get home, said Stephen Hunter, CEO of Sunwing Travel Group. Thats why we want to open up any extra capacity we have. Its the Canadian thing to do.

Todays flights bring the company closer to having all Sunwing customers home. The last repatriation flights will operate on Monday March 23, after which time all Sunwing flights will be temporarily suspended. At the current estimate, Sunwing will be operating almost 400 flights and spending more than $26 million to bring these Canadians home safely, at no extra cost to the customer.

Canadians looking to return home on a Sunwing flight should check the most up to date flight times at https://www.sunwing.ca/pages/en/flight-status-alerts . If a northbound flight is operating from their destination, they should make their way to the departure airport and present themselves to the Sunwing Airlines check in counter. If space remains prior to departure at the closure of check in, any available seats will be offered to Canadians or Canadian permanent residents free of charge. Given the unprecedented situation the focus of our company and destination team remains on the repatriation of our customers. We therefore ask to please refrain from calling us since availability can only be confirmed at the airport ahead of the closure of check in for each flight service.

Story continues

About Sunwing

The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from over 33 airports across Canada to more than 45 popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing is consistently voted the top leisure airline by travel agents and is the perennial winner of the Consumer Choice Award. Customers can look forward to starting their vacation off with award-winning inflight service, which features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine*, non-alcoholic beverage service; together with a buy on board menu of light meals and snacks, including kids choices, the World Famous Original Smoked Meat from the iconic Montreal-based Schwartzs Deli along with delicious menu options inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Sunwing customers also benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. Sunwing supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid. Sunwing matches all donations the Foundation receives through its Spare Change Program on board Sunwing Airlines, no administrative fees are collected and 100% of the proceeds go to charity.

*Service may be unavailable on select flights

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Rachel Goldrick

Senior Corporate Communications Manager

Sunwing Vacations

1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca
Economic slowdown as a result of COVID-19 is no substitute for climate action, experts stress.

Efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus pandemic have slashed economic activity and resulted in localised improvements in air quality, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has said.

However, it is too early to assess the implications for concentrations of greenhouse gases that are responsible for long-term climate change. That is because carbon dioxide levels at key observing stations have so far this year been higher than the previous one.

In its statement on Friday, the WMO stressed that any cuts in emissions as a result of the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic are not a substitute for concerted climate action.

Despite local reductions in pollution and improvement in air quality, it would be irresponsible to downplay the enormous global health challenges and loss of life as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus.

However, now is the time to consider how to use economic stimulus packages to support a long-term switch to more environmentally and climate-friendly business and personal practices.

Taalas added that past experience suggests that emissions declines during economic crises are followed by a rapid upsurge. We need to change that trajectory.

The world needs to demonstrate the same unity and commitment to climate action and cutting greenhouse gas emissions as to containing the Coronavirus pandemic. Failure in climate change mitigation could lead to greater human life and economic losses during the coming decades,

According to an analysis carried out for Carbon Brief, the lockdown and reduction in economic activity in China led to an estimated 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the space of four weeks.

The February monthly average of atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii was 414.11 parts per million, compared to 411.75 ppm in February 2019, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Mauna Loa is the worlds longest continual observing station and a benchmark station of the Global Atmosphere Watch Network. At another benchmark station, Cape Grim in Tasmania, average CO2 levels were 408.3 ppm in February, up from 405.66 ppm in February 2019, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

About a quarter of the total emissions is absorbed by the oceans. Another quarter is absorbed by the land biosphere  including forests and vegetation which act as carbon sinks.

Naturally, the land biosphere takes up a similar amount of CO2 than it releases over the year in a seasonal cycle. Therefore, global average CO2 levels generally increase until April/May.

Observations have shown that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels are significantly reduced during the lockdown in both hard-hit China and Italy.

In Italy, a gradual reduction trend of about 10 percent a week over the past four to five weeks has been confirmed by surface observations from the European Unions Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.
People who knowingly and willing violate the Alabama Department of Public Healths orders during the coronavirus pandemic could face misdemeanor charges and fines under state law.

Attorney General Steve Marshall on Saturday sent a memo to all law enforcement in Alabama informing them of how they can legally enforce the health order.

While the unprecedented nature of this pandemic and the governments evolving response seem to demand some restraint related to criminal enforcement of this order, if a violator has been made aware of the health order and the refusal to comply presents a threat to public health and safety, the penalties of Section 22-2-14 are available as an enforcement tool, Marshall wrote in the memo.

Alabama law says any person who knowingly violates or fails or refuses to obey or comply with any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated by the State Board of Health of this state shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $25 or more than $500. The law also says if a person continues to violate or not comply with the order, they can be charged with an additional offense daily.

On Thursday, State Health Officer Scott Harris, ordered the following:

Prohibited gatherings of 25 or more where people cannot stay 6-feet away from each other.

closed all beaches, senior citizen centers, colleges and universities. I

childcare centers except those providing care for the children of essential workers

prohibited visitation at hospitals and senior living centers.

Prohibited on-premise dining and consumption at all restaurants and breweries. Only take-out or curbside pickup is permitted.

Elective dental procedures postponed

Jefferson County issued a stricter order and ordered all nonessential businesses closed.

Resources: Follow our live updates. Find all of our coronavirus stories. A continuously updated vital information post. A free text-messaging service so you can receive the most urgent coronavirus updates on your cellphone. And ask questions. To sign up, subscribe to Alabama Coronavirus Urgent Alerts. A new weekday newsletter is available. You can subscribe here. Also, download our mobile app where you can receive on-the-go notifications.
The Lagos State Government has reviewed the number of persons allowed at all forms of gatherings to 20 from 50 due to coronavirus

The government explained that the decision was to further enforce social distancing to curb the spread of the global pandemic.

The announcement was made on Saturday via Twitter on the Lagos government official account, @followlasg.

An accompanying image containing the message included emergency telephone numbers.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has 10 new cases of coronavirus  7 in Lagos and 3 in Abuja.

The total number of cases in the country is now 22.

A statement on Saturday by the Federal Ministry of Health said 9 of them have travel history to Canada, France, Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

It disclosed that they returned to the country in the past 1 week.

The 3 cases in Abuja are being treated at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada while the 7 in Lagos are being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.
North Korea Launches More Ballistic Missiles, Even During Pandemic

By William Gallo March 21, 2020

North Korea has test-fired what appear to be two short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea's military said Saturday.

The weapons were fired from North Pyongan province and traveled about 410 kilometers, at an altitude of about 50 kilometers, before splashing into the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to South Korea's estimates.

"We are aware of a North Korean missile launch this morning into the East Sea, will continue to monitor the situation and are consulting closely with our South Korean and Japanese allies," said Col. Lee Peters, spokesperson for United States Forces Korea

In its own statement, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff called on North Korea to "immediately stop" such "extremely inappropriate" acts, especially in light of the global difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

North Korea has conducted three rounds of short-range rocket tests this month, even while fighting off a potentially disastrous coronavirus outbreak.

Everything's fine?

Pyongyang, which has called coronavirus prevention a matter of "national survival," has reported no infections. Even as cases swell across the globe, North Korea is in some ways projecting an image of normality.

This month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has observed multiple "artillery fire competitions" between Korean People's Army units. In state media photos, Kim has not worn a mask, though top officials around him sometimes do.

In what appears to be another show of confidence in its ability to handle the pandemic, North Korea on Saturday announced it will go ahead with a major meeting of hundreds of political leaders. The Korean Central News Agency reported the plenary session of the Supreme People's Assembly will be April 10.

North Korea attempted to seal its borders to keep out the coronavirus in late January, just after the outbreak emerged in neighboring China. That move foreshadowed the severe immigration restrictions later seen in countries around the world. But completely sealing North Korea's borders would be difficult, since its economy relies on both formal and informal trade with China. Many experts say the coronavirus has almost certainly reached North Korea.

Humanitarian aid

A North Korean outbreak could quickly lead to a humanitarian disaster, since the country lacks adequate medical supplies and infrastructure. Global aid agencies have begun supplying medical aid to North Korea, though the process has been complicated by international sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week said Washington has offered humanitarian help to North Korea amid the crisis. Pompeo said it was the "right thing to do," despite "deep differences" between Washington and Pyongyang.

Stalled talks

Even before the outbreak, U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks had been stalled for months. North Korea has boycotted the talks, after the U.S. refused to meet its demand of sanctions relief and other concessions.

As negotiations broke down in 2019, North Korea began a series of regular, short-range missile and artillery tests.

Analysts say the missile tests may be designed to keep up pressure on the U.S. or may serve as a show of strength for a domestic audience. Another reason: North Korea is simply trying to produce more advanced weapons.

North Korea is banned from any ballistic missile activity under United Nations Security Council resolutions. But U.S. President Donald Trump says he is not concerned about North Korea's short-range tests. Trump has not responded to the latest launches, but earlier this month said he had "no reaction" to what he called "short-term missiles."

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Gov. Noem lauds state economy, but big legislative fights are coming

Noems speech flowed between business and economic development, lifestyle issues and social issues that were united by their conservative themes.
North should refrain from escalating tension



North Korea has again come under criticism for launching what appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea. The country fired the two projectiles from Sonchon in North Pyongan Province early Saturday morning. They flew about 410 km with a maximum altitude of 50 km before landing in the sea.



The launches are a provocation. They were the third of their kind after similar launches March 2 and 9. They are also seen as part of Pyongyang's bid to develop new weapons. The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday that Chairman Kim Jong-un oversaw the test of the newly-developed "tactical guided weapon."



As the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the launches were a very inappropriate act. It is hard to understand why the Kim regime has continued with its provocations at a time when the world is struggling to fight a rapidly spreading new coronavirus. There is no doubt that Kim has put a top priority on the development of new weapons, instead of focusing on ensuring the health of North Koreans.



The North tightened controls on its border with China, where COVID-19 originated from, in the early stages of its outbreak in the neighboring country. Pyongyang has not reported any confirmed cases, although some intelligence agencies and experts presume that the epidemic has already made its way into the reclusive state.



The Kim regime has yet to accept South Korean President Moon Jae-in's offer of help to jointly fight the highly contagious virus. Instead, it has kept test-firing new projectiles, wasting its resources on the development of weapons and saber-rattling. Kim might be trying to consolidate his grip on power by launching missiles and showing off his country's military strength to the world.



But he should realize that any military provocation will further complicate the stalled nuclear talks with the U.S. and strain soured inter-Korean relations further. It will only deepen its isolation, destabilize its security and undermine peace on the Korean Peninsula.



Chairman Kim would do better to accept peace overtures by President Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump and return to dialogue. According to the KCNA, Trump sent a letter to Kim, expressing his willingness to help the North fight COVID-19. Trump seems to have maintained his own personal dialogue channel, possibly to revive momentum for the deadlocked denuclearization talks despite focusing on his re-election campaign.



We hope Kim will respond positively to Trump's letter. It would be better for the North to stop ramping up tensions and resume dialogue with both Washington and Seoul. It should take the road to peace and prosperity, not confrontation and hostility.










UPDATE: Those who violate N.J. lockdown orders to be prosecuted, officials say. The time for warning is over.

Gov. Phil Murphy said hes really damned unhappy to hear stories hes hearing about New Jersey residents not abiding by his stay-at-home order to combat the coronavirus outbreak and warned Sunday to expected a law enforcement crackdown.

Theres too many people not paying attention to this. Weve about had it. Were not happy," Murphy said during a conference call to update the state on the latest cases.

We banned any social gatherings in the state. We want people to stay home, he said. "We want all of these steps to be enforced aggressively.

Enforcement could include arrests, he said.

Under Murphys order, social gatherings of any size are banned in the state. People are not allowed to gather in groups and should practice social distancing.

Those exempted from the stay-at-home order include health-care workers, law enforcement, emergency responders, members of the media, some federal officials, people who assist low-income residents (such as food bank workers), and those who need to get to work at businesses allowed to remain open.

Otherwise, people can leave the house only for essential needs (such as groceries, food, or medicine), to visit family and those you have a close personal relationship" with (like a caretaker or romantic partner), or to seek medical attention. You can also go outside for walks or exercise. But in all circumstances, Murphy said people should practice social distancing.

Murphy made the statement Sunday after announcing New Jersey continues to rapidly escalate with 1,914 total cases and 20 deaths in the state as health officials announced Sunday another 590 positive tests on the first full day of the latest restrictions on travel and retail businesses.

During the Sunday briefing, New Jersey health officials asked residents to pitch in to combat the coronavirus outbreak by donating blood, calling the need for donations urgent.

On Saturday, Murphy took the dramatic step of signing new executive orders shutting down non-essential retail businesses, canceling public gatherings, and instructing people to quite simply stay at home."

The new orders call for nearly all New Jerseyans to stay in and refrain from travel  except for obtaining food and medicine, seeking medical attention, visiting family and close friends, exercise, and reporting to work at a business that is still open.

The non-essential business shutdown is in effect Sunday. The list of essential businesses that are allowed to keep operating is, according to the state website:

Manufacturing, industrial, logistics, ports, heavy construction, shipping, food production, food delivery, and other commercial operations; and medical facilities where a sick or injured person is given care or treatment, such as doctors offices, hospitals, dentist offices, long-term care facilities and other medical offices.

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:





NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

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A Pennsylvania congressman has told the director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons it would be irresponsible to transfer inmates to federal prisons in his district from detention centers in New York City.

Rep. Fred Keller said his Sunday letter to Michael Carvajal was prompted by a federal inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn testing positive for the coronavirus.

Reports inmates from the detention center and the Metropolitan Correction Center, also in New York, might be transferred to the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary sparked public concern in recent days.

The Bureau of Prisons learned Saturday the inmate, who had been at the detention center only a few days, tested positive.

He had been hospitalized Thursday for chest pains, was discharged Friday and has been isolated from other inmates, the BOP says.

The Bureau of Prisons last week had told Keller there were no immediate plans to move inmates to Lewisburg or the Allenwood complex.

But, he noted the BOP Thursday revised its guidance saying it may need to move inmates to better manage the detention bed space as well as assure administrative facilities do not become overcrowded beyond available resources.

The guidance also stated inmates selected for transfer will be screened for symptoms of the coronavirus.

Despite these safeguards, it is clear the BOP can no longer guarantee inmates transferred are free from COVID-19, Keller wrote.

To transfer inmates following the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the federal prison system would be irresponsible and put at risk the health and safety of correctional officers, their families, inmates and the broader central and northeast Pennsylvania community, he told Carvajal.

He added: At this time the BOP must halt all prisoner transfers from high risk areas like New York to relatively low-risk areas like central and northeast Pennsylvania until the BOP can guarantee that doing so will not contribute to community spread of COVID-19.

The Snyder County Republicans letter asks Carvajal not to transfer inmates to Lewisburg, Allenwood and Canaan penitentiary at Waymart.

Sen. Pat Toomey Sunday said his preference is for the BOP to suspend inmate transfers immediately.

However, if overcrowding requires such movements, the BOP should consider only those who have been symptom-free for 14 days and have not come in contact with anyone who had COVID-19, he said.

The Bureau of Prisons has an obligation to implement safeguards to protect staff, inmates and the general public and this includes limiting the spread of the coronavirus, he said.

Friday, Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. in a letter to Carvajal also voiced concern about possible transfers because he said he had reports they might include inmates under quarantine.

He posed 17 questions he would like Carvajal to answer by Friday about possible transfers and the potential lack of protective equipment for prison staff.

Keller has asked to be included on the response to Casey.

READ: Could out-of-state inmates under quarantine be moved to federal prisons in Pa.?
The faces of the three fishermen are striking. Hardship, isolation and the perils of nature may be the backdrop for the canvas but smiling eyes full of youthful energy suggest a steely determination to overcome anything that the Blasket Islands of 120 years ago could throw at them.

"I love to paint," says Mainstream Renewable Power chief executive Andy Kinsella, turning his attention to his own composition of three young Blasket Islanders in 1899, which hangs on the otherwise blank walls of his Sandyford office.

"But you need time. The wonderful thing about painting is if you get into the flow, hours go by and nothing else comes into your mind. It's the greatest escapism."

Time is not something of which Kinsella has much these days as he looks to bring to financial close a new $700m (655m) fundraising, as well as to kick off the sale of an equity stake in Mainstream Renewable Power that he hopes will transform it into a major energy powerhouse.

But his painting perhaps captures something about the original spirit of Mainstream and its 12-year-long mission to use the Earth's own natural forces - the wind and the sun - to bring power to communities around the globe, sometimes against the odds.

"They are simple people who have nothing but fishing and farming, living an isolated life," he says of the Blasket Islanders.

"I'd say if anyone would have supported renewables it would have been these people. That's the life they lived. A sustainable life."

Like others, Kinsella has cancelled meetings abroad as coronavirus restrictions kick in. A dealmaker used to travelling the globe every week, he is determined to continue to drive the quickening momentum of the business via video conferences.

"The world is on a once-off transition, not just Europe and North America, and that is where we positioned the business," he says of what he believes is the vital and inevitable shift from fossil fuel to renewables.

The steep drop in oil prices on the markets has only further underlined to him how Mainstream is on the right side of history.

Over the past six years, oil and gas shares have underperformed every single sector on the S&P market, down nearly 50pc, he says.

"It's been a disaster for investors in the oil and gas majors. It's just continuing the trend. Yes, the majors are cash-rich, yes they pay dividends, but in terms of investing in the underlying shares...it's a dying industry."

The renewables sector, by contrast, is only getting going and the majors of the future will be wind and solar energy companies, he says.

Mainstream, still tiny compared with the big oil companies, will spend, between its projects in Chile and Africa, over the next 12 to 18 months, over $2bn. The company expects to achieve financial close on a $700m fundraising to allow it to build the second phase of the giant 1.3 gigawatt wind and solar power generation project it is developing in Chile.

The new fundraising follows on from the $580m it raised in November for phase one of the project, which in total consists of seven wind farms and three solar farms.

Things have moved a long way in the 12 years since Kinsella, then a senior ESB manager in charge of power stations in the eastern region, was convinced to become CEO and an early investor in the company that renewable energy pioneer Eddie O'Connor wanted to build using the money he would soon have from the sale of Airtricity.

Mainstream has since built some of the world's biggest wind farms off the coast of Britain, and a wind farm for Ikea in Canada. It has branched out further too, building onshore and offshore wind and solar renewables projects across Chile, South Africa, Egypt, Vietnam and Senegal. The Philippines, Australia, Colombia and Japan are all in the company's sights, says Kinsella.

Now, with much of the rest of the business world brought to a complete stand-still by Covid-19, Mainstream is in the enviable position that its renewable energy projects are long-term ones that likely fall beyond the reach of the disease - even if current constraints will inevitably make life more difficult for a while.

And if, as Kinsella hopes, the company can secure an equity investor of scale to bring the power of a much bigger balance sheet, then 2020 will be "a game-changer", he says.

"Up to this we have had incremental growth," he says. "We've had a 'development flip' model. So when our wind or solar farms have got to financial close, we have exited. But that is changing now."

Joint ventures and successful sales of projects have allowed for growth. Staff numbers have risen from 150 to 270, with plans to have 400 staff by next year.

Most projects have been undertaken as joint ventures but the huge wholly-owned Chilean project marks the beginning of a change. The arrival of a new "TopCo", as Kinsella calls the hoped for future new equity investor he is confident of getting on board, will supercharge that change.

"You know, it has been quite challenging here for the 12 years. We have had limited capital resources at times. Our capital has been quite expensive. We've had limited physical resources in that, on average, over that 12 years we've had less than 150 people. With a small crew and a small restricted capital base, we've achieved some phenomenal success. The whole point of this [equity sale process] is to strengthen our balance sheet because we have more opportunity than our balance sheet will allow for," he says.

The process is by no means an existential matter. He says: "We can continue to grow incrementally, steadily and achieve value for our shareholders. But if we'd a stronger balance sheet and better access to capital, we can really go from incremental to it being a game-changer. We are fully funded and don't need cash for our normal growth plan, but if we had a partner to strengthen our balance sheet we can go well beyond our plan."

The company has delivered 6.3GW worth of renewable projects. But it now has a 10-year plan to deliver 20GW. That, says Kinsella, would see Mainstream take on the status of a major.

"We are looking for a partner as a TopCo to allow us to do this. Someone with a big balance sheet because it gives us not just access to capital to do a large-scale build-out of projects, but the cost of capital for someone with a big balance sheet is much better than the cost of capital we face as a successful but relatively small company."

In five to 10 years, Kinsella says Mainstream will no longer be a pure developer and will hold assets at scale globally.

"People talk about the oil and gas majors. We are on a transition whereby now they will talk about the renewable energy majors, as oil and gas starts to diminish in influence as it already has. If you go back 20 years ago, six of the top 10 companies in Standard & Poor's were oil and gas; now it is just one. Their power and presence is diminishing and there will be a new breed of renewable energy majors globally, and I want Mainstream to be one of them. It is a big ambition."

Mainstream has appointed global financial advisory firm Rothschild & Co to help in the search for the equity partner. The formal process is likely to kick off in the second quarter with the potential for a deal in the second half of this year.

Informal contacts are already under way: "We are seeing interest from utilities, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, private equity funds, infrastructure funds, and from the oil and gas industry. There is a broad interest right across the different sectors."

Kinsella has never been afraid to aim big, regardless of circumstances.

"There was no money at home," he says, recalling his childhood. "I put myself through electrical engineering in UCD and I was the first person in my extended family ever to go to college."

Kinsella's parents both came from small impoverished farming backgrounds, not too dissimilar to the lives of the Blasket fishermen on his wall.

His father had left his Wexford farm to labour in England and his mother had grown up on a poor 16-acre bog farm in Leitrim before leaving to train as a hairdresser. The family eventually settled in Arklow, where Kinsella grew up.

"I pulled down my grandmother's house in Leitrim and built a nice home there on the side of a lake. It was marginal living when my mother was a child but it is a beautiful, isolated place that I now live in at the weekends. I live in Dublin during the week."

His success will have been no surprise to those who encountered him in his youth. The day before his final UCD engineering exams in 1985, he was offered a job by both ESB and General Electric.

"The interviews must have gone well because I certainly wasn't the smartest in the class," he says bashfully.

"I didn't take the GE job because it meant moving to the States, so I joined the ESB. It was great training and I made great friends, but after a year and a half, I said 'I can't do this for 40 years'."

His confidence had grown in the meantime. He called the person in the States who had offered him the GE job a year and a half earlier: "Do you remember me? I'm sorry I turned the job down."

"That's no problem," came the response. "You're even more valuable now after being trained by the ESB."

He spent six years based in New York with GE, but working on large-scale capital projects in north Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the US and Canada. He then returned to Ireland to join ESB International (ESBi), becoming general manager of its power, civil and environmental business.

"ESBi was doing business everywhere in the world but South America. For a semi-State to be operating in 50-plus markets was really something special."

In 1999, he was headhunted by Siemens in Ireland and two years later was asked to travel over to meet his superior at head office in Germany.

"Congratulations, you are the new head of Siemens in Ireland," he was told over lunch.

But what his Siemens boss did not know was that ESBi had come back to Kinsella and offered him an executive director job to run its engineering and facility management businesses. He had quietly accepted that job and had been planning to hand in his notice that very week.

"I looked at him and said 'I've got a problem I'm resigning on Friday'. I genuinely hadn't seen it coming at all. But what ESBi was doing was very exciting and the core of the business, 1,300 staff, were going to be reporting to me," he says.

After three years, ESB chief executive Padraig McManus asked him to move into the main ESB core power generation business to run all of the power stations in the eastern region of the country. Kinsella waves away any notion that McManus may have been grooming him for even bigger things in the organisation. But, regardless, his natural restlessness and taste for adventure soon returned.

"It wasn't for me," he says of the power generation job. "It involved a lot of discussion with the unions. I'm more of a commercial animal. It's why I liked Siemens and ESBi and GE. So after thinking it through over Christmas, by January 2008 I had decided that I wanted to do something else," he says.

It was then, out of the blue, that Eddie O'Connor called him. O'Connor had also served his time in the semi-State sector - at ESB and as boss of Bord na Mona - before displaying his own taste for adventure by setting up and then selling renewable energy supplier Airtricity.

The two knew each other very well but he hadn't seen him in over a year when O'Connor contacted him.

"He told me off the record that he was in the process of selling Airtricity to SSE and that he wanted to start a new offshore wind developer. I immediately said 'Do you want to meet this evening?'"

O'Connor told Kinsella that he was going to put 30m of his own money into the new venture and offered him the chance to invest and the job of chief executive. After three hours, the pair shook hands and Mainstream was in gestation.

"It never felt like it wasn't going to work," says Kinsella. "Certainly there were times when you might have said that it might be easier to go and do something else. There were dark days where we were saying we could run out of cash. But we didn't. We always found a way to get through, but it definitely wasn't easy."

Mainstream's sale of three offshore projects on which it had spent 120m for 800m - including a Scottish wind farm for up to 650m to French utilities giant EDF - allowed it to repay all its debts and buy back shares and warrants held in the business by UK bank Barclays, Australian bank Macquarie and Japanese trading house Marubeni.

"That allowed us to really strengthen the company and put us in a really good position," says Kinsella.

"We've had very loyal shareholders about 500 mainly Irish retail investors. They hold 38pc of the business. They've been patient and very supportive of Eddie and myself and the management through some difficult times."

When the company opened a temporary grey market in its shares two years ago and offered all shareholders the chance to participate, less than 5pc of shares were cashed in.

"There was no problem finding people to buy shares that wanted to be sold. People who wanted or needed liquidity got it. but the vast majority stayed with the company. I'm sure now as we get to the end of this year and the TopCo equity process, it will prove to have been worth their while."

Not surprisingly, he declines to speculate as to what value that process will put on Mainstream: "You will only see the whites of people's eyes when they see an investment memorandum and start to do due diligence in a data room."

That is expected to happen at some stage in the second quarter, current global turmoil notwithstanding.

"We've been a very successful company with a team that has delivered against a diverse set of challenges," says Kinsella.

"When we set up in January 2008, the world looked a certain way and by September when Lehman's collapsed, the world was looking quite different. It was a demanding few years, but the team here has delivered 6,300MW to financial close in Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa, and we are about to repeat the same in Asia now."

The Mainstream CEO ends the interview with the awkward dance that passes for a handshake in these increasingly strange times.

Up above, from the eternal present tense Kinsella has created for them on the wall of the Sandyford office, his Blasket fishermen watch on, smiling eyes displaying not a care for a future they cannot control.
Turkish Airlines will ground all its international flights as of March 27, except those to Hong Kong, Moscow, Ethiopia, New York and Washington, D.C., amid changing dynamics in the sector due to the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak, the chairman of the carrier, Ilker Ayci, said Sunday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

Ayci said the airline is maintaining flights between those five destinations to further enable transfer flights worldwide.

The carrier is unable to use 85% of its capacity, he said, since Turkey has already halted flights to and from various countries in a bid to stem the spread of the virus, while other nations have also closed their airspace to avoid risk.

Due to those precautions, the airline cannot conduct flights to 107 countries, he noted. Turkey has suspended flights with more than 60 countries.

The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Turkey has risen to 947 with the death toll rising to 21, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said late Saturday.

Elderly citizens, namely those older than 65, will not be allowed to fly on Turkish Airlines because seniors are more vulnerable to COVID-19, Ayci previously announced. The free travel of those citizens is also prohibited countrywide.

Ayci further noted that to carry out their business, or at least to minimize the damage, the airline has started to transition passenger flights into cargo flights.

Those who bought tickets before March 20, will able to change the tickets until the end of the year, Ayci also noted, adding that no additional fees will be charged for ticket changes.

He added that the company will give a 15% bonus to those who postpone their tickets instead of returning, and 1,000 bonus miles will be given for every 10 euros ($10.76) of the ticket price, he said.

Speaking on the companys overall policy regarding employees, Ayci said Turkish Airlines has no intention of laying anyone off.

An arrangement can be made regarding wages, he said, further noting that in case of such an arrangement, we will make the biggest cut from the top levels.
The Afghan government and the Taliban on Sunday held their first discussion on arranging possible prisoner exchanges, the US special envoy for Afghanistan said on Twitter.

"Today, the US and Qatar facilitated the first Afghan government to Taliban technical talks on prisoner releases, via Skype video conferencing," Zalmay Khalilzad said.

He had said on Wednesday that it was "urgent" to quickly conclude plans for such exchanges -- as called for in a US pact with the Taliban -- as the coronavirus pandemic was complicating diplomatic contacts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute Mar. 14, 2020 | 10:59 PM | LEXINGTON

Some politically leftist groups and their enablers in Congress and the Kentucky legislature are seizing upon former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuels advice to never let a serious crisis go to waste offered during last decades Great Recession to push for costly policies that will outlast the coronavirus and hinder economic recovery across the country and in our commonwealth.

Big-government progressives for years have pushed policies which would force employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees.

Louisville Democratic Sen. Morgan McGarvey has decided to follow Emanuels advice and his political soulmates in Congress by filing a bill that forces all Kentucky businesses with at least 10 employees to offer paid sick days even though 60% of the commonwealths private-sector employers already offer sick-leave options.

McGarvey says he intends to incentivize workers sick with the coronavirus to stay home rather than choose between showing up for work and spreading the illness or financial hardship.

However, the fact that McGarveys mandate would be permanent indicates his legislation is also about using a crisis to push a long-time item on political leftists ideological agenda.

Its the same in Congress, where Democratic Sen. Patty Murray tried, but failed, to pass a bill mandating all employers nationwide provide at least 14 days of sick leave pay.

Murrays been advocating for this policy since 2004  long before the coronavirus showed up.

Fortunately, Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander blocked Murrays attempt by contending that the proposal would be an unfair  and unfunded  mandate on employers already struggling to deal with the virus economic fallout.

If Washington, D.C., thinks its a good idea, Washington, D.C., should pay for it, Alexander said on the Senate floor.

Likewise, if Frankfort wants it, let state lawmakers find the money from an already-tight budget to reimburse employers for sick-leave checks to workers.

While touting his sick-leave bill on KET's "Kentucky Tonight," where panelists sat six feet apart in deference to health officials recommended social-distancing protocol regarding the coronavirus  McGarvey didn't focus on how his mandate would affect employers, a majority of whom operate small businesses.

Yet passing bills like his would make it harder for those same employers to recover from the economic fallout of the current health crisis since neither his nor Murrays paid sick-leave requirements would go away when the virus does.

Making this a permanent mandate on all employers  rather than allowing each business owner to voluntarily decide the best approach for their operation  will discourage them from rehiring laid-off workers when the clouds lift and the economic sun reappears.

Thats what happened in San Francisco, the nations first city to require employer-paid sick leave in 2007.

A 2011 study by the Institute for Womens Policy Research reported the citys lowest wage-earners bore the brunt of the policys unintended consequences through reduced hours and layoffs since businesses couldn't raise prices high enough to both keep their doors open and make government mandated sick-leave payments.

If, as Murray supposes, paid-leave policies would prevent the spread of disease, why does her state of Washington along with California offer the nations highest concentration of coronavirus cases?

For McGarvey to even suggest such a mandate in Kentucky during this time when Gov. Beshear has ordered many businesses, including restaurants  which skate on very thin profit margins  to shut down in an attempt to force Kentuckians to practice social distancing represents piling-on of employers at its worst.

If there is no money coming in, how do they write checks? Kentucky Restaurant Association CEO Stacy Roof asked WDRB.

Perhaps a healthy dose of government distancing added to the protocol would help the commonwealth more effectively deal with  then recover quickly from  the coronavirus.

Views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of West Kentucky Star.com, Bristol Broadcasting or any employee thereof. Bristol Broadcasting makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.
Press Release

March 22, 2020 De Lima pushes for more benefits of barangay health workers during crisis Senator Leila M. de Lima has sought for the immediate passage of a measure granting compensation and incentives to health workers who are at most risk during public health crisis, such as the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that so far killed 19 people and infected 307 others in the country. De Lima, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, said the country's barangay health workers (BHWs) are risking their own safety and lives as they attend to the health needs and demands of their communities. It is then appropriate, she continued, that the government should provide these BHWs with proper compensation and incentives as they go about providing quality health care and services in the grassroots level, especially those assigned in dangerous areas or risky situations. "With all the undeniably heroic roles and myriad responsibilities that BHWs play in our health sector, especially during a public health crisis that is gripping our country today, it is only right and important that we also take care of them by providing them just compensation and incentives they deserve," she said. Official figures show that as of 2009, there are 196,562 barangay health workers, also commonly referred to as barangay health volunteers, who are servicing 42,044 barangays across the country. Although ideally, a BHW is expected to work with an average of around 20 families in their respective local community, the lack of trained individuals has cut down the number of volunteers where one or two volunteers service an entire barangay. The lady Senator from Bicol pointed out that these barangay health workers have long been treated as volunteers and do not get fixed allowances, despite the very crucial role they perform in attending to the health needs of the local communities. "BHWs act as primary health care providers and educators in our local communities especially in far-flung areas. They constitute a vital part of the community's efforts of providing quality health care and service in the grassroots level," she noted. Under the law, BWHs are tasked to implement nutrition programs, basic nursing care like assisting in maternal services, immunization and regular weighing of children. They also respond to accidents caused by calamities by providing first-aid assistance. "Given the nature of their work, they are also more prone to contracting various sickness and contagious diseases. They are also our first line of defense in times of national crisis such as the coronavirus infection that hit us," the lady lawmaker said. De Lima, a former justice secretary, said there is a need to revise and repeal Republic Act 7883 which governs barangay health workers by instituting the "Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers," prescribing their just compensation and incentives. Under her measure, logged as Senate Bill (SB) 185 which she filed at the start of the 18th Congress, De Lima is proposing that all BHWs should be allowed to complete a six-month education and training program where they would receive a proper accreditation. This education and training program, under SB 185, shall be credited as units earned in higher education institutions with step ladder curricula that entitle BHWs to upgrade their skills and knowledge for community work or to pursue further training as midwives, pharmacists, nurses or doctors. Other salient features of her measure include: Mandatory appointment of at least five BHWs in each barangay, instead of the current one BHW per barangay, to be appointed by the local chief executive upon recommendation of the local health board;

A minimum honorarium of PhP6,000 and a transportation allowance of at least PhP500 every month;

A hazard allowance for those BHWs exposed in a work environment that endangers their life or health;

A subsistence allowance (e.g. for meals) for those in isolated barangays;

A mandatory PhilHealth coverage with contribution to be paid by local government unit; and

Civil Service Eligibility (2nd grade) for those who have rendered two years of continued service.
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By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans.

Last week saw the release of news showing some Congresscritters plumbing new deaths of ethically challenged behaviour. Seems that after receiving briefings about the coming COVID-19 calamity, senators Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler, cooed reassurance to constituents  and then proceeded to dump shares.

As Politico tells the story:

Burr, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Friday called for a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into his trades amid an uproar over reports that he had sought to safeguard his portfolio against the looming pandemic even as he assured the public all was well. Burr, who had been present for a classified briefing on the outbreak in late January, wrote an op-ed declaring the U.S. better prepared than ever before to face down the virus on Feb. 7  six days before unloading at least $628,000 of his own stock as the market was peaking.

And Burrs not the Senates only COVID-19 miscreant. Politico again:

The North Carolina Republican is one of several senators, including Loeffler, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sen. James Inhofe (R.-Okla.) and Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who sold stock in late January and early February as the Senate was ramping up coronavirus briefings.

And, again according to Politico, nor are efforts to dodge the financial impact of COVID-19 limited to esteemed senators:

Previously unreported lawmakers who sold assets in the weeks leading up to the market crash include Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.), who unloaded thousands of dollars of stock in Alaska Air and Royal Caribbean cruises. A senior aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell made a mid-January purchase of Moderna, Inc., a biotechnology company that had four days earlier announced it would begin developing a coronavirus vaccine. And an aide to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sold off stock in companies including Delta Airlines in late January and later bought stock in Clorox, Inc., which makes bleach and sanitary wipes. . Davis, the 10-term California Democrat who is a member of the House Armed Services and Education and Labor Committees, unloaded stock on Feb. 11 in the airline and cruise industries, two sectors that have since been ground to a halt by the pandemic nearly two weeks before the market tanked. Davis spokesman said she has a third party handling her portfolio and does not play a role in the purchase or sale of her stocks.

Alrighty then. Politicos account has more sordid details, concerning additional players and transactions, so I encourage you to read it in full.

Under current law, again according to Politico:

Its illegal for lawmakers and aides to trade stocks based on private information. But they are allowed to buy and sell shares based on public information they absorb on Capitol Hill so long as they disclose those trades within 30 days. That permissive approach to buying and selling stocks  the executive branch has much stricter rules  has drawn criticism from watchdogs who argue the freedom to trade isnt as important as the need for the public to trust Congress to act only on its behalf.

A Modest Proposal

Congress has long played fast and loose in the realm of insider trading  and surprise, surprise, just as Dodd-Frank didnt protect us from financial meltdowns, so the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, signed into law on April 4, 2012, didnt eliminate the sort of behavior that anyone but a Congresscritter would recognise as problematic

Here I find I do agree with Harvard Professor Laurence Tribes tweet:

Given the STOCK Act of 2012, any halfway decent Attorney General would by now have directed the DOJ to open criminal insider trading investigations into Senator Burr and the other Senators who exploited their positions to profit by endangering the publichttps://t.co/10TCX4xto5  Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) 20 March 2020

By calling for an ethics committee inquiry, Burr seems confident that he did nothing wrong.

And, who knows, according to the letter of the law  or what some clever white shoe lawyer can twist it to mean  he may not have done.

A Modest Proposal

So, I have a modest proposal to advance. One that will not result in the death of any innocent babies.

Keep the current framework, with one major immediate change.

Let the Congresscritters trade away on public information. Invest. Buy and Sell.

Provided that, within 24 hours of booking a trade, they also fully disclose, online, their transactions, in a simple, easy to understand format.

They would have already made the trade. Make them post the confirm.

And to prevent unseemly attempts to circumvent the law, make related party transactions subject to similar disclosure requirements, akin to those that currently that apply to politically exposed persons under anti-money laundering requirements. In other words, a Congresscritter cant route a personal transaction through a spouse, progeny, Grandma, weird Uncle Albert, a next door neighbor, or a professional colleague, so as to elude the disclosure requirement.

I would extend this immediate disclosure requirement to staff members as well.

An alternative to this idea is to upend the existing system, to require all Congresscritters to place all their holdings in a blind trust  managed by trustee  and then throw the full force of the US securities law at anyone who indulges in a dodgy transaction. Because if IIRC, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cannot pursue Congresscritters directly.

But some immediate problems would arise. First, the lack of tough SEC enforcement capability.Yes, I will concede say that the SEC has a (slightly) better track record on insider trading than in other areas. But I doubt whether their attorneys would zealously pursue transgressions on the part of trustees acting on behalf of Congresscritters. Ditto for congressional staff. And even if some SEC enforcement staff have the gumption go after these targets, they would first have to flag the trade, then initiate and pursue the enforcement action. Which would take time. And would happen way after the date of the alleged offense.

Im not just aiming to crack down on potential profiteering. Im trying to change the system so that when key members of Congress act to safeguard or enhance their portfolios, we the public see that activity in real time.

Yet another option would be to restrict Congresscritters to a limited choice of investments, somewhat analogous to the crappy options available in many 401(k)s.This might include index funds, with low fees.

The trouble with this option is that Congresscritters still have access to information that affects the broad market  and as we see above, some of them traded on that knowledge. In other words, they know the shit is about to hit the fan, but the problem is they think they can protect their finances but have no obligation to clue us, the public, into impending catastrophe. Again, this solution might trim the profiteering, but without letting us know the real score.

What Is to Be Done?

Require all congressional trades to be subject to my modest proposal: immediate disclosure, in a clear, simple format, online.

Then we could immediately see which Congresscritters arent putting their money where their mouth is.

And ask them just why this is the case.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The central government on Saturday recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs 4,500.

All private laboratories which have NABL accreditation for real-time PCR SA for RNA virus will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests, according to the guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for COVID-19 testing in private laboratories, which were notified by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday night.

The National Task Force recommends that the maximum cost for testing should not exceed Rs 4,500.

This may include Rs 1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test, the guidelines said.

"However, the ICMR encourages free or subsidised testing in this hour of a national public health emergency," the guidelines stated.

An order issued by the Union Health Ministry said the failure to comply with the guidelines will result in legal action.

According to the guidelines on sample collection and testing, the ICMR has called for ensuring appropriate biosafety and biosecurity precautions while collecting respiratory samples (oropharyngeal and nasal swab) from a patient.

Alternatively, a COVID-19 specific separate sample collection site may be created, it said.

"Preferable home collection of samples may be done by all the private laboratories which will help avoid the contact of people with the suspect cases during local travel to reach the laboratory," the notification stated.

Commercial kits for real-time PCR-based diagnosis of COVID-19 should be US FDA approved or European CE certified or both for in vitro diagnosis of COVID-19 under emergency use, under intimation to the Drug Controller General of India, the guidelines added.

All the laboratory staff involved in COVID-19 testing should be appropriately trained in good laboratory practices and performing real-time PCR.

All the biomedical waste should be disposed off in accordance with national guidelines.

Laboratory test should only be offered when prescribed by a qualified physician as per the ICMR guidelines for COVID-19, the notification stated.

As far as the reporting protocols are concerned, the guidelines said that any laboratory before starting its activities must ensure immediate/real-time reporting of the test results along with the contact details to the ICMR headquarters data base.

Each laboratory will be given a registration number by the ICMR which should be prominently exhibited in case any advertisement is made and also in the report, the notification stated.

The guidelines may be amended from time to time, the notification stated.
The 24 Hour Fitness on Anton Boulevard in Costa Mesa is closed, along with other gyms in Orange County. (Matt Wilkes / Los Angeles Times)

Orange County reported Sunday that coronavirus infection cases had risen to 95.

Although cases of COVID-19 have been rising steadily, no deaths have yet been reported.

On Saturday, UC Irvine announced that a non-student resident living in campus family housing tested positive for the coronavirus infection but was in good condition.

The risk to the general campus population remains low, UCI said in a statement. As testing becomes more available in the coming weeks, it is likely that we will become aware of additional positive cases within the UCI community.

As the number of California coronavirus infection cases topped 1,500, state officials called on people to stay home as much as possible, raced to get more people tested and enlisted the help of tech giants.

As of Saturday, the Laguna Beach and Newport-Mesa school districts planned to keep their schools closed through April 3, and with spring break already scheduled for the week of April 6, they would not reopen until April 13.

Districts in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley on Wednesday extended their closures through April 17, citing local and state recommendations.

Newport-Mesa Unified initially said it planned to shift to online instruction beginning Friday. The start, however, was postponed and now was set to begin with virtual parent and student orientations Monday and Tuesday, according to a district statement Friday.

The district created a tool kit for parents to use in the interim and said it planned to help students in third through 12th grades retrieve their district-issued Chromebooks or obtain one if none was available at home.

Danny Morris, principal at Huntington Beach High, said he called Ocean View High Principal Courtney Robinson on Friday morning to see if he could help distribute free meals to students.

Were kind of over at Huntington just ... waiting for directions, so we wanted to help and make sure they had the support they needed here, Morris said.

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As a principal, Morris is responsible for 3,000 kids. As a parent, he is responsible for two of his own  a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old.

Parents are having to walk a line between maintaining a certain level of enjoyment for their kids while impressing on them the seriousness of the situation.

My job as a parent is to find that line, Morris said. Were not locked down.

Morris said his family had set up a remote game night with another family.

Were going to have a FaceTime Pictionary-off at 7 oclock on Saturday, so weve been talking smack to each other, Morris said. The way I set up our camera is Ive hooked it all up to my TV, so well be in our front room.

Robinson, who has four kids ranging from elementary-school to high-school age, said she was trying to keep things as normal as possible at home.

Its hard, she said. Im trying to make sure that Im [at Ocean View High], but then Im trying to make sure I can be home to help them with their structure when their stuff starts, probably next week. My high-schooler is a sophomore, almost a junior, and shes at the time when she wants to play softball in college.  But now were not even thinking about that. Were just trying to figure out how were going to do the next week.

Its been a shift, Robinson added. The biggest thing for us right now is [they ask], Can I go do this with my friend? And the answer is, No, sorry, you cant right now. But they have been troopers.




A White House press releases were produced in the course of the negotiation process in the Senate on a massive bill of economic recovery designed to counter the effects of home residence decrees as well as closures for plenty of businesses.

President Trump went on to say Friday that he invoked the Defense Production Act to boost the production of the urgently needed emergency supplies and that the USA and Mexico made an agreement that they limit all non-essential travel throughout their common border with an outlook of slowing coronavirus spread.

Moreover, according to the Chamber of Commerce, more than $1.6 billion works its way every day through the border. Also, approximately half a million legal professionals, students, customers and travelers pass together with their visas.

Pompeo clarified that the goal would not be to interfere with business, the United States and Mexico had been in negotiations so that laborers, which include legal agricultural workers, can continue crossing their borders for jobs.

The fragile economy of Mexico is likely to be affected even by a temporary closure of the border. Last year, Mexico reported almost flat growth and now seems to be heading for recession, predicted by analysts. In the wake of increasing worries about the effect of the virus and its subsequent fall in oil prices, Peso dropped to unprecedented depth this week.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's plan was to keep the borders open. Despite the attempts from Trump to close the border in the past, Lopez Obrador answered by rapidly increasing the deportation of illegal immigrants of Central American refugees, except for Mexico's attempts to stop illegal immigration.

The shutting down of borders for migrants meant that the plight of thousands of asylum seekers and others who live in development camps on Mexico's side of the border awaiting for their appeals to be considered will undoubtedly escalate. The administration has been accused of using the health crisis for any further infringement of the rights of migrants.

Trump rejected this, as well as those with Canada declared Wednesday by claiming that the latest border controls will "protect the health of all three nations and reduce the incentive for a mass global migration that would vastly deplete the resources that are all needed."

The new regulations arrived as authorities sought to get the nation ready for an increase in the number of citizens who had reported infections. With the tests rising, it will be predicted that the epidemic will be more extensive and now spreading to 50 countries, infecting over 14,000 people.

aAccording to the new regulations, instead of being arrested in the United States by the federal police, the Border Patrol will start to return all illegal immigrants directly back to Mexico or Canada instead of holding them in the US as per Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary.

Multiple immigration analysts have seen the closing of the border last Friday as yet another further effort to deter asylum claims under the pandemic.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 15:50:46|Editor: Xiaoxia

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A man wearing a face mask waits at a taxi station in Kampala, Uganda, March 22, 2020. Uganda's Ministry of Health on Sunday called for calm after the east African country had confirmed its first COVID-19 case. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

KAMPALA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's Ministry of Health on Sunday called for calm after the east African country had confirmed its first COVID-19 case.

The patient was a 36-year-old Ugandan man, who was identified at the Entebbe International Airport, 37 km southwest of the capital Kampala, and then kept in insolation, the ministry said in a statement.

The man tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving from Dubai on Saturday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight with symptoms of high fever and poor appetite,

The passenger manifest has been retrieved and all contacts traced, the ministry said, adding that it has held the passports of all the travelers on the same flight.

"The public is hereby requested to remain calm and vigilant and to report any suspected cases," the statement said.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday announced the closure of all borders to prevent the COVID-19 spread in the country.

No passengers would be allowed into Uganda whether by air, water or land, Museveni said in a televised address.

No passenger planes would be allowed to land in Uganda or leave, with the exception of cargo planes and their crew members, he said, adding that emergency landing would also be allowed, especially for United Nations planes.
'I want to come home': Young woman injured and alone in Thailand after motorbike accident

Nineteen-year-old Calgary resident Cathryn Ferster was riding a rental motorcycle in Ko Tao, an island located in south Thailand.

Ferster and a friend from school had spent the past month adventuring around the area, leaving Canada on Feb. 8 before visiting the Indonesian island of Bali and then arriving in Thailand.

The pair met a couple who invited them to join them at the beach. So, on March 11  just days before Canada advised travellers abroad to return home  Ferster and her friend climbed on the bike and made their way.

Eventually, they came to a steep and snaky road. Ferster could see a turn coming in the distance, so she squeezed the brakes.

Nothing happened.

Ferster squeezed them again  nothing.

The pair, travelling downward at a high speed, saw a metal barrier quickly coming into view.

Ferster screamed to her friend that the brakes had stopped working, but at the speed they were travelling it was impossible to turn.

They smashed into the barrier. Ferster's friend was thrown a few feet, hit the ground, and rolled down an incline.

Ferster was tossed under the barrier  and then, the bike landed on top of her.

'What the heck just happened?'

Ferster remembers lying on the ground, in total shock.

Some locals drove down the typically quiet road where the accident happened and stopped to help.

Ferster's friend, injured but able to walk, was helped up the hill. But Ferster could tell something was wrong with her body.

"I felt panicked, like, 'Oh my gosh. What the heck just happened?" Ferster said. "The only thing I could remember that was super painful was my knee was actually squished against the concrete  my knee was just sitting on the concrete and like continuously getting scraped.

"My leg was actually twitching. I don't think my leg actually knew what was going on at that point."

Eventually, an ambulance arrived, and seeing Ferster's condition was serious, transported her alone.

Story continues

"We were driving and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life," Ferster said. "My leg, they didn't strap it down in the ambulance, so my broken leg was across my body, across my stomach, so every single bump and dip I could just feel my leg popping around and jumping."

Arriving at a medical facility, doctors started cleaning her wounds and picking rocks out of her legs. Seeing the condition of her injuries, the doctors decided they would be unable to treat her at that location.

Soon, Ferster was on a motorboat, her leg bumping around as waves rocked the boat.

Panic and confusion

Ferster was brought into a hospital on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand's second largest island.

There, in the emergency room, while the adrenaline and shock began to wear off, she began to panic.

"It was honestly pretty shocking, because nobody spoke English [very well]. They couldn't figure out what I was saying. So I started panicking and I got really upset," Ferster said. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh. My friend's not here. I'm in a hospital. My leg's extremely broken. My wrist was super duper swollen, and it really hurt.'"

Cathryn Ferster

Eventually, she learned that along with her fractured wrist, she had also fractured her face in two places  above her eyebrow and right under her eye. Her femur bone was snapped completely in half.

"They put the X-ray on my screen, and oh my gosh, my heart dropped, because my bones literally were completely criss-crossed," she said.

It was clear Ferster would need surgery. Doctors told her she would receive leg and wrist surgery in Koh Samui, and face surgery along with a second procedure on her leg would be completed a week later.

Delays and disappointment

After surgery, Ferster's family in Canada frantically tried to arrange transport through her insurance to get her sent back to Canada.

Initially, the impression was that she would be moved swiftly. But doctors nixed that, insisting she stay at least five days after surgery.

The insurance company and the doctors took a couple of days to discuss travel arrangements. It was decided that instead of first class, she would soon be transported via medevac.

But the brakes were applied again, when doctors insisted she sign a waiver. Then, the family needed to locate and confirm a surgeon was ready to accept Ferster in Canada. More days went by.

'Only a few more days'

On March 18, Ferster was told a plane was finally ready to fly out four days later.

"I was pretty upset. Then I was like, you know what, I can do it," she said. "It's only a few more days."

But on Saturday, with the COVID-19 outbreak having closed borders and ramping up quarantine efforts around the globe, Ferster was told she wouldn't be leaving on March 22.

"My dad calls the insurance company and now the medevac is saying, 'She's not allowed on the airplane until [she] gets tested for coronavirus," she said. "So I was pretty heartbroken this morning when I found out."

Complicating the matter, Ferster's hospital does not have COVID-19 tests. She'll need to wait around two days for the test to arrive, and more days while it is sent to Bangkok for testing.

Cathryn Ferster

Ferster will need to receive her surgery before March 31, after which the bones in her face will begin to set and heal improperly.

"I just really want to get home, so badly, but we're just not sure when that's going to happen now," she said. "And we want to get me home before the Canadian border closes travel."

Ferster's family was going to fly down when she first was injured, but given changes to air travel amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, that's no longer possible.

What happens next is still uncertain for Ferster. She is unable to walk, and won't be able to sit in an airplane due to her femur break. Should she secure a flight home, she'll need to be transported on a stretcher.

Some days, she says she feels depressed.

"At this point, it's just feeling really hopeless. They keep changing the time, and I'm just worried it's going to get pushed to the point I can't leave," she said. "I'm hoping that if people hear my story, maybe they can try to put something to get me home sooner.

"Or just home in time before borders close. Or before it's too late, and I have to have my surgery here."
Around 1,000 passengers arrived at Howrah in a special train from Mumbai on Sunday morning and were screened by medical officers of the West Bengal government there in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak, sources said.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her anguish at thousands of passengers being brought to West Bengal from Maharashtra and other states by the Railways amid the Novel Coronavirus outbreak and called for an immediate halt of interstate trains.

The special train arrived at the New Complex of Howrah station at 7.22 am, the sources said, adding that the passengers were cordoned off by RPF and GRP personnel.

All the nearly 1,000 passengers who disembarked at the terminal station were examined by medical officers of the state government, the sources said.

Medical officers of the state also examined passengers who disembarked at Kharagpur, the only other station where it stopped in West Bengal, from the special train from Mumbai, the sources said.

Apart from the special train, passengers of all long- distance trains arriving at Howrah in the South Eastern Railway jurisdiction on Sunday are being screened for any signs of fever, cough, the sources said.

On being informed that two special trains from Maharashtra, one from Mumbai and another from Pune were headed towards Howrah, the chief minister had instructed the state chief secretary to get in touch with the Railways.

West Bengal Chief Secretary wrote to the Railway Board chairman on Saturday requesting to ensure that no trains from outside West Bengal enter the state from midnight of March 22 till March 31 owing to the situation developing due to spread of novel coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Switzerland has called up thousands of army reservists to help in the battle against coronavirus, the first time it has done so since World War II.

In order to relieve hospitals under pressure, the army announced it could mobilise up to 8,000 personnel.

Lieutenant-Colonel Raoul Barca, in charge of a battalion of 750 soldiers, told AFP it was the first time that reservists had been called up since 1939.

"The situation is serious... the coming days will be critical for the health care system," director-general of health for the Geneva canton Adrien Bron told reporters on Sunday.

Schools, universities and creches have been closed in Switzerland as part of measures to limit the transmission of the virus.

The country has recorded 7,000 infections including 60 deaths from the disease.

It has so far avoided confinement restrictions adopted by other countries but on Friday announced that it would ban all gatherings of more than five people, and that anyone standing closer than two metres to others risked a fine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Australia will double unemployment payments to help the thousands who will lose their jobs from the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced a second stimulus package and acknowledged the economic damage would be far worse than anticipated.

'We now expect the economic shock to be deeper, wider, and longer,' Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said.

The extra $66 billion brings the giant rescue package to $189 billion, about 10 per cent of Australia's GDP, to avoid economic catastrophe.

Thousands of Australians are already losing their jobs as cafes, pubs, and shops of all kinds are empty as many people avoid going out.

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Scott Morrison (right, last week) has launched a second bailout package to save thousands of jobs and companies

Those already unemployed or soon to be forced out of work will be able to get up to $1,100 a fortnight in Centrelink payments.

The $750 payments to pensioners will also be doubled as Mr Morrison expected the worst economic aspects of the crisis would last at least six months.

Those struggling to make ends meet on reduced incomes - especially sole traders - can withdraw $20,000 from their superannuation tax-free to tide them over.

Unemployment benefits doubled

Assets tests and waiting periods for the jobseeker allowance will be waived so sacked employees can keep food on the table.

'The coronavirus supplement will provide an additional $550 a fortnight on top of the existing jobseeker or new start payment,' Mr Frydenberg said.

'It will be available to sole traders and casual workers who meet the income test. This means anyone eligible for the maximum jobseeker payment will now receive more than $1,100 a fortnight.'

Everyone earning less than $1,075 a fortnight will be eligible to receive the full benefit, with it scaling back with additional income.

Mr Frydenberg said this meant as casual workers had their ours cut and sole traders lost work, they could quickly supplement their remaining income.

The $750 payments to pensioners of various kinds will be doubled - the first being deposited into bank accounts on March 31 and the second on July 13

An extra $750 for pensioners

The $750 payments to pensioners of various kinds will be doubled - the first being deposited into bank accounts on March 31 and the second on July 13.

They will be paid to 6.5 million people including 3.6 million pensioners, 1.1 million students and working-age welfare recipients and 1.5 million others including veterans and parents who receive family tax breaks.

The first round of payments, totalling $4.8 billion, will be begin on March 31 and will be transferred automatically through the tax system.

'Australians will spend that money and that money will encourage economic activity,' Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said.

Raid your super to stay afloat

Australians will also be able to withdraw from their superannuation tax free if they lose 20 per cent of their income.

They will be able to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation in the 2019/20 financial year and a further $10,000 in 2020/21.

'It is estimated to put up to $27 billion of superannuation back into the pockets of hard-working Australians. This comprises less than a percent of the $3 trillion in superannuation today,' Mr Frydenberg said.

Help for small business

Other measures were aimed at trying to keep small businesses afloat, including grants of up to $100,000 to help small businesses pay their staff.

Alongside the cash payments, the government is launching a massive loan scheme worth $40 billion under which it will guarantee 50 per cent of cheap loans given from banks to struggling companies to keep them from going under.

'This will be a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of employers. Like the local hairdresser, the local cafe, the local mechanic, whose income has been significantly reduced over this difficult period,' Mr Frydenberg said.

Other measures were aimed at trying to keep small businesses afloat, including grants of up to $100,000 to help small businesses pay their staff

The government is also likely to hand hundreds of millions of dollars to aged care homes to help them retain staff to cope with the pandemic, which is more dangerous to the elderly.





The second round of measures, combined with $17.6 billion announced last week and $105 billion given to banks for lending, mean the stimulus measures so far total $189 billion, or 9.7 per cent of GDP.





This is considerably less than the UK's rescue package of more than $800 billion - around 18 per cent of the country's GDP - which includes a government plan to pay 80 per cent of the wages of millions of workers.





However, Daily Mail Australia understands the prime minister is plotting a third round of measures to save the economy from collapse.



'We want to help businesses keep going as best they can or to pause instead of falling apart,' Mr Morrison said.





'We want to ensure that when this crisis has passed Australia can bounce back. There is a lot of pain coming but we're going to cushion the blow as best we can.'



It comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Australia soars past 1,000 with seven deaths amid warnings the nation's hospitals will be overwhelmed in two weeks.





What's in the second stimulus package? CASH TO KEEP AUSTRALIANS IN JOBS Eligible businesses that withhold tax to the ATO on their employees' salary and wages will receive a payment equal to the amount withheld, up to a maximum payment of $100,000. Eligible businesses that pay salary and wages will receive a minimum payment of $20,000, even if they are not required to withhold tax. This new measure is worth $25.2billion. It is open to businesses with turnover under $50million and will now also be available to eligible not-for-profit charities It will benefit around 690,000 businesses employing around 7.8 million people and 30,000 not for profits SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES WITH LOANS A new Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme will be able to be accessed by eligible banks and non-bank lenders The Commonwealth will guarantee 50 per cent of an eligible loan to small businesses that have been impacted by the coronavirus The Scheme will have the capacity to support lending of $40billion to SMEs SMEs that have less than $50m turnover per year will be eligible under the Scheme Loans will be used for working capital purposes and be unsecured and it will be for loans granted within 6 months starting 1 April 2020 The Scheme will apply to new or existing customers of banks and non-bank lenders. It will be repayment free for 6 months The maximum loan will be $250,000 for a term up to 3 years It will not apply to re-financing of existing customers. Those already have existing loans that will benefit from the ABA announcement Advertisement

In the first package, the government vowed to hand out tax-free cash grants of up to $25,000 to 7,000 small businesses who turn over less than $50 million and employ people.

This has now been raised to $100,000 and extended to charities, taking the cost of the measure from $7 billion to $32 billion.

'We know that small businesses are enormously resilient. But this is hurting. Whether it is a cafe or a mechanic or a hairdresser,' Mr Frydenberg said.

'These measures, by providing at a minimum $20,000, and up to $100,000, for small businesses to employ people, gives them a chance to get to the other side.'

Mr Morrison also announced a 50 per cent wage subsidy for 117,000 apprentices worth $21,000 per apprentice. The cash will be paid to companies so they can afford to keep their young employees in work.

Thousands of casual and full-time workers in retail, hospitality, tourism and other sectors face the sack

Instant asset write offs will be expanded so tradies can buy trucks and other equipment worth $150,000 on the taxman until 30 June. The previous limit was $30,000.

There is also a $1 billion fund to help tourism businesses affected by the downturn, similar to a disaster recovery fund. The ATO is also allowing affected businesses to delay their tax obligations for four months.

The government also introduced regulatory changes aimed at keeping small businesses alive and making it easier for them to operate.

'Now is the time for more flexible in insolvency and bankruptcy laws to keep these businesses alive and to trade through this period,' Mr Frydenberg said.

'The government is proposing to increase the threshold at which a creditor can take action to initiate insolvency or bankruptcy from as low as $2000 today to $20,000.

'And giving companies and individuals six months instead of 21 days to respond. We will also provide relief where the company is trading while insolvent.'

The Prime Minister said the first package is worth $17.6 billion over the next four to six months, giving the economy a boost worth $22.9 billion or 1.2 per cent of GDP.

Who gets $750? Recipients on Newstart, the disability support pension, carers' allowance, youth allowance, veterans support payments, family tax benefits and Commonwealth senior health card-holders. Australia's 2.4million aged pensioners are also getting the payment. The payments will be begin on 31 March and will be automatically deposited into bank accounts. The government has promised 90 per cent of the funds would be delivered by mid-April. Advertisement

In addition to the stimulus packages, the government is reducing the deeming rate - which is used to assess pensioners' and veterans' assets - by 0.5 per cent so they can receive more money.

This measure will cost $600 million and benefit 900,000 Australians, including 560,000 aged pensioners.

It comes after some experts feared the coronavirus crisis could cause Australia's unemployment rate to almost triple to Great Depression levels of the 1930s.

Qantas is already temporarily retrenching two-thirds of its 30,000 staff as the airline suspends international flights until at least the end of May, like its rival Virgin Australia.

Casual jobs in retail and hospitality have also gone as the government bans indoor room gatherings of 100 or more people in a bid to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital Finance Analytics principal Martin North, an economist, said that in a 'worse case' scenario, Australia's unemployment rate could surge from 5.1 per cent now to 14 per cent in 2021.

'People aren't going to buy stuff, people aren't going to buy houses, people aren't going to be building stuff - GDP is about activity and fundamentally, we are going to see activity right down to very, very low levels,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

The government is also likely to hand hundreds of millions of dollars to aged care homes to help them retain staff to cope with the pandemic, which is more dangerous to the elderly

Should his prediction come true, Australia would have the highest jobless rate since 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, when unemployment peaked at 19.75 per cent.

It would also surpass the 9.9 per cent jobless rate experienced during the last recession in early 1991 and the subsequent jobless rate of 11.2 per cent by December 1992, which saw almost 1million Australians out of work.

This would see the number of jobless people in Australia skyrocket from 699,100 in February 2020, when the first cases of coronavirus outside China were confirmed, to 1.9million within little more than a year.
The High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi and the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai, in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, continue their coordinating and facilitating endeavours for the early return of Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims currently in India, following the temporary closure of the Bandaranaike International Airport for inward commercial flights.

During the day of 18 March, approximately 700 pilgrims returned to Sri Lanka from India by scheduled commercial flights and the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi and the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai facilitated their return travel, including through discussions with the relevant airlines to reschedule tickets.

Following the departure of the last scheduled commercial flight to Sri Lanka from New Delhi on midnight of 18 March before the temporary closure of the Bandaranaike International Airport, as of today (19 March 2020) at 10:00 hrs. a total of 871 Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims, belonging to 17 tour groups were remaining in India, expecting to return to Sri Lanka from New Delhi and Chennai.

The Sri Lanka Missions are closely in touch with these remaining tour groups in preparation for special aircraft that would be arranged by the Government of Sri Lanka to take them back home.

In the meantime, SriLankan Airlines would also be accepting returning Sri Lankan pilgrims to the flights that it is operating to Delhi and Chennai daily for transit passengers. These flights are scheduled to leave Delhi and Chennai daily at 18:30 hrs. and 09:35 hrs. respectively, during the period 19-25 March 2020.

The two Missions are also working with Sri Lankan Airlines to accommodate the remaining pilgrims in these flights according to the availability of seats.



High Commission of Sri Lanka

New Delhi



19 March 2020

Read more www.mfa.gov.lk
By shifting blame, bashing and smearing China, the U.S. government is setting a bad example in the global fight against coronavirus in an increasingly dangerous way.

It seems that the U.S. government is less concerned with focusing on domestic epidemic prevention and control and more fond of criticizing China for a variety of unfounded and absurd reasons and trying to get a rise out of China by using racist and xenophobia words.

White House politicians have tirelessly accused China of being the birthplace of the virus, reacting slowly to the outbreak, making up data and even called the coronavirus the "Chinese virus" or "Wuhan virus."

As infections are rising sharply in the United States, the U.S. government has responded by spending a substantial amount of its energy on shifting blame and ignored the fact that only solidarity and cooperation will defeat a worldwide pandemic that is still developing.

Since January 3, China has been notifying the U.S. side of epidemic developments, prevention and control measures on a regular basis. However, the U.S. side squandered the precious time China had bought for global anti-virus fight.

Smearing and stigmatization can not deny the progress China has made in containing the virus' spread, nor will it help epidemic prevention and control in the United States. It only makes the White House politicians who initiated the smearing campaign against China look ugly and unreasonable.

Such rhetoric makes sense in an election year in the United States when politicians try to shift U.S. voters' attention from dissatisfaction with the government's inability in response to the epidemic to China and shirk their responsibilities.

This reveals the political decay and illusion of "democracy" in the United States. In many aspects, the U.S. administration is setting a bad example in the global fight against the virus.

Since the outbreak, China has made concerted efforts and adopted the most strict, thorough and comprehensive prevention and control measures which generate positive effects.

As the peak of the epidemic in China has recently passed, China has been readily helping other countries. The Chinese government has announced assistance such as testing reagents, masks and protective gowns to 82 countries, the World Health Organization and the African Union. Many batches of these supplies have been delivered to the recipients. Besides, China has shared valuable treatment experience with the rest of the world, held video conferences with health experts from other countries and international organizations and sent medical teams to Iran, Iraq, Italy and Serbia. Local governments in China and Chinese enterprises and civil organizations are also making donations to the affected countries. What China has done has been translated into a popular slogan that reads: "Our partnership, stronger than metal and stone, defies geographical distance."

As a major power, the United States should have been at the frontline of helping other countries fight the epidemic. U.S. officials have said on many occasions that they are going to offer 100 million U.S. dollars to assist China and other countries affected by the coronavirus. But China has not received any funds or supplies donated in the name of the U.S. government so far. The lip service paid by the U.S. administration only undermines its truthfulness, credibility and sense of responsibility.

The U.S. government should keep its own house in order and play a constructive role in enhancing international cooperation in the fight against the virus, stop smearing China and reflect on its own mistakes before more mistakes are made.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 12:19:25|Editor: huaxia

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LA PAZ, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Saturday called on all political parties to set a new date for the general elections due to the impact of COVID-19.

TSE President Salvador Romero said that the new date of the elections, originally scheduled for May 3, must get the parliament's approval.

Romero said the electoral tribunal has also decided to suspend its work agenda for 14 days following "the (interim) government's decision to declare a quarantine with restriction of activities for 14 days" beginning Sunday in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"This measure, as a result of an unprecedented situation worldwide, prevents the electoral body from continuing to carry out preparatory tasks for the elections," Romero said.

So far, Bolivia has reported 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
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Altrincham in Cheshire has been crowned as the best place to live by the Sunday Times.

Judges travelled thousands of miles around the UK, visiting locations and talking to locals.

They looked for improving towns, villages or city centres, attractive, well-designed homes, and locations bursting with community spirit.

A range of factors were assessed, from schools, transport and broadband speed to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street, to produce a guide to the UKs finest locations to call home.

Topping a list of 101 locations, Altrincham was described as the ultimate turnaround town.

It was praised for its revitalised town centre. The Market House, a lively market with an indoor food hall, has been a major contributor to the towns upturn.

Those behind the guide said Altrincham is a town where family and community are at the heart of everything, while the National Trusts Dunham Massey, with its Georgian house and ancient deer park, adds a well-scrubbed taste of the country.

They said it is that same spirit which is knitting people together during a time of national emergency. A Facebook group set up days ago for volunteers to visit the ill and vulnerable has already drawn thousands of people offering to help.

The market is planning to do deliveries of essential groceries for people who cannot leave the house.

Dunham Massey boasts an ancient deer park (Dave Thompson/PA)

Were going to reinvent ourselves for the foreseeable future, said Altrincham market boss Nick Jones, who runs Market House food hall.

Since we took over the market in 2013 its been an amazing force in the local community and thats part of what makes living here so special. We desperately want to keep peoples spirits up during these uncertain times.

Helen Davies, the Sunday Times Home editor, said: Never has where you live felt more important. This year we have, along with house prices, air quality, good schools and access to green spaces, championed locations that have showcased great community spirit.

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The feeling of involvement in and concern for ones local community is being challenged  and celebrated  as never before. We wish everyone well wherever they live.

The guide used statistics, including house price information, with the help of mortgage company Habito and data provider TwentyCi.

It also identified a series of regional winners, including Victoria Park Village which was top in London; Leith in Edinburgh which came top in Scotland; Narberth, Pembrokeshire, which took first place in Wales; and Ballycastle, Co Antrim, which was awarded prime position in Northern Ireland.

Daniel Hegarty, founder and chief executive at Habito, said: There are many factors that contribute to where people choose to live  whether thats buying to be near green space, wanting to become part of a thriving local community or to be a bit closer to friends and family.

Previous winners of the best places to live in Britain title are Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013); Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014); Newnham, Cambridge (2015); Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018) and Salisbury (2019).

For longer entries, more on air quality, broadband, green spaces, transport links, comprehensive listings of good schools and lifelong learning opportunities, local voices and property prices, go online at sundaytimes.co.uk/bestplacestolive.

Here are the Sunday Times best places to live regional winners, with the average property price and the average rent per calendar month:

 National, Altrincham, Cheshire, 325,000, 895

 North and North East, the Howardian Hills, North Yorkshire, 312,000, 725

 Midlands, Uppingham, Rutland, 299,950, 700

 Northern Ireland, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, 140,000, 500

 South East, St Albans, Hertfordshire, 525,000, 1,200

 Wales, Narberth, Pembrokeshire, 164,950, 550

 South West, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, 275,000, 765

 East, Norwich, 220,000, 750

 London, Victoria Park Village, 550,000, 1,800

 Scotland, Leith, Edinburgh, 189,995, 850

 North West, Bollington, Cheshire, 279,950, 695 (if Altrincham had not been the overall UK winner, it would have been named as the regional winner)
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We are in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, but its already very clear that the infection prevention community in the U.S. has never faced such an enormous challenge. Reflecting back on the past two weeks, we have learned many things that will make us better prepared for the long term. My goal is to keep track of these in this blog. So here we go:

We are far too reliant on single-use disposable products. Having a large supply of cloth surgical gowns and isolation gowns that can be laundered is essential. Ill comment on disposable face masks below. Less reliance on disposables will also be better for the environment.

The supply chain for medical products needs geographic diversification. It wasnt all that long ago that we had numerous shortages of medications and IV fluids due to the hurricane in Puerto Rico, and now we have this crisis due to the concentration of manufacturing in China.

Just-in-time inventory management is not a great idea in healthcare, particularly when the supply chain is rooted in a single geographic area. Most hospitals, especially larger ones, have some strategic stockpile of products, but its unlikely that any have inventory levels to manage an outbreak that lasts for many months. Hospitals and government (both at the state and federal levels) have a lot of work to do in this area.

We have a new standard for evaluating personal protective equipment (PPE). In the old days (like last year), the standard for evaluating a new PPE product was: is the new product better than currently available products? Todays standard is: is the new product (lets say a bandana to cover your nose and mouth) better than nothing? Ill push that a little further and argue that the new standard should be: is the bandana no worse than nothing? Healthcare workers are very afraid, and Ill freely admit that Im one of them. We all want to proactively protect ourselves. Even if the bandana is minimally protective, if it provides some level of psychological safety, we need to respect that and allow our workers to wear homemade PPE.

Going forward, the new attire standard for healthcare workers should be hospital-laundered scrubs. These should be donned after hospital entry and doffed prior to leaving. This will require that hospitals construct adequate changing and shower facilities. And scrubs should be coupled with a bare-below-the-elbows approach to patient care.

To the greatest extent possible, no-touch technology should be built into hospital design.

Face shields should and will replace face masks. They provide greater facial coverage and make it physicially impossible to touch your face. And I find them more comfortable than face masks. Sturdier models can be wiped down and reused. I suspect that every healthcare worker will purchase one, just like they purchase a stethoscope. For this outbreak, I am advocating that face shields be worn for every patient encounter since many patients with COVID-19 are minimally symptomatic. It should become a new component of standard precautions.

The community really wants to help us. I have received numerous forwarded emails from colleagues who have friends and relatives who want to sew masks or isolation gowns, donate their face shields and N95s, or whatever they can do to play a part in making things better. This is beautiful.

Infection preventionists are true heroes. They are working around the clock to keep hospitals functioning. These people are the salt of the earth. They work in the background with little recognition and are some of the most committed people I have ever met. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

These are my initial thoughts. More to come. Get some rest and stay well!

Michael Edmond is an infectious disease physician who blogs at Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
He calls on Ukrainians to practice social distancing.

Ukrainian Health Minister Illia Yemets advocates the introduction of national emergency.

"I've been speaking about this since the first day of my work in government. This should have been done from the very beginning," he said on television, according to the ministry's press service.

Read alsoZelensky calls on regional governors, mayors to join hands to counter coronavirus in Ukraine

"If this had been possible, then there would not have been such spreading, which is now happening geometrically," he said.

According to him, to effectively combat the spread of the coronavirus in Ukraine, all Ukrainians must take a socially responsible position, practice social distancing, abide by hygiene rules, and follow Health Ministry recommendations.

Yemets was appointed Health Minister early in March 2020.
Representative Image

The government on Sunday said all train, metro and inter-state services will remain suspended until March 31 as part of renewed efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.

State governments will issue orders allowing only essential services to operate in about 75 districts with confirmed COVID-19, or coronavirus, cases, according to a government statement released on March 22.

These decisions were taken at a meeting with state chief secretaries and Union Cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister.

In view of the need to contain the spread of Covid-19, it was agreed that there is urgent need to extend the restrictions on the movement of non-essential passenger transport including inter-state transport buses until March 31, 2020, said the statement.

Coronavirus LIVE updates

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Only goods trains have been exempted from the list of suspended train services.

State governments can expand the list of districts where only essential services are allowed to operate, according to the statement.

Any service connected with the supply of gas or milk or water or electricity as well as with the maintenance of public health and sanitation, including hospitals and dispensaries, is deemed essential.

The government began the fight against the virus by cancelling most entry visas for people flying in from other countries. It later suspended flights and nudged factories, industrial parks and banks to shut down or find ways to minimise public movement.

Also read | Total 236 coronavirus cases in India, says ICMR

On March 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appealed to citizens to stay indoors in self-isolation and millions of Indians heeded, significantly reducing the number of people who take to the streets, malls and other public places every day.
Bihar reported its first death due to COVID-19 on Sunday, as a man with a travel history to Qatar died at the AIIMS here, hospital superintendent CM Singh said.

The 38-year-old man, a resident of Munger district, was admitted to the hospital on Friday with a kidney ailment, he added.

Doctors noticed that he was also suffering from respiratory problems, following which his swab samples were sent to the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute (RMRI) here.

The man, who was on dialysis, died on Saturday night, but his COVID-19 test results from RMRI came only on Sunday morning, Singh said.

Six more patients at the AIIMS, suspected to have contracted the disease, were awaiting their test results from RMRI, he added.

However, talking to reporters, Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar said another woman at the AIIMS had also tested positive for COVID-19.

He did not give any other details of the woman.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday ruled out complete lockdown in the country, saying it will create chaos and urged people to self-quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far claimed four lives and infected 646 people in the country.

Addressing the nation as cases of the novel coronavirus surged across the country, Khan reiterated that lockdown will create chaos as more than 25 per cent people were living below the poverty line and their lives will be shattered.

He said the situation in Pakistan does not call for a lockdown yet.

"Let me first tell you what a complete lockdown is. It means imposing a curfew and locking people in their homes," said Khan.P



We cannot afford complete lockdown as it will create massive unrest, he said, adding that the situation in the country is not as bad as in Italy or France.

If the condition was similar to that of Italy, I would have imposed a lockdown, he said.

He urged the people to follow the policy of self-isolation and stay inside their homes. He said the government was constantly watching the situation and all necessary measures will be taken accordingly.

The government on Saturday suspended all international flights for two weeks and curtailed train services to curb the spread of the virus, which has turned into a major global crisis.

Official data issued by National Disaster Management Authority showed at least 646 confirmed coronavirus cases.

On Saturday, the public relations officer (PRO) to the Sindh health minister told the media that the number of COVID-19 patients in the province has surged to 392. Throughout the day, the local media outlets quoted the new figures which took the nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients to 745.

The massive spike in numbers created alarm and sent the people panicking. However, late in the night the PRO revised the figures downwards to 292 citing a counting error.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday confirmed third death to the novel coronavirus in the province, bringing the country's tally of COVID-19 fatalities to four.

Addressing a conference, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Spokesperson Ajmal Wazir said a woman who tested positive for the virus had passed away on Saturday. She had recently returned from Iran.

The Provincial governments in Balochistan, Punjab Sindh requested deployment of the armed forces in the wake of a surge in novel coronavirus cases across the country.

However, Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah announced to lockdown the province from midnight.

Sindh has witnessed more cases of coronavirus than any other part of the country with nearly 300 patients.

He said that all offices will be closed and gatherings banned. Additionally, those who are not required to, will not be allowed to go outside in public.

The Punjab government has written a letter to the interior ministry asking for the deployment of the army to help deal with the coronavirus situation in the province, where over 150 people have been infected with virus.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the army's help was needed to ensure lockdown in the province, where over 150 people have tested positive.

Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday, seeking directions to the federal and provincial governments for effectively dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

Petitioners requested the court to order the federal government to declare a national public health emergency across the country, establish an emergency relief fund, and order utilisation of the dam fund for combating the dreadful virus, the reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A bride-to-be has who has faced a series of bad luck during wedding planning has now had her big day cancelled by coronavirus [Image: SWNS]

After encountering huge obstacles to her dream wedding venue, honeymoon and hen do, a bride has revealed her devastation after her big day has now been cancelled by coronavirus.

Steph Carr, 31, was over the moon when her partner of 13 years James Fuller, 35, popped the question at their home in Staines, Surrey in August 2018 - however shortly afterwards her honeymoon was called off by Thomas Cook collapsing and then her hen do was ruined when a stripper broke his leg.

The mum-of-twos string of bad luck began when her dream wedding venue became unavailable after Netflix bought it.

She booked another place and also a two week trip to Florida for her honeymoon, but lost the 3,500 holiday when Thomas Cook collapsed.

James Fuller proposed to partner of 13 years Steph Carr in August 2018 [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: What to do if your wedding is impacted during the coronavirus outbreak?

Then, the management accountants hen do ended in disaster when a 'Dreamboy' injured himself and knocked an elderly woman unconscious after falling into the crowd.

Now her big day, due to take place on Friday, and the subsequent rebooked honeymoon, have been cancelled due to coronavirus.

Steph - who is mum to daughter Sophie, 11, and six-year-old son Harry - said: "It has been absolutely devastating - you start to feel like your wedding is cursed, like how could so many things go wrong?

"This is supposed to be every girl's dream come true and a fairytale day but it has been more like a nightmare.

Their dream wedding venue at Shepperton Studios was cancelled after it was bought by Netflix [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: The top five wedding guest trends for 2020 - according to Lyst

Related Video: Coronavirus Causing Wedding Cancellations Nationwide

"I'm really organised, I had the venue booked a month after we got engaged and by January 2019, everything was sorted - the dress, the caterers, the lot.

"Every time something went wrong, I'd work so hard to fix it and find an alternative, but with coronavirus hitting the UK weeks before the wedding, there was no way it was going ahead.

"We are having to postpone the wedding now, our venue have been helpful with looking for another date but I don't know if our suppliers can do then so it's all a mess.

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"I am really upset, I just wanted to marry James and it seems like the world has done everything it can to stop that which is so devastating.

The future bride and groom were hoping to take their two young children on a 3,500 holiday to Disneyland Florida - then Thomas Cook collapsed [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: Will we be seeing more women proposing this leap year?

A month after they became engaged, the couple secured their first-choice wedding venue, Littleton Park House at Shepperton Studios - but in April 2019 they called her up to cancel.

Despite offering a refund, many other venues had already been booked for their set wedding date and the cheapest they could get was 2,000 more than what they had initially spent.

Steph explained: "I sued Shepperton Studios for the 2,000 excess because it was their fault we were left paying that much for a new venue, and they settled out of court with us and paid us the money.

"It wasn't until three months later that I saw in the press that Netflix had signed a production deal with Shepperton Studios and I realised that's why they'd cancelled my wedding."

Steph's hen do at a male strip club was ruined when a 'Dreamboy' fell off stage and broke his leg [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: Disney is dropping new princess wedding dresses for brides who want to live happily ever after

In July 2019, Netflix announced they had struck a deal to set up a permanent production base at Shepperton Studios, guaranteeing the streaming service exclusive access to most of the facilities there.

A spokesperson from Shepperton Studios said: "Unfortunately, a vendor scheduled events when our facilities were unavailable. We are very sorry to any parties that have been impacted by this."

They booked another venue and also planned a honeymoon at Disneyland Florida for two weeks with their children.

However, when the travel agency collapsed they lost their 3,500 trip.

They have now been forced to call off their nuptials next week due to coronavirus [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: Couple surprise friends and family by turning engagement party into their wedding

Steph recalled: "I couldn't believe it, I was in total shock. We'd been saving up forever for this holiday and the kids were so excited and it was all coming crashing down around us.

"I couldn't get hold of anybody at Thomas Cook, it was mayhem, I had no idea if I would get my money back at all and we totally panicked.

Fortunately, they managed to get a full refund three months later and booked the holiday again directly through Disney.

Then, in February of this year, she was about to enjoy her hen do at the For Your Eyes Only club in Shoreditch where they were putting on the Dreamboys show.

They are "devastated" by the turn of events [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: Bride can't narrow down her closest friends so chooses all 15 to be bridesmaids at her wedding

They had just arrived when a male stripper shattered his leg after jumping onto a 20ft fireman's pole that ripped out of the ceiling, sending him crashing into the audience and knocking an elderly lady unconscious.

Steph said: We were all sent to the back of the room whilst this poor guy lay on the stage with his leg facing the wrong way.

"It was an absolute mess, the night was ruined and we didn't want to stay in London so we just called the limo back and went straight back home.

"We ended up in a cocktail bar back in our local town and we still had a good time but I wanted my hen do to be at the show so it was disappointing to leave so suddenly."

Steph and James hope to reschedule for September [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: Bride criticised for asking her bridesmaid to dye natural hair for wedding

Finally, with the coronavirus outbreak, the couple have been forced to postpone their celebrations indefinitely.

Steph said: "I've got elderly relatives who wouldn't be able to come, the hotel advised us to reschedule and with the rule about social distancing, we had to make the decision to postpone.

"We're looking at rescheduling it for September 2020 as the venue said they can give us a date then, but all our wedding stuff has our original date on and I don't know if my suppliers would be available.

"Speaking to Disney about the honeymoon is proving to be a nightmare - they won't honour our free breakfast dining if we reschedule for October and the hotel isn't available so would cost loads more to rebook.

The couple now fear their wedding is "cursed" [Image: SWNS]

READ MORE: Best bridal trainers to wear on your wedding day

The future bride continued: "I'm absolutely gutted. I've had two guests say to me today that they don't think they can get time off for the new date which is understandable but so upsetting.

"James is obviously upset and so are the kids - my son Harry actually said 'I hate this planet' when we told him.

"I'm feeling very stressed and deflated and I don't really know what more I can do to make everything work like it did before."

James added: "I'm devastated that this has happened and there is nothing I can do to change it or make things better.

"It's all been very upsetting for all of us but I am still looking forward to marrying Steph, whenever that will be."
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday (March 21) said that he has reached an 'amicable settlement' with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and withdrawn his allegation made during Lok Sabha polls against the Congress leader calling him an "accused in a murder case".

Reacting to Prasad's move, Tharoor said he has asked his lawyers to withdraw the case he had filed against the BJP MP from Patna Sahib.

"Pleased to announce the amicable settlement of my recent differences with Shri @ShashiTharoor Ji," tweeted Prasad.

Pleased to announce the amicable settlement of my recent differences with Shri @ShashiTharoor Ji pic.twitter.com/m4i5mjxrk8  Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) March 21, 2020

The Union Minister also shared the letter written by him to Tharoor on March 20 withdrawing his allegation. In his letter, Prasad said Tharoor that he was happy to

to close this matter amicably.

"More than a year ago during the heat of campaign I had made a comment describing you as an accused in a murder case. On receiving subsequent information about the conclusion of the investigation in the concerned case I learnt that the said allegation against you is not factually correct accordingly, withdraw it unconditionally," Prasad said in his letter.

"Though this was surely not your comment but its reiteration by you gave it prominence and led to circulation in entire country through media. I think if there is an introspection you too may be able to persuade yourself that the said comment being stated by you was avoidable," the minister wrote.

Tharoor responding by saying "it was very gracious of you to withdraw your words in respect of myself, which had offended me greatly. I welcome your sentiments and in view of our long association, I am happy to treat the matter as closed."
One person has died instantly while two others are in critical condition after an articulated truck with registration number GT 5365-Z collided with a Hyundai Saloon car with registration number CR 415-12 on Saturday close to Apam junction in the Central Region.

According to the Apam District Police Commander, DSP Moses Osakunor, the articulated truck which was heading to Accra from Takoradi burst a tyre forcing it to crash into the saloon car which was heading to Cape Coast from Accra.

Speaking to Citi News, DSP Moses Osakunor indicated that the body of the deceased has since been deposited at the St. Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam whilst the injured are also receiving treatment at the same facility.

There was an accident this evening around Apam junction around 5 pm. We received a call that there was an accident so we rushed there and realised that an articulated truck that was heading to Accra from Takoradi had collided with a Hyundai saloon car which was Takoradi-bound. From eyewitnesses, the articulated truck burst a tyre causing it to move into the lane of the saloon car. There were two people in the saloon car the driver and a lady who appears to be his wife. The lady died on the spot but the man who is in critical condition is responding to treatment at the hospital, DSP Osakunor said.

He also called on drivers who use that stretch to check their speed as accidents on that road are becoming rampant. Even though it is called an accident, if they reduce their speed we can check it.

Five dead, many injured in crash on Accra-Takoradi road

In February 2020, Five persons died with about 15 others injured in a car crash on the same stretch.

The victims were sent to the St Luke Catholic Hospital in Apam for medical attention.

citinewsroom
Brisbane bottle shops were "as busy as Christmas" on Sunday night with some shoppers loading their trolleys with more than a dozen cases of beer and wine in anticipation of further lockdowns.

All states and territories will implement "stage one" restrictions locking down certain "non-essential" services from midday on Monday.

Beer and wine shelves were beginning to empty around Brisbane on Sunday night. Credit:Lydia Lynch

One worker at a north Brisbane bottle shop said the store had been inundated with people ahead of the decision and usually only got that busy at Christmas time.

Schools will remain open across Queensland, but parents will be allowed to remove their children from classrooms.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 21, 2020 | 10:59 AM | PADUCAH

On Friday the Ohio River at Paducah returned to flood stage as it crept past 39 feet.As of Saturday morning the riverfront gauge was at 39.4 feet, and exceeded 40 feet by Sunday morning. The river is forecast to be as high as 41.5 feet by next weekend, still below the level of moderate flooding, when a number of small unprotected towns along the river would start to experience flood problems.The Ohio has reached moderate flood levels downstream at Olmsted. On Saturday the river had risen to 42 feet, with a forecast of 45 feet by next weekend. Flood stage at Olmsted is 36 feet.At Cairo, the Ohio is at moderate flood stage. Saturday morning the river was at 47.3 feet, heading for a forecast of about 50 feet by next weekend. Flood stage at Cairo is 40 feet.The Ohio's rise is partly because of runoff from persistent rain last week, but also because the Mississippi River is also at flood stage at its confluence with the Ohio, as it is from Iowa to Arkansas.At Cape Girardeau and Thebes, both are at minor flood stage. On Saturday morning, the Mississippi was up to 35 feet at the Cape riverfront, heading for moderate flooding by Tuesday at 38.6 feet.

On the Net:
After that events, disasters such as devastating earthquakes, landslides, and floods across Iran due to the deliberate negligence of the Iranian regime, claimed the lives of hundreds of Iranian people and inflicted heavy financial losses on the deprived Iranians.

The regime tried to speak with the world with blackmail as well as terror operations in the face of global sanctions and isolation. In the aftermath of tough oil sanctions, the regime attacked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and a missile launch on the Saudi Aramco, and to support its proxy groups in Iraq in particular so that it could find a way out of its crises.

But since, unlike in the past, the world politics, especially the US, have moved away from appeasement and allowing to be extorted, the US has increased its sanctions against the regime and imposed more severe sanctions, and in the most serious step killed Qassem Soleimani. Later, the regimes name was again blacklisted by the FATF due to the failure to ratify the parliamentary bills of the FATF.

Now, the regimes latest achievement for the Iranian people is to bring the terrible coronavirus into the homeland and destroy the fate of millions of Iranians.

1. Start of 2019 with devastating floods

In 2019, there were 138 floods in the country, two of which were devastating floods in the last 40 years, causing enormous damage on its way, destroyed many homes and killed many. According to Majlis Research Center statistics, more than 35 trillion tomans were damaged caused by the floods, but Irans President Hassan Rouhani said the flood was a divine blessing.

The shocking scenes where people went on the roof of their homes with no helpers to save them from death remain in our minds. That how much of the damage was compensated by the government is unclear, independent statistics from NGOs are not available and that of the government is not clear and not reliable, but it was found that unpaved roads or railroads were largely unmanageable.

And it was clear that the main cause of the devastating floods mainly in the north of Iran were the building roads and railways in an empirical and unnecessary way, which were built mostly by the IRGCs Khatam base on the watercourse of the rivers. An example of this is the railway in the Golestan province which cause a flood in Agh Gola city.

The authorities said the death toll from the floods in Iran has left 57 deaths and 478 wounded, Anatolia news agency reported on 3 April 2019.

But with all the damage to the peoples lives, the regime wanted the people not to be saddened by the loss of their loved ones and their lives in the flood and to be grateful to God.

Radio France reported on April 21 that first vice president Eshaq Jahangiri had blessed the floods and rains in the country, which he said would also benefit the country and that they should be thankful to God.

2. The end of the regimes six-month oil exemption, tightening of sanctions and blacklisting of the IRGC

With the end of the six-month oil exemption granted by the United States to several international oil customers in the wake of the regimes oil sanctions, the regime was cut off from its biggest source of revenue. The resulting loss of this revenue disrupted the entire budget structure, and the regime was forced to revise its budget once again in May 2019.

The regime, which called itself the mastermind of circumventing sanctions, publicly declared that it was selling its oil by smuggling and Bijan Namdar Zangeneh regimes minister of Petroleum refused to provide statistics on oil sales.

But after a while, by the tracking of companies like KPLER, it became clear that the regimes sales of smuggled oil were no more than 300000 barrels a day.

According to the KPLER Energy Intelligence and Tracking Company statistics, oil exports have fallen to about 300000 barrels in the past three months. (DW website, 15 January 2020)

The revision of the government intervention program has reduced the volume of oil exports from 1.5 million barrels per day to 300000 barrels per day to reduce the budget deficit to 150 trillion tomans. (Jahan Sanat, 24 September 2019)

The main customers of the regimes oil were China, or oil speculators in Asia, who also bought the regimes oil for much lower prices than the market price. The economic downturn from falling oil prices in the past few weeks has had another crippling blow to the regimes revenues.

It was one of the worst meetings Ive had in the history of OPEC, Zangeneh said of Saudi Arabia and Russias disagreement over holding oil production down, which eventually led to a fall in oil prices. (State TV news channel, 7 March 2020)

The price of oil is still falling and Brent oil, which is usually worth several dollars more than OPEC oil, has reached $26.

Petrochemicals, one of the most important sources of revenue for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, were also sanctioned, and this was another hard blow to the regime.

Also, the presence of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on the US blacklist alongside the heavy sanctions was another blow that the regime received in 2019.

3. Gasoline price hike and the November uprising

Perhaps the most important economic-political change of 2019 in Iran was the removal of subsidies from the price of gasoline and the price increase by 300 percent without prior notice.

The regime, after the loss of the oil market and the removal of US oil exemptions, was in dire need of another source of income, decide to remove the subsidies on gasoline and other energy carriers.

Farhad Dejpasand minister of economic affairs and finance told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with entrepreneurs: With national resources wasted through energy subsidies, we are on the verge of finalizing a gas quota bill. These depressing short remarks have made people and the media more likely to have gasoline quotas coming soon. (Vatan Emrooz, 4 May 2019)

Iran is currently under certain conditions in every respect, said Mehdi Sharifi Nik Nafas, CEO of Petrochemical Trading Company. The issue of gasoline quotas and fuel price changes should also be analyzed in the context of these conditions. (Iran Daily, 6 May 2019)

The tightening of sanctions and economic stifle has pushed the mullahs to act even after prolonged rumors and raise the price of gasoline on 15 November 2019. This sudden rise in gas prices, without prior notice, sparked a mass uprising.

This fiery uprising in a matter of days caused trouble for the mullahs by burning down fuel stations and banks and regimes official buildings. However, Khamenei suppressed the uprising with the help of the Basijis and plainclothes agents, with the fear that the regime will be overthrown, and it became clear that the people would take to the streets whenever they could. The regime killed more than 1500 people. It also cut off the Internet to hide the truth and the dimensions of the unrest.

4. The uprising in Iraq and Lebanon

The uprising of the Lebanese and Iraqis people despite the Iranian regimes continued interference shook the mullahs in the so-called strategic depth of their regime.

Khamenei, who had been held captive for years the Iraqi people by Qassem Soleimani and the terrorist IRGC Quds Force organization and by the rule of his proxy groups in Iraq, was shaken by the heroic uprising of the Iraqi people so far that not only all his projects to bring his favorite government to power in Iraq has failed, but at the center of the demands of Iraqi insurgents is to expel the Iranian regime from Iraq and overthrow the integrity of the corrupt and unrestrained Iraqi system.

The uprising of the Lebanese people against the sovereignty dominated by Hezbollah is another aspect of the regimes defeat at the strategic depth that it faced in 2019.

To be continued

Read More:

Iran: Officials Regret 40 Years of Suppression and Aggression
A network of community hubs is being set up across the UK to deliver food to 1.5 million people with serious medical conditions who have been told to remain indoors for 12 weeks because of coronavirus.

Army planners have been drafted in to help organise the support for people with conditions like cancer or respiratory problems, who will receive letters over the coming days asking them to avoid all social contact for three months under a shielding plan to protect them from the virus.

The announcement came as Boris Johnson warned the public to take social distancing advice seriously when going to parks during the outbreak, warning that otherwise they put other peoples lives at risk.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson warned that the government will have to bring forward tougher measures to protect the UK from the spread of coronavirus if people fail to act responsibly and observe the requirement to keep two metres away from one another when outdoors.

Standing alongside the prime minister, Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, said free parcels of groceries would be delivered to the most vulnerable, adding: Nobody needs to worry about getting the food and essential items that they will need.

Mr Jenrick said those who are shielding and do not have family and friends living nearby will be able to get vital medicines and food from community hubs. He said the scheme will require a major national effort in a very short period of time.

He said: Medicines will be delivered by community pharmacies. Groceries and essential household items will be delivered by local councils and food distributors, working with supermarkets, to ensure that nobody needs to worry about getting the food and essential items that theyll need.

These parcels will be left on the doorstep.

The government, the food industry community pharmacists, local councils and emergency services are working round the clock to get this scheme off the ground, members of the armed forces are already supporting this effort, including some of the finest military planners in the world.

Those using the community hubs to receive care parcels would be able to do so free-of-charge, with the Treasury footing the bill, Mr Jenrick confirmed.

He added: If over time were able to refine it into a more sophisticated offer which is more tailored to individuals needs  and were working with supermarkets to see if that is possible in time  then it may be a different arrangement.

But to begin with its going to be free to ensure that the people who really need it get the supplies as soon as possible.

Mr Jenrick said he did not underestimate how tough the shielding period would be for those affected, but sought to reassure people that the government would make sure they had what they needed.

Mr Johnson said that the strategy would do more than any other single measure that we are setting out to save life  to reduce infection and to slow the spread of the disease.

On Sunday, NHS England announced that one of the victims was just 18 years old.

Forty-eight people across Britain were confirmed to have died, bringing the UK death toll to 281.
The fourth man who tested positive for Covid-19 in West Bengal is in critical condition and has been put on ventilator, sources at a city hospital, where he is undergoing treatment, said.

The 57-year-old man, a resident of Dum Dum area in North 24 Parganas district, was diagnosed positive for Covid- 19 on Saturday. He was admitted to the hospital on March 16 with fever and dry cough.

"He is in critical condition and has been put on ventilator. Our doctors are trying their level best... He is under observation 24x7, a senior official of the private hospital said.

The man has acute respiratory distress syndrome, the official said.

"We are taking protective measures.... The patient is currently at an ICU that has been specially set up for coronavirus cases," he added.

Family members, who have been placed under quarantine, said the man had not travelled to any foreign country recently, following which police personnel visited his home for verification of the claim.

Initial investigations suggested that the man has a son who works abroad, but he has not visited home in the recent past, a source in the police department said.

His daughter-in-law, however, paid a visit sometime ago, the source said.

According to officials of the South Dum Dum Municipality, however, the patients son, who stays in Italy, had flown down to Kolkata recently.

According to a health official, he had come in contact with someone who returned from abroad.

"He got infected from someone who came from abroad or someone here who already has the disease... We are looking into it," the official said.

Three other Covid-19 patients, currently admitted in Beleghata ID hospital, are responding well to the treatment, he added.

As the number of confirmed cases in the state rose to four, the government suspended interstate bus sevices and ordered the shutdown of a host of public places including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, amusement parks, massage parlours, museums and zoos, till March 31.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jeffree Star has been sharing how hes been making use of his self-quarantining time amid the growing coronavirus pandemic.

In his latest YouTube video, the makeup guru stuck to many of his usual antics, that included teasing his new makeup collection and reviewing new products, all while opening up about his first experience getting Botox.

And of course, the fears and stress surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, was littered throughout the 17-plus minute video title: Never Leaving My House Again...

Post COVID-19 world: Jeffree Star shared how hes been making use of his self-quarantining time amid the growing coronavirus pandemic in new YouTube video

We're going to get ready today. We're going to get ready in this quarantine environment," Jeffree said near the top of the clip, after greeting his hair stylist.

Everyone out there watching, I think the world is in a really weird state now

I looked at my last makeup review that was at the end of February, and then things really got serious in March, he explained as his hair stylist intently looked on.

The fact that there's real cities on full lockdown. There's so much happening, it's just really overwhelming.

It was at this point that Star promised to lighten up the moment by offering an escape to all the craziness thats out there, which included a trip to pick up a custom McLaren.

Making the pitch: The makeup guru teased his new makeup collection and reviewed new products, all while opening up about his first experience getting Botox

While sitting down with his glam squad, Star opened up about his first Botox experience.

"Now you might see a little few lumps on my forehead. I got Botox -- yes for the first time. I know no one believes me, said the Los Angeles native, 34.

"They think I've had it forever. I've never had it before, never needed to. And I thought, b**ch. It's time to quarantine these f***ing wrinkles while we're all sitting here.

Turns out Star got a case of cabin fever after a six-day isolation, before California Governor Gavin Newsome heightened the home lockdown order, and paid a visit to his doctor, which was documented in a video taken during the visit.

Because the worlds ending, lets get botox for the first time, the Jeffree Star Cosmetics founder began in the clip shot while sitting back in a medical examination chair.

Making the pitch: The makeup guru teased his new makeup collection and reviewed new products, all while opening up about his first experience getting Botox

When the video returned to him at his home, Star admitted he had a little bruise and a bump on his forehead from the injections

It's literally on day two. But I feel good, he explained.

Once the glam team finished with his hair and makeup, the YouTube star teased a new palette, which had been set to drop in April, before the mass shutdown of businesses in the wake of the virus.

He also gave a tour of some of his new additions to his luxurious home and then headed out on a trip to Burbank to see his new custom pink McLaren.

In the description of the video, Star revealed that the new video was filmed several days before LA stepped up its COVID-19 restrictions and recommendations.

We've never seen anything like this happen before. It's been hard to sit down and film with all of this craziness happening but I hope this gives you a distraction for a few minutes, he wrote.

Love you guys so much.
With the continuously increasing number of patients getting infected by the coronavirus all over the world, more and more people are forced to stay at home and practice self-quarantine. It does not only affect regular citizens but even also the biggest Hollywood stars.

Over the past few days, people have seen how their favorite celebrities kill time and deal with boredom while stuck at home -- entertaining fans virtually, and of course, encouraging their followers to practice proper handwashing and isolation.

But one actor took his self-isolation to the next level and decided to take it as an opportunity to connect with his supporters. On Wednesday, Noah Centineo took to his social media accounts to tell fans that he has found a way to help people fight boredom while on self-quarantine.

The "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" actor understands that being stuck at home could be annoying for some. So to help other people kill time, he decided to make a public service act of giving away his new phone number so he can directly chat with fans and make the connection more personal.

Noah first took to Twitter to announce that he got a new phone and said he is trying to use it to chat with as many people as he can while on quarantine.

And yeah, the phone number is +1(561-220-0860), you're welcome.

I got a new phone peeps. Trying to chat with as many people as I can while Im quarantined. HMU +1(561-220-0860)  Noah (@noahcent) March 18, 2020

The 23-year-old actor uploaded an Instagram video to explain why he decided to make such a bold move. He also made it clear that he wants to chat with fans about anything under the sun.

"I've realized that I really wanna be able to communicate with whoever wants to communicate with me on a much more personal level, and I wanna be able to like listen to what you are talking about," Noah said.

The so-called "Instagram Boyfriend" explained that he does not want to do it via social media DMs (direct message). So when he got a new phone, he decided that it will solely be used for texting with his fans.

"You can tell me what you care about; you can tell me if you wanna talk about quarantine, self-containing, COVID-19. You can tell me if you wanna talk about my acting... books that I'm reading, things that I'm thinking about, things that are scaring you... whatever it is!" he added.

While Noah cannot assure that he will be able to respond to everyone, he believes that it is an excellent way to get along with his supporters.

But aside from killing time, Noah also saw this as an opportunity to know what fans wanted him to do in terms of acting.

"I can even ask you what kind of films you wanna see me in and what projects you want me to do. You can actually be involved in that creative process," Noah explained.

The actor expressed that he is very excited to do such an experiment and said, "So text me!" in the sexiest way possible.
A 61-year-old Warren County, New Jersey, man who tested positive for COVID-19 died at a Lehigh Valley hospital, an advisory issued Saturday afternoon says.

The man, who was not identified, was from Washington Borough according to the advisory from the borough.

Lehigh County Coroner Eric Minnich confirmed the patient died Friday night at St. Lukes University Hospital in Fountain Hill. He said the primary cause of the mans death was a head injury from a fall at home, but that the virus may have contributed to his death.

The case was one of two COVID-19 cases from Washington that were reported in the advisory. The other case is that of a 60-year-old man who is recuperating at home. They are the boroughs first two reported cases of the virus.

At this time, the Warren County Health Department is actively working on close contact tracing, meaning that they are reaching out to anyone who would have had close contact with these individuals, the advisory says, This is all the information which has been released by the Warren County Health Department at this time.

The Lehigh Valley on Wednesday was reported to have Pennsylvanias first death from the virus that began spreading in December in Wuhan, China, and is now a global threat.

Carmine Fusco, 55, was being treated in Northampton County and is the second person from one New Jersey family to have died after being infected with the coronavirus, the familys attorney confirmed Wednesday. He was a horse racing trainer from New Jersey.

New Jersey now has 1,327 confirmed cases of the virus that has infected hundreds of thousands across the globe. There have now been 16 known deaths from the virus in New Jersey.

If you may have been exposed or exhibit the symptoms of COVID-19  fever, cough and shortness of breath  contact your healthcare provider.

For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at www.nj.gov/health and the CDC website.

Reporter Tony Rhodin contributed to this report.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
SPA Issues Official Notice

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Date: 21/03/2020

Pyongyang, March 21 (KCNA) -- The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Friday made public an official notice to inform the SPA deputies of convening the 3rd Session of the 14th SPA in Pyongyang on April 10, Juche 109 (2020).

The notice said that there will be the registration of deputies on April 10, Juche 109 (2020). -0-

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 01:50:42|Editor: yhy

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KIGALI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese enterprises have contributed materials and funds to the government of Rwanda to support the latter's efforts against the COVID-19, sources told Xinhua on Sunday.

Construction company China Star on Saturday handed over donated nucleic acid diagnostic kits that can be used for about 100 people to Rwanda's ministry of health.

The company, providing numbers of services from construction to material sale, is also preparing the second batch of materials, including face masks, protective suits and diagnostic kits, for the central African country, said the company's East Africa Chairman Chen Lisheng.

The Association of Chinese Enterprises in Rwanda on Friday donated 10 million Rwandan francs (abot 11,000 U.S. dollars) to Rwandan ministry of health amid the outbreak of the coronavirus in the central African country, which has confirmed 17 COVID-19 cases.

Chinese enterprises in Rwanda should join hands with Rwanda to fight against the coronavirus, as the situation of the coronavirus in Rwanda closely related to them, said Li Jianbo, head of the association that bringing together 29 Chinese companies.

Chinese companies will strictly observe Rwanda's regulations on the prevention and control of the COVID-19, and contribute to Rwanda's efforts within their capacity, said Li.

A Chinese medical technology company Tiankang earlier on Sunday donated protective supplies such as surgical face mask, protective clothing and isolation gown to the Rwandan embassy in China, he revealed.

Following the increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, Rwanda announced a two-week lockdown in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, banning unnecessary movements of residents and ordering border closure.

Other measures the country had taken including suspending primate conservation parks, commercial flights, courts operations, schools and large gatherings.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday joined crores of countrymen to clap with them at 5 pm to thank doctors, paramedics and other essential service providers, including mediapersons, engaged in fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

"Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday 5 PM at his residence greeted the ones who are standing in the frontline to battle the coronavirus pandemic such as doctors, persons involved in essential services, and media persons," Vice President's Twitter handle said on Sunday evening.

According to the Health Ministry figures, the total number of positive coronavirus cases in India reached over 340 on Sunday with seven people dying of the Covid-19 infection till date.

Many Indian states on have imposed partial or complete lockdowns for varying periods to hinder the spread of the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One of the deadliest and least predictable phases in the global coronavirus crisis could begin as innocuously as this: a grandmother and her grandchild walking up a hill.

The nine-year-old boy was wearing a surgical mask, and his grandmother was scared. They were coming back from the hospital, trudging up a steep incline to their hovel in Rio de Janieros storied Santa Marta favela. Sonia Maria de Oliveira feared life was about to get more difficult. The boy, believed to be Santa Martas first suspected case of coronavirus, had just been ordered into 14 days of isolation.

But Ms Oliveira worried whether that was even possible. Families in this hillside slum crowd into small homes stacked precariously on top of one another, as in a game of Jenga. Children stream in and out of homes, past fetid canals and down alleyways that are as much community living rooms as passageways.

Its a challenge now confronting governments across the developing world, as the coronavirus moves into densely populated, poorer countries, where expansive urban slums with limited sanitation and medical care could accelerate disease transmission.

In Liberia, the 2014 outbreak of Ebola was fuelled by conditions in the slums of Monrovia. In India, influenza propagates more rapidly in the poorest neighbourhoods, which then feed back into the city at large. And in Brazil, even the mosquito-borne disease of Zika was far more concentrated in the favelas of the north, around the city of Recife.

Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Show all 20 1 /20 Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Top: Nabi Younes market, Mosul Bottom: Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Grand Mosque, Mecca Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Nabi Younes market, Mosul Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Basra Grand Mosque, Iraq Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Taj Mahal hotel, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Dubai Mall, UAE Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Gateway of India, Mumbai Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Victoria Memorial, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sidon, Lebanon Reuters

Now in the global war against the coronavirus, analysts believe some of the most important battles will be fought in the poorest parts of the developing world, with far fewer tools and far less capacity for isolation than higher-income countries.

The strategy being pushed in the United States and China and Korea, there is no strategy for that there, said Madhav Marathe, a division director of the University of Virginias Biocomplexity Institute. Once a disease enters a slum, its very hard to do social distancing. Once its in slum, its very hard to protect them.

It will also make it much harder to protect everywhere else, Mr Marathe said. Studying influenza in New Delhi, he found that slums have a multiplying effect during an outbreak. It will be much more difficult for countries with extreme urban poverty to overcome the epidemic: there will be a feedback loop.

The point is that they matter a lot, he said. They play a big role in concentrating and speeding up the disease.

In a country like Brazil, which has more than 977 confirmed cases  by far the most in Latin America  public health professionals say it wont be long before the disease reaches the favelas, if it hasnt already. The first confirmed cases were wealthy Brazilians who contracted the disease while travelling abroad. But the classes here mix so regularly  the poor work in wealthy households as doormen, labourers and domestic employees  that its soon expected to be everywhere. Rio states first reported coronavirus death was that of a 63-year-old maid who apparently caught it from her boss after the womans return from Italy.

The people who brought this were the rich coming from vacations to Europe, but the people who will suffer much more will be the poor, said Paulo Buss, one of Brazils leading public health doctors. Unfortunately, I think its going to be there soon, and we will have big numbers.

Officials are increasingly voicing alarm. Drastic ideas are being floated. The newspaper Estadao reported official talks of isolating infected favela residents on ships at sea. The favela news outlet Voice of the Communities reports the government plans to blast voice warnings into the slums.

Rio is an extremely complex urban scenario, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, the Brazilian health minister, has said. We have an enormous number of people in areas of social exclusion, in a more fragile system of health. Sao Paulo is stronger, but both will suffer greatly.

For Wanda Guimaraes, general coordinator of a Rio health service organisation, its been like waiting for a hurricane to make landfall. Each day looks darker. More than 1.4 million people  nearly a quarter of Rios population  live in one of the citys favelas. Many cant afford to miss a single day of work, let alone weeks. People will continue leaving their houses, she said, regardless of government admonishments.

The storms about to hit. Following nationwide protests urging government action this week, officials closed the land borders with eight neighbouring countries. Public meetings and school classes have been cancelled. Wilson Witzel, the governor of Rio state, wants to seal off the state from the rest of the country. A national emergency was declared Friday. Within a week, researchers estimate, the country will have more than 5,000 cases.

There certainly will be a lot of people dying, Ms Guimaraes said. The final result will be a lot of lives lost.

Recommended Croatia hospital evacuated as earthquake hits during partial lockdown

Community health worker Ines Ferreira, making her rounds in the favela of Borel, has come to the same conclusion. The problems were already severe: poor health, a high rate of disease, limited education, overcrowding and  perhaps most urgently  scant understanding of the coronavirus.

Every day now is a race to inform people.

Some people are beginning to understand that we have to stay in the house, Ms Ferreira said. But there are so many health problems. The children dont have nutrition. The old people dont have nutrition ... We believe it will kill a lot of people.

Foreboding is now settling over communities, which spill across Brazils hilly urban landscape in splashes of orange and grey, as the gap between what needs to be done and what can be done becomes increasingly stark.

Yesterday we didnt have water, said Raull Santiago, a community activist in Complexo do Alemao. Social isolation is nearly impossible. Families of six live in one-bedroom houses. The rich people have bought up all of the hand sanitiser. We cant even take the minimum steps to do this.

Rocinha, the biggest favela in Brazil, with an estimated population of 70,000  has announced it wants to ban foreign visitors to try to protect the community. The same goal has been taken up in Santa Marta, where on a recent overcast morning the coronavirus was the only topic anyone wanted to talk about.

Houses are very close to each other, said Lorrana Ismerim, speaking along a tight passageway shooting upward. Theres not much air circulation.

Nearby, Jose Mario Hilario said hed only just recovered from tuberculosis. Diseases cause death here, he said. We have to worry.

It was the only thing that Ms Oliveira, the grandmother, felt she could do right now. When her grandson developed a dry cough and a high fever, she feared the worst. At 50, she understood she was at greater risk but would never isolate herself from him.

On Tuesday morning, she took him to the doctor at the base of the hill. She learned he might have the coronavirus. Now she was trying to put into words what it meant. And what she could do about it.

We live in a small house, she said. It wouldnt even be possible to isolate him. I am afraid.

She turned away. With a mask now across her face, too, she took the boy up the winding passageways, to the top of the mountain.

The Washington Post
Though biodiversity is in crisis globally, amphibians in particular face a variety of threats. One such threat comes from pathogens like the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). This fungus causes chytridiomycosis, a disease that research indicates contributes to the decline of some amphibians. New research, however, now calls into question some prior evidence that links the widespread pathogen to hundreds of amphibian declines.

Last year in the journal Science, a research review concluded that the chytrid fungus caused the decline of at least 501 amphibian species, of which 90 have gone extinct. That paper suggested that species losses due to the chytrid fungus are "orders of magnitude greater than for other high-profile wildlife pathogens." But a recent reanalysis led by University of California, Berkeley, researchers found that the paper's main conclusions lack evidence and are unreproducible.

In a Comment published online March 19th in Science, the group conducting the reanalysis -- including lead authors Max Lambert and Molly Womack, who are postdocs in the lab of professor Erica Rosenblum in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) at UC Berkeley -- identified a number of data deficiencies and methodological issues in the Scheele study. Working through the methods and datasets, they faced challenges in reproducing conclusions while identifying numerous instances of missing data. In some cases, data gaps failed to link the fungus to species declines -- even for many species which were previously reported with high certainty that the fungus was the cause.

Lambert and Womack note that their reanalysis does not minimize the role the chytrid fungus has played in amphibian declines and that "chytridiomycosis has irrefutably harmed amphibians."

A number of co-authors involved in the reanalysis had previously studied the harmful effects of the chytrid fungus on amphibians in California and Central America. For some species, the data make clear that amphibian chytrid fungus, which has received tremendous attention, has contributed to declines. However, Lambert, Womack, and their collaborators found that the evidence in Scheele et al.'s analysis is negligible -- or even absent -- for many important species.

They state that it remains unclear exactly how many and which amphibian species have been harmed by the fungus. Relative to other threats that amphibians face, the role chytrid plays in global declines is also uncertain. In many cases, according to the Science comment, the cause of amphibian declines remains a mystery.

The reanalysis authors argue that transparent data collection and analysis are crucial -- both for science and conservation efforts. "It is more critical than ever for scientists to provide responsible narratives based on transparent and reproducible data and methods," says Lambert. "Doing so will produce better science and more effective conservation."

Additional UC Berkeley authors on this study, from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, include Erica B. Rosenblum, Allison Q. Byrne, Obed Hernandez-Gomez, Clay F. Noss, and Andrew P. Rothstein. The study also included researchers from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, San Francisco State University, Arizona State University, Utah State University, Northern Arizona University, and Vanderbilt University.
Aaron Kotler went for a walk with his wife and grandson last Thursday in Lakewood. Pushing a stroller along Forest Avenue, the street devoid of its usual late-afternoon crush of traffic, they passed near the campus of Beth Medrash Govoha.

It is one of the largest yeshivas in the world and Kotler, its president and CEO, was struck by what he saw. The lights were off and the doors were locked.

The scene was similar throughout Lakewood as the week drew to an end, with the closure of public and private schools, shops along Clifton Avenue, and wedding halls. The hubbub of New Jerseys fifth largest city has dropped to a whisper as officials try to limit the spread of the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 1,300 people and killed 16 in the state.

Public health experts agree that these drastic measures are the minimum required to avoid catastrophic casualties as the virus spreads in New Jersey, and Lakewood has seen a rapid turnaround in its response to the virus. Community leaders are working with prominent rabbis and doctors to compel widespread closures in the town.

While coronavirus precautions will affect almost everyone in New Jersey, restrictions on gatherings have a profound impact on Lakewoods sizable Orthodox Jewish community, which comprises about two-thirds of the towns 100,000 residents. Most synagogues, at which people gather to pray three times a day, are closed, as are schools. Play groups have largely disbanded.

But some traditions have been slow to stop, as Lakewood police had to break up at least four weddings last week where more than 50 people were gathered, according to the department. Community leaders said they are scrambling to reign in such celebrations.

Its a difficult thing because of what marriage is in the community, said Lakewood Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein. Delaying a marriage is a very difficult thing. Religion frowns upon delaying a set wedding. You have to have a very serious reason.

Coronavirus may be just that reason. Lichtenstein is among the community leaders in Lakewood toiling to spread the message on the seriousness of the virus. To be sure, Lakewood is just one town across the state, and the country, battling the coronavirus, but the social distancing measures have an outsize impact there because of the close-knit nature of its Orthodox community.

In the past few days, Lichtenstein, Kotler and others have encouraged several prominent rabbis and doctors to sign letters, record videos and robocalls, encourage the closure of synagogues and wedding halls, and compel people to pray at home, based on multiple interviews with people in town. The message has been widely received. Lichtenstein said the closure of Beth Medrash Govoha went a long way in conveying how serious the situation has become.

The place is now a ghost town, said Harold Herskowitz, the owner of Lakewood toy store Toys For Thought and a community activist. They finally took it seriously. As far as I know only food stores are open. No prayer services whatsoever no matter how small.

Around the state, things continue to look dire. New Jersey had at least 1,327 known coronavirus cases as of Saturday, up 442 cases from Friday, and 16 people have died. Gov. Phil Murphy said that the number of cases is expected to rise in the coming days. On Saturday, the governor ordered all non-essential businesses to close and ordered all gatherings to cease.

Lakewood is also starting to see a spike in cases. On Saturday, the Ocean County Health Department reported 42 cases in the town, up from 26 cases reported on Friday. Ocean County overall has 97 confirmed cases.

As the virus continues to spread, public health officials are advising people all over New Jersey to prepare to be isolated for a matter of months, rather than weeks. In Lakewood, that delay from routine life hits hard in a town that revolves around community.

"Its taking a toll, said Avi Schnall, state director of Agudath Israel, an Orthodox Jewish advocacy group. The whole of community life is about getting together. Praying together. Studying together. Were not doing any of that.

He noted the schools are closed. Neighbors are not letting their kids go to each others houses.

The synagogues are closed, he said. The concept of shutting down a synagogue  the last time that happened was in Germany.

Prayer is central to the Orthodox community, with observant Jews gathering together three times a day to pray. There is morning prayer, or Shaharit; afternoon prayer, or Mincha; and Maariv, the evening prayer.

Its our oxygen, Schnall explained.

As for the wedding celebrations that police shut down last week, Schnall said his first thought was to feel badly for the grooms and brides. But he suggested it has been hard for people everywhere, not just in the Orthodox community, to come to the new reality as the coronavirus spreads. He pointed to a St. Patricks Day parade over the weekend.

Kotler, the head of BMG and one of the most influential men in Lakewood, said that families will have to learn to adjust to life under coronavirus.

And Lakewood, like every community in the state, will have to adjust to the stricter rules coming down from the governor. Murphy on Saturday took his most drastic steps yet, shutting down non-essential" businesses, and ordering all gatherings to stop.

All gatherings are canceled until further notice, Murphy said. Any place where people congregate is a place coronavirus can spread. We need you to just stay at home. We expect people to stay home. We want you off the roads. Thats now 24 hours. We dont want you out there  period.

While Lichtenstein has been encouraged by the response in Lakewood over the past few days, he said hes concerned that people may not remain home as the crisis stretches. Passover, an eight-day holiday that often begins with family and friends coming together for the traditional Seder that retells the story of Exodus, is particularly worrying to Lichtenstein.

The thought of Passover happening on a non-communal level is extremely overwhelming, he said in a phone interview on Friday. Telling people they cant go to synagogue on Passover is mind-blowing.

If the virus continues to progress as projected by the state and public health experts, Passover this year will have to be observed in isolation, and Lichtenstein and other community leaders will lean on the methods they used this week to reach people about coronavirus.

By next week, if we see this is continuing full-force, the rabbis will be talking to people, he said. Its going to take encouragement from the rabbis.

As a deeply religious man, Schnall still sees Gods hand in all of this.

We believe God runs the world and this is what he wants right now. So we have to accept it. Everything has its purpose," he said. "I cant tell you what that is, but everything has its purpose.

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The development comes in the backdrop of the nationwide 'Janta Curfew,' which is being observed on Prime Minister Modi's appeal.

As the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests continue at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh amid the backdrop of the nationwide "Janta Curfew" being observed on an appeal from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a petrol bomb was hurled near the site on Sunday morning, demonstrators were quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

The incident occurred around 9.30 am, however, no injuries have been reported. A police team has found five to six petrol-filled bottles at the site, PTI further reported.

According to a report in The Hindu, two unidentified persons on a bike threw a bottle filled with explosive substances around 100 metres from the protest site. Police said the bike came out of a lane in Shaheen Bagh and threw a bottle towards the police barricades. "We are scanning CCTVs to get a clue about the people who were on the bike. The situation is under control," a senior police officer told the newspaper. There was also a low intensity blast outside Jamia Millia Islamia, as per the report.

Meanwhile, on Saturday night, a scuffle broke out at Shaheen Bagh between two groups over the "Janta curfew".

A scuffle broke out at #ShaheenBagh after one group wanted to support #JantaCurfew and other group was opposing it. (Video shot on Saturday night). pic.twitter.com/XV5U0StLqb  Saurabh Trivedi (@saurabh3vedi) March 22, 2020

Hundreds of demonstrators at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi have been agitating since 15 December against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

Demonstrations to continue, vow protesters

Protesters at Shaheen Bagh had vowed to continue their sit-in even as Modi urged citizens to remain at their homes as a measure to combat the spread of COVID-19.

While the Delhi government had said that gatherings of more than 50 people would not be allowed, demonstrators said that not more than 50 people would be staging protests at a time.

The protesters on Friday told PTI that not more than 50 women had been staging protest at any given time.

"On Sunday, we will sit under small tents (at the protest side). Only two women will sit under each tent and maintain a distance of more than a metre between them," a protester who did not wish to be named said.

Another protester, Rizvana, said the women had been taking every precaution and they were covered in burqa all the time. "Washing hands regularly is part of our lifestyle. We offer namaz five times a day and we wash our hands every time," she said.

Ritu Kushik, another protester, said women aged above 70 and children aged less than 10 were not being allowed at the protest site. "The women are not sitting on the mattresses any more. Cots have been placed and there's a minimum distance of three metres between every two cots. Not more than two women can sit on a cot," he said.

Taseer Ahmad, one of the key organisers, said sanitisers and masks had been arranged in enough numbers, and the protest site was being disinfected at regular intervals.

Petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking removal of the protesters to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Supreme Court will hear the petitions along with other pleas pending before it in the matter on Monday.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus has climbed to 324, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

With inputs from agencies
Researchers have revealed new insights into how the human hand evolved from fish fins based on their analysis of an ancient fossil found in Miguasha, Canada.

Palaeontologists, including those from Flinders University in Australia, said the fish specimen has yielded the missing evolutionary link in the transition from fish to four legged animals.

They said this happened during the Late Devonian period, millions of years ago, as fish began to foray in habitats such as shallow water and land.

The study, published in the journal Nature, noted that the 1.57 metre long fossil shows the complete arm -- pectoral fin -- skeleton for the first time in any elpistostegalian fish.

Using high energy X-Ray CT-scans, the scientists assessed the skeleton of the pectoral fin, revealing the presence of a humerus (arm), radius and ulna (forearm), rows of carpus (wrist) and phalanges organized in digits (fingers).

"This is the first time that we have unequivocally discovered fingers locked in a fin with fin-rays in any known fish," said John Long, study co-author from Flinders University Professor.

"The articulating digits in the fin are like the finger bones found in the hands of most animals," Long said.

The finding, according to the researchers, pushes back the origin of fingers in vertebrates to the fish level.

They said it also reveals that the patterning for the vertebrate hand was first developed deep in evolution, just before fishes left the water.

The evolution of fishes into four-legged vertebrates was one of the most significant events in the history of life, the study noted.

With this adaptation, the scientists said, vertebrates, or back-boned animals, were then able to leave the water and conquer land.

To complete this transition, they said, one of the most significant changes was the evolution of hands and feet.

"The origin of digits relates to developing the capability for the fish to support its weight in shallow water or for short trips out on land. The increased number of small bones in the fin allows more planes of flexibility to spread out its weight through the fin," said study co-author Richard Cloutier from the Universite du Quebec in Canada.

"The other features the study revealed concerning the structure of the upper arm bone or humerus, which also shows features present that are shared with early amphibians," Cloutier said.

He said elpistostege is the closest scientists can get to a true 'transitional fossil' -- an intermediate between fishes and tetrapods.

According to the scientists, these animals were the largest predators living in a shallow marine to estuarine habitat of Quebec about 380 million years ago.

They had powerful sharp fangs in their mouth and may have fed upon several of the larger extinct lobe-finned fishes found fossilised in the same deposits, the researchers noted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is ready to step down next year as part of a proposed power-sharing agreement with his chief rival Benny Gantz.

The move is intended to steer the country through the coronavirus crisis and end a year-long political deadlock.

Mr Netanyahu made his proposal during a television interview, calling for the formation of a three-year 'emergency' unity government with the rival Blue and White Party.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (above) said: 'I will give up the prime minister's post in another year and a half.' But Yair Lapid, a senior Blue and White leader, dismissed Mr Netanyahu's unity offer as insincere

He told Channel 12 TV that he would remain as prime minister for the first year and a half, and allow Blue and White leader Mr Gantz to assume the post for a second year-and-a-half term in September 2021.

The prime minister said each party would have an equal number of seats in the cabinet.

Mr Netanyahu said: 'I will give up the prime minister's post in another year and a half.'

But Yair Lapid, a senior Blue and White leader, dismissed Mr Netanyahu's unity offer as insincere.

Israel has detected nearly 900 cases and reported its first death on Friday.

With the public largely confined to their homes, the economy appears to be in great danger, with tens of thousands of people losing their jobs.

Israel this month held its third inconclusive election in under a year. Mr Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the largest single party, but fell short of securing a required parliamentary majority.
Three persons tested positive for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu,taking the total confirmed cases to nine, as people fully backed the 'janta curfew' call while the government extended the curb till Monday morning and announced suspension of inter-state bus and Metro rail services here till March 31.

The state came to a virtual standstill on Sunday with roads, bus stands and railway stations wearing a deserted look and shops downing shutters in solidarity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to people to stay put in their houses to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Authorities said buses were deployed to help scores of migrant labourers stranded at the Central Railway station here.

Health Minister C Vijyabaskar in tweets confirmed the three new cases -- returnees from Spain, US and Dubai.

"#corona update: A traveller from Spain tests #Covid_19 positive. Patient is undergoing treatment in isolation. @MoHFW_INDIA #Vijayabaskar."



In another tweet, he said: #coronaupdate: 2 new positive cases of #Covid19. 64 Y F, traveled from California, under isolation at Stanley Med College. 43 Y M, returned from Dubai, under isolation at Tirunelveli Med College. Both the pts are stable."



On Saturday, three new positive cases, including two Thai nationals were confirmed.

As of Sunday, as many as 2,05,396 passengers had been screened and 9,424 were under the monitoring of authorities.

Totally, there are nine positive patients now in Tamil Nadu while one of them,a 45-year old man from Kancheepuram, has been discharged.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami meanwhile, in a brief statement, said Metro rail and inter-state bus services will be suspended till March 31.

The government had already shut state borders with neighbours, including Karnataka and Kerala, while allowing trucks ferrying essential commodities.

Meanwhile, citing the Centre's move to lockdown 75 districts -- from where coronavirus cases were reported- including Chennai, Kancheepuram and Erode, DMK's president MK Stalin said the Chief Minister should issue appropriate orders ensuring that people's basic needs are not affected.

The main opposition party's top leader said essential needs, including food, should be ensured for marginalised people like daily wage earners, pavement dwellers and those living on alms during the lockdown.

He also wanted adjournment of the ongoing assembly session from Monday.

Stalin said his party MLAs and MPs will donate one month's salary to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to help workers of the unorganised sector hit by the coronavirus pandemic. He also demanded the government to defer the 11th and 12th class board examinations.

PMK, an ally of the ruling AIADMK, favoured a lockdown till March 31 across Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the state government extended the 'janta curfew' till 5 am tomorrow.

While the support of people, traders, industries and other sections of the society was visible on Sunday, the government acknowledged their "cooperation" and said the curfew scheduled to end at 9 pm on Sunday "will continue till 5 am tomorrow considering people's welfare."



An official release here said there was no bar to continuation of essential services and appealed to people to extend their full cooperation.

Public and private buses, autos and taxis stayed off the roads in most parts of the state. Metro Rail services were not operated.

Similar was the scenario in other cities and towns of the state such as Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai.

However, the low-cost eatery chain 'Amma Canteen' run by local bodies across Tamil Nadu were open and came as a boon to migrant labourers and workers since all other eateries were shut.

In the evening, at the stroke of five o clock, the Chief Minister led the state in thanking those involved in essential services to combat the spread of coronavirus by clapping hands.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and other state Ministers honoured the personnel like doctors and sanitary workers by clapping in their respective residences.

Interestingly, weddings at several places in Tamil Nadu turned out to be low-key affairs with only close relatives of the bride and groom taking part.

In neighbouring Kancheepuram, a wedding took place at the home of the groom with only a few relatives participating.

Local bodies across Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, continued with their clean up-cum-disinfection drive in public places like bus terminals and markets by spraying disinfectants.

Essential services like milk distribution and hospitals (including the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital which treats COVID-19 patients and the Stanley Hospital) functioned as usual.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Grand Rapids Community College announced today that one of its students has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The result was confirmed by the Kent County Health Department, which has 20 confirmed cases at this time and earlier tonight reported the first death in the county that is as a result of COVID-19.

The college did not disclose the age or gender of the student, citing privacy reasons.

"Our first thoughts are with this student as they continue to recover, President Bill Pink stated in a news release issued by the college.

As a campus community, we will continue to take proactive steps to limit the spread of coronavirus," Pink said. "The safety and wellness of all of our students and employees continues to be our top priority as we face this crisis together.

The student, according to the release, reported showing symptoms of COVID-19 on March 17 and was tested March 19. The college learned late on March 20 about the students condition and that the test results were presumptive positive.

This is not an illness that is just for the old or those with underlying health conditions," Adam London, director of the Kent County Health Department, said during a Saturday evening briefing. "Anyone can be seriously affected by this and we should all be taking this seriously.

London said the average age of the 20 people infected in Kent County is 42.

The county health department has been in contact with the GRCC student, who is now in isolation, and has determined that the risk to fellow students and faculty is low, according to the release.

The health department has determined this person has had very few close contacts, and has contacted those individuals who require observation and are monitoring them for illness for 14 days after their last known exposure to the student, the release states.

GRCC announced March 11 it was suspending face-to-face instruction and on March 18 closed its Grand Rapids and Lakeshore campuses to all but a limited number of employees.

The college also announced late this week that students suffering from food insecurity will be able to pick up bags of food beginning Tuesday, March 24 for at least the next three weeks.

Grand Rapids Community College has 12,500 students. Additional information for students and the community on coronavirus is available on the GRCC website.

As of March 21, there are 787 reported coronavirus cases in Michigan, according to data released by the state Health and Human Services Department. Eight deaths have been reported, four of those on Saturday.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Also on MLive:

First coronavirus death confirmed in West Michigan; 7 total statewide

GRCC closes campus to slow spread of coronavirus

Needy GRCC students can get free groceries during coronavirus crisis

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closes hair and nail salons, tattoo shops due to coronavirus

Saturday, March 21: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
- Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are being hailed in the Philippines for leading the battle against COVID-19

- In just the last two days, three doctors passed away after getting infected with the virus

- Those three doctors are Cardiologist Israel Bactol from the Philippine Heart Center, anesthesiologist Gregorio Macasaet III of Manila Doctors Hospital and oncologist Rose Pulido at the San Juan de Dios Hospital

- The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) paid tribute to the fallen heroes in a new statement

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Many Filipinos are hailing doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers for leading the battle against COVID-19.

KAMI learned that three doctors passed away in the last two days after getting infected with the virus.

According to SunStar and The Summit Express, those three doctors are Cardiologist Israel Bactol from the Philippine Heart Center, anesthesiologist Gregorio Macasaet III of Manila Doctors Hospital and an oncologist at the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) paid tribute to the fallen heroes in a new statement.

You are a great loss to the medical profession and to our country. We thank you dear doctors for finishing the race with a great fight, the group stated.

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CNN Philippines reported earlier that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines is now 380 and the death toll is at 25.

In a report by ABS-CBN News, a total of 15 patients have recovered from COVID-19.

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Warring parents are 'weaponising' coronavirus and using it to stop their estranged partners having contact with their children, it has been claimed.

Boris Johnson's divorce lawyer has recently been consulted on a dispute where one parent is not letting her two children see their father for the weekend.

A mother approached Neil Russell, a solicitor at the London law firm Seddons, saying that her children didn't want to visit their father due to concerns they could be stuck away from their usual home for weeks if they have to self-isolate.

Boris Johnson's divorce lawyer Neil Russell (pictured) has recently been consulted on a dispute where one parent is not letting her two children see their father for the weekend

She also feared that the other parent could create a situation where they say they can't bring the children back because of self-isolation.

Russell told The Times: 'I have been doing this for 30 years and I have not seen anything like it concerning money or children.

'In many situations childcare arrangements may be precarious, and we have a catastrophic pandemic that is unsettling fragile working relationships between separated parents.'

'Where there is already distrust between parents, this virus inflates that distrust.'

Deputy chief constable Louisa Rolfe, the national police lead on domestic abuse (pictured), has expressed concern over the huge increase in levels of violence seen at home in China and Italy

Both parents in Russell's case work in healthcare and are concerned that their children could be carriers of the virus which would put their patients at risk or leave them unable to work.

It comes as police prepare for a surge in domestic violence as families spend more time together at home during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Deputy chief constable Louisa Rolfe, the national police lead on domestic abuse, has expressed concern over the huge increase in levels of violence seen at home in China and Italy.

Nicole Jacobs, the government's domestic abuse commissioner (pictured), urged women to ignore official advice to stay indoors if it puts them at risk

She is worried the same will happen in the UK now that a nation-wide lockdown is in place and people are encouraged to stay at home to help stop the spread of the virus.

She said: 'If domestic abuse goes up because of Covid-19, that will challenge us. I would urge people to look out for neighbours, look out for family and listen out for signs of abuse.'

Nicole Jacobs, the government's domestic abuse commissioner, urged women to ignore official advice to stay indoors if it puts them at risk.

She said that rules to stay at home are the 'ultimate nightmare' for victims of domestic abuse and that the stress of working from home can make it worse.

The UK's coronavirus death toll yesterday skyrocketed by 56 bringing the total fatalities to 233 in the worst 24 hours the country has seen yet.

The total number of confirmed cases in the UK has hit 5,018.
Gov. Ned Lamont waived the requirement Saturday that municipalities hold town meetings to adopt their annual budgets this year, setting aside longstanding home-rule traditions to combat the coronavirus crisis.

Lamonts latest executive order affects more than two-thirds of Connecticuts 169 cities and towns. In these communities it gives the board of selectmen  and not a town meeting or a referendum  final authority to approve spending levels and local mill rates.

Just as my administration is working tirelessly to protect the health and safety of Connecticut residents, so to are our local mayors and first selectmen, Lamont said. During this unprecedented public health pandemic, its vital that we provide our local leaders with procedural relief.

The governors order quickly generated praise from the Connecticut Council of Small Towns and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, who called it a crucial step to avert fiscal chaos at the local government level.

This will allow towns to adopt budgets and set mill rates which are critical to funding the delivering of local services, said COST Executive Director Betsy Gara, who acknowledged that while the step is unprecedented, clearly protecting the health and safety of the public is town officials Number One concern.

Gara also predicted this order would leave municipalities in the best position, once the public health crisis has ended, to help residents return to work and to reopen public schools. We want to make sure when this is over we can get back on track quickly.

Joe DeLong, executive director of CCM, said the administration did not act in a vacuum, working closely with municipal advocates and experts in municipal law.

A lot of people were able to provide input on this process, DeLong said. Its probably not perfect and will probably require some modifications in future executive orders if we find anything we missed, but generally this is something we support and are appreciative of.

The governors order also directs local leaders to make options available for the public to inspect and comment on the budget remotely. This would involve posting the budget on town websites and allowing residents to submit comments on these fiscal plans by email.

Local leaders have been wary since the COVID-19 crisis intensified two weeks ago that municipalities  most of which adopt budgets between late April and mid-May  would be facing fiscal chaos if they entered the new fiscal year on July 1 with no budget in place and no clear path toward approving one without jeopardizing public health.

In an earlier order, Lamont gave local leaders an additional 30 days to adopt their budgets.

In general, the final stage in local budget adoption in most Connecticut municipalities involves either a town meeting, a referendum, or both. According to COST, nearly 120 towns adopted budgets one of these two ways in 2018.

In cities and certain large towns, the legislative body designated for this task is a city council, a town council, or a representative town meeting. The latter typically involves a few dozen representatives elected from various regions of a town.

But in many cases, after a budget proposal has been prepared by a municipal boards of education, selectmen and finance, the final proposal is brought to a town meeting, at which any registered voter or property taxpayer can attend and cast a ballot.

Most communities that use the town meeting approach also allow residents, if unsatisfied with the result, to petition the budget to a referendum  a machine vote at local polling places  for final action.

And still other communities down even vote on the budget at the town meeting level, instead sending the matter directly to a referendum.

Lamonts executive order empowered the boards of education for regional school districts to adopt budgets in similar fashion, without those plans having to be endorsed by voters in their respective communities.
History one day will judge whether the COVID-19 pandemic ranks with events like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 on the American disaster scale.

As of today it would appear to be a distinct possibility, looking at rising death tolls, a cascade of patients potentially overwhelming the health care system, widespread shutdowns and the prospect of a devastated economy with unemployment rates exceeding 20%.

Thats why its critical that as we emerge from this  and emerge we will  we take a deep dive into how this happened and how we can prevent it in the future.

Thats not unprecedented.

After 9/11, the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States produced a report based on extensive interviews and testimony that led to national security changes. Weve not seen another attack on that scale since then. After Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed a commission headed by an associate justice of the Supreme Court with the sole purpose of investigating the facts related to the Pearl Harbor attack.

A similar commission now would no doubt find we have put ourselves at risk by outsourcing too much critical manufacturing, from technology to medicine, to China in particular, but also to other countries. The Chinese government has its own global ambitions and doesnt have our interests at heart. Why would we expect it to? And an honest analysis also would show we must shoulder much of the blame for a willingness to trade profits for national security.

At the top of the to-do list going forward should be taking steps to ensure we have sufficient capacity in this country to manufacture our own medical supplies and medicines like antibiotics.

That alarm bell already had been rung before the outbreak. And before the dictatorship that runs China spent crucial weeks suppressing facts and news about it  giving the deadly and contagious virus a headstart on the rest of the world.

Earlier last year, the U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission established by Congress in 2000 warned that our dependence on China as the worlds largest producer and exporter of active pharmaceutical ingredients put the health of Americans and our national security at risk.

Should Bejing opt to use U.S. dependence on China as an economic weapon and cut supplies of critical drugs, the report noted, it would have a serious effect on the health of U.S. consumers.

Trumps former economic adviser Gary Cohn argued in August that we shouldnt anger the Chinese in a trade war because if youre China and you really want to destroy us, just stop sending us antibiotics.

Some estimates are as high as 97% for our dependence on China for key medicines.

Not a problem?

Consider that a Communist Party organ irked at criticism of Chinas handling of the outbreak raised the spectre of withholding medicines and plunging the U.S. into a sea of coronavirus. Note: Except for foreign journalists, there is no free press in China. So take that kind of threat seriously.

In response to the crisis, a bipartisan group of senators led by Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have introduced legislation to safeguard Americas medical supply chain and address shortages due to U.S. dependence on foreign-made medical equipment.

The global coronavirus outbreak has heightened awareness around the vulnerability we have when it comes to American reliance on foreign-made medical supplies, the senators said last week. We have to develop a strategy to strengthen domestic production and supplies.

The legislation  the Commission on Americas Medical Security Act  would require consultation with the departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Defense, Commerce, Justice, State and Veterans Affairs as well as public health, medical and commercial industry stakeholders.

Hallelujah! A belated epiphany, but better late than never.

No one should oppose trade and economic/diplomatic relations. The Chinese people arent our enemy and this isnt about nationalism or isolationism. Its about producing things in this country that we simply cant do without and that failure to do so puts us at the mercy of regimes like the one that runs China.

Medicines arent the only thing on that list.

After Pearl Harbor and 9/11, it was clear that America needed to wake up. Its that time again. The challenge is clear, and its up to our elected leaders to deal with it.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Mills said first-time potential blood donors are carefully screened for eligibility. Dogs must be between 1 and 7 years old, healthy, and weigh more than 50 pounds.

Thats a safe weight to pull a full collection, said Mills. The bigger the better.

Mills said prior to donating blood, dogs must also be on monthly preventatives, including heartworm, flea and tick medications, as well as having up-to-date rabies and distemper vaccines.

If were going to be distributing blood, we want to make sure its coming from a healthy donor, said Mills.

Once accepted into the North American Veterinary Blood Bank program, dog owners are asked to commit their dogs to one to two years of service as donors. Dogs are eligible to donate blood every four weeks, and owners are asked to have their dogs available to donate six to nine times annually.

There are several perks for dogs registered as donors, as well as perks for their owners.

New donors get a free exam, they also get free annual blood work, which checks for ticks and Lyme disease, said Mills. Owners get a copy of those results, so they dont have to spend money on their own to do that.
Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Janta Curfew a success, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday wholeheartedly commended fellow citizens for participating in the 'clapping initiative' to express gratitude to service providers who are working round the clock to fight against coronavirus.

He stressed that Janta Curfew's success shows India's resolve to contain Covid-19 spread and emerge from the crisis as a stronger nation.

"I whole-heartedly commend fellow citizens for spiritedly responding to PM Modi's call and making Janta Curfew a success. This shows our resolve to contain Covid-19 spread and emerge from the crisis as a stronger nation," the President of India tweeted.

Stressing on the importance of social distance to contain coronavirus, he said: "Building on today's lessons, fellow citizens should continue taking all precautions and practicing social distancing. India Fights Corona."

Earlier in the day, the President along with the First Lady Savita Kovind joined the fellow citizens to express their gratitude towards all those who are safeguarding the health of the nation in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

"The President, along with the First Lady and other members of the family, joined the fellow citizens and expressed their gratitude towards all those who are safeguarding the health of the nation in spite of the grave risk to them and their families. Janta Curfew," he tweeted.

The President along with his family was seen clapping to thank the health workers and other service providers to work relentlessly to fight against COVID-19.

Prime Minister Modi thanked countrymen for participating in 'Janta Curfew' initiative to express their gratitude towards people, who are providing relentless services in a battle against COVID-19, which has infected over 300 people so far in the country.

"The country thanked each person who led the fight against the coronavirus. Many thanks to the countrymen. Janta Curfew," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

He further emphasised on social distancing, which is a preventive measure to reduce contact between people and slow down the spread of the virus.

"It is not only the sound of thanks but also the beginning of victory in a long battle. Let us, with this determination and restraint, tie ourselves in social distancing for a long battle," he said.

Responding to the call of Prime Minister Modi, people across the country came out in their balconies and clapped to express their gratitude to the medical professionals combating the coronavirus outbreak.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A general view shows an almost empty Mexico-U.S. San Ysidro border crossing after the United States and Mexico have agreed to restrict non-essential travel over their shared border to limit the spread of the CCP virus, in Tijuana, Mexico, on March 21, 2020. (Jorge Duenes/Reuters)

US, Mexico Agree on Importance of Trade Despite Border Restrictions

WASHINGTON, MEXICO CITYU.S. President Donald Trump and his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, agreed on Saturday on the importance of preserving bilateral trade and critical services, despite U.S.-Mexico border restrictions to fight the coronavirus, a White House spokesman said.

The two leaders discussed the coronavirus pandemic and the close United States-Mexico cooperation on efforts to combat the virus, said White House spokesman Judd Deere after the two leaders spoke by telephone.

President Trump and President Lopez Obrador agreed on the importance of preserving trade and critical services, regardless of travel restrictions, Deere said, referring to an agreement to limit movement across the United States-Mexico border to essential travel only.

Lopez Obrador took to Twitter to thank Trump for not closing the shared border and proposed speeding up implementation of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement in order to boost economic recovery in the countries.

Al Pueblo de Mexico: Hable con el presidente Donald Trump; le transmiti la solidaridad de Mexico con el pueblo y el gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Agradeci su decision de no cerrar la frontera. pic.twitter.com/EwFmqBnTpA  Andres Manuel (@lopezobrador_) March 21, 2020

Trump said on Friday the United States would swiftly return any migrants who attempt to enter the country illegally, from Mexico or Canada, while closing both U.S. borders to non-essential travel to limit the spread of CCP virus.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Trump also said the United States and Mexico would work to keep commerce moving as much as possible across the border to try to limit disruptions to business and commerce.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday ordered complete lockdown in the state in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Everything, except essential services, shall remain shut during this period, the CHief Minister said, adding that all government and private offices, shops, shopping malls, factories and public transport shall remain under lockdown.



"It's important for people to stay indoors at this time to combat this dreadful world epidemic," Gehlot said. The Chief Minister was addressing a meeting to review the arrangements been made in the state to check the spread of the dreaded virus.



"The government stands with the people in these testing times. People should follow all the guidelines issued by the government to ensure that the situation doesn't go out of control," he said.





A core group has been formed to take daily decisions, which shall visit the deprived and poor section of the society to check on their needs during the lockdown period. Families connected with the National Food Security Act (NFSA) shall get free wheat for two months.



The street vendors and daily workers, who are out of the NFSA list, shall get food packets free of cost for two months from April 1.



The CHief Minister also appealed to all factory workers to ensure that they are being paid their salaries during the lockdown period. Also, they should not be terminated from their jobs during this period.
Paris: The case of crime is increasing day by day. A French researcher imprisoned for nearly 1 year has been released by Iran. Information about this has been released by French President Emmanuel Macron. France has also requested Iran to release Fariba Adelkha, a colleague of researcher Roland Marshall (64). It is also being said that the release of the French researcher has been done in exchange for the release of the Iranian engineer from France on Friday. France had been demanding the release of Marshall and his ally Fariba (60) over the past several months.

Corona outbreak, over 700 deaths in a day in Italy

Both were arrested in 2019 for conspiring against Iran. A hearing in the court had also started against them in the current month of March. Fariba has dual citizenship of Iran and France but Iran considers it her own citizen. When it was noticed, it was found that Fariba is an expert on religious matters of Shia Muslims. It is being said that Iran has also exchanged prisoners with the US, Australia and Germany in recent months. Marshall will reach France by late night on Saturday.

Nusrat shared her traditional look on social media

According to Iran's news service Mizan of Legal Affairs, before the release of Marshall, Iranian citizen Jalal Roholanezad has been released from French prison on Friday. Jalal, an engineer jailed in France for a year, was accused of breaking US sanctions on Iran. On March 11, a French court ordered Jalal to extradite the US, but the government changed the court order and released the Iranian engineer. The Iranian news agency has described it as being a French ally.

Sister gives this update on Tom Hanks's health
Such intercom meetings will be held twice a week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called regional governors and city mayors to join hands in countering the spread of the novel coronavirus in Ukraine.

"There are two important points today: these are self-isolation and the end of panic," Zelensky said during an intercom meeting with regional managers to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the presidential press service said. "Please tell people that quarantine is a serious measure, explain them why it is needed. Also, you need to join hands in this difficult period to demonstrate how the authorities work jointly to protect Ukrainians. Put aside the political struggle. Unity means our victory."

Read alsoBatch of two types of coronavirus test kits arriving in Ukraine  Health Ministry

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, representatives of relevant ministries, head of the president's office Andriy Yermak and his deputies, as well as Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko also took part in the meeting.

According to Zelensky, such intercom meetings will be held twice a week to coordinate efforts in the healthcare sector and ensure efficient interaction.

He called on the regional authorities to draw up a list of problems on the ground to look for a joint solution to them.

The president recalled that a first aircraft from China was to arrive soon to deliver face masks and protective medical gear along with test kits, which will be split among the regions.

As was reported earlier, the plane is expected to arrive on Sunday, March 22.

As of 10:00 Kyiv time on March 22, there had been 47 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine, including three deaths and one recovery.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China stands ready to work with France to boost international cooperation in epidemic prevention and control and build a community of common health for mankind.

Xi made the remarks in a recent message to French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he extended sincere sympathies on behalf of the Chinese government and people to their French counterparts over the COVID-19 outbreak in the European country.

China and France have a fine tradition of helping each other and sharing weal and woe in bilateral relations, said Xi, who thanked the French government and society for their support of and sympathies with China's all-out battle against the novel coronavirus disease.

Pointing out that public health security is a common challenge faced by humanity, he said the Chinese government and people firmly support France's efforts against the COVID-19 epidemic, and stand ready to boost cooperation with France and jointly win the battle through mutual support and help.

Both as permenant members of the UN Security Council, China and France share the important responsibility of safeguarding the lives and health of the entire human race, Xi stressed.

China, he added, is willing to make concerted efforts with France to enhance international cooperation in epidemic prevention and control, support the United Nations and the World Health Organization playing a core role in improving global public health governance, and build a community of common health for mankind.

Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-France relations, and stands ready to work with Macron to properly coordinate all aspects of work related to epidemic control and bilateral relations, so as to ensure that the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership will ride out the COVID-19 test and continue to move forward.
Millions of people across the country stayed indoors on Sunday in an unprecedented and overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janta curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus, coming out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps.

IMAGE: Police officials stop commuters during Janta curfew in the wake of deadly coronavirus, in Bhilwara, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

The prime minister thanked the people but said it was the start of a long battle, as he urged them to follow social distancing to stop the chain of transmission of Coronavirus which has infected 360 people and claimed seven lives in India.

IMAGE: Boats are docked at Dashashwamedh Ghat during Janta curfew in Varanasi on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Be it Mumbai, known as the city that never sleeps, Patna or Ahmedabad, life came to a standstill in the country as roads, railway stations and airports wore a deserted look and markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services remained shut during the 14-hour self-imposed curfew that started at 7 am.

IMAGE: A city street wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in Guwahati on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

In the national capital, roads which are usually chock-a-block had only a few private vehicles and buses plying.

IMAGE: A city street wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in Bhopal. Photograph: PTI Photo

The Delhi Police gave flowers to people who stepped out of their homes, requesting them to stay indoors. In some parts, policemen also handed out masks and sanitisers to spread awareness about coronavirus.

IMAGE: A city market wears a deserted look in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

As the clock struck 5, the air reverberated with a medley of sounds from bells, conches and beating of metal plates, with people coming out in balconies, lawns and terrace of their homes to express appreciation for medical and other staff who are on the frontline of the battle against the coronavirus.

IMAGE: Marina beach wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in Chennai. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo

From children to the elderly, common people to VIPs, residents of metropolitan cities to villages, all responded to Prime Minister Modi's appeal to show gratitude to doctors, paramedics, police and other personnel associated with essential services.

IMAGE: Trains stand parked at a deserted railway station during Janata curfew, in Guwahati, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Many took positions with their choice of instruments, including metal plates or whatever kitchen utensils they could get, while some played the sounds of conches and bells on their phones and music systems. Police sirens too also heard.

IMAGE: A city street wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in Shimla. Photograph: PTI Photo

People also shared videos on social media on the response of residents in their areas.

Taking to Twitter, Modi said it is an expression of gratitude by the people and also the sound of the bugle declaring the long battle ahead.

IMAGE: Roads along Eastern Highway wear a deserted look during Janata curfew in, Mumbai, on Sunday. Photograph: Kunal Patil/ PTI Photo

'With this resolve and patience, let's restrict (social distancing) ourselves,' Modi tweeted in Hindi with the hashtag 'Jantacurfew'.

'Today's Janta Curfew may end at 9.00 pm, but this does not mean we start celebrating... it is the beginning of a long battle. Today countrymen have told that we are capable, and once we decide we can take on any challenge together,' he said in a series of tweets.

IMAGE: Bandra- Worli Sea Link road wears a deserted look during Janata curfew, in Mumbai. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo

He urged the people living in areas which are under lockdown not to venture out of their houses.

IMAGE: Passengers board a crowded bus during Janata curfew, in Patna, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

By evening, authorities announced a slew of extraordinary restrictions including suspension of all interstate-buses, passenger trains and metro services in the country, while 80 districts in 17 states, and five Union Territories including Delhi where coronavirus cases have been reported were locked down.

IMAGE: Deserted Golden Temple during Janata curfew, in Amritsar, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the lockdown in Delhi will be from March 23 on March 31.

Commercial capital Mumbai, which is not new to natural and man-made disasters, observed a shutdown on Sunday unlike any.

IMAGE: Women hold placards during a sit-in protest against CAA, NRC and NPR and in support of Janta curfew, at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

The iconic Gateway of India, Juhu beach and the Bandra-Worli sealink, which are otherwise always bustling with activity, wore a desolate look.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and other suburban train stations presented an uncommon sight of being empty as people stayed indoors to support the curfew.

IMAGE: A deserted view of Har Ki Pauri during Janta curfew, in Haridwar. Photograph: PTI Photo

Key market places in Fort, Dadar, Andheri, Borivali, Ghatkopar, Bandra-Kurla Complex and other areas were also empty as the city intensified its fight against the deadly virus by staying away from public places.

The Goa Church and others cancelled Sunday masses. Prominent temples were also shut while community prayers were suspended by almost all major shrines of various faiths.

IMAGE: A traffic policeman holds a placard urging citizens to stay at home as an old lady walks on a deserted street, during Janta curfew, in Hyderabad. Photograph: PTI Photo

Most of the gated-colonies and apartments in cities were locked from inside, while civic bodies took up the job of sanitising public places such as parks and bus stands.

In Kolkata, the usually crowded Esplanade, and Dalhousie areas, besides airport and railway stations were nearly empty.

IMAGE: Burma Bazaar is closed during Janta Curfew in Chennai. Photograph: PTI Photo

Roads, railway stations and airports in Gujarat's four major cities -- Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot -- had very few people.

In Tamil Nadu, arterial roads, including the Anna Salai and the GST Road in Chennai and vital junctions like the Kathipara grade separator which are usually teeming with vehicles and people were empty. The iconic Marina and Elliots beach were also deserted.

IMAGE: A street is seen deserted during Janta Curfew in Ayodhya, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and others leaders had urged the people to follow the self-imposed curfew and thanked them for their cooperation.

IMAGE: Family members carry a patient on a hand cart on their way to hospital during Janta curfew in Mirzapur. Photograph: PTI Photo

No passenger train from any railway station in the country originated beginning Saturday night and metro services, including in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, were suspended for the curfew.

IMAGE: A police official stands in front of the illuminated Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) building during Janta curfew in Mumbai. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo

Air carriers like GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara had curtailed domestic operations and traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had announced that they will keep their establishments shut across the country on Sunday.

IMAGE: A guard relaxes outside Red Fort during Janta curfew in, New Delhi, on Sunday. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

Modi had on Thursday called for the voluntary 'Janta curfew', saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses, and asserted that it will be a litmus test to show India's readiness to take on the coronavirus challenge.

IMAGE: Local train being halted for long time due to minimal train services at Ballygunge Railway junction station during Janta Curfew in Kolkata. Photograph: PTI Photo

Ahead of the start of the curfew, he said this morning, 'In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace.'

IMAGE: A deserted view of Connaught Place during Janta Curfew, in New Delhi, on Sunday. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo

He said the steps to be taken now will help in the times to come.

'Stay indoors and stay healthy,' he said on Twitter.




United States President, Donald Trump, has insisted that chloroquine is effective for the treatment of the dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19).

In a post on his Twitter page, Trump said the drug was potent and can be used to cure cases of the global pandemic.

He said: HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN (an antibiotic), taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine.

The American leader urged that they be put in use IMMEDIATELY.

What do we have to lose? he later said at a news conference at the White House.

In a statement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed it has been working closely with government agencies and academic centres investigating the use of the drug.

It said they will jointly determine whether it can be used to treat patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday announced that three new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Lagos State.

The NCDC confirmed the fresh cases in a post on its website.

On the 22nd of March 2020, three new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Nigeria. Till date, 25 cases have been confirmed, two cases have been discharged and there has been no death from COVID-19 in Nigeria

All three new cases are in Lagos State. They are being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, the NCDC said.

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Investor concerns over its impact on the economic activity will most likely weigh on the markets as well. "The markets will continue to focus on whether the virus infection rate peaks out and also on the coordinated actions of the Reserve Bank of India and the government to support businesses with relief package," Vinod Nair, head of research, Geojit Financial Services, told news agency PTI. During the last trading week till Friday, the ...

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As treatment centers close and public gatherings are prohibited to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, Oregons recovering addicts are navigating an increasingly difficult path of sobriety.

Recovery is, for many people, a social endeavor, said Mike Marshall, the executive director of Oregon Recovers.

From the very beginning, he said, its all built around being in community and supporting each other.

According to Marshall, before coronavirus, the state was already at a crisis point in terms of addiction.

Oregon has the third-highest addiction rate in the country, he said, and were now 47th in access to treatment according to SAMHSA.

Social distancing means treatment centers are forced to close, he said, and group meetings have been shut down.

Almost everyone we spoke with from the recovery community emphasized the importance of meetings in their life.

When I found out my mom died, I had just celebrated one year clean and sober, said Tera Hurst, who is 23 years sober. The first place I went was to a meeting where everyone lined around the room to give me a hug and their number.

I survived because I had those rooms and people to support me, Hurst, a candidate for Portland City Council, added. I am not sure if I could have stayed clean during that time without seeing and being with my community.

And other elements of peoples recovery, things like yoga and one-on-one counseling, are also no longer available.

You can do counseling on Skype, Marshall said, but its just not the same thing.

We had a crisis already, he said. Now what limited infrastructure we have is quickly evaporating.

Dan Mark, 60, said Friday that he has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at the same location for 12 years.

Mark is a heroin addict who has been sober for 13 years. He lives alone with his dog in Lake Oswego.

All of that has been stopped because of the pandemic, he said.

But one of Marks groups has been able to adjust, at least somewhat.

I have a large men's group that I attend and they are having their first meeting on Go To Meeting next week, he said.

The hardest part is the isolation, Mark added. Now is the time to rely on our support system.

More groups are moving meetings online. Marshalls own group is planning their meeting next week online. And on Monday a new site -- OregonRecoveryNetwork.org -- is expected to go live.

That site is a partnership with Google that will act as a portal to virtual meetings and a resource for those in recovery struggling with job loss and other coronavirus issues.

Katie, a 39-year-old mother of 3, who asked us not to use her last name, had already begun using the internet as a recovery tool.

Katie said she had struggled with opioids and alcohol, among other things, since 2013. She has been sober from all substances for 340 days.

After graduating from an intensive treatment program, Katie began to make videos about her experience.

My vlog helps me by processing through the tough times, she said. It helps me by allowing me to relive the hells I went through and how I never want to put myself back there.

The problem with relying on the internet as opposed to in-person meetings is that many addicts will fall through the now-widened cracks, Marshall said.

Older people and lower-income or no-income people who dont have access to technology. Non-English speakers and people in rural communities will also have a harder time finding the resources they need.

There are still resources available for people struggling with addiction who need help.

Oregon Recovers has an extensive list of online meetings for people who need to get plugged into a group.

And there are two hotlines -- Lines for Life at 1-800-273-8255, and Oregon Warmline at 1-800-698-2392.

For a lucky few, social isolation is happening as a group. One group of 16 men at the Blanchet House farm in Carlton are weathering the shutdown in relatively good spirits.

Its very serene, said Bill Gilmer, 59, which is very important for anyone recovering.

The farm has a capacity for 21 men in recovery, though only 16 are presently housed there since they opted to shut off contact from the outside world and several men chose to leave.

At the farm, the men take care of the animals, attend meetings, and do things like play bocci ball and ride bikes.

Were lucky, Gilmer, who has been in recovery for alcohol abuse off and on since 2016. For me to stay sober I need my meetings and I need my faith. Those two together have done for me what I could not do for myself.

Gilmer acknowledges people living outside a community like this and trying to get sober arent so lucky.

Ross Sears, 53, the manager of the farm who has been sober since 2008, agrees.

As meetings shut down, Sears said his biggest fear for someone newly in recovery was they couldnt find the help they needed. And without access to meetings, their new routine could be upended.

For me, Sears said, it would have been right back to the other routine I had: drinking.

Sears said the lack of help and the new pressure of the pandemic would be hard on people in recovery.

Alcoholics and addicts drink or use for reasons, he said. We try to justify stuff.

With all this stuff going haywire, Sears added, they can kind of talk themselves into, hey what the heck?

Marshall pointed out that these vulnerable people will also now have more access to alcohol. On Thursday, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission relaxed rules to help the hospitality industry to allow for curbside pickup of malt beverages, wine and cider, as well as extending the hours of same-day alcohol delivery to 2:30 a.m.

While acknowledging that this might help the economy, Marshall called it a terrible, terrible idea.

He suspects it will result in an uptick in people starting to use again in their recovery as well as an increase in hospital visits and an increase in arrests, noting now is the time when it should be a public safety priority to limit the number of hospital visits and people confined together in jails.

They are loosening the barriers we have in place, he said, to people acquiring it who shouldnt.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

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The virus pandemic advanced Sunday after the US and Europe reported soaring new cases, prompting a scramble in some regions to set up additional hospital beds and replenish much-needed medical supplies.

Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose by 6,600 with nearly 800 new fatalities from the virus that causes COVID-19. The country's total death toll of more than 4,825 has surpassed the number of deaths in China, where the first cases emerged late last year.

In the US, where multiple states have ordered residents to stay indoors, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the government is literally scouring the globe looking for medical supplies.

Health care workers from Oklahoma City to Minneapolis sought donations of protective equipment. Staff at a Detroit hospital began creating homemade face masks for workers. Even rural hospitals were strained as people increasingly felt the pandemic closing in.

In the farming community of Vidalia, Georgia, Dr. Robert Wagner said medical staffers at his emergency room are wearing face masks for their entire 12-hour shifts and changing in and out of full protective gear every time they see people considered a potential coronavirus case all while dealing with a regular flow of patients injured in car crashes and suffering chest pains or other maladies.

They are testing an increasing number of patients for the virus and worried that the 50-bed Meadows Regional Medical Center could eventually become overwhelmed.

There's definitely this underlying fear in the community. You can see it, he said.

In Washington, negotiators from Congress and the White House resumed top-level talks on a ballooning $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package, urged by President Donald Trump to strike a deal to steady a nation thoroughly upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump continued to strike a confident tone about the nation's ability to defeat the pandemic soon, even as health leaders nationwide acknowledged that the US is nowhere near the peak for the outbreak.

We are going to be celebrating a great victory in the not too distant future, he said.

The contagion is starting to be felt in US cities far from major metropolitan areas, including places that have resisted drastic shutdown measures.

About 150 countries now have confirmed cases, and deaths have been reported in more than 30 American states. There are now more than 300,000 confirmed cases worldwide, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.

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. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

In Italy, local authorities in the hard-hit northern regions have been pleading with the national government to enact stricter measures. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte told the nation he was tightening a lockdown and shutting down all production facilities except those providing essential goods and services. He cautioned citizens to be calm and patient, saying there is no alternative.

Our sacrifice in staying home is minimum compared to that of other citizens trying to keep the nation well and functioning, he said in a Facebook address.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it was ready to fly mobile medical teams and disinfection equipment to Italy, and a plane delivered more than 100 tons of supplies from China to the Czech Republic as part of a NATO program.

Behind China and Italy, Spain now has the third-highest number of infections worldwide, followed by the U.S.

Spanish health authorities have acknowledged that some intensive care units in the hardest-hit areas are close to their limit. The army was building a field hospital with 5,500 beds in a convention center in Madrid, where hotels are also being turned into wards for virus patients without serious breathing problems.

Colombia reported its first death from COVID-19 on Saturday. The patient was a 58-year-old taxi driver who had driven tourists from Italy, authorities said adding that man had previous health issues, including untreated diabetes.

President Ivn Duque has prohibited all non-resident foreigners from entering the country and he has decreed a mandatory quarantine starting Tuesday. Colombia has confirmed 210 cases of the coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Punjab's NRI Affairs Minister Rana Sodhi has expressed gratitude to the Union Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take prompt decision to bring back 113 Indians stranded at Schipol airport in Amsterdam.

In a statement, Sodhi said that Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and he himself proactively took up the matter with the Union Government and met various ministers including Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

He said the Union Government not only acknowledged their strenuous efforts in this regard and also promised to bring back these innocent Indians.

Pertinently, these Indian nationals were stranded at Amsterdam airport amid coronavirus scare and had urged the government to rescue them.

They alleged that authorities did not allow their flight to land when it was just two hours away from New Delhi airport and the flight of these passengers turned back mid-air.

Now, the Union Government has allowed them to enter India as a special case after the Punjab government took up the matter with the Union Government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A fifth case of coronavirus in Laramie County has been confirmed.

The Cheyenne Laramie County Health Department was notified of the positive test Saturday: a Cheyenne resident in their 20s.

The patient has not had close contact with any other positive cases, according to an announcement from the city of Cheyenne. They are being quarantined at home.

All five of the county's cases reside in Cheyenne.

According to the Wyoming Department of Health, there are now 24 cases in the state. The Northern Arapaho Tribe announced its first case Saturday, but it is not yet clear whether that patient is among the nine Fremont County cases already counted.

Fremont and Laramie are the counties with the most patients. Sheridan County has four; Teton County has two; and Park, Campbell, Natrona and Carbon counties each have one.

All Wyomings cases have been announced since March 11. There have been no confirmed deaths here because of COVID-19.

With Natrona County having its first case confirmed Friday evening, the virus is now in the states largest population centers.

As the virus spreads, all of the states schools have been shut down. Gov. Mark Gordon has declared a state of emergency, and he issued an order Thursday closing bars, museums, gyms and most other public spaces. Additionally, he has prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people, with some exceptions.

Nationwide, there have been more than 23,000 cases as of Saturday night, according to the New York Times. At least 322 people have died of the illness.
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Two British citizens, who are Vietnams 24th and 27th COVID-19 patients, have recovered after testing negative for the virus twice, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

They have been treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi and are expected to be discharged from the institution in the coming days.

The two Britons became Vietnams COVID-19 patient No. 24 and No. 27 after arriving in the Southeast Asian country on flight VN0054, operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines, on March 2.

They were confirmed to be infected on March 8.

They have tested negative for the novel coronavirus twice, which met the criteria for doctors to confirm their recovery.

The total of patients recovering from COVID-19 in Vietnam is now 19, with 17 already discharged from hospitals.

Sixteen had walked out of the hospital free of the virus by February 26.

On Friday, N.V.T., a 27-year-old Vietnamese man, was released from the Ninh Binh Province General Hospital, located in the namesake northern province, after he had tested negative for the novel coronavirus for three times.

T. was the first recovery out of 78 cases confirmed in Vietnam since March 6  the countrys second batch of patients.

According to the health ministry, eight other patients among this batch, in addition to patients No. 24 and No. 27, have tested negative for the virus for the first time since receiving treatment.

However, a 69-year-old British man and 64-year-old Hanoi woman infected with the virus are now in bad health, with the latter undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a form of life support.

A professional council including 30 doctors and experts has been established to figure out the best treatment for these two patients.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected nearly 305,000 and killed more than 13,000 globally as of Sunday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Vietnams COVID-19 tally has soared to 94, while no death from the disease has been reported in the country so far.

The country had quarantined over 62,000 Vietnamese and foreigners arriving from COVID-19-hit places by March 19, almost 20,000 of whom have finished their 14-day isolation, according to statistics by the national committee on novel coronavirus prevention.

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A girl student has tested



positive for novel coronavirus in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Commissioner Kalpana Shrivastava said on Sunday.

She told PTI that a 74-hour lockdown, till midnight March 24, has been announced here in view of this development.

"The student has recently returned to the state capital from outside and her sample tested positive," Shrivastava said.

"We are taking all precautions to ensure safety of the citizens and there is no need to panic," she said.

This is the first Covid-19 case in Bhopal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 35-year-old student who was evacuated from coronavirus pandemic affected Italy last week had a cruel twist of fate when he was informed about the death of his father even as he was in quarantine at an ITBP facility in Delhi.

The man, who is asymptomatic to the coronavirus pandemic till now, has been allowed to travel to his home state and perform the last rites of his father after a special exemption was made for him by central government health authorities.

He was made to undergo two tests in a span of five days and he is under observation of state authorities, officials said.

The identity of the person is not being disclosed by PTI keeping in view his privacy.

Officials said the man was allowed to leave the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) quarantine facility on March 20 and his identity and other vitals have been shared with the respective state government for monitoring.

The man was part of the group of 218 Indians who were evacuated by a special Air India flight from Milan that landed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here on March 15.

"The man was allowed to leave the quarantine as a special compassionate case considered by the Union Health Ministry and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, he is under observation," a senior official said.

The ITBP quarantine in south-west Delhi's Chhawla area is at present hosting this batch of evacuees while a new group of 263 Indians, brought back from Rome on Sunday, were admitted to it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One man who died of kidney failure here has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Sunday, making it the first case to be reported from Bihar.

Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar said today that ICMR has confirmed two positive cases of coronavirus in the state.

"One patient passed away yesterday due to kidney failure, his tests have come positive for coronavirus. A woman has also tested positive, she is admitted at AIIMS," Kumar said.

Samples of the 38-year-old man who passed away on Saturday due to kidney failure in Bihar's state capital tested positive for coronavirus, according to Doctor Prabhat Kumar Singh, AIIMS Patna.

"A 38-year-old man passed away in Bihar due to kidney failure has tested positive for COVID-19. He was from Munger and died yesterday at AIIMS in Patna. He had returned from Kolkata two days ago," Singh told ANI over phone.

The man, a resident of Munger district, had a travel history to Qatar, and on his arrival in Patna via Kolkata was admitted to AIIMS Hospital.

Following his death, the hospital administration had sent his samples for COVID-19 testing and they returned positive on Saturday evening.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) 341 people have have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases as of March 22.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had on Sunday stated that five people have died due to the disease in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the coronavirus continues, causing worldwide distress, hospitals around the world are having problems with their resources especially in the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment or PPE.

In the Philippines, COVID-19 frontliners and medical workers in St. Jude Hospital in the City of Los Banos, Laguna were photographed using ordinary plastic bags and garbage bags as face covers and protective suits, respectively.

The photos of the workers were uploaded by a worker in the hospital on Facebook, showing how they were forced to improvise their own PPEs while being in the front lines of the battle against coronavirus due to the limited supply.

In the post by Tes Despano, a worker at the hospital, she called out to the country's Department of Health (DOH) and to other agencies to provide them with proper PPEs. She also said that their supplies are already becoming scarce and they cannot find any more suppliers where they can buy or acquire said equipment.

She also expressed her gratitude to the medical workers who were dedicated to combat this outbreak despite the deficiencies and challenges.

Read also: 'Favilavir' First Drug Approved as Possible Treatment for COVID-19

Why is there a shortage in PPEs?

Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health-University of the Philippines Manila (NIH-UP Manila), Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana, said that before the outbreak hospitals have adequate supply of PPEs. However, due to the sudden surge of patients, there is the need to assume that they could be infected with the novel coronavirus leading to the increase in the usage of PPE which resulted to the current shortage.

Dr. Salvana also pointed out that one COVID-19 patient needs at least 12 full sets of PPE in a single day. Six sets needed for the nurse who will monitor the patient every four hours, three sets for the resident doctor who checks on the patients, one set for the supervising consultant, another set for the X-ray Technologist, and one for the Laboratory personnel. Thus, with the influx of patients, she noted that event the most well-stocked hospitals will be depleted of supply in a matter of days.

According to Dr. Mediadora Saniel, President of the University of the Philippines Medical Foundation, Inc., a hospital with 1,000 healthcare workers will need an estimated number of 90,000 face masks; 2,500 N95 masks; 5,000 surgical gloves; 2,500 hoods; 2,500 gowns; 2,500 caps and at least 300 gallons of alcohol in one month.

Hence, with this number, the UP- Philippine General Hospital alone will need four times this supply in one month since they have at least 4,000 healthcare workers, according to Dr. Regina Berba, an infectious disease doctor.

Filipinos find ways to improvise

In other parts of the Philippines, the scarcity of face masks and PPEs has also affected frontliners, especially in the health sector. However, Filipinos have found ways to improvise and use available resources in efforts to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

On March 15, a post-grad intern at West Visayas State University Medical Center (Don Benito) in Iloilo City, Rhona MacEachen shared how they were forced to wear washable face masks instead of surgical masks.

This scarcity in resources has pushed doctors to make and improvise reusable face shields instead, using acetate plastic sheets, elastic bands, and double-sided tapes.

Related article: LOOK: Distressing Footage of Italian COVID-19 Critically Ill Patients in 'Bubble Helmets'

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RBI lifts moratorium on Yes Bank; lender says all services available now

Rana Kapoor sent in judicial custody ; lawyer fears he may get COVID19

Subhash Chandra appears before ED in Yes Bank probe

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday in connection with a money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and his family members, officials said.

Also, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal was questioned by the ED in connection with a separate money laundering case linked to alleged financial fraud with a Mumbai-based tours and travel company.

RBI lifts moratorium on Yes Bank; lender says all services available now

It was earlier stated by officials that Goyal was questioned in the Yes Bank case but later it was clarified that he joined investigation in another case. Goyal has been summoned by the agency in the Yes Bank case too but he is yet to depose.

Officials said Subhash Chandra arrived at the ED office here at Ballard Estate at about 11 am.

His statement will be recorded by the investigating officer of the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Essel Group has an alleged unpaid loan of Rs 8,400 crore towards Yes Bank.

Chandra, also a Rajya Sabha MP, was first called by the ED on March 18 but he skipped saying he was occupied with the ongoing Parliament session. He was then given a fresh date for Saturday by the ED.

On March 6, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had told a press conference that the Anil Ambani Group, Essel Group, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) and Vodafone were among the stressed corporates Yes Bank had exposure to.

Jet Airways' loan exposure to the crisis-ridden Yes Bank is about Rs 550 crore.

Naresh Goyal was first summoned by the central probe agency on March 18 but he cited the reason of tending to an ill relative for skipping the summons.

He is expected to appear in the Yes Bank case soon, they said.

A full-service carrier, Jet Airways shut its operations in April last year after running out of cash.

The agency initiated action against Rana Kapoor and his family members and raided him soon after the Reserve Bank imposed a moratorium on the "stressed" Yes Bank earlier this month.

Yes Bank: ED summons Anil Ambani in connection with money laundering probe against Rana Kapoor

Normal banking operations for Yes Bank customers were re-started on Wednesday.

Kapoor, 62, was arrested by the ED in Mumbai on March 8 and at present he is in judicial custody.

The ED has grilled Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani and Peter Kerkar of Cox & Kings company.

The probe agency has accused Kapoor, his family members and others of laundering "proceeds of crime" amounting to Rs 4,300 crore by receiving alleged kickbacks in lieu of extending big loans through their bank that later allegedly became a non-performing asset (NPA).

As many as 44 companies belonging to 10 large business groups reportedly accounted for bad loans totalling Rs 34,000 crore of Yes Bank.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 9:55 [IST]
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 13:43:18|Editor: zyl

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KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Four Afghan soldiers and 24 militants were killed and 27 people wounded in predawn Taliban attacks in northern Kunduz province on Sunday, the provincial government spokesman said.
A 22-year-old man from Bhatkal who had returned from Dubai on March 19 has tested positive for coronavirus, Sindhu B Rupesh, District Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada informed on Sunday.

The total number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 342 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data.

India reported two deaths today from the highly contagious virus - one each in Maharashtra and Bihar - taking the tally to six, as per state authorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coronavirus Live Updates: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced a complete lockdown of the national capital from 6 am on Monday. The lockdown will continue till March 31. Kejriwal added that essential services such as groceries, pharmacies, hospitals, food takeaways and home delivery will remain open. The Delhi government has also imposed Section 144 in the national capital as the total number of novel coronavirus cases increased significantly across the country. All inter-state passenger transport has also been suspended till March 31. All railway operations will be suspended till March 31 in wake of the coronavirus outbreak in India. All metro rail services suspended till March 31, 2020. State governments to issue orders allowing only essential services to operate in about 75 districts with confirmed COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, two people have died due to the deadly coronavirus on Sunday, with the first victim, a 63-year-old patient, from Mumbai, while other, a 38-year-old man, from Patna, Bihar. This takes the total number of deaths due to coronavirus in India to six. Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India have surged to 341.

Catch all the latest updates on coronavirus outbreak on BusinessToday.In live blog

10.00 pm: Jharkhand government announces lockdown till March 31. All shops, commercial institutions, offices, factories, godowns, weekly markets will remain closed. Movement of all public transport has been prohibited. All places of worship will also stay closed for devotees during this period.

9.17 pm: MPs want Rajya Sabha to be declared sine die

We've mailed to chairperson of Rajya Sabha that we are not going to attend Parliament session either in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha from tomorrow.Let the House be declared sine die. How can Parliament function when the country is in lockdown?: Sudip Bandyopadhyay,TMC MP #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/S6dFt4sugY  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

9.07 pm: Private laboratories face problems due to shutdown of local trains.

8.46 pm: Police has arrested a person under Section 151 of CrPC for spreading misinformation that a girl has been infected with coronavirus in Dalanwala area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

A person has been arrested under section 151 of CrPC for spreading misinformation about a girl being infected with #Covid19 in Dalanwala area of Dehradun in Uttarakhand: Police  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.34 pm: Civil aviation ministry has decided that domestic flights to and from Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi shall continue to operate and the airport shall remain functional. Earlier today Delhi government had banned flight while announcing that the national capital will remain under lockdown from 6 AM on Monday till March 31.

8.33 pm: Supreme Court will hear cases via video-conferencing from Monday. Lawyers will argue from a different spot.

8.28 pm: Union Department of Personnel and Training has said that heads of department may draw up a roster of staff, who are required to render essential services within their respective departments. They alone may be asked to attend office from March 23 until March 31.

8.15 pm: Indian Railways increases time limit of refund counters in case of train cancellations from 3 days to 3 months.

8.10 pm: Coronavirus update: Section 144 imposed in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary has written to all Deputy Commissioners, directing them to issue orders under Section 144 of CrPC and to shut all establishments except those providing essential commodities and services in their districts from 8 PM of March 22 till 6 PM of March 31.

8:10 pm: WATCH: Soldiers of Dawar Battalion of Snow Leopard Brigade, at Gurez valley, participate in the exercise called by PM Modi to express gratitude to those providing essential services

#WATCH Jammu and Kashmir: Dawar Battalion of Snow Leopard Brigade, at Gurez valley, participated in the exercise called by PM Modi to express gratitude to those providing essential services amid #CoronavirusPandemic. (Source: Indian Army) pic.twitter.com/KE1fsMWnHF  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.00 pm: Coronavirus in Assam: Janata curfew extended till 8 am on Monday

The Assam government has extended the Janata curfew in the state till 8 am on Monday in the interest of public safety.

7.54 pm: Andhra Pradesh put under lockdown

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday announced a lockdown in Andhra Pradesh. He said only emergency services will run till March 31. "We are closing the borders. We will review the situation after March 31," he said.

7.52 pm: Coronavirus in Punjab: Number cases rise to 21 in the state

The total number of novel coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 21 in Punjab, according to the State Health Department. One person has died in the state due to the disease, reports ANI.

7.48 pm: Coronavirus in India: All domestic flights will continue to operate: DGCA

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clarified on Sunday that all domestic flights to an from Indira Gandhi International Airport will be functional and the airport will also remain operational, reports ANI.

7.42 pm: Coronavirus: Corporate head offices and plants closed across Mumbai-Pune

The Coronavirus crisis has stalled manufacturing in the industrial townships in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Several companies in these states have begun production cuts since the last two days.

Read more here: Coronavirus crisis: Corporate headquarters and plants shut across Mumbai-Pune

7.30 pm: Coronavirus outbreak news: Bihar reports 3rd COVID-19 positive case.

7.24 pm: Coronvirus in UP: 2 more COVID-19 positive cases reported in Noida

Two more people tested positive for novel coronavirus in Noida on Sunday. With this the total count in Uttar Pradesh has climbed to 26.

7.20 pm: Coronavirus in India latest news: Mangaluru reports first COVID-19 case

Mangaluru on Sunday reported its first novel coronavirus case. A 22-year-old youth from Bhatkal who had travelled from Dubai on March 19 has been tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases to 21 in Karnataka.

7.10 pm: Coronavirus news: PM Modi's mother clangs utensil to thank COVID-19 warriors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben also joined in the nation to thank the COVID-19 warriors by clanging utensil at her residence.

#WATCH Gujarat: Mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Heeraben clangs utensil at her residence to express gratitude to those providing essential services amid #CoronavirusPandemic. pic.twitter.com/ipaI1yOtoB - ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

6.55 pm: Coronavirus in India news: Dubai-return man tests positive for COVID-19

A 22-year-old man from Bhatkal, Karnataka who had returned from Dubai on March 19 has been tested positive for COVID-19, said Sindhu B Rupesh, District commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, reports ANI.

6.52 pm: Coronavirus outbreak news: "It's the beginning of a long battle": PM Modi

"JanataCurfew will end at 9 pm but it doesn't mean we should start celebrating. It's the beginning of a long battle. People shouldn't come out of houses in states which have announced a lockdown. In rest of the states if it is not very important don't come out of the houses," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

  #JantaCurfew    9    ,                                ,               - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

6.40 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: Lockdown is necessary

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that although people will face difficulties due to COVID-19 but the lockdown is necessary to prevent the deadly virus from spreading further.

6.30 pm: Coronavirus in Haryana: Lockdown imposed in 7 districts, says CM Manohar Lal Khattar

Lockdown will be imposed in 7 districts of Haryana- Faridabad, Gurugram, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Panipat and Panchkula, till March 31: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

6.24 pm: All Delhi borders to be sealed: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

6.23 pm: Food takeaways, home delivery to continue: Arvind Kejriwal

6.22 pm: Essential services such as groceries, hospitals, pharmacies to remain open, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

6.19 pm: Delhi govt announces complete lockdown from 6 am tomorrow till March 31

All shops, construction activities, transport services have been ordered closed by the Delhi government.

6.18 pm: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal begins press conference

6.17 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: All types of assemblies bannes, says police

All assemblies/demonstrations/processions banned. All gatherings - social/cultural/political/religious/academic/sports event/seminar banned. Weekly markets-except vegetables/fruits/essential commodities, banned. No guided group tour, by private tour operators allowed: Delhi Police PRO

6.04 pm: Coronavirus news: Indian origin Singaporeans clap, ring bells

Singaporeans of Indian origin came out to clap and ring bells at 5 pm to express solidarity and gratitude to those at the forefront fighting COVID-19 pandemic.

#WATCH: Singaporeans of Indian origin join in to clap and ring bells at 5 pm IST, to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid #CoronavirusPandemic in India. pic.twitter.com/dkqtHI2Ikt - ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

5.49 pm: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Janata Curfew! PM Modi thanks people for applauding COVID-19 warriors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people for coming out in their balconies to show support and gratitude towards the COVID-19 warriors by clapping, banging pots, shouting and singing.

5.37 pm: Coronavirus in UP: 15 districts, including Noida and Ghaziabad under lockdown, says CM Yogi Adityanath

The Uttar Pradesh government has put a total of 15 districts under lockdown in the wake of rising novel coronavirus cases in the state. The decision was announced by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The 15 districts include Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Meerut, Lakhimpur, Azamgarh and others.

5.27 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in India at 360

India's total count of positive COVID-19 cases has reached 360 with five new cases reported in Kasaragod in Kerala. The state's total count has climbed to 57.

5.15 pm: Coronavirus in India news: People across India celebrate, shout and bang pots to applause COVID-19 warriors

People came out on their terraces and balconies to clap, shout, sing and bang pots to express their gratitude to those providing emergency and essential service amid novel coronavirus pandemic. Visuals from Dehradun.

#WATCH Uttarakhand: People come out on their terraces and balconies to clap, clang utensils and ring bells to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid. #CoronavirusPandemic. Visuals from Dehradun pic.twitter.com/5Jn0rYGD9R - ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

5.00 pm: Coronavirus in India latest news: Death in Patna yet to be confirmed as COVID-19 casualty, says Health Ministry

The Health Ministry said on Sunday that Patna death is yet to be confirmed as novel coronavirus casualty. The ministry said that it is checking details and awaiting confirmation from Patna.

4.46 pm: Coronavirus in India: 60,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in a week; every state to get dedicated hospital

The central government has asked every state to ready at least one hospital dedicated only for treating novel coronavirus cases. It has also approved three private labs for testing COVID-19 cases to ramp up the testing facilities.

Read more here: Coronavirus in India: 60,000 tests possible in a week; every state to get dedicated COVID-19 hospital

4.35 pm: Coronavirus in Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal and LG Anil Baijal to address media at 6 pm today

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal will address a joint digital press conference today (Sunday) at 6 pm.

4.20 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Queen Elizabeth II's aide tests positive for COVID-19: Reports

A royal aide at Buckingham Palace has reportedly been tested positive for the COVID-19. This was while Queen Elizabeth II was still at her London residence. However, she shifted out of the palace to Windsor Castle indefinitely on Thursday as a precautionary step, with all her official engagements cancelled. Reports are that she is healthy.

4.10 pm: Delhi govt imposes Section 144

The Delhi government has imposed Section 144 in the national capital as the total number of novel coronavirus cases increased significantly across the country.

Section 144 restricts:

l. Assembly of any kind for demonstrations, processions, protests is prohibited.

2. Any gathering social/cultural/political/religious,'academic/sports/ seminar / conference is prohibited.

3. Organisation of weekly markets (except for vegetables. fruits and essential commodities), concerts, exhibitions etc. is prohibited.

4. Guided group tours conducted by various private tour operators are prohibited.

5. Any individual suspected/confirmed with COVID- 19 shall take measures for prevention/treatment i.e. home quarantine/institution quarantine/isolation or any such person shall cooperate to render assistance or comply with the directions of the surveillance personnel.

6. Any person contravening this Order Shan be punishable u/s 188 of Indian Penal Code.

4.00 pm: 75 districts put under complete lockdown, says Health Minitry

The central government has directed state governments to issue instructions to the 75 districts that have positive COVID-19 cases to stop all services except the emergency services, said Luv Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry. "To break the chain of transmission, the easiest method is to isolate the people coming from outside. The virus is not present in the air, it can be transmitted through droplets released, " said Balram Bhargava, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research

3.45 PM: Uttarakhand goes under lockdown

The Uttarakhand government has ordered a statewide lock down till March 31 to check spread of novel coronavirus in the state, officials said.

Essential supplies - medicines, food grains, vegetables - were kept out of the lockdown, they added. The lockdown was imposed on a day when PM Narendra Modi had called for a nationwide "Janta Curfew."

3.31 PM: Maharashtra CM on coronavirus

I would like to request everyone to continue Janata Curfew till tomorrow morning. Number of cases has increased considerably. I have no option left but to apply Section 144 in Maharashtra. No flights outside of India will be allowed to land in Mumbai.

CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/iTiVPFcC5F  CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) March 22, 2020

3.20 PM: In a telephonic conversation with the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has suggested suspension of all flights coming to Bihar.

3.10 PM: Don't clap for me, says doctor

"Instead, as responsible citizens, demand and pressurise the Modi-led BJP government to spell out the allocation of disaster relief funds and medical aid strategy for all," Dr Manisha Bangar from Hyderabad.

3.02 PM: "We've decided that inter-city and inter-state bus services will remain suspended till 31 March. People should travel minimum during the lockdown, they should not rush from the city or village they are living in at present to other places," Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.

We've decided that inter-city&inter-state bus services will remain suspended till 31 March. People should travel minimum during the lockdown, they should not rush from the city or village they are living in at present to other places: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.#COVID19https://t.co/rbxUfNMcXp  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

3.01 PM: "After the nationwide Janta Curfew that was observed today against Coronavirus, we have decided to continue the curfew in the entire state till 31st March. However, essential services, such as food and medicines, will be available for all," Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.

3.00 PM: JantaCurfew is a unique way and a great initiative by Prime Minister to deal with Coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister has given a responsibility to each&every citizen of the country towards their health and society. People have supported it wholeheartedly: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.

2.59 PM: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat holds meeting with state Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director General of Police on measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in the state.

2.40 PM: Trinamool Congress MPs to not attend Parliament from 23rd March till 3rd April, as per the instructions of party leader Mamata Banerjee who has directed them to be present in their respective constituencies to create awareness on Coronavirus.

2.30 PM: Teachers advised to work from home

The teachers/researchers/non-teaching staff of schools/organisations are permitted and highly advised to work from home till 31st March 2020. The said period shall be counted as being on-duty for all faculty members/teachers/researchers and non-teaching staff.

2.16 PM: All Metro train services suspended till March 31

All metro rail services suspended till March 31, 2020. State governments to issue orders allowing only essential services to operate in about 75 districts with confirmed COVID-19 cases. All inter-state passenger transport has also been suspended till March 31.

2.10 pm: General people will not be allowed to travel in Mumbai local trains.

Mumbai Suburban Railway will stop carrying the general public from midnight of March 22, 2020, till the midnight of March 31, 2020, as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus outbreak.

2.00 pm: Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand extend Janta Curfew till Monday morning

The Tamil Nadu government has extended the Janta Curfew till 5 am on March 23. Jharkhand's Principal Secretary has also issued a similar order asking cops and local administration to extend the Janta Curfew till 5 am on Monday.

1.50 PM: Train services suspended, roads free from traffic as citizens of Mumbai observe Janta Curfew announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

1.47 PM: Shashi Tharoor on Janata Curfew

Im at home in Delhi, in support of the #JanataCurfew. Took the opportunity to sweat it out for half an hour, outdoors & on the treadmill. One way to thank our tireless health workers is by keeping ourselves fit & healthy rather than adding to their burdens! pic.twitter.com/AsoxDSLDCE  Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 22, 2020

I'm at home in Delhi, in support of the Janata Curfew. Took the opportunity to sweat it out for half an hour, outdoors & on the treadmill. One way to thank our tireless health workers is by keeping ourselves fit & healthy rather than adding to their burdens!

Strengthening precautions against COVID-19, Railways has decided that no passenger train will run up to 31st March.



Let us work together as #IndiaFightsCoronapic.twitter.com/374b0V5sD3  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 22, 2020

1.19 PM: Air India crew who evacuated Indians citizens from Rome, Italy today have been advised home quarantine as per the established norms of the company, says Air India official.

Indian Railways cancels all passenger trains till March 31, due to #Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/sKY70sU8v1  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

1.15 PM: As per the Indian railways, minimum suburban services, including the Kolkata Metro service, will continue till March 22 midnight. Thereafter, the services will stop till Mar 31 midnight.

1.12 PM: Only goods trains will run from March 22 midnight till March 31 midnight, says the Indian Railways.

1.00 PM: Indian Railways cancels all passenger trains till March 31.

The people of India have decided- we are in this together. We will fight the menace of COVID-19 together. #JantaCurfewhttps://t.co/A1KsBWKTNR  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

12.50 PM: The people of India have decided -- we are in this together: PM Modi

The people of India have decided- we are in this together. We will fight the menace of COVID-19 together. #JantaCurfewhttps://t.co/A1KsBWKTNR  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

12.53 PM: Everyone is trying to contribute in their own way regarding Janata Curfew: PM Modi

The number of Covid-19 cases in India has doubled in less than a week. We should be prepared to see a surge in cases but we must not panic. It is the time to be strong and united as a nation. We must support one another.#DelhiFightsCorona#IndiaFightsCorona  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 22, 2020

12.52 PM: We must not panic, says Kejriwal

The Delhi CM says the number of COVID-19 cases in India has doubled in less than a week. "We should be prepared to see a surge in cases but we must not panic. It is the time to be strong and united as a nation. We must support one another."

ICMR has confirmed 2 positive cases of Coronavirus. One patient passed away yesterday due to kidney failure, his tests have come positive for Coronavirus. A woman has also tested positive, she is admitted at AIIMS: Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar pic.twitter.com/hk8DnnKfoJ  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

12.47 PM: J&K Govt declares holiday in all offices on March 24. March 23rd and March 25th are holidays. Essential services to continue undisturbed: Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Planning, Jammu & Kashmir.

12.45 PM:A 38-year-old man has passed away in Bihar today due to kidney failure; he has been tested positive for Covid19. He was from Munger. He died yesterday at AIIMS in Patna, and had returned from Kolkata two days back.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has announced lockdown till 9pm on March 29 in districts of Khurdha, Cuttak, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, the towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur town and Bhadrak. #CoronavirusPandemic . #JantaCurfewpic.twitter.com/0sty1f3CLa  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

12.30 PM: The 38-year-old man who has passed away at AIIMS in Patna and tested positive for #COVID19, had foreign travel history to Qatar.

12:26 AM: Odisha government has announced a lockdown in districts of Khurdha, Cuttak, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Angul, the towns of Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur town and Bhadrak till 9 pm on March 29.

IRRESPONSIBLE GYM OWNERS CHASTISED

04 cases registered against gym owners and arrests affected for endangering human lives by facilitating gatherings despite directions on #SocialDistancing Please follow #JantaCurfew and prevent corona spread. @ANI@HMOIndia@LtGovDelhi@CPDelhi  DCP West Delhi (@DCPWestDelhi) March 22, 2020

12:09 PM: Delhi Police has registered four FIRs against gyms operating despite the Delhi government's order to close down all gyms and spas till March 31.

Around 4,500 properly equipped workers from Authority's Public Health, divided into 32 teams, are currently sanitising Noida with Sodium Hypochlorite mixed water & with bleaching powder in narrow streets.

Do stay at home & help prevent the spread of #COVID19.#IndiaFightsCoronapic.twitter.com/zLyjsyolUR  CEO NOIDA Authority (@CeoNoida) March 22, 2020

12:06 PM: A Spanish traveller in Tamil Nadu tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is going through treatment in isolation. This is the seventh confirmed case in the state.

11:59 AM: Samples from a 38-year old man who died in AIIMS Patna on Saturday has tested positive for coronavirus. He was initially admitted for kidney failure. He had a travel history to Qatar.

11:55 AM: Noida Authority has appointed 32 teams with around 4,500 properly equipped workers from Noida Authority's Public Health department to sanitise Noida with Sodium Hypochlorite mixed water & with bleaching powder in narrow streets.

Delhi: Empty streets and closed shops in Connaught Place area, as self-imposed #JanataCurfew is being observed in the country to fight #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/kTjP7b0IzA  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:48 AM: All railway operations may be suspended till March 25 in wake of the coronavirus outbreak in India. If that happens, no passenger or freight train will be allowed to operate till March 25, and trains finishing their journeys will be terminated at the point. Right now, about 400 freight trains are operational and they could be stopped after they reach their destinations, suggest reports. The final decision on this will be taken during a Railways board meeting today.

11:36 AM: Shops in Delhi's Cannaught Place have been closed and the streets were empty as the nation observes Janata Bandh.

Maharashtra: Juhu Beach in Mumbai wears a deserted look as people observe self-imposed #JantaCurfew, amid rising Coronavirus cases in the country. pic.twitter.com/OaUAcQHSgb  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:33 AM: Mumbai's Juhu Beach carries a deserted look on Sunday as people observe Janata Bandh due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Delhi: The 263 Indian students who have been evacuated from Rome today by a special Air India flight are being taken to ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility, after thermal screening and immigration at the airport. #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/QclDtDWlhV  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:27 AM: The Karnata High Court has decided to hold virtual courts where cases listed before the Principal Bench of the Karnataka HC in Bengaluru and the benches in Dharwad and Kalaburagi can be presented before judges using Skype or other video-calling applications.

11:25 AM: The total number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra has reached 74. Since Saturday evening, 10 more cases have been found in the state.

11:21 AM: The 263 Indian students who were evacuated from Rome today by a special Air India flight have been taken to ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility, after thermal screening and immigration at the airport.

Delhi: Protesters at Shaheen Bagh allege that a petrol bomb was hurled nearby the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest site today pic.twitter.com/tHVzQfmKii  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

11:08 AM: Punjab: Cheif Miniter Amrinder Singh ordered a complete lockdown of the state.

11:00 AM: Shaheen Bagh protestors decided to self isolate from the area due to the novel coronavirus. Only 5 people are being allowed to protest there at a time on March 22. Protestors also alleged that someone threw a petrol bomb at the protest site.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath: #JantaCurfew is being observed across the country today. It is a battle against #Coronavirus. Social distancing is the best way to defeat the pandemic and prevent its spread. State govt has taken all essential measures to fight COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/16VGRMxmPh  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 22, 2020

10.44 AM: A 56-year-old man in Maharashtra died due to coronavirus on Sunday, making him the fifth casualty due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The patient, who was admitted to the HN Reliance Hospital in Mumbai, was tested positive on March 21.

10.20 AM: Number of Coronavirus cases in India rises to 324: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

10.14 AM: It's battle against coronavirus: Yogi

Janta Curfew is being observed across the country today. It is a battle against coronavirus. Social distancing is the best way to defeat the pandemic and prevent its spread. State govt has taken all essential measures to fight COVID-19.

The special Air India flight carrying 263 Indian students that took off from Rome has landed at Delhi airport. #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/ccyykMlJ9L  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

10.13 AM: Karnataka: A 33-year-old man with recent foreign travel history has tested positive for Coronavirus, contact tracing underway; 3 km area around Hosayellapur where this infected person was living has been quarantined: Dharwad DC Deepa Cholan.

10.00 AM: The special Air India flight carrying 263 Indian students that took off from Rome has lands at Delhi airport. Delhi Customs continue to provide its assistance in clearance of the 263 passengers from Rome at the remote bay at the airport. All precautions being exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers being followed.

              ' ',   ,        



     ,        @narendramodi       :    Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) March 22, 2020

9.45 AM: The 'Janata Curfew' is an important step by the public for the health of the public: JP Nadda

9.35 AM: DCP New Police: "We are on the roads for your safety. Please stay at Home!! Policemen giving flowers to motorists requesting them to stay at home. Please support us!!"

Tamil Nadu: #JantaCurfew underway in Chennai as Coronavirus cases in the country stands at 315 pic.twitter.com/X8JrYUtESP  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

9.25 AM: Varanasi detects first coronavirus case, a resident of Thana Phoolpur. He has a travel history from Dubai. With this, the total number of positive cases in UP rise to 28.

9.15 AM: Hero Motocorp: "With the safety and wellbeing of its employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, Hero MotoCorp has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities - including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh - and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020."

9.10 AM: Be ready for more such curfews in coming days, says Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh reports 27 COVID-19 cases, of which 11 patients have recovered.

9.00 AM: Noida reports 6th Coronavirus case. The patient, a 31-year-old man, has a travel history to Dubai.

8.56 AM: Delhi Metro close for today

The Delhi Metro rail services are closed in view of Janta Curfew today. "In the wake of 'Janta Curfew' to be observed this Sunday i.e, on 22nd March 2020, DMRC has decided to keep its services closed. The move is aimed at encouraging public to stay indoors and maintain social distancing, which is essential in the fight against Covid-19," the DMRC said in a statement.

8.46 AM: Coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu

Total number of coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu stands at six, including three person -- two Thailand nationals and one from New Zealand, who were tested positive on Saturday.

#JantaCurfew being observed today as positive Coronavirus cases in the country stand at 315; Visuals from West Bengal's Kolkata pic.twitter.com/YQP9ojGq8H  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.42 AM: Coronavirus cases in West Bengal

A woman, who's a resident of Habra in North 24 Parganas district and a recent travel history to Scotland, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday, making her the third confirmed Covid-19 case in West Bengal, the state health department officials said. The woman, in her early 20s, returned from Scotland on March 16.

Maharashtra: Deserted roads in Nagpur following commencement of #JantaCurfew from 7 am today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed for the self-imposed curfew in his address to the nation on 19th March. #COVID19pic.twitter.com/0gDMsyAXar  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.40 AM: Coronavirus cases in Punjab

Three more people in Punjab were tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday. Now the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stand at six. "Three more people have tested positive in Mohali," Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said on Saturday.

8.31 AM: Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra

Deserted roads in Nagpur following commencement of Janta Curfew from 7 am today. The confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra have touched 64 on Saturday.

8.30 AM: Janata curfew in Assam

"Let us all join PM Narendra Modi ji's call for Janata Curfew from 7 AM - 9 PM and show our collective resolve to tackle COVID-19," state CM Sarbananda Sonowal. Assam reported its first case of novel coronavirus with the initial test of a four-and-a-half-year-old-girl in Jorhat district turning out to be positive.

#JantaCurfew commences amid rising Coronavirus cases in the country. According to ICMR, positive cases of Coronavirus in India stand at 315; Visuals from Assam's Guwahati pic.twitter.com/Hmo0bDFVqR  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

8.30 AM: Coronavirus cases in Andhra

Number of positive coronavirus cases in the state stands at five. All five patients have foreign travel history.

8.27 AM: Stay indoors and stay healthy, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges people to be a part of the Janata Curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace.

In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences.



Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace. The steps we take now will help in the times to come.



Stay indoors and stay healthy. #IndiaFightsCoronapic.twitter.com/11HJsAWzVf  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

8.25 AM: Embassy of India in Italy

As many as 263 Indian students and compassionate cases departed for India by special Air India flight from Rome fulfilling our commitment to ensure their safe return home. Sincere folded hands to Air India and Italian authorities.

Indian students checking in @FCO Rome for their return to India. We thank @DrSJaishankar@harshvshringla@MEAIndia

for helping us get here  pic.twitter.com/ApIsIxtjQa  India in Italy (@IndiainItaly) March 21, 2020

8.21 AM: 800 deaths in Italy in one day

Italy recorded a jump in deaths from coronavirus of almost 800 on Saturday, taking the toll in the world's hardest-hit country to almost 5,000. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte orders shutdown of all 'non-essential' companies.

8.16 AM: Pakistan reports 733 active COVID-19 cases

Total number of active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan have risen to 733, including 396 in Sindh and 137 in Punjab. The neighbouring country has suspended all international flights for the next two weeks. It also reported the third casualty from the virus in Karachi on Friday, two days after two men both pilgrims returning from Iran and Saudi Arabia died of the coronavirus in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.nal flights for two weeks and curtailed train services. - PTI

8.14 AM: Passengers stranded outside railway stations

Passengers stranded outside the New Delhi railway station as all passenger and intercity trains have been cancelled till 10 pm today. In Mumbai too, the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus wore a deserted look as all trains have been cancelled.

Delhi: Passengers stranded outside New Delhi railway station as all passenger & intercity trains have been cancelled till 10 pm on 22nd March, in view of 'Janta Curfew' announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. #COVID19pic.twitter.com/e8Lj0inOJa  ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2020

8.05 AM: 51 prinsoners released from Madurai jail

Prisoners are being released from jails to avoid overcrowing. A total of 51 prisoners, who were imprisoned under minor charges, were released on bail from Madurai Central jail yesterday to avoid overcrowding at the jail.

Tamil Nadu: 51 prisoners, who were imprisoned under minor charges, were released on bail from Madurai Central jail yesterday to avoid overcrowding at the jail. #COVID19pic.twitter.com/ihp4dF4tmX  ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2020

8.00 AM: No international flight from today

Passengers queue up at the departure lane of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (T-3). No scheduled international commercial passenger flights is allowed to land in India from today for one week as per Government of India's advisory.

7.45 AM: COVID-19 cases in UP

Posters stating "Do not enter, house under supervision" put outside residences of those likely to be infected by COVID-19 by the district administration in Etawah, UP.

Delhi: Passengers queue up at the departure lane of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (T-3). No scheduled international commercial passenger flights is allowed to land in India from today for one week as per Government of India's advisory. #COVID19pic.twitter.com/A7dv87neSv  ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2020

7.30 AM: Private labs can't charge over Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 test

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issues guidelines for COVID-19 testing by private laboratories. Maximum cost for testing samples capped at Rs 4,500 (Rs 1,500 for screening test for likely cases and additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test).
North Korea says Trump offered virus cooperation in letter to Kim FILE PHOTO: Pictures of the Year: A Picture and its Story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea on Saturday welcomed what it said was a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying it was a sign of "the special and very firm personal relations" between the two leaders despite recent frictions.

A senior Trump administration official confirmed Trump sent the letter and said it was "consistent with his efforts to engage global leaders during the ongoing pandemic."

The president looks forward to continued communications with Chairman Kim, the official said.

Since Trump held a third summit with Kim last June and briefly stepped into North Korea from the demilitarized zone with South Korea, no progress has been made on the U.S. president's bid to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea has attempted a series of missile launches, including the launch of two apparent short-range missiles in the last day or so, as it tries to pressure the United States and its allies to lift economic sanctions.

North Korea state media KCNA said Kim had received a letter from Trump in which the U.S. president said he was impressed by the North Korean leader's efforts to defend his people from the coronavirus.

Trump "expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic," KCNA reported in a statement carried by Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong. It did not say when the letter was received.

The letter said that despite good personal relations between the leaders, "if impartiality and balance are not provided and unilateral and greedy intention is not taken away, the bilateral relations will continue to aggravate."

The report came after North Korea's missile test on Saturday , which prompted South Korea to urge an immediate halt of "inappropriate action" in the face of the global pandemic.

Story continues

In a separate dispatch on Sunday, KCNA said it was a test of a new tactical guided weapon, overseen by Kim Jong Un.

The test "clearly proved the characters of different flight trajectories and falling angles, accuracy of guided shells and their power", KCNA said.

(Reporting by Eric Beech and Steve Holland in Washington; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin in Seoul; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Chris Reese)
Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after being informed that a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Merkel, 65, was informed about the doctor's test shortly after holding a news conference Sunday local time announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Credit:Getty Images

He said that Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine Friday against pneumococcal infection.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. About 93,800 people have recovered, mostly in China.
Leaders at the third Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit in Thailand last year (Photo: VNA)

Auramon Supthaweethum, Director-General of the Trade Negotiations Department under the Thai Commerce Ministry, was quoted by the Bangkok Post newspaper as saying that the department has adjusted the trade negotiation schedule during the outbreak by using video conferencing or virtual meetings to talk with dialogue partners.

The 29th RCEP Trade Negotiation Committee meeting scheduled for March 23-27 in Jakarta, Indonesia will also be a video conference, it said.

Thailand and dialogue partners are advancing the review of legal texts and other related work in accordance with the set work plan, and preparing the final text for countries to sign.

The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 member states of ASEAN and six dialogue partners, namely China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. Negotiations on the RCEP started in late 2012 at the 21st ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.

In the talks in last November, India announced its withdrawal from the agreement over unresolved issues, especially those concerning agricultural tariffs.
A coronavirus patient at the Lebanon veterans home has died, state officials said Sunday, bringing Oregons COVID-19 death toll to five.

The man who died was a veteran in his 90s who tested positive on March 11 and had underlying medical conditions, state health officials said. He died Sunday morning at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home.

Our hearts are heavy, said Kelly Fitzpatrick, Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs director. This resident was a veteran who served our nation with honor and dignity in its hour of need. He was also a beloved member of our Lebanon community, and he will be deeply and truly missed."

The state also announced 24 more known cases of the new coronavirus in eight counties on Sunday.

Thirteen other people who live at the veterans home and one employee had also previously tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The death could be a sign that the state-owned nursing home is entering a new phase in battling the effects of coronavirus, especially dangerous to elderly people and people with underlying medical conditions. Half of the residents with coronavirus are over 90.

At the Lebanon Home, staff continue to diligently follow established infectious disease prevention protocols and public health guidelines, Fitzpatrick said Sunday in a news release announcing the death.

The cases at the home drew immediate concern in the wake of how fatal COVID-19 has proven at a Washington state nursing home.

The Lebanon homes infections grew quickly after two male residents were diagnosed March 11. Another six male residents were diagnosed the next day. Then on March 14, a veterans wife living at the home was diagnosed, too.

All 151 residents have now been tested, so state health officials believe they have detected all the infections among the people who live at the home. Some of the residents have since developed coronavirus symptoms, however. They are not going to get retested, one the veterans homes medical directors has said, and are being treated as if they do have the disease.

The state has not said how many of the approximately 225 staff at the facility have tested positive for the coronavirus, nor whether the results have come back yet.

Other than their county of residence, no information is being released by OHA about the individuals who test positive for COVID-19, including the names of their employers, the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs said Friday, referring to the Oregon Health Authority. This will be no different for the staff at the Lebanon Veterans Home.

Testing has been profoundly slow in Oregon, as it has been nationally, and health officials say thats leading to a significant undercount of cases.

Thats a problem for many reasons, including that most people infected with the virus have mild symptoms and are likely to go along with their daily lives and potentially spread the virus to people at higher risk of complications.

The elderly and those with underlying conditions such as heart disease and diabetes are the most likely to have severe and at-times fatal complications from a COVID-19 infection.

The first Oregonian reported to die in the outbreak was a 70-year-old man with unspecified additional health problems, the Oregon Health Authority said. The Multnomah County resident died March 14 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland four days after his diagnosis.

The others who have died a woman from Lane County, 60, a man from Washington County, 71, and a woman from Marion County, 72. No identities have been released.

Oregon is already facing a shortage of supplies that front-line health care workers need to protect themselves and others from coronavirus.

A caregiver at the veterans home said she had been instructed to reuse N95 masks for as long as five days.

And on March 14, the Lebanon veterans home had only enough protective gowns to last staff through the end of the weekend, health officials said.

Two Linn County commissioners said they were scrambling to get gowns to the nursing home, believing that the state wasnt going to supply them before they ran out. But the Oregon Health Authority ordered 1,000 gowns.

Such down-to-the-wire situations are likely to become more frequent as Oregon pulls on its limited supplies of personal protective equipment.

The federal government has promised the state a fraction of the equipment Oregon it has requested, said Patrick Allen, the states health director. The current goal is to distribute gear so the places in need, including local governments, care facilities for elderly people and hospitals, have enough to last two weeks, Allen said.

This is going to become a nationwide, critical issue, Allen has said.

In addition to gowns, personal protective equipment includes face shields, gloves, respirators and surgical masks.

The threat of a supply shortage is part of what has prompted Oregon to put in place social distancing measures in an attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19, Allen said. Gov. Kate Brown has ordered no organized gatherings of more than 25 people and closed schools through April 28 and state officials have enacted emergency policies that limit who can visit long-term care centers.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said since the opening of the Lebanon home in 2014, staff would recognize the death of any veteran by lining the halls to salute and pay their final respects with a Walk of Honor.

Given the COVID-19 outbreak, staff members instead lined outdoor sidewalks spaced apart while the veterana body, draped with a burial flag and a handmade quilt from Quilts of Valor, was escorted outside. Multiple sterilization measures were taken to protect against the spread of the virus, the news release said.

Once outside, the burial flag was then folded 13 times and presented to a family member.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

fzarkhin@oregonian.com

desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Russia is flying eight mobile teams of military virologists and doctors to Italy today to help tackle the deadly coronavirus crisis.

Italian premier Giuseppe Conte accepted Vladimir Putin's offer of armed forces personnel, vehicles and equipment.

Russia will also send about 100 military specialists in virology and epidemics, the Interfax news agency cited the defence ministry as saying.

It comes as the death toll in Italy from the contagion sweeping the globe rose by 793 to 4,825 yesterday and the Italian government imposed more stringent lockdown measures.

The Lombardy region, which has been hardest-hit area in Italy, imposed even tougher lockdown measures as deaths continued to soar.

Putin spoke to Conte on Saturday, the Kremlin said, adding that the Russian leader had offered his support and help in the form of mobile disinfection vehicles and specialists to aid the worst hit Italian regions.

Russian military virologists and medics have been sent o Italy to help battle coronavirus and try to bring down the death toll

Russia will also send about 100 military specialists in virology and epidemics (pictured above)

Russian specialists preparing an Ilyushin IL-76 transport aircraft of Russian Defense Ministry for departure to Italy at the Chkalovsky military airport outside Moscow today

Lockdowns are not enough to defeat coronavirus, WHO experts says Countries cannot simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert said today. Mike Ryan, chief executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said even if countries stop citizens mingling, there still needs to be public health measures to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on. He said in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them. 'The danger right now with the lockdowns...if we don't put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up.' Advertisement

The Russian Defence Ministry said that military transport planes would deliver eight mobile brigades of military medics, special disinfection vehicles and other medical equipment to Italy from Sunday.

The Lombardy region has introduced stricter restrictions, banning all exercise, even solitary sport, as use of all vending machines was also prohibited.

Construction sites have also been shut down and markets closed. All factories not producing essential goods have also been shuttered.

In Italy all retailers, except pharmacies, food shops, post offices and banks were closed weeks ago as a drastic lockdown was imposed.

Lombardy is the worst-affected region in the country with 3,095 deaths and the northern region has been under a lockdown since March 8.

Communist-run Cuba has also dispatched a brigade of doctors and nurses to Italy for the first time this weekend at the request of the worst-affected region Lombardy.

The 52-strong brigade is the first time Cuba has sent an emergency contingent to Italy, one of the world's richest countries, demonstrating the reach of its medical diplomacy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered help to Italy in the form of mobile disinfection vehicles and specialists to aid the worst hit Italian regions

A Russian plane sent to Italy containing virologists and medics to help the country tackle the deadly disease

A Russian truck being loaded on to a plane to be sent to Italy at Chkalovsky military airport outside Moscow today

Leonardo Fernandez, 68, an intensive care specialist, said on Saturday shortly before his brigade's departure, said: 'We are all afraid but we have a revolutionary duty to fulfill, so we take out fear and put it to one side.

'He who says he is not afraid is a superhero, but we are not superheros, we are revolutionary doctors.'

Fernandez said this would be his eighth international mission, including one in Liberia during the fight against ebola.

Cuba has one of the highest ratios worldwide of physicians per capita even when excluding those doctors abroad, and its medical brigades for disaster relief continue to earn Havana goodwill worldwide.

Head of welfare in Lombardy, Giulio Gallera, requested help from the Cuban doctors

Graciliano Diaz, 64, said: 'We are going to fulfil an honourable task, based on the principle of solidarity.'

Putin's spokesman said Russian's offer to help out NATO member Italy was 'humanitarian'.

A spokesman for Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu: 'The Russian Aerospace Forces' military transport aircraft will jet eight mobile teams of military virologists and doctors, vehicles for aerosol disinfection of transport and territories, as well as medical equipment to the republic.'

Members of the Henry Reeve medical brigade, which will support Italy during the coronavirus pandemic take part in the flag ceremony in Havana yesterday

A brigade of 52 Cuban doctors and nurses will travel to Lombardy to support the region of northern Italy - the most affected by the coronavirus pandemic in Italy

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov the pandemic was something every nation has to tackle.

He said: 'Italy is facing a totally severe epidemiological situation.

'When taking a decision to help the Italian republic, Putin was primarily guided by humanitarian considerations.'

Russia currently has the lowest number of coronavirus infections among any large country, with 306 officially recorded cases across its 11 time zones.

Describing Russia's aid to Italy, Peskov added: 'Nearly all nations are facing the serious threat of coronavirus.

'Efforts and capabilities should be joined to defeat it. Only together will nations be able to control the spread of this virus.'

Doctors and virus experts from Russia (left and right) have been dispatched to Italy in the fight against coronavirus

Almost empty streets in Milan today as the already strict lockdown across Italy was increased in the Lombardy region

Italian defence minister Lorenzo Guerini 'expressed gratitude' to the Russian armed forces, said Moscow.

Putin's move appears to show a confidence that Russia is not facing an imminent mass spread of coronavirus.

The Kremlin leader was quick to seal off his country's 2,615 mile border with China after the Wuhan outbreak.

President Vladimir Putin has said the virus is 'generally under control' in the country, and the government has promised to step up testing.

It also emerged Putin is being protected from infection around the clock with all of his staff undergoing mandatory testing and all workers involved in the presidents' events schedule were being tested.

On Saturday Russia registered its first death of a patient infected with coronavirus.
Social care leader call for swabs to test for Coronavirus in care homes

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Mar 22nd, 2020

A social care leader is calling for an urgent and specific support package to help care homes and homecare companies in Wales cope with coronavirus.

Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said many of the organisations 450 members who provide care for 20,000 vulnerable were striving to cope with the massive and unprecedented pressures caused by the outbreak.

According to Mr Kreft, many providers had told him they felt abandoned by the Westminster government and called on them to provide Wales with the necessary funding.

The Welsh Government, he said, should then do whatever it takes and make social care a special case for support because it was a business like no other, with lives at stake.

It was clear, he said, that care home residents would no longer be admitted to hospital while GP visits and pharmacy support were being reduced or halted completely.

He has called for support for the social care sector by providing care homes and domiciliary care companies with swabs so residents and staff could be tested.

It would, he said, be a great help to the care homes but also relieve the growing strain on the NHS.

Mr Kreft is writing to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and First Minister Mark Drakeford to say it was vital they made care homes and domiciliary care a special case.

It is of course important to prop up all areas of the economy including tourism and hospitality but social care really needs to be made a special case for a specific support package because our fantastic and dedicated staff are on the frontline dealing with life and death situations, he said.

The social care sector provides care for 20,000 vulnerable people in care homes across Wales  thats 8,000 more than the NHS  so the scale of the crisis facing our members and their heroic staff is enormous.

As well as supporting the sector in the short-term, its also vital that care homes and domiciliary care homes survive in the longer-term because the need for them is not going to go away.

The social care sector has previously been recognised by the Welsh Government as one the key pillars of the foundation economy in Wales.

It is of critical importance that we maintain the capacity in our care homes otherwise the future is going to be even more bleak for the older people in our population.

Rather than being seen as being at the bottom of the priority list, they should be seen as part of the solution.

At the moment, if a member of staff comes into contact with a resident suspected of being infected they have to self-isolate for up to 14 days, leaving the front line depleted.

If the swabs were available and the results of the test proved negative the member of staff would be able to return to work within a day.

He added: If they test proves negative they can then return to work on the frontline after just a day of self-isolation but the fact that we are being denied the ability to test means that staff who come into contact with patients who are infected will have to be off work for a week or a fortnight. And thats causing huge problems in terms of staffing.

Protective equipment has been promised but has not been delivered and thats also major issue that needs to be resolved urgently.

We need better, clearer advice on how to risk assess people in vulnerable groups, people with underlying health conditions and pregnant women.

If pregnant women need to be off for four months, funding should be available to pay them and people needed to replace them during that period.

Statutory sick pay does not apply to the larger companies with more than 250 employees and thats a massive cause for concern which will could have catastrophic unintended consequences.

The vast majority of the social care in Wales is publicly funded and commissioned by health boards and local authorities so there is an obligation on them to provide the necessary resources at this time of unique need.

The sector was chronically underfunded before all of this began and you could not possibly expect providers to be able to meet the current challenges in the fees that are currently paid.

This is a national emergency and social care is an invisible emergency service which has always underpinned the NHS.

I am being told by our members that they feel the sector has been abandoned  our members are not just anxious they are frightened.

In many cases theyve been the bastions of their community providing services for years, and now in this time of great need they dont know where to go.

This cannot be a postcode lottery. It needs to be done centrally in a consistent and coordinated way.
The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE:SAM) shareholders have seen the share price descend 23% over the month. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been very strong. In fact, the share price is up a full 106% compared to three years ago. To some, the recent share price pullback wouldn't be surprising after such a good run. Only time will tell if there is still too much optimism currently reflected in the share price.

See our latest analysis for Boston Beer Company

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

Boston Beer Company was able to grow its EPS at 10% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is lower than the 27% average annual increase in the share price. This indicates that the market is feeling more optimistic on the stock, after the last few years of progress. That's not necessarily surprising considering the three-year track record of earnings growth.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

NYSE:SAM Past and Future Earnings, March 22nd 2020

We know that Boston Beer Company has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? This free report showing analyst revenue forecasts should help you figure out if the EPS growth can be sustained.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Boston Beer Company shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 7.1% over one year. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 2.7%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Boston Beer Company .

Story continues

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
SILVER SPRING, Md., March 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization for a point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostic for the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test.

"The test we're authorizing today will be able to provide Americans with results within hours, rather than days like the existing tests, and the company plans to roll it out by March 30, which is an incredibly rapid timeline for such an effort. With new tools like point-of-care diagnostics, we are moving into a new phase of testing, where tests will be much more easily accessible to Americans who need them," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "With the development of point of care diagnostics, Americans who need tests will be able to get results faster than ever before. More and more options for reliable, convenient testing are becoming available at an incredibly rapid pace, thanks to the hard work of our FDA team and the ingenuity of American industry."

"Our dedicated team at the FDA has been working nonstop to expedite the review and authorization of novel diagnostics during the COVID-19 public health emergency," said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, M.D. "Today marks an important step in expanding the availability of testing and, importantly, rapid results. Point-of-care testing means that results are delivered to patients in the patient care settings, like hospitals, urgent care centers and emergency rooms, instead of samples being sent to a laboratory. With today's authorization, there is now an option for testing at the point of care, which enables patient access to more immediate results."

The FDA issued an emergency use authorization to Cepheid for the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test for use in high- and moderate-complexity CLIA-certified laboratories as well as in certain patient care settings. The company intends to roll-out availability of its point-of-care testing by March 30.

Additional Resources:

Media Contact: Stephanie Caccomo, 301-348-1956

Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Related Links

http://www.fda.gov


22.03.2020 LISTEN

MOGADISHU, Somalia, 20 March 2020- Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) strongly condemns the threats, harassment, arbitrary arrest and beatings targeted to three journalists in the Puntland State of Somalia over the course of the past three weeks.

On 8 March 2020, three soldiers from Puntland Presidential Guards have denied access and beaten RTN TV journalist Abdiqani Ahmed Mohamed as he was covering the International Women's Day event in the administrative capital of Puntland, Garowe with the attendance of Puntland President, Said Abdullahi Deni.

According to the journalist and two colleagues interviewed by SJS, the officers informed the journalist that they knew him because he was critical to the state. The journalist told SJS that he lost the phone and was not able to continue covering the event that day.

On 14 March 2020, plain-clothed officers attached to Puntland Presidency have stopped, beaten and threatened to shoot journalist Shareco Yasin Shareco, who reports for the privately-owned Horn Cable TV and a community-based Puntland State University Radio (PSU Radio) as he was photographing the PSU Conference hall where Puntland's Consultative Conference was held on 15-17 March 2020. The officers confiscated and broke the journalist's camera forcing him to leave the scene.

According to journalist Shareco, when he complained to the police station, he was told to wait until the conference ends and his complaints have not been resolved ever since.

On the evening of 15 March 2020, police officers summoned and arrested TV journalist Adan Abdullahi Sheekeeye who works for the central Somalia-based Cabudwaaq TV (CW) following a Facebook post that reported the detention of an elder who criticized the state. Journalist Sheekeeye was released on a bail on the morning of 16 March. On 16 March, bodyguards of Puntland's Interior Minister, Mohamed Abdirahman Dhaban-Cad confiscated journalist Sheekeey's press credentials and camera.

According to the journalist and a senior editor of CW, the Minister's bodyguards initially stopped the journalist's car at gunpoint and ordered him to handover his journalist's equipment as they later drove off. However the journalist told SJS that his equipment was returned on the evening of Thursday 19 March.

We condemn the latest of wave of violence against journalists in Puntland, especially threats, harassment, arbitrary arrest and beating against the three journalists in an attempt to suppress the independent coverage of events with the public interest, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the Secretary-General of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said, We call for the authorities in Puntland to stop the continued attacks against the messengers whose task is to inform the public.

"Authorities in Puntland should allow journalists to carry out their work freely without fear and provide safe space where they can exercise their journalistic profession." Mr. Mumin added.
Givaudan endorses UN CEO Water Mandate

22 March 2020

Givaudan has endorsed the CEO Water Mandate, a UN Global Compact initiative which brings together a critical mass of business leaders to address global water challenges. Givaudan's endorsement of the mandate marks World Water Day (Sunday, 22 March); a UN global event which this year focuses on raising awareness of the link between water and climate change and the parts we can all play to address this.

"Water stewardship is a global challenge which requires a global response," said Gilles Andrier, CEO. "Driven by our purpose, we must lead the way by delivering on our own ambitious commitments to protect this precious natural resource, while harnessing the power of collaboration across sectors to drive change."

The endorsement of the mandate further reinforces Givaudan's commitment to water stewardship, which earned a CDP A grade in January. The Company surpassed its 2020 target for reducing global water consumption per tonne of production by 15% against a 2009, baseline three years ahead of schedule.

Givaudan's water targets have been developed to contribute specifically to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals also known as SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation), and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production 12.2 and 12.4).

"We believe that our business operations must be fully aligned and contribute to the sustainable management of water, in the key water basins in which we are active," said Willem Mutsaerts, Head of Global Procurement and Sustainability. "We intend to be a role model in water stewardship by working to protect water-dependent ecosystems and encouraging the sustainable use of water resources."

Endorsers of the mandate commit to action across six key areas including the use of water in direct operations, supply chain and watershed management, and community engagement.

About Givaudan

Givaudan is the global leader in the creation of flavours and fragrances. In close collaboration with food, beverage, consumer product and fragrance partners, Givaudan develops tastes and scents that delight consumers the world over. With a passion to understand consumers' preferences and a relentless drive to innovate, Givaudan is at the forefront of creating flavours and fragrances that 'engage your senses'. The Company achieved sales of CHF 6.2 billion in 2019. Headquartered in Switzerland with local presence in over 180 locations, the Company has over 14,900 employees worldwide. Givaudan invites you to discover more at www.givaudan.com.

About the CEO Water Mandate

The CEO Water Mandate is a unique public-private initiative that mobilises business leaders for water stewardship. Established by the UN Global Compact in 2007, the Mandate was created out of the acknowledgement that global water challenges create risk for a wide range of industry sectors, the public sector, local communities, and ecosystems alike. The CEO Water Mandate is rooted in the belief that cross-sectoral collaboration on shared water goals is the most effective path to more sustainable water management and that the private sector can be a critical partner in this effort.

The Six Commitment Areas

1. Direct Operations

2. Supply Chain & Watershed Management

3. Collective Action

4. Public Policy

5. Community Engagement

6. Transparency

For further information please contact

Givaudan Media and Investor Relations

T +41 22 780 9053

Egivaudan.investors@givaudan.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:17:00|Editor: xuxin

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by Xinhua writer Gui Tao

LONDON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Many Westerners have reportedly felt "shocked" when seeing Asians wear face masks on the streets as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic grips the world. In fact, the phenomenon has exposed how high cultural and social barriers remain in the globalized era.

For many people from Asian countries, wearing face masks is regarded as a way to help curb the spread of the new virus. They believe it is a responsible gesture symbolizing good hygiene and social responsibility, which shows that you are not only willing to protect yourself, but also others.

However, many Western people have shunned the idea of wearing surgical masks in their daily lives, although the number of COVID-19 cases is rising. In their eyes, wearing surgical masks means either you are ill or a medical worker.

While several health organizations have said that wearing face masks is only necessary for people who are coughing or sneezing or having a fever to prevent spreading an airborne virus, experience has shown that many people infected with COVID-19 exhibit mild or even no symptoms, a reality that makes wearing a face mask an even more complicated issue.

Sadly, different opinions on the usefulness of the masks have fuelled racism and discrimination, especially targeting mask-wearing Asians, in some Western countries. Some people would rather simply criticize than analyze why a growing number of Asians choose to wear face masks amid the pandemic.

Besides wearing face masks, other measures like lockdown strategies taken by Asian countries seem "alien" to many Westerners. But with the death toll from COVID-19 rising in Europe and China's anti-virus methods proving effective -- of course, thanks to sacrifices on the part of Chinese citizens -- both lockdowns and wearing face masks may eventually no longer appear that bizarre and over the top.

Instead of pressuring those who wear face masks in the West, it is high time that face masks are recognized for what they are -- a symbol of good hygiene and collective responsibility in the tough joint battle against a pandemic.
It has been announced that Standardbred Owners Association of New York President Joe Faraldo has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The SOA of NY made the announcement on Sunday afternoon (March 22) via social media.

The SOA of NYs social media announcement appears below.

We were notified today that SOA President Joe Faraldo has been re-tested and has now been informed that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He is in communication with his doctor & local health officials and is currently recovering at home under quarantine where he has already been for nearly two weeks. Joe says that the last four days have been very promising in terms of a full and complete recovery, that his breathing has improved, and he is experiencing virtually no spikes in his fever. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Any inquiries, please contact:

Peter Venaglia

SOA First Vice-President 917-733-5620

It was announced on March 14 that Faraldo, who had fallen ill, had tested negative for COVID-19. Faraldo had been in close proximity to John Brennan, who passed away due to the virus on March 10.

Trot Insider will update this story with more information when it becomes available.

Please join Standardbred Canada in wishing Faraldo a quick and complete recovery from the virus.
Eduardo Saldana (center) of Philadelphia Custom Builders watches his crew board up the former Midtown bar at 114 S. 12th St., next door to the Tinsel pop-up. Read more

Teddy Sourias  whose Craft Concepts Group runs about a half-dozen bars and restaurants in the heart of Center City, including Tradesmans, U-Bahn, Blume, and the Tinsel pop-up  endured a rash of broken windows over the winter.

Each time, the glass replacement cost him $1,500 plus the liquor that was stolen.

Now, with his businesses closed for the foreseeable future because of the coronavirus restrictions, he had them all boarded up Saturday.

I worry about desperate people taking desperate measures, he said. People are out of work right now. The longer the shutdown lasts and there is no income, who knows what could happen.

Its a better-safe-than-sorry reaction. We havent had anything like this in our lifetime, so we have nothing to compare it to, he said. I completely agree with this shutdown and hope everyone complies so we can get this under control and go on with our lives the way we used to.

The state Liquor Control Board also went the plywood route, boarding up its store at 11th and Wharton Streets in South Philadelphia (which happens to be across the street from the Third Police District).

Meanwhile in Wilmington, wine merchant Frank Pagliaro of Franks Wines related on Facebook that he had rented two trucks to barricade his front doors and office door after close of business.

The twist is that he got a visit from a Delaware liquor-enforcement agent, who told him of a complaint from another liquor-store owner who alleged that Pagliaro was selling black-market liquor out of the trucks. The explanation for the trucks is simple: Pagliaro wanted to install decorative gates, but contractors could not start right away. So no, I am not loading up these trucks to play ice cream man in your neighborhood, he wrote. I am simply protecting my and my staffs livelihood.
About 32 illegal pharmacies and patent medicine stores have been sealed off by the Pharmaceutical Inspectorate Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Akin Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health said.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the spokesperson of the ministry.

The pharmacies and patent stores were found guilty of illegal operation and operating beyond the scope of practice, the statement contained.

Mr Abayomi said this was the first enforcement exercise carried out by the Lagos State Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods.

The affected pharmacies and patent stores are located in Dopemu, Mangoro, Cement, Oniwaya, Ayobo-Ipaja, OrileAgege, Akinogun, Mosan and Ikola axis of Agege and Alimosho local Government areas of the state.

The sealing of the affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores was in accordance with the provisions of Section C34 of the Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Miscellaneous Provision Act of 1999, the commissioner said.

Mr Abayomi further explained that the affected pharmacies and patent medicine shops were sealed for offences including operations without a licence, engaging unqualified persons to man and dispense drugs to unsuspecting citizens, operating beyond scope through sale of ethical products, displaying and storing drugs in unconducive environments which compromises the potency of the drugs thereby rendering them ineffective.

He said only licensed pharmacies and patent medicine vendors are authorised to sell drug products in their original packs and in approved pack size as produced by the manufacturing companies.

Mr Abayomi said dispensing and wholesaling of drugs by patent medicine vendors is prohibited by the law, as well as operating outside their scope by selling drugs in retail.

Moyosore Adejumo, Director, Pharmaceutical Services, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said the enforcement was carried out to stop the dangers associated with the operations of unlicensed pharmaceutical outlets and drug shops.

She said the unit would intensify its efforts in combating fake, expired and substandard drugs being peddled by unlicensed and illegal premises.

This closure is thus part of the governments renewed efforts to sanitise the drug distribution system and curb the proliferation of fake drugs in the state Mrs Adejumo said.
Married At First Sight's Vanessa Romito threatened to pull out of the girls' night just hours before filming last year - despite the episode being centered around her.

After she landed in Sydney Airport on November 26th ahead of filming, she was willing to fly straight back to Perth unless her one single demand to producers was met.

'Vanessa made it clear to bosses that she would only stay if they guaranteed she wouldn't have to see Chris [Nicholls, her ex-'husband'] under any circumstances,' a source close to the show told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.

Threat: MAFS' Vanessa Romtio threatened to pull out of the girls' night hours before filming last year - despite the episode being centered around her. Pictured: Filming on November 26

The insider continued: 'None of the cast knew what was happening, why they were being brought back or who they'd be filming with. They were all quite tense.

'By this point, Vanessa and Chris had been off the show for six weeks and no longer spoke to each other. She never wanted to see him again and made that known.'

In fact, there was so much mystery surrounding the girls' and boys' night reunions, Vanessa resorted to asking paparazzi in the airport what was happening - hoping they'd be able to provide some kind of answers.

'She was panicking. The cast already had the dates for the actual reunion in January, and had no idea why they were doing another in November,' the source added.

Demand: After she landed in Sydney Airport on November 26 (pictured then) ahead of filming, she was willing to fly straight back to Perth unless her one demand to producers was met

Nervous: 'She made it very clear to the bosses that she would only stay if they guaranteed she wouldn't have to see Chris [Nicholls, her ex-'husband'] under any circumstances,' a source close to the show told Daily Mail Australia on Monday

Daily Mail Australia understands that by this point, Vanessa had already moved on with her new boyfriend James - who she texted throughout the day for support.

The girls' night reunion on Sunday was centered solely around Hayley Vernon's cheating scandal with Stacey Hampton's 'husband' Michael Goonan.

While the storyline had seemingly run its course several weeks ago, Vanessa returned to reveal she witnessed them kiss - and claimed to have video evidence.

Bizarrely, she later explained that she lied about having video evidence, but her claims and presence at the party proved to be a pivotal to the entire episode.

New love: Daily Mail Australia understands that by this point, Vanessa had already moved on with her new boyfriend James (pictured) - who she texted throughout the day for support

Last month, Vanessa and Chris's 'marriage' abruptly ended and they quit the show.

There was no real context behind their exit, with Chris simply admitting he was no longer attracted to Vanessa - who is insecure over her struggles with acne.

The couple had minimal airtime up until they filmed their final scenes, and had appeared happy together just a couple of episodes prior.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.
Mosques close, public gatherings are banned and the military deploys mobile clinics as Senegal edges closer to a full lockdown.

Senegal is closing its land, sea and air borders.

Schools are shut, public gatherings are banned and tens of thousands of expats are being repatriated.

The World Health Organization fears sub-Saharan Africa could become the next coronavirus hotspot after Europe.

Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque reports from Dakar.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner will put forward more than $350 million in projects for consideration by the federal government to strengthen the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He listed roads, bridges and funding for community clubs as critical projects to be fast-tracked.

Indooroopilly bikeway is among the projects for which council is seeking funds. Credit:Brisbane City Council

Cr Schrinner said this would deliver infrastructure and create more than 850 jobs and support local businesses.

"While providing financial relief directly to people during these tough times is important, so is the fast-tracking of projects as it gives the city lasting infrastructure in addition to driving jobs and injecting money into the local economy," he said.
Ride-hailing giant Ola said on Friday evening that it is temporarily suspending its pool ride option, called Ola Share, in India in a bid to slow the coronavirus pandemic by encouraging social distancing. [Updated March 21: In a statement on Saturday morning (local time), Uber said it was suspending its shared rides, Uber Pool, in India as well.]

The Indian firm, which operates in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., offers Ola Share only in India. "In our efforts to curb the spread of COVID- 19, we are temporarily suspending the Ola Share category until further notice, a spokesperson said in a statement.

The health and safety of our driver-partners and customers are of utmost importance and we have taken several steps in this regard to ensure the highest levels of hygiene are maintained in the vehicles on the platform. The temporary suspension of Ola Share services is an attempt to encourage social distancing for all cases of essential travel for citizens.

Other ride options on Ola, including Micro, Mini, Prime, Rental and Outstation remain operational. Our Partner Care teams and Safety Response teams are available 24x7 for any concerns that may arise for driver-partners and customers respectively. We encourage everyone to proactively report any instance that may be symptomatic for us to help action and guide appropriately, the firm said.

A source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch that the suspension would remain in place until New Delhi deems social gathering safe again.

The move comes days after Uber and Lyft moved to enforce similar restrictions in the U.S. In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said, "We are determined to help reduce the spread of coronavirus in the cities we serve. With that in mind, we are suspending the Uber Pool service across India."

Shared rides, also known as pooled rides, are some of the most popular ride options in India.

Story continues

On Thursday, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the nations 1.3 billion citizens to stay at home as much as possible for the next few days to prevent any explosion of coronavirus cases.

For the last few days we have seen that people think we are safe from coronavirus. This is not right. Its not okay to get complacent, he said in a nationwide televised appearance.

About 223 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in India so far.

The story was updated on Saturday noon (India time) to add that Uber has also suspended its pool rides.
Several hundred Indian firms that manufacture or assemble Rs 10,000 crore worth of aerospace components annually for manufacturers like Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopters now face disruptions relating to covid-19.

Ajai Shukla reports.

Photograph: ANI Photo

The coronavirus pandemic is creating ripples across the global aerospace components industry, with red lights flashing over its two most fundamental characteristics -- global supply chains, which move materials and components rapidly across borders; and fabrication facilities, with large numbers of employees working in close proximity.

India, a growing player in the global aerospace industry, is directly impacted. Several hundred small, medium and large Indian firms manufacture or assemble some Rs 10,000 crore worth of aerospace components annually for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopters.

Boeing alone sourced over Rs 7,000 crore worth of components and services last year from over 200 Indian companies.

Airbus, in turn, sourced over Rs 4,500 crore worth of components and services from over 45 Indian companies.

Indian suppliers, from large corporates such as the Tatas and Mahindra to medium-sized high-tech manufacturers such as Dynamatic Technologies, cater to a common imperative: Supplying top-quality components to their respective OEMs within a rigid time schedule.

Interfering with this now are disruptions relating to covid-19.

These include delays or non-arrival of raw materials and inputs, disrupted financial flows, and growing absenteeism amongst production line workers.

Indian firms are searching for answers at three levels: Government assistance in managing this situation; assistance and clarity from the OEMs they supply; and internal measures to contain the pandemic.

From the government, there is little support or clarity.

It was hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi would announce financial support, such as low interest loans, moratoria on loan repayments, corporate tax cuts and direct cash transfers to workers, the way the US government is envisaging.

However, in his address to the nation on Thursday, March 19, Modi was silent on these issues, and merely urged citizens to stay at home for the coming weeks.

Nor have Indian aerospace supplier been clearly advised by their OEMs about what to expect.

A question that remains unanswered is: Will OEMs expect deliveries according to contracted schedules, or are delays now acceptable?

In the absence of clarity, Indian firms are reading the global tea leaves. Airbus shut down production this week for four days on orders from the French government. This could continue, with French workers unions urging the company not to resume production on March 23, when the deadline expires.

But Airbus insists that 'any supply chain disruption is only temporary'.

"With the global spread of Covid-19, we are constantly expanding our global supply chain monitoring in order to widen and strengthen our early visibility, anticipation and mitigation capabilities. As of today, we are able to mitigate and contain the effects of Covid-19 inside our industrial system, without impacting aircraft deliveries," stated Anand Stanley, president, Airbus India.

Boeing is equally sanguine.

"We are having extremely frequent communications with our suppliers multiple times a day. We do this by having individuals from Boeing located regionally, and even in the sites and production facilities of our suppliers to help navigate the challenges that might cause shipping disruptions," said Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India.

Indian suppliers, however, say OEMs were not sharing what the situation was in their own facilities overseas, or with suppliers in other countries.

"We haven't asked them for any help or financial support yet. But we have alerted them to the possibility of delays. So far, they have just heard us out, but they have stopped visiting our facilities," said an Indian supplier, who asked not to be identified.

Asked whether there would be production line shutdowns in the US, Gupte of Boeing said: "We don't really know. We will follow guidelines issued by the US government and the World Health Organisation. Most important for us is the health of our colleagues in our supply chain. Boeing's guidance is that anyone who can work from home, should. But in factories, we recognise there are people working on site."

"In the long term, we think aerospace is going to be a very strong industry. We recognise there will be disruptions in the short to medium term. We have to stay in close contact with our suppliers," added Gupte.

Most Indian aerospace firms have already implemented precautions, short of closing down production lines or cutting shifts. Biometric attendance has been scrapped and the temperatures of workers coming on shift are checked with temperature guns.

Shop floors and offices have sanitisers and hospital grade hand-rubs at entry points and stock masks and medical supplies.

Some, like Dynamatic Technologies, have been innovative in holding a townhall meeting, where top executives have interacted with employees to reinforce workplace awareness of covid-19. The firm is also sponsoring employee street plays that disseminate 'dos and don'ts' for combating the virus.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came out on Sunday to express solidarity with all those in India and around the world, who are at the frontline of the fight against COVID-19, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and healthcare volunteers.

"In solidarity with all those, in India and around the world, who are at the frontline of the fight against COVID-19: doctors, nurses, technicians, bio- technicians, medical workers, support staff and healthcare volunteers," Vadra said on Twitter.

"We are proud of your courage and we're grateful for you," she stressed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked countrymen for participating in 'Janta Curfew' initiative to express their gratitude towards people, who are providing relentless services in a battle against COVID-19, which has infected over 300 people so far in the country.

"The country thanked each person who led the fight against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath . Many thanks to the countrymen. Janta Curfew," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

He further emphasised on social distancing, which is a preventive measure to reduce contact between people and slow down the spread of the virus.

"It is the sound of thanks but also the beginning of victory in a long battle. Let us, with this determination, tie ourselves in social distancing for a long battle with this restraint," he said.

Responding to the call of Prime Minister Modi, people across the country came out in their balconies and clapped to express their gratitude to the medical professionals combating the coronavirus outbreak.

People were seen clapping and clanging their utensils. Some were even heard ringing bells. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also rang the bell in Gorakhpur.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had reminded people to be on their terrace and balconies to express their gratitude to all those who are 'working 24/7.'

"Do remember, 5 PM this evening for 5 minutes... Be on your terraces, balconies or windows to express gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 so that our nation becomes free from COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fifteen more people have tested positive for the Sars-Cov-2 virus in Kerala on Sunday taking the total number of infected people in the state to 64, the state health ministry said.

The number of people under observation has risen to 59,293. Last month, 3 patients returned from China and were discharged after they tested negative.

Out of 59,293, 58,981 are under home observation and 314 are in hospitals. Kasaragod district in north Kerala reported 5 cases, Kannur 4 and 2 each in Kozhikode, Malappuram districts, said a statement from the health ministry.

Sunday recorded the highest number of cases in the state, statistics show. Though the state has taken effective measures to check the sharp rise in suspected cases, the new figures have upset harried health officials.

The Kerala government has also decided to impose strict restrictions in Kasaragod. Two days back, a man who returned from Dubai had slipped out of home quarantine and participated in weddings, sporting events and many other functions posing a serious threat to others. At least 1200 people, including two legislators, are in quarantine after they came in contact with the affected.

All five fresh cases in Kasaragod are people who returned from the middle-east, not secondary infections giving much relief to the district administration.

As the situation in Kasaragod turned serious the state health department has decided to recruit more health personnel. At least 16 persons tested positive here. Chances of more getting infected in Kasaragod are quite high. So we have decided to recruit more staff, said health minister K K Shailaja adding the district was under strict observation.
The 33-year-old had come to the city on 12th March after touring Australia and Dubai. (PTI)

Hubballi: One resident of Hosayallapur layout in Dharwad has become the 21st COVID-19 positive person in Karnataka, indicating entry of coronavirus to Mumbai-Karnataka region.

He was admitted to a private hospital on 18th March after identified to have symptoms of the virus. The health officials had sent necessary samples for conducting tests in VDRL laboratory in Shivamogga.

The 33-year-old had come to the city on 12th March after touring Australia and Dubai.

The district administration has declared entire Hosayallapur layout as confinement zone and restricted people travelling any farther than 3 km radius of the locality.

Health officials are also tracing out people who could have come into contact with the virus-infected person. He is currently undergoing treatment at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS).

The administration has also set up check posts at various places in the twin cities to control the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, prime minister's call for Janata Curfew has evoked good response in North-Karnataka as people have been staying indoors since early morning on Sunday. All business establishments are shut and bus services are suspended.

Addressing the press, industries minister Jagadish Shettar said that separate laboratories will be set up in Hubballi and Belagavi as people of North-Karnataka have to depend on Bengaluru and Shivamogga to get their samples tested.

"We are facing the 2nd stage of coronavirus threat. We are conducting thermal screening of the passengers who land at Hubballi and Belagavi airports from Mumbai. We have directed private hospitals to provide necessary treatment to the people who are suspected to be infected with the virus. We also have other options to take action on private hospitals if they refuse to give treatment", Shettar said.
As the spread of the novel coronavirus ripples across the country, the nation's governors are on the front lines of the battle to curb the evolving crisis. Many of them, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, have taken drastic measures in their home states to fill gaps that the two Democratic governors say were left by the federal government.

In an interview with ABC "This Week" Co-Anchor Martha Raddatz, Murphy urged people to take the crisis seriously in order to decrease the pressure on the health care industry.

"My view is we die trying," Murphy said, "I think the flattening of the curve, the social distancing, telling everybody just stay home' gives us a real shot to keep the numbers down (and) to keep the pressure lesser than otherwise would be on our health care system."

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.

MORE: US Army scientists are on the front lines in fight against coronavirus

Murphy signed an executive order on Saturday directing all New Jersey residents to stay home until further notice. Although the order allows for certain exceptions that include obtaining essentials like groceries or seeking medical attention, Murphy says the goal is to strengthen social distancing measures. According to the order, "all gatherings of individuals, such as parties, celebrations, or other social events, unless otherwise authorized."

"Folks need to be jolted, ... it's no time to panic, but it's no time for business as usual," he said. "We won World War II not because we panicked, but because we were smart."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on executive order instructing residents to stay home: "It's quite clear that unless we crack the back on the social distancing side...we're going to have an overwhelming amount of pressure on the health care system." https://t.co/xRoBUGAZDo pic.twitter.com/geBxHP7I1i  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 22, 2020

As Congress and the White House work to finalize a package to address the economic and health challenges created by the spread of COVID-19 across the nation, Murphy stressed the greatest need in New Jersey is personal protective equipment, or PPE.

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"We are in desperate for more PPE," Murphy said. "We've had a big ask into the strategic stockpile on the White House -- they've given us a fraction of our ask."

MORE: What to know about social distancing strategies amid coronavirus outbreak

Murphy also warned that the spread of the virus would put a staggering economic cost not only on his state, but also on those in the surrounding region.

"We need Congress and the president to send direct cash assistance," he said. "We think New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut alone those four states need $100 billion direct cash assistance to allow us to continue the fight."

PHOTO: Left: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Right: Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey (David Eggert/AP, David 'Dee' Delgado/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Whitmer echoed Murphy's concerns about needing more assistance from the federal government and both governors also responded to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter Gaynor's comments earlier on "This Week" when he said that masks are being shipped from the national stockpile, but could not provide details on a concrete timeline.

"We need a big slug out of the strategic stockpile," Murphy said Sunday.

Whitmer added that she is working with private companies to purchase masks.

"We need the federal government to get us those test kits," Whitmer told Raddatz. "We need PPE, as Phil was just saying, we need (a) clear directive and guidance from the federal government."

Whitmer said that while each state will continue to work to alleviate the economic and human toll of the virus, "it would be nice to have a national strategy."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on COVID-19: I cant afford to have a fight with the White House, but the fact of the matter is at some point were going to have to analyze where all the failures were  lives will be lost because we werent prepared. https://t.co/AH0Ahyp5uW pic.twitter.com/rqeBBxWIXc  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 22, 2020

A day after holding a conference call with the nation's governors, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to lash out at Whitmer, referring to her as a "Failing Michigan Governor." Whitmer responded with a list of actions she pursued in response to the crisis facing her state.

"Had the federal government really started focusing when it became clear that the whole world was going to be confronting this, we would be in a stronger position right now," Whitmer told Raddatz on Sunday.

"I've got to keep solving problems and I would like the federal government to be a partner, I can't afford to have a fight with the White House," she added.

Whitmer also issued a stark warning about potential future repercussions.

"Lives will be lost because we weren't prepared," she said. "Our economy will struggle because we didn't take this seriously and early enough as a country, and there are going to be consequences."

Although the Michigan governor did not explicitly say whether she would institute the same kind of drastic measure as her New Jersey counterpart enforced on Saturday, she urged for heightened awareness from the public when Raddatz asked what the situation in Michigan would be in two weeks.

"We've had an infant detected to be having COVID-19, so the fact that this is only one segment of our population that is exposed or in danger is ridiculous," Whitmer said. "We have to all take this seriously and every one of us needs to do our part."

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: coronavirus map

NJ gov. urges people to take coronavirus seriously, 'no time for business as usual' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A man, who recently returned from Denmark, and his mother tested positive for coronavirus in Greater Noida (West) on Sunday, taking the number of identified COVID-19 cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar to eight, officials said.

The mother and son, residents of Sector 2 in Greater Noida (West), also known as Noida Extension, were quarantined at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), while two of their family members were in home isolation, they added.

"The son, 37, returned from Denmark on March 9. But it was his mother, 62, who first showed coronavirus symptoms, after which both were tested on March 19 and quarantined. Their reports came on Sunday and they have tested positive. Both are quarantined at GIMS now," Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Anurag Bhargava said.

On Saturday, two persons -- one in Greater Noida's Sector Alpha 1 and another in Supertech Capetown in Noida's Sector 74 -- tested positive for coronavirus, the CMO said.

"The 31-year-old man in Alpha 1 had returned from Dubai. He was tested on March 18 and the results came on Saturday evening, which turned out to be positive. He has been admitted to GIMS," Bhargava said.

The Supertech Capetown resident, who tested positive, had returned from Europe, he added.

Earlier, four Noida residents from sectors 41, 74, 78, 100 and one Delhi-based man had tested positive for coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the officials said.

People can use helpline numbers 807662361, 6396776904 (health department) and 0120-2569901 (administration) round-the-clock to get their queries related to COVID-19 answered, they added.

Uttar Pradesh had so far reported 25 coronavirus cases, including one foreigner, while across India, the number of COVID-19 cases stood at 360 as of Sunday evening, the Union Health Ministry said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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BERLIN - Gertrud Steinl, the last surviving German honoured for saving Jews during the Holocaust, has died.

German news agency dpa on Sunday quoted the head of Nurembergs Jewish community, Andre Freud, saying Steinl died Monday, on the eve of her 98th birthday.

Steinl, a Sudeten German, was recognized in 1979 as Righteous Among the Nations, Israels highest honour to those non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

According to an entry on the Yad Vashem website, Steinl was an overseer in the Polish town of Stryj during World War II when a worker confided in her that she was Jewish.

Steinl sent the woman, Sarah Shlomi (nee Froehlich), to live with her parents  likely ensuring she wasnt deported to a Nazi concentration camp.
Bihar on Sunday reported its first case of COVID-19 death as a 38-year-old man with travel history to Qatar died at the AIIMS here, hospital superintendent CM Singh said.

Saif Ali (38), a resident of Munger district in Bihar, was admitted to the hospital with kidney ailment on Friday, he said.

However, doctors noticed that he was also suffering from respiratory problems, following which they sent his swab samples to the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute (RMRI), Patna.

Ali, who was on dialysis, died on Saturday night, but his COVID-19 test results from RMRI came only on Sunday morning, Singh said.

Six more patients in AIIMS, suspected to have contracted the disease, are currently awaiting their test results from RMRI, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three district administrations of Assam on Sunday ordered all business establishments, barring those involved in essential services, to down their shutters with immediate effect in wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Dibrugarh District Magistrate Pallav Gopal Jha ordered an indefinite closure of all shops, barring pharmacies, grocery stores, petrol pumps and LPG outlets.

Sonitpur District Magistrate Manvendra Pratap Singh ordered the closure of all markets till March 31.

"Assembly of persons in all public places including shops, bus stations and market places have been prohibited," he said.

Singh said people entering the district from outside Assam must mandatorily declare their travel history, after which they will be home quarantined.

Cachar Deputy Commissioner Barnali Sharma also ordered the closure of all shops, barring those selling essential commodities, till Tuesday.

Sharma also ordered the closure of markets and shopping malls indefinitely.

A total of 2.08 lakh people have been screened across Assam till Sunday, the Health and Family Welfare Department said in a bulletin.

It said that 29,782 people have been screened at six airports of the state.

So far, samples of 57 people have been tested in Assam and none of them tested positive for coronavirus, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An important decision has been taken in the meeting of the Union Cabinet in the Modi government. Under which the proposed extradition treaty between India and Belgium has been approved. With the implementation of this treaty, both the countries will be able to commit crimes and commit absconding fugitives to each other. The cabinet took this decision on Friday, it was announced on Saturday.

For your information, let us tell you that in the extradition treaty, those accused of the same crimes are taken for whom the law provides for punishment of one year or more. The court of the country involved in the treaty, after considering the extradition application, decides whether the case is fake and repugnant to the accused person. Also human rights are also taken care of.

After the seal of this important treaty, the application for extradition of a person accused in political matters can also be rejected. Belgium's Extradition Treaty with India came into force in 1901 when India was part of the British Empire. It was subsequently renovated in 1958, which is still in effect. But now it has been given a facelift by increasing some crimes.

ALso Read:

Amit Shah says Janta curfew needed to stop coronavirus

This day is important in the war against Corona, virus can be controlled

MP: Is Shivraj Singh Chauhan going to become CM once again?

Scindia pro MLAs may face heavy losses in BJP
[March 22, 2020] PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev Takes Part in First Meeting of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Coordination Council to Combat Coronavirus

MOSCOW, March 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev, who is a member of the Bureau of the Management Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE), took part in the first meeting of the RUIE Coordination Council on combating coronavirus (the "Council"). The Council includes members of the RUIE Bureau and the Bureau of the RUIE Management Board, as well as the heads of Gazprom Neft, Alrosa, Rosmedprom, Sibur, Russian Railways, TMK and others. At the meeting, members discussed a plan for both top-priority and long-term measures to counter the spread of COVID-19. The President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Chairman of the Council, Aleksandr Shokhin, stressed that the RUIE would work closely with the Coordinating Council in the Fight against Coronavirus, headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and with the Working Group of the State Council for Combating Coronavirus, led by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. "Our short-term goal is to stop the spread of coronavirus and to introduce a testing system; our long-term goal is to create a vaccine and develop effective methods to treat infection. Under any scenario, the business community must play a role in preventing the spread of the virus," said Mr Shokhin, noting that it would be necessary to use innovative medical and pharmaceutical technologies and draw on the experience of both domestic and foreign companies and organisations in order to achieve these goals. Commenting on the results of the Council meeting, its co-chair on behalf of major industries, PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev, who is also a member of the Bureau of the RUIE Management Board and President of the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association, noted the importance of creating an RUIE Coordinating Council involving major strategically important companies, whose actions will have an impact on the social and economic stability of various regions of Russia and the country as a whole. "Our shared priority in this challenging epidemiological situation is to protect the health of workers and to ensure the stable operation of companies, as well as transport and energy infrastructure. "A key factor in the sustainable operation of any business is the preservation of all links in established supply chains. To achieve this goal, it is important to exchange best practices within the Council in terms of disease prevention, remote working and the epidemiological safety of employees in the orkplace.



"Special attention should be paid to ensuring the energy security of production facilities and, first and foremost, of all medical and healthcare facilities. The public and employees need to be informed in full and as quickly as possible about the preventive measures being taken in order to coordinate efforts both among members of the RUIE and with the authorities. "It is important that leading Russian companies that are members of global associations cooperate in maintaining global supply chains and exchange best practices in terms of prevention through international platforms such as the World Economic Forum. UN platforms, in particular the WHO, are being widely used. Members of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs have access to international expertise and response protocols in the face of epidemics, primarily the successful experience of China, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong, which will enable us to use best practices in terms of epidemic response measures in Russia.

"Cooperation with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) as a whole is one of the key areas of the Council's work. The first outcome of this cooperation will be the rapid launch of pilot coronavirus testing for all employees of RUIE member companies, testing that was developed with the support of the RDIF. The next stage will be to test as much of the population as possible, which, as international experience has shown, is a key factor in preventing the spread of the virus. "At the same time, we intend to go further and, as part of our efforts to fight the pandemic, to develop, under the auspices of the RUIE, new forms of long-term interaction between the RDIF and big business, first of all in terms of support from big business and the RDIF for fundamental and applied medical and health research. "In overcoming this crisis, we must develop tools that will protect society against a recurrence. We need to create a system that can quickly develop safe and effective vaccines and antiviral drugs, get their approval and produce millions of doses within a few months after a pathogen is discovered. A major issue is the streamlining of regulatory policy, which will allow us to quickly adapt foreign experience and facilitate the import of drugs and medical technologies. "This is a difficult challenge; overcoming it will require close cooperation between big business and the state. And we are prepared for this cooperation," stressed Mr Guryev. About the Company PhosAgro (www.phosagro.com) is one of the world's leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers in terms of production volumes of phosphate-based fertilizers and high-grade phosphate rock with a P2O5 content of 39% and higher. PhosAgro's environmentally friendly fertilizers stand out for their high efficiency, and they do not lead to the contamination of soils with heavy metals. The Company is the largest phosphate-based fertilizer producer in Europe (by total combined capacity for DAP/MAP/NP/NPK/NPS), the largest producer of high-grade phosphate rock with a P2O5 content of 39% and one of the leading producers of MAP/DAP globally, one of the leading producers of feed phosphates (MCP) in Europe, and the only producer in Russia, and Russia's only producer of nepheline concentrate (according to the RAFP). PhosAgro's main products include phosphate rock, 39 grades of fertilizers, feed phosphates, ammonia, and sodium tripolyphosphate, which are used by customers in 100 countries spanning all of the world's inhabited continents. The Company's priority markets outside of Russia and the CIS are Latin America, Europe and Asia. PhosAgro's shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange, and global depositary receipts (GDRs) for shares trade on the London Stock Exchange (under the ticker PHOR). Since 1 June 2016, the Company's GDRs have been included in the MSCI Russia and MSCI Emerging Markets indexes. More information about PhosAgro can be found on the website: www.phosagro.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/phosagro-ceo-andrey-guryev-takes-part-in-first-meeting-of-the-russian-union-of-industrialists-and-entrepreneurs-coordination-council-to-combat-coronavirus-301027885.html SOURCE PhosAgro

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(Newser)  A couple taking a scenic helicopter flight Thursday over New Zealand's Fox Glacier was routed to a new destination after mentioning to a guide that they'd arrived in the country Monday from Hong Kong. A second helicopter was dispatched to take the couple off the glacier, Stuff reports, and deliver them to police after employees realized the pair should have been in isolation. New Zealand requires new arrivals to self-quarantine for 14 days to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. The Hong Kong couple was told about the rule after landing in Christchurch and again when renting a camper van, the helicopter company's CEO said. "Yet they decided to basically flout the rules and go, 'bugger you' and carry on with their holiday," Rob Jewell said.

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The couple's next flight is out of New Zealand. They put people at risk with their "unacceptable behavior," immigration officials decreed, per Sky News. Ten other people were on their helicopter flight, for one thing; the company has since conducted a thorough cleaning. Jewell won't be sorry to see the couple go. "I hope it sends the message to everyone else that you can't do this," he said. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
The royal wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle was nothing less than spectacular. Everyone was in awe of their union, even giving people a sense of optimism and hope about what the couple may achieve together.

Two years into the marriage, however, the couple decided it was time to let go of their royal life and moved on.

Everyone is blaming Meghan for "Megxit," and as the end of their royal term nears, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams could not help but worry about what the royal family is about to lose.

How will Harry and Meghan's exit impact the royal court?

The Perfect Choice

Prince Harry had different girlfriends in the past, but none of them was perfect for him until Meghan came along. A B-list actress in Hollywood has made the prince fall in love with her. In an instant, Meghan became the envy of most women who dreamt of becoming royalty.

However, experts believe that Meghan's entry into the royal family was more beneficial for the royals than for her. She made history the day she married Prince Harry, becoming the first biracial member of the royal family which makes a whole lot of difference.

"She made monarchy more accessible to the wider scope of the Commonwealth," Fitzwilliams claimed.

"She is a biracial divorce and a charitable activist who championed women's empowerment and equality. She had an enormous appeal to the young," Fitzwilliams added.

The royal commentator also noted that more than 60% of the Commonwealth are under 30 and most of them are people of color. With Meghan in the royal family, they can now see that the monarchy is diverse and is representative of Britain and the wider Commonwealth.

The power of the monarchy is strengthened because of Meghan's presence. And now that the final week of Meghan and Harry being royals is fast approaching, Fitzwilliams could not help but worry. He wonders if the royal family realizes the impact of "Megxit" as a whole.

Markle was the ideal partner for Prince Harry. She was an actress, an activist, and a fashion icon all rolled into one.

Meghan's Articularcy Is Her Strength

Meghan Markle is the ideal wife to her charming prince. In her speech during the women's rights at the UN Women Conference, Meghan evidently showed her vision to promote womanhood. At 11, she already found her voice that spoke against sexism.

Dspite being a B-list celebrity in Hollywood when Prince Harry met her, Meghan never shied away from red carpet events and other social gatherings. Everyone hoped she would be able to take all the criticism as well as the pressures that come with the royal life.

"If only she was able to keep up with the stress brought about by the British Press or the criticism of everything by almost everyone, she would have been the perfect partner for Prince Harry," Fitzwilliams said.

The former girlfriends of the prince could not cope with the demands of the limelight. "But everyone thought Meghan could," he added.

Although a lot of people say that their "independence" from the royal family has caused the couple to lose a lot, Fitzwilliams hopes that the royals would be able to reflect on what they could lose when Meghan and Harry cease to be royals by the end of this month.
The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has urged asked the government to clean up mountains in the country where tourism has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In his proposal, NMA president Santa Bir said the current partial-lockdown period in the country was the right time to clean up the peaks, including Mt Everest.

Nepal has imposed a partial lockdown with the suspension of international flights, long-distance transport services and closure of education institutes.

Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation last week suspended permits to climb all mountains in the country and stopped issuing tourist visas.

The Himalayan nations has just one confirmed case of coronavirus, but it is at risk due its location between China and India.

"It is the best time to clean up garbage that has piled up on Nepal's mountain. If we begin the clean-up campaign, it will give a positive message to all mountain lovers of the world," Lama told journalists.

The halting of climbing activities has panicked tourist business owners and other stakeholders, including porters and expedition operators.

However, some mountaineers see this period as an opportunity. "This might be the best time to clean-up the garbage in the mountains that have been piled since many decades," said mountaineer Mingma Dorji Sherpa.

He said people from all quarters have demanded the clean-up of the mountains to preserve it for the future.

Doma Sherpa, Everest summiteer and a journalist by profession, said all stakeholders, including the government, traders and the locals, need to take initiatives to make it clean and preserve its beauty.

Everest summiteer Nima Doma said in her recent Everest-camp III expedition she saw piled-up garbage and even rotting carcass spoiling the beauty of the Himalayas.

Similarly, Jangbu Sherpa, who has successfully climbed Mt Everest 16 times, has welcomed the idea of cleaning the peaks.

"It is wise to clean Everest as there are no climbers in the Everest area in this season," he told an online portal Khabarhub.

Sherpa is excited with the plan saying that such clean-up programme not only helps to make tidy the mountain peaks but also sustain the lives of the locals and the 'sherpas' who as cleaners get employment through the campaign.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
During the March Culture Crawl, Montana Bliss Artworks Gallery featured emerging youth artist Emma McDowell in the first public presentation of her art.

Her artist statement says, Each piece has a connection to people, emotions and perceptions of personal storytelling.

McDowell, 12, said she started drawing when she was much younger.

But I started really getting into it when I was 8 or 9, she said.

She likes to draw on sketch pads with pencils and pens, and also enjoys creating art on a digital drawing pad.

Her favorite subject is a mixture of animals and people.

I make hybrids. I mixed a human with a bird and called it Mutations, McDowell said.

Art is a good way to express my emotions and how I really feel about things, instead of just saying it, so people dont get mad at me. It is a good way to express my opinion on things.

She said she is bad at words but good at art.

She lives in Darby but attends the Learning with Meaning  Aspire alternative high school and middle school in Missoula. Located near Southgate Mall, it is similar to a home school but is a cooperative private school.

I love school, McDowell said. I live in Missoula during the school week. Im excited to show my paintings, Ive never shown my art before. Ive shown it to my mom and my art teacher but this is my first time at any gathering.

Montana Bliss Artworks Gallery owner Barbara Bliss said encouraging young artists is critical.

Whats really important about art and art in the schools is it develops the side of the brain for creativity, Bliss said. No matter what walk of life people end up going into, you come up with creative solutions and problem solving, so you have to develop that creative side. The creative brain is just as important as the logistical side of the brain because it makes a better person.

Weeks before the show McDowell came to the art gallery to learn the behind-the-scenes work at a gallery.

She learned how to hang her art, why hang it level, writing a letter of authenticity  things that professional artists learn, Bliss said. She was soaking it in. It was so awesome that she was interested in all those business details at age 12.

Bobby Dye at Joes Studio worked with McDowell to print the images from the computer on special paper at the right size, and matted it to hang professionally for the art show.

Its been exciting for us as well as her and her mom, Bliss said.

Jean Driescher, education expert for the Montana Bliss Artworks Gallery, said McDowell has taken some of her art classes in Darby.

When she sent me these pictures I thought, Oh, my gosh, wow, Driescher said. We plan to do emerging student artists as much as we can, so we mentored her in preparing the work to hang and helped her write a letter of authenticity for the back. She enjoyed being here and learned so much.

Driescher said McDowell is tech-savvy, printing the labels quickly and efficiently.

It will be interesting to see how far she goes, Driescher said.

McDowells artwork can be seen through March at Montana Bliss Artworks Gallery, 101 S. 7th St., in Hamilton.

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CROWN POINT  A Merrillville man was wanted Friday on charges alleging he was driving drunk when he rear-ended a couple last year in Griffith, causing the death of a 63-year-old woman.

Louis J. Blair, 41, drove away from the scene of the crash about 4:20 p.m. Dec. 21 in the 1200 block of East Ridge Road, but officers found him a short time later because the woman's husband took a picture of the license plate on the car Blair was driving, according to court records.

When officers arrived at Blair's Merrillville apartment, he came out with his hands up and his pants partially down, exposing his penis and buttocks, Lake Criminal Court records state.

Though his speech was slurred, he admitted he had been the driver in the crash, records allege.

Police found a small amount of marijuana and an empty 100-milliliter bottle of vodka in his pants pockets, records state.

At the crash scene, Dianne Robinson, 63, of Gary, a passenger in a red Ford Transit van that Blair rear-ended, told her husband after impact she couldn't breathe, records state. She then became unresponsive and began convulsing.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:22:28|Editor: yhy

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SINGAPORE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Singapore confirmed 23 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, of which 18 are imported and five are local cases.

This brings the national total to 455 cases, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its daily update.

The imported cases had travel histories to Europe, North America, South America and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries. All except one case were returning residents and long-term pass holders.

Four more patients have also been discharged, the MOH said.

In all, 144 people have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 309 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Fourteen are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

The first two deaths were reported Saturday morning.

On Sunday, the city state also announced tighter border controls, in a bid to reduce further imported COVID-19 cases.

Singapore will bar all entry and transit to all short-term visitors starting from 11:59 p.m. Monday, the MOH said in a statement.

Previously, except for a handful of countries, short-term visitors from elsewhere were allowed to come into Singapore, although they would be given a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) upon arrival.

In light of the heightened risk of imported COVID-19 cases into Singapore, the ministry said this move will help to "conserve resources so we can focus on Singaporeans."

The MOH also noted the "further sharp increase" in cases globally and widening spread. To date, there are more than 260,000 COVID-19 cases across 185 countries and regions, and around 11,200 deaths.

In Singapore, almost 80 percent of cases in the past three days were local residents or long-term pass holders returning from overseas. These imported cases had travel histories to 22 different countries.

In addition, only work pass holders providing essential services, such as in healthcare and transport, will be allowed by the Manpower Ministry to enter or return to Singapore. This will include their dependents.
Telkom has pledged R15 million to help South Africas healthcare sector fight the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko said the funds will be used to support healthcare workers who are at the frontline of the battle against the spread of COVID-19, particularly in South Africas most vulnerable communities.

We believe it is up to each one of us to do what we can to flatten the curve and reduce the possible impact of this virus. particularly for those who rely on the public health system, said Maseko.

The donation is part of Telkoms multi-pronged approach to support South Africas efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its effects, said the company.

It added that accessing learning material for universities and public schools online has already been zero-rated on Telkoms network.

Our business continuity and emergency response measures are in place to support increased demand for broadband bandwidth and voice calls across both the fixed and mobile network, added Maseko.

Telkom said corporations and members of the public can donate money to the cause by dialing the following premium-rated short codes:

36757  R5 donation

 R5 donation 38771  R10 donation

 R10 donation 40773  R20 donation

National restrictions

The announcement comes after reports that South African military forces may be deployed to patrol the streets in a bid to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The report stated that if there is a spike in coronavirus infections in the country, the armys deployment would delay the need for a national lockdown.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize stated in the report that if current restrictions do not limit the viruss spread, the army will soon be patrolling the streets to enforce them.

This follows the health minister stating that between 60% and 70% of South Africans are likely to contract the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Now read: The Internet needs your help
India reported three more coronavirus deaths on Sunday, including the first casualty from Bihar, taking the toll to seven and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 341, officials said, as authorities suspended all train passenger and inter-state bus services till March 31 in unprecedented steps to contain the spread of the infection.

Though the AIIMS-Patna superintendent said the 38-year-old man with a kidney ailment and recent travel history to Qatar died of the virus, the Union Health Ministry was yet to confirm.

A 63-year-old patient died in Mumbai due to the virus while the third death of a 67-year-old patient was reported from Surat in Gujarat.

As millions of people stayed indoors following an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to observe a "Janta Curfew" on Sunday, the Centre and state governments decided to announce a lockdown in 75 districts where coronavirus cases have been reported. Only essential services will be allowed in the districts, a Union Ministry of Home Affairs official said.

The stricter measures to control the virus spread came as the Health Ministry said at least 341 people have been infected by COVID-19 across the country, the highest 63 reported from Maharashtra.

The Railways announced it was suspending all passenger services from March 22 midnight until March 31 and said only goods trains will run during the period. The suspensions include all suburban train services. Trains that commenced their journey prior to 4 am on March 22 will complete their journeys, it said, adding that passengers can claim a full refund for trains cancelled during this period till June 21.

Also, the government suspended all inter-state bus services until March 31.

The extraordinary decisions were taken a day after the Railways reported three incidents (12 positive cases) of people asked to remain in quarantine travelling on trains and amid an exodus of people from urban areas to their home states, raising fears of the virus spreading to the countryside.

A Union Home Ministry official said the Centre and state governments decided to completely lockdown 75 districts in states that include UP, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.

Delhi Police said prohibitory orders have been imposed in Delhi till March 31, adding that protests and other gatherings of people have been banned. The Delhi government urged residents to remain indoors even after the "Janta Curfew" ends.

The West Bengal government said in a notification that Kolkata and several other areas of the state will be under lockdown from Monday 5 pm till Mar 27.

According to the Health Ministry, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 63, followed by Kerala (52) and Delhi (27).

Uttar Pradesh has recorded 25 cases, Telangana 21 cases, Rajasthan 24 cases, Haryana 17 cases.

Karnataka has 20 patients. Punjab and Ladakh have 13 cases each. Gujarat has 14 cases while Tamil Nadu has 6 cases. Chandigarh has reported five cases.

Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and West Bengal reported four cases each. Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand reported three cases each. Odisha and Himachal Pradesh reported 2 cases each.

Puducherry and Chhattisgarh reported one case each.

The Indian Council of Medical Research said they are ramping up testing efforts, but added that they won't do indiscriminate testing for COVID-19. The strategy is to test only those who show symptoms, its director general said.

The paramilitary forces, comprising about 10 lakh personnel, also ordered immediate suspension of movement of troops and directed them to ''be where they are'' till April 5, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PEORIA  Although most businesses in Illinois were to cease operations temporarily at 5 p.m. Saturday, Caterpillar Inc. was not among them.

The earthmoving-equipment manufacturer, which has an operation in Decatur, is among essential businesses and services spared from Gov. J.B. Pritzker's shelter-in-place order.

Pritzker issued the order Friday in an attempt to help control the spread of coronavirus. The "stay at home" order is to expire April 7.

Among the provisions in the order is one that allows for businesses to remain open if they're involved in the manufacture, distribution and supply chain for critical products and industries.

Construction and mining are listed among those industries.

"Caterpillar continues to operate our Illinois facilities while adhering to the Governor's Executive Order," Caterpillar spokeswoman Kate Kenny stated in an email to the Journal Star. "Our employees' safety, health and well-being remain a top priority."

The Deerfield-based corporation moved its world headquarters from Peoria in 2017 but maintains a significant blue- and white-collar presence in central Illinois.

Among Decatur shoppers and businesses, a new reality amid coronavirus restrictions Residents are preparing for the statewide stay-at-home starting Saturday, leaving shelves at local grocery stores empty.

The United Auto Workers has been attempting for two weeks to convince Caterpillar to halt operations, according to the union's local leader. Health concerns related to COVID-19 were cited.

Caterpillar's ultimate response was government deems it an essential enterprise.

"I see that a lot of people are trying to blame the UAW for Caterpillar deciding to stay open," Randy Diehl, the UAW Local 974 president, stated in a Facebook post.

"The UAW does not have the authority to force Caterpillar to shut down. This is a Caterpillar decision that is allowed by the federal government."

Caterpillar announced in 2017 that the company was moving 500 jobs from Aurora to the Decatur plant, citing its intent to "efficiently leverage manufacturing space while still preserving capacity for an upturn."

The company in 2018 celebrated assembling the parts for its 5,000th 793 large mining truck at the Decatur facility.

Pritzker on Saturday during a press conference was asked what manufacturing sectors are considered essential and that there was concern from workers who had to stay on the job.

The governor said"the intention here is that theres a supply chain of manufacturing that occurs, not just for the end product that you see on a shelf, but all the way back."

"You know, the bread that you see on the shelf is not just the bread itself but theres a twist tie and theres a plastic bag that holds the bread. Those are all manufacturers that are necessary in order for that good to end up on the shelf. The same thing is true for bottle makers for pharmaceuticals, for example. Its not just the pharmaceuticals, but that someone makes the tops, someone makes the bottles, you can see that theres a whole supply chain behind many of the things that are necessary for everybodys daily life. And so we want to be, you know, to make sure that essential business operations includes all of the supply chain across the board," he said.

More from the Herald & Review
President Donald Trump sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seeking to maintain good relations and offering cooperation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Kims sister said Sunday.

The latest correspondence came as Kim observed the firing of tactical guided weapons over the weekend, drawing criticism from South Korea, as nuclear talks remain deadlocked.

In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, Kim's sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, praised Trump for sending the letter at a time when 'big difficulties and challenges lie ahead in the way of developing ties' between the countries.

In the letter, she said Trump explained his plan to 'propel the relations between the two countries ... and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work,' an apparent reference to the global coronavirus outbreak. She said her brother expressed his gratitude for Trump's letter.

President Donald Trump (left) sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right), seeking to maintain good relations and offering cooperation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Kims sister said Sunday

North Korea has repeatedly said there hasn't been a single case of the coronavirus on its soil.

Some foreign experts question that claim and say an outbreak in the North could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its poor medical infrastructure.

Last month, the State Department expressed concerns about North Korea's vulnerability to a potential coronavirus outbreak and said it was ready to support efforts by aid organizations to contain the spread of the illness in the North.

A senior Trump administration official said Sunday that Trump sent a letter to Kim that the official said was consistent with Trump's efforts to engage global leaders during the pandemic.

The official said Trump looks forward to continued communications with the North Korean leader.

Kim Yo Jong said Trump's letter is 'a good example showing the special and firm personal relations' between the North Korean and US leaders.

But she said it's not a good idea to 'make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about' the prospect for bilateral relations.

'In my personal opinion, I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries,' she said.

'Even at this moment we are working hard to develop and defend ourselves on our own under the cruel environment which the US is keen to "provide".'

Earlier, Trump sent birthday greetings to Kim Jong Un, who was believed to have turned 36 on January 8.

There are more than 30,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US with 386 deaths

Senior North Korean official Kim Kye Gwan said at the time that the birthday message won't lead his country to return to talks unless the US accepts its demands.

Kim and Trump have met three times and exchanged letters and envoys on many occasions since 2018, when they launched talks on the fate of Kim's advancing nuclear arsenal.

The two leaders have avoided harsh language against each other, and Trump once said he and Kim 'fell in love'.

But their diplomacy has largely come to a standstill since the breakdown of their second summit in Vietnam in February 2019, when Trump rejected Kim's demands for broad sanctions relief in return for a partial disarmament step.

Kim pressed Trump to come up with new proposals to salvage the negotiations by the end of last year.

He later vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent and unveil 'a new strategic weapon,' and warned that he would no longer be bound by a major weapons test moratorium.

In recent weeks, North Korea has fired a slew of artillery and other rockets into the sea in what experts say is an attempt to improve its military capabilities.

A resumption of long-range missile or nuclear weapons tests by Kim would likely completely scuttle diplomacy with Trump, experts say.

KCNA said Kim watched the test firing of tactical guided weapons on Saturday with Kim Yo Jong and other top officials. South Korea's military called the demonstration 'very inappropriate' at a time when the world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

South Korea's military said Saturday that it detected two presumed short-range ballistic missiles that flew from a site in western North Korea across the country and landed in the waters off the east coast.

The weapons flew 410 kilometers, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On 11 March 2020, WHO declared Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic and reiterated the call for countries to take immediate actions and scale up response to treat, detect and reduce transmission to save peoples lives.

Situation update

As of 21 March 2020 (4:45 PM), a total of 283 COVID-19 cases (244 Indians and 39 foreign nationals) have been reported in 22 states/union territories. These include 22 who have been cured/discharged, 1 who has migrated and 4 reported deaths. Hospital isolation of all confirmed cases, tracing and home quarantine of the contacts is ongoing.

Government response



The Prime Minister's Office, Group of Ministers, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Cabinet Secretary are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. The government has invoked powers under The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to enhance preparedness and containment of the virus. With COVID-19 being declared a notified disaster, the State Disaster Response Fund, constituted under Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is now available with state governments for response measures.

Central ministries along with states/UTs have taken urgent steps to strengthen community surveillance, quarantine facilities, isolation wards, and ensure availability of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), trained manpower and rapid response teams for management of COVID-19.

Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi has urged for resolve and restraint and adopting social distancing. He has also asked fellow citizens to follow 'Janta curfew' (voluntary self-isolation) on Sunday, 22 March 2020 from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

In a new advisory, apart from other prevention measures, the government has banned all international flights from entering India for a week starting 22 March 2020.

Travel of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines, Malaysia to India has been prohibited. All passengers coming from European Union (27 countries), European Free Trade Association (4 countries), Turkey and United Kingdom have also been prohibited from entering India. These are temporary measures and shall remain in force till 31 March 2020. The earlier visa restrictions also remain in force. Universal Health Screening continues at all points of entry.

WHO Country Office for India support

WHO Country Office for India (WCO) has been working closely with MoHFW, on preparedness and response measures for COVID-19, including disease surveillance, laboratory and research protocols, risk communications, training on infection prevention and control (IPC) and cluster containment plan, surveillance and tracking of travellers.

"We welcome Prime Minister's call for a Janta curfew and adopting social distancing. Effective implementation of the strategy will go a long way in controlling the spread of the virus. Along with hand-hygiene, coughing and sneezing in one's sleeves prevents transmission. These measures, together with social distancing can be effective in containing transmission. Even as we maintain social distancing, it is equally vital to stand together in solidarity to overcome this challenge," says Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India.
This article is published through a partnership with New York Medias Strategist . The partnership is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected by New York Media. If you buy something through our links, Slate and New York Media may earn an affiliate commission.

Along with lots more food and industrial-strength nail clippers, big dogs like Mastiffs, German shepherds, and Saint Bernards need big beds. But its not only about size. Because big dogs weigh more, they need beds that are supportive and firm enough to cushion their joints and pressure points and keep them from sinking into the floor. Since theyre stronger than smaller dogs, they also need beds that are durable enough to withstand powerful digging and chewing. And because they make bigger messes, whether its drool, intense shedding, or a potty-training fail, their beds need to be easy to clean. Stephanie Seger, owner of two giant bullmastiffs named Sulley and Junior, says, Both of my boys are over 200 pounds, so their bed has to withstand the pressure of two giant bodies and stand up to the daily abuse of them jumping on and off while playing. We asked Seger and five other big dog owners, dog trainers, and veterinarians to weigh in on the best dog beds for big dogs.

Dr. Shelly Zacharias, veterinarian and vice president of medical affairs for Gallant, says that the most important thing for large dogs is the thickness of their bed. Thin bedding, even if its made of orthopedic foam, is not helpful to the joints if your pet can easily sink down and feel the hard floor beneath him, says Zacharias.

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Seger has tried a ton of beds made for big dogs over the years, including one filled with cedar chips and down feathers. But after watching them all give out after a matter of months, she switched to Big Barker orthopedic foam beds for both of her dogs. Ive had two of these beds for nearly ten years, Seger says. Theyre covered with an easy-to-remove zip cover for frequent cleaning and they still look new and feel just as supportive as the day I bought them. Though Big Barker beds are on the pricey side, Seger hasnt had to replace them in years and considers them an investment in her dogs orthopedic health.

In addition to Segers recommendation, this same bed got top marks from Erin Askeland, a certified dog behaviorist and training manager at Camp Bow Wow, and Devin Stagg of Pupford, a company specializing in dog training and healthy dog food, in our more general roundup of the best dog beds. Askeland loves that its firm and durable but also notes that the side bolster is great for big dogs who like to sprawl and rest their head. Stagg is the owner of two large Labradors and says he chooses Big Barker beds because of their machine-washable covers. Stains and spills can ruin the integrity of a dog bed, so even if your dog is potty-trained, make sure you buy a bed with a cover you can remove and clean, he says.

If spending nearly $300 on a dog bed makes you wince, Dr. Jamie Richardson, chief of staff at Small Door Veterinary, says my all-around favorite dog bed for medium to extra-large dogs is the Pet Fusion. Richardson uses this bed at home for her Labrador whos getting on in age, and she recommends it to clients and friends because its well-priced, constructed of thick memory foam for superior orthopedic comfort, has a generous bolster for those dogs that like their head being propped up on a pillow, and has a waterproof machine-washable cover so its virtually accident-proof. Zacharias agrees that bolsters on a bed are great for big dogs who like to rest their forearms over something cushy for comfort, and says that it also gives them something for their back to lie against to feel safe.

Unlike humans, dogs chew on their beds (and may ingest parts of them). They also lick their beds and bring their treats or bones to their bed to eat, says Russell Hartstein, a certified dog behaviorist and CEO of Fun Paw Care. Because of this, Hartsteins first concern in choosing a bed is its materials. Hartstein says he often recommends Naturo Pet natural, organic orthopedic dog beds because they use sustainable coco-latex made from coconut husks. Like the Big Barker and the Pet Fusion beds, they also have removable covers you can throw in the washing machine.

For owners of dogs who will chew through anything  leather slippers, wooden clogs, and even the baseboards in your house  Zacharias recommends this bed from Orvis. It was was designed, tested, and redesigned to be chew-proof. If your pet manages to destroy it, Orvis will give you your money back. Any bedding or material that is ingested by your dog poses a very dangerous threat as a foreign body in the digestive tract, Zacharias says. Richardson is also a fan of Orvis beds because they offer more stylish options and last a long time. Plus, the entire bed is machine washable.

Over the course of our conversations with vets, trainers, and dog owners, we heard many glowing recommendations for elevated cot-style beds. They are particularly popular for large dogs that run hot and dogs that live in warm climates. Of the many cot-style brands on the market, Kuranda and K9 Ballistics (which we include in our general dog bed roundup) got the most mentions. Seger keeps an aluminum-frame Kuranda bed outside her home in Scottsdale, Arizona. This bed has sat in the sun for almost 11 years, and it looks like it did the day we bought it, she says. She likes that it keeps her dogs up off of the concrete patio, minimizing pressure on their joints and providing much-needed orthopedic support. Plus, she says, its easy to spray off with a hose and lightweight enough to move around as needed. Zacharias also mentioned Kuranda beds: No matter how thick or fluffy the bed, if it is laying on the ground it can still feel hard on the joints over time. For her own dogs, Zacharias lays an orthopedic foam bed on top of the raised platform. You can do that, too, or buy Kurandas machine washable padded fleece cover for a little more comfort.

AmazonBasics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed For a cheaper option, you can follow Hartsteins lead and get the AmazonBasics elevated dog bed. My German shepherd loves it, he says. The bed is cleanable and breathable, and when the mesh part wears out, you can replace just it without having to buy a new steel frame. $19 from Amazon



If you dont live in a hot place and are looking for something cozy and supportive for your pup, two of the dog owners we spoke to recommend this faux-sheepskin memory-foam bed. Our dog Pablo loves sheepskin, so we tried out a washable version we found on Amazon and its been a huge hit, says New Yorkbased designer Gabriela Gargano of Grisoro Designs. Strategist senior editor Casey Lewis has the same bed for her Labrador named Bear and agrees that its being washable is a game-changer. Its extremely resilient, she says.

Hartstein likes to offer his dog and the dogs he works with a lot of different choices so they can move throughout the house depending on their mood. This is particularly important if you want to discourage them from taking over your couch or bed. Hartstein even has an option for camping or taking his dog with him to restaurants. He likes this roll-up bed from Ruffwear because its easy to pack on a trip and is made with recycled stuffing. Its also water-resistant on top and waterproof on bottom to keep your dog dry on wet ground.
Here are todays leading new stories:

Society

-- All travelers of passenger buses, trains, tourist boats, and domestic flights in Vietnam are required to fill out health declaration forms, starting from 12:00 am on Saturday, March 21, in order to control the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, according to the Ministry of Transport.

-- Two British citizens, who are Vietnams 24th and 27th COVID-19 patients, have recovered after testing negative for the virus twice, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

-- Two people in Hanoi have been summoned by local police for spreading false information on the COVID-19 epidemic in the capital via Facebook.

-- The prices of malaria medicine in Vietnam have increased by 1.5 times over the past week due to rumors that the type of medication can be used to treat the novel coronavirus disease.

-- The Department of Construction in the south-central province of Binh Dinh has ordered developers of the Ami Resort & Spa and Quy Nhon Sea Resort to halt the development of the two projects after multiple violations have been discovered.

-- Police in the northern province of Hai Duong have arrested five men for assaulting a doctor at a local medical center on March 18.

Business

-- The Hanoi Peoples Committee has approved the establishment of Dong La Industrial Cluster and the second phase of Duong Lieu Industrial Cluster in the outskirts district of Hoai Duc.

World News

-- The novel coronavirus has infected nearly 305,000 and killed more than 13,000 people globally as of Sunday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Over 94,700 cases have recovered.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Meghalaya government has



restricted entry of people from other states in view of the coronavirus threat.

A senior home department official said that it is applicable to all people visiting Meghalaya from other states, and those travelling to other states via this northeastern state.

Those entering the state will be required to mandatorily register with the COVID-19 monitoring system apart from undergoing health screening, a notification issued in pursuance of the Meghalaya Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations 2020, said.

The restricted movement will be allowed from 11 points across the state, six in the Garo Hills region and five in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region, the notification issued on Saturday night said.

The procedure is being followed in view of the state's preparedness in the wake of the coronavirus threat.

There are no restrictions on the movement of people within the state at present, the official said,



The Chief Minister's Office has informed that 10 handwash facilities have been installed in various locations in the state capital.

Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India at Shillong Airport, located about 25 km from here, has ensured thermal screening of all inbound passengers in collaboration with the health department, an AAI official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Karnataka government has decided to shut state borders, also postpone all exams includingLC (class 10), aimed at controling the spread of COVID-19 virus, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Sunday.

Streets in the capital city and other parts of the state wore a deserted look as the 'Janata curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help check the spread of coronavirus began.

The Chief Minister complimented and thanked people of the state for supporting the Prime Minister's call for observing the 'Janata Curfew'.

Appealing to people in the cities not to travel to villages for the next 15 days to control outbreak in rural areas, Yediyurappa said a decision has also been taken to screen all domestic passengers henceforth at airports.

"We have decided to completely shut state's borders, we request cooperation of every one in this regard. All examinations includingLC (class 10 that was scheduled from March 27) have been postponed, however only one PUC (class 12) paper scheduled for tomorrow will be held," Yediyurappa told reporters here.

The chief minister said he held detailed discussions with Narayana Health Chairman Dr Devi Shetty, senior Ministers and officials of his government this morning regarding certain important measures need to be taken.

A 1,700-bed facility at Victoria Hospital in the city will be converted as a special hospital for COVID related cases with immediate effect, he added.

"It has been decided to postpone all elections that was scheduled...most importantly I appeal to people residing in the cities not to travel to villages for fifteen days, as there are no problems there, cases are in the cities," he added.

Yediyurappa said already all international passengers are being screened, and it has been decided toscreen all domestic passengers at airports from now on.

He said Balabrooie Guest House in the city will be converted into "Corona War Room" and all related measures will be monitored and implemented from there under his leadership.

"The War Room will function round-the-clock and all task force meetings and video conferencing will happen from there," he added.

The Chief Minister asked people not to fear or panic and go for stocking of food grains and other essential substances and said "the government has taken care in this regard."



Noting that it has been decided to immediately increase the number of labs to test for COVID-19 virus, Yediyurapp said, all those who have come into contact with infected persons whether they show symptoms or not, will be tested.

"Facilities are being made ready to testat least 200 out of every 10 lakh people. With the help of ICMR and NIV we have decided to get permission to as many government and private labs to test COVID-19," he said.

To support the COVID task force that has been formed with senior Ministers as members, a team of senior officials has been constituted, and they have already started functioning, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nairobi/Johannesburg: Angola, Eritrea and Uganda confirmed their first cases of coronavirus, while Mauritius recorded its first death as the virus spreads across Africa despite measures by governments to hold it back.

Two male residents who flew back from Portugal on March 17-18 have tested positive, Angolan Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta said on Saturday, while Eritrea said its first case was a 39-year-old national who had arrived from Norway.

Mabatho Mphuthi is one of the very few people wearing a mask in response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak in the Diepsloot township north of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday. Credit:AP

Uganda's first case was announced early on Sunday by Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng. She said the man flew into the country from Dubai on Saturday and was in stable condition.

More than 1000 cases have now been reported across Africa, according to the World Health Organisation.
Our weekly roundup of books that should be on your radar.

We love stories, and even in the age of Netflix-and-chill, there's nothing like a good book that promises a couple of hours of absorption  whether curled up in bed, in your favourite coffeehouse, or that long (and tiresome) commute to work. Every Sunday, we'll have a succinct pick of books, across diverse genres, that have been newly made available for your reading pleasure. Get them wherever you get your books  the friendly neighbourhood bookseller, e-retail website, chain store  and in whatever form you prefer. Happy reading!

For more of our weekly book recommendations, click here.

***

 FICTION

The Endgame

By Kunal Basu

Pan Macmillan India | Rs 499 | 188 pages

Author Kunal Basus The Endgame follows New York reporter Tejaswini Ray who has arrived in war-torn Iraq. Here, she revolts against the strict censorship of the commander of the US Marine Corps and her coverage of American soldiers killed by landmines draws worldwide attention. She also meets Shabnam, an Indian trafficked and sold to the Marine camp. Their friendship eventually reveals an older link and as war threatens the Camp, the two decide to leave, embarking on a daring journey together.

Read more about the book here.

 SHORT STORY COLLECTION

The Rickshaw Reveries: Dark Dazzling Delhi Stories

By Ipshita Nath

Simon & Schuster India | Rs 350 | 320 pages

University of Delhi English teacher Ipshita Naths debut collection explores different facets of Delhi. From a rickshaw puller whose lust will lead him to metamorphosis to a scrap metal collector whose life changes by one piece of metal, and from a local perfumer whose attars hold the power of love, life, and death, to a gay man drawn to a djinn in the old Delhi fort. These are stories of delinquents, drug peddlers, and Khan Market diplomats, among others.

Read more about the book here.

 MEMOIRS and BIOGRAPHIES

A Talibs Tale: The Life and Times of a Pashtoon Englishman

By John Butt

Penguin Random House India | Rs 599 | 400 pages

Islamic scholar John Mohammed Butt, noted as the first Westerner to graduate from Darul Uloom Deoband, details his life story. From coming to Swat in 1970 in search of an education to his travels around the region, he talks about the friends he made and the process of slowly integrating into local culture and life. With reflections and anecdotes, he unravels how he found home in Afghanistan, and how his hearth soon turned Pashtoon.

Read more about the book here.

The Dalai Lama: An Extraordinary Life

By Alexander Norman

HarperCollins India | Rs 799 | 432 pages

Author and scholar of Tibetan history Alexander Norman presents a definitive biography of the Dalai Lama. He details his life, starting in an isolated Tibetan village, to becoming a worldwide leader. The Dalai Lamas spiritual practices are rooted in magic and prophecy. Politically, hes manoeuvred through violence, even placing himself at the centre of a Buddhist schism. Having collaborated with the Dalai Lama on his autobiography, Norman now brings forth his life story.

Read more about the book here.

 NON-FICTION

The Naga Ethnic Movement for a Separate Homeland: Stories from the Field

By Namrata Goswami

OUP India | Rs 1,100 | 284 pages

Author Namrata Goswamis research around the Naga armed ethnic movement offers a narrative on how conflict has affected their daily lives and is based on over a decade of work with rebels, including interviews. It also offers insight into how they perceive their meeting point with institutions of the Indian state. Reflecting their love for their land, the book also presents stories of courage from a people living amidst unrest.

Read more about the book here.

The Shaadi Story: Behind the Scenes of the Big Fat Indian Wedding

By Amita Nigam Sahaya

Pan Macmillan India | Rs 599 | 224 pages

Author, activist and social entrepreneur Amita Nigam Sahaya explores Indian marriages and weddings in The Shaadi Story. She looks at the history, tradition, societal attitudes, and industry behind the Big Fat Indian Wedding. The book examines our evolving ideas of love and relationships through the lens of weddings, by considering aspects of ancient Sanskrit scriptures, western philosophy, Bollywood, and voices of the young Indians.

Read more about the book here.

 YOUNG READERS

Zakir And His Tabla: Dha Dhin Na

By Sandhya Rao; Illustrations by Priya Kuriyan

Tulika Books | Rs 275 | 32 pages

With illustrations by Priya Kuriyan, writer Sandhya Raos book introduces children to Zakir Hussain. Stringing together stories from his life, the book narrates Hussain's childhood around music and eventual rise to the performer who took the tabla to the world.

Read more about the book here.
In a rare interview, China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, told "Axios on HBO" that he stands by his belief that it's "crazy" to spread rumors about the coronavirus originating from a military laboratory in the United States.

Why it matters: Cui called this exact conspiracy theory "crazy" more than a month ago on CBS' "Face the Nation." But that was before the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, began publicly promoting the conspiracy.

The fact that Cui distanced himself from his colleague's statements sends an important signal from the top Chinese government official in the U.S.

Top Trump officials, including the president, have expressed their outrage at Chinese officials for trying to spread the theory that the U.S. military brought the coronavirus to China. The State Department even called in Cui to take him to task.

The big picture: There's not a credible epidemiologist in the world who has shown evidence that the virus originated anywhere but China. Scientists believe the virus emerged from animals sold in a market in Wuhan, where the first cases of the disease were discovered.

Driving the news: In our interview, which aired Sunday, "Axios on HBO" quoted back to the ambassador a statement he made on "Face the Nation" Feb. 9: "There are people who are saying that these virus [sic] are coming from some- some military lab, not of China, maybe in the United States. How can we believe all these crazy things?"

Cui told "Axios on HBO" he stands by that statement. "That's my position then and that's my position now."

Cui added that we should leave it to the scientists to describe where the virus originated and said it's "very harmful" for journalists and diplomats to speculate about its origins.

He also blamed people in Washington for spreading unfounded rumors  an apparent shot at Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who has raised questions about whether the virus came from a biochemical lab in Wuhan, China. (There is no evidence for this, either, as Cotton acknowledged.)

Between the lines: Asked whether Cui's Foreign Ministry colleague had any evidence to support the conspiracy theory, Cui replied, with a slight smile, "maybe you could go and ask him."

Key exchange:

"Axios on HBO": "Well have you asked him, you're the ambassador?"

"Well have you asked him, you're the ambassador?" Cui: "No, I'm here representing my head of state and my government, not any particular individual."

"No, I'm here representing my head of state and my government, not any particular individual." "Axios on HBO": "Does he [Zhao] speak for the Chinese government, or do you?"

"Does he [Zhao] speak for the Chinese government, or do you?" Cui: "I am the representative of China in the United States."

"I am the representative of China in the United States." "Axios on HBO": "OK, so we shouldn't take his words literally ... we shouldn't take them as a representation of the Chinese government, even though he's the spokesman?"

"OK, so we shouldn't take his words literally ... we shouldn't take them as a representation of the Chinese government, even though he's the spokesman?" Cui: "Well you could try to interpret somebody else's statement. I'm not in the position, and I don't have the responsibility, to explain everybody's view to you."

What's next: "Axios on HBO" asked Cui what he made of Trump calling the coronavirus the "Chinese virus."
22.03.2020 LISTEN

President Akufo-Addo, has announced that the Ministry of Health (MOH) is mobilising new and retired health professionals to augment Ghana's preparedness and response in managing the COVID-19 outbreak.

He said it had become necessary to put these additional measures in place to beef up the strength should there be a surge in the number of confirmed cases of infection in the coming days or weeks.

In a national broadcast on Saturday night to update citizens on the COVID-19 situation, the President said 50, 000 additional test kits had been ordered and were due to arrive in the country very soon.

More Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) were also being procured to beef-up supplies for frontline health workers.

It was heartening, he said, the number of healthcare professionals who had come forward to offer their services.

He commended the entrepreneurs who had positively responded to the crisis by producing greater quantities of sanitizers and 'Veronica Buckets'.

He appealed to members of the pharmaceutical industry to scale up their domestic production of pharmaceutical products, saying the government would do its best to support them.

The President thanked all essential service providers for their support and commitment towards the common goal of suppressing the spread of the COVID-19 infections.

He said there would be a constant review of the measures announced, and if necessary, enhanced.

Ghana had recorded 21 confirmed cases, with one confirmed death, as at 2115 hours on Saturday, March 21, 2020.

President Akufo-Addo urged the MOH not to only step up contact tracing, but to also ensure that all persons who had come into contact with any person who had tested positive to also get tested.

He stated that the cases of localized infections required all persons to maintain strict self discipline, and to continue the practice of the prescribed social distancing and enhanced protocols in all aspects of their daily lives.

These include frequent handwashing with soap under running water, or the use of alcohol-based hand rub, avoiding shaking of hands and unnecessary close body contact.

The President pleaded with all citizens to comply with these measures, saying their survival was in their own hands.

---GNA
The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 307,200 people and killed more than 13,000. The COVID-19 illness causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, but severe symptoms are more likely in the elderly or those with existing health problems. More than 92,000 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.

TOP OF THE HOUR

Uzbekistan closing borders for its citizens will require residents to wear masks.

Sri Lanka bans all passenger ships and flights.

Doctor in Pakistan screening returnees from Iran hospitalized.

Japan urges no nonessential travel to the United States.

Uzbekistan is closing its borders for its citizens and will require residents to wear masks if they leave their residences. An announcement from the country's commission to prevent the spread of the coronavirus said the borders will closed Monday to everyone except foreign citizens leaving the country and international cargo-haulers. Beginning Wednesday, anyone not wearing a mask in a public place will be fined, the commission said. Uzbekistan has recorded 42 cases of coronavirus infection. The country has land borders with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  The Sri Lankan government imposed an indefinite ban on all passenger flights and ships.

A government statement said all passenger flights and ships will not be allowed to enter the Indian Ocean island until the situation returns to normalcy.The government has stepped up measures as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus have risen to 77.

ISLAMABAD  A doctor who was engaged in screening for the coronavirus in returnees from Iran himself fell prey to the deadly virus in northern Pakistan.Faiz Ullah Firaq, spokesman of Gilgit Baltistan government, said Sunday a young doctor Usama Riaz who was on duty of screening pilgrims arriving from Iran and other pilgrims coming into Gilgit Baltistan (GB) is in critical condition after being infected by the coronavirus.

"Dr Usama Riaz, who hails from Chilas area of Diamer district in GB, was admitted in Gilgit District Headquarter Hospital on Friday night after falling unconscious and is presently on a ventilator." Also, local media reported that a U.S. diplomat arrived at Islamabad airport the previous day with suspected symptoms of the coronavirus. Authorities have isolated him at the airport but embassy officials promised that he will be quarantined at the facility in the U.S. embassy. There was no confirmation from the embassy in Islamabad.

TOKYO  Japan has issued a travel warning for its nationals, urging not to make unessential trips to the United States because of the rapidly expanding coronavirus outbreak in that country, the foreign ministry said in a statement.Japan has taken similar steps to most European countries and banned trips to China, South Korea as well as Iceland, San Marino and parts of Italy, Switzerland and Spain.

As of Saturday, the U.S. had 15,219 confirmed cases and 201 deaths, the ministry said, citing the U.S. Center for Disease Control.The foreign ministry also said the decision came after the U.S. raised travel caution to Japan and four countries to level three, urging Americans not to make nonessential trips to Japan and requiring a 14-day self-imposed quarantine for Japanese nationals entering the U.S.

(Image credit: AP)
Although it is unclear how the Legislature will convene after health restrictions prohibited gatherings of 10 or more people, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called for a special session to address issues concerning revisions on the state budget amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, Grisham said that aside from the revision of the state budget, state legislators expect that the special session will also address public health needs and provide economic relief amid the spread of local infection caused by COVID-19.

New Mexico heavily relies on the petroleum sector for more than a third of its annual income. Instability in the oil prices will threaten the stability of state government income sources, prompting lawmakers to revise its recently signed state budget shortly after approving a 7.5% increase in state general funding.

"To prepare for a special session, I believe that we must first understand the long-term effects and needs arising from this emergency," Grisham , emphasizing the need for updated and reliable revenue projections and a clear picture of the full spectrum of assistance that the federal government will be providing to states.

Republicans have earlier asked for the state budget to be re-assessed, saying that the economic effects of the COVID-2019 could cost the state up to a billion dollars.

Minority leader Rep. James Townsend has suggested that the state should freeze spending as a precaution and grant tax filing extensions over the possibility that the new health emergency restrictions may bankrupt many businesses.

"The sooner we address these issues, the less painful it will be. The longer we take to address some, more severe and more impactful they will have to be," he said.

Grisham vetoed a $159 million infrastructure spending, and instead signed a $7.6 billion state budget for the across the board pay increase for state workers and school staff, and major investments in public school education.

They are also on alert for the economic impact especially for the business, such as declining revenues, that will arise from the crisis.

The Democratic governor recently joined other state governors for a conference call with President Donald Trump to discuss the need for federal community development block grants to aid businesses, as well as supply chain concerns on personal protective equipment for medical personnel and coronavirus testing supplies.

"Where is it? Who is making it and where is it getting deployed?" said spokesman Tripp Stelnicki, echoing the governor's hope for clear federal coordination.

Meanwhile, the Health department confirmed that statewide infections have climbed to 43 as of March 21, Saturday.

Purchasing has become limited to three items each for toilet paper, infant care items, and over the counter medicine among many others. Supermarkets are accommodating the elderly by allotting opening hours just for them.

Public health officials have ordered the closure of schools and other public places, such as shopping malls and movie houses, and banned large gatherings. Likewise, bar and restaurant operations have been limited to takeout or delivery service.

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Some 500 women in the Klaw enclave of the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah region have been trained on soap production.

The programme which is an initiative of the Member of Parliament for the area, Adam Salifu Braimah, is aimed at empowering the beneficiaries by making them economically viable to support their families.

The Member of Parliament who was in the area to meet with various stakeholders on Covid 19 also inspected progress on the training program.

He admonished the beneficiaries to produce more soap and detergent for supply to communities to encourage education on hand washing.

Mr. Salifu assured them of his continuous support to alleviate poverty.

"My purpose of the visit is to see how we can collectively adhere to precautions against Covid 19 but I want to assure you that I will continue to support programs that will lessen our financial burden as keepers of the home"

The Municipal Chief Executive for East Gonja, Mohammed Tamimu who was with the MP appealed to the women to also train more people to get more people benefitting.

He noted the support schemes of the MP will complement the efforts of the Assembly in poverty reduction.

The women were grateful to the MP for the gesture.

They gave the assurance, they will put in more energy into the production of the soap.

The MP later inspected some electrification and mobile network projects ongoing in the area.
The public curfew or the Janta Curfew invoked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be in force just for 14 hours on Sunday but Delhi administration is determined to ensure curbs are in place to keep people safe from novel coronavirus.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has already said that the national capital will be put under a lockdown, if need be, to keep people safe from Covid-19 outbreak.

On Monday, a day after the Janta Curfew, Delhi administration has decided stagger metro services to ensure social distancing.

The metro service will be in operation from 6 am on Monday but will be available only for essential service providers like fire service personnel, those working with the police, hospitals or with the power services. People between 6 to 8 am will be allowed after checking their identity cards. During this time, metro trains will run at an interval of 20 minutes.

From 8 am, DMRC services will be available to the general public until it is shut at 4 pm. Metro trains will run between 4 pm to 8 pm on Monday evening. Services will not be in operation after 8 pm. Parking facilities at all metro stations on Monday will remain closed.

Although the curbs are there only for Monday, DMRC officials said commuters will be informed if any such measures are required to stay in place for the future to keep coronavirus in check.

Kejriwal on Saturday announced a ban on gatherings of more than five people in the capital in a significant reduction from the previous cap on gatherings exceeding 50 people in the wake of coronavirus spread in the country.

Delhi has reported more than 30 cases of positive Covid19 infections including one death so far.

The government has shut down most public places including schools, colleges, cinemas, malls, restaurants, swimming pools etc to prevent community transmission of the disease.

Any gathering of more than 5 people will not be allowed in Delhi. An order will be issued soon, announced Kejriwal among several other measures to combat the wide-spread impact of the disease.

The Delhi government also announced a 50 per cent increase in ration from fair price shops in the capital keeping in mind the impact on daily wage earners who are believed to be the hardest-hit from the curtailment in economic activity. It also announced doubling up of the pension for widows, differently-abled and elderly for March.
Ghana has closed all its borders to human traffic to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The closure, however, will not apply to goods, supplies and cargo, President Nana Akufo-Addo said in a televised address on Saturday.

The country also confirmed its first death from the disease.

All our borders, that is, by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday, he said.

All travellers arriving in the country before midnight on Sunday will be required to undergo mandatory quarantine and COVID-19 testing.

Anybody who comes into the country before on Sunday will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus, he added.

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Ghanas Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, had earlier disclosed that travellers from high-risk countries with more than 200 cases of the Covid-19 would not be allowed into the country. The only exceptions were Ghanaian citizens and persons with Ghana residence permits.

Confirmed cases

Ghanas index case of the coronavirus was announced on March 12.

Twenty-one cases have been confirmed as at 21:15 GMT on March 21. One death, of a 61-year-old Lebanese, who had tested positive in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital, was announced by the president in his address.

Unfortunately one person who tested positive for the virus, but had serious underlying health complications, passed away in the early hours of today, the president said.

He said all others are responding to treatment with eight being managed from their homes in isolation.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP walks in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, on March 12, 2020.(Charles Coates/Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton Is Well Following Isolation After He Was Pictured With Idris Elba, Who Tested Positive for Coronavirus

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton says he is well after undergoing a period of isolation following time spent in the company of actor Idris Elba, who tested positive for the CCP virus.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Hamilton, 35, was pictured at an event in London this month that was also attended by two people who tested positive for COVID-19.

Despite being in close proximity to someone who had tested positive, the Mercedes driver rejected the possibility of getting tested because there are people who need it more than I do.

I did speak to my doctor and double checked if I needed to take a test but the truth is, there is a limited amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than I do, especially when I wasnt showing any symptoms at all, Hamilton said Saturday on social media.

Hamilton had been pictured a London event for WE Movement, an international charity and educational partner.

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was also in attendance and has tested positive for coronavirus.

Despite being at risk of catching the virus, Hamilton assured fans he is well and has displayed zero symptoms.

Im doing well, feeling healthy and working out twice a day, the six-time world champion said.

I have zero symptoms, and its now been 17 days since I saw Sophie and Idris. I have been in touch with Idris and happy to hear he is ok.

READ: Manchester Premier League rivals come together to support local food banks

Shocking

The opening race of the 2020 Formula One season had been set for March 15 in Melbourne but was postponed at the last minute.

In a news conference before practice was scheduled to begin, Hamilton had called it shocking that the race hadnt been called off amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to cancel the event followed McLarens withdrawal after a team member tested positive for the virus.

Hamilton since then has been following the advice of medical experts and keeping to himself, he said.

So what Ive done is keep myself isolated this past week, actually since practice was cancelled last Friday and kept my distance from people, he said.

The most important thing everyone can do is stay positive, social distance yourself as best you can, self-isolate if you need to, and regularly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

After Australia, the next three races on this seasons calendarBahrain, Vietnam, and Chinahave been called off.

Races in the Netherlands and Spain, all due to take place in May, have also been postponed.

The Monaco Grand Prix became the latest Formula One race to be canceled, meaning one of the sports showcase events would not go ahead for the first time since 1954.

The 2020 season will not begin until June at the earliest.

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A few days ago, a discontent smartphone owner created a petition requesting the company to stop using its "inferior" Exynos SoCs. The petition has quickly gained traction, accruing over 11,000 signatures within 48 hours.

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A few days ago, a petition was created on Change.org asking Samsung to stop using its in-house Exynos SoC, deemed as inferior. The petition may have been laughed at initially, as it had just a couple hundred signatures by the time Android Authority first reported on it, but it's quickly gained plenty of traction.

At the moment, the petition has just over 11,000 signatures. Those signatures have come in less than 48 hours after being covered by mainstream media, and that's an impressive feat. That number will only grow over the next few days.

The petition reads thus:

Based on experience, and studies from numerous sources online, we believe Samsung's parts to be inferior to their US counterparts. Phones with Exynos SoC chips are shown to perform slower, have less battery life, use inferior camera sensors and processing, overheat and throttle faster, amongst other issues. At the very least, we would appreciate if Samsung were transparent about their inconsistencies. Alternatively, for Samsung to ensure we weren't paying the exact same price or even higher than our US friends.

Over the past week, it's been discovered that the Exynos 990 Samsung sells its Galaxy S20 phones with in most parts of the world is, well, a bit disappointing. The Exynos 990 has worse efficiency than the Snapdragon 865, while also delivering much worse gaming performance. It's no surprise that people aren't too thrilled about getting the short end of the stick.
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is feverishly reviewing thousands of waiver requests from businesses that want to stay open past Mondays deadline.

The number of waiver requests is approaching 10,000, according to Dennis Davin, the secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered the closure of non-life-sustaining businesses in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

His plan was initially to be implemented Friday but the deadline was pushed back to review waiver requests.

Davin said about half of the requests have been reviewed as of his web-based press conference at noon Sunday. A team of 50 with the community and economic development office is reviewing the requests as the deadline approaches.

Davin said individual businesses will be notified directly of decisions whether to let them stay open.

The waiver process will remain in place until all the waivers are reviewed, Davin said.

Information about which businesses may remain open, waiver request forms and resources available for shuttered businesses to seek financing are all on the Department of Community and Economic Development website.

Pennsylvania state police will help enforce the shutdown, according to a news release. Guidance is also being provided to local law enforcement.

To report businesses not in compliance with the shutdown, contact your local police departments non-emergency number or the nearest state police station. Please do not call 911 to file reports.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share., whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
A sign that reads in spanish: "Thank you #IstayAtHome" hangs on the facade of the Madrid city hall, Spain, on Sunday March 22, 2020. (AP Photo / Bernat Armangue)

The Spanish government sought on Sunday to extend until April 11 a state of emergency that it has imposed to try to control Europe's second-worst outbreak of coronavirus.

The death toll jumped to over 1,700, with more than 28,000 cases of infection.

"We are at war," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a news briefing, a day after warning that "the worst is yet to come" in the coronavirus outbreak.

He said the military would have a larger role in the pandemic's response and called for more economic help from the European Union.

The nationwide state of emergency, announced on March 14 and intended to last 15 days, bars people from all but essential outings.

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An extension would need to be approved by parliament but that is guaranteed after the main opposition party, the conservative People's Party, said it would support it, giving enough votes to Sanchez's Socialist Party and its far-left government coalition partner Unidas Podemos.

Sanchez said he hoped all parties would support the extension. It would be the first time in Spain's four-decade democracy that a state of emergency would be prolonged.

Parliament has a scheduled plenary session on Wednesday.

Sanchez praised Spaniards' commitment to home confinement, and defended the need to extend the state of emergency, saying,

"We hope that with this so drastic, dramatic and hard measure ... we can bend the coronavirus' curve".

The death toll from coronavirus rose to 1,720 on Sunday from 1,326 the day before, while the number of registered cases rose to 28,572 from 24,926, according to Health Ministry's data.

Officials cautiously highlighted that the number of new daily registered cases had dropped by 26pc from Saturday to Sunday.

"The general trend towards stabilization can give some hope but we need to be very cautious," said Fernando Simon, head of Spain's health emergency committee, at an earlier briefing.

The death rate from the illness is around 6pc in Spain, said Simon, but he suggested the rate is actually lower because the number of cases of infection is in fact likely higher than those recorded.

Authorities aim to have a more realistic picture in the coming days as they start distributing hundreds of thousands of fast testing devices. Priority for those tests will be given to the regions most hit by the pandemic, hospitals and health personnel, Simon added.

The Spanish Armed Forces will expand its role in dealing with the outbreak by moving patients to less overcrowded hospitals, transporting health equipment and helping Spaniards abroad return home, Sanchez said.

The government also announced that - starting at midnight - it will restrict entry for most foreigners at air and sea ports for the next 30 days. European Union leaders agreed to close the bloc's external borders for the same period.

Sanchez said the European Union "can do and must do more" to help deal with coronavirus' devastating economic impact. Spain has one of the developed world's highest unemployment rates.

He called for a grand public investment programme and for the issuance of pan-European bonds to help member countries respond to the pandemic.
Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High around 35F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low near 25F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
4 The Somali Pirates Originally Fought Illegal Sea Activity

In the 1990s, Somalia had a whole lot of criminal stuff going down in the Indian Ocean to the east. If you've ever heard the phrase "Somali pirates" before, you can probably picture exactly what was happening. Criminals with guns in motorboats, waylaying giant freighters, climbing aboard, and looting all the cargo they had, right? Not quite. The lawbreakers in this case were actually the seaman in the giant commercial ships, and all that cargo was really booty they'd stolen.

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See, every country owns the waters immediately off their coast, so if another country creeps in and tries lollygagging there, the government in charge usually shuts that all down. But since the Somali Civil War began in 1991, Somalia had been a little vague when it came to the question of whether it had a government at all. It certainly didn't have an active Coast Guard. So ships from countries like Japan and South Korea to the east and Spain to the west swept in, sometimes to scoop up tuna and lobster, other times to illegally dump nuclear waste.

The fishermen of Somalia were getting screwed. Their fish stocks were shrinking, and what fish they did catch now probably looked like the three-eyed one from The Simpsons. With no military enforcing the noble field of maritime law, the fishermen took up arms and went after the criminals themselves. They couldn't exactly arrest the perps, so what they did was charge each captain a fine -- or a "tax," as they called it. The captains were more likely to characterize this payment as a "ransom," but they rarely reported the shakedowns to their own governments for fear of revealing their own criminal activity.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size There was no time to get ready. No time to actually fight back. By the time coronavirus claimed its first victim in Italy, the disease was already out of control and the battle to save lives had suffered a series of deadly miscalculations and setbacks. The consequences are tragic and unprecedented: dozens of army trucks are rolling into small towns in the countrys hard-hit north to remove bodies from overwhelmed hospitals. The victims are driven to crematoriums and morgues 200 kilometres away because the local ones are overflowing. One convoy comprised 10 trucks filled to capacity. As soon as the bodies are taken away from the hospitals, more seriously-ill Italians are rushed in for treatment. Most who are fortunate enough to be even found a bed in the intensive care units never make it out alive. Many more victims lay in churches or halls. Most families arent allowed to hold funerals. They couldnt even go into the hospitals to say goodbye. Doctor Matteo Flippini holds a tablet for a patient Alessandro Mattinzoli to talk to his relatives from the intensive care unit of a hospital in Brescia. Credit:Sergio Cattaneo For a while last week, it looked like this disaster in Lombardy - the new epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic - may be slightly easing. The rate of deaths and new infections dropped slightly, suggesting an extraordinary nationwide lockdown might be working. For three consecutive days, the number of new deaths hovered in the mid-300s and exhausted doctors and nurses wondered whether the peak could be near and the worse soon over. It wasnt to be. The flatline ended and the death toll leapt on Thursday by 473. By Friday, 625 more had died. Each day at 5pm, Italians tune into television and radio to hear coronavirus emergency commissioner Angelo Borelli deliver the latest horrifying figure.

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On Saturday, the news was as bad as it had ever been: another 793 people had died overnight - 546 in Lombardy alone. Nearly 5000 Italians are now dead - the most of any country, including China where the virus originated. To put the scale of Italy's crisis in perspective, the rate of deaths per million is about 56.35 compared to 2.26 for China and 16.4 for Europe's second-worst hit country, Spain. The terrifying scale of the emergency is matched only by the alarming speed in which it hit. Nobody had died a month ago. Even a fortnight ago the death toll was 17 times smaller than today. What went so horribly wrong? The list is long and governments around the world - including in Australia - are studying it carefully before their own tsunami arrives. Undertakers carry a coffin out of a hearse at Bergamo's cemetery, northern Italy. Credit:AP Researchers and health authorities now believe the virus could have been spreading undetected around Italy's affluent north for up to four weeks before people realised something was seriously wrong in February. Key "super spreaders" had turned up to local hospitals for treatment but were misdiagnosed or turned away, only to then come back a few days later after their condition deteriorated. By then, it was all too late. The virus had been seeded in the community to such an extent that contact tracing and isolation did little to stop its advance. Italy never had the advantage of time and knowledge that Australia and other countries have been afforded.

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When the Italian government realised the gravity of the threat in late February, it set up cordons around 10 towns in Lombardy. However Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte initially played down the outbreak and said he thought the cases would soon stabilise - a message his political critics claim encouraged others to shrug their shoulders at the virus just as it was gaining steam. Later, Conte's government locked down most of northern Italy. The following day it shut down the country. There has been no stablisation. The Italian army unloads bodies at a crematorium. Credit:AP The result of the Lombardy missteps is a health crisis heavily concentrated in one part of the country. While the south is increasingly affected, the real carnage is still in the north. Lombardy's world-class health system is being absolutely smashed. Intensive care beds have been set up in waiting rooms but demand for treatment is so high the hospitals are on the verge of collapse. Of the 25,515 people who have tested positive in Lombardy, an extraordinary 50 per cent have either been hospitalised with symptoms, sent to intensive care or died. The extreme pressure on such a small part of Italy's overall health system is believed to be a contributor to the country's unusually high fatality rate, which based on crude figures is running at 9.0 per cent. More than one in every 10 people who contract coronavirus in Lombardy do not survive. This compares to 0.24 per cent for Germany, 3.56 per cent for France, and 5.3 per cent for Spain. The British government believes the likely mortality rate of COVID-19 is about 1 per cent, but a range of factors will influence the final numbers.

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Italy's ageing population is likely to blame, and some respiratory experts have raised questions whether Lombardy's air quality is a factor. The region's wealth comes from a huge manufacturing industry and the subsequent pollution could have caused a higher degree of respiratory problems among the population, leaving them more susceptible to the ravages of coronavirus. The European Space Agency recently released maps showing how the fog of filth that usually hovers in the air above northern Italy had almost vanished after manufacturers wound down their operations due to the lockdown. Loading Caution is needed when interpreting fatality rates because the figure is determined by dividing the number of deaths by the total number of reported cases. Given many countries have stopped testing and are simply telling people with mild symptoms to stay home and ride it out, the true number of infections is likely much higher than reported and the fatality rate could therefore be lower. What is clear though is that two-thirds of all deaths in Italy have been in Lombardy, a region of about 10 million people anchored by Italy's financial and fashion capital of Milan. The region's largest funeral director, CFB, normally conducts about 120 funerals a month but has done 600 since the start of March. A staffer checks equipment set up in a temporary field hospital that is about to accept coronavirus patients. Credit:AP The provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Cremona have been worst hit. Local newspaper L'Eco di Bergamo usually publishes two pages of obituaries but is now printing up to 10 pages a day. Daniela Taocchi, who is part of the obituaries team, says the situation is like a "chemical bomb has exploded". Another newspaper, Il Messaggero, posted grainy footage of more than 50 coffins line up on the floor of a church.

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Reliance Industries CEO Mukesh Ambani on Sunday lent his support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janta curfew' as the country battles the spread of coronavirus.

Ambani with his family were gathered on the terrace to thank corona warriors with the ringing of bells, beating of metal plates and clapping.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to be a part of the 'Janta curfew' today and said that it will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19.

So far, there have been 341 positive cases of coronavirus in the country, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The central government on Saturday recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs 4,500.

IMAGE: Medics screen patients for COVID-19 at ITBP quarantine facility at Chhawla in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo

All private laboratories which have NABL accreditation for real-time PCR SA for RNA virus will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests, according to the guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research for COVID-19 testing in private laboratories, which were notified by the Union health ministry on Saturday night.

The National Task Force recommends that the maximum cost for testing should not exceed Rs 4,500.

This may include Rs 1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test, the guidelines said.

"However, the ICMR encourages free or subsidised testing in this hour of national public health emergency," the guidelines stated.

An order issued by the Union health ministry said the failure to comply with the guidelines will result in legal action.

According to the guidelines on sample collection and testing, the ICMR has called for ensuring appropriate biosafety and biosecurity precautions while collecting respiratory samples (oropharnygeal and nasal swab) from a patient.

Alternatively, a COVID-19 specific separate sample collection site may be created, it said.

"Preferable home collection of samples may be done by all the private laboratories which will help avoid the contact of people with the suspect cases during local travel to reach the laboratory," the notification stated.

Commercial kits for real-time PCR-based diagnosis of COVID-19 should be US FDA approved or European CE certified or both for in vitro diagnosis of COVID-19 under emergency use, under intimation to the Drug Controller General of India, the guidelines added.

All the laboratory staff involved in COVID-19 testing should be appropriately trained in good laboratory practices and performing real-time PCR. All the biomedicial waste should be disposed off in accordance with national guidelines.

Laboratory test should only be offered when prescribed by a qualified physician as per the ICMR guidelines for COVID-19, the notification stated.

As far as the reporting protocols are concerned, the guidelines said that any laboratory before starting its activities must ensure immediate/real-time reporting of the test results along with the contact details to the ICMR headquarters data base.

Each laboratory will be given a registration number by the ICMR which should be prominently exhibited in case any advertisement is made and also in the report, the notification stated.

The guidelines may be amended from time to time, the notification stated.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Red Cross will hold a blood drive at the New York State Fairgrounds this week to help address a blood shortage in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some donors that have traditionally given have stopped donating blood during the pandemic and the organization says that it has seen an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations, creating an urgent need for donors.

The Red Cross says that donating blood remains safe and that it has put in place additional safety precautions in order to reduce any concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus.

The drive will take place 1-7 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday in the Fairgrounds Expo Center. Parking is free.

GIVE BLOOD THIS WEEK AT THE EXPO CENTER: @RedCrosswcny holds an urgent blood drive Mar 26 1-7PM and Mar 27 8-2PM in the Expo Center. Parking is free.

For an appointment, please visit https://t.co/IFEFP4C7Up & use sponsor key word: EXPO20 Or call 1-800-733-2767 #nysfair pic.twitter.com/dqRpxiMV8H  New York State Fair (@NYSFair) March 22, 2020

Appointments can be made at www.redcrossblood.org, using the sponsor code Expo20 or by phone at 1-800-733-2767.

The organization will not take blood from individuals who have traveled to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, Italy or South Korea in the last 28 days, or individuals who have been diagnosed or had contact with anyone with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.

Contact Chris Carlson anytime: E-mail | Twitter | 315-412-1639

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A number of 129 criminal cases have been opened so far, through the authorised structures of the Interior Ministry (MAI) for committing the offense of hindering disease combat, a felony stipulated and punished by article 352 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) informed on Sunday.

According to the quoted source, the Police enforced 520 contravention sanctions for non-compliance with the isolation / quarantine measures."In respect to the situation of the Romanian citizens who are in other states, according to the information received by the diplomatic missions and consular offices of Romania abroad, so far, 43 Romanian citizens have been confirmed as infected with COVID-19: 33 in Italy, 4 in Spain, 2 in Namibia, one in Luxembourg, one in Ireland, one in Tunisia and one in France. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic and up to this moment, 8 Romanian citizens abroad have died, namely 7 in Italy and one in France," the GCS mentioned.The GCS brings citizens to mind to only take into consideration information verified by official sources and to call the TELVERDE line - 0800 800 358 for recommendations and other information. The TELVERDE line is not an emergency number, but a phone line strictly to inform citizens.Moreover, Romanians abroad can request information regarding the prevention and combat against the virus at the specially dedicated line - +4021 320 20 20.Until 21 March 2020, a number of 121,061 cases were reported in the EU/the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Andorra. Most cases were registered in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Kate Langbroek and her family have been in lockdown in Bologna, Italy, for two weeks as coronavirus spreads across the country.

And on Saturday, the 54-year-old radio host shared a bittersweet photo to Instagram of a local trattoria that had been forced to close due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kate told her followers it was heartbreaking to see the menu still in the window, which she said was a poignant reminder of 'the things we took for granted'.

The tragedy of Italy's coronavirus lockdown in one photo: Kate Langbroek (centre, with her family) was brought to tears while strolling through the empty streets of Bologna on Saturday

'This little restaurant downstairs from our apartment is (of course) closed but has their menu still in the window. It makes me teary,' she wrote in the caption.

'Was it really only a few weeks ago that we could breeze in there, eat and enjoy the company of others? Oh, the things we took for granted.'

More people have died from COVID-19 in Italy than in China, where the virus was first identified in December.

Bittersweet: Kate said it was heartbreaking to see the menu still in the window of the 'little restaurant downstairs from our apartment', which had closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. She told her Instagram followers it was a poignant reminder of 'the things we took for granted'

As of Saturday night, there are more than 53,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy, including approximately 4,800 deaths.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered all shops, bars and restaurants to close on March 11 in response to the rising death toll.

Only stores selling 'basic necessities', such as pharmacies and supermarkets, are staying open.

It comes after Kate revealed on Wednesday that a second person in her 'immediate circle' had been diagnosed with coronavirus in Bologna, where she has been living with her family since early 2019.

Closing in: It comes after Kate revealed on Wednesday that a second person in her 'immediate circle' had been diagnosed with coronavirus in Bologna, where she has been living with her family since early 2019. Pictured with her husband, Peter Allen Lewis

She told her Instagram followers that the father of one of her children's school friends had tested positive for COVID-19.

Schools have been closed in Italy for some time.

Kate shared a text message she had received from the wife of the infected man, which read: 'Hallo to everyone. My son has already told his friends that my husband has caught Covid. He is at the hospital but he is doing fine.

'I just wanted to share the news with you all personally.'

Pandemic: Kate and her family have been in lockdown in their Bologna apartment for two weeks as coronavirus spreads across the country

'He is at the hospital': Kate told her Instagram followers on Wednesday that the father of one of her children's friends had tested positive for COVID-19. She shared this text message she'd received from the wife of the infected man

Kate explained this was the second case of COVID-19 in her 'immediate circle', after her yoga instructor was hospitalised with the virus.

Days earlier, she had hit back at an Internet troll who mocked her for moving overseas with her family before the coronavirus pandemic.

The troll wrote: 'GREAT DECISION TO GO TO ITALY! I WONDER WHO DROVE THAT DECISION! #KARMA LOL.

'Let's spend 12 months in ITALY, that's a great idea for a lifestyle change. How's that working for you? In hindsight? Lol.'

Worrying development: Kate explained this was the second case of COVID-19 in her 'immediate circle', after her yoga instructor was hospitalised with the virus

'GREAT DECISION TO GO TO ITALY!' Days earlier, she had hit back at an Internet troll who mocked her for moving overseas with her family before the coronavirus pandemic

Taking a stand: The mother-of-four, who relocated to Italy a full year before COVID-19 arrived in Europe, replied: 'Are you insane? Or just nasty?'

The mother-of-four, who relocated to Italy a full year before COVID-19 arrived in Europe, replied: 'Are you insane? Or just nasty?'

Kate lives in Bologna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, which has become a ghost city amid the global health crisis.

She has been documenting her experience on Instagram, sharing confronting photos of abandoned streets and empty churches, as well as describing some of the restrictions being enforced in public spaces.

Quarantine: On Thursday, Kate shared this photo of her family dinner from day 16 of lockdown

Abandoned: Kate lives in Bologna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, which has become a ghost city amid the global health crisis

A city in lockdown: She has been documenting her experience on Instagram, sharing confronting photos of abandoned streets and empty churches, as well as describing some of the restrictions being enforced in public spaces

Meanwhile, she has been home schooling her children in recent weeks due to the nationwide closure of education facilities.

Kate and her husband, Peter Allen Lewis, relocated to Italy in January 2019 with their children, Lewis, Sunday, Artie and Jan, for what was supposed to be a 'gap year', but they have since extended their stay for another 12 months.

Italy has now overtaken China as the country with the most coronavirus deaths.

Staying put: Kate has been home schooling her children in recent weeks due to the nationwide closure of education facilities

Expat life: Kate's family (pictured) relocated to Italy in January 2019 for what was supposed to be a 'gap year', but they have since extended their stay for another 12 months

The country is in the middle of an unprecedented national lockdown that will be extended beyond the April 3 deadline, Prime Minister Conte said last week.

COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December and has since spread to more than 300,000 people worldwide, and killed approximately 13,025.

It was recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11.
Streets of Aurangabad wore an empty look on Sunday (March 22) in view of the 14-hour 'Janata curfew'. (Image: News18)
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Pope Francis was seen delivering his weekly Angelus prayer to an empty Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican City this morning, as Italians stay home to combat the spread of coronavirus.

After presiding over Holy Mass from the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican Pope Francis shared a sombre message: 'To the virus pandemic, we want to respond with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness.'

He later took to Twitter sharing the video of his live-streamed mass along with the caption: 'Let us pray for the many people who are dying alone, without being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Let us pray also for the families who cannot accompany their loved ones on that journey. #PrayTogether.'

Pope Francis is seen delivering his weekly Angelus prayer at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican City as Italians stay home as part of a lockdown against the spread of coronavirus disease

Pope Francis went on to tweet: 'We want to respond to the virus pandemic with the universality of prayer, compassion and tenderness. Let us stay united.'

He asked all Christians to join in reciting the Our Father prayer next Wednesday at noon.

Francis, who began streaming his audiences earlier this month due to virus concerns, said he would also lead a global blessing to an empty St Peter's Square on Friday.

The Urbi et Orbi, blessing, normally reserved for Christmas Day and Easter, will be broadcast to the faithful.

Pope Francis delivers his blessing from the window of his private library overlooking an empty St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 22

Nuns wait for Pope Francis to deliver his blessing in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 22

Pope Francis delivers his blessing from the window of his private library overlooking an empty St. Peter's Square

Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose to 53,000 people, with nearly 800 new deaths. As bodies piled up in Italian hospitals, morgues and churches, and as medical workers pleaded for more help, there was no sign that Italy was yet taming its arc of contagion.

Italy now has 4,825 deaths, more than all of China, where the virus first emerged late last year.

The Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte went on live TV to announce he was tightening the country's lockdown and shutting down all production facilities except those providing essential goods and services.

Italy now has 4,825 deaths, more than all of China, where the virus first emerged late last year. Pope Francis has called for a unified prayer of compassion

Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose to 53,000 people, with nearly 800 new deaths

The pope called for all Christians to pray together reciting the Our Father prayer next Wednesday at noon

'We are facing the most serious crisis that the country has experienced since the Second World War,' Mr Conte said during a broadcast at midnight.

He cautioned citizens to be calm and patient, insisting there was 'no alternative' than to impose further restrictions.

Scientists have argued avoiding even one infection means scores more are prevented down the line.



Religion in conservative Mideast adapts to coronavirus

In the Middle East, where the three main monotheistic faiths shape daily life, the coronavirus pandemic has seen religious leaders support constraints unthinkable just a few weeks ago.

Top Islamic clerics in the region and in Muslim-majority North Africa have endorsed the closure of mosques to avoid large gatherings where the risk of contamination could be high.

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, custodian of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre - believed by Christians to house Christ's tomb - has told congregations to receive communion in their hand, instead of on their tongue.

And Israel's chief Sephardic rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, issued a decree ordering followers to keep their mobile phones on through the Shabbat day of rest so they can receive urgent information about the COVID-19 disease.

A barber, performs Friday prayer in his shop as mosques are closed over concerns of the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Medina, neighbourhood of Accra, Ghana March 20, 2020

Praying at home

Leading Muslim clerics have widely backed scientifically-based measures to contain the virus, notably by supporting crowd size restrictions through calling for home prayers.

Authorities in the Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain have halted prayers in mosques.

In Egypt, the most populous Arab country, religious authorities have ordered a two-week closure of mosques and churches and banned mass communal prayers.

People wear face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak after deaths and new confirmed cases revealed in Qom, Iran on March 17, 2020. Imam Hasan al-Askari Mosque is closed for worshipers to prevent the spread

In Iran, authorities have closed four key Shiite religious sites. The Islamic republic is one of the countries hardest hit by the virus with an official death toll of more than 1,600 and over 21,000 confirmed cases

The government in Tunisia - where some worshippers have been praying in front of shuttered mosque doors - said messages from imams will be broadcast to reinforce essential health protections.

In Algeria, the azan, or call for prayer in mosques that the muezzin issues for the obligatory five daily Muslim prayers, has been modified. Muezzins are now encouraging worshippers to pray at home.

In Iran, authorities have closed four key Shiite religious sites. The Islamic republic is one of the countries hardest hit by the virus with an official death toll of more than 1,600 and over 21,000 confirmed cases.

The pandemic re-ignited a long-standing dispute between the roles of science and religion in Iran, but supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei intervened in support of medical professionals, effectively closing the debate.

In Lebanon, the head of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement Hassan Nasrallah urged people to abide by government measures.

A man wearing a plastic bag walks near a mosque that was closed as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus in Algiers, Algeria March 17, 2020

'The virus can be defeated if everyone takes responsibility and plays their part,' he said, calling on people to come forward if they develop COVID-19 symptoms.

Some churches in Lebanon, a country home to 18 recognised religious sects including a large Christian community, have begun broadcasting the Sunday mass live on social media.

Israel has banned gatherings of more than 10 people, making it impossible for Jews to form the quorum of ten needed for prayer known as a minyan.

But chief rabbinical authorities have decreed that following health ministry guidelines is a religious duty and authorised prayer at home.

A few people walk in the vicinity of the closed Al-Azhar mosque in Egypt's capital Cairo on March 20, 2020, after the country's Muslim religious authorities decided to put the Friday prayers on hold, in order to avoid gatherings and spread of coronavirus

Resistance

Even while top clerics have largely backed containment strategies, resistance has continued among the region's deeply religious and conservative population.

Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has urged citizens not to gather in large numbers for prayers, where the risk of contamination could be high.

But on Saturday tens of thousands turned out to commemorate a revered imam, Musa al-Kadhim, who died in 799 in the custody of Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.

That followed a call from influential cleric Moqtada Sadr for his followers to take part in the pilgrimage, defying government advice.

The anniversary of the death normally attracts millions to the golden-domed mausoleum of Imam al-Kadhim in Baghdad.

Yacine, 34, prays inside his home after authorities closed all the mosques as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus in Casablanca, Morocco March 18, 2020

Extremism, superstition

Extremist voices in the region have dismissed guidance from health officials and leading religious authorities.

After Morocco closed mosques and announced a ban on all non-essential movements, outspoken Salafist preacher Abu Naim decried those moves as 'apostasy'. He was arrested on terrorism charges.

Groups of worshippers went out into the streets to pray in several Moroccan cities on Saturday night in defiance of the ban, local media reported. 'God is the greatest, and only he can help us,' they chanted.

There has also been a proliferation of faith-based responses to the pandemic with no supporting medical evidence.

A man prays on the ground after authorities closed all the mosques as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus in Casablanca, Morocco March 18, 2020

After the first case emerged last month in Lebanon, many Christians visited the tomb of St. Charbel, the country's patron saint, and collected soil from the holy site, believing it would heal those infected.

And last week, a Christian priest flew over Beirut in a helicopter to 'bless' the country.

Despite the decrees of top rabbis to follow medical guidelines, some Jewish leaders in Israel have offered alternative solutions to the pandemic.

Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Simcha Halevi Ashlag has encouraged people to drink the Mexican beer Corona, to fortify their prayers.

'When we pray and drink an alcoholic drink, the prayers have more force,' he said in a video posted on social media earlier this month.
Church can keep tax exemption despite receiving money from use of parking lot, court rules

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A church in Wisconsin can legally maintain its tax exempt status even though it also receives donations from the use of its parking lot, a state appeals court panel has ruled.

Central United Methodist Church of Milwaukee had been allowing patrons of The Rave/Eagles Club to park at its lot in return for donations to the church.

This prompted the city of Milwaukee to change the designation of the parking lot in 2017 from exempted to local mercantile, thus removing the lots tax exemption.

In a decision released Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals overturned a circuit court ruling upholding the removal of the tax exemption.

Appeals Court Judge Joseph Donald authored the panel's opinion, arguing that the donations collected by the church through concert attendee parking was incidental and therefore the church was entitled to a property tax exemption.

Central United does not own a for-profit corporation to isolate any for-profit activities, nor does Central United lease out the parking lot to hold for-profit activities, wrote Donald.

Central United organized unpaid volunteers to collect donations on concert nights. Volunteers held up signs with a suggested donation amount, however, concert-goers were not required to make donations to use the parking spots.

Donald went on to compare the money brought in through the concert parking to donations brought in from other sources, such as individual donations, bake sales, or car washes.

All donations support the functioning of the church and its many activities, ranging from community support groups, to food pantries and mission trips, to childrens activities, to Bible school, continued the judge.

Therefore, while the amount brought in by the parking lot use may not necessarily be inconsequential, as the circuit court found, it certainly is incidental.

The panel decision overturned an earlier ruling by Circuit Judge Paul Van Grunsven, who had concluded that the church parking lot was not being used for tax exempt purposes.

This use of the property does not accrue benefits to mankind directly nor does it relieve the state from expenses, as providing free flu shots to the poor would, wrote Van Grunsven, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

[Central United] has not met its burden of establishing it exclusively uses its parking lot for exempt purposes, as required by the statute, the lot is taxable for the time period at issue.
Coronavirus India: For the first time in Indian Railways' history, passenger trains are being suspended till March 31. Currently, India is moving towards its third phase where the disease spreads in community and large area gets affected with it. Till now a total of 324 Covid-19 positive cases have been found.

Coronavirus India: To prevent the community spread of COVID-19, The center and the state government have decided to shut down non-essential passenger transport, including inter-state transport buses and Delhi metro on Sunday. After a high-level meeting between Chief Secretaries of all the states including Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretarydecided to Lockdown in 75 districts.

Where the Indian Railway has taken a big decision by suspending passenger trains till March 31. In an official statement, the ministry stated, in the wake of COVID-19, all passenger train services, including Kolkata metro, Konkan Railways, suburban, premium train services will be suspended till March 31.

With this movement of 12,000 trains will be stopped. Only those trains which had already commenced their journey before 4 am on March 22 will be allowed to complete their journey. Earlier, in the view of COVID- 19, Indian railways had declared that without cutting cancellation charges, train passengers will get a full refund on canceled tickets.

Cabinet Secretary today reviewed COVID19 status with Chief Secretaries of states; Only essential services will be allowed in 75 Dists which have reported confirmed cases of #Coronavirus, extension on movement of non-essential passenger transport incl inter-state buses till Mar31 pic.twitter.com/qpuRdiwuz3  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

Eased refund rules are there for those who had booked tickets between March 21 and Apirl 15. Howbeit, after Suburban services, and Kolkata metro to complete their journey till, by 11 pm on March 22, all railway services will be stopped till March 31.

Delhi metro services to be closed till March 31 due to coronavirus: DMRC  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 22, 2020

Earlier this week, Railway tweeted that, they have had found some COVID -19 infected passengers which makes train travel risky. They even urged the passengers to avoid traveling in trains as anyone could be infected if their co-passenger has coronavirus, so kindly postpone all journeys and keep yourself safe by keeping indoors.

Govt. Advisory in wake of Covid -19 to avoid crowding and practice social distancing. IR relaxes Refund Rules for PRS counter generated tickets.

PASSENGERS ARE ADVISED TO AVAIL THE FACILITY AND AVOID COMING TO RAILWAY STATION DURING THE SPREAD OF VIRUS. pic.twitter.com/pHumJ89tuI  Indian Railways Seva (@RailwaySeva) March 21, 2020

Railway reports said, that among the infected people, 12 has traveled by train in this month. While, other eight people who had traveled on March 13, were found infected and they had taken Andhra Pradesh Sampark Kranti train. Meanwhile, according to Health Ministry data, the infected cases in India jumped to 324, so to curb the spread, India is observing Janata Curfew on March 22.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed on Sunday night states would virtually shut down from midday on Monday but rejected suggestions the national cabinet process had broken down after Victoria and NSW announced their own plans ahead of the meeting.

He said from noon all states would shut pubs and clubs as well as cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, gyms, indoor sporting venues, churches and places of worship, while cafes and restaurants would only be open for takeaway.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy announce drastic new bans. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Morrison said children "should go to school tomorrow" and for the remainder of the school term in all states and said there was "no change" to the health advice from authorities.

Schools across Victoria will still close on Tuesday, bringing forward the Easter school holidays, however Mr Morrison said the leaders agreed they should reopen after the break.
Two Britons were confirmed to be among five new patients catching the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Vietnam on Sunday.

All five live in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Southeast Asian nations number of COVID-19 cases has thus risen to 99.

Patient No. 95 is a 20-year-old Vietnamese student in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, who recently returned from France.

On March 17, he took flight AF258 operated by Air France from Paris, occupying seat 34J.

The flight landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on March 18.

Upon entry, he had a sore throat, no fever, and no shortness of breath so he was taken to a collective quarantine camp in District 12.

His sample returned positive for the virus at the Pasteur Insitute in Ho Chi Minh City and the patient was transferred to a makeshift hospital in Cu Chi District.

Patient No. 96 is a 21-year-old woman living in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City.

During the two weeks before she arrived in Vietnam, the patient had traveled to Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, and France.

She sat on seat 30E aboard the Emirates flight EK392 from France, with transit time in Dubai, which touched down at Tan Son Nhat on Thursday.

She was sent to a centralized quarantine camp in the dorm of the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City in Thu Duc District for screening on Friday.

She was found having a fever and cough and was admitted to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for testing, isolation, and treatment.

The hospital diagnosed her with COVID-19 on Saturday and the Pasteur Institute then confirmed the diagnosis.

Patient No. 97 is a 34-year-old English teacher in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City.

He stayed in Malaysia for two weeks before returning to Vietnam.

On March 13, the Briton departed Penang, Malaysia on the AirAsia flight AK1502 and reached Tan Son Nhat the same day.

One day later, he came to Buddha Bar&Grill at No. 7 Thao Dien Street in Thao Dien Ward, District 2, where a COVID-19-positive pilot visited the same day.

He called on FV Saigon Clinic in District 1 on Friday after hearing of the pilot testing positive for the virus.

She was immediately transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for testing, isolation, and treatment even though she was asymptomatic.

Her test returned positive on Saturday and the Pasteur Institute later confirmed the test.

Patient No. 98 is also a 34-year-old English teacher and the roommate of patient No. 97.

The British patient left Penang on the AirAsia flight AK1502 and arrived at Tan Son Nhat on March 6.

He went with his roommate to Buddha Bar&Grill on March 14.

He visited FV Saigon Clinic on Friday and, though asymptomatic, was sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for testing, isolation, and treatment.

He was diagnosed by the hospital on Saturday and then got his test confirmed by the Pasteur Institute.

Patient No. 99 is a 29-year-old Vietnamese student returnee from France.

He lives in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

He boarded the Air France flight AF258 from Paris on March 17 and sat on seat 33H.

His plane landed at Tan Son Nhat on March 18.

He was asymptomatic and still brought to an isolation zone in District 12 upon entry.

He was tested by the Pasteur Institute and got a positive result on Saturday.

Vietnam has announced 99 cases, with 17 having been discharged from the hospital by Friday.

A dozen of the remaining patients have been showing postive response to treatment, have tested negative, and waiting for hospital discharge.

Vietnam treats local patients for free while charging foreigners a fee for their treatment, though their testing and quarantine expenses are waived.

No coronavirus-related death has been recorded in the Southeast Asian country to date.

Vietnam has barred entry to all foreign nationals, including people of Vietnamese origin and their relatives who hold visa exemption documents, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has required all passengers to fill out health declaration forms when traveling on long-haul buses, trains, tourist boats, and domestic flights.

The government has advised people to avoid close contact and mass gatherings, while shuttering bars, pubs, clubs, massage parlors, karaoke lounges, and online game centers in major cities to slow the virus spread.

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Congressional Black Caucus Holds Coronavirus Town Hall Addressing COVID-19s Impact On Black Americans

Leaders in the Black community are pivoting to digital and sustaining their position on the frontlines during this global pandemic. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) hosted countless a tele-townhall meeting on Friday, March 20th, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Black Americans and the initiatives taking place to supplement and support marginalized citizens during this health and economic crisis.

Mandated social distancing has caused countless shelters to be closed, forcing transient citizens to the confines of the streets with lack of sanitization privileges and safety. For vulnerable homeless populations, Black Caucus is proposing money for aid and temporary housing conditions, such as paying for hotel rooms, for them to stay to slow the rate of transmission for the virus.

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Health professionals Dr. Hilton and Dr. Bell from UVA provided eye-opening information on the critical nature of COVID-19. They reported that an estimate between 160 million Americans to 210 million Americans will be infected by this virus before December.

So why should this matter to Americans and for the sake of this call washes mattered to the black community. Well, because its not only causing a health crisis but a financial crisis, the United States made up about 325 million people with 82% of those people live in urban areas.

Not only is COVID-19 a health crisis, but a financial crisis. With millions of Americans out of work, many questions are arising in regards to Black business and the sustainment of Black wealth within the community.

Dwight Evans of CBC, Pennsylvania discussed the importance of seeing this crisis as an opportunity for Black Americans to put on their entrepreneurial hat and work on maintaining the aggressive fight to build and implement wealth by keeping the Black dollar circulating. The CDC is working to ensure that supplemental dollars are available to various firms and not just in loans.

And its unfortunate, you know, that theres a crisis. But I think real crisis is an opportunity, particularly around the development of black businesses. And the aspect of the importance of what black businesses mean, around this critical time.

COVID-19 pandemonium rendered many businesses in jeopardy; thousands of Americans have lost their jobs and put their families at risk of vulnerable financial situations. Fatima Goss Graves, CEO of National Womens Law Center, weighed in on the matter: Its clear that any public health crisis will exacerbate the sorts of inequalities that are already present around gender and race and economic lines and assertive investment right away to stabilize the economy, and put families at the center is whats going to be critical. Proposals of funding for paid sick leave and prorated amounts for part time workers will help stabilize the economy for Black Americans.

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Congressman Hakeem Jeffries disclosed information on legislations Preparedness and Response Appropriation Act, an emergency $8.3 billion dollars allocated to health care institutions as well as government aid institutions, along with the Corona Response Act which provides an additional $1 billion in nutrition security initiatives for programs like snap and WIC for student breakfast, student lunch, senior nutrition programs, as well as for food banks. The aggressive approach for funding is focusing on a bottomup approach to economics for the Black community as it relates to providing assistance to distressed employees. Low income individuals and families to work in families to middle class folks and to seniors, and to small businesses will all be affected by the increase of financial aid.

Now is the time for state lawmakers to be pushed to open up as many avenues as possible to ensure access for all Americans and in particular, for African Americans and other communities of color who have historically disenfranchised. Krista Clark, who is the President and Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

The Congressional Black Caucus is proposing significant funding to the community service block grant, which is a category of funding that provides resources for nonprofit organizations. Their organization and aggressive actions for the welfare of the Black community are not slowing down any time soon.

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BEIRUT - Unknown assailants shot dead a former member of an Israeli-backed Lebanese militia on Sunday, security officials said. The killing came three days after a jailed Lebanese-American man who belonged to the same militia was released in Beirut and flown to the U.S.

Two Lebanese security officials said Antoine Hayek was killed with several bullets from a pistol equipped with a silencer inside his grocery store in the southern village of Mieh Mieh, near the port city of Sidon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

According to Lebanese media, Hayek had been a warden at a prison run by the South Lebanon Army militia during Israels 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000.

The Lebanese-American man, Amer Fakhoury, had been jailed in Lebanon since September and charged with murder and torture of prisoners at the same SLA-run prison  charges he denied. A Lebanese judge ordered him released last week, saying more than 10 years had passed since the alleged crimes.

U.S. officials confirmed Fakhoury was aboard a U.S. Marine V-22 Osprey seen taking off from the U.S. Embassy compound northeast of Beirut on Thursday.

Fakhourys case had significantly strained the already troubled ties between the U.S. and Lebanon.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the powerful Hezbollah militant group, called Fakhourys release and exit from Lebanon a blatant violation of the countrys sovereignty and laws. Lawmakers from Fakhourys home state of New Hampshire had called for imposing sanctions on Lebanon to pressure Beirut to release him.

Local media outlets reported that Hayek had been close to Fakhoury. Hayek, a 58-year-old retired policeman, also reportedly worked as a warden at the SLA-run Khiam prison during Israels occupation.

Human rights groups have described the prison as a centre for torture.

Lebanons intelligence service said Fakhoury confessed during questioning to being a warden there.

Fakhourys family in the U.S. and lawyer, however, said that although he was a SLA member, he had no direct contact with inmates and was never involved in any interrogation or torture. Fakhoury became a U.S. citizen last year.

Hundreds of SLA members fled to Israel, including Fakhoury, fearing reprisals if they remained in Lebanon. Others stayed and faced trial, receiving lenient sentences.

Hayek was one of those who stayed in Lebanon and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

No one claimed responsibility for Hayeks shooting.

Hasan Hijazi, a former inmate at Khiam prison, tweeted Sunday about his experience there. He said Hayek would flog prisoners with a whip and turn detainees into a punching bag, and beat and kick them.

Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war since Israels creation in 1948. Lebanon bans its citizens from travelling to Israel or having contact with Israelis.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has announced its approval to use the COVID-19 testing kit that will give results or detections within 45 minutes according to a recently published article.

The United States has struggled to meet the demands of COVID-19 testing kits across the country. It can be recounted in the previous report of Latin Post, that Vice President Mike Pence announced that Trump's administration is clearing the red tape to open more testing sites in the country.

However, it was also found out that opening more testing sites in the country will be useless if the demand for testing swabs will not be met according to another report of Latin Post. At present, there are only few patients who can be tested for the virus due to the low production of the testing kits.

This is very alarming because testing kits are very important in diagnosing at an early stage if a person is positive for COVID-19. This will help to isolate and quarantine a person to stop the spread of the virus.

Luckily, this problem seems to end by next week because Cepheid, California-based molecular diagnostics company, announced on Saturday that they had received emergency use authorization from U.S. FDA. The testing kits are expected to give results within 45 minutes and will be used primarily by hospitals and emergency rooms.

Moreover, these kits will be shipped across the country starting next week. With the use of these testing kits that can give results in a short period of time, it is also expected that this will help flatten the curve and slow down the spread of the virus.

Typically, the current testing kits that are used right now to detect COVID-19 in the U.S. takes 24 hours to 3 days before they can get the results. This slow pace has greatly affected the country because while patients are waiting for their results, the greater is the chance that they can spread the virus or they will die while waiting if they are positive or not for the virus.

According to Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Medical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, if patients who are potential to have COVID-19 will not be detected quickly there is a great chance of community transmission and this could soon overwhelm the healthcare service and system of the country just like what happened in Wuhan, China.

Dr. Rod Hochman, CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health, also released a statement last week. He described the testing capacity of the country as highly deficient. For him, waiting for 1 to 3 days before they can have the result of the test is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, aside from the testing kits that will be available next week across the country, Vice President Mike Pence also reiterated as to who qualifies for the test.

During the press conference, he said: "We want to remind Americans as Dr. Fauci will emphasize in a moment, if you don't have symptoms, don't do a test. It is another way that the American people can make sure that we are preserving the resources that our health care workers need to administer and support those who are dealing with the coronavirus and other illnesses."

Pence is advising everyone that only those who are symptomatic will be tested and those who are not showing any signs or symptoms of the virus do not need to have testing.

Alex Azar, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, also said on Saturday that the new tools will help them to make the tests much more easily and accessible to Americans who need it.

The delay of testing kits will cost the loss of lives according to the medical experts. It is the reason why this new testing kit should be made available across the country most especially that the number of cases continues to swell.

This is not the first time that testings kits are developed to detect the early stage of COVID-19. In the recent report of Latin Post, a Latina scientist Irene Bosch has also developed a testing kit that will give results in just 15 minutes.

Read related articles:

VP Pence: Administration Is Clearing "Red Tape" to Make Coronavirus Tests More Accessible

A Paradox: Testing Sites Have Increased But Testing Kits Are Running Out

Meet Irene Bosch, the Latina Scientist Who Could Get Rapid Test for COVID-19
Cuba is sending its medics to Lombardy after nearly 800 Italians died from the virus on Saturday.

Cuba is sending its medics to Lombardy to help Italian doctors fight the coronavirus outbreak.

Cuban doctors were on the front lines in the fight against cholera in Haiti and against Ebola in West Africa 10 years ago.

Nearly 800 Italians died from the new coronavirus on Saturday.

Al Jazeeras Ed Augustin reports from Havana.
Indian spinner Ashwin on Sunday said that it is an unbelievable start of the 'Janta curfew' and hoped that "social distancing can be adhered to in the days to come".

"Unbelievable start to the #JantaCurfew , pin drop silence as they used to say in school. Hope this is extended beyond this day and social distancing can be adhered to In the days to come. @narendramodi @AmitShah," Ashwin tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to be a part of the 'Janta curfew' and said that it will add tremendous strength to fight against COVID-19 menace.

On Thursday, the PM had urged citizens to follow "Janta curfew" on March 22 from 7 am till 9 pm in an effort to take on the coronavirus outbreak.

India has so far 324 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, as per Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tens of thousands of unemployed workers who've lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic shutting down businesses have joined long queues outside Centrelink offices across Australia.

At least 300 people were waiting outside Darlinghurst's Centrelink office in Sydney before doors opened at 8.30am on Monday to lodge claims for unemployment benefits and emergency assistance.

There were similar scenes across Australia as newly unemployed workers rushed to see what their entitlements were.

Pubs, clubs, restaurants, gyms, and other places of gathering were forced to close to slow the spread of COVID-19, leaving huge numbers of workers out of a job for the coming months.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned Australians they were facing the worst economic crisis in generations.

'Together, and with the rest of the world, we face this unprecedented challenge. A once in a hundred year event,' Mr Morrison told federal parliament on Monday.

More than 300 people have lined the streets of Sydney on Monday morning, desperately waiting to get into Darlinghurst's Centrelink office to claim unemployment amid the coronavirus pandemic

One welfare recipient told Daily Mail Australia she has been queuing since 7.40 this morning, and by 9am still hadn't reached the front of the line

Thousands of Australians are already losing their jobs as cafes, pubs, and shops of all kinds are empty as many people avoid going out, Pictured: People are seen lining up at Centrelink in Bondi Junction, Sydney

'A global health pandemic that has fast become an economic crisis, the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression.

'Life is changing in Australia for every Australian. Life is going to continue to change. For many, young and old, 2020 will be the toughest year of our lives.

'Across Australia today many thousands of Australians will lose their jobs. They are lining up at Centrelink offices as we speak.

'Something unimaginable at this scale only weeks ago. They have lost their jobs, many, and we know many more will.'

Just days after losing her job, Danielle Hocking joined the almost 100-strong queue outside Darlinghurst Centrelink on Monday.

The physiotherapist and practice manager admitted she was feeling 'really s**t' about receiving government assistance for the first time in her life.

'I'm just trying to get any money I can really,' Ms Hocking, 36, told Daily Mail Australia.

Just days after losing her job, physiotherapist and practice manager Danielle Hocking (pictured) joined the almost queue outside Darlinghurst Centrelink on Monday

People are seen lining up at Centrelink in Bondi Junction on Monday, the same day non-essential services across NSW and Victoria shut down - resulting in thousands of job losses

Hundreds of newly-unemployed people queue outside Centrelink in Darlinghurst, Sydney on Monday morning

At least 300 people were waiting outside Darlinghurst's Centrelink office in Sydney before doors opened at 8.30am on Monday to lodge claims for unemployment benefits and emergency assistance

As part of the government's new package, those already unemployed or soon to be forced out of work will be able to get up to $1,100 a fortnight in Centrelink payments

'I worked at a physiotherapist as practice manager and in client rehabilitation, I'd been there for seven years but my work wasn't considered essential so I've now lost my job.

'It's the first time in my life I can't get a job anywhere - even with qualifications.

'I've got my own place too so I'm going to have to call the banks, I've got no way to pay at the minute.'

Swimming coach Nicole Giovenale spent two-and-a-half hours in the Centrelink queue on Monday.

She said she and her partner would struggle to pay their rent without any government support.

'I lost my job and my boyfriend is a waiter, but his restaurant is going to shut down,' Ms Giovenale said.

'We spoke with our house manager and he didn't want to listen, he said: 'If you don't have money to pay, get out'.

'We don't know what we are eligible for, so we have to go home and get online and see what we can get.'

Full-time student Nathan Marsh found out over the weekend that his job was gone as the popular Sydney pub The Erko Hotel was closed from Monday.

A sign urging Centrelink recipients to maintain a healthy social distance from each other while lining up in Darlinghurst in Sydney on Monday morning

One welfare recipient told Daily Mail Australia she has been queuing since 7.40 this morning, and by 9am still hadn't reached the front of the line. Pictured: Long queues pictured at Centrelink Darlinghust, Monday

The long Centrelink lines came as Scott Morrison warned Australians they were facing the worst economic crisis in generations

The 37-year-old admitted it was an 'uncertain' time.

'I'm a student and I get Austudy payments, but I just lost my job and I don't whether I'm eligible to get more money,' Mr Marsh said.

'It's a really uncertain, scary time, but there's some comfort in the fact that a lot of people are in the same position.

'It does seem the government is putting a really healthy stimulus package together, but the amount is really concerning.'

Another welfare recipient told Daily Mail Australia she had been queuing since 7.40 this morning, and by 9am still hadn't reached the front of the line.

'They are letting five people in at a time, and we've been told to prepare to wait to be seen,' she said.

The woman, who is originally from the United Kingdom, claimed a Centrelink worker accused her of ignoring social distancing measures to go to Bondi Beach over the weekend.

There were similar scenes outside the Centrelink building in Cairns, in far north Queensland, as hundreds lined the streets waiting to be seen

Incredible queues in Cairns at the Centrelink benefits office after Australian prime minister Scott Morrisson offers a new benefits package for individuals whose livelihoods have been impacted by the Covid-19

A woman is seen leaving Centrelink in Bondi Junction, in Sydney's eastern suburbs

Thousands of Australians and backpackers drew widespread condemnation for crowding the eastern Sydney beach during hot conditions on Friday, prompting a shutdown on Saturday.

The woman said despite the Centrelink office being at full capacity, people were still social distancing while waiting to be seen.

'There was only meant to be 25 people in there but there would've been more like 60 when I left,' she said.

There were similar scenes outside the Centrelink building in Cairns, in far north Queensland, as hundreds lined the streets waiting to be seen.

Meanwhile, the MyGov website - which gives Australians access to government services - has crashed.

'There is unprecedented demand for the service right now, but Australians need to be patient,' Government Services Minister Stuart Robert told AAP on Monday.

'Try logging on later today or even tomorrow. MyGov is working, but the best option right now is for people to be patient.'

Services Australia says people applying for income support should start their claims online and defer identity checks until a later date if possible.

'We're working hard to respond here so please understand it will take a little longer than usual,' the agency posted to Facebook.

'We're also getting a lot of the same questions, so be sure to read through other posts to see if your question has been answered.'

Many families, workers and business owners have been forced to seek social security payments as the pandemic throws the national economy into chaos.

As of midday on Monday, there were 1,610 cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and more than 336,800 cases around the world

Opposition frontbencher Bill Shorten said the unprecedented demand was 'entirely foreseeable'.

Mr Shorten said Australians should not be forced to wait weeks to access welfare.

'But at this hour of need, Australians are having to grapple with inadequate service, online glitches and a lack of planning to deal with demand at Centrelink shopfronts,' he said.

First-time welfare recipients have been told they can only get a customer reference number by applying in person.

Another person in line said her rent is so expensive she has no idea what to do now that she's out of work.

'Everyone has their notice letters here to say they're lost their jobs... They are giving half price Opal cards for anyone who has lost their job, but it's very tense,' she said.

The MyGov website - which gives Australians access to government services - crashed on Monday morning due to unprecedented traffic

'Together, and with the rest of the world, we face this unprecedented challenge. A once in a hundred year event,' Mr Morrison told federal parliament on Monday

Another woman said she was let go from her bar job last week and now fears she will be evicted because she has no money.

'The website kept crashing and I need to claim for the crisis money and apply for Centrelink,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Morrison announced a second stimulus package over the weekend that pushed the total amount to $189 billion, and acknowledged the economic damage from this pandemic would be far worse than anticipated.

'We now expect the economic shock to be deeper, wider, and longer,' Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told a press conference on Sunday.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

As part of the government's new package, those already unemployed or soon to be forced out of work can get up to $1,100 a fortnight in Centrelink payments.

The $750 payments to pensioners will also be doubled as Mr Morrison expected the worst economic aspects of the crisis would last at least six months.

Those struggling to make ends meet on reduced incomes - especially sole traders - can withdraw $20,000 from their superannuation tax-free to tide them over.

Assets tests and waiting periods for the jobseeker allowance will be waived so sacked employees can keep food on the table.

'The coronavirus supplement will provide an additional $550 a fortnight on top of the existing jobseeker or new start payment,' Mr Frydenberg said.

'It will be available to sole traders and casual workers who meet the income test. This means anyone eligible for the maximum jobseeker payment will now receive more than $1,100 a fortnight.'

Everyone earning less than $1,075 a fortnight will be eligible to receive the full benefit, with it scaling back with additional income.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 12:45:44|Editor: yhy

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PYONGYANG, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump had written a "personal letter" to Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday, citing a senior official.

Trump had "explained his plan to propel" relations between the United States and the DPRK and expressed his intention to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic efforts, said Kim Yo Jong, the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

"We regard it as a good judgment and proper action for the U.S. president to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our Chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations, and think that this should be highly estimated," Kim as quoted by the KCNA as saying in a statement.

However, relations between the DPRK and the United States as well as the development of bilateral ties should not be judged in haste in the light of the two top leaders' personal relationship, she said, warning against drawing hasty conclusions and setting unrealistic expectations.

"If impartiality and balance are not provided and unilateral and greedy intention is not taken away, the bilateral relations will continue to aggravate," she said.

Denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled since the top leaders of both sides failed to reach an agreement during their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February last year.
Police remain at the scene on Galgorm Road, Ballymena.

A man who was allegedly murdered in Co Antrim on Saturday has been named by police as Inayat Shah (67).

A man aged 51 arrested on suspicion of murder remains in police custody.

PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery said: "My investigation into this brutal murder is ongoing and I continue to appeal for anyone who was on Galgorm Road yesterday afternoon and who witnessed the incident or anyone with any information that can assist with the investigation to contact detectives."

The incident happened in a property on Galgorm Road at around 3.30pm on Saturday.

The ambulance service sent three emergency crews and two doctors to the scene.

The road was cordoned off between Waveney Road and Leighinmore Avenue as part of the PSNI investigation.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers reacted with concern Saturday to a Politico report that the Department of Justice is seeking new powers to ask judges to detain people indefinitely without trial in emergency situations.

The big picture: Politico reports the DOJ documents for Congress it reviewed "detail the departments requests to lawmakers on a host of topics, including the statute of limitations, asylum and the way court hearings are conducted." The unconfirmed report prompted Doug Stafford, the chief strategist for Rand Paul (R-Ky.), to tweet his agreement with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who criticized such a measure.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

What they're saying: Several other members of Congress spoke out against the reported proposals, which come amid the novel coronavirus outbreak and include for Congress to grant Attorney General Bill Barr "power to ask the chief judge of any district court to pause court proceedings 'whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation.'"
With COVID-19 spreading across the world at an unprecedented rate, the world can take all the help it gets, especially for face masks that are in grave shortage in hospitals around the world.

Reuters

Were seeing tech giants like Bill Gates, Jack Ma, Min-Liang Tan contribute to helping people through this pandemic and next in line is Cupertino giant Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the trillion-dollar tech brand is donating millions of masks to healthcare professionals in Europe and the US. He said, Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. Were donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you.

Along with this, Apple has also provided $15 million in the form of donations as well as allowing Apple Card users to skip payments to be made for March, without any interest.

Bill Gates has also been leaving no stone unturned with the fight against the coronavirus. He pledged $100 million to help in efforts containing the novel coronavirus.

He has also funded 15,000 medicinal molecules to be shipped to a lab in Belgium to test a potential cure to the novel coronavirus. He also donated Rs 37 crores for at-home testing kits for COVID-19 for people in Washington.

Reuters

Last week, Alibaba founder Jack Ma donated one million face masks along with 500,000 test kits to the US. He also donated each of the 54 African nations 20,000 testing kits with 100,000 face masks as well as 1000 medical hazmat suits with face shields. In January, he pledged Rs 100 crores for helping scientists develop vaccines for COVID-19.



Also last week, Razer co-founder and CEO, Min-Liang Tan, revealed in a Facebook post, that theyve been working on creating masks in their manufacturing facility to give to the world during this grave shortage.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Local governments cannot just buy and use COVID-19 testing kits right away, as they have to first coordinate with the Health Department, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Sunday.

Under the revised guidelines on the so-called enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, local government units must first work with the Health Department before acquiring, purchasing and utilizing testing kits within their respective territorial jurisdictions.

Marikina City has bought its own test kits and set up its own lab to test for COVID-19.

The country has seen a spike in cases in the past two days, with the total number of people getting COVID-19 rising to 380 and the death toll climbing to 25.

Health Department spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire attributed this to increased testing.

Nograles added that the countrys capacity for testing is being expanded as smaller laboratories are being accredited to perform tests alongside the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

The order for local governments to coordinate first with the Health Department before buying test kits is part of the revised guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the so-called enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

Other revisions include a short extension for business process outsourcing (BPO) and export-oriented companies to set up alternative work arrangements, giving them until Sunday, 11:59 p.m. to have these organized.

It also extended the accreditation period for journalists until March 26, but limited the number of those who can be accredited to just half of each media companys workforce.

Employees in the manufacturing of food, essential and hygiene products, medicine and medical products, retail establishments, logistics, hospitals and medical clinics, food preparations and water refilling stations, delivery services, power, energy, water, IT and telecommunications, BPOs and airlines are also exempted from quarantine.

The Health Department has reported 380 cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, with 25 of them turning fatal. Fifteen of those who have contracted the disease, caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus, have recovered.

To contain the spread of the disease, Duterte has placed the entirety of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine, restricting people's movement.
The blood-thinning drug heparin is used all over the world. But, the underlying sugar structures of heparin and the wider family of heparan sulfate sugars in cells have not been fully mapped. Now, a research group headed by a recent recruit from the UK, Dr. Rebecca Miller at the University of Copenhagen has invented a method to map this type of sugar structure in detail. This method has vast potential to reveal important biological functions and allow new drugs to be developed.

Sugars like polysaccharides are found everywhere in nature and are believed to be essential for life to arise. In humans, they cover the surface of all cells and the family of polysaccharides called GAGs (glycosaminoglycans) are particularly abundant and difficult to analyze.

GAGs of the heparan sulfate type play key roles in regulating many biological functions, including inflammation, neurodegeneration and tumor metastasis. In fact, a special type of heparan sulfate called heparin is currently one the most used drugs in the clinic where it is used to prevent coagulation. Researchers are therefore intensively trying to map the detailed structures of heparan sulfates and link them to their biological functions.

So far, only a few structures have been successfully identified, but that may be about to change. In a new study in Nature Communications from the Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Glycomics at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Rebecca and her team has invented a new method that will boost the mapping of these structures.

Determining the structures is a key question in the research about sugars. If we know the structure, we can determine what the cues are for specific biological functions and consider potential ways to exploit this in the development of therapeutics. This is hugely important and clinically relevant, as shown by the widely used anti-coagulant heparins, and the potential application of new heparin-based drugs for multiple diseases in the future." Dr. Rebecca Louise Miller, corresponding author of the new study and Assistant Professor at the Copenhagen Center for Glycomics

A new technology and new EU funding

The researchers' new method is called "Shotgun ion mobility mass spectrometry sequencing" or SIMMS2. The technique relies on advanced mass spectrometry to break the sugar structures into smaller fragments, separate them, and fingerprint them compared to known standards. Virtual reassembly of the sugar pieces into a picture of the original sugar like a big jigsaw puzzle - only infinitely more complicated - can for the first time determine larger sequences of polysaccharides that are big enough to capture the cues that direct functions like anti-coagulation.

"The instrumentation behind this new method was invented by the company Waters Ltd in 2006 and is available to many pharmaceutical companies and researchers. This means that the method could be easily implemented and widely used for drug discovery by many research groups in a short period of time," says Professor Jeremy Turnbull, University of Liverpool and Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, a co-author on the study.

The GAG team at Copenhagen Center of Glycomics recently reported the first cell-based method (GAGOme) to produce all variants of GAGs for discovery of functions and development of therapeutics (Chen et al, Nature Methods 2018), and this will be combined with the new method for sequencing of GAG structures. The hope is to follow up on many promising therapeutic effects of heparins in cancer and neurogenerative diseases and pioneer new use of GAGs in medicine.

To continue the development of the SIMMS method and pioneer new use of GAGs in medicine, Miller and Turnbull were recently awarded an EU grant worth 3.8m to a consortium that also includes researchers from Freie Universitat Berlin, University of Utrecht, University of Liverpool and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. They will also apply the method to understand heparan sulfate structural cues that regulate stem cells to generate specialized neurons for treatment of Parkinson's disease.
South Carolina has thousands of homeless people, and many experts are hoping for more conversation about what can be done for them during the coronavirus pandemic.

Its why shelters throughout the state cant consider closing their doors or reducing the number of people they take in.

You would see 100 people in our shelter displaced in our community," said Marco Corona, chief development officer for One80 Place, a Charleston shelter.

In a recent news conference, state Rep. Wendell Gilliard tried to raise awareness for the virus' impact on the homeless population. The Charleston Democrat and others called for more outreach.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control had previously requested $45 million from the state to combat the pandemic. In that request, the department is also hoping to allocate $1.7 million to quarantine 150 poor and homeless patients for 28 days.

The service would include housing, meals and medical care.

But in 2019, South Carolina had an estimated 4,172 people considered homeless, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Within that estimate, nearly 300 were family households and more than 460 were veterans.

The importance

Jacqualin Yeadon, vice president of the state's southeastern chapter of the National Action Network, said it's difficult to get an exact count of the number of people who are homeless. She can think of at least three places in Berkeley County alone where unsheltered homeless people live in the woods, and she knows there are more.

There are no homeless shelters in Berkeley County. The closest large facility is One80 Place in Charleston, which can house 100 people. So before, during and after the coronavirus pandemic, more needs to be done for the area's homeless population, she said.

There is more than 100 people homeless in the tri-county," Yeadon said.

At One80 Place, they've had to increase sanitation and monitor food distribution, Corona said. To help with safety, the shelter started giving out food in containers to promote as much distancing as they can.

After dozens of events and festivals were either postponed or canceled and restaurants ending dine-in service, many businesses donated food inventory to the shelter.

But Corona doesn't see those donation lasting for the remainder of the pandemic.

Whatever someone is short of, we are, too," he said.

Hand sanitizer, soap, disinfectant material and food containers are some of the main things the shelter needs. With staff, he said, they've tried to be cautious with the social distancing order.

But there is only so much they can do to while trying to feed and house people at full capacity. A person can't stay 6 feet away from someone with so many people in the shelter, Corona said.

Its hard to find ways to both follow the guidelines but to also take care of people," he said.

It's important to highlight this population since many likely have a compromised immune system after prolonged exposure to the outside environment, he said. And a social distancing protocol benefits the most when everyone can attempt to do it, he said.

Yeadon encourages the public to reach out to their local representative to push the conversation around the community's needs further. And at this time, cash donations are extremely welcome, Corona said.

That way they can purchase needed items immediately. When asked about what would have to happen for the shelter to shut down, he said they can't plan for that.

We cant even imagine that scenario," he said.

Opportunities on the table

Geona Shawjohnson, Charleston's director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, said the city is working with private and public partners to increase services for people who are homeless during the pandemic.

The city has ordered portable hand-washing stations to place in strategic locations and is working with local clinics to help with screenings.

But many like Yeadon are wondering why more people can't be housed in the city's many empty hotel and motel rooms.

In Oakland, Calif., hotels have started making preparations to house the homeless. And Charleston is hoping to do something similar.

Shawjohnson said officials had a few commitments from hotels to house people, but nothing has been finalized.

How to help Here are some ways South Carolina residents can help homeless shelters: One80 Place, Charleston Donate at the shelter's website one80place.org or call 843-723-9477 for information around dropping off supplies. Dorchester County Community Outreach, Summerville Sign up for monthly contributions online at dcco4homeless.org. Some of the organization's immediate needs include cleaning supplies, tissue and bottled water. Residents can contact 843-900-4315 to organize dropping of supplies. Transpositions Homeless Center, Columbia If interested in volunteering, residents can email Ebonee Gadson at egadson@transitionssc.org. They can also donate to the shelter through the center's website at transitionssc.org/donate. There they can also access the shelter's supply wish list.

All of those opportunities and options are on the table," she said.

Recently, HUD and the S.C. Supreme Court also called for halts on evictions during the pandemic. But some residents are living full-time in motels and are being threatened with removals.

State Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston, still counts those motel removals as evictions. He reads the court's orders to mean no one can be ousted at this time. To do so would be a public health hazard, he said.

"We're at a point in time where we have to be mindful of that," he said.

'Think about others'

Transitions Homeless Center in Columbia can house 260 people in a day. Craig Currey, the shelter's CEO, said shutting down would mean more people on the street.

So now more than ever, he said, people should be trying to support local shelters and nonprofits. Similar to One80 Place, Transitions has had to buy more cleaning supplies and food packets.

While local churches have given donations, such as thermometers, more is welcome and needed, Currey said. The Columbia facility also has a clinic where they are able to provide some medical services to those in need.

Dorchester County Community Outreach has two shelters in Summerville. There's the Home of Hope, which can house 16 men, and Hope's House, which can house eight women.

Justin Lewis, the assistant manager, said the best thing people can do is be mindful of the homeless community.

When they are shopping for things for their home, he said, they can easily add more things to their list to donate to shelters.

Think about others right now," he said.

But Yeadon hopes that the current situation is a red flag that more can be done for the homeless outside of a pandemic. In the future, she and others would like to see more shelters and resources.

When the coronavirus goes away, we dont want the conversation to go away," she said.
All types of commercial vehicles, including buses and tempos, will remain off the roads in Assam till Tuesday in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the state's apex transport association announced on Sunday.

The All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA), the apex body with around 20,000 vehicles registered with it, will evaluate the situation on Tuesday and will take a further decision.

"This is a very serious situation. We need to break the chain to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus. If we can do that, then we will be saved. That is why we have decided to suspend our operations across Assam till March 24," AAMTA secretary general Pradip Das told PTI.

With their vehicles completely off the roads on Sunday amid the 'Janata Curfew' call, the association's members will be suspending their operations for three days in a row, he added.

"Our drivers and handymen are not willing to run the vehicles. They are scared of the infection as they are very vulnerable. Despite our heavy losses, we have taken this drastic step to serve the people of Assam," Das said.

AAMTA's member vehicles include autorickshaws, tempos, four-wheeler carriers, buses and trucks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Victorian and NSW governments are pushing for a widespread shutdown of schools, bars and restaurants as they seek a dramatic escalation in measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

A source has confirmed they will push for the extreme measures at a meeting of the national cabinet on Sunday evening.

Victoria's Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Luke Donnellan, has announced thousands of care packages will be available to the most needy Victorians in self-isolation. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The national cabinet is due to meet on Sunday night to discuss the latest response measures even though the next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday.

Emergency packages for the most needy Victorians in self-isolation will be distributed from this week as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria rose to 296 on Sunday.
With COVID-19 spreading rapidly across the world, researchers all around are striving the best to find a vaccine to take down the novel coronavirus once and for all.

reuters

And helping several researchers are tech companies with their state-of-the-art hardware and software to give them all a definitive edge.



Alibaba

Alibaba is popular with its cloud-computing infrastructure dubbed Alibaba Cloud. And now, Alibaba Damo Academy has offered its services to Chinese medical institutions to develop an AI system that can speed the diagnosis and analysis of the virus.

Reuters

The AI was able to identify the difference in images between highly suspected coronavirus-infected-pneumonia cases and non-infected cases in just 20 seconds -- with an unprecedented accuracy of up to 96 percent.



Now, theyre offering these cloud services to enterprises with $1000 vouchers, AI-powered computing platform and super-computing cluster to help institutions accelerate viral gene-sequencing, protein-screening and other research in COVID-19 treatment. Theyre also offering online learning resources for Alibaba Cloud.

NVIDIA

GPU maker Nvidia has also shown its support to help researchers swiftly crack the code for a COVID-19 vaccine. It has started providing e a free 90-day license to Parabricks to any researcher around the world, to find a solution to the novel coronavirus. Based on the well-known Genome Analysis Toolkit, Parabricks uses GPUs to accelerate by as much as 50 times the analysis of sequence data.

Apart from this, It also asked its PC gamers on social media to put their powerful gaming PC hardware to use by researchers with the help of Folding@home software.

Twitter: Nvidia

The software will share the processing power of PCs (that you arent using) with researchers who desperately need it for running simulations to see what compound will work against COVID-19.



IBM

IBM granted emergency computation time on Summit, IBMs state-of-the-art supercomputer (which is also the world's fastest supercomputer), housed within the United States Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

What a standard system would have taken months for, IBM POWER9-powered system did in just one to two days. Through this, researchers identified 77-small molecule drug compounds that the ORNL stated could show positive signs fighting against SARS-CoV2 coronavirus -- the compound responsible for COVID-19 disease.

United States Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Summit simulated over 8000 compounds to look for what would bind the best with the main spike protein on the coronavirus, rendering it incapable of infecting host cells.



As per Jeremy Smith, governor's chair at the University of Tennessee and director of the UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics, "Our results don't mean that we have found a cure or treatment for the Wuhan coronavirus. We are very hopeful, though, that our computational findings will both inform future studies and provide a framework that experimentalists will use to further investigate these compounds. Only then will we know whether any of them exhibit the characteristics needed to mitigate this virus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks on the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 21, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)

McConnell: Very Close on Rescue Package Topping $1 Trillion

Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House are pushing toward resolution on a ballooning $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package, as President Donald Trump urged a deal to steady a nation shuttered by the CCP virus pandemic.

All sides indicated late Saturday that a deal is within reach. At issue is how best to keep paychecks flowing for millions of workers abruptly sidelined by the crisis.

Talks also narrowed on a so-called Marshall Plan for hospitals as well as industry loans to airlines and others all but grounded by the virus outbreak and national shutdown. The post-World War II Marshall Plan helped to rebuild Western Europe.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Saturday all sides were very close to a bipartisan resolution.

McConnell instructed committee chairmen to assemble draft legislation. Officials put the price tag at nearly $1.4 trillion and said that with other measures from the Federal Reserve it could pump $2 trillion into the U.S. economy.

We are poised to deliver the significant relief that Americans need with the speed that this crisis demands, McConnell said.

Talks will resume Sunday morning when the top four congressional leaders of both parties are set to confer privately at the Capitol with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in hopes of striking a final accord.

A spokesman for Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said there is not yet an agreement. Spokesman Justin Goodman said Democrats look forward to reading the draft and further negotiations.

Everybodys working hard and they want to get to a solution thats the right solution, I think were very close, Trump said at Saturdays briefing, striking a confident tone about the nations ability to defeat the pandemic soon.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate convened the rare weekend session as negotiators raced to complete the package. The Senates goal is to hold an initial vote Sunday and win Senate passage on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Soldiers disinfect a room in a dormitory in HCMC to turn it into a quarantine zone for people coming from overseas, March 18, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Five people in Ho Chi Minh City, including two British men, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, raising the country's total to 99, the Health Ministry confirmed Sunday.

"Patient 95" is a 20 year-old Vietnamese living in Go Vap District. He is a student coming back from France on Air France flight AF258, seat 34J, on March 18. He is under treatment at the city's Cu Chi field hospital.

"Patient 96" is a 21-year-old Vietnamese woman living in District 8. Two weeks before coming back to Vietnam, she has traveled to Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic and France. She landed in Tan Son Nhat Airport on March 19 on Emirates flight EK392 from Dubai, seat 30E. She's being treated at the HCMC Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

"Patient 97" and "Patient 98" are 34-year-old British men, working as English teachers in the city. They both went to Bar Buddha in District 2 on March 14 with "Patient 91," a British pilot of Vietnam Airlines and sought medical checks after the pilot was confirmed infected on Friday.

The two share an apartment at The Gold View apartment building on Ben Van Don Street, District 4. The entire 29th floor of block A1 of the building, with 17 apartments, have been locked down since Saturday afternoon.

"Patient 99" is a 29-year-old Vietnamese man in Binh Thanh District. He flew back from Paris on Air France flight AF258, seat 33H, on March 18, the same flight as "Patient 95." He showed no symptoms upon entry and was transfered to a quarantine zone in District 12. His sample was tested positive for Covid-19 on March 21 by HCMCs Pasteur Institute.

The five cases confirmed on Sunday raised Vietnam's Covid-19 patient tally to 99, including 17 people who have recovered and discharged. HCMC alone is treating 23 patients.

Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 188 countries and territories and claimed over 13,000 lives, with Italy (4,825 deaths) having surpassed China (3,261) as the most deadly Covid-19 epicenter.
Maharashtra on Sunday announced a near-total shutdown of the state till March 31, in line with the Centres extraordinary new measures to arrest the spread of the coronavirus, which have effectively confined around a fifth of all Indians to their homes.

The virus on Sunday infected 10 more people and killed a 63-year-old Mumbai man in Indias worst-hit state, taking the number of cases (including two deaths) to 74. The country reported two other coronavirus disease (Covid-19) deaths, including first casualties from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven and the number of confirmed cases to 396, up from 315 a day earlier, officials said.

Maharashtra imposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in urban areas of the state, which means not more than five people will be allowed to assemble at one place from Sunday midnight. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray declared a shutdown of bus services  Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST), state transport and private buses. They will now be used only to carry government employees working for essential services. With the railways ministry ordering a shutdown of suburban train services, this will mean that public transport will come to a halt in Mumbai, effectively stopping movement of millions of people till March 31. Mumbai Metro and Monorail, too, announced closure of their services till the end of the month. Thackeray also announced that only 5% of staff will be allowed in government offices each day, which means the rest of the staff will be called in on a rotation basis. Thackeray said they may extend the lockdown orders after March 31, if required.

Thackeray also extended the Janta Curfew  which saw millions of Indians heeding Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for a day-long voluntary shutdown to break the chain of coronavirus infections  till 5am on Monday.

In the state, section 144 will be applicable to about 55% of the population governed by 27 municipal corporations and 366 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Essential and emergency services such as police, hospitals, airlines, information technology and information technology-enabled services, banking, finances, grocery, vegetables, ports, media, energy, petroleum, warehouses and drugs have been excluded from the lockdown.

The state government is also considering sealing its borders. Health minister Rajesh Tope said orders in this respect will soon be passed. He said the state borders with Goa and other states will soon be sealed.

The restriction orders in the state came hours after a 63-year-old man died of the infection at a private hospital in South Mumbai late on Saturday, taking the total number of Covid-19 deaths in the state to two, both of which were reported in Mumbai. Officials said the number of infected people in Maharastra also rose to 74, with five new cases in Mumbai, one in Navi Mumbai and four in Pune. Meanwhile, a security guard from Kasturba Hospital, the citys primary Covid-19 facility, has been quarantined at the hospital after he started showing signs of infection. His swab samples have been taken, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is waiting for his report.

In the past two days, the number of cases in the state has risen by 22. We will have to stop its spread. I have no option left, but to impose section 144 of the CrPC in all urban areas of the state from tomorrow onwards, Thackeray said. We have decided to stop all public bus services in the state. We are closing down all interstate and intrastate bus services, which includes BEST buses in Mumbai, ST buses and private buses as well. The bus services will be used only to carry government employees working for essential services, he said. He said the government has decided to further reduce its workforce to 5% from 25% as another precautionary measure. It means only 5% of the total government workforce will work on a given day, he stated.

Following the suburban railways, Mumbai Metro and Monorail also announced closure of services till March 31. Metro-1 (Versova-Ghatkopar) has a ridership of 4.5 lakh on weekdays. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd said, In continuation of our fight against Covid-19, Mumbai Metro One suspends all operations till 31/03/2020. We urge our commuters to stay home and take all precautionary measures and contribute to the society in fighting this global health crisis.

The government is worried of community transmission which, if started, would result in sudden spike of cases. Senior officials of the public health department has already suggested complete shutdown to the state government. owing to the same reason. The number of cases will rise exponentially if community transmission starts. Hence we have suggested for complete shutdown, said a senior official requesting anonymity.

If we start complete shutdown from today, we will start getting its results after seven days, which means the number of infected is likely to start declining after a gap of seven days because whatever cases we have found today were actually infected seven days ago, he said.

The chief minister also said that they have stop multiplication of the infected people. The number of infected will start multiplying if not stopped now. This is really dangerous. The coming days will bring testing times for all of us as Maharashtra has entered into an important phase that we were talking about. I urge you to follow all the instructions announced by the government as they are for our safety, the chief minister said.

He said that life is most important, hence people need to cooperate with the government and asked all those who have been stamped for home quarantine to stay at home. I request their family members to not let them come out of their homes for the next 15 days. Please co-operate with the government. Home quarantine should be followed by everyone who has returned from a foreign country, he stressed.

Thackeray urged people not to venture and asked the religious heads to minimise gathering in temples, mosques, churches and other religious places. He also said that the workers are an important factor for the economy thus employers should show humanity and pay minimum wages even if they are unable to come for work.

The government has also made adequate arrangements for the transportation of the people engaged in essential and emergency services by deploying BEST and state transport buses in Mumbai and its suburbs. The buses will ply parallel to railway routes for convenience of these employees. The employees can carry their identity cards, while the people involved in other services like trade of food grains, vegetables will be issued special cards by the local authorities (like ward offices in Mumbai) for entry in these buses, said Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope.

BEST and state transport buses will ply every five minutes right from Asangaon, Ambernath, Badlapur in central lines, Vashi on harbour lines and Palghar, Virar, Nalasopara on western lines. Tope said that the private vehicles borrowed for essential services will be given special passes and stickers to facilitate their easy passes without any hurdles.

District collectors and the divisional commissioners have been told to take care to facilitate the transportation of goods vehicles carrying food grains, vegetables, drugs. There is no need to create a separate system for essential services, if it is ensured that the supply chain is not discontinued, said a key official from Mantralaya.

The imposition of section 144 of CrPC in cities and towns gives more powers to the local administration and police to ensure that the people do not come out of their homes. The section was imposed in Mumbai and other key cities for more than eight days.

The period of 30 to 35 days from the day the patients with the international history have entered the country is crucial and the likelihood of the spread of virus during this period is more. Countries like China could contain the spread by complete shut down for few days and halted the exponential rise in the positive cases. The clampdown will help us contain the virus spread. The decision about extending this after March 31 will be taken at the appropriate time, said Tope.

The state government had to take the call after the Central government decided to shut down local services. The BEST and other local bus services and state transport as well as private bus services across the state will remain shut.

According to Mantralaya officials, the shutdown of local trains has compelled the state government to shut its public transport. There was no point in keeping the BEST, state transport services operational in absence of the local trains. We could not have afforded the local buses running overcrowded because of the non operation of the trains. Same was the case of the autorickshaw, taxi and aggregator vehicles. After the Centres decision of shutting down vehicles, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke with senior ministers and chief secretary Ajoy Mehta before announcing the decision, said the official.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the private hospital, where the Mumbai patient died, stated that all precautionary measures have been taken to prevent any spread of infection to other patients or staffers. The patient was moved to negative pressure isolation ICU the moment when we suspected him for Covid- 19. All our healthcare staff were tested and taken care of by hospital providing them immediate quarantine, reads the statement.

The Indian Railways announced the unprecedented suspension of all its 13,523 passenger services, including suburban operations, from March 22 midnight to March 31; only goods trains will run during this period. The Centre also ordered a complete lockdown in 82 districts where cases of Covid-19 have been reported, leaving only essential services open. All districts of Delhi, and Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad are among the districts being locked down. Other districts being locked down were in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chandigargh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karantaka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Pondicherry.

Meanwhile, the Centre said all chief secretaries informed top officials that there was overwhelming and spontaneous response to the call for janta curfew made by the Prime Minister. Otherwise bustling streets and public places in the national capital Delhi and financial hub Mumbai wore a deserted look as Sundays shutdown began at 7am. The day-long calm was broken only once  with a clangour across neighbourhoods at 5pm when, on the PMs appeal, millions clapped and rang utensils amid sounding of sirens to mark their gratitude to the essential workers still on the ground during the outbreak. Prime Minister Modi later thanked the people for expressing their solidarity.

While the lockdown was not mandatory, PM Modi urged the population of 1.3 billion to help prepare for the challenges ahead. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace, Modi tweeted. Stay indoors and stay healthy.

Experts said a lack of testing could be masking the true scale of the health crisis in the country. Experts said that a sudden and sharp spike in cases could hinder efforts to prevent the outbreak from taking hold if more aggressive and random testing is not carried out across India. Some even believe that community transmission has already begun silently and that it can be tackled only if many more people are tested at random.

South Korea, which has been able to slow the advance of the disease despite reporting about 9,000 cases, has tested about 280,000 people since February. Though the US has tested 90,000 people, Covid-19 cases have raced to alarming levels in the country, leading to widespread criticism of its authorities for intractable delays in making tests available.

Asking people to remain indoors is the key to break the transmission cycle in a country like ours with a huge population size. If people dont go out, then chances of person-to-person transmission will automatically reduce. There has to be judicious use of testing, said Dr Ekta Gupta, senior virologist with a Delhi government hospital.

(With inputs from Tanushree Venkatraman and Rupsa Chakrabory)
Third Case of COVID-19 Confirmed in a Day in Georgia - GeorgianJournal
CHICAGO, March 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP Illinois and Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today announced they will cohost a telephone town hall next week joined by Commissioner Lisa Morrison Butler from the City's Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) to engage directly with the City's senior population. The town hall was developed to address growing questions and concerns about health, wellness and service offerings in response to the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), and it will address thousands of Chicago residents on Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m.

In advance of the Telephone Town Hall, AARP and Mayor Lori Lightfoot will host a Facebook Live Monday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

The sessions will offer listeners a chance to learn how to access the resources in place throughout Chicago, including those made available by the City offering assistance to older people, as well as to those caring for them. DFSS is communicating with nearly 40,000 seniors across the city via ongoing robocalls with information and guidance from the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) regarding COVID-19. The department has also taken several steps to help the senior population including delivery of boxed meals food, arranging for transportation options and helping those most in need continue to have care in place.

"It's times like these that it is critical for organizations to band together in helping keep members of the general public, specifically those at a higher risk, healthy and informed," said Mayor Lightfoot. "I am pleased to join AARP in doing just that. Safeguarding the health and wellness of Chicagoans is our top priority during these difficult times, and I want to thank AARP Illinois for their partnership in creating an event that will help us to communicate the robust response plan put in place by the City along with its public and private partners."

The town hall will be available to 41,000 AARP members in Chicago as well as members of the general public through a Facebook and Twitter Livestream. Data shows that members of the older population, specifically people that are age 60 or older are more vulnerable to COVID-19, which causes a respiratory illness that can lead to serious cases of pneumonia.

"People who are 60 and older are at an increased risk for serious illness from COVID-19, especially those living in long-term care settings where patients are grouped in a communal space and the virus can easily spread," said AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo. "AARP has been working to promote the health and well-being of older Americans for more than sixty years and is more committed to do so than ever during this worldwide pandemic."

In addition to working to ensure that older adults, their families and those caring for them have the most accurate and up-to-date information to protect themselves from COVID-19 and prevent the spread to others, AARP has also been working with City leaders on other concerns related to the outbreak, including:

The need for robust support and resources provided to states and local communities, including health care professionals and first responders, who are on the front lines of this effort.

The potential for fraud as scammers prey on older adults during this time  using headlines as opportunities to steal money or sensitive personal information.

Social isolation and the risks associated with leaving vulnerable older adults without access to food and regular human contact during this time.

Worries about financial security during uncertain economic times with markets reacting (or overreacting) to coronavirus news of the day.

The town hall will offer participants clear guidance on actions they can take to protect themselves from COVID-19 and reduce the spread throughout the city. After the town hall, an information packet that outlines the services put in place throughout Chicago to assist older residents will be e-mailed to as many of the call's participants and AARP Chicago's 250,000 members as possible.

The town hall will be carried live by AARP screeners to ask questions directly to AARP Illinois, Mayor Lightfoot and Lisa Morrison Butler, Commissioner of the City's Department of Family & Support Services.

"Supporting our vulnerable populations is more important now than ever before," said Lisa Morrison Butler, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family & Support Services. "We all should call older loved ones, neighbors and friends to check up on them. Everyone has a role to play in getting ready, staying healthy and making sure seniors have the support they need."

AARP Illinois members in Chicago who opt to receive telephone town hall calls as part of their membership will receive a phone call shortly before the start of the March 26 event. Those who wish to join the tele-town hall through Facebook and Twitter can do so from the AARP and Mayor's Office pages.

You can find AARP's coronavirus resources at www.aarp.org/coronavirus.

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, 1.7 million members in Illinois and 250,000 in Chicago, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP Illinois

Related Links

http://www.aarp.org


The Federal Aviation Administration briefly suspended flights to New York City-area airports on Saturday after a trainee at a regional air-traffic control hub on Long Island tested positive for the disease.

In an alert posted online, the FAA advised air traffic controllers to stop all departures to John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark and other airports in the region because of staffing issues at the Ronkonkoma facility, which the agency says primarily handles high-altitude, cross-country flights.

The halt, which also affected Philadelphia's airport, was lifted after about 30 minutes. Controllers were initially warned it could last several hours.

In a statement, the FAA said the Ronkonkoma facility remains open. The agency said the trainee was last there on Tuesday and that is it working to figure out what other workers he may have interacted with.

Air traffic controllers at Kennedy operated from an alternate location on airport property this week after a technician assigned to the airport's control tower tested positive for COVID-19.

The FAA said that the technician hadnt been to work since March 11 and that controllers returned to the tower after precautionary cleaning.

READ: 2 Central Pa. restaurants offer free toilet paper with takeout orders
The CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange, owner of the New York Stock Exchange, sold $3.5 million of his own shares just days before the first reported US death from the coronavirus.

Jeffrey Sprecher, the husband of junior Georgia Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, offloaded the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) shares on February 26 - before the shares plunged by nearly 25 percent.

Sprecher sold the stocks for an average price of $93.42 each, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), CBS reported.

Sprecher and his wife Loeffler also sold $15.3 million worth of ICE shares on March 11, at an average price of about $87, according to the SEC filings.

Loeffler has been accused of corruption after it emerged that she sold off $3.1 million in stocks in the days after she attended a coronavirus briefing for senators on January 24.

Jeffrey Sprecher, the husband of junior Georgia Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, offloaded the ICE shares on February 26 before they plunged by nearly 25 percent

Sprecher and Loeffler have not commented on the latest news of the sell-off.

Loeffler was previously accused of corruption after it emerged that she sold off $3.1 million in stocks days after she attended a coronavirus briefing in January

In an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight Friday, Loeffler claimed her financial advisers handle her stock transactions, and tend to her vast fortune.

Loeffler and her husband have an estimated net worth of $500 million.

Loeffler, 49, told Carlson that she did not know about the sales of her stocks until February 16, and thought little of it.

'I don't get involved there, I don't have a say, I don't want to have a say,' Loeffler stated.

ICE said on Friday that it 'maintains a global personal trading policy that prohibits insider trading and discretionary trading of stocks by its employees without the prior consent of the company.'

The ICE statement also said that Sprecher and Loeffler's sales of non-company shares were executed by financial advisers.

However, the ICE would not comment as to whether the ICE shares were sold by an adviser or the couple themselves.

Loeffler claimed she had familiarized herself with The Stock Act before she took her senate seat, and has always acted within the law. The Stock Act stops lawmakers from using non-public information for stock trades.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr has agreed to be questioned by the Senate Ethics Cothmittee. Republican Senator James Inhofe and Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein also sold stock, according to filings, but say they weren't involved in the transactions

Meanwhile, Loeffler also asserted that the economic fall-out from the coronavirus crisis has been fast-moving, and contended that coronavirus wasn't at the top of her mind when her stocks were sold off between January 24 and mid-February.

'It comes down to the timeline, this is a fast-moving situation... None of us believe today what we believed today on February 1st. February 1st we were locked down in impeachment, we were heading into the State of the Union, we were having the Prayer Breakfast, there was a million things going on,' Loeffler told Carlson.

She continued: 'Nothing was locked down, other than President Trump rightly said we need to seal off flights from Wuhan, China'.

Carlson disputed the claim, saying he had checked his date book and had met with a Washington official on February 3, where they discussed the seriousness of the coronavirus.

'I mean it was out there,' Carlson claimed, appearing incredulous.

'It doesn't help anybody to point fingers retroactively, but people want to think that their leaders are putting the people's interest before theirs, and I wonder if that's always happening,' he pondered.

Loeffler also stopped short of criticizing three of other senators who also sold off stocks following the private coronavirus meeting.

'I've been in the senate for 11 weeks, I didn't advise my colleagues on how they manage their financial situation,' she stated.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr sold up to $1.7 million worth of stock on February 13 in 33 separate transactions after offering public assurances the government was ready to battle the virus. His financial filings were first reported by ProPublica.

Burr has agreed to be questioned by the Senate Ethics Committee.

Republican Senator James Inhofe and Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein also sold stock, according to filings, but both said they were not involved in the transactions.

Inhofe said he has divested most of his stock and is not involved in investment decisions. Feinstein's money is in a blind trust.
Citing a threat to Israeli democracy, opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Supreme Court on Sunday to block what they described as a power grab by the caretaker government under the guise of combating the coronavirus epidemic.

The petitioners asked the court to restore the full powers of Parliament, which has been largely blocked from functioning by a Netanyahu ally, Yuli Edelstein, the speaker. He has claimed public health concerns.

A new Parliament was sworn in last week, but among the key votes Mr. Edelstein has prevented is one on replacing him as speaker.

The paralysis in Parliament has only compounded the countrys political deadlock and chaos in the wake of three inconclusive elections in the past 12 months.
Despite the recent ban religious gatherings by by state governments, some Sunday service gatherings shows that two churches have failed to follow the directive.

The Lagos and Ogun government had recent given directive to halt all religious gatherings that exceeds more than 20 to 50 people in other to curb the spread of coronavirus.

However, this Sunday, March 22, the Winners Chapel  Cannan Land and Dunamis in Abuja held their church service with more than 50 people in attendance.

In several photos and video shared online, it could be seen that the congregation in two churches was more than the number required for gatherings by the government.

See some reactions from Nigerians below:

I just confirmed that winners chapel is holding service too in otta, Ogun State. Ogun state government, @OGSGofficial and @PoliceNG must immediately arrest the Pastor of the Church like they arrested the Pastor in Shagamu, no one is above the law. pic.twitter.com/L0omAWiffZ  Oluyemi Fasipe ?? (@YemieFash) March 22, 2020

Absolutely irresponsible and very reckless of Dunamis Church Abuja and Living Faith (Winners Chapel) to carry on services as normal. Absolutely disgraceful. Lead by example!! Coronavirus is not a joke!!  Dr. Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo) March 22, 2020

This is the proof ma. Even Dunamis and other well known churches held physical service today pic.twitter.com/AqtAm55fgQ  Yusuf Abatan (@yusuf_abatan) March 22, 2020

Wait. Canaanland, Winners Chapel held service today? Haaaaaaa! E don be for us. Multitude of people traveled from Lagos down to Ota to gather for service? Imagine the outcome if one or two carriers are in attendance. And theyll go back to their various areas to spread it too!  Wale Adetona (@iSlimfit) March 22, 2020

Just In. Winners Chapel, Cannan land & Dunamis Abuja having their #SundayService despite Governments ban on gatherings with more than 50 People pic.twitter.com/dMcnwt6CWy  ALABI OPEYEMI OLADMEJI (@alabiopeyemiola) March 22, 2020

.@DavidOyedepoMin had a FULL #SundayService today in Otta close proximity to Lagos and Ogun State the epicentre of Nigerias #CoronavirusCrisis Crisis.

Same with Dunamis Abuja

Responsible religious leaders are UNITED in calling on worshipers to stay at home and watch live streams pic.twitter.com/2TFa2YUdtl  Kayode Ogundamisi (@ogundamisi) March 22, 2020

Oyedepos Canaan land & his Winners Chapel #Covidiots are holding mass gatherings & risking lives in d midst of a worldwide pandemic.

Govt needs to rise up & do its job of protecting lives frm these greedy gods of men.

d Sheeple can still give their offerings online, dude. ? pic.twitter.com/G8ehBMb74Q  da paladin (@makedemhear) March 22, 2020

?Just here doing the infection spread index calculation of #COVID19 that might emanate frm just 2 of Nigerias big churches who had at least 3 services today.

Dunamis: 100,000 seats 3 services = up to 250,000 possibilities.

Winners: 50,000 seats3services=up to 100,000 cases  James C. (@JamesLantern2) March 22, 2020

JUST SO YOU KNOW:

Right now, Nigeria just confirmed 4 new cases. The total cases is now 26 officially. Nobody knows what unofficial figures are. Right now, CanaanLand is running a full church service in their auditorium. Thousands of people present. We are A VERY MAD COUNTRY.  #OurFavOnlineDoc ? (@DrOlufunmilayo) March 22, 2020

ONE woman in a South Korea church got 4,000 people infected in 2 weeks.

Just one person. Canaanland is a 50,000 seat auditorium.

Just imagine what can happen to Ogun State/Lagos State IF an outbreak starts/spreads from there. Just imagine. This is suicide.#ShutDownCanaanland  #OurFavOnlineDoc ? (@DrOlufunmilayo) March 22, 2020

Pastor Adeboye did NOT hold any services at the Redemption Camp. Olukoya did NOT hold any services at Prayer City. But Oyedepo held multiple services at Canaanland and even arrogantly attacked govt for closing schools. Govt MUST act now. Lives are at risk.#ShutDownCanaanland  #OurFavOnlineDoc ? (@DrOlufunmilayo) March 22, 2020

Only if these people going to Canaanland knows that bishop Oyedepo will be given first class treatment if he ever test positive and majority of them wont be that lucky  Loko diu (@lokodiu) March 22, 2020

Oyedepo made a very silly mistake. Hes not in the good books of the current government and he still went ahead to break the directive that church service should not be held today. If the government decide to seal Canaanland now, winners members would start ranting.  Abass Oyeyemi (@AbassOyeyemi) March 22, 2020

Nigerians will witness a lot of #COVID19 cases if not thousands this coming week since their Religious Cohorts in Canaanland aka Oyedepo and Dunamis in Abuja display their Greedy Mindset using their Bible at Gullible Nigerians.  Super Big Zaddie JP (@OritseTrentJP) March 22, 2020

The owner abi GO of canaanland should be locked up in jail. And those of you in the church presently are MAD and should also be locked up.  PARLE OF LAGOS (@BolajiParle) March 22, 2020
Disney+ is set to launch in the UK and most major European markets on 24 March

The launch of Walt Disneys streaming services in France will be delayed by two weeks at the request of the French government, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

(Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak)

Disney+ is set to launch in the UK and most major European markets on 24 March. However, according to the statement, European subscribers will receive temporarily degraded video quality.

Anticipating higher consumer demand, the company is instituting measures to lower our overall bandwidth utilization by at least 25 percent in all of the markets launching Disney+ on 24 March, said Kevin Mayer, head of Disneys Direct-to-consumer and International business.

According to the statement, Disney had agreed to a European Union request for streaming-video providers to ensure the smooth functioning of the broadband infrastructure.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc, Amazon Incs Prime Video and Netflix, had previously said they will sacrifice streaming quality in the European Union to help avert online gridlock as tens of millions of people stay indoors and switch to working from home.

The request to the companies was made by the European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton to ensure the smooth functioning of the broadband infrastructure.
PARIS - Young German adults hold corona parties" and cough toward older people. A Spanish man leashes a goat to go for a walk to skirt confinement orders. From France to Florida to Australia, kitesurfers, college students and others crowd the beaches.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/3/2020 (661 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite warnings from government officials take caution and self distance because of coronavirus, beach goers enjoy the Isle of Palms beach, Friday, March 20, 2020, in Isle of Palms, S.C. City authorities are restricting access to the popular beach from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily starting Saturday to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

PARIS - Young German adults hold "corona parties" and cough toward older people. A Spanish man leashes a goat to go for a walk to skirt confinement orders. From France to Florida to Australia, kitesurfers, college students and others crowd the beaches.

Their defiance of lockdown mandates and scientific advice to fight the coronavirus pandemic has prompted crackdowns by authorities on people trying to escape cabin fever brought on by virus restrictions. In some cases, the virus rebels resist  threatening police as officials express outrage over public gatherings that could spread the virus.

"Some consider they're little heroes when they break the rules," French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said. "Well, no. You're an imbecile, and especially a threat to yourself."

After days of noncompliance by people refusing to stay home and venture out only for essential tasks, France on Friday sent security forces into train stations to prevent people from travelling to their vacation homes, potentially carrying the virus to the countryside or beaches where medical facilities are less robust. The popular Paris walkway along the Seine River was closed and a nightly curfew was imposed in the French Mediterranean city of Nice by Mayor Christian Estrosi, who is infected with the virus.

Young people gather in the Volkspark am Friedrichshain in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The Berlin government has banned all events with more than about 50 people because of the coronavirus outbreak but the parks of the city are still used by a high number of people. 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. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Florida officials closed some of the state's most popular beaches after images of rowdy spring break college crowds appeared on TV for days amid the rising global death toll, which surpassed 13,000 on Sunday. Australia closed Sydney's famous Bondi Beach after police were outraged at pictures of the crowds.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that people from 18-to-49 account for more than half of the state's coronavirus cases, warning them "you're not Superman, and you're not Superwoman."

Many people were not complying with social distancing recommendations to stay away from each other in New York City's vast city park network ahead of a ban on congregating in groups that goes into effect Sunday night, Cuomo said.

"You can wind up hurting someone who you love, or hurting someone wholly inadvertently. Social distancing works, and you need social distancing everywhere," Cuomo warned.

As new coronavirus cases in China dropped to zero several days in a row, the chief medical officer for the International Clinic of Wuhan was alarmed at those elsewhere refusing to follow rules to contain the virus. Dr. Philippe Klein said people should look to China's confinement of tens of millions as an example to emulate "with courage, with patience, with solidarity."

French policemen walk along the Seine river during a control in Paris, Friday, March 20, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron said that for 15 days people will be allowed to leave the place they live only for necessary activities such as shopping for food, going to work or taking a walk. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

"I exhort you, the French, to apply the rules in our way," said Klein, who is French.

Worldwide, over 307,000 people have been infected. For most, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. But it can cause more severe illness in others, especially older adults and people with existing health conditions. Some 92,000 people have recovered, mostly in China, where the virus first struck late last year.

The virus rebels tend to range from restless teens to wealthy adults who can travel to their getaway homes. Even in Italy, where the virus death toll soared beyond China's last week, authorities are still trying to rein in people from going outside for fresh air, sun and visits with friends to escape walled-in lives.

French farmers' markets where people congregate to shop for food have posed a special challenge for police trying to keep people apart from each other at the recommended 2 metres (6 feet), along with neglected urban housing projects where distrust and disobedience of authorities runs deep.

In Clichy-Sous-Bois, a Paris suburb where nationwide riots triggered by police harassment allegations erupted in 2005, a person bit a police officer trying to enforce confinement rules, said Linda Kebbab, a police union spokesperson. And a large crowd threatened to spit on officers who had planned to disperse them in the southeastern city of Lyon but left instead, she said.

People walk in the open air market of Belleville, in Paris, Friday, March 20, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron said that for 15 days starting at noon on Tuesday, people will be allowed to leave the place they live only for necessary activities such as shopping for food, going to work or taking a walk. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

In the southern German state of Bavaria, Gov. Markus Soeder lamented that "there are still corona parties, there are young people who cough at older people and shout corona for fun and, above all, there are an incredible number of groups being formed."

National police in Spain, which has the second-highest number of coronavirus infections in Europe after Italy, are using helicopters to spot groups of people meeting up outdoors. Then agents are sent in to break up the gatherings.

Spanish police have also taken to highlighting examples on social media of what people should not do in public during the country's state of emergency. In the southeastern Murcia region, they posted video of police stopping a person waddling outside in a full-body dinosaur costume and tweeted that pets can be taken for brief walks by owners but that "having a Tyrannosaurus Rex complex is not" allowed.

And in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia, police posted a picture of a man walking a goat on a leash, apparently trying to take advantage of the pet walking exception.

France now has 100,000 security personnel on the streets who are issuing fines amid a new national "Stay Home" mantra and warnings by officials that the country's two-week lockdown could be extended if the country's infection rate keeps rising. More than 1.7 million checks were carried out in the last five days and more than 22,500 people fined, the Interior Ministry said. By Sunday, France counted more than 16,000 confirmed infections and 674 deaths.

A man reads his book in Prospect Park in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Sunday, March 15, 2020. President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Americans to cease hoarding groceries and other supplies, while one of the nation's most senior public health officials called on the nation to act with more urgency to safeguard their health as the coronavirus outbreak continued to spread across the United States. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

In Greece, the prime minister tried to convince people to say home, warning citizens that future virus prevention measures depend "on our behaviour."

But after Florida's officials shut down some of the state's famed beaches, some businesses were still trying to draw in tourists, including Clearwater Mega Bite Shark Boat, a 40-foot (12-meter) vessel with a bow shaped like a sharks snout that cruises the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's western coast.

The boat can carry 50 passengers but the owner was limiting trips to 10 to comply with federal advice. Only four people signed up for a Saturday trip, said an employee named Chase who answered the phone but declined to give his last name.

"Normally we'd be packed this weekend," he said.

___

Associated Press writers contributing to this report include: Frances d'Emilio in Rome; Joe Wilson in Barcelona; Elena Becatoros in Greece; Geir Moulson and David Rising in Berlin; Michael Hill in Albany, New York; Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Florida; and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

___

A previous version of this story was corrected to show that Florida officials closed some of the state's most popular beaches, not the governor ordering all of them shut.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
A woman has been arrested for attempted murder after one man was mowed down by a car and another one stabbed nearby in broad daylight.

Police were called to the scene in Acton, London, shortly before 1pm today.

Shocking video footage shows the aftermath of the attack in which a pedestrian was critically injured.

The victim lies on the floor surrounded by police officers.

A horrified onlooker says 'poor guy, wow this is bad man' as he walks away from the scene.

A woman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a second man was stabbed shortly after the collision.

A woman has been arrested for attempted murder after one man was mowed down by a car and another one stabbed nearby in broad daylight in London. Pictured: Shocking video footage shows the aftermath of the attack

Shocking video footage shows police at the scene of the broad-daylight attack in London

A police cordon was put up at the scene today in Acton, London, after a man was mowed down

Police were called to the scene in Acton, London, shortly before 1pm today after the pedestrian was critically injured. Pictured: The scene today

His stab injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Police were called at around 1250hrs on Sunday, 22 March, to a car in collision with a man in Salisbury Street, Acton.

'The pedestrian was critically injured; we await a further assessment of his condition.

Video footage shows police at the scene today. Officers gathered around the injured pedestrian

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Police were called at around 1250hrs on Sunday, 22 March, to a car in collision with a man in Salisbury Street, Acton.' Pictured: Police at the scene

The woman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a second man was stabbed shortly after the collision. Pictured: The scene today

'Shortly after the collision, the female driver of the vehicle stabbed another man nearby.

'His injuries are not believed to be serious.

'Officers attended and arrested the woman on suspicion of attempted murder. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 00:14:52|Editor: yan

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LISBON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese authorities said on Sunday that all the passengers who arrived in Lisbon aboard a cruise ship will have to undergo screening tests for the COVID-19, Lusa News Agency reported.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI), the cruise ship MSC Fantasia from Brazil arrived in Lisbon early on Sunday with 1,338 passengers, of which 27 are Portuguese citizens.

Cristina Gatoes, national director of Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) under the MAI, promised that all the passengers will be tested according to the instructions of the Directorate-General of Health (DGS).

"All citizens who are aboard this ship will have to undergo screening tests in order to be able to disembark and this is done by the Directorate-General of Health ..."she added.

The Portuguese side announced early on Sunday that the authorities have initiated a repatriation operation for the passengers of the cruise ship.

The MAI said in the statement that the passengers are from 38 countries, mostly European Union members, Brazil as well as Australia, adding that the operation will be carried out "with several embassies" in the next few days, Lusa reported.

The joint operation intends to "comply with current regulations in order to ensure public health" under the state of emergency, it added.

Portugal has 14 deaths associated with the COVID-19 and 1,600 confirmed cases, according to the DGS Sunday bulletin.
Uganda has confirmed its first case of coronavirus in an announcement made by Health Minister Dr Ruth Aceng on Sunday morning.

Dr. Aceng said the confirmed case is a 36-year-old man from Kakungulu in Kampala who had travelled to Dubai on March 17, for a business trip.

The businessman is said to have returned to Uganda on March 21 aboard Ethiopian Airlines.

He was screened at the Entebbe Airport where his temperature was said t be 38.7 degrees celsius.

After the screening, Dr. Aceng said the man was evacuated to Entebbe Grade B Hospital for further follow up and isolation.



His nasal swab samples were sent to Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) for analysis. Results from UVRI showed the sample is positive for COVID-19, Dr. Aceng told Ugandas Daily Monitor.

So far, according to the Daily Monitor, a total of 1,827 travellers in Uganda have been identified as coming from high-risk countries for purposes of follow-up.

About 827 are completing self-quarantine while about 1,000 are under quarantine, Dr. Aceng said.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
An Indian-American president of a university in the US' Texas state has resigned over allegations of improper financial dealings with a vendor and irregularities in admissions into an online programme, according to a media report.

An investigation into the University of Texas at Arlington found improper financial relationships between the university's president Vistasp Karbhari and a private vendor that helped the school provide an online nursing programme, the Dallas Morning reported.

The investigation, conducted by the consulting firm Protiviti, found that Karbhari allegedly took at least two international trips with executives from the vendor company and allowed the vendor to push for expedited enrollment processes that let under-qualified students enroll into the school's online nursing programme, the report said.

The vendor was paid more than USD 178 million over about a five-year period, the probe said.

The University of Texas System released details of the investigation late Thursday after several open records requests from media, the daily said.

Hours later, Karbhari informed UT System chancellor that he was stepping down as president effective immediately.

Karbarhi had announced earlier this month that he was stepping down as president effective August 31.

In a letter to UT System officials responding to the investigation, Karbhari wrote that UTA categorically denies allegations made in the report.

He claimed the report was flawed with lack of evidence, mischaracterised actions and framed the president's comments in negative light.

The investigation did not name the vendor. However, Karbhari referred to Academic Partnerships, which provides online services for the school, in his response to the investigation, the daily said.

Officials from the Dallas-based company, which works with universities across the country, did not address the report's findings but issued a statement reading, Academic Partnerships is committed to our relationship with UT Arlington and to student access and outcomes.

The investigation noted that the vendor inappropriately influenced UT-Arlington officials, pressured university staff on admissions frequently and had a financial relationship with a lower level administrator that was improper and covered some overtime pay for university officials in order to drive up enrollment for the online program.

The investigation found that when UT-Arlington staff raised concerns about the online enrolment procedures, Karbhari dismissed them and even suggested to the vendor that grade average standards be lowered in order to drive up enrolment, the daily said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- Vice-president of Imani Ghana, Bright Simons, has hinted that Ghana may be on lockdown starting from March 22, 2020

- According to Simons, the source of his post is 'highly placed' & confirms that the president is being strongly advised to put Ghana on lockdown

- Since 2004, Imani Ghana has been in Ghanas policy environment for putting out objective, independent analysis and critique on many issues

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Bright Simons, the Vice President of Imani Ghana has indicated that Ghana might be on lockdown beginning on Sunday, March 22, 2020, in a serious post.

In the post sighted by YEN.com.gh on the official Twitter handle of Bright Simons, he mentions that the National Security Council has been strongly advising President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to embark on the lockdown.

"Highly placed sources: Ghana's Prez advised by Natl Secu Council to commence lockdown from tomorrow. We all agree that these are unprecedented times," were his own words in a post made on March 21, 2020.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Take the directives seriously - Sarkodie cautions fans in video

The gentleman, however, goes ahead to indicate that the lockdown may not be what is seen in other parts of the world as Ghana cannot afford to 'copy blindly'

But this is not the time to copy blindly. "Lockdown" must mean very specific things in an African context. Nothing generic, he said.

IMANI Ghana, where Bright Simons is a vice president, is a Center for Policy & Education & a Think Tank of considerable local and international repute based in Ghana.

READ ALSO: Ghana confirms 3 more cases of COVID-19; total number hits 19

Founded on the 9th of March 2004, IMANI has carved a niche in Ghanas policy environment for putting out objective, independent analysis and critique on many issues, using tried and tested techniques that apply across different disciplines.

In other news, top Ghanaian celebrity King Promise has stated that he is in self-isolation after returning from the UK in the past days

According to the Ghanaian musician, he shows no symptoms of COVID-19 but has decided to undergo the 2-week isolation in line with WHO protocols

King Promise mentions that although his London and Amsterdam concerts pulled massive crowds, he had to call off the rest of the concerts due to the coronavirus outbreak

Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Only God can save Ghana from the Coronavirus outbreak - Pastor declares | #Yencomgh

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Source: YEN.com.gh
A 43-year-old Tomah man was referred to the Monroe County District Attorney for drunk driving and possessing a weapon while intoxicated after police responded to a March 11 complaint on Nicholas Street.

A woman told police that a man, later identified as Aaron Allen Huber, was attempting to push her sons parked vehicle with an ATV. The woman told police that Huber was visibly intoxicated. No damage to the vehicle was reported.

When police arrived, Huber was sitting on the ATV across the street from where the complaint was lodged. The report says Huber was unsteady on his feet and using the ATV to maintain balance. When police asked Huber how much alcohol he consumed, he reportedly replied, About four. I drink a lot.

Huber agreed to a police request for a pat down, and the report says a .40 caliber Glock 22 was recovered. Police removed a magazine with 15 rounds of ammunition. No rounds were located in the chamber.

Police conducted a field sobriety test, and multiple clues of intoxication were detected. The nine-step walk-and-turn test was terminated after six steps for safety reasons. A preliminary breath recorded a blood-alcohol level of .24, three times the legal limit of .08.

In other Tomah Police Department news:

Renae Lee Thompson, 44, Holmen, was referred to the district attorney for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia after a Nov. 21, 2019, traffic stop.

Police followed a vehicle driven by Thompson with a defective headlight and conducted a traffic stop in an alley between Superior Avenue and Kilbourn Avenue. The license plate didnt match the vehicle. Thompson told police that she had recently purchased the vehicle and that the plates were from an older car. She said there was no contraband in the vehicle.

Police summoned a K9 to conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle. After a positive response for the presence of drugs, Thompson was asked again if contraband was present. She reportedly admitted to the presence of a methamphetamine pipe and a baggie containing methamphetamine. Police also found a pair of digital scales. The methamphetamine recovered totaled 1.5 grams.

The report says Thompson denied using methamphetamine and said she quit smoking meth a year ago. She said the methamphetamine belonged to another person and that she had taken it from him with the intention of discarding it.

Nicholas Ronald Post, 25, Willard, was referred to the district attorney for theft. He is accused of pumping $29.81 worth of gas at Kwik Trip North March 11 and driving off without paying.

Post was apprehended March 16 in Eau Claire County, where he allegedly attempted to elude an officer who was attempting a traffic stop. After Eau Claire police informed Tomah police of the arrest, Post was referred for operating after revocation/drunk driving-related.

Anthony Allen Decorah, 48, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for fourth offense drunk driving after police responded to a March 11 report of a vehicle parked on a sidewalk and blocking the drive-through at Culvers Restaurant.

When police arrived, Decorah was asleep in the vehicle with music playing. After he was awakened, he told police he was waiting for his order of food. He denied consuming alcohol, and a preliminary breath test recorded a blood-alcohol level of zero.

Decorah was on probation for heroin use, and the report says he showed multiple signs of intoxication during a field sobriety test. He was transported to Tomah Health for a blood test.

Melodie Monique Basley, 32, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for first-offense drunk driving with a passenger under 16 years old after a police responded to a report of an intoxicated woman at Walmart with children in the store. When police arrived, Basley was inside the vehicle with three children and the vehicle running.

Police could detect the odor of alcohol on Basleys breath. When police told her they intended to conduct a field sobriety test, Basley reportedly responded, Lets go, cause I already know I was drinking earlier but not now.

The report says Basley had difficulty following instructions during the walk-and-turn test, and the one-leg stand was terminated for safety reasons. A preliminary breath test recorded a blood-alcohol level of .17

Shanna Joy Endle, 27, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for operating after revocation/drunk driving-related, tampering with an ignition interlock device and bail jumping after a March 12 traffic stop. She was pulled over shortly after 7 p.m. on East Clifton Street after police conducted a license plate check.

A 17-year-old juvenile was referred to the district attorney for possession of stolen property and marijuana possession after allegedly stealing a wedding ring.

Police received a March 13 complaint from a Minneapolis man that the juvenile, who has a Detroit address, had boarded a bus and that it would be making a stop in Tomah at 12:25 p.m. Police obtained a description of the juvenile and found a male matching the description walking toward the bus. Police learned that the juvenile had an extradition warrant from Michigan and apprehended him without incident.

A search of the juvenile recovered the ring and a watch that was also reported stolen. The search also found a small marijuana roach in his back pocket. A search of the juveniles luggage found numerous other stolen items, including a utility knife, a Victorias Secret black leather tote bag, a Valentino snake skin purse and a Playstation 4.

The stolen property was valued at nearly $8,000.

Roger Allen Otto, 38, Warrens, was referred to the district attorney for disorderly conduct and bail jumping after a March 14 disturbance at a Jodi Circle residence.

When police arrived, there was overturned furniture in the house, and a woman had scratches to the side of her face. A witness said Otto started the argument, yelled at the woman and hit her.

Russell Martin Goldman, 39, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for disorderly conduct after a March 15 incident at Cranberry County Lodge. He is accused of creating a loud disturbance and roughly grabbing a woman by the arm.

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The economic culture in the United States still largely holds to the belief that private industry, guided by the pursuit of private interests and the profit motive, leads to the most efficient and effective economy. Conservatives, of course, cling to this belief on steroids, as is evident in their hallmark platform calling for small government, even no government, railing against bloated government operations and programs such as Social Security, Medicare, national parks, and more. As Ive written much about lately (here and here, for example), Trump is operationalizing this ideology in hyper-drive, rampantly destroying the public sphere and railing against the public school system as failing government-run schools, as he eyes the dismantling of that system as well.

It is now practically a truism in our culture, even outside of conservative circles, that the private sector somehow knows how to get things done expeditiously and efficiently, while our government agencies are dilatory, ineffective, and wasteful of taxpayer dollars.

The non-partisan coronavirus argues strongly against this truism, in fact absolutely debunking it, highlighting its wrongheadedness and lunacy.

Our current economy, encouraging behaviors designed above all else to maximize profits, valorizes, for example, the elimination of excess capacity because of its inefficiency from a business standpoint. The emphasis on lean production similarly valorizes practices such as just-in-time inventory management, which discourages the stockpiling of excess production materials, again of because of its inefficiency from the business standpoint.

Both of these business practices are substantially hampering the national response to the coronavirus, collectively costing us much more than dollars. The cost is measured in human lives.

The lesson?

We need to measure the effectiveness of our economy in terms of how efficiently it serves human life, human need, not how efficiently it serves business by maximizing profit.

Any student will learn in Economics 101 that the purpose of an economy is to produce and distribute goods and services most efficiently to meet the needs of those living within it.

So, we need economists who think about our systems from human perspective, not a business perspective.

To be fair, the famous moral philosopher Adam Smith, in his landmark 1776 work The Wealth of Nations, notoriously argued that the way for people to promote the public good most vigorously was to seek to make us much money as possible, to pursue their private interests most vigorously without even thinking about the public good. This would, he thought, maximize the general revenue for the benefit of all. He observed of man, By pursuing his own interests he frequently promotes that of society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.

The coronavirus offers a powerful argument.

And New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been a powerful spokesman for the viruss position against Adam Smith. Consider how he spelled out the problem of the lack of hospital capacity to address the pandemic:

You only have 53,000 hospital beds. You only have 3,000 ICU beds. Why? Because our health care system is basically a private system. They dont build capacity that they dont need. They dont build extra ICU beds just in case. An intensive care bed is very expensive. They dont build a wing of ICU beds that sit vacant for 10 years on the off-chance that theres going to be a public health emergency and youll need the beds so we dont have them. We have the capacity that people use day-in and day-out. And thats not just New York. Thats every state in the United States. You now have this influx, you cant handle it. You will have people on gurneys in hallways, Cuomo told reporters. That is what is going to happen now if we do nothing. That is what is going to happen now if we do nothing. And that, my friends, will be a tragedy.

In short, to paraphrase Cuomo, we need a just-in-case economy, not a just-in-time economy if we are going to be prepared to meet human need, not just maximize profit.

He diagnoses the problem as precisely one of the privatization of public health services, which means these services organize their operations from the economic standpoint of business, not the economic standpoint of meeting human need.

And what has he called for in a letter he wrote to President Trump? He called for Trump to send in the Army Corps of Engineers to build temporary medical facilities to meet the surge in patients needing treatment for the coronavirus.

He called for government intervention, for a public sector response, precisely because the private sector has failed abysmally; its so-called best business practices, in fact, forecast, inherently entail, the private sectors failure to meet human need.

And even if these facilities get built, the supply chain processes dictated by best business practices for private companies also hobble an effective medical response to the pandemic.

Our just-in-time supply chains stretch across the globe. Because China has been shut down, and now Italy, with workers not going to work and factories shut down, this supply chain is disrupted. Because business efficiency militates against stockpiling so-called excess supplies, such as masks and other protective healthcare gear and equipment, hospitals simply dont have the necessary resources to adequately respond to the public need the pandemic has engendered.

Adam Smith, we should recall, still foregrounded promoting the public good, the general welfare, as the moral purpose of economic behavior. When he wrote, he viewed peoples pursuit of private profit as the best means to serve the public good.

History, however, has provided a corrective to Smiths thinking.

Hasnt Gordon Gecko, preaching greed is good with horrible consequences in the 1987 film Wall Street, provided an iconic morality tale for the U.S. political economy?

One imagines Smiths moral vision would now valorize economic behavior consciously supporting the public sphere, thinking more about the health of nations.

While Trump merits mistrust, Americans, trained in mistrusting government, may change their mindset and start prizing government intervention.
SOAVE, Italy (AP)  Italy, Iran and the United States reported soaring new death tolls as the coronavirus pandemic marched relentlessly across the globe Sunday, prompting a scramble in hard-hit regions to set up more hospital beds and replenish the dwindling medical supplies needed to keep health workers safe.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte went on TV near midnight, announcing that he was tightening the country's lockdown and shutting down all production facilities except those providing essential goods and services.

TRACKING CORONAVIRUS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID-19 across Houston, rest of Texas

''We are facing the most serious crisis that the country has experienced since World War II,'' Conte told Italians during a live broadcast.

He cautioned citizens to be calm and patient, insisting there was "no alternative" than to impose further restrictions. Scientists have argued that avoiding even one infection means scores more are prevented down the line.

In the U.S., where several states have ordered residents to stay indoors, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the government is literally scouring the globe looking for medical supplies. Health care workers from Oklahoma City to Minneapolis sought donations of protective equipment. Staff at a Detroit hospital began creating homemade face masks for workers.

Negotiators from Congress and the White House resumed top-level talks on a ballooning $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package, urged by President Donald Trump to strike a deal to steady a nation upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Trump appeared confident about the nations ability to defeat the pandemic soon even as health leaders acknowledged that the U.S. was nowhere near the peak of the pandemic.

At least 38 people tested positive at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex  more than half of them inmates. Another inmate became the first in the U.S. to test positive in a federal jail.

Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose to 53,000 people, with nearly 800 new deaths. As bodies pile up in Italian hospitals, morgues and churches, and as medical workers plead for more help, there is no sign yet that Italy is taming its arc of contagion. Italy now has 4,825 deaths, more than all of China, where the virus first emerged late last year.

In Britain, where Sunday was Mothers Day, the government had a stark message for millions: Visiting your mother could kill her. Prime Minister Boris Johnson implored Britons to forego traditional family visits, parties and Sunday lunches.

If your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus, Johnson said. This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity.

PORTRAITS OF PANDEMIC: Houstonians' lives in the time of coronavirus

Iran's supreme leader refused U.S. assistance Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be made by America. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments came as Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions over its nuclear actions. Iran says it has 1,685 deaths and 21,638 confirmed cases of the virus  a toll that experts from the World Health Organization say is almost certainly underreported.

Worldwide, more than 308,000 people have been infected and over 13,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.About 150 countries now have confirmed cases, and deaths have been reported in more than 30 American states.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Some 93,000 people have recovered, mostly in China.

In Spain, Europes hardest-hit country behind Italy, intensive care units in some areas were close to their limits even before Sunday's new tally of 28,572 infections and 1,720 deaths. The army was building a field hospital with 5,500 beds in a convention center in Madrid, where hotels are also being turned into wards for virus patients without serious breathing problems.

In the U.S., New Jersey and St. Louis were added to a growing list of areas where residents were ordered to stay home. Hawaiis governor instituted a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine starting Thursday for both returning residents and visitors and urged people to delay planned vacations to the Pacific archipelago.

Milan, the capital of Italy's prosperous Lombardy region, appeared more deserted than ever. The square in front of the Duomo was empty except for one older couple walking a dog.

Lombardy has raised the fines for people out without a good reason from 207 euros ($222) to 5,000 euros ($5,380). Officials lamented last week that the number of people on the streets was still too high to break the pandemic. The number of buses, trams and metros were cut  but that only caused more Italians to go out in their cars and was revoked.

The first of nine hulking Russian Il-76 cargo planes left Chkalovsky military airport in Moscow on Sunday, bringing Russian medical personnel and supplies to Italy, including eight mobile medical teams.

The Chinese city of Wuhan  where the global pandemic was first detected and the first city to be locked down  went a fourth consecutive day on Sunday without reporting any new or suspected cases. Wuhan must go 14 straight days without a new case in order for draconian travel restrictions to be lifted, but a special train brought in more than 1,000 car factory employees for the first time since the outbreak.

Parks and other public gathering places are reopening in China as people return to work and businesses resume. However, the country has placed increasing restrictions on those coming from overseas.

All arrivals to Beijing from abroad must be quarantine themselves for two weeks in a hotel at their own expense. And beginning Monday, flights into the capital will be diverted to airports in other cities, where passengers will have to pass a health inspection.

China's first recent case of community infection was reported Sunday in the southern province of Guangzhou eportedly caught from a Turkish arrival. As the outbreak has died down domestically, an influx of people coming into China has stoked fears of a resurgence.

Borders kept closing and airlines kept slashing flights. The long-haul carrier Emirates, a crucial East-West link that has now cut 70% of its routes, had been flying into Beijing despite the virus outbreak. Its Beijing flights, however, will end Monday.

After recording its first two deaths, Singapore said it will fully shut its borders beginning Tuesday. All short-term visitors will be barred while returning locals will face a 14-day quarantine. Sri Lanka blocked all passenger flights and ships from entering.

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Associated Press reporters Yanan Wang in Beijing; Antonio Calanni in Milan, Italy; Frances D'Emilio in Rome; Jill Lawless in London; Amy Forliti in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Bharatha Malawaraarachchi in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Christine Armario in Bogota, Colombia; Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; researcher Henry Hou in Beijing and other AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Gurbir Singh By

Express News Service

As we head into another weekend of coronavirus disruption, the outer perimeters of the problem is galloping away so fast that it has become difficult to make sense anymore. The sinister milestones keep coming at us without let up. The world by Friday had topped 11,000 Covid-19 deaths. By Thursday, Italy had surpassed China with 3,405 deaths, and on Friday hit the dubious record of 627 deaths in one day.

India, not a hotspot yet, is showing a spike. The last two days saw the largest number of Covid-19 positive cases, taking the tally to 236. Life and markets are paralysed. The two questions begging an answer are: When will it all end? And what is going to be the cost? As we search, this is certain: it will be a Brave New World we will face when all this is over, one that might be difficult to recognise.

amit bandre

PREDICTIONS

The cost of the pandemic can be gauged only after seeing how long it will last. Singapores Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told CNBC that we should expect the economic aftermath of the outbreak to last at least a year. Donald Trump, who so far has been living in denial, said on Thursday that people are talking about July-August for normalcy to return to the US.

However, the US governments own federal plan to tackle the virus warned policymakers that the pandemic will last 18 months or longer. The epidemic would hit in waves that could result in shortages and could strain the nations healthcare system, the plan warned.

As China thankfully takes control and is now reporting nil or very few new cases, other hotspots keep emerging. Italy first, and now Germany and Spain are spinning out of control. In India, after a period of smug dismissal, panic is setting in as educational institutions and normal business activities grind to a halt. With very few kits for coronavirus testing, no one has a clue what the actual numbers are. The important question is: are we going to be on the periphery of the storm, or are we are just getting into a size 12 hurricane?

What is going to be the human and economic cost of this ongoing pandemic? It all depends how quickly medical science and lockdown measures can slay the invisible monster. A vaccine to counter the coronavirus may take months to develop and commercial marketing may be as far as a year to 18 months away. And how do you calculate the human cost of 11,000 lives and counting; and 2.50,000 still fighting for recovery?

FACTORING THE DAMAGE

What will it cost the world economy again depends on how long it will take to get factories and normal supply lines back at work. The US Bridgewater hedge fund, founded by the famed Ray Dalio who predicted the 2008 financial crash, says the US alone will suffer a $4 trillion loss in business revenue. The Bridgewater research report released on Friday said, Since this hit to revenues is happening throughout the world, the total hole globally will be roughly three times that  about $12 trillion.

Goldman Sachs projections on Friday are equally dire. It has forecast the US second quarter GDP will contract a whopping 24 per cent, with 6 per cent drop in the first calendar quarter. Thereafter there will be a rebound, but the annual 2020 contraction will be 3.8 per cent, the firm has predicted. Needless to say, the domino effect on the rest of the world that depends on US markets will be crippling.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has downgraded its projections for 2020 of real GDP growth for all economies. China saw the biggest downgrade with OECD projections down to 4.9 per cent growth from the earlier forecast of 5.7 per cent. The global economy is expected to grow by 2.4 per cent in 2020, down from the 2.9 per cent projected earlier, according to the report.

Oil and energy will be the main sufferers, with the leisure and travel industry also taking major hits. Globally, the airline industry is set to lose $29 billion, as per the International Air Transportation Association.In India, the seriousness of the Covid-19 threat has not fully sunk in, what with politicians and Page Three types partying with corona-positive celebs from London.

The economic impact of the shutting down of civic life is now only too apparent. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry said on Friday that 53 per cent of businesses had reported slowing down of operations. Around 80 per cent had been hit by a decrease in cash flow.

Any hopes for emerging from the slowdown in the near future will have to be shelved. Fitch Ratings on Friday cut Indias growth forecast to 5.1 per cent for FY 2020-21 from the earlier 5.6 per cent, saying the coronavirus fallout will impact investment and exports. Unfortunately, there is little from government in the form of either projections or support stimulus.


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Only officiating priests can take part in the burial rites of families who have lost their loved ones, while the Philippine government addresses the rising cases of the coronavirus disease in the country.

Philippine National Police BGen Bernard Banac made this announcement Sunday during the "Laging Handa" briefing with government officials.

"Batay sa pinakahuling update na binigay ng IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force), yun lamang pong mga officiating priests, sila Father lang po ang maaring pumunta sa burol. Wala pong mangyayaring lamay," Banac said.

[Translation: Based on the latest update of the IATF, only officiating priests can attend burial rites. Funeral rites will not be allowed.]

Banac said holding funeral rites counts as a mass gathering, a violation of the government's protocol on social distancing as the entire region of Luzon is under an "enhanced" community quarantine to reduce infections of COVID-19.

"Mahigpit pong ipinagbabawal ngayon sa ating enhanced community quarantine ang pagkakaroon po ng lamay. Tayo man ay nakikiramay sa ating namatayan but of course, hindi po maaaring magkaroon ng gathering, pagtitipon ng mga tao para po sa lamay," he said.

[Translation: We are strictly implementing an enhanced community quarantine which prohibits holding funeral rites. We may want to express our condolences but of course, gathering of people for the wake cannot be allowed.]

"Tanging ang pinapayagan lang po ay ang ating priest, 'yung ating local minister na maaring pumunta roon sa pamilya upang makiramay at gawin po yung pagdarasal at pagconsole o pagbless sa family. Maliban doon wala na po talagang maaaring lumabas," Banac added.

[Translation: Only our priests, local ministers can head to the family to perform the blessing and console grieving families. Aside from that, no one else can go out of their homes.]

As of Sunday morning, the Philippines has 380 cases of COVID-19, with 25 deaths and 15 recoveries.

To date, the disease has killed 13,000 people worldwide, while over 307,200 have already been infected, with most cases coming from Italy, since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December last year, according to the Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 global tracker.

Authorities are urging people to practice regular handwashing, cover their mouth and nose when coughing and snezzing, and avoid close contact with those who exhibit virus and symptoms.
(Natural News) New York is now under a state of emergency after coronavirus cases in the state surged to an all-time high of 8,299 this week.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made the announcement during a press conference Friday.

According to Cuomo, 5,683 of the confirmed cases are from New York City, and that 38 of the states cases have been confirmed to have died.

The rising number of cases is attributed to an increase in testing, with the governor pegging the total number of coronavirus tests performed in the state at 32,427 as of press time.

According to state health authorities, the hospitalization rate for those who tested positive for the coronavirus in New York is currently at 18 percent. The infection rate, however, is still unknown.

Why are you seeing the numbers go up? Because you are taking more tests, Cuomo said, noting that New York is now testing more people per capita than either China or South Korea.

The state of New York now accounts for 40 percent of the entire number of coronavirus cases in the United States.

As a response to the exponential rise in positive cases in the state, Cuomo has ordered that 100 percent of New Yorks workforce  excluding those who work in essential services  be sent home. This is a further tightening of Cuomos previous edict, which ordered businesses to maintain a skeletal workforce and allow 75 percent of their employees to work from home.

In addition, Cuomo also ordered the cancellation of all non-essential public gatherings, regardless of the number of attendees.

Cuomos new initiative, New York State on PAUSE  which stands for Policies that Assure Uniform Safety for Everyone  takes effect Sunday evening and is seen to tighten previous work-from-home exemptions on businesses that provide certain services, such as media, grocery stores, pharmacies, health care providers, utilities, gas stations, banks, and warehouses. Restaurants and bars will also remain open during what has been dubbed as the Pause period, provided that they focus solely on takeout.

This is the most drastic action we can take, Cuomo said, noting that while his new orders will cause disruption and are not likely going to be easy for the states residents, they are necessary to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers and all Americans.

They will cause businesses to close. Theyll cause employees to stay at home. I understand that. They will cause much unhappiness. I understand that also.

I accept full responsibility. If someone is unhappy, if somebody wants to blame someone, or complain about someone, blame me. There is no one else who is responsible for this decision, Cuomo, a Democrat, said.

Cuomos pronouncements came after several state and city officials  including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio  called for the imposition of a shelter-in-place directive similar to the one first imposed by Governor Gavin Newsom on California, earlier this week.

As per Cuomos directive, while people under the age of 70 are still advised to remain indoors to the greatest extent, they may still go out of their residences to exercise and participate in non-contact physical activities in addition to their essential tasks, such as procurement of groceries and medication and other basic chores. However, they are strictly advised to maintain social distancing, or staying six feet away from others.

Cuomo also clarified that while mass transit will keep running, people should not use it unless absolutely necessary. Roads, meanwhile, will remain open.

Stricter prohibitions are in place for people who are over 70, however.

According to Cuomo, people aged 70 and older  as well as those who have compromised immune systems or have underlying illnesses  are advised to wear protective masks when in the company of others. They are also not allowed to visit households with multiple people.

In addition to Cuomos new rules for the state, the Army Corps of Engineers has also sent several of its service members to tour hotels in New York City. These service members have been tasked with converting up to 10,000 vacant rooms into temporary hospital rooms amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Related: Navy floating hospital to dock in New York  Cuomo.)

According to General Todd Semonite, the Corps commander, they have identified several empty hotels, as well as the Javits Convention Center on Manhattans Far West Side, as potential candidates for conversion.

Semonite said Cuomo wants the Corps to help build temporary hospitals, as he believes the state will suffer a disastrous shortage of hospital beds, particularly intensive-care beds, should the coronavirus outbreak further escalate.

According to Cuomo, the current hospital bed capacity in New York state is about 50,000, with only about 3,000 delegated for Intensive Care patients.

As of this writing, 276,105 have been confirmed to be infected by COVID-19 globally, while 11,402 have been confirmed dead. The virus death rate is currently pegged at 11 percent.

Sources include:

ABC7NY.com

BusinessInsider.com

FoxNews.com

NY.Curbed.com

CBSNews.com
Madrid, March 22 : Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appealed to all citizens across the country to remain strong in the face of the coronavirus pandemic as health authorities said that the fatality rate among Spaniards infected with the virus stood at 5 per cent.

The coronavirus death toll in Spain has reached 1,381, just a week after the government imposed a state of alarm that entailed the near total confinement of the country's population, Efe news reported.

The number of confirmed cases as of Saturday stood at 25,496.

In a televised speech on Saturday, Sanchez thanked Spain's 47 million people for their "exemplary" compliance with the restrictions.

Fuel and energy consumption fell sharply nationwide and Internet traffic soared by 80 per cent as people went online for teleworking and diversion, he said.

Spain has also seen a 50 per cent drop in crime over the past week, Sanchez added.

"We have to prepare for very tough days that are coming. We have to reach the end of next week very strong. Regrettably, cases are going to increase in the coming days," he said.

More than half of the confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain were detected in people above the age of 70.

Twelve per cent of those patients were in ICUs in the coronavirus "hot spots" of Madrid, Catalonia and the Basque Country, which were operating under immense pressure.

The one encouraging statistic revealed on Saturday was the number of patients discharged, 2,640 according to Sanchez.

He said that curbs on travel had prevented the high levels of infection in the worst-hit areas from spreading to "the entire national territory".

"Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come. Very hard days remain, we have yet to receive the impact of the strongest, most damaging wave," Sanchez said.

He insisted that maintaining the stay-at-home rule was the only way to prevent Spain's hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Regarding testing, he said that the country's capacity - now in the range of 15,000-20,000 tests a day - will expand significantly thanks to the purchase of 1 million rapid-detection test kits.

"We are also concluding an operation to import 6 million rapid tests," Sanchez said.

While Asian societies had experience with pandemics, "Western society was not prepared", Sanchez said.

Spain is currently the world's third-largest COVID-19 hot spot, after Italy and China, which on Saturday saw zero local infections for the third consecutive day.

Health officials in Spain have said that the next week will be crucial in determining if the measures adopted so far are effective in the fight against the virus.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New infections included a D.C. woman who works at MedStar St. Marys Hospital in Leonardtown, Md., and the pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in the Baileys Crossroads area of Fairfax County. Those who attended services with him last Sunday were advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. In Loudoun County, two more school employees tested positive as well, bringing the total to three.
As health experts and government officials stress the importance of social distancing to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic, workers and families who care for those with developmental disabilities are faced with the harsh realization that it's an impossible task for them.

"We have to work very intimately with people," Leann McQueen, a residential coordinator for the Young Adult Institute (YAI) in Brooklyn, which provides a multitude of services for children and adults with disabilities, told ABC News in a telephone interview Thursday.

"People need assistance with personal hygiene.  Even being asked to wash your hands can be more challenging. We have to assist them in the shower," she said.

McQueen said it was "not at all" possible to practice social distancing, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described as maintaining a distance of 6 feet between yourself and others.

Valerie Harris, whose 24-year-old son lives in a YAI residence, similarly said that social distancing in a group home like where son lives is "not possible." Harris said that's because of how intimate the work is and because some of the residents rely on being very close to others to establish a connection.

"My feeling is, the moment one of these people gets it, it's going to spread through the house like wildfire," she said. "They're limiting the exposure, but they can't get rid of it completely."

PHOTO: A traveller uses hand sanitizer from a dispenser at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, March 17, 2020. (Sue Ogrocki/AP, FILE)

It is one of the many challenges facing those with disabilities and the people who care for them amid the pandemic.

There are now more than 315,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the globe and at least 26,000 confirmed cases in the United States, according to counts by Johns Hopkins University.

The unprecedented situation is unraveling quickly, with cases growing by the hour in some countries and political leaders scrambling to stop the spread.

McQueen said they have been doing their best to adhere to the recommendations.

Story continues

In four of the YAI residences in Brooklyn, she said they have been disinfecting the houses three times a day and are no longer allowing visitors.

Changes in routine like these can be difficult for those who she works with, a lot of whom have autism.

"Anyone with autism likes structure and repetition. Doing the same things every day is very therapeutic," McQueen said. "When things are jolted, it can cause a lot of challenges, a lot of stress on the person."

And while she noted everyone is different and won't have the same reaction, many are still interested in trying to understand what is going on.

PHOTO: Jed, 24, is living at a residence for people with developmental disabilities. (Valerie Harris)

Harris' son Jed is among them.

She usually visits Jed every other Saturday for lunch, a movie and ice cream.

Harris had to explain to him this week that because restaurants closed their dining rooms, they wouldn't be able to go out for a meal.

"It's one thing to say the restaurants are closed. He's not going to translate that to mean he's not going to get to go to the restaurant with mom," Harris said.

"There can be a level of understanding, but a rigidity in not letting go of what they want to do," she added.

Since then, she and the staff at the residence have now had to explain no visitors are allowed anymore.

Harris is grateful the staff has stayed put in the residence during the pandemic. The level of care he needs, she said, is something she couldn't provide for him at home, especially now that she is working from home.

Still, it's difficult to bear.

"It's the angst of what it's doing to him that's wrenching, quite honestly. I know how important the visits are to him and that he can't fully understand why it's not happening," Harris said.

For parents of children with development disabilities, it's just as challenging.

The #coronavirus sucks. Our son with special needs cant go to school or therapy. Hes made so much progress there and we are concerned he might regress. My sister @deepajeeva (who lives in Sri Lanka) skipped her flight to stay with us and set up a schoo https://t.co/qeytwkhxUq pic.twitter.com/45aYeI20qD  Pradeepan Jeeva (@PradeepanJeeva) March 17, 2020

Pradeepan Jeeva, whose 4-year-old son Obi has autism, said he and his wife aren't able to give their son the amount of care he needs while still doing their job.

They worry he'll lose the progress he gained in therapy school.

"Without that consistency and routine, we're so worried as parents he's going to go backwards," Jeeva, who lives in Seattle, Washington, told ABC News.

In the meantime, they have redesigned his bedroom into a replica of his school classroom. Jeeva is also still putting Obi's backpack on, walking him to the car and driving him around for 20 minutes -- like they did before the virus struck.

"But we know that [these] may be short-term solutions if Seattle did what San Franciso is doing, and have us placed under a 'shelter-in-place' order. We believe in the public good and public health, but at the same time, we're put in the situation of what do we do? Do we want to risk our son regressing?" Jeeva said. "Or are we OK with potentially spreading a disease?"

What to know about Coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: Coronavirus map

Social distancing 'not possible' for people with disabilities, raising challenges originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:02:06|Editor: xuxin

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MOGADISHU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Somali National Army (SNA) arrested three senior al-Shabab militants including the group's chief intelligence officer in charge of Janale town in Lower Shabelle region, officials said on Sunday.

SNA's infantry commander, Abdihamid Mohamed told the state-media, Somali National News Agency that the army arrested the head of intelligence of the region for the group and two other members on Saturday afternoon.

He lauded residents for sharing information with the army, noting their contribution have made major achievements in flushing out the militants who have been fighting to topple the internationally-backed government.

The latest arrest comes after the army recaptured Janale town in Lower Shabelle region which is about 90 Km south of Mogadishu.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced to impose lockdown in 15 districts of the state in a bid to combat the coronavirus disease.

"Lockdown will be imposed from tomorrow in 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh. These districts are Agra, Lucknow, Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lakhimpur Khiri, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Kanpur, Meerut, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, and Saharanpur," Adityanath told ANI.

"Janata Curfew is till 9 pm but I will appeal to the people to not come out even after that. The danger of the pandemic has not gone away. This is a global epidemic and the stage at which we are ... even little carelessness may cause huge loss. That is why alertness is absolutely necessary," he said while speaking to ANI.

"The lockdown will be effective from March 23 till March 25 in 15 districts of the state," he said. He appealed to the people in these 15 districts to not come out of their houses.

He further informed that 3,000 four-wheelers and 1,500 two-wheelers of UP Police will be utilised to deliver essentials apart from ensuring security.

"If a family needs some help in the emergency, PRB 112 will be there for their help," said the UP Chief Minister.

"For health needs, we have 2,200 ambulances of 108, 2270 ambulances of 102 and 250 advance life support ambulances," he said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar were among hundreds of countrymen who took time out to express gratitude to those providing essential services amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Chief Minister Adityanath clanged bell in Gorakhpur, Haryana Chief Minister clapped to appreciate the medical professionals and others combating the spread of the disease. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy too was seen clapping in Amaravati.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to close France's border with Britain unless Prime Minister Boris Johnson took more stringent measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, a French newspaper is reporting.

On Friday evening, Johnson ordered pubs, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and gyms to shut their doors to slow the accelerating spread of the disease, days after other European countries put their citizens on lockdown.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meet last year. Credit:AP

French newspaper Liberation, citing sources in Macron's office, said Johnson's decision came after the French leader gave him an ultimatum on Friday morning, threatening an entry ban on any traveller from the UK if there were no new measures.

"We had to clearly threaten him to make him finally budge," the report quoted an Elysee official as saying.
Lucknow, March 22 : Women at the Clock Tower in Lucknow are continuing their protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), despite the 'Janata Curfew' being observed across the country to check the spread of coronavirus.

In Prayagraj, women protesters remained firm on not moving out of the Mansoor Bagh and did not vacate the area despite requests by the local administration.

Sufiyan, a protester at the Clock Tower, said: "We have sent children back home but we are continuing our protests in a quiet and silent manner. We are sitting at a distance from each other and are using sanitizers at regular intervals." Lucknow's Police Commissioner Sujeet Pandey visited the Clock Tower site and adjoining areas in the afternoon to take stock of the situation.

The police did not use force with the anti-CAA protesters.
Photo: The Canadian Press

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after being informed that a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Merkel's spokesman said the German chancellor, who is 65, was informed about the doctor's test shortly after holding a news conference Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine Friday against pneumococcal infection.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. About 93,800 people have recovered, mostly in China.

Seibert said in a statement that Merkel would undergo "regular tests" in the coming days and continue with her work from home for the time being.

Merkel had earlier expressed her gratitude to Germans who were following the rules on social distancing, saying it was important to remain at least 1.5 metres (about five feet) apart to reduce the likelihood of infection.

The development illustrated how even world leaders aren't free from the risk of infection.

"With a certain distance the risk of infections is reduced almost to zero," Merkel told reporters. "Whether you are half a meter apart or 1.5 metres apart makes a huge difference."

Seconds later, she was informed that her doctor had tested positive for COVID-19.
Syria Suspends International Flights Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Sputnik News

20:03 GMT 21.03.2020

Originating in China last December, the virus has rapidly spread across the globe prompting the World Health Orginisation to declare the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March.

The Syrian authorities decided to temporarily stop international air traffic amid the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, Syrian Minister of Transport Ali Hammoud said on Saturday, adding that a flight from Moscow to Damascus on Sunday will be the last one.

"The last flight will arrive from Moscow tomorrow, after which all flights from and to Syria will be suspended", Hammoud told Sham FM radio station.

The flight from Moscow to Damascus is operated by the Syrian Air flag carrier.

While Syria has no confirmed cases of the virus so far, its neighbour Iran has registered more than 19,000 COVID-19 cases, while another neighbour, Turkey, has also seen a nearly double increase in the number of people infected, with 670 cases confirmed so far.

Experts warned that for the war-torn Syria coronavirus epidemic would be a catastrophe.

As of today, the new coronavirus has spread to more than 180 countries, with more than 234,000 confirmed cases and over 9,800 deaths registered so far, according to the latest situation update by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

 Sputnik

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed the government for 'not letting him attend Cobra meetings' as he declares Londoners need to stay in doors to 'protect the ones they love' amid the coronavirus outbreak.

As the UK death toll reached 233, with 5,018 people infected, pubs, clubs, restaurants and other social venues have shut their doors to customers in order to stave off the deadly infection.

Despite this many Londoners continued to leave their homes this weekend with many taking to parks across the city to socialise with friends and family members.

London is the worst hit city in the UK and Mr Khan today claimed he has been lobbying Boris Johnson's government in order for stricter measures to be implemented across the capital.

There have been 51 deaths in the capital and 1,221 confirmed cases of the illness.

Londoners were seen walking around parks this weekend after leisure centers and gyms closed

Customers sit at tables inside a pub in London on March 20 before they were ordered to close

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, Mr Khan was questioned on whether or not Londoners had understood how serious the situation in the capital currently is.

'I am clear, life has changed and we have to do things differently for a while now.

'Social interaction will spread the virus. Do shopping for elderly neighbours, only buy what you need.'

He added that people needed to practice social distancing for their vulnerable loved ones and said if people didn't then they 'will die'.

Marr said there had been a clear 'change in tone' after the government had initially allowed pubs and restaurants to continue to run before it ordered them to close on Friday night.

Sadiq Khan this morning said he was frustrated by the government as it hadn't let him attend a cobra meeting

'My frustration with government is that only last Monday they allowed me to attend Cobra, things are worse in London, if we dont keep our social distance people will die. Im working from home and others should too.'

Asked whether or not parks and other public places should be closed, Mr Khan said people need to recognise the severity of the situation.

'I have been lobbying the government.

'There are instructions and rules we need to obey to stop people dying. Making sure there is no confusion or mixed messages, people should not be leaving their homes unless they have to, they can walk dogs or exercise, but mixing socially leads to more people dying.'

He added that emergency bills that will go through parliament next week will give additional powers to police in order to allow them to enforce stricter rules upon the public and social gatherings.

'Unless people stay at home and stop using public transport then more people will die.

'Please stop mixing and stay at home.'

He said public transport should only be used for critical workers and said his office has now implemented an 'enhanced cleaning regime on all TfL estates'.

'The advice at the moment is not to give them masks, if the advice changes then of course we will change this. But the NHS still don't have what they need.

'Stay at home unless you have good reason to leave your home, it's important everyone works from home'.

There has been much speculation on whether or not London, a 'city of super spreaders' would be locked down due to the rapid spread of the virus.

Mr Khan added: 'We are a global city, we have connectivity around the country and density. All of us need to follow the advice, we are running a weekend service during the week.

'No one else apart from critical workers should be using public transport.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 19:38:14|Editor: xuxin

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COLOMBO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Over 300 people were arrested in Sri Lanka for violating a countrywide curfew which was imposed on Friday evening, the police said in a statement here Sunday.

Till Sunday afternoon, the police said a little over 300 were taken into custody for roaming the streets, gathering in public grounds to consume alcohol, traveling in vehicles without a curfew permit and trading, despite stern warnings to remain indoors.

Police said all those arrested will be produced before local courts next week.

The Sri Lankan Police on Saturday announced that the nationwide curfew imposed on Friday will be extended in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 across the country.

In a statement, the police said that in Colombo, Gampaha on the outskirts and Puttalam district in the north western province, the curfew will be lifted at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning and re-imposed again at 2 p.m. on the same day while in other districts across the country, the curfew will be lifted at 6 a.m. on Monday and re-imposed again at 2 p.m. on the same day.

The police said the curfew will be re-imposed indefinitely until further notice.

The curfew was initially to be lifted nationwide on Monday morning.
By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: The city police booked two persons in two separate cases for allegedly creating communal hatred on social media. The police teams took suo moto cognisance of the case after verifying their comments on Facebook and Twitter account posts, said police sources. Police said Shajahan Abdul Kadar from South Ukkadam wrote a comment on his Facebook account against public peace to trigger a communal clash between two different groups of people in the city.

After the police officials found this post, a report was filed. Later, the Bazaar Street police booked a case against the person under section 505 (ii) (Statements conducing to public mischief). A police team are working to locate the person with the help of City Cyber Crime police, said sources. Meanwhile, the Rathinapuri police booked another case against a Kalyanraman who posted -- There are reports that a riot situation has arisen in Coimbatore and It looks like something is going to happen worst in Tamil Nadu -- on his Facebook account.

The police sources alleged that he had posted the comment on Facebook after the recent communal tension which occurred in the city following the pro and anti CAA protests. After verifying the Facebook account, two pages from the account that contain the communal hatred messages were submitted before the investigation officer who then registered a case against the person under section 505 (ii) of IPC.
The Trump administration urged Americans that as COVID-19 testing ramps up across the nation against a backdrop of short supply of personal protective equipment and other gear, priority should be given to healthcare workers, symptomatic individuals, and the elderly.

State-run drive-throughs are expanding across the country, Vice President Mike Pence said at a March 21 briefing, adding that the number of Americans tested for COVID-19 through March 20 spiked to 195,000, and that 19,343 people had been diagnosed with the virus at the time.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which originated from Wuhan, China, and causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) coverup and mismanagement of the outbreak fueled its spread throughout China and across the world.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the briefing that needless testing by people with no symptoms and in low-risk groups uses up high-priority personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gowns, which are in short supply.

We do have disparities in the availability of PPEs now and were working hard to correct that, but currently today, we want to make sure than people who are taking care of people with coronavirus disease dont endanger themselves because they dont have the PPE, he said.

If you dont have symptoms, dont do a test, Pence said, urging people to cancel elective surgical procedures because they, too, consume high priority personal protective equipment and, potentially, ventilators.

Scouring the Globe for Medical Supplies

Ventilators, which cost tens of thousands of dollars, are mechanical breathing devices that can blow air and oxygen into the lungs. They are crucial for the care of people with lung failure, which can be one of the complications suffered by patients with severe COVID-19.

In New York, one of the hardest-hit regions, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state had identified 6,000 ventilators to help sick patients keep breathing, but needed 30,000 more. He said the state is sending 1 million N95 respirator masks to New York Cityshort of the 3 million that city officials are seeking.

We are literally scouring the globe for medical supplies, Cuomo said.

One of the worlds largest makers of ventilators, Swiss-based Hamilton Medical AG, expects to increase production to about 21,000 ventilators this yearup from 15,000 last yearby deploying marketing staff to the production line, among other measures.

Hamilton Medicals chief executive, Andreas Wieland, said the company is prioritizing those countries where the need is most dire.

Were trying not to deliver into a country that is merely stocking up reserves, where there is practically no virus, so they can prepare. Were trying to serve those where the emergency is most extreme, he said.

In New York City, where more than 6,000 cases have been diagnosed, about a dozen people waited for a test in the parking lot of the Brooklyn Hospital Center.

Thats insane, city council member Mark Levine said in a phone interview. If theyre well enough to stand in a line, they should be home resting, they dont need a test, and they need to get out of the way.

This Curve Will Continue to Rise Dramatically

Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health under the Trump administration, said at the briefing that the highest priority for testing was for front-line staff dealing with the outbreak, as well as for those with symptoms, particularly people in long-term care facilities, the over 65s, and with underlying health conditions.

Clearly, everyone across the country should understand that those hospitalized or in an ICU are a priority for testing. Symptomatic health care workersfor obvious reasons we want to make sure that their health is preserved and that they are not going to spread to those that may be seriously ill, Giroir said.

As you see, this curve will continue to rise dramatically over the next period of time, he said, pointing to a chart of COVID-19 tests conducted in the United States.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, as of Saturday afternoon, there were 24,148 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in the United States and 285 deaths, with 83 in Washington State, 56 in New York State, and 24 in California.

In Sixth Gear of Production

At the White House, officials said they were getting more tests and equipment to where they are needed.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a test that can deliver a result in 45 minutes, rather than days, according to Cepheid, its maker.

President Donald Trump said Saturday there had been a clear call to action to the private sector to mobilize and produce protective gear and other equipment whose short supply could fast become a constraint on mounting an effective response to the CCP virus as cases grow and testing expands.

They are really in sixth gear I think which is responded in full force, helping to produce and supply much-needed masks, swabs, sanitizes, ventilators and everything else, Trump said. Theres a move on thats incredible right now.

On Friday, the president announced he had put into action the wartime Defense Production Act, which gives a U.S. president broad authority to redirect resources from the U.S. industrial base to support, among other things, homeland security needs.

And by way of example, Haneseverybody knows Hanes, great company, great consumer cotton products companyis retrofitting its manufacturing capabilities in large sections of their plants to produce masks. And theyre in that process right now, Trump said as an example of U.S. businesses getting in on the effort to fight the outbreak.

Pence said that on Friday, the FDA approved in record time a manufacturer that would be producing millions of surgical masks in a matter of weeks.

Another example the president gave was of the Pernod-Ricard, which repurposed several of alcohol production lines to make hand sanitizer.

Their first delivery will be on Tuesday. Its going to go to various states, Trump said. They making a tremendous amount of hand sanitizer, at a very high level, too.

Push for Ventilators

Carmakers appear to have joined the drive.

General Motors announced on Friday that it is working with ventilator maker Ventec Life Systems to ramp up production. Crosstown rival Ford confirmed that it too was in discussions with the Trump administration about helping.

Were looking at feasibility, Ford spokesman T.R. Reid said. It may be possible, but its not you go from Rangers (small pickups) one day to ventilators the next. Were figuring out what is possible now.

Violent Spread

At Saturdays briefing, President Donald Trump warned of the dynamics of the COVID-19 spread and gave an update on what he said was a week of extraordinary mobilization in our war against the virus.

You talk about a spread, you talk about a violent spread, Trump said of the CCP virus.

Its now at 148 foreign countries, Trump said of the scope of the spread, adding, Can you believe that?

He said the White House was coordinating its COVID-19 response both internationally and domestically. He praised bipartisan efforts to pass an economic relief package, which economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Saturday was worth some $2 trillion.

Were one big American family, Trump said, calling for more solidarity and effort to contain the virus and rebound economically.

He announced crisis-era measures to help families in distress, including suspending foreclosures and evictions for a period of 60 days, and postponement of student loan payments for two months.

I want to thank all of the incredible people of our country, the citizens of our country, that what youve done and the way youre responding has just been a very special something that we will never forget, Trump said. That the history books will never forget. Were going to have a great victory.

The fast-spreading disease that is said to have jumped from animals to humans in China has now infected over 200,000 people and caused nearly 8,500 deaths in over 160 nations and territories, triggering emergency lockdowns and injections of cash unseen since World War Two.

The global number of confirmed cases is widely viewed as underestimated because of under-reporting from mainland China.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times
(Adds quotes, details)

LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) - Countries can't simply lock

down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health

Organization's top emergency expert said on Sunday, adding that

public health measures are needed to avoid a resurgence of the

virus later on.

"What we really need to focus on is finding those who are

sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their

contacts and isolate them," Mike Ryan said in an interview on

the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"The danger right now with the lockdowns ... if we don't put

in place the strong public health measures now, when those

movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is

the disease will jump back up."

Much of Europe and the United States have followed China and

other Asian countries and introduced drastic restrictions to

fight the new coronavirus, with most workers told to work from

home and schools, bars, pubs and restaurants being closed.

Ryan said that the examples of China, Singapore and South

Korea, which coupled restrictions with rigorous measures to test

every possible suspect, provided a model for Europe, which the

WHO has said has replaced Asia as the epicentre of the pandemic.

"Once we've suppressed the transmission, we have to go after

the virus. We have to take the fight to the virus," Ryan said.

Italy is now the worst hit country in the world by the

virus, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that

Britain's health system could be overwhelmed unless people avoid

social interactions. British housing minister Robert Jenrick

said that production of tests would double next week and ramp up

thereafter.

Ryan also said that several vaccines were in development,

but only one had begun trials in the United States. Asked how

long it would take before there was a vaccine available in

Britain, he said that people needed to be realistic.

"We have to make sure that it's absolutely safe... we are

talking at least a year," he said.

"The vaccines will come, but we need to get out and do what

we need to do now."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Catherine Evans and

Susan Fenton)
Anand Mahindra, CEO of Mahindra Group, has announced a series of measures, including production of ventilators at Mahindra's factories, to help India fight coronavirus outbreak.

Anand Mahindra tweeted, "To help in the response to this unprecedented threat, we at the Mahindra Group will immediately begin work on how our manufacturing facilities can make ventilators. At Mahindra Holidays, we stand ready to offer our resorts as temporary care facilities".

-To help in the response to this unprecedented threat, we at the Mahindra Group will immediately begin work on how our manufacturing facilities can make ventilators. -At Mahindra Holidays, we stand ready to offer our resorts as temporary care facilities. (3/5) - anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 22, 2020

Mahindra, in a series of tweets, said, "Going by various reports from epidemiologists, it is highly likely that India is already in Stage 3 of transmission. Cases could rise exponentially with millions of casualties, putting a huge strain on medical infrastructure."

Going by various reports from epidemiologists, it is highly likely that India is already in Stage 3 of transmission. -Cases could rise exponentially with millions of casualties, putting a huge strain on medical infrastructure (1/5) - anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 22, 2020

He added that the Mahindra Group is ready to support the Government of India and the army in establishing temporary healthcare facilities to tackle the ongoing pandemic.

-Our Projects team stands ready to assist the Govt/Army in erecting temporary care facilities. -The Mahindra Foundation will create a fund to assist the hardest hit in our value chain (small businesses & the self employed) (4/5) - anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 22, 2020

Mahindra said, to help small businesses and self-employed people, who are worst hit by this outbreak, he would contribute 100 per cent of his salary to create a fund.

He tweeted, "I will contribute 100% of my salary to it & will add more over the next few months. I urge all our various businesses to also set aside contributions for those who are the hardest hit in their ecosystem."

-We will encourage associates to voluntarily contribute to the Fund. I will contribute 100% of my salary to it & will add more over the next few months. I urge all our various businesses to also set aside contributions for those who are the hardest hit in their ecosystems (5/5) - anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 22, 2020

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) had also urged medical education institutes and hospitals to obtain a sufficient number of ventilators and oxygen masks. The government has cautioned sellers against charging an excessive price for sanitizers, masks, and other medical supplies.

Government has added sanitizers and masks under essential commodities list until June 30, 2020, to regulate the availability in markets.

(Edited by Vivek Dubey)

Also Read: Coronavirus: Lockdown in 75 districts; trains, metros, interstate-state bus services shut till March 31

Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Railways cancels all passenger trains till March 31

Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Hero MotoCorp, Fiat, Tata Motors suspend production; others likely to follow suit
There is a call to arms for nurses.

Nurses from every corner of New Jersey are being asked to respond and help combat the ongoing coronavirus outbreak sweeping across the state.

School nurses, retired nurses, nursing students whove yet to graduate  all are being called on by the New Jersey State Nurses Association and Gov. Phil Murphys office to aid in the cause, as health care resources and personnel continue to be stretched to the absolute limit.

We will answer the call, NJSNA CEO Judy Schmidt said in a statement. We will do our part to swiftly contain COVID-19 by caring for every patient  no matter the sacrifice.

The NJSNA says hundreds are ready to join the front lines.

So far, the NJSNA has recruited more than 470 additional nurses throughout New Jersey who are willing to help the afflicted, the organizations statement said. It is reaching out to nurses who have been retired for less than five years.

Its all hands on deck, as Murphy put it Sunday during his daily coronavirus media briefing.

State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, who herself is a registered nurse, has tasked the NJSNA to lead the recruiting.

All of this comes as New Jersey continues to scramble for resources  respirators, gowns, gloves and other protective equipment. The state is also preparing to reopen hospitals and medical wings that had been closed.

Were looking at just about everything, Persichilli said during the Sunday media briefing.

The nursing association  theyve got a call to action," she added. Were looking at the Division of Consumer Affairs, giving us lists of licensed individuals. Were looking at certified registered nurse assistants  that can help in critical care units. Were looking at school nurses who are on the list  were looking at just about everything.

Persichilli said nursing students who are in their last semester and unable to return to school can achieve their final credits by helping combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

A similar call to action was made in New York City, one of the nations hardest-hit regions. In a single day, 1,000 doctors and nurses mobilized.

An analysis by the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers-Camden estimated New Jersey could face a hospital bed shortfall of 300,000 in a worst-case scenario.

If you are a nurse who wants to join the growing ranks of volunteers, please contact us at COVID19volunteer@njsna.org.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to show resilience and resolve against COVID-19, Dawar Battalion of Snow Leopard Brigade in Gurez Valley on Sunday lauded medical professionals, sanitation staff, airline crew and other 'corona warriors' for their relentless work.

"Dawar Battalion of Snow Leopard Brigade lauded the relentless work of medical professionals, sanitation staff, airline crew, and other corona warriors in Gurez Valley," said the Dawar Battalion of Snow Leopard Brigade in a statement.

The soldiers were seen clapping, while maintaining social distance, to express their gratitude to service providers.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi thanked countrymen for participating in 'Janta Curfew'."The country thanked each person who led the fight against the coronavirus. Many thanks to the countrymen. Janta Curfew," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.He further emphasised on social distancing, which is a preventive measure to reduce contact between people and slow down the spread of the virus."It is not only the sound of thanks but also the beginning of victory in a long battle. Let us, with this determination and restraint, tie ourselves in social distancing for a long battle," he said.The Prime Minister asked people not to consider Janta Curfew as a 'success'."Today's Janta Curfew may end at 9 pm but that does not mean we should start celebrating. Do not consider it a success. This is the beginning of a long fight. Today, the countrymen have told that we are capable, if we decide, we can beat the biggest challenge together," he said.He asked people to follow the instructions being issued by the Central and the state government. "In districts and states where the lockdown is announced, do not leave the houses at all. Apart from this, do not get out of the houses unless it is very necessary," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Erica Sanders used to instruct high school students. Now, the former teacher and librarian gives lessons on board games to kids, parents and grandparents, some of whom had to jump into homeschooling when campuses closed to lower the spread of the coronavirus.

Sanders, the store manager at Funagain Games in Ashland, remembers her mom encouraging learning at home with boring, strictly didactic activities. Sanders and education experts have found an easier way: Board games and puzzles kids want to play can also be tools to advance logic, critical and creative thinking.

Players can also practice how to win and lose gracefully, all while strategizing and building confidence that may pay off in future testing.

The educational value of playing board games does not go unnoticed by principals, teachers and librarians, who allow it during classroom time and encourage after-school game clubs.

CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: THE LATEST NEWS

Sanders makes direct links to specific board game and their academic benefits, from reading and math to geography and history. She shares this information with store customers and offers to help anyone who calls (541-708-6788) or emails her (ericas@funagain.com).

Here are her picks, from classic to new board games, which are available at funagain.com as well as the companys stores in Ashland and Eugene, and other sources included here:

Language Arts

Dixit: The humorous card game says its for ages 8+, but Sanders says younger children can also learn about storytelling and guesswork.

Codenames: The word-based board game improves word association, vocabulary and critical thinking. Its our stores bestselling game, so people are really loving it and arent even noticing the learning theyre doing, says Sanders.

Superfight: This card game is a very silly way to work on debate and argumentative skills.

Letter Jam: This game offers fun times while learning about letters, words and cooperation.

Dungeons & Dragons: This famous fantasy role-playing game is a great way to polish up on story building and enhance creativity, social skills and ingenuity.

Boggle: This word search game tests and expands vocabulary.

Choose Your Own Adventure: There are two board games in this series so far and they both help with reading comprehension, making predictions and cooperation. They also provide a great way to talk with children about decision making and what might happen if they choose one action over another.

First Contact: Deductive reasoning and word association along with expanding vocabulary are prominent in this party game, but thats hardly noticeable when youre having so much fun, says Sanders.

Geography

Ticket to Ride: The original railway-theme board game is played on a map of the U.S. and the goal is to connect cities, which are accurately placed. Ask kids, If this train needs to go from San Francisco to Chicago, what do you think its transporting? for a more immersive experience says Sanders. Other versions and expansions offer a closer look at various countries and the Old West, which includes Ashland.

Pandemic: The original cooperative board game is played on a world map and players work together to save the globe from four illnesses. This is an opportunity to explore geography and research population impact on contamination for each city.

Trekking The National Parks: The Family Trivia Game: This educational and inspirational experience game has more than 600 text and image questions on locations and other topics.

History

Pandemic: Fall of Rome: Another cooperative game, but this one lands you in Ancient Rome where players work together to befriend neighboring nations, protect the city from invaders and save the empire.

Through the Ages: Not for the faint of heart, says Sanders. This civilization building game appeals to teens who are able to sit through a long playing session as they work their way through different stages of history and they learn about different leaders, world wonders and the importance of balance.

Innovation: This is a quicker game of building a civilization while learning about advance technologies and ideas.

Twilight Struggle: This is a great card-driven, two-player game that offers a close look at the Cold War.

Timeline: There are a few different versions of this card game and the goal is to put the events, inventions or topic in historical order, which generates great discussions.

Sid Meiers Civilization: The Board Game: In the board game version of the award-winning PC strategy game, players learn about historical figures and buildings, and how civilizations are built from the ground up.

Math

Sushi Go!: This fast-playing games goal is for players to grab the best combination of sushi dishes and gain points using statistics to gauge the likelihood of collecting certain cards.

Five Tribes: Theres a fair amount of sneaky math in this German-style game and points for certain actions are multiplied.

Escape Rooms in a Box: There are many different versions of this flashback game with logic, math and reasoning puzzles.

Brikks: This tabletop Tetris-like game develops geometry skills.

A Fistful of Meeples: This game forces players to think ahead and consider all forms of outcome for each turn. Theres basic counting that occurs, but more important, each meeple triggers different actions.

Science

Cytosis: This fun, biologically accurate worker placement game involves enzymes and receptors.

Evolution: This is an engaging game with trait cards and provides a thought-provoking way of looking at evolution beyond a textbook. See what helped dinosaurs survive and what became problematic. Evolution: Climate adds climate effects and the faster-paced Evolution: The Beginning works best as a two-player game.

Compounded: Chemistry! Find out whats flammable and may explode. This game is a great way to talk about different elements without having access to most of them, says Sanders.

Photosynthesis: Learn how photosynthesis works by making a forest. This strategy game can be a little challenging when someones tree blocks your tree from the sun.

Terraforming Mars: Sanders favorite game prompts discussions on outer space and whats needed to make Mars habitable for humans.

Astronomy Fluxx: Learn about space flight history or in Anatomy Fluxx, its all things related to the human body, from bones to blood vessels. And once kids have been introduced to the fun of the Fluxx games, slip in Math Fluxx, which may change a math-avoiders mind.

More ideas

Sanders maintains a long list of other board games that teach academic concepts at m.facebook.com/notes/funagain-games-ashland/using-games-to-teach/1646031748884260.

Curious to know more about board games? Since 2000, BoardGameGeek has grown to be the online forum for board gaming hobbyists. Find reviews, images and videos to more than 100,000 different games.

Have board games your family has outgrown? Some game stores want them. The used games section at Funagain Games is a consignment system where people decide what they want to charge for their used game or puzzle, and when it sells, they get store credit.

--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories
By PTI

NOIDA: A man, who recently returned from Denmark, and his mother tested positive for coronavirus in Greater Noida (West) on Sunday, taking the number of identified COVID-19 cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar to eight, officials said.

The 37-year-old and his mother, residents of Sector 2 in Greater Noida (West), also known as Noida Extension, were quarantined at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), while two of their family members were in home isolation, they added.

"The son returned from Denmark on March 9. But it was his mother, 62, who first showed coronavirus symptoms, after which both were tested on March 19 and quarantined. Their reports came on Sunday and they have tested positive. Both are quarantined at GIMS now," Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Anurag Bhargava said.

On Saturday, two persons -- one in Greater Noida's Sector Alpha 1 and another in Supertech Capetown in Noida's Sector 74 -- tested positive for coronavirus, the CMO said.

"The 31-year-old man in Alpha 1 had returned from Dubai. He was tested on March 18 and the results came on Saturday evening, which turned out to be positive. He has been admitted to GIMS," Bhargava said.

The Supertech Capetown resident had returned from Europe, he added.

ALSO READ | Coronavirus: IAF reduces manpower in its headquarters by 50 per cent

District Magistrate B N Singh said Supertech Capetown society and Sector Alpha 1 have been locked down for 48 hours for sanitation work.

Entry and exit has been banned there except for emergency situations, he added.

So far, 297 samples have been sent for coronavirus test.

Out of these, eight people have tested positive, 221 negative, while result for 69 was awaited, according to the health department.

A total 1,675 people were under surveillance, while 134 isolated/quarantined in hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar, it added.

ALSO READ | Uttar Pradesh government puts 15 districts under lockdown from March 23-25

Earlier, four Noida residents from sectors 41, 74, 78, 100 and one Delhi-based man had tested positive for coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the officials said.

People can use helpline numbers 807662361, 6396776904 (health department) and 0120-2569901 (administration) round-the-clock to get their queries related to COVID-19 answered, they added.

Uttar Pradesh had so far reported 25 coronavirus cases, including one foreigner, while across India, the number of COVID-19 cases stood at 360 as of Sunday evening, the Union Health Ministry said.
In a creative, witty appeal to the public amid rising coronavirus concerns, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Sunday shared a video to spread some cheer and awareness.

On a day when the country observed Janata Curfew, the 54-year-old actor said the initiative called on by PM Narendra Modi "will help against the spread of virus".

Shah Rukhposted an over 5 minute-long video in which he used his old movies and songs to drive the message of taking necessary precautions and most importantly, hope, during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

"InshaAllah #JantaCurfew will help against the spread of virus, though we may have to do this again. The clapping brought so much cheer. So a reminder of safeguards, with some cheer... Pls take it in the right spirit. To all relentlessly working today - Extremely Grateful. Thx!" he captioned the clip shared on Twitter.

The actor began the video asking the viewers that he hoped and assumed they are at home which is the "most prudent place to be in terms of the coronavirus right now".

"I feel there are a lot of good things to do when you are at home. It gives you the opportunity to be close to your loved ones. But not this close, but you have to be a few metres apart. You could pick up one of those hobbies that you always wanted to do but you never found time, like me and the guitar or maybe not," he quipped as he almost dropped the guitar.

The actor then shifted into a more serious demeanour, saying how in such troubled times there is a need to go back to simpler things.

"The thing is - coronavirus is taking over our minds hearts and bodies, of course, and slowly creeping into our souls. Things are becoming overwhelming with information and misinformation. We are scared and rightly so, and everywhere things are happening.

"My mother used to say whenever you are confused go back to the basics," he added.

What follows next in the video is Shah Rukh explaining the symptoms of the virus and the precautions one can take against it in full filmy style.

"Here are the symptoms ofcoronavirus: coughing and fever," he said, which next cuts to the popular song "Loveria Hua" from his 1992 film "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman".

The actor later quipped, "No not that kind of fever, not the Loveria kind. Actual fever".

This then leads to a scene from "Kal Ho Na Ho", in which his character Rahul is in the hospital on his deathbed, followed by the another snippet from the same film where he comes running on a New York bridge and panting to highlight the symptom of fatigue.

For the next symptom of sore throat, the video shows the funny train scene from the 2013 film "Chennai Express" where his character loses his voice from fear when surrounded by the goons.

"If you have these symptoms or if you have symptoms that make you feel uneasy, please consult and rely your on your doctors for the right information," he added.

To safeguard oneself, the video, next urges people to avoid large groups firstly.

The scene from his 2017 film "Raees", where his character is shown waving at a huge rally gathered in his support, follows which he said shouldn't be how its done.

To show how to self-quarantine at home, Shah Rukh took the help of his last release 2018's "Zero", where his character is seen sitting alone in the corner of a big room.

To avoid touching each other, he invoked 1997's song "Chand Tare Tod Laaoon" from "Yes Boss" film, which shows a woman touching his face.

He used snippets and songs from his films such as "Fan", "Chalte Chalte", "Dil Se", "Happy New Year", "Badshah" and "Baazigar".

"If you have to, sneeze in the the pit of your elbow, make sure nobody sneezes on your face or coughs. If they do then you know what to do," and what follows is the famous spitting scene from 2004's "Main Hoon Na" where Satish Shah's character spits on Shah Rukh and the latter ducks Keanu Reeves' Neo from the Hollywood sci-fi hit "The Matrix".

"Be safe, be healthy. I pray for your loved ones and your family. And you please do the same for me and my family.

"Please rely on the correct information from the state governments, from the central government or your local authorities and Inshallah we shall overcome this," the actor said as he starts playing Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" on the guitar.

As per the video, all protocols were followed while filming it, adding "no hi-fives were exchanged".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah, Apriadi Gunawan and Asip Hasani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Medan/Blitar  Sun, March 22, 2020 19:54 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c9e998 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,outbreak-in-Indonesia,health-worker Free

The COVID-19 coronavirus has put a massive strain on Indonesias healthcare system, with reports of inadequate medical supplies and the deaths of hospital workers as patient numbers continue to surge.

An ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist from Bekasi, West Java, died on Saturday at Persahabatan Hospital in East Jakarta. Another doctor, a 34-year-old neurologist, died at the same hospital in the early hours of Sunday.

A 70-year-old surgeon from Bogor, West Java, died at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

Persahabatan Hospital spokesperson Erlina Burhan confirmed two of the three deaths. It is true [that the ENT doctor and the surgeon died on Saturday]. The surgeon was not treated here but at RSPAD, she told The Jakarta Post.

Erlina could not confirm the case of the 34-year-old neurologist, but Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) chairman Daeng Muhammad Faqih confirmed the deaths of all three doctors.

Read also: Jokowi calls for focus on healthcare, safety net as economists push for flexible budget

Pandu Riono, a public health expert at the University of Indonesia and a relative of the 70-year-old surgeon, told the Post that the surgeon felt sick and showed symptoms of fever, coughing and shortness of breath on Wednesday night. He was immediately sent to a local hospital and hooked up to a ventilator.

On Thursday, the doctor who treated him said he was a suspected COVID-19 patient and the Bogor Health Agency sent his throat swab sample to the Health Research and Development Agency [Balitbangkes], Pandu said.

His doctor tried to transfer him to RSPAD and the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital, but both hospitals were filled to capacity," he said. "RSPAD took him in on Saturday morning, but his condition had drastically deteriorated."

Pandu said he had yet to receive results from the Balitbangkes. However, a doctor at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital told the family that the surgeon had tested positive for COVID-19.

A hospital crisis looms as reports indicate that the combined capacity of the 132 referral hospitals designated to treat COVID-19 patients is far from adequate. Protective gear for medical workers is in short supply in both referral and regular hospitals across the country.

While the system is inadequate, the government still maintains a lack of transparency over releasing information about patients and its preparedness, a policy that it has maintained since the emergence of the pandemic in January. This often leaves medical workers in the dark about whether they are treating a COVID-19 patient and it puts their lives at risk.

Read also: If not us, who else will do it?': Sweat and tears of Indonesia's COVID-19 nurses, doctors

Of the countrys 514 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 48 fatalities reported as of Sunday evening, it remains unclear how many were medical staff members who worked on the front lines.

We are still compiling the data. We have yet to know for sure because many of the COVID-19-positive patients were immediately admitted to hospitals without having first provided information regarding their occupations, Achmad Yurianto, the Health Ministrys disease control and prevention director general, told the Post over the phone on Sunday, still declining to reveal details of cases.

The frustration of medical workers is emerging in many provinces as medical supplies become depleted.

Adam Malik Hospital in Medan, North Sumatra, has experienced difficulties meeting the needs for medical coveralls, goggles and hand sanitizer by its staff members, according to hospital spokesperson Rosario Dorothy.

We need 100 sets of protective health gear per day. Please help us  protective health gear is urgently needed for our medical teams that have been treating COVID-19 patients, said Rosario, adding that the hospital had recorded a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to its wards.

Officers in full protective clothing did a simulation of handling COVID-19 patients, at Pertamina Plaju Hospital Palembang, South Sumatra, Thursday (03/12/2020). (Antara/Feny Selly)

The management of the Airlangga University General Hospital in Surabaya, East Java, reported that it had been essentially running on fumes as its remaining medical supplies would barely last for three days.

Nily Setyorini, the Airlangga spokesperson, said the hospital had quickly run out of face masks and coveralls because of the recent influx of COVID-19 patients. The hospital employs up to 200 health workers who directly treat coronavirus cases every day, according to Nily.

So we need about 200 single-use coveralls per day, Nily said, adding that staff members had no choice but to reuse face masks because of dwindling supplies, despite the health risks that come with it.

Nily said if the hospitals need for coveralls remains unmet over the next few days, the management would have no choice but to distribute raincoats as makeshift coveralls to its staff.

University of Indonesia public health expert Hasbullah Thabrany urged the public to comply with the governments social-distancing policy to flatten the so-called infection curve and, therefore, prevent the system from becoming overloaded.

Frankly, I dont think we are equipped enough as it is to deal with further escalation. There are only 1,200 lung specialists across the country who are proficient in examining respiratory illnesses caused by the virus. The mitigation should be viewed as a collective endeavor with active participation from the public, he told the Post.

Yani Muchtar, a radiologist at Harapan Kita Hospital, urged the government to devise a system that enables seamless cooperation between hospitals should any of them fail to function because of short supplies of resources at the height of the public health crisis.

It all depends on the system. We need to always be prepared for the worst-case scenario, she said.

If the Indonesian authorities fail to take drastic measures to slow down the spread of COVID-19, the country could have tens of thousands of cases by April, shortly before the Idul Fitri holiday.

Disease surveillance and biostatistics researcher Iqbal Ridzi Fahdri Elyazar and his team at the Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit have used the geometric sequence method to determine how much time it would take for the number of cases to double in Indonesia.

Based on their calculations, Indonesia could be grappling with up to 71,000 COVID-19 cases by the end of April.

Read also: Some 70,000 Indonesians could be infected with COVID-19 before Ramadan, scientists say

The Public Works and Housing Ministry is rushing to convert four apartment towers of Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, an athletes village in Central Jakarta, into a hospital to treat as many as 22,000 COVID-19 patients.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimoeljono said on Sunday that construction work on the apartments has been completed and that the COVID-19 hospital would be operational by Monday.

"One hundred percent [of the work] has been completed; all that's left is the installation of equipment, which will be organized this afternoon," Basuki said. "Tonight is the dress rehearsal; tomorrow we will start operations." (trn/aly/mfp)
The residents of a society in Palam Vihars sector 5, where two siblings were confirmed to have Covid-19 earlier this week, alleged that the quarantined family was not strictly following protocol.

On March 19, a 22-year old woman, who had returned from London on March 14, was confirmed positive for the virus that causes Covid-19. She is isolated at a private hospital in the city. Her 18-year-old brother was tested positive on Sunday and is currently admitted in the isolation ward of the Civil Hospital, sector 10.

Following the news of the two positive cases, residents said they are in fear. We are angry that the mother of the two siblings is not under home-quarantine, said the societys residents welfare association (RWA) official.

A few residents said they have had heated arguments with the family, but they did not take any precautionary measures. Several residentsabout it on the societys WhatsApp group also.

Residents said they have stopped stepping out if the house and requested the RWA to take action In the matter. The RWA member said that authorities are not taking the issue seriously despite repeated reminders.

They have neither visited the society nor have they quarantined the rest of the family members. I have called chief medical officer, district commissioner and other officials for the same but we have not received any response from them. Two persons from the health department had visited the society earlier in the week to take details of the symptoms of the woman and after that no one else has visited, he said.

The health department said that the parents tested negative for the virus and were advised home quarantine. Dr Jaswant Singh Punia, chief medical officer, said, Our team has visited the family and took the samples. Parents have been tested negative for the Covid-19. The father has a fracture in the leg, so he cannot move out. We will ask the team to visit again if there is any violation.

According to the RWA member, three domestic helps used to work for the family till March 20. They were requested to undergo tests, but out of fear they went absconding, he. Punia, however, said he is not aware of it.

Another RWA member said, The son, who has special needs, was also seen with his elderly grandmother.

The father of the patients said they were being mentally harassed. My children were admitted in the hospital and my wife used to visit them to deliver food. The residents have misbehaved with us and tortured us just because our children were tested positive for coronavirus. Our milk supply was stopped and we are facing many issues, including that groceries are not delivered. ... Anyone sent for delivery can also be affected so we have restricted all services. We have asked residents to maintain at least 3 meters distance from the family members.

The mother of the patients said, I am receiving more than 100 calls a day from the residents. My domestic helps also said that they are being harassed. They have also got their tests done but reports are awaited. We are taking all measures but we did not receive any support from our society.
White House Urges Prioritization of COVID-19 Testing Amid Tight Supplies

'If you dont have symptoms, dont do a test,' Vice President Mike Pence said

The Trump administration urged Americans that as COVID-19 testing ramps up across the nation against a backdrop of short supply of personal protective equipment and other gear, priority should be given to health care workers, symptomatic individuals, and the elderly.

State-run drive-throughs are expanding across the country, Vice President Mike Pence said at a March 21 briefing, adding that the number of Americans tested for COVID-19 through March 20 spiked to 195,000, and that 19,343 people had been diagnosed with the virus at the time.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the briefing that needless testing by people with no symptoms and in low-risk groups uses up high-priority personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gowns, which are in short supply.

We do have disparities in the availability of PPEs now, and were working hard to correct that, but currently today, we want to make sure that people who are taking care of people with coronavirus disease dont endanger themselves because they dont have the PPE, he said.

If you dont have symptoms, dont do a test, Pence said, urging people to cancel elective surgical procedures because they, too, consume high priority PPEs and, potentially, ventilators.

Scouring the Globe for Medical Supplies

Ventilators, which cost tens of thousands of dollars, are mechanical breathing devices that can direct air and oxygen into the lungs. They are crucial for the care of people with lung failure, which can be one of the complications suffered by patients with severe COVID-19.

In New York, the state with the most COVID-19 cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state has identified 6,000 ventilators to help sick patients keep breathing, but needs 30,000 more. He said the state is sending a million N95 respirator masks to New York Cityshort of the 3 million that city officials are seeking.

We are literally scouring the globe for medical supplies, Cuomo said.

One of the worlds largest makers of ventilators, Swiss-based Hamilton Medical AG, expects to increase production to about 21,000 ventilators this yearfrom 15,000 last yearby deploying marketing staff to the production line, among other measures.

Hamilton Medical Chief Executive Andreas Wieland said the company is prioritizing countries where the need is most dire.

Were trying not to deliver into a country that is merely stocking up reserves, where there is practically no virus, so they can prepare. Were trying to serve those where the emergency is most extreme, he said.

In New York City, where more than 6,000 cases have been diagnosed, about a dozen people waited for a test in the parking lot of the Brooklyn Hospital Center.

Thats insane, Mark Levine, city councilmember, said in a phone interview. If theyre well enough to stand in a line, they should be home resting. They dont need a test, and they need to get out of the way.

This Curve Will Continue to Rise Dramatically

Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at the briefing that the highest priority for testing is front-line staff dealing with the outbreak, as well as for those with symptoms, particularly people in long-term care facilities, those over the age of 65, and with underlying health conditions.

Clearly, everyone across the country should understand that those hospitalized or in an ICU are a priority for testing. Symptomatic health care workersfor obvious reasons we want to make sure that their health is preserved and that they are not going to spread to those that may be seriously ill, Giroir said.

As you see, this curve will continue to rise dramatically over the next period of time, he said, pointing to a chart of COVID-19 tests conducted in the United States.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, as of March 22, there were 27,004 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in the United States and 402 deaths, including 114 in New York state, 94 in Washington state, and 29 in California.

In Sixth Gear of Production

At the White House, officials said they were getting more tests and equipment to where theyre needed.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a test that can deliver a result in 45 minutes, rather than days, according to Cepheid, its maker.

President Donald Trump said March 21 there had been a clear call to action to the private sector to mobilize and produce protective gear and other equipment whose short supply could fast become a constraint on mounting an effective response to the CCP virus as cases grow and testing expands.

They are really in sixth gear, I think, which is responded in full force, helping to produce and supply much-needed masks, swabs, sanitizers, ventilators, and everything else, Trump said. Theres a move on thats incredible right now.

On March 20, the president announced he had put into action the wartime Defense Production Act, which gives a U.S. president broad authority to redirect resources from the U.S. industrial base to support, among other things, homeland security needs.

And by way of example, Haneseverybody knows Hanes, great company, great consumer cotton products companyis retrofitting its manufacturing capabilities in large sections of their plants to produce masks. And theyre in that process right now, Trump said as an example of U.S. businesses getting in on the effort to fight the outbreak.

Pence said that the FDA approved, in record time, a manufacturer that would be producing millions of surgical masks in a matter of weeks.

Another example the president gave was of Pernod Ricard, which repurposed several alcohol production lines to make hand sanitizer.

Their first delivery will be on [March 24]. Its going to go to various states, Trump said. They making a tremendous amount of hand sanitizer, at a very high level, too.

Push for Ventilators

Carmakers appear to have joined the drive.

General Motors announced on March 20 that its working with ventilator maker Ventec Life Systems to ramp up production. Crosstown rival Ford confirmed that it, too, is in discussions with the Trump administration about helping.

Were looking at feasibility, Ford spokesman T.R. Reid said. It may be possible, but its not you go from Rangers [small pickups] one day to ventilators the next. Were figuring out what is possible now.

Violent Spread

At the March 21 briefing, Trump warned of the dynamics of the COVID-19 spread and gave an update on what he said was a week of extraordinary mobilization in our war against the virus.

You talk about a spread, you talk about a violent spread, Trump said of the CCP virus.

Its now at 148 foreign countries, Trump said of the scope of the spread, adding, Can you believe that?

He said the White House was coordinating its COVID-19 response both internationally and domestically. He praised bipartisan efforts to pass an economic relief package, which White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said March 21 is worth some $2 trillion.

Were one big American family, Trump said, calling for more solidarity and effort to contain the virus and rebound economically.

He announced crisis-era measures to help families in distress, including suspending foreclosures and evictions for a period of 60 days, and postponement of student loan payments for two months.

I want to thank all of the incredible people of our country, the citizens of our country, that what youve done and the way youre responding has just been a very special something that we will never forget, Trump said. That the history books will never forget. Were going to have a great victory.

The fast-spreading disease has now infected almost 330,000 people and caused more than 14,000 deaths in over 160 nations and territories, triggering emergency lockdowns and injections of cash unseen since World War II.

The global number of confirmed cases is widely viewed as underestimated because of underreporting from mainland China.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mishandling allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The board overseeing New York Citys jails urged officials to start releasing vulnerable populations and those being held on low-level offenses as the coronavirus outbreak hit the notorious Rikers Island complex and nearby jails  infecting at least 38 people.

Another inmate, meanwhile, became the first in the country to test positive in a federal jail.

Fewer people in the jails will save lives and minimize transmission among people in custody as well as staff, Board of Correction interim chairwoman Jacqueline Sherman wrote in a letter to New Yorks criminal justice leaders this weekend. Failure to drastically reduce the jail population threatens to overwhelm the City jails healthcare system as well its basic operations.

Sherman pushed for the release of more than 2,000 people in custody in New York City jails, including those over 50 years old; those with health conditions such as lung and heart disease; those being held for parole violations, such as missing a curfew; and those serving sentences of less than a year.

Such steps are needed, she said, to stem the tide of COVID-19.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said 23 inmates were set to be released Sunday, all older and at a low risk of offending again, and 200 additional inmates were being reviewed for release.

More than 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the United States  more than anywhere in the world  and there are growing fears that an outbreak could spread rapidly through a vast network of federal and state prisons, county jails and detention centers.

Its a tightly packed, fluid population that is already grappling with high rates of health problems and, when it comes to the elderly and the infirm, elevated risks of serious complications. With limited capacity nationally to test for COVID-19, men and women inside worry that they are last in line when showing flu-like symptoms, meaning that some may be infected without knowing it.

The first positive tests from inside prisons and jails started tricking out just over a week ago, with less than two dozen officers and staff infected in facilities spanning from California and Michigan to Pennsylvania. New cases pop up almost every day.

Story continues

From the start, public officials and advocates called for a reduction in the size of their jail and prison populations, saying they were a tinderbox for the virus, not just inside correctional facilities, but society at large. Hundreds of incarcerated men and women have already been released, including 600 in Los Angeles and 300 in San Francisco. Other places talking about early releases include Travis County, Texas, and Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Its like an approaching tsunami. Once it hits, its too late, said James Pingeon, an attorney with Prisoners Legal Services of Massachusetts. I get that opening the doors of all the prisons is not realistic, but we should release as many that its safe to release in order to avoid a situation like the one at Rikers.

The coronavirus outbreak in New York City jails was the largest so far nationwide.

More than half of the 38 who tested positive were people who were incarcerated.

New York State Senator Luis Sepulveda and Assemblyman David Wepin wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, asking him to convene an emergency committee to review all state prison inmates for possible early release. In addition to those at high risk of infection and non-violent offenders within three years of their release date, they said individuals convicted of violent crimes with just one year left should also be considered.

Cuomo suggested last week that lawmakers could approve a state budget on April 1 that could roll back last years bail reforms, giving judges discretion in holding people pretrial, while banning cash bail completely. Its a suggestion that worries activists and politicians on both sides of the aisle, especially at a time of crisis.

New York is the only state in the country that is contemplating changing their bail laws during the pandemic to increase incarceration, said Nick Milanowski, civil rights campaign director for VOCAL-NY, a grassroots organization that works with low-income people affected by mass incarceration.

Laura Whitehorn, co-founder of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, agreed.

At a time when COVID-19 threatens illness and death on a massive level in jails and prisons, limiting the projected reforms to pre-trial detention is the very opposite of what public health and human rights demand, she said.

In Chicago, prominent civil rights groups led by the Uptown Peoples Law Center last week made a similar call to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, adding prisoners scheduled to be paroled within 120 days and those who are pregnant or living with infants should also be among those considered for early release.

The Law Center argued that simple measures to prevent the spread of the new Coronavirus are impossible to carry out in a prison setting, noting that hand sanitizer is viewed as contraband due to its alcohol content, and covering ones mouth while coughing is impossible while handcuffed.

Alan Mills, the Centers executive director, said state officials claim they are distributing more soap and allowing hand sanitizer inside, while men at Stateville Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Crest Hill, Illinois, tell a different story.

My sources at Stateville tell me that none of that has been distributed to inmates, he said. Its been distributed to staff.

A man incarcerated in New York City, meanwhile, became the first confirmed case in the federal prison system on Saturday.

The man, who is housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, complained of chest pains on Thursday, a few days after he arrived at the facility, the federal Bureau of Prisons told the AP. He was taken to a local hospital and was tested for COVID-19, officials said.

He was discharged from the hospital on Friday and returned to the jail, where he was immediately placed in isolation, the agency said, adding medical and psychiatric staff were visiting him routinely.

Others housed with the man are also being quarantined, along with staff members who may have had contact with him.

At a New York City news conference Sunday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary Committee, said that on Thursday he sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr urging him to put in place measures to ensure that both the flow of prisoners into federal facilities is slowed significantly and that prisoners who can and should be released are released forthwith."

Others at the gathering voiced even greater alarm about the prospects for widespread infections with the jail and prison systems if decisive actions are not taken immediately.

Jonathan Giftos, the former medical director at Rikers, said human traffic in and out of jails and prisons makes it impossible to protect those who are incarcerated as well as correctional officers and other staff.

Theyre not closed systems, Giftos said, adding that more than 500 patients at the Metropolitan Detention Center  nearly a third  are considered high risk for complications from COVID-19 because of their age or medical conditions. Theres tremendous flux of people in and out of the facility, including officers and other staff who live in communities overwhelmed by positive cases," he said.

Anthony Sanon, head of the American Federal of Government Employees local representing correction officers at the Metropolitan Detention Center, called on the Bureau of Prisons to immediately stop transferring people from one institution to another.

There should not be any type of movement from institution to institution, Sanon said. We need to stop all movement in the Bureau of Prisons.

___

McDowell reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo in Washington and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report
China has made great sacrifices for and contributions to the containment of COVID-19, and it is important for the international community to cooperate closely to win the battle against the novel coronavirus, which has spread to many countries, a Singaporean scholar has said.





Zheng Yongnian, a professor with the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua.





Under the strong leadership of the Chinese government, China has mounted a nationwide large-scale assault against the coronavirus, and has scored remarkable achievements, "which are quite unprecedented in the history of human beings," Zheng said.





In the meantime, the people in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China, have made great sacrifices by undergoing a months-long quarantine. Chinese medical workers and scientists have also been sharing their knowledge about the new virus with the rest of the world, which has helped speed up global research and development, he said.





According to Zheng, just as the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted, the people of Wuhan deserve appreciation.





To date, China has brought the epidemic under control, with no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 being reported on Friday in Wuhan. That marked the third day in a row of zero reports in the epicenter of the epidemic.





On the other hand, the virus has hit more countries, which makes Zheng believe that international cooperation is vital to pushing the virus back.





As viruses do not respect borders, any new virus threatening mankind is the common enemy of the people worldwide, instead of being the enemy of one particular country or community, Zheng said.





Therefore, governments worldwide, despite their different national conditions, should join hands in the battle and learn from each other, he added.





When doing so, the efforts of and contributions by the Wuhan people would be better recognized by the international community, Zheng concluded.




A group of Vietnamese youths take a photo at a Color Me Run event in Hanoi. Photo by Shutterstock/Vietnam Stock Images.

While their numbers are far below the global average, an increasing proportion of succeeding generations is being groomed to take over family businesses.

Sixteen percent of next generations in Vietnamese family businesses are currently executive directors while 38 percent are poised to be in similar positions by 2025, according to a survey conducted by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

It found that 28 percent of Vietnamese NextGens were currently in management roles and 41 percent of surveyed respondents want to be in management roles within five years.

The estimated 44 percent of Vietnams next generations who are already engaged in their family enterprise reflects a much lower number than the Asia Pacific average of 73 percent and the global figure of 70 percent, the survey said.

However, the survey also found that 27 percent of those who have not yet joined their current family business plan to take over in the next five years, twice the global and regional ratios of 13 percent. The majority of the next generations in Vietnam are between 21 and 34 years old.

The survey was joined by 950 family business leaders from 69 countries and territories, including first-timer Vietnam, with 81 percent of Vietnamese respondents being from the second generation.

Industrial manufacturing and retail are the two major sectors the surveyed Vietnamese family businesses are engaged in, followed by construction and real estate, the survey found.

The report showed 22 percent of Vietnamese NextGens want to create their own enterprises over the next five years with support from their family business, compared to only six percent in 2019.

But only 6 percent of Vietnamese NextGens are interested in having their own business without financial support from the family, lower than the figure 9 percent in 2019.

Yet another salient fact that came out in the survey was that only around a third of the Vietnamese NextGens were being given the opportunity to lead.

The NextGens perceive that the top two major constraints holding them back from making a desired impact are lack of experience (41 percent) and the current governance model in their own family business (33 percent).

Family businesses are a core economic factor in any country, including Vietnam. The 100 largest family businesses contribute about 25 percent of the countrys GDP, Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), had noted at the Vietnam Family Business Forum 2019 in Hanoi.

Among the 50 best listed companies in Vietnam are many family businesses and some are even blue chip stocks, like Vingroup, Vietjet Air, Thanh Thanh Cong, and Kido, he said.

As many as 95 percent of Vietnamese enterprises are family businesses and the majority are led by the first generation or the first two generations, Loc added.
UNI professor receives grant

CEDAR FALLS  Michael Graziano, professor of religious studies in the department of philosophy and world religions at the University of Northern Iowa, has received a $10,000 seed grant from the Whiting Foundation, which will be used to launch a brand-new Religious Literacy Project in Iowa.

Graziano and a small group of colleagues will kick-off the initiative this summer with a pilot program for the Waterloo Community School District, the first public school partner for the Iowa Religious Literacy Project.

Husome gets certification

CEDAR FALLS  Steve Husome, president of the HusomeStrong Foundation, completed Lead Advocate Certification training through the Amputee Coalition of America. As a lead advocate, Husome will lead efforts with the Amputee Coalition to effectively monitor and change state and federal legislation that will impact the limb loss and limb difference community.

After suffering the loss of his leg in a motorcycle accident, Husome has continued to build his foundation to assist people in Iowa living with limb loss through education and prevention, advocacy, peer support and financial assistance. If you or someone you know is suffering from limb loss and needs assistance, contact the HusomeStrong Foundation at www.husomestrong.com

Entrepreneurial

contest begins

CEDAR FALLS  Applications for the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Venture Competition are now being accepted. The fifteenth annual statewide competition will award $100,000 in cash prizes. The $100,000 in seed funding consists of a $50,000 contribution from John and Mary Pappajohn and a $50,000 match from the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Iowa businesses that have been in operation for four years or less, or are not yet cash flow positive, are eligible to apply. This competition is open to businesses including, but not limited to, technology, bio-technology, green technologies, medical, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, engineering and education industries.

Participants will be judged on written submissions, and, for those who advance to the final round of the competition, their presentations to a panel of judges. First place will be awarded $40,000, second place $25,000, and third place $15,000. Awards for other categories will total $20,000.

Applications for the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Venture Competition are due May 18.

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As dozens of Chinese companies scramble to meet the foreign demand for Covid-19 test kits amid the worsening epidemic, European regulators seem to have cut red tape and sprinted ahead with approvals while the U.S. has barely budged.

Last Monday, Chinas National Medical Products Administration said that 11 companies that make either blood and antibody-based tests or in vitro diagnosis (IVD) tests, which use a sample of tissue or bodily fluids, had met European CE marking requirements, a certification that indicates the product meets the regions health and safety standards and can be sold across the European Economic Area.

By Thursday, just four days later, the China Association of In Vitro Diagnosis (CAIVD) said that some 64 Chinese companies that make IVD tests were exporting to the European Union.

In contrast, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only eight non-American companies had applied for approval for their Covid-19 tests as of Wednesday March 18, among them Chinas genetics heavyweight BGI Genomics Co. Ltd., and biotech company 3DMed. As of Sunday, not one Chinese company had yet received FDA approval, though in an unusual move, the regulator granted BGI permission to market its product even prior to formal review.

Europe races ahead

Since early this month, companies including BGI, Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech, Maccura Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and others have announced they have obtained the European Economic Areas CE mark for their Covid-19 tests. And as a result, purchases are flooding in.

Since last week, orders from overseas have noticeably increased, said a salesperson at the medical lab company Da An Gene Co, which received CE certification March 3. The person added that the company requires orders to start at a minimum of 50,000 test kits and has a maximum capacity of 500,000 a day. Orders from abroad have ranged between 200,000 to 300,000 units, the person said.

A representative at Samsure Biotech, whose products received approval the same day, said that its nucleic acid tests are already being shipped to a total of 30 countries and regions across Europe, South East Asia and Africa. BGI, which has a European subsidiary, announced its CE certification March 2, adding that it has an output that can be dialed up from 100,000 units to 300,000 depending on need and that its kits have been sent to more than 30 countries and regions.

The head of marketing at Xian Tianlong Science and Technology Co. Ltd., another test maker, said that since March 3, the company has received orders from more than a dozen countries and regions including South Korea, Dubai, Singapore, France and Turkey. Orders have spiked since then, the executive added, and the company now receives at least 10 to 20 orders a day, amounting to tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of units.

Foreign customers were more concerned over the delivery date than the prices, the person said.

Chinese industry insiders told Caixin that Europe appeared to have dramatically cut much of its own red tape surrounding the import of test kits resulting in a process that has seen approvals faster on the continent than even back home in China.

For nucleic acid-based tests, China normally requires hundreds of clinical trials and poses other manufacturing hurdles before granting approval, a process that can take about two years.

According to a statement from biotech company Dongfang Shengwu, in Europe, Covid-19 tests have been categorized under the type of medical apparatus requiring the least regulatory supervision, accelerating the approval process and requiring only a declaration from a Europe-based representative who bears any associated legal responsibilities.

One test kit maker told Caixin that his companys antibody test took only two to three weeks to go from preparation to approval.

It has led several manufacturers to go to market in Europe before doing so domestically.

Global bottlenecks

According to a director of overseas sales at another IVD company who asked not to be named, most biotech manufacturers are concentrated in East Asia, namely China, Japan South Korea, the U.S., and Europe, specifically Germany and Switzerland. In the early days of the epidemic, he said, overseas companies underestimated the risks of the disease.

Not many companies joined in on making these products, the director said.

He added that most of the tests being used around the world are being made in China, South Korea and the U.S. While European manufacturers have released products, they started late.

More than a hundred companies in China are researching and developing test kits as part of an industry that is expected to grow by double digits this year.

This story has been updated to clarify the U.S. progress in approving test kits made by non-American companies.

Contact reporter Dave Yin (davidyin@caixin.com)

Related: Genome Giant BGI Gets Regulator Approval to Sell Coronavirus Test Kits
Mr. Paul, 57, Republican of Kentucky and a former practicing eye doctor, was asymptomatic, his staff said, relieving immediate concerns about his health despite a 2017 injury that affected his lungs. But his diagnosis raised the likelihood that other members of the 100-person Senate, where nearly half are 65 or older, had been exposed and might fall ill or need to self-quarantine just as they were racing to enact the rescue plan.

Mr. Paul had been informed last weekend that he had attended a fund-raiser in Kentucky with two individuals who later tested positive for Covid-19, a warning that sent a handful of other prominent elected officials into self-quarantine out of caution.

Not Mr. Paul.

He pressed on with his Washington schedule anyway. On Wednesday afternoon, he spoke and voted on the Senate floor. He dined at the Republicans closed luncheon on Thursday and on Friday, sitting with fellow senators. And after being informed of the diagnosis on Sunday, Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas, rose to tell fellow Republicans at lunch that he had seen Mr. Paul that morning at the senators-only gym, according to two people who heard him and Mr. Morans spokesman.

Ive never commented about a fellow Senators choices/actions. Never once, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, who is known to frequent the senators-only pool, wrote on Twitter. This, America, is absolutely irresponsible. You cannot be near other people while waiting for coronavirus test results. It endangers others & likely increases the spread of the virus. (A spokesman for Ms. Sinema said she had been practicing social distancing and had not been to the pool in two weeks.)

The ripples could quickly be felt around the Capitol, one of the few places where work has continued in defiance of public health guidance that has shuttered most workplaces and discouraged large gatherings.
TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2020) The authorities of Uzbekistan has decided to close the country's borders starting from Monday due to the spread of the coronavirus, the government's operational headquarters said on Sunday.

"From 00:01 on March 23 [19.01 GMT Sunday], for all persons (except for citizens of other countries leaving Uzbekistan), the existing border crossing points are closed," it said in a statement on Telegram.

According to the country's health ministry, the first case of COVID-19 in the republic was revealed on March 15. The patient was a woman who returned from France. By Sunday morning, the number of those infected increased to 42.

The authorities of Uzbekistan quarantined 881 citizens of the country, who had arrived on Sunday by air from Russia, Malaysia and Turkey, for two weeks in specialized centers in the country's regions, a spokesperson for the operational headquarters told Sputnik.
SALEM, Ore. -- Oregon Governor Kate Brown has just issued Executive Order 20-11. The Executive Order places a "temporary moratorium on residential evictions for nonpayment in light of the public health emergency caused by the spread of coronavirus in Oregon". The order is effective for 90 days.

In a statement issued Sunday afternoon, Governor Brown said "through no fault of their own, many Oregonians have lost jobs, closed businesses and found themselves without a source of income to pay rent and other housing costs". Governor Brown went on to say "the last thing we need to do during this crisis is turn out more Oregonians struggling to make ends meet from their homes and onto the streets".

Under the Governor's emergency powers, the order places a temporary hold throughout Oregon on law enforcement actions relating to residential evictions for not paying rent.

The Governor recognizes that landlords and property owners also face their own costs if tenants cannot pay rent. Therefore the Governor and the Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council say they are working to find potential solutions and are "exploring various state and federal policy options that might be available to provide assistance to borrowers".

Oregon Housing and Community Services and the Department of Consumer and Business services are also pursuing relief options.

Governor Brown is also asking people to stay at home. Governor Brown tweeted on Sunday morning calling it a "matter of life or death".
FILE PHOTO: Mugshot of Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez is displayed on a screen during a news conference at Interior Ministry in Mexico City

By Drazen Jorgic and Mark Hosenball

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A major bust by U.S. drug authorities targeting Mexico's fastest-growing gang will likely do little to stem the rise of the ultra-violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and its shadowy leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho'.

Over the past decade, Oseguera, a 53-year-old former policeman, has masterminded the CJNG's emergence as a criminal empire spanning five continents and a rival to the Sinaloa Cartel of captured kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, now in a U.S. prison.

From the swathes of Mexico's western Jalisco state that he controls, Oseguera is accused of flooding U.S. streets with synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and fentanyl, that cause tens of thousands of deaths every year.

El Mencho's success has made him a prized target, with U.S. authorities placing a $10 million bounty on his head in 2018.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stepped up the fight last week with its largest swoop against the CJNG on U.S. soil, arresting more than 600 people accused of being linked to its sprawling criminal network.

U.S. authorities also struck two body blows against the assassin-turned-cartel boss last month, arresting his daughter in Washington and extraditing his son from Mexico to the United States.

"He's one of our number one targets," a senior DEA official told Reuters, citing soaring output from CJNG labs churning out heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl for the United States.

The DEA official, who asked not to be identified, said the agency estimates the CJNG produced about 106 metric tons of heroin in 2018, a four-fold rise from 2013, and was also making "pharmaceutical grade" methamphetamine pills in jungle labs.

The volumes were unprecedented in Mexico, the official said.

U.S. officials touted the success of last week's raids in disrupting the CJNG, saying they also made "significant seizures of money and drugs".

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But experts were sceptical, citing the scale of the CJNG's organization and its base in Mexico - where the U.S. government estimates it is present in three quarters of the states - built on violence and fear.

"It's not going to have an impact," said Mike Vigil, a former DEA chief of international operations. "It would be tantamount to closing down a few franchises of McDonald's while the global chain continues to exist."

'HE CONTROLS THE STATE'

Oseguera's ascent from a former foot soldier to one of Mexico's most feared capos has been marked by business acumen and a willingness to use grisly violence meted out by CJNG henchmen, including beheadings.

The Mexican state has not been spared. The cartel has massacred security forces, most recently in October, when alleged CJNG gunmen ambushed and killed 14 police officers in the western state of Michoacan.

In 2015, as Mexican forces closed in on Oseguera, tipped-off CJNG henchmen downed a military helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade to buy time for their leader to escape.

The CJNG's expansion was helped by a balkanization of the cartels that followed the neutralization of capos over the past decade under the U.S.-backed "Kingpin" strategy employed by Mexico.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador assumed power in late 2018 vowing to adopt a less confrontational approach to tackling gang violence by focusing on the root causes of crime, poverty and corruption.

But El Mencho's turf wars with the Sinaloa Cartel have contributed to runaway levels of violence in Mexico. Murders hit an all-time high of 34,582 last year.

One senior Mexican security official said Oseguera was the most wanted organized crime leader in the country, along with his rival "El Marro", whose smaller Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is accused of industrial-scale fuel theft from pipelines, threatening the president's goal of reviving state oil company Pemex.

Inside Jalisco, Oseguera has bought off hundreds of police to cover his back and operates with near-total impunity, according to Mexican and U.S. officials.

"He's in an area where even Mexican authorities won't go into," said the senior DEA official. "(He) controls almost the entire state."

CAREFUL, PARANOID

Despite his reputation, Oseguera has kept a low profile and avoided the kind of media glare that washed over "El Chapo" Guzman.

"He's been careful and paranoid ... trying to stay off the radar," said Falko Ernst, an International Crisis Group analyst.

He has also learnt from the success of rivals, experts say.

Born in the rugged and impoverished Tierra Caliente region, famed for opium and marijuana plantations, Oseguera worked the fields as a boy with his avocado-farming family before joining the flood of young Mexicans into the United States in the 1980s.

He became involved in the heroin business and was arrested by police in the early 1990s. He spent three years in a U.S. prison before being deported, according to the DEA and analysts.

Back in Mexico, El Mencho joined the police before enlisting with the Milenio Cartel, a satellite of Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel, eventually becoming a senior enforcer after stints as a sicario, or hitman.

"He received a Harvard-type education from some of the best cartel leaders," said Vigil.

In 2009, Oseguera tried to take charge of the Milenio Cartel when its boss was killed in an army raid. Rebuffed, he struck out alone, declared war on Sinaloa, and founded a new outfit in alliance with Los Cuinis, a gang of money launderers, according to security analysts and local media.

That new cartel, the CJNG, would blend traditional Sinaloa-style drug trafficking with the ultra-violence of the Zetas Cartel, who used paramilitary tactics to diversify into criminal enterprises such as extortion and theft.

"Jalisco combines both those models," said cartel expert Ioan Grillo, author of book "El Narco". "(He has) a very potent organization, and they will fight to protect him."

(Reporting by Drazen Jorgic and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Dan Flynn and Daniel Wallis)
County and city officials around the Charleston area are urging residents to stay home if at all possible, saying the new coronavirus could spread exponentially in South Carolina if strict preventive measures aren't taken immediately.

South Carolina officials announced 22 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, including four in Charleston County. This brings the total number of cases in the state to 195 in 33 counties.

There are two new cases each in Beaufort, Greenville, Horry, Lancaster and York counties. Berkeley, Colleton, Darlington, Hampton and Kershaw counties each have one new case, while Richland County has three new cases.

Additionally, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is investigating a potential exposure to the virus and its related disease, COVID-19, at Wando High School.

Three individuals have died after contracting the virus. One of those individuals was a resident of the assisted living facility Harmony at West Ashley. The family of JoAnn Stokes-Smith, 87, of Charleston, described her as a retired nurse practitioner, according to her obituary.

As the number of South Carolina's confirmed coronavirus cases rises, Charleston-area governments were urging residents to avoid leaving their homes.

Sullivan's Island joined Isle of Palms in limiting access after an emergency meeting Sunday. Starting 7 a.m. Monday, police will establish a checkpoint to allow only residents and workers onto the island.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said at a news conference Sunday that businesses that arent truly essential should consider closing or having employees work from home, as difficult as the choice may be.

We can still avoid being a hotspot, he said. Doctors tell us that the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 would be nothing less than a death sentence for thousands of our friends and family members right here in the Lowcountry."

The weekend has hit the state especially hard as testing became more widespread. On Saturday, 46 new cases were reported by DHEC, the biggest daily jump yet.

Tecklenburg was joined at Sunday's news conference by Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie as well as other officials.

I think theres a storm party mentality, Haynie said. But this is not a storm were waiting for. Its already here.

If you carry this virus, you are the storm, Haynie said.

Mount Pleasant Police Chief Carl Ritchie said his officers have had to break up several gatherings of more than 10 people. It takes time away from enforcing against crime, Ritchie said, and it could expose first responders to the virus.

Ritchie and Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon said they havent seen too many intentional violations of the order against dining at restaurants. It usually just takes a phone call to explain the restrictions, Ritchie said.

County and city leaders warned that the United States could soon experience Italys level of disaster without preventive measures.

We have to take this as serious as a heart attack, Tecklenburg said.

To his knowledge, no county or city officials have tested positive for COVID-19.

Charleston County Council Chairman Elliott Summey also urged the public to stay at home.

"If you don't need to be out, don't," Summey told The Post and Courier. He said he hopes that if more people stay home, state and local governments won't have to take more drastic measures to limit the spread of the virus. Some states with larger outbreaks have ordered residents to stay home unless necessary, entering lockdown modes.

Summey said that rather than mandating, officials are asking the public to use common sense and limit exposure to COVID-19.

He recommended that if people do have to leave the home, avoid crowds and stay in groups of two to three people at most. Staying home can help local leaders, and particularly first responders, to manage the outbreak.

"We're all inconvenienced right now," Summey said. The sooner South Carolinians limit the spread, the sooner life can return to normal, he said.
In light of the rapid changes affecting Southeast Texas communities, including businesses, this weeks people in business will recognize business owners and companies that are trying to help in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ray Callas, an anesthesiologist with Beaumonts Anesthesia Associates, has been providing additional information about coronavirus to Jefferson County and other local government officials to help explain the potential impact a widespread infection could have on the community.
As Virgin Australia and Qantas axe international flights (and 50-60% of their domestic capacities respectively) until at least the end of May, Australians are putting their travel plans on hold. Given the current COVID 19 situation, this is to be expected (and encouraged). However, should (some) demand remain, rideshare companies like DiDi are ready to pick up the slack.

Inspired by a $1,569.70 Melbourne to Sydney DiDi trip DMARGE founder Luc Wiesman almost took when he was briefly stuck in Melbourne earlier this week, we decided to investigate whether its likely well see an increase in rideshare companies like DiDi and Uber becoming more like Europes BlaBlaCar and offering longer journeys in the months to come.

Of course, right now, Australians are recommended to stay at home. But if you find yourself needing to get home from another city during the latest round of flight cuts (or simply dont fancy being stuck in a tin can with a couple of hundred others right now), you might find yourself seriously considering that $1,569.70 (Around $500 bucks each if you bring three friends) rideshare.

While, yes, your first option would be to get a hire car ($400-$500, for Melbourne to Sydney), or use your own, we couldnt help but wonder: if there isnt a hire available and youre stranded without your own vehicle, might you end up travelling cross country in rideshare? We spoke to DiDi spokesperson, Dan Jordan, to find out.

First up: does DiDi do trips that long? Or was the $1,569.70 ride we saw a glitch? Dan Jordan says no, it wasnt: DiDi does not restrict trips by length or by destination, and our drivers have undertaken trips as long as 350km, from city centres to regional locations.

Should rider demand increase for lengthy journeys, or inter-state journeys, DiDi driver-partners can choose to accept and complete these trips.

For example, we have seen demand for longer trips in South-East Queensland from Sunshine Coast down to Brisbane and Gold Coast and even across the New South Wales border, with DiDi drivers and riders regularly making these journeys given the population density in the region. Other long-distance trips include journeys between Melbourne and Geelong, and Newcastle and Sydney, Dan Jordan told DMARGE.

However, whilst a trip between Sydney and Melbourne is not restricted on the DiDi app, we have never seen this trip undertaken, Dan Jordan adds. We think it is unlikely that Australians turn to rideshare for trips between the countrys major cities even at this time, given the strong rate of car ownership and other modes of inter-city transport.

That said, Dan Jordan says there is a possibility that should intra-state flights from capital cities to regional airports be reduced, demand for rideshare to meet this need may increase.

In addition, DiDi has introduced a new initiative to help drivers maintain their income in these challenging times: they will decrease the app services fee from Monday 23 March for one month. This means that if you need to take essential travel, drivers across Australia will keep 95% of your fare.

*Side note: this article was written before the lockdown. DMARGE encourages readers to follow government recommendations and stay at home, where possible, in these trying times.

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Kate Hudson has urged fans on her social media to practice 'self isolating' and 'social distancing' in midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

As she stepped out for some much-needed fresh air with her three kids on Saturday, the 40-year-old actress appeared in high spirits, while sporting a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

On their leisurely walk in Los Angeles, Hudson pushed her one-year-old daughter Rani, whom she shares with boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, and watched sons Ryder, 16, and Bingham, eight, whiz by her on wheels.

Family time: Kate Hudson Hudson pushed her one-year-old daughter Rani, whom she shares with boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, and watched sons Ryder, 16, and Bingham, eight, whiz by her on wheels during an outing in Los Angeles on Saturday

Her middle child, who she shares with ex Matt Bellamy donned a black t-shirt and blue helmet, beamed on a scooter, while trailing behind his big brother.

Hudson's firstborn, from with ex-husband Chris Robinson, also appeared excited to break away from their isolation, as he flanked his mother's side and performed tricks on his roller blades.

The Almost Famous star looked at ease, as she soaked up some family time in an all-black ensemble, which included an over-sized hoodie, form-fitting leggings and sandals.

Natural beauty: The Almost Famous star, 40, looked at ease, as she soaked up some family time in an all-black ensemble, which included an over-sized hoodie, form-fitting leggings and sandals

The natural beauty, who sported minimal makeup, kept her signature golden tresses under the hat for her family oriented outing down their desolate residential street.

The Bride Wars actress was an early proponent for social distancing and other coronavirus prevention methods.

On February 25, Hudson took to her Instagram to share a selfie of herself donning a face mask while on an airplane.

Kate wrote an emotional thank you post on Tuesday directed at those in the medical field working day in and day out since the outbreak.

'Save lives, stay home! Thank you to all the healthcare workers that are and will be working tirelessly. We love you,' captioned the compassionate star.

Kate is the daughter of Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn, 74, who has been with her fellow movie star beau Kurt Russell, 69, for over three decades.
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron takes part in a videoconference of the "economic task force", at the Elysee Palace

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to close France's border with Britain on Friday if Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to take more stringent measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, a French newspaper reported.

On Friday evening, Johnson ordered pubs, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and gyms to shut their doors to slow the accelerating spread of the disease, days after other European countries put their citizens on lockdown.

French newspaper Liberation, citing sources in Macron's office, said Johnson's decision came after the French leader gave him an ultimatum on Friday morning, threatening an entry ban on any traveller from the UK if there were no new measures.

"We had to clearly threaten him to make him finally budge," the report quoted an Elysee official as saying.

Contacted by Reuters, Macron's office declined to comment. But a source close to Macron confirmed there was a phone call between the two leaders on Friday. "The way it's presented is a bit harsh, but we were indeed preparing to close (the border)," the source told Reuters.

Asked about the report, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "As the Prime Minister said on Friday, these new measures were taken based on scientific advice and in keeping with the governments action plan set out two weeks ago."

The British government has said it is acting on the guidance of its scientific advisers as it steps up efforts to limit the outbreak.

Macron ordered stringent restrictions on people's movement in France on Monday. Restaurants, bars and schools have been shut nationwide and people ordered to stay at home other than to buy groceries, travel to work, exercise or for medical care.

Macron also pushed for European Union member states to close the bloc's external borders earlier this week.

The report echoed comments Macron's prime minister, Edouard Philippe, made in an interview on Tuesday.

Story continues

"If neighbouring countries, Britain for instance, stayed for too long in a situation without taking these measures, then we would find it hard to accept on our soil British nationals who would have been moving freely in their own country," Philippe said.

Britain left the EU on Feb. 1 but remains in a free-movement area with the bloc until the end of the year.

(Reporting by Michel Rose; Additional reporting by James Davey in London; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Usually, as astronauts get ready to suit up and sit inside a spaceship to leave the planet, they get a farewell with friends and family members who gather together for a see off.

But due to the on-going coronavirus outbreak, a NASA astronaut, who's about to leave the planet for six months will blast off without any family or fanfare. Chris Cassidy will take off from Kazakhstan on April 9, however, he's now expecting to say goodbye to his wife in Russia on Friday i.e., three weeks earlier than planned.

 Reuters

Chris's wife is apparently going back to Houston due to the coronavirus. Also, one of his three children is trying to get back to the US from New Zealand. He also expects to see a smaller than usual crowd at the launch pad too.



While speaking to The Associated Press cosmonaut headquarters in Star City, Russia, Chris said, "It really is going to be strange". He is already in quarantine ahead of his launch to the International Space Station.

The things that are stressing the rest of the world and the rest of America, are the same things that are stressing me right now, said Cassidy.

Chris is a 50-year-old Navy captain and former Navy SEAL. He said, "Ill have my own interesting story to tell in years to come.

 NASA

Usually, a group of people including friends, families, bosses, journalists, etc. jam into a room behind a glass wall to see the astronauts getting into their spacesuits before the liftoff. But it looks like this time there's not going to be anybody.



Source: Space
Bodies of 17 security personnel, who were missing after an encounter with Naxals in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, were found on Sunday, police said.

"Bodies of 17 security personnel were recovered by a search team and were being evacuated from forests," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

Earlier, in a major joint offensive, separate teams of nearly 600 personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA)- an elite unit of CRPF, launched an anti-Naxal operation from three sides towards Elmagunda after getting inputs about a huge gathering of ultras there on Saturday.

When the patrolling teams were near Minpa village forests, a group of around 250 heavily armed ultras ambushed them, leaving 15 personnel injured, he said.

The gun battle lasted for about two-and-a-half hours, he said.

"Later, 17 personnel were found to be missing for which a search operation was launched. Today, their bodies have been recovered and the search team is on the way back, he said.

Earlier, the police in a statement said 14 police personnel were injured and 13 were missing after the gunfight.

The injured personnel were airlifted to Raipur and admitted to a private hospital where the condition of two of them is stated to be critical, he said.

According to police sources, at least 16 automatic weapons, including AK47 and an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) were missing following the encounter.
current-affairs-trends Coronavirus pandemic | Railway Ministry bans all passenger trains till March 31 However, trains which had commenced their journey prior to 4 am on March 22 will run up to their destination
Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order Sunday temporarily halting residential evictions for nonpayment during the public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The order will remain in place for 90 days.

Through no fault of their own, many Oregonians have lost jobs, closed businesses, and found themselves without a source of income to pay rent and other housing costs during this coronavirus outbreak, Brown said in a news release Sunday.

The last thing we need to do during this crisis is turn out more Oregonians struggling to make ends meet from their homes and onto the streets, she added. This is both a moral and a public health imperative.

The governors office acknowledged that landlords and property owners face challenges, too. Brown and the Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council are talking to lenders and looking for options for relief for these groups as well, according to the statement.

To order comes as Brown is under pressure from officials and healthcare providers throughout the state to issue a shelter-in-place to compel Oregonians to stay home except for necessary outings until the threat from coronavirus passes.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald has said that it is time to scale up emergency measures and restrictions to combat Covid-19, and that other countries have learned, to their cost, that delays costs lives.

Deputy McDonald said that 'mixed messages' from Government must stop, and she also set out Sinn Fein's plan for a comprehensive Income Support Scheme for workers and families impacted by the crisis.

"In the space of a few short weeks, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused levels of national and international disruption unprecedented in our lifetimes," she said.

"Welcome interventions have been made to get ahead of this virus, to slow it down and to 'flatten the curve', but the truth is that we now need more urgent, decisive action from the government. They need to be taking every necessary measure to save lives. Social distancing is central to this strategy, but Government Ministers can't criticise young people for gathering together, while at the same time saying that gathering of up to five hundred people outdoors are still allowed. The mixed messages must stop.



"People in workplaces where there is no real prospect of social distancing are also worried that they are bringing the virus home. They ask why it is that - in this race against time - the government have not yet introduced full measures to protect them and to give full effect to social distancing?



"It is time now to scale up emergency measures and restrictions. Other countries have learned, to their cost, that delay costs lives. We dont want to learn that lesson here."

The Sinn Fein leader also said that people need urgent action to ensure that tens of thousands of people who have lost their jobs are protected financially and that they can provide for their families at this time.



"That is why Sinn Fein has proposed the immediate introduction of an Income Support Scheme that will guarantee an income of up to 525 per week for 20 weeks for all workers that are laid off as a result of the current crisis. This would benefit every worker and would mean that everyone who earns up to 32,500 a year will receive their full wage," she said.



"The people of this State bailed out the countrys banks a decade ago. Now we need an immediate bailout for workers and families."
Potential Elementis plc (LON:ELM) shareholders may wish to note that the Group Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, Paul Waterman, recently bought UK96k worth of stock, paying UK0.48 for each share. That's a very decent purchase to our minds and it grew their holding by a solid 38%.

Check out our latest analysis for Elementis

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Elementis

Notably, that recent purchase by Paul Waterman is the biggest insider purchase of Elementis shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of UK0.51. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for Elementis share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

While Elementis insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. The average buy price was around UK0.56. I'd consider this a positive as it suggests insiders see value at around the current price. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

LSE:ELM Recent Insider Trading, March 22nd 2020

Elementis is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Insider Ownership

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Our information indicates that Elementis insiders own about UK406k worth of shares. We might be missing something but that seems like very low insider ownership.

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What Might The Insider Transactions At Elementis Tell Us?

It is good to see recent purchasing. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. On this analysis the only slight negative we see is the fairly low (overall) insider ownership; their transactions suggest that they are quite positive on Elementis stock. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. To assist with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Elementis.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Human rights activist, Femi Falana(SAN) has written a letter to the federal government stating that Cuba has drugs that can help in the fight against the deadly coronavirus.

He added that countries like China, Italy and the likes have been using the drug to treat their citizens.

The letter reads:

We have confirmed that the Cuban drug known as Recombinant Human Interferon Alpha 2B developed by Cuba has so far proven to be the most effective weapon against COVID-19.

Apart from the Chinese Government which has chosen Interfron Alpha 2B as one of the drugs for combating COVID-19, the Italian Government has adopted it and secured the services of Cuban doctors along with Chinese experts in combating the dreaded disease.

Read Also: I Know An Igbo Ex-Governor Who Had A Killer Squad: Falana

Similarly, other Latin American, Caribbean and European countries are reported to have requested the Cuban drug and also help from Cuban medical professionals to fight the COVID-19 scourge, he said.

In view of the foregoing, we call on you to use your good offices to confirm the efficacy of the Interfron Alpha 2B and recommend same for the treatment of COVID 19.

Having regards to the selfless role of the Cuban medical professionals in eradicating the Ebola virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2017 we call without any further delay. The health of humanity should not be sacrificed on the alter of ideological disputation, he added.
Which masks should health care professionals be using?

Ideally, clinicians would be using a new, tightly-sealed respirator, like the N95, with each patient. These are thicker than standard surgical masks, and are designed to fit more tightly around the mouth and nose to block out much smaller particles. The Food and Drug Administration said that neither surgical masks nor N95s should be shared or be reused.

As the outbreak worsened and there were shortages in medical supplies across the country, the C.D.C. updated its recommendations for optimizing the supply of protective gear.

Now, except in the case of intubations, which involve inserting a breathing tube, the agency says standard surgical masks are acceptable when examining or treating a coronavirus patient. (This aligns more closely with the W.H.O., which advises that surgical masks can be used in some situations, but warns that they are not sufficient on their own.)

Some medical professionals suggested that the C.D.C.s new recommendations are borne of political expediency instead of science.

We are concerned that C.D.C. recommendations are based solely on supply chain and manufacturing challenges, the American Nurses Association said in a public letter.

Now, the C.D.C. also outlines a crisis strategy for wearing the same mask for repeated encounters with different patients. It suggests medical professionals may need to use masks beyond the manufacturer-designated shelf life date, and to prioritize the use of masks for activities in which there may be sprays, splashes or prolonged exposure.

As a last resort, the C.D.C. says homemade masks like a bandanna or a scarf can be used, although their protective ability is unknown.
The U.S. Coast Guard took a crew member of the Grand Princess cruise ship from the ship Saturday so he could get medical attention for an unspecified "medical emergency."

The Coast Guard said that the crew member, in his early 40s, was suffering a medical emergency. Coast Guard crew consulted a duty flight surgeon who recommended the crewmember be "med-evaced" from the Grand Princess for treatment. The Coast Guard dispatched a Coast Guard Station San Francisco 45-foot "response boat-medium" crew to transport the crewmember to awaiting EMS personnel at Coyote Point in San Mateo.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Jacob Brenner is not exactly a classically trained baker.

And hes not exactly self-taught, either.

But however he learned, he learned well as his new bakery, Bread Shop, is quickly becoming a local sensation.

With baking, I really hesitate to say Im self-taught because I have had so many food people around me, and encouraging me and giving me tips, Brenner said.

A Santa Fe native who attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, Brenner put himself through school working in restaurants, and discovered a flair and passion for the food biz.

During and after college, I started cooking and worked my way up in restaurants, he said.

Brenner, 30, a Santa Fe High School grad, eventually ended up as one of the chefs at Ava Genes, an upscale Italian restaurant in Portland that utilized a farm-to-table concept.

While being in restaurants, I started baking on my own time and teaching myself baking sourdough bread, he said.

The various chefs he worked with along the way gave him tidbits of information that he incorporated into his style.

In the fall of 2018, he returned home, working at Paloma Santa Fe.

I knew that coming back, eventually I wanted to do my own food project, Brenner said. But I wasnt sure if it was going to be baking or some sort of smaller restaurant. As I came back here, I just kept baking a lot, and people really responded to the bread I was making and giving away.

If those folks only knew just how good they had it.

After a while, I just decided to really try and pursue it, and open up a little bakery, Brenner said. The folks at Paloma, the owner, everyone was super-supportive because I was working in the Santa Fe restaurant industry and being able to actively pursue opening my own business. I fell into a good starting point after having moved back here.

He left Paloma at the end of November, and spent December and January preparing for his February opening.

And now it almost takes a special effort to get a hunk of Brenners bread.

Im trying to be cautious about expectations, he said. For people who are hearing a bit about me, its not a huge, new, fancy bakery. Its really a humble operation.

It may be humble in that Brenner is a one-man baking band, but his wares are getting increasingly difficult to score.

I have been overwhelmed by the support, he said. I dont think I can overstate how grateful I am, and how supportive people from the Santa Fe and the outer Santa Fe community have been. Its really been fantastic.

Bread Shop, located at 1708 Lena St., Suite 101, is open Thursday through Sunday.

The store opens at 11 a.m., but like most bakers, Brenner is hard at work long before the little red rooster crows.

He churns out boules of sourdough, baguettes, seedy rye loaf, and sliced and lightly flavored focaccias  all of which are naturally leavened.

Thats just a different way of saying sourdough, Brenner said. I keep a sourdough starter that is fueled by wild, ambient yeast in the air and I use that to leaven all the different types of bread I do. It creates a classically, super crusty European-style bread.

The flour primarily comes from Mountain Mama Milling in Monte Vista, Colorodo, and Hayden Mills in Queen Creek, Arizona, but Brenner said he hopes to someday find a New Mexican miller that will be able to provide organic flour to fit his specifications.

And hes trying to figure out where his production schedule should be as the early success has been a bit overwhelming.

I come in super early, bake all the bread fresh every day that morning and, at this point, personally sell everything all afternoon, Brenner said. The flip side of that is I open at 11 and Ive been selling out almost every day. Sometimes close to 6, sometimes earlier, around 3-4. Im slowly ramping up my production, but I dont want to drastically do that and then find myself with unsold bread.

Its just a matter of getting a proper feel for the growing demand.

Im trying to find that fine line between being here for people and having the bread, Brenner said. And selling out, and being happy with that, too.
22.03.2020 LISTEN

ASERD-GHANA and Partners organized the SCHOOL AND PEACE DURBAR to sensitize the youth about the dangers associated with Conflict and Non-Peaceful Existence living towards societal development.

This was one of the activities outlined for the implementation of the Second Edition of the ASERD-GHANA EMPOWERING THE SCHOOL CHILD PROJECT in the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri and the Yunyoo-Nansuan Districts of the North East Region of Ghana.

The goal of the durbar was to educate the youth on the various manners and strategies to serve as peace advocates in their families and communities for a peaceful living before and after the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary General Election.

The Durbar was also a stakeholder engagement meeting to deliberate about the issues of conflict and various ways communities can adopt to promote peace and development in Ghana.

The Executive Director of ASERD-GHANA, Mr. Dimongso Kafari Benjamin in his speech explained the need for a peaceful living in the rural communities for their own development.

the development of any giving society is linked to the peaceful nature of its people. Because the lack of peace in any community or country will scare away investors and other development partners or individuals from coming to such communities with their investment or developmental activities.

According to him, many communities have lost several opportunities of that kind in the past and it has negatively affected their socioeconomic and societal development.

He sensitize the youth not to allow themselves to be used as vessels to cause crimes in their communities, which may endanger their future and that of the generations to come.

Mr. Dimongso therefore used the occasion and called on the Government, the Private Sector, CSOs/NGOs and other Philanthropist to come down the Bunkpurugu and Yunyoo areas with various development and economic activities since the communities are now enjoying an everlasting peace.

The North East Regional Minister, Hon. Solomon N. Boar, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri Constituency appealed to the youth to stay away from bad behaviors that could promote Non-Peaceful living and take their Academic seriously in other to achieve their goals in the future.

He appealed to the traditional Leaders to continue preaching peace among people in their communities for their Development.

The Chief of Najong No.1, a suburb of the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District, Naaba Paul Adambil-Laar, a retired Educationist, Chaired the ASERD-GHANA SCHOOL AND PEACE DURBAR.

He used the occasion to admonish the youth to serve as peace advocates in their communities for their Development and Peaceful living.

The Paramount Chief of the Gbankoni Traditional Council, Gbankoni Naaba Chamba Nasinmong Haruna Laar II delivered a speech on the role of the youth in promoting peace and Development in the Ghanaian communities towards a peaceful existence before and after the 2020 General Elections.

He advised the youth to embrace peace for societal Development and the Development of the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District.

The occasion saw the Bimoba Musicians Union Performing some peace songs on the stage to advocate for peace.

They included Evangelist Jacob Laar (a.k.a Damibe), Musician Adams Sukumah and Musician Biiyiab Lawrence (a.k.a Nanlele).

They used their songs to Preach and appeal to the general public to embrace peace for the Economic development of their communities.
Sometimes, when a global crisis occurs, as we are now seeing with the corona pandemic, it should compel people to behave differently. This is because to continue with past practice, as though nothing needs to change, is suicidal. PM Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation, has reiterated the serious nature of the problem, and outlined what needs to be done by ordinary people in the joint effort to contain and defeat the virus.

A key aspect of this endeavour is what is now called "social distancing". In practice this means that large meetings -- of even a few dozen people -- should not take place, period. While the government is working to enforce this -- schools, colleges, malls, cinema halls, even offices partially -- have been closed, and non-government actors are enforcing human congregations at their own level, two sets of people appear to be immune to such good sense.

The first are Muslim clerics who insist that the Friday congregation at mosques should continue; and the second are the protesters at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi.

I am aware that in saying this I will immediately be targeted by well-meaning reflex liberalists as attacking Muslims only. This is far from the truth. It is a matter of record that while I am a proud Hindu, I have staunchly believed in the non-negotiable imperative of respecting all faiths. But respect for all faiths does

not mean that one shies away from saying what one believes is right, irrespective of which religion it applies to.

It is for this reason that I was very critical of UP CM Yogi Adityanaths refusal to cancel the Awadha Ram Naumi mela. I am relieved, however, that he has done so now. If a diehard Hindutva votary like Adityanath can cancel a festival so popular among Hindus, keeping in mind the larger goal of containing the coronavirus, why cant the protestors at Shaheen Bagh, most of whom -- but not all -- are venerable Muslim ladies, call off their protest for the moment, and recongregate, if necessary, when the medical crisis is behind us?

Equally, why cant Muslim clerics instruct their religious brethren to temporarily forsake the gathering in mosques on Fridays, and offer namaz at their own homes? After all, major Hindu temples -- like those at Tirupati, Siddhivinayak and Puri -- have closed their doors, even when thousands of devotees used to visit

them every day.

I understand that religious faith and practice are very important to believers, but sometimes there are occasions when larger national - and even international - imperatives require enlightened decisions for the larger public good, including that of the believers themselves. The flock may not wish to change established religious practice, but it is precisely at this time that the leaders of the religious community must come forward and persuade it to take the right decision given the circumstances prevailing.

The anti-CAA-NRC protestors at Shaheen Bagh have the sacrosanct right to protest. This is guaranteed by the Constitution, and by the fundamental tenets of a vibrant democracy. The attempt to demonise them -- as some leaders of the BJP and the ultra-right -- are consistently attempting to do, is wrong. The grit and

determination of the elderly ladies at the protest site is also worthy of both respect and admiration. In voicing their opinion against the CAA-NRC they are in no way being anti-national, or seditious. The protestors have braved freezing winter nights and stuck to their convictions. However, the fight against the

corona virus, where large congregations of people, especially in close proximity, poses a serious threat, and can advance community spread of the disease, requires the protestors to heed the call of greater public interest. CM Arvind Kejriwal has said that gatherings of more than 50 people should not be held. This instruction needs to be followed. The protestors at Jamia have done so. Those at Shaheen Bagh need to follow suit.

We live in highly polarised times, which the ruling dispensation has verifiably contributed in creating. But some matters should not be automatically seen from the secularism versus anti-secularism debate. Those who believe in secularism as an article of faith, must also have the courage to say to those very minorities

for whose interests and protection they are fully committed, that they must act responsibly, in the interests of a larger goal that is pivotal for humanity as a whole. As president Kovind has rightly tweeted: "The coronavirus strikes beyond man-made distinctions of religion, race and region. We suddenly realise that in

the face of a grave mortal threat like the present one, we have but one identity - we are human beings."

It is good that Muslim clerics have appealed to community members to spend the Shab-e-Meraj, the night when Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to the heavens, in prayer at home and not in mosques. That night falls today, on Sunday. Some religious leaders of the Christian community too have issued statements discouraging the faithful from church congregations on Sunday. It is time now for Shaheen Bagh to be put on hold, especially since two of its lead organisers have been tested positive for the virus. Equally, Friday congregations at mosques should be forthwith suspended, and Muslim religious leaders should play the lead in enforcing this. Religion teaches us to serve god by serving humanity. This basic lesson needs to be internalised by all.
Four new coronavirus cases were found in Gujarat on Sunday, taking the total number of those infected with it to 18 in the state, officials said.

Of the four new coronavirus cases, two each were reported from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, they said.

"Total number of cases of coronavirus has risen to 18 in Gujarat," Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told reporters.

Earlier, 14 coronavirus cases were reported in the state till Saturday, including that of a woman from Kutch district who returned from Mecca recently.

Two new cases were reported in Ahmedabad on Sunday, taking the total number of cases in the district to seven.

Besides, with two new cases in Gandhinagar, the total number of cases in the state capital went up to three.

Three cases each have so far been reported from Vadodara and Surat while one case each has been found in Rajkot and Kutch, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Restaurant chain Leon will this week launch an Ocado-style home delivery site as it reinvents itself to survive the coronavirus crisis.

Following the Government's order that all restaurants must close, Leon will turn its 57 UK sites into shops selling groceries and takeaway meals.

Customers will be able to order online or on their phones and either collect in person or order a delivery from Uber Eats or Deliveroo.

The chain's e-commerce site, which will launch on Wednesday, will initially sell Leon groceries and ready-meals made by two of the chain's biggest suppliers.

Leon will this week launch an Ocado-style home delivery site, reinventing itself in the coronavirus times

It plans to widen the net to sell food from other restaurants and suppliers, in a bid to become 'the Ocado of the restaurant industry'. Mexican chain Wahaca has already held discussions with Leon about joining the venture in the coming weeks.

In a further twist, Hammerson, the property giant that is the landlord for Brent Cross in North London, last week offered Leon a free site in the shopping centre.

Leon has already started converting the 8,000 sq ft site, formerly occupied by bust retailer Mothercare, into its flagship shop.

John Vincent, Leon's founder and chief executive, has drawn up the radical plans in consultation with Government advisers and is adhering to strict social distancing guidelines.

He said the moves will save Leon's 1,500 UK jobs, prevent its 70 suppliers going out of business and help 'reignite' the wider industry.

Vincent added: 'Terrible things are happening. We have to act positively to save jobs and save the supply chain.'

Leon has closed seven restaurants in airports since the start of the crisis due to the impact of the travel ban.

It is is offering 50 per cent discounts to NHS workers and free delivery to hospitals.
How do naxals procure sophisticated weapons: It was the LTTE which aided them

Abducted CoBRA jawan Rakeshwar Singh Manhas released by Naxals after six days of captivity

AK-47s stolen from COD Jabalpur supplied to naxals, criminals says NIA in chargesheet

Naxals from Telangana were in the process of making grenade launchers, IEDs: NIA

Chhattisgarh: 17 security personnel killed in encounter with naxals in Sukma

India

oi-Deepika S

Chhattisgarh, Mar 22: Bodies of 17 security personnel, who went missing after a major encounter in Bastar's Sukma on Sunday. The Naxal attack in Sukma took place on Saturday.

"Bodies of 17 security personnel were recovered by a search team and were being evacuated from forests," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

Eleven policemen were injured in a fierce gun-battle with naxals in forests of Chhattisgarh''s insurgency-hit Sukma district on Saturday.

The encounter took place at around 2:30 pm near Korajguda hills in Chintagufa area when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-naxal operation, a senior police official said here.

Personnel of the police''s District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) had launched the operation from Chintagufa, Burkapal and Timelwada camps based on information about presence of ultras near Elmagunda.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 15:56 [IST]
The coronavirus pandemic has left no dividend safe, analysts are warning as investors in some of Britain's largest companies face billions of pounds worth of cuts to payouts.

The stark alert comes after several giant businesses slashed or delayed their dividends in the wake of the crisis in order to preserve cash.

InterContinental Hotels has severely cut its dividend and Marks & Spencer has saved 130million by suspending its payout.

Even Next  which is seen as one of the high street's strongest companies  is considering delaying its shareholder payout. Supermarket Morrisons last week shelved a special dividend.

Will UK's top dividends still be paid? Britain's largest companies face billions of pounds worth of cuts to payouts

Shareholder payouts have soared to record highs in recent years as company profits boomed after firms put the financial crisis behind them.

But in recent days, more than 1billion worth of dividends have already been either cut, suspended or delayed as businesses take action to save cash to deal with the effects of the viral outbreak.

Kingfisher is reporting its annual results on Tuesday and could slash its payout.

Analysts warned last night that even the biggest dividend payers in Britain  such as BP, Shell and GlaxoSmithKline  could be forced to follow suit.

'If Next is thinking of cutting then frankly pretty much no one is safe,' said AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould.

'Decisions to cut or delay dividend payments won't be taken lightly by management teams, showing how serious the hit to economic growth and company profits could be.

'The longer the viral outbreak lasts, you have to think that more companies will feel the need to take the same money-saving action.

'The good news is that at least these moves will help companies to weather the storm and protect jobs.

'As share prices have already collapsed for many companies, the shock factor will be much less than it might have been for investors.'

William Ryder, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'We can expect embattled companies to restrict spending on everything that's not essential to keep the lights on. Dividends will be strong contenders for the axe.

'Government and central bank support in the form of bridging loans could help keep otherwise viable businesses afloat, but the taxpayer is likely to feel gulled if that cash is handed to shareholders as dividends.'

Oil giant Shell is Britain's biggest dividend payer, dishing out 11.5billion a year to investors.

Others are HSBC, BP, British American Tobacco and drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline, with rival AstraZeneca also a major FTSE 100 dividend payer.

Mould said shareholder payouts at BP and Shell could also be at risk.

He said: 'Shell's ambitious share buyback programme looks under serious threat while it will be interesting to see if BP's new boss Bernard Looney uses his new mission for the firm and the new pricing environment as a reason for cutting the oil major's $7billion-a-year (6billion) dividend distribution.'

However, Societe Generale analyst Irene Himona said dividends were 'not an issue' in 2014 for the oil majors when crude prices crashed as they have now.

She said: 'Assuming Covid-19 mitigation efforts subside in the second half of the year it will not be an issue in 2020.'

Shore Capital's healthcare analyst Adam Barker said he expected AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline to keep paying dividends despite the crisis but added: 'I'm sure they're considering everything.'
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday clamped prohibitory orders in all urban areas of Maharashtra from Monday as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of coronavirus after the state reported its second Covid-19 linked death and 10 new cases.

Uddhav Thackeray said not more than five people will not be allowed to assemble at a place under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The chief minister said essential service, including banks, stock exchanges, vegetable markets, milk supply, etc, will continue but all public transport and buses will be shut down.

Only 5% of staff will be allowed in all government offices, Thackeray said. Only government employees deployed for essential services will be able to travel in these buses.

The 63-year-old man died at a private hospital in Mumbai late on Saturday and the number of infected people in Maharastra climbed to 74, with 10 new cases in Mumbai, according to officials.

Patient positive case of Covid-19 had a chronic history of diabetes, high blood pressure and ischemic heart disease and he developed acute respiratory distress syndrome leading to death, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations public health department said in a release.

This is the second Covid-19 related death in Maharashtra and Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan have reported one fatality each before this. Bihar also reported that a 38-year-old man has died after contracting the disease.

The rise in the Covid-19 cases comes on a day millions of people kept themselves at the homes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed or a Janta Curfew to check the spread of the deadly virus.
Kolkata's air quality showed a



significant improvement on Sunday, with most people remaining indoors to observe 'Janata Curfew' in view of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

The PM 2.5 air quality index (AQI) was 'satisfactory' in all the automated air monitoring stations in the city during the day, an official of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board said.

The PM 2.5 AQI reading at the Ballygunge air monitoring station was 64 on Sunday noon while that in Bidhannagar was 74, the official said.

It read 57 at Fort William, 64 at Rabindra Bharati University, 45 at Jadavpur and 64 at Rabindra Sarobar air monitoring stations, he said.

The PM 2.5 levels hovered between 150 and 250 (moderate to severe range) across all the air stations till very recently, the official said.

For the past two days, the city's average AQI was between 70 and 110, he said.

"The other side of the coronavirus outbreak is lower emission of pollutants in the air due to near-total shutdown, with a few very vehicles plying the roads," the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STATES WHICH HAVE DELAYED VOTING AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Primaries postponed until May/June in: Georgia Ohio Maryland Indiana Louisiana Connecticut Kentucky Rhode Island - recommended the primary be delayed to June Wisconsin - debating what to do Runoff elections postponed in: Alabama Texas Mississippi Local elections postponed in: Oklahoma Missouri New Jersey Advertisement

U.S. elections have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. At least 13 states have postponed voting and more delays are possible as health officials warn that social distancing and other measures to contain the virus might be in place for weeks, if not months.

The states that have yet to hold their primaries find themselves in a seemingly impossible situation as they look to balance public health concerns with the need to hold elections. While election officials routinely prepare for natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires, the virus outbreak poses a unique challenge.

'Usually when we are dealing with a crisis in elections, its something that happens and then its done,' said Chris Harvey, Georgia's director of elections. 'The difference now is that its a spreading threat, a fast-growing threat. We dont know where, when or how it is going to end.'

Primaries scheduled for Georgia, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana, Louisiana, Connecticut and Kentucky have all been postponed to May or June. The Rhode Island Board of Elections has recommended the primary be delayed to June, while officials in Wisconsin are debating what to do.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has insisted the April 7 primary be held as scheduled, but a state elections commissioner said this past week that doing so would put people at risk.

The state's chief elections official cited a host of problems Wisconsin could face if it moved forward with the election: a poll worker shortage, lack of polling places and potential disruption of absentee voting if mail service in the U.S. were to shut down.

At least 13 states have postponed voting and more delays are possible as health officials warn that social distancing and other measures to contain the virus might be in place for weeks, if not months. Seen above, Matthew Guerrero, 22, of Des Moines, Washington wears a bear mask as he drops off his presidential primary mail-in ballot in person at King County Elections in Renton, Washington on March 10

All this comes at the worst possible time for election officials, in the middle of a major election year. The virus outbreak erupted halfway through the presidential primary season. Voters in 23 states have yet to cast their ballots.

While Arizona, Florida and Illinois held their elections as scheduled last Tuesday, Ohio halted voting over public health concerns after federal officials encouraged people over age 65 to stay home.

'We cannot tell people to stay inside, but also tell them to go out and vote,' Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, said on Twitter, in announcing plans to delay.

The states that have opted to press ahead have found themselves dealing with what one Chicago elections official called a 'tsunami' of cancellations by poll workers, who tend to be older, and a last-minute scramble to relocate polling places away from nursing homes and senior living communities.

In this March 18 photo early voters cast their ballots at the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Severe illness and death associated with coronavirus has been most common in people 65 and older, especially those who have heart disease or other chronic conditions.

In addition to the presidential race, dozens of congressional and local primaries are in limbo. Primaries play an important role in deciding which party candidates will appear on the ballot for the November general election.

Runoff elections in Alabama, Texas and Mississippi were also delayed, as were local elections in Oklahoma, Missouri and New Jersey.

There's no indication May or June will be any better to hold elections, but officials say postponing voting even for a few weeks gives them an opportunity to put in place plans to keep the public safe while voting. This includes moving polling places, recruiting backup poll workers and acquiring enough cleaning supplies for voting sites.

'At some point, we have to execute an election,' Harvey said, adding Georgia planned a major push to expand absentee voting for the May primary.

There have been calls, including from Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, for elections to be held mostly by mail. But making this switch will be difficult for some and impossible for others.

In several states, it would take legislation or even a constitutional amendment to allow. Even then, election experts say there would be costs and logistical hurdles.

For instance, states would have to decide whether taxpayers or individual voters would be responsible for return postage. It would require new machines and software in many places to track ballots in the mail and process and count them when theyre returned. All of that could cost billions of dollars, at a time when state revenues are likely to drop amid increased unemployment and decreased tax collections.

Further, advocates say not all voters can fill out ballots by hand and that sending ballots could miss some voters, such as Native Americans who live on reservations where mail isnt delivered to every home.

In this March 17 photo a man, who hoped to vote in the scheduled primary election, stands outside a closed polling station at Schiller Recreation Center in Columbus, Ohio

Meanwhile, steps taken - or not taken - to change aspects of the voting process are being met with lawsuits from political parties and voting rights advocates.

In Ohio, voting rights groups are suing the state for refusing to reopen the voter registration window for the state primary, now scheduled for June 2. Under Ohio law, voters can register up to 30 days before an election. Advocates say the other states with postponed primaries are allowing voter registration ahead of rescheduled elections.

In Wisconsin, the Democratic Party has sued to force the state to make it easier to register to vote and request an absentee ballot. They also have asked for mailed ballots to count if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 10 days after voting.

Any increase in absentee voting will surely add to the workload for election offices already stretched thin and navigating recommendations that people work from home.

The elections office in Cobb County, Georgia, has sent home most of its temporary and seasonal employees brought on to help prep for elections. That means more work for the full-time employees who remain, as they are already seeing an increase in applications for absentee ballots.

'As we prepare for May, there is still so much to do,' said Janine Eveler, elections director for the metro Atlanta county. 'Many of us are here when we would like to be home with our families because its scary right now.'

Looming over the scramble over the primaries are worries about the general election in November, a date that is set by federal law. Federal legislation has been proposed that would have all voters receive a mail-in ballot for the November election and provide federal funds to help states cover the costs.

In this March 15 photo former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios in Washington. U.S. elections have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU's School of Law is calling for task forces in every state to implement plans for executing an election amid a pandemic and urging Congress to provide money to help states. They estimate their proposals, including universal mail-in voting, could cost up to $2 billion.

'Things will need to change,' said Wendy Weiser, head of the center's democracy program.

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. 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.
Siri appears to have been updated to help users who ask if they have COVID-19.

iPhone users who are wondering whether they have COVID-19 can now turn to Siri.

Apple has updated its voice assistant to provide users with a step-by-step questionnaire if they ask variations of, "Hey Siri, do I have the coronavirus?"

The update appears to have been made on Saturday, when users first started noticing it.

TWEET

Siri will ask users if they're exhibiting symptoms of the disease, such as fever, dry cough or shortness of breath. Siri will advise people who say they have extreme or life-threatening symptoms to consider calling 911.

If users say their symptoms are not extreme or life threatening, Siri instructs people to stay home and avoid contact with other people. It advises them to contact a medical provider if their condition becomes more severe.

It also providers users with a link in the App Store, where they can download telehealth apps and potentially receive virtual consultation.

The answers are from the U.S. Public Health Service, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Apple.

The service is intended for users in the United States. It is not known if, or when, the service will be expanded internationally.

An Apple spokesperson did not share further information on the changes.

Apple is not the only tech giant who has mobilized its resources to help health officials respond to the global pandemic, which has now sickened more than 300,000 people across the world.

Facebook said earlier this week it planned to launch a coronavirus information center that will appear alongside users' news feed. It encourages people to take social distancing seriously and also has a "request or offer help" page.

Google's much-anticipated website dedicated to providing information about COVID-19 debuted on Friday.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 01:15:49|Editor: yan

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BUDAPEST, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday pledged constant contact and cooperation in the two countries' responses to the novel coronavirus epidemic, Hungarian news agency MTI reported.

"Orban and Vucic agreed to coordinate Hungary's and Serbia's defense against the outbreak as much as possible," MTI quoted the prime minister's press chief as saying. "To this end, they decided to have ongoing online and personal contacts between the two governments," MTI added.

"At the meeting, which was also attended by Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali, Orban and Vucic ensured mutual solidarity between their countries and discussed the situation at the borders," according to MTI.

Szijjarto and Mali agreed that it was their important duty to maintain a steady flow of goods to supply the Serbian and Hungarian people.

According to the updated statistics of the Hungarian government, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hungary stood at 131 on Sunday, with 16 reported recoveries, 6 fatalities.
Kolkata, March 22 : The West Bengal government on Sunday ordered complete lockdown of Kolkata, six districts and municipal and district towns besides some rural areas in other parts of the state from 5 p.m. on Monday to Friday midnight to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The order was given under the West Bengal Epidemic Disease's COVID-19 regulations, 2020, framed according to relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

"The government of West Bengal hereby notifies 'complete safety restriction' with effect from 5 pm on March 23 to midnight of March 27", said the order, which would come into effect across identified urban and rural areas for prevention and containment of coronavirus.

The order stipulates complete restrictions on public transport services including operation of taxis and auto-rickshaws, closure of all shots, commercial establishments, offices and factories, workshops and warehouses.

"All foreign returnees and other such persons so required by the health personnel are directed to remain under strict home quarantine for a period as directed by the local health authorities," it said.

The order issued by the Chief Secretary also asked people to stay at home and come out only for basic services while strictly following the social distancing guidelines.

The government prohibited congregation of more than seven persons in public places and warned that violators would be punished under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.
Chris Evans is synonymous with his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Steve Rogers aka Captain America but another actor had been on the shortlist for the career-changing role; John Krasinski. Since Krasinski lost out on the part more than nine years ago, hes joined the list of iconic characters almost by other actors and still hasnt let Evans forget it.

Evans first donned Captain Americas suit and carried the comic book characters shield in 2011s Captain America: The First Avenger. But during the casting process for the movie, it had been a close race. Krasinski later said he even did an audition in full costume, according to Screenrant.

In the end, the role of Captain America went to Evans who, of course, went on to become a household name for his portrayal of the superhero, earning millions and millions of dollars for each Avengers film. Today, he has an estimated net worth of $50 million.

John Krasinski wasnt mad he lost out on playing Captain America to Chris Evans

Nearly a decade later with all the Avengers movies complete, Krasinski hasnt stopped teasing his fellow actor for nabbing the role of Captain America. But its all in good fun. When the 40-year-old, who is now married to Emily Blunt, found out Evans got cast as Captain America instead of him, he wasnt upset but rather happy for him. Theyd known each other for years and there wasnt any ill will about the role.

John Krasinski on Aug. 17, 2016, at the AOL Build presentation for The Hollers | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

In a Feb. 2020 interview with Esquire, Krasinski said he wasnt competitive about the role or upset in any way when Evans beat him out for the part.

People have a sense that some of us are insanely competitive. Ive known Chris forever. So as soon as they said Chris Evans got the part, I was like, Yeah, look at that guy. Are you kidding me? He is Captain America, he said.

He and Chris Evans are still laughing about it

In the same interview, Krasinski said he had recently crossed paths with Evans shortly before sitting down with the publication, and there wasnt any bad blood between them, only jokes.

And I just saw Chris a couple of weeks ago and we were still laughing about it. I said, I love that you retired in my role, Krasinski said.

This wasnt the first time Krasinski talked about losing out to Evans for the role of Captain America. In a 2016 interview witih Collider he called Evans performance as the superhero fantastic and on another occasion told Total Film hed been happy to have the freedom to pursue other projects as opposed to being committed to multiple Marvel movies.

.@JohnKrasinski told me about auditioning for the role of Captain America. pic.twitter.com/PPqv8a1ZkF  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) February 10, 2020

Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in Feb. 2020, Krasinski recounted a funny story involving his Captain America audition and trying on the costume. Plus, he said he ultimately felt relieved about getting passed over for the role because had he gotten it, he wouldve missed out on other opportunities.

While we wont know what Krasinski wouldve been like as Captain America, were happy we got to see him in Amazons original series, Jack Ryan, and flex his muscles as a director with A Quiet Place and now A Quiet Place Part II.
22.03.2020 LISTEN

The 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 popularly known as COVID-19. It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome. The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019 and was recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

Many super-power countries like Russia, the United State of America and Germany have confirmed the colossal number of cases of the deadly disease. African and neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Togo and Ivory Coast amongst many have also reported cases of patients who have tested positive leaving a scare amongst many other dispensations. About a fortnight ago, Ghana had begun identifying cases of the deadly virus in the country. The case, hitherto, stood at two (2). Currently, there are about twenty-two (22) confirmed cases.

Eight of which have reportedly recovered. These delicate developments compelled for a recession in most economic activities as a result of a presidential edict by His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.

Fast forward, I am most concerned, as a student about how disadvantageous the break will be, to the whole student populace across the country. There will obviously be a shift in the academic calendar and a shift in many academic activities.

My contribution is very short and precise as a student leader and a concerned student as a whole. We would have from the word go, be rolling out online studies easily if we had started the practice long ago as a major educational reform. I think this development is a wake-up call for us all to promote the use of online studies in our various educational institutions.

In the mean, students should be notified about the following precautionary measures

Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and other household items if you are sick.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Avoid large events and mass gathering

Avoid contact with live animals and surfaces they may have touched if you are visiting live markets in areas that have recently had new coronavirus cases

To this end, I urge all Ghanaian students far and near, to adhere to all precautionary measures as we surge on to get pass this critical moment of our countrys history.
RAVI SHANKAR and NC BIPINDRA By

The dying months of 2001 were bad for America and the world. Less than a month after Islamic terrorists crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center, 62-year-old photojournalist Bob Stevens was admitted in a Florida hospital on October 2, 2001. The initial diagnosis was meningitis but it was soon found to be poisoning by anthrax, a weapon of bioterrorism. A few days later, in India, the Postal Department received 17 suspicious letters believed to be infected with anthrax spores. Though many individuals and institutions received the envelopes with white powder, none of them tested positive. It was dismissed as a copycat hoax.

Biological attacks, both state-sponsored and otherwise, are a real threat despite the many treaties prohibiting them. Though the Indian Army is trained to prepare for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks, the programmes are on the back burner due to lack of resources, says Centre for Joint Warfare Studies Director Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retired), who was previously Director General, Military Operations. India, with its vast disorganised population, dismal health facilities and poor connectivity, is sitting on a virus time bomb. Though the fatality, infection and recovery rate of Covid-19, as the novel coronavirus is called, is comparatively low, experts are not sure full data is available.

ANSWERING THE COVID QUESTION

The pandemic has sent countries and economies into a tailspin. As soon as the outbreak began from Wuhan in central China, conspiracy theorists warned that the virus had escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a military lab in the province which is dedicated to the study of deadly pathogens. According to Dany Shoham, Israeli biological warfare specialist and expert on Chinese biological warfare capabilities, the institute is part of Beijings secret bioweapons programme. In 2019, Canada expelled Chinese researcher Xiangguo Qiu who was working in a government-run lab, which studies numerous infectious diseases, including Ebola, to create vaccines and cures. She had previous experience working in Chinese labs dealing with lethally infectious diseases. China is currently building around five bio-facilities.

Beijing has blamed the US Army for bringing the virus to their country. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted on March 12, When did patient zero begin in US? ...It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Tweeting sympathy for China, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested that the #Corona lab-made virus was deliberately created as a biological weapon by Beijings enemies to halt the countrys progress. The US, Europe, Russia and Australia have around 50 functioning or under-construction maximum-security labs, according to news reports. Western intelligence suspects that Iran and North Korea also possess chemical weapon labs. The study of dangerous pathogens such as Ebola or Marburg cannot be conducted without importing the viruses into a country. All nations doing virology research have lab biosafety levels of (BSL-4) with 24/7 security with their own air supply and filters.

A medical team member heading to Wuhan says goodbye to a loved one in Urumqi,

China, in late January

But in the face of Covid-19 crisis, US President Donald Trump plunged America into panic by dithering, dismissing the impact with outright falsehoods. Many political leaders are in quarantine indicating that nobody is safe. Whole cities and countries are in lockdown. Says a former Indian Air Force Commander-in-Chief of a key Air Command, The actions and capabilities required to tackle bioterrorism are identical to the ones required to contain coronavirus. Large medical facilities are needed to isolate, treat, and decontaminate patients before discharging them. You need special clothing for personnel operating in contaminated areas, not just masks. Two lethal non-conventional warfare threats haunt global security.  Biological weapons manufactured by terrorists.  Chemical agents used by totalitarian governments to kill dissidents at home and abroad.

NO PREVENTION FOR LONE WOLF ATTACKS

Currently, Japan is on a war footing to prevent bioterror attacks during the July-August Tokyo Olympics, which is expected to attract 600,000 visitors from abroad. For the first time, it has imported five types of live virusesEbola, Marburg, Lassa, Crimean-Congo and South American virusesto study detection and prevention measures. Bringing pathogens into a country is easy for terrorists, since virus sensors are largely ineffective. It is simple for a terrorist to unleash a contagiongerms can be mixed in powders and aerosol sprays. They can be sent by mail on infected envelopes or notepaper. They can be added to food or a citys water supply. They can be released into the wind from a truck, building, or plane. The modern terrorist is highly motivated and educated, and holds advanced science and IT degrees.

There is nothing to prevent a medical student in a private virology research lab from weaponising a tiny amount of smallpox pathogen from existing stocks. Or he can manufacture synthetic versions. Smallpox is difficult to detect and contain since it is extinct and doctors are unfamiliar with its symptoms, which show only two weeks after incubation. A drug named TPOXX has received FDA approval, but hasnt gone to the manufacturing stage since the disease is classified only a threat. All of us wish we did not live in a world where terrorists and hostile nation states aspire to kill millions with biological organisms. Twenty years ago, we found ourselves woefully unprepared for the 9/11. Three thousand Americans died as a result. Next time it may be a pandemic and entire cities decimated by disease, writes retired undercover CIA officer Charles Sam Faddis, who headed the agencys counterterrorism unit tracking weapons of mass destruction.

An important American counterterrorism official testified before the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has high intentions to procure chemical weapons and biological devices, particularly in Pakistan and Yemen. According to an Indian Army officer monitoring the quarantine at Manesar in Haryana, the facility has treated several hundreds of travellers from abroad and the military is experienced in handling health emergency cases.

However, the officer, who has over 20 years of service, confided that the Army has not procured new equipment in the last two decades to counter nuclear, biological and chemical attacks, except for developing a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-manufactured reconnaissance vehicle for NBC countermeasures in 2003. The Indian military currently deploys nuclear, biological and chemical countermeasures that include DRDOs domestically developed quarantine vehicles for battlefield decontamination efforts. It has brought Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology from the US to help troopers wade through contaminated areas safely and conduct decontamination exercises. Security agencies fear Islamic State (IS) operatives or terrorists could detonate a dirty nuke; after the Pulwama strike-back, Pakistan had threatened nuclear retaliation.

DIRTY BOMB IS REAL

In 1995, Chechen militant leader Shamil Basayev buried a dirty bomb in a Moscow park, threatening to turn the city into an eternal desert. Though it turned out to be just a warning, the fear that a small motivated group can make an active dirty bomb became real to world intelligence. A non-nuclear dirty bomb will disperse radioactive materials to contaminate areas and kill thousands. Such explosive devices are easier for a homegrown radical to make in his garage. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), millions of radioactive sources have been distributed worldwide over the past 50 years in myriad commercial, industrial, medical and research sites in over 100 countries. Most of these facilities are poorly guarded, making them vulnerable to theft.

In 1987, two Brazilian men stole a teletherapy unit from an abandoned cancer clinic to sell for scrap. Fascinated by the sci-fi deep blue light pulsing through a small opening, they dissembled it. The glow was caused by caesium gamma radiation beams used in the treatment of malignant tumours. Both thieves were infected and died. They had given pieces of the suit to friends and relatives with fatal consequences. The government spent millions of dollars to decontaminate topsoil where the suit was discarded. Buildings were demolished. Locally produced goods were boycotted and prices dropped by 40 percent. Tourism collapsed. Ironically, the same isotopes, which are used to save lives, make ideal materials to produce a dirty bomb.

Japanese scientists prevent the germ weapons theyve infected a Chinese test subject with, from spreading during World War II.

A malware attack on a nuclear plant could cause another Chernobyl: India has 22 functioning nuclear reactors in seven nuclear power plants with seven more reactors under construction. The world has 450 nuclear reactors in around 30 countries. According to Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) Index, a unique public assessment of the status of nuclear materials security conditions in 176 countries, many developing nations are highly vulnerable to sabotage because of poor protective measures.

Fortunately, the Global Threat Reduction Initiative has secured about 1,700 radiological sites around the world containing enough material to make tens of thousands of large dirty bombs. Counter-terrorism experts believe that US President Donald Trumps peace deal with the Taliban which imposes no restrictions on them could lead to the next 9/11 or worse. The impact of the Covid-19 tsunami will prod a rethink on conventional responses to unconventional weapons. Any anti-India group may be overtly or covertly contemplating a strike. By indoctrination and financial inducement, they could lure scientists and technicians working in biotech and cyber labs, says Major General Nilendra Kumar, who retired as the Judge Advocate General of the Indian Army a decade ago.

GOVERNMENTS AS CRIMINALS

Biological terrorism apart, countries at war have mercilessly unleashed chemical warfare on enemy combatants and their own citizens. The Russians and their Soviet forebears were masters at poisoning dissidents. On March 4, 2018, Russian spies smeared respiratory nerve agent Novichok on the doorknob of double agent Sergei Skripals home, contaminating him and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia. Once he recovered, MI6 paid for plastic surgery to alter his appearance and gave him a new identity. Previously in 2006, the assassination of former KGB and then FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko who defected to the UKby Russians, who covertly put polonium in his food, caused a major diplomatic row between London and Moscow.

In London in 1978, a Bulgarian communist agent using an umbrella gun fired a tiny bullet loaded with deadly ricin into defector Georgi Markovs leg. As is evident in the ongoing strife in Syria, the Assad regime has been using chemical weapons since 2012 on civilians. The devastating sarin gas attack in August 2013 killed over 1,400 non-combatants in Damascus. Ironically Syria is part of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 1997, which prohibits chemical weapons development, production and deployment and ordered that existing weapons must be destroyed; Assads violation of the agreement shows the weakness of enforcing policy.

A United Nations-sponsored organisation discovered that the IS used sulfur mustard gas in Syria against civilians for the first time. The Japanese Army killed tens of thousands of Chinese civilians in World War II using poison gas. The occupiers also poisoned over 1,000 water wells to study cholera and typhus outbreaks using villagers as human guinea pigs. The use of chemical agents against the Native American tribes is one of the most shameful incidents in British history: soldiers distributed blankets used by smallpox patients to infect them.

IS INDIA READY FOR GERM WARFARE?

As far back as in December 1998, India began to train its medical personnel to deal with the eventualities of bioterror attacks. Since it had ratified the 1972 United Nations Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, India has not executed a bioweapon programme. However, the Army does maintain defensive biological warfare equipment at protected sites. With extensive help from the advanced dual-use pharmaceutical industry and defence labs, the military is researching ways to counter germ warfare. India has the scientific capability to carry out a bio-offensive in case of a first strike, using delivery systems ranging from crop dusters to ballistic missiles.

India does not hold or believe in nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. However, the National Disaster Management Authority has resources and laboratories to counter bio-aggression by a hostile country. Selective attacks would catch the enemy by surprise, inflict a psychological blow and impose a drain on medical resources necessary to attend the victims, says Major General Kumar. Sources say that India has a sophisticated globally acknowledged biotechnology infrastructure, and sufficient well-trained and knowledgeable scientists, most of who are adequately experienced in handling epidemics. It has numerous pharma production facilities and biocontainment laboratories with Biosafety Levels 3 and 4, according to NTI, a Washington DC-based think-tank.

DRDO is India's biodefence industrys core, whose top laboratory is the Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) located at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. It is Indias go-to institution for studies in toxicology, biochemical pharmacology and the development of antibodies against bacterial and viral agents. The DRDO works and focuses on countering biothreats such as anthrax, brucellosis, cholera, plague, smallpox, viral hemorrhage fever and botulism. Additionally, the government has established nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) warfare directorates in the armed forces, as well as an inter-services coordination committee to monitor their training and preparation. The military has set up an NBC cell at Army Headquarters as well.

However, DRDOs massive failures of its indigenous weapons programmes do not paint an inspiring picture. Says former Indian Air Force Group Captain Sandeep Mehta, Indias preparedness to tackle a bioterror attack ranges from poor to pathetic, and its capability is limited to helping relief providers who are then expected to deliver. The Biosafety Level 2 laboratory at the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Hyderabad provides guidance in preparing the government for a biological attack. However, Indian Armys Medical Corps specialists have publicly expressed reservations that Indian hospitals are inadequately prepared. CISF has been enabled to deploy specially trained first responders. In January 2003, the government announced changes in Indias nuclear use doctrine, which now retains the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons, after the discovery that al-Qaeda manuals taught the production and use of toxins.

After the December 2002 Parliament attack, an Indian parliamentary committee considered plans to make underground bunkers to protect MPs from nuclear and biological attacks. Then defence minister George Fernandes indicated that the government has initiated necessary steps to ensure protection from a nuclear and bio-attack. In an apparent follow-up in August 2004, the then Home Minister Shivraj Patil indicated that Indian scientists were formulating a response to potential biological, chemical, and other non-conventional forms of terrorism. India has stringent export control regulations outlined in the Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment, and Technologies (SCOMET) guidelines. Its national export product control list, which identifies goods, technologies and services are subject to dual-use licensing requirements.

However in 2003, the US sanctioned two Indian companies charged with violating government regulations by supplying dual-use plant equipment to the Saddam Hussein regime for its chemical and biological weapons programmes, the NTI website says. In June 2015, India and the US signed a 10-year defence framework agreement for cooperation in the development of defence capabilities, including a lightweight protective suit effective in chemical and biological hazard environments. In September last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned that bioterrorism is among the new threats facing the country and asked the Armed Forces Medical Services to find effective ways to deal with new threats posed by advancing battlefield technologies. Whether Covid-19 is a bioterror weapon which went awry or a virus that got away, the real threat of a humanity ending, manufactured contagion unleashed by hostile countries for world domination haunts governments, military leaders, scientists and security experts worldwide. In spite of sophisticated electronic surveillance, countermeasures, scientific research and human intelligence, the coronavirus proves that the bugs are never too far to arrive at a location near you soon.

Conspiracy theorists have warned that the novel coronavirus had escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a military lab dedicated to the study of deadly pathogens. According to an Israeli biological warfare specialist, the institute is part of Beijings secret bioweapons programme. China is currently building around five bio-facilities.

The US, Europe, Russia and Australia have around 50 functioning or under-construction maximum-security labs, according to news reports. Western intel suspects that Iran and North Korea also possess chemical weapon labs.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has high intentions to procure chemical weapons and biological devices, particularly in Pakistan and Yemen, states a testimony by a top US counterterrorism official.

Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad has used choking agents, such as chlorine gas and blister agents like sulphur mustard. The 2013 sarin gas attack killed over 1,400 non-combatants in Damascus. Ironically, Syria is part of the prohibitory Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997.

A UN-sponsored organisation has discovered that the IS used sulfur mustard gas in Syria against civiliansthe first time an Islamist group used bioweapons. Security agencies fear rogue IS operatives or terrorists could detonate a nuke.

IAEA says millions of radioactive sources have been distributed worldwide over the past 50 years in several commercial, industrial, medical and research sites in over 100 countries. Most of these are poorly guarded.

ALLEGATIONS DURING THE POST-WORLD WAR II PERIOD

The Eastern European press stated that Great Britain had used biological weapons in Oman in 1957.

The Chinese alleged that the USA engineered a cholera epidemic in Hong Kong in 1961.

In July 1964, the Soviet newspaper Pravda asserted that the US Military Commission in Columbia and Colombian troops had used biological agents against peasants in Colombia and Bolivia.

In 1969, Egypt accused imperialistic aggressors of using biological weapons in the Middle East, specifically causing an epidemic of cholera in Iraq in 1966.

HOW A TERRORIST CAN UNLEASH A CONTAGION

Viruses can be mixed in powders and aerosol sprays.

They can be sent by mail on infected enveloped or notepaper.

They can be added to food or a citys water supply.

They can be released into the wind from a truck , building, or plane.

A student in a private virology research lab can weaponise a tiny amount of smallpox pathogen from the stocks.
By PTI

CHENNAI: While Tamil Nadu came to a virtual standstill on Sunday as people observed the 'Janata Curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help check the spread of coronavirus, the state government extended it till 5 am on Monday.

While the support of people, traders, industries and other sections of the society was visible on Sunday, the government acknowledged their "cooperation" and said the curfew scheduled to end at 9 pm on Sunday "will continue till 5 am tomorrow considering people's welfare."

An official release here said there was no bar to continuation of essential services and appealed to people to extend their full cooperation.
Germanys Angela Merkel in Quarantine After Doctor Tests Positive for CCP Virus

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been quarantined after a doctor who gave her a vaccine tested positive for the CCP virus, according to a spokesperson on Sunday.

Merkel was informed about the doctors test shortly after a press conference about curbing the spread of the virus, said spokesman Steffen Seibert on Sunday in a statement to The Associated Press.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine on March 20 against pneumococcal infection. Pneumococci are a type of bacteria.

The chancellor will now undergo regular tests over the coming days and will work from home, Seibert said.

In her press conference, Merkel thanked the overwhelming majority of Germans who were following guidelines established by the government to deal with the pandemic.

I know that it means sacrifice, she said of new social measures. Im moved by the fact that so many are abiding by these rules. This way we show care for older and sick people, because the virus is most dangerous to them. In short: we are saving lives with this, Merkel said, AP reported.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) attends a military welcome ceremony with Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne in Berlin, Germany, on July 10, 2019. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Trucks are jammed in the early morning on Autobahn 12 in front of the German-Polish border crossing near Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, on March 18, 2020. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP)

After the conference, it was revealed that her doctor tested positive for the CCP virus.

Last week, she compared the pandemic to World War II.

This is serious. And we must take it seriously, Merkel said on March 18. There has been no such challenge to our country since German reunificationno, not since the Second World War IIthat relies so heavily on us all working together in solidarity.

On Sunday, she announced that public gatherings of more than two people are prohibited to prevent the spread of the virus, which emerged last year in Wuhan, China. Merkel ordered restaurants to offer drive-through and take-out only. Beauty, massage, and tattoo shops must also close.

Around the same time, the office of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced he tested positive for COVID-19.

He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person, his office wrote in a statement.

The junior Kentucky senator will still work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time, his office said in a Twitter post. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.
T he US vice president has tested negative for coronavirus after being examined following the diagnosis of one of his staff members.

Mike Pence and his wife Karen were assessed and it has since been announced both were cleared.

The vice president previously said the staffer did not have close contact with either him or US President Donald Trump and was doing well.

It comes as three American states with a combined population of 70 million moved to restrict residents to their homes.

The US has seen more than 26,000 infected since the beginning of the outbreak.
Perhaps the most dangerous phrase in any industry is because weve always done it this way, and Clemson University researchers are studying whether a widely accepted management tool for waterfowl is all its quacked up to be.

The management tool in question is called a nest box, which is simply an artificial enclosure in which birds nest. Nest boxes built for wood ducks and other species of waterfowl are often fitted with metal guards around their support posts to ward off snakes and other climbing predators.

In 2018, Nemours Wildlife Foundation, in Beaufort County, S.C., gathered more than 30 waterfowl biologists from across the Southeast to address and develop research questions regarding habitat and population research and management for waterfowl using the South Atlantic Flyway. These experts decided it was time to evaluate the effectiveness of nest boxes as a conservation strategy.

All the states and their departments of natural resources and other conservation partners have lots of nest boxes out there  hundreds of thousands of them  and what should we do? Should we continue this management strategy? Or are these boxes what we might refer to as ecological traps, said Clemson Professor Rick Kaminski. We erect them, we attract hens, they produce ducklings that leave the boxes, but the ducklings may get eaten by a myriad of different predators. Are these box-nesting populations sustaining themselves? Thats the question were trying to address.

Now, a regional Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway Study of Box-Nesting Wood Duck Recruitment among federal, state and private entities in eight states  both Carolinas, Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Wisconsin  seeks for the first time to collect data at a regional scale to determine if nest box programs are effective.

That is, to determine whether the rate at which nesting hens and their daughters return to nest and produce offspring is adequate to sustain or grow the population, or are the boxes sinks, causing these populations actually to decline without immigration of females from other areas.

The Nemours Wildlife Foundation, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Clemson Universitys James C. Kennedy Waterfowl & Wetlands Conservation Center, and Clemson graduate students Emily Miller and Jacob Shurba completed a pilot study for the project in 2019 on Lake Moultrie, near Bonneau, S.C., banding and tagging ducklings and hens and are now tracking recruitment rates of ducks using 169 boxes in this study area. The study will continue for three to five years at Lake Moultrie and in the aforementioned states. More than 1,000 boxes will continue to be monitored across the nine states.

Ernie Wiggers, director of the Nemours Wildlife Foundation, said there is a reason this type of study has not previously been done widely: because it requires a regional approach and years of data collection.

This is where we feel our involvement and support can be important as we are very willing to join in this effort for as long as it takes to tackle this question, Wiggers said. This is a research priority developed with the input from waterfowl biologists across multiple states, so we feel this research addresses very relevant questions. Having smart, energetic graduate students involved is a bonus. Theyll develop great data sets, analyze these data and provide the results while gaining incredible experiences theyll use to become our future professional biologists. Its wonderful to be able to join with other organizations like the Kennedy Center, Clemson University, state and federal agencies to attack this research question.

In the early 1980s, SCDNR began a highly successful statewide wood duck box program. Through this program SCDNR and partners construct and distribute nest boxes and predator shields to private landowners. Since the beginning of the program, an average of 1,300 units have been distributed annually and demand for nest boxes seems to increase every year.

SCDNR waterfowl biologist Molly Kneece, a Clemson alumna, said a contemporary nest box study is long overdue to examine the true contribution that artificial structures have on wood duck populations across the southeast.

SCDNR is excited to partner with Clemson and the Nemours Wildlife Foundation to accomplish this goal, Kneece said. SCDNR helped play an early role in the development of this research and selecting study sites. The agency continues to ensure students have the tools they need to complete their work in the field; from housing and boats, to new nest boxes and predator shields, and ensuring the proper federal bird banding permits are in place. We are excited to see the end results from this study and apply that knowledge to improve our management of wood duck populations in South Carolina.

Wood ducks are known as cavity nesters, meaning they nest in natural cavities in forested environments to avoid predators. In the early 1900s, bird populations were being extirpated primarily because of a loss of habitat and, in the case of ducks, because they were widely hunted for the market.

When the forests started to be harvested, the cavities that occurred naturally in these trees, decreased significantly, and people got the wise idea to begin using nest boxes, Kaminski said.

In turn, researchers began studying the effectiveness of wood duck boxes, and studies by Frank Bellrose, who became known as the father of wood duck ecology, and colleagues found the ducks accepted the boxes and experienced high nesting success.

Thus, hundreds of thousands of these boxes have been erected across North America over the last century, and numerous studies have been conducted on their use by wood ducks and other nesting species. Only one such study, however, has analyzed recruitment from these boxes.

This study was conducted in South Carolina by Clemson alumnus Gary Hepp, and his and colleagues 14 years of data collected at the Savannah River Ecology Lab near Aiken suggested that population was not sustaining itself.

Other hens or daughters of other hens must immigrate to the site and use boxes, Kaminski said. These hens can be from other boxes elsewhere or other cavities, but the bottom line is without that immigration of additional birds, that population is declining.

In the new study, the research teams across the states fit hens and ducklings with bands and web tags, respectively, to mark individuals uniquely and determine how many return to rejoin the same breeding population from which they were hatched. The project also seeks to answer why wood ducks choose the boxes that they do, as various studies have debated the reasons.

Beyond those questions, of course, the study aims to specifically determine what programs such as the nest box program are contributing, if anything. It is estimated there are over 35,000 wood duck boxes in the Atlantic flyway itself, but recruitment data from those programs are lacking. The sustainability of wood duck populations is also being studied, whether or not they require immigrants to keep the population going.

Wood ducks are one of the most heavily harvested ducks in the eastern portion of the United States  so they hold a really high economic potential in this portion of the country, Shurba said. Because of people buying things like duck stamps to be able to hunt and also ammo, weapons, firearms  portions of all these sales go to waterfowl and wetlands conservation. So, the more hunters there are, the more money that is going to state and federal agencies specifically for managing wildlife and their habitats.

Wood ducks comprise about 10 percent of the annual duck harvest in the United States. Wood ducks are second, only to mallards, in total harvest in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways in 25 of the past 30 years.

South Carolina has one of the most ambitious nest box programs in the U.S. and, because there are resident wood duck populations in the state that do not migrate, the state provides ideal wetlands for hunters, waterfowl watchers, and researchers. You can get the full scope of the birds life cycle in this state, Miller said.

In addition to continuing the research at Lake Moultrie, along with a similar pilot study that took place in Delaware last year, the multi-state and year collaborative research project has expanded its research base to include sites in the other states participating in the effort.

The data collected, in turn, is expected to fill the knowledge gaps needed to determine, for the first time, whether wood duck nest box programs are sustainable or whether they are  so to speak  for the birds.

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There was plenty of drama at the girls' night reunion on Sunday's episode of Married At First Sight - but it turns out viewers didn't see the half of it.

Stacey Hampton falsely accused rival bride Hayley Vernon of being a 'sex worker', but the allegation was too scandalous to air on TV.

Hayley, 32, who denies the shocking claim, told Woman's Day: 'It was just grubby.'

The shocking slur you didn't see on Married At First Sight: Stacey Hampton (right) reportedly accused Hayley Vernon (left) of being a 'sex worker' at the girls' night reunion

She added: 'Stacey was hiding behind this facade... using her two kids as a means of deflecting every horrible thing she has said about me.'

Stacey, 26, defended herself by saying Hayley had also made 'heartless' comments about her family and personal life.

She said: '[Hayley] mocked me for being a single mother! She couldn't fathom that I had a legal degree and two kids.'

Lies: Hayley (pictured) told Woman's Day it was a 'grubby' and fabricated allegation

Hayley has never been a sex worker in the sense of having sex for money, but she did work as a topless waitress for three years and nothing more.

A source told Daily Mail Australia that Hayley isn't ashamed of her past, adding: 'It's no secret to her friends and she never tried to hide it.

'She made great money, had fun and never did anything that made her feel uncomfortable.'

Past: Hayley has never been a sex worker in the sense of having sex for money, but she did work as a topless waitress for three years and nothing more. Pictured at a bucks night in 2018

During the girls' night, Hayley mocked Stacey for refusing to believe her 'husband', Michael Goonan, had cheated on her without video evidence.

'I'm a lawyer,' yelled Stacey, to which Hayley replied: 'Where did you get your law degree? Out of a cereal box? You're 25 and have had two kids. Have you practiced?'

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister in a Mother's Day address

An Emergency Department Nurse during a demonstration of the coronavirus pod and Covid-19 virus testing procedures set up beside the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital, Co Antrim (Michael Cooper/PA)

A patient who tested positive for Covid-19 has died in a hospital in Northern Ireland.

It's the second death due to the virus in Northern Ireland.

The patient was elderly and had an underlying medical condition, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Health.

Health Minister Robin Swann said: "My deepest condolences go to the friends and family of this patient. This heart-breaking news should bring it home to every one of us that coronavirus is a real and present danger across our community."

It has been announced that testing has resulted in 20 new positive cases on Sunday - bringing the total number of cases in Northern Ireland to 128.

The total number of tests completed in Northern Ireland is 2,484.

Advice from the Department of Health said people with mild symptoms - new persistent cough and/or fever - should stay at home and self-isolate. They will not require testing and will not therefore be included in testing totals.

Mr Swann said: "It is essential that we all follow the public health advice on keeping a safe distance, washing our hands and staying at home. We all must ensure we reduce our social interactions and we must not make unnecessary visits or take unnecessary journeys."

He said reports of people "flouting" social distancing advice is "concerning".

"These behaviours are putting the people themselves, their families and their friends and neighbours at risk," he said.

"Coronavirus is a threat across generations and all walks of life. We all need to unite to fight against it."

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Earlier on Sunday, First Minister and Deputy First Minister have made a joint appeal for people in Northern Ireland to respect social distancing on Mother's Day during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a joint address, Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill paid tribute to those working in frontline services, saying it would be a Mother's Day "like no other" during the pandemic.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the coronavirus outbreak is accelerating, as he urged people not to visit their parents on Mothers Day.

DUP leader Mrs Foster described Mother's Day as a time when "children of all ages say thank you to their mums".

However, she said this year would be "very different for all of us".

A message from First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill ahead of #MothersDay



Thank you to all our frontline staff working to keep us safe.



Please maintain #COVID19 social distancing measures. @DUPleader @moneillSF  pic.twitter.com/8c1cul6thr  NI Executive (@niexecutive) March 21, 2020

She expressed her thanks to all those "mothers, sons, daughters, grandchildren or great-grandchildren who are engaged this Mother's Day, and every day, in the service of others."

Ms O'Neill said: "Everyone loves their mummy, I know I do.

"And on Mother's Day, we normally make a big effort to spoil them and spend time with them.

"This year we are asking you not to put your mummy or anyone else's mummy at risk. Please maintain the social distancing the Public Health Agency have asked you to do."

Ahead of school closures to most children on Monday, the Department of Education has said there is no limit to the number of key workers' children that schools can admit as long as it is safe.

New guidance from the department said teachers may be shared between schools to allow them to open on Monday but that normal school meals and transport may not be available.

Health minister Robin Swann confirmed on Saturday he has written to childcare workers to clarify that they should remain open to meets the needs of parents who are key workers and vulnerable children.

On Friday, a package from Chancellor Rishi Sunak which pledged that the Government will cover 80% of the wages of workers up to a total of 2,500-a-month in an unprecedented intervention was welcomed across Northern Ireland.

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Here's how Sunday unfolded:
At lunchtime, masked diners have their temperatures checked and hands disinfected before entering a restaurant and sitting at separate tables to fulfill their appetites after being cooped up at home for months.





Zhang Bo, a citizen of Shenyang in northeast China's Liaoning Province, ventured back into a restaurant in a local business hub. "As the novel coronavirus outbreak in China becomes more subdued, I had a satisfying meal in a restaurant the first time in two months," he said.





Around 50 percent of restaurants in Liaoning have resumed normal operation, though the number of restaurant goers only stood at 40 percent of the figure in the same period of normal years, according to the provincial commerce department.





Catering business is among a number of industries hardest hit by the unexpected outbreak, as the efforts to curb the spread of epidemic kept most people across China indoors and forced restaurants to cease dine-in service.





Revenues of the catering sector reached 419.4 billion yuan (around US$59 billion) in the first two months of this year, down 43.1 percent from the same period last year, said the National Bureau of Statistics.





As the situation has improved in China, restaurants are beginning to restore their dine-in service while carrying out strict epidemic prevention measures.





Last week, northwest China's Gansu Province asked its catering enterprises to resume business, while requiring restaurant goers to measure temperatures and maintain a distance of no less than 1 meter in queues and banning dinner party with over 50 guests.





In Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, a total of 1,074 accommodation and catering enterprises had resumed business by Friday, accounting for 92.4 percent of the total, according to the city's commerce bureau.





"We mainly relied on take-out service over the past months, but now all eight of our dumpling restaurants in Shenyang have restored the dine-in service," said a manager who only gave his surname as Sun from a branch of Laobian Dumpling, the popular restaurant chain, in Shenyang.





"Despite fewer restaurant goers and gloomy sales, we feel better day by day and confident that business will return to normal in the near future," Sun said.





To encourage spending, some businesses have embarked on promotions offering discounts or gifts to customers upon reopening, while some provinces are handing out coupons to the public.





Local officials in several provinces and cities have been taking the lead in recent days in patronizing restaurants and shopping malls, hoping to help bring them more customers.





"A wary return to restaurants shows that the public fear of dining out will be gradually eased. It also boosts people's confidence in the worst-hit catering market," said Zhang Wanqiang, an economist with the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.





However, Zhang added that it will still take time for the catering business to fully recover as the epidemic is not over.




DANBURY  The city man who allegedly accidentally shot and killed his friend last September bought the gun used in the homicide from a New Milford man who now faces federal prison time, officials said.

Danbury police said the homicide happened after that gun was discharged by David Ramos.

Killed was Jason Hoffman, a Brewster, N.Y., resident.

The two were apparently high on crack cocaine in the basement of a Hancock Drive apartment where Ramos lived with his mother, police said. Ramos pulled out a gun at one point, police said, to look at it or wipe it down.

Thats when Ramos pulled the trigger, allegedly not realizing the safety on the gun was off, police said.

Investigators found the gun  a black, .22-caliber Walther P22 with the serial number scratched off  in a storm drain about 50 feet from Ramos residence, according to his arrest affidavit.

Markings on a .22-caliber shell casing found on Ramos nightstand matched the markings on most of the live rounds in the magazine of the gun.

The charges against Ramos  who was arrested on Sept. 11, 2019  are still pending in state court.

Nikos Chelioudakis, the New Milford man who sold Ramos the gun, was charged by federal authorities earlier this month  March 5.

He was indicted by a federal grand jury Feb. 20 on charges of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and unlawful sale or transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person, authorities announced Friday.

The indictment alleges that Chelioudakis  who allegedly was an unlawful user of a controlled substance  sold the gun to Ramos, knowing he was likely also an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

Each charge against Chelioudakis carries a maximum term of 10 years in federal prison.
Reaching Within: What traditional art offers the heart

As the world responds to the growing concern about the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, I am led to question my own understanding of compassion.

What is compassion? What does it mean to care directly or indirectly for those who suffer? During our current times, the significance of this question cannot be overstated. I look to art for insights.

A Mourning Artist

William Bouguereau, a French academic painter, was one of the most gifted artists of the 19th century. He was also resolute in his desire to be good at his craft. In his early career, he spent long spans of time attempting to master the complexities of color and form, and in 1876, after 12 failed attempts, he was elected to the French Institutes prestigious Academie des Beaux-Arts.

Bouguereaus hard work and determination paid off for him: He often won competitions at salon and international exhibitions. He was elected president of several different organizations, including first president of the Society of French Artists, the benevolent association founded by Baron Taylor to help less-fortunate artists, and the alumni association of the college in Pons.

Despite his many successes, however, Bouguereau also endured many hardships. He had five children with his first wife, and four of them died from illnesses. Even his wife died, soon after giving birth to their fifth child.

In the book titled William Bouguereau: His Life and Works, authors Damien Bartoli and Fred Ross suggest that Bouguereau dealt with these hardships by [re-immersing] himself in his art, his only effective palliative against grief.

The First Mourning 1888, by William Bouguereau. Oil on canvas; 79  inches by 99 inches. National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina. (Public Domain)

The First Mourning

Bouguereau poured his pain and grief into his art, expressed by way of his pencil and brush. His sketchbook became a diary made by way of images. One of these images later became The First Mourning.

Kara Ross, co-chairman and chief operating officer of the Art Renewal Center, says this about The First Mourning:

The image is truly heart wrenching, causing the viewer to feel a great sense of compassion for the grieving couple.  First Mourning was painted directly after the death of [Bouguereaus] second son. This piece is well titled because [for Judeo-Christians], it is the first time a human has had to suffer the loss of a loved one.

The First Mourning depicts the moment in which Adam and Eve find the lifeless body of their son Abel, who was slain by his brother Cain over a sacrifice. Bouguereau organized the composition like a classical pietaan Italian word that translates to compassion or pity. Figures are organized within a trianglethe most stable compositional structureand a figure sits with another figure sprawled across the seated figures lap. This way of organizing a pieta is clearly seen as far back as the High Renaissance with Michelangelos famous sculpture.

Michelangelos Pieta housed in St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican. (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

There is tension, however, between the triangular composition and the emotion displayed by the figures. The contortion of Abels body also adds to this tension. Arranging the figures in this way has allowed Bouguereau to create a sense of movement within the stable, triangular composition. We are meant to recognize the solemn nature of the event through the triangle but feel the pain of the event through Bouguereaus masterful depiction of human emotion through body language.

Bouguereau also muted the colors, neutralizing their intensity. The gray smoke from the sacrificial altar in the right side of the background appears to fill and dominate the entire sky, and even envelopes the figures. The background and the use of subdued colors reinforces the solemnity of the event.

Compassion for Suffering

This painting makes me feel the pain of Adam and Eve, the pain that comes with losing a loved one. In this sense, Bouguereau has accomplished, at least for me, the task of a pieta: compassion. I feel compassion for the suffering Adam and Eve endured and the great losses Bouguereau experienced.

Through composition, subdued color, and human emotion, Bouguereau has created a mood that is haunting because of the pain it depicts, a pain that has been universally experienced from the beginning of human history.

So what is compassion? It may not be something that can be completely described in words, so I have no absolute answer to this question. I think that part of its nature is a willingness to consider others, to put oneself in anothers shoes, and to act in such a way as to cause as little harm as possible. Why? People are already suffering. Everyone is suffering. There is no reason to add more suffering to the world due to a lack of consideration.

Its easy to look at someone elses successes and come to the determination that they need less compassion. If we only look at Bouguereaus artistic successes, for example, wed miss the fact that he suffered greatly from the deaths of four of his children and his first wife. If we remain open-minded, we might also determine that his suffering didnt stop there.

This painting reminds me that suffering isnt a competition. Life isnt a contest about who suffers more. No one wants to suffer, yet everyone does. Suffering is real, and everyone who suffersirrespective of their social class, economic class, gender, race, and so onis deserving of consideration and compassion.

As I navigate this period of the CCP virus pandemic, I am reminded to consider others. Some of us are not sick or in need, but some are. Unnecessarily traveling and panic-buying is putting others at risk. I need to be able to take care of myself and my family during these trying times, but I also need to consider that others need to do the same.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Art has an incredible ability to point to what cant be seen so that we may ask What does this mean for me and for everyone who sees it? How has it influenced the past and how might it influence the future? What does it suggest about the human experience? These are some of the questions we explore in our series Reaching Within: What Traditional Art Offers the Heart.

Eric Bess is a practicing representational artist. He is currently a doctoral student at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (IDSVA).
President Donald Trump sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seeking to maintain good relations and offering cooperation in fighting the viral pandemic, Kim's sister said Sunday.

The latest correspondence came as Kim observed the firing of tactical guided weapons over the weekend, drawing criticism from South Korea, as the nuclear talks remain deadlocked.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central Agency, Kim's sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, praised Trump for sending the letter at a time when big difficulties and challenges lie ahead in the way of developing ties" between the countries.

In the letter, she said Trump explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries ... and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work in an apparent reference to the global coronavirus outbreak.

North Korea has repeatedly said there hasn't been a single case of the coronavirus on its soil. Some foreign experts question that claim and say an outbreak in the North could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its poor medical infrastructure.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Kim Yo Jong said Trump's letter is a good example showing the special and firm personal relations between the North Korean and U.S. leaders. But she said it's not a good idea to make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about the prospect for bilateral relations.

In my personal opinion, I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries, she said.

Even at this moment we are working hard to develop and defend ourselves on our own under the cruel environment which the U.S. is keen to 'provide.'



Kim and Trump have met three times and exchanged letters and envoys on many occasions since 2018, when they launched talks on the fate of Kim's advancing nuclear arsenal. The two leaders have avoided harsh language against each other and Trump once said he and Kim fell in love.

But their diplomacy has largely come to a standstill since the breakdown of their second summit in Vietnam in February 2019, when Trump rejected Kim's demands for broad sanctions relief in return for a partial disarmament step.

Kim pressed Trump to come up with new proposals to salvage the negotiations by the end of last year. Kim later vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent, unveil a new strategic weapon and warned he would no longer be bound by a major weapons test moratorium.

In recent weeks, North Korea has fired a slew of artillery and other rockets into the sea in what experts say is an attempt to improve its military capabilities.

The weapons were all short range and did not pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland. A resumption of long-range or nuclear weapons tests by Kim would likely completely scuttle diplomacy with Trump, experts say.

KCNA said Kim watched the test firing of tactical guided weapons on Saturday with Kim Yo Jong and other top officials. South Korea's military called the demonstration very inappropriate at a time when the world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

South Korea's military said Saturday it detected two presumed short-range ballistic missiles that flew from a site in western North Korea across the country and landed in the waters off the east coast. The weapons flew 410 kilometers (255 miles), according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Of these, more than 19 thousand are citizens who returned to Ukraine

Over the past day, 28.9 thousand people crossed the state border, the demarcation line and the administrative border with the Crimea. The press service of the State Border Service reports.

28.2 thousand people were registered at the state border, 257 people at the demarcation line, and 436 people at the admiring borders.

Of these, more than 19 thousand are citizens who returned to Ukraine.

"The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine continues to work and interact with other bodies to ensure home delivery of Ukrainians who are on the adjacent side without vehicles. Nearly 4 thousand of our compatriots are delivered to Ukraine within 24 hours using local government vehicles and the State Emergency Situations Service," - the message says.

In addition to border control, border guards, together with representatives of the sanitary-quarantine units, carry out activities aimed at detecting signs of the disease in citizens. Over the past day, we conducted a survey on the state of health and temperature measurements in 19 thousand people who were traveling from abroad or temporarily occupied territories. During the day, people returning from abroad with an elevated temperature were not detected.

As we reported before, more than 600 passengers arrived in Lviv on special trains from Poland on March 20, 7 of which were hospitalized. The acting Director of the Health Department of the Lviv Regional State Administration Andriy Vasko stated this during a briefing
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), on Saturday, said only emergency and essential flights are allowed into the country.

NCAA in a letter signed by its Director-Gemeral, Musa Nuhu, addressed to all Nigerian Operators and Foreign Operators flying into Nigeria, however said all domestic flights will continue normal operations at all airport.

See the letter:

On Saturday, Nigeria confirmed 10 new cases of the new coronavirus.

This brings the total number of cases in the country to 22.

Nigeria has recorded 10 new cases of #COVID19 in Lagos and FCT, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said in a tweet. That is a total of 22 cases in Nigeria.

The NCAA had earlier announced restrictions of international flights from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, and the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa.

The restrictions  for Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt  kick in today, March 21
Panic buying sent sales soaring by more than 50 per cent at supermarkets last week as shoppers spooked by the coronavirus rushed out to stockpile everything from toilet roll to dried pasta.

Senior sources at major chains said spending at individual shops had hit even higher levels as lines that have waned in popularity in recent years  such as tinned meat or vegetables and long-life milk  flew off the shelves.

'Food keeps coming in but the shelves are being picked dry,' said a director at one major grocery chain.

'Normally supermarkets work on the basis that, with a fair wind, we can grow sales marginally by one or two per cent on last year. But sales have gone up 50 per cent, even 70 per cent in some cases.'

Empty shelves: Major chains said spending at individual shops had risen even more than 50%

A senior source at another major grocery chain said his stores had seen 'waves of demand hitting each category in turn'.

First, household products such as toilet roll and cleaning products were snapped up. Then it was so-called ambient foods which can be stored for weeks or months, such as dried pasta, packets of cereal and tinned food.

Finally, in the second half of last week, shoppers started clearing the shelves of fresh food such as fruit and vegetables.

Referring to astonishing scenes of long queues outside supermarkets and fights breaking out over increasingly scarce products, the source added: 'It feels like demand at the moment is still rising day by day so we can't be sure.

'But there comes a point when cupboards are full and, while there may be exceptions to this, there is only so much toilet roll the average person wants in their house.'

It is understood top-level discussions have been held between supermarket bosses and the Government about when stockpiling might reach its peak.

The discussions have centred on evidence from other countries that have already experienced the same behaviour.

This indicates that frenzied demand may begin to subside as soon as this week 'once people realise the food is going to keep coming and shops stay open', one source said.

The shelves are bare in most supermarkets across the country as people panic buy & stockpile

Supermarkets said last week they were taking steps to reduce the number of options for some food categories, such as pack sizes or varieties of tinned or packaged food, to make it easier for suppliers to meet the surge in demand.

One source said it might mean less choice and that parts of some stores may resemble 'a 1980s Eastern European supermarket' for a period but that it would ease the potential for outright shortages.

The unprecedented demand will be a boon for Britain's largest grocers which have been battling with rising competition and stagnant sales.

One retail director at a national chain said, even after the initial panic-buying subsides, demand at grocery chains is likely to continue at 'double figures' throughout the crisis as pubs and restaurants close amid efforts to contain the virus.

The director added: 'All the money normally spent on Friday nights or Sunday lunchtimes  like Mother's Day this weekend  will be heading for supermarkets and convenience stores.

'Staying in is the new going out whether we like it or not. With other high street stores shutting up shop for the foreseeable future, there aren't going to be that many places to spend money.'

Major chains have sought to alleviate the rise in demand by agreeing new arrangements with suppliers.

Morrisons said one Italian supplier had agreed to ship food via sea and through ports rather than overland through France, to avoid crossing borders.
Saudi Arabia has suspended domestic flights, trains, buses and taxis for 14 days as part of efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Quoting a directive from the Ministry of Interior, SPA said the new measure took effect on March 21.

Only flights related to humanitarian and necessary cases, medical evacuation aircraft and private aviation would be allowed, provided that they are covered by the necessary permits issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, SPA said.

Also exempted from the travel ban are buses belonging to government agencies or public or private health facilities, and commercial establishments transporting their employees, or those that are used for health, humanitarian or security purposes.

Affected in the train services suspension are the Riyadh-Dammam line through Abqaiq and Hofuf, the Riyadh-Jawf line through the Majmaa, Al-Qassim and Hail, and the Haramain Express.

Commercial transport trains, including the freight train between King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam and the Dry Port in Riyadh, and the mining train of the Saudi Railways Company "Saar" will be allowed to continue operating.

Transport ferries between Jazan and Farasan Island may also continue operating, but the number of passengers would be reduced to 100 people per trip, "taking into account the employees and residents of Farsan Island, and not allowing travel through them for tourist purposes" the report said.

Cargo ships will be allowed to continue with their usual program, provided that the crews take all precautions to limit the transmission of infection.

Transportation related to vital sectors such as health, services and basic commodities such as food, energy, water and communications, etc., air freight and necessary security transfers will not be affected by the temporary ban, the report said.
Delhi metro services to remain mostly shut on Monday

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: The Delhi Metro services will mostly be closed, except for few a hours, on Monday as part of precautionary measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Sunday.

Services from 8-10 am will be available at a normal frequency as on regular days. During this period, everyone can travel and no identification will be required at the time of entry, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) authorities said.

Lockdown ordered in Rajasthan amidst coronavirus outbreak

Services from 6 am till 8 am will be available at a frequency of 20 minutes, only for people involved in essential services like hospitals, police, fire department, among others.

They will be allowed to enter metro stations on the producing their identification cards to the security personnel, according to the official said.

"Services from 10 am to 4 pm will not be available," the official said. "However, all the trains, which started at 10 am from originating stations of all lines, will continue to run till they reach their destination stations," the DMRC official said.

Services from 4-8 pm will again be available, but will cease after 8 pm onwards. However, the last train service starting at 8 pm from originating station will continue to run till it reaches its destination, he added.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 8:57 [IST]
OTTAWA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced on Thursday that he is in self-isolation awaiting his test results for COVID-19.

In his tweet, Champagne said he got tested "out of an abundance of caution as I began experiencing new flu-like symptom less than 14 days after returning from abroad."

Champagne is the third federal cabinet minister to report being tested, two of his colleagues' test results have come back negative.

Canadian Natural Resource Minister Seamus O'Regan and Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion Mary Ng both tested negative for the COVID-19 last week.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been under self-isolation after his wife Sophie tested positive for the COVID-19 last week after returning from Britain.
Frankie Randazzo has years of experience of how to sustain a business amid a natural disaster as an owner in hurricane-prone Southeast Texas.

But Randazzo, the owner of Madisons in Beaumont, admitted that trying to creatively supplement lost dine-in revenue as a result of Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order during an international pandemic is the biggest challenge in the industry.

Only a day after Abbotts executive order had taken full effect, Randazzo quickly turned his pub into a grocery store by selling bulk orders of proteins like ground beef in a matter of hours into the state-wide dine-in suspension.

Weve pivoted and become more of a grocery store, Randazzo said. You have to be creative and all we are trying to do is keep the machine running.

On top of serving his clientele their favorite Madisons dishes, Randazzo had already received 20 calls Thursday for bulk orders of ground beef an hour after he advertised on social media.

Randazzo said that restaurants like Madisons have different supply chains than grocery stores like H-E-B and as a result have a bulk of grocery store staples that will not be utilized at the same rate during the prohibition on dine-in eating.

Madisons has taken its pivot of bulk selling one step further and started selling pizza kits.

People would much rather stay at home and cook  it gives them something do, Randazzo said.

Randazzo added that he expects to add this bulk protein selling to his other six businesses in Southeast Texas and Louisiana.

Madisons is not the only local business in Beaumont to take an unorthodox approach to supplement revenue. Longhorn Liquor has been approached by a different type of customer than usual.

Co-owner Dennis Williams said a local pharmacy approached him about buying alcohol to make hand sanitizer.

They bought some of our 190 proof stuff to make it, Williams said. They found another store to buy in bulk. They could provide a larger amount than we could. There is a distillery in Houston that shut down one of its lines that makes whiskey in order to make hand sanitizer.

The liquor store owner said people bought alcohol from the store to make hand sanitizer prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

People know 190 proof alcohol pretty much kills everything, he said. Has there been a run on it? No, but people will come in and buy a bottle for that purpose.

Williams said the store is still open and operating with normal business hours and does not anticipate any loss in profits.

Owner Artie Tucker said Cotton Creek Winery in Port Neches moved to only takeout orders after Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick signed a declaration that shut down dine-in services at restaurants and bars in the county Wednesday.

You can come in and buy a bottle of wine, Tucker said. We have made our pizza to go. No one will be able to come inside of the establishment other than waiting for their pizza, I guess.

Tucker estimated Cotton Creek Winery could lose approximately 50 percent of its business while the order is in place.

The reason people come to our place is to sit and talk, he said.

Tucker said he hopes the declaration does not force local layoffs.

Were just going to have to play it by ear, he said. We hope not. Hopefully, this will be over quicker than everyone thinks. If that is the case, most of our people have daytime jobs and work for us in the evening. We would just have to pick them back up when we are able to.

While the future of many local businesses is still unknown in the midst of the pandemic, Randazzo said that mixing local restaurants in to the communitys normal rotation of dinner choices will be critical to help keep local businesses open.

If people want to protect their local economy, they have to be involved. Its accurate to say that you will see places close down when the April rent comes in, Randazzo said. This disaster and pandemic have the ability to forever change the face of the local economy.

jorge.ramos@beaumontenterprise.com

chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com
Thirteen security personnel have gone missing after a major encounter on Saturday evening with Maoists in Sukma district of Bastar region, police said.

Police said that 14 other personnel were injured and were brought to Raipur , about 400 km north of Sukma for treatment on Saturday night.

Chhatisgarhs Director General of Police (DGP) D M Awasthi said the encounter took place at around 1 pm on Saturday near Korajguda hills in Chintagufa area when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Maoist operation.

There were multiple encounters after 1pm, which took place in that area till evening. After the force came back we found that 13 jawans of state police were missing and 14 were injured, Awasthi said.

The operation was launched by the polices District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) had launched the operation from Chintagufa and involved 150 security personnel,

A large reinforcement was sent to encounter spot on Sunday morning, the DGP said.

We have launched operation for 13 missing security personnel on Sunday and waiting for the results, said the police chief.

The DGP further said that the encounter took place with battalion number one of CPI (Maoist), which is led by Mandavi Hidma.

There were about 300 Maoists who were led by Hidma  We have information that the cadres of other states have also gathering near Minpa, the DGP added.

Earlier this month, two Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) personnel were killed and a Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) trooper was injured in an ambush by Maoists in Bastar district.

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On Sunday, Instagram influencer Skye Wheatley shocked fans by posing for a glamorous photo shoot alongside empty aisles at her local supermarket.

With the coronavirus pandemic leading to panic buying, the 24-year-old felt the backdrop would be perfect for a shoot alongside her son, Forest, one, which she shared to Instagram.

Skye explained in her caption: 'I wanted to take some photos in the empty toilet paper isle (sic) so I can show Forest when he's older how far the world has come.

Woah! On Sunday, influencer Skye Wheatley (pictured) shocked fans by posing for a glamorous photo shoot alongside empty aisles at a supermarket. Pictured with son Forest

'I believe in us we can fight this COVID-19 together. Positive vibes and sending all my love to everyone?!' the former Big Brother Australia star added.

Skye then went on to announce a competition for a $10,000 cash giveaway, which she's promoting, 'in light of such a sad time our beautiful universe is facing'.

In the photos, the former reality star wears a black bra with a pair of futuristic overalls in a dark blue tone on top.

Edgy: With the coronavirus pandemic leading to panic buying, Skye, 24, felt the backdrop would be perfect for a shoot alongside son, Forest, one, which she shared to Instagram

Her hair is knotted in cute buns on top of her head, and she has on a pair of designer sunglasses, finishing the look with sneakers.

Little Forest is dressed in similar colours, including a top with the word 'electric' written on it in bright yellow, and a pair of child-size sunnies.

The arresting photos were not a hit with all of the influencer's fans, with some lashing out at Skye, claiming the shoot was distasteful.

One person commented underneath the photographs: 'Everything about this post is sick.'

The former Big Brother star explained in her caption: 'I wanted to take some photos in the empty toilet paper isle (sic) so I can show Forest when he's older how far the world has come'

Someone else viewing the set of photos added: 'This is actually appalling on many levels.'

Another seemed worried about her young son, writing: 'So you take a baby out when there's a virus going around that's potentially harmful to him?'

Skye responded to that fan directly, defending herself: 'I've never touched the shelves while picking up toilet paper babe? I went to the shops this morning to get toilet paper? Sorry for needing something to wipe with?

'I'll opt for the leaves from my backyard next time so I don't offend anymore online. Like everybody else in the shopping centre I had no mask on, I apologise for my mistake really I do. I don't have access to any masks as they are sold out everywhere.'

Issues: The arresting photos were not a hit with all of the influencer's fans, with some lashing out at Skye, claiming the shoot, which was part of a promotion for a giveaway, was distasteful

Others felt using the coronavirus pandemic to helm a promotional giveaway was also in poor taste.

'The fact that you dressed up with all intentions to get the perfect shot and then promote a giveaway after your stupid caption using coronavirus as your starting point blows my mind,' one fan wrote.

Another agreed: 'Using the situation in the supermarket as a backdrop for a photoshoot is so seriously disturbing.'

Another worried about her young son, writing: 'So you take a baby out when there's a virus going around that's potentially harmful to him?'

Skye responded to that fan directly, defending herself: 'I've never touched the shelves while picking up toilet paper babe? I went to the shops this morning to get toilet paper? Sorry'

They added: 'People are extremely frightened, people are losing their jobs, thousands of people are losing loved ones to this pandemic!'

However, many others loved the post, with several fans praising Skye's outfit and one writing: 'How is it that you can make posing in the toilet paper aisle so amazing?!?!'

Plenty praised Skye for mounting such a generous giveaway while people are struggling, with one fan commenting: 'Such an incredible prize at a time when it's definitely needed'.

As of Sunday, March 22, there are 1,349 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia. The virus has resulted in seven deaths.
The Hanoi police have questioned two men for posting fake news about the Covid-19 situation in the capital.

The two, 22 and 25, claimed on their Facebook page, alluding to an emergency meeting the city peoples committee president Nguyen Duc Chung held with various departments, that the epidemic situation in Hanoi "is spinning out of control."

It was then shared by many others, causing panic and confusion among the public.

When summoned by the police, they removed their post, admitted to acting illegally and promised not to repeat it.

Hanoi police said they will decide their penalty against the two men later.

They warned the public not to share unconfirmed information about Covid-19 and cause confusion in the community.

The situation is under control and people should stay calm and do not have to stockpile supplies, they said.

Hanoi has the highest number of Covid-19 patients in hospital now in the country: 29 out of the nation's 77. 17 other patients have recovered and left hospitals.

Most of the current patients, now hospitalized in 11 cities and provinces, are returnees from Europe and the U.S. or people who came into close contact with them.

Vietnam's Cybersecurity Law prohibits the spreading of incorrect information which causes confusion among people, damages socio-economic activities, creates difficulties for authorities and those performing their duty.

The country has been cracking down on people spreading rumors about the Covid-19 developments. Several people, including celebrities, have received cash fines for sharing incorrect information on social media.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 188 countries and territories, claiming more than 13,000 lives so far, with Itaty (4,825 deaths) having surpassed China (3,261) as the most deadly Covid-19 epicenter.
LANE COUNTY, Ore. --- Lane County, Eugene and Springfield officials urge Governor Brown to enact statewide 'Stay at Home' guidelines Saturday night.

RELATED: OREGON LEADERS WORKING ON 'STAY HOME' POLICY TO CURB CORONAVIRUS SPREAD

Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch, Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and Springfield Mayor Christine Lundberg have coauthored a request to Governor Brown to enact a statewide 'Stay at Home' Executive Order.

In the letter, the local leaders point out the challenges in asking local authorities to enact their own 'Stay at Home' orders, and request clear and decisive State guidance.

A portion of the letter reads:

The recent discussion about local stay at home policies in the Portland metro area is cause for concern. Any stay at home policy should be statewide. Forcing local governments to make this decision will inevitably lead to a checkerboard implementation, limited public health benefits and significant confusion for the public. [] We should move as one state, swiftly and decisively with unity of vision, unity of purpose and unity of effort. Therefore, we urge you to provide swift and clear statewide guidelines regarding stay at home procedures. Importantly, any statewide guidelines must include clarity on how implementation should apply to certain populations, particularly unhoused residents. It is also important for the state to assist in clearly defining essential versus non-essential services and types of businesses impacted.
Australians across the world are rushing back home as the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic escalates.

And on Saturday, PR maven Roxy Jacenko was met with an eerie scene as she touched down at deserted Sydney Airport after returning from a trip to Queenstown, New Zealand.

The 39-year-old publicist shared a video to Instagram of the bizarre experience, captioned: 'Sydney International Airport right now. Scary.'

Roxy flew to NZ last weekend before PM Jacinda Ardern introduced restrictions on arrivals, meaning she was not required to self-isolate during her time in Queenstown.

On Thursday, NZ completely closed its borders to non-citizens or permanent residents - with Australia following suit on Friday.

Roxy shared a picture of an idyllic throwback photo of a lake in Queenstown on Saturday, saying she was glad to be back in Sydney.

Spooky: On Saturday, Roxy was met with an eerily quiet scene at Sydney Airport (pictured) after returning from her Queenstown getaway

How's the serenity? Roxy shared a picture of an idyllic throwback photo of a lake in Queenstown on Saturday, captioning the image: 'Such an incredible spot but happy to be home'

'Such an incredible spot but happy to be home,' she captioned the holiday post.

The PR queen shared also hilarious video on Saturday, showing herself walking 10 kilometres down a country road in Queenstown.

'So I've done my walk but I can't walk back - I'm too tired!' So now I'm standing in the middle of the road considering doing this,' Roxy said, before making a hitchhiker gesture.

What a trek! The PR queen shared a hilarious video on Saturday, showing herself walking 10 kilometres down a country road in Queenstown, joking that she would hitchhike her way back

'But I decided to go with the safer option and call an Uber! Because that's what you do isn't it. I don't want to ruin my hair, I only had it done yesterday!'

Roxy's return to Australia comes just after the coronavirus pandemic escalated to over 1,000 cases in the country.

Despite strict travel bans, Australia and NZ have an agreement that allows Australian residents who live in NZ to return and vice versa.

In Australia, there have been 1,123 cases and seven deaths from coronavirus
Is it just me, or did anyone else get influenced by that Netflix TV show with Marie Kondo last year? The basic premise originated in a book of hers called The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up. In the book, Kondo explains the KonMari method - it sounds almost scientific, but I think it's just her name reversed.

During each episode, we see her 'method' in action as she invites people to declutter their lives. She performs something like therapy as she smiles and nods while traumatised adults behave like bereaved children, clinging onto their Gap chinos, or 20-year-old Superman comic. If she wasn't so sweet, it would be a brutal and punishing show because she is stringent and firm behind the cuteness, and forces people to dispose of anything that does not, when touched, 'spark joy'.

As with any bandwagon, I jumped on board. There is no word powerful enough to describe how much I love getting rid of things from my house. I constantly have a charity bag on the go. I have been known to donate items belonging to The Boy Housemate or The Mayo Man in my life without their knowledge.

I can already feel some of you rolling your eyes and getting ready to stop reading because Marie Kondo is so 2019. Calm down. It's not like the time in 2018 a man tried to tell me about a great book I should buy called Harry Potter.

I'm not dredging up the past - Marie Kondo is the thankless task that keeps on giving. It's like a tax return, a family reunion or a smear test. Apparently once isn't sufficient.

Crap keeps coming in. Stuff sticks to our lives like Velcro. Or Command Strips - I have a drawer-full, and no use for them. Every drawer has a gravitational force that drags items into it over time. Because there are various present-giving opportunities every year - birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day, graduations, weddings, engagements, promotions, or, for some people, just a Tuesday - there's a conveyor belt of endless stuff coming into our lives. The need to clear out comes around every spring, because the very process of getting rid of clutter makes space for new things, and the cycle is unstoppable.

Systematic cull

In the KonMari method, you start the systematic culling by dumping every item of clothing you own onto your bed. For me, this meant sourcing garments from multiple places. Summer clothes stashed in drawers and baskets; clean items hiding in the washing machine; sneaky outfits concealed in overnight bags, and multiple jackets living in my car.

Once I had the pile in front of me, I realised I had forced my own hand, and now I had to complete the task because I couldn't sleep until my bed was cleared. I got totally overwhelmed, cursing the fact that I had started, body-slammed myself onto the pile and did what I now do when I'm stressed - I went on Instagram.

While scrolling through other people's lives, I had an ad targeted at me and was unsurprised to see that the algorithm knew I was in the middle of decluttering, but shocked to see that clearing out your wardrobe is an actual service you can pay for!

I did a deep dive and saw multiple Dublin accounts offering to help you 'clear out your life'. Sinead Keary is one such provider. You can book a 'wardrobe edit' with her and she will hold your hand while guiding you on what to throw out and what to keep, based on more than just sparking joy.

Just because my old, torn, worn, bleach-stained leggings are comfy, doesn't mean they should be kept over the newer, cleaner, better-fitting ones. I like the idea of getting a lesson in how to dress, while being charitable at the same time. Maybe that way I won't find myself standing in front of my post-cleared-out wardrobe wondering how to form an outfit from the randomness in front of me.

I didn't have the luxury of booking an appointment with Sinead or any such guru - I had to get the task done because my bed was hidden, and the night was drawing in.

About an hour into it, I got hungry and, unable to make anything like a rational decision with low blood sugar, I gave away 40pc of my clothes without even looking at them.

The great news: I now have loads of wardrobe space. The bad news: I have to form outfits by rotating four sweatshirts with two pairs of leggings for the next few months until my minimalism motivation wanes, and I break my commitment to not buying new things.

If you're looking for a bargain though, there's an Enable Ireland shop in Dublin 7 that's currently selling 40pc of my pre-loved, mostly unworn items at a fraction of their original price.
The succession of political occurrences in Madhya Pradesh, leading to the resignation of Chief Minister Kamal Nath, was somewhat a re-enactment of what happened in Karnataka last year, when a coalition government was brought down to make way for a BJP-led one. The departure of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who crossed over to the BJP, was a work in progress since December 2018, when the Congress chose Nath chief minister after its election victory.

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The Cill Aodain Court Hotel in Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, closed its doors on St Patrick's Day.

Like many premises in the hospitality sector, the 17-bed, three star hotel had fallen foul of the coronavirus.

Prior to the closure, business had already fallen off a cliff, according to owner PJ Staide, who refurbished and reopened the hotel five years ago after returning from the US.

It had lain idle for most of the recession and prior to that, it had been a busy hotel since the 1960s.

It had a special place in the community's heart and because it was located on Main Street, where many businesses had been decimated during the financial crisis, it had been embraced by its largely local clientele since its reopening.

The other hotel in the town is now also closed, as are the five remaining pubs, because of coronavirus.

Given the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality sector, Staide had no choice but to close the doors, for the moment anyway.

"It was unsustainable, it was a difficult decision to make and it is a temporary one. We will have to see what happens. I have 20 full and part-time staff, and their families, to consider in all of this," said Staide.

But Kiltimagh could be any small town in the country. The hospitality sector is a cornerstone of the rural economy, as well as being a big contributor to the national one.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, accommodation and food service activities contributed about 4bn of total gross value to the Irish economy.

Before the virus hit, about 250,000 people were employed in the hospitality sector between hotels, restaurants, catering and tourism businesses. But last week, 180,000 of those jobs were lost.

"Never did we ever think this day would come," said Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the Restaurant Association of Ireland.

"The situation is deteriorating each day, with over 100pc cancellations of corporate business and 100pc cancellation of domestic business in Ireland for the next two months at least."

"Of those 180,000 jobs, we believe 65,000 of them are in the restaurant sector alone. Depending on what actions the chief medical officer takes, you could see the remaining 5,000 jobs in the sit-in restaurant industry gone by March 29," he added.

According to Cummins, the systematic collapse of the restaurant and hospitality sector due to Covid-19 needs to be taken into consideration by the Government.

"We are demanding that the Government immediately implements emergency business supports to reopen the thousands of businesses and put our industry back to work."

The association has a number of asks of the Government in light of the virus.

They include the immediate introduction of the 0pc Vat rate for tourism and hospitality businesses; a halving of employer PRSI to support employees; a six-month business rates holiday from local authorities, as well as the introduction of a Revenue moratorium on VAT payments.

Government intervention is something that the Cill Aodain's Staide is calling for too: "The industry is on its knees and needs State support in relation to rates and a cut in the hospitality Vat rate."

However, according to Pat McCann, chief executive and founder of Dalata, the country's biggest hotel group, while the hospitality sector is massively exposed to the virus fallout, the Government has to be balanced in providing support to the business sector as a whole.

"Having said that, the pandemic is causing hotels a lot of angst; it's all about cash flow. In 52 years in the hotel business, I haven't seen anything like this and, like other businesses, we will need support," McCann added.

"Generally speaking, hundreds of hotels have closed around the country and the challenge is how many of them will reopen."

Prior to the virus hitting, Dalata employed 5,000 people in its Irish and UK hotels.

The group, which includes the Maldron and Clayton brands and was formed by McCann back in 2007, operates almost 9,000 owned and leased rooms across about 30 hotels. But it has recently had to undergo some cost-cutting at its operations, including lay-offs.

"It's across the board and it doesn't matter where in the operation you work," said McCann, who would not be drawn on numbers.

"We will need these people back again when this is over.

"We are planning for six months' disruption and beyond. Looking towards March or April is too short a time-span. This will end and we will come out of it, but it's a case of how long it will take.

"We are continuing with our expansion plans in Ireland and the UK and we have retained Deloitte to look further afield in Europe. I am a relentless optimist."
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday condemned the killing of 17 security personnel in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh.

Bodies of 17 security personnel, who were missing after an encounter with Naxals in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, were found on Sunday, the police of Odisha's neighbouring state said.

Patnaik condoled the deaths and wished for a speedy recovery of the personnel injured in the incident.

"CM@Naveen Odisha has condemned the dastardly attack on STF and DRG jawans in #Sukma, Chhattisgarh. He has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the jawans who embraced martyrdom while fighting extremists & wishes for the speedy recovery of all injured," the Chief Minister's Office tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Description

GIS  22 March 2020: Mauritius registered a second death related to Covid-19 and as at now there are 24 positive cases that have been detected. I appeal to the population to respect and abide by the sanitary confinement put in place by the Government to ensure that the virus does not spread across the country.

This statement was made tonight by the Prime Minister in a special address at the New Treasury Building, Port-Louis.

Prime Minister Jugnauth lauded those who are respecting the confinement but was critical towards those who are defying the laws enforced so as to prevent the transmission of the corona virus. So as to ensure the safety of the population at large, a curfew will take effect as from Monday 23 March as from 20 00 hrs, he announced.

He highlighted that additional measures are being put into effect for the wellbeing of all the Mauritians and appealed that these directives be followed to the letter for the welfare of each individual, their families, their loved ones and for every citizen.

The only way to fight this common invisible enemy is for everyone to come together and act responsibly, underscored Mr Jugnauth. Government is taking all the necessary measures to tackle this unprecedented situation and this can only achieved with the collaboration of each and every one, he added.

The Government will soon issue a communique with all relevant details about the new timings of openings of supermarkets as well as other services and is currently in negotiation with other private institutions such as clinics to ensure that all resources are pulled together to fight Covid-19, the Prime Minister stated.
The Gaddachauki Border Crossing in Kanchanpur of Western Nepal will be locked-down from Monday midnight, local body of the district announced on Sunday.

The most popular border opening between Nepal and India in the last 15 days hosted about 63 thousand Nepali workers who went to neighboring Indian districts in search of employment.

Padam Raj Bhatta, Office Chief at Immigration Office Gaddachauki in Kanchanpur district of Nepal told reporters that "Checking has continued over time, we also have coordinated with the federal government about additional measures,"

He added, "As the global pandemic virus has admitted its presence all around the world, we are working in limitation as we run sort of proper equipment and required materials,"

Furthermore, he said, "We have asked them for the protective equipment that is required for health workers as well as the security officials stationed here, a meeting was also held a day before on this regard and decided over it,"

In addition to this, he said, "We also have worked on the plans that we will carry out in case a positive case is confirmed, this has been shared with the provincial government too. Procedures to purchase, search the equipment has been initiated in co-ordinance with the government here because it falls under its jurisdiction."

As the flow of returnees increased over border crossing, Kanchanpur District Administration had established a health check desk to monitor body temperature in co-ordination with the Nepal Army.

A total of 11 medics have been screening the returnees from a health desk at the transit using two infrared thermometers and referring suspected ones with symptoms of COVID-19 to Mahakali Zonal Hospital.

Local administration since last week had closed entry of vehicles towards India through Gaddachowki transit with Indians wishing to return bring allowed to cross the border point.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Conservationists have warned that endangered species including Africa's mountain gorilla are at risk of contracting coronavirus.

The Virunga National Park in Congo, which is currently home to around one third of the world's mountain gorillas, has taken the decision to ban all visitors until June 1.

It cited 'advice from scientific experts indicating that primates, including mountain gorillas, are likely susceptible to complications arising from the COVID-19 virus.'

The Virunga National Park in Congo (pictured), which is currently home to around one third of the world's mountain gorillas, has taken the decision to ban all visitors until June 1. Pictured: Park ranger wearing a face mask

Primates are prone to many of the same respiratory illnesses that afflict humans.

Even a common cold is enough to kill a gorilla, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, which is one of the reasons why tourists tracking the animals are not normally permitted to get too close.

And Virunga National Park's decision has been welcomed by conservationists in the region.

Paula Kahumbu, chief executive of the Kenya-based conservation group WildlifeDirect, said that 'every possible effort must be made' to protect mountain gorillas because there are so few left in the wild.

She added: 'We know that gorillas are very sensitive to human diseases.

'If anyone has a cold or a flu they are not allowed to go and see the gorillas.

'With coronavirus having such a long time of no symptoms in some cases, it means that we could actually put those gorillas at risk.'

The park cited 'advice from scientific experts indicating that primates, including mountain gorillas, are likely susceptible to complications arising from the COVID-19 virus'. Pictured: Silverback mountain gorilla in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

The species are prone to many of the same respiratory illnesses that afflict humans and conservationists believe that they are at risk from the coronavirus. Pictured: Two mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park

But existing protective measures may not be enough to protect them.

Ugandan conservationist Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka warned that the rule on keeping a safe distance from gorillas was broken almost every time a group of tourists visited.

She said: 'What the research found is that the seven-metre rule was broken almost all the time - around 98 per cent of the time.

'But what was interesting is that 60 per cent of the time it was tourists that broke it and 40 per cent of the time it was the gorillas who broke it.'

If close interaction cannot be prevented, she said, one measure that could potentially improve safety is requiring tourists to wear masks at all times.

Even a common cold is enough to kill a gorilla, which is one of the reasons why tourists tracking the animals are not normally permitted to get too close. Pictured: Tourists and park rangers wearing protective masks in Virunga National Park

Rwanda has already made the decision to temporarily shut down tourism and research activities in three national parks. Pictured: Silverback mountain gorilla in Rwanda

Uganda has not yet announced a shutdown of gorilla tourism despite traffic from Europe and elsewhere dwindling.

Bashir Hangi, a spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, said the decision on whether to shut down gorilla tourism is now academic as there is almost no business amid the outbreak.

Any tourists who had still been arriving were screened for fever and other symptoms as well as being asked to produce a 'certificate of isolation' before they were permitted to track the gorillas.

But neighbouring Rwanda has already made the decision to temporarily shut down tourism and research activities in three national parks.

Amos Wekesa, who organises safaris in both Uganda and Rwanda, spoke mournfully of 'hardly any business' as tourists postpone visits or seek refunds.

Mountain gorillas have been listed as critically endangered or endangered since 1996 predominantly as a result of poaching, illness and human encroachment. Pictured: Young mountain gorilla in eastern Congo

Mountain gorillas have been listed as critically endangered or endangered since 1996 predominantly as a result of poaching, illness and human encroachment.

But their numbers are now thought to be growing as a result of conservation efforts.

In Rwanda, where tourism is the top foreign exchange earner, the government prioritises the protection of gorillas and even introduced an official naming ceremony for baby primates.

A gorilla tracking permit costs up to $600 (515) in Uganda and upward of $1,000 (858) in Rwanda.

Many now worry that loss of tourist revenue during the coronavirus pandemic could further expose the primates to poachers.

Virunga, established in 1925 as Africa's first national park and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has long been vulnerable in a volatile part of eastern Congo.

Ms Kahumbu added: 'I think this is going to have a huge impact on their sustainability.

'I call on all donors and governments that support these national parks in Africa to make it easy for the parks that need to shut down to do so and survive.'
He cited one company in this category in a major city, but asked that it not be identified. It does really good work, and is having an amazingly good year. And now . . . its over. They have a new show, bore all the costs of rehearsal and all the costs of sets and all the costs of marketing  and get zero. And they dont have the access to David Rubenstein, he added, referring to the billionaire philanthropist who chairs the Kennedy Center board.
Seoul, March 22 : US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, offering help with Pyongyang's fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the latter's sister said on Sunday.

The letter is a "a good example showing the special and firm personal relations" between Trump and Kim, said Kim Yo-jong, the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the North's Workers' Party, in a statement carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reports the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency.

"We regard it as a good judgment and proper action for the US President to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our Chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations, and think that this should be highly estimated," she said.

"In the letter, he also explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries of North Korea and the US and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic," Kim Yo-jong added.

North Korea has not reported a single coronavirus case, but was widely suspected to be covering up an outbreak.

The regime has tightened its borders and enforced tough quarantine measures on its people, according to state media.

Relations between Washington and Pyongyang have come to a standstill due to a deadlock in denuclearization negotiations following the collapse of Trump and Kim Jong-un's second summit in Vietnam in February 2019, said the Yonhap News Agency.

Kim Jong-un had set an end-of-year deadline for the US to show flexibility in their negotiations, but 2019 passed without progress and a warning from the North Korean leader of a soon-to-come "new strategic weapon".

Still, the leaders have appeared to maintain their warm personal relations, and in January, Trump sent a letter to Kim Jong-un to congratulate him on his birthday.

"In the personal letter, President Trump said he was glad to hear that his congratulations to Chairman on his birthday was correctly conveyed, and wished the family of the Chairman and our people wellbeing," Kim Yo-jong said in the Sunday letter.

"Saying that he values his relations with Chairman Kim Jong-un, President Trump said that there were difficulties in letting his thoughts known because communications were not made often recently.

"He expressed his willingness to keep in close touch with the Chairman in the future." The North Korean leader also "mentioned his special personal relations with President Trump again and appreciated the personal letter", she said.

Kim Yo-jong, however, cautioned against misjudging the two countries' ties based only on the personal relations of the two leaders.

"As they are the close relations between the two men representing the two countries, they would have positive impact but nobody knows how much the personal relations would change and lead the prospective relations between the two countries, and it is not something good to make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about it," Yonhap News Agency quoted her as saying in the letter.

"If impartiality and balance are not provided and unilateral and greedy intention is not taken away, the bilateral relations will continue to aggravate," she warned.

Adding that it is her personal opinion, Kim Yo-jong suggested that dialogue can only be restored when "the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries, not merely by the personal letter between the two leaders".

She also extended "sincere gratitude" to Trump for sending "his invariable faith" to Kim Jong-un.

The statement came a day after the North fired two short-range projectiles toward the East Sea in its third such weapons test so far this year.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal, the nation is gearing up to observe Janta curfew thatll start at 7 am. It will be a 14 hour long self-curfew thatll end at 9 pm tonight. With a little more than an hour to go, people have already started taking to social media, especially on Twitter, to share how theyre going to follow the curfew and stand in solidarity with their fellow countrymen.

Many have encouraged people to take this seriously and do their bit in this fight against novel coronavirus. They wrote that its the way to break the chain of the pandemic that is tightening its grip around the world.

Heres a Twitter user who urged everyone to stay indoors. His tweet, when translated from Hindi, reads, I request all Indians to make the curfew successful and keep the corona virus from spreading. And yes please do not come out of your house after 9 pm to celebrate the achievement.

A Twitter user tweeted we dont have so many hospitals in #India to accommodate this huge population. Then urged everyone to follow the Janta curfew not just today but for the whole coming week.

We don't have so many hospitals in #India to accomodate this huge population. Follow this #JantaCurfewMarch22 today and everyday (by yourself) for atleast one week. And don't go out on streets even after 5pm. Learn lessons, stay strong #Covid_19 #StayAtHome #CoronavirusPandemic  ikbholabaalak (@ankur129_) March 21, 2020

Yet another shared a post with a simple yet important message:

Stay where ever you are ...Don't risk others ...#JantaCurfewMarch22  Preeti Pathak (@preetipathakji) March 21, 2020

A Twitter user - quite rightly - defined the pandemic as a battle. Then they used a popular quote to explain the importance of the day:

Lets share the burden and own up to our responsibilities. Its in the hands of the community now, tweeted a Twitter user. Along with that, he also shared an image depicting an apt situation of how the health workers fighting in the frontline and treating those in need.

Let's share the burden and own up to our responsibilities. It's in the hands of the community now. #COVID19#JantaCurfewMarch22 to fight #CoronavirusPandemic #COVID19outbreak pic.twitter.com/mqdyfdiPdo  Jaypal Sharma (@jaypalsharma317) March 22, 2020

A few people tweeted that some will go out during this self-imposed curfew and its because they are the emergency workers who need to go out amid COVID-19 outbreak. Here are some of the tweets:

A salute to all indians serving our country by providing their service in fighting Corona... You are really national heroes.. Respect! #CoronaCrisis #JantaCurfew #JantaCurfewMarch22  ritendra singh (@singh_ritendra) March 21, 2020

So are u ready for #JantaCurfew ??????? But I am not !!!

I have to go to my hospital

. Enjoy ur day! Have fun! #StayHomeStaySafe#JantaCurfewMarch22 #CoronaChainScare  Varsha saandilyae (@saandilyae) March 21, 2020

A few hours, famous sand artists Sudarsan Pattnaik also took to Twitter to share this and urge people to follow Janta curfew.

My SandArt at Puri beach with message Stay Home, Stay Safe #JanataCurfew #IndiaFightsCorona .

Let us all stay indoors and protect our society from this pandemic. #Covid19 pic.twitter.com/6LCTLLMvJs  Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) March 21, 2020

Several states have taken different steps to make Janta curfew a success. While Delhi has closed major market places and suspended Metro service for the day, Maharashtra has announced that the Central Railway will cancel all of its 120 outstation train services between 4 am and 10 pm.
A man in a mask boards a bus on campus at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada, on March 13, 2020. (Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images)

Only Way to Stay Safe From COVID-19 Is Stay Home, Says Doctor Who Tested Positive

A Saskatchewan doctor who tested positive for COVID19 says the only way to avoid the virus is to stay home.

I have learned that staying home is the only way to keep yourself safe, said Dr. Jesse Melle in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Melle believes he caught the virus while visiting Edmonton, Alberta.

He assured patients that he and his colleagues have practiced social distancing.

Even with strict adherence to the recommendations at the time, against our best efforts and with very cautious hygiene, my wife and I still contracted the virus.

Melle said when he recovers he will return to work.

I want to assure you that as soon as I am well, I will be returning to the only thing I know how to dothe thing I lovehelping this community to stay healthy. Be kind to one another. Stay well. We are in this together.

The Rosthern Hospital and Rosthern Medical Clinic, where Melle works, is no longer providing inperson consultations due to the COVID19 pandemic. Its unclear if this is because Melle tested positive for COVID19, the disease the CCP virus causes.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

The clinic posted the closure notice on Facebook on Saturday.

The physicians of Rosthern Medical Clinic will continue to provide phone consultations to their patients, the notice read.

The clinic staff are available by phone during regular business hours to arrange the phone consultations.

Last week the Rosthern Medical Clinic posted on Twitter that a physician and his wife contracted COVID19 after a recent visit to Edmonton.

According to Dr. Saqib Shabab, Saskatchewans chief medical officer, 11 of the 22 people from Saskatchewan that attended a curling bonspiel in Edmonton have tested positive for COVID19.

Dr. Allan Woo, the president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association, posted on Twitter on March 19 that he tested positive for COVID19.

The COVID19 pandemic has hit home for me and my family, he said.

I was tested on Tuesday and the results came back positive on Wednesday night. I am at home and continue to monitor the situation closely.

Woo said he attended an annual curling bonspiel in Edmonton March 1114.

This bonspiel is an event that usually attracts 5060 physicians from Western Canada. I believe I contracted the COVID19 virus at the bonspiel.

Woo said at his practice they have rescheduled appointments and surgeries. He is the assistant professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan.

I am reminded that physicians are not invincible, he added. The risks of this pandemic are far too real. I hope my personal situation serves as a signal for all healthcare workers, and others, to be vigilant about their health. Everyone needs to take precautions and selfmonitor for any symptoms.
Several roads are deserted, Metro stations closed in Delhi and public places shut down as the country is observing Janta Curfew which began at 7 am on Sunday. The curfew is being observed to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus disease Covid-19 that has killed four people so far and infected more than 300 in the country.

The voluntary curfew will last till 9 pm.

In Chennai, authorities have put up boards outside the Marina Beach announcing its closure. There is also adequate police presence in the area. There is a restriction on a large gathering of people. So, we are organising the praying session via YouTube so they dont need to come to the church for the holy mass, said George Anthony Swamy, Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore.

From Ludhiana in Punjab to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, roads are empty and shops closed. Metro stations in Delhi also wear a deserted look. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had announced that its services will be closed on Sunday, when the country observes Janta Curfew.

In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences.



Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace. The steps we take now will help in the times to come.



Stay indoors and stay healthy. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/11HJsAWzVf  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2020

Janata Curfew is an important step by the people for the health of the people. I request all of you to follow the guidelines given by PM Narendra Modi, regarding Janta Curfew, BJP president JP Nadda tweeted in Hindi on Sunday morning.

Watch | COVID-19: India observes Janta Curfew; streets and roads deserted

All citizens barring those working for essential services are required to stay indoors during 14 hours of self quarantine.

India is currently at stage 2 of Sars-CoV-2 virus transmission. Todays public curfew is a precautionary measure meant to lessen the chances of the coronavirus disease from spreading to more people and ensure that the country does not slip into Stage 3 - that of community transmission.

This is the first major step to prevent person-to-person transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. First, this move will help in checking the spread of virus from the infected people to others. And secondly, it is an opportunity for the people of the country to test themselves for bigger challenges that lie ahead, as Prime Minister said, said Dr Arvind Kumar, Chairman, Centre for Chest Surgery, Sir Gangaram Hospital, in a video posted by the government in its Twitter handle MyGov India.

The Indian Railways has announced that no passenger trains will originate from any junction in the country from midnight on Saturday to 10.00 pm on Sunday as part of the Janta Curfew.

The Prime Minister, in his televised address to the nation on Thursday, asked people to stay in the safety of their own homes as much as possible during the duration of the Janta Curfew. However, people can step out for absolutely essential services like an emergency situation or necessary healthcare.
The United States has long loved its drive-ins and drive-throughs: for movies, fast food, pharmacies and banking. Now the coronavirus pandemic has added a new one: Catholic confessions. With his church closed due to the outbreak, Scott Holmer turned to the tried-and-tested method in this nation of car-lovers. Every day except Sunday, and if the weather permits, he sits on a wooden chair in his priestly robes in the parking lot outside his Maryland chapel and does a contact-free confession and blessing. Two lines of traffic cones and a sign guide cars outside St Edwards Church in Bowie, a small town around 20 miles (30 kilometers) outside of Washington. The drivers lower their windows and confess their sins to Father Holmer who, after a few words of encouragement to return to the path of the Lord, grants absolution. Despite the drive-through's all-American pedigree, Father Holmer came up with the idea last week after seeing South Korea organize drive-through tests for the coronavirus. "The diocese canceled all masses to tamp down the spread of the infection. But the decision about confession was kind of up in the air," he told AFP. "So I said, I'll just get in the parking lot, and that way I can avoid getting it myself and people can avoid any transmission. It's more open air, so there's like air flow and all that good stuff." Holmer takes care to keep a safe distance from his flock and asks parishioners to stay in their vehicles. With couples or families, each person takes their turn sitting in the driver's seat. For those wishing an anonymous confession, the priest covers his eyes with a bandana. - 'God is with us now' - On the third Friday before Lent, a day of fasting and repentance, the line of cars quickly grows long and a seminary student is pressed into service as a traffic marshal. "It's a weird thing to think about the spiritual and the physical at the same time," admits the priest, who sometimes asks drivers to cut their engines to maintain the secrecy of the confession. "aYou don't want people to overhear each other so we've got to keep cars at a certain distance," he said. He said people had been very grateful to be able to receive the sacrament. "People are so happy to see that we are still able to be on their side even if we are not able to celebrate mass," the priest said. "There's more gratitude than there is fear. When they drive up to the priest at their window they're feeling God is with us now." Father Holmer says he does not believe he has been infected with the virus that is causing mass lockdowns and social distancing around the world. Aged 40, he is not in the highest risk group in any case. "If I get it, I'll just quarantine myself, I've been to confession myself last week, so I'm good to go," he said with a smile. Awaiting his turn at the wheel of his car, Steven Irving praised the priest's "great idea." "We have a young and energetic and innovative priest," said Irving, a man in his sixties who had come with his wife. "I had an opportunity today to fulfill my religious obligations" during Lent. The priest plans to carry on with his drive-through confessions until the church reopens. But he misses the direct connection with his flock. "Not being able to be physically present is just brutal," he said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  At 18, Gavon Ramsay spends his days in a place he may never leave, an Ohio prison cell.

Ramsay, of Wadsworth, was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year for breaking into the home of his 98-year-old neighbor, Margaret Douglas, and strangling her. He was 17 at the time of the slaying, and he told authorities that he could kill again.

I dont know how to explain how this happened, Ramsay said at his sentencing. I dont think there is an explanation. I would take it back in a heartbeat if I could.

Ramsay punctuates the debate among Ohio lawmakers and prosecutors over a bill that could end life without parole sentences for youths who committed crimes before the age of 18.

The bill would prevent judges from sentencing young people to life terms for crimes of aggravated murder, terrorism and rape.

It would require the Ohio parole board to review the youths cases after 18 or 25 years, depending on the severity of the crime, to determine whether they have been rehabilitated and could be released.

If an inmate is denied, he or she can return to the board in 5 years. The bill is retroactive, so, if it is passed, it could impact Ramsay and hundreds of other inmates.

An estimated 50 to 60 inmates immediately would become eligible for a parole hearing if the bill becomes law, according to the Ohio Legislative Services Commission. In subsequent years, the numbers could be as low as 20 or 30. Authorities estimate only a handful would be released each year, but they are unsure until they review each case.

There are exceptions to the proposed law. T.J. Lane is one.

Lane killed three students and wounded three others in Chardon High School on Feb. 27, 2012. He was sentenced to three consecutive life prison terms. The bill says a person convicted of three or more homicides before the age of 18 would remain in prison without ever going before the parole board.

Twenty-three states have dropped life without parole for youths. Last month, Virginia offered the possibility of parole to anyone sentenced to life in prison without parole as a youth after they served 20 years for their crime.

The person you are at 16 is not the person you are at 50, said Tiffanny Smith of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. The juvenile brain is not fully developed. They do things impulsively.

Others disagree.

Medina County Prosecutor S. Forrest Thompson handled Ramsays case. He became angry when discussing the possibility that Ramsay could one day be released from prison.

Gavon Ramsay

Someone who has a propensity to become a serial killer and then gets out in 25 or 30 years? I dont agree with that at all, Thompson said.

The trial judge has the information. The trial judge has the facts and hears from the victims families and the defendants. [The judge] takes into account the suspects age and maturity. The judge shouldnt be second-guessed by a panel that has a sanitized version of what happened.

Ramsay pleaded no contest to aggravated murder, aggravated burglary and abuse of a corpse. Common Pleas Judge Joyce Kimbler found him guilty and had a 6-hour sentencing hearing that went over every aspect of Ramsays mental health and criminal background, including his luring men for sex, only to rob them later.

Every facet was reviewed, Thompson said. And yes, I agree with the sentence. It was appropriate.
Coronavirus test should not cost more than Rs 4,500: Centre to pvt labs

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 22: The central government on Saturday recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs 4,500.

All private laboratories which have NABL accreditation for real-time PCR SA for RNA virus will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests, according to the guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for COVID-19 testing in private laboratories, which were notified by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday night.

Coronavirus toll in Iran touches 1,556

The National Task Force recommends that the maximum cost for testing should not exceed Rs 4,500. This may include Rs 1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test, the guidelines said. "However, the ICMR encourages free or subsidised testing in this hour of national public health emergency," the guidelines stated.

An order issued by the Union Health ministry said the failure to comply with the guidelines will result in legal action. According to the guidelines on sample collection and testing, the ICMR has called for ensuring appropriate biosafety and biosecurity precautions while collecting respiratory samples (oropharnygeal and nasal swab) from a patient. Alternatively, a COVID-19 specific separate sample collection site may be created, it said.

"Preferable home collection of samples may be done by all the private laboratories which will help avoid the contact of people with the suspect cases during local travel to reach the laboratory," the notification stated. Commercial kits for real-time PCR-based diagnosis of COVID-19 should be US FDA approved or European CE certified or both for in vitro diagnosis of COVID-19 under emergency use, under intimation to the Drug Controller General of India, the guidelines added.

All the laboratory staff involved in COVID-19 testing should be appropriately trained in good laboratory practices and performing real-time PCR. All the biomedicial waste should be disposed off in accordance with national guidelines. Laboratory test should only be offered when prescribed by a qualified physician as per the ICMR guidelines for COVID-19, the notification stated.

As far as the reporting protocols are concerned, the guidelines said that any laboratory before starting its activities must ensure immediate/real-time reporting of the test results along with the contact details to the ICMR headquarters data base. Each laboratory will be given a registration number by the ICMR which should be prominently exhibited in case any advertisement is made and also in the report, the notification stated. The guidelines may be amended from time to time, the notification stated.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 8:19 [IST]
A study by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has discovered a molecule in the lymphatic system that has the potential to play a role in autoimmune disease. The study, "Lymph node stromal CCL2 limits antibody responses," was published online today in the journal Science Immunology.

Lead investigator Theresa Lu, MD, PhD, senior scientist in the Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program at the HSS Research Institute, and colleagues launched the study to gain a better understanding of how the immune system works.

A healthy immune system defends the body against diseases and infection. When someone has an autoimmune disease, the immune system malfunctions and the body mistakenly attacks healthy cells, tissues and organs. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma are examples of autoimmune diseases. If scientists can elucidate the underlying mechanism that causes autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, they can develop ways to correct the immune system flaws that lead to disease.

Dr. Lu's study focused on the lymphoid tissues, which house immune cells and are sites of immune cell activation. Lymphoid tissues, which include the tonsils, spleen and lymph nodes, contain structural elements, such as fibroblasts and blood vessels. These structural elements were thought to mainly provide an infrastructure for the immune cells, but recent advances in the field have shown that they actively shape immune cell responses, and multiple populations of fibroblasts have different functions, according to Dr. Lu.

We found that one fibroblast population expressed a molecule called CCL2 in the area of antibody-secreting immune cells, called plasma cells. We focused on the CCL2-expressing fibroblasts to see if they regulate plasma cell function. We found that CCL2 limits the magnitude of plasma cell responses by acting on an intermediary cell to reduce plasma cell survival. This was surprising in some ways, as CCL2 can also promote inflammation, and yet we are finding a role in limiting immune responses. This underscores the multiple functions that any molecule can have in different contexts." Theresa Lu, MD, Ph.D., senior scientist in the Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program at the HSS Research Institute

The findings have implications for better understanding autoimmune diseases, according to Dr Lu. Plasma cells in autoimmune diseases generate autoantibodies that then deposit and cause inflammation in organs such as the kidneys and skin. "By understanding that plasma cells can be controlled by this subset of fibroblasts, we can study these fibroblasts to see if they are perhaps not working properly in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We can then search for a way correct the malfunction, so they are less likely to cause disease," she notes.

"As the immune system is so central to how well our bodies function and often acts in similar ways in a number of different settings, what we are learning about manipulating fibroblasts can also help the biomedical community better understand how to treat related processes, such as healing after a musculoskeletal injury, fighting cancer and fighting infections," she adds. "For example, medications used in adults and children with different forms of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis or lupus are being examined in the setting of coronavirus infections. We all learn from each other."

Dr. Lu's lab and colleagues have been studying the vasculature and fibroblasts of lymph nodes for 16 years. Dragos Dasoveanu, PhD, was the first author of the current study. He conducted the research at HSS with Will Shipman, PhD; Susan Chyou, BA; and Varsha Kumar, PhD. In addition, scientists at research centers in New York, Switzerland and Australia collaborated on the study.
The coronavirus is causing enormous economic damage in Ireland and globally and the bill will be much greater than most people expect, writes Professor Tony Foley

Economic crises are nothing new to Ireland and in time normal economic life will eventually resume and there have been economic triumphs too.

Total employment in late 2019 was over 2.36m and the Government recently referred to 400,000 job losses in hospitality, retail, childcare, and tourism, and quickly updated the number to 500,000.

The final outcome will depend on the duration and intensity of the virus here and around the world.

But the employment decline will significantly exceed 500,000 and will be over 600,000. And if the authorities have to implement a complete shutdown, the employment losses will be higher.

At the extreme end, the only economic activities that could be left standing would be the socially essential sectors of agriculture and fishing, food production, medicines and medical equipment production, security, utilities, some distribution and transport, supermarkets and food shops a few other retail outlets, as well as some public administration, and financial services.

Those areas account for about 900,000 jobs but as a contingency, we should be planning for 700,000 job losses.

However the scale of such job losses will hopefully be for a short period and assuming a gradual decrease of 100,000 a month from July, job losses amount to just under 400,000 on an annual basis, or a 17% drop in the 2.36m employment level.

Supermarkets as we have seen in the past week benefit from the increased food sales diverted from pubs and restaurants and add jobs.

Makers of medicines and medical equipment and the health sector will significantly increase their job numbers.

The hit on the public finances will be substantial and far greater than anything currently expected.

Government expenditure will increase because of higher unemployment payments, greatly increased health expenditure, security-related expenditure, and from compensation payments for virus-related losses, supports and incentives for economic stimulation, as well as other social supports.

The Government expected to collect 63.5bn in tax revenue this year before the virus hit.

A 15% fall in tax receipts would amount to 9.5bn.

Increased expenditure could amount to 12bn, including unemployment payments (5bn), additional social supports (2bn), additional health expenditure (2bn), and support for businesses (3bn).

The total hit to the public finances is almost 22bn, but not including any provisions for the Government to increase the current unemployment payment rates or support for significant business or personal debt and bills.

It also does not take into account the possible introduction of measures adopted in other countries such as subsidies to wages.

All in all, it would be prudent to think of the public finances worsening by up to 30bn.

You will recall Mario Draghi, former president of the ECB, saying he would do whatever was necessary to save the euro.

We need a similar approach to economic recovery from the virus.

We also need to ensure that the economic costs of the virus are equitably distributed.

For example, restaurant staff receive unemployment payments due to the closure but many public servants in closed organisations continue to get full pay

Tony Foley is emeritus associate professor of economics at Dublin City University
As churches and faith-based nonprofits brace for a painful drop in contributions, Christians are lobbying for Congress to incentivize charitable giving in its response to the spread of COVID-19.

Lawmakers spent Saturday negotiating the $1 trillion-plus relief package. The current Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, proposes offering stimulus checks, relief for small businesses, and some changes to charitable giving. The bill would allow taxpayers to claim a charitable deduction for up to $300 without itemizing.

But some from the faith community are speaking up to say thats not enough to keep churches and other non-profits afloat as demand for social services spikes.

This level of stimulus does not scratch the surface for what charities, nonprofits, and houses of worship need during this time of crisis, wrote the Southern Baptist Conventions public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which is calling for a two-year universal deduction for charitable giving, with no cap.

The Center for Public Justice (CPJ) in Washington made a similar recommendation, saying the universal deduction should be effective immediately. (Many charities had been pushing for a change in the charitable deduction since before the coronavirus outbreak; because of tax reform enacted in 2018, fewer Americans get to claim their charitable contributions, thereby reducing giving.)

CPJs Rachel Anderson and Stanley Carlson-Thies also argued that since faith-based organizations are involved in caring for those put at risk by the pandemic, they should not be exempt from unemployment insurance or reimbursement for mandated leave.

Religious communities have sprung into action, sustaining social ties in a time of social distance and caring for those most at risk of homelessness, food insecurity, and isolation, they said. These same religious communities and faith-based institutions will need support now and as the crisis persists.

Deseret Newss Boyd Matheson, former chief of staff for US Senator Mike Lee, said in an op-ed published Saturday that Congress needs to support civil society as they take on unprecedented demand and constraints.

He evoked the New Testament, writing, The best way to help Americans in need and strengthen the economy is really Samaritanly simple. The biblical account says the Good Samaritan first helped a stranger in need. Second, he donated his time by taking the wounded stranger to an organization  the inn. Then, when it was no longer possible for the Samaritan to sustain the first two gates of giving, he deployed the third; he offered a charitable donation. He even promised he would give again, if needed.

Churches are seeing the fear and financial strain tighten purse strings already, particularly since congregants no longer have the opportunity to give at typical in-person services. The drop in tithing limits their ability to organize outreach in their communities, and in some cases can threaten the future of a congregation.

At Friendship Baptist Church in Baltimore, a mostly African American congregation of about 1,100, Alvin Gwynn Sr. bucked the cancellation trend by holding services last Sunday. But attendance was down by about 50 percent, and Gwynn said the days offering netted about $5,000 compared to a normal intake of about $15,000.

It cuts into our ministry, he said. If this keeps up, we cant fund all our outreach to help other people.

There was a brighter outcome at the Church of the Resurrection, a large United Methodist Church congregation that operates out of five locations in the Kansas City area.

Cathy Bien, the churchs communications director, said about 25,700 people logged in to join online worship last Sunday after in-person services were canceled. That compared to normal Sunday participation of 14,000 worshippers - 8,000 in person and 6,000 online.

The huge turnout didnt translate into a larger than normal offering, although the church is still processing checks that were sent by some of the worshippers, Bien said. She expressed hope that financial support will remain robust as the church stresses the need to bolster food pantries and other community programs in the face of COVID-19.

At Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, giving was down modestly last weekend as the church cancelled in-person worship and made the service available online.

The pastor, Walter Kim, said some of his roughly 1,000 congregants have grown accustomed to online giving in recent years, but many worshippers still give in person at the services.

Well be asking them to sign up (for online giving) or mail a check, said Kim. He will be urging congregants to bolster the churchs mercy fund for use assisting hard-up members of the community as job losses multiply. (Editors note: Kim is also a board member for CT.)

In addition to his pastoral duties, Kim is president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents more than 45,000 evangelical churches. The NAE will be co-hosting a two-day digital summit next week featuring videos from church leaders advising other pastors nationwide how to respond creatively and effectively to the virus outbreak.

The co-host is the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, which already has offered resources to churches in response to COVID-19.

Some changes are going to be required, Kim said. The church is a very creative institution. In the end it will find ways of fulfilling its mission.

Joe Wright, executive director of the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network in Nashville said many pastors in the network have been holding regular in-person services, while monitoring the spread of the virus.

Once the coronavirus rises to the level where it starts hitting smaller groups, then well see even the smaller groups back away and seek ways to gather, probably electronically, he said.

When that happens, Wright said, financial giving will depend on the church, especially the age of the congregations.

Some churches with older congregations do not give electronically so the transition to that will be a little bit harder, he said.

Ron Klassen, executive director of Rural Home Missionary Association, said its too early to say how the rural churches he represents are being impacted.

My sense is that in the past, people rise up and, if anything, the giving might increase, he said. People are going to give. Theyll take care of their church and their community.

AP Religion Editor Gary Fields contributed.
Hopeful springtime news has arrived  butterfly numbers are rising.

Last year was their most prolific since 1997, with more than half of species seeing a population increase.

The number of red admirals tripled, figures from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme show.

There were almost 12 times more painted ladies and more than twice as many peacock butterflies.

Butterfly numbers are rising with more than half of species seeing a population increase last year thanks to a warm spring and summer

The warm spring and summer is believed to have helped caterpillars grow faster.

It was also wet enough to provide plenty of wildflower leaves to munch.

Even butterflies threatened by falling numbers have bounced back.

These include the duke of burgundy, a small orange and brown butterfly now found only in central southern England, in the southern Lake District and the Yorkshire moors.

It has recovered partly because of winter cattle grazing, which creates the right grass for wildflowers such as primulas  which the caterpillars eat  to flourish.

The number of red admirals (pictured) tripled, according to figures from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme

The latest figures were collected by more than 2,500 volunteers who count numbers while walking the same routes across the country every year.

Red admirals arrive from southern Europe and painted ladies from Morocco, and their survival was boosted by warm weather in Europe.

The marbled white had its best year in almost half a century, with numbers up two thirds.

But some species, such as the heath fritillary, saw a fall, and butterflies as a whole have seen more species decline than increase since the 1970s.
Rwanda has reportedly announced a nationwide shutdown and sealed borders to combat the coronavirus in a drastic measure in Africa, as the COVID-19 rapidly spreads across the continent and authorities warn healthcare systems are ill-equipped to cope. Africa has witnessed a significant spike in the confirmed cases of COVID-19 as over 1,000 people have contracted the disease.

According to the reports, several African countries including Rwanda and Burkina Faso on the fringes of the Sahara have banned public gatherings, shuttered schools, churches, mosques, and bars and closed their airports. The World Health Organization expressed concerns that poor sanitation, urban crowding and the lack of intensive-care units, equipment, and trained staff could hamper the response effort in the region.

The government announced in a statement that all movement was restricted near about the borders, exempting goods and cargo and returning Rwandan citizens in the country. It also announced the closure of all non-essential markets and restrictions on travel between cities and districts. Rwanda as of March 21 has recorded over 17 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the highest number in the East Africa region recorded as per the reports.

Read: UK: Aid Of Queen Elizabeth II Tests Positive For Novel Coronavirus

Read: Gunmen Kill 43 In Attacks On 2 Villages In Burkina Faso

Strict health screening imposed

According to the reports, the government of nearly all countries in the African continent have also initiated strict health screening procedures across all points of entry, especially at the airports. Cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, and Nigeria. African airlines have cancelled scheduled flights to China except for Ethiopian Airlines, which is partially operating as of now. However, countries like Benin, Liberia, Tanzania, and Eritrea have imposed a total travel ban. Benin, the ninth West African country to record COVID-19 case, has set aside 7 billion CFA for the preventive measures.

The head of Liberias environmental protection agency has reportedly contracted the disease and has been recently quarantined. He is Liberias first imported case of the novel coronavirus. He tested positive after he returned from a trip to Switzerland as per the state agency report.

Read: Iran: Khamenei Refuses US Aid For Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak, Calls The Offer 'strange'

Read: Africa Gets Emergency Medical Supplies From Chinas Jack Ma
Staff in the health sector are well-prepared for a potential wave of patients, Lenert assured the press in Sunday's press conference. As Luxembourg's peak has not been reached yet, the country is actively aiding patients from neighbouring countries. An overview of key points:

Emergency medical facilities to boost capacity

Lenert announced four additional medical facilities are being put in place, including LuxExpo and Rockhal thanks to their capacity. The minister said that "we are expecting rising numbers of infections", so the government is preparing accordingly and is in close coordination with several venues, the others being the Daichhal in Ettelbruck and a further one to be decided on in Grevenmacher.

They will all be available and on standby as of Monday 23 March.

The facilities are multi-functional in that they can be split up into various smaller spaces. One can be used to treat positively tested patients, the other reserved for those that are non-corona related, for example.

There were 798 confirmed cases in Luxembourg on Sunday, with no new deaths reported in the past 24 hours. 34 patients are hospitalised, 3 are in intensive care. Around 10 individuals are healthy again.

Roughly 1,500 tests are being executed per day, which is one of the highest numbers per capita in the EU, according to Lenert. That also explains the high number of positive corona cases per 1,000 inhabitants.

Medical staff prepared for wave of patients

200,000 masks have been distributed to medical staff in Luxembourg: "We might be overly cautious, but we think it's the right thing to do at this time." The minister also stressed the gravity of the situation in our neighbouring states. "European solidarity is paramount", so Lenert, and therefore Luxembourg is helping treat patients from across the border.

The Luxembourg Institut of Health is monitoring the international developments and working closely with the government.

The government envisions an end of the national state of crisis, but the minister cannot point to a concrete date. The believes the peak to be in around two weeks.

New platform for volunteers

"Luxembourg is more in need of medical staff than of infrastructure," Lenert says, and thus a new governmental platform will be launched on Monday 23 March to avoid the risk of running out of material and medical staff. The platform will enlist specific profiles. It may be here where professional medical experts from abroad, that may not have the required EU certifcate for practicing their profession in the European Union, be able to help out, but this remains unconfirmed.

Previously a government web shop was launched for doing groceries online. In other news, a resident of Esch-sur-Alzette has taken it upon himself to help the elderly by running errands and fetching groceries on his bike.

Temporary hospital and imported stocks

After the announcement of Luxembourg receiving a temporary hospital tent from Bari, many wondered whether the region in Italy wouldn't be in more urgent demand of the tent itself rather than giving it away.

When asked by our colleagues from LuxTimes whether the temporary hospital from Bari was paid for by the Luxembourgish government, Lenert explained that it was received partly thanks to donations, but also ordered as part of a more extensive, global purchase of stocks and materials.

There are many donations flowing in, the minister said, for which she was incredibly grateful, but she clarified that the hospital tent from Bari is not a military installation and does not take any medical tools away from Italy.

Live ticker - All the breaking coronavirus stories in one place.
Now more than ever, your vote is essential. This election is about health care. It is time to get the nonsense out of Washington.

In January, President Donald Trump said, I know more about virus than anyone.

Obviously, he knew nothing about novel virus. In March, he declared himself a wartime president like during World War II. This is more like WWI when 50 million people worldwide died of a novel virus.

On Feb 28, Trump declared the coronavirus a hoax; fortunately most people ignored him.

On March 4, he recommended that people with coronavirus go to work if they felt well.

On March 16, he gave himself a perfect 10 in his response.

Far too late, Trump listened to health-care professionals rather than his own ignorant thoughts.

Trump had dismantled Obamas health-care initiatives including plans to respond to emergencies. The country was totally unprepared. States still do not have enough ventilators, masks, test kits and other vital supplies.

By now it should be obvious to everyone that we need a president who will face issues honestly and build a health-care system for the whole nation. Choose an alternative who will be elected.

On the Wisconsin ballot:

Marsys law for Wisconsin has good intentions but is flawed as written. Vote no on this version of Marsys Law.

The Supreme Court race is very important.

One candidate has already shown that he will ignore the health interests of Wisconsin citizens.

Vote for Jill Karofsky, who will support citizen interests.

John Hempstead, La Crosse

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Investment legend Warren Buffett famously encouraged investors to be 'fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.'

But it's hard to hold your nerve like the Sage of Omaha in these times of unprecedented uncertainty, when 30 per cent of the stock market's value has been wiped away since the start of the year.

It feels impossible to know whether you should be buying, selling or holding that nerve, but experts say that the first step towards making the right decision is to learn about the human fear response  and then apply these lessons to your investment strategy.

Sian MacInnes is a chartered independent financial adviser with Burford-based Philip James Financial Services. She has spent the past couple of weeks reassuring clients.

Only human: Fear, as famously captured in Edvard Munch's The Scream

She says: 'Investors react to fear in much the same way as they do to other threats in their lives. Flight or fight. Unfortunately, they can't fight the stock market so the natural instinct is to run away and withdraw all of their investments and capitalise their losses.'

Learning about so-called behavioural finance  the study of the influence of psychology on the behaviour of investors  will help you avoid making investment mistakes you will regret later when markets have calmed down.

Neil Bage is founder of behavioural finance consultancy Be-IQ in London. He says most investors are currently 'blinded by fear'.

He adds: 'It's such a fluid and evolving situation and people don't know when the market's slide is going to stop. We're in a position that we haven't been in for a long, long time.'

At times like this, Bage says investors fall back on a series of decision-making behaviours that were honed long ago, when our ancestors were hunter-gatherers.

'We've seen it in investing, and also in panic-buying on the high street,' he says. 'Fear kicks in biologically.'

If we are scared, we make bad calls Be on guard for these specific thought processes that will prevent you from making good investment choices. LOSS AVERSION: The feeling of wanting to avoid a loss and doing all we can to reduce the chance of it happening. The evidence suggests that we feel losses at least two to three times as strongly as we feel an equivalent gain. ENDOWMENT EFFECT: Placing more value on something we own than something we don't own. This bias means that we often hold on to investments long after they've become irrelevant to our goals. REGRET AVERSION: This is where people think about the worst possible outcome and how they would feel if that outcome was realised. This leads people to choose options that reduce or eliminate the chance of regret, even if the decision is not the right one. STATUS QUO BIAS: This is when people prefer things to stay the same by doing nothing or by sticking with a choice that they have already made. This is one of the reasons people often choose default investment funds in their pension  the one offered initially by their provider  or refuse to change a losing investment strategy. DISPOSITION EFFECT: This is where we tend to hold on to losing investments for too long while selling winning investments too quickly. This is closely linked to loss aversion. HERDING BIAS: Nothing to do with herd immunity. This is simply a compulsion to follow the crowd  and a natural discomfort when you feel that you are going out on a limb.

Bage says that due to a phenomenon called 'loss aversion', which may have developed to keep our ancestors safe, we feel losses roughly twice as much as gains  meaning it is exceptionally painful when stock markets fall.

It prevents us from making good decisions.

Investors, he says, combine this with other negative behaviours such as 'regret aversion', where we think about the worst possible outcome and then choose the option that best minimises that  rather then the most sensible choice.

Whether our behaviour prompts us to sell shares or to stockpile toilet paper, for example, Bage says we can beat it.

He says talking to an adviser or a trusted friend can help investors make clearer  and more rational  investment decisions.

'Such advisers and friends can act like a counsellor or a therapist,' he says.

Greg Davies, head of behavioural science at investment risk business Oxford Risk, agrees.

He says: 'There is a constant tension in all of us  between doing the sensible thing and doing what is comfortable. The need for emotional comfort often triumphs.'

Long-term view: The Sage of Omaha, Warren Buffet, says: 'My favourite holding period is forever'

While not losing your head is vital, there may also be investment opportunities  as long as you are careful.

Lee Wild is head of equity strategy at wealth manager Interactive Investor. He says markets are more volatile now than at any time since the 2008 financial crisis.

He says: 'Markets famously do not like uncertainty  and Covid-19 brings that in spades.'

He warns share prices will remain volatile for some time, adding: 'You will rarely be able to pick the bottom of the market.

Remember the words of economist John Maynard Keynes, 'Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.' So be certain you have a long enough investment time frame to weather further short-term market declines.'

Bage suggests buying shares on a regular basis  preferably through a monthly investment plan.

He says: 'That way, you'll avoid the emotional difficulty of investing during times of extreme market volatility.'

He also says investors should avoid watching the market and constantly going online to look at the value of their investments.

'I know it will make me feel bad, so I don't do it,' he says.

Oxford Risk's Greg Davies urges investors not to sell investments in the current environment.

He says: 'If you do need to withdraw money from your investment portfolio, start with the cash and bonds.'

Be-IQ has a mobile phone app Beam  Self Awareness that runs through games to help you find out why you make the investment decisions you do  and how you can make better ones.

It is free and available from the Apple Store if you have an Apple device. An Android version is not yet available.

Finally, take a long-term view. As the Sage of Omaha says: 'My favourite holding period is forever.'

Wisdom like that will help your investments see out Covid-19.
Berger is keeping her kids on a schedule, watching online math and reading programs they have access to through school, filling out workbooks she got from her sister, and learning how to do chores the way Mom likes them.

There are breaks in between for imaginary time: They can hang out, play with toys or do crafts, but they aren't allowed to use their tablets until everything is done.

Berger said she feels strongly about keeping them on a schedule so that they keep learning and making academic progress. For a week, though, she said shell let them stay up late and sleep in.

Its overwhelming, she said. You just need to have a game plan. They can have that one-on-one attention they cant get in a classroom, and more attention I couldnt give them when I work six days a week."

Sam Smith, of East Moline, on the other hand, is just taking it day by day with his kids, ages 11 and 12.

Theyve been going outside and playing ball, he said. They also are spending a lot of time reading and playing video games.

This is their spring break right now, regardless, he said last week.




Oyo State government led by Governor Seyi Makinde on Sunday morning confirmed the first of Coronavirus in Oyo.

Naija News reports that the Oyo State Governor confirmed the suspected Coronavirus (COVID-19) case as positive in a statement released on the micro-blogging site, Twitter.

Governor Makinde the first Coronavirus in Oyo is a returnee from the United Kingdom whose initial tests had shown negative for the virus.

The state governor said in the statement that further tests have proven the UK returnee positive and further revealed that the suspected case in Ekiti who died due to unknown reasons also slept in a hotel in Ona-Ara local government. He added that a returnee from the United States has also been placed on self-isolation after showing signs of the disease.

Governor Makinde said the result was released at 17:35 PM of March 21, 2020, adding that the Oyo State Public Health Officials are collaborating with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadans team on the case.

The statement reads as thus; The COVID-19 confirmation test for the suspected case at Bodija has come back POSITIVE. The result was released at 17:35 PM of March 21, 2020. Oyo State Public Health Officials are collaborating with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadans team on the case.

A follow up on the Ekiti COVID-19 case revealed that the deceased was picked up directly from Lagos Airport to a private apartment in Ona Ara Local Government Area.

The Health Authorities have contacted the family concerned and the community has been alerted for intensified contact tracing and self-isolation of identified close contacts.

The information given that he stayed in some hotels in Ibadan has been found to be false.

Another returnee from Texas, USA, has also been identified at Oluyole Local Government Area. She has been kept in self-isolation with close monitoring by the State Epidemiological Team. All recent returnees are again urged to identify themselves to Ministry Officials and self-isolate for 14 days.

We have released funds for:

a. Activation of Emergency Operation Centre at the Ministry of Health.

b. Establishment of Diagnostic Centre for screening of Coronavirus and other related infectious diseases to be stationed at the UCH, Ibadan.

Equipping of the newly designated Oyo State Infectious Disease Centre at Olodo that has the capacity for over 100 cases.

Oyo State Ministry of Health Helplines: 08038210122/ 08023229267/ 08073431342, the statement added.

OYO STATE COVID-19 TASK FORCE UPDATE (MARCH 21, 2020) pic.twitter.com/p6zWDkw1vc  Seyi Makinde (@seyiamakinde) March 21, 2020

Meanwhile, this brings the number of coronavirus cases in Nigeria to 23 from the initial 22 cases.

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There are two ways Scott Morrison can play this coronacession: he can spread the pain as fairly as possible, or he can yield to all his political instincts and play favourites. You know: lifters get looked after, leaners take their chances. Those my tribe judge to be not "having a go" wont be given a go.

Fortunately, Sundays second, $66-billion assistance package suggests Morrisons trying hard to overcome his instincts, be more statesman-like and not exclude unpopular groups from assistance. Hes got further to go, however.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announcing new measures to stem damage from the coronavirus crisis at Parliament House in Canberra on Sunday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The poor are the biggest losers in every recession and that will be just as true in the coronacession. Those who are able to keep working will be the least affected; those who lose their jobs will be the most affected.

The strongest reason for Morrison to take steps to spread the pain more fairly is that its the right  you could almost say the Christian  thing to do. But he has extra, more pragmatic reasons for doing so. One is that it's easier to get everyone to cop their share of the burden  and to pull their weight  if they believe the burdens being shared fairly. If they know that "were all in this together" is more than an empty slogan.
Storyful

A cat owner in Sao Paulo may need to pack for vacations in private from now on, as it appears their kitty is quite fond of curling up in a suitcase.Natalia Cara de Medeiros, who runs an Instagram account dedicated to her pet cat Jazz, shared footage of the feline sitting happily in her half-full suitcase to her YouTube channel.In a caption for the video, de Medeiros said Jazz was abandoned along with four other cats.They all got adopted and she was the only one left. One of the neighbors tried to take her in, but she didnt want to; she had chosen us and slowly made her way into our home, she wrote.And it looks like de Medeiros home isnt the only thing Jazz has made her way into: Like all cats, she is very curious and loves enclosed spaces, so of course, she couldnt resist it when she saw an open suitcase lying around, de Mederios added. Credit: Natys Adventures via Storyful
Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a shock through the state Tuesday when he told parents, Dont anticipate schools are going to open up in a week. Please dont anticipate in a few weeks. I would plan, and assume, that its unlikely that many of these schools  few, if any  will open before the summer break.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond later tamped down Newsoms comments, telling educators in an online call that while schools may stay closed for the rest of the year, no decision has been made.
Hopes for a quick agreement on a proposed stimulus bill worth up to $2trn to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic took a blow when a top Democrat left talks saying she would come up with her own plan.

Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker who had flown in to DC from San Francisco, told reporters: "From my standpoint, we're apart."

Her comments dented hopes for a bipartisan deal being agreed as early as Monday  although with the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, making more positive noises, an agreement was not off the table.

Mr Schumer said: "We're continuing to talk."

The $2trn package aims to shore up the US economy as the coronavirus sees millions of employees and businesses in doubt about their future, with thousands of workers already having lost their jobs.

Democrats say they had preliminary agreements on providing an extra $200bn to hospitals and first responders, establishing an extension on unemployment insurance, making sure renters are not evicted and protections for students paying back loans.

But Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth told CNN that at 8pm on Saturday the Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, pulled negotiators out of talks.

He reportedly said he was going to draft a "final legislative text" without the involvement of Democrats.

Ms Duckworth accused the Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is involved in the talks, of trying to set up a $500bn slush fund for the benefit of business, allowing them to ignore restrictions on using federal funds for stock buybacks and on allowing executives to increase their wages.

Republicans insist they have made a series of compromises to take in Democratic demands.

The proposed stimulus package  which could provide $1,200 to most American taxpayers  would be the third passed by Congress to try to stem the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

An $8.3m package aimed at supporting the medical response to Covid-19 was followed by a $100bn deal, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which expanded unemployment benefits and Medicare and provided for paid sick leave, childcare leave and free testing for Covid-19.
Tuolumne County Public Health View Photo

Sonora, CA  Tuolumne County Health officials released the Saturday Coronavirus testing update.

Tuolumne County Testing Case Information (as of 4/25/20 @10:30AM)

Total Tested 490, Total Pending 0, Total Negative 487

Total Tuolumne residents positive 3, hospitalized 1, details on the new COVID-19 Case assigned to Tuolumne County are here. There are 0 reported on home isolation and 2 recovered.

Current non-resident positive cases tested in Tuolumne County updated to 0 as detailed here.

Above numbers do not necessarily include those routed through a commercial laboratory, only those routed through Public Health to a Public Health Laboratory and those reported through the State infectious disease reporting system. All positive cases must be reported to Public Health.

Amador added one new positive as detailed here, Calaveras also had one new case as reported here.

Other Counties Number of Positive Tests (as of 4/25/20 10:30 AM) Alpine Amador Calaveras Mariposa Madera 1 (4/21) 8 details here 13, details here 0 (4/24) 39 (27 recov.) Merced Mono San Joaquin Stanislaus SCC Prison 102 (61 recov.) 24 (4/25) 505 (4/25) 264 (4/25) 0 (4/25)

* All positive cases must be reported to Public Health. State data is here, National data is here.

An updated overview of myMotherLode Coronavirus news stories is here. For previous public health updates go here.

LATEST UPDATES

Tuolumne County Public Health says While Public Health continues to collaborate with our governmental and community partners on local planning efforts that align with the Governors roadmap to modifying the statewide stay-at-home order, the State and local Health Officer orders are still in effect at this time. We want to thank you all for your continued cooperation. Your efforts are helping us to stay in containment, and we understand the huge sacrifice that everyone is making during these trying times. In addition to essential services that continue to be offered by governmental and community agencies, we have seen and heard of many residents and organizations coming together to assist their fellow citizens who may be in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Your kindness and contributions are recognized and greatly appreciated.

Quest Diagnostics may be able to provide COVID-19 antibody testing with a doctors order, details were in yesterdays news story here. Tuolumne County Public Health notes they would like to reiterate that Public Health cannot speak to the accuracy of the tests being offered by commercial laboratories and we are not currently making a recommendation for the testing. They further say, According to a press release issued by Quest Diagnostics, the tests they are using are being submitted for Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA, but they have not yet been issued such. It is our understanding that Quest labs may be experiencing a high volume of test requests and reduced availability for processing those requests. Individuals should contact their healthcare provider to determine if testing is recommended.

GENERAL INFORMATION & PREVIOUS UPDATES

Tuolumne County Public Health shared a video interview Friday with Dr. Liza Ortiz, Interim County Health Officer on current questions and concerns. View it on our YouTube Channel Here.

Case Identification

A 90 year-old female Tuolumne County resident is receiving care in a congregate living facility outside of the county, details here.

The California Department of Public Health has now assigned cruise ship passengers who had tested positive for COVID-19 to their counties of residence. These cases were previously assigned by the State separately to the cruise lines. We have received one such case of a 72-year-old male who completed their isolation on the cruise ship in March. Therefore, our data now indicates 2 total positive cases in Tuolumne County residents. There is no known risk to the public from this latest assigned case.

Follow-Up on the Positive Case in a 34-year-old male non-resident Shared on 3/10: The individual was in the area performing essential work in accordance with the Governors order. The individual sought medical care in Tuolumne County and has been in isolation outside of Tuolumne County since that time. Contact tracing was conducted and it is evident that transmission occurred outside of our county, and no close contacts were identified in Tuolumne County. At this time, there is no known additional risk to Tuolumne County residents. This case will be assigned to the individuals county of residence.

On 3/30 a second positive case identified in a Tuolumne County resident. The individual traveled while she was not symptomatic to areas with known community transmission before the stay-at-home order was issued. It is important to remember that the individual isolated herself while symptomatic and she has been cleared from her isolation period.

A on 3/26 the notification of a positive case of COVID-19 in a non-Tuolumne County resident being treated at Adventist Health Sonora. The individual has now recovered and their travel companion has cleared the quarantine period and did not develop symptoms during the quarantine. Public Health maintained daily contact with them during the isolation & quarantine periods to ensure they had supplies that allowed them to remain in their home and out of contact with people during that time period.

Local Activations & Declarations

Tuolumne County Public Health is coordinating closely with State and Regional partners, as well as other County agencies, including the Innovation and Business Assistance department on planning for implementing phases of the Governors roadmap to modifying the stay-at-home order. As part of this planning, Innovation & Business Assistance hosted a webinar as detailed here on April 22nd. Many other facets of planning for the modification of the stay-at-home order are also ongoing and we look forward to sharing more information as plans progress.

Tuolumne County Public Health notes they are is continuing ongoing coordination with local, regional, and state partners for the COVID-19 response. This includes planning for coordinated efforts related to the 6 indicators in Governor Newsoms roadmap to modifying the stay-at-home order here. More details are on myMotherLode here. Pubic Health shared The stay-at-home order is working, and it is saving lives. We understand the sacrifice that everyone is making during this pandemic and the publics cooperation is greatly appreciated as we strive to remain in containment and keep our community healthy.

An update to the Febrile Respiratory Illness (FRI) Employee Screening form is here. This update incorporates the latest CDC guidance on allowing critical employees to continue working if they have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive patient, if specific precautions are taken. All essential businesses in Tuolumne County have been directed to screen their employees before they begin their shift according to the local Health Officers Order on 3/26 and retain that documentation for at least 14 days. That order was reported on here.

This update incorporates the latest CDC guidance on allowing critical employees to continue working if they have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive patient, if specific precautions are taken. All essential businesses in Tuolumne County have been directed to screen their employees before they begin their shift according to the local Health Officers Order on 3/26 and retain that documentation for at least 14 days. That order was reported on here. On 4/6/20, Tuolumne County Interim Health Officer, Dr. Eric Sergienko issued a Health Officer Order clarifying essential vs. non-essential activities as detailed here.

On 4/3/20, The Interim County Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko issued a Health Officers Order clarifying the Statewide Stay-at-Home order as related to short term lodging facilities as detailed here.

Acting Tuolumne County Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko issued a Health Officer order effective today, 3/26/20 to screen for febrile (related to fever) respiratory illness and for ill residents to isolate. The order includes direction for healthcare provider reporting of febrile respiratory illness (FRI), monitoring and isolation instructions, and for all employers to screen employees at the start of work. The most recent version of the order is here.

PUBLIC HEALTH COVID-19 CALL CENTER: Public Health has activated a call center that will go live on 3/18/20 at 9 a.m. The call center will be open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The call center phone number is 209-533-7440. The Adventist Health Sonora COVID-19 triage line for local patients concerned they may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 has knowledgeable registered nurses are available to provide advice and refer patients to appropriate care when needed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and may be reached by calling 209-536-5166. Patients who are experiencing an emergency should call 911.

The Public Health Department has activated its Department Operations Center (DOC) to most effectively respond to the COVID-19 incident, including communication and coordination with our federal, state, and local partners. This includes ongoing receipt and processing of resource requests from our partners through the Medical Health Operational Area Coordinator (MHOAC) program.

Dr. Eric Sergienko, acting Tuolumne County Health Officer, has declared a local health emergency in order to enhance the effectiveness of the response to COVID-19, to seek and utilize mutual aid, potentially obtain reimbursement, and ensure that the Countys public health professionals and providers have all necessary resources to provide quality care and keep our community safe.

Dr. Sergienko issued a revised Health Officer Order on 3/17/20

The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians declared a State of Emergency on March 19, 2020 due to COVID-19.

The Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services, with the approval of the Board of Supervisors, declared a local state of emergency on 3/17/20.

In order to better focus public health resources on the changing needs of California communities, as of March 18 th , the state is no longer collecting information about California travelers from countries that have confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks. Community transmission has been identified in California since late February, and since early March, most of the confirmed cases in the state were not related to travel outside of the U.S.

The Tuolumne County Environmental Health Division has developed important materials related to food safety, handling, and delivery for the foodservice industry, and those who are assisting with food distribution during this emergency. Please see attached documents. Currently, under the State Health Officer order, restaurants are only to provide to-go, drive-through, or delivery options.

The City of Sonora declared a local emergency on March 16th, 2020 due to COVID-19.

State Orders

The Tuolumne County Sheriffs Department has issued a press release regarding education and enforcement of Health Officer Orders. As detailed here.

On March 19, 2020, the State Public Health Officer Dr. Angel issued the following, To protect public health, I as State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health order all individuals living in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical infrastructure sectors, as outlined at https://www.cisa.gov/identifying-critical-infrastructure-Workers.

To view the full Executive Order, visit: https://covid19.ca.gov/img/Executive-Order-N-33-20.pdf

For more information about the Executive Order, visit: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/?fbclid=IwAR16K1XfBpq_kuRtMJLNVZjP9VeIsoTvH5EkdOUFxLrMiIaUS7Bs54jJ4Z8

In order to better focus public health resources on the changing needs of California communities, as of March 18 th , the state is no longer collecting information about California travelers from countries that have confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks. Community transmission has been identified in California since late February, and since early March, most of the confirmed cases in the state were not related to travel outside of the U.S.

, the state is no longer collecting information about California travelers from countries that have confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks. Community transmission has been identified in California since late February, and since early March, most of the confirmed cases in the state were not related to travel outside of the U.S. All California State Parks have been closed to vehicle traffic. View the news story here.

COVID-19 Testing:

Tuolumne County Public Health has provided an update and clarification in regard to testing for COVID-19, the document is viewable here, the news story is here.

Testing is being conducted at the discretion of health care providers in the community, based on their clinical assessment and current recommended guidance

Tests that will be conducted through the Public Health laboratory system are coordinated with our Public Health Department

Testing is available through Quest laboratories with a health care providers order. These tests are not required to be communicated through the Public Health Department, but our local providers are strongly encouraged to do so

Any positive test result must be reported to the Public Health Department

Community Agency Updates:

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an Executive Order that allows enrollment waivers for child care subsidies to certain populations. These waivers and child care subsidies are valid through June 30, 2020. The order prioritizes eligibility in certain categories including essential workers. Please view the website for more info: https://www.icesagency.org/news_events/headlines.html/article/2020/04/14/governor-newsom-s-executive-order-for-child-care-subsidy

We would like to include relevant updates from agencies that serve the community (e.g., the Senior Center is closed but they are offering drive-through lunch pick-up). Please submit updates to PHPIO@co.tuolumne.ca.us by noon each day for your update to be included in this daily email update.

Twain Harte Area CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) has established a call service to provide daily phone calls with folks who would like a check-in each day. See the attached graphic.

(Community Emergency Response Team) has established a call service to provide daily phone calls with folks who would like a check-in each day. See the attached graphic. The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Social Services Department has provided information on resources available to their tribal community. As detailed here.

has provided information on resources available to their tribal community. Catholic Charities has updated some of their service changes. Grace Fund Program GRACE Fund will continue to operate by appointment only and requires staff to work remotely. The programs requirements are being modified to safeguard clients and staff to reduce face to face contact. Contact number: (209) 532-7632 Mother Lode Ombudsman Program The Program Coordinator and Program Assistant are working remotely to respond to Ombudsman calls per State guidance. No visits to facilities are allowed at this time. Contact number: (209) 588-1597 SSVF/VETFAM Program All staff are working remotely assisting Veterans to secure housing and provide case management via phone or email. Contact number: (209) 396-6903 Mother Lode Counseling Program Counseling service are still being provided. To safeguard clients and staff, the counselors will be providing telehealth sessions. This can be done through multiple electronic forms: facetime, zoom or Google Meet. Contact number: (209) 396-6953

has updated some of their service changes. Jamestown Family Resource Center, Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools, and Resiliency Village are partnering to help with food distribution for those in need during this emergency. Applications can be submitted at this link or by calling 536-2092. Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA) ATCAA offices are closed until further notice. Please call 533-1397 for general information Head Start has been closed until further notice

Food Bank: Food is being distributed by highest need. Please call 984-3901 x101 for information on signing up

Area 12 Agency on Aging

A12AA has closed their office for in-person services but will continue to be available by phone during normal business hours. All HICAP appointments will be conducted by phone.

A12AA has closed their office for in-person services but will continue to be available by phone during normal business hours. All HICAP appointments will be conducted by phone. Behavioral Health

Lambert Center  closed until further notice TCBH Enrichment Center  Beginning 3/27, the Enrichment Center will be open for showers and laundry only for those not housed or those with no access to a shower or laundry facility. Please visit here for more information. The 24-hour crisis phone line is: 209-533-7000 or toll free 800-630-1130 The ICES (Infant Child Enrichment Services) office is closed to the public until further notice, although most services are still being provided. This includes provider payments, child care referrals, and resources to providers and families. Call the main phone line at 533-0377, and messages will be returned if requested. Or write to info@icesagency.org and a response will be given shortly. Foothill Pregnancy Center- Some programs and services have changed. Please call 536-9262 for information



Libraries All branches of the Tuolumne County Public Library will be closed until further notice due to the Shelter in Place order issued by the Governor. All late charges for materials due during this time will be waived. The library will appraise the public as we receive new information. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Our digital library is always open at https://ncdl.overdrive.com/ .



Senior Center The Senior Center at 540 Greenley Road will be closed until further notice The Senior Center will have meals available for pick-up only at 540 Greenley Road in Sonora. Lunches will be made available to current Intake Congregate Clients and by reservation only. Current lunch participants who would like to reserve a lunch should call 209-533-2622 by 9 a.m. that morning For more information, visit: http://www.sierraseniorproviders.org/ If you would like to help with their efforts, please visit: http://www.sierraseniorproviders.org/ways-to-help/ The Meals on Wheels Program is continuing service as usual The Sonora, Jamestown, and Groveland Congregate lunch sites have ceased on-site serving



Mass Gatherings

The State order issued on 3/19 (see above) supersedes the County Health Officer order from 3/17/20.

Mass Gatherings:

Per the 3/17/20 Tuolumne County Health Officer Order (applicable until 4/30/20):

All events that have more than 50 participants shall be canceled or postponed to such a time as this Health Officers Order has lapsed

All events that may have fewer than 50 participants where it is not feasible to maintain social distances of six feet shall be canceled or postponed to such a time as this Health Officers Order has lapsed

Gatherings for those who are at high risk of severe illness, such as those older than 65, those with existing heart or lung disease, and those with diabetes, shall not exceed more than ten participants who are at high risk

Issuance of assemblage permits and facility use permits shall be canceled

View the CDPH Guidance for Gatherings, here.

Schools:

The Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools announced on 3/18/20 that County schools will extend their closure through April 13, 2020, with the anticipated return to classrooms on April 14 th , depending on guidance from the Governor, CDE, and the State Department of Health. View the full announcement here: https://www.tcsos.us/wp-content/uploads/Extended-School-Closures-03_18_2020.pdf

, depending on guidance from the Governor, CDE, and the State Department of Health. View the full announcement here: https://www.tcsos.us/wp-content/uploads/Extended-School-Closures-03_18_2020.pdf Columbia College campus is closed. All instruction and student support services continue and have been moved to online format. Check their website for more information: https://www.gocolumbia.edu/about/goals.php

The School Districts of Tuolumne County are working with their Community Partners to help deliver meals to families of school-age students (0-18). Please visit the following page to see how each district is distributing food to families: https://www.tcsos.us/newsroom/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-meal-distribution/

Private school closure is at school administrator discretion Mother Lode Adventist Junior Academy has reported that they will be closed 3/18/20 through 4/12/20

Please view the CDPH COVID-19 Schools guidance here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/School%20Guidance_ADA%20Compliant_FINAL.pdf

*New* Businesses

COVID-19 Business Resources Tuolumne County: https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/1265/COVID-19 Governors Office of Business and Economic Development: https://business.ca.gov/coronavirus-2019/



** Updated COVID-19 Guidance Highlights:

New guidance on community masking was issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and attached is local guidance and information. It is important for everyone to understand that this is not an order to wear a mask and it DOES NOT replace the importance of staying home, social distancing, and hand washing as the most effective means of protection against COVID-19.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has their guidance documents available in one place: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Guidance.aspx

Food, Beverage, Other Services:

Bars, wineries, breweries, and pubs should be closed, except for venues that are currently authorized to provide off sale beer and wine to be consumed off-premises

Restaurants should be closed for in-restaurant seated dining, and should be open only to drive-through or other pick-up/delivery options

For the full guidance, click here.

Self-Isolation for Older Adults (age 65 and older) and Those Who Have Elevated Risk

Remain at home until further guidance is issued

Continue with outdoor activities

Practice social distancing, both in and outside the home

Stay in touch with others by phone, email, or other online tools

Identify family, friends, neighbors, and caregivers who can provide support

Have supplies on hand

Have a plan for if you get sick

Practice hand washing

Use respiratory etiquette

Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs

For the full guidance, click here.

What You Can Do:

Practice everyday preventive actions to stay healthy

Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds, or with hand sanitizer of soap is not available

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

If you are ill, stay home. If other family members are ill, including children, keep them home.

Practice social distancing: put more space between yourself and others. About 6 feet is good, if you can

Avoid contact with people who are sick

Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects often with soap and water or household cleaners. Dont forget your cell phone

Per the Presidents Coronavirus Guidelines: If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition that can put you at increased risk (e.g., a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system), stay home and away from other people

Per the Presidents Coronavirus Guidelines: If you are young, or otherwise healthy, you are at risk and your activities can increase the risk for others. It is critical that you do your part to stop the spread of coronavirus:

Work or engage in schools from home whenever possible

If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, such as healthcare services and pharmaceutical and food supply, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule. You and your employers should follow CDC guidance to protect your health at work.

Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people

Avoid eating and drinking in restaurants and food courts  use drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options

Avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits

Practice good hygiene

Those visiting Tuolumne County from counties that have Shelter-in-Place orders should, at a minimum, self-monitor with twice daily symptoms checks, including taking a temperature, if possible. These individuals should also limit their travel. For the local notice, see attached document. To learn about COVID-19 symptoms, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

If someone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19, keep the entire household at home. Do not go to work. Do not go to school. Contact your medical provider.

If you have symptoms or get sick:

Stay home, unless you need to seek medical care

Stay away from other people, pets, and animals. As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and use a separate bathroom if available.

Call ahead before visiting your doctor, clinic, or hospital

Wear a face mask to avoid spreading germs

Cover your cough with a tissue and immediately throw it in the trash, or cough into your bent elbow. Wash your hands after using a tissue.

Wash your hands often and avoid sharing personal items

Please see the CDC recommendations here.

Stay Informed:

We intend to provide these updates each weekday until further notice, and on weekends if warranted

Stay tuned to the Public Health website https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/250/Public-Health

Follow Public Health on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tuolumnecountypublichealth

Visit the new CDPH COVID-19 website: https://www.covid19.ca.gov/

Visit the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
At Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, a heavy-set woman with thinning gray hair lay unconscious as a ventilator forced air down her throat through a blue plastic tube. Every spot in the ICU was full, mostly with patients like her, fighting to stay alive as the virus ravaged their lungs.

As she struggled, construction crews were building out the ICUs capacity for a second time in a month, to keep pace with the recent surge of patients, and to get ready for the tidal wave everyone knows is about to hit. Windows were knocked out, and temporary vents installed to pull the contaminated air straight outside. Worried nurses scanned the blinking lights on the ventilators, the last line between life and death, each machine now worth more than gold as the available supply dwindles.

We got two more ventilators from Valley, and we gave them 1,000 masks and 2,000 gloves, said Dr. Adam Jarrett, the chief medical officer, referring to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. Everyone is cautiously sharing but its definitely like nothing Ive ever seen.

The hospitals ethics committee has been alerted, because everyone knows at some point soon the ugly decisions will have to be faced. If the boat is going to sink, who gets thrown overboard? When the supply of ventilators falls short of demand, who wins and who loses?

In practice, that decision is made by doctors on the ground, and they are ethically bound to preserve the ventilators for those most likely to survive. That means doctors may have to play God, to remove the ventilators from an elderly patient who is beyond hope, say, and use it to save a younger patient who has a chance.

You play the odds, says Dr. Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University.

An example: If a patient is on the verge of being declared brain dead, a doctor might remove the ventilator sooner than he or she would in normal times. You take them off the ventilators, you see if they breathe, and thats it, Caplan says.

Holy Name is in Bergen County, the hot-spot for the virus in New Jersey. As of Friday, it had 54 coronavirus patients, double what it had a week ago, with the number rising faster each day. Staffs are working long shifts, exposing themselves to grand risk on our behalf, doing all they can. Theyre too busy to think much about life and death decisions they might have to make next week. And theyre too horrified to look at the crystal ball anyway.

I cant even go there, says Jarett. Were going to figure it out.

The numbers are daunting. New Jersey has 23,000 hospital beds, and that will be expanded by hundreds, perhaps a few thousand, in the crisis. The state is moving to reopen a few vacant hospitals, hospitals themselves refurbishing to make more room, and a Navy hospital ship is headed to New York Harbor.

But that will fill only a fraction of the need. The virus is spreading fast in New Jersey, and a fresh study from Rutgers University warns that the hospitals will soon be overwhelmed. In the best case, with aggressive social distancing, the shortfall will be 122,000 beds, the study finds. In the worst case, it will be 313,000. For a preview of where this is headed, look to the disaster in Italy.

The scramble for ventilators is most pressing challenge at Holy Name and reflects a severe national shortage. President Trump told governors to scramble for themselves as much as they can, since Washington cannot possibly answer the need. Auto manufacturers on Thursday offered to try to retool some factories to produce more, as Trump tapped emergency war powers to force manufacturers to help with supplies of all kinds.

At Holy Name, they were down to only three available ventilators at one point last week, with 24 in use. After an urgent search, they found a supplier with one last week, and the hospital sent a driver to get it rather than wait for the normal delivery. Keep in mind, this scramble comes before the surge has gained momentum.

Im telling my guys, get me any ventilator you can, any mask, any gown, Jarrett said. I have good people here and Im going to believe theyre going to get me those thingsI have to be on the ground controlling what I can, so I focus on that.

Holy Name, like other hospitals, is on a war footing. Theyve set up a tent in its parking lot to test patients for the virus. Theyve installed separate ventilation systems in 60 rooms. They are training a dozen nurses on the use of ventilators, a specialized skill now in ferocious demand.

And they are improvising, already. With a surge of patients on blood-oxygen monitors, nurses couldnt keep up, so the hospital started using baby monitors to amplify the alarms -- at least until tech crews finish connecting the alarms directly to computer screens. Were spending money left and right, Jarrett says.

The spirit at the hospital reminds me of the days after September 11. Its awful, but you cant miss the fierce determination to respond, the power of sharing a common cause, the willingness to sacrifice for the larger good. Its inspiring. And were going to need strong hearts when the funeral homes start filling up, when this becomes huge and tragic and awful.

Most people are on board by now, hunkering down at home, cutting out social contacts, venturing out to buy food and medicine. But its not just the college kids in Florida who are slow to join the effort.

When I got home from Holy Name on Wednesday, I received a message from my own doctor. Before agreeing to refill my blood-pressure medication, he wanted to examine me at the large medical center where he practices. The sick patients, he assured me, are separated from those that are not sick. In the waiting room, patients stay at least six-feet apart. And besides, he said, We think if patients dont have the ability to access doctors for health care, they have potential to get sicker.

Im thinking of changing doctors now, because that is nuts. Many people who carry this virus show no symptoms but can still infect others, so how can you segregate them with any confidence? And, please, everyone in the waiting room stays six-feet apart at all times? How often are the surfaces scrubbed down? And why take any risk when my medication hasnt changed in years?

Still, most of us are on board with the program by now. These empty streets and stores are just what the folks at Holy Name and other hospitals want to see. Its their only hope now.

Staying home is the most noble and selfless thing you can do, Jarrett says. You are probably saving a life.

And lets keep our perspective: Earlier generations had to go to war to protect the country. We have to stay home. Its not asking too much.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Partnering with five leading in vitro diagnostics manufacturers, an interdisciplinary team of scientists and physicians at UC San Diego Health and University of California San Diego School of Medicine today announced that the UC San Diego Center for Advanced Laboratory Medicine (CALM) is significantly ramping up testing for COVID-19, projecting a capacity to complete 1,000 to 1,500 tests per day within two to three weeks.

The partnerships are with Thermo Fisher Scientific, Roche Diagnostics, GenMark Diagnostics, Luminex Corporation and Abbott Diagnostics.

UC San Diego has always been a recognized national leader in developing industry partnerships for the greater goodThis achievement is a perfect example of brilliant minds in the public and private sectors coming together to solve real-world issues and drive innovation. These partnerships are creative, compelling and incredibly important for all of us in these difficult times." Pradeep Khosla, UC San Diego Chancellor

Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health agreed: "These partnerships, executed with unprecedented urgency and speed, signify extraordinary, meaningful progress. They represent greater access soon to COVID-19 testing, not just for our patients and health care workers, but hopefully the larger community in need."

UC San Diego Health has been conducting in-house COVID-19 testing since March 10, the result of an intensive internal effort by UC San Diego Health doctors and staff. The in-house testing was among the first such efforts in the nation, producing results in hours, rather than days or weeks.

But emerging and widespread challenges across health systems and the nation involving shortages of required chemicals and materials has limited testing to only persons meeting strict diagnostic criteria, such as clear symptoms of disease or known exposure to the virus.

The announced partnerships encompass a broad-based approach using multiple testing platforms with different material requirements and supply chains. They are designed to better overcome the issues of supply, demand -- and need.

"Right from the start, we viewed our responsibility as serving not only our patients at UC San Diego Health, but our students, employees and our communities -- and perhaps the entire region," said Steven Gonias, MD, PhD, chief of pathology services for UC San Diego Health and chair of the Department of Pathology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "With this vision, our work was strongly supported across the board, by Chancellor Khosla, the UC Office of the President and, of course, our private sector partners."

CALM, which opened in 2011, is a 90,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility near the La Jolla campus. It houses the majority of UC San Diego Health's clinical laboratories, diagnostic services and related research activities. It is licensed and approved for the most advanced and complex types of lab testing.

Ronald McLawhon, MD, PhD, director of CALM and UC San Diego Clinical Laboratories and chief of the Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, said the facility has been revamped to redirect additional personnel and resources to COVID-19 testing.

"Our entire clinical team understands the importance of this effort in fighting a global pandemic," McLawhon said. "Many of our most skilled laboratory, technical and management staff have been working around-the-clock under the guidance of doctors David Pride and Sharon Reed to make a real difference."

David Pride, MD, PhD, is an infectious disease specialist, director of the Clinical Molecular Microbiology Laboratory and associate professor of pathology and medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Sharon Reed, MD, is an infectious disease specialist, director of the Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratories and professor of pathology and medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

"All of us continue to explore new ways to further increase testing capacity and to develop new diagnostic laboratory assays that can help guide care and therapy for COVID-19 patients," Gonias said. "This outbreak isn't over; neither is our work."
Also read: Facebook suggests everybody to take social distancing seriously

World Health Organization (WHO) is coming up with all possible ways to provide information regarding coronavirus.Social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp are try their best to spread the facts and curb the misinformation.The struggle of distributing authentic content in timely manner is a real struggle, in the past WhatsApp has faced a lot of criticism for facilitating fake news.The coronavirus that initially originated from Wuhan, China is now stated as a Global pandemic by WHO. With its horrendous outbreak, it has affected millions of people and has claimed many lives already...and its still spreading! Almost every country is taking quarantine and social distancing measures to combat the disease.In these times of global social distress, people are staying at home all the time, with restaurants, bars, malls, and other recreational activities at a halt. This has prompted the extensive use of smartphones and mobile applications , social media sites taking the lead amongst them all. Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have become the major sources of communication. Recently, Facebook, YouTube, and other applications took measures to stop spreading false news, and now WhatsApp is taking responsible measures in collaboration with the World Health Organization On Friday, WHO launched a chat bot for WhatsApp messenger app where it provides details, precautionary measures and other authentic information regarding coronavirus. All user around the world who have Whatsapp installed on their devices can simply start conversation with bot by simply adding this number in contacts +41798931892 and sending a simple hi. This is an effective, easy and safe way to gain information and clear all the misconceptions and myths regarding this pandemic, and the virus itself!This feature will also provide answers to frequently asked questions about this virus. The Facebook-owned messaging app has launched a Coronavirus Information Center to help you stay up to date with the latest official health information.It is one of the best steps taken by these social media infotainment sites to help share reliable information and bust the myths and all falsified claims regarding the vicious COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. People need to become more responsible in sharing news too because it is very easy to spread misinformation and propaganda nowadays through these media. This global pandemic is not a joke, as it has now infected more than 265,000 people and killed more than 11,000 globally.Be vigilant and stay safe everyone! That is the need of the hour.Read next: Google launches website and tools dedicated to COVID-19
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Elecosoft plc (LON:ELCO) as an investment opportunity by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. I will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Elecosoft

The method

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK3.80m UK3.99m UK4.14m UK4.25m UK4.34m UK4.40m UK4.46m UK4.51m UK4.55m UK4.58m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Est @ 4.99% Est @ 3.65% Est @ 2.72% Est @ 2.06% Est @ 1.6% Est @ 1.28% Est @ 1.05% Est @ 0.9% Est @ 0.79% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 7.3% UK3.5 UK3.5 UK3.3 UK3.2 UK3.0 UK2.9 UK2.7 UK2.6 UK2.4 UK2.3

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK29m

Story continues

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 10-year government bond rate (0.5%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.3%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2029  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK4.6m (1 + 0.5%)  7.3% 0.5%) = UK68m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK68m ( 1 + 7.3%)10= UK33m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is UK62m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of UK0.6, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 26% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

AIM:ELCO Intrinsic value, March 22nd 2020

The assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Elecosoft as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.121. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, DCF calculation shouldnt be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price to differ from the intrinsic value? For Elecosoft, We've compiled three fundamental aspects you should further research:

Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Elecosoft you should know about. Future Earnings: How does ELCO's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the AIM every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Among the worlds 20 biggest oil-producing countries, theres only one that has--as far as anyone really knows--escaped the coronavirus, but its got problems that are just as big.

Taking stock of the pandemic from the perspective of oil-producing nations is important because COVID-19 adds another major layer of uncertainty to the already devastating oil price/market share war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

And while Libya has no known cases, and Russia is popping champagne corks over the Wests panic, Iran is reeling under a triple threat, Iraq just had a big operational scare, the UAE is clamping down, and the Saudis are perhaps taking measures that are too mild, too late.

It will all continue to affect oil, not simply from an economic growth and demand perspective, but an operational standpoint, too. Its not the ideal atmosphere in which two stubbornly unaccountable world leaders should be playing at a pricing war. The coronavirus may force their hands before theyre ready.

Top 20 Oil-Producing Countries as of 2019:

(Click to enlarge)

Source: Index Mundi / CIA World Factbook

But in the meantime, this is what the Oil-COVID-19 playing field looks like, and how the infection is spreading:

Africa

For once, Africa is probably the only place on the planet to be, and its also home to four large oil-producing countries: Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, and Libya.

Nigeria has banned entry for travelers from 13 countries as it grapples with containment, though its 12 confirmed cases as of Thursday represent a more delayed spread of the virus to Africa in general.

Then we have Libya, where there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus, and no real facilities to contain an outbreak if there is, but where oil production is already halted over a new phase in an ongoing civil war.

Libya is currently producing 91,221 bpd, as production has been halted due to the ongoing civil war between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar. This is now an international proxy war, with external forces lining up on opposing sides, hedging their bets on who will come out on top with the oil in hand. Financial losses due to the forced halt of oil production since mid-January are now estimated at over $3.36 billion by the National Oil Company (NOC) of Libya.

Story continues

To contain an outbreak of the pandemic in Libya, the GNA on Monday suspended all flights at the Misrata Airport for three weeks, and border crossings have been ordered to close.

Algeria confirmed its 8th death from coronavirus on Thursday, with a total of 82 cases, but what observers will be watching is how this affects the year-long mass protest against kleptocratic rule, much of which had to do with the state-run oil company, Sonatrach.

Angola registered its first case of coronavirus on Wednesday.

The GCC

The worst case in the Gulf presently is gas giant Qatar, with 452 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday. Foreigners are now banned from entry. Most of the cases are said to be related to migrant workers.

Saudi Arabia, the OPEC giant facing off with Russia in a devastating oil price war, had 238 cases of coronavirus as of Wednesday, with 67 new cases that same day.

The UAE has 140 cases, with 27 new cases just confirmed today, and it has banned citizens from traveling abroad.

Kuwait has 148 cases, with 6 new cases reported Thursday. Foreign flights have been cancelled, employees have been sent on two-week holidays, and educational institutions have been shut down, along with public markets and shopping malls.

China

China, where the virus originated, has turned a corner, with no new local infections as of Thursday. To date, the virus has killed 3,245 people in China.

Iran

Outside of China, the hardest hit is Iran, which is also suffering under U.S. sanctions and ridiculously low oil prices thanks to Russia and Saudi Arabia. As of Wednesday, Irans death toll due to coronavirus had surpassed 1,135, spiking 15% overnight. In total, Iran now has 17,631 coronavirus cases confirmed across the country.

Iraq

In Iraq, which was already reeling from a very undefined proxy war between the United States and Iran, the industry will be twitching a bit over the decision Tuesday to halt production of 95,000 bpd from the southern Gharraf oilfield after Malaysian giant Petronas evacuated its staff over coronavirus concerns. Petronas simply evacuated, apparently without even giving Baghdad a heads-up, and because Petronas is the operator, there was no time to prepare a new operational plan.

Russia

Russia is still basking in what it appears to think is divine intervention to justify the greatness of Putin--wonderfully portrayed in this must-read Moscow Times commentary--with reportedly fewer than 100 infected.



Moscow is currently living the high life, watching a parody of Soviet-era scrabbling for staples in the West, and still pretending its not shooting itself in the foot by taking on the Saudis (and, for good measure, U.S. shale) in a war for market share.

Kazakhstan

Two cities in oil-giant Kazakhstan are now on lockdown, as of Tuesday, after an overnight doubling of the number of cases to 33.

North America

Canadas COVID-19 death toll now sits at nine, compared to more than 150 deaths in the United States as of Thursday morning. Albertas oil industry is what some analysts are calling on its deathbed, with the price of Western Canadian Select trading at just $5.40 on Thursday, a loss of 50% in a single day--a price point that is entirely unsustainable for the industry and well below Canadian breakevens.

U.S. coronavirus cases soared 40% in just 24 hours as of Thursday, and the total number of confirmed cases had surpassed 10,000.

Europe

North Sea oil giant Norway, while taking potshots at the unpreparedness in the U.S., has 1,442 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday and has moved to invoke emergency powers, close borders, schools, and other public and private institutions.



The UK, which failed to digest the seriousness of the situation in Italy, where the death toll has officially outpaced Chinas, has 2,626 confirmed cases, with the death toll now standing at 103.

Related: Big Oil Is Literally Burning Cash In The Permian

South America

Venezuela, home to the worlds largest oil reserves, is under a nationwide quarantine due to the virus. Whats particularly worrisome about Venezuela is that their entire health system has essentially collapsed and they have an insufficient number of doctors and not enough medical equipment--or even soap and water.

Its hard to assess just how serious the situation is in Venezuela due to media blackouts, but the IMF refused a loan to Venezuela to deal with the virus.

As of Wednesday, Venezuela was reportedly grappling with 33 cases of the virus.

Brazil, which produces roughly 3 million barrels of oil per day, on Thursday moved to restrict foreign visitors coming from Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Suriname, and French Guiana. Its state-run oil firm, Petrobras, has already had employees test positive for the virus and are scaling back meetings and screening collaborators at airports before arriving at production platforms.

In Mexico, populist president AMLO (Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador) is playing things cool, insisting that the threat of the pandemic is exaggerated. AMLO is not moving to close down anything and is instead relying on good luck charms, even with 118 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com



More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Read this article on OilPrice.com
New Zealand has recently announced the temporary closure of its High Commission in Barbados and its Embassy in Myanmar due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak. The closure was announced on March 22 by Foreign Minister Winston Peters. As per reports, the decision was made due to dwindling number of flights flying in and out of Bridgetown in Barbados and Yangon in Myanmar.

More closures a possibility

According to reports, the decision was also taken because there was concern regarding the pressure the coronavirus outbreak was putting on local health systems. The staff of the commission and embassies will soon be evacuated and the closure of the posts will be reviewed in one month. Peters also did not rule out the possibility of closing down more diplomatic posts around the world.

As per reports, Peters also added that given the rapidly changing health, safety and security situation, it was possible that there would be more temporary closures.

Read: Coronavirus: New Zealand Team To Be Quarantined After Return From Australia, On PM's Order

Read: RCB Star Shivam Dube Gets Irked When Asked About 34-run Over In T20I Against New Zealand

Banning all foreigners

New Zealand has announced that it will be closing its borders to all foreigners in an attempt to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. According to reports, only permanent residents, citizens and their families will be allowed to enter the country. The ban will go into effect from midnight on March 19. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a press conference.

Read: New Zealand Announces $7.3 Bn Package To Boost Economy As Recession Fear Looms Large

Read: 'Avatar' Sequel's Production Put On Hold In New Zealand Due To Coronavirus Outbreak

As per reports, Arden said that permanent residents and New Zealand citizens will be allowed to return, as well as their partners and children. She added that the ban will also now apply to the Pacific which had been earlier exempted. The Pacific was added to the list of banned foreigners due to the recent discovery of the first case of COVID-19.

There are currently 66 positive cases of coronavirus in New Zealand with no deaths reported. The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has claimed more than 13,069 lives across the world and has infected over 3,08,463 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019.




FLASH - Covid-19 : American researchers work tirelessly on treatment and vaccine





American researchers are rushing to combat the new coronavirus, with vaccines already in development and new treatment options being tested in the United States and Asia.



The rapid response received a boost this month as President Trump signed into law $8.3 billion in federal funds to fight COVID-19. The funding is helping federal agencies and their private-sector partners to quickly produce vaccines and new therapies.



"These treatments will significantly reduce the impact and reach of the virus," Trump said in a March 11 address to the nation. "Testing and testing capabilities are expanding rapidly, day by day. We are moving very quickly."



In congressional testimony in March, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said scientists are speeding vaccines through the early stages of development at "record" pace. But he cautioned necessary testing could mean a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 is a year to 18 months away "We need to make sure its safe, and we need to make sure it works," Fauci testified.



With the race to a vaccine underway, U.S. partnerships also are developing new treatments and expanding testing to save patients and contain the disease.



Vaccines :

Fauci said numerous potential vaccines are in the works, with the first candidates beginning testing in the next two months. The Massachusetts-based biotech firm Moderna in February sent the first samples of its potential vaccine mRNA-1273 to NIAID and the National Institutes of Health for testing.



The biotech company Novavax, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is preparing multiple potential vaccines for clinical trials, with the first round of testing expected to start in the coming months, according to a March 10 statement from the company.



Treatments :

While safety and efficacy testing of vaccines are underway, U.S. producers also are busy at work on new treatment methods for those already infected. In late February, California-based Gilead began testing the new COVID-19 therapy remdesivir in Asia and the United States. The company expects results from tests conducted in China by April.



The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, of Seattle, March 12 awarded $5 million to speed Inovio Pharmaceuticals development of a vaccine delivery device designed specifically to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The device would deliver INO-4800, a potential vaccine that Inovio, of Pennsylvania, expects to begin testing in April.



Inovio plans to begin manufacturing the small, portable delivery device by year-end.



See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30316-haiti-covid-19-daily-bulletin-march-20-2020.html



Testing :



U.S. companies are also working to more quickly screen people for COVID-19. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is helping fund development of the first high-throughput test that can screen 1,000 patients a day and give results in three hours.



HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) March 9 announced a $699,000 grant to support Massachusetts-based Hologics development of the new screening process. The test could be ready in a matter of weeks and may be eligible for the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations prompt Emergency Use Authorization process.



"Early, rapid diagnosis is essential for clinicians and their patients to treat infections appropriately and take immediate action to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19," BARDA Director Rick Bright said in a statement.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30316-haiti-covid-19-daily-bulletin-march-20-2020.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30327-haiti-covid-19-daily-bulletin-march-21-2020.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Kentucky Republican Rand Paul is the first US senator to test positive for coronavirus, throwing an even greater sense of urgency into Senate negotiations over a massive stimulus package that had yet to come together Sunday afternoon as other senators decided to self-quarantine.

A statement from Paul's office posted to his Twitter account Sunday said he was 'feeling fine' and was 'tested out of an abundance of caution.'

But some senators and aides are angry at Paul for not doing more to self-quarantine earlier and for potentially exposing senators to the coronavirus. Paul defended criticism of his judgement, saying in a statement on Monday that it was his 'extra precaution' that led him to get tested.

Paul attended a major black-tie social event in Louisville, Kentucky, two weeks ago where several attendees have subsequently tested positive, including the wife of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told fellow senators Sunday in a lunch that Paul got tested because he had been at that event, several Republican sources told CNN.

Upon learning the news, Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney both announced they'd be self-quarantining.

Senate Republicans, emerging from their closed-door lunch where they received the news about Paul on Sunday, were extremely unsettled.

GOP senators told CNN Paul was in the gym with colleagues Sunday morning, and several pointed out how close Paul had sat to others during Senate lunches in recent days. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said he saw Paul in the Senate swimming pool Sunday, according to a source in the GOP lunch.

'This is a different ballgame now,' one Republican senator told CNN.

Senate Majority Whip John Thune of South Dakota said on the Senate floor that senators will be seeking medical advice.

'We'll consult with the attending physician here at the Capitol about appropriate measures for those of us who have been in contact with the senator, but this is the kind of situation that Americans across the country are dealing with right now and it underscores the importance of acting immediately to deliver more relief for the American people,' Thune said.

Romney, speaking before his decision to self-quarantine, echoed similar concerns.

'All the senators are going to seek medical advice as to what action we should take to make sure that we don't in any way spread this virus ourselves,' Romney told reporters. 'We had a lunch together with Rand, and hope he's doing very well, but we have to determine whether any of us should self-quarantine as a result of being in the same room.'

Two Senate sources told CNN Paul's fellow senators are especially frustrated with him because he is also a doctor, and they feel that he should have known better -- noting that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other members of Congress self-quarantined in recent weeks after being exposed to someone who tested positive.

'Furious. Staff too. Everyone,' a senator told CNN in a text message, describing the view among him and his colleagues.

A statement on Paul's twitter account said he left the Senate 'immediately' after learning about his test results. The senator is in quarantine and asymptomatic, according to an earlier tweet posted to his account.

Paul had already shut down his office, telling his staff to work from home about a week and a half ago, a source close to Paul told CNN's Jake Tapper. On March 15, the senator learned that two individuals at an event he attended in Kentucky -- Speed Art Museum's March 7 'Speed Ball' event -- tested positive for coronavirus, according to the source. Paul hadn't interacted with them, but he got the test six or seven days ago, this source said, after thinking about the particularly vulnerability of those with respiratory and lung issues.

In 2019, Paul had part of his lung removed after a 2017 attack by his neighbor at his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The attack also left the senator with six broken ribs and bruised lungs. He still occasionally experiences shortness of breath. He got the test six or seven days ago, the source said.

'The nature of COVID-19 put me -- and us all -- in a Catch-22 situation,' Paul said in a statement Monday. 'I didn't fit the criteria for testing or quarantine. I had no symptoms and no specific encounter with a COVID-19 positive person. I had, however, traveled extensively in the U.S. and was required to continue doing so to vote in the Senate. That, together with the fact that I have a compromised lung, led me to seek testing. Despite my positive test result, I remain asymptomatic for COVID-19.'

Paul pushed back on the criticism he's received for not self-quarantining earlier.

'For those who want to criticize me for lack of quarantine, realize that if the rules on testing had been followed to a tee, I would never have been tested and would still be walking around the halls of the Capitol,' Paul said. 'The current guidelines would not have called for me to get tested nor quarantined. It was my extra precaution, out of concern for my damaged lung, that led me to get tested.'

Paul's Deputy Chief of Staff Sergio Gor said Sunday that Paul 'expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. ... Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Paul.'

Paul is the third member of Congress to be diagnosed with Covid-19 as cases spread across the country. Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican, was the first member of Congress to test positive for coronavirus on March 18. Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah also announced he tested positive for the virus.

Lee, a close ally of Paul's in the Senate, said he's not having any symptoms and has not taken a coronavirus test.

'Upon learning that my colleague Sen. Paul tested positive for COVID-19, I consulted the Attending Physician of the U.S. Congress Dr. Harding. He advised me that because I have no symptoms or other risk factors, a COVID-19 test was not warranted,' Lee said in a statement.

'However, given the timing, proximity, and duration of my exposure to Sen. Paul, he directed me to self-quarantine for 14 days. That means no traveling or voting. But I will continue to make sure Utah's voice is heard as we shape the federal response to the Coronavirus through phone, text, email and whatever other means are available.'

Romney's office said he's not experiencing symptoms, either, but will be tested.

'Since Senator Romney sat next to Senator Paul for extended periods in recent days and consistent with CDC guidance, the attending physician has ordered him to immediately self-quarantine and not to vote on the Senate floor. He has no symptoms but will be tested. He urges members to pass a relief package as quickly as possible that provides assistance for families, workers, and small businesses,' read a statement from his office on Twitter.

As of Sunday, more than two dozens lawmakers had taken steps to self-quarantine after interacting with individuals who tested positive. That includes several lawmakers who came into contact with an individual who tested positive with coronavirus at the Conservative Political Action Conference, including President Donald Trump's incoming chief of staff, Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina.

Paul's announcement comes as Congress is in the midst of working to reach a negotiation on a coronavirus economic stimulus bill. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with the top four Congressional leaders about the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there is no deal yet and that the House will introduce its own bill -- something that could significantly draw out the process to finalize legislation.

After news that Paul tested positive for the coronavirus, Senate Democrats broke up their caucus lunch and said they would continue discussions over the phone, according to Alabama Sen. Doug Jones. He cited concern about 'congregating.'

Earlier this month, a World Health Organization official said it can take several weeks to fully recover from illness caused by coronavirus.

'It takes anything up to six weeks to recover from this disease,' Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the Health Emergencies Programme at the World Health Organization, said during a media briefing. 'People who suffer very severe illness can take months to recover from the illness.'

Ryan added that recovery is often measured by the patient no longer exhibiting symptoms and having two consecutive negative tests for the virus at least one day apart, but some countries may measure 'recovery' differently.

To date, there is no specific medicine to treat coronavirus, but those infected can recover with appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms -- and those with severe illness should receive optimized supportive care, according to WHO.

This story has been updated Monday to include Paul's statement.
One of the countrys best known businessman, Ben Dunne has described the Governments 203 Covid 19 payment to laid off workers as an absolute insult and disgraceful.

In an interview, Mr Dunne stated: I wouldnt have it on my conscience to pay someone 203 a week and ask them to try to live on it.

Mr Dunnes comments are part of a growing chorus of criticism concerning the 203 payment as speculation mounts that the Government is finalising details of a massive wage subsidy scheme where laid-off workers could receive up to 75% of pay.

On Saturday, the Minister for Social Protection, Regina Doherty stated on RTE radio that the Government was not expecting people to live on the 203 a week Covid-19 emergency payment indefinitely.

She stated: We now recognise that we will have to do something different. We are working on it since Thursday...and I hope in the next number of days the Minister for Finance will be able to make an announcement on what it will be.

Like thousands of businesses across the country, the Ben Dunne Gym group has shut its doors. It closed last Thursday week with the temporary loss of almost 100 jobs.

Mr Dunne revealed that he is paying his full time staff 100% of their salaries for the month of March and 60% of full-time salaries for April.

He said: My staff have enough problems worrying about their elderly, childcare and their own health so I want to give a small bit of clarity to the small number of people that I employ.

They know what they are earning for the next two months and I think that takes a little bit of pressure off. Every bit of pressure off can only be good for them.

'Start austerity at the top'

On the 203 Covid-19 payment, Mr Dunne said: The Government put masses through austerity 10 years ago and here they are at it again.

Why dont we do austerity the other way around and start austerity at the top and put them down to 203 a week and see how they live."

He added: The 203 amount allocated to the 'Ordinary Joe Soap' is disgraceful. It is an absolute insult. An awful lot of people are going to be left with a very, very low wage packet."

I wouldnt like to try to live on 203 a week and I know that they are a lot of people barely living on that.

He added: This is the first time in my life that an economic crisis is not caused by finance - money is not the cause and we are stretched like we were never stretched before."

He said: The airline business is on its knees - everything is on its knees. Im just wondering how many people will be able to bounce back because they wont be able to survive this.

Asked on the lost revenues for his own business which comprises of 11 mainly Dublin-based gyms, Mr Dunne stated: In round figures, we are talking around 1.5m per month."

Mr Dunne stated: Before Covid 19, business was going extremely well for us. Thats life and you never go through life without falling into pot-holes.

"The most important thing is knowing youre in a pot hole and getting out of it without doing too much damage to yourself.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:45:09|Editor: yhy

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Passengers are seen at a coach station in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 22, 2020. Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on March 20 announced a number of prohibitive measures including suspension of long-distance transport operation amid COVID-19 outbreak. In an address to the nation on Friday evening, the prime minister announced that all the long-haul transportation services will be halted from March 23. (Xinhua/Zhou Shengping)

KATHMANDU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government has banned the export of the medicines, mask and sanitizers amid potential shortage in the country amid novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Nepal's Home Ministry said on Sunday.

The local administrations in different districts and security agencies have been instructed to block any attempt to export these items, the ministry said in a press statement.

As many as two million masks which were seized from different locations during the market inspections will also be utilized within the country, the ministry said.

The move was taken in a series of initiatives taken by the Nepali government in recent days to prevent the pandemic which has infected more than 300,000 people while killing more than 13,000 globally. Nepal has reported a single case of COVID-19 so far.

Kedar Nath Sharma, spokesperson at the Home Ministry told Xinhua on Sunday that the local administrations and the security agencies were instructed to bar export of these items as per the request of Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply.

Nepal has been rarely exporting the medicines as it is difficult to get approval for the medicines in foreign countries but the Nepali government fears that they could be exported unofficially amid coronavirus pandemic.

The Himalayan country itself heavily relies on India for most of the domestic demands of medicines.

Hari Bhakta Sharma, executive director of Deurali Janata Pharmaceutical Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company in Nepal, told Xinhua last week that domestic production is covering only 45 percent of domestic demands.

The Nepali government has so far been allowing them to enter Nepal by checking their fever in the border points.

On Friday, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had announced a number of prohibitive measures including suspension of incoming international flights to Nepal and long-distance transport operation amid COVID-19 outbreak.

Nepal has already decided to close down the schools, shopping malls, cinema halls while banning the assembly of more than 25 people at a place.
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Miami, March 22, 2020  Venezuelan authorities must immediately release journalist Darvinson Rojas and ensure that the media can cover the coronavirus outbreak in the country without fear of retribution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Authorities in Venezuela must ensure the immediate release of journalist Darvinson Rojas, said CPJ South and Central America Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick in New York. Violently detaining a journalist and interrogating him about his sources on a vital public health issue like the COVID-19 outbreak has an undeniable chilling effect that will only discourage other journalists from reporting on the pandemic.

Rojas, a freelance journalist who publishes his reporting to his social media accounts, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, was detained yesterday around 9:00 p.m. at his home in Caracas by agents of the Special Action Forces of the national police (FAES), the Venezuelan press freedom associations National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) and Espacio Publico reported on Twitter.

Around 8:30 p.m. yesterday, Rojas posted several tweets reporting that a group of armed and masked FAES agents had arrived at his home and told him to accompany them to their headquarters, claiming that they received an anonymous call that Rojas might be infected with COVID-19. Rojas parents, who were detained along with him, were released shortly afterwards, according to SNTP.

Rojass father Jesus Rojas told local journalist Daniel Colina that while detained at FAES headquarters in La Quebradita, he could hear agents interrogating his son, asking him about the source of his reporting on COVID-19 cases in the state of Miranda, which he had posted previously on Twitter.

Around 9:00 a.m. today, Rojass parents went to FAES headquarters to inquire after their son. Agents informed them that he was not there, according to SNTP and Espacio Publico. Rojass whereabouts were unknown until approximately 12:00 p.m. today, when, after visiting several prisons and police offices in Caracas, his relatives and human rights advocates were finally able to locate him at the offices of FAES located in Caricuao, where he remains detained, according to SNTP.
More Republican senators entered self-quarantine on Sunday after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tested positive for the coronavirus.

Why it matters: The Senate is expected to vote Monday on a $1.8 trillion stimulus package intended to curb the economic impacts of the coronavirus. As of Sunday evening, Democrats in the House and Senate had not yet agreed to back the bill as proposed by Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell already delayed a cloture vote  which requires 60 votes to advance the bill  on Sunday afternoon after a breakdown in negotiations.

With five Republican senators in quarantine and unable to vote, the current party balance in the Senate is 48 Republicans and 47 Democrats.

The following senators are currently in self-quarantine:

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.)

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah)

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

Between the lines: Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have proposed a resolution to move to remote voting, which is currently not possible in the Senate.
BRUSSELSThe gilded museum of Europe is hollow and echoing. The great squares and stadiums are empty, the museums shut, the churches hesitant about services, the fine restaurants and cool bars shuttered.

The coronavirus is not only spreading, but also infecting societies with a sense of insecurity, fear and fragmentation. Above all, it has severed humanity from its conceit of control and of the invincibility of its institutions, science, technology and democracies.

If that is true nearly everywhere the virus goes, it is all the more so in Europe, with its history of Enlightenment, where life is lived, ordinarily, on an intimate scale, bumping shoulders on the street or in the cafe, greeting friends with kisses on the cheeks.

No more. Today, Europeans are told to hide away, erecting borders between countries, inside their cities and neighbourhoods, around their homes  to protect themselves from their neighbours, even from their grandchildren.

Confronting a virus that respects no borders, this modern Europe without borders is building them everywhere. But different states have different answers, and each discrete and disparate step has increased the sense of the coming apart, and the feeling that the problem is someone elses creation.

The paradox of a virus that knows no borders is that the solution requires borders, not just between countries but within them, said Nathalie Tocci, an adviser to the European Union. But putting them up in an unco-ordinated way doesnt help.

Putting them up at all, in fact, may not make much difference. The invisible threat is already within.

Even so, there is inevitably a turn back to the state for expertise, control and reassurance. As the pandemic spreads from Italy to Spain, France, Germany and beyond, there is a growing sense of the need for harsh, even authoritarian methods, many of them taken from China.

After watching the epidemic in China with extraordinary indifference, Europe has been terrified by Italy. Suddenly, many of the continents countries are trying to lock down, to protect themselves and their citizens. The idea of European solidarity, and of a borderless Europe where citizens are free to travel and work, seems very far away.

If the pandemic has the logic of war, requiring strong action, the enemy may be the person standing next to you.

Its not anymore a question of borders between states, but between individuals, said Ivan Krastev, who directs the Center for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Bulgaria, and is a permanent fellow at the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna.

It is now the individual you fear, Mr. Krastev said. Everyone around you may be a danger, carrying the virus. The person may not know hes a danger to you, and the only one who isnt a danger is the one you never meet, the one who stays at home.

The welcoming kiss, la bise, is suddenly dangerous, as is the hug of happiness or condolence.

Mr. Krastev has written tellingly about Europes migration crisis, calling it as big a shock as the fall of Communism. But now no one is talking of opening borders, he said. Now its not migrants you fear, but everyone.

The narrative of the migrant crisis included metaphors of hordes, invasion and even insects, and claims that migrants were bringing disease. They wanted to come from their wretched lives to a Europe that they considered safe and rich. But it is no longer safe.

Now, migrants will wonder, Is the plague worse than the war? Mr. Krastev said. You cannot negotiate with the plague or flee it.

A decade ago, Dominique Moisi, a French political scientist married to an Italian, wrote a book called The Geopolitics of Emotion, explaining the strains caused by globalization in terms of humiliation, hope and fear. Today, he said, the dominating emotion is fear.

The crisis of COVID-19 is adding uncertainty to uncertainty, fear upon fear, accelerating a process of anxiety about a world that is moving too fast, Mr. Moisi said, referring to the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

With terrorism, economic panic, strategic uncertainty, climate change and migration, he said, the fundamentals seem uncertain and the future unknowable.

Now comes an enemy unseen. You can put your hand on a door handle and get the virus  thats the maximum of fear, he said. He misses touching and kissing his grandchildren, he said, and begins to think of death.

Yet mobilization of society is even more difficult and necessary because the enemy is invisible, he said. Paris has lived through terrorism and saw 150 killed in one night in 2015, he noted. It was brutal but visible, he said, whereas in the end, the number of dead from the virus will be much more numerous, but its invisible, and weve never lived through that.

So it is difficult for governments who learned to urge calm on their populations in times of terrorism to now learn how to frighten them into acting for the common good.

During the great Black Death of the 14th century, which took so many lives, people believed that God had condemned those who died and chose whom to spare. But in a secular society its harder to find the morality in who is dying, Mr. Krastev said. Instead you have all these conspiracy theories, with talk of the foreign virus and even a Chinese spokesman suggesting that the American military was to blame.

In 2003, George Steiner, the European philosopher who died last month at 90, wrote a famous essay for the Nexus Institute called The Idea of Europe. But that idea is under threat.

Europes cultural identity, Mr. Steiner wrote, is founded on several characteristics largely missing in the United States, where car culture, suburban sprawl and great open spaces engender a sense of separateness.

In Europe, it is a culture of coffee houses and cafes, where people meet, read, write and plot. They are places, Mr. Steiner said, for assignation and conspiracy, for intellectual debate and gossip, for the flaneur and the poet or metaphysician at his notebook, open to all.

Europes is also a pedestrian culture, founded on squares and small streets, usually named after scholars and statesmen, famous for their works and their massacres. Europe is walked, he wrote, and distances are on a human scale.

In this plague time, with cafes closed and squares empty of residents and tourists, both of those characteristics are destroyed, leading to isolation and loneliness, Mr. Krastev said.

But perhaps most important, Mr. Steiner wrote, is the European sense of death and decay, which he called an eschatological self-awareness which, I believe, may well be unique to European consciousness.

Deep in Christianity and European philosophy was a more or less tragic finality, he wrote, adding: It is as if Europe, unlike other civilizations, had intuited that it would one day collapse under the paradoxical weight of its achievements and the unparalleled wealth and complication of its history.

These are hardly the end of days, but the mood is grim. Still, it is sometimes broken by surprising acts of common humanity and solidarity, Ms. Tocci noted.

An Italian, she is staying at home in Rome with her husband and children, filling out a police form when she ventures out into the street, even to go to the grocery store, and trying to concentrate on the nicer aspects of quarantine.

You rediscover some small things, spending time with the children and the family, keeping up with her father by Skype, noting that for once, social media is proving to be more beneficial than meretricious.

Italians have been singing together from their segregated balconies and displaying a united appreciation for their exhausted medical workers, she noted.

Whats beautiful about it, so far, is that it hasnt led to alienation, Ms. Tocci said. People are afraid but mostly showing responsibility and solidarity. There are so many messages going around, some of them full of hilarity and a shared community.

Even on my dreary and empty Brussels street, someone has hung an Italian flag from an apartment window. And there are still, in the grocery stores, where people move silently and carefully around one another, moments of shared emotion. A woman with a full shopping cart was trying to balance a package of toilet paper and dropped her phone. I picked it up and gave it to her, then thought how foolish I had been, but she thanked me and smiled ruefully, understanding the ambivalence.

Mr. Krastev is trying to decide whether to stay in Vienna or uproot his family for a month to Bulgaria, where medical facilities are weaker but the virus seems less prevalent, and where he has a more traditional network of family and friends.

Where is the place of greater safety, a question for all refugees, he wondered. His daughter had just returned from Spain and didnt understand why she couldnt stay there. But I told her, The Spain you like will disappear in 48 hours.

Many noted La Peste, or The Plague, an allegorical novel published in 1947 by Albert Camus, seeing it as a lesson not just in how people behave in pandemics, but in how nature bursts forth to mock our pretenses.

When the bubonic plague finally lifts in his joyous city, the main character, Dr. Bernard Rieux, remembers that the illness never dies or disappears, but bides its time. Perhaps the day would come, he thinks, when, for the misfortune and instruction of men, the plague would rouse its rats and send them to die in a happy city.

Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe, based in Brussels. He previously reported from London, Paris, Jerusalem, Berlin, Prague, Moscow and Bangkok. @StevenErlanger

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PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) home-quarantined eight city doctors on Saturday who failed to disclose their recent foreign travel to Tashkent for a conference.

PCMC commissioner Shravan Hardikar said, The civic body immediately home quarantined them as soon as we got their travel history. There was a group of nearly 40 doctors which had gone to Tashkent in Uzbekistan for a conference and the eight doctors from Pimpri-Chinchwad were in the same group. These doctors did not disclose their travel history after their return.

The medical director of a private hospital where these eight doctors were employed said the doctors had gone on March 11 and returned on March 16. They did not attend the conference but did some sightseeing and returned, the medical director said. He said that they did not visit the hospital after returning from abroad.

A civic official said that people returning from abroad are screened at the airport and a daily update is provided to the civic authority concerned. Legal action would be taken against anyone hiding such travel history, the official said.
Delhi to ease restrictions, if Covid cases come down in next 2-3 days: Health Minister

Lata Mangeshkar health update: Doctor says,'She in ICU with Covid-19 and pneumonia, will be under observation'

No COVID-19 cases reported in China for third day

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Beijing, Mar 22: China has not reported any local coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day but the country is facing a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases from abroad, a health official said on Saturday.

Seven more fatalities reported from the virus' epicentre of Hubei province, taking the death toll in the country to 3,255, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Saturday.

The coronavirus death toll has gone up to 11,397 with more than 275,427 cases reported in over 160 countries and territories, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus toll in Iran touches 1,556

Italy has overtaken China as the worst-hit with over over 4,000 deaths reported so far.

The NHC said on Saturday that no new domestically transmitted cases of COVID-19 were reported on the Chinese mainland for the third day in a row on Friday.

On Friday, seven deaths and 36 new suspected cases were reported on the mainland, with all the deaths reported from the virus' epicentre Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, it said.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland have reached 81,008 by the end of Friday, which included 3,255 deaths, 6,013 patients still undergoing treatment, 71,740 patients who have been discharged after recovery, the NHC said.

Facing a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases from abroad, China will take strict measures to prevent imported cases, spokesman of the NHC Mi Feng told media here on Saturday.

He said the total number of imported cases to the Chinese mainland increased by 216 per cent to 269 from March 11 to 20.

He also noted that the mainland reported no new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row on Friday, and provincial-level regions except the hard-hit Hubei province had been clear of indigenous cases for nine days.

World paying big price for China hiding information on coronavirus: Trump

He called for unswerving efforts in preventing the COVID-19 epidemic from rebounding.

The NHC said 41 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on the Chinese mainland on Friday from the people arriving from abroad, taking the total number of imported cases to 269.

While reporting about a steady increase in imported cases, the NHC did not specify whether the infected persons were foreigners or Chinese nationals returning from abroad.

China has imposed strict quarantine measures for all those returning from other countries.

Hong Kong reported 17 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20 preliminary positive cases on Saturday. With the 17 newly confirmed cases, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong has risen to 273.

Meanwhile Wuhan, which is under lockdown since January 23 as part of attempts by the government to isolate the COVID-19 epidemic, will reopen commercial outlets to residents in an orderly manner, local authorities said.

Commercial outlets in residential communities and villages without existing confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases can resume business, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Wuhan municipal bureau of commerce as saying.

Those outlets mainly include supermarkets, convenience stores, fresh food shops, fruit and vegetable shops and others that supply daily necessities.

Each household can send one person a day to go shopping with a one-time pass certificate or an electronic health code. Each shopping trip will be limited to within two hours, it said.

China is speeding up construction on major infrastructure projects to mitigate the economic impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic.

China to hold video conference on coronavirus; Indian to participate

The country, which came to a grinding halt since January third week due to the coronavirus scare, has resumed the construction in nearly 90 per cent of 11,000 key projects from March 20, Ou Hong, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told media here.

In a breakdown, 97.8 per cent of the 533 key transportation projects supervised by the NDRC have been under construction, with all the major railway projects resuming operation, said Zheng Jian, another official with the NDRC.

The construction on some 97 per cent of major highway and waterway projects, 87 per cent of airport projects, and 86 per cent of water conservancy projects also resumed, Ou added.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 9:03 [IST]
Delhi roads wore a deserted look on March 22 as barring public transport buses and emergency vehicles, other vehicles kept off roads, as people joined hands to fight coronavirus by keeping indoors. (Photo: Shome Basu)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed 'Janata curfew' on March 22 between 7 am and 9 pm as part of social distancing to check the spread of the deadly virus. (Photo: Shome Basu)

Delhi Metro services remained suspended and only 50 percent of DTC and cluster buses were operational during the Janata curfew. (Photo: Shome Basu)

Autos and taxis were a rare sight due to the support extended by various unions representing such vehicles to PM Modi's appeal for Janata curfew. (Photo: Shome Basu)

Unions of last-mile connectivity vehicles also joined the curfew. (Photo: Shome Basu)

Such was the impact of the lockdown that most of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses were seen running without any passengers. (Photo: Shome Basu)

The inter-state bus terminals in the city too wore a deserted look. "No passengers or buses from any state were there at Kashmiri Gate, Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminals," a transport department official told news agency PTI. (Photo: Shome Basu)

The inter-state private bus operators also suspended their operations in view of the Janata curfew. (Photo: Shome Basu)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that inaction by the federal government has forced state governments to compete against each other for coronavirus supplies.

Why it matters: Hospitals around the United States are running out of medical equipment, including masks, gowns, gloves and ventilators  all of which are necessary both to protect health care workers and to treat patients suffering from the coronavirus, the Wall Street Journal reports.

As of Sunday morning, the U.S. has reported 26,747 cases of the virus, with 12,315 in New York alone, according to Johns Hopkins University. Illinois has reported 753 cases.

What they're saying:

"We need millions of masks and hundreds of thousands of gowns and gloves and the rest. And, unfortunately, we're getting still just a fraction of that. So, we're out on the open market competing for these items that we so badly need. And we're succeeding in some ways, but we still need more."

"We're all competing against each other. This should have been a coordinated effort by the federal government, and the National Defense Authorization that the president has to essentially push this manufacturing really hasn't gone into effect in any way. ... It's a Wild West out there. And, indeed, we are overpaying, I would say, for [personal protection equipment] because of that competition."

 J.B. Pritzker

President Trump responded to Pritzker's interview on Sunday, tweeting that governors, along with "fake news" CNN and NBC, "shouldnt be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings. We are there to back you up should you fail, and always will be!""

The big picture: The American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association urged President Trump last week to authorize the Defense Production Act to ramp up the country's production of medical masks, gowns and other items crucial for health care workers.

They warned that hospitals will not have enough equipment to fight the outbreak, even with "an infusion of supplies from the strategic stockpile and other federal resources."

Officials on the White House coronavirus task force could not say when doctors and nurses across the country can expect to receive more medical supplies.

U.S. firms, including Apple, General Motors and Tesla, have announced that they plan to start producing some supplies like masks and ventilators.

Go deeper: Even the best coronavirus scenario is terrible
Editors note: Ronnie E. Baticulon is a physician at the Philippine General Hospital and an associate professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. The opinions in this article are his.

Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  Last Tuesday morning, after doing patient rounds in Philippine General Hospital, I came across two nurses from the emergency department, walking in the opposite direction towards the hospital. It was the first workday after President Rodrigo Duterte put Luzon on enhanced community quarantine, in an effort to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Out of curiosity, I asked the nurses, Paano kayo nakapasok ngayon? To my disbelief, they told me that they were from the graveyard shift, and they could not find transportation to go home to Cavite. After working for eight hours at the frontline of the countrys largest public hospital, they decided to walk to Baclaran in Paranaque and take their chances, only to walk back to Pedro Gil in defeat. When they asked policemen for help, their pleas were dismissed with PGH dapat ang mag-ayos niyan.

Head nurses from different units shared the same lament: they didnt have enough staff. Gustong pumasok pero walang masakyan, they all said. On that day, even cancer patients and those needing dialysis had been forced to walk to hospitals. Never mind if the latter had hypertension or heart disease that led to kidney failure. Shuttle services and bus routes for health care workers have since been organized, but only after 24 hours of chaos.

When the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise in the National Capital Region, it became immediately apparent that there was a staggering shortage of masks and alcohol in hospitals, forcing PGH to launch a call for donations. Now let that sink in: the national university hospital put out a call for personal protective equipment for its frontliners. In a message to the PGH community, Director Gerardo Legaspi explained that it was not much due to the shortage of funds, but due to the difficulty of purchasing the goods because of unavailable suppliers. If they were [available], the transactions that [the suppliers] were demanding and the price they were quoting were beyond what [the] government will allow us.

Outpatient clinics are closed. Elective surgeries and admissions are suspended. Dedicated wards and intensive care units are being vacated, in anticipation of the surge of COVID-19 patients requiring admission over the next few weeks. Hospital staff have been divided into cohorts to avoid putting an entire department or specialty in quarantine. PGH serves over 600,000 patients every year, half a million in the outpatient department. Of its 1,465 hospital beds, 1,088 are service beds (i.e. public). The situation is similar in regional and district public hospitals, and even in the private hospitals where the majority of patients remain admitted.

A colleague serving as a doctor to the barrio in Batanes is concerned because he has symptomatic patients who fall under the Person Under Investigation category of the Department of Health algorithm, and yet he cant do anything because his hospital doesnt have the capability to test patients. They have only two critical care beds and limited supplies. To say that this pandemic will have profound effects on health care delivery nationwide is no exaggeration.

On March 18, the country breached the 200 mark with 17 deaths, as cases surpassed 200,000 around the world. There is the lingering doubt on the accuracy of the reported Philippine figures, likely an underestimate of true prevalence, as the country awaits the arrival of more test kits, and out-of-protocol tests are being done on politicians and their families. According to Health Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, modeling data predicts as many as 75,000 cases in three months.

The Philippines is not ready for this. We never were. In a 2018 review of the Philippine health care system, Manuel M. Dayrit and his co-authors report that the country has 101,688 hospital beds, distributed in 1,223 hospitals across the country. Even if just 1 percent of the Philippines 107 million population (as of 2018, according to the World Bank) get infected with COVID-19 (i.e. one million patients), assuming a 10 percent hospitalization rate, it is easy to see how our hospitals will be quite easily overwhelmed. We have not even talked about the distribution of the specialist workforce or the number of mechanical ventilators and ICU beds (required by 3 to 5 percent of infected patients), nor have we taken into consideration patients with stroke and heart attack who would need the same resources in the same time period.

The Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team predicts that 81 percent of the population of Great Britain and the United States will be infected throughout the duration of the epidemic, leading to approximately 510,000 and 2.2 million deaths, respectively, if the epidemic were unmitigated. They recommend an aggressive suppression strategy that involves population-wide social distancing, case isolation, and closure of schools and universities, but even in the most optimistic scenario, both countries capacity limits would still be exceeded. For how long these measures have to be implemented, nobody knows for certain. Experts agree it would take at least 12 to 18 months to develop a vaccine.

In the Philippines, 6 out 10 patients die without ever seeing a doctor. When Filipinos get sick, they shoulder 56 percent of total health expenses, out-of-pocket. As a result, every year, one million patients are driven to poverty because of catastrophic health expenses. Although COVID-19 can infect anyone  regardless of race, social class, or beliefs  the public must realize that specific segments of the population will be more vulnerable to the social and economic impact of the current pandemic. It is not as simplistic as Stay at home and watch Netflix. How can you expect contractual employees to stay at home if their employers enforce a no work, no pay policy? If a person living in the slums gets the disease, would it be second nature for them to seek consultation before infecting many others? Or would they dismiss it as ubo at lagnat lang because the hospital is not accessible and they are worried about fees the consult would entail? Unless the vulnerable are identified and protected, they will die by the thousands, and they will not even be part of the statistics.

And what about the indirect deaths? Who keeps a tally of Filipinos who will die from lack of available blood for transfusion, skipped dialysis sessions, delayed surgeries for cancer, rescheduled radiotherapy sessions, missed antiretroviral medications, uncontrolled hemorrhage from childbirth at home, or even from hunger? If the Philippine health care system had been more robust and had safeguards in place, we would not even have to worry about these. In a few months, when the world gets back to normal  and we all hope it does  we will be, sadly and inevitably, counting lives lost. Let us not make the mistake of blaming just the virus.
By Robin Kulwin

On March 1, I arrived in Israel to visit the 87 teenagers I had brought there just five weeks earlier. Within hours, the world turned upside-down.

Im the director of admissions for URJ Heller School in Israel, an American accredited high school on a kibbutz just outside Jerusalem. Each semester dozens of Jewish teens leave their home schools for Israel, where in addition to the usual math and chemistry and literature, they study Jewish history and Hebrew. The whole country is their classroom. For students and staff alike, it is an exciting experience, academically and physically rigorous  and this semester, more than a little nerve-wracking.

The challenges had begun before I arrived. The students would soon leave for their week in Poland, studying the Holocaust. It is always a moving and emotional part of the semester, a deep experience the students look forward to. They know it wouldnt be pleasant, but they also know it was important.

On February 26, Israels Education Minister canceled all Israeli school trips to Poland because of the extensive coronavirus outbreaks there. The ban was to be in effect until March 4, which now, of course, seems almost laughable. My colleagues immediately began work to fill this gap in the schedule as we quickly realized there would be no trip to Poland at all.

In the days to come, we sent detailed messages keeping parents up to date not only with the latest news in Israel but how we were handling all of the what if questions. In response, an overwhelming majority of parents let us know that they felt their students were safer remaining with us on the kibbutz, that we had their support and our messaging inspired confidence that our leadership would make the right decisions.

The what if questions were brutal. What if someone on the kibbutz is diagnosed with the virus? What happens if all of our students are required to be quarantined? How will we get them their meals? What if the hospitals are over-run? If quarantined ... our students were living in a dorm-like setting -- 2 rooms, 1 bathroom, 4 students  how would we keep healthy students from going stir crazy? What happens if they close the airport? And new questions kept coming up.

My husband and I spoke daily  thank you WhatsApp!  and the American and Israeli experiences followed similar paths. The rules changed daily if not hourly and conflicting messages were the norm. Over time, the number of people in Israel who could gather together went from 250 to 100 to 10. When 100 became the maximum, the kibbutz dining hall had to serve meals in shifts. Chairs were removed so only 100 remained and they were placed farther apart. More and more places became off-limits.

The kids were great. Concerned but not worried. Not one of the 87 students asked if they could go home. Aware but not overly anxious about contracting Coronavirus. In fact, the only thing that made them nervous was the possibility they would not be able to spend their entire semester in Israel as planned.

We did everything we could to make staying possible, but our task became nearly impossible when the government banned gatherings of more than 10 people on Saturday night, and then truly impossible a few hours later when the Ministry of Tourism said tourists needed to leave the country -- right away. Though the Israeli governments decisions caused enormous difficulties for us, its quick and firm actions were the right thing to do.

Once we knew we had to terminate the semester, we tried to move quickly. The big problem became clear almost immediately -- there were no commercial flights with 88 seats available. Our travel agent tirelessly tried to work this out. I was on the phone with him until 4:30 a.m. Sunday. So how to get our kids on an airplane and quickly? Why, of course....you charter one!

Which is how our kids ended up at Ben Gurion airport late Monday night, boarding a spanking new El Al Boeing 777 that had been teed up just for Heller High, two similar groups to ours, and individuals visiting Israel who needed to leave and contacted us on hearing there might be seats available. (I heard one of my colleagues discussing the cost; my hair is still standing on end.)

The flight itself was easy. My students were much more subdued on this return flight than when I escorted them over. The end really was in sight. We arrived on-time at JFK Tuesday at 4 a.m., handed over our health declaration forms at U.S. Customs and headed into the terminal. As the solo shepherd with her 87 sheep, I waited for the last one to pick up their luggage and helped them get to their connecting flight.

All went smoothly except for a short-lived hiccup in Terminal 5 when check-in agents decided that one of my students from Hawaii would have to be quarantined for 14 days before flying home. It seems the agents were convinced that Israel was in Europe. Once a supervisor, who was evidently better at geography, arrived, the situation was resolved. The student is now safely home with his family.

Id returned to this same Terminal 4 with many groups at semesters end and, at first, the scene looked the same. The kids hugging one another closely  social distance be damned  not wanting to separate from one another. Parents eyes filled with tears of joy at seeing their children.

But on second look, this time was a little different. The kids hugs were tighter, the parents tears were tears of relief that their children were safely home. And the normally tumultuous Terminal 4 was eerily quiet.

Everybody has had, is having, or will have at least one special coronavirus story. This is mine.

I learned through this that I work for an extraordinary organization that showed that safety and security, health and well-being are a top priority. I learned that I have incomparable colleagues who literally worked day and night to make informed decisions. Together we proved that frequent, open, and honest communication is key to building trust with students and parents.

And now Im happy to enjoy the shelter of my own home and pray that this comes to an end soon.

Robin Kulwin is the director of admissions at Heller High, which provides an accredited semester in Israel for Jewish high school students from the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest movement in Jewish life.

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The Los Angeles Police Department's downtown headquarters. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A third Los Angeles police officer has tested positive for the coronavirus and was exhibiting symptoms inside an LAPD station for several days this week, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Times on Saturday on condition of anonymity.

The officer, who had recently returned from a vacation out of the country, was "coughing and sweating" during roll call in Central Division, which patrols areas that include downtown L.A., two of the officials said.

Despite protests from several officers in the station, the affected officer was allowed to work for at least two days this week, according to the officials. It was not immediately clear if the officer went out on calls or otherwise interacted with the public.

The LAPD released a statement late Saturday confirming the positive test result. The officer was sent home once a supervisor became aware of the individual's possible illness, according to the statement.

"We have also identified anyone who may have come in contact with the employee and directed them to a contract healthcare provider for evaluation," the statement read. "The Department has established guidelines for all employees who either exhibit symptoms of the virus or come in contact with someone who may be infected."

Two other LAPD employees  a supervisor in the Pacific Division and a high-ranking employee described as a "member of the senior staff"  have also tested positive for the illness, the LAPD has confirmed. Sources told The Times as many as 14 LAPD employees have been tested for the virus.

Cleaning crews have disinfected the officer's work station, according to the LAPD statement, which noted it is likely that more first responders will grow ill as the spread of the virus worsens.

"With our men and women on the front lines of this crisis, providing critical services to our city, we recognize more employees may contract Coronavirus," the department said. "We will continue to ensure all facilities are clean and safe while tending to the well-being of our team."

In the coming week, the LAPD is expected to switch to 12-hour shifts for its officers and cancel all vacations as a way to staff up in response to the pandemic. The department is also planning to assign officers to each of citys new emergency shelters that are expected to grow in number, according to a source familiar with the plans.
By Steve Belkin, Special to The Plain Dealer

TOFO, Mozambique  Daquiris or margaritas? Snorkel or beachcomb? These are the normal protracted debates that my wife and I have to wrestle with while on vacation. But the coronavirus has intensified the stakes of our debate on our current trip to Mozambique in southeast Africa.

Which would be safer  my position to duck and cover in the remote beach hamlet of Tofo, where there are zero confirmed cases, but almost zero medical facilities? Or Julie's position of hightailing it back to the United States amid escalating confirmed cases, but also first-world medical facilities?

A colleague of my wifes at University Hospitals backed Julie's position to get back to the U.S. ASAP. But cryptically, he noted that some U.S. hospitals could be overwhelmed by too many sick patients. My own research found that Mozambique has a very young average population, so likely less need for confirmed cases to require acute care and take up the modest quantity of hospital beds and ventilators in the country's capital Maputo, a one-hour flight away. Plus, the government had already instituted a 14-day quarantine for high-risk European tourists, so Tofo was almost tourist-free already.

I weighed in with lifestyle considerations. Even if we were to be quarantined in Tofo, who could argue with 85-degree weather, a $300-per-month beach hut overlooking beautiful crescent beach, $9 fresh fish dinners, with more palm trees clustered together than people? We could hold out for months with the Mozambique cost of living.

My wife, an ophthalmologist, felt an admirable sense of obligation to her patients back home, who would have to delay their eye surgeries. She also fretted about possibly missing a family Passover observance, a sons second wedding and a mothers 80th birthday. And she is the only local offspring for her mother. But her job duties and family events were all blinking yellow lights, subject to bleak social distancing and self-quarantine restrictions.

Mozambique-to-Cleveland would entail five flights, with exposure to hundreds of passengers in a metal tube with recirculated air. Not to mention, the social distancing mayhem of thousands of passengers being crowded together in hours-long lines waiting for the very medical screenings that are supposed to protect them.

And I assessed that Tofo might be a ticking time bomb -- a big if in my opinion. Flights and airports virus exposure, on the other hand, would be a monstrous when. Julie felt comfortable that a combination of vigilance, hygiene, her lower-risk age and access to world-class care upon return would justify the gauntlet of her journey home.

Steve and Julie Belkin in Tanzania, on an earlier leg of their trip.

As we have been outside of the United States for nearly four weeks, we wouldnt be subject to the same stringent self-quarantine restrictions as tourists who left their host countries in the last 14 days. I felt that by staying out of the United States, we would have some flexibility if we needed to find another safe haven outside of Mozambique. Julie feared that the combination of countries sealing their borders and flight cancellations might mean we wouldnt be able to get back to United States even if we wanted to, down the line.

It might be instructive to introduce a couple of intangibles that help explain our divergence of opinion: Julie has had the same University Hospitals ophthalmologist job for close to three decades and she has had ongoing close ties to the east-side Orthodox Jewish community. I am wanderlust personified, making a travel-based living with a mileage-award booking service and an annual Amazing Race for Regular People travel competition to Europe. Ive leveraged my personal stash of airline miles the last couple of years zigzagging the world to pursue my recent dream of becoming a scuba instructor. Until now, Julies sense of place and permanence somehow co-existed with my sense of curiosity and FOMO.

We had about 14 hours to make our decisions. Neither one of us blinked. Julie followed her doctors diagnosis and her nesting instincts and boarded a flight to the United States on Monday. Her decision to plunge back into the high risk United States will prohibit her access to Mozambique for an indeterminate amount of time. I relied on a pure gut check. My decision will likely strand me in Tofo due to accelerated border closings and cancelled flights, also for an indeterminate amount of time.

Happy endings are reassuring and sad endings are regrettable, but for us, the coronavirus has created a perplexing utter lack of an ending. A marriage suddenly in suspended animation and a speedy resolution squarely out of our control, likely for months. Yet, from adversity springs hope.

Whenever the hell the Belkins do reunite, it has been mutually agreed upon about the celebration drink  margaritas!

Steve Belkin, intermittently of Cleveland, emailed this from his oceanfront hut in Tofo, Mozambique.

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Fallout from the oil price war extends far beyond U.S. crude production. America's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports are also in the crosshairs.

The global LPG trade rose 14% in 2019, to an all-time-high 109 million tons, with almost all of the seaborne volume evenly split between exports from the Middle East and U.S. Gulf. John Hadjipateras, CEO of Dorian LPG (NYSE: LPG), said on his company's Feb. 5 quarterly call that "it appears annual U.S. export volumes will surpass the Middle East for the first time in 2020."

But the world has dramatically changed since Hadjipateras made that statement. It now appears U.S. LPG exports will fall back and Middle East exports will rise.

LPG market dynamics

LPG is an associated-gas byproduct of the crude and natural gas drilling process and a byproduct of the crude-refining process. Propane and butane are the primary LPG cargoes.

Just over half of LPG is used around the world for cooking and heating, with most of the remainder used as feedstock for the petrochemical industry. In the latter case, LPG competes with naphtha, which is created by refining crude oil. Asian and European petrochemical producers switch between using LPG and naphtha as a feedstock, depending on which is cheaper.

LPG is transported on long-haul routes aboard vessels known as very large gas carriers (VLGCs) that have a capacity of around 84,000 cubic meters. The top listed VLGC owners are Dorian in the U.S. and BW LPG and Avance Gas in Norway.

Shift to the Middle East

The plunge in crude oil pricing driven by the Saudi production surge is likely to reduce U.S. LPG output.

"The preponderance of incremental [U.S. LPG] production would be from associated gas [from drilling] in the West Texas Permian Basin," explained Stifel analyst Ben Nolan during this week's Virtual Investor Forum, hosted by J Mintzmyer on Value Investor's Edge via Seeking Alpha.

Permian Basin crude production is expected to be heavily curtailed. "If the U.S. scales back [crude] production, we will see a reduction of associated gas coming out of there in the future," said John Lycouris, CEO of Dorian LPG subsidiary Dorian LPG (USA) LLC, during the Virtual Investor Forum.

Story continues

However, Lycouris emphasized that "with the amount of crude oil that's going to be produced [globally], there's going to be plenty of associated gas from the countries producing more crude  countries in the Middle East and also Russia."

"That means there will perhaps be a shift in the next few months, with more gas coming out of the Middle East than out of the U.S. Gulf."

If so, continued Lycouris, "we're going to have an increase in shipping demand from the Middle East and we expect that whatever utilization might be lost from the U.S., if any, would be mopped up very quickly by Middle East demand."

Ton-mile effect

VLGC demand is measured in "ton-miles"  volume multiplied by distance. The shorter the voyage distance, the lower the vessel demand for the same cargo volume.

The voyage between Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, and Chiba, Japan, is 29% shorter than from Houston to Chiba via the Panama Canal. Thus, if the volume of LPG transported by sea remains the same but more comes out of the Middle East than the U.S. Gulf, it's negative for VLGC demand.

Dorian LPG CFO Ted Young characterized the voyage distance for U.S. and Middle East exports as "not a whole lot different" and affirmed that Dorian is "somewhat indifferent [to where exports come from] as long as the products are moving on our ships."

Demand destruction ahead?

The worst-case scenario for VLGC owners would be for Asian petrochemical producers to opt for naphtha over LPG as a feedstock.



Dorian CFO Ted Young. Photo credit: John Galayda/Marine Money

"If the price of propane becomes more expensive in the U.S. because there is less supply, and if international oil prices fall [bringing down the price of naphtha], then the arb closes," said Nolan, referring to the arbitrage profit that compels shippers to transport LPG from the U.S. Gulf to Asia.

Young said that "naphtha is becoming a bit more preferred in some places, but not all over the world ... and don't forget, there is less naphtha around because the refiners are producing lighter [crude grade] runs."

Young also pointed out that beyond the petrochemical market, "53% of the world demand is pretty inelastic  it's heating and cooking. For heating and cooking, you've got the hardware in your home. That's not going to change. There's going to continue to be demand for that." More FreightWaves/American Shipper articles by Greg Miller

See more from Benzinga

 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have shared a poignant message on Mother's Day, alongside treasured photos and a card Prince George made for Kate.

Taking to the Kensington Palace Royal Instagram account, the Duke, 37, and Duchess of Cambridge, 38, penned: 'To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart  we are thinking of you all at this difficult time. Happy Mother's Day.'

Their images included a previously unseen snap of the duke and duchess giving George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four, a piggyback, one of William and brother Prince Harry as youngsters with their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and another of Kate as a baby in the arms of her mother, Carole Middleton.

Six-year-old George's colourful card - an expertly-crafted collage made of card, paint and tissue paper - depicted a yellow vase with three red flowers.

Taking to the Kensington Palace Royal Instagram account, the Duke, 37, and Duchess of Cambridge, 38, posted a selection of photos to celebrate Mother's Day. Pictured, Prince William and Kate Middleton with their children in Norfolk

The royal couple shared an adorable card Prince George made to celebrate Mother's Day (pictured)

In a heartfelt caption, the couple penned: 'To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart  we are thinking of you all at this difficult time. Happy Mother's Day'

And fans from across the globe were delighted by the touching post - and thanked the royals for sharing during this difficult time.

'We need more content like this in this difficult time! thank you. sincerely yours, from Indonesian royal watcher,' wrote one, while a second enthused: '3 beautiful and very loving mothers. Happy Mother's Day to all Mums. I love Prince George's card. Super cute.'

A third praised: 'Aww we love all 4 photos! Happy Mother's Day. Mummies are our super heroes,' while a fourth added: 'Oh such a lovely inspiring post - thank you.'

Meanwhile, the royal family shared a black and white image of the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, in 1951 with her mother, Queen Elizabeth, holding on to their hats as they arrived at Westminster Abbey for a wedding.

In another photo, Prince Harry and Prince William, dressed in the same outfit, can be seen smiling alongside their mother, the late Princess Diana (pictured)

Elsewhere, Carole Middleton cradles baby Kate Middleton, as she holds her head for extra support (pictured)

On Instagram, a message said the royals were thinking of mothers everywhere on what could be 'a different and difficult day' as the nation is urged to avoid visiting their parents amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The message read: 'Mothering Sunday is a chance to thank and celebrate all mothers and caregivers, wherever they may be.

'Today may be a different and difficult day for those who would usually plan to spend time with their mothers, as we adapt to the necessary changes and disruption to our normal routine and regular patterns of life.

'But for all Mums everywhere, we are thinking of you, and wish you all a very special Mother's Day.'

Clarence House wished people a Happy Mother's Day 'particularly in a year when families may not be able to be together'.

The post featured an image of a young Prince Charles playing in the Clarence House garden with his mother in 1950.

Taking to the comments section, another thanked Prince William and Kate Middleton for such a 'lovely, inspiring post' (pictured)

The 93-year-old Queen, along with the Duke of Edinburgh, is socially distancing herself at Windsor Castle with a reduced household, having left London on Thursday.

Her eldest son Charles, 71, and the 72-year-old Duchess of Cornwall are reported to have moved from Highgrove in Gloucestershire to Birkhall in Scotland.

Over-70s are more at risk of complications if they catch the Covid-19 illness.

With his neat brushstrokes and eye for colour, George may have inherited his grandfather's artistic flair.

Charles is a keen watercolourist and paints whenever he can.

Kate is also an art lover, who took art A-level and studied history of art at university.

She is a keen advocate of the benefits of encouraging children to be creative, and spends time making art with George, Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The duchess said previously: 'I have always believed in the power of art, not only to unlock that creativity but also to bring us joy and to inspire, challenge and positively change our lives.'

The royal family shared a black and white image of the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, in 1951 with her mother, Queen Elizabeth, holding on to their hats as they arrived at Westminster Abbey for a wedding.
Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor on Sunday urged the people to stay indoors and not to travel by train to be safe in the wake of coronavirus.

The 34-year-old actor took to Twitter and shared a video from her home where she appealed to the citizens to not to travel unnecessarily. She tweeted, "Due to congestion at the railway station, there is a higher risk of spreading of the infection, so to stay safe avoid visiting railway stations or postpone your train journeys."

The 'Raanjhanaa' actor shared the message which was earlier tweeted by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, in the wake of coronavirus.

Earlier on Saturday, Sonam took to Twitter and penned a valuable advice to stay safe during the outbreak of cioronavirus. Her tweet read, "Kindness, Empathy and understanding is the need of the hour. Self-discipline, self-reflection and isolation is the need of the hour. There isn't any place for negativity, hate, xenophobia, racism and dishonesty."

"Please please stay at home if you can. Drink hot water as much as you can. Gargle with Salt. Bathe as soon as home n don't sit anywhere before u do. Wash clothes immediately or sun them. Clean all metal surfaces. Don't smoke. Hands Wash several times a day. Elevate zinc and vit c. Animals don't spread the virus. Don't eat cold things. Attack a sore throat immediately. It lived in the throat for 3-4 days before moving to the lungs," she added.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India crossed 341 on Sunday morning according to official data.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai, March 22 : Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra wore a deserted look as millions remained indoors for the voluntary 'Janata Curfew' to isolate the spread of CoronaVirus.

With 64 positive cases, Maharashtra has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the country.

All roads, highways, railway stations, metro-rail, mono-rail, city and State Transport Buses were deserted with people staying put at home since 7 a.m. on Sunday.

The Central Railway, Western Railway, Konkan Railway have cancelled all long-distance trains between midnight to 10 p.m. on Sunday, though trains already en route will ply as usual.

Similarly, CR-WR have slashed their Mumbai suburban services by around 40 per cent, Mumbai Metro will be shut on Sunday and only emergency or extremely essential services were being operated.

Of the few people occasionally seen on roads or stations, police were seen checking their Identity-Cards and only those genuinely out for essential service missions were being permitted.

--IANS qn/dpb

///
Former Seven Director of Production Brad Lyons has died, following a battle with cancer.

Lyons joined Seven in 1997 as Head of Infotainment following previous roles as Head of Program Development, Head of Programming & Communications (Melbourne) and Head of Production, and Director of Network Production.

He was part of Sevens dream team of execs, including Tim Worner and Angus Ross, which enjoyed a decade of ratings dominance.

Lyons oversaw some of the networks biggest local productions including My Kitchen Rules, Dancing with the Stars, House Rules, The Amazing Race Australia, Beauty & the Geek, Gladiators, Little Big Shots, The Chase, First Dates and more, before departing in 2017.

James Warburton, Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer said: On behalf of all of us at SWM, we were devastated to learn of Brads passing. Brad was an instrumental creative force at Seven for two decades. He saw the launch of over 25 titles in his time, including iconic shows such as Dancing with the Stars, My Kitchen Rules, Deal or No Deal, House Rules and The Chase Australia. We will all miss his energy and passion, which we were so lucky to experience. Brad was a second-to-none creative mind, and we were so fortunate to have a had chance to work with him and get to know him for the truly incredible person he was. Our thoughts are with Brads wife, Debbie, his three daughters, and all of his family and friends at this time.

Angus Ross, Director of Programming told TV Tonight, Brad was one of those larger than life television executives. Super competitive, passionate, brutally honest and with an incredible gut feel for television. His ability to tell stories on screen was only eclipsed by his ability to tell great stories to friends and colleagues with a pinot noir in his hand. Through all the ups and downs we experienced he never lost his wicked sense of humour  which was always helpful to get through the rough stuff. The legacy of his outstanding work lives on in the original Australian formats that continue to screen on Seven and other networks around the world.

Back in 2013 Lyons was pivotal when Seven prevailed in its court stoush with Mel B over preventing her from joining Nines Australia Got Talent season. The magistrate found him to be a plausible witness after several courtroom appearances.

Id like to add that I will remember Brad as being passionate about the biz, both in interviews where he was proud about Seven content, or when he dished out a bit of firepower to journos. He once publicly shamed me at a House Rules launch before all the guests, because I had questioned Celebrity Splash ratings. We traded barbs at the time, but I look back on it now as the rough and tumble of TV life

Colleagues who worked with him at Seven have also paid tribute on social media:

To Deb and his beautiful girls, were with you and so happy I got to see Brad a few weeks ago. Griggsy spot on about his wonderful sense of humour and his absolute love of sport and banter #BradLyons  Jim Wilson (@JimWilsonMedia) March 22, 2020

Just read about Brad Lyons passing away after his battle with cancer. A wonderful TV executive, a wonderful boss, a wonderful man. RIP.  Dan Bennett (@DanMBennett) March 22, 2020
New Delhi, March 22 : Amidst lockdown due to the outbreak of coronavirus, all government offices will function with "skeletal staff" and all officers working from home are directed to be available over the phone and other electronic means of communication.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension in a Sunday office memorandum said, that employees, including consultants/contract and outsourced employees, who are required to render essential services within each department. "alone may be asked to attend office from 23rd March until 31st March 2020".

"The Office should function with skeletal staff. Officials who are working from home should be available on telephone and electronic means of communication at all times. They should attend Office if called for, in case of any exigencies of work," It added.

The Ministry also advised the Heads of Departments to draw up roster of employees.

The notification also asked the Department of Financial Services and Department of Public Enterprise to issue similar instructions regarding financial institutions and PSUs.

The said instructions are not applicable to people engaged in emergency services.
The Jagged Fork Opens

Breakfast, lunch, and brunch at 414 S. Main

by Shelley Daily

From the March, 2020 issue

The Jagged Fork opened in January in Marnee Thai's former space on the ground floor of the 414 S. Main high-rise after an eight-month renovation, offering breakfast, brunch, and lunch.



"I've had my eye on Ann Arbor," says Mike Kemsley, one of four business partners who've launched four other Jagged Fork locations in the Detroit suburbs in the past five years. After considering Cafe Felix's former spot, he got a call that Marnee Thai's owners were looking to close after thirteen years in business. The partners bought some of the restaurant's assets and took over its lease.



"Everything is new," Kemsley says, of the light, airy "urban-city" interior he designed himself. He calls it a "California-meets-New York vibe." Booths, two-tops and seating for a half-dozen at the bar (the liquor license is expected soon) accommodate about seventy-five customers. Kemsley says U-M employees who frequent the other Jagged Fork locations, as well as downtown businesspeople, have provided word-of-mouth advertising. "We were on a forty-minute wait last weekend."



Kemsley says the restaurant is known for its huge portions and its stuffed French toast, breakfast burgers, salads, sandwiches, crepes, and egg dishes. "Everything is made from scratch," he says, including "our tamales, our cream cheese, and all of our sauces."



Kemsley met two of his business partners, brothers Stavros and Francesco Adamopoulos, when he was a third grader in Livonia, and they became lifelong friends. The Adamopouloses grew up in the restaurant business--their parents owned Hercules Family Restaurant in Farmington Hills. Another partner, Tom Teknos, runs the Hudson Cafe in downtown Detroit.



With a vacancy next door, Kemsley is already thinking about expansion and possible dinner options. There's reason for his optimism: in January, a ten-story high-rise was approved for development across the street, at Main and William.



Business "is good now," Kemsley says, "and we hope it's great in the next one to two years."



The Jagged Fork, 414 S. Main, daily 7 a.m.-3 p.m., (734) 929-2402, thejaggedfork.com



[Originally published in March, 2020.]








The new Samsung Galaxy might not be able to keep to the plan of launching this summer

The latest move of the Vietnamese government requiring a two-week quarantine for all arrivals from South Korea has set multinational corporations behind launch schedule with several products, according to Nikkei Asian Review.

Park Noh-wan, the South Korean Ambassador to Vietnam, told local media that Samsung Electronics needs 1,000 South Korean specialists to enter Vietnam to launch its latest product. Quarantining them as required would cause a significant loss, he said.

While Samsung has manufacturing bases across the globe, its smartphone facilities in Vietnam churn out roughly half of the Galaxy handsets it sells worldwide. It has been ramping up investment in the Southeast Asian country, where it also makes OLED displays and home appliances. By value, Samsung accounts for a quarter of Vietnam's total exports.

However, specialists working to bring an OLED production line for a new smartphone onstream were essentially barred from Vietnam, threatening the production schedule of the new Galaxy Notes which is due to come out this summer.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit South Korea in late February, infecting 8,800 and killing around 110 people, according to Worldometers.info. The number of countries and regions banning travel from South Korea doubled to 100 in just one week, while fifteen others, including Vietnam, imposed quarantines.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese government has been tightening measures to prevent and control the spread of the epidemic. They decided to temporarily halt visa issuance to foreigners for 30 days, applicable since March 18, and cut all incoming flights from COVID-19 stricken areas to Vietnam. All entrants shall be medically checked and have to comply with the nations COVID-19 prevention and control measures.
India has everything needed to be hub for medical tourism: PM Modi

Stay where you are, PM Modi advises migrant workers

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to migrants to stay put wherever they are and not undertake train and bus journeys to their home due to the fear of coronavirus.

He cautioned people against any kind of travel, saying they are playing with their health and also putting their families at risk.

Modi's appeal on Twitter came amid reports of migrants leaving for their homes from big cities, where several cases of coronavirus have been reported.

Your no-panic guide: Modi says India has enough food and ration supplies

He said travelling in a crowded space increase the risk of its spread.

The risk will also increase for the people who live where you will be headed, he said.

"It is my plea to you to stay put for a few days in the city where you are. We can all stop this disease from spreading by doing so. By crowding railway stations and bus stands, we are playing with our health. Please be concerned about your health and that of your families. Don't step out of home if not necessary," the prime minister said.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 8:51 [IST]
Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton says he is self-isolating but largely as insurance rather than fearing he has coronavirus. (Photo: AFP/William West)

The 35-year-old Briton said he decided to self-isolate because he had been at the same function in London that actor Idris Elba and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau attended earlier this month.

Elba and Gregoire-Trudeau subsequently both tested positive for COVID-19.

"I want to let you know that I am doing well," Hamilton said in a statement. "There has been speculation about my health, after I was at an event where two people later tested positive for coronavirus.

"I have zero symptoms and it has now been 17 days since I saw Sophie and Idris. I have been in touch with Idris and happy to hear he is OK.

"I did speak to my doctor and double checked if I needed to take a test but the truth is, there is a limited amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than I do, especially when I wasn't showing any symptoms at all."

Hamilton has been in isolation since last Friday.

The start of the Formula One season has been wiped away by the pandemic with races in Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam, China, Netherlands and Spain shelved and the iconic Riviera showpiece in Monaco cancelled.

A season which should have started in Melbourne on Mar 14 will now not start until Azerbaijan on Jun 7 at the earliest.

Formula One's British-based teams are also hoping to contribute away from the track.

They are working on a plan to manufacture medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus which up to Friday night had claimed 177 victims in the United Kingdom with the numbers infected set to top 4,000.

The British government and health authorities need more ventilators in intensive care units to deal with respiratory problems caused by the illness.

Formula One teams have engineering capabilities that could speed up the production of the units.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 16:07:40|Editor: xuxin

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SYDNEY, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Solomon Islands government said it will ban all non-citizens from entering the country from Sunday.

According to a government statement issued on Saturday, incoming Solomon Islands citizens and residents will be permitted to enter but must undergo a strict mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

The government has introduced strict new travel restrictions and revised travel advice based on the "increased risk posed by the spread of the COVID-19," said the joint statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce, Industries, Labour and Immigration together with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

The travel advisory is applicable to all travelers and crew regardless of the mode of travel. Under the new restriction, all travellers including crew arriving in Solomon Islands must complete a health declaration card, providing full details of their international travel history for the period of 14 days prior arrival, their place to stay, travel itinerary and current personal contact details.

Besides, the pilot or ship master of all aircraft or vessels are required to report the presence of any sick person on board upon arrival.

Any person found to be providing false information will be prosecuted under the relevant laws of Solomon Islands, which may include imprisonment or deportation.

At the same time, Solomon Islands government has banned all members of parliament and government officials from traveling and asked all citizens and residents to avoid or defer non-essential international travel.

Additional measures regarding the incoming maritime vessels and crafts are introduced as well.

At the moment, Port of Honiara and Port of Noro are the only approved entry and exit points.

No cruise liners or yachts will be allowed to enter the country for a period of 90 days. Cargo ships, including logging, mineral ores and fishing vessels must stay off shore for 14 days before docking at the designated ports.
SOAVE, Italy  Italy and Iran reported soaring new death tolls as the coronavirus pandemic marched relentlessly across the globe Sunday, prompting a scramble in hard-hit regions to set up more hospital beds and replenish the dwindling medical supplies needed to keep health workers safe.

At the same time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after being informed that a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for the new coronavirus. And Placido Domingo, the 79-year-old opera star, announced Sunday in Madrid that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Worldwide, more than 316,000 people have been infected and nearly 13,600 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. About 150 countries now have confirmed cases.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte went on live TV to announce that he was tightening the countrys lockdown and shutting down all production facilities except those providing essential goods and services.

We are facing the most serious crisis that the country has experienced since World War II, Conte told Italians during the broadcast.

As bodies piled up in Italian hospitals, morgues and churches, and as medical workers pleaded for more help, there was no sign that Italy was yet taming its arc of contagion. Italy now has more than 59,000 cases and 5,476 deaths  more than all of China, where the virus first emerged late last year.

In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refused U.S. assistance Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory claiming the virus could be man-made by America. His comments come as Iran has over 21,600 confirmed cases and 1,685 reported deaths, according to government figures. Experts still fear Iran may be underreporting its cases.

In Berlin, Merkel, 65, was informed about the doctors test shortly after holding a news conference Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

He said that Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine Friday against pneumococcal infection.

In Britain, staff at some hospitals have complained about shortages of ventilators and protective equipment like face masks, safety glasses, gloves and protective suits.

Almost 4,000 medical workers signed a letter to the Sunday Times warning that doctors and nurses in the National Health Service would die if they did not receive better equipment and said they felt like cannon fodder.

And Australia became the latest country to close all bars, clubs, cinemas, casinos, sporting and religious venues, while restaurants and cafes were restricted to takeout service only. Schools remained open.

Colleen Barry and Frank Jordans are Associated Press writers.
The Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Constanta uses a state-of-the-art robot to disinfect air and surfaces, with an efficiency of over 99 percent in destroying viruses and bacteria, the local administration informed on Sunday.

The robot is programmed to operate at certain time intervals."The medical unit has been equipped since last year with a machine for disinfection of air and surfaces, meant to destroy all dangerous germs. The disinfection robot, purchased with funds from the Constanta City Hall, operates on UVC light. The disinfection robot's technology has over 99 percent efficiency in destroying viruses and bacteria. The machine operates without human intervention, it can be programmed to operate by remote control at certain time intervals and is now used at maximum capacity in the wards where the patients are, for the protection of the sanitary personnel, but also that of the patients," a release of the Constanta City Hall mentions.Moreover, the hand hygiene of the medical personnel of the Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases who comes into contact with patients is carefully monitored with the help of a special device."Such robots are also used in hospitals of China for disinfection in the crisis to combat the coronavirus, but also in Taiwan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan or the United Arab Emirates. According to the Emergency Situations Department, such a robot which already disinfects the wards and spaces of the Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases Constanta has also been put at the disposal of the "Professor Doctor Matei Bals" National Institute of Infectious Diseases," according to the release.
For over a decade now Russia has been seeking to keep most of its larger (over 5,000 tons) warships in service. There are only 17 of these ships still in service compared to 72 when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. New construction of these larger ships halted in 1991 and several of these ships still under construction then were eventually completed later in the 1990s. But after that, nothing. Russia can no longer afford to build these large ships. But such behemoths are still needed more for psychological than military reasons.

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the second largest fleet in the world rapidly decaying in less than a decade. Russia lost over 80 percent of its naval power during the 1990s. It was still the second largest fleet in the world for another twenty years but by 2016 it became clear that China had replaced Russia as the second largest fleet in terms of numbers. At that point, 25 years after the Soviet Union was gone, China had forty large Surface warships in service or under construction. All of those were completed by 2019 and more are being built. By 2016 China had already replaced Russia in terms of combat power when it came to surface warships. All the large Chinese ships were of recent manufacture with more modern weapons and equipment based on more successful (than Russian designs) Western ships.

China is now closing in on the Americans. In the 1990s U.S. Navy found itself with over half the naval combat power (numbers modified by quality) in the world, and even more of the kinds of ships that can be sent anywhere on the planet. At the start of the 21st century, the world found itself in the third century of either Britain or the United States being the dominant naval power. The U.S. may well remain dominant for the rest of the 21st century, but not as dominant as it was in the second half of the 20th century.

When the Cold War ended, all navies shrank, even the U.S. fleet. But those of the European nations were reduced the most. In the Pacific, Japan, South Korea and China continued to expand their fleets. So did India.

Europe is still dominated by the Russian fleet. Despite the sharp (over 80 percent) decline in the Russian military in the 1990s, this still left them with the most powerful combat force in Europe. That's largely because most European also cut their military spending, and manpower, in the 1990s. Russia is much less of a military threat to Europe than it was during the Cold War because its ground forces now largely consist of paramilitary troops and army combat units that are no longer trained for offensive warfare. Russia can still invade neighbors, as it did in Georgia and Ukraine, but that was done mainly with a small number of lightly armed special operations troops, mercenaries, local militias and paramilitary troops.

At sea, its a different story. Russian naval power is only a major force in the Baltic and Black Seas plus off its northern coast where most of its major naval bases are. On the high seas, the Americans and Chinese are the most frequently seen naval presence.

Russia is still spending a lot of money on keeping a dozen or so of its larger surface warships in service so it can at least have these ships show up in the Atlantic and Mediterranean often enough to remind the world that Russia still has a fleet. Beyond those few large ships the Russian navy is building smaller (often 1,000 tons or less) that are used mostly for local security, including coast guard functions.

To maintain this illusion Russia continues refurbishing these older ships to keep them operational and presentable for another decade or so. The largest presentation ships are the one remaining aircraft carrier, two nuclear-powered battle cruisers and three 11,400 ton Slava class cruisers. The Slavas entered service in the 1980s. A fourth was launched in 1990 but construction was halted. The uncompleted ship is in a Black Sea port and is now scheduled to be dismantled. The last Slava to enter service, in 1989, was stationed in the Pacific where it spent most of the 1990s tied up in port because all the budget could afford was a skeleton crew and enough fuel to keep the lights on. It was returned to service, after some refurbishment, in 2008. The other two Slavas remained in service after 1991 but one also underwent refurbishment in 2009 and is now undergoing a second refurbishment. This is the oldest of the Slavas, renamed Moskva in the 1990s after entering service in 1982 as Slava. The second Slava, which entered service in 1986, completed its refurbishment in 2016. One Slava is based in the Baltic, one in the Black Sea (with frequent trips to the Mediterranean) and the third in the Pacific.

These 11,500 ton ships look impressive, despite their elderly weapons and electronics. Each carries a crew of 485, two 130mm cannon, sixteen P-500 anti-ship missiles, 64 S-300PMU long-range anti-aircraft missiles, 48 short-range OSA-M anti-aircraft missiles, six 30mm anti-missile autocannon, two launchers for rocket-powered depth charges, ten 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tubes and a helicopter.

The refurbishments were necessary to upgrade engines and other mechanical components, as well as missiles and electronics. This work takes two or three years. The refurbishment of the larger nuclear battlecruisers and non-nuclear aircraft carrier takes longer. These refurbs are expensive and dont do much to modernize these 1980s era warships. But these ships mainly serve as a symbol of fading Russian naval might. This means a lot for many Russians because for about 25 years, from the late 1960s to 1991 Russia was a major naval power. That was never the case before and wont be again as long as the U.S. and China maintain their fleets.

After 1991 Russia continued to build nuclear and diesel-electric submarines. In 1991 Russia had the largest submarine force in the world. There was another problem. Up through the early 1990s, Russia had built nearly 260 nuclear ships (nearly all submarines). After 1991 Russia found itself unable to keep most of those subs in service. Russian nukes were expensive to maintain, and many were not worth keeping in service because they were too noisy, too old or had too many other flaws. Most of the submarine dismantling was paid for by the U.S., which spent over $15 billion to implement the 1993 Strategic Offense Arms Elimination Implementing Agreement with Russia. Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Norway also contributed cash and technical assistance to this effort.

Throughout the 1990s, Russia only decommissioned 2-4 nuclear subs a year. Many nuclear subs were taken out of service in the early 1990s, although lots of older boats were being decommissioned in the late 1980s, just before the Cold War ended. That's because Russians tend to keep old weapons in service or storage, long beyond the time it's worth it. By the end of the 1990s, Russia had 150 decommissioned nuclear subs waiting to be dismantled. It costs about $7 million to dismantle one submarine. The primary task is to safely take apart the nuclear reactor, and get the radioactive components to a secure storage facility. The foreign nations contributing to this effort are all maritime nations that were concerned about the old Soviet subs falling apart while still in the water. What got this aid program going was the discovery that the Soviets were just dumping some radioactive components into Arctic waters. Russia was more willing, than the Soviets, to do the right thing and is determined to safely dispose of all these old nuclear subs. This work is still underway, but most of the oldest subs have been dismantled.

Meanwhile, Russia has been building new nuclear attack (SSN) and ballistic missile (SSBM) subs. This work has gone slowly because the Russian shipbuilding industry also collapsed in the 1990s and, while some of the shipyards could be revived, most of the skilled personnel who built the Soviet Fleet were retired or off to more lucrative employment. The trouble with nuclear subs is that they dont do much to show off Russian naval power to foreigners. For that, you need surface ships, and the larger the better. So while the Russian submarine force is now in better shape than the surface force there is no way to demonstrate to the media or public. As a practical matter the 33 Russian nuclear subs (and 21 non-nuclear boats) still in service, despite many them approaching retirement age, are a more potent force than the more numerous surface ships. But as long as at least a dozen of those surface ships are big enough (over 10,000 tons displacement) to impress the foreigners (and many Russians) the surface fleet is a more potent symbol.
Im happy with Presidents Musevenis press briefings but I think we are missing an opportunity hereBesigyes message on this disease was so powerful and should be all over our media. It should be interpreted in various languages too. Besigye should be standing shoulder to shoulder with Museveni in press briefings and guide the public on what to do. Politics should be put aside, for now. Please, dont fight me or anybody on this, inform. The enemy is the Corona Virus.

Besigyes message was just awesome, and Im not just saying that to score points here. He basically gave the best presentation in Uganda, regarding the Corona Virus. I liked the part where he talked about stress. Please understand that stress is an immune suppressant, and right now, our immune system is what will keep most of us alive during this thing. For many, it's all we have, considering the volongoto(poor) healthy system in our country. People should also drink plenty of water, eat plenty of healthy food, vitamin C (as Besigye explained), and breathe, breathe, breathe. Reducing contact with people is essential, hard as that is, for everyone for a while. And I am more concerned with the countless number of people with HIV/AIDS and TB patients. They have literally zero immunity against this, nothing to fight it off with.

Our best shot to fight this, especially in Africa, is our body immunity. Viruses, as a whole, are a bitch. There are no cures for viruses, hence things like the flu and HIV being the problem that they are. We can only treat the symptoms. Antiretrovirals slow down the HIV, keeps the viral load low, but it doesn't cure it or eradicate it. Antibiotics don't work for the flu or viruses, only for bacteria. So, the only way to eradicate a viral disease, is vaccination. Smallpox for instance has been successfully eradicated. Problem is, vaccines take time to develop, sometimes years. It seems we may be lucky and have one for COVID19 next year. Netflix has a series called Explained, the Pandemic episode is brilliant.

Have different people conveying messages about the disease-it helps. Where I am in the UK, the virus has been around longer, in which case people may be more aware of how serious this is. In Uganda, on the other hand, plenty of people are still going to work, spending time with friends in restaurants, coffee shops, etc, despite the presidential directive. We're only just waking up to it. We haven't been testing until recently, and only one person has so far tested positive. Our economy is in tatters and our hospitals have been run into the ground. We are hopelessly under prepared. It makes me angry.

This is a very transmissible contagion and much of it is alarming, but there are also reasons to stay calm. I'm hoping continued data updates on the world meter reveals a lot more insight, like that the virus will be negatively impacted by heat/summer. The analysis of data from some researchers in Beijing suggests that high humidity and high heat reduce the spread. So, Uganda and other African countries may miraculously survive this. Anyway, even if there is some sort of seasonality to it, that only delays the problem until the next winter. It doesn't wipe out the disease. E.g. the real impact of the Spanish flu was the following winter.

Yes, the Corona virus might destroy all of life, and guess what? It might not, as well. You can only control what you can control, but we shouldnt make decisions based on fear.
Investigations opened against those taking advantage of COVID-19 needs

Hoarders who purchased supplies with an eye on making a profit, beware: Ventura County law enforcement agencies have warned of price gouging during California's coronavirus state of emergency and mean to take action against those breaking the law.

In, face, according to Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten, his office has already launched investigations against those accused of taking advantage of those panicked by COVID-19.

The Ventura County Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee issued a news release with information about staying vigilant, reporting price gouging and its punishments. Businesses, retailers and other service or goods providers cannot charge a price that is more than 10% higher than the price was before Gov. Gavin Newsom declared the coronavirus emergency on March 4; providers can only charge more than 10% only if their costs have increased.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Two dangerous bandits arrested

On Saturday, two alleged bandits were arrested at Boulevard Harry Truman (Bicentenaire), not far from Village de Dieu by the Port-au-Prince police. They are: Joseph Favilien and Miseau Guiya aka "Ti Leon" accused of involvement in several cases of kidnapping, truck hijacking, murder and arson in Cite de l'Eternel.



PNH : Debit cards and risk premiums

The Haitian government intends very soon to grant the police the allocations on the debit card and the risk premiums for the months of March and April 2020, so that they can meet the emergency expenses linked prevention of the Covid-19 epidemic in Haiti.



Covid-19: Instructions from the CSPJ to the judicial system

In a memorandum dated March 20, the Superior Council of Judicial Power (CSPJ) asked the presidents of the courts of appeal, the deans of the courts of first instance and the titular judges of the courts of peace, to take steps to facilitate the application of measures taken by the health authorities to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The CSPJ recalls that provisions must be adopted to implement until further notice a system of staff turnover which is not essential for each jurisdiction.



New Ambassador of Haiti to the OAS

Friday Ambassador Leon Charles was appointed new extraordinary and plenipotentiary representative of Haiti to the Organization of American States (OAS). The new diplomat delivered his credentials the same day to the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Amalgro, who has just been discharged from office.



Land restoration in GrandAnse

As part of the Action Against Desertification Project funded by the European Union in support of the Ministry of the Environment, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Haiti is working to restore land, management and conservation of agroforestry systems in Grand'Anse



OAS : Luis Almagro re-elected

"On behalf of the President of the Republic of Haiti, Jovele Moise, I congratulate Luis Almagro on his re-election as Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS)" Claude Joseph, Minister of Foreign Affairs.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















As the Long Beach Unified School District commits to keeping classes in-person, the city a new testing site opens for LBUSD employees and students only. The city is also ramping up its own testing efforts with a new 3,000-person per day testing site.
Abu Dhabi-based NFT Specialized in Tower Cranes said it has won top award from Manitowoc, a leading global manufacturer of cranes and lifting solutions, for its continued support and strong partnership with the US group's tower cranes division - Potain.

This award comes four months after NFT renewed its contract with Manitowoc for five more years to be the exclusive dealer in the Middle East region.

The award was presented at the recent Conexpo Las Vegas! expo in the presence of Aaron Ravenscroft, EVP of cranes and Orlando Mota, Senior VP at The Manitowoc Company.

Despite the current global pandemic, more than 2,000 construction industry-related exhibitors displayed their latest and greatest equipment at the expo held in the US city from March 10 to 14.

This included Manitowoc which unveiled six new cranes and four models produced in 2018 and 2019, for the first time in North America.

Lauding the NFT's contribution, Berry Pennypacker, president and CEO of The Manitowoc Company said: "Many of our customers provide direct input into the design and functionality of our new cranes and NFT, as Potains biggest dealer worldwide, is a major contributor to such changes by providing first hand insights into site demands."-TradeArabia News Service
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Linkedin A. Kurniawan Ulung (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 22, 2020 16:23 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c966f7 4 Books Abdul-Samad-Haidari,red-ribbon,refugee,refugee-crisis,Afghanistan,Indonesia,ASEAN,poetry-book Free

A Hazara-Afghani refugee has published a poetry collection to tell of his journey from a war-torn country to Indonesia, where he has finally embraced a love of humanity.

I only pray to see my parents and my siblings once more; dreaming of a peaceful and free world where children like my little brother and sisters don't have to grow up under a chemical sky; a world where women like my mother would never have to cry, wrote Abdul Samad Haidari in his poem titled The Pride of a Hazara Child.

Haidari is a Hazara-Afghani former journalist and poet who has lived as a stateless refugee in Indonesia since 2014.

The poetry, which describes his experience as a child laborer at the age of 10 at a construction site in Iran, is featured in The Red Ribbon, a poetry book he released on Feb. 23 at Goethe-Institut in Central Jakarta.

Abdul Samad Haidari. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

The book, which took five years to make, explores his journey to seek peace from war-torn Afghanistan, where his ethnic group, the Hazara, still faces constant persecution.

The name Red Ribbon is a tribute to my little sister, Hakima. I untied it from her gory hair as she was lying dead under the rubble of my bombed-out home. I took it as memorabilia of a stolen life, Abdul said.

The Red Ribbon consists of 11 chapters that shed light on various topics, including the life of refugees at a camp in Kalideres in West Jakarta, the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that he experiences and the authoritarianism, terrorism and genocide that he witnessed in Afghanistan.

I used to cut my palms and do other self-harm to divert the focus from the pain in the back of my head, especially when I was writing about traumatic events. I often cut myself to feel that I am really alive because I wanted to feel my existence, he said.

Born in Dah Mardah-e Gulzar in Ghazni province 30 years ago, Abdul attributed his passion for writing to his father giving him pencils, notebooks and drawing books at an early age. His interest in studying literature continued to grow after he read two renowned poetry books, called Hafiz Shirazi and Panjb Kitab.

He said he had become a refugee at the age of seven after the Taliban attacked his house during a war. He fled to Iran but he was later detained by the Iranian authorities because he did not have any legal documents to travel. He was deported from Iran to Afghanistan three times.

On the second deportation, Abdul said, he was stopped in Kand-e-Pusht on his way to Kandahar in Afghanistan. He was taken off the bus along with three Hazara tribesmen.

The Taliban, he said, made him, along with his fellow tribesmen, stand in line. The Taliban shot the three but not him. Feeling pity, some Pashtun women saved his life. Abdul was put back on the bus.

They hid Abdul under a bus seat. He slept on the hot bus floor with some bags placed in front of him to make sure that the Taliban could not find him at other checkpoints on the way to Kandahar. Abdul passed all the valleys until he reached Kandahar and then went from Kandahar to Pakistan.

After the fall of the Taliban in 2007, Abdul returned to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan and started his career as a journalist.

It turned out that Afghanistan remained unsafe. Abduls colleagues at The Daily Afghanistan Express were kidnapped after the newspaper published an opinion piece that the Afghan government considered blasphemous in 2014.

A year before that, his father and elder brother were kidnapped due to the newspapers stories and editorials about the Talibans war crimes, human rights violations and corruption inside the government.

After getting attacked, he sought asylum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but to no avail. He later found an agent who promised to take him to a safe destination. However, he was sold more than ten times.

I did not choose the destination because I did not have the option to choose. The destination chose me. I had no control over my life until I ended up as a stateless refugee in Indonesia, he said.

For Abdul, it was hard to believe that no NGOs were working on behalf of journalists and aid workers who had fled persecution and lived as stateless refugees with mental health issues.

He said dealing with PTSD was one of the biggest challenges he faced in writing about traumatic events in The Red Ribbon.

I often fall over and cannot move or do anything. My body locks up, and the pain in the back of my head is very high all the time. Sometimes I feel like the sky is down and the earth is up, he said.

Abdul thanked people in Indonesia for loving him and making him stronger, including his foster father, lecturer Ross Dunn, the spouse of New Zealand Ambassador to ASEAN Pam Dunn.

Abdul met Dunn through one of his students who visited the Bogor-based Jesuit Refugee Service Schools where Abdul had taught women refugees from five countries since 2015.

He said Dunn had lifted him up and had given him the courage to speak out and the vision to see life beyond the void.

Ross Dunn is like the warm break of the early morning dawn, the glorious light of the new day whose light forms in me the resistance to defeat the dark-circled shadows, he said.
LOVE RENAISSANCE TEAMS UP FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION 4AM Manny Norte Recruits 6LACK, Rema and Tion Wayne for New Song And Video

LoveRenaissance has joined forces with a number of international heavy-hitters to release the highly anticipated single, 4AM. Produced by UK powerhouse, Manny Norte, the track features LVRNs 6lack, Nigerian artist, Rema and the UKs Tion Wayne. With a highly infectious melody, the up-tempo track fuses R&B with the ever-popular sound of Afrobeat. Along with the release, Norte has also announced the accompanying Meiji Alabi-directed visual which features breathtaking shots of Accra, Ghana and West Africa. The video trails the group as they are seen immersing in local culture. You can listen to 4AM HERE





We are happy to be a part of the release of 4 AM alongside Manny Norte, our very own 6LACK, Rema and Tion Wayne at a key time when unity across cultures is of utmost importance. Connecting cultures together through creativity and music is one of our missions at Love Renaissance and  4 AM  allowed us to do so in an exciting and historic way. - Love Renaissance (LVRN)

The UK-born Norte, is of Ghanaian descent, and is well known for incorporating a vast range of genres into his work as a DJ, host and producer. Norte has served as an A&R for Polydor Records since 2017 and will now be releasing music under the label as an artist in his own right, with 4AM serving as his official debut.

LoveRenaissance is home to several major artists, including Summer Walker, 6LACK and DRAM. Founded in 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia, the label eventually went on to strike a deal with Interscope Records where its artists have seen incredible success. Several LVRN executives hail from Africa and the group has worked closely with Manny Norte in the past; lending to significance of the 4AM collaboration.
And Congress has to be creative to make sure the proposed one-time payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child are not only allocated to the poorest people in the country (most were cut out of an earlier version of the proposal, since corrected) but also get to them fast. This will be challenging because millions among the very poor do not file income-tax returns. You really need to get the money out as quickly as you can . . . and to use as many channels as you can to get the money out, said Jacob Leibenluft, senior fellow at the Center for National Progress.
Inflammation in the brain may be more widely implicated in dementias than was previously thought, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The researchers say it offers hope for potential new treatments for several types of dementia.

Inflammation is usually the body's response to injury and stress -- such as the redness and swelling that accompanies an injury or infection. However, inflammation in the brain -- known as neuroinflammation -- has been recognised and linked to many disorders including depression, psychosis and multiple sclerosis. It has also recently been linked to the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

In a study published today in the journal Brain, a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge set out to examine whether neuroinflammation also occurs in other forms of dementia, which would imply that it is common to many neurodegenerative diseases.

The team recruited 31 patients with three different types of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). FTD is a family of different conditions resulting from the build-up of several abnormal 'junk' proteins in the brain.

Patients underwent brain scans to detect inflammation and the junk proteins. Two Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans each used an injection with a chemical 'dye', which lights up special molecules that reveal either the brain's inflammatory cells or the junk proteins.

In the first scan, the dye lit up the cells causing neuroinflammation. These indicate ongoing damage to the brain cells and their connections. In the second scan, the dye binds to the different types of 'junk' proteins found in FTD.

The researchers showed that across the brain, and in all three types of FTD, the more inflammation in each part of the brain, the more harmful build-up of the junk proteins there is. To prove the dyes were picking up the inflammation and harmful proteins, they went on to analyse under the microscope 12 brains donated after death to the Cambridge Brain Bank.

"We predicted the link between inflammation in the brain and the build-up of damaging proteins, but even we were surprised by how tightly these two problems mapped on to each other," said Dr Thomas Cope from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Cambridge.

Dr Richard Bevan Jones added, "There may be a vicious circle where cell damage triggers inflammation, which in turn leads to further cell damage."

The team stress that further research is needed to translate this knowledge of inflammation in dementia into testable treatments. But, this new study shows that neuroinflammation is a significant factor in more types of dementia than was previously thought.

"It is an important discovery that all three types of frontotemporal dementia have inflammation, linked to the build-up of harmful abnormal proteins in different parts of the brain. The illnesses are in other ways very different from each other, but we have found a role for inflammation in all of them," says Professor James Rowe from the Cambridge Centre for Frontotemporal Dementia.

"This, together with the fact that it is known to play a role in Alzheimer's, suggests that inflammation is part of many other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. This offers hope that immune-based treatments might help slow or prevent these conditions."
A policeman speaks to people to explain new confinement measures at the Place de la Republic in Paris

A roundup of the main measures being taken in Europe to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.

- Confinement -

Citizens have been obliged to stay at home in Belgium, France and Spain, except for medical attention, exercise or essential shopping.

Greece will impose movement restrictions nationwide as of Monday and imposes a 14-day confinement on people arriving from abroad.

Italy toughens its measures, closing all green spaces and halting all non-essential production to guarantee the supply of essential goods.

Spain's government asks parliament to extend a state of emergency for another 15 days until April 11.

France adds to its confinement measures, including curfews in several cities such as Nice and Montpellier.

Austria extends the strict measures already in place until April 13.

Germany and Russia call on citizens to respect social distancing and limit contact with others. Bavaria becomes the first German regional state to order containment.

Britain announces stronger measures, including the closing of bars, pubs and restaurants and urges 1.5 million people most at risk to stay at home.

Ministers outline emergency legislation, expected to come into force this week, to give police, public health and immigration officers extra powers to contain the outbreak.

Portugal declares a state of emergency and asks citizens to stay home. It closes all non-essential businesses.

Turkey imposes confinement on people over 65 or suffering from chronic diseases and orders its coastguard to stop migrants from making risky Aegean sea crossings.

In Slovakia, Croatia, Latvia, Estonia, Moscow and Norway, people returning from the main sources of contamination must isolate themselves.

Romania bars access to the country to most foreigners.

- Controlling, sealing borders -

The European Union imposed on March 17 an entry ban on travellers from outside the bloc for an initial period of 30 days.

It will not affect Europeans returning home, social workers, cross-border workers, or citizens of former EU member Britain.

Story continues

Hungary and Spain have closed their land borders.

Turkey has closed its borders with Greece and Bulgaria.

Germany has stepped up border controls with several countries, including France, which has reciprocated, only allowing through goods transport and border workers.

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania and Slovakia have closed their borders to foreigners, with Slovakia excepting Poles.

Russia has closed its land borders with Norway and Poland.

Austria has closed its border with Italy and Switzerland.

- Closing schools -



Schools, universities and creches have been closed in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine. In Sweden only high schools and universities are closed.

Britain on Friday also closed its schools.

- Banning gatherings -

In Belgium, Cyprus, France and Italy all gatherings are banned.

Different countries have set widely different caps on the number of people who can get together.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel says on Sunday that public gatherings of more than two people will be banned for an initial period of two weeks.

In Turkey, collective prayers are suspended and places of worship closed.

- Closing businesses -

Austria, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ukraine have closed all places admitting the public.

Non-essential shops are closed in Andorra, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, which has also closed hotels and tourist accommodation.

Restaurants, bars, nightclubs and cinemas are closed all over Europe even pubs in Ireland and brothels in the Netherlands.

Hungary has closed public places but not shops, while Greece has closed its museums and archaeological sites and most of its hotels.

- Disrupting transport -

British airlines have grounded most of their fleet.

France has massively reduced long-distance transport and cut by half rail travel.

Public transport has been reduced in London, Luxembourg and Paris.

Poland has cancelled all international flights and rail travel.

Austria's air travel is close to zero and it has reduced its rail travel drastically.

Turkey has suspended air links with 68 countries.
Malaysia deployed its army to enforce a lockdown as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000

Hong Kong: From Malaysia to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia ramped up efforts this weekend to stem the coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control.

Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries while Malaysia deployed its army to enforce a lockdown as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 -- a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows.

Outside China -- where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people -- South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with over 8,500 cases.

Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections.

After shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents, Australia has told citizens to cancel their domestic travel plans too as the number of cases tops 1,300.

Pakistan suspended international flights in a desperate bid to prevent the virus spreading in a country with more than 300 reported cases.

Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tests the country's ability to fight the pandemic that has killed more than 13,000 worldwide.

Testing also has been expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people amid concerns that the more than 320 reported cases vastly understate the true scale of the health crisis.

The World Health Organization has called for "aggressive" action in Southeast Asia amid fears a major outbreak of the virus could cause some decrepit health care systems in the region to collapse.

In places where outbreaks appeared to have been brought under control, authorities are now dealing with a second wave of infections as people return from abroad.

Singapore is banning all short-term visitors to the densely populated city-state after a surge of imported cases took its total to 432 -- including its first two deaths on Saturday.

In Hong Kong, where the worst had appeared to be over, the number of cases has nearly doubled in the past week as more people fly back to the financial hub.

Guam confirmed a 68-year-old woman had died of COVID-19, in the first virus-related death in the Pacific.
A top surgeon in New York City has warned that the coronavirus outbreak has "breached" hospital walls as the city's stretched-thin health system braces for a "peak" number of infections within the next few weeks.

In a series of daily memos about the state of the city's healthcare capacity, the surgeon-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the chair of Columbia University's Department of Surgery has projected that the hospital system could be overwhelmed by Covid-19 within 30 days.

According to Dr Craig Smith, by then New York-Presbyterian would need up to 934 intensive care unit beds but won't realistically have even 700.

In a memo to colleagues on Friday, he said: "The hard data has become alarming. I wish I could use a more comforting word."

On Saturday, he said he anticipates an "increasing number of infected Department colleagues" as infections begin appearing in "clusters associated with the care of infected patients". He predicts that the "reservoir of undetected" people unknowingly infected with the virus is "much larger than we imagined" and will become apparent in the coming days.

The warnings follow calls to retired nurses and doctors to join a reserve of volunteer health workers to boost the city's overrun health system.

Within one day last week, 1,000 retired health workers signed up with the city's Medical Reserve Corps under the Department of Health at the urging of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Those ranks join roughly 9,000 other medical volunteers to sign up with the department.

Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Show all 26 1 /26 Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town An empty street in Manhattan borough following the outbreak of coronavirus disease in New York City Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town A cab drives down at Seventh Avenue in Times Square Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Syracuse University campus is seen almost empty as number of universities are moving all classes to e-learning, due to the coronavirus outbreak Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty street is seen near Lincoln tunnel Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty restaurant Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty chairs are seen near Hudson yards Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty restaurant Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town A mobile souvenir shop sits in an empty parking lot at Allianz Field as a match between the New York Red Bulls at Minnesota United FC is postponed USA Today Sports/Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty Jacob K Javits Convention Center Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Syracuse University A person sits in an empty eating hall Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty parking lots Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Jacob K Javits Convention Center Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Seventh Avenue Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty retail stores Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty street is seen outside the New York Times building Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty parking lots Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters

More than 4,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the city itself, with statewide patients edging past 11,600. As of 22 March, at least 60 people in the city have died.

The number of cases across the US has reached nearly 25,000 with more than 300 deaths reported.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has joined governors in New Jersey and Connecticut to urge tri-state residents to stay indoors, and Governor Cuomo has ordered the closure of non-essential businesses statewide.

He also has announced he intends to purchase 6,000 ventilators and filtered N95 face masks as critical medical supplies begin to diminish. On Friday, Mayor de Blasio warned that unless residents heed warnings to stay indoors and Donald Trump's administration fails to take radical emergency actions, the city could "run out of basic medical supplies because of the intense strain put on our hospitals in this crisis" by the beginning of April.
Anxiety gave way to relief in the administrative echelons in Chandigarh on Sunday night after a senior Chandigarh Smart City Ltd (CSCL) tested negative for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

As it came to fore that the son of CSCL general manager NP Sharma had tested positive for the virus on Sunday morning, the administration was sent into a tizzy. Sharma had during the week held various meetings with top officials of the UT administration and municipal corporation (MC), forcing the authorities to start the process to identify them.

Sharma, 52, his wife, 48, and daughter, 21, were sampled at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16. Their reports returned negative as per the lab reports received from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

Dr Gajinder Dewan, director, health services, UT, said as per the report received from PGIMER, three high-risk contacts of the sixth positive case (Sharmas son) had tested negative.

A senior UT official, requesting anonymity, said, Sharma visited the UT secretariat in Sector 9 multiple times over the last week before being quarantined after his sons results. He also attended office last week.

UT home secretary Arun Gupta had maintained that no one will be tested until Sharmas reports were positive. As per standard practice, only family members of the positive patient are to be tested, he said.

SON HAD MET CITYs FIRST POSITIVE PATIENT

Sharmas son, 23, is the secondary contact of Chandigarhs first coronavirus positive patient, a 23-year-old-woman from Sector 21. She and her brother had met the officials son on March 16. The woman had tested positive on March 18 after returning from England on March 15.

Later, her brother also tested positive on March 20, after which Sharmas son informed authorities about his contact with the siblings.

Sharmas son was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, on Saturday and his samples were tested at the PGIMER.

Health authorities have so far identified a total of 130 primary and secondary contacts of the first positive patient in the city. Of these, six have tested positive, including her brother, mother, cook, Sharmas son, an employee of her father and a salon worker from Panchkula. The salon workers husband and younger son have tested negative. Reports of her elder son and daughter are awaited.

TWO NEW PATIENTS SAMPLED

A 25-year-old man from Chandigarh with history of exposure to Chandigarhs first corona patient was also sampled at GMCH-32 on Sunday. Besides, a 72-year-old woman from Chandigarh with a travel history to Egypt was sampled at GMSH-16.

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Linkedin Fabienne Faur (Agence France-Presse) Bordeaux, France  Sun, March 22, 2020 21:07 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c9ee9f 2 People lockdown,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,France,sailor,Jean-Jacques-Savin Free

Frenchman Jean-Jacques Savin, 73, made a splash last year by crossing the Atlantic alone in a custom-built barrel, a 127-day trip that was followed by thousands via his regular Facebook posts.

In an interview with AFP, the former paratrooper revealed his tactics for fending off cabin fever after France issued strict stay-at-home orders this week to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

Savin spent four months in a barrel with just six square meters of cramped living space.

So any advice for people confined to their homes?

"Everyone needs to embrace their passion. This time of isolation can be an opportunity for discovery -- start drawing, learn to play the harmonica, if it doesn't bother the neighbors," he said.

"You need to tire yourself out physically, not mentally, and walk as much as you can. Above all, don't zone out in front of the television at night and then sleep until noon."

Savin managed almost half a year of solitude during a trip on which he was just carried along by the currents.

"When you decide to take on a challenge, no matter what difficulties come up -- except for health problems -- you know at one point it will be over. The solitude never bothered me, I actually appreciated it, because I chose it.

"I wrote my journal, I read a lot, I exercised... I adapted to the solitude, the weather, I emptied my head and accepted that it would be long. I also knew that it was just for a while."

Read also: Kill time, not joy: How to be happy at home during the outbreak

'Mother Nature's message'

He was speaking as France was gritting its teeth at the start of a long confinement period -- with only essential trips out of the house allowed -- that could last several weeks or possibly longer to battle the coronavirus.

"In this case, confinement has been imposed on us and quite quickly. But we're not totally isolated, we all have telephones. I have friends who call and they're often bored. I hate to interrupt them, but I have things to do."

Savin said he felt safe hunkering down in the countryside in southwest France, with the confinement rules imposing no major hardship or change in routine for him.

"I'm lucky, I own 40 hectares of pine and oak forests about 12 kilometers from my house in Ares, on the Arcachon bay. I'm living in a 20-square-meter cabin with candles for light, a stove and a stream nearby for taking baths.

"Like everyone else, I have plenty of pasta, rice, semolina. And I love sardines, I have around 30 tins. I can hold out for 25 days, and if I have to stay six months, I'll stay six months.

"This virus is Mother Nature's way of sending us a message. We'll need to listen to it once this is over," he said.
The NIGERIA Union of Journalists National Secretariat calls on the Federal Government to shut down all non essential government activities immediately to curtail the increasing spread of Covid 19 across the country.

The Union believes it has become a matter of topmost priority to do so to avert an impending catastrophe more so with more cases springing up in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

Only essential services like medical services, the Police, armed forces, fire services , telecommunications, the media, banks, selected markets and the power sector should be allowed to operate in the meantime.

We equally call on all Nigerians to adhere strictly to advice from medical institutions and government while state governments and the Federal Government should emulate the China , America and other European countries which are taking urgent remedial measures to ensure that the people do not suffer untold hardships .

This is the time to work together for the collective survival of the country because no one is safe if only one person gets infected.

Chris Isiguzo

National President
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:38:33|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Beijing police authorities have exempted a coronavirus-infected ex-prisoner from legal punishment.

The 61-year-old former inmate, surnamed Huang, was discharged from a Beijing hospital on March 15 after recovery from the infection, and is currently under collective observation, according to the Dongcheng District branch of Beijing's public security bureau. Her daughter, Qin, and ex-son-in-law, Yang, have tested negative for the virus after a 14-day quarantine.

According to the bureau, both Yang and Qin failed to follow Beijing's epidemic control and prevention rules after they returned from Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. While Yang still went through public places after returning to Beijing, Qin failed to report to her community about taking her mother back from Wuhan to Beijing with her ex-husband.

The bureau detained Yang and gave a warning to Qin. The bureau said that Huang is exempted from punishment because she had served jail sentences in Wuhan for a long term and did not know about the prevention and control measures in Beijing. Huang remained at home after returning to Beijing and did not infect others, the bureau added.

Several officials in Hubei Province were removed from their post or put under investigation after a women's prison in Wuhan released Huang who was later confirmed infected with the virus in Beijing.

According to the Hubei provincial discipline watchdog, Huang was scheduled to be released upon completing her sentence on Feb. 17 and had close contact with a prison guard who was confirmed to be infected on Jan. 29.

Huang stayed in prison for observation after her release day and had her temperature measured during the period. On Feb. 21, the prison turned her over to her daughter and ex-son-in-law outside an expressway toll-gate of Wuhan.

The provincial supervision commission said that it is a case of serious dereliction and neglect of duty to have let someone with fever symptoms leave Wuhan.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:16:22|Editor: huaxia

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Dubai, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Emirates, a Dubai-based international airline, announced Sunday it would temporarily suspend all passenger operations from Wednesday over the COVID-19 outbreak.

"The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of the state-owned carrier, in a statement.

"We find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns," he added.

Amidst an increasing number of travel bans, restrictions and country lockdowns across the world, Emirates has aimed to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible to help travelers return home, the company said in the statement.

The company noted its strong balance sheet and substantial cash liquidity which, it believes, can "adequately" support its survival through the trying period.

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday announced 13 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 153, state TV Farida Al Hosani reported.
Coronavirus Diaries is a series of dispatches exploring how the coronavirus is affecting peoples lives. For the latest public health information, please refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website. For Slates coronavirus coverage, click here.

This diary is written by a Charter Communications call center employee, whom Slate granted anonymity to protect against retaliation. Some details have been changed. This piece was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

I work for Charter Communications. Despite stringent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and orders from some state governors, I continue to report to a call center with hundreds of people sitting in tightly packed, open-air cubicles.

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The tempo of emails and notices from my managers and our CEO, Thomas Rutledge, has accelerated over the past week as the pandemic has spread. On Saturday, March 14, he wrote, The safety of Charter employees is paramount to the Company. At the same time, Charter must maintain continuous and effective business operations in order to keep our commitment to customers. Therefore, the Company will strive to remain open and operate normally to the extent possible. At the same time, he says. My experience is typical. Gizmodo ran an article on Wednesday with the headline Charter Communications Employees Say Bosses Ignore Expert Covid-19 Advice, Put Profit Before Safety. There is also an online petition.

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None of the notices have expanded our paid sick leave or enabled working remotely, despite the fact that we are a telecommunications company. We are essentially being told to work sick in a sick-making workplace. There is no escaping the feeling that business calculations have been taken over the collective well-being. The inspirational slogans painted on our walls and hallways feel increasingly ghoulish.

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Charter is the cable company for many Americans. If your internet or cable TV isnt working while you are #StayHome self-isolating and you call Charter about its Spectrum services, you might get me on the line. I am a full-time employee. Im paid hourly, and I take home about $1,000 every two weeks.

Our call center work is deemed mission critical during this pandemic by the CEO. (He made $98.5 million in 2016, when Charter acquired Time Warner and Bright House.) Its true we keep people connected through the community, such as it is, of cable TV and internet, whether its Netflix or working remotely. A person safely working from home is supported by a hive of workers at the other end of the line. We are a front line for people sheltering in place and telecommuting, along with all the students now using remote learningno one could work from home or take classes if the internet is down.

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There are call centers like mine nationwide, including in Kentucky; in Texas; in Portland, Maine; and in New York City. Shifts share hot desks where we can end up sitting anywhere in the vast gray cubicle farms. At daily peak, we have hundreds of agents at work.

The cubicles are not spacious. If we stood up at our desks and extended our arms, we could clasp hands across the call center.

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It is soul-destroying work. I leave exhausted. Im supposed to troubleshoot Charter equipment and service problems, but much of the time, Im helping people who are aggravated that they cant operate their TV or cable box. A lot of the callers are confused seniors. My jobbesides fixing anythingis to first express empathy for the customers predicament and then build rapport. We are not trained for this emotional labor. With the onset of COVID-19, we were given hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes for the cubicles, and promised more frequent office cleanings.

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This pandemic exposes that Charter management is most interested in control of its employees.

The workplace policies effectively encourage us to work sick. We get a maximum of seven days of sick leave each calendar yearthis during a pandemic that requires self-isolation of 14 days to prevent spread. If you use up your paid sick days, you earn an hour for every 30 hours work, so it takes two months to earn back a single sick day. If you cant afford to take off, you come in sick, touch multiple door handles and elevator buttons, and sit a few feet from your colleagues. Meanwhile, the odds of an asymptomatic carrier in our office increase every day, along with the fears and anxieties of my co-workers.

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What is to be done? The obvious solution is to allow workers to telecommute during the pandemic. We market ourselves as great enablers of telecommuting. Ellen DeGeneres is our celebrity spokeswoman pushing the wonders of expanded bandwidth for remote connections.

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This pandemic exposesas it does many of the more arbitrary restrictions on work, movement, and social lifethat Charter management is most interested in control of its employees. And now more than ever, it makes no sense. Going to work has become harrowing and dangerous. If I get sick, I may have precious little paid time to recover. If I were able to field calls from my desk at home during the pandemic and focus on my actual work, I bet my excellent first-call resolution score would get even better.

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As public pressure increased and state governments began to lead on self-quarantine, Charter has started to relent. On Thursday, the CEO announced an additional three weeks of flexible paid time to be used for any reason related to COVID-19, with an attached incentive that unused time will be paid back after the end of the year. The communication included a note that salaried employees should consider working from home if they need to take this leave.*

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When should you use those three weeks in a pandemic that could rage for months? During the initial spike in cases? When you or a family member get sick?

Talk among veteran employees cautioned not to trust the companyand to get everything in writing before using the leave.

On Friday, a curiously worded email arrived saying a portion of front-line agents would get a work-from-home option, starting with my higher-risk colleagues, then on to tenured agents who have adequate performance and home infrastructure. While this would allow an increase in social distancing at the center, it suggests management is still comfortable bringing 60 percent of the workforce into the call centers, which also means public transit in some cities.

Again, the infrastructure for working from home has always been available. This is what we do. All of these measures couldve been taken weeks ago. There are already positive cases in many call centers, and most certainly asymptomatic carriers.

The language the company sends us continues to paint us a necessary, and nearly heroic, first responders in all but name. There is a strong temptation to answer: Thank you for calling Spectrum. What is your emergency?
The last time voters saw Joe Biden was Tuesday night, after victories in Arizona, Florida and Illinois put him far ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic delegate count. The former vice president spoke for six minutes on a campaign live stream, thanked his audience for listening and walked away.

In another year, that might have been the end of the Democratic primary. Five days later, it looks like the start of a new, uncomfortable, stage of the race - a campaign effectively frozen by crisis, with some supporters of Sanders looking for evidence that the former vice president will blow it and give the independent senator from Vermont one more chance to win.

Sanders was simply better prepared for campaigning to come to a halt, investing for years in a digital video infrastructure that can fire up with no glitches - something the Biden campaign has struggled with. In his coronavirus responses, Sanders has revisited or expanded on ideas he'd talked about for years, from direct basic income payments to Medicare-for-all; Biden, who held the vice presidency during two viral outbreaks, has not used any forum since last week's debate to talk about what he would do. If Sanders is the neighbor who stockpiled canned food, water, and paper towels, Biden is the neighbor making a last-minute run to Costco.

"Serious question: Where is Joe Biden?" tweeted Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and a national co-chair of the Sanders campaign.

Biden's campaign is adjusting, putting out videos and still sending fundraising emails. The candidate addressed reporters Friday with plans for new, daily updates during the crisis, promising that they would "hear more of me than you want to." But he still lags behind Sanders' online presence; the senator held three online discussions about responding to the virus.

Neither candidate has held a campaign event with an audience since March 9, the day before the Michigan primary. Both candidates are vying to be the oldest man ever elected to the presidency, and both are in the risk zone for exposure to covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Biden's spare messaging, allies say, does not reflect the hours he spends in touch with congressional Democrats.

"I find myself literally on the phone with my key advisers, medical advisers and economic advisers literally four or five hours a day, going through detailed memorandums on what we should be doing," Biden said in that Friday media call. "My whole focus has basically been how we deal with this crisis."

The reality for Sanders is that he is losing the primary. Another candidate, in another year, may well have conceded by now. He is further behind in the delegate count than he was at this point in 2016 and much further than Hillary Clinton had been in her 2008 race against Sen. Barack Obama. To erase Biden's lead of around 300 delegates, and the 67 delegates won by candidates who have endorsed Biden, Sanders would need to win nearly two-thirds of the vote in coming primaries, most of them in states where Clinton beat him four years ago.

He would need to do so with a campaign that is unable to hold rallies or in-person events. Sanders has scaled back basic campaign activities while scaling up his messaging efforts. The campaign has canceled all in-person canvasses, key to its mass organizing strategy, replacing them with "virtual phone banks." It has not solicited money from supporters since March 17, while urging supporters to donate to charities that could help with covid-19 relief, an ask that raised $2 million.

Biden, outspent so far not just by Sanders but by several candidates who dropped out, has begun to scale up his operation. His campaign was asking supporters for money on Sunday, with the candidate himself scheduling a conference call for higher-dollar donors after a similar event Friday.

"We wanted to once again reach out and ask for some of your opinions on what kind of communications you want to receive and how you would like to stay involved from home," Biden's email to donors read.

On Saturday, the campaign released an explanatory virus video from Ron Klain, Biden's former chief of staff and the czar who managed the 2014 Ebola crisis. On Sunday, it released a side-by-side video of Biden and Trump taking basically the same question, about what they would say to nervous Americans; Trump blew up at the reporter who asked, while Biden laid out ideas such as a fast expansion of testing facilities. The low-key normalcy, the promise of a campaign that will end and restore the best of pre-Trump America, had helped Biden rout Sanders in the first place.

"I think the contrast in dealing with a crisis like this between an erratic and unreliable Trump and a calm and steady Biden is excellent for Joe," said Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., one of the first members of Congress to endorse Biden.

To Sanders' supporters, the Biden theory of this crisis is not only wrong but dangerous and reason enough to keep the primary going. Some of the focus is on substance, pointing out that Biden would mobilize federal resources and waive patients' bills for this crisis, while Sanders would remake the health-care system and make those problems irrelevant. Sanders has also torn into Republicans for their responses to the crisis, in greater detail than Biden.

"If you are a couple making $150,000 a year, you're doing pretty well," Sanders said in his Friday broadcast. "The Republicans would give you a $2,400 check. But if you are a senior citizen trying to survive on $13,000 a year from Social Security, you would receive a check for $600. If you are a college student in 2018 who just got laid off from work last week, you would receive nothing, zero from the Republican proposal. Or you may have virtually nothing in the bank."

Critic on the left see Biden and Democratic leaders as blowing the crisis, as Republicans prepare for trillions of dollars in deficit spending and polls show support for the president's response ticking up. Sanders has proposed several avenues of fast executive action, including one - applying the Defense Production Act to speed up the availability of crucial supplies - that Biden agrees with. But Sanders has been far more visible.

"Personally I think Bernie should turn the whole campaign into a coronavirus response operation," wrote Nathan Robinson, the editor of the left-wing magazine Current Affairs. "It's crucial to keep the primary going, because we have to choose a nominee who can handle the ongoing crisis effectively. If we don't, a lot of people will die needlessly."

The other knock on Biden has less to do with substance and more with mockery. Prominent Sanders supporters have criticized what they see as his lack of presence on the coronavirus response, promoting hashtags such as #WhereIsJoe, which trended for two days on Twitter; memes of milk cartons or movie posters with the "missing" candidate; and theories of how his 300+ delegate lead could be reversed if Sanders outworked him.

"It's a grave mistake," Shaun King, a civil rights activist and Sanders surrogate, said of Biden's minimal presence. "During a national emergency he just went missing."

The idea that Biden is simply in hiding has been advanced by Randy Bryce, the union organizer who challenged then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in the 2018 midterms, and Kim Gordon, the former bassist for Sonic Youth. (Bryce has traveled as a surrogate for Sanders, while Gordon has appeared in at least one of his campaign videos.)

Others have speculated that the former vice president could melt down any moment, using a misleading clip from Biden's March 17 speech to make him look confused. On Saturday, when Biden's account gave a thumb's-up during a live-streamed DJ set, the first comments were speculation that the campaign was finding ways to look active as the candidate himself was hidden.

The Trump campaign was relatively late to react to the mockery, having focused instead on the idea that Biden is being divisive during a national crisis. But it picked up on #WhereIsJoe after the Klain video went out, and worry that Biden is not pressing his advantage - he remains the only candidate who held a position of power during a successfully thwarted pandemic - has permeated with some liberals who support him.

"I want to be in daily or, at least, you know, significant contact with the American people, and communicate what I would be doing," Biden said on Friday. "I promise you, that's on the way, hopefully, God willing, by Monday."

On Sunday afternoon, the Sanders campaign announced that the senator would hold a live stream on the pandemic later that evening, his third since the March 17 primary. For another day, Sanders would put himself in front of cameras, while Biden was still tuning things up.
The international investigation into the crash of the Malaysian Boeing flight MH17 in Donbas did not exclude that the militants tried to shoot down Ukrainian military aircraft. Prosecutor Ward Ferdinandusse stated this, as the correspondent of RBC-Ukraine reported.

According to him, an attack on a civilian airliner could be a mistake. The investigation does not exclude that the militants in Donbas tried to bring down an aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force. At the same time, Ferdinandusse stresses that attacking a military aircraft is also a criminal offense.

In addition, the investigation does not see extenuating circumstances due to active hostilities in July 2014. The prosecutor noted that such rules in some cases only apply to the military, which acts on behalf of states that respect military law.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 341,000 people and killed over 14,700. The COVID-19 illness causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, but severe symptoms are more likely in the elderly or those with existing health problems. More than 98,800 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.

TOP OF THE HOUR:

 China slams US for scapegoating over viru

 British justice officials put new jury trials on hold

 U.S. Secret Service employee tests positive for the coronavirus.

 Airbus cancels planned dividend payments.

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BEIJING  Chinas foreign ministry says the U.S. is completely wasting the precious time Beijing had won in attacking the global coronavirus outbreak that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing Monday that the U.S. has attempted to discredit others and look for a scapegoat to shift its responsibilities.

He added that the U.S. should stop politicizing the epidemic, stop stigmatizing and defaming China and other countries.

Chinas health ministry says Wuhan has now gone five consecutive days without a new infection, showing the effectiveness of draconian travel restrictions that are slowly being relaxed around the country.

At the same time, China is stepping up measures to prevent the virus from being brought back from overseas, requiring international flights into Beijing to first stop at airports outside the capital for inspection.

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TIRANA, Albania  Albania has reported three more deaths from the coronavirus. The country did not report a single case until two weeks ago, and had said that it expected a surge in cases this week.

The Health Ministry has reported the deaths of a 71-year-old late Sunday night and a 43-year old and a 61-year-old Monday morning, raising Albanias death toll to four. The country has confirmed 89 cases.

Albania is in a lockdown, with all borders closed, and schools, cafes, restaurants, gyms, and public and private transport shut. All shops except for groceries and pharmacies are also closed.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polish police say they have carried out inspections of nearly 80,000 people subjected to forced quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic and found 318 cases of people violating the quarantine.

The Polish government has enacted increasingly firm measures in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Last week the government increased penalties for quarantine non-compliance from 5,000 zlotys ($1,180) to 30,000 zlotys ($7,075). The authorities also extended an initial two-week closure of all schools in the country for an additional two weeks, lasting through Easter.

Additionally, they introduced a phone app to track those in home quarantine.

So far, Poland, with a population of 38 million people, has 649 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and seven deaths.

National police spokesman Mariusz Ciarka said that over the last day police inspected 79,196 people in quarantine and discovered 318 irregularities.

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LONDON  British justice officials have put new jury trials on hold as the court system places safety measures in place amid the coronavirus crisis.

Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett said in a statement Monday that jurors summoned this week are being contacted to ask them to remain at home.

Burnett said ongoing jury trials will also be paused to make sure arrangements are in place to make certain they can continue to operate safely.

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WASHINGTON  The U.S. Secret Service says an employee has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The agency said in a statement early Monday that it will continue to monitor the employees condition. The employee is in quarantine.

The agency says it determined after an assessment that the employee has had no contact with other employees or anyone the agency is responsible for protecting for nearly three weeks.

The Secret Service provides security protection for President Donald Trump and his family, among other high-ranking U.S. officials.

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PARIS  Airbus is cancelling planned dividend payments and lining up 15 billion euros ($16 billion) in new credit to give the European aircraft giant more cash to weather the COVID-19 crisis.

Airbus said Monday that withdrawing the proposed 2019 dividend payment of 1.8 euros ($1.90) per share will save the company 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion).

The approval from Airbus directors for 15 billion euros in new borrowing is on top of an existing 3 billion euro ($3.2 billion) revolving credit facility.

Airbus said that it has significant liquidity available to cope with additional cash requirements related to the coronavirus, and that the firm intends to secure business continuity for itself even in a protracted crisis.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lankas government has banned nonessential travel across the Indian Ocean island nation, in the latest measure to contain the spreading of the coronavirus.

The government is allowing the transport of rice and other essential items.

Also on Monday, a statement from the presidents office said the government has banned the transporting of tourists. Tourism is a major income source for the country.

Sri Lanka has confirmed 82 coronavirus cases.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Office workers are hauling computers and plants to their cars and shoppers are stripping shelves bare of coffee, flour and toilet paper before New Zealand starts a four-week lockdown.

I know it will feel daunting, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, but she said the move was meant to save lives.

People must stay home and all non-essential businesses and activities cease when the lockdown begins late Wednesday night.

The decision came as health officials announced another 36 confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 102. Most were tied to travel overseas, but crucially, two of the cases could not be traced and officials believe they are evidence of a local outbreak.

New Zealand, which has a population of 5 million, already has closed its borders to all but citizens and residents.

New Zealand also considers itself a gateway to South Pacific island nations that would be devastated if the virus took hold there, given their isolation and poor health systems. Only a handful of virus cases have been identified so far in the South Pacific, including two in Fiji and one in Papua New Guinea.

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CANBERRA, Australia  A fourth Australian federal lawmaker has tested positive for the coronavirus.

South Australia state Senator Rex Patrick, from the minor Center Alliance party, said on Monday he tested for COVID-19 after being in contact with infected government Senator Andrew Bragg two weeks ago. Bragg, from New South Wales state, is among 35 guests who became infected at a March 6 wedding south of Sydney.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was the first Australian lawmaker to discover he was infected days after returning from Washington, where he met President Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka and U.S. Attorney General William Barr. Queensland state government Senator Susan McDonald announced days later that she was also infected.

None of the four is in the national capital Canberra, where a scaled-down Parliament is meeting to pass economic stimulus spending measures to soften the viruss economic blow.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia  Indonesia has changed towers built to house athletes in the 2018 Asian Games to emergency hospitals.

Four of the 10 buildings used to house 24,000 Asian athletes have been redesigned to a coronavirus hospital with a 3,000-bed capacity in the countrys hard-hit capital, where new patients have surged in the past week.

President Joko Widodo on Monday officially launched the hospital as an army plane carrying 9 tons of health supplies, including 105,000 protective tools, masks and sanitizers for medical personnel arrived from China.

Widodos administration has been criticized as slow to deal with the virus spread, which could overwhelm the health care system in the country of more than 260 million people.

Indonesia, which has the third-largest population in Asia after China and India, reported 514 COVID-19 cases with 48 deaths, including six doctors and a nurse who died while helping patients with a lack of protective tools.

Widodo has ruled out the possibility of imposing a lockdown on Jakarta and has instead ordered mass testing to contain the coronavirus disease spread and has prepared about 200 hospitals run by government, military and police as well as private as the country braces for an anticipated surge in COVID-19 patients.

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TOKYO  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday that Japan will require a 14-day quarantine to all visitors from the United States, including the Japanese and Americans, effective Thursday and until the end of April.

Abe made the announcement at a government task force on the coronavirus, citing the escalating COVID-19 infections around the world, especially in the U.S. and Europe in recent weeks.

Japan on Sunday raised a travel advisory for the U.S., urging the Japanese citizens not to make nonessential trips to the U.S.

He said the U.S. recently took similar measures and urged Americans not to make nonessential trips to Japan, requiring a 14-day quarantine for entrants.

Abe said Mondays quarantine requirement is in line with measures taken by other countries, including the U.S. and shows Japans commitment to join international effort to stop the further spread of the coronavirus.

He said Japan will continue to launch flexible border control measures without hesitation and urged his ministers to keep their caution levels up high.

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MANILA, Philippines  The Philippine Congress is holding an emergency session to deliberate on a government request to declare a national emergency and allow the president to swiftly punish local officials who defy orders and grant him a standby power to take over private companies amid the coronavirus crisis.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea told the House of Representatives on Monday that the government also needed the authority to realign huge funds to fight the outbreak. Senators said the government may need at least 200 billion pesos ($4 billion) in the next two months to deal with the contagion.

The power to take over is intended merely as a standby power in the event the crisis reaches its worst when our most critical institutions are nearing a total shutdown, Medialdea told legislators, the majority of whom participated online as a health precaution.

Left-wing groups opposed extra powers for President Rodrigo Duterte, fearing abuse. The opposition said the government should focus on providing safety nets for the poor and workers who were ordered to stay home under a lockdown of the northern Philippines, which is home to more than 50 million people.

Philippine officials have reported 396 infections, including 33 deaths, but fear COVID-19 cases may spike soon after China donated 100,000 testing kits and other countries promised to help the Philippines strengthen its capability to test more people for the virus.

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ISLAMABAD  Authorities in southern Pakistan on Monday began a two-week complete lockdown, as the number of positive coronavirus tests jumped to 799 across Pakistan. Health officials reported sixth deaths from infection.

Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister in the southern Sindh province, has imposed a ban on movement of people, saying the measure was aimed at saving lives.

However, Prime Minister Imran Khan has avoided a nationwide lockdown, but he urged people to stay at homes voluntarily.

So far six people have died because of the virus and among those was a young doctor who went home and suddenly died in the north.

Authorities say they are trying to import equipment for the safety of doctors who have expressed concern over lack of facilities in tackling infected patients.

In many areas of Pakistan, people stayed home on the national day Monday. Pakistan has already postponed a military parade and the countrys president Arif Alvi and Khan have asked people to show unity to fight the coronavirus.

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Has India reached Stage III of the Coronavirus (Covid-19)? Stage III denotes community transmission; in Indias case this refers to an infection not caught abroad but caught from someone else, locally.

Doctors say yes, but the Central government has not yet confirmed it. The governments data indicate the first peak of infections on March 4 and since then there is a steady rise. On March 21, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare records 283 Covid-19 positive cases.

Clusters in Maharashtra, Telangana, Kerala and recently Rajasthan show that asymptomatic carriers outnumber symptomatic, indicating that the virus is in the community though people are not being tested.

Epidemiologists say mass quarantine, with complete closure, is necessary to prevent further spread.

A single-day shutdown on Sunday will not help. More than two weeks of complete quarantine is required.

A senior doctor said that suspected transmission is behind the ICMR decision to test randomly.

The number who entered India from West Asia and Europe, February onwa-rds, is high. They came before airport screening began. This conclusion is derived from the Dubai cluster in Maharashtra, the Indonesian cluster in Telangana and the Italian cluster in Rajasthan. Keralas spread is by family members returning from abroad. These travellers histories show that the spread is to contacts and locals. Contact tracing is a Herculean task and by the time the contacts are traced, multi-clusters have already developed.

Experts also believe that there have been more than four deaths in India but there is underreporting to prevent panic.

Trauma and multi-organ failure are the given causes of such deaths, not the virus.

The government also worries about travellers being targeted and stigmatised, leading to law and order situations.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) speaks to reporters near the Senate Subway on Capitol Hill on Jan. 24, 2019. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Romney Says Senators Will Seek Advice on Whether to Self-Quarantine

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said that senators and others who interacted with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who tested positive for COVID-19, will determine whether they should self-quarantine after speaking to health care providers.

Romney, 73, told reporters on March 22 that every senator will seek medical advice as to what action we should take, to make sure in any way that we dont spread this virus ourselves.

We have to determine whether any of us should self-quarantine, Romney said, adding that he and others had lunch with Paul on March 20. Several other members of Congress in recent days have self-quarantined after interacting with people who tested positive for the CCP virus, while Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) have both tested positive.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Pauls office on March 22 announced that the 57-year-old senator tested positive for the virus but isnt showing any symptoms.

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) talks with SiriusXMs Olivier Knox and Julie Mason during a Town Hall event in New York City on Oct. 11, 2019. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

He is feeling fine and is in quarantine, his verified Twitter account said. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.

Paul didnt have contact with any staffers.

He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul, his office stated.

According to the Washington Examiner, Paul spoke on the Senate floor on March 18 and attended a lunch with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and other GOP senators on March 17. He also had lunch with other GOP senators on March 20, a photo shows.

Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), 59, also said senators are seeking medical advice now.

Well consult with the attending physician here at the Capitol about appropriate measures for those of us who have been in contact with the senator, but this is the kind of situation that Americans across the country are dealing with right now and it underscores the importance of acting immediately to deliver more relief for the American people, Thune said.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) reportedly said that Paul was at the gym on the morning of March 22 before his results came back. However, Morans office hasnt yet confirmed the report.
Would-be tourists are being urged to keep away from beaches and other holiday destinations in the UK to limit the spread of coronavirus.

It came as reports suggested that ministers pleas for Britons to avoid non-essential travel and practise social distancing were being widely ignored, with people heading outdoors to enjoy sunny weather on Saturday.

Similarly, on Friday night as pubs were ordered to close, Britons decided to spend one last night on the town before the country entered full lockdown.

Cumbria Police said on Saturday that despite government advice, the Lake District and other tourist hotspots in the UK were experiencing an influx of visitors.

The force has now urged people from outside its county to keep away, stating that the Lake District is no longer conducting business as usual, with pubs, restaurants and attractions advised to close.

And West Wittering beach in Chichester, southeast England, closed to the public after the number of visitors on Saturday far exceeded expectations, the estate owners said.

Meanwhile, the Visit Cornwall tourist board published a statement on Friday asking people to postpone their visits to a later date despite the lack of clarity from government around the situation.

In a statement on Saturday, Cumbria Polices assistant chief constable Andrew Slattery said: Whilst we are looking at all measures to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, I must urge people living outside the county not to visit.

A national emergency shut-down of businesses and schools is not an excuse for a holiday.

Cumbria County Council yesterday urged people to stay at home as far as possible to protect out NHS and save lives. I reiterate that advice and it is important that we all follow it.

In a statement, Mr Slattery said public services within the county, located in north-west England, are resourced to serve its population of 500,000 and will be stretched to breaking point by the coronavirus pandemic.

Large numbers of visitors will only place an additional burden on these hard-pushed professionals, he added.

These are unprecedented times and our first priority is the protection of life. Peoples lives must come first.

Elsewhere, the West Wittering Estate posted a message on its website to say its beach and car park would be closed as remaining open had encouraged an unacceptable movement of people into the local community.

We understand that the restrictions imposed by the government make us an attractive option for exercise, dog walking, and socialising, but we cannot in good conscience remain open to the public, it said.

Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Show all 20 1 /20 Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Top: Nabi Younes market, Mosul Bottom: Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Grand Mosque, Mecca Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Nabi Younes market, Mosul Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Basra Grand Mosque, Iraq Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Taj Mahal hotel, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Dubai Mall, UAE Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Gateway of India, Mumbai Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Victoria Memorial, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sidon, Lebanon Reuters

There were similar problems in the Scottish Highlands.

Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party MP, tweeted that he had been contacted by the Nevis Range Centre in Fort William who tell me that they have had to turn away around 30 camper vans, which had travelled from various parts of the UK, who were intending to use their car park as a refuge.

I urge everyone to do the right thing; follow the government advice and please do not travel here, he added. I cannot stress enough that this pattern of behaviour is irresponsible, counterproductive and must stop with immediate effect.

On Friday, prime minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close in a bid to impact the infection rate by reducing unnecessary social gatherings by 75 per cent.

In a statement, the Visit Cornwall website posted: Despite the lack of clarity from the government, Visit Cornwall is advising that visitors should not come to Cornwall at this time.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Nkiru Umeh

According to Sun News, fast raising Nollywood actress, Nkiru Umeh, has revealed how she narrowly escaped death with her family at the Sunday morning Abule Ado explosion which destroyed lives and properties.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Abule Ado explosion in Lagos State which occurred early hour of March 15, claimed lives, destroyed properties and rendered people homeless.

The actress, who expressed gratitude to Almighty God for sparing her life and that of her household could not hide her joy, as she took to her Instagram [email protected] to appreciate her maker.

My beauty complex and my house were directly opposite Bethlehem girls college and the explosion happened right in front of the school. Everything went down. I thank God for life.

Still in shock to even talk but my anger is that the media houses and the government are lying to the public. All the same, It is well. I will narrate on this more when am out of shock.

For now my hands are still shaking. God just showed me how special I am. How he loves my family, yes I lost 2 houses, 2 cars, all properties, cloths, shoes, AngelNikky Cosmetics goods worth close to 10m.

My beauty complex and everything inside worth close to 50m and of course my resident mansion and properties inside which only myself and whoever have been to my house can tell how beautiful it was. Should we talk about my closet?

If you know AngelNikky you can imagine AngelNikkys closet. Fire took it. All it is well is what I can say because I have my life, my husband, my children, my PA, my husbands boys, we are all alive.

By the grace of God, material things can be replaced. No one can replace life. Gratitude to God remains my attitude, she said.

Umeh, who grew fast in the industry after she featured in the popular movie Egg Seller, said she was grateful to God for sparing her life and that of her family in spite of the huge loss.

She said the unfortunate incident which occurred while she was in church with her family destroyed her beauty complex, her house, and cars.

Umeh is one of the actresses who has been on fire in Nigerian movies.

According to her, the movie that tasked her much is Who Won the Battle? which its location was inside the bush.

She has featured in the following movies: The Judgment, The Blind Soul, Close to My Heart, The Royal Maid, Kiss and the Bride, The Three Blind, Heart of a Maid.

The renowned actress is currently married and have kids too.
Dublin and Cork airports will cost 10m a week to run at a time when they are only open to allow essential medical supplies, cargo and emergency flights into the country, DAA chief executive Dalton Philips has said.

He has put together a special team to monitor the financial liquidity of the airports as airlines have grounded aircraft and traffic has fallen to just 10pc of normal levels, he said in two internal 'team updates' to staff via video messages.

Philips said it was expected that there would be almost no flights in or out of the country within days. Outgoings for the company will be 10m a week during a time when it will have zero revenue, he said.

"We are right in the middle of this storm and it is really impacting the business," he told staff, as Irish airports ground to a halt and the company's lucrative duty-free shops emptied. "It is an absolutely unprecedented reduction in traffic and we don't know when or if it will bounce back. So I have a team looking at our whole financial situation," he said.

He has set up a separate management team to directly handle the health and security of staff, he added.

The internal updates were sent to staff before the company issued a wider statement about its plans to cope with the Covid-19 crisis up to April 11, including a recruitment freeze, an overtime ban and plans to pay staff in full for the next month but to have them take one week's mandatory leave during that time.

"There will be no performance-related pay or gainshare in 2020, however we will definitely pay the gainshare from 2019," he said.

"We are having to make very significant decisions over these coming days."
22.03.2020 LISTEN

Accra, Sunday 22 March 2020 The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them Isaiah 41: 17 (NIV). The global need Access to clean water, dignified sanitation and appropriate hygiene are fundamental to socioeconomic development and the well-being of vulnerable children, their families, and communities. Unfortunately, one in three people in the world lives in a country with limited access to clean water.

It is estimated that by 2030, nearly half the global population could experience water scarcity, with demand outstripping supply by about 40 percent. The water situation in Ghana While we recognize the governments effort at increasing access to this precious resource, we note with dissatisfaction that, over 6 million people in Ghana still lack access to safe water. Women and children still travel long distances in search of non-existent clean water, while many schools and healthcare facilities lack sustainable access to clean water and dignified sanitation.

This has negative implications for maternal and child health, learning, nutritional outcomes, productivity and the general well-being of children and their families. World Vision For believers in a better world for children, World Vision lives and works with communities to co-create solutions that last. We believe that nothing can be more important to child wellbeing than access to safe water.

This is why we have made substantial investments in people and equipment to become the largest non-governmental provider of clean water in the developing world, reaching a new person with safe water every 10 seconds.

Our call to Action On the occasion of World Water Day 2020, World Vision joins practitioners in safe water delivery and indeed all Ghanaians, in calling on the Government of Ghana to do the following:

 Prioritize and increase investments towards universal access to safe water We are concerned that the current levels of investment in safe water does not match the ever-increasing demand, and if current trends continue, we may not address the shortfall anytime soon.

It is worrying that at a time Ghanaians needed water the most to practice appropriate handwashing as a means to combat the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, there are widespread water shortages across the country resulting in acute rationing.

We urge all Ghanaians to make judicious use of water at this time, ensure strict self-discipline, adhere to prescribed social distancing and practice enhanced hygiene (handwashing with soap under running water, use of alcohol-based sanitizers, avoiding handshakes and all forms of body contact) as a preventive measure to contain the disease.

 Take immediate steps to address water quality challenges The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (2017/18) indicates that close to eight in every ten households had E-coli (faecal contamination) in their drinking water, while close to half of the water sources were affected.

While the microbial contamination remains a major area of concern, a recent study conducted in collaboration with the University of North Carolina also reveals the importance of enhanced focus on trace metal contamination of boreholes. The National Drinking Water Quality Framework (NDWQF) and Water Safety Planning need to be fully implemented to assure citizens of their health and safety.

 Address the regional disparities in access to safe water, paying special attention to areas with access below the national average It is quite problematic that while access to basic drinking water in Greater Accra is 98%, it is only 50% in Northern Region (MICS 2017/18). The Upper East, Upper West, Western and Eastern Regions are also below the national average in terms of access to safe water.

 Bridge the inequalities in basic water access There is a clear wealth disparity in basic water access, with the wealthy nearly twice as likely to have access than the poor. Additionally, urban dwellers are more likely to have basic access than those in rural areas (MICS 2017/18).

 Arrest the effects of climate change and the wanton pollution of water bodies on sustainable access to safe drinking water Government should have the will to take bold and decisive steps to ensure that we win the fight against illegal mining (Galamsey) in order to preserve our sources of water and promote increased access.

Our Pledge

World Vision Ghana is committed to prioritizing, increasing investments and partnering with Government, Development Partners, private sector, NGOs and other stakeholders to ensure that every child everywhere and their families have access to clean water. Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness; our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his wife Usha Naidu on Sunday clapped to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid coronavirus outbreak across the country.

A host of Union Ministers and several other politicians participated in the exercise, which was suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Thursday.

President Ram Nath Kovind along with his family members also joined the nation in giving his respect to those who are fighting against the coronavirus disease.

Among those who participated in 'thanks-giving' gesture included Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Prakash Javadekar, Dharmendra Pradhan, Prahlad Joshi. They were seen ringing bells and clapping.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also participated in the exercise while Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and his family clang utensils.

BJP president JP Nadda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule too took part in the exercise.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
People are sharing the creative ways they are celebrating Mothers Day in the UK after the majority of Britons were told to stay home amid fears over the spread of coronavirus.

Ahead of the holiday on Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to forgo typical Mothers Day celebrations in an effort to keep the virus from spreading to high-risk individuals.

If your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus, he said. This time, the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity.

On social media, people shared tributes to their mothers while reminding others of the importance of not seeing their parents in person - or doing so only if from a safe distance.

Decided to ditch public transport and walked seven miles to hand deliver a Mothers Day card, novelist Irvine Welsh tweeted. I couldnt go in but we spoke at distance, her from her front door. She looked at my red trainers and said you walked seven miles in these? Just as well the streets are empty.

Another person shared a video of themselves wishing their mum a Happy Mothers Day Love Actually-style.

In the video, which has since been viewed more than 3,000 times, a woman holds up signs for her mother, who is at home, to read from a distance, with the first one reading: Do you have your glasses and hearing aid in? If not, do so"

The signs then continue: Ive just come to say on this sunny bright day, thank you for being my mum. We all wish we could give you a hug and a kiss.

Someone else shared a photo of themselves posing for a photo with their mother and father from outside the glass door of their parents home, while many others shared screenshots of FaceTime calls with their mums and families.

One woman celebrated her mum from quarantine by creating a special "socially distanced coronavirus Mother's Day menu" of meals her mother could make with the food she had in the house.

"Made a socially-distanced coronavirus Mother's Day menu to make up for not seeing each other, complete with basics she has at home lol," she wrote on Twitter alongside photos of the menu and her mum. "May not be a meal at Zizzi like usual but Lizzi (her name's Elizabeth please appreciate the pun) is just as good when it means we're staying safe."

Among those sharing Mothers Day tributes was Victoria Beckham, who described the holiday amid the coronavirus pandemic as like no other in the experience of our generation.

Today we celebrate a Mothers Day like no other in the experience of our generation, Beckham captioned a photo of herself and her mother as well as pictures of her and husband David Beckhams children. So many of us wont be able to see our mums today. Most of us will be sending them virtual love and gratitude, while thinking especially of the families with those on the front lines taking care of others.

We will all continue to be kind and resilient. Sending love to everyone today from us all x VB.

The Mother's Day safety precautions come after the latest figures show the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK has risen above 5,000.
SANTA FE  New Mexico is bracing for the possible spread of coronavirus to some of Americas most remote, impoverished communities, as hospitals across the state prepare to convert operating rooms into acute respiratory care units.

Health officials are outlining medical triage strategies in the state that struggles to keep physicians in rural areas. Officials have declined to disclose the number of hospital beds and ventilator machines that could be made available quickly to treat severe coronavirus cases.

For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

A collaborative effort in New Mexico is intended to guide medical personnel in far-flung locations on responses to the virus, using a web-conference method that has been deployed in response to complex diseases in other countries, including India and Vietnam.

The initiative through Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center aims to prepare physicians, aides, nurse practitioners and others to make decisions about virus testing, quarantines and severe infections that can lead to acute respiratory problems, said Joanne Katzman, senior associate director at Project ECHO.

This is one of the few epidemics where people are told, Dont come into the doctors office, dont come into the emergency room,  she said, describing precautions against transmission of the virus.

Health officials also are poring over emergency triage plans with hospital executives in anticipation of a likely surge in COVID-19 cases. Mostly travel-related coronavirus infections have occurred in New Mexicos urban corridor along the Upper Rio Grande, with one untraceable transmission. Cases in rural areas include an infection in Taos County and a couple in Socorro County.

The preparations are taking place as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham discouraged social contact with new orders Wednesday that limit restaurant service to take-out food, reduce the flow of people at hotels and close down movie theaters, shopping malls, spas and gyms through April 10. Previous advisories and orders have shut down schools statewide, ski resorts, commuter rail service, museums, cathedrals and many autonomous tribal casinos.

The containment strategies, as with other states, are designed to slow infections to a rate that wont overwhelm the health care system.

New Mexico has reported 57 infections, while the U.S. has reported more than 21,300 cases and at least 280 deaths. Almost half of the deaths are in Washington state, where dozens of residents from a suburban Seattle nursing home have died.

In a northern New Mexico county the size Connecticut, physicians say a shortage of protective equipment such as respirator masks threatens to undermine front-line efforts to contain the virus at clinics that cater to Medicaid patients.

Physician Leslie Hayes of El Centro Family Health clinic in Espanola said she and colleagues resorted to social media solicitations for donations of masks that filter out virus-sized particles.

Hayes worries the virus could race through a small staff at a rural clinic and force physicians into quarantine.

For the small communities, were really worried about what happens if a patient walks in asymptomatic for hypertension, and then two days later they all come down with COVID-19, Hayes said. Then the whole clinic would have to shut down.

State health authorities note that many rural clinics are part of provider networks where staff can fill in for each other in a crisis or even call on volunteers. New Mexicos congressional and Senate delegation has pressed federal authorities to release more protective equipment such as masks and gloves.

State health officials have acknowledged that there are about 340 intensive care beds statewide  with roughly 55 available. Requests for updated statistics went unanswered.

New Mexico Human Service Secretary David Scrase said he met Tuesday with hospital executives from the University of New Mexico, Presbyterian and Lovelace to review state-registered triage plans for converting a variety of surgical facilities with ventilators into intensive care units for coronavirus patients while elective operations are put on hold.

In the most severe cases, the coronavirus damages healthy tissue in the lungs, making it hard to get oxygen to the blood. Ventilators feed oxygen into the lungs of patients with severe respiratory problems through a tube inserted down the throat.

Scrase says hospitals can expand their intensive care capacity overnight to treat acute coronavirus patients.

Its about the process and the reserve capacity, he said. The hospitals talked about being able to increase their in-patient volume by 20% to 30% with almost no difficulty at all.

Wide open spaces and low-density cities could give New Mexico an advantage over some metropolitan areas in preventing the rapid spread of coronavirus.

In Socorro, a city of 9,000 residents, family physician and Mayor Ravi Bhasker said the area is well equipped to detect coronavirus. But he warned that any virus patients who develop severe respiratory complications would need to travel at least 70 miles for ventilator support.

Rural health care at this point is not overwhelmed. But if we have people who need respirators, were not going to be able to handle that, he said. Thats going to be kicked up to Albuquerque.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

These are tough times for art-lovers in Santa Fe. Of course, public safety comes first and limiting the spread of coronavirus must be a priority. Still, its sad when your favorite museum or gallery is closed for a few weeks.

Thats why its essential to call ahead, or check the venues website or Facebook page.

Sorrel Sky Gallery said that after having enhanced its cleaning standards by following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is making the decision to remain open on a day by day basis. Thats good news because the gallery is hosting its annual Plein Air Fiesta through March 28.

Plein air painting is the act of painting outdoors and, like many good things in life, it was popularized by the French. Beginning in the 1860s, the pioneers of Impressionism rejected painting historical or religious scenes in favor of capturing the man (or woman) on the street, in the park or on the beach.

Here in New Mexico, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico is an active group of outdoor painters led by Natasha Isenhour, the groups 2020 president. The organization held a Paint Out from March 7-10 and handed out awards to its members for their work on March 13.

Sorrel Sky has a virtual exhibition of the show on its website and, according to papnm.org, the group has already had a couple of sales and hopes for many more.

At the awards ceremony, Best of Show went to Allen Brockbank for his work Unsung Heroes, while Shelley Smith took home second place overall with Every Day is a Winding Road. Third place overall went to Beth Winfield for Orphan Mesa and Meridee Mandios Morning in the Canyon received the Award of Excellence in the oil/acrylic categories.

With its abundant sunlight, rugged landscapes and endless horizon, the Land of Enchantment is a paradise for plein air painters and PAPNM provides regular opportunities for its members to paint together during its paint outs, as well as hosting juried and open exhibitions of members work.

You dont have to be a member of PAPNM to enjoy Isenhours musings in her monthly blog posts.

Earlier this month, she wrote, Absolutely there is no better teacher than grabbing your go-bag and getting your hands dirty in the field painting. But dont discount how invaluable camaraderie with your artist friends is, how much you learn from listening to others, watching demonstrations and reading about your heroes. The things you disagree with are great for forcing you to understand within yourself why your way is better.

In her February blog post, Isenhour exhorted the groups me

mbers to pay more attention to the materials and frames they use for their work.

Even when participating in a plein air event, how you dress up your work to go to the party does matter, she wrote. It matters to many judges that the framing complements the work whether we agree with that or not.

She noted that, If there is an opening, your work is judged by the public with their eyes. An immediate gravitation toward the painting or away is a result of the overall effect of the package the painting is in. A lot of folks simply cannot or do not separate the two because the framed work is one overarching statement.

Regardless of whether Sorrel Sky remains open during the coronavirus crisis, you can still enjoy and purchase art on its website.

In a press release, the gallery, which also has a presence in Durango, Colorado, said that its associates are available for virtual art consultation and can meet with potential customers via FaceTime, Skype or Google Hangouts.
Doctors record 26 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours

The number of people infected with coronavirus has reached 73 people. This was reported by the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on their Facebook page.

"As of 22:30 on March 22, there are 73 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine," the report says.

Over the past day, doctors have discovered 26 new cases of COVID-19.

Three people died. 1 patient recovered and was already discharged from the hospital.

An hour before Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported 63 cases of coronavirus infection confirmed in Ukraine.

The first fatality is confirmed in Ukraine; a 71-year-old woman, resident of Zhytomyr region, northern Ukraine succumbed to the disease.

There's an emergency situation mode in three regions of Ukraine as of March 20 - Chernivtsi, Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions. Kyiv City Administration also introduced an emergency situation in Ukraine's capital. Ukraine also temporarily suspended operation of subway on March 18. Public transport in Kyiv will also be restricted.
The Gaza Strip which has one the densest populations on earth has been hit with coronavirus.

The territory, an enclave bordering Israel which has 5,154 people per km, reported two cases of Covid-19 today.

It has so far avoided infection due to its sealed borders with Israel and Egypt.

The cases raise fears that the virus will spread quickly through the over-populated territory, which has been largely closed to the outside world since 2007.

The beleaguered enclave has long been battered by wars and violent escalations, crumbling infrastructure, contaminated water, fuel shortages and power cuts.

The Gaza Strip, an enclave bordering Israel which has 5,154 people per km, reported two cases of Covid-19 today. Pictured: Palestinians, wearing masks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus disease, work in a bakery in Gaza City today

Palestinian volunteers wearing protective clothes and masks disinfect a street as a preventive measure against the spread of novel coronavirus, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip today

Now there are fears that the spread of the virus in Gaza could tip it into a serious humanitarian crisis.

The two patients, both Gazans, had travelled to Pakistan before returning to the coastal enclave through Egypt, the Health Ministry said.

Both are being treated in a quarantine facility in a field hospital in Rafah, close to Gaza's southern border.

Health spokesman Dr Ashraf Al-Qedra said the sufferers are aged between 30 and 40 and both are in stable condition.

They were tested for the virus on arrival after displaying dry coughs and fevers.

'Thank God, the circle of contact wasn't big,' Salama Marouf, a government spokesman, said. All those who were in contact with the two men had been quarantined, he added.

More than a thousand people have entered Gaza in the last two weeks but only 92 have been screened, highlighting the territory's limited testing capacity.

A WHO spokesman in Gaza told MailOnline that 90 coronavirus test kits had arrived from Israel today, as well as gowns and masks.

The streets of Gaza were empty today as its inhabitants stayed at home in fear of transmission. But there was activity at the supermarkets, as residents battled to stockpile goods.

A street is seen almost empty amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus disease, in Gaza City

Mohammed Fayez, the owner of a small store in Yibna refugee camp, near Rafah, said he was worried about replacing the goods he sold today.

'I am not sure there would be enough goods for me to buy now,' he said. 'What if the Israelis closed all the crossings?

'How would we get what we need?'

Most people were buying groceries on credit, he said, in a territory where unemployment approaches 50 per cent.

'As a shopkeeper, I'm worried that if don't get enough cash, I won't be able to fill the shelves again,' Mr Fayez added.

Yousef Naser Allah, a manager in Metro Mall, one of the largest stores in the strip, said the panic buying was unprecedented despite a regular cycle of war and violence.

'The shelves have been emptied in a few hours,' he said. 'People are afraid of what this new crisis may cause.

'I can say that we are still able to control the situation, we still have enough goods so far.'

Palestinians stand in line as they wait to buy bread at a bakery amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus disease, in Gaza City

The territory, measuring 375 square kilometres (145 square miles) is home to around two million Palestinians and poverty and unemployment rates are high.

Movement in and out of Gaza has been restricted by Israel and Egypt since 2007, amid security concerns over the ruling Islamist group Hamas.

In the past two years, some travel restrictions have been relaxed. But measures have been tightened again since the outbreak.

On Sunday, Israeli authorities announced that all crossings into the country from Palestinian territories were forbidden, as border controls were strengthened in a bid to halt the virus.

Exceptions were to be granted only to nurses, health workers and exceptional medical cases, officials added.

Last week, Hamas said it would allow only patients requiring urgent medical treatment outside Gaza to cross into Egypt or Israel.

Hamas, the militant group in control of the territory, has ordered the closure of restaurants, cafes, schools, public markets and event halls.

Cars parked on the side of an empty street in a neighbourhood in Gaza City. People have stayed indoors over concerns of the spread of the virus

It also banned Friday prayers at mosques until further notice.

Dr. Youssef Abulreesh, Gaza's Deputy Minister of Health, urged Gaza's residents to practice social distancing by staying home in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.

More than 1,270 Gazans are being kept in isolation at schools, hospitals and hotels after entering the coastal enclave, the ministry revealed.

Muhammad Shtayyeh, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank, introduced a series of new measures to combat the spread of the virus today.

These included reduced opening hours for banks and the closure of all government departments except for health, civil affairs and finance.

He stressed that the Palestinian Ministry of Health will split their resources with the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip.

No Coronavirus deaths have been reported in the Palestinian territories so far, though 55 cases have been reported in the West Bank, mainly in Bethlehem.

In Israel, 945 have tested positive of whom 863 are mild, 24 moderate and 20 critical. Thirty-seven have recovered and one victim  an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor  has died.
Editor's note: James Krellenstein is an HIV activist, a co-founder of the PrEP4All Collaboration, and the organizer of an emergency working group to address the coronavirus pandemic in New York. Dr. Denis Nash is a professor of epidemiology at the CUNY Public Health School, the executive director of the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, and an alumnus of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service. The views expressed in this commentary belong to the authors. View more opinion at CNN.

(CNN)  As people who have worked to respond to the HIV pandemic for most of our adult lives  one of us as an HIV activist and the other as an epidemiologist  we understand the consequences of early mistakes in the response to disease outbreaks and how politicians can often stand in the way of protecting the public's health.

We offer a few insights from our vantage point in the hopes of influencing the response to the current coronavirus pandemic, as well as future public health emergencies. The time is now, just as it was in the early phase of the AIDS epidemic, for ordinary citizens to organize, act up and demand that their government work to save their lives.

In a vacuum of information, most politicians will act to preserve the status quo. A prerequisite to an effective early response to any outbreak is having "epidemic intelligence"  adequate data on spread that can serve as an accurate, early guide for the public health response and rapidly inform any necessary course corrections.

It is not possible to "fight a fire blindfolded," according to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who emphasized the need for widespread testing to fight the pandemic. After weeks of limited testing, the number of confirmed cases in the US has surpassed 23,000 peoplehas surpassed 23,000 people with the actual number almost guaranteed to be much higher. The federal government's botched testing rollout could turn out to be one of the great public health failures of modern times, having blinded the US public health response at a critical juncture.

The lack of testing led to a vacuum of epidemic intelligence, creating a false sense of security among the American public while the Trump administration continued to spread misinformation. By the time the cases of community spread came to light in California, Washington and New York, widespread transmission had already occurred.

Moving from containment strategies to mitigation of community spread. Where it hasn't already, the current public health response in many communities across the country must now rapidly shift from the so-called "containment" phase to a phase that is focused on mitigating the speed and impact of the spread of coronavirus within our communities.

Public health interventions like social distancing are well underway in many cities around the US, with politicians mandating the closure of schools, restaurants, bars and cafes, while prohibiting large gatherings of people. Nonessential workers in California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois and New Jersey have been ordered to stay at home.

These social distancing measures  which are likely to last for weeks  are necessary to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. Such measures are especially important for the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and those with severe underlying medical conditions, as they can save lives by attenuating the surge in cases requiring hospital beds or ventilators.

Despite the social and economic disruption, we must keep in mind that the worst-case scenario in an unmitigated epidemic would lead to 2.2 million deaths in the US, according to a model from the Imperial College Covid-19 Response Team. To put this in perspective, that estimate is about three times more deaths in one year alone than the 700,000 caused over the entire history of the HIV epidemic in the US, since the first case was reported in 1981. If public health measures are adequately and rapidly implemented with the coronavirus pandemic, it could lead to about 67% fewer patients who need ICU beds, which could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives.

The earlier the better. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, cities that delayed various forms of social distancing interventions had dramatically higher peak death rates  more than seven times higher in some cases  than cities that took action a few weeks earlier.

If your jurisdiction has not yet begun to implement social distancing strategies to mitigate community spread of coronavirus, you should urge your leaders to do so now, as we had to do in New York. Delaying public health interventions in a situation like this will likely cost hundreds of thousands of deaths across the US that could otherwise be prevented. There is no virtue in being a late adopter of these crucial strategies. Delayed mitigation responses will still cause complicated personal, social and economic disruptions without the benefit of slowing transmissions.

An expert-driven approach is needed for pandemic preparedness and response. The failure of our elected government and political leaders to respond rapidly and effectively in the early days of the HIV epidemic is partly why it has become one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.

A similar mistake was made during this pandemic  and public officials at the federal, state and local levels may have waited too long to take action out of a fear of economic and political consequences.

This is, in part, the folly of a top-down approach to responding to pandemics. An approach that relies primarily on the judgment and recommendations of career experts in our federal, state and local agencies would have left our country in a much better position than we are right now. In the future, our political leaders must allow the experts to lead.

The band must not play on. Despite the many mistakes, it appears our federal and state government is finally beginning to take the current pandemic and our experts seriously. We also need to take the long view. Given the likelihood of another pandemic in the future, we should remember the missteps and inept leadership we have seen in the fight against Covid-19 and vow not to let this happen again.

The time to start demanding that your politicians and government leaders actively prepare and respond more effectively to future pandemics is now.

This story was first published on CNN.com
The amendment also allows nurses with expired licenses to more quickly be recertified and practice regardless of tax compliance status.

Due to this rapidly evolving situation, it is critical we continue to remain responsive and proactive in order to protect the health and safety of all 4 million Oklahomans, Stitt said in a news release. By equipping our nurses and universities with these flexibilities and protecting access to critical medications, we will be able to continue to effectively respond to the needs of Oklahomans as a result of COVID-19.
The anti-graft agency, EFCC, says it will arraign the immediate past Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, on Monday for alleged N3 billion graft.

According to a statement signed by the commissions acting spokesperson, Tony Orilade, on Sunday, she will be arraigned before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The ex-HOS was arrested August last year, for alleged abuse of duty tour allowance, money laundering and stealing of government funds and released on administrative bail after spending four days in the custody of the commission.

She was subsequently sacked in September after about N600 million was allegedly found in the bank account of her aide.

The EFCC alleged that about N3 billion was traced to her, money said to be kickbacks on contracts, illegal estacodes and duty tour allowance received from the government.

Mr Orilade said the accused would be arraigned alongside her special assistant, Ubong Effiok; Frontline Ace Global Services Limited; Asanaya Projects Ltd.; Garba Umar and his companies, Slopes International Ltd.; Gooddeal Investments Ltd.

Other defendants include U & U Global Services Ltd., belonging to Mr Effiok and Prince Mega Logistics Ltd.

According to the statement, they would be arraigned for fraud in relation to DTA, estacodes, conference fees fraud and receiving kickbacks on contracts.

During investigation, it was discovered that Oyo-Ita, in her roles in the civil service as Director, Permanent Secretary and Head of Service, used her companies as well as Effiok and Umars companies as fronts to receive kickbacks from contractors of various ministries and parastatals where she worked.

The former head of service in collusion with Effiok who was her Special Assistant, along with one Titus Tomsin, made bogus claims of fictitious DTA, estacodes, conference fees which were paid by the government to the accounts of the suspects, the EFCC said.
U.S. intelligence agencies did not mince words. Throughout January and February they repeatedly warned President Donald Trump and other top administration officials about the growing danger of the coronavirus and how it could quickly spread around the world, reports the Washington Post. Starting in January, Trump began receiving reports warning that Chinese authorities appeared to be downplaying the severity of the virus amid information of how covid-19 appeared to be spreading rapidly.

The reports never predicted when the virus might hit the United States nor did they recommend things the administration should do to prepare but when looked at as a whole, they made it clear that the virus was possibly heading to become a global pandemic. Despite these warnings though, Trump continually played down the severity of the virus and officials struggled to get him to focus on the issue. Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government werethey just couldnt get him to do anything about it, an official said. The system was blinking red. Case in point, when Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was finally able to get Trump to speak to him about the virus, the president interrupted him to ask about vaping.

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Hillary Clinton tweeted out a link to the article, accusing the Trump administration of failing to act for fear of spooking the markets, which led to losing weeks of time to prepare that we wont get back.

The Trump administration was told in January that coronavirus was likely to become a pandemic.



They refused to act for fear of spooking the markets, losing weeks of time to prepare that we wont get back. https://t.co/By195ltXMt  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 21, 2020

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Trump went on the offensive against the Post when he was asked about the story during a news conference Saturday. I think the Washington Post covers us very inaccurately, covers me very inaccurately, Trump told reporters. I saw the story. I think its a disgrace but its the Washington Post and I guess we have to live with it. Its a very inaccurate When a journalist tried to interject, Trump said: Quiet, quiet. Trump went on to condemn China for expelling journalists for U.S. media outlets but he added that I also think its terrible when people write inaccurately about you and they write inaccurately about me every single day, every single hour.
President Donald Trump has expressed his gratitude for companies like Walmart and FedEx that have been 'working nonstop' to help Americans amid the coronavirus outbreak.

'Thank you to Fred Smith and @FedEx for the rapid emergency deliveries you are making all over our Nation. Keep it going!' Trump said in a Sunday morning tweet.

In partnership with Direct Relief, FedEx is preparing to conduct 1,000 emergency deliveries across the US this week.

Direct Relief is shipping protective gear to free and charitable clinics that operate 1,400 service locations and serve 2 million patients who fall into the most vulnerable category. All of those deliveries will be made by FedEx.

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President Donald Trump has expressed his gratitude for companies like Walmart and FedEx that have been 'working nonstop' to help Americans amid the coronavirus outbreak

'Thank you to Fred Smith and @FedEx for the rapid emergency deliveries you are making all over our Nation. Keep it going!' Trump said in a Sunday morning tweet

In partnership with Direct Relief, FedEx is preparing to conduct 1,000 emergency deliveries across the US. Direct Relief is shipping protective gear to charitable clinics that operate 1,400 service locations and serve 2 million patients. All of those deliveries will be made by FedEx

FexEx's president and chief operating officer Raj Subramaniam told The Daily Memphian: 'In addition to our extensive relief efforts in China over the last few months we are providing support within the United States, including the delivery of test kits, masks, gloves and personal protective equipment to hospitals, labs, testing centers and homes.

'For example, over the weekend, we worked with Roche Diagnostics to deliver critical product to testing labs across the United States. This is just one of many Herculean efforts underway.

'Time is of the essence when getting test kits and medical supplies to health care providers to flatten this curve, contain the virus and save lives, and our team members are working around the clock in response to this global pandemic.'

The president also thanked UPS on Sunday afternoon: 'The hard working men and women of @UPS are working overtime to maintain our supply chain and deliver medical supplies to those in need. Your work is critical to the health of our nation, keep it up!'

UPS has continuously shared updates about its operations, including photos that showed workers sanitizing the inside of their trucks.

In a statement on Saturday, UPS said: 'UPS delivery operations have been designated critical infrastructure by governments throughout the world. We continue safely working during this challenging period, even in restricted areas.

The president also thanked UPS on Sunday afternoon: 'The hard working men and women of @UPS are working overtime to maintain our supply chain and deliver medical supplies to those in need. Your work is critical to the health of our nation, keep it up!'

In a statement on Saturday, UPS said: 'UPS delivery operations have been designated critical infrastructure by governments throughout the world. We continue safely working during this challenging period, even in restricted areas'

In a tweet on Saturday, the company shared photos of their employees sanitizing their trucks (left) and preparing to delivery critical inventory (right)

This image shows a critical shipment of products that will be sent to medical centers and hospitals

'We are responsible for keeping this world moving, and we know that many deliveries are critical. Our customers are depending on us now more than ever, and we are committed to serving communities around the globe.'

In a tweet on Saturday, the company shared photos of their employees preparing to delivery critical inventory.

'Weve established extra measures to keep our communities & employees safe. Thank you to our drivers & operations employees who keep the world running. Our procurement teams are working to obtain hand sanitizer, gloves, masks & cleaning supplies  we'll be replenishing next week,' UPS wrote.

On Friday, Trump also thanked essential employees like doctors and nurses who are 'working nonstop to heal the sick'.

The president also thanked 'citizens and churches are delivering meals to the needy'.

'Truckers are making the long haul to keep shelves stocked. Weve been dealing with the big stores and the big chains, Walmart  theyve been fantastic  and others.

'Theyve all been fantastic. Weve made it much easier for them to stock. In terms of travel and travel restrictions, were lifting restrictions so they can get their trucks on time,' Trump said.

In his praises, Trump went on to say: 'Youre seeing very few empty shelves, and yet the amount of volume that they are doing is unprecedented because people want to have what they have to have, what they feel they have to have.

The president also thanked Walmart for their efforts in maintaining stocked shelves amid pandemic. Last week, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation announced a $25million commitment to support organizations on the frontlines responding to COVID-19

There are more than 30,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US with 386 deaths

'And theyre also buying in slightly smaller quantities, which is good  because were not going anywhere. Were going to be here. So I want to thank all of those very great companies for working so well. Americans from every walk of life are coming together.

Last week, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation announced a $25million commitment to support organizations on the frontlines responding to COVID-19.

'The money will be distributed in a series of grants, each furthering the capacity of organizations to help communities affected by the pandemic,' according to a company statement.

With outbreak-related layoffs expected to surge, Walmart is hiring in a big way.

Walmart, the nations largest retailer, said late Thursday that it plans to hire 150,000 US hourly workers for its stores and distribution centers through the end of May as online orders surge with households stocking up.

The jobs are temporary, but many will become permanent, said spokesman Dan Bartlett.

He said that the company is reaching out to industry groups in the restaurant and hospitality industry, both of which are getting slammed by lockdowns and travel bans

In a statement on Walmart's website, the company said Sunday: 'Since the White House announced a public-private partnership a week ago to support drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites, we have been working closely with federal, state and local officials to help our nation at this unprecedented time.

Walmart officials said that two federal sites located in Walmart Supercenter parking lots have opened in the Chicago area to serve first responders and healthcare workers who have potentially been exposed to COVID-19.

'At this time, these sites are not open to the general public. We are extremely grateful to every doctor, nurse, pharmacist, EMT and other health and emergency professional who is selflessly supporting the response,' the company wrote.
Its pitch dark and raining.

Im in the car for the first time in a few days. The wipers are working in the predawn as I head for the conjunction of commerce and public policy in our age of modern plague.

I pull into the parking lot and am not surprised at the line.

But the crowd of 25 geezers outside the Ansonia Stop & Shop isnt obeying the rules of social distancing. I stand a good 10 feet in back.

Were here at 5:45 a.m. because supermarkets are giving us oldsters an edge: the offer to come in early, when surfaces are freshly disinfected, they say, and they dont have to mix with potential mainstream coronavirus carriers. I dont know how they can be sure of that, but its a 90-minute window between 6 and 7:30 for the elderly shopping spree.

Mercifully, an employee opens the doors 10 minutes early.

There are some very old people here, like men in their 90s; guys in their 60s leading around their mothers. Nobody looks friendly, but why should they be? Its 6 in the morning and most of these people are retired, damn it.

Its been a rough week. In the Naugatuck Valley, where even the most die-hard MAGA types must have finally realized that the stuff their president and TV station were spewing just a few days ago about the conspiracy of hype around the coronavirus pandemic was oh so wrong.

Were on the aptly named Division Street in Ansonia, the border with Derby, where both communities narrowly voted for Trump. On the front page of the days newspaper is the report of the states first fatality from COVID-19.

Am I the only vaguely happy shopper here? Maybe, but I also dont need to get anything other than some English breakfast tea for the non-coffee drinker in our mutual seclusion.

The Stop & Shop employees are super helpful, but theyre also starting their work day. Aisles have carts full of bread. A soda guy has multi-tiered trays heading for the shelves. Well, Im here, so might as well score a couple of avocados. Heck, the deli counter is empty? I could get some cheese.

I thank the woman in the white jacket for coming in early. She explains shes actually finishing up her night shift in the Pea Pod delivery operation, but heres my lacey Swiss. The 25 shoppers are pretty well spread through the supermarket, so social distancing is maybe OK now. But more people are coming in with their reusable bags.

Everyone seems intent on hunting and gathering. Everyone has toilet paper. Lots of toilet paper. The Kleenex section is a smoldering ruin. The cat litter corner definitely needs a delivery. But everything seems pretty well stocked. The audio system breaks through.

Can I have a manager with keys to the desk at the front? someone announces. Seems reasonable. The meat section is sharply depleted but theres plenty there, overall, for carnivores.

Hmm, a big plastic can full of pretzels for if/when I return to the Capitol Press Room? Sure. I notice there are more carts in the aisles. More old folks streaming in.

Seems like plenty of dairy in the coolers, lots of eggs. Whoa, the section with the Newmans Own Lemonade has nothing. Glad I bought three half gallons on Sunday.

Farther down the aisle, a uniformed man in his 50s has trays of Thomas English Muffins. Hes putting the packages on shelves. Hes bending up and down. I say excuse me and thank him for working. He bends back up, surprised, then his face relaxes a little and this whole trip becomes worth it. Youre welcome, he replies, smiling.

Serena, at the lone cash register, is wearing blue latex gloves. I am in and out of the fact-finding excursion in 20 minutes.

Outside, I identify myself as a reporter and ask a 75-year-old if he would like to talk about his shopping experience. He puts his head down, No and wheels out from under the overhang into the rain.

Next comes Ben Trabka of Seymour, a retired spokesman for the Shelton Police Department, steering a cart with distilled water for his sleep apnea machine. And toilet paper. Im sure theyre overworked and people probably dont treat them right either, Trabka said.

In a little while he will be filling orders for kids breakfasts and lunches, which are crucial in this period of closed schools, hungry kids and massive corporate bailouts.

Im still working. Im fortunate, I work for the school system, said Trabka, who is usually involved in security for the Shelton Board of Education. We try to maintain the six-feet distance. Were really not dealing with kids so much. Just parents picking up the food. And everyone is appreciative.

Thats what we need to do in our new dark age: be appreciative for the people who are exposing themselves to the virus.

At this point, 6:15, the parking lot is jammed.

kdixon@ctpost.com @KenDixonCT
Production suspended

As every year, before the Tet Lunar New Year, the Minh Long Hung Garment Company prepares a substantial amount of goods to be released immediately after the Tet holiday season comes to an end. However, this year, because of the sudden spurt of the Covid-19 pandemic many things have been turned around. People have tightened spending, retail sales are low and hence the company had suspended further production and machines were shut, with workers asked to go on leave until March 2. Mr.

Ly Thanh Sinh, Director of the Minh Long Hung Garment Company, shared that workers had been temporarily laid off work but were still receiving 70% of their basic salary to take care of their needs, and the company was only continuing to run a small amount of production so they dont fall short of stock completely.

In the current ongoing threat situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, making goods for the domestic market with a workforce of just around one hundred people is less difficult than making garments for exports with thousands of workers. Speaking with Saigon Investment, a representative of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association said that many businesses had run out of raw materials, had no pending orders, but were under great pressure to continue to pay the salaries and insurance money of workers. If enterprises fail to retain their workers, they will seek alternate work elsewhere. The leather and footwear industry is an example of a labor-intensive industry and is at present in a state of crisis.

Mr. Nguyen Tri Trung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gia Dinh Shoes Company, said that the company was facing a difficult time due to lack of raw materials because it was not easy to find an alternative source for the materials either. Currently many businesses in the industry are starting to lay off workers. The Gia Dinh Shoes Company has workshops where workers can work on alternate days and in some workshops they have been asked to take ten days off from this coming Monday.

Even if workers have no work they still have to be paid a basic salary and as large enterprises have thousands of workers, this cost is huge. Businesses are now looking forward to state support. Mr. Trung gave the example of support for businesses in Cambodia, where enterprises only have to pay 60% of the basic salary of a worker in the present dire circumstances, of which the enterprise gives 40% and the state supports by 20%. Mr. Trung believes these are very practical supports and Vietnam should do the same as the Covid-19 pandemic has not only directly impacted the service industry but also the manufacturing as well and enterprises are feeling the strain.

Some enterprises in the high-tech park in Ho Chi Minh City have proposed to the Prime Minister and other ministries to remove difficulties in obtaining raw materials for production. The Datalogic Company that specializes in manufacturing export barcode scanners, said that currently production has not been able to return to normal as they have access to only 50% of raw materials. Mr. Dang Van Chung, factory manager at Datalogic, said the company was trying to hold onto workers to not quit their jobs. However, this is becoming difficult because input materials are running low and output products are faced with reduced orders, as many major trade fairs and exhibitions have been canceled or postponed.

Recovery expected after June

The current human resource situation across most businesses is quite gloomy, but some businesses are expecting a slight change for the better by the beginning of April. So far, China has well contained the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and is determined to make a speedy recovery of its economy. Therefore, it is highly possible that the supply of raw materials for production will resume soon from China and exports will begin to go back to some normalcy by the second quarter. Only then will the Vietnamese factories start functioning again, and workers will be back to secure jobs, as income will gradually stabilize.

Results of the latest survey show that nearly 74% of businesses believe they are at risk of bankruptcy if the Covid-19 pandemic lasts for more than six months because they have no more revenue to cover operating costs, pay salaries to employees, rental of premises or ability to return loan installments to banks.

However, the Business Association still thinks that it will take more time and do not expect much progress before June. This is because although some Chinese factories have resumed production, they still need time to become fully operational. In addition, raw materials needed in Vietnam are diverse so not all manufacturing can pick up normalcy so soon. By then, other factors will also impede the delivery of raw materials such as increase in costs, inconvenience in logistics and delay due to quarantine time.

Even if input of goods sees some relief, the output of goods will be extremely slow due to huge pressure from more than a hundred countries around the world to meet all their orders. Workers in manufacturing units can only expect recovery by June, but services such as tourism, restaurants and hotels will continue to face volatility for much longer. Tourism is currently on hold and workers in this industry are unable to predict when they can return back to their jobs again.

The brutal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused personnel losses to workers and a crisis in most business companies. Small and medium enterprises with small capital are feeling the impact much more, not to mention a number of companies that have to borrow and try to stay afloat. While enterprises are facing many difficulties, many employees are being laid off or have temporarily quit their jobs.

Directive 11/CT-TTg of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on urgent tasks and solutions to remove difficulties for production and businesses, ensures social security for coping with Covid-19 pandemic, considered by many businesses to be very timely.

Translated by Kristine



Thanh Dung
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the only way to overcome the virus is to flatten the curve and raise the line

Osmosis, a health education platform empowering millions of clinicians and caregivers around the world through interactive tools and more than 1,500 educational videos, announced today the release of two free courses on COVID-19. This includes the first course designed to educate the general public, as well as one of the first courses available to healthcare professionals for continued medical education credit (CME credit).

The spread of the coronavirus continues to devastate the country  from school closures to mandatory stay-at-home orders  and the only way to overcome the virus is to flatten the curve and raise the line, said Shiv Gaglani, CEO of Osmosis, which he and co-founder Ryan Haynes created as medical students at Johns Hopkins. The public must be educated on the virus and put specific measures into practice in order to slow down the spread, or flatten the curve, but thats just the start.

Not only are we seeing our healthcare providers struggle to find proper medical supplies, but theyre becoming overworked, infected, and  rightfully  concerned for their personal health, continued Gaglani. If we dont take immediate action to increase our healthcare system's capacity to treat sick patients, or raise the line, this could be the virus that breaks our already-fractured healthcare system.

These courses teach participants to:

-Recognize the symptoms and diagnosis of COVID-19

-Identify how the novel coronavirus has spread around the world

-Apply into practice the public health measures we need to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19

Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate of completion, and healthcare professionals will earn 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)in partnership with Interstate Postgraduate Medical (IPMA).

We waited more than two months after the first cases were reported in Wuhan to take action in the U.S.  and thats two months too late, said Dr. Rishi Desai, MD, MPH, the chief medical officer of Osmosis and a former Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in the Division of Viral Diseases at the CDC. Because we did not start testing the public months ago en masse, weve allowed this virus to spread and overtake our daily lives. If we take serious measures to raise the line and flatten the curve now, we could overcome the worst of the pandemic within a few weeks  if not, our current situation could last for months.

As an online health education company, Osmosis has been focused on addressing the shortage of healthcare professionals in the U.S. and around the world for years. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, Osmosis has shifted priorities across the organization to focus on providing the healthcare community with the knowledge and resources to fully contribute. The health education startups new COVID-19 course for healthcare professionals is the first step in preparing current, future, and retired health professionals to join the front lines in fighting the virus.

While the first course serves as an introduction to the pandemic, Osmosis will soon release a second course featuring specific training and simulations that will arm healthcare professionals with the knowledge they need to actively treat patients.

Beyond the courses released today, Osmosis has developed several tools, videos and other resources on COVID-19 education, including the below:

-Resource Center

-FAQ

-Fact Sheet

Videos

-Beating Coronavirus: Flatten the Curve, Raise the Line!

-COVID-19 (comprehensive introduction to the virus)

-N95 mask fitting

-COVID-19 Ask-Me-Anything 3.20.20 (with Dr. Rishi Desai)

-COVID-19: Tips for maximizing psychological health during stressful times (with Dr. Amin Azzam, who is the director of open learning initiatives at Osmosis, a practicing psychiatrist and a professor at three San Francisco bay area universities -- UCSF, UC Berkeley, and Samuel Merritt University)

-Imaging Features of COVID-19(Diagnosing COVID-19 with Chest CT Findings)

For more information, visit osmosis.org/covid-19.

About Osmosis

Osmosis is a leading health education platform that empowers millions of clinicians and caregivers with the best learning experience possible. Osmosis features a best-in-class and expanding library of more than 1,500 videos covering physiology, pathology, pharmacology with corresponding assessment items and notes. With more than 1.4 million YouTube subscribers, nearly a million registered users on the web- and mobile-learning platform, and over 100 institutional partners, Osmosis is working to train millions of future health professionals to address current and exacerbating shortages.
Tehran (AFP) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday said authorities' efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic would produce significant results within 15 days, as the country's official death toll from the virus surpassed 1,500.

There were 123 more fatalities -- taking the country's death toll to 1,556 -- and 966 more cases of the novel coronavirus reported in Iran over the past 24 hours, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced in a televised address.

He added that 20,610 people were now known to have been infected so far in the Islamic republic.

Despite the increasing toll, Rouhani said the government's response to the virus is producing "a lot of impact", indicating "the situation will change automatically within 10 to 15 days" if "everyone observes the directives", according to a statement by the presidency.

The Islamic republic is among the three countries hardest hit by the virus, with an official death toll behind only Italy and China. In contrast with these countries, Iran has not enforced isolation measures.

"The principle is that, as much as possible, people do not leave their homes," Rouhani said. He also urged "shopping centres where large numbers of people gather" to close.

The country's largest shopping centre, Iran Mall, located in the west of the capital Tehran, has shuttered and a section is being converted into a makeshift health centre able to accomodate up to 3,000 patients, an AFP journalist reported on Saturday.

The mortality rate from coronavirus in Iran is around 7.5 percent and the rate of recovery 37 percent, according to the figures provided by Jahanpour.

A total of 7,635 people have recovered from the disease across the country, he said.

All 31 of Iran's provinces have reported cases, with the northeastern province of Semnan reporting the largest number of infections per capita.

For weeks ahead of the Persian New Year holidays, which began on Friday and usually see large numbers of Iranians take to the roads for tourism or to visit relatives, authorities have asked people to avoid all travel.

Story continues

But the pleas have been ignored by many.

The Iranian Red Crescent said on Friday that around three million people have left the 13 most virus-affected provinces by road since March 17, but Rouhani said that overall travel had declined sharply.

Jahanpour said there was "a minority who did not follow the guidelines", warning that provinces popular with tourists would not welcome visitors for the Nowruz holiday.

Some provinces have ordered hotels and other accommodation to close.
A flight from Spain arrived at Boryspil International Airport and delivered more than 200 Ukrainians to their homeland. This was reported on the Ministry of Internal Affairs page on Facebook.Today flight 740 Alicante-Kyiv arrived at Boryspil Airport (Terminal F) with 216 Ukrainian citizens on board, the statement said.Border guards and airport doctors conducted temperature screening of Ukrainians, and also took materials for rapid tests for coronavirus. According to the analysis, the coronavirus was not detected in any of the arriving passengers.Each citizen left his data for doctors, and also received a memo on behavior during quarantine and mandatory self-isolation for 14 days.All citizens were allowed into the territory of Ukraine in the prescribed manner.

Over the past day, 28.9 thousand people crossed the state border, the demarcation line and the administrative border with the Crimea. The press service of the State Border Service reports.

28.2 thousand people were registered at the state border, 257 people at the demarcation line, and 436 people at the admiring borders.

Of these, more than 19 thousand are citizens who returned to Ukraine.

"The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine continues to work and interact with other bodies to ensure home delivery of Ukrainians who are on the adjacent side without vehicles. Nearly 4 thousand of our compatriots are delivered to Ukraine within 24 hours using local government vehicles and the State Emergency Situations Service," - the message says.

In addition to border control, border guards, together with representatives of the sanitary-quarantine units, carry out activities aimed at detecting signs of the disease in citizens. Over the past day, we conducted a survey on the state of health and temperature measurements in 19 thousand people who were traveling from abroad or temporarily occupied territories. During the day, people returning from abroad with an elevated temperature were not detected.
The chief executives of the largest US airline companies asked Congress Saturday for urgent help avoiding widespread layoffs among the industry's 750,000 employees.

'Unless worker payroll protection grants are passed immediately, many of us will be forced to take draconian measures such as furloughs,' the CEOs said in a letter to leaders of both houses of Congress distributed by the Airlines for America trade group.

'The breadth and immediacy of the need to act cannot be overstated,' it said. 'It is urgent and unprecedented.'

Airlines for America represents American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines as well as shippers FedEx and UPS.

'On behalf of 750,000 airline professionals and our nation's airlines, we respectfully request Congress to continue to move expeditiously to pass a bipartisan proposal that includes a combination of worker payroll protection grants, loans and loan guarantees and tax measures. Time is running out.'

The quiet check-in area for American Airlines is shown in Las Vegas on March 19 as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States

The signatories appeared to be trying, in part, to counter recent negative publicity over reports that in recent years the airlines, while taking in billions in profits, used stock buybacks and other measures to reward shareholders rather than putting money into workers' salaries or a rainy-day fund.

President Donald Trump seemed to allude to those reports during Saturday's White House briefing on the coronavirus, saying of plans to help US companies, 'I want money to be used for workers and keeping businesses open, not buybacks.

'I am strongly recommending a buyback exclusion. You cannot buy back your stock. You can't take a billion dollars of the money and buy back your stock.'

The letter said the sector had already taken steps to protect itself from the catastrophic effects of the coronavirus - which the International Air Transport Association estimates could wipe $30 billion in revenues from the books of global airlines.

Over the past decade, the letter said, the industry had reinvested 73 percent of its operational earnings 'in our personnel and our products.'

But the letter added that the ability to renegotiate credits was waning amid the panic seizing he debt market, given the amplitude of the virus crisis.

The pandemic has had a devastating effect on air transport in the United States and elsewhere, as several countries have imposed far-reaching travel bans.

The US Congress has already passed two emergency rescue plans.

This weekend, it is working on another aid package with a price tag of over $1 trillion, which could be voted on in the Senate as early as Monday if Democrats and Republicans reach agreement.

American Airlines employees wait for passengers to check in at Laguardia airport in NYC Saturday

Late on Friday, United said it was now cutting 95 percent of its international flights in April, including suspending all flights next month to Canada, Europe, Central and South America and Africa and nearly all flights in Asia.

Airlines have already raised capital, suspended share buybacks, cut executive pay, slashed flights and grounded jets to reduce costs and preserve cash during a steep erosion in air travel demand.

Even with those 'self-help measures,' Delta Air Lines Inc Chief Executive Ed Bastian said on Friday his airline was burning through $50 million in cash each day. Delta expects its revenue to fall by $10 billion in the second quarter from a year earlier.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he stands ready to support the industry, but the idea of a bailout has met with a backlash from some critics who argue the airlines should have saved more cash for a rainy day, rather than rewarding shareholders.

'Whatever they ask for will be very controversial,' said Al Koch, vice chairman of AlixPartners, who was involved in the restructuring of General Motors in 2008-09. 'It's one thing for Trump to say we'll stand behind airlines, and another thing for Congress to enact something into law.'
Health officials in some of the hardest-hit areas of the country are calling for a more restrictive approach to coronavirus testing to focus largely on health care workers and the very sick in order to use resources where they could be most useful to save lives. In New York, California, and other areas that have been hit hard by a surge in coronavirus patients, officials are sending the message that the fight to contain the virus has been lost and now the focus needs to shift to responding to the pandemic in the most efficient way possible. That makes it likely we may never get a full picture of how many people are infected by COVID-19. The shift is further evidence that rising levels of infection and illness have begun to overwhelm the health care system, notes the Washington Post.

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In Los Angeles, for example, health officials told doctors they should only be testing for coronavirus if the result could change how a patient would be treated. The department is shifting from a strategy of case containment to slowing disease transmission and averting excess morbidity and mortality, according to a letter sent by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Doctors should only carry out tests when a diagnostic result will change clinical management or inform public health response.

Members of the Trump administration also pushed the message Saturday, insisting broad testing is not the most efficient use of resources. Not every single person in the U.S. needs to get tested, said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. When you go in and get tested, you are consuming personal protective equipment, masks and gowns  those are high priority for the health care workers who are taking care of people who have coronavirus disease. One person who will get tested is Vice President Mike Pence after a staff member in his office tested positive.

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The message from the White House came as nearly one-in-four Americans faced some sort of order to stay at home Saturday when almost 23,000 cases have been reported across the country and 289 deaths. New Jerseys governor was the latestfollowing California, New York, Illinois, and Connecticutto impose restrictions on movement. And officials made clear this new reality would likely continue for some time. I dont believe its going to be a matter of weeks. I believe it is going to be a matter of months, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

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As Americans braced to stay home, Italys already dire situation worsened Saturday as it recorded the deadliest 24 hours period with 793 additional deaths. Italy now has more than 53,000 recorded cases and 4,825 deaths and has surpassed China as the country with the highest death toll. Italian authorities took the drastic step Saturday of closing down all factories and non-essential production activities in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. Grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open, said the countrys prime minister, Giuseppe Conte. But all the rest of the non-essential production activities, including plants and offices, will close down. This is Italys most difficult challenge after WWII. If we stick together, well get through this.
For more than 30 years, Mauro Morandi has been the sole inhabitant of a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea. For the past few weeks his hermit's hut has been an aptly isolated location from which to watch the global coronavirus crisis unfold.

And, after being alone with his own thoughts for so much of his life, he's got some insight into the isolation that many of us now face in the weeks and months ahead.

Morandi, a former teacher, arrived on the island of Budelli, off the coast of Sardinia, by accident while attempting to sail from Italy to Polynesia 31 years ago. He fell in love with the pristine atoll's crystal-clear waters, coral sands and beautiful sunsets  and decided to stay.

He took over from the previous caretaker shortly afterward and, at the age of 81, he's still there, having earned himself a reputation as Italy's Robinson Crusoe.

Each night he sleeps in an old stone cottage and wakes up in the morning surrounded by mother nature. He enjoys exploring shrubs and cliffs and talks to birds at breakfast as they fly in and out of his little kitchen window.

He keeps up with the news though, learning first of mainland Italy's shutdown against the spread of coronavirus, and then the rest of the world's.

In his solitary world, he says he currently feels like he's in the "safest place on Earth." He's also eager to share a few tips on how to best face self-isolation.

"I am fine, I'm not scared," he tells CNN Travel via the mobile phone that is his link to the outside world. "I feel safe here. This island offers total protection. No risks at all. Nobody lands, not even a single boat can be seen sailing by."

'Tough times'

Like many of us, Morandi's main concern is for the wellbeing of his family and friends  in his case living in northern Italy's Modena, one of the most virus-hit areas in Italy.

"They're facing tough times," he says.

Little has changed for Morandi since Italy's virus outbreak, except that he must now wait longer for people to bring him food from the mainland due to harsh restrictions imposed by Rome's government.

These have meant that even the sporadic visits from tourists during the winter have ceased. Over the years he's become accustomed to daytrippers, befriending them and sometimes sharing his meals with them.

Left alone, he spends the day admiring the sea, inhaling the pure air, collecting wood, preparing his meals and  of course  posting on Instagram.

"I get bored, so I kill time taking photos of the beaches, the wildlife and scenery, editing shots and then sharing these on social media and Instagram," he says. "I have a lot of followers."

The wild-bearded sea dog thinks the virus shutdown, if it continues, means tourists will be staying away at least until July, but the prospect of a quieter summer doesn't scare him.

Morandi has a few tips for people now forced into solitude in Italy and elsewhere by the pandemic. He says a few weeks holed up inside is nothing to get upset about but is instead an opportunity to practice some soul searching.

He speaks, he says, from experience. Despite having an entire island to himself, even Mediterranean winters can be tough and he spends many months in confinement.

"I spend each winter shut in my house, for months on end I hardly wander across the island, but instead I kill time on the front porch under the canopy. So what the heck, people can't stay at home for two weeks? That's absurd."

As Italy tightens restrictions on movement to control the virus, dozens of Italians have been fined in the last few days for leaving their homes for non-urgent reasons like a stroll in the park or at the beach.

From wanderer to hermit

"I read a lot, and think. I think many people are scared of reading because if they do, they'll start meditating and thinking about stuff, and that can be dangerous.

"If you start seeing things under a different light and be critical, you could end up seeing what a miserable life you lead or what a bad person you are or the bad things you did."

This introspection can, he says, ultimately be highly rewarding. Morandi recounts his own transformation from an inveterate wanderer who traveled across Europe each year to a solitary islander.

"I just didn't feel like traveling anymore  no interest," he says. "I understood that the most beautiful, dangerous, adventurous and gratifying journeys of all is the one inside yourself, whether you're sitting in the living room or under a canopy here in Budelli. That's why staying at home and doing nothing can be really hard for many."

But, he adds: "I never feel alone."

In Morandi's view, most people don't want to be alone because they can't stand their own company and the imposed shutdown is forcing many to face this.

And, he says, while the current crisis presents an opportunity to re-evaluate their lives, he doesn't think that many will make the most of it.

"I don't believe in the healing power of people to change," he says. "Perhaps some individuals will, but the majority are too accustomed to comforts and frenetic lifestyles."

Meanwhile, time flows by as usual on Budelli.

Winter this year has been milder, with spring-like temperatures and warm suns. The island's habitat remains quite untouched. No pollution. Clear fluorescent turquoise waters, lush wild vegetation, purplish rocks resembling natural sculptures and healthy air.

"My cat died just the other day, she was 20 years old," Morandi says. "Perhaps this climate does bring longevity."

'Everything I need'

Budelli is one of the most beautiful islands in the entire Mediterranean. Dating back to prehistoric times when the Earth's crust was still forming, legend says it's a shard of the mythical, lost Atlantis continent swallowed by the ocean.

But the island isn't completely immune to climate change and nature's destruction by man, says Morandi.

Not long ago a clear line of pinkish sand cut along the shore, made of bright pink, orange and salmon-tinted crushed coral, crystals, fossils and dead marine creatures, giving the shore a sparkling strawberry hue similar to that of sunset skies.

"Now the pink is almost gone, hard to see," he says. "The directions of the winds blowing over Budelli have changed, the pinkish sand no longer piles up as it used to."

The mayhem on mainland Italy is allowing Budelli's caretaker to buy time over his own fate.

Ownership of the island has changed several times over the last few years. Since 2016, Budelli has been a government-owned national park, rendering Morandi's role obsolete  a situation he has fought while continuing to live there.

The virus emergency is likely to postpone any decision over his future for the time being, though his ramshackle home is in need of a restyle.

"For now I've got everything I need. There's electricity, even if it needs a makeover, and running water, and an extra small stove for heating."

Nothing to complain about.

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As medical trainees, we will shape the rapidly changing health care environment in this country. We are fiercely advocating for our disadvantaged patients, debating the price of life-saving medications, and carefully considering how the upcoming elections will shape the health care system in which we both provide and receive care. All the while, we handle our responsibilities and prepare to care for critically ill patients during a seemingly inevitable pandemic. These diverse issues bring to light a huge deficit in medical education  the lack of training on complex health systems.

We (the authors of this piece) met in business school, where we quickly realized how little we knew about the economics, business, and policy of health care. At that point  although we were capable medical students  learning new lessons about organizational culture, health care legislation and the flow of money in medicine represented an entirely new way of thinking. And although these subjects are not rigorously addressed in medical school or residency, they increasingly shape the way health care is delivered in this country. While clinicians should certainly not feel obligated to pursue an additional degree, the practice of medicine suffers when doctors, nurses, and other providers do not share in this crucial non-clinical knowledge.

Recent changes in medical education have created opportunities for reform and expansion of the traditional curriculum. The elimination of score reporting for USMLE Step 1 should free up time and resources, allowing schools to address the many critical and complex problems afflicting the broader U.S. health care system. Perhaps now, instead of cramming high-yield biochemistry for the sake of a few questions on this exam, students might explore topics related to insurance, economics, and social determinant of health. Mastering these issues will inform their entire careers and will allow them to advocate for much-needed change. While many medical schools attempt to teach these topics, we believe that the allotted 5-10 hours of lecture are not sufficient.

For example, the rapidly evolving and not yet fully understood COVID-19 outbreak highlights how important it can be for trainees to have a broad knowledge of the mechanics of care delivery. There is little doubt that COVID-19 will test our hospitals, our government, and our overall economy. As health care providers, we represent the front lines against the spread of the disease, and many of us will likely contract the highly contagious virus. These risks are not trivial, and the next 12 months may represent the defining challenge of our medical training. As such, we should feel empowered to demand training that does not teach us merely how to follow infection control protocols, but also how to design them and change patient care for the better.

Lastly, the last decade of primaries and elections have repeatedly demonstrated that health care is top of mind for most Americans. As clinicians, we can be powerful voices of reason in public discourse and use this opportunity to advocate for our most vulnerable patients. Across the country, we have been encouraged by the rise in political activism by some of our colleagues, but many clinicians believe it is their duty to remain outside of the political fray. Instead, much of the health care conversations appear to be dominated by journalists and politicians who, despite their persuasiveness, have never cared for a sick patient.

Ultimately, for clinicians to continue having a critical role in designing medical care, medical education in 2020 needs to emphasize todays critical issues: public policy, health insurance, drug pricing, and social determinants of health. If we do not take the lead on these problems, patients will be harmed. For example, the upcoming experience with COVID-19 will most certainly underscore the incredible health disparities in this country. As for those with chronic illness and poor access to care, there are certain to be worse clinical outcomes. Just as medical education arms its trainees with the knowledge to take care of complex medical illnesses, it must also arm us with the tools to understand the systems of care which our patients must navigate.

Daniel Arteaga is an internal medicine resident. Isobel Rosenthal is a psychiatry resident in New York. They are founders of the podcast, Well Rounded.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 16:30:29|Editor: huaxia

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The national flags of China (R) and the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

The U.S. government should keep its own house in order and play a constructive role in enhancing international cooperation in the fight against the virus, stop smearing China and reflect on its own mistakes before more mistakes are made.



BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- By shifting blame, bashing and smearing China, the U.S. government is setting a bad example in the global fight against coronavirus in an increasingly dangerous way.

It seems that the U.S. government is less concerned with focusing on domestic epidemic prevention and control and more fond of criticizing China for a variety of unfounded and absurd reasons and trying to get a rise out of China by using racist and xenophobia words.

White House politicians have tirelessly accused China of being the birthplace of the virus, reacting slowly to the outbreak, making up data and even called the coronavirus the "Chinese virus" or "Wuhan virus."

As infections are rising sharply in the United States, the U.S. government has responded by spending a substantial amount of its energy on shifting blame and ignored the fact that only solidarity and cooperation will defeat a worldwide pandemic that is still developing.

Staff work at a drive-through COVID-19 testing site in Dallas, Texas, the United States, March 21, 2020. The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 20,000 as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday (1730 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. (Photo by Dan Tian/Xinhua)

Since January 3, China has been notifying the U.S. side of epidemic developments, prevention and control measures on a regular basis. However, the U.S. side squandered the precious time China had bought for global anti-virus fight.

Smearing and stigmatization can not deny the progress China has made in containing the virus' spread, nor will it help epidemic prevention and control in the United States. It only makes the White House politicians who initiated the smearing campaign against China look ugly and unreasonable.

Such rhetoric makes sense in an election year in the United States when politicians try to shift U.S. voters' attention from dissatisfaction with the government's inability in response to the epidemic to China and shirk their responsibilities.

This reveals the political decay and illusion of "democracy" in the United States. In many aspects, the U.S. administration is setting a bad example in the global fight against the virus.

Since the outbreak, China has made concerted efforts and adopted the most strict, thorough and comprehensive prevention and control measures which generate positive effects.

Photo taken on March 1, 2020 shows medical supplies, including masks, gloves and protective suits, donated to Italy by Lishui City, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua)

As the peak of the epidemic in China has recently passed, China has been readily helping other countries. The Chinese government has announced assistance such as testing reagents, masks and protective gowns to 82 countries, the World Health Organization and the African Union. Many batches of these supplies have been delivered to the recipients. Besides, China has shared valuable treatment experience with the rest of the world, held video conferences with health experts from other countries and international organizations and sent medical teams to Iran, Iraq, Italy and Serbia. Local governments in China and Chinese enterprises and civil organizations are also making donations to the affected countries. What China has done has been translated into a popular slogan that reads: "Our partnership, stronger than metal and stone, defies geographical distance."

As a major power, the United States should have been at the frontline of helping other countries fight the epidemic. U.S. officials have said on many occasions that they are going to offer 100 million U.S. dollars to assist China and other countries affected by the coronavirus. But China has not received any funds or supplies donated in the name of the U.S. government so far. The lip service paid by the U.S. administration only undermines its truthfulness, credibility and sense of responsibility.

The U.S. government should keep its own house in order and play a constructive role in enhancing international cooperation in the fight against the virus, stop smearing China and reflect on its own mistakes before more mistakes are made. 
Medical charity MSF is setting up a 50-bed emergency centre to treat severe COVID-19 cases in Iran, the French organisation said on Sunday.

A team of nine MSF intensive care medics will staff the facility on the grounds of the Amin hospital in the central province of Isfahan, the charity said, as Iran grapples with the worst outbreak of coronavirus in the region.

"The size of the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran is particularly worrying," MSF said, citing the country's 20,610 cases and 1,556 deaths as of March 20, according to official figures.

France is already contributing to a package of medical aid for Iran alongside Britain and Germany, amid signs that the global fight against the coronavirus could help ease some diplomatic tensions. In recent days, Tehran freed a French academic in a prisoner swap that also saw the release of an Iranian engineer held in France.

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New Delhi, March 22 : National passenger carrier Air India on Sunday brought back 263 Indians from Rome.

Accordingly, the national carrier had sent a Boeing 777 aircraft to Rome-Fiumicino International Airport in Italy on Saturday to bring back stranded Indians amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

The national carrier's special ferry flight landed back at around 9.15 a.m. in New Delhi on Sunday morning.

As per a senior Air India official, the flight was operated on a Boeing 777 extended range (ER) aircraft.

Last week, Air India had sent an aircraft to Milan to bring back over 230 Indian stranded there.

The airline has already suspended operations on Delhi-Rome and Delhi-Milan routes till March 28.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As schools close across the United States due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Advanced Placement (AP) exams will be held online and shortened to 45 minutes.

College Board, which administers the exams, announced that traditional face-to-face exam administrations -- which are typically two to three hours long -- wont take place.

Students will instead take a 45-minute online free-response exam at home for the 2019-2020 administration only. Educator-led development committees are currently selected exam questions that will be administered.

Due to some schools losing instructional time earlier than others, the exam will only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students have already covered in class by early March.

For students who want to take the exam sooner rather than later, or for students who want more time to prepare, there will be two different testing dates for each AP subject. The full exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each AP exam, and additional testing details will be available by April 3, according to College Board.

Students can take the streamlined exams on any device they have access to, including a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Taking a photo of handwritten work will also be an option.

For low-income and rural students, College Board is working with partners to ensure students have the tools and connectivity they need to review AP content online and take the exam. You can reach out to College Board at https://collegeboard.tfaforms.net/74 if you need mobile tools or connectivity.

When it comes to test security, the exam questions are designed and administered in ways that prevent cheating. College Board uses a range of digital security tools and techniques, including plagiarism detection software, to protect the integrity of exams.

College Board said students remain eager to take AP exams to have a chance to earn credits. It surveyed 18,000 AP students and 91% indicated they want to complete this important step and urged College Board to not cancel this opportunity they have been working toward.

Well continue to support students with free resources through exam day, said College Board. "And while we encourage students to wait until closer to the test date to decide, any student already registered for an exam can choose to cancel at no charge.

College Board will unlock any relevant free-response questions in AP Classroom for digital use to allow students access to practice questions. Beginning Wednesday, students and teachers can attend free, live AP review courses delivered by teachers from across the country.

And students dont have to worry about colleges not accepting their scores. According to College Board, colleges are supporting this solution and are committed to ensuring that AP students receive the credit they worked hard to earn.

53 The coronavirus life in New York City: The new normal

SAT, ACT TEST CANCELLATIONS

College entrance exams are being canceled or rescheduled.

The College Board announced it is canceling the May 2 SAT administration, as well a make-up exam scheduled for March 28.

Students who already registered for the May exam, whose March test centers were closed, or who dont receive March scores because of any irregularities will receive refunds, the College Board said.

The ACT, which also administers college placement exams, announced it has rescheduled the April 4 national ACT test to June 13 in response to concerns of coronavirus.

All students currently registered for the April 4 exam will receive an email from ACT in the coming days informing them of the postponement and instructions for free rescheduling to June 13 or a future national test date.

Students who cant or dont want to reschedule can receive a refund of their April registration fee.

***

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Tesla Inc said on Thursday it will suspend production at its San Francisco Bay Area vehicle factory on March 24, ending a standoff with California authorities concerned about the spread of the coronavirus.

The company said its New York solar roof tile factory also will temporarily suspend production, while operations at its Nevada battery plant will continue.

"Despite taking all known health precautions, continued operations in certain locations has caused challenges for our employees, their families and our suppliers," the company said in a statement.

Tesla's shares were down 8% in after-hours trading following the announcement.

The decision to suspend production at the Fremont, California, plant comes as Tesla ramps up production of its Model Y sport utility vehicle at the factory. Demand for the Model Y is expected to be higher than for all of Tesla's other models combined, Chief Executive Elon Musk has said.

Musk on Thursday tweeted that Tesla's China operations were running "normally across hundreds of suppliers & all of Tesla Shanghai." The $2 billion Shanghai factory, which started delivering Model 3 sedans in December, is key to Tesla's growth strategy and the company plans to expand production capacity there.

A Shanghai-based Tesla representative told Reuters the Chinese factory's production rate has exceeded pre-coronavirus levels and over 91% of workers have returned to work since March 6.

Tesla plans to start building Model Y SUVs in Shanghai from 2021 and expand car parts manufacturing capacity, a government document was seen by Reuters showed.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general at the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) told Reuters Tesla sold around 3,900 vehicles in February, up from 2,620 vehicles in January.

Tesla's decision to suspend production at its San Francisco area plant came after several days of discussions with local officials and after the company met on Thursday with the city of Fremont.

California's governor on Thursday issued a statewide "stay at home" order to residents, telling them to leave their homes only when necessary during the coronavirus pandemic.

The highly contagious respiratory illness has infected more than 10,700 in the United States.

The automaker also said it believed it had enough liquidity to successfully navigate the extended period of uncertainty, with some $6.3 billion in cash at the end of the third quarter, ahead of a recent $2.3 billion capital raise.

The city and officials from the surrounding Alameda County did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Alameda County is one of six counties covered by an order from regional officials to "shelter in place," which limits activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential, and advises people to stay home except for the most crucial reasons.

The county sheriff's office said on Tuesday afternoon Tesla was not considered an essential business and cannot continue to operate its factory normally.

Tesla said on Thursday it would continue basic operations at the Fremont factory in compliance with the order to support vehicle and energy services and charging infrastructure.

Tesla's sole U.S. auto factory employs more than 10,000 workers, with annualized production of slightly more than 415,000 units by the end of December 2019.

In an email to employees on Thursday, Tesla said operations at the Fremont plant will transition to "minimum basic operations" beginning on March 24.

Employees at the California and New York factories will be provided with paid leave during suspended operations, the email said.

Tesla's Giga factory in Nevada, which employs around 7,000 people, produces battery packs for its electric vehicles and stationary storage systems.

Its Buffalo, New York, plant produces the company's solar roof tiles as well as some Supercharger and energy storage components. It has more than 1,500 workers in Buffalo, the company said last month.

U.S. automakers Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, on Wednesday said they were shuttering their U.S. plants, as well as factories in Canada and Mexico, to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Small Business Administration approves Kansas and Missouri's requests for assistance FAIRWAY, KS (KCTV) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration is now offering disaster assistance to small businesses in both Kansas and Missouri. The SBA is offering "low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital" for small businesses in both states that are enduring "substantial economic injury" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Worthwhile resource for local employers to check and a glimpse at the bigger role that government will take on in the coming months. Read more:
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a $17 million funding injection to fast-track a vaccine for coronavirus by six months.

State and federal governments are working together with the Paul Ramsay Foundation to support the University of Queensland's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences to further develop a promising vaccine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks to the media at the University of Queensland on Sunday. Credit:Picture: AAP/Jono Searle

Ms Palaszczuk said the funding, provided through the Advance Queensland strategy, would move a potential vaccine forward.

"Coronavirus has already killed thousands throughout the world," she said. "Were doing everything we can to put an end to the devastation."
Jack Ma, Asias richest man, pledged 1.8 million face masks and 210,000 coronavirus test kits to some of the continents poorest nations, the latest step from his foundation to push back against whats become a global pandemic.

Ma also promised to ship two million masks, 400,000 test kits and other aid to 24 Latin American countries. We will hurry, he said in a tweet.

The Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. co-founder took to Twitter for the first time on Monday to announce that the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation were sending a donation of emergency supplies to the U.S. Having previously aided virus-fighting efforts in Japan, Iran and Italy, his philanthropic groups also sent thousands of testing kits and masks to countries in Africa.

On Saturday, Ma said that Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would all receive protective suits, ventilators and thermometers. On Sunday, he said 104 ventilators will be sent to Latin America, helping efforts in countries like Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador and Peru.

Global shortages of essential medical and protective equipment have affected even the most developed economies, with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying more ventilators, ventilators, ventilators were needed to help his state handle the anticipated number of infected people needing treatment.

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Hundreds of passengers from various states of the country, and some from Nepal, on Sunday found themselves stranded at bus terminals and railway stations in the National Capital as interstate buses and trains were cancelled in view of the Covid-19 outbreak in the city.

The railway stations mostly wore a deserted look, with passengers alighting from trains and railway staff being the only ones making their way out. Most passengers were spotted walking to the nearest bus terminals.

At bus terminals, however, the norm of social distancing went for a toss as hundreds of passengers destined for other states  and some to Nepal  found themselves stranded. Most of them had covered their faces with masks and handkerchiefs and huddled together.

Delhi is served by three interstate bus terminals - Kashmere Gate, Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar. The daily footfall at these three terminals is about three lakhs, said a transport official.

A large number of the people stranded at some of these bus terminals belonged to Nepal and were returning from states like Karnataka and Kerala. With their hotels shutting down temporarily, they arrived in Delhi by trains and were to interchange here, but were informed that the trains were cancelled.

Naresh, one such Nepalese, said that he had waited at the Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminal to reach the Uttarakhand-Nepal border since Sunday morning, but was told by policemen in late afternoon that buses had been cancelled until March 31.

We have been trying to hire cabs, but their drivers are demanding exorbitant amounts and saying that they can provide their service only late in the night, said Naresh.

Many of the Nepalese said they didnt have any relatives or friends in Delhi, so they didnt have any place to stay.

Others, including some local citizens, stated they had no access to food and water. While shops at the railway stations were closed, those at the bus terminals had continued to operate till they received news of inter-state bus cancellations in the afternoon.

The railway ministry on Sunday announced that all trains, except essential goods trains, stood cancelled till March 31. There are five major railway stations in Delhi - New Delhi, Old Delhi, Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar and Sarai Rohilla.

Giving an estimate of how many trains and passengers were affected by the decision, Deepak Kumar, the chief PRO of Northern Railways, said that these five railway stations have a daily footfall of nearly 900,000 on an average. Around 650 trains leave Delhi stations every day on an average, he said.

Outside the Kashmere Gate inter-state bus terminal, ten students of Class 9 who had returned from Maharashtra by changing several buses, said they were making frantic calls to their parents in Hisar and elsewhere in Haryana to arrange transportation for them. We are hopeful that buses will begin plying after 9pm, Usha, a teacher accompanying the students, said in the afternoon.

Similar scenes were witnessed at Old Delhi Railway station where 22 children, aged between nine and 14 years, and their six guardians were stranded while returning from a sporting event in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh. They were headed to various states in the north-east.

We were to change train in Delhi, but on getting here we got to know about the cancellations. The children barely have anything to eat. We dont know what to do, said one of their guardians, Hoshiyaar Singh Thakur.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos state Government, Gboyega Akosile has informed Lagosians this morning that the Government is on the case of a Pastor who calls himself Talknado for convincing his congregation that theres no coronavirus in Nigeria, as they echoed yes and clapped in accordance.

In the video, the Pastor was heard saying, if coronavirus enters Nigeria, it will end here.

He also claims the Government lied about an Italian bringing the deadly bug to the country, asking where the man is. He then confidently said, the world should hear him well, that if the virus finds its way to Nigeria, it will die and thats how it will end in the world.



Gboyega shared the video and promised the pastor will be dealt with according to the law of the country.

Take time to watch this character, one of the religious merchants below as he denies #CoronavirusPandemic in his church this morning. He calls himself talknado. Well Govt is on his trail. We will deal with him in accordance with the Law, Gboyega tweeted.

@jidesanwoolu @NCDCgov @MBuhari pic.twitter.com/7uFFm7OWXO Take time to watch this character, one of the religious merchants below as he denies #CoronavirusPandemic in his church this morning. He calls himself talknado. Well Govt is on his trail. We will deal with him in accordance with the Law. #COVID19  gboyega akosile (@gboyegaakosile) March 22, 2020

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
We are living in times of uncertainty with most of the world in lockdown. One thing that remains a constant is the non-stop arrival of new phones. We had plenty of new arrivals in the past week, including an online launch by HMD where we saw no less than four phones, and two new iPads with dual cameras.



Nokia 8.3  Nokia 5.3  Nokia 1.3  Nokia 5310

Samsung is already selling its Galaxy S20 lineup around the world, so now it's focusing on refreshing its mid-range portfolio. The Galaxy M21 will be up for pre-order in India later this month, and we expect the phone to appear in Europe as well. On the other side of the globe, in Japan, consumers can purchase an Olympic Edition of the Galaxy S20+ 5G - something that Samsung has never launched for markets before. The company also unveiled the Samsung Galaxy A41, although it will only hit stores in June.

HMD launched four Nokia phones - three smartphones and one feature phone Nokia 5310 - a reboot of the classic Nokia 5310 XpressMusic. Nokia 8.3 is the most powerful of all - it comes with Snapdragon 765G chipset and 5G connectivity, and HMD said it is future-proofed with support for all 5G bands in the world. The Nokia 5.3 is a classic midranger with a Snapdragon 665 chipset, four cameras and a screen with a waterdrop notch, while the Nokia 1.3 comes with Android 10 Go.

The new iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9 now come with two cameras, but the more intriguing part is a LiDAR scanner for AR purposes. Alongside them, Apple introduced a new Magic Keyboard with a trackpad which is $299/$349 on top of the (at least) $799/$999 youll pay for the tablet.



Apple iPad Pro 12.9  Realme 6i  Oppo Reno3  Moto E6s

In a separate announcement, HMD revealed the Nokia C2 for developing markets. Realme also has a new addition to the portfolio - the Realme 6i, arriving first in Myanmar, but we expect it to appear in other Asia-Pacific countries. We also have an entirely new Moto E6s for Latin America, Europe, and Asia, but that is different than the Moto E6s in India, which is essentially a rebranded Moto E6s Plus.

Oppo is also playing the name game. The Reno3 was announced in China since December, but the company followed up with a global version that differs on several key specs. It has a Helio P90 chipset, a 44MP single selfie camera, but no price tag - the Oppo Reno3 is listed for viewing at Oppo Sri Lankas website.
The MBTA is asking customers to board buses and street-level trolleys using the rear doors in an effort to protect its employees from coronavirus.

T officials say seniors and people with disabilities can still board in front if they need to. The T is also ramping up the cleaning and sanitizing of its vehicles, and adjusting its service schedule as ridership continues to drop amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in Massachusetts.

The subway, commuter rail and bus and Silver Line will have regular service on March 21 and March 22. The service is adjusted to accommodate lower ridership.

These decisions are based on guidance from public health professionals and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, along with emergency guidance to cancel events, close schools and offices, avoid unnecessary travel, and limit social gatherings across the state, the T notes on its website.

The changes come amid a significant drop in the number of passengers using the transit system. On Wednesday, the T saw an 80% drop in ridership compared to the last week in February, according to the latest T data. That figure is based on taps or ticket insertions at 64 gated stations across the transit system.

Bus ridership is also down by about 50% compared to the last week of February, the data shows.

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Islamabad, March 22 : Shehbaz Sharif, the President of the oppostiton Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), returned to Islamabad on Sunday from London where he spent the last four months with his ailing brother and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Announcing his return on Twitter, Shehbaz urged citizens to practice social distancing and to self-isolate if possible, reports Dawn news.

"Just landed in Islamabad - maintain a distance from one another and try to stay at your homes so that none of us are forced to part with our loved ones due to this virus...," he said in the tweet.

On Saturday, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb had said that Shehbaz, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, had decided to return to the country "in view of the situation of the spread of coronavirus" which has so far infected 645 people in the country and killed three people.

The PML-N president had left for London last November along with Nawaz Sharif, who was allowed to travel abroad by the government and courts to seek medical treatment.

Aurangzeb had said although the former premier was scheduled to undergo surgery next week, Shehbaz had "decided that his presence among the (Pakistani) people was more important".

Shehbaz's decision to return to the country comes as the government on Saturday announced the suspension of all incoming international flights to Pakistan for two weeks.

However, it was announced that flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines would be allowed to bring back its aircraft along with booked passengers.
Indias Supreme Court has overturned a ban on cryptocurrencies in what is being considered as a historic verdict.

The verdict comes two years after Indias central bank decision to outlaw cryptocurrencies, which restricted banks from facilitating any service in relation to virtual currencies.

The ruling will be a huge boost to the 1.3 billion population of India as well as up-and-coming cryptocurrency businesses in the region.

Cryptocurrencies are an exciting technology that needs to be carefully studied, said Vaibhav Kakkar  a partner at law firm L&L Partners.

With this order, there is a likelihood of more mature and balanced regulation of cryptocurrencies and the fintech sector as a whole.

SC allows cryptocurrency trading, cancels RBI's 2018 circular https://t.co/EKyqyuK70E via @timesofindia  Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) March 4, 2020

There is also an ongoing hearing on how the Supreme Court will begin to regulate the cryptocurrency industry, with it being anticipated that strict laws will be loosened.

The news came as a relief to many Indians involved in an industry which has been almost criminalised.

CoinRecoil founder Kunal Barchha, for instance, welcomed the move by saying he would now be able to speak with potential investors who had been hesitant prior to the ban.

Now crypto traders, investors, miners, can proudly speak up about what they do for a living, he said.

Now they wont be judged as criminals.

The move by the Supreme Court will come as a boost to Facebook and its proposed Libra project, which has attracted regulatory scrutiny from the likes of the United States after it was announced last June.

For more news, guides and cryptocurrency analysis, click here.
A large section of employees of SBI and a few other PSBs in West Bengal has raised concern over internal 'Covid-19 Prevention' circulars announcing a cap on staff strength for administrative offices, leaving out regular branches that are more exposed to public contact.

State-owned lenders, including Canara Bank, Union Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Bank of Baroda, have also issued notifications in this regard, sources told PTI.

However, while many state-run banks have covered "all branches" in their circulars, which also enumerate measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, some lenders like SBI and Punjab & Sind Bank have only mentioned regional offices and local head offices -- mostly involved with administration- related operations, they said.

"Such undue differential treatment has created sharp resentment in the minds of staff members. Regular footfall at the branches are far greater.... Branches are more exposed to public contact and, therefore, more vulnerable in terms of getting affected by this deadly disease, said Shubhajyoti Chattopadhyay, the general secretary of SBI Officers Association (Bengal Circle).

A March 20 notification issued by State Bank of India on 'Covid-19 Preventive Measures' said every staff member of local head offices/administrative offices/regional business offices will work on alternate days from March 21 to April 4, sources said, adding, "regular branches do not figure in it".

Under this arrangement, 50 per cent of employees will attend office, while the remaining 50 per cent will work from home by rotation, they said.

Chattopadhyay said lenders such as Union Bank and Canara Bank have already issued instructions initiating restrictions on staff strength in all branches to arrest the community spread of the Covid-19.

An employee of a Kolkata SBI branch, who did not wish to be identified, said the decision to omit regular branches from the coronavirus prevention plan is "blatant discrimination" on the part of the senior management.

"We have to deal with new customers every day without any knowledge of their travel history. Also, we are exposed to currency notes and various other documents throughout the day, which are potential carriers of the virus. The bank's action plan must include regular branches, too. We cannot be meted out such step-motherly treatment, she said.

An employee of another state-run bank said there should be a uniform directive on alternate working days.

Reacting to the development, SBI Chief General Manager-Kolkata Circle, Ranjan Kumar Mishra, said the countrys largest lender is still working out the modalities of the 'work-on-alternate-days' arrangement for its offices.

"It is easier to implement such a strategy for administrative blocks as a lot of their work can be done from home... However, this will be done in a phased manner over the next few weeks, and some thought is being given on to how to address the issue for regular branches. We have to ensure that there is no disruption in our basic services while also protecting each and every staff, he told PTI.

"There is no question of discrimination. For the bank, every employees safety is of concern, Mishra asserted.

He said customers are also being sensitised about visiting the branches only for urgent transactions.

Sanjay Das, secretary of the All India Bank Officers Confederation, said it has written to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar seeking reduction of banking hours in the state to 2 pm as a precautionary measure.

A few private lenders have already notified the new timings for next week, sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Countries around the world are imposing stricter rules in an effort to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Coronavirus has infected more than 328,200 people and killed more than 14,300 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking the pandemic.

Here are the latest updates.

Australia

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison ordered the closure of most venues from Monday, including pubs, casinos, gyms and cinemas.

The move followed concern from authorities that people were disregarding health and government warnings to avoid large gatherings in recent days - including by flocking to Sydney's popular Bondi Beach .

Along with nearby New Zealand, Australia had brought in widespread rules to limit the spread of COVID-19 - now linked to seven deaths in the country.

These measures had been weaker than parts of Europe and North America with higher infection rates, but the number of cases rose sharply in recent days to 1,315.

The rapid spread caused Mr Morrison to restrict restaurants and cafes to takeaway-only outlets, enforce enclosed funerals and close indoor sporting venues and places of worship. However, he said schools will stay open.

Europe

Italy recorded a jump in deaths from coronavirus of 651 in one day, taking the death toll in the world's hardest-hit country to almost 5,500 as confirmed cases surpassed 59,000.

In a desperate effort to slow the pandmeic, the Italian government ordered all businesses to close until 3 April, excluding those vital to the country's supply chain.

In the most-affected region of Lombardy, even outdoor exercise alone was forbidden, while people were no longer allowed to use vending machines.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the NHS could be "overwhelmed" by the coronavirus like the Italian health system in just two weeks. There have been 281 deaths in the UK so far, with the number of confirmed cases reaching 5,683, - a rise of 635 in 24 hours.

Story continues

Spanish media reported the government wanted to double the 15-day state of emergency, with the death toll hiking from 1,326 to 1,756 in 24 hours.

Confirmed cases in the Netherlands jumped by 573 to 4,204 - with 43 new deaths.

Americas

New Jersey became the latest US state to impose unprecedented restrictions and join much of Europe in keeping workers at home, closing schools and shutting bars, pubs and restaurants.

A quarter of Americans have been placed under lockdown .

At least 23,941 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the United States and 306 people with the disease had died as of Saturday evening. Cases in the state of New York rose by nearly a third in one day to more than 15,100.

Bolivia's interim government announced it would postpone presidential elections originally scheduled to take place on 3 May and institute a mandatory countrywide quarantine for 14 days.

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Brazil's largest state, Sao Paulo, is set to essentially shut down for two weeks to help fight the virus, its governor said on Saturday. President Jair Bolsonaro said again that "hysteria" over the outbreak could cause more harm than the virus itself.

Asia

A nationwide curfew was imposed in India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered hundreds of millions of people to stay indoors.

At least 341 people have contracted the disease there so far with four reported deaths, according to official data on Sunday.

China - the birthplace of the virus - reported 46 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, the fourth straight day of a rise despite a dramatically slowing spread. All but one of those were from people arriving from overseas, leading to further measures to intercept cases from abroad.

Members of a South Korean church scuffled with police on Sunday, media reported, as government restrictions on religious services and other gatherings took effect.

Middle East and Africa

Iran's death toll reached 1,685 with 129 deaths in one day, the health ministry's spokesman told state TV on Sunday. Infections rates rose to 21,638.

Oman on Sunday banned public gatherings, limited staffing at state entities and shut currency exchange bureaus.

Angola, Eritrea and Uganda confirmed their first cases of coronavirus, while Mauritius recorded its first death as the

virus spreads in Africa, with several countries in the continent closing their borders.

There are concerns that the continent will not cope with a surge in cases.
India reported three more coronavirus deaths on Sunday, including the first casualties from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 341, officials said, as authorities suspended all train passenger and inter-state bus services till March 31 in unprecedented steps to contain the spread of the infection.

A 38-year-old man with a kidney ailment and recent travel history to Qatar died at AIIMS-Patna and a 67-year-old man died at a hospital in Surat in Gujarat, state officials said, but the Union Health Ministry was yet to confirm the deaths. Another death was reported from Mumbai of a 63-year-old man.

As the virus cases climbed, the central and state governments decided to lock down 75 districts from where COVID-19 cases have been reported to break the chain of transmission, and the Health Ministry said states would earmark hospitals to exclusively treat coronavirus patients.

Millions of people stayed indoors to observe a "Janta Curfew on Sunday after an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break the chain of transmission, but they stood outside their homes or in their balconies at 5pm to thank the health workers at the forefront of the fight against the virus.

Beating bells, metal vessels and conchs, people acknowledged the services of the thousands of doctors, nurse and other medical staff leading India's response to the deadly virus and making sure essential services remain unhindered.

Prime Minister Modi thanked the people for expressing their gratitude and solidarity.

Shortly thereafter, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that his government was placing the national capital under a lock down from 6 am on March 23 and will continue till midnight March 31. Essential services will continue, Kejriwal said.

Several states, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Haryana, UP, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, announced partial or complete lockdown for varying periods. Nagaland said it will impose an indefinite lockdown from midnight Sunday.

Earlier Sunday, the Railways announced it was suspending all passenger services until March 31 and said only goods trains will run during the period. The suspension includes all suburban train services. Trains that commenced their journey prior to 4 am on March 22 will complete their journeys, it said, adding that passengers can claim a full refund for trains cancelled during this period till June 21.

The government also suspended all inter-state bus services until March 31.

The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India said it has decided to suspend production at its facilities in Haryana that churn 15.5 lakh vehicles per annum with immediate effect.

The extraordinary decisions were taken by the government a day after the Railways reported three incidents (12 positive cases) of people asked to remain in quarantine travelling on trains and amid an exodus of people from urban areas to their home states, raising fears of the virus spreading to the countryside.

A Union Home Ministry official said the Centre and state governments decided to completely lockdown 75 districts



Delhi Police said prohibitory orders have been imposed in Delhi till March 31, adding that protests and other gatherings of people have been banned. The Delhi government urged residents to remain indoors even after the "Janta Curfew" ends.

The West Bengal government said in a notification that Kolkata and several other areas of the state will be under lockdown from Monday 5 pm till Mar 27.

According to the Health Ministry, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 63, followed by Kerala (52) and Delhi (27).

Uttar Pradesh has recorded 25 cases, Telangana 21 cases, Rajasthan 24 cases, Haryana 17 cases.

Karnataka has 20 patients. Punjab and Ladakh have 13 cases each. Gujarat has 14 cases while Tamil Nadu has 6 cases. Chandigarh has reported five cases.

Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and West Bengal reported four cases each. Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand reported three cases each. Odisha and Himachal Pradesh reported 2 cases each.

Puducherry and Chhattisgarh reported one case each.

The Indian Council of Medical Research said they are ramping up testing efforts, but added that they won't do indiscriminate testing for COVID-19. The strategy is to test only those who show symptoms, its director general said.

The paramilitary forces, comprising about 10 lakh personnel, also ordered immediate suspension of movement of troops and directed them to ''be where they are'' till April 5, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Dalton Mayor and Council will begin holding daily meetings at City Hall on Monday to address the evolving situation with the novel corona virus in Dalton and beyond. The City of Dalton is recommending that people observe the recommendations of the CDC and the Georgia State Department of Health (DPH) and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.

The daily meetings of the Mayor and Council will be held at noon each day at City Hall. The purpose of the meetings will be to assess the evolving situation with the spread of COVID 19 in the state and region and to take any actions necessary to implement or adjust operational plans of the city in response. The Mayor and Council will also be working to find ways that public and private partnerships can mitigate the impact of the situation on local businesses. Because City Hall and other city buildings are closed to the public as a precaution against spreading the disease, the meetings will be broadcast online. The plans for broadcasting the meetings will be publicized on Facebook ( The purpose of the meetings will be to assess the evolving situation with the spread of COVID 19 in the state and region and to take any actions necessary to implement or adjust operational plans of the city in response. The Mayor and Council will also be working to find ways that public and private partnerships can mitigate the impact of the situation on local businesses. Because City Hall and other city buildings are closed to the public as a precaution against spreading the disease, the meetings will be broadcast online. The plans for broadcasting the meetings will be publicized on Facebook (

) and Twitter (

) when they are finalized. The meetings will take place between 12 and 1 p.m. on a daily basis beginning Monday, March 23, until they are deemed no longer necessary.

The City of Dalton recommends that people avoid gatherings of more than ten people to limit the chances of spreading the virus. The City also recommends that people try to distance themselves at least six feet away from other people if they do go out. The City of Dalton supports local businesses and encourages people to support them while also being prudent in view of the public health situation. A number of local churches are also offering online options and City leaders recommend utilizing those options instead of gathering in person.

The North Georgia Health District serving Whitfield County has set up a website with information about COVID 19 for North Georgians at

1165-covid19.html

. The state DPH is also posting a daily status report for the state online at

19-daily-status-report

with updates at 12-7 p.m. The CDC has an online resource at

coronavirus/2019-ncov/index. html

. The City of Dalton recommends that residents get information on the disease from those credible sources.
The state government is doing all it can to secure more ventilators as a united group of medical specialists warn him of a dire shortage.

Almost 50 of the states most senior medical professionals warned WA Premier Mark McGowan in a letter that 400 extra Intensive Care Unit ventilators would be needed a day if immediate and widespread isolation measures werent implemented.

Mr McGowan on Sunday said he hadnt seen the strongly-worded letter but the government was doing all it could to secure more vital equipment to deal with the pandemic.

Were doing everything we can to secure more ventilators, nationally and internationally, he said. We have got people working on factories or local manufacturing of ventilators as we speak."

Mr McGowan could not confirm how many ventilators the state had but a staffer confirmed there were currently about 100 in the system and an additional 100 were on their way to WA.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sent a memo to employees Saturday addressing concerns about warehouse worker safety amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In the memo, posted to Amazon's website, Bezos writes, "There is no instruction manual for how to feel at a time like this, and I know this causes stress for everyone." He also acknowledged that "much of the essential work we do cannot be done from home," but that Amazon has taken a number of steps to improve safety at its facilities and is "working to identify additional ways to improve on these measures."

Bezos told his employees in the memo that the company has placed purchase orders for millions of face masks for workers who can't do their job remotely, but "very few of those orders have been filled" as masks remain in short supply. "When our turn for masks comes, our first priority will be getting them in the hands of our employees and partners working to get essential products to people," he added.

Workers and legislators have criticized Amazon for requiring fulfillment center employees and delivery drivers to come to work as the coronavirus has continued to spread. Unlike employees at Amazon's corporate offices, which have been told to work remotely, warehouse workers and delivery drivers cannot carry out their job duties while working from home.

At the same time, many workers have raised concerns that they risk getting sick on the job. Amazon on Thursday temporarily closed a Queens, New York delivery station, known as DBK1, after a worker tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The case marked the first known incident of a U.S. Amazon warehouse employee contracting the disease. On Monday, Amazon confirmed that at least five workers at Amazon warehouses in Spain and Italy contracted the disease.

Earlier this month, Amazon logistics workers circulated a petition calling for the company to put in place more "protective measures," including giving workers paid leave, to "ensure the safety of all of its workers and the larger public."

On Friday, four senators sent a letter to Amazon urging the company to better protect warehouse workers during the coronavirus outbreak. The senators urged Bezos to provide paid sick leave and time-and-a-half hazard pay for its workers, among other measures.

Amazon previously told CNBC it implemented "proactive measures" to protect fulfillment center employees, including increased cleaning at all facilities and maintaining social distance by suspending team meetings at the beginning of shifts, halting exit screening and staggering shift start times and break times, among other measures.

Amazon said Saturday it's doubling hourly wages for its associates working overtime in its U.S. warehouses. The temporarily increased overtime pay continues through May 9.

The company also recently announced it would provide up to two weeks of pay to all employees diagnosed with the coronavirus or placed into quarantine, as well as provide unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the month of March.

Here's the full memo:

Dear Amazonians,

This isn't business as usual, and it's a time of great stress and uncertainty. It's also a moment in time when the work we're doing is its most critical.

We've changed our logistics, transportation, supply chain, purchasing, and third party seller processes to prioritize stocking and delivering essential items like household staples, sanitizers, baby formula, and medical supplies. We're providing a vital service to people everywhere, especially to those, like the elderly, who are most vulnerable. People are depending on us.

I'm not alone in being grateful for the work you are doing. I've received hundreds of emails from customers and seen posts on social media thanking you all. Your efforts are being noticed at the highest levels of government, and President Trump earlier this week thanked this team profusely.

Across the world, people are feeling the economic effects of this crisis, and I'm sad to tell you I predict things are going to get worse before they get better. We're hiring for 100,000 new roles and raising wages for our hourly workers who are fulfilling orders and delivering to customers during this period of stress and turmoil. At the same time, other businesses like restaurants and bars are being forced to shut their doors. We hope people who've been laid off will come work with us until they're able to go back to the jobs they had.

Much of the essential work we do cannot be done from home. We've implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees and contractors at our sites around the world  everything from increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning to adjusting our practices in fulfillment centers to ensure the recommended social distancing guidelines. We are meeting every day, working to identify additional ways to improve on these measures.

We've placed purchase orders for millions of face masks we want to give to our employees and contractors who cannot work from home, but very few of those orders have been filled. Masks remain in short supply globally and are at this point being directed by governments to the highest-need facilities like hospitals and clinics. It's easy to understand why the incredible medical providers serving our communities need to be first in line. When our turn for masks comes, our first priority will be getting them in the hands of our employees and partners working to get essential products to people.

My own time and thinking is now wholly focused on COVID-19 and on how Amazon can best play its role. I want you to know Amazon will continue to do its part, and we won't stop looking for new opportunities to help.

There is no instruction manual for how to feel at a time like this, and I know this causes stress for everyone. My list of worries right now  like yours I'm sure  is long: from my own children, parents, family, friends, to the safety of you, my colleagues, to those who are already very sick, and to the real harm that will be caused by the economic fallout across our communities.

Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones. I know that we're going to get through this, together.

Jeff
Neighbourhoods erupted with the sounds of conch shells, brass bells, steel utensils and even firecrackers as the clock struck five on Sunday.

Although the Twitter trend was "#Diwali", it wasn't that.

After spending a long quiet day indoor as part of the 'Janta Curfew', people took to Twitter to share their "5baje5minute" moments, as suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, to express their gratitude towards medical professionals, sanitation workers and other essential service providers who are at the forefront of the country's fight against coronavirus.

A Twitter user, Prerna, posted a video from her terrace clapping and saying, "As promised! It's 5 PM AND I AM HERE :) It's like Diwali :) GOD BLESS US ALL AND MAY WE ALL LIVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE!"



The video showed almost her entire neighbourhood beating steel plates or clapping outside their homes.

Another user, Naman Mehta, thanked the prime minister while sharing a video from Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

"Enjoying curfew with 130 others. Thank you @narendramodi Ji It for a moment it was even better than many festivals. I've never seen my whole neighbourhood coming out together even during holidays Diwali but it was good (sic)," he posted.

While advocate Usha Srinivas "felt positivity", Arjuna awardee Heena Sidhu claimed to have "never felt such unity".

"Gud 2see ppl response at 5pm. Ringing bells,shunkh,dhol, burning crackers.lyk celebratin of Diwali.Ths small moment brought smile on every1 face after facing stressful days bec of Corona Felt positivity & thot cmg in mind "we shall over come, we shall over come one day (sic)," wrote Srinivas on Twitter.

"This was the best feeling in the world!! It felt like a war cry...we r all in this together. I have never before felt such unity in the air. No diwali, no holi, christmas have ever brought us together. Lets do this everyday till its over Lets all be together," Sidhu's tweet read.

The "celebration" was part of the 14-hour long 'Janta Curfew' announced by the prime minister to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Different hashtags trended since the morning including #JantaCurfew at the top with over 7.8 lakh tweets and #Heroes with over 2.5 lakh tweets. After 5pm, #goosebump, #Clapping, #GhantiBajao, #IndiaComeTogether, #PauseandApplause were used by the netizens.

While Telugu actress Raashi Khanna thanked the "unsung heroes", another user Pritismita Purohit showed gratitude towards the "real heroes" including the armed forces, police, doctors, and journalists.

"And back home in Hyderabad, I felt like a child in awe! Such an amazing moment of people coming together.. Let's conquer this, together! #thankyou again to our unsung heroes!" Khanna tweeted.

"We all heard those huge sounds right? It's not the sound of clap, not of shells or bells. It is the gratitude towards the real heroes in sort to our Armed force, Police, Doctors, nurses, Journalists, Media people and most importantly to the cleaners. Thank you @narendramodi (sic)," wrote Purohit.

However, some Twitter users criticised the government for the "symbolism" and also for the lack of a relief package.

"Why a symbolic one day curfew when the situation demands a complete lockdown? Ensure food and safety to the poor. Ensure paid leaves in government and private jobs," Sushmita Subhas posted.

A few also criticised those who burst firecrackers and banged pots and pans.

"Firecrackers going off in my neighbourhood like it's Diwali. Dumb idiots gathering in groups to bang on pots and pans. Tell me again why this made sense. Weren't there other ways of showing appreciation to health care workers?" rued economist Rupa Subramanya.

The 'Janta Curfew' and the appreciation exercise that followed was announced by the prime minister on Thursday evening to hinder the spread of coronavirus.

By Sunday evening, the number of COVID-19 positive people in the country had gone up to 360, according to the Health Ministry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Everyone suffers wardrobe disasters at some point, whether it's an ill-fitting outfit, a downright ugly pattern or a blister-giving heel.

However, some fashion fails are much worse than others, and these photos from around the world, collected by BoredPanda, prove that some people need to seriously re-think their taste in clothing.

Among the treasure chest of faux pas including a woman spotted on the London Underground wearing a pair of brown boots with a split in the toe that made it look as if she had hooves.

Others were spotted in clothing with innocent slogans that turned into something rather rude due to a fold in the fabric.

From a skirt that looked like it was covered in blood, to a pair of trousers with the Japanese flag placed in an awkward position, these photos prove why you should always check yourself in the mirror before you leave the house.

This white and red pleated skirt, from a shop in the US, looked like blood has spilled on it in a very unfortunate mishap

Putting your foot in it! These socks appear as if the wearer is in a pair of fishnets tights and no shoes

You can't go to prom like that! A woman trying on a formal dress was no doubt left bewildered by the ugly zip up the middle of the mesh panel

Don't go out like that! This jumper from Hawaiin retailer Hanalei Surf turned into an apparently rude phrase once it was tried on

These army combat trousers, taken at an unknown location, have a very awkward brown patch in some areas

Taking proud dad to a new level! This father, believed to be from the US, was very enthusiastic to wear his heart on his sleeve - and all over his top to show off his new baby

On the hoof! A commuter spotted in London stepped out in a pair of brown boots with a cleft toe that gave the appearance of hooves

This turntable enthusiast got a very unexpected surprise when he tried on his DJ-inspired T-shirt

While it was meant to show a hand patting a flower, this T-shirt appeared to depict something much more risque

The letters C and I of 'click' in the phrase 'click, pack, deliver' read VERY differently and created an accidentally rude message on this man's fleece top

This unfortunate pattern on a blue skirt makes the wearer, in an unknown location, look like they've had an accident.

This skirt, with an unfortunate pattern alike to a sun's eye, is very suggestive at a quick glance

This T-shirt, believe to be sold in the US, is very sweet in sentiment but can be taken in the wrong if misunderstood

This very confused top seems to think New York is in Sweden rather than the US - and also pictured the Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris, France

These trousers which are meant to depict the Japanese flag - but instead looked as they had been stained with blood in the crotch area
(Newser)  Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday he's got the coronavirus, making him the third member of Congress to test positive. But the Republican from Kentucky says he's feeling fine under quarantine, USA Today reports. "He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events," per a statement on his Twitter feed. "He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person." The statement also says Paul's DC office has been running remotely for 10 days, so staff has hardly been in contact with the infected senator.

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But Paul was on Capitol Hill last week, and could have spread the virus. Two other lawmakers tested positive last week, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah), while many others who worry they might be infected are now self-isolating. Outside the political arena, Billboard reports that opera star Placido Domingo has also tested positive. "My Family and I are all in self isolation for as long as it is deemed medically necessary," he writes on Facebook. "Currently we are all in good health but I experienced fever and cough symptoms therefore deciding to get tested and the result came back positive. I beg everyone to be extremely careful, follow the basic guidelines." (Read more coronavirus stories.)
Prime Minister Narebdra Modi's address on the occasion of the inauguration of "Mujib Barsha" - Mujib Year - to celebrate the centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, was an inspiring one.

Recalling the struggle of the people of Bangladesh under the leadership of Bangabandhu, Modi observed "how a repressive and cruel regime, disregarding all democratic values, unleashed a reign of injustice on 'Bangla Bhumi' and devastated its people" and how Mujib "had devoted every moment of his life towards bringing Bangladesh out of the phase of devastation and genocide and making it into a positive and progressive society."

Rise of Bangladesh

Referring to Bangladesh's trajectory in becoming a confident and progressive nation, making steady progress on all development indexes, PM Modi brought attention to the stark contrast between two nations - Pakistan and Bangladesh - "we are all witnessing", he observed "that how, making terror and violence weapons of politics and diplomacy destroys a society and a nation.

The world is also watching where the supporters of terror and violence are currently placed and in what state they are, while Bangladesh is scaling new heights." Modi pointed out the stark reality. Pakistan - a half-nation subsisting on terror and violence, and Bangladesh, a nation which is steadily and maturely moving towards stability, development and economic growth. Modi himself has done much in bringing about greater stability in the area and has gradually steered the focus towards a vision of a shared development and collective well-being in the region.

Many in the West who have been persisting with their fallacious hectoring of India on the citizenship issue, these past few months, have been supporters and patrons of this half-nation and its diabolically destabilising policies. They stood by it, or looked the other way, when Pakistan indulged in planned pogrom against its minorities, and when the Pakistan army was perpetrating one of the worst genocide against its own citizens in the eastern wing, butchering intellectuals and mowing down Hindu minorities. Journalist DRMankekar, in his Colonialism in East Bengal notes how "senior military and civil officers in Dacca and Comilla repeatedly told Mascarenhas (Anthony Mascarenhas, legendary journalist, who fled Pakistan, and filed his stories from London on the Pak army's genocide): "We are determined to cleanse East Pakistan once and for all of the threat of secession, even if it means killing off two million people and ruling the province as a colony for 30 years."

The descent

In his, now famous and historic article, written in the Sunday Times from London, Mascarenhas noted how Pakistanis elaborated their policy towards its eastern wing thus, "1) Bengalis have proved themselves 'unreliable' and must be ruled by West Pakistanis, 2) The Bengalis will have to be re-educated along proper Islamic lines. The 'Islamisation of the masses' is intended to eliminate secessionist tendencies and provide a strong religious bond with West Pakistan, 3) When the Hindus have been eliminated by death and flight, their property will be bait to win over the Muslim middle class. This will provide the base for erecting administrative and political structures in the future." This was the false ideology driven agenda of the theocratic state of Pakistan.

One of those who witnessed the era first hand and played a crucial role in the historic events of that period was PN Dhar. In his memoirs Dhar notes how when the Pakistan army genocide began, the "first to arrive were the Awami League cadres and remnants of the police and the military personnel who managed to escape. They were followed by Hindus who escaped a merciless hunt."

Cries for justice

It was only in the middle of April that Indian authorities understood the designs of Pakistan in unleashing the genocide, writes Dhar, "By driving out Hindus in millions, they hoped to substantially reduce the political support that the Awami League enjoyed as it was the 'wily Hindu' who was supposed to have misled simple Bengali Muslims into demanding autonomy.

Additionally with the Hindus gone, Bengal would lose its majority status vis-a-vis West Pakistan and not be in a position to challenge its dominance."In his deeply disturbing, The Blood Telegram, Gary Bass for instance, records how then Indian foreign minister Swaran Singh, in a briefing for Indian diplomats agitatedly divulged how the

Pakistan army was mowing down its own civilians, "Artillery, tanks, automatic weapons, mortars, aeroplanes, everything which is normally used against invading armed forces, were utilised and very largescale killings took place; selective killings of individuals, acts of molestation and rape against the university students, girls, picking out the Awami League leaders, their supporters and later on especially concentrating on the localities in which Hindus predominated."

While Sheikh Hasina's government has held a bold and exemplary War Crimes trial against Razakar collaborators of the Pakistan army's genocide in Bangladesh, "Mujib Barsha" this year and next year the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War, is the right time to call for an international trial of the Pakistani army itself for its role in war crimes and genocide in 1971.

The self-styled international 'conscience keepers" of the world must respond.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

Also read: DailyOh! Delhi gang rape convicts hanged on Friday, but why Friday wasnt good for two others, to how to stop Super Girl Kanika Kapoor
Mumbai, March 22 : For the first time in 46 years, the sprawling Indian Railway network, including Mumbai's lifeline -- the suburban trains which ferry around 8.5 million commuters daily -- will completely shut down till March 31 for all passengers to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

Though Mumbai witnesses partial or near-total disruptions in suburban trains during monsoons, or the occasional 'bandhs', or terror strikes, this is the first time that the government has intervened to close all passenger train services, local or long-distance, barring freight trains, with possibly serious repercussions for the national economy as a whole.

The Centre's move came even as the Maharashtra government was toying with the idea of shutting down (only) suburban trains since the past fortnight as one of the options to keep crowds off the roads, but didn't take the courage to bite the bullet.

Way back in May 1974, socialist leader and later Union Minister George Fernandes had challenged the might of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by spearheading a 20-day-long crippling all-India railway strike.

After Fernandes' strike -- billed as the world's biggest ever labour action -- no natural or man-made calamities could ever succeed in stopping the railway networks, and trains continued to chug along the country's veritable lifelines.

For the coronavirus-gripped country's commercial capital, the ramifications of local trains' shutdown are starkly different, as they are intricately interlinked with the country's economy and prosperity, so it is said that "when Mumbai sneezes, the entire country catches a flu".

"Mumbai alone contributes around 35 per cent income taxes, nearly two-third of indirect taxes revenue to the national exchequer, accounts for more than 40 per cent of all foreign trade" and overall coughs up around 7 per cent to the country's GDP. The impact of closure of IR networks can be imagined with long term impact," a worried Bohra Group Chairman Pratap Bohra told IANS.

The Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) suburban locals serve Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban District, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts ferrying over 8.50 million commuters to and from their homes-workplaces in the country's commercial capital.

It also contributes to a mind-boggling network of public bus services, autorickshaws, taxis, aggregator cabs, providing gainful employment to another half a million people, and helps flourish every business that Mumbai boasts -- from the scrap business to restaurants and stocks to diamonds.

"The gold, jewellery and diamond industry will be badly hit as most polishers and craftsmen solely depend on public transport," a prominent diamond merchant A. Shah told IANS.

As an additional precaution, prominent Nagpur lawyer Vinod Tiwari on Sunday wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding that all religious places like temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, derasars, fire-temples, bhikshu-sthals, samadhis and mausoleums must be sealed for two weeks.

"Despite repeated appeals, many have blatantly flouted norms and continue to remain partially open, leading to overcrowding and threats of the coronavirus spreading from such religious congregations," Tiwari told IANS.

"Even the financial markets will be hugely hit... Many brokers and sub-brokers have decided to shift their BSE-NSE terminals at home after the exchanges permitted it," a financial consultant Rajesh Shah told IANS.

With the trains closing down for 10 days, every other business will be paralysed and the government would practically achieve its aim of mooring people at their homes, reinforced with the imposition of prohibitory orders statewide from midnight (March 22-23).

However, some like activist Jatin Desai raise doubts over how the government will tackle people facing non-coronavirus related medical emergency in the total absence of public transport.

"India doesn't enjoy the kind of medical services in the US or UK... There should be plan to promptly rush medicare if someone suffers a heart attack, or for expectant mothers, or kids with medical emergencies. There should be at least need-based skeletal services made available to people," Desai told IANS.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Petrol bombs were thrown near the anti-CAA protest sites in south-east Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia university by unidentified youths on Sunday morning, amid a 'Janta Curfew' (People's Curfew) across the country in the fight against COVID-19.

Both the incidents took place around 9:30 AM but no one was injured, even as the agitation at the Shaheen Bagh continued in a symbolic fashion with just five women sitting on protest while others left their footwear at the site in view of the call for 'Janta Curfew'.

At Shaheen Bagh, officials said, petrol bombs were thrown on the police barricades by two motorcycle-borne men youth. "We have recovered some bottles used in the case and are investigating those. Two people were seen on a bike near the barricades. We are examining the CCTV footages," a senior police official said.

The second incident was reported from Jamia Millia Islamia, around five kilometres from Shaheen Bagh, with Jamia Coordination Committee, which spearheads the anti-CAA protest near the university, saying an unidentified man opened fire and threw petrol bomb at the empty protest site near Gate No 7 of the varsity.

The Shaheen Bagh protesters said "a few hours ago, a petrol bomb was thrown to violently disrupt our protest. Unidentified miscreants allegedly threw the bomb at the outer barricades that cordon off the site of the Shaheen Bagh gathering and ran off. We are enraged and deeply saddened by the continuing spate of violent attacks on our protest and community at large. Our resolve and courage has been tested throughout the course of this 100-day resistance, yet we stand hereundeterred and untired."

"As per CCTV Footage, he has the get up of delivery boy with a helmet and has three bags on his bike, due to which number plate of bike was not visible," said JCC, which had on Saturday "temporarily suspended" the ongoing 24 hrs sit-in protest. "We appeal to all protestors to kindly take the situation with utmost seriousness and save themselves and others from this fatal illness," the JCC had said.

The protestors said in line with the government directives issued to contain COVID-19 threat facing the country, "we bravely continue our protest today with only five women protesters marking their resistance on behalf of all of us". They said they are committed to cooperating with the law of the land and request all supporters to abide by the same. "We are all in this together. We will come back stronger. This is not over," they said.

On Saturday, differences had surfaced among protesters with one section favoured continuing the protest while others wanted it to be called off.

University officials said the tent erected by the protesting students did not catch fire and it prompted the attacker to set it ablaze.
Redmond : , March 22 (IANS) The world is in 'uncharted territory' as novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic spreads but just as this virus has no borders, its cure will have no borders too, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on Sunday.

In an email sent to employees, Nadella said there is playbook for this deadly coronavirus that has killed oner 11,000 and infected more than two lakh globally.

"Much is unknown, and I know how unsettling and uncertain this feels. Like many of you, there have been times over the past weeks where it has felt overwhelming and all-encompassing for me," said Nadella.

"I worry about the health and safety of my family, my co-workers, and friends. My wife and I worry for her aging parents, who are far away from us in India," said the Hyderabad-born CEO.

Washington State has seen COVID-19 cases rising up to 1,793 with 94 deaths, and most of those being reported from Kings County.

"One truth that brings me comfort is just as this virus has no borders, its cure will have no borders. We are all in this together as a global community," Nadella stressed.

Deserted roads, empty superstores and fear in the air -- this is not a scene out of a zombie movie but the current scenario in the bustling US city of Seattle that has a robust Indian-American community -- now confined in their homes and praying for the situation to improve.

The first reported case of novel coronavirus in the US occurred in January in Seattle. The man, who returned from Wuhan, China, tested positive and later recovered after his quarantine in a hospital.

In the email, Nadella said that we are in times of great disruption and uncertainty that our ability to stay grounded in our sense of purpose and remain true to our identity is of the utmost importance.

"There's no doubt that the workflow of our jobs is changing fast, with many of you doing so much of your work remotely for the first time, some while also caring for children at home," Nadella noted, saying he himself is learning in the work from home scenario.

"I'm sharing a home office with my two teenage daughters and juggling between their eLearning schedules and my Teams meetings. There is no playbook for this and having that deep empathy and understanding for each other's situations is needed now more than ever," emphasised Nadella.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Confronted with a dizzying drop in prices, oil firms face a real challenge as they try to cut investment spending in order to survive a coronavirus-induced collapse in demand coupled with a Russia-Saudi Arabia price war. Investment in oil exploration and production was set to hit just over half a trillion dollars this year according to the French research body IFPEN, as firms sought to maintain and expand output. But the emergence of the coronavirus, which has seen nations across the world confine citizens at home and shutter businesses to slow its spread, has upended all forecasts. The International Energy Agency, which advises oil-importing nations on energy policy, now expects the first annual drop in oil demand since 2009 during the global financial crisis, as the global economy tips into recession. The main international benchmark, Brent crude, has fallen from just shy of $60 per barrel to under $25 this week, before regaining some lost ground. The main US benchmark, WTI, tumbled from nearly $54 to just over $20. Not all of the drop is due to the coronavirus. The price of oil had been supported for the past couple of years by production limits agreed by the OPEC oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia and a number of other producers including Russia. However Russia and Saudi Arabia failed to agree earlier this month on deeper cuts to take account of falling demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia subsequently slashed prices and announced it would boost output and Russia followed suit, leading to the vertiginous drop in prices. - Cut and shift - "All companies in the sector will be seeing what more they can do to cut costs, shift their activities to the lowest cost fields they can, trim investment and think hard about what dividend they can pay," said Professor David Elmes at Warwick Business School. While reducing investment is relatively easy in the near term, the longer prices remain low the more firms will need to look at shutting down production that is more expensive, such as offshore. "For the majors, the prospect of $30 per barrel of oil or below for a period of time is an extreme challenge," said Biraj Borkhataria, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. He said that if these prices persist more than six months, then oil majors would need to cut into the generous dividends they pay -- which is why they are prized by many investors -- and that prospect has already been partly incorporated into their share prices. - 'Unprecedented' - Saudi Aramco says it will cut investment to $25-$30 billion this year, a modest drop on the $32.8 billion it spent last year. "Based on this unprecedented environment, we are evaluating all appropriate steps to significantly reduce capital and operating expenses in the near term," said Exxon Mobil Corporation's chief executive Darren Woods. British oil major BP is targeting a 20 percent drop in spending this year, its chief financial officer Brian Gilvary said in an interview on Bloomberg television. There are also many smaller oil companies who may struggle. "The medium-sized independent companies will be hit hard," said Moez Ajmi at auditing firm EY in France. "Decisions will be taken to delay projects and we'll see restructurings of debt." The boom in shale oil production made the United States the world's top producer and even a net exporter, but the industry is fragile. Many of the independent shale firms have been built on debt and even before the drop in prices had trouble turning a profit, according to analysts. - Poor returns - Environmental activists can barely hide their joy at the difficulties the oil industry faces. "We consider it is pretty much good news considering that these (exploration and development) projects shouldn't see the light of day given the urgency of climate change," said Cecile Marchand of the French chapter of Friends of the Earth. She acknowledged abandoning these projects may not be permanent unless major political and economic policy changes are made. Marchand also warned of the risk of "a concentration of the market in the hands of the majors who are more resilient that the small firms." Elmes at Warwick Business School said some positive outcomes were also possible. The European oil and gas majors have already indicated they intend to reduce their reliance on these fuels and become more active in renewables such as wind and solar. "There will be intense discussions on what they can do to move faster," he said. The industry as a whole may also find it is no longer the darling of investors. "Bankers will throw up their hands and bend to the pressure from institutional investors now demanding transparency for the emissions associated with their investments," said Elmes. "The profitability of the oil and gas sector used to be attractively high but now it has the worst return over the last five years across 33 different industries," he noted. Oil companies are trying to cut investment spending to help them weather the coronavirus storm and a damaging price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia
Time Has Come to Remove the Cancer of the CCP

Commentary

Its always been a mystery to me as to why America dealt with the Soviet Union as an evil communist regime, but treated China as a mild one that could be bought with money and a good lifestyle.

We thought we were rich enough, powerful enough, and attractive enough to change China into a normal society such as one in the free world. Instead, the business and investment from the United States have made the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) stronger. The CCP is like a cancer that sucks nutrition from a healthy organ to become a bigger threat to the whole body.

The spread of the CCP virus around the world shows us how dangerous the CCP is. It is contagious. It is invisible. It is deadly. It is a threat to everyone on this planet.

When The Epoch Times published the editorial series, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, which lays bare the history of the CCP, readers wrote to us asking, Where was The New York Times when this was happening?

When the Great Leap Forward happened and millions were killed, we thought it was a China issue. When the Great Famine happened and 40 million people starved to death, it was a remote problem. When the Tiananmen Square massacre happened, we continued to do business with the CCP. When the persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong happened, we tried to please the CCP by looking away.

In some ways, the CCP has changed. It actually has grown. It has slicker packaging and understands the West betterso it can do a better job of taking advantage of the West. Its propaganda always uses the United States as a negative example, telling the Chinese people that the CCP is better.

In many ways, the CCP has never changedits nature has never changed. During the Great Famine, CCP officials blockaded many villages, not allowing people to go out to beg for food. It was more important to the CCP to hide the truth.

Sixty years later, when the coronavirus spread, some villages were sealed off, some homes were locked from the outside. Some children starved to death.

The CCP says there have been 3,259 deaths from the virus, but this doesnt match what we have seen happening in China. We know cremation centers in Wuhan were operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Outside some villages, bodies were burned in open-air pits. Forty mobile furnaces were shipped to Wuhan. Each can burn five tons of medical waste and dead animal bodies (animal bodies or human bodies?) each day.

Insiders say the death toll from the CCP virus has surpassed 1 million. We have no way to prove or disprove that number. Recent reports of the remaining number of cellphone users in China suggest the number of deaths may be far higher than previously suggested.

China has three cellphone carriers. China Mobile reported that it lost roughly 7.25 million users in February, while China Telecom lost 5.6 million users in February. The relatively small China Unicom hasnt released its February report. But in January, it lost about 1.19 million users.

Supposing that China Unicom kept all its users in February, the entire Chinese market still lost about 12.85 million cellphone users that month. How many of those people died in the past month?

With the CCP concealing information about the virus, the world has been caught unprepared. Now, we have become victims, as the virus has crossed borders. Should we continue to deal with the CCP like we are dealing with a group of gentlemen? We have lost our manufacturing jobs; we have lost intellectual property. Now, are we are going to lose our family members, and maybe our own lives?

When a cancer continues to grow, what is the end result?

Fortunately, we are still strong as a country. However, when good cells fight off cancer, its a life-and-death struggle. If we dont see this clearly, if we dont take out the CCP as soon as possible, a more deadly virus might come. This CCP virus should be lesson enough for us.

Eliminating the CCP doesnt require World War III. If we cut our ties to it, it will starve to death quickly, like a cancer separated from its host.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 22

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on March 22.

The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 22, 2020 13:17 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c8e8e9 1 World COVID-19,COVID-19-drugs,WHO,coronavirus,#coronavirus,Indonesia,#Indonesia,#WHO Free

As the world races to find a vaccine for the coronavirus, Indonesia has expressed interest in participating in a World Health Organization-led clinical trial to study potential COVID-19 treatments.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Wednesday what he called a solidarity trial, a multi-country study to analyze untested treatments to speed the search for potential therapies and drugs for the coronavirus. "This large international study is designed to generate the robust data we need to show which treatments are the most effective," he said.

As of Saturday, more than 275,000 people from 166 countries and regions had been infected, with more than 11,000 dead, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Indonesia alone recorded 450 confirmed cases and 38 deaths by Saturday afternoon, according to the Health Ministry.

Acep Somantri, the ministry's international cooperation bureau head, said he had met with a WHO representative in Jakarta on Friday to discuss the details of the multi-country trial and how Indonesia could participate.

We see this program to be very good for global health and one that will help accelerate clinical trials of several drugs and vaccines for COVID-19, Acep told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said that, with the program, it would be possible for countries to share the best practices of other treatment programs they ran.

There are currently no vaccines or treatments approved for the disease, but researchers are studying existing treatments and working on experimental ones. At the moment, most patients can only receive supportive care.

Argentina, Bahrain, Canada, France, Iran, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand have confirmed their participation in the WHO trial.

The study aims to provide reliable estimates on the effects of antiviral treatments. It will also assess the effects of such antivirals on duration of hospital stay and intensive care.

The study will be conducted simultaneously in each participating country and will randomly test five treatments, namely the usual standard care, the remdesivir, the lopinavir/ritonavir, the lopinavir/ritonavir plus interferon, and the chloroquine, measuring their effectiveness. It will be monitored by an independent global data and safety monitoring committee and would be administered randomly to patients.

The program does not set out any specific sample size, emphasizing that the greater the enrollment, the more accurate the results will be. But the numbers that can be entered will depend critically on how large the epidemic becomes, according to the protocol of the solidarity trial.

We see that it is important for us to support and participate in this program. We are going to join the program through WHO Indonesia, starting with remdesivir, Acep said.

Remdesivir, an antiviral treatment made by United States-based Gilead Sciences, is in the final stages of clinical trials in Asia and doctors in China have reported it as effective in fighting the disease, according to AFP. Among numerous vaccines and treatments under development, remdesivir is the closest to market availability. It was originally developed for use against the Ebola virus. The drugmaker is expected to report early results of tests of the experimental medicine in April.

Acep said that the trial in Indonesia would be led by the Health Ministry's Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes) and "of course will involve experts and hospitals".

"We are waiting for further guidance from WHO," he said.

Chairul Anwar Nidom, the chair of Airlangga University's Avian Influenza Research Center, warned that such trials should not ignore the safety of the patients.

It is acceptable  not permissible  but acceptable [to start trialing new drugs] given the [serious] threat of the outbreak. But we cannot ignore the safety of patients who are trialed with the drugs. We dont want this to have dual purposes  humanitarian and commercial interests, he said.

Nafrialdi from the Clinical Research Support Unit at the University of Indonesias School of Medicine said if Indonesia participated in the WHO-led study, there would be various protocols that could be shortened, but it should not overlook the ethical aspects.

The most important thing is informed consent from the patient, so they have to know what the goals are and what the possible side effects are. This is the standard, and most families would sign up for that, he said.

Experts have also pointed out that even though the medicines had shown good results in other countries, the drugs might not work for the Indonesian people, who live in a tropical climate.

Such concern was raised last week when President Joko Jokowi Widodo said the government planned to import two kinds of medicines that were reportedly effective in fighting the disease, namely Avigan  commonly used to treat COVID-19 patients in Japan  and chloroquine.

Jokowi said the government had imported 5,000 packs of Avigan while ordering 2 million more. There were also 3 million packs of chloroquine available, which is believed to help fight COVID-19, even though an antivirus has yet to be discovered.

Both of the medicines have not been clinically proven to stop COVID-19, but medical personnel in several countries have been using Avigan and chloroquine to treat symptoms in patients.

Nidom said it would actually take two to three years of testing before a drug could be commercially marketed, and it would take much longer to find a vaccine, normally around seven years.
A SsangYong Motor plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of SsangYong Motor



By Nam Hyun-woo



SsangYong Motor is suffering an aggravated business environment, but the company sees a silver lining as it is achieving stable labor-management relations, one of the main drivers helping the company to rebound, according to industry officials, Sunday.



SsangYong Motor said its union and management agreed on two self-salvaging plans last year to help the company survive in the current downturn across the automobile industry, and to seek sustainable growth.



In the first plan, made last September, the two sides agreed to reducing or stopping 22 employee "welfare benefits" including gifts on national holidays and incentives for long-term employees. They will also encourage employees who have worked there for longer than 25 years to take sabbatical leave.



The second plan involves the company making more aggressive improvements to its balance sheet by reducing labor costs. In the plan, employees have agreed to return some of their incentives and other bonuses, and to reduce rates for annual leave payments.



Even though the plan costs an average 10 million won ($8,000) per employee, more than 90 percent of executives and employees of SsangYong Motor agreed, expressing their commitment to helping the company rebound from its tough situation.



SsangYong Motor had a thorny labor-management dispute in 2009 following mass layoffs, but has been achieving stable relations since then, reaching wage agreements annually over the past 10 years without strikes or sit-ins.



Last week, the company agreed to assign 47 employees who were sacked in 2009 and reinstated in 2018. At that time, the company reinstated 119 workers, but put 47 of them on paid leave citing management difficulties.



The decision drew a positive response as it came amid plant shutdowns stemming from parts shortages after the COVID-19 outbreak.



Industry officials said labor disputes are one of the most critical factors dragging down domestic carmakers' growth, but companies can overcome these difficulties on the basis of stable labor relations.



"Though SsangYong Motor and Hyundai Motor finished their wage negotiations without a dispute last year, some companies continue to have union showdowns, and this lost the Korean automobile industry its opportunity to become the world No. 6," Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association President Jung Man-ki said.



SsangYong Motor said its stable labor relations are providing a solid ground for the company to weather the current industrial downturn and pursue sustainable growth.



According to the company, it will seek to exploit its strategic partnership with Mahindra Group and pursue vehicle platform sharing and new car development to contain investment risks and secure cost competitiveness. The company said Mahindra, its largest stakeholder, is also considering various support plans for SsangYong to make aggressive investments.



In January, Mahindra & Mahindra Managing Director and SsangYong board Chairman Pawan Goenka visited a SsangYong plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and met with leaders of the company's union. During the meeting, he pledged Mahindra will fully serve its role and responsibility as the largest stakeholder of SsangYong.



"Based on cooperative labor relations, SsangYong will continue to pursue the shared objectives of growth and job security by securing product competitiveness and increased sales," a SsangYong Motor official said.



"Pre-emptive efforts to improve the company's cost structure will become the foundation for the company to seek sustainable growth and all members of SsangYong will spare no effort to overcome the current difficulties."


Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday expressed his condolences as the bodies of 17 security personnel, who were missing after an encounter with Naxals in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, were found on Sunday.

"I am hurt after hearing the that 17 jawans were killed and 14 jawans were injured in a clash with Naxals in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. I express deep condolences toward the families of the martyrs and I pray that the injured will recover soon," Gandhi said on Twitter.

"Bodies of 17 security personnel were recovered by a search team and were being evacuated from forests," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI on Sunday.

Earlier, in a major joint offensive, separate teams of nearly 600 personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) - an elite unit of CRPF, launched an anti-Naxal operation from three sides towards Elmagunda after getting inputs about a huge gathering of ultras there on Saturday.

When the patrolling teams were near Minpa village forests, a group of around 250 heavily armed ultras ambushed them, leaving 15 personnel injured, the officer said, adding that the gun battle lasted for about two-and-a-half hours, he said.

"Later, 17 personnel were found to be missing for which a search operation was launched. Today, their bodies have been recovered and the search team is on the way back," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The coronavirus pandemic is causing panic in Australia's hotel sector, with bookings and occupancy rates plummeting in the past week.

Hotel companies are facing unprecedented challenges, with few people staying in hotels or likely to do so for some time and occupancy rates expected to drop to 10 per cent.

Julian Clark is the chief executive and co-owner of the Lancemore Group of hotels which is grappling with the business impact of coronavirus. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Julian Clark runs the Lancemore Group of hotels and warned there could be 75,000 people unemployed in the sector within a month, a figure backed by Tourism Accommodation Australia.

The Lancemore Group was started by Mr Clark's mother 34 years ago and the group's hotels include The Lindenderry in Red Hill, The Mansion Hotel in Werribee and The Larmont in Sydney.
US Admits Taliban Offensive Is Whittling IS's Grip on Afghanistan

By Jeff Seldin March 20, 2020

Almost a week since the Afghan Taliban trumpeted the defeat of the Islamic State in Afghanistan's Kunar province, U.S. officials remain wary, though they concede the terror group's grip on territory in rural areas appears to be slipping.

The latest assessment is consistent with U.S. appraisals of previous claims by both Taliban and Afghan government officials, which they say, while based in fact, have at times overstated gains against one of the Islamic State's most resilient and dangerous affiliates.

"The Taliban's campaign against ISIS-Khorasan in Kunar province is consistent with Taliban public statements to rout the group from Afghanistan," a U.S. counterterrorism official told VOA, using an acronym for the terror group.

"ISIS-Khorasan has continued to face pressure from the Taliban in Kunar province this year," the official said, cautioning, "Recent attacks in Kabul claimed by ISIS-Khorasan indicate the group is still active and capable of conducting attacks in urban centers."

Taliban officials first started sharing word of the Islamic State's defeat in Kunar on March 14, saying it was the result of a 14-day operation that took advantage of better weather across the mountainous, northeastern Afghan province.

"The entire province of Kunar was cleared of Daesh criminals and the people were rescued through this victory," the Taliban said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for the terror group.

The statement also claimed 114 IS-Khorasan members surrendered to Taliban forces, while more than 100 others fled.

But U.S. officials have pushed back against the idea that the Taliban alone were responsible for the recent gains.

"Several dozen ISIS-Khorasan fighters have also surrendered to Afghan forces over the past few weeks," the counterterrorism official said, noting ongoing operations by both the Afghan government and the U.S.-led coalition.

Top U.S. military officials also argue the Taliban's efforts against IS-Khorasan, also known as IS-K or ISIS-K, have benefited from "very limited" U.S. support.

"We suspended actively pursuing Taliban units engaged with ISIS-K," a military official said on the condition of anonymity, pointing to fighting late last year in Nangarhar province.

"We also conducted some strikes on known ISIS-K locations," the official said. "However, those strikes were not coordinated with the Taliban."

'A bloody mess'

But top U.S. officials admit that Taliban efforts against IS-Khorasan have proven effective.

"We've watched the Taliban compress and crush ISIS's presence on the ground in southern Nangarhar province," U.S. Central Command's General Kenneth McKenzie told lawmakers earlier this month.

"That's some of the worst terrain in the world," he said. "It was a bloody mess, but they did it."

Yet questions persist about just how debilitating defeats in Nangarhar province and elsewhere have been for IS-Khorasan.

Recent U.S. estimates on the number of IS-Khorasan fighters have varied between 1,000 and as many as 5,000. Just last month, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said it was possible IS-Khorasan had "lost up to half its force" because of pressure from coalition, Afghan and Taliban operations.

Still, U.S. military official caution they have "low confidence" in the lower estimates. They note that IS-Khorasan has been repeatedly pushed to the brink, losing key leaders while seeing its numbers whittled to the low hundreds, only to bounce back.

"Losing territory does not equate to the end of ISIS and its affiliates," a Defense Department inspector general's report concluded last month. "Even when ISIS-K was based in Nangarhar, it had established cells in other parts of the country and demonstrated the ability to spread and recruit."

Looking ahead

Some analysts also caution that the leaders of IS-Khorasan, like their counterparts in Iraq and Syria, may be less focused on holding territory, instead looking to lay the groundwork for a larger resurgence after U.S. forces leave Afghanistan.

U.S. intelligence indicates that despite having lost territory in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, IS-Khorasan still has strongholds in Herat province and parts of Kabul, while maintaining smaller cells in Helmand, Kapisa and Baghlan provinces.

There are also indications that IS-Khorasan is focusing on more global ambitions.

"Of all of the branches and networks of ISIS, ISIS-K is certainly one of those of most concern," Russell Travers, former acting director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, told lawmakers last November.

"They have attempted, certainly, to inspire attacks outside of Afghanistan," he said, adding "they certainly have got the desire" to carry out the attacks themselves.

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In Sa Pobla, the potato export season is continuing despite the uncertainties caused by the crisis.

Joan Mateu of Mateu Export says that everything depends on what happens in the UK. The export is as it has been for some weeks, but any change could force producers into stopping work. For now, there is "normality", with all necessary health and safety measures being adopted and support being given to farmers.

Joan Company of the S'Esplet cooperative explains that in the past few days there were two more lorry loads than had been expected - ten in all. One of the main problems, he notes, lies with the obstacles to international transportation. "There are some carriers who don't want to come back to Spain."

S'Esplet is organising shifts so that as few a number of people are working together at the same time. Safety measures include the wearing of face masks.

Importing countries have as yet not made any extra demands regarding the packaging of the potatoes. There is confidence that, if there were, they could be complied with. However, there are worries that the UK and Scandinavian countries could impose product entry restrictions.

The current export season was looked upon with optimism because of the extension to Brexit negotiations. There still is, because the Sa Pobla potato is highly regarded in the UK. Joan Mateu adds: "There is the support of the British market, with which we have had a relationship for almost a century and which has backed us at very critical moments."

Mateu Export anticipates a total export for this year of 11,500 tonnes plus 2,000 tonnes for the Spanish market and 1,500 tonnes in the Balearics. It has 65% of the market; S'Esplet 35%.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 07:11:37|Editor: Lu Hui

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Policemen check a motorcyclist in Rome, Italy, March 22, 2020. The coronavirus epidemic continued to spread in locked-down Italy on Sunday with total cumulative number of infected cases reaching 59,138 and deaths reaching 5,476, according to the latest data released by the Civil Protection Department. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)

BRUSSELS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- With surging confirmed COVID-19 cases, European nations adopted a raft of further measures on Sunday to peg back the contagion, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put herself in quarantine after a doctor she met Friday tested positive.

INCREASING CASELOAD

Italy, which has been hit hardest by the epidemic in Europe, saw no abating sign in the spread of the novel coronavirus on Sunday. The sum of infections, deaths and recoveries now stands at 59,138, up from 53,578 of Saturday, according to the Health Ministry. The authorities also confirmed that 12 Civil Protection staff members have tested positive.

Meanwhile, France has seen its first coronavirus death of health staff. A doctor from Compiegne hospital in l'Oise, one of the worst affected regions in the country, died of infection on Saturday, said Director General of Health Jerome Salomon. France has confirmed 16,018 coronavirus infection cases, 35 percent of whom are aged under 65.

In Spain, the number of confirmed cases rose to 28,572 on Sunday, and 1,720 people have lost their lives to the disease. The Czech Republic, North Macedonia and Romania recorded their first deaths from the COVID-19 on the same day.

Also on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to immediately quarantine herself at home and take tests over the next few days after she was informed that the doctor who gave her a pneumococcal vaccination was diagnosed with COVID-19.

"The Chancellor will also conduct her official affairs from home quarantine," said government spokesman Steffen Seibert. According to Deutsche Presse Agentur, Germany reported more than 24,100 COVID-19 cases with 90 deaths by Sunday.

BEEFING UP MEASURES

Before being informed of the confirmed case, Merkel told a press conference that Germany will prohibit public gatherings of more than two, but relatives who live in their own household are exempt from the ban.

German citizens are advised to reduce contacts with other people outside their own household to the least, and a minimum distance of 1.5 meters must be kept, preferably two meters.

Celebration gatherings in public places, at home and in private institutions are unacceptable, considering the current serious situation, Merkel said, adding that violations of the contact restriction will be sanctioned.

The restriction measures will be in effect for at least two weeks, showing "care for the elderly and ill people, " "in brief, save lives, " Merkel said.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday that his government was seeking to extend the current state of emergency, which was declared on March 14, for another 15 days after the end of the initial period.

In Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in an address broadcast live on public broadcaster ERT a nationwide lockdown as part of measures to contain the further spread of the novel coronavirus.

The measure takes effect from Monday 6:00 a.m. local time, he said. All unnecessary movement of people is prohibited.

"It must be taken on time, so it is not taken in vain... We need bold and timely initiatives," Mitsotakis stated.

In Denmark, the authorities have acknowledged that the exact number of infections may be much higher in society since only those with clear symptoms have been tested. The Health Ministry announced an expansion of its COVID-19 testing strategy.

"We are working hard to increase test capacity with both private and public parties, and I want to work with the regions to execute this offensive testing strategy across the country," said Minister for Health and Elderly Affairs Magnus Heunicke in a press release.

CHINA LENDS A HELPING HAND

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Sunday that Chinese medical experts are "the most valuable resource in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection."

Brnabic made the remark while meeting with the six Chinese medical experts along with Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar and Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo.

Noting that the novel coronavirus is still under-explored, Brnabic said Serbia put its biggest hopes in the Chinese expertise.

"The People's Republic of China is a country that has remarkably confronted the COVID-19 virus and we are extremely happy to have you here with us. There are currently no people in the world who know more about this infectious disease and whose experiences would be more useful to us who are currently fighting the battle with the coronavirus. Thank you very much once again for being with us," said Brnabic, according to a release from the government's press office.

Meanwhile in Cyprus, Chinese Ambassador to the country Huang Xingyuan said a batch of medical supplies is en route to Cyprus from China.

"We are keeping close track of the first dispatch of med supplies already on their way from China to Cyprus. May they arrive in time to aid Cyprus' combat against COVID-19 at this critical point," the ambassador tweeted.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 02:58:36|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian official on Sunday criticized World Bank for failing to invite Iran to a recent regional meeting related to the novel coronavirus outbreak, official IRNA news agency reported.

On Thursday, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East North Africa (MENA), Ferid Belhaj, convened finance ministers and central bank governors' meeting from the MENA region to discuss their needs and the response to COVID-19.

"Unfortunately, Iran was not invited to the meeting. While the containment of the pandemic needs more global cooperation, the affected countries indeed expect unwavering and inclusive support from the World Bank," Iran's representative to World Bank Hossein Mir Shojaian Hosseini was quoted as saying.

On March 12, the Central Bank of Iran applied for a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

"According to IMF's proclamation and considering the widespread outbreak of the coronavirus in our country, we asked for around 5 billion U.S. dollars from rapid-disbursing emergency financing, considering the Islamic Republic of Iran's quota in the fund," said Abdolnaser Hemmati, Iran's central banker.

Hosseini said on Sunday that Iran is still waiting for the IMF response for the loan application.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also urged the IMF "to adhere to its mandate and act responsibly with regard to those countries affected by novel coronavirus," according to IRNA.

Iran's Health Ministry said on Sunday that a total of 21,638 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus, of whom 1,685 have died.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Theres a merry band of community organizers in Espanola, but theyre not stealing from the rich. And Ralph Martinez, the lightning rod at the center of the groups activity, is more of a Pied Piper than a Robin Hood.

Its hard to keep up with Martinezs philanthropic efforts in the Espanola Valley. Last weekend, he was showing off the improvements to Espanola Pathways Shelter, Rio Arriba Countys first homeless shelter, at 216 N. Riverside Drive in Espanola. The center is housed in former chiropractors offices in a shopping mall.

Riding shotgun was Roger Montoya, co-founder of Moving Arts Espanola. Montoya was honored in December as one of CNNs 10 Heroes of 2019 for his after-school programs that offer children training in music, dance, art and gymnastics, as well gives them as a hot meal. Montoya is running for the state House of Representatives in District 40, which includes parts of Colfax, Rio Arriba and San Miguel counties.

Earlier this month, Martinez and his merry band held an after-work meeting at Dennys, plotting how to get meals to the elderly during the coronavirus crisis. Other members of the de facto steering committee included Toby Morfin, a muralist who has just memorialized Renezmae Calzada, a murdered 5-year-old, on an Espanola fire station; celebrity chef Fernando Ruiz, best known for winning the Beat Bobby Flay competition; Divino band members Andrea Michelle Lucero and Anthony R. Lucero; and Eric Quintana, co-founder of Performance Maintenance Inc., whom the Santa Fe New Mexican dubbed northern New Mexicos clean green king.

Any of them alone is a powerhouse in his or her own right. Together, they are unstoppable in their desire to lift up their community, which has been ravaged by the opioid epidemic and attendant crime. And they get plenty of help from behind the scenes, ranging from members of Espanolas Sikh community to Pueblo of Pojoaque Gov. Joseph Talachy.

Working with Jeanette R. Ortiz of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and other local groups, Martinez and his friends plan to distribute care boxes to at-risk elderly residents in the Espanola Valley. Helping to fill up

those boxes are donations of meat from Ruiz, disinfectants, toilet paper, power towels and hand soaps contributed by Roger A. Gonzales of Chicanos Por La Causa and Quintana. Talachy and the pueblo pitched in with multiple cases of water.

The collaborations that weve been able to piece together between organizations has been beautiful to watch, Martinez said.

While you might find Martinez onstage emceeing a watch party at Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino, along with Andrea Michelle Romero, his main interest these days is getting the homeless shelter up and running. The idea is to take a holistic approach to get people off the streets and keep them there permanently. There are about 150 homeless people in Rio Arriba County, according to Martinezs estimates.

Martinez, who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory, is well acquainted with the obstacles facing the homeless. He was addicted to drugs for 11 years, from 2001 to 2012, and homeless for the last six years of that period.

During that time, Martinez sought shelter in a variety of places around town, including tents and abandoned buildings, and even by the bosque.

As a first step toward operating a homeless shelter, the city of Espanola allowed Pathways to open a warming center earlier in the year. It is a small-scale operation, allowing people to take shelter during bad weather. Visitors can check in between 6 and 9 p.m. To stay overnight, they are asked to fill out a short questionnaire. Their possessions are put into storage, and they are given a sleeping mat, blankets and food.

There is plenty of food for them to eat. We have some tables they can sit at, games that they can play, puzzles they can put together, as well as a TV and a DVD player where they can watch movies, Martinez said.

There are no showers at the temporary facility, and overnight guests must leave by 7:30 a.m.

The warming center has been operating real bare-bones, he said.

During the two months or so that the warming center has been open, Martinez said, Pathways has been reluctant to release data about its visitors because of the limited scope of the facility, which can handle only 10 people a night.

As part of its holistic approach, Pathways plans to offer crisis services, including access to drug and alcohol treatment, and other behavioral services, and life skill development, as well as workforce development and education.

On its website, Pathways says, Most homeless people need a variety of supportive services to effectively transition into productive, stable living. We offer an evidence-based approach, as well as a wrap-around supportive services model that provides comprehensive care alongside shelter and vital links to more permanent housing and stability.

The shelter recently hired Dena Moscola, a Santa Fe resident, as its director after vetting six candidates. Martinez said the center hired two homeless individuals to serve on the panel interviewing the finalists for the job to get some real-life input. He said Moscola was selected because she had extensive experience in team- and character-building.

Now, Pathways is waiting to obtain 501(c)3 certification, which will give it nonprofit status. Until then, the shelter is under the umbrella of the New Mexico Coalition for the Homeless, said Martinez, president of Pathways board of directors.

When it opens in May, Pathways will have a dormitory for 10 men

and one for 10 women, both with bathroom and showers, and two rooms for families that may need shelter for a short period of time. The dorms are being constructed on the buildings first floor, and the second floor will be eventually be used for workforce development.

As Montoya, who founded Moving Arts with his partner Salvador Ruiz-Esquivel, noted, Its important to get the model right in the beginning before you try to scale up.

He knows of what he speaks: Moving Arts currently offers about 40 classes in a smorgasbord of performing arts to 450 kids.

Martinez cant help himself from thinking big.

Eventually, we want to have a Pathways cafe, space for artists to be able to work on whatever arts they have. Were looking at a Pathways landscaping business to be able to beautify the city, he said.

One thing is certain: Martinez wont be working in a vacuum. In addition to having a full-time director and staff with appropriate training, Pathways will have the benefit of the Dennys brain trust.
22.03.2020 LISTEN

President Akufo-Addo, has declared March 25, a national day of fasting and prayers to seek the face of God in the fight against COVID-19.

"Let us pray to God to protect our nation and save us from this pandemic," he said in a national broadcast on Saturday night, his third to update the citizens on the status of disease in Ghana and efforts at combating it.

Ghana has currently confirmed 21cases with one death. The other 20 are responding to treatment, with eight of the patients whose condition have improved being managed from their homes.

The President said while citizens must strictly comply strictly with the prescribed preventive and response measures to deal with the pandemic, it was important to seek divine help and protection, therefore, both Christians and Muslims must pray to their God.

He expressed appreciation to the Christian and Muslim clerics who prayed for the nation on Thursday and Friday, respectively, for their commitment to the national cause.

He also commended all those working in the frontline, especially health, police, immigration and other security personnel, to contain the disease and provide essential care.

The President additionally thanked public-spirited entrepreneurs who were ensuring the availability of hand sanitizers and veronica buckets to facilitate the observation of personal hygiene.

---GNA
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




CLEVELAND, Ohio  One of the fastest-growing trends in the Ohio judicial system is the sentence of life in prison without parole, adding momentum to a move away from the death penalty.

While some are pleased with the shift away from executions, which are costly to take to trial and uphold, others say that life without parole has its own drawbacks: It doesnt allow for the possibility that offenders can change.

The number of Ohio inmates sentenced to life in prison without parole has jumped by 150 percent, from 283 in 2010 to 703 through February.

The rise of life without parole has gone unnoticed in Ohio, said Ashley Nellis, a senior analyst at the Sentencing Project, a research organization in Washington, D.C., that seeks criminal justice reform and fairness in sentencing. Ive been stunned to see how fast it has increased.

Ohio is far from alone. A report last month by the Sentencing Project says life without parole is the fastest-growing type of life sentence in the country. It coincides with the drop in the number of death-penalty cases.

In 2010, Ohio prosecutors filed 73 indictments seeking execution, according to records filed with the Ohio Supreme Court. Last year, they filed 19, a drop of 74 percent in that time span.

In 1990, at the height of the push for the death penalty and the nations get-tough approach on crime, prosecutors brought 173 indictments.

The decline of death-penalty indictments and the spike in the number of life without parole sentences appears to have a moral component.

Life without parole has become the sentence that jurors are more comfortable with, said Kevin Werner, policy director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. It is more preferable than the death penalty. We are realizing that mistakes can be made.

Michael Benza, a senior instructor at Case Western Reserve Universitys School of Law, agreed: If a person is sentenced to life without parole and a mistake is made, we can fix it. We cant fix mistakes after an execution.

Striking numbers in Cuyahoga

The numbers are even more striking in Cuyahoga County, which leads the state in inmates sentenced to life without parole with more than 110. Judges in the states two other largest counties, Franklin and Hamilton, have sentenced inmates to about 70 each.

The Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., said 22 inmates were executed in the United States last year. By comparison, 98 were put to death in 1999, the most in recent years.

Ohio last executed an inmate in June 2018, when it put to death Robert Van Hook, a Cincinnati killer convicted of aggravated murder in the stabbing death of his neighbor.

The state has given its 140 inmates on death row a reprieve because it cannot come up with the drugs needed for lethal injection, which is the only way Ohio law permits an inmate to be executed. Cuyahoga County has 24 inmates on death row.

In part, Ohio county prosecutors say they have moved away from the death penalty because of costs, which can reach $3 million for one case because of years of trial public defender fees, incarceration, expert reports, and the state and federal appeals process.

The financial strain is more than many smaller counties can handle. In the case of the slayings of eight family members in Pike County, the Ohio Attorney Generals office allocated $1.1 million to take four people to trial on charges that could result in the death penalty.

The four  Billy Wagner, his wife Angela and their sons George and Jake  are being held in jail pending their trials. Their cases are not expected to go to trial until late this year or next. The victims, eight members of the Rhoden family, were killed in 2016.

The imposition of life without parole is nearly as costly, especially considering that as inmates age, the costs to care for them increases dramatically.

This year, in Ohio, those inmates will cost taxpayers nearly $20 million. Officials estimate that the costs will begin hitting taxpayers harder when the large number of younger inmates begin to age in the next 30 to 40 years.

Take Yaphet Bradley.

He shot and stabbed Miriam Johnson, 31, the mother of his three children, and hid her body in an abandoned home near East 74th Street in Cleveland in 2018. He pleaded guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year.

Bradley is 37. It will cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million to house, feed and provide medical services to him if he reaches the age of 80, according to interviews, prison records and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

An asset, not a drain

Nationally, more than 53,000 inmates are serving life without parole. Thats up from 33,793 in 2003, according to the Sentencing Project, which takes issue with the sentence.

Life without parole is unnecessary, senior analyst Nellis said. People age out of their crimes. They can become assets, not drains. Im not naive. It doesnt happen in every case, but it can happen.

Others arent convinced.

Law enforcement officials say the sentence is vital to keeping the states most violent predators behind bars and away from residents.

Timothy McGinty, a retired Cuyahoga County judge and prosecutor, called life without parole an option that must be considered in heinous homicide cases. In fact, he was a promoter of it while in office.

It is a half-inch below the death penalty, McGinty said.

He said he favors the death penalty for certain cases, including the most violent, abhorrent crimes, where authorities are certain that a person is guilty and that the case can stand up to years of appeals.

Prosecutors and judges have pushed for life in prison without parole in some circumstances, including to prevent victims or their families from dealing with the strain of appeals that come with a death penalty case.

In September, Jonathan Mann wrote an opinion column on the death penalty for The Columbus Dispatch. In it, he discussed how Thomas Knuff had recently been sentenced to death for killing Manns father, John, in Parma Heights in 2017.

Mann wrote, The death penalty shifts attention and resources from people who really need it: the victims families.

Instead of spending money on a death sentence, the state needs to discuss and fund ways for people like me to heal.

More stories by John Caniglia:

Rape of 95-year-old with dementia raises questions about Ohios assisted-living regulations

A matriarchs fight: Fredericka Wagner denies charges, allegations in Pike County mass murder

Unfathomable: How 1.6 million pills from a small-town doctor helped fuel the opioid crisis in Ohio
Hyderabad, March 22 : It is a shutdown of different kind in Telangana, which witnessed many shutdowns a few years ago for separate statehood. From shutdowns to protests earlier, it's now shutdown to protect.

India's youngest state began 24-hour shutdown Sunday morning, adding 10 hours to the 'Janata curfew' called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat coronavirus.

Normal life came to a standstill as buses of state-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) went off the roads while trains came to a halt across the state as the 24-hour shutdown commenced at 6 a.m.

Hyderabad Metro and Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) trains were also suspended, bringing public transport to a grinding halt.

People queued up early in the morning to buy milk at several places in Hyderabad. The panic was visible as customers vied with each other to procure milk packets. Morning walkers and others also carried on their daily chores.

However, main city arteries were almost deserted. Only few vehicles were plying. An overwhelming majority of people are likely to remain indoors.

Shops, business establishments and hotels remained closed. Essential services like milk, vegetables supply, police, ambulances, hospitals, medical shops, petrol bunks, water and power supply have been exempted.

Appealing to people to voluntarily participate in the shutdown, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao said Telangana should set an example for the entire country. Rao, who had led the movement for statehood to Telangana, observed that shutdowns are not new for the state.

"It's not new. We have seen shutdowns for several days. The people should also make this shutdown a total success as only these measures can protect us from this pandemic," KCR said at a news conference.

The state has so far reported 21 COVID-19 positive cases. The first secondary transmission came to light on Saturday, sending the alarm bells ringing. Son of a man, who had returned from Dubai, tested positive on March 19.

KCR has not ruled out a total lockdown in the state to check the spread of coronavirus. He also hinted at closing the borders with neighbouring Maharashtra, which recorded the highest number of cases in India.

The Telangana government has already taken several measures like stepping up surveillance on the people who came from abroad this month to ensure they spend 14 days in quarantine, closure of all educational institutions, ban on public congregations, function halls, gyms, swimming pools, amusement parks, museums, zoos, indoor and outdoor stadiums.
During our investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, he called me several times to arrange meetings.

The first occasion was in the autumn of 2015.

I was sitting at lunch with two of my law partners when I got a call on my mobile phone that showed the incoming number as 0000000000.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, with Virginia Roberts, aged 17, at Ghislaine Maxwell's apartment in London. The photo was developed in March 2001

I had never seen a phone number come up like that, so I walked outside and answered the call. Brad, its Jeffrey. Lets meet face to face.

When I asked why, he responded: I want to see if theres a way for us to finally get divorced from one another.

This was his way of implying that he wanted to find a way to resolve all cases that involved him.

The call told me he was concerned.

We arranged to meet the next morning at a Starbucks in Boca Raton, Florida.

Yes, this was unusual. But things between us were far beyond anything lawyers could fix. It was just gamesmanship, part of an eight-year legal chess game between a genius sociopath and me, a lawyer in the business of playing legal chess against bad guys.

I showed up to the Starbucks first. Epstein appeared wearing his customary grey sweatpants and blue suede slippers with the collar turned up on his monogrammed polo shirt.

We talked for an hour about our philosophical differences, our factual and legal disagreements.

He thought female sexual availability should be determined by biology and not established by arbitrary social norms  or the law. Under his law, science was all that mattered. Pre-pubescence, therefore, was where he drew the line.

According to Epstein, the age of consent, if dictated by anything other than biology, was arbitrary  which was a word signifying that it should have no application in any aspect of his life.

Prince Andrew pictured waving to a brunette from Jeffrey Epsteins Manhattan home in 2010

How could a female whose body was able to bear children not be given the choice to perform the acts necessary to give birth?

In his own twisted ideology, he thought he was invincible. He basically said as much. He loved to name-drop to let me know how important and protected he was. The more we talked, the clearer certain things about him became. He was a very torn soul.

He wanted to resolve his legal problems, all of which stemmed from his sexually deviant behaviour, but he didnt really want to change that behaviour.

He loved to make jokes that were particularly inappropriate for the situation. He said something along the lines of, Brad, lets put our heads together and figure out how we can massage the narrative to make it more fair to me, before staring at me and pausing. Then he added: My kind of massage, of course.

These types of childish statements were irresistible for Epstein. He would snicker afterwards, expecting a reciprocal laugh.

While at Starbucks, Jeffrey looked at me and said: You know, some of what Virginia [Roberts] is saying isnt right.

What part? I asked.

The Duke of York with Emily Maitlis, who interviewed him for a BBC Newsnight special. Prince Andrew has repeatedly and strenuously denied Miss Robertss claims

Didnt Virginia say she and Ghislaine had a threesome with Prince Andrew over in Ghislaines apartment in London? He was clearly trying to embellish things to make her appear unbelievable.

I corrected him: No. She didnt say anything about a threesome, but now that you bring it up, she did say that she was with you and Ghislaine at the apartment in London when Prince Andrew came over and stayed the night. You instructed her to entertain him. Theres even a picture to prove most of that.

He said: Theres a problem. Now I remember. She said she took a bath with Andy. If I could show you how small Ghislaines bath was in that apartment, it would be tough for two people to fit.

This seemed like a weak point to force. How about the threesomes with you and Ghislaine where Virginia was made to dress up as a Catholic schoolgirl and sometimes in latex outfits, I said. That certainly doesnt seem far-fetched given that Juan Alessi [Epsteins former housekeeper] testified about Ghislaines sex toys and we know you particularly enjoy the schoolgirls in uniform.

He smirked and said: Does Ghislaine look like my type to you? Dont you know me better by now?

He loved to make comments like that, poking fun at the fact that he was attracted to young girls, a category into which Ghislaine Maxwell did not fall.

 Bradley J Edwards, 2020

By The Mail on Sunday, based on Relentless Pursuit: My Fight For The Victims Of Jeffrey Epstein, by Bradley J Edwards, published by S&S on March 31, priced at 20. Offer price 16 (20 per cent discount) until April 30. To preorder, go to mailshop.co.uk or call 01603 648155. Free delivery on all orders  no minimum spend
Atanga Nji in Bamenda March 22, 2020 Facebook

Cameroons Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul says the parliamentary election rerun Sunday, March 22, 2020 in some parts of the North West and South West Regions went on without any major incident, despite reports of gunshots in some places.

Based on exit-poll reports from Administrative Authorities, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Governments Agent in the electoral process, stated unequivocally that Sunday's polls were calm, free and fair.

At the close of the polls, Minister Atanga Nji said: No major incident likely to affect the smooth conduct of this by-election or its credibility has been reported by administrative authorities and law enforcement officers. Like in the past, Administrative Authorities, alongside defence and security forces, provided ELECAM with appropriate security coverage in its mission, and this, to the satisfaction of all the political stakeholders involved. Accredited observers, who opted to go to the field, did their work freely. Results will be proclaimed by the Constitutional Council, the only body vested with the powers to do so.

Sundays election rerun follows Constitutional Council decision no. 29/SRCER/G/20 of February 25, 2020 to cancel the election of Members of Parliament in the following eleven constituencies: North West Region  Menchum North, Bui West, Mezam South, Bui Centre, Bui South, Mezam Centre, Momo East, Menchum South, Momo West and Mezam North  and South West Region  Lebialem.

The partial annulment of the outcome of the February 9, 2020 legislative elections came after the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, seized the Constitutional Council citing irregularities that breached laws relating to elections in the country.

SDF lawyers and candidates had prayed the Constitutional Council to partially annul the elections on grounds of insecurity, and the creation of polling centres which disenfranchised their voters.

At press time Sunday night, reports talked of gunshots in Santa, Batibo (Momo West) and Mbengwi (Momo East) as polls timidly unfolded. Armed separatists in these areas are said to have engaged defence and security forces in desperate efforts to frustrate the election.

Late Sunday evening, a 15-minute sustained gun battle was reported around the vicinity hosting the GMI polling station in Bamenda. Defense and security forces are said to have repelled armed separatist rebels who sought to ruin the polls. A video that went viral on social media showed some persons at the polling station prostrating as gunshots could be heard.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday ordered complete lockdown in the state to contain the spread of coronavirus, officials said.

Only essential services will be exempted from the lockdown. The formal order for complete lockdown to be issued shortly

On Sunday, roads and public places in Punjab, Haryana and their common capital were deserted as the jnata curfew proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to counter the spread of coronavirus began.

The 14-hour-long Janata curfew is part of a social distancing exercise to help break the chain of transmission and stop the spread of the virus.

Chandigarh appeared to be a ghost town on Sunday morning. Roads lay empty with no vehicles visible, even on the busiest intersections including transport light point, Tribune Chowk and near the Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) bus stand in Sector 43. Popular haunts like Sukhna Lake and the Sector 17 plaza remained empty.

Also read: Covid-19 update: Air India flight with 263 students from Italy lands in Delhi

Markets were closed except for chemist shops. Milk booths were mostly shut as well. Apartment Societies and other gated communities especially in the Southern Sectors remained shut with the gates closed while police officials could be seen maintaining a vigil in the city.

Earlier Saturday night, the Punjab government ordered a lockdown till March 25 in several districts including Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar.

A government statement on Saturday said Deputy Commissioners should interact with industry associations to work out modalities for proactive closure and they should also appeal to them to compensate labourers and not deduct the wages.

Punjab recorded the highest single-day increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases ion Saturday with 11 people testing positive.
Dubai: Eight Indian sailors stranded without full wages for nine months aboard a ship off the UAE have appealed for help as three of them have fallen sick, according to a media report.

The eight sailors are trapped on the ship, MV Hoot, off the coast of Khor Fakkan since June 2019 after unwittingly embroiling in a legal dispute, The Gulf News reported.

Recently, two of the seamen reportedly developed cold and fever while a third has contracted skin infection.

With no access to healthcare or medicines, the remaining crew members fear it's only a matter of time when they will also fall sick, the paper reported.

"Our condition is deteriorating day by day. We are exhausted both mentally and physically. I don't know how long we could hold on like this, Suresh Kumar, the ship's chief officer, told the newspaper over phone.

He also claimed that the shipping company owed him several months of wages.

Jaspal Singh, 32, who handles engine maintenance, said they are living on borrowed time.

Two of us are running fever and our cook has developed blisters all over his body. We have to ration drinking water as we have no access to fresh water. Many of us haven't taken a proper bath in months, We use sea water to bath ourselves he said.

The sailors said they have written to various authorities but their plight continues.

The offshore supply vessel left Hamariyah Port in Sharjah on June 1 but had barely reached Khor Fakkan when it ran into trouble with coast guards for refueling in mid-sea without permission.

"It wasn't our fault. The ship owner send us a boat carrying diesel. We were just following orders," claimed Kumar.

On June 6, the ship was detained and is since anchored in the same position. The matter is now in Fujairah Court.

The sailors said the ship owner supplies them food every few days but they have no access to fresh water and medicines.

We cannot leave the ship until the court delivers a verdict as our passports and Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDCs) are with authorities, said on of the seamen.

Meanwhile, the ship's owner has asked the stranded sailors to accept half of what they are owed in unpaid wages. Singh said he has turned down the offer.

The ship owner described his offer as a fair deal'.

Everybody is worried about the sailors but nobody thinks about us. The vessel hasn't done any business as it's stuck for months. We are suffering heavy losses. We have been supplying food provisions to the sailors since June. All of this costs money. I wish the men could come ashore, but that's something that not in my hands, the owner said.
Zimbabwe confirms first case of coronavirus

Saudi Press Agency

Friday 1441/7/25 - 2020/03/20

Harare, Mar 20, 2020, SPA -- Zimbabwe today confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a 38-year old man who returned from the United Kingdom on March 15.

--SPA

23:05 LOCAL TIME 20:05 GMT

0019



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Chattanooga firefighters rescued a man from his burning home Saturday in the Lookout Valley area, as well as his pet snake.

It happened at 5:15 p.m. on North Moss Avenue, very close to Fire Station 20.

The crew was at the fire hall when someone ran up and alerted them that smoke was coming from a nearby home. An off-duty firefighter who lives in the area also called to notify them about it and they were able to respond to the scene very quickly.

When the firefighters from Station 20 pulled up, they noticed light smoke coming from the residence and they made entry to attack the fire.

That is when they were told that someone was possibly inside the structure so they conducted a primary search and located the resident.

They got him out, treated him on the scene, and he was transported to the hospital. His condition is unknown, but he did suffer burns on his upper torso.

A pet python was also saved by CFD crews.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The home suffered extensive fire, smoke and water damage.





A second alarm was called due to someone possibly being trapped in the house, but it was later canceled.

Responding units/agencies included Squad 20, Quint 3, Ladder 1, Quint 1, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, Quint 24, Squad 1, CPD, HCEMS and EPB.
President Donald Trump has hit out at China for being "very secretive" in sharing information on its coronavirus outbreak that has claimed over 13,000 lives globally, asserting that the US and the world would have been better prepared if Beijing gave an "advance warning" about the impending crisis.

Speaking at a press briefing here on Saturday, Trump denied reports that the US intelligence reports in January and February had warned of a coming pandemic, saying America did not know about the outbreak until it started coming out publicly.

"Just so you understand, China is not a beneficiary here. China has thousands and thousands of people. China has gone through hell over this. They've gone through hell. I've had conversations with (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping). I just wish they could have told us earlier. They knew they had a problem earlier. I wish they could have said that," Trump said.

For more than a week now, Trump has been addressing the White House press on a daily basis, with each briefing running for more than an hour every day.

"China was very secretive (on coronavirus). Very, very secretive. And that's unfortunate," he told reporters.

Trump reiterated that he greatly respects China and shares a very good relationship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, but expressed his disappointment that Beinjing was dishonest and slow to alert the world about the seriousness of coronavirus.

"I have great respect for that country. I have great respect for the leader of that country and like him. He's a friend of mine. But I wish they would have told us earlier, that they were having a problem," he said.

"Because they were having a big problem and they knew it, and I wish they could have given us an advance warning. Because we could have done a lot of things - as an example, some of the things that we're talking about, where we order them as quickly as we can. If we had a two- or three-month difference in time, it would have been much better," Trump said.

As per latest figures available at Worldometers, the United States with 26,686 confirmed cases has emerged as the third most coronavirus infected country after China (81,054) and Italy (53,578).

A total of 340 deaths have been reported in the US, the sixth worst affected country in terms of fatalities after Italy (4,825), China (3,261), Iran (1,556), Spain (1,378) and France (562).

Trump insisted that the US and the world would have been better prepared but for the more timely information from China.

Trump rejected a report in a leading US daily claiming he had repeatedly ignored warnings as early as January and February that coronavirus could present a huge problem.

"We didn't know about it until it started coming out publicly, but I wish they could have told us earlier about it because we could have come up with a solution," said the president. China, at the same time, he said, has worked very hard. China has lost thousands and thousands of people, he said.

In a tweet, former National Security Advisor John Bolton said that China silenced coronavirus whistleblowers, expelled journalists, destroyed samples, refused CDC help, and concealed counts of deaths and infections.

It is a fact there was a massive coverup. China is responsible, he said.

"The world must act to hold them accountable," Bolton demanded.

However, the Democratic leadership did not agree with Trump's explaination.

"We need to bring people together to fight coronavirus. Blaming China may seem like good politics, but it doesn't solve anything, or mitigate the Trump Administration's failures," said Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff.

"Calling it the 'Chinese virus' only breeds disunity, discrimination and division. Enough already," said Schiff, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a tweet early this week alleged that the president had been turning to racist rhetoric to distract from his failures to take the coronavirus early on.

Trump criticised China over the coronavirus this week, saying Beijing should have acted sooner to warn the world and dismissing criticism that his labelling it the "Chinese Virus" was racist.

The Trump administration has rejected attempts by Chinese officials to blame the virus on the US military.

Globally, the death toll from the virus has risen to 13,048 with more than 307,277 cases reported in over 165 countries and territories, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite earlier promises, a federal senator alleges agencies arent tracking or protecting access to sensitive telecommunications metadata. The implementation of the contentious Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (TIA Act) has been the subject of a rough debate in the Australian parliament.

TIA Act implementation called insufficient

The security of Australians personal metadata has been compromised by the governments cavalier disregard for hard-fought protections implemented to protect it, a federal senator has alleged as the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) wraps up its review of the countrys contentious mandatory telecommunications data retention legislation. The review is due to be completed by 13 April.

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Government authorities have no central database and no centralised public reporting of which organisations are given access to metadata about Australians communications, Jennifer McNeill, first assistant secretary in the Communications and Infrastructure Division of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, conceded under questioning during a recent hearing.

That wasnt good enough, said committee member Senator Anthony Byrne, who sat on the committee that passed the contentious TIA Act  originally intended to support criminal investigations by the countrys 21 law-enforcement organisations.

Our committee was told in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016 that they would be doing everything within their power to limit the number of organisations that could access this metadata, Byrne said. So for me to hear you effectively say that youre not quite sure how many organisations can access this metadata, and then casually say that its a jurisdictional issue, goes against the guarantee that we were given to put the scheme in the first place.  [its] a cavalier disregard for people accessing intrusive information which this parliament had to fight years for.

Industry figures suggest at least 87 organisations have requested access to the metadata stored by telecommunications under the legislation, whose scope has slowly expanded as local governments and private organisations pushed for access to phone usage data that can corroborate the activities of persons of interest.

Early deliberations over the legislation had suggested that police agreed the data should only be available to law-enforcement bodies and that the legislation would be stopped if its scope expanded inappropriately, an annoyed Byrne added during an escalating exchange with an evasive Hamish Hansford, first assistant secretary with the National Security and Law Enforcement Policy Division within the Department of Home Affairs.

The reason PJCIS gave the agencies the new powers was that we would protect access to intrusive data, Byrne said, and prevent the very thing that youve just casually described as happening, from happening.  I was told it would be plugged. It has not been plugged [and] youve indicated to me that youre not seriously wanting to address the issue.

How the telecommunications data retention law has been used

The verbal stoush came as committee members debated the efficacy of the legislation, which took years to pass and has remained controversial throughout its first years.

The legislation has, according to the latest annual report into its operation, cost Australian telecommunications providers $229 million so far, with agencies paying them $46.5 million for access to the data through the end of fiscal 2019.

Some 295,691 authorisations made during fiscal 2018-19 for disclosure of historical telecommunications data, with an additional 27,824 authorisations for disclosure of prospective telecommunications data.

Six journalist information warrants issued to the Australian Federal Police  facilitating the controversial swoop on journalists at the ABC and elsewhere.

The range of uses for the data reflected the fact that some complex crimes take years to investigate and require access up to and beyond the 24-month mandatory retention period, Hansford said, but he was unable to provide specific analysis when pressed for details about how effective the data has been in supporting investigations.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess was more specific in his testimony. The limited fragmented information provided to ASIO by the data retention regime is critical to the majority of our investigations, Burgess said, noting that communications records may be the only intelligence we have available to identify terrorist networks and conspiracies.  It is the bedrock for furthering our investigations and it is critical to our responses.

One case of the datas usage, Burgess said, involved the investigation of a visiting scientists who was undertaking clandestine intelligence activity for a foreign government. Retained metadata allowed ASIO to trace the scientists access to classified material over a decade, evaluating the harm the scientist caused to Australia.
The market responded to measures taken last week to stimulate trading, but some analysts predict a renewed downturn amid the global COVID-19 pandemic

The Egypt Stock Exchange (EGX) has started to recover, regaining close to EGP 20 billion of its capital market losses over the past week amid the global COVID-19 outbreak crisis.

The EGX recovery came on the back of the initiative that the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and Banque du Caire launched at the end of last week that pumped EGP 3 billion into the EGX to offset its losses and improve its performance.

By close of session Sunday, the EGX 30 saw an upward rise of 5.92 percent to reach 9,751 points, the EGX 30 rose by 3.5 percent, while the EGX 100 rose by 4.27 percent.

Sunday's performance was dominated by Egyptian purchases at a net total of EGP 11,639 billion, foreigners recording EGP 1,173 billion, while Arabs recorded only EGP 42,952 million.

Corporates purchases held the lion's share at 97.16 percent, while individual purchases declined to 2.83 percent.

Gross selling among foreigners reached EGP 10,278 billion.

Commenting on the EGX's performance, head of research at SHUAA Securities Amr El-Alfy told Ahram Online that the stock market has started to respond to measures adopted over the past week to energise the market.

El-Alfy added that the response to the NBE and Banque du Caire move was high, while other procedures have not had the same impact because of global fear of COVID-19 that has driven foreigners to sell over the past week and during Sundays session.

The NBE and Banque du Caire have announced that they could increase their allocations for investing in the EGX if necessary, and that has raised confidence in our market and helped it have some breathing space, he said.

However, financial markets expert Mohamed Deshnawy expected that the EGX will not be able to continue surging, citing that purchasing operations have been driven by Egyptian corporations against a selling wave dominated by foreign corporations.

National banks took a wrong decision by pumping investment into the EGX at the current time as global challenges, including the COVID-19 outbreak threat, are becoming increasingly worse. I expect that the EGX will return to a downward trend, albeit at a reduced rate, Deshnawy said.

The EGX lost EGP 162.225 billion from its capital market since the beginning of March amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the past week, the government announced a catalytic package, including measures reducing brokerage commissions and financial market listing fees, and fees of bourse operations by 17 percent, and decreasing fees introduced by Misr for Central Clearing, Depository & Registry Company by 20 percent with maximum of EGP 5,000, or equivalent in hard currency.

Egypts cabinet approved also a package to boost the Egypt Stock Exchange, including reducing the stamp tax for foreign investors from EGP 1.5 to EGP 1.25 per EGP 1,000, until the implementation of a capital gains tax starting 2022.

It has also exempted immediate stock transactions from any stamp tax, to boost trading, and exempted foreign investors from the capital gains tax, postponing implementation for local investors to January 2022.

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The top official in Camden County said Friday a drive-thru coronavirus testing facility has everything it needs to open except testing kits.

Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli said they had expected to have the facility in the main parking lot of Camden County College up and running a month ago.

President Trump told us the kits would be available, Cappelli, a Democrat, said. That was fake news. He was not prepared for this.

Cappelli said Friday the testing site on Peter Cheeseman Road in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township has the personnel and personal protective equipment but not the testing kits. He said he hoped the kits would arrive within the next week.

Rows of white tents are set up in the parking lot. They have portable sinks installed for sanitation. Officials hope the site will be able to do up to 200 test daily when it opens.

It will be staffed with trained medical professionals. A prescription from a doctor will be needed for anyone expecting to get a test and symptoms, including fever, cough and congestion will also need to have been confirmed, officials said.

The state-run coronavirus testing site that opened at Bergen County Community College in Paramus on Friday morning started turning people away just after noon, hours before it was scheduled to close. The site will reopen Saturday, and will swab 350 people for tests before it starts turning people away, the governor said.

A second state testing site is planned for PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. It is expected to open next week.

Twelve positive cases of the global pandemic virus have been diagnosed in Camden County, Cappelli said. The patients are from Barrington, Cherry Hill, Pennsauken, Pine Hill and Voorhees. As of Friday, there were more than 800 confirmed cases in New Jersey, including 11 deaths.

So far, the Camden County patients we know of are all doing well, Cappelli said. He included the first patient diagnosed in Camden County who was hospitalized in Cherry Hill on March 6. He said that patient has been released from the hospital and quarantined at home.

But Cappelli and other public officials are bracing for a dramatic increase in the number of positive cases and are pushing to open the drive-thru testing site.

About 400 tests have been done so far in Camden County, most in Virtua Health System medical centers. Cappelli said Virtua, Cooper and Jefferson, the three major health providers here, all have testing kits, but Jefferson is doing its test primarily at its hospital in Washington Township, Gloucester County. But the first county patient was diagnosed in a Jefferson Hospital in Cherry Hill.

Meanwhile, officials are also scrambling to secure personal protective equipment to first responders. Cappelli said dispatchers are identifying possible coronavirus patients to responders to initiate safety protocols.

Its a life and death situation right now, Cappelli said.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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Hong Kong: From Malaysia to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia ramped up efforts this weekend to stem the coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control.

Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries while Malaysia deployed its army to enforce a lockdown as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 -- a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows.

Outside China -- where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people -- South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with over 8,500 cases.

Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections.

After shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents, Australia has told citizens to cancel their domestic travel plans too as the number of cases tops 1,300.

Pakistan suspended international flights in a desperate bid to prevent the virus spreading in a country with more than 300 reported cases.

Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tests the country's ability to fight the pandemic that has killed more than 13,000 worldwide.

Testing also has been expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people amid concerns that the more than 320 reported cases vastly understate the true scale of the health crisis.

The World Health Organization has called for "aggressive" action in Southeast Asia amid fears a major outbreak of the virus could cause some decrepit health care systems in the region to collapse.

In places where outbreaks appeared to have been brought under control, authorities are now dealing with a second wave of infections as people return from abroad.

Singapore is banning all short-term visitors to the densely populated city-state after a surge of imported cases took its total to 432 -- including its first two deaths on Saturday.

In Hong Kong, where the worst had appeared to be over, the number of cases has nearly doubled in the past week as more people fly back to the financial hub.

Guam confirmed a 68-year-old woman had died of COVID-19, in the first virus-related death in the Pacific.
Public health officials confirmed Sunday two more cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 15 for Montgomery County

The 14th case is a woman in her 40s, who lives in southwest Montgomery County. Her case is connected to a Smith County case, where she recently traveled. She at at home in isolation.

The 15th case is a man in his 40s, who has been in northeast Montgomery County for a work-related purpose. He is currently in isolation at home. His only recent travel is to Houston.

As of 3 p.m. Sunday, MCPHD had been notified of 113 negative and 15 positive test results with results pending for another 145 residents.

Here are updates on Montgomery Countys current cases:

Case 1: A man in his 40s, who lives in northwest Montgomery County, is still hospitalized. He remains in critical condition, but is stable and showing some improvement. He was believed to have become infected with the virus as a result of community spread.

Case 2: A woman in her 40s who lives in southeast Montgomery County. She remains in a hospital in Harris County in critical condition. Her only travel was to New Orleans.

More Information Keep clean Wash hands often for 20 seconds and encourage others to do the same. If no soap and water are available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue away. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Disinfect surfaces, buttons, handles, knobs, and other places touched often. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. For more information, please see www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus See More Collapse

Case 3: A man in his 40s who lives in northwest Montgomery County. He is at home, recovering well. His only travel was to Florida.

Case 4: A woman in her 40s who lives in northwest Montgomery County. She remains at home, doing well. Her case is connected to Case 3.

Case 5: A man in his 50s who lives in southwest Montgomery County. He is in isolation at home. The man had recently traveled to California.

Case 6: A man in his 40s who lives in southwest Montgomery County. He is in isolation at home. The man had recently traveled to California.

Case 7: A woman in her 60s who lives in northwest Montgomery County. She is in isolation at home. She has no recent travel history, and no known contact with other patients.

Case 8: A woman in her 40s who lives in southeast Montgomery County. She is in isolation at home. She had recently traveled to Germany.

Case 9: A man in his 50s who lives in southwest Montgomery County. He is hospitalized in critical but stable condition. His travel history is under investigation.

Case 10: A woman in her 50s who lives in southeast Montgomery County. She is in isolation at home. She attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo March 8.

Case 11: A man in his 90s, who lives in southwest Montgomery County. He is currently hospitalized and has no recent travel history.

Case 12: A man in his 50s, who lives in southwest Montgomery County. He is in isolation at home and recently traveled to Brazil.

Case 13: A woman in her 30s, who lives in northwest Montgomery County. She is in isolation at home. She has no recent travel history.

Case 14: A woman in her 40s, who resides in southwest Montgomery County. Her case is connected to a Smith County where she recently traveled. She at currently at home in isolation.

Case 15: A man in his 40s, who has been in northeast Montgomery County for a work-related purpose. He is currently in insolation at his residence. His only recent travel is to Houston.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
Public health officials said Virginias state lab has the ability to perform testing for over 1,000 patients. Private labs are also taking tests, but the state doesnt have a precise count of their capacity. Bill Slavin, a chemist and founder of Richmond-based research facility Indie Lab, is looking to establish a lab that tests 10,000 people a day in the central Virginia region.

He estimates the large-scale rapid testing could be up and running within two weeks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Saturday approved its first rapid diagnostic test that could detect the coronavirus in 45 minutes.

Slavin is working on writing grants to fulfill operating and staffing costs, upward of $1 million total, and obtaining a certified lab. His company is also working to provide sterilization for food and supplies and is 3-D printing masks.

Supply chains are slowing down significantly because of the virus, Slavin said. Even if somebody is able to order masks, that doesnt mean that theyre going to be able to get them.  If we dont ensure there is a domestic production, were going to be in a lot of trouble.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Sunday that 98 members of the NYPD have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

Shea relayed the number during a press conference alongside Mayor Bill de Blasio, adding that 70 of the total confirmed cases are uniformed NYPD officers. The other 28 are civilian members of the police department, Shea said.

The belief at this time, with very limited information obviously, is that its not necessarily contracted at work," Shea said.

Three members of the NYPD are hospitalized, he added.

In terms of the testing, the numbers are going up because the testing in the entire city is going up, Shea said of the increasing number of NYPD members affected.

Former NYPD borough commander Ed Delatorre, who as Staten Islands top cop was instrumental in battling the drug epidemic, reportedly tested positive for the virus.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

53 The coronavirus life in New York City: The new normal

STATEN ISLAND DEATHS REACH AT LEAST 6

De Blasio said that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths continues to rise in New York City, with 9,654 cases confirmed  593 of which are in Staten Island  and 63 deaths citywide. There have been at least six deaths on Staten Island, the Advance/SiLive.com reported.

A spokeswoman for Staten Island University Hospital said 21 patients were being treated for COVID-19 at the Ocean Breeze location, and 12 patients were being treated at the Princes Bay location, as of Saturday night.

Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton reported its first two deaths on Saturday. The number of patients treated at the hospital increased from 11 to 16 from Friday to Saturday, including four patients placed in the intensive care unit.

The first two deaths on Staten Island were a man and a woman, both in their 80s, according to sources.

Information about patients who have died is not made public by healthcare providers under federal health privacy laws.

Both hospitals on Staten Island are aiming to maximize their capacity ahead of the potential surge in hospitalizations.

De Blasio on Sunday said that New York City would begin organizing and pursuing production of vitally important ventilators and medical supplies amid widespread shortages in hospitals as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The notion of this city being left in so many ways on its own during this crisis is deeply painful, de Blasio said of the perceived lack of federal response aiding individual states. But we dont take it lying down, he said. We are going to fight for all the resources we deserve and need.

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President Donald Trump on Sunday approved a major disaster declaration for Washington state and New York, while California is expected to be approved shortly to combat the viral pandemic.

The governors of the three states made requests to the federal government for the order as CCP virus cases multiply across the United States. New York, Washington, and California have the most confirmed patients.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Were enduring a great national trial Trump remarked. adding that were at war with an invisible enemy.

I want you to know as one people, eternally linked by our shared national spirit, Trump said. No American is alone.

A disaster declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs and funds for public infrastructure and individual assistance.

Trump, in a news conference, said that large quantities of medical equipment and supplies are heading to the hardest-hit states.

The National Guard will also be activated for the three states at no cost, the president remarked. They will build hospitals in the three states with thousands of beds

Ive directed FEMA to activate four large medical stations for California and four large medical stations with 1,000 beds for Washington, Trump said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Weve requested a disaster declaration for the state of New York, doing this at no cost.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent the White House an application for a disaster declaration that will be approved very quickly and maybe on Sunday night, Trump said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had urged the federal government to take over the acquisition of medical supplies so states do not have to compete with each other for resources. He also requested temporary hospitals.

It comes as one in three Americans was ordered to stay home on Sunday to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as Ohio, Louisiana, and Delaware became the latest states to enact broad lockdowns.

Every piece of evidence that I can lay my hands on indicates that were at an absolutely crucial time in this war and what we do now will make all the difference in the world, said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. What we do now will slow this invader. It will slow this invader so our health care system  will have time to treat casualties.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times
By Spencer Soper

Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos warned his companys 800,000 employees that the coronavirus outbreak will likely get worse before it gets better, according to an open letter shared Saturday on his Instagram account.

The letter follows cries from US lawmakers and his own employees that the worlds largest online retailer isnt doing enough to protect its warehouse workers and delivery drivers who endanger themselves delivering products to Amazon customers looking to avoid stores.

This isnt business as usual, and its a time of great stress and uncertainty, Bezos wrote. Its also a moment in time when the work were doing is its most critical.

Bezos letter, his first public comments about the outbreak, comes when lawmakers and regulators around the country are making decisions about which businesses are essential and should keep operating, and which ones should close down so employees can remain at home and reduce their exposure to the outbreak that has infected more than 300,000 globally and killed at least 13,000.

Amazon has seen a surge in demand from customers ordering baby formula, hand sanitizer and medical supplies. It announced plans to hire 100,000 workers to meet demand and is temporarily boosting pay among its warehouse employees and instructed its contract delivery partners to also raise wages for drivers who dont work directly for Amazon. Key rival Walmart Inc. is also hiring workers and doling out bonuses to staff helping it meet demand.

More Pay

Both companies face criticism from lawmakers, workers and activists for not doing enough to protect hourly workers on the front lines of the crisis. The pressure ramped up Friday when a group of workers from Walmart, Amazon and other big retailers, called United for Respect, demanded paid leave for those affected by the coronavirus outbreak and better protective measures from their employers.

Amazon on Saturday announced hourly workers in its US delivery network would received double pay for every hour they work in excess of 40 each week, effective March 15 through May 9. That follows temporary raises of $2 per hour that will be in effect through April.

Monica Moody, a 22-year-old Amazon warehouse worker near Charlotte, North Carolina, said she and her fellow employees dont have adequate protective gear or sufficient time to wash their hands during their shifts. She argued that the warehouse should close temporarily to be sanitized.

More Aggressive Measures

Also on Friday, four Democratic senators, led by Cory Booker of New Jersey, wrote to Bezos asking that the company implement more aggressive safety measures and offer more hazard pay to its employees. The letter cited news reports in the past week in which workers at the front lines of Amazons logistics network raised concerns they didnt have the time or resources to protect themselves as they helped speed packages to customer doorsteps. The Amazon delivery drivers in California told Bloomberg they received one single disinfecting wipe to clean vans before the start of their shifts.

Bezos said the company has increased cleaning in its facilities and implemented instructions for employees to maintain a safe distance from one another, and continues to meet daily to address safety issues. Getting proper equipment remains a challenge, he said. On Wednesday, Amazon reported the first confirmed case among its US warehouse workforce -- at a delivery station near New Yorks LaGuardia Airport.

Weve placed purchase orders for millions of face masks we want to give to our employees and contractors who cannot work from home, but very few of those orders have been filled, Bezos said.

Masks remain in short supply globally and are at this point being directed by governments to the highest-need facilities like hospitals and clinics, he added. Its easy to understand why the incredible medical providers serving our communities need to be first in line. When our turn for masks comes, our first priority will be getting them in the hands of our employees and partners working to get essential products to people.

Amazon is now one of the three biggest US companies by market value, making Bezos the worlds richest man. Critics say he could do more.

Talk is cheap, said Dania Rajendra, director of Athena, a group that advocates for hourly workers and small businesses, and a frequent critic of Amazon.

Rather than focusing on unavailable equipment, or issuing half measures that dont come close to tackling the scale of the crisis, Bezos and his corporation should make real moves that protect public and worker health, starting with the very basics, like enough time for workers to wash their hands, health coverage for everyone who needs it, and paid leave, so people who need to stay home can, she said.
Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald says he is not looking for a coronavirus bailout from Congress or the Trump administration and insists his company did the right thing in waiting to shut down cruises earlier this month.

The main priority is keeping checks coming to Carnival's 150,000 employees, Donald said in an interview with "Axios on HBO," but he's unsure how long the company can continue.

The big picture: The travel industry is one of the largest in the world. With nearly $6 trillion in revenue, it is responsible for an estimated 319 million jobs and a cadre of ancillary industries that includes local vendors, taxi drivers and artisans.

"One reason we are interested in sailing again as soon as is practical is because we touched so many small business owners around the world and here in the United States," Donald said in a one-on-one interview with "Axios on HBO."

Between the lines: We dont need a bailout in terms of giving us money. Getting a loan guarantee would be helpful, Donald said, noting that "capital markets are constrained right now."

"On the other hand, if for some reason that doesn't happen, we are committed to trying to find a way to support those who are dependent on us for their livelihoods."

What it means: A federal guarantee would backstop the companys loans and be a form of government assistance provided by either the Fed or Treasury Department.
One of Australia's most famous natural attractions, the Twelve Apostles, has been closed by the coronavirus emergency, leaving hundreds of confused and disappointed tourists turned away at the weekend.

Visitors were confronted with a wire fence preventing them from walking to the viewing platforms over the sea. Signs on the locked kiosk declared Twelve Apostles Kiosk and Lookouts closed until further notice.

Andrew Dawson with wife Debbie Ng (rear) and sister-in-law Kate Zhong, at the fence preventing access to the Twelve Apostles viewing platforms on Sunday. Credit:Tony Wright

The signs, in English and Chinese, said the closure was under the direction of the Chief Health Officer and in accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services limiting the number of people at public gatherings to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

A visitor from India, Vishad Thakkar, said he was dismayed.
A security guard reads his cellphone while securing the entrance of a nearly empty shopping mall in Beijing, China, on Feb. 27, 2020. (NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images)

21 Million Fewer Cellphone Users in China May Suggest a High CCP Virus Death Toll

The number of Chinese cellphone users dropped by 21 million in the past three months, Beijing authorities announced on March 19. Deaths due to the CCP virus may have contributed to the high number of account closings.

Cellphones are an indispensable part of life in China.

The digitization level is very high in China. People cant survive without a cellphone, Tang Jingyuan, a U.S.-based China affairs commentator, told The Epoch Times on March 21. Dealing with the government for pensions and social security, buying train tickets, shopping  no matter what people want to do, they are required to use cellphones.

The Chinese regime requires all Chinese to use their cellphones to generate a health code. Only with a green health code are Chinese allowed to move in China now. Its impossible for a person to cancel his cellphone.

China introduced mandatory facial scans on Dec. 1, 2019, to confirm the identity of the person who registered the phone. As early as Sept. 1, 2010, China required all cellphone users to register phones with their real identification, by which the state can control peoples speech via its large-scale monitoring system.

Furthermore, Chinese peoples bank accounts and social security accounts are bundled with their cellphone plans; apps on Chinese phones check SIM cards against the states database to make sure the number belongs to the user.

Beijing first launched cellphone-based health codes on March 10. All people in China must install a cellphone app and register their personal health information. Then the app can generate a QR code, which appears in three colors, to classify the users health level. Red means the person has an infectious disease, yellow means the person might have one, and green means the person doesnt.

Beijing claimed that the health codes are intended to prevent the spread of the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

A woman is checking her cellphone in Shanghai, China on March 17, 2020. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

21 Million Cellphone Users

Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced on March 19 the number of phone users in each province in February. Compared with the previous announcement, which was released on Dec. 18, 2019, for November 2019 data, both cellphone and landline users dropped dramatically. In the same period the year before, the number of users increased.

The number of cellphone users decreased from 1.600957 billion to 1.579927 billion, a drop of 21.03 million. The number of landline users decreased from 190.83 million to 189.99 million, a drop of 840,000.

In the previous February, the number increased. According to MIIT, the number of cellphone users increased in February 2019 from 1.5591 billion to 1.5835 billion, which is 24.37 million more. The number of landline users increased from 183.477 million to 190.118 million, which is 6.641 million more.

According to Chinas National Bureau of Statistics, the countrys population at the end of 2019 was 4.67 million larger than in 2018, reaching 1.40005 billion.

The 2020 decrease in landline users may be due to the nationwide quarantine in February, during which small businesses were shut down. But the decrease in cellphone users cant be explained in this way.

According to the operation data of all three Chinese cellphone carriers, cellphone accounts increased in December 2019 but dropped steeply in 2020.

China Mobile is the largest carrier, holding about 60 percent of the Chinese cellphone market. It reported that it gained 3.732 million more accounts in December 2019, but lost 0.862 million in January 2020 and 7.254 million in February 2020.

China Mobiles performance in the same months in 2019 was markedly different; it gained 2.411 million more accounts in January 2019 and 1.091 million more in February 2019.

China Telecom is the second-largest carrier, holding about 21 percent of the market. It gained 1.18 million users in December 2019, but lost 0.43 million users in January 2020 and 5.6 million users in February 2020.

In 2019, it gained 4.26 million in January and 2.96 million in February.

China Unicom, which hasnt yet published the data for February, shares the same experience as the other two telecoms in January 2020 and in early 2019. The company lost 1.186 million users in January 2020, but gained 1.962 million users in February 2019 and 2.763 million users in January 2019.

China allows each adult to apply for at most five cellphone numbers. Since Feb. 10, the majority of Chinese students have taken online classes with a cellphone number due to their schools being ordered to stay closed. These students accounts are under their parents names, which means some parents needed to open a new cellphone account in February.

A vendor uses her cellphone as she waits for customers in Jiujiang, China, on March 6, 2020. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analyzing the Numbers

The big question is whether the dramatic drop in cellphone accounts reflects the account closings of those who have died due to the CCP virus.

Its possible that some migrant workers had two cellphone numbers before. One is from their hometown, and the other is from the city they work in. In February, they might close the number in the city they work in because they couldnt go there, Tang said. Typically, migrant workers would have gone to their home city for the Chinese New Year in January, and then travel restrictions would have prevented them from returning to the city where they held a job.

However, because there is a basic monthly fee to hold a cellphone account in China, the majority of migrant workersthe lowest income groupare likely to only have one cellphone account.

China had 288.36 million migrant workers as of April 2019, according to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics.

On March 17, Meng Wei, spokesman of Chinas National Development and Reform Commission, said at a monthly press conference in Beijing that except for Hubei, all provinces reported that more than 90 percent of their businesses resumed operations. In Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangxi, and Chongqing, almost all businesses resumed production.

If both the number of migrant workers and the level of employment are accurate, more than 90 percent of migrant workers have gone back to work.

The economic dislocation caused by shutdowns in China may have also led some people who have an extra cellphone to cancel it. With business poor or stopped, they may not want to carry the extra expense.

At present, we dont know the details of the data. If only 10 percent of the cellphone accounts were closed because the users died because of the CCP virus, the death toll would be 2 million, Tang said.

On March 25, a high official within MIIT, Han Xia, addressed the data point at a daily press conference.

He claimed that the drop in cell phone accounts was partly due to businesses shutting down in February to comply with quarantine policies. These businesses closed their spare phone accounts when their operations were halted, he said.

In addition, because telecom companies also closed down their physical stores during country-wide lockdowns, people were not able to open new accounts, Han said.

The reported death toll in China doesnt line up with what can otherwise be determined about the situation there.

A comparison with the situation in Italy also suggests the Chinese death toll is significantly underreported. Italy adopted similar measures to those used by the Chinese regime. The CCP virus death toll in Italy of 4,825 translates to a death rate of 9 percent. In China, where a much larger population was exposed to the virus, the reported death toll of 3,265 translated to a death rate of only 4 percent, less than half that reported in Italy.

Activities in the outbreak epicenter of Hubei Province seem to contradict the reported death toll in China. The seven funeral homes in the city of Wuhan were reported to be burning bodies 24 hours a day, seven days a week in late January. Hubei Province has used 40 mobile cremators, each capable of burning five tons of medical waste and bodies a day, since Feb. 16.

Lacking data, the real death toll in China is a mystery. The cancellation of 21 million cellphones provides a data point that suggests the real number may be far higher than the official number.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the positive response from warring parties of the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said that the Secretary-General calls on the parties to accept the draft ceasefire agreement emanating from the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks facilitated by the United Nations in Geneva last month.

Guterres hoped positive response to the calls for a humanitarian pause to stop the fighting will be translated into an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities.

Given the already dire humanitarian situation in Libya and the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary-General calls on the parties to join forces to address the threat and to ensure unhindered access of humanitarian aid throughout the country, said Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Read: UN Agency Says Some 300 Migrants Intercepted Off Libya Coast

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (USMIL) also released a separate statement to welcome it and called upon all parties to work together and direct their powers and resources to support Libyans and local authorities to improve their preparedness to fight coronavirus pandemic and prevent catastrophic consequences. UNSMIL has been continuously working on a ceasefire agreement and a truce plan.

Political and humanitarian crisis

Libya has been facing a political and humanitarian crisis after the self-styled Libyan National Army, headed by Khalifa Haftar, launched a battle against the Tripolis UN-recognised government. Thousands of Tripoli residents have been displaced due to the shelling that started earlier this year targeting the outskirts of the Libyan capital.

Read: UN Special Envoy To Libya, Ghassan Salame, Quits Citing Job 'stress'

Both parties came to a truce agreement on January 12 which marked reduction of hostilities in Tripoli, providing a much-needed respite to civilians. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Haftar was continuing attacks with all his resources even after the ceasefire agreement.

The pressure on bringing both the parties together has been so much that earlier this month, United Nations Special Representative to Libya Ghassan Salame stepped down from the responsibility citing immense stress due to the nature of the job.

Read: UN Envoy Says Libya Truce Nearly Broke Down Amid Fighting

Read: UN Welcomes Positive Responses To Fighting Pause In Libya
BERLIN  Germany on Sunday barred groups of more than two people from gathering, except for families, and Chancellor Angela Merkel later said she herself was going into isolation because her doctor had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Ms. Merkel said she would isolate herself at home effective immediately after learning that a doctor who vaccinated her against pneumonia on Friday was infected, her office said in a statement. The chancellor will be tested regularly in coming days while carrying out her duties from home.

News that their leader was in quarantine quickly overtook headlines about the far-reaching social-distancing measures she had just announced.

The new rules, which will be in place for at least two weeks, are among the strictest imposed by any country on movement outside the home, and they came as global infections surpassed 300,000 and the death toll topped 13,000. In Germany, the number of confirmed cases had risen to more than 23,900 by Sunday, with more than 90 deaths.
Several backpackers based in Bondi are among 97 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in NSW since Friday night.

NSW Health said there have now been 533 confirmed cases in NSW with a childcare worker at Smeaton Grange, in Sydney's south-west, also among the newly diagnosed cases.

Beachgoers descended on Bondi beach in their thousands on Friday, despite the coronavirus threat. Credit:AAP

The diagnosis of the infected backpackers comes one day after the NSW government announced a limit of 500 people for public gatherings, and was moved to close Bondi Beach after dense crowds descended on the sand on Friday and Saturday despite warnings to the contrary.

NSW Health said there were also two recent parties that some of the backpackers attended where the cases "may have acquired their infections".
Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc (Photo: VNA)

The embassy has contacted relevant US agencies to clarify the information, Ngoc told the Vietnam News Agency.

The ambassador pointed to the sound development of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, with two-way trade reaching 77.6 billion USD in 2019, making Vietnam one of the USs 15 biggest trade partners.

In the first two months of this year, Vietnams export to the US grew 25.7 percent to 10.26 billion USD, in contrast to its decreasing export values to some other markets.

Last year, Vietnams garment-textile export to the US was nearly 15 billion USD, making up about 45 percent of the countrys total revenue in the sector. During the January-February period, the turnover stood at 2.25 billion USD, up 5.3 percent year-on-year, and accounted for nearly 48 percent of the total.

However, if COVID-19 lasts longer than expected in the US, it will affect Vietnams export to the country, Ngoc warned.

He, therefore, called on businesses to keep calm and optimise opportunities to maintain production and export, while reviewing their business strategies to adapt to the new situation.

The ambassador also urged domestic firms to seriously follow the Vietnamese Prime Ministers instructions against origin fraud and tax avoidance so as not to violate relevant regulations set by the two countries.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the US will continue to discuss with US authorities to provide the best support for Vietnamese businesses, Ngoc said, expressing his hope that once the epidemic is contained, there will be a consumption recovery, which would facilitate Vietnams export to foreign countries, including the US.

On this occasion, the ambassador spoke of cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 between the two countries.

The Emergency Reserve Fund for Contagious Infectious Diseases under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will inject 37 million USD to help regional countries, including Vietnam, combat the disease, he said.

The US side is also weighing the import of Vietnamese medical equipment to serve its disease combat, the ambassador added.
New Delhi/London, March 22 : The World Health Organization has advised against lockdowns to combat the covid-19 pandemic arguing that the virus may resurge later if sufficient public health measures were not taken simultaneously.

Mike Ryan, the top emergency expert of the WHO in an interview to BBC on Sunday said that countries can't merely lock down themselves to fight the coronavirus outbreak, adding that there need to be public health measures to avoid a resurgence of the deadly virus later on.

"What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them," Ryan said. The danger right now with the lockdowns ... if we don't put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up." The WHO has come under severe attack from several critics including Taiwan which has accused it of failing to alert the world about the contagious novel coronavirus.

Taipei health officials had alerted the WHO and International Health Regulations (IHR) on December 31 about the risk of human-to-human transmission of the new virus, which originated in Wuhan city of China.

Taiwan is excluded from the WHO because China claims it as part of its territory. The WHO did not warn other countries, officials in Taiwan have complained.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom's praise for Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been widely criticized in view of the grave allegations that the Xi Jinping government initially covered up the outbreak in Wuhan. He has also been censured for naming the virus which erupted in Wuhan, covid-19, allegedly under the influence of Chinese President Xi Jinping to deflect the blame for the cover-up.

Though the WHO said in mid-January there might be "limited" human-to-human transmission of the virus but backtracked the same day. Many in Taiwan believe that the WHO came under pressure from China, whose health ministry took almost another week to confirm it finally on January 20.

In a joint mission, 12 WHO experts and 13 Chinese officials, prepared a report on the coronavirus outbreak in China last month. Three of the WHO officials also visited Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. In an interview to the UK media, WHO's Bruce Aylward, the Canadian epidemiologist who led the team, said that there were intense negotiations with Chinese officials about the contents of the report.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Coronavirus claimed its first victim in Gujarat on Sunday when a 67-year-old man, who had tested positive for the infection, died at a private hospital in Surat, officials said.

The total number of infected persons in the state went up to 18 with four new positive cases reported on Sunday alone. The total positive cases include the deceased person, they said.

The Surat man, with travel history to Delhi and Jaipur, was admitted to a private hospital here on March 17 with several complications related to kidney and asthma. He tested positive for coronavirus on March 21, officials said.

He did not have any travel history to a foreign country.

"He was admitted to a private hospital on March 17 with several health complications like kidney problem and asthma. He died around 2.50 pm on Sunday," Surat Municipal Commissioner B N Pani said.

Apart from COVID-19, the patient suffered from various other ailments, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, multiple organ failure and acute kidney failure, Pani said.

"His family members and others whom he came in contact with have already been quarantined," the official said.

Of the total 18 cases, two each were reported from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on Sunday.

"This took the tally in Ahmedabad to seven, three each in Surat, Gandhinagar and Vadodara, and one each in Rajkot and Kutch. All these six districts will be placed under lockdown from Monday to March 25, under which only essential services will continue," Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said.

Of the new cases reported on Sunday, only one, that of an 80-year-old woman from Gandhinagar, was caused by local transmission, while others have history of visits abroad, officials said.

Ravi told reporters that as many as 6,255 persons have been quarantined in the state, of whom 6,092 are home quarantined, while 433 have been kept in various government hospitals.

She also said that 10 FIRs have been registered so far against persons and action has been taken against them for trying to evade compulsory quarantine.

She also said that the Centre has shared details of 27,000 people with Gujarat address on their passports, who returned to India through various points of entry outside the state from March 1 onwards.

"Medicines hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, which have proved to be effective against coronavirus, are available in Gujarat in sufficient quantity," she said.

These medicines can only be taken on prescription of doctors, she added.

Meanwhile, a 65-year-old woman died of suspected coronavirus infection, but her test reports are awaited, health department officials said.

The woman suffered from diabetes and hypertension, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"The pandemic is fast, shining a spotlight on our ability or inability to respond to urgent threats. But like pandemics, climate change can be planned for in advance, if politicians pay attention to the warnings of scientists who are sounding the alarm," Gleick said.

"In the midst of this rapidly moving global pandemic, it's natural that we also think about that other massive threat facing us  global climate change  and what we might learn now to help us prepare for tomorrow," said Peter Gleick, a climate scientist and founder of the Pacific Institute in Berkeley, California.

For years, scientists have urged world leaders to combat planet-warming emissions, which have only continued to soar upward.

But the pandemic's unintended climate impact offers a glimpse into how countries and corporations are equipped to handle the slower-moving but destructive climate change crisis. So far, researchers warn that the world is ill-prepared.

The unintended air pollution declines from the virus outbreak are just temporary, experts say.

The coronavirus pandemic is shutting down countries across the world, causing a significant decline in air pollution in major cities as countries implement stricter quarantines and travel restrictions.

Canal water in Venice has cleared up without boat traffic. Air pollution in China has plunged amid unprecedented lockdowns. In Thailand and Japan, mobs of monkeys and deer are roaming streets now devoid of tourists.

Clear water is seen in Venice's canals due to less tourists, motorboats and pollution, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Venice, Italy, March 18, 2020.

The virus has infected more than 311,000 people globally and killed at least 13,407. Countries like China and Italy have closed their borders and locked down cities, while the U.S. has closed its northern border with Canada and banned entry of foreign nationals from a slew of affected countries.

Satellite images from NASA's Earth Observatory show significant drops in pollution across China and Italy since the start of the outbreak, as travel restrictions in those countries halt air, train and road traffic.

Italy, which has become a center of the outbreak outside of China, has undergone some visual environmental changes without tourism. Venice's typically murky waterways have turned clear since the sediment remains on the ground without boat traffic. The water quality in the canals is not necessarily changed, but the air quality has improved.

"As for the environmental benefits we see from the slowdown of day-to-day life and economic activity in terms of improving air quality and other slight benefits, it's a good sign that our ecosystems are somewhat resilient if we don't completely destroy them," Gleick said.

"But it would be nice if we could improve our environment without having to cripple our economy," he added.

Scientists argue that the long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on climate change will depend on how countries and corporations respond to an economic crisis.

TWEET

The International Energy Agency, or IEA, has warned the virus will weaken global investments in clean energy and industry efforts to reduce emissions, and has called on governments to offer stimulus packages that consider climate change.

But an economic stimulus package that considers global warming will likely not be the response from many countries.

For example, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic recently urged the European Union to abandon its landmark green law focusing on carbon neutrality as it grapples with the virus outbreak. The Czech Republic depends largely on nuclear energy and coal.

Furthermore, major U.S. airlines are asking for billions of dollars in government aid as they face potential bankruptcy from travel decline, which President Donald Trump has endorsed. Air travel is expected to bounce back after the pandemic subsides, and the industry's emissions are expected to triple by 2050.

Climate researchers warn that the virus will hinder climate change action from corporations and countries in the long-run.

Rob Jackson, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University and chair of the Global Carbon Project, said companies that are hurting financially will likely delay or cancel climate-friendly projects that require investment up front.

Sarah Myhre, a climate scientist and environmental justice activist, said that the way in which the world recovers from the pandemic is vital in the fight against climate change.

"If the actions here continue to bail out fossil fuel companies and multinational corporations and banks, and invest in fossil fuel infrastructure, then we are digging a hole deeper into a more violent and dangerous place," Myhre said.

"I think that there's potential for this pandemic to become a moment of mass awaking of our ability to have compassion for each other," she added.
A shopper who was desperate to nab a packet of toilet paper amid the coronavirus panic-buying crisis arrived in store prepared to wait until the next delivery with a book, cup of tea and stool to sit on.

The customer had reportedly returned to his local Coles supermarket in Adelaide three times in one day in the hopes of snagging the highly sought-after product.

In a photo shared online, the man sat on a small stool at the end of the aisle, determined to wait until the shelves were restocked to avoid missing out again.

'This is his local shop... He was informed three times that the delivery was coming,' one woman claimed.

'He didn't want to walk in again for nothing, so he came prepared to wait.'

A man brought a chair and cup of tea (pictured) along to his grocery shop at Coles in Adelaide with the hope of sitting and waiting in the toilet paper aisle until staff restocked

He occassionally moved his position in order to get a full scope of when shelves would be restocked amid the coronavirus crisis

Supermarket shelves across Australia have been stripped bare of essential goods - like toilet paper, non-perishable food like pasta and rice, and hand sanitiser - in response to the coronavirus crisis.

The woman who spotted the determined shopper camped out at the Coles said the man also brought a sandwich and a thermos of tea to drink from while waiting.

In the photo, the man sat sipping his tea as other customers, including a woman in face mask, milled around him.

Most Coles and Woolworths stores are receiving a daily delivery of toilet paper - which would usually be more than enough to see them through until the next day.

But due to the increased demand, supermarkets are struggling to keep shelves stocked, and were forced to introduce a two-pack per customer limit.

They've also reduced store hours to just 8am to 8pm each day, with an additional hour in from 7am exclusively available for elderly and disabled shoppers to do their groceries in peace.

In the photo, the man sat sipping his tea as other customers, including a woman in face mask, milled around him

In supermarkets throughout Australia, shelves have been stripped bare as people stock up on essentials. Pictured: An elderly woman staring at empty shelves during her grocery shop

The in store hysteria and panic buying recently led Woolworths CEO's to introduce a 'trolley distance' rule - meaning customers must remain at least one trolley's distance away from each other at all times to ensure they're enforcing social distancing.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week implemented the social distancing policy, in which he encouraged Australians to remain a safe 1.5m distance away from one another to slow the spread of COVID-19.

He also banned international arrivals from visiting Australia until further notice and enforced a strict 14 day self isolation period for anybody returning home to Australia from overseas.

Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci also asked customers to wash their hands before they came into the store, and to use tap and go methods of payment so staff would not have to handle cash.

'These are undoubtedly testing times for all Australians, given the impact COVID-19 is having on the way we live. And if you believe the experts, we still have a long way to go,' Mr Banducci said.

More than 304,000 people have been infected with coronavirus throughout 188 countries since the virus spread from China in December 2019.

In Australia alone, cases skyrocketed past 1,000 - including seven people who have died from the respiratory infection.

Pictured: People waiting for the toilet paper delivery in Coles, Epping, amid the coronavirus crisis as a police officer speaks with customers
Twenty-two people with an eating disorder have died in Northern Ireland within a decade, statistics showed.

Debbie Howard, 37, wants the health service to refer those struggling with the condition to a support charity for carers, FightED, which she established after overcoming the problem.

She represented Britain as a teenage gymnast and endured years of counting calories and attempting to keep her weight down for sport.

She combated the natural tendency to gain weight after retiring from competing by throwing up food or taking laxatives.

It is this punishing dictator in your head that rules everything that you doDebbie Howard

She said: It is this punishing dictator in your head that rules everything that you do.

It is like a bully, you are at its mercy a lot of the time and if you dont do what it tells you, you get punished.

A total of 20 women and two men with eating disorders died from 2008 to 2019.

A Freedom of Information request to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) unearthed the information from death certificates.

That included three women whose deaths were registered in 2018.

Ms Howard said eating an apple felt like giving in.

Your whole world shrinks to just what you look likeDebbie Howard

That is pathetic, why are you so weak, you are going to have to do better tomorrow, now you are going to have to go and do X amount of sit-ups to get rid of that.

It is really hard, a lot of your time is taken up thinking about this food, and calories and fat, and your size and what you look like, and weighing yourself, measuring yourself.

Your whole world shrinks to just what you look like.

Problems began with cutting out food aged 12. She went into therapy aged 22 and skeletally thin, undergoing four years of weekly therapy sessions.

She said: Eating disorders are not actually about food, they dont get solved with someone beginning to eat again and being put on a food plan, they are psychiatric disorders.

Speaking of when she was a gymnast, she said: The culture at the time was around having to lose weight and being weighed regularly, and having targets to get through, and being praised when you had lost weight.

In that environment it was pretty much just restriction, and when all that was taken away I felt that now that I dont have to do that, I can eat whatever I want.

But I could not cope with gaining weight because I felt fat when I was underweight.

She said if treatment had to take place on an outpatient basis it made a lot of sense to train family members.

She wants GPs to refer people to the course, which she said was effective in improving the burden and distress that carers experience.


Concerns about the growing number of coronavirus illnesses in the United States and elsewhere has greatly affected the wedding industry.

People who are about to be married are facing difficult choices: do they postpone, cancel or go ahead with their wedding plans?

So much extra stress, said 26-year-old Hayley Pass. She and her fiance had 155 confirmed guests for their March 22 wedding in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.

Pass added, After all this planning its like, really, were going to postpone? We just really want it to happen but it seems like the worst is yet to come.

The couple will only cancel the wedding if their location cancels on them or if their closest loved ones decide not to attend.

Other couples have also decided to keep their wedding dates for now, with the busiest wedding months ahead.

Postponing or canceling a wedding raises many questions. Will businesses and sellers all be available on the same new date and time? Will couples lose money that they already paid?

Usual wedding insurance does not cover concern over a spreading virus. That concern has caused many governments to place restrictions on travel and large gatherings in places around the world.

Some insurance companies are answering questions over how policies work in such an unusual situation.

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. Most people recover.

People in the wedding industry are feeling the effects of widespread concern over the virus.

Abby Murray is a travel agent in Charlotte, North Carolina. She specializes in planning honeymoons  trips many couples take after a wedding. At this time of year, she would usually have 20 customers. She now has two.

Murray said, People are scared to book their honeymoons right now. People dont even want to explore it. Theyre going to move forward with their weddings but take their honeymoons at a later date.

Virus containment measures across China have caused factories there to slow their production of goods  including wedding dresses.

The Green Bride shop in Littleton, Colorado, usually receives up to 60 wedding dresses shipped from China each month from February to May. But this February, it received only four.

Holly Marsh is one of the store owners. She said, If the wedding is in June, and the dress is supposed to be here in February and its not going to get here until May, what do you tell them?

David Gaffke owns the store Complete Bridal in East Dundee, Illinois. He depends greatly on China for manufacturing the dresses he sells.

Its frustrating when it comes to having to tell a bride that were not able to fulfill your needs, he said. This is the most important dress theyre going to wear.

Photographer Michael Busada in Washington, D.C. depends on weddings for about half of his business. He has 36 weddings under contract this year, including one that recently canceled after the bride was possibly exposed to the coronavirus. Another wedding went from a large location with 150 guests to a home ceremony with 20.

Busada offered the couple that was forced to cancel a credit or postponement, without penalty. Everybodys struggling. It doesnt do me any good to be the bad guy, he said.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Leanne Italie reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

exposed  adj. open to view

location  n. a place or position

symptoms  n. changes in the body or mind that indicate a disease is present
The Haryana government has ordered a lockdown in seven districts, including Gurgaon and Faridabad, from Sunday night till March 31 as a preventive measure to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The government has notified a lockdown in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Panipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak and Panchkula districts from 9 pm on Sunday to March 31.

However, all essential and emergency services will remain functional during the lockdown period, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, appealing to people not to panic or worry.

The lockdown period in seven districts will start immediately after the 14-hour-long 'Janta curfew', which began at 7 am, ends.

Haryana has so far reported eight positive cases that include four from Gurgaon, one each from Panchkula, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonipat.

According to an order issued by Haryana's Home Department, no public transport services, including operation of taxis, auto-rickshaws, will be permitted.

The exception will include transport of all kinds to and from hospitals, airports, railway stations, bus terminals/bus stands and for the purpose of essential services.

Apart from restrictions in the seven districts, all inter-state bus services will remain suspended in entire Haryana, the order said.

All deputy commissioners will establish control room in each district in the state to coordinate and monitor all activities for prevention and control of coronavirus.

All those who return from abroad are required to remain under strict home quarantine for a period as decided by local health authorities, as per the Home Department's order.

"People are required to stay at home and come out only for basic services while strictly following social distancing guidelines," the order said.

Any person found violating the containment measures shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under Section 188 of the IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), it said.

However, restrictions will not be applicable to essential and emergency services, including electricity, water, sewerage and municipal services, banks and ATMs.

"E-commerce (delivery) of all essential goods, including food, pharmaceutical and medical equipment, take away/home delivery restaurants/eateries, have also been exempted from the restrictions in the seven districts," the order said.

Besides, private establishments that support or are linked to the efforts for containment of COVID-19 will remain open.

According to the order, congregation of more than five persons will be prohibited at public places.

Transport plan will be prepared by the deputy commissioner concerned for the services of essential commodities/services.

The resident welfare associations have been directed to take necessary measures for social distancing and maintaining essential services and intimate police if they find any violation.

The government order stressed that containment measures were necessary to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state.

As many as 6,600 people are under surveillance for coronavirus in Haryana.

A majority of those who returned from abroad recently are from the seven districts, where lockdown has been ordered.

In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a 'Janta curfew', people across Haryana preferred to stay indoors on Sunday.

The 14-hour-long 'Janta curfew' from 7 am to 9 pm was part of a social distancing exercise to help stop the spread of the virus.

Khattar said he is grateful to the people of the state for the success of 'Janta curfew' and for supporting it.

Khattar told the people that the government is with them in this fight against coronavirus.

"Defeating coronavirus will require the participation of every citizen, and I am confident that our resolve and persistence will help us overcome COVID-19, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Czech Republic has seized more than 100,000 face masks which China had sent to Italy to help tackle the country's coronavirus outbreak, authorities have said.

Around 680,000 protective masks were confiscated, as well as thousands of respirators, from speculators, according to an article shared by the Czech health minister.

The company involved was supposed to provide the equipment to health professionals, but raised the price at the last minute, the interior minister said.

However, it turned out that some of these seized masks were destined for Italy - one of the worst-hit countries in the world by the coronavirus pandemic  as a gift from China.

Customs officers in Lovosice seized hundreds of thousands of masks, Jan Hamacek tweeted. Unfortunately the following investigation revealed a small part of these were a Chinese present to Italy.

He said: We are working with both countries to make sure that Italy will not lose out on anything.

The Czech foreign minister has said that 110,000 face masks will be sent to Italy from their own stock while the police investigation is ongoing, the Italian embassy to Prague told The Independent.

This matches the number of face masks meant for Italy that were seized, according to the embassy.

The delivery will be sent before the police finish their investigation in light of the growing need for medical supplies in Italy, their statement said.

Italy has seen the highest rate of coronavirus infections in Europe with more than 50,000 confirmed cases, and has gone into lockdown as authorities work to combat coronavirus.

The number of people infected with the virus surpassed 1,000 in the Czech Republic on Sunday, although no deaths have been reported to date.

The country received its first batch of medical equipment from China this weekend following a highly-publicised hunt for supplies amid complaints from health professionals about respirator shortages, and reports that people have been sewing their own masks at home.

I am convinced that after Saturday, we will have the worst behind us in terms of protective gear, and that we have a system how to deliver them to the Czech Republic regularly, the interior minister said.

He said the shipment was the first in a series Chinese deliveries which should continue over the next six weeks.

The government has ordered people to cover their mouths and noses in public as of Thursday in a bid to combat the spread of Covid-19, a flu-like disease that can turn into pneumonia.

Politicians have shared images of meeting rooms full of people wearing face masks.

The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China towards the end of last year, has since spread to 188 countries around the world.

More than 300,000 people have been infected with the virus internationally, with around 13,000 patient deaths, according to Sundays figures.

Additional reporting by agencies
A decision on whether Queensland's bars, restaurants, cafes and schools will stay open this week is due to be announced on Sunday night.

A meeting between state and federal leaders was set to start at 5.30pm Queensland time, to discuss what else could be done to slow the spread of the virus.

Fortitude Valley's Brunswick Street Mall. Credit:Cameron Atfield

Before the meeting began, both the Victorian and NSW governments announced they would be shutting down all non-essential activities this week.

Schools in both states with close from Tuesday.
Expressing her disagreement with Boeing's (NYSE: BA) government bailout, Nikki Haley resigned from the company's board of directors.

What Happened

Former governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the United Nations left Boeing's board of directors after the company sought a $60 billion aid for the aerospace industry from the federal government, MarketWatch reported.

"While I know cash is tight, that is equally true for numerous other industries and for millions of small businesses," Haley wrote in a resignation letter dated Monday that was included with the Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

"We appreciate her service on the board and wish her well," Boeing responded in a statement on Thursday.

Why It happened

With collapsing travel demand haunting the industry and airlines deferring orders of new jets, Boeing has been under constant pressure. Last week, the company drew out its $13.8 billion in a private loan, referring to the worsening market conditions amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Washington Post reported.

Grounding of the 737 Max aircraft since last year has also raised worries for the aircraft manufacturing company. Two fatal crashes in five months cost Boeing almost $19 billion while it still strives for approval for the plane to return to service.

See more from Benzinga

 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
ICT University e-learning rescues education closure ICT University

Professor Victor Mbarika, President of the Board of Trustees of the ICT University has rolled out a plan that will see students continue their studies online following the shutdown of schools as nations battle to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.

With campus spread across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia, the ICT University is a vibrant institution which aims at imposing itself as premier destination for research, innovation and training of scholars relevant for the context of developing economies.

It is therefore in its pioneering role that the ICT University is rolling out its E-learning alternatives in the face of a global emergency. The ICT University goes beyond offering degrees in ICTs. The institution imparts knowledge of ICTs in all academic disciplines it offers. For example, a business administration (marketing) student at ICT University will graduate with a very strong expertise on how to build state-of-the-art e-commerce and other online business websites.

Professor Mbarika tells Cameroon-info.net that they at the ICT University have come to the reality that COVID-19 is here and all facets of the world have to face it head-on.

We now have to come to a reality. The coronavirus or covid-19 is here and we have to deal with it. We cannot run away from it. The coronavirus is putting the world and the educational systems in sometemporary havoc and it is my hope this virus doesnt last too long, said Mbarika.

He notes that on a global scale, there have been many school closures that are disrupting the learning process of millions students, especially affecting its Africa headquarters in Cameroon where schools have been shut down as part of measures to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus.

I support the decision of the Cameroon government. It is a right move to avoid people getting together in large groups and infecting each other, Mbarika says as he presents measures to ensure learning does not end.

In his usual pedagogic approach akin to researchers, Mbarika talked about the impact that ICT Universitys e-learning system is having for its institution and how it can support other institutions in Africa and other developing nations.

Hear him: Some institutions that have integrated online technologies into their daily instruction over the past years may be better prepared to reduce the interruption because they have funded e-learning and trained their staff on how to use it. That is exactly what the ICT University has done.

We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in building a very strong e-learning infrastructure to support learning and teaching. However, institutions that have not invested in online technology are now struggling to meet their students and teachers needs.

With many universities nursing thoughts of distributing courses via WhatsApp, and emails among others, Mbarika says it is a little okay but will not lead to a solution to the problem.

A comprehensive solution requires a good learning management system like we have established at the ICT University, he explains, furthering that, There are some issues that have to be overcome in order to really practice e-learning. The first challenge is that there is lack of appropriate training. A larger percentage of university professors, secondary school teachers do not have the appropriate training to teach online. These teachers have to be trained.

The Professor of ICT says governments in Africa and around the world need to start thinking how to training education technology specialists. He reveals that the ICT University is willing help governments around the world in this area.

His words: Let me be very clear, the ICT University is an onsite campus. ICT University is broadcast live all over the world on the internet such that students can attend the classes live. I am talking about taking materials, dropping on the saver and telling students to go do assignment and comeback. They can attend those classes live. They can stop the teacher, the professor in the middle of the class and ask their questions.

At the ICT University, we pride ourselves with our e-learning system. It is a system of global standards. Once a student gains admission into the ICT University, our technology and e-learning department creates the students school e-mail address and equally give access to our online learning platform. A guide is equally given to the student who then uses it to learn how to enroll for courses and how to take lectures, submit assignments and participate in live classrooms.

That is the beauty of the ICT University e-learning system and we support many universities in Africa and around the world in establishing their own e-learning systems and we are opened to having universities interested in us providing them that support to contact at [email protected] We are not just there to teach ICT. The word ICT University means that we integrate information technologies in every discipline that we operate. We have trained well over 20,000 students in India, in Africa and around the world since the start of ICT University.

With a plethora of programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels, including diploma and certification programs, the ICT University offers a dynamic and flexible learning environment that inspires innovation and creativity and places emphasis on student access.
On March 19, 2020, American Company Lockheed Martin has secured a $601.3M contract modification from the U.S. Navy to produce additional submarine-launched ballistic missile systems for the service branch and the British government.

On March 19, 2020, American Company Lockheed Martin has secured a $601.3M contract modification from the U.S. Navy to produce additional submarine-launched ballistic missile systems for the service branch and the British government.

An unarmed Trident II (D5LE) missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741) off the coast of San Diego, California, Feb. 12, 2020. (Picture source US Navy)

Lockheed Martin will manufacture Trident II D5 missiles and support deployed systems through the sole-source contract, the Department of Defense said Thursday, March 19, 2020.



The Trident D5 or UGM-133A Trident II is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the American and British navies. It was first deployed in March 1990.

A total of 14 US Navy submarines are armed with Trident II ballistic missiles, each carrying 24 missiles. The Trident missile has a range from 6,400 to 11,250 km. The dimensions of the Trident II missile are 1,360 cm long with a diameter of 210 cm, and the weight is 59,000 kg.

The Trident II missile is deployed aboard Ohio-class submarines, each capable of carrying 24 missiles. Under the provisions of the Polaris Sales Agreement, it is also carried aboard the United Kingdom's Vanguard-class submarines.

The Trident II D5 SLBM is a three-stage, solid-fuel, inertially-guided missile with a range of 4,000 nautical miles capable of carrying multiple W76-Mk4/Mk4A or W88-Mk5 reentry bodies. The missile is launched by the pressure of expanding gas within the launch tube. When the missile broaches the waterline, it enters the boost phase, expending its first, second, and third-stage rocket motors. Following third-stage motor separation, the missile deploys the reentry bodies.

The Trident II SWS, originally designed to have a service life of about 25 years, has proven itself as a highly accurate and reliable system. To address aging and obsolescence issues, the Trident II SWS' life was extended. Life-extended Trident II D5 missiles (D5LE) were introduced to the Fleet in early 2017. These D5LE missiles will serve throughout the remaining service life of the U.S. Ohio-class and UK Vanguard-class submarines and they will be initially carried aboard the U.S. Columbia-class and UK Dreadnought-class submarines.

The Ohio class of nuclear-powered submarines includes the United States Navy's 14 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and its four cruise missile submarines (SSGNs). The Ohio Class submarine is also armed with four 533 mm torpedo tubes with an mk118 digital torpedo fire control system. Countermeasures of Ohio class submarine include eight launchers for the mk2 torpedo decoy as well as electronic warfare equipment that consists of WLR-10 threat warning system and the WLR-8(V) surveillance receiver.
President Ram Nath Kovind along with the First Lady Savita Kovind on Sunday joined the fellow citizens to express their gratitude towards all those who are safeguarding the health of the nation in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

"The President, along with the First Lady and other members of the family, joined the fellow citizens and expressed their gratitude towards all those who are safeguarding the health of the nation in spite of the grave risk to them and their families. Janta Curfew," the President of India tweeted.

The President along with his family was seen clapping to thank the health workers and other service providers to work relentlessly to fight against COVID-19.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked countrymen for participating in 'Janta Curfew' initiative to express their gratitude towards people, who are providing relentless services in a battle against COVID-19, which has infected over 300 people so far in the country."The country thanked each person who led the fight against the coronavirus. Many thanks to the countrymen. Janta Curfew," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.He further emphasised on social distancing, which is a preventive measure to reduce contact between people and slow down the spread of the virus."It is not only the sound of thanks but also the beginning of victory in a long battle. Let us, with this determination and restraint, tie ourselves in social distancing for a long battle," he said.Responding to the call of Prime Minister Modi, people across the country came out in their balconies and clapped to express their gratitude to the medical professionals combating the coronavirus outbreak.

The countrymen were seen clapping and clanging their utensils. Some were even heard ringing bells. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also rang the bell in Gorakhpur.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had reminded people to be on their terrace and balconies to express their gratitude to all those who are 'working 24/7.'

"Do remember, 5 PM this evening for 5 minutes... Be on your terraces, balconies or windows to express gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 so that our nation becomes free from COVID-19. #JantaCurfew," PM tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CBC

Mike Vokey remembers walking around the exhibition grounds in Fredericton in September with his fellow co-chair of WinterFrolic, planning where everything would go  the mountain of snow for tube sliding, the maze, the Ferris wheel. At the time, they thought the pandemic was coming to an end and that by mid-winter, it would all be history. "Clearly we're not quite there yet," said Vokey on Tuesday morning, the night after breaking the news to volunteers that the event planned for the last two we
A moon bear is held in an iron cage in Tien Giang Province before activists came to rescue in June 2018. Photo courtesy of Animals Asia.

Vietnam has been rated one of the two worst-performing countries in Asia along with Myanmar in terms of policies and laws to protect animals.

An index created by international animal welfare charity World Animal Protection ranks 50 countries and territories around the world from A (being the best) to G based on their animal welfare policies and legislation.

It considers 10 indicators grouped into four goals that address key animal welfare issues found around the world: recognition of animal sentience and prohibition of animal suffering, presence of animal welfare legislation, establishment of supportive government bodies, and support for international animal welfare standards.

Vietnam attained an F along with countries such as Myanmar, Egypt, Morocco, and Belarus.

Among 13 Asian countries in the index, Vietnam and Myanmar ranked far behind India and Malaysia (C), Thailand and the Philippines (D) and China, Indonesia and Japan (E).

It said Vietnam failed to protect farming, draught and recreation animals with the governments commitment to animal protection still being poor.

"Animal welfare legislation in Vietnam is characterized by a prioritization of human health and consumption. This has resulted in limited protections for animals in the country."

Though some species are purportedly protected and cruel practices such as bear bile farming are banned, the report said these problems are ongoing.

Vietnam banned commercial bear bile extraction in 2005, but more than a decade later it remains a problem.

The country is home to the Asian black bear and sun bear, both listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The extraction of bile from living bears is illegal in parts of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, where it has been used for long as a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine.

"While livestock are protected from ill-treatment there are no details as to what ill-treatment constitutes and there are no supplementary guidelines or regulations to govern the care, rearing, transport, and slaughter of different species."

The government is strongly urged to amend the Law on Animal Health (2015) and the Law on Animal Husbandry (2018) to ensure that clear and stringent animal welfare protections are included and there are stricter measures to combat animal trafficking

Vietnam has banned the trade in rhino horns, ivory and pangolin scales, but not effectively prevented their trafficking and consumption.

Ivory products and rhino horns are prized in the country for decorative purposes or use in traditional medicine. Many believe rhino horn could cure cancer and pangolin scales could be used to treat asthma and migraine and stimulate milk production in breast-feeding women.

Weak law enforcement in Vietnam has allowed a black market to flourish, making the country a major transit point for elephant tusks, rhino horns and pangolin scales en route mainly to China.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to "soon" draft a directive to ban these activities and submit it to the government no later than April 1.

It follows a call by 14 conservation organizations on the government to "identify and close markets and other locations where illegal wildlife is on sale" to prevent Covid-19. Vietnam has so far recorded 76 cases.

Sweden, the U.K. and Austria are rated the highest in the index with adequate policies and laws to protect animals. They scored a 'B', with no countries in the reporting getting 'A'.
Officials in Hampden and Ludlow are reporting the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their communities.

We have had our first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in town. Appropriate quarantines are in place, officials posted on the Police Department Facebook Page Sunday morning.

Ludlow officials announced on Saturday that the first resident in the community has been tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Our best wishes go out to this individual for a speedy recovery. This is not a time for social gatherings and activities, according to a press release issued by the Ludlow Board of Selectmen.

Officials did not release conditions of any of the people who have been infected.

In announcing the two cases officials reminded residents to stay home as much as possible and stay home when sick, wash hands frequently, keep a distance of at least 6 feet from other people, cough or sneeze into a tissue or in the crook of your elbow to keep from releasing droplets that could be infected with the virus and self-quarantine if exposed to infection.

We want to remind everyone to practice social distancing whether inside or outside. We all need to take the warning seriously and do our part to help slow down the spread, Hampden officials said.

On Wednesday the Ashfield Board of Health announced one person in that town had tested positive for the virus. "Those who have been in contact with the infected resident are currently self-quarantined and are asymptomatic. the notice said.

As of Saturday, more than 5,200 residents of Massachusetts have been tested for COVID-19 and about 10 percent of them, 525 people, have tested positive.

Baystate Health, in Springfield, has now tested 484 individuals for coronavirus and of those tested, 22 were positive for COVID-19 and 228 were found to be negative, officials said on Saturday.

The Springfield-based health provider in still awaiting test results for 234 others.

Baystate Health officials said in a video released on Sunday said testing abilities remain limited. The medical center does not have the capability to test patients and is working with the state Department of Public Health to have people tested.

People with minor cases, we dont have test kits for them, Dr. Sarah D. Haessler, hospital epidemiologist, said in the video.

Two people in the state have died from the virus. An 87-year-old Winthrop man who had underlying health conditions died on Friday and a woman in her 50s from Ayer, who also had medical problems, died on Saturday, officials said.

Related content:
A total of 263 Indian students and compassionate cases on Sunday departed for India by a special Air India flight from Rome, as the coronavirus cases in Italy continue to surge in the country along with the rising death toll.

"263 Indian students and compassionate cases departed for India by special Air India flight from Rome fulfilling our commitment to ensure their safe return home. Sincere folded hands to Air India and Italian authorities," Embassy of India in Italy tweeted.

On Wednesday, the Indian embassy in Italy had said it was assisting more than 300 Indian students stranded in the capital Rome and nearby areas amid the outbreak of coronavirus that has infected nearly 28,000 people in the European nation.

"We are doing all that is possible within our limited resources, despite the current lock-down, to support and assist more than 300 Indian students in Rome and nearby areas. Their swab tests have been taken over the weekend and reports are awaited," the Embassy tweeted.

The Indian government had earlier evacuated 218 Indians  mostly students  from the Italian city of Milan.

Italy has reported over 42,000 confirmed cases of the virus, while 4825 people have died from the disease  the most outside of China.

Globally, 2,66,000 people have been infected, while over 11,000 have died from COVID-19, as per the latest available data on the World Health Organisation (WHO) website.
Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Ghana will close all land, sea and air borders to human traffic for the next two weeks, beginning midnight on Sunday, as part of new measures to combat COVID-19 (coronavirus) as positive cases climbed to 21 with one death
Most businesses closed as government-imposed curfew comes into force, leaving only hospitals, other vital services open.

Cities across India were deserted on Sunday morning as the country of some 1.3 billion people imposed a nationwide curfew aimed at curbing the spread of the new coronavirus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday called for the Janata Curfew (Public Curfew in Hindi) or self-imposed quarantine from 7am to 9pm to break the chain of infections as well as assess Indias ability to fight the pandemic.

India has 332 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, to date, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Four people have died so far.

Let us all be part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against the COVID-19 menace, Modi tweeted, moments before the curfew.

The steps we take now will help us in the times to come. Stay indoors and stay healthy.

Television footage showed deserted streets in the capital, New Delhi, and metropolitan cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata. Only businesses and government establishments dealing in essential items and services will remain open.

Indias government has made fervent appeals to the public to practise social distancing and good hand hygiene [Jewel Samad/AFP]

While some Indian states had already issued stay-in-place orders, Sunday marked the first nationwide effort at social isolation practices the World Health Organization believes are critical to flattening the infection curve worldwide.

No commercial aeroplanes from abroad are allowed to land in India for a week starting on Sunday.

Beyond Sunday, there is a lot of speculation that this curfew could be extended  and states across the country including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab have already extended the lockdown, said Al Jazeeras Elizabeth Puranam, reporting from New Delhi.

Other states like Goa, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have already shut their borders, she added, noting that most of India appeared to be eerily quiet amid the curfew.

An extension of the measure, however, would pose a massive challenge for the government in a country where many people need to work daily to earn a living, Puranam said.

Street vendors say that if they dont go out, their families will simply die of hunger.

In his speech last week, Modi asked Indians to stay at home but to go out on their balconies at 5pm with pots and pans to cheer frontline healthcare workers.

Indias government has made fervent appeals to the public to practise social distancing and good hand hygiene.

Authorities maintain there is no community transmission to date but experts fear that the indigenous spread of the disease in a country where tens of millions live in dense urban areas with irregular access to clean water is inevitable.
Millions of people across the country stayed indoors on Sunday in an unprecedented and overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janta curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus.

Be it Mumbai, known as the city that never sleeps, Patna or Ahmedabad, life came to a standstill in the country as roads, railway stations and airports wore a deserted look and markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services remained shut during the 14-hour self-imposed curfew that started at 7 am.

Here are glimpses of deserted streets, roads and highways across the country:

IMAGE: Bandra- Worli Sea Link road wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Mumbai, on Sunday. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo



IMAGE: Ultadanga bridge wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Kolkata. Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI Photo

IMAGE: A flyover wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Bhubaneswar, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: A deserted view of Choti Chopad during Janta Curfew in Jaipur, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: City streets are seen deserted during Janta Curfew in Surat. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: A police official urges a commuter to stay at home during Janta curfew in Karad, Maharashtra on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: A city street wears a deserted look during Janta curfew in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

IMAGE: A national highway wears a deserted look during Janta curfew in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Mall Road wears a deserted look during Janata curfew in Bathinda, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 16:09:31|Editor: xuxin

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KABUL, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Public Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz on Sunday confirmed 10 new COVID-19 cases, including the first two cases in national capital of Kabul.

"Within the past 24 hours, about 97 suspected cases were tested in national laboratories, out of which 10 cases were confirmed positive of COVID-19 infections," Feroz told reporters.

Two of the latest cases were found in national capital Kabul and the patients are two foreign diplomats from two separate diplomatic missions, he said.

"Three of the eight remaining new cases were detected in Herat province, two in Zabul, one in Kandahar, one in Balkh and one in Ghazni provinces respectively. All the 10 patients have been sent for the quarantine process," the minister added.

The minister also urged the concerned departments to declare a lockdown in the western Herat province, bordering Iran, where most of the coronavirus cases are reported.

The fresh cases have brought the number of confirmed cases to 34 in the country and all of them were imported with no locally transmitted infections reported so far, according to officials.
A prominent Toronto physician is warning that GTA hospitals may soon run out of essential medical equipment needed to treat patients with suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Dr. Michael Warner, medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General), says physician colleagues around the city are raising the alarm that supplies of personal protective equipment used by medical professionals  N95 masks, gowns, face shields and gloves  are on track to reach critically low levels as the pandemic grows.

Warner says his hospital in particular has about three weeks worth of protective equipment if the current usage rate continues.

If I have patients coming to my hospital and theres no personal protective equipment for me or the nurses or the person who mops the floor or delivers the food  everyone needs it who enters that room  then patients wont get treatment and people will die, he told the Star Saturday, adding that doctors in his ICU have had to order their own goggles from Amazon because we know were going to run out of face shields.

If youre being put into battle and you have no guarantee that youre going to have the tools you need to battle with, at least the minimal base protection, that causes a huge amount of anxiety, Warner said.

On Saturday, the government launched what it is calling Ontario Together, a website aimed at assisting businesses, particularly the manufacturing sector, redeploy resources for the production of essential equipment such as masks and ventilators. This follows the governments announcement last Tuesday that it was making a $304 million investment to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including $50 million to increase the supply of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies frontline health workers rely on.

Recognizing increased demand for equipment and supplies, Ontario is at all times in active discussions with our manufacturing and supply chain partners to procure more personal protective equipment, Hayley Chazan, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott, told the Star.

Because of that work, weve procured 300 more ventilators to add to the 210 we currently have in unallocated surplus. The Command Table is working with our health system partners to identify which hospitals are most in need to allocate additional equipment appropriately as we continue to work on procuring additional ventilators.

That cant happen fast enough, said Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), which represents registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in the province. Her organization is recommending to the province that it instruct universities and colleges with medical simulation labs to turn over their supplies to local health services that Grinspun said at this point may be more or less okay but in a week, who knows?

The RNAO is also requesting that all Ontarians, regardless of age, stay in their homes for the next 14 days.

Every day that we delay that, we are actually putting the health system at risk of not being able to respond as needed, Grinspun said. Its time to do that and the time is today.

Warner said he was encouraged to hear of the provinces new initiative, calling it an important step, but stressed the urgency of understanding what hospitals across the country currently have in their inventories so that it can be deployed to areas that need it most.

Warner has spent days phoning dental offices, construction companies, and cosmetic and veterinarian clinics  all businesses that use protective equipment of this nature  asking them to hand over that which they dont need.

Its like a puzzle. If one piece is missing, the other components are useless. So if I have gloves and a mask, but no gowns, I still cant go in the room, said Warner. If I have a shiny ventilator from the minister, thats great. But if I cant go into the room to use it, the patient is still going to die.

Erica Di Maio, a spokesperson for Michael Garron Hospital, confirmed the facility has a few weeks of personal protective equipment in stock. She said hospital staff are working on a number of strategies to conserve protective equipment and meet increasing demands, including an ethical decision-making framework around rationing personal protective equipment, identifying how to make what we have last longer.

Alison Thompson, a professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto, said a potential lack of personal protective equipment is a major problem.

One of the key ethical principles for pandemics is reciprocity: there is an obligation to ensure that those who are responding to the pandemic on the front lines are working under safe conditions, she said. When health care providers and other first responders are not protected, it makes it very hard for them to come to work, especially if they are worried about bringing illness home with them to their families. They have a duty to care, but the government has a duty to ensure that they can provide that care with full protections and with a safe workplace.
Romania reported Sunday the first death on its territory due to the novel coronavirus, a 67-year-old man who was also suffering from advanced cancer, according to the government.

The man had returned from France on 6 March and was quickly admitted to hospital after developing flu-like symptoms.

Romania's foreign ministry announced on Saturday that seven Romanians living abroad, in Italy and France, have died since the start of the pandemic.

While authorities have told the large Romanian diaspora not to come home for Easter, the ministry said that Romanians who were currently abroad as tourists or seasonal workers should return home "urgently".

Romania has confirmed 367 cases of the novel coronavirus so far.

On Saturday the goverment in Bucharest broadened restrictions under the state of emergency brought in to stem the spread of the virus, imposing fresh restrictions on movement and barring most foreigners from entering the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Aman Rochman (The Jakarta Post) Malang, East Java  Mon, March 23 2020

Squeaky clean: A resident tries out the so-called Sico Chamber, which automatically sprays its users with disinfectant, before entering the Rampal Field in Malang, East Java, on Friday. The chamber was invented by seven mechanical engineering students from Brawijaya University to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.(JP/Aman Rochman)

Students at Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, have invented a disinfection chamber to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the area, which authorities have declared vulnerable to the outbreak.

The device, called the Sikat Corona (Corona Scrubber) or SiCo, is a two-meter-high, one-meter-wide chamber covered by a transparent material and equipped with a nozzle to spray disinfectant.

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The country's leading automakers, including Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), Mahindra & Mahindra and Honda Cars, on Sunday announced suspension of manufacturing activities across plants in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The country's largest car maker MSI halted production at its Gurgaon and Manesar plants with immediate effect, while Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) decided to suspend manufacturing at its two plants in the country till March 31.

Similarly, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) announced to suspend production at its manufacturing plants in Maharashtra.

Automaker Fiat also put brakes on production in the country till the end of this month.

In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) suspended production across their manufacturing plants.

MSI in a statement said, "The company will shut production and office operations at its facilities in Gurugram and Manesar (Haryana) with immediate effect till further notice."



The company's research and development centre at Rohtak will also remain closed, it added.

The duration of this shutdown will depend upon government policy, MSI said.

The company's two plants in Haryana -- Manesar and Gurgaon -- churn out 15.5 lakh vehicles per annum.

MSI said it has been taking all recommended precautions against the spread of coronavirus, including sanitisation and hygiene measures.

"As a next step, the government policy now requires closure of production and, accordingly, the company has taken a decision on production closure," it said.

HCIL said production operations at both its manufacturing plants in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Tapukara (Rajasthan) will be temporarily suspended from March 23 till March 31.

The company said its intention is to restart production on April 1, however, this will be dependent upon advice from the government, health authorities, and market and supply conditions.

M&M said it has suspended manufacturing operations at its Nagpur plant with immediate effect and will also halt production at Chakan (Pune) and Kandivali (Mumbai) from Monday.

None of the company plants is working on Sunday as well, M&M added.

"We are carefully monitoring the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to take swift and appropriate action on other plants in Maharashtra and across the nation," the company said.

Meanwhile, all company offices across the country have already implemented work from home, it added.

Similarly, automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) together with Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL), FCA's joint venture manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, said the temporary suspension is in response to the increasing prevalence of positive COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and particularly in Pune.

"There will be no retrenchment of any plant employees as a result of the plant closure and all will continue to receive their salaries during this closure period, the company said.

MG Motor India said production at its Halol (Gujarat) plant is closed till March 25.

Market leader Hero MotoCorp said it has suspended production until March 31.

"With the safety and well-being of its employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, the company has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities -- including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh -- and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020," Hero MotoCorp said.

Employees at all the other functions and locations, including the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) at Jaipur, will continue to work from home, except for those whose physical presence is necessary to run the day-to-day essential services, it added.

Similarly, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) said it has suspended operations across its four manufacturing plants in the country with immediate effect.

"The well-being of employees and all stakeholders being the top priority, the company has temporarily announced shutdown of operations across all its four manufacturing plants with immediate effect till further notice," HMSI said in a statement.

The duration of this shutdown will depend upon the government policy, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On Friday evening, a red sky stretches over Dublin city but there are still hours to work at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. A white board taking up much of a wall in the office of chief executive Alan Sharp is filled with lists of wards and bed numbers and mathematical equations. "It's my mind board," he says.

That night, there were 126 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total in the Republic to 683, where three weeks ago there was one. Three people have died, 12 are receiving critical care in intensive-care units and some of them are in the Mater. A surge is coming, but Mr Sharp cannot say when or what shape it will take.

He is known as a numbers man and a lot of fighting coronavirus comes down to numbers; how many will get the virus, how many will need admission, is there enough life-saving ventilation equipment to go around?

The number of Covid-19 patients in the Mater is in the "double digits", Mr Sharp says, but the hospital is preparing for "hundreds" more.

The 72 beds available for those catching the disease are gradually filling up. As numbers rise in one ward, patients are decanted from another. Eighty four additional empty beds are available to switch on, with just hours of notice. In all, around 200 beds will be available in the coming weeks and others are expected to come on stream.

"We are mapping what we need, and we are trying to put enough beds ahead of the curve, [so] that we've got a lot of comfort," says Mr Sharp. "We will continue to do that until we run out of options."

If the options run out, the hospital will take the unprecedented step of treating patients in the car park.

The HSE has been sourcing 12- and 20-bay medical pods, he says, which are being "designed and through manufacturing for the State". The Mater is expecting delivery of its first 20-bed pod in 10 to 12 weeks. A mobile Covid-19 testing unit will "drop on the car park in about a week", says Mr Sharp, to test the anticipated surge of people with symptoms.

"Will we end up in the hundreds in this hospital? It's more than likely that we will at some point, but we are hoping that will be the height of it. This hospital will be as prepared as a hospital can be," he says.

The Mater is a microcosm of what's happening in other hospitals across the country. The extraordinary effort under way across the entire health system has united consultants, nurses, medical teams, HSE managers and the hospital chiefs they are more used to fighting with over resources. Patients on trolleys have disappeared, home help and step-down beds have materialised to get older patients out of hospital. Tomorrow, Mr Sharp will view the 48-bed St Bricin's military hospital in nearby Stoneybatter, which the Defence Forces has offered to the Mater.

The hospital's Emergency Department is planning for between 30 and 60 cases of coronavirus presenting every day.

Dr Eamonn Brazil, an emergency medical consultant and clinical director for acute and specialty medicine, says most of those cases will require hospital admission.

"If it's less than 30 we will be delighted, if it's more than 80 we will be very unhappy. So somewhere in the middle. It will vary from day to day."

The department has been dramatically reconfigured into two parts - one, a secure pathway for Covid-19 patients, and the other for the regular emergencies, car accidents, strokes, heart attacks, that will not stop because of the virus.

Patients are screened at the door, into those who may have the virus and those who don't. Dr Brazil is anxious, of course, about passing the virus to family. "The speciality I am in, emergency medicine, tends to thrive on anxiety. It's what we do, we like dealing with situations that are hard to figure out," he says. His biggest fear is "getting it wrong". "If things get rough, we'll struggle through it but we just don't want to get it wrong."

He estimates that 5pc of the anticipated 30 to 60 daily Covid-19 cases are likely to require intensive care.

"By the time they come to the intensive-care unit, most likely the patient will have a tube in their mouth, they will be on a machine that's helping them to breathe. They will require lots of lines that we can deliver medications into their systems to manage their conditions," says Roisin McCourt. A clinical nurse manager, her title is 'acting CNM2 staff development facilitator' and she is training nurses and doctors used to working in other disciplines on treating Covid-19 patients.

"My own personal concern is that there is a fear amongst some of us that we can contract this from the patients we are looking after. So it does involve not seeing our families," Ms McCourt says. She has been working 13-hour days, leaving her home in Louth at 5.45am and getting back at 9.45pm.

It's not the work she and other staff find overwhelming right now, but the acts of kindness. Croke Park has given over its car park to Mater Hospital staff. Dublin Bus has laid on a shuttle service to ferry staff to and from the hospital, and supplied them with goody bags of chocolate, sandwiches and fruit. "Yesterday there was a delivery of chocolate from a gentleman somewhere in the country, he didn't know how to help so he just sent chocolate," says Ms McCourt. "So we can't thank people enough for that. It really lifts our day when we see it coming in."

If there is a sense of eerie calm among front-line staff, it is probably largely because, across the board, hospital teams have been preparing for this since January.

The Mater has been monitoring the virus since it was first reported to the World Health Organisation on December 31 as a pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan, China. "I remember over that New Year's weekend, seeing the headlines in the paper and going 'right, this is what I'll be doing over the next couple of weeks'," says Dr Aoife Cotter.

Dr Cotter, a consultant in infectious diseases, is the clinical lead for the National Isolation Unit, which is centred at the Mater. She is also on the National Public Health Emergency Team.

She describes how she spends her days planning, co-ordinating, supporting, working with three other infectious disease consultants, a team of specialist nurses and other staff.

She is also five months' pregnant and often working 12-hour days. She doesn't currently see patients - a unilateral decision taken by her colleagues, Dr Cotter says.

"I'm prepared to see patients at any stage and it is likely that I will have to anyway because if we do have a higher volume of people coming through, there are four of us and I will have to support my colleagues," she says.

"I know that we have the infrastructure in place, we have planned for it. I'm well informed around personal protection equipment (PPE) and how to use it, so I have no issues with continuing to work for the rest of my pregnancy."

She has a one-and-a-half year-old at home but is lucky to have a childminder. "My husband is making packed lunches for me and putting them in my handbag and doing the dinners," she says. Dr Cotter is not surprised by the numbers and, asked if she is worried, she responds with a swift and resolute: "No, I just get on with it."

Since the first Covid-19 case was recorded in Ireland on February 29, some of the earliest cases have ended up in the National Isolation Unit.

Prof Jack Lambert, a consultant in infectious diseases, says those first patients were mainly cases that originated in northern Italy and coped well with the virus. His fear is what should follow if the virus spreads among the significant older population who live in the Mater's catchment area.

So far, he says, there have not been many cases in older people. The statistics published by the HSE last week show that only 17pc of cases were over 65, while 22pc were aged between 35 and 44. "So far, we have only had a few individuals in that demographic - frail, elderly immunocompromised who have tested positive. But is that just the tip of the iceberg?" says Prof Lambert. "We are now just beginning to see a few of the elderly and that is the danger. Have we put the brakes on this epidemic or is this just the beginning? In the next seven to 10 days, we will know."

Those coming to be tested include people who work in hospitality industries, who risk infecting others in the community. "Now if they had interacted with the wrong person - someone who works in a nursing home, some elderly people with underlying immunosuppressive conditions, or just frail, that's the danger," he adds. Prof Lambert reckons the hospital will get through the surge. "We are going to have a rough time, but we are going to get through this. It is not going to be Armageddon," he says. "I think we are in a better place than Italy. I think that you can start working toward the best outcome rather than worrying about the worst outcome."

Staff and their families are at risk of infection but as Ken A Byrne, a hospital porter, says: "That's what we signed up for." He dons protective gear every time he transports Covid-19 patients to where they need to go. "People are not as perky as they used to be. You can see the tension there," he adds.

The chief executive is not immune either. "Nobody wants to infect a family member. Nobody wants to get sick themselves. But does it give me any pause for thought when I come into work? No. I have a job to do," says Mr Sharp. "I'll be beside the team for as long as this is here, and that's just the way it is."

The PPE is guarded by the head of security, Zachary, a former officer with the Metropolitan Police in London. He started his job in February and heard of Covid-19 for the first time a week later.

Awareness of what happened in Italy, where the death toll has soared to more than 4,000 since the contagion emerged, is acute.

Alan Sharp, Dr Aoife Cotter, Dr Eamonn Brazil, Prof Jack Lambert, Roisin McCourt and the support staff all deliver the same heartfelt appeal: heed the public health advice.

For all the chocolate and food deliveries that make their day, Ms McCourt says what they really need is for people to "stay home and maintain social distancing, keep up the hand hygiene and cough etiquette".

"We undoubtedly have been given time to prepare that people in China, and in countries closer to China and certainly Italy, didn't have the luxury of," says Dr Cotter. "It's the entire country's responsibility to take that information and for everyone to do their bit."
Some 35,000 elderly Mexicans, most aged between 60 to 74 years old may lose their jobs as grocers are beginning to crack under the pressure to pull out elderly employees amid the growing concern about panic buying and their vulnerability to the coronavirus.

The program, which already came under fire from labor activists, is now under more scrutiny as more Mexicans opted to self-isolation or working from home amid fears of the virus.

But on Friday afternoon, Walmart de Mexico said they would suspend the program after succumbing to pressure following a large online petition and a story published on Reuters.

"Taking into account that elderly people are an especially vulnerable group, we've decided to go without the presence of the elderly people who provide valuable support as voluntary grocery baggers," the company said in a statement, assuring that they will provide workers 'economic support'.

However, the company said they will retain bag packers in their stores as per the recommendation of the National Institute for Elderly People (INAPAM), which oversees the program and has been reluctant to adopt measures that will affect the employees' income.

Bagger Guillermo Valdez, 65, who packs groceries at Superama in the upscale Polanco neighborhood said Walmart has recommended wearing surgical masks. But by the time he asked for them in stores, Valdez said they had already run out.

INAPAM director for state programs Ricardo Gallardo said workers should not be pulled from stores as their income relies on the tips they receive. He said they will not offer compensation should workers decide to stay at home.

"The activities of the elderly adults as baggers in our stores are voluntary, they're not our employees," a spokesperson for Walmart de Mexico said.

Walmart is set to host an hour-long seniors-only shopping event in its 5,000 plus stores in the United States for customers aged 60 and older.

Mexican grocery chain Soriania, on the other hand, has already found a solution to this problem by asking shoppers to leave donations for the elderly volunteers after announcing that they will no longer be mobilized in consideration for their health.

Instead, shoppers will have to pack their own groceries.

People aged 65 and older are at a higher risk of contracting the 2019 coronavirus disease, accounting for eight for every 10 deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Citing the local data, the CDC said 80 percent of deaths in China, where the virus originated, have been among people aged 60 and older.

Mexico has fared better than other countries---unlike China and Italy where thousands have already died from the disease---with 164 recorded coronavirus cases and one fatality. Despite the impressive statistics, President Andres Manual Lopez Obrador still came under fire for refusing to impose a travel ban and work shutdowns even after its neighboring countries have already imposed mandatory lockdowns and travel restrictions along their borders.

So far, Obrador's toughest measure has been cancelling large events and suspending classes as of next week.

Meanwhile, Mexico and the United States have said they are limiting travel over the shared border, prohibiting tourist travel similar to what is already imposed in the US- Canada border earlier this week in order to prevent the coronavirus from further spreading in the North American region.
[Editor's note: Lack of FDA approval does not prohibit off-label use of drugs for other threapeutic purposes, but would inhibit widespred use.]

You are being lied to about the drugs that heal COVID19.

America's FDA, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, are dragging their feet on approving a drug that provides very strong positive effect on COVID19.

Fauci, speaking from the White House, said on the matter of approving Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin:

"It's it's essentially what I said multiple times from this podium. Is that when you have, first of all, we're trying to develop de novo drugs that are not yet out there, not that approved, that ultimately will be effective. And the way you prove that is to do a randomized controlled trial to prove safety and efficacy. Uh, I am not a totally sure what the the President was referring to, but I believe he's referring to a report that used both Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin together uh to have some uh possibility of being an effect. Many of the things that you hear out there are are what I had called anecdotal reports. They may be true. But theyre anecdotal."

Please notice that Dr. Fauci just called the effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin against COVID19 anecdotal. That will be very important in a moment.

Fauci continued, "So the only thing that I was saying is that if you really want to definitively know if something works that you've gotta do the kind of trial that you get the good information," by which he dismissed the body of scientific work that supports the use of Hydroxychloroquine.

Fauci went on,

"The President is talking about hope for people and it's not an unreasonable thing to hope for people so when you have approved drugs that physicians have the option and a decision between the physician and the patient are you gonna use the drug that someone says from an anecdotal standpoint not completely proven but might have some effect..."

Which is utterly gobbledygook divergent from the facts about the two drugs in discussion. It is not true that the evidence supporting these two drugs is anecdotal. These two drugs have been shown in scientific studies and peer-reviewed publications to have strong positive effects against COVID19. Period.

But Fauci's words have hidden the truth from you.

Fauci rambled,

"...there are those who lean to the point of giving hope and saying give that person the option of having access to that drug and then you have the other group which is my job as scientist to say my job is to ultimately prove without a doubt that a drug is not only safe but that it actually works."

No. The standard of evidence he is requiring is not his job as a scientist. It is a wildly inappropriate exaggeration utterly unsuited to the situation, and his description of the facts is utterly misleading. Not to mention it's a word-salad.

In one month's time, there will be hundreds of thousands of cases of COVID19. There will be many thousands of deaths. And Fauci is taking the position that he and the US government should not approve Hydroxychloroquine because it might not be safe and might not be effective, based on his smear of high-quality science as mere anecdote.

Fauci said these fantastically vague, wrong, and misleading things from the podium at the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing with the Vice President standing behind him.

Are the studies supporting Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin really anecdotal evidence?

Definition of "anecdotal evidence" from Merriam-Webster:

evidence in the form of stories that people tell about what has happened to them. Example: His conclusions are not supported by data; they are based only on anecdotal evidence.

Is that what the following is?

Gautret et al. (2020) writing Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID19: results of an openlabel nonrandomized clinical trial. state:

"We therefore recommend that COVID-19 patients be treated with Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to cure their infection and to limit the transmission of the virus to other people in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the world." - Gautret et al, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents  In Press 17 March 2020  DOI : 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105949

The words "clinical trial" in the title actually mean "clinical trial". That's, like, different, than "anecdotal", Tony?

Then we hear from Wang, M., Cao, R., Zhang, L. et al. in Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Cell Res 30, 269271 (2020).

Wang et al writes,

"Our findings reveal that remdesivir and chloroquine are highly effective in the control of 2019-nCoV infection in vitro. Since these compounds have been used in human patients with a safety track record and shown to be effective against various ailments, we suggest that they should be assessed in human patients suffering from the novel coronavirus disease."

That's scientific evidence was published in Nature Cell Research - probably the most prestigious scientific journal in that field in the world. Nature is "anecdotal evidence" to Dr. Tony "lost the fastball" Fauci.

But perhaps I do not know how to interpret this scientific result properly - right? I am a scientist. Yet, maybe I'm a rube? A deplorable perhaps? I am definitely not Medal of Freedom winner! So maybe the plain English "clinical trial" doesn't mean "clinical trial." So we'd better not take my word for it.

Let's take Belgium's word for it, instead.

Belgium has issued official guidelines calling for use of Hydroxychloroquine as a first-line treatment for COVID19. See page 3 and 4 of link below.

One stated reason:

"Results of Gautret study have been just released and confirm that viral positivity in respiratory secretions (measured by PCR) is significantly decreased at day 6 in Hydroxychloroquine-treated COVID-19 patients (n=26) versus those with supportive care (n=16 controls): 30% positivity versus 87.5%, p<0.001). This observation strongly supports the current choice of Hydroxychloroquine as first-line treatment; we suggest to keep the current recommended dosage (see Table), which is pharmacologically very close to that used in Gautrets study. "

That "Guatret study" that Belgium references is a scientific one! Not a ramble told while drunk on the job in D.C.! The nation of Belgium stating emphatically that the "current choice of Hydroxychloroquine as first-line treatment" is justified because of its review of the science... is irrelevant to the Fauci poo-poo. But his name was not on the paper so it didn't matter? The official position of an entire European country offering official guidance to every doctor in the land during a 100-year epidemic is...just an anecdote.

That is, it's an anecdote to a preening narcissist bureaucrat in Washington D.C. for whom no evidence is sufficient...unless HE says so with cameras on him! I'm sure the Belgians are impressed.

But again don't take my word. Take China's.

China includes chloroquine in the recommendations regarding the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia, so reported in International Journal of Microbial Agents:

If you get COVID19 in China, the official guidance to doctors says to give you Hydroxychloroquine.

"The drug is recommended to be included in the next version of the Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Pneumonia Caused by COVID-19 issued by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China for treatment of COVID-19 infection in larger populations in the future."

You may read more about the official Chinese national guidance to all doctors in the scientific journal Bioscience Trends. A journal apparently considered to be a twitter feed by the blathering Fauci.

Why do you think China has had such a radical improvement in its caseload? There are a collection of papers online in broken English, written by excited Chinese medical doctors, telling the world they are using Chloroquine and it's very effective.

China may be a lot of things. But they are not dumb. Politically, the government there is glad enough to look like heroes for issuing orders to give everyone chloroquine, because it will save the lives of ten million Chinese. You have to be a lifetime American bureaucrat to not figure this out.

Official government guidance to doctors! From the world's most populous nation! With the largest COVID19 infection! Which has shown the largest drop in caseload! This is "anecdotal evidence" to Dr. Fauci and America's FDA. These imbeciles are so busy making the paperwork go faster for you (while America plunges into the grave, and the fix is on the shelf at Walmart?) that they are incapable of noticing anything that happens outside the beltway. But don't you feel better that he has a Medal of Freedom? And that a month from now, he'll get back to you about that pill-thing?

Two national governments, multiple peer reviewed studies, a clinical trial, the most prestigious journals - these are not high-enough for Mr. Medal Dr. MD-PhD Fauci. He's above all that. Maybe the type of the research - performed by your beltway buddies - dismissing the work of the French, the Chinese, and the Belgians - is more important than ten thousand innocent lives plunging into the mass-grave dug with a back-hoe? After all, you're big MF, MD-PhD, on TV! The standards must be impossibly high.

So high the little people can't meet them.

While thousands of Americans lie dying, the citizens of Belgium and France and China are given Hydroxychloroquine and are recovering. Having gotten off their butts and done the research those nations, while Fauci and FDA was strutting around wondering how to fill out paperwork faster, deserve credit for publishing actionable scientific conclusions.

But maybe Fauci and FDA will get back to you in the "record time" of one month? You know, when there's a million cases and two hundred thousand in the hospital, a hundred thousand in ICU and twenty thousand dead. The very careful, very safe Lost the Fastball Fauci, for whom no scientific evidence is anything but anecdotal, will let you die, because there's not evidence rising to his august level, to give you a pill that has been shown by science to heal you.

Demand Fauci's resignation.

Demand FDA Director Hahn's resignation.

Because it sounds to me like these two elitist snobs would rather let you die than give you the most studied prescription-medication in the history of mankind.

FDA must approve Hydroxychloroquine NOW for COVID19.

Not just "off label".

Not just "compassionate use only"

Not just "limited clinical trial".

Full FDA approval, NOW.

That simple approval will change the number of people getting the medicine from hundreds to hundreds of thousands.

Why should we do this? Because of anecdote and emotion?

No.

Because the scientific, peer reviewed, journal articles and clinical trial provide concrete evidence of efficacy.

And?

Because chloroquine is the single most studied prescription in the history of the Earth, having proven its safety via tens of millions of patients in hundreds of millions of doses over seven decades, in every country in the world, by tens of thousands of doctors. There are hundreds of scientific journal articles on the safety of chloroquine. There are tens of thousands of papers on its properties. There is more evidence for the safe-use applications of chloroquine than for any other prescribed drug in the history of man. To question whether it's safe isn't just to insult the intelligence of America - it is an obtuse insult the entire body of published medicine.

And why today and not in a month?

Because in about one month, every one of the 924,107 staffed hospital beds (American Hospital Association) in the United States of America will be filled with the sick and the dying.

Fauci lied, people died. Get him and Hahn outta here.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab
The Rev. Stephen Bongard, of Immanuel Lutheran Church, presided over Dee Edgcomb's service.

I talked it over with (funeral director) Jamie Moeller on Monday morning. It was on her recommendation that we have a private family service and (livestream it) for those who couldnt be there. That was the best we could do, he said.

Eric Edgcomb said the safety of his mother's older mourners was paramount.

It is definitely unfortunate, but my mom was older and had a lot of older friends, and I dont want to put anybody at jeopardy since the disease affects the elderly more," he said.

We just thought it was the best option and to be able to watch it after the fact from peoples homes. We hope a lot can take advantage of this.

Edgcomb said an e-funeral is a disappointment for him and his brother, and I dont know what other families are going to do to get closure."

Bongard said livestreaming a funeral is a new chapter in his parishs history.

"For our regular worship hour we have been prerecording them, he said, but they have not been livestreaming anything.
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In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days.

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As many NASA centers switch to mandatory telework to confront the spread of COVID-19 , NASA leadership acknowledged that prized science missions may suffer delays and that the agency was prepared to make that trade in order to keep its employees safe.

Among the missions affected is the James Webb Space Telescope, where work is now on hold, NASA officials said Friday (March 20).

Questions about NASA's response to the coronavirus pandemic reigned during a Science Mission Directorate digital town hall held on Friday. The event had been arranged to allow Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen and several division leaders to summarize and address questions about President Donald Trump's budget request for the 2021 fiscal year , which begins on Oct. 1. As it turned out, that discussion took second place on the agenda.

"What we're going to do in this call is use what I call the elephant principle: If there's an elephant in the room, we'll talk about it," Zurbuchen said during his opening remarks. "We're going to talk about COVID activities and how it affects us here in science. And then, as we do all day, we will go back to business."

Related: Coronavirus prevention measures take their toll on astronomy

More: Coronavirus and space industry: Complete coverage

Zurbuchen noted that different types of activities will be affected differently by the telework guidelines. Some work, like developing the requirements that missions must meet to be considered successful, is straightforward to do remotely ; constructing a spacecraft is not. He noted that aircraft-based science flights have already been postponed indefinitely, although he emphasized that those flights are not canceled and will be rescheduled when the pandemic is more contained.

Even NASA's most prized missions currently in development could see serious impacts from COVID-19 containment measures, Zurbuchen said. "Many people have asked us about James Webb ," he said, referring to the agency's over-budget and much-delayed massive space telescope project.

That spacecraft is currently scheduled to launch next March, although a January report from the Government Accountability Office suggested that the project had just a 12% chance of meeting that timeline, even without the pandemic. "Of course it will be impacted, even though it's one of our top priorities, as we've said repeatedly; personnel for integration and testing work has been reduced already," Zurbuchen said.

Just hours after the town hall concluded, NASA announced that it was pausing  at least temporarily  work on the Webb space telescope. The instrument is currently in California, the governor of which on Thursday (March 19) instituted mandatory restrictions keeping his residents in their homes for the foreseeable future except for essential errands.

The coronavirus containment measures could also interfere with NASA's next Mars mission , which is scheduled to launch in July and includes the Perseverance rover and an experimental helicopter. The main spacecraft is already in Florida , but prelaunch assembly is not yet completed and the rover's power supply has not yet arrived. "Mars 2020 is another top priority, and the teams are doing frankly heros' work to keep us on track," Zurbuchen said. "Both missions are priorities but they're very different as far as their situation and decisions that need to be made."

Beyond those two missions, Zurbuchen avoided discussing the impacts coronavirus response measures may have on specific projects, instead emphasizing that NASA decisions would respond to the pandemic as needed. "We're in a state of flux," he said. "This remains fluid."

During his remarks, he also strove to emphasize that NASA's focus was on meeting the needs of its personnel's physical and mental well-being. Zurbuchen acknowledged that some NASA staff will be dealing with other complications, like taking care of children home from school or getting back to family they have been working away from, and that the situation is continuing to change.

He also directed a few encouragements specifically to graduate students and other early-career professionals. "We do not want this to be a kind of a fork in the road career-wise, a fork in the road for you that is imposed from the outside," he said. "We're all together on this and committed to coming out the other side as a stronger community and one that is not weeding out our friends that we really need to lead in the future."

The unspoken question underlying his remarks, of course, was what that future might look like. "We're all affected by this, all of our missions are affected by this," Zurbuchen said. "Most of the missions, there's nobody working hands-on anymore at NASA facilities."

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
E mirates is suspending the majority of its passenger flights after a dramatic slowdown caused by the global coronavirus outbreak.

The company, one of the biggest airlines in the world, said the move - a key indication of the impact of the virus on the aviation industry - would come into force on Wednesday.

Emirates earlier announced a suspension of all passenger flights, but reversed that decision after receiving requests from Governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers.

It will now reduce its passenger flight destinations from 145 to 13, and will still fly to the UK, the US, Japan, Australia and Canada.

It will also slash salaries for the majority of its employees for three months but will not cut jobs.

Coronavirus in numbers: Worldwide deaths exceed 13,000

The state-owned carrier stressed it will continue to operate cargo flights through its fleet of Boeing 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods, including medical supplies across the world.

Airlines around the world are struggling to cover their costs and pay salaries with their fleets grounded and countries shutting their borders to travellers.

In the Middle East, airlines have lost more than seven billion dollars (6 billion) in revenue as of March 11, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The group said 16,000 passenger flights have been cancelled in the Middle East since the end of January.

Emirates's hub in Dubai, which is the worlds busiest international airport, has seen major disruption as a result of Covid-19. The United Arab Emirates has all but closed its borders to travellers.

In a statement released on Sunday, Emirates said it tried to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible to help travellers return home amid all the travel bans, restrictions and lockdowns.

Emirates Group chief executive and chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum described the situation as an unprecedented crisis and said the world has literally gone into quarantine due to the virus, which has infected more than 300,000 people around the world.

Mr Al Maktoum said the company was doing well financially at the start of the year but the virus has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past six weeks.

We find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries reopen their borders and travel confidence returns, he said.

The company, which also operates an airport ground services company called dnata at locations around the world, had already urged employees to take paid and unpaid leave.

To save costs further, it said it is temporarily reducing the basic salaries of the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, with cuts ranging from 25 to 50 per cent.

The company said employees will continue to be paid other allowances during this time. Junior-level employees will be exempt from the basic salary reduction.

The president of Emirates, Tim Clark, and the president of dnata, Gary Chapman, will take a full basic salary cut for three months.
The Government last night announced unprecedented packages of food and aid will be delivered to 1.5million 'extremely vulnerable' people as letters are posted ordering them to stay at home for twelve weeks.

At the daily press conference on Sunday Mr Johnson said the 'shielding' of the people considered to be the most vulnerable to coronavirus would do 'more than any other single measure to save life'.

They include people with severe respiratory conditions and those suffering from some cancers such as those of the blood or marrow.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said last night that now was the time to 'go further' to shield clinically vulnerable people, and pledged that they are 'not alone'.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today said that now was the time to 'go further' to shield clinically vulnerable people, and pledged that they are 'not alone'

The 1.5million people identified by the government as 'extremely vulnerable' will be provided with aid packages. (Stock image)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries attend the news conference today

'In recent weeks heroic workers in the NHS, social care and public services in local government have been shouldering the country's burden,' he said.

Who are the 'at risk' groups who need to stay at home? People with underlying health conditions including severe asthma and specific cancers are being urged to stay at home 'at all times' amid the coronavirus pandemic. Children and adults already suffering from serious health conditions face the highest risk of needing hospital treatment for Covid-19, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said. The Government has strongly advised people who fall into the high-risk categories to exercise 'shielding' measures by staying at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for at least 12 weeks. Those at risk will be contacted by NHS England via letter and should implement the measures from the day they receive it, the DHSC said. People who are most at risk include: Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer, as well as those with cancers of the blood or bone marrow who are at any stage of their treatment.

People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer.

Those undergoing targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors.

People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the past six months or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs.

Those with respiratory conditions including severe asthma, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis.

Pregnant women who have significant heart disease. The DHSC said people with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase infection are also classed as high-risk. Advertisement

'I think we owe it to them and the most vulnerable in society to stay home, to protect the NHS and, by doing this, to save lives.

'And so today we have to go further to shield the most clinically vulnerable people to help save their lives.'

He added: 'I don't underestimate what we are asking of people, it will be tough, but if you are one of these people I want to reassure you on behalf of the government that you are not alone.

'We will be with you throughout to support you.'

Mr Jenrick said the Government was creating a network of local 'hubs' to ensure those without family or friends to support them received their medicines and other vital supplies.

The ambitious plan is being overseen by the country's best military planners, with medicine and food parcels being left on vulnerable people's doorsteps.

He added: 'This will be a very worrying time for people with these health conditions, but while more people will be required to be by themselves at home, and that's difficult, let's guarantee, that they are never alone, and when all of this is done that we emerge as better neighbours, to each other, as stronger communities and that we are all proud of the part we played in this effort.'

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said 1.5 million people who have been identified as clinically vulnerable will be advised in the coming days to take shielding measures.

Those measures include staying at home at all times and avoiding any face-to-face contact.

However she said the Government may have overestimated the number.

'For any of the public listening who might be in this group, because we want to be as inclusive as possible, we may slightly overestimate the number of individuals,' Dr Harries said.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Jenrick said that GPs were writing to thousands of patients with pre-existing health conditions and would be asking to stay at home.

Speaking to Sky's Sophie Ridge yesterday Mr Jenrick added that those without a 'family at their side' would be given food medicine and deliveries possible from the armed forces to help them through the crisis.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that GPs were writing to hundreds of thousands of people with pre-existing health conditions

Instead they will be asked to rely on family and other co-habitants to bring supplies to them, with armed forces, supermarkets and the NHS co-ordinating to bring items to those totally isolated alone.

What is shielding? Shielding is a measure to protect extremely vulnerable people by minimising interaction between those who are extremely vulnerable and others. This means that those who are extremely vulnerable should not leave their homes, and within their homes should minimise all non-essential contact with other members of their household. This is to protect those who are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) from coming into contact with the virus. If you have a condition which makes you vulnerable or receive a letter from the NHS you should shield yourself to reduce the risk of catching the virus. The measures are: 1. Strictly avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough. 2. Do not leave your house. 3. Do not attend any gatherings. This includes gatherings of friends and families in private spaces for example family homes, weddings and religious services. 4. Do not go out for shopping, leisure or travel and, when arranging food or medication deliveries, these should be left at the door to minimise contact. 5. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media. Advertisement

He said: 'The Chief Medical Office has identified a group of individuals across the country for specific medical reasons, underlying health conditions, who are particularly at risk of coronavirus and we are writing to these people, that's around 1.5 million people in England, and they are asking them as soon as practical, to stay at home and to do so for a prolonged period, perhaps as long as 12 weeks.

He added: 'So the NHS will be delivering medicines to these people through the community pharmacy network and I've been working with councils, with supermarkets and with the armed forces, to ensure that food and other basic supplies can be delivered to the doorstep of these people, hundreds of thousands of people across the country for as long as it takes.'

He said that for normal shoppers, there was 'enough food in the system', calling on people to behave 'responsibly and considerately'

Earlier on Sunday it was announced that the British Army had been called in to help organise food deliveries to people's homes.

Mr Jenrick said people will be asked to rely on family and other co-habitants to bring supplies to them, with armed forces, supermarkets and the NHS co-ordinating to bring items to those totally isolated alone.

Mr Jenrick told Sky News' Ridge on Sunday that the Government was not ruling out a complete lockdown of the country if people continued to flout pleas to socially distance from each other, amid huge crowds at beaches and in parks.

'We want to live in a free society where we can continue to go about activities whilst following the medical advice,' he said.

'But this isn't a game, it is very serious.

'People need to follow that advice. If people don't follow that advice then clearly we'll have to consider other options, but none of us want to go down that route.'

What does the letter being sent out to the 1.5million say? Letters are going out to 1.5 million people with underlying health conditions who are considered to be the most vulnerable to the coronavirus telling them to stay at home for the next 12 weeks. The missive, is set to have the following detail, as reported by The Telegraph. Deliveries Food or medicine being dropped off should be left at the door. If family members or friends are not able to help you then you are able to register for additional support. Leaving your home Going outside is forbidden for 12 weeks, and you should not leave your abode, even to go shopping. Symptoms Any person in a vulnerable group who develops symptoms should seek medical advice by using NHS 111 Online Hospital Bag If you receive the letter you should prepare a bag just in case you do have to go to hospital. This should include any emergency contact numbers and also any medications currently being taken. Ongoing medical care Carers can continue to visit your abode as long as they don't have symptoms. They must continue to wash their hands in line with government guidance for 20 seconds frequently. Advertisement

Mr Jenrick said people can still go out for walks and take exercise, but they should stay away from others.

'Lots of people sat out together in parks or on beaches. That isn't sensible. We strongly discourage that,' he said.

The move came as Boris Johnson called for Britons to resist visiting their parents on Mother's Day, with the Prime Minister warning the Covid-19 outbreak is 'accelerating'.

The Government and health officials have urged the 1.5 million people in England considered most at risk from the disease because of their health conditions to begin 'shielding' themselves by staying at home.

Letters will go out this week 'strongly advising' them not to go out for at least 12 weeks from Monday.

Mr Jenrick said: 'The NHS will be delivering medicines to these people through the community pharmacy network and I've been working with councils, with supermarkets and with the armed forces, to ensure that food and other basic supplies can be delivered to the doorstep of these people, hundreds of thousands of people across the country for as long as it takes.

'There is enough food in the system, we have a very resilient food sector, but we all need to behave responsibly and considerately.

'That isn't happening in all cases today and we need to make sure that happens.

'Supermarkets are best placed to take action and put in place specific systems and schemes in their own stores, knowing their customers and what's going on, on the ground and many are doing that, helping the elderly have specific times of day to go shopping or have special schemes in place for NHS and social care workers, and I strongly support that.

'I really urge members of the public to behave responsibly, if you just shop for what you and your family need and there will be plenty of food for other people and their families.'
By Xing Haiming





Xing Haiming, Chinese ambassador to Republic of Korea
Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call on the country to remain indoors on Sunday as part of a 'janata curfew' to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the protesters in Shaheen Bagh have decided that only five women will continue with the stir on that day.

In a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, the elderly women protesters on Saturday late night decided to continue their sit-in against the amended citizenship law with all the precautionary measures.





Sanitisers and masks had been arranged in enough numbers, and the protest site was being disinfected at regular intervals, a protester said.
Tom Hanks might be doing okay now after catching novel coronavirus, but he is still at higher risk of further complications because of this!

Earlier this month, Hanks confirmed in a statement on Twitter that both he and his wife Rita Wilson were tested positive for the virus in Australia while on location for a movie.

Since then, Hanks never failed to update their current health status on his Instagram page.

However, his sister Sandra Hanks Benoiton recently confirmed that the actor is "not great but still okay.

Now, according to reports, Hanks' condition might have been affected by his Type 2 diabetes.

Seven years ago, the "Da Vinci Code" actor opened up to late-night host David Letterman about his diagnosis.

"I went to the doctor, and he said, 'You know those high-blood-sugar numbers you've been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you've graduated. You've got Type 2 diabetes, young man,'" Hanks revealed.

He went on and said that his doctor advised him to weigh as much as he used to when he was still in high school in order for him to be healthy and prevent Type 2 diabetes from hitting his system.

However, since he could not do that anymore, he ended up catching the disease.

In addition, his drastic weight fluctuations for his on-screen roles possibly contributed to the result. And years after, it could make his health status even more miserable after testing positive for coronavirus.

Why Death Rate of Patients Like Hanks is Higher

According to Health.com, patients who suffer from diabetes -- like the 63-year-old "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" actor -- maybe at a higher risk of getting complications from the novel coronavirus.

This is mainly because some viruses tend to prosper their numbers on higher blood glucose levels. In addition, diabetes sufferers are already considered as immunocompromised patients due to their weaker immune systems.

Though Hanks and Wilson seem to be doing well while they put themselves in self-quarantine, it does not remove the fact that his Type 2 diabetes could have potentially strengthened the COVID-19 in his system.

What The Experts Said

Per the American Diabetes Association, diabetes patients can suffer from viral infections that can cause inflammation and internal swelling.

The association's website stated that diabetes patients with viruses sometimes catch diabetic ketoacidosis (common for those with Type 1 diabetes). This makes it harder for a patient's body to regulate its own fluid intake and electrolyte levels. If it continues, it can lead to sepsis and septic shock in severe cases.

The data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also stated that among the tens of thousands of cases in China, those coronavirus patients with diabetes fell even more sick, and it even led to more complications and more deaths compared to healthy people.

They added that currently, the death rate for diabetic patients with the virus in China is 7 percent.

Because of these facts, Hanks should take necessary steps to prevent the virus from getting into his system once again.
The clapping, cheering, whistling, and pot-clanging starts up in Istanbul every day at 9pm.

It is now a nightly ritual for residents in Turkeys largest city as they show support for the nations healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The celebration is an effort to lift not only their own spirits while staying indoors but also the spirits of those battling to save lives.

Even boats crossing the Bosphorus add their voices by blowing their horns.

It mirrors similar scenes from across Europe last week after governments began imposing widespread lockdowns to slow the spread of Covid-19.

The Turkish government has stopped flights from Europe, banned prayer gatherings in mosques, closed libraries and restaurants and imposed a total curfew for the chronically ill and those aged over 65.

As the death toll in Turkey more than doubled to 21 on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the public to stay at home.

Be of good cheer, he said in a video message. I hope we will get through this difficult process together, as long as we abide by the rules and directions.

The number of confirmed cases in Turkey increased by 41 per cent to 947.
- Nana Akufo-Addo has stated in March 21's nation's address that all contacts traced to COVID-19 patients in Ghana shall be tested for the disease

- Reports indicate that the number of contacts being traced is fast approaching 600

- According to the president, 50,000 test kits have been ordered and are expected to arrive soon

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has spoken in an address to the nation on this evening of March 21, 2020, to give new measures on COVID-19.

The president of the Republic categorically stated a number of new directives that must be observed by the general public and responsible stakeholders, also stating that all contacts traced in connection with individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 would be tested.

Reports indicate that the number of contacts being traced is fast approaching 600.

"The Ministry of Health would not only step-up its contact-tracing efforts but would also see to it that all persons who have been identified as having come into contact with infected persons are tested for the virus," the president said.

READ ALSO: Damongo Hospital isolates Italian returnee suspected of COVID-19

See the full nation's address by the president below:

"More personal protective equipment are being procured to beef up supplies for our frontline health workers. 50,000 additional test kits have been ordered and are expected in the country very shortly," he added.

This counts as the third time that the president of Ghana is updating the country on the efforts being made and directives to be followed in the fight against COVID-19.

Apart from testing all the contacts traced, the president also mentioned that all borders would be closed from the midnight of Sunday, March 22. He also adds that Wednesday, the 25th would be a national day of fasting for both Muslims and Christians.

READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo holds COVID-19 'gathering' with 27 other people in one room (Photo)

In other news, a 35-year-old Ghanaian male who returned to Accra after spending 14 days in France and tested positive for COVID-19 otherwise known as coronavirus has spoken in an interview.

According to Myjoyonline who organized the interview, the gentleman had gone on an official assignment in France after which he returned and decided to get tested for COVID-19.

Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Only God can save Ghana from the Coronavirus outbreak - Pastor declares | #Yencomgh

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Source: YEN.com.gh
France's health minister on Saturday said France has ordered over 250 million masks for its population to protect against the threat of COVID-19.

Olivier Veran announced during a news conference Saturday that France had placed several orders "abroad with manufacturers capable of quickly supplying large volumes".

He said the masks "will be delivered gradually over the next few weeks" and will be in addition to the millions of masks supplied by private companies in an act of national solidarity.

Veran said that he expects the situation to worsen in France, the European country with the third most deaths, "before the effects of confinement and of (social) distancing" bear fruit.

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.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Channel Seven's Big Brother Australia has shut down production for at least two days at Manly North Head, Sydney while a crew member is tested for coronavirus.

According to TV Blackbox, the series has been temporarily halted until the staffer's results are back, after 'someone they live with tested positive for COVID-19'.

Most crew members have been 'sent home to self-isolate' as they await the worker's diagnosis, and producers can then asses how to proceed with the series.

Scare: Channel Seven's Big Brother Australia has shut down production for at least two days while a crew member is tested for coronavirus. Pictured: The new BB house in Manly, Sydney

A spokesperson for Endemol Shine Australia, who are producing the pre-recorded reboot of the reality show, issued a statement to the online publication.

The statement reads: 'We have been made aware that a Big Brother crew member has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

'The crew member is currently feeling well and showing no symptoms of the virus, however is being tested and now self-isolating. As a precaution the site is currently in lock down pending testing and further advice.

'We continue to work within all Federal and State guidelines and will always make the health, safety and well-being of our cast and crew our number one priority. Housemates have been brought up to date with the current situation'.

Fears: According to TV Blackbox , the series has been temporarily halted until the staffer's results are back, after 'someone they live with tested positive for COVID-19'

Chaos: Most crew members have been 'sent home to self-isolate' until the results are back. It is unclear if the housemates have left the compound. Pictured: Big Brother's control room

If the crew member tests positive for coronavirus, the entire production could be completely shut down for two weeks.

It is currently unclear if the housemates have remained in the custom-built studio compound as most of the crew have been 'sent home to self-isolate'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Seven for comment.

Awaiting results: If the crew member tests positive for coronavirus, the entire production could be completely shut down for two weeks. Pictured: A sign outside the BB set last week

The Big Brother Australia contestants were 'shocked' to learn about the coronavirus pandemic last week, according to host Sonia Kruger.

Sonia revealed last week that housemates had been notified of the situation on March 13, but their reactions won't be shown on television.

She said on Sunrise: 'Our executive producer went into the house and spoke to them through the diary room, but it wasn't filmed.'

'[The producer] didn't enter the house. She spoke to them through the diary room and answered all of their questions. They were shocked, as most people would be learning of this worldwide pandemic,' Sonia added.

Big Brother began filming in Manly last month - before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

The reality show is being pre-recorded this year for the first time in its history.

Coronavirus cases in Australia surged to 1,073 on Saturday, with 7 deaths so far.
The retailer Target apologized on Saturday after coming under criticism for selling N95 masks, which are in acute demand by medical providers during the coronavirus pandemic, at some stores in Washington State.

The masks were made available to the public for purchase in error in select stores in Seattle, the company said in a statement on Twitter. It said it was removing them and donating them to the Washington State Department of Health.

Were also reviewing inventory for additional masks to be donated, the statement continued. Targets commitment to communities is unwavering & we apologize.

Target issued the apology after it was criticized for selling the masks, which are in short supply to health care workers during the coronavirus outbreak. Washington has been a leading state in deaths related to the virus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 17:30:22|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Beijing reported two new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from the UK over the past 12 hours by Sunday noon, the municipal health commission said.

The cases have brought the total number of imported cases in the city to 99.

There were no new reports of indigenously-transmitted COVID-19 cases in Beijing during the period.

As of Sunday noon, Beijing had reported 415 indigenous cases. Of the total, 392 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery.
She has opted to keep her daughter mostly out of the limelight.

Yet Chloe Sims shared a slew of adorable throwbacks with her only child as she celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday.

The TOWIE star, 37, looked every inch the doting mother as she cradled daughter Madison, now 14.

Adorable: Chloe Sims, 37, shared a slew of adorable throwbacks with her daughter Madison as she celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday

Chloe captioned the sweet images: 'A MOTHERS LOVE FOR HER CHILD IS LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD.. IT KNOWS NO LAW.. NO PITY.. - Agatha Christie.

'Almost 14 years ago with my whole world Madison the second photo was almost 15 years ago'.

Chloe, who has always kept her love life before TOWIE private, gave birth to Madison when she was 18.

Young mother: Chloe, who has always kept her love life before TOWIE private, gave birth to Madison when she was 18 (pictured in January)

In a past interview with New! magazine, she said: 'I was with Maddies dad, Matthew, for seven years, but we ended up like brother and sister and that isnt what I want.

'Ive only ever been in love once and that wasnt with Madisons dad. It was with the most amazing man I ever met  he was so funny with perfect looks. I really fancied him.

'She [Madison] has a good relationship with her dad. Im very close to her dads parents. She is surrounded by people who love her.'

So sweet: The TOWIE star looked every inch the doting mother as she cradled daughter Madison, now 14

Chloe lives with her teenage daughter so will be able to see her this Mother's Day, unlike thousands of Britons who have been urged to stay away from their relatives amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus was classed a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week, leading countries such as Italy, Spain, China and the UK to implement nationwide lockdowns.

Prime Minster Boris Johnson, 55, said in a message by The Mail On Sunday: 'The sad news is that means staying away. This year the best thing is to ring her, videocall her, Skype her, but avoid unnecessary physical contact or proximity.

'And why? Because if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus.'
Iran's Supreme Leader has refused US help with coronavirus and claimed American 'charlatans' may have created the disease.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today branded the offer by the United States to help Iran fight the pandemic 'strange'.

In a televised speech to the Islamic Republic he also described US leaders as 'charlatans'.

Iran is the most-affected country in the Middle East with more than 1,500 coronavirus deaths and 20,610 infected people.

Despite heightened tensions between the longtime foes, Washington has offered humanitarian assistance to Iran while it struggles with the coronavirus outbreak.

In refusing US assistance Khamenei cited an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing Iran in a televised speech in Tehran today

Iranian workers setting up a makeshift hospital inside the Iran Mall, northwest of Tehran, yesterday to battle coronavirus

Khamenei said: 'Several times Americans have offered to help Iran to contain the virus...You are accused of creating this virus. I do not know whether it is true, but it is strange that you want to help Iran.

'Aside from the fact that you have shortages in your fight against the virus, what if you give us a drug that will help the virus to remain in Iran permanently?'

Khamenei's comments come as Iran faces crushing US sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

But while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly criticised those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead chose to traffic in the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.

He said: 'I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication? Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.'

He also alleged without offering any evidence that the virus 'is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means.'

Iran's supreme leader today (pictured during his speech) refused US assistance to fight the coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America

Fire brigade crews wearing protective masks carrying out disinfection works due to the coronavirus outbreak in Tehran on Friday

'You might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in person,' he said.

There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khamenei's comments.

However, his comments come after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it 'might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe[s] us an explanation!'

Lijian likewise offered no evidence to support his claim, which saw the US State Department summon China's ambassador to complain.

Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December.

In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the 'Chinese' or 'Wuhan' virus, while the World Health Organization used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the virus causes.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 80, wearing disposable gloves at a tree-planting ceremony in Tehran earlier this month

Health officers in Tehran holding banners translating 'Please stay at home, We're here for you' following the coronavirus

Even a US senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the unfounded conspiracy theory it was a man-made Chinese bioweapon.

Khamenei, an anti-US hardliner, said the Islamic Republic had the capability to overcome 'any kind of crisis and challenges, including the coronavirus outbreak'.

Tensions have been running high between Iran and the United States since 2018, when US President Donald Trump exited Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the country's economy.

Frictions increased when Trump ordered a US drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani on January 3. Iran retaliated by hitting US targets in Iraq on January 8.

'Our number one enemy is America. It is the most wicked, sinister enemy of Iran ... its leaders are charlatans,' Khamenei added.

Iranian authorities have blamed US sanctions for hampering its efforts to curb the outbreak and called for the restrictions to be lifted. Washington has refused to lift sanctions.

For most people, the virus 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.

An Iranian health inspector checks a makeshift hospital set up inside the Iran Mall in Tehran

Scientists have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected people.

Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan.

The now-shuttered Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market advertised dozens of species such as giant salamanders, baby crocodiles and raccoon dogs that were often referred to as wildlife, even when they were farmed.

An article published last week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Medicine similarly said it was 'improbable' that the virus 'emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus.'

Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live Sunday across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.

His comments come as Iran has over 21,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,685 reported deaths, according to government figures released Sunday.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus. Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.

Iran is one of the world's worst affected countries by coronavirus. Pictured are firefighters disinfecting areas of Tehran over the weekend

Iranian officials have criticized US offers of aid during the virus crisis as being disingenuous. They have accused the Trump administration of wanting to capitalize on its 'maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran since withdrawing from the nuclear deal in May 2018.

However, the US has directly offered the Islamic Republic aid in the past despite decades of enmity, like during the devastating Bam earthquake of 2003.

Reassigning blame could be helpful to Iran's government, which faced widespread public anger after denying for days it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing 176 people. Widespread economic problems as well has seen mass demonstrations in recent years that saw hundreds reportedly killed.

Iranian hard-liners have supported conspiracy theories in the past when it suited their interests.

Following the September 11 attacks, some publicly doubted al-Qaida's role and state TV promoting the unfounded conspiracy theory that the Americans blew up the building themselves.

Former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad similarly raised doubt about the September 11 attack, calling it a 'big lie,' while also describing the Holocaust as a 'myth.'

Meanwhile on Sunday, Iran imposed a two-week closure on major shopping malls and centres across the country to prevent spreading the virus. Pharmacies, supermarkets, groceries and bakeries will remain open.

In Saudi Arabia, the kingdom said its armed forces are now taking part in combating the virus, setting up mobile hospitals in various cities.

And in Kuwait, authorities have instituted a nightly curfew from 5pm to 4am, warning violators face up to three years in prison and fines of $32,000 if arrested and convicted.
Police arrested two New Jersey residents on theft charges after a check of a suspicious vehicle Saturday night found them in possession of six Golden Retriever puppies.

New Holland Police said officers initially approached the car about 10:15 p.m. while responding to a report of two people trying to gain access to a property in the 600 block of Maple Grove Road. Jennifer Goldthwaite, 41, was inside the car and Christopher Gordon, 20, was approaching it as officers arrived on the scene. Both are from Flemington, N.J.

After the two gave officers conflicting stories about why they were in the area, police said the original caller was able to identify them as people who had come earlier in the day to look at French Bulldog puppies that he is selling. Police then noticed a box in the car that contained the Golden Retriever pups.

Goldthwaite told officers the puppies belonged to her. But police checks of breeders in the region who had been Golden Retrievers found a second breeder who was missing dogs. That breeder also confirmed that people matching Goldthwaite and Gordons description had been to his property earlier in the day inquiring about their pups.

The dogs, carrying an estimated value of $5,000, were returned to the owner.

Goldthwaite and Gordon were both arraigned Saturday night on single counts of burglary and theft, and two counts of criminal conspiracy. The pair were released on $25,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing set for April 17.
Delhi to ease restrictions, if Covid cases come down in next 2-3 days: Health Minister

Lata Mangeshkar health update: Doctor says,'She in ICU with Covid-19 and pneumonia, will be under observation'

No evidence of community transmission of coronavirus says Centre

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: As India would witness a lockdown down, the Centre has announced that there is no evidence of community transmission of coronavirus as yet.

At least 65 new cases were reported on Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said. The total number of cases in India stands at 332.

The authorities are tracing 7,000 people who have come in contact with the affected persons, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal said. So far there is no confirmation of any community transmission, he also said.

Janta curfew: No passenger trains from midnight today to 10 am on Sunday

Meanwhile the government held a conference call with all chief secretaries of the states.

Critical care training was impaired to 1,000 hospitals across the country and the state health centres will take part in a mock drill today to prepare for ventilator use and advanced care to the patients, Agarwal also said.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 5:59 [IST]
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An adapted excerpt from Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World. Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books. Copyright  2020 Robert L. Dilenschneider.

Count me among those who apparently didnt get the science gene. In my case, the Bunsen burner in my high school lab did me in. I know many people who, faced with dissecting a rubbery dead frog, gave the scalpel back to the biology teacher and decided to major in English Lit.

But fortunately for all of us, there are many people who, genetically endowed or not, live and work in the land of science.

A pioneer in the brave new world of germ theoryIgnaz Semmelweis, bucked the mid-nineteenth century medical power structure. Though Ill bet youve never heard of him, he is probably responsible for the fact that we wash our hands so often.

Semmelweis was born in 1818 and died in 1865. Educated in Hungary and Austria, he was practicing medicine at the Vienna General Hospital in 1847, the time of his great discovery/decision. Spontaneous generation was beginning to be supplanted by germ theory.

Semmelweis decided to pay attention to childbed (puerperal) fever, which, of course, struck only women after childbirth and was almost invariably and horribly fatal. (Ill get to the hand-washing.) Mothers, in fact, had identified the crux of the childbed fever problem long before doctors (generally men) did.

Before the mid-nineteenth century, most babies were born at home with midwives (generally women) attending mother and child. Infection and risks of all kinds were constant threats, but doctors were normally called in only for emergencies. As health care institutions began to develop, birthing moved out of the home and, more and more, doctors supplanted midwives. And thats when Semmelweis noticed, as did new and prospective mothers, that there was a connection between childbed fever (and mothers dying) and babies born with a doctors help versus a midwifes.

Ive given you a red herring here. Whats relevant is not the gender of the doctor or the midwife, but the fact that doctors almost always came to the maternity ward directly from  the morgue, where they performed autopsies and  did not wash their hands. Our modern minds reel at the implications of this unsanitary practice, but in the mid-nineteenth century when germs was a new concept, thats the way it was. Midwives were in the maternity ward solely to attend to their patients, and did not have the opportunity to carry so many germs so easily.

In 1847, when Semmelweis decided to pursue the connection that was so clear to him, he encountered what we would now call pushback. His solutionthat doctors wash up between studying the dead and attending to the livingwas so simple and elegant, yet it criticized those who held the power in the practice of medicine. Doctors (male) were superior, while midwives and mothers (women) were inferior.

The fact is that some of Semmelweiss personal characteristics may have also hindered the adoption of his discovery. He was not an especially collegial or engaging fellow. He didnt seem to care how others perceived him and he didnt like to spend time communicating with peers in the medical community. He did not broadcast his discovery. Did he decide not to override these not-exactly-helpful foibles, or was he incapable of change?

The incidence of childbed fever dropped markedly once hand-washing became more and more routine. As it was eventually obvious that the practice had many other benefits in the hospital and every other setting (think: restaurant kitchens!), hand-washing is now second nature to all of us. And its evolving! Recently, I read a news story reporting that it doesnt matter if you use hot or cold waterjust use lots of soap and dont stop lathering until you count to ten.

There is much to learn from Semmelweis and his decision:

If you want to make a difference, identify a problem and decide to solve it. Know what youre talking about. Semmelweis brought years of rigorous education and experiments, both successful and not. Dont be enslaved to what conventional wisdom tells you is acceptable. If Semmelweis had, he would never have decided to face up to the medical power structure in which he was steeped. Deciding not to decide is also a decision. Because of his personality, Semmelweis was indifferent to taking certain actions that might have helped spread his discovery. Be sure to publicizetell othersof the progress you have made. It may spur them to do still better for society.

Robert L. Dilenschneider is the author of Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
EUGENE, Ore. -- Public health officials say the third case of coronavirus in Lane County is a bus driver for the 4J school district.

The bus driver is a man in his 50s who lives in the Eugene-Springfield area, according to Jason Davis, spokesman for the health department. Davis says the case is believed to be travel related. The man is healthy, medically stable and is resting in isolation at his home.

The man traveled between Feb. 27 and March 3, Davis said. When he returned, he experienced a fever that persisted until March 6 along with a phlegmy cough. The cough continued and his fever intermittently returned over the next 10 days.

The bus driver went to work on March 10 and 11, where he had minimal contact with more than 200 elementary and middle-school aged children, officials said.

Officials do not consider the students at-risk because they did not meet exposure guidelines, which is considered an hour or more of close contact within six feet.

The Eugene School District 4J said he drove a small number of school bus routes on two days last week.

Today, Davis said that even though coronavirus can be spread on surfaces, bus drivers primarily interact with surfaces near the driver's seat and not where students sit on the bus.

Lane County Public Health has contacted over 240 4J parents since the driver's exposure was announced on Thursday. They are now recommending that parents and students who were contacted spend an additional four days in isolation. Officials will continue to reach out to parents.

The driver did not have contact with other 4J employees. If parents notice coronavirus symptoms in their students, they should call their medical provider who will notify public health officials if necessary.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday asked its MPs to not go back to Delhi and assist government agencies at their local areas in helping citizens to fight coronavirus.

The budget session of Parliament is currently in progress and many MPs had returned to their respective constituencies during the weekend.

"Request all MPs of NCP - LS & RS not go back to Delhi, please stay where you are and assist Govt agencies help citizens to fight the #Coronavirus pandemic," NCP President Sharad Pawar tweeted.

The NCP is a partner in the Mahavikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 05:54:18|Editor: huaxia

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Video: New York state governor Andrew Cuomo addresses a press conference on March 21 in New York. (Xinhua/Zhang Mocheng)

"We are taking more tests in New York than any place else," said Cuomo. "The more tests you take, the more positives you will find."

NEW YORK, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Governor of U.S. state of New York Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday that a total of 10,356 people in the state had tested positive for novel coronavirus, jumping 3,254 compared with the previous day.

The Empire State has thus become the first state in the country that reported over 10,000 COVID-19 cases, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

A woman wearing a facial mask poses for a photo on Times Square in New York City, the United States, March 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The governor said the increase of confirmed cases demonstrated the scale of testing in the state.

"We are taking more tests in New York than any place else," said Cuomo. "The more tests you take, the more positives you will find."

A total of 45,437 tests had been done in the state as of Saturday morning, while California did 23,200 tests and Washington state did 23,343, said Cuomo.

A man jogs past the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the 5th Avenue of New York City, the United States, March 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

He said that New York City, the most populous city in the country, has become the hotspot of COVID-19, with over 6,200 cases, increasing 1,803 cases overnight.

The governor also noted that 55 percent of people who have tested positive in New York state are between the ages of 18 and 49.

"Young people aren't invincible. You can get this and you can give it to someone older you love," he said on Twitter.

A peddler wearing facial mask looks after his booth near Times Square in New York City, the United States, March 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

On Friday, Cuomo announced that a mandate, which requires people working in non-essential businesses to stay at home, will take effect Sunday night.



The governor asked the public to "remain indoors to the greatest extent" to protect their health. Non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size and for any reason should be canceled and the use of public transit should be limited.

Any businesses violating the order would be fined and forced to close, while the state has no plan to fine individuals who violate the regulations.

Few people are seen on a street in New York City, the United States, March 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

On Friday night, U.S. President Donald Trump declared New York state "a major disaster" area due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement issued by the White House.

The declaration would bring in federal funding to the state for fighting the pandemic, including crisis counseling for affected individuals, direct federal assistance and other emergency protective measures, according to the statement.

(Article by Xinhua Reporter Chang Yuan) 
JERSEY CITY  Two Jersey City police officers who have tested positive for the coronavirus are in serious condition and an additional 16 officers are quarantined, Mayor Steve Fulop said at a news conference Sunday morning.

Fulop also said that another 42 police officers are out of work due to experiencing various symptoms that could be attributed to the novel coronavirus.

Theres no question that we are seeing an impact on first-responders, Fulop said. I just want to highlight how appreciative we are that theyre out there every single day.

Fulop said the city is initiating new protocols within the police and fire departments to halt the spread of the respiratory illness.

Police Chief Michael Kelly, who oversees 950 police officers, said the department cant practice social distance due to the nature of their job. Instead all Jersey City precincts and patrol cars will get daily deep cleaning, as well as an on-demand aerosol cleaning  which the East District precinct experienced moments before the press conference.

Kelly and Public Safety Director James Shea highlighted the other changes within the departments including:

The elimination of face-to-face relief, where officers speak to each other before switching shifts;

Officers will clock in at 10-minute intervals;

The elimination of roll call;

Police partners will ride in separare cruisers.

At 8 a.m. on Monday, JCPD will start a telephone-reporting unit for minor incidents, Kelly added.

If a citizen wants us, well be there, just like we would any other day, Kelly said.

Shea said that despite the quarantine and the officers out, the police department shifts are fully staffed and all service calls are being answered.

Fulop noted that because of the coronavirus, and the curfew and business closures, the number of daily service calls have dropped by 25 percent.

Of the 16 quarantined police officers, eight had contact with the two ill officers, Fulop said. The remaining eight are unrelated to the two known police cases, and they have been medically advised to self-quarantine.

State officials announced Sunday afternoon that there are 126 COVID-19 cases in Hudson County and more than 1,900 statewide. So far, 20 deaths have been attributed to the novel coronavirus.

Fire Chief Steve McGill said three firefighters are in self-quarantine, but will most likely be back to work soon.

Aaliyah, a resident near the East District precinct, who did not provide her last name, said she appreciates the first-responders continuing their duties even during the outbreak.

Its unfortunate, but if its not them on the front-line, who else? she said. (All precautions) arent great to some people, but its necessary.

A Hudson County accounting of coronavirus cases, according to reporting by each community:

Jersey City: 50, as of March 21.

Hoboken: 19, as of March 21.

North Bergen: 16, as of March 22.

West New York: 10, as of March 22.

Bayonne: 6 as of March 20.

Union City: 6, as of March 22.

Kearny: 4, as of March 20.

Weehawken: 2, as of March 20.

Secaucus: 1, as of March 19.

Guttenberg: Has not announced any cases

Harrison: Has not announced any cases.

East Newark: Has not announced any cases.

Hudson County: 126, as of March 22, according to the state Department of Health.

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, theres 1,914 coronavirus cases and 20 deaths in New Jersey. The virus has infected over 15,000 people nationally.

On Saturday, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered the states 9 million residents to stay home and to close all non-essential businesses until further notice.
A 37-year-old man and his 67-year-old mother have tested positive for Covid-19. The man had returned from Denmark and was staying with his family of nine at a residential society in Sector 2 of Noida Extension.

According to health officials, the person had returned from Denmark on March 15. He and his mother were admitted to the Government Institute of Medical Science after their test results were confirmed Sunday evening. Results of the other family members are awaited.

We have sent the man and his mother to GIMS as they have tested positive for the disease. We are now awaiting results of other family members, said Dr Anurag Bhargava, chief medical officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.

The person was under isolation at the Super Speciality Children hospital since his sample was collected. The family members have also been placed under quarantine.

Officials are making preparations to seal the area of residence of the family for two days as per the orders of the district magistrate to sanitize the whole area. Officials will be visiting all the residents living in the society to trace people who came in contact with the patient and his family.

We have been informed by the chief medical officer that two more patients are going to be admitted to GIMS. Our preparations are in place to admit the duo. Including these two patients, the total number of patients at GIMS will be seven. As per the capacity, three more patients can be accommodated at GIMS, said Dr RK Gupta, director, GIMS.

As of Sunday evening, three persons are under isolation at the Super Speciality Childrens Hospital in Sector 30, 36 persons at the Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hostel, 88 at the Sector 39 district hospital and 37 at the Munshi Premchand Hostel at the Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. Test results of all the persons are awaited.

Another man, who had returned from Dubai, was found to be infected with the Sars-Cov-2 virus on Saturday. He has been admitted to GIMS, while his wife and child have been placed in home quarantine at their residence in B-block of Alpha-1 in Greater Noida. We have sanitised the entire Alpha-1 area after a Dubai returnee was found positive for Covid-19. His wife and child are under home quarantine. The reports of the woman are awaited while the childs sample was not taken as he has no symptom, said Prasoon Dwivedi, subdivisional magistrate.

The district administration has started putting posters outside the flats and houses of people who have been placed under home quarantine, to ensure that the order is followed and neighbours are aware of the preventive measure.

By Sunday night, the health department officials said that 1,105 persons, mostly those who have returned from other countries, were tracked, while 1,657 persons are under surveillance. They said that 298 samples have been collected so far, of which eight cases have tested positive for Covid-19. Officials said that 221 samples tested negative, while results of 69 are awaited.
A Little History Of Poetry

John Carey

Yale University 14.99

Rating:

Roughly 250 years ago, James Boswell asked Dr Johnson: What is poetry?

Why sir, it is much easier to say what it is not, replied Johnson. We all know what light is; but it is not easy to tell what it is.

John Carey kicks off A Little History Of Poetry by asking precisely the same question: What is poetry? In answering his own question, he is bolder than Dr Johnson.

An illustration of Edward Lears The Dong With A Luminous Nose by Leonard Leslie Brooke

Poetry relates to language as music relates to noise, he writes. It is language made special, so that it will be remembered and valued.

This is still, of course, the broadest of definitions. It has to be, as this short book covers poets and poems of all sorts, from Edward Lear to John Milton, and from the Epic Of Gilgamesh in 2100 BC to Maya Angelou and Derek Walcott in our own century.

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One of the many qualities of this amazingly energetic survey is that, unlike so many other academics, who like to bolster their status by valuing the obscure above the familiar, Carey does not shy away from quoting some of the worlds best-known poems. Consequently, his pages are awash with well-loved lines: Theirs not to reason why Gather ye rosebuds while ye may Not waving but drowning April is the cruellest month Not with a bang but a whimper Till a the seas gang dry, my dear And is there honey still for tea?

It is striking quite how many of these lines have lodged in our minds, even if we dont know where they are from, or who they are by. Such is the magic of poetry.

Carey is a welcoming host, full of enthusiasm, and the opposite of crusty. He can throw sparkling light on a poets method in a handful of words. The aim of his style is dynamism, he writes of Gerard Manley Hopkins,  to break open the unseen wonders within everything.

He ends his introduction by saying: I hope you will find poems in this book that you did not know before, that they become part of your daily thoughts, and that you will trust your own judgement of them. Well, it certainly worked for me. After finishing the book, I found there were plenty of poets I wanted to chase up.

How about this, for instance?

Families when a child is born

Want it to be intelligent.

I, through intelligence,

Having wrecked my whole life

Only hope the baby will prove

Ignorant and stupid.

Then he will crown a tranquil life

By becoming a Cabinet Minister.

It might have been written yesterday, in the UK, but it was in fact written in China, 900 years ago, by a government official called Su Tung-po, on the birth of his son. Carey also quotes this beautiful two-line poem by Robert Herrick (1591-1674):

She by the river sat, and sitting there

She wept, and made it deeper by a tear.

Now aged 85, John Carey, the emeritus Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford University, has written this Little History Of Poetry with a view to attracting, or at least incorporating, a young readership. It was explained to me I should keep teenage readers in mind, he said in a recent interview. That suited me fine. It meant I could leave out any boring theory and technical terms, and put in plenty of anecdotes to bring the poets to life.

Rare among English professors, he has long been an advocate for clarity and simplicity. He maintains a particular loathing for intellectual snobbery. In his book The Intellectuals And The Masses he argued that the spread of literacy in the early 20th century had impelled intellectuals to celebrate writing that was difficult to understand, as a way of excluding ordinary people.

Though he is somewhat less strident in his battle against obscurity in this book, he has some harsh words for poets who have been long-winded, tricky or boring. He may never go quite so far as Groucho Marx, who once said that his favourite poem was the one that starts Thirty days hath September, because it actually tells you something, but he chastises William Shakespeare, no less, for producing poems that can seem ornate and slow to modern readers, adding that as a narrative poet, he was no match for Christopher Marlowe. Of Shakespeares Sonnets, he complains that Some of them consist largely of complicated word-play, and scarcely engage our feelings at all.

He includes a chapter on ballads and hymns, which many academics probably wouldnt regard as poetry at all. In it, he traces the story of Abide With Me, one of many poems more famous than its author. Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) was a little-known clergyman who suffered from tuberculosis and wrote Abide With Me on his deathbed.

In 1912, it was said to have been played by the band as the Titanic went down (In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me). Ever since 1927, it has been sung before kick-off at the FA Cup Final.

In a chapter called Shaking The Foundations, Carey bundles together a group of 13 poets so diverse  Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, Edward Lear, Charlotte Mew  that they really have nothing in common at all, beyond a shared interest in poetry

But as the book progresses through the centuries, there are more and more poets and poems to cover in fewer and fewer pages. This means that in a brief, seven-page chapter on the poetry of the First World War, no fewer than 11 poets are mentioned in the heading, along with countless more mentioned in passing, yet David Jones, the greatest of all of them (at least to my mind), doesnt even get a look-in.

His chapter on poetry of the Second World War is even more of a squeeze, with 17 poets covered in just seven pages.

Another chapter, Shaking The Foundations, bundles together a group of 13 poets so diverse  Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, Edward Lear, Charlotte Mew  that they really have nothing in common at all, beyond a shared interest in poetry. With so little space, Carey tends to write less about their poems, and more about their lives.

Thats not to say that their lives were uneventful. In her autobiography, the novelist Muriel Spark, who once worked at the Poetry Society, noted that in no other job have I ever had to deal with such utterly abnormal people. Yes, it is true, poetry does something to them. And a peculiarly large quantity of poets throughout history seem to have been mad, bad or dangerous to know.

In the 15th century, Francois Villon murdered a priest; in the 17th century, Ben Jonson killed a fellow actor in a duel, and had F for Felon branded on his thumb; Christopher Marlowe was stabbed to death in a pub brawl in Deptford; and, closer to our own time, Ezra Pound considered Hitler a saint, and gave a Nazi salute as he was finally released from his lunatic asylum.

But the book is to some extent a victim of its own brevity. For example, Carey deals with the poems of the great Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca in just one sentence: Lorcas poetry combines the ballads and folklore of the Andalusian countryside with Symbolism and Surrealism (the Surrealist Salvador Dali was a close friend). The rest of the short paragraph on Lorca is devoted to his life rather than his work.

The same chapter  Poets in Politics  includes R S Thomas, the eccentric and irascible clergyman who was a Welsh nationalist, but whose poems were less about politics than about religion and the natural world. We hear that he used to berate his parishioners for using refrigerators, washing machines and other modern evils, but there is no time left for his poetry, its flavour or purpose.

For all its many virtues  its range, its spark, its sense of delight  A Little History Of Poetry is simply too little to incorporate its own contents. By the end, with one snappy biography leading on to another, it has become more about poets, and their peculiar ways, than about their poems. It is almost as though the poetry itself has been shunted to one side, in order to fit everything else in.
In the past two days, health officials in New York, California and elsewhere have started discouraging people from taking the tests if they are only mildly ill.

We had a chance at mass testing at an early stage, but we blew it as a country, said Mark Levine, a New York City Council member who leads the health committee. Now testing mildly sick people poses an enormous threat. They should be at home resting, not waiting in line at a testing site.

Doctors and hospital administrators have been warning for weeks that they face acute shortages of masks and lifesaving equipment such as ventilators. State and local officials in New York and elsewhere have been pleading for help from Washington and industry.

Mr. Trump on Saturday continued to resist calls to use the Defense Production Act, a Korean War era law that empowers the federal government to exert control over the private sector to meet national defense needs and ensure that supplies get to where they are most needed, regardless of the business plans of the companies involved.

Mr. Trump said that his inclination was not to interfere with market forces. And because companies were voluntarily heeding his calls to action, he said it was unnecessary to invoke the act.

The manufacturing company 3M has said it is sharply increasing its production of N-95 masks, which filter small particles and droplets from the air. The company plans to increase its production in the United States, where it makes about 400 million masks a year, by more than 30 percent over the next year. Honeywell said it had more than doubled its production of N-95 masks in recent months.

And Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, said on Saturday that the company planned to donate millions of face masks in the United States and Europe.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, in requesting a declaration of a major emergency, said the COVID-19 pandemic has "strained California's resources and impacted California's healthcare delivery system." (Alejandro Tamayo / San Diego Union-Tribune)

President Trump approved a request Sunday from Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a major disaster in California to help the state respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with "mass care," emergency aid, unemployment assistance and disaster legal services, among others.

"Unfortunately, California has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19," Newsom wrote to Trump. "Besides California being home to nearly 40 million people, which itself poses significant logistical issues few other states face, California partnered with the federal government in several extremely complex and challenging repatriation missions, which strained California's resources and impacted California's healthcare delivery system."

Newsom noted in the letter that he has issued 10 executive orders in the last week to facilitate a quick response to the outbreak.

"Thank you for recognizing that without the additional resources requested, impacts will be felt throughout the nation, as well as around the world, and thank you for your concern and leadership during this difficult time in our state," Newsom's letter concluded.

The president said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be shipping mobile hospital units to the state within the next 48 hours. California is in line to get eight of them for a total of 2,000 beds. New York and Washington states will get 1,000 beds each, he said.

And the Navy hospital ship Mercy, which is based in San Diego, will be deployed to Los Angeles, he said. The ship can be stationed in L.A. in "a week or less," FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor said. It would not be used to treat COVID-19 patients but will accept other patients in an attempt to relieve the burden on hospitals, Gaynor said.

Trump also announced that he has signed paperwork to have the federal government pay for National Guard deployments in California, New York and Washington.

#USNavy continues preparations to deploy #USNSMercy in support of the nations #COVID19 response efforts and will serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients. This will allow shore-based hospitals to use their ICU and ventilators for COVID-19 patients ashore. @CDCGov pic.twitter.com/2DTvX8hJP8  U.S. Navy (@USNavy) March 23, 2020

The National Guard will remain under the control of state governments, but the federal government will cover the cost, as is typical in disaster scenarios.

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Newsom on Friday deployed the California National Guard to assist food banks statewide that are serving residents whose needs have left unmet because of supply chain problems and temporary shortages during the pandemic.

The rapid-fire announcements came as Los Angeles County on Sunday reported an additional death related to the virus that causes COVID-19, the county's fifth. The Culver City resident was older than 65 and had underlying health conditions, the county Department of Public Health said.

The county recorded 71 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 409; 132 of those were announced in the last 48 hours. Eighty-four people have been hospitalized, public health officials said.

"Please know that the actions you take today to stay 6 feet away from others and limit all non-essential activities outside your home are the best way for us to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement.

Riverside County on Sunday also reported another death related to the virus, the sixth there. Information about the person who died was not immediately available.
With its extensive network in the city, the Hyderabad city police on Saturday said it was actively involved in identifying and tracing the locations of foreigners who are currently in the city in the wake of the current serious concerns over spread of coronavirus. The city police is also working with the GHMC on this front, city police commissioner Anjani Kumar said on Saturday.

According to police department official, every morning at around 8, we get all the details from the Special Branch about Indians and foreigners who arrive in the city as well as the localities they are living in. Each and every police station gets this information from the Special Branch, so we can keep tabs on their movements.

Among the 180 individuals traced by the police so far, are members of teams of preachers from different countries who have been staying at some places of prayer in the city.

On Saturday, the Panjagutta police along with doctors, conducted a medical check-up for foreigners staying at a five star hotel in Banjara Hills. On Friday Ramgopalpet police identified eight Iranian nationals staying in a mosque and directed them to be stay quarantined.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Rangareddy District Collector Amoy Kumar said, 48 specials teams have been formed in the district to trace and track those with international travel history. They have so far identified 40 members who came from other countries and quarantined them. The teams are monitoring the 357 municipal wards and 560 villages in the district and creating awareness on the disease.

He also appealed to people to inform authorities if they come across anyone who has recently returned from abroad or newly arrived foreigners.
South Australia Hospital staff simulate a drive through coronavirus testing at the Repatriation Hospital in Adelaide, Australia, on March 10, 2020. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)

South Australia Becomes Latest State to Close Borders

South Australian premier Steven Marshall has announced measures that effectively close the states borders to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Premier Steven Marshall announced on Sunday that anyone entering the state would be subject to a mandatory 14-day isolation period.

The new measures will take effect from 4pm on Tuesday and will not affect the states essential services, including the supply of food.

The health of South Australians is unquestionably our number one priority and that is why we are acting swiftly and decisively to protect them from the impact of this disease, he said.

We do not make this decision lightly but we have no choice.

South Australias borders will be monitored 24 hours a day and anyone entering the state will be forced to sign a declaration agreeing to self-isolate.

State authorities moved to declare a major emergency on Sunday, triggering the shutdown.

But Police Commissioner Grant Stevens admitted authorities were limited in their ability to enforce the isolation orders.

SA Police have been checking on those who have already been ordered to self-isolate after disembarking international flights.

He said authorities were relying on peoples community and sense of goodwill to do the right thing, and that overwhelmingly people had been complying with orders.

Mr Stevens said police had not issued any fines or initiated prosecutions against people caught breaching their obligations.

We cant check every person, we are relying on people to do the right thing, he told reporters.

Every single person weve spoken to during our random checks is complying with the obligation to self isolate.

South Australias announcement comes after similar restrictions were put in place in Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

The isolation requirements will not apply to health personnel and patients or emergency services.

By Kathryn Bermingham
Deputy Malcolm Noonan is calling on Kilkenny businesses who are continuing to trade during the Covid-19 pandemic to shut if they cannot comply with social distancing recommendations.

To date there are 11 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Kilkenny and that number is expected to rise significantly over the coming days.

There have been a number of reports that certain businesses are not complying with the required distance of two metres per person.

The HSE are asking the public to remain at least two metres apart in accordance with social distancing. Social distancing is important to help slow the spread of coronavirus. It does this by minimising contact between potentially infected individuals and healthy individuals.

Deputy Noonan told The Kilkenny People that if local business could not manage social distancing among their patrons then they should shut their doors to protect public health and the welfare of their staff.

Deputy Noonan was speaking following a number of complaints in had received from members of the public.

"Italy is tragically paying the price of delayed action and while I accept the current advice of the Chief Medical Officer on the current containment strategy, I am of the view that there is still far too much opportunity for contamination and far too many people showing total disregard for vulnerable groups, our healthcare workers and the health service itself," said Deputy Noonan.

He said that everyone needs to play their part in flattening the curve and that it was unfair that many shops had taken the hit for the greater good, with many people sticking rigidly to the plan but added that there remains a significant challenge towards minimising loss of life and the inudation of our health system.

"I cannot stress enough how bad this could end for us here. If people are congregating in large numbers where social distancing guidelines aren't being adhered to , then it is my view that we should move to lockdown but for essential services.

"Covid-19 has the potential to rip through the very fabric of our society, taking many of our loved ones in its wake. I am pleading once more for common sense to prevail for the common good," added Deputy Noonan.
Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Great Portland Estates Plc (LON:GPOR) Former Director, Richard Mully, recently bought UK53k worth of stock, for UK5.30 per share. While that isn't the hugest buy, it actually boosted their shareholding by 61%, which is good to see.

See our latest analysis for Great Portland Estates

Great Portland Estates Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by Richard Mully was the biggest purchase of Great Portland Estates shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of UK6.00. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider bought shares at close to current prices. Richard Mully was the only individual insider to buy over the year.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

LSE:GPOR Recent Insider Trading, March 22nd 2020

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership of Great Portland Estates

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 0.6% of Great Portland Estates shares, worth about UK9.8m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

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So What Do The Great Portland Estates Insider Transactions Indicate?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that Great Portland Estates insiders are expecting a bright future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Great Portland Estates. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Great Portland Estates you should know about.

Of course Great Portland Estates may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
John Tapogna, Lorelei Juntunen, and Michael Wilkerson

The authors are partners with ECONorthwest, an economic consultancy founded in 1974. The views here are their own.

Lets say it out loud. We need government. We depend on government. All of us. This once-in-a-century pandemic is proving just how much we do.

In this time of unprecedented uncertainty, were taking all of our cues from government officials. How they perform in the next few days, weeks and months will spell the difference between economic disruption and catastrophe. For now, our collective well-being is in the hands of Dr. Anthony Fauci, Nancy Pelosi, Steven Mnuchin, Kate Brown, Jay Inslee and thousands of others who draw government paychecks. Nothing theyve done in their careers will carry as much consequence as what they do in the days ahead.

This critical leadership is coming out of institutions that have been under siege for 40 years. Ronald Reagan ushered in the era of government bashing. His most loyal lieutenant, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, wanted government so small that he could drown it in a bathtub. Norquist and his allies did their damage, but the curtain is closing on their vision.

Government is down but not out.

The recently passed Pelosi-Mnuchin Coronavirus Compromise broke free of small government orthodoxy and signaled a bipartisan recognition that government, and government alone, has the power to interrupt an economic collapse. One hundred and forty Republicans joined 223 Democrats to offer free testing for the virus, underwrite the costs of paid family sick leave for employees of small businesses and provide food assistance to school children and seniors. Republican Reps. Kevin McCarthy, Doug Collins, Devin Nunes and Steven Scalisefresh off a toxic impeachment battlevoted with the Democrats and House Speaker Pelosi. Both Pelosi and McCarthy signaled more aid would be on the way. The wallet is wide open.

In the days before the Pelosi-Mnuchin deal, Wall Street investors put a price on government competenceor more specifically the lack of it. The presidents unsteady, inaccurate Oval Office address wiped out $500 billion in stock market value in 11 minutes. And his inconsistent and misleading statements about the crisis dating back to January have exacerbated the swiftest bull market collapse in history. Wall Street depends on reliable leadership out of government.

The markets are telling us that zero interest and multi-hundred-billion-dollar aid packages are necessary but insufficient. The stock market will find its floor only when infection and death rates are on the decline. And that will require unprecedented, well-coordinated action by long-maligned governmental institutions.

Its a big ask. Public health in the U.S. was not designed as the kind of top-down, command-and-control system that flattened Singapores epidemic. Were a big country that defers to local judgment. Over the course of this crisis, decision-making started with school principals and college presidents. As the virus spread, county commissioners, mayors , and governors took over. Early inaction has left them with a short list of options that demand deep personal sacrificeslost jobs, homes, and businessesthat are already falling inequitably in our communities. Our collective futures depend on governmental leaders making the right decisions at the right time. Theres little margin for error.

Share your opinion Submit your essay of 500-700 words on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonian.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.

Alongside these big, make-or-break decisions will be thousands of smaller, but collectively critical actions. First responders will shuttle the most fragile patients to hospitals. Human services workers will care for those who cannot shelter-in-place because they have none. Employment agencies will expedite unemployment insurance to thousands of restaurant, bar, and hotel workers. Educators will deliver food to vulnerable children.

All the while, essential government services will press on. Transportation agencies will keep our highways operating so food and medicine can get to stores. Police will keep us safe. City workers will maintain our water and sewer infrastructure. And when the virus abates, we will count on workforce agencies to get people back to work, economic developers to help businesses recover , and planners to accelerate the states ambitious housing agenda to address growing need. Together they should work toward a future with broadly shared prosperity.

Hopeful news is coming out of China. It suggests we may return to more normal daily lives by summer. Then  when you can leave your house, get back to work, visit your elderly mother and spend time with your friendsremember who you trusted. Remember who got you to safety and is still there working behind the scenes. Be thankful for government.
New Delhi, March 22 : Condemning the Maoist attack on security forces in the Sukma forest area of Chhattisgarh that claimed 17 lives of the security personnel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here on Sunday, paid tribute to the martyrs and said their valour would never be forgotten.

"My tributes to the security personnel martyred in the attack. Their valour will never be forgotten. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for a quick recovery of those injured," Modi tweeted.

Terming their martyrdom heart wrenching, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "I bow to them for their sacrifices. I express by deepest condolence to their families." "The whole country is with you in this hour of grief. Indian's fight against Naxalism will continue," he tweeted.

Condoling the death of security personnel, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "I am upset over the killing of security personnel in Sukma. I pay my tributes to the personnel martyred." On Saturday around 19 security personnel went missing during an encounter with Maoists in insurgency-hit Sukma district. On Sunday, 17 bodies were recovered. Of the 17, 12 were the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and five the Special Task Force (STF) personnel.

The bodies were recovered during a search operation conducted at noon by a joint team of DRG, STF and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite unit of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The slain security personnel belonged to a group of nearly 600 personnel of a joint DRG, STF and CoBRA team, which had launched an anti-Maoist operation on Saturday.

-IANS sk/pcj
Domestic workers required by the citys live-in rule to stay in the same home as employers undergoing quarantine are urging the government to lift the regulation and provide clear guidelines for how they should protect themselves during the coronavirus epidemic.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday announced new travel restrictions requiring all arrivals from overseas to undergo a mandatory 14-day home quarantine and be subject to another two weeks of medical surveillance.

The announcement and a spike in confirmed cases overseas have led to a rise in the number of arrivals over the past few days, including domestic helpers and their employers.

Members of the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions meet the press on March 22 to discuss fears surrounding living with employers undergoing quarantine during the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Fiona Sun

But the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions (FADWU), which represents both local and foreign domestic helpers, slammed the government on Sunday over its lack of clear quarantine guidelines for both returning household staff and their employers.

FADWU secretary Shiella Estrada said while the measures ostensibly target their employers, the citys nearly 400,000 domestic helpers  most from the Philippines and Indonesia  are bearing the consequences.

We are frustrated, she said. We need more support, as we are also workers here.

The coronavirus has killed more than 12,000 people and infected more than 290,000 worldwide to date. Hong Kong has recorded at least 317 cases, four of whom have died.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong on Saturday said employers should provide quarantine locations either inside or outside their homes for returning domestic helpers, but would need permission from the Department of Health should they choose to get them a hotel room.

Living arrangements for domestic helpers whose employers are newly quarantined, however, were not mentioned.

Estrada, a 59-year-old Filipino domestic worker who has worked in Hong Kong more than 20 years, said she had received enquiries from other domestic helpers expressing concern about living in close quarters with their employers as they undergo home quarantine.

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How can we protect ourselves as domestic helpers when our employers are under home quarantine for 14 days? she said. I think it is time for the government to rethink the live-in policy. It is easy for us to get infected from outside sources.

She also criticised the government for stopping short of detailing arrangements, including food and salary, during quarantine periods, and questioned the lack of compensation mechanisms for workers whose employers fail to provide adequate accommodation or attempt to illegally dismiss them.

Phobsuk Gasing, chairwoman of FADWU and a 61-year-old domestic helper from Thailand, said many domestic helpers did not have proper accommodation and shared rooms with members of the households they worked for.

Since 2003, all foreign domestic workers have been required to live at their employers premises in Hong Kong. Estrada urged the government to lift the policy  which is currently being contested in court  not just during the pandemic, but permanently.

We have had this issue for years. It makes us vulnerable not only to this pandemic, but also to other problems like sexual harassment and physical injuries, Estrada said.

The federation also said many domestic workers now face dismissal either due to their employers financial struggles amid the crisis, or for ignoring demands they stay home during their one weekly day off.

The government announced on Saturday that foreign domestic helpers could apply to extend the limit of their stay in Hong Kong for up to a month for the purpose of finding a new employer if their existing contract was due to expire or was terminated on or before July 31, 2020.

But Estrada said there was no support for them to cover expenses during an extended stay without employment.

Gasing also said some employers were requiring their domestic helpers to do even more cleaning and disinfecting than normal during the pandemic, without providing protective gear for them.

She called on the government to amend the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance to ensure employers are legally responsible for the safety and health of domestic workers, and establish an unemployment security system to protect those who lost their jobs during the public health crisis.

She also urged the government to make information more accessible to domestic helpers.

We can better protect ourselves only if we know more about the outbreak, she said.

In a reply to the Post on Sunday evening, the Labour Department did not address the issue of accommodation for workers whose bosses were undergoing quarantine, but pointed to a March 18 statement that reminded employers to comply with their obligations under the Standard Employment Contract, including bearing the accommodation expenses and providing food allowance to domestic helpers.

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This article Coronavirus: live-in rule carries real risk for domestic workers sharing flats with quarantined employers, workers group says first appeared on South China Morning Post

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While there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Atlantic City, Mayor Marty Small said Saturday he made a request to the governors office to set up a testing site because we dont know who has it in our area.

The tests havent been available, Small said during a Facebook Live. "Thats why the numbers of Atlantic County are low and no confirmed cases in Atlantic City.

This is a serious time," the mayor continued. "This is uncharted territory.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Saturday that there were 442 new positive tests, bringing the total to 1,327 total cases, including 16 deaths. The large swath of people affected by the disease are in North and Central New Jersey, but as of Saturday all 21 counties have at least one person who has tested positive for COVID-19. Health experts estimate those affected will continue to grow throughout the state in the coming weeks.

Currently, there are four positive tests in Atlantic County, but Small said the "testing isnt as readily available in this area as it is in others.

Small said in the video that the limited number of tests administered in Atlantic County is why the state should open a drive-thru testing site, as it did in Bergen County this weekend, which drew long lines of cars and reached capacity quickly.

The mayor suggested the state should open a testing site at Bader Field, where the Atlantic City Municipal Airport is located. Small said the site fits the credentials of a testing site that could accommodate a large amount of people. It is more than 100 acres, has multiple entry and exit points and multiple stations, Small said.

A spokesperson for Gov. Murphys office said his administration is in conversation with all counties, including Atlantic County, to expand access to testing resources throughout the state.

Like elsewhere, numerous steps have been in Atlantic City to contain the spread of coronavirus. Last week, the popular Shore town closed all of their casinos.

It is going to get worse before it gets better," the mayor said Saturday.

This story has been updated to include a response from the governors office.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage.

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[March 21, 2020] OneWeb Successfully Launches 34 More Satellites Into Orbit in Second Launch of 2020

LONDON, March 21, 2020 /CNW/ -- OneWeb, the global communications company with a mission to bring connectivity to everyone everywhere, announced today the successful launch of 34 more satellites, aboard a Soyuz launch vehicle from the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Lift-off occurred on March 21st at 17:06 UTC. OneWeb's satellites separated from the rocket and were dispensed in nine batches with signal acquisition anticipated in the coming hours. This is the second of its 34 satellite launches in six weeks, an achievement made possible by the pace and execution of OneWeb Satellites' high-volume production factory in Florida. This launch brings the total number of satellites in the constellation to 74, further solidifying OneWeb's position as a leading global communications company. This third successful launch is another proof point of the rapid progress OneWeb has made over the past year. The company has now successfully deployed and tested satellites, installed ground stations globally, secured valuable spectrum and has a range of user terminals in development to meet customer needs. In the execution phase of its system deployment, OneWeb looks forward to bringing its services to markets including aviation and maritime, and workin with carriers to provide services in rural and remote areas.



The current global health and economic crisis underscores the tremendous need and demand for connectivity, especially for rural and under-connected communities worldwide. From remote working, to online learning, to accessing healthcare information and medical advice, there is an overwhelming need to have more solutions available to connect people everywhere. OneWeb is making significant strides to deliver the connectivity that is currently lacking around the world. Adrian Steckel, CEO of OneWeb, said: "We are very proud of the progress we have made so far in 2020 and I would like to show the utmost gratitude for the time, effort, and expertise of the OneWeb company, our partners and our people as we come together and support one another.

"In these unprecedented times following the global outbreak of COVID-19, people around the world find themselves trying to continue their lives and work online. We see the need for OneWeb, greater now more than ever before. High-quality connectivity is the lifeline to enabling people to work, continue their education, stay up to date on important healthcare information and stay meaningfully connected to one another. The crisis has demonstrated the imperative need for connectivity everywhere and has exposed urgent shortcomings in many organizations' connectivity capabilities. Our satellite network is poised to fill in many of these critical gaps in the global communications infrastructure." Follow #OneWebLaunch on OneWeb social media channels: YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. Webcast playback

Launch highlights available

View on OneWeb YouTube Launch Imagery

Media kit Launch Facility

Soyuz Launch Complex, Baikonur, Kazakhstan. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oneweb-successfully-launches-34-more-satellites-into-orbit-in-second-launch-of-2020-301027856.html SOURCE OneWeb

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Idris Elba is allegedly planning to open a luxury resort in Sierra Leone after he recovers from coronavirus, according to The Mirror.

The actor, 47, who confirmed he had been tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, is said to have grown an interest in helping the country's tourism industry grow after he visited the capital, Freetown, in 2019.

Speaking to the publication on Saturday, a source claimed: 'Idris saw real potential when he visited Sierra Leone. It made an impact on him and he wants to create something positive for the country and give back.'

Ambition: Idris Elba is 'set to launch luxury resort with hotels and private beaches in Sierra Leone' after actor recovers from coronavirus, it was reported on Saturday

According to the publication, Idris is interested in developing an eco-resort that is complete with hotels, restaurants, and private beaches.

The source added: 'Tourism is developing out there and he wants to help it to grow and thrive and look forward.

'He thinks it could be the next Dubai and wants to turn it into a real holiday hotspot and put the country on the map as a must-see destination.'

MailOnline have contacted Idris' representatives for comment.

Great location: Idris is said to have grown an interest in helping the country's tourism industry grow after he visited in 2019, and a source claimed he thinks the country has 'real potential'

On Friday, Idris was forced to deny he is in a 'critical condition' after a hoax video claimed he was in intensive care amid his coronavirus diagnosis.

A fan had tweeted him, saying: 'Someone posted a YouTube video of you saying you are in a critical condition for the covid-19 virus.. please debunk this fake rumour (sic)'

Denying what was claimed in the video, Idris responded: 'This is fake. I'm fine for now. Thanks for showing me.'

He also vehemently said it was 'not true' that he was in an intensive care unit, when a separate follower said they had seen a hoax claiming that to be the case.

Idris went on to answer another query, as he responded to a since deleted tweet to admit that he 'still hasn't shown symptoms' for coronavirus and that he 'is thankful for that.'

Denied: On Friday, Idris was forced to deny he is in a 'critical condition' after a hoax video claimed he was in intensive care amid his coronavirus diagnosis

While another fan asked Idris: 'How many days were you 'poorly' Idris?'

To which The Wire star responded: 'I really didn't have poorly days... I had a headache and body aches on the day I tested but that's been it.'

It comes after the Luther star spoke out against critics who suggested his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba should not have been by his side when he announced he tested positive for coronavirus.

UK Government guidelines advise those who have tested positive should ideally self quarantine in their home, away from other family members who have not been diagnosed.

Not true: The actor took to Twitter on Friday to hit back at the 'fake rumour' when a fan brought the hoax video to his attention

Clarification: He also vehemently said it was 'not true' that he was in an intensive care unit, when a separate follower said they had seen a hoax claiming that to be the case

Idris took part in a Twitter Live video on Tuesday evening to give his fans an update, 24 hours on from his diagnosis.

The actor reassured fans he is feeling well, explaining: 'Yesterday was good and bad. Bad because I tested positive, but it was also good because it opened up a lot of conversation around it.

'I think it made it a lot more real for some people. Definitely made it more real for me and my family.'

'There was so many positive responses to, you know, me talking about it. Some negative too. But there were some definite positive ones. I certainly feltmy wife and I felt like it was the right thing to do, to share it with you guys,' he added.

Announcement: The actor, 47, confirmed he had been tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday

He went on to address the 'negative' comments he had received about choosing to be with Sabrina, explaining the couple, who married in 2019, had 'calculated the risk.'

He also explained Sabrina has now been tested. 'Sabrina's good too. Sabrina today finally managed to get a test, and we're thankful for that. Generally, Sabrina's fine. Nervous of course. Worried. Just for clarification, Sabrina wanted to be by my side.

'As much as we talked about her not coming to where I am, she did and wanted to and I love her even more for it and I would do the same for her.

'As much as I wanted her to keep safe, we presumed if I had it, the likelihood she would have it too, we calculated that risk,' he went on.

'When something like this is going on in the world, love is all you can get, who am I to turn down my wife's support?'

The British actor urged his followers to spread love and advised families to follow guidelines but do what works best for them.

Idris appeared to confirm he had contracted the virus from Sophie Trudeau, after the two met shortly before they both tested positive for COVID-19.

The actor revealed he was exposed to the deadly disease on 4 March, the same day he posed with Sophie at the We Day UK charity event, in Wembley.

Married: Idris defended himself against criticism after his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba was seen by his side when he announced he had tested positive for coronavirus

Idris said: 'It's hard to say when I got the disease or when I contracted COVID-19, it's hard to say when. I will say that I know I've been exposed to it from March 4.

'That's when the person that came up positive, that was the time I got in contact with that person.

'So essentially, I could have been positive from March 4, but it's hard to say when I contracted someone with corona, you can contract it at anytime but my known exposure was March 4.'

Posing for photos together at the event, the pair were in close proximity to each other, as well as other celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton, and attendees.

The actor also added in the video: 'On Friday, last week, I was told that someone I had been in contact with had tested positive.

Interaction: Idris revealed that he was exposed to the deadly disease on 4 March, the same day he posed with Sophie at the We Day UK charity event (pictured)

'I am on location about to start filming. The news breaks that this person, who is also in the public eye, has tested positive.'

Idris then addressed backlash as to why he was tested for COVID-19 after he had 'no symptoms' and 'felt ok'.

Although the star admitted he is worried as he suffers from asthma, he added: 'I have asthma, so I sort of fit into the high category of most at risk.

'I have a respiratory issue and I have had asthma all my life. Catching corona was definitely not on my bucket list at all but even my asthma is OK.

'Of course I'm worried. I'm worried about having the virus, I'm worried about having asthma and how that could make things really complicated for me really quickly.'

He reassured his followers that at present he is feeling fine, explaining: 'Right now though, I am feeling okay. Woke up this morning, didn't have any symptoms. My voice is a little tired checking my fever twice a day.

'Feel good, feel okay. Been doing a lot of reading about it. You know, asymptomatic is what comes up,' Idris explained about his status.

Idris revealed he was inspired to share his coronavirus story after fellow actor Tom Hanks also shared that he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month.
Chinese police officers wear protective masks as they patrol before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station on Jan. 23, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

China Escalates Disinformation Campaign Targeting US Amid Global Pandemic

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is continuing to target the United States as part of an increasingly antagonistic disinformation campaign, to cover its own mishandling of the pandemicnow confirmed to have infected nearly 330,000 globally.

Over the past few days, as part of this anti-U.S. campaign, the CCP began pushing a new conspiracy theory, one that alleged the United States had access to the virus long before anyone because it was so swift in its development of a potential vaccine.

Regime officials and state-run media have amplified conspiracy theories on social media platforms such as Twitter, recently pushing claims including that the origin of the CCP virus isnt clear, or came from the U.S. military. The majority of Chinese citizens dont have access to Twitter, which is blocked in the communist country.

The US pushed out the vaccine so quickly, that only means they have been working on it way before the pandemic, a commentator claimed on China Central Television (CCTV), the biggest state-owned television network in the country, without providing any evidence.

The host responded, So we can conclude that the US had this virus in their possession long ago.

Meanwhile, a March 20 Twitter post from state-run media Xinhua referenced the scandal of a handful of U.S. senators who reportedly sold stocks after learning about the CCP virus. Xinhua used it to target President Donald Trump with the hashtag #Trumpandemic.

The senators knew enough to dump stocks, Xinhuas post said. How come President Trump seemed to have no clue about the severity of #COVID19? The president should know more & know better than senators. Was he pretending, or maybe he has too much stock to sell? #Trumpandemic.

A Xinhua editorial on March 17 threatened the United States directly, stating, The U.S. side should immediately correct its wrongful behaviors  before it is too late.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mishandling allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has been an increasingly vocal proponent of the Chinese regimes global propaganda campaign, continually working to shift the blame onto the United States. Zhao was the one of the first high-ranking officials to push the claim that the CCP virus was brought into Wuhan by the U.S. army.

Chinese spox: China fought hard & bought 2 months for the world, Lijian said on March 20. Regrettably, US government squandered such precious time, then spared no efforts stigmatizing China. This is immoral and unjust. It does no good to US own control of the virus nor international cooperation.

On March 22, Lijian reposted a Twitter users post that read: I really think COVID-19 has been here in America for awhile. Do you guys remember how sick everyone was during the holidays/early January?

A March 13 study found that if China had intervened earlier with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), the spread of the CCP virus could have been dramatically reduced.

If NPIs could have been conducted one week, two weeks, or three weeks earlier in China, cases could have been reduced by 66%, 86%, and 95%, respectively, together with significantly reducing the number of affected areas, the report stated.

Hua Chunying, a CCP Foreign Ministry spokesperson and the director-general of the Department of Information, is another official that has continued the campaign to target the United States.

If the US is truly confident of the supremacy of its political system, why are they so afraid of the Communist Party of China and Chinese media?! she said in a March 20 Twitter post.

Some US political figures have kept discrediting China and Chinas epidemic response and stigmatizing China, she wrote in a previous post. Any scheme to slander and smear China has no chance of success; any action that harms Chinas interests will be pushed back firmly and resolutely.

The CCPs disinformation campaign has gone through several phases: ignoring or downplaying the severity of the outbreak, creating positive coverage, and more recently, attempting to shift the blame onto the United States.

In order to paint the picture that it effectively handled the outbreak, the Chinese regime has been claiming no new local infections of the CCP virus, a claim experts say is not credible. Meanwhile, some media outlets in the United States are echoing this narrative.

Peter Huessy, president and founder of GeoStrategic Analysis, a defense and national security company in Potomac, Maryland, told The Epoch Times its dangerous to believe any numbers or claims coming from the Chinese Communist Party.

The [CCP has] repeatedly lied about everything having to do with the virus; why does anyone assume they have suddenly changed their stripes? Huessy said via email. As a totalitarian government, we know they lie automatically to stay in power.

Huessy called the disinformation campaign unsurprising, adding that its a typical communist tactic that is repeated in every area of significant policy in China.

The CCP is also set to expel U.S. journalists based in China who work for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Previously, the U.S. State Department designated five Chinese state-run outlets as foreign missions and slashed the number of Chinese staff allowed to work at the media outlets offices in the United States.

We have little way of knowing the truth in China, Huessy said. One key missing evidence is the total number of infected people.
Jazz Jennings has been an LGBT rights advocate for many years. But recently, she has also started to discuss mental health issues as well.

The 19-year-old trans rights activist has been open about her ongoing mental health challenges, particularly with anxiety and depression. As she prepared to head off to college and live on her own for the first time, Jazz began to experience panic attacks and more severe mental health symptoms than ever before.

On the Mar. 17 episode of TLCs I Am Jazz, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Jazzs parents sent her on a spiritual retreat as a gift, in hopes that it would help her ease her symptoms of anxiety and develop better coping and self-soothing mechanisms. Jazzs best friends, Kaci and Jay, accompanied her on the retreat at the Bagua Center in Miami, Florida.

Jazz Jennings | Rich Fury/Getty Images for GLAAD

Jazzs parents sent her on a spiritual retreat in hopes that it would ease her anxiety

On the latest episode of I Am Jazz, Jazzs parents, Greg and Jeanette Jennings, reflected on their youngest daughters recent anxiety and depression. They hoped their gift of a spiritual retreat would help her learn to calm herself in stressful moments, especially as she prepared for college.

Jazz is having a tough time lately, Jeanette confessed. She thinks that she can do this on her own. That spiritually, shes got this.



Everybodys gotta kind of fight their own demons, Jazzs dad acknowledged. But Greg added that he and Jeanette wanted to help their daughter with her mental health as much as they possibly could.



We know that sending Jazz to a spiritual retreat isnt the end-all, be-all, Greg explained. Its not a fixer, its a helper.

Jazz and her two friends reflected on her emotional journey over the years

On their way to the retreat, Jazz and her best friends reflected on their journey together over the years. Kaci and Jay revealed that, although they knew Jazz had been through a lot over the years, her anxiety and depression symptoms seemed worse than ever in recent months.

Ive known Jazz a long time, so Ive seen her go through pretty much her worst times, Kaci said. This is probably the worst Ive ever seen her anxiety really get to her.

As the I Am Jazz star and her two best friends went through Reiki, meditation, and emotional catharsis exercises with the spiritual retreat leaders, Jazz opened up about her recent struggles and panic attacks.

I kind of have internal struggles, and I just feel like it takes over me at times, she admitted. So often, in my anxiety and depression, I get caught up in my own head. Jazz worried that college would be impossible for her if she didnt start to get more control over her emotional well-being.



Jazz added that her perfectionism and fear of failure sometimes became debilitating. The young activist said her fears even contaminated her on an emotional level.

Jazzs friends said she had reached a breaking point with her mental health

Jazzs friends, like her parents, admitted they sometimes worried that Jazz wasnt ready just yet to live on her own due to her mental health symptoms.

Jazz has gone through so much in her life, Kaci explained. I think shes reached a breaking point, and she just needs some peace.

Jay, too, was concerned that Jazz might self-sabotage or continue to wrestle with her inner demons once she was at Harvard. My main concern moving forward about Jazz, she confessed, is that sometimes the only person that defeats herself is herself.

After an energetic healing session with one of the spiritual retreat leaders, Jazz admitted to the practitioner, Its hard for me to calm my mind. She worried that it would take years for her to release all the negativity that she was holding on to.

But the Reiki practitioner told Jazz that wasnt necessarily the case. Your mind is strong, she told the I Am Jazz star, advising her to use that energy, that powerful mind, to let go and surrender instead of holding onto the pain of the past.

Hearing that its not gonna take me years to release all that negative thinking is a relief, Jazz said. Still, the trans rights activist knew that she had a long way to go in terms of taking control of her own well-being.

I feel like the spiritual journey Ive been on has been both beautiful and ugly at the same time, the 19-year-old confessed. Its hard for me to admit that Im scared of not being good enough. I just want to let go of any mistake that Ive made that Im still attaching to.
Queensland's Chief Health Officer, education unions and representative bodies have outlined the detrimental knock-on effects for the schooling system and the economy if children don't stay in school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The comments came as state school principals and staff reported unexplained student absentee rates of 25 per cent, with some as high as 40 per cent, during the ongoing novel coronavirus crisis.

In a letter tabled in state parliament this week, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young explained to Department of Education Director-General Tony Cook why it was best for students to continue attending Queensland schools and the impacts entire school closures could have.

"Pre-emptive closures are not likely to be proportionate or effective as a public health intervention to prevent community transmission of COVID-19 at this time," Dr Young wrote on Monday.
The Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday that 195 people have died in the state as a result of the coronavirus. Also, 6,500 people have tested positive for COVID-19.

That's an increase of 41 deaths from the 154 reported on Tuesday, and confirmed cases increased by 329 from 6,171.

The VDH also said that 44,169 people have been tested for the virus in Virginia and 1,048 have been hospitalized

On March 19, state health officials said theres a lag in the reporting of statewide numbers on the VDH website. Figures on the website might not include cases or deaths reported by individual localities or local health districts.

(This is breaking news. This story and graphics will be updated.)

NEWS FROM TUESDAY

Civilian employee at Fort Lee dies from COVID-19

A civilian employee at Fort Lee's health clinic has died from the coronavirus.

The unidentified person worked at the Kenner Army Health Clinic, according to a news release from the base in Prince George County. They were admitted to the hospital April 6 after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result two days earlier.

The person had been in self-quarantine since March 26 after they came in contact with someone off the base who had tested positive for the virus.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and coworkers of our deceased team member during this incredibly difficult time, said Maj. Gen. Rodney Fogg, Fort Lee's senior commander.

A Fort Lee news release said other health clinic employees "at risk of inadvertent exposure" were told to take precautionary measures, including self-quarantine.

Prince George County, which includes Fort Lee, has 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the state health department.

- Justin Mattingly

Virginia prison inmate dies from complications of COVID-19

An inmate at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland died Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19 10 days earlier.

The woman, a 49-year-old offender serving a 9-year sentence for manufacturing methamphetamine, delivery of drugs to prison and larceny, is the first Virginia prisoner to die from complications of the novel coronavirus, according to a statement from the state Department of Corrections.

The woman was admitted to VCU Medical Center on April 4 and tested positive that day, DOC said Tuesday. She remained at the hospital until her death.

The department, citing privacy, did not identify the woman but said she suffered from underlying health conditions including asthma and Hepatitis-C.

The Virginia Department of Corrections oversees about 30,000 incarcerated offenders and 12,000 employees. Currently, 44 inmates and 32 staff have confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The VADOC is working closely with the Virginia Department of Health during this pandemic and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for corrections, the statement said.

- Ali Rockett

Richmond, Henrico to hold COVID-19 testing events in low income communities

Richmond and Henrico County health officials will begin testing residents in low income communities for COVID-19 next week.

Dr. Danny Avula, the director of the combined city and county health district, said the targeted in-person testing is needed to support people who are struggling or otherwise unable to get tested for the disease.

While health officials have been mostly responding to outbreaks at retirement communities and long-term care facilities to help vulnerable, elderly residents, they are now hoping to improve testing availability for minority communities where underlying health conditions are prevalent.

"We're looking at two populations; residents of long-term care facilities and un- and under-insured people of color throughout our community," Avula said.

He said the testing events are likely to be held at Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties, the subsidized St. Luke and Henrico Arms apartment communities in Henrico and other locations in the city and county. Masks and hand sanitizer will also be distributed at the events.

After speaking in a press conference last week about potential racial disparities in how the virus is affecting people in the city, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said Tuesday that African Americans make up about 60% of the 163 confirmed cases in the city. Seven city residents have died.

He and Avula said expanded testing will give officials a better idea of how the disease is affecting minority communities. They're also hopeful that it will wake up some people who may be disregarding the guidance of local, state and federal health officials.

"If you have underlying conditions, it could lead to your death," Stoney said. "That's why we have to take this threat seriously. We all do."

- Chris Suarez

JMU plans August commencement 'if it is safe to do so'

James Madison University has a new date for an on-campus commencement.

President Jonathan Alger announced Tuesday that if it is safe to do so, JMU will have in-person commencement ceremonies Aug. 7-8. Other Virginia colleges have opted to move their graduation events online this spring or give graduating seniors the chance to walk in December.

JMU announced last month that its commencement had been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Alger said seniors will become official JMU graduates on May 8. The university will host a virtual conferring of degrees, Alger said, where seniors can still hear from the president, a student speaker and be formally presented as the class of 2020.

In a message to seniors, Alger said the Harrisonburg school will hold a series of events on campus and downtown Aug. 6-7 before in-person commencement ceremonies Aug. 7-8.

If for health and safety reasons we are unable to gather in August, we will host these events at a later date, Alger said. We hope this does not become necessary, but acknowledge it is a possibility. Please be assured that well do everything we can to provide a memorable commencement experience for you and your families.

Alger said details about the August ceremonies are still being worked out.

- Justin Mattingly

UVA announces hiring freeze and won't give pay raises

The University of Virginia has instituted a hiring freeze and won't give pay raises as the school deals with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

UVA announced Tuesday that it is putting a pause on hiring for open faculty, staff and health system team jobs - unless an exception is approved by UVA executives - and won't give merit increases for fiscal year 2021, which starts July 1.

The Charlottesville school also said that it's limiting capital projects - only moving forward with projects that are in design or construction and are fully funded. UVA is cutting or eliminating non-essential expenses and the college's executive leadership team is taking a 10% salary cut, according to a news release.

As always, but especially now, we must be exceptionally good stewards of our resources so that we can continue to carry out our core mission, and in so doing be of service to the commonwealth and beyond, President Jim Ryan and his leadership team said a message to the UVA community.

They added: At the same time, we must never forget that the people at UVA  our faculty, staff, and students  remain our greatest asset, and will be the key to our ability to weather this crisis and recover with strength.

UVA classes have moved online for the rest of the spring semester, and the school has canceled all events on campus until at least May 15.

Students are receiving prorated refunds to cover part of spring semester room and board costs.

- Justin Mattingly

Employee of Publix on Forest Hill tests positive for coronavirus

An employee at the Publix supermarket at The Shops at Stratford Hills shopping center on Forest Hill Avenue in Richmond tested positive for the coronavirus, the chain confirmed.

Publix did not identify the employee, the persons job at the store or when the person tested positive.

"As an essential service provider, the health and well-being of our customers, associates and communities are our top priority. Like other essential service providers, we have seen our own associates and their families personally impacted by COVID-19," a Publix spokeswoman said in an email.

"We are proud of how our dedicated associates are taking care of our customers and each other through this unprecedented and challenging time," she said.

Three other Richmond-area grocery store employees - two from Kroger and one from Whole Foods Market - have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past two weeks.

An employee at the Kroger store at the Willow Lawn shopping center in Henrico County tested positive last week and a worker at the chains store at 1510 Eastridge Road in Henrico had tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago.

An employee at the Whole Foods store in the West Broad Village in western Henrico also tested positive about 10 days ago.

Grocery workers across the country increasingly have become worried about being at the front lines of the pandemic. Some chains are giving store employees pay increases or bonuses.

- Greg Gilligan

VCU poll: 76% of Virginians approve of Northam's response to pandemic

Roughly three in four Virginians approve of Gov. Ralph Northams handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Virginia Commonwealth University poll.

The poll, conducted by the Center for Public Policy at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, showed that 76% of those surveyed said Northam, a doctor by trade, was handling the public health crisis well.

Northam made Virginia one of the first two states to close schools for the rest of the academic year when he extended his closure order beyond the initial two weeks on March 23 and the states stay-at-home order, announced a week later, extends to June, one of the latest such orders in the country.

The survey of 812 Virginians was conducted via phone between March 25 and April 8. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.51 percentage points for all adults and 5.68 percentage points for likely voters.

Northam, a Democrat, has support from Republicans (68%), independents (70%) and Democrats (90%), according to the poll. The Richmond regions 78% support figure is in line with the governors statewide favorability.

The same poll found that 50% of Virginians strongly or somewhat approve of how President Donald Trump is handling the crisis, while 48% strongly or somewhat disapprove. Much of that support (83%) comes from Republicans, while 79% of Democrats disapprove of Trumps crisis response.

Trumps 50% approval rating relative to the COVID-19 handling is his strong personal appeal with his base, and could be the hidden magnet amongst the electorate, said Wilder, the former Virginia governor.

The VCU poll also reported that likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads Trump by 10 percentage points among likely voters in Virginia.

- Justin Mattingly

More than 100 coronavirus outbreaks in Virginia; 56 at long-term care facilities

The number of confirmed coronavirus outbreaks in Virginia eclipsed 100 on Tuesday, the majority of which remain in long-term care facilities.

The Virginia Department of Health reported Tuesday that there are 102 outbreaks in the state, up from 97 on Monday. Fifty-six of those outbreaks are in long-term care facilities, including Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Henrico County, where 84 residents and 35 health care workers had tested positive, as of Monday.

An outbreak, according to the state health department's definition, occurs when there are at least two laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases connected by people, place and time.

The uptick comes as the number of confirmed virus patients who have been hospitalized and discharged increased by nearly two-thirds since Monday.

That's according to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, which started reporting the figure Monday. According to the organization's COVID-19 dashboard, 721 people have been discharged - up from 467 on Monday.

VHHA also reported that 1,282 people with confirmed or pending COVID-19 tests are hospitalized, which is roughly 300 more than the 978 reported by the state health department. The two data dashboards have consistently had different hospitalization figures since the hospital organization started releasing data last week.

Roughly one in three of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients are in the intensive care unit, according to the VHHA, and a little more than one in five are on ventilators.

The Henrico health district has the most hospitalizations (40) in the Richmond region, according to the state health department. It's home to the Canterbury skilled nursing facility in the western part of the county, which has been hit harder by the virus than all but one nursing facility in the U.S.

The Richmond region's 19 outbreaks still trail only Northern Virginia for the most in the state.

- Justin Mattingly

154 coronavirus deaths in Virginia as confirmed cases hit 6,171

The Virginia Department of Health reported Tuesday that 6,171 people in Virginia have tested positive for COVID-19 and 154 people have died as a result of the virus.

That's an increase of 424 cases from the 5,747 reported Monday.

The VDH also said that 42,763 have been tested for the virus in Virginia and 978 have been hospitalized.

New modeling by UVA researchers that was made public Monday suggests social distancing policies are slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Virginia. The projections also point to a mid-August peak for new cases in the commonwealth.

On March 19, state health officials said theres a lag in the reporting of statewide numbers on the VDH website. Figures on the website might not include cases or deaths reported by individual localities or local health districts.

- Paul Whelan
Last Wednesday, Joe Sears, a big rig driver from Sydney, N.S., set off on a six-week trip that will take him across the country  and into the heart of the provinces hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

"I'm driving into the unknown," he said in an interview as he drove through Fredericton. "I can't even imagine because they're much more hard hit than the East Coast."

Sears loaded up everything he needs to survive: two barbecues, food, water, vitamins, gloves and toilet paper.

But as he drives through a pandemic that's causing anxiety across the country, he plans to sleep in his cab because "hotels scare me at this point."

Joe Sears

On the 5,600-kilometre drive to his destination, Kamloops, B.C., to move furniture, he'll need truck stops that provide clean showers  he'll settle for a tidy washroom  and good meals.

These essential services are increasingly hard to find for truckers, who are transporting vital shipments including food, hand sanitizers and masks. Truck stops are reducing hours or are closed altogether because of the virus that had infected more than 1,300 people in Canada as of Saturday evening.

Even going to a drive-thru is impossible when your rig is too big, and walk-up isn't allowed.

"Truck drivers are the heartbeat of Canada, North America," said Sears, as he called on governments to address the hardships experienced by drivers.

He said the provinces should follow California's move to declare truck stops an essential service during the COVID-19 crisis.

"If we can't do our job properly then, boy, there's going to be one heck of a mess in this country," he said.

The rigs will be needed as the country hunkers down for the long haul in its pandemic battle. That's driving a social media campaign #thankatrucker for the "extraordinary job" they're providing during the crisis, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

Story continues

Groups such as the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association are posting on social media where truckers can go for services such as showers, laundry facilities and take-out food.

Suzanne Cascanette

One of those spots is the Glenholme Loop Petro Pass just off the Trans-Canada Highway, not far from Truro, N.S. It's been going the extra mile by offering truckers free meals, showers and a place to park.

"I am begging other businesses out there that have closed to please reconsider even opening designated hours like I am doing with a limited menu," someone wrote on truck stop's Facebook page. "We can not survive this pandemic without our truck drivers, that is for certain."

That's Suzanne Cascanette's concern. The Halifax woman is a customs broker who helps to clear trucks crossing from the U.S. into Canada.

She's hearing about the plight of some truckers who are sacrificing precious family time because they're afraid they've caught COVID-19.

"They're not coming home even because they feel that possibly they could bring something home. So they're staying in a hotel to protect their family," she said.

Joe Sears

Cascanette is also a member of the Facebook group, Caremongering-Hfx. She's calling on group members to put together care packages of food, clean socks and other items. She's hoping diesel stations will allow her to leave them for any trucker or delivery driver who wants one.

"This way I feel I can be supportive," said Cascanette.

She has one message. "Thank you, truckers, it's as simple as  let's keep on trucking."

For Sears, who says many truck drivers aren't accustomed to receiving acts of kindness, the public gestures are comforting on his long, lonely drive.

"Unheard of and amazing, just absolutely amazing," he said. "That's magical for us."

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COVID 19 - Gibraltar to go into General Lockdown

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo announced at a press conference held earlier today that Gibraltar will be going into total social lockdown as from Midnight on Tuesday.

The CM explained that this was the best way to achieve the social distancing required in order to slow the spread of Covid 19. As from Tuesday morning, the Royal Gibraltar Police will have power to enforce these regulations.

Below is the Chief Minister's full statement.

"My dear fellow Gibraltarians

The time has come.

We have reached another difficult moment in our work to slow down Coronavirus COVID 19.

As we have seen, the number of persons diagnosed with this cruel disease in Gibraltar creep up, we have noted the sharp increase in persons diagnosed sadly, also in Spain.

The Director of Public Health has now advised that as the virus is in the population, the best way to achieve the social distancing required is to slow the disease to move to a total social lock down.

As a result, at a Cabinet meeting attended by the Leader of the Opposition this morning, we have therefore agreed to issue new regulations for this purpose.

Regulations under the Civil Contingencies Act have therefore been signed by the Minister to provide for the lock down.

In order to give people and businesses time to adjust, the new rules will come into effect at midnight on Tuesday.

That is to say, at zero hours on Tuesday. The rules will have no effect tomorrow.

I ask you to use tomorrow to make adjustments and changes necessary to adapt to life under the new regulations.

The new rules are in addition to the rules for over 70s, which remain unchanged.

In fact, there is more leeway in the rules for those under 70s.

The tighter rules for the over 70s must continue to be observed, unchanged.

My dear fellow Gibraltarians, agreeing to the making of these regulations has undoubtedly been the hardest decision I have had to make in my political career so far.

I know that the same is true for all my Cabinet colleagues.

But these extraordinary times require extraordinary action.

And we have not hesitated to act when required.

We will not hesitate to do what we have to do in order to slow the spread of the virus. I know it will be hard also for you.

Whether you own a business or you work in our economy or even if you are not presently working.

If you are running a business that is covered by the regulations, please notify your employees as soon as possible.

If you are able to, do not open tomorrow.

We are allowing an extra twenty-four hours so that you can make arrangements.

But do not think that because we are allowing an extra 24 hours, our concern is not immediate.

Offices can continue to operate.

But please try to work from home if you can and operate the relevant social distancing guidelines if you cannot.

On Tuesday, our schools will be open for your children if you have registered them for the key worker scheme.

On Tuesday, you can go to work as long as you are not in the retail trade. Supermarkets, grocery stores, pharmacies and chemists will remain open.

You can go to work in your office - but please, please observe social distancing rules.

If possible remote work if you can.

If you operate a restaurant, you will be able to continue to provide a much valued take away service.

Delivery drivers will continue to be able to deliver.

These are now also essentials provided by essential workers.

As from Tuesday, all construction sites will be closed unless they have a permit from the Chief Technical Officer to continue work during the pandemic.

Some essential works and some works that create no issues will be able to continue.

Commercial gyms will be closed as from Tuesday, but not because of the untrue and unwarranted rumour that there has been any spike notified to Government at any local gym to date.

Again, foolish, unfounded rumours continue to circulate on Facebook and people still choose to believe them.

It helps no one at this stage to have such nonsense going on.

In Gibraltar, and under our rules, you will be able to go out for a run or a walk, but you must observe the rules of social distancing.

You will be able to go out to exercise children.

And of course you will be able to go out to shop and for other essentials.

You must not be out and about other than with a person who already lives in the same property as you.

Although we have had regard to the rules of many other countries, our rules have been designed specifically for Gibraltar.

Our demographic circumstances are different to most other nations.

And our rules are designed to take those aspects of life in Gibraltar into consideration.

Where necessary, we will review the rules in coming days.

Please let us keep focused on slowing down this virus.

Let us remember that failure is not the growth of the number of detected infections.

Failure is an unnecessary increase in the number of deaths.

Failure is not slowing the virus down so that we are able to deal with the numbers of infected people manifesting at our hospital.

Tomorrow, Minister for Education, Gilbert Licudi will be taking the press conference to deal with matters arising in respect of our schools and how they operate in these extraordinary times.

If you are a health worker, thank you for what you are doing and what you are going to do.

If you are a teacher, LSA, school secretary or dinner lady, technician or care taker or otherwise a school worker, thank you for what you are doing and for what you are going to do.

If you are in law enforcement, if you are in the public sector or if you are in the private sector thank you for what you are doing and what you are going to do.

Thank you all for your help and support at this time.

And thank you also, especially, to the many volunteers, almost one thousand now, each of you ready to help in different ways.

To each and every one of my fellow Gibraltarians, I say at this time, even if you can do something under these rules, ask yourself if you should.

You are permitted to go to work, but can you work thematically instead?

You are permitted to go out for a purpose, but can you can manage in a different way?

Tomorrow, start using your common sense.

As from Tuesday, observe the rules that we have made to protect you.

Be out as little as you have to.

Get home as quick as you can.

An invisible killer lurks amongst us and you can do your bit to slow its passage through our city by observing these rules.

And if you have symptoms, call 111 and self isolate.

Because you can see what we are trying to do, to slow down the virus, to stop it from the harrowing images on your television screens of what has happened in China, Italy and Spain manifesting also in Gibraltar.

If you are out, walk on your own, parents can walk with children.

Do not congregate with others.

As from Tuesday morning, I am very sorry to say, the Royal Gibraltar Police will have power to enforce these regulations.

We realise the heavy burden that will impose on our officers.

Please help them by not knowingly contradicting rules that we are putting in place to protect you and your loved ones.

Please follow the instructions of a police officer who is acting pursuant to these regulations. This is about enhancing social distancing.

There will be power to enforce these regulations by police officers for this purposes. But it is not up to any of you to do that.

So please do not put up photographs of others you may think are breaching the rules because they may not be and you may cause them distress.

I am conscious of the pressure these regulations are going to put on businesses throughout our land. All sectors will be affected sectors save for very few.

We are designing economic packages to help.

The most important help we will deploy as soon as possible, potentially even overnight, will be a measure to pause employment and allow individuals to claim unemployment benefit as a result.

I discussed that measure last night with the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Sr. Fernandez Grande-Marlaska who was very supportive of the actions we are taking in Gibraltar and of the need for the frontier to continue to flow for our workers.

The Covid Emergency Liaison and Advisory Committee will get a chance to consider this and other measures in its second meeting this weekend, later on this evening.

Our position is clear: we will design a package to provide a shield around our businesses and our workers.

No one will suffer.

We have been here designing packages that have no red tape and are meaningful, all through the weekend.

Our works is being designed so that no business will find it has to go to the wall.

And we will consider all sectors businesses affected in different ways unless excluded for a specific reason.

We are, in effect, putting our economy into an induced coma.

A period of an extended bank holiday but with all affected businesses supported and all affected employees given a direct economic lifeline.

And all of this is designed to ensure that the economy can survive in the long term despite these short term difficulties.

As I told the Parliament on Friday, we have the financial firepower to act.

Finally, we are now moving into this lock down phase because we have no choice.

It hasn't helped that some have failed to follow advice.

But I consider these regulations to be an intolerable intrusion into your liberty.

In any other circumstances these rules would be contrary to your constitutional right of freedom of movement.

For that reason we have tested the conclusions that have led us to this decision very robustly.

We have tested the advice on Public Health.

And we have asked for, and received the advice of the Attorney General that the restrictions on the freedom of movement and your liberty are proportional and Constitutional in the circumstances of this Public Health emergency.

We have had that confirmed by the Attorney General.

We have provided a time limit of 30 days for the rules to be renewed.

Additionally, we have nonetheless, provided for us to confirm every 48 hours that these rules continue to be unnecessary.

That is the least we can do given the effect these measures will have on your constitutional rights. 9

We will meet weekly to review the operation of the regulations and if at all possible we will undo their effect even sooner.

But for now, we have no choice but to act in this way. It is time to be sensible.

It is time to follow the rules that most have been following voluntarily and which will now be obligatory.

It's time to brace for the worst and hope or pray for the best.

For the second week, attendance at religious services has been dissuaded. Services have been held behind closed doors and streamed.

And today is Mothers Day.

Usually a day of celebration.

I warmly congratulate all mothers in our community.

Now every day, we should value each other more.

These are measures we take with a heavy heart but for very good reason. So help us throughout this process.

Do not be selfish.

There is and there will be more than enough food on our supermarket shelves.

Stay in high spirits.

See the bright side of adversity.

See the value of things you may have taken for granted until now.

And see the effect of simple things that will help us slow the virus.

Wash your hands.

Such simple advice but such an important effect on slowing the progress of this virus. The more you follow the Public Health advice, the sooner we can lift these measures. For now, I ask you to familiarise yourself with these measures on lockdown.

They will be published on our web and social media pages shortly.

Follow the rules - even though they infringe the rights you take for granted.

Because these rules are designed to protect you and protect your loved ones.

But they are extraordinary measures and I must be answerable to you for taking this step."
France threatened to close its border with Britain unless it introduced shutdown measures to stop the threat of coronavirus, aides to President Emmanuel Macron claimed tonight.

The head of state's staff said that he called Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday night and told him that unless the situation quickly changed, 'France would have no other choice but to refuse entry for all travellers from the United Kingdom'.

Mr Johnson responded by announcing the shutdown of pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants, bringing Britain in line with its EU neighbours.

An Elysee Palace source told Liberation newspaper that if Mr Macron had carried out his threat to close all borders with the UK, 'all the other European states would have done the same, which would have been very bad news for the British economy'.

France threatened to close its border with Britain unless it introduced shutdown measures to stop the threat of coronavirus, aides to President Emmanuel Macron claimed tonight

The head of state's staff said that he called Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday night and told him that unless the situation quickly changed, 'France would have no other choice but to refuse entry for all travellers from the United Kingdom'

Mr Johnson responded by announcing the shutdown of pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants, bringing Britain in line with its EU neighbours.( Above, a deserted Oxford Street on Saturday)

The source said that a reckless British policy dubbed 'benign neglect' by the French had clearly not been working, and that Mr Macron felt he had to appeal to Mr Johnson directly.

On Tuesday, Edouard Philippe, Mr Macron's prime minister, had first announced that British nationals would be banned from France if the UK failed to adopt more radical coronavirus containment measures.

During a live TV address from Paris, Mr Philippe expressed extreme frustration that Britain was lagging behind in the 'war' against the deadly illness.

'Everyone within the European Union must adopt coherent methods and processes to fight the epidemic, as in Italy, France and Spain', said Mr Philippe.

The British make up the biggest foreign visitor group to Paris, which is normally the most popular tourist city in the world. (Pictured, shoppers in Paris today)

An Elysee Palace source said that a reckless British policy dubbed 'benign neglect' by the French had clearly not been working, and that Mr Macron felt he had to appeal to Mr Johnson directly. (Above, the PM and Mr Macron last August)

On Tuesday, Edouard Philippe (above), Mr Macron's prime minister, had first announced that British nationals would be banned from France if the UK failed to adopt more radical coronavirus containment measures

'It goes without saying that if neighbouring states such as the United Kingdom spend too long continuing to avoid these containment measures, then we would have difficulty accepting British nationals who would move freely in their own country and then come to our country,' the Prime Minister had added.

Mr Philippe was speaking on the first day of a nationwide lockdown in his own country, which has seen major cities including Paris grind to a halt.

A ban would have caused huge problems for the millions of British nationals who have professional and personal links with France.

The British make up the biggest foreign visitor group to Paris, which is normally the most popular tourist city in the world.

People in France currently need documentation to leave the house, even for routine tasks such as shopping or walking the dog, for example. There are currently 100,000 police and gendarmes officers enforcing such draconian restrictions

While restrictions on movement and lifestyle are growing every day in EU countries, post-Brexit Britain is perceived to be lagging behind.

People in France need documentation to leave the house, even for routine tasks such as shopping or walking the dog, for example.

There are currently 100,000 police and gendarmes officers enforcing such draconian restrictions.

Fines for anyone caught without these 'attestations' have risen to the equivalent of 118, and people are also being arrested.
Four people who tested positive for coronavirus in Pune on Sunday are close relatives of a 41- year-old woman who was earlier found infected by the virus, officials said on Sunday.

The woman, who is currently on ventilator support at Bharti Hospital and continues to be critical, tested positive for the infection earlier after her throat swabs were sent to the National Institute of Virology to check for the possibility of swine flu (H1N1), a doctor said.

She has no foreign travel history.

All the four people who tested positive for the deadly virus on Sunday are the woman's relatives, districtcollector Naval Kishore Ram told PTI.

They include the woman's son, her sister and the latter's husband and daughter, a health official said.

The woman does not have travel history to a foreign country, but she visited Vashi in neighbouring Navi Mumbai to attend a wedding on March 3.

The district administration on Saturday said a team from the Union Health Ministry has arrived in Pune to check on the woman.

"A team from the Centre arrived in Pune for further probe. We have so far found some 100 people who were in touch with her," Divisional Commissioner Dipak Mhaisekar said.

The total number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra has risen to 74 with 10 more positive cases reported in the last 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.

Of the 10 new cases, 6 are in Mumbai and 4 in Pune, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
We doctors are just a tap away, says Dr. Nate Favini, a doctor in a video message to the members of an app-based concierge medical care company, Forward. If youre experiencing any symptoms, use the tool in our app; our coronavirus assessment tool.

Imagine it was all that easy? To test yourself for COVID-19 from the comfort of your home through an app, by taking an online test and texting or face-timing a doctor? Well, now it is, at a price. Usually, its a set membership, but with the current crisis, and in an attempt to help prevent hospital overcrowding, some of these medical companies are offering a portion of their services for free (like an online COVID-19 risk assessment test), while others are offering free face-time consults with board-certified US doctors for coronavirus-related symptoms. Its an attempt to help prevent hospital overcrowding.

In a country with a murky  not to mention overloaded  health care system, it makes sense, then, why there is a boom of concierge doctors in America. Its a fast-growing market and could be a need to help fight the pandemic which has taken the world by storm. A concierge doctor is a physician who has a direct relationship with their patient by phone, text and in-person appointments; they know and understand your medical history well. The call this privilege primary care. The cost? An annual fee, often billed as a membership. Most doctors have a small percentage of clients for this service, while carrying on their regular practice. This two-tiered system historically has a bad rap; it has been frowned upon for burdening the middle and lower class citizens with additional premiums they cant afford (one example is Solis Health nabbing COVID-19 test kits for their clients, who pay $5,000 a year for their memberships). Meanwhile, another health company is selling the kits for $139, starting March 23. But in light of the current health crisis, could the concierge medical sector be changing under pressure, and expanding to finally be more inclusive?

It could be needed now, more than ever. The World Health Organization is advising countries to test every suspected case, but the demand is exceeding supply. Only 1.5 million testing kits have been sent to 120 countries. Across America, theres a drive-through clinic in Denver, while in Seattle, Boston and New Rochelle, patients are not being tested with the kits. Only 2,000 people have been tested in the state of New York, while California has 8,000 test kits. There arent enough tests available for the potential coronavirus cases needed.

What if you have COVID-19 symptoms? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention website explains how to get tested: Call your doctor: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.

On the Forward app, patients can answer doctors questions instead, like Do you have shortness of breath? and Have you had close contact with anyone who traveled to any of the following locations?

Adrian Aoun, the CEO and founder of the Los Angeles-based medical firm, tells InsideHook the remote assessment app is for their members who have virus symptoms virus.

The care team assesses their risk based on the results of the assessment and can quickly triage those who may have the virus, says Aoun. As a supply of tests is still limited in the U.S., members whose remote assessment indicates are most in need, are then scheduled for testing.

Their in-app screenings increased by 400 percent over the past week, while their chat volume increased 20 percent over the past. Were working on making our remote assessment available to everyone who needs it, with plans to launch a public portal later this week, he adds.

With the risk of spreading COVID-19, doctors are encouraging members to stay at home. We can assess their symptoms and quickly triage those who may have the virus, says Aoun.

What do doctors think of that? Dr. Sanford Friedman, who runs a practice in Manhattan, is part of the network of concierge doctors with Concierge Choice Physicians, is relying on the phone for the pandemic. The role of the concierge physician is immediacy and the main tool of the pandemic is the phone, he says. I have patients calling me up the wazoo with fever, Ive discouraged people from coming, he says. The phone becomes the critical instrument for dealing with the virus; understanding a patients medical history and advising them.

He explains that if a physician has regular contact with a patient, and understands their medical history, a prognosis could be given by phone.

But if you dont know the patients history, youre going to have a missed opportunity or give false reassurance. He points out. But a central person with a good knowledge base taking care of the patient would save money in the long run.

The membership costs roughly $200 a month and with a volume of clients, that supports the doctor. Thats roughly $2,400 a year, on average, for what some people consider to be peace of mind.

Are the clients all rich? Its a broad range of people, I have a lot of middle-class people who wanted to see if I was worth it or not, says Dr. Friedman. I have poor clients who have complicated illnesses Im taking care of anyway, because I know if they go to a clinic, theyre screwed. Most of my patients are not people making billions of dollars. I have some fabulously wealthy patients but theyre a minority.

To Friedman, the concierge medical care isnt a substitute for traditional health insurance, its an add-on for wellness. It covers things that insurance wouldnt cover; patients would still need insurance for their sick visits, or if they needed to see specialists, get admitted to a hospital, testing and medications.

Keith Elgart, the COO of New Yorks Concierge Choice Physicians, says this membership-based service isnt just for the 1 percent. These doctors have an obligation to take care of everybody, he says. If youre a concierge member, its not like youre getting a test other people arent.

He compares it to a gym membership: Some sign up for the gym, but never go. Some are occasional gym-goers. Others work out every day. And some sign up for a personal trainer, he says. Its an added level for their personal wellness. This is the same thing.

When it comes to COVID-19, everyones concern is accurate information, and with concierge medicine, patients can text or call their doctors. A lot of doctors are putting out communications with their patients, he adds. Its the heightened awareness that everyone deserves and wants; theres more of an availability tailored to your needs. For some, it isnt worthwhile, but for others its beneficial.

While Concierge Choice recommends patients keep their usual health insurance, Forward replaces the need for American health care. This primary care, for $149 a month, is like a tech-savvy family physician for those who trust the tech theyre trailblazing; with advanced medical technology, including biometric body scans, genetic testing and real-time blood testing in 12 minutes, as well as no-wait communication with doctors.

If clients need outside referrals, the doctors at Froward are supposed to help. Though toughly 30 percent of their clients dont have any other health insurance, the rest have American health care packages. It makes sense to have a Forward membership if you have a high-deductible plan.

With affordable premiums, concierge medical care could be the future of healthcare in America. Though some think this is just for the 1 percent, rates range from roughly $150 to $250 a month. Could it eventually be available to all? What if billionaires chipped in to make it free to everyone? Could these primary care companies lead the way with tech innovation? Theyre relying on automation for repetitive work that inflates costs in the traditional health care system.

Our primary goal is to make quality primary care accessible to everyone, and tackle the cost and access to care, says Aoun. We believe that this can only be done with innovation through technology; it can help augment the amazing humans working in our system. Were giving doctors the tools they deserve, while working in one of societys most noble professions.

For those of us who arent members, we can watch doctors like Dr. Favini talk about COVID-19 in a video message on Facebook, which he concludes with the phrase: I really look forward to taking care of you.

The post App-Based Concierge Doctors Are Booming in the Age of Coronavirus appeared first on InsideHook.
(CNN Philippines, March 20)  Business enterprises at a major industrial estate in Cavite have been ordered to temporarily stop operations due to a reportedly increasing incidence of coronavirus infections in the province.

All of the 439 establishments at the Cavite Economic Zones 1 & 2 were instructed by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to suspend operations starting at 6 p.m. on March 19, a press statement from the regulatory body said.

Over 68,000 workers are affected by the work suspension, which is aimed at containing the spread of the highly contagious disease. It will be in force until further notice, the PEZA announcement said.

The companies may opt to keep skeletal workforce for basic administrative, maintenance and security tasks, the PEZA directive said. These remaining employees will be required to stay in confined accommodation in the company premises.

No employee shall be allowed entry into CEZ I & II starting 6:00pm today except those designated as part of the skeletal force, without express approval of the Zone Administrator, the March 19 memo read.

PEZA said 80 percent of industries in these economic zones are owned by foreign investors while the rest are Filipino-owned exporters.

The temporary shutdown of in the Cavite ecozone also followed President Rodrigo Dutertes call for the private sector to keep their workers safe at home and arrange a work-from-home schemes to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease, the COVID-19.

Temporary jobs for workers displaced by the COVID-19 outbreak are being offered by the Department of Labor. The jobs involve work related to the disinfection of houses in communities to mitigate the spread of the disease.NN Philippines, March 20) 
African countries have been among the last to be hit by the global coronavirus epidemic, but as cases rise, many nations are now taking strict measures to block the deadly illness.

Here is a snapshot of the situation on a continent plagued by weak health systems and shortages of doctors and hospital beds, but where many countries have top-level expertise in fighting contagious disease.

- Slow to arrive, but now spreading -

The first case in Africa was recorded in Egypt on February 14, and by early March there were only two more cases in Algeria and Nigeria.

Experts initially wondered why the continent appeared to have so few cases -- and some speculated whether the virus was spreading undetected.

Since then, confirmed cases have spread steadily and in a little over a week, more than 20 new countries have been infected, bringing the total to 30 of 54 African nations with 450 known cases of the virus.

Senegal's Muslim brotherhoods have suspended religious festivities planned for this month /  AFP

The worst-affected countries are in North Africa, where local transmission is now taking place and 10 deaths have been confirmed.

Egypt has recorded 166 cases and four deaths, and Algeria 60 cases and also four deaths. Sudan and Morocco each have one death.

Economic powerhouse South Africa has 62 cases, many of which were imported, although the virus is now spreading in the community.

In East Africa, home to hubs Ethiopia and Kenya, there are a total of 20 cases across six countries.

Senegal is the worst-affected in West Africa with 27 cases -- most of whom were infected by a single citizen who had returned from Italy.

- Travel restrictions -

Watching from afar as disaster unfolds in Asia and Europe -- where many are suffering the consequences of being slow to act -- some African countries have wasted no time in taking drastic measures.

Air traffic in particular has been hard hit as nations across the continent realised their first cases had come from citizens returning from travel abroad in infected countries.

In comparison to many countries in the West, measures have been decisive and very strict.

Morocco has stopped all international flights "until further notice", aside from special planes authorised to repatriate European tourists.

Somalia, a country riven by decades of conflict, also banned all international flights -- including for cargo -- after confirming its first case. Humanitarian flights, however, will be allowed to proceed.

Chad, where no cases have been reported, has also shut its airports and borders with affected Sudan and Central African Republic. Similarly, neighbouring Mali, also with no confirmed cases, has announced all commercial flights from virus-affected countries will be stopped.

Guinea-Bissau is also set to halt all flights in and out of the country. Cape Verde is due to stop flights too, from virus-hit European countries, as well as Senegal, Nigeria, Brasil and the United States.

Others are banning flights and travellers depending on their origins.

Senegal has blocked air links with seven European countries and the Middle East. Togo and Madagascar have taken similar measures.

Others like Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Ivory Coast have blocked foreigners from high-risk countries -- in some cases allowing those in who hold resident permits.

Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea are among those insisting on self-quarantine for travellers from high-risk countries.

Tourism has been hard-hit, including the cruise industry, with ships blocked by many countries including Madagascar, Senegal, Seychelles and Mauritius.

- Bans and cancellations -

At least 13 countries on the continent have closed or are preparing to shut down their school systems all the way up to university level.

This includes Kenya, Rwanda, Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast.

To add to this measure, Kenya has encouraged working from home, which has seen thousands streaming from the capital to their rural houses.

Some countries have also taken strong measures regarding religious gatherings.

In Senegal, the powerful Muslim brotherhoods have suspended religious festivities planned for this month. Tunisian authorities have suspended group prayers, including on Fridays.

The annual Bushfire Festival in Eswatini, also known as Swaziland, is another coronavirus casualty /  AFP

Major sporting and cultural events have also been hit by the wave of bans.

The annual Bushfire music festival in Eswatini has been cancelled, while in South Africa, the popular AfrikaBurn festival will also not go ahead, while a plethora of sporting events have been blocked.

Tunisia meanwhile is continuing with sporting events without spectators.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 07:16:10|Editor: Lu Hui

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SAN FRANCISCO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has announced that China's major airlines are resuming flights to SFO from Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing.

Air China, China Eastern and China Southern are resuming limited flights between China and SFO, the airport said on its website.

Air China's Beijing route is back in operation, though its frequency has not yet been finalized, and China Southern is once again flying between Guangzhou and SFO. China Eastern will resume a daily Shanghai flight on March 29.

All flight information is subject to change. Passengers should check with airlines for the latest information, SFO also advised, noting that although these airlines are resuming limited service, all travel advisories, restrictions on entry, and arrival screening procedures remain in effect.
New Delhi, March 22 : As India on Sunday observed 'Janata Curfew' following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal earlier this week, an awareness message through a cartoon drawn by an ITBP trooper regarding the initiative to contain the spread of COVID-19 received government's praise.

"Corona Harega, India Jitega" (corona will be defeated, India will win), the header of the cartoon drawn by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Sub-Inspector Ganesh Prasad Shreshtha was praised by the Home Ministry in a fight against the deadly disease which so far has killed over 10,000 people across the globe and infected over 300 in India so far.

The ITBP took to Twitter to post the cartoon on Saturday night which poses information about COVID-19 symptoms and precautions to avoid spread of the disease, that originated in Wuhan city in China in December last year and so far has affected over 100 countries, including the US, the UK, Iran, Italy and others. Italy situation is the worst as maximum deaths have been reported there so far.

The cartoon depicts symptoms like dry cough, high fever, sore throat and shortness of breath. On precautionary measures, it suggests to wash hands, avoid contacts to sick people, stay away from crowd, cover mouth while coughing or sneezing, and wear a face mask.

Following Prime Minister's call for a Janata Curfew on Sunday, about seven crore traders throughout the country and 40 crore of their employees are staying at home, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said.

Meanwhile, popular market places in the national capital as well as other states saw deserted roads, with traders in markets keeping shutters of their shops down.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 21, 2020 | 07:48 PM | KENTUCKY





Beshear began by announcing the third confirmed death related to the virus, a 67-year-old man from Anderson County. In a showing of compassion, Beshear says he will be lighting the Governor's Mansion green in honor of every Kentuckian that passes away due to the virus. He also shared that the number of confirmed cases within Kentucky is now 87.





In keeping with tradition, Beshear again encouraged churches to have remote services through social media, live streams, radio stations, or television.







Beshear then asked churches to ring their bells at 10 am Eastern time on Sunday.







"We'd love for you to ring the bells. It's been done at other times in America," the Governor said. "It just reminds us that we're all here, that our Creator, regardless of your faith, cares about us. We will make it through this and just because we can't go to a building to gather where we talk about it, doesn't mean that it is not there with us and helping to guide us. We'll make sure that we come out of this together."







Beshear continued by announcing his newest action in the war on COVID-19, extended prohibitions against price gouging.







Back on March 7, Beshear issued an executive order to prohibit any price gouging, and asked Attorney General Daniel Cameron to enforce the price-gouging laws. At today's press conference, Beshear expanded on that, extending the prohibition on price gouging fifteen more days. He encourages anyone with information regarding potential price gouging to contact their Attorney General Consumer Protection hotline at 888-432-9257, or through the link below.





You can see the press conference in its entirety below.







During his Saturday COVID-19 press conference, Governor Andy Beshear provided an update, and announced a new action in his attempt to reduce the spread of the virus.
The Ogun State Government has acknowledged and appreciated the young female doctor who identified the first coronavirus case in Nigeria.

Taking to social media, the official account for coronavirus update from the state shared a photo of the doctor as they appreciated her.

According to the Ogun State government, Dr Amarachukwus intelligence led to the early diagnosis of the virus.

READ ALSO  INVESTIGATION: Attitude Of Health Workers In Ogun State General Hospital Killing Patients Faster Than Sickness

The Ogun State Government appreciates the young female doctor who suspected the index case in Nigeria in our State, Dr. Amarachukwu Karen Allison of Lafarge Nigeria.

Her singular brilliance led to the early diagnosis and rapid containment of the first Covid-19 infection in

Our appreciation also goes to Lafarge Nigeria for their cooperation with Ogun State in managing and curtailing the spread of the disease within the state.

Ogun State under the leadership of the Executive Governor, His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun extends its gratitude to all our partners for their support in containing the Coronavirus infection in Ogun State.

See Post Here:
Prime Minister of UK Boris Johnson said on Sunday that the number of deaths and cases are climbing in the country, and added that We cannot disguise or sugar-coat the threat of coronavirus. The situation in the UK is, according to him, like Italys was two or three weeks ago.

Latest figures show that 233 people have died and 5,018 cases were confirmed positive, as concern grew over people in many parts of the UK going out to enjoy Sundays sunny weather instead of socially distancing themselves.

Johnson said in a Mothers Day message that the single best present people could give their mothers is to stay away and spare them the risk of catching a very dangerous disease, adding that statistics show that mothers are much more likely to die of coronavirus.

He said: We cannot disguise or sugar-coat the threat. The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating. We are only a matter of weeks  two or three  behind Italy. The Italians have a superb health care system.

And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand. The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing. Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread  then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed.

The Johnson government has closed public places such as pubs, restaurants and theatres, and announced a historic multi-billion-pound package to shore up the economy hit by the crisis, including paying 80 per cent of wages of private sector employees who have or will be laid off.

London and others towns are in lockdown, with local authorities moving homeless people on the streets into hotel rooms requisitioned on an emergency basis. Thousands of military personnel are on stand-by as the health service strains to deal with the virus challenge.

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The global magnetic resonance imaging market size is expected to reach USD 8.18 billion by 2027, registering a revenue-based CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period, according to Grand View Research, Inc. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases coupled with increasing demand for early diagnostic techniques is projected to drive the growth. In addition, growing adoption of less invasive diagnostic procedures is contributing to the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) market growth. Moreover, increasing number of clinical trials to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of MRI machines in various clinical applications is expected to boost the growth.

End-users, such as research institutes and universities are frequently studying the efficiency of MRI devices with high field strength such as 7T, 10T, and 10.5T. Growing number of research studies will help unlock the potential usage and advantages of high field MRI machines for various preclinical as well as clinical applications. Currently, 7T MRI machines are only effective in brain and knee imaging, largely due to the absence of advance coil required for these high field machines. Therefore, the development of advance coils to expand the application of 7T MRI machines is expected to propel the growth during the forecast period.

Key market players are adopting various strategies, such as mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships to gain competitive edge. For instance, Aurora Imaging Technology entered into a distribution agreement with Sumec Group Corporation. Under this distribution agreement, the latter will distribute MRI portfolio of Aurora Imaging Technology in China. This in turn is helping both the companies in geographical expansion.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Open system is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period due to its efficiency to accommodate patients of all sizes without them feeling claustrophobic

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) market for neurological and brain disorders held the dominant market share in 2019, largely due to high prevalence of neurological conditions and demand for less invasive diagnostic procedure

The high field MRI segment is expected to experience fastest growth over the forecast period, largely due to efficiency of the field strength to provide detailed diagnostic images

Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) are expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Government initiatives to improve primary care is one of the major factor impacting the growth

In 2019, North America dominated the global MRI market in terms of revenue, owing to continuous research activities and high adoption of advanced techniques

Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period, largely due to a rise in clinical studies for high field MRI machines

Grand View Research has segmented the global magnetic resonance imaging market based on architecture, field strength, application, and end use, and region:

MRI Architecture Outlook (Volume, 000 Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Closed System

Open System

MRI Field Strength Outlook (Volume, 000 Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Low Field Strength

Mid Field Strength

High Field Strength

MRI Application Outlook (Volume, 000 Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Brain and neurological Low Field Strength Mid Field Strength High Field Strength

Spine and musculoskeletal Low Field Strength Mid Field Strength High Field Strength

Vascular Low Field Strength Mid Field Strength High Field Strength

Abdominal Low Field Strength Mid Field Strength High Field Strength

Cardiac Low Field Strength Mid Field Strength High Field Strength

Breast Low Field Strength Mid Field Strength High Field Strength

Other Low Field Strength Mid Field Strength High Field Strength



MRI End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Hospitals

Imaging Centers

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Others

MRI Regional Outlook (Volume in 000 Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

North America U.S. Canada

Europe U.K. Germany Italy France Spain Sweden Russia The Netherlands Austria Belgium Denmark Norway

Asia Pacific India China Japan Thailand South Korea Singapore Malaysia Philippines Taiwan Indonesia

Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Colombia Chile

Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE Kuwait Qatar



Access full research report on global magnetic resonance imaging market:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/magnetic-resonance-imaging-market
Sunday, March 22, 2020

My latest article, Riding the Populist Wave

The Economics of Peace, Justice and Sustainability

How can the next world war be averted?

System change demands economic changebuilding the Open Credit Network

Swami Beyondananda

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

The dangers of 5G wireless technology: Warnings from an industry insider

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My latest article, Riding the Populist Wave

In my latest article I report that capitalists now admit that the system is rigged in their favor. I argue that Trump and Sanders represent two edges of the populist wave that is now dominating U.S. politics, that a Sanders win over Trump is entirely plausible, that the New Deal of FDR has been systematically dismantled and needs to be reestablished, and that in the long run people will need to work together in communities to build systems and structures that can circumvent the rigged system.

Here is an excerpt, but click here to read the entire article.

There, the capitalists are admitting itthe system is rigged.

In his latest newsletter, financial advisor, John Mauldin, Co-Founder of Mauldin Economics, acknowledges that the system is rigged in favor of the wealthy and powerful, and against everyone else, including the shrinking middle-class. Mauldin says:

The financialization of the American economy has led to increasing income and wealth disparity. As much as it pains me to say it, the system really is rigged. Whatever the good intentions of the Federal Reserve in particular and the US government in general have been, it has distorted the economic feedback loops that balance a true market-based economic system. The fact is we already have socialism today. Its not the socialism we feared in 1974. We have socialized the risks of capitalism, to the benefit of a small portion of the country, while a larger portion struggles.

So, Mauldin admits what has been obvious for a long time, that the U.S. economy is characterized by socialism for the rich ruling class, and dog-eat-dog competition for everyone else. He cites this fact as the main reason why political outsider Donald Trump was elected President in 2016 and why socialist Bernie Sanders might conceivably be elected President in 2020. I agree.

So, what do Trump and Sanders have in common?

As I see it, both are viewed by the electorate as populist, which ostensibly means anti-elite, Trump representing right-wing populism and Sanders left-wing populism. But, except for paying lip service to a plan to shift U.S. foreign policy away from the imperial belligerence of the deep state, Trumps actions as President belie any anti-elite sentiment. In fact, its been quite the opposite.

What people want is something other than the globalist, interventionist, imperialist policies of the past several decades that have wasted enormous amounts of resources, killed hundreds of thousands of people, destroyed communities and nations, and caused political upheaval around the world. People want relief from the economic policies that have favored capital over labor by increasing capital mobility while shifting jobs from the U.S. to low wage countries especially in Asia, and at the same time reduced constraints on banks and corporations, enabling them to more fully exploit people and the environment.  More

The article has also been published on Medium and republished at OpEd News

__________________________________

The Economics of Peace, Justice and Sustainability

This video was recently prepared by Ken Freeman based on a presentation I gave at the Economics of Peace Conference in Sonoma, California in October, 2009. My prescriptions for reclaiming the credit commons and creating a new butterfly economy remain completely relevant, and their implementation is becoming ever more urgent.

__________________________________

How can the next world war can be averted?

If you want an answer to that, listen to this interview with Dr. Paul Craig Roberts on Ellen Browns podcast, Resolved for 2020: Come Together, starting around 21:20. The most interesting part of the interview is toward the end (at 45:50) where Dr. Roberts talks frankly about the current geopolitical situation and the response to his recent article, Putins Hour Is At Hand, which has gone viral around the world. If you can put aside any judgments you may have made about Putin and Russia based on the chorus of Russophobic rhetoric coming from the mainstream media you may learn something important.

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System change demands economic change, by Oliver Sylvester-Bradley

In this recent article, Oliver Sylvester-Bradley of the Open Coop, announces the alpha launch of the new web platform for the Open Credit Network (OCN), a cooperative mutual credit clearing system that enables the moneyless exchange of goods and services among its member businesses. The Open Credit Network has the potential to realize the ideals and processes that E.C. Riegel expounded and that I have been elaborating and refining for the past 40 years.

https://www.thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative/2020/1/11/open-credit-network

__________________________________

Swami Beyondananda

Swami Beyondananda (Steve Bhaerman) makes light of the heavy. An occasional dose of Swamis wisdom can help to keep you sane in this insane world. https://wakeuplaughing.com/.

And check out Steves other website, https://wikipolitiki.com/, Where left and right come front and center to face the music and dance together, to turn the funk into function and leave the junk at the junction

__________________________________

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

This book by Chip and Dan Heath, rated at 4.5/5 stars on Amazon.com, is one of the most important books Ive ever read. I read parts of it a few years ago and was quite impressed but too busy at the time to finish it. Recently, as I was scanning the shelves at my local public library I noticed the audio version of the book so I picked it up and checked it out. Over the past few weeks Ive been listening to it in my car, a few minutes at a time as I travel about town. Whether the change one wishes to make is on a personal level, an organizational level, or the societal level, this book is a treasure trove that provides important insights and basic principles about how change happens, and numerous fascinating stories that illustrate their successful application. Whether your intention is to change yourself or to change the world, this book is essential reading (or listening). Find it at your public library or at your favorite bookseller.

__________________________________

The dangers of 5G wireless technology: Warnings from an industry insider who tells it all.

In a recent message, long-time correspondent Ben Levi alerted me to a video by Frank Clegg, former President of Microsoft Canada, in which he talks about the dangers inherent in 5G/Wireless Technologies. This is something that must be taken seriously; evertyones health depends on it. You can view the video here. Ben also recommended an alternative to 5G that he is promoting and is described at http://www.safeg.net.

__________________________________

As I write this the drama surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to intensify. Around the world events are being cancelled, people are limiting their movements and interpersonal contacts, and many spheres of routine activity are being disrupted. Can the spread of the virus be stopped or is it destined to become, like the flu, a universal and recurrent cause of disease? What will be its social, political, and economic implications? Is there a silver lining to this dark cloud? Time will tell.

Wishing you a healthy and happy Spring season,

Thomas
President Donald Trump has asked Syria to release kidnapped journalist and former Marine captain Austin Tice, who is being held hostage in the war-torn country after being captured while on assignment almost eight years ago.

"Recovering Americans held captive and imprisoned abroad continues to be a top priority of my administration. Please work with us, and we would appreciate you letting him out. We've done a lot for Syria and have to see if they're going to do this. It would be very much appreciated if they let Austin Tice immediately," Trump said during a White House coronavirus task force press briefing.

However, Trump did not confirm any knowledge on Tice's health condition and wished for the journalist to be released for captivity if he is.

Meanwhile, a 43-second video surfaced online about five weeks after his disappearance, showing Tice in captivity, bound and blindfolded. His family said the journalist was surrounded by 'an unusual group of apparent jihadists', chanting "Allah-Akbar". At one point in the clip, his captors forced Tice to recite a prayer in broken Arabic.

Since the video's release, there has been no further update on Tice's whereabouts, despite the belief that the journalist is still alive.

Meanwhile, Tice's mother, Debra, expressed her frustration at a senior administration official for allegedly obstructing the rescue effort and for being 'insubordinate' to Trump. She adds that the president has assured her of Tice's safe release, both verbally and in writing.

"At this very disturbing time for our nation and the world, it is more important than ever to get Austin safely home," Mrs. Tice said.

During his time as CIA Director in June 2017, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reached out to a Syrian government official in an effort to secure Tice's release. However, the efforts went into flames after Syria launched an attack in the northern part of the country. As a result, the Trump administration retaliated with a missile strike.

A year later, then-U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Robert O'Brien, who is now national security adviser, said he believed Tice was still alive.

"Due to the complexities of this case, we are pursuing multiple lines of effort to secure his release, including diplomatic engagement with multiple nations, international organizations, and private individuals," a spokesperson for the State Department said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said they are offering a $1 million reward in exchange for any information that will lead to the former Marine's location, recovery, and return.

Earlier this month, Tice was released on humanitarian reasons and is in the custody of Swiss diplomats as he undergoes medical observation.

Expressing his gratitude to the Swiss government, Pompeo called for the release of other US citizens who are either currently detained or missing in Iran, including Morad Tahbaz, former FBI agent Robert Levinson and Siamak Namazee and his father, Baquer Namazee.

In August 2012, Tice had travelled to Syria as an independent journalist before his final year in Georgetown Law School, covering the civil war in Syria for various news outlets such as McClatchy and The Washington Post. He was supposed to depart to Lebanon on August 14, days before his 31st birthday, but was detained at a checkpoint before disappearing near Damascus.
A Sydney couple who "just wanted to be married" managed to seal the deal with a ceremony at Balmoral Beach on Sunday, just minutes before police closed the area down after numbers crept over the maximum 500.

Anders and Sophie Ridley-Smith originally had their nuptials planned for a fortnight's time in a church but made the call on Thursday to bring the ceremony forward and move it to the beach.

I do in a hurry: Sophie and Anders Ridley-Smith just managed to squeeze in their wedding vows on Sunday before Balmoral Beach was cleared. Credit:Edwina Pickles

The groom told guests gathered on the foreshore they felt like "we got away with a heist" as police began ushering sunbathers off the sand around 3pm, minutes after the couple made their vows.

"We're right on the buzzer," Mr Ridley-Smith said.
In Ben Tre, like much of the rest of the Mekong Delta, drought and saltwater have rendered rivers and canals barren or too salty. Thousands of people lack water as a result and have to buy it for VND100,000-300,000 ($4.26-12.78) per cubic meter. Some individuals and businesses are pitching in and providing water to people free of charge.

A business in Binh Duong Province, which neighbors Saigon, dispatched a barge with 1,200 cubic meters of water (pictured) to Ben Tre's Ward 7 to fill two reservoirs on March 15.
We are going to need a little better medical advice on this than we have right now, Blunt told reporters. I think we need more information before we can comment knowledgeably.Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), by contrast, said he had been told by the Capitol physician that lawmakers who have recently interacted with Paul do not need to take any additional precautions.
The Daily Mail continues to stake out Minnesota Fifth District Rep. Ilhan Omar and new husband Tim Mynett in Washington, DC. The Daily Mail flags its most recent story as yet another exclusive: EXCLUSIVE: Forget social distancing! Newlywed Ilhan Omar and her chief fundraiser husband share some PDA as they take a stroll in Washington DC.

Ive got an exclusive of my own. Reporter Martin Gould and his Daily Mail editors need help to distinguish flaunt from flout. Gould reports: Newlywed congresswoman Ilhan Omar and her husband flaunted the recommended six-foot coronavirus exclusion zone when they went out for a stroll in Washington, D.C. Gould means flout, not flaunt. They make the same mistake in an accompanying photo caption: Newlywed congresswoman Ilhan Omar and her husband flaunted the recommended six-foot coronavirus exclusion zone when they went out for a stroll in Washington, D.C.

The Daily Mail has a genuine EXCLUSIVE in the story. Omar listed her legal residence in Washington, D.C. on her marriage certificate. Her Minneapolis constituents may be surprised to learn, if they ever do, that Omars Minnesota residence may not be where its at for her anymore. The Constitution doesnt require her to live in her congressional district, but it does require her to live in the state of her congressional district. Perhaps the Star Tribune can seek clarification from Omars ever helpful spokesman, Jeremy Slevin.

Gould reports:

[Omar] and her new husband have been living in Mynetts D.C. apartment even though Omar gave her address on the marriage certificate as a five-bedroom Washington home that has recently been rented out. That decision drew fire from the National Legal and Policy Center, a group that has been pressing for Omar to be investigated for alleged campaign finance violations. Does this mean she has abandoned Minnesota to live in D.C? You can only have one legal residence and that is the place where your driving license is registered, and where you are registered to vote among other things, NLPC attorney Paul Kamenar told DailyMail.com.

Omar will undoubtedly work it all out with a little help from her friends, but it would be nice if we had a local newspaper willing to ask if she has moved on.

Power Line readers know that nothing Omar says can be taken at face value. It should at least be noted that the couples Islamic wedding (per Omars spokesman) was officiated by the groom himself in D.C.s John Marshall Park, according to the image of the wedding certificate included with Goulds article.
Amid the spurt in Covid-19 cases, the Mamata Banerjee government sought to isolate West Bengal from other parts of the country, as it stopped inter- state bus services starting from Sunday.

All passenger train services have also been suspended in the country till March 31, a day after West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha wrote to the Railway Board chairman requesting him to ensure that no trains from outside enter the state from the midnight of March 22.

A PIB release said bare minimum number of suburban trains and Kolkata Metro trains will be operational till Sunday night.

Departure and arrival of all inter-state buses are being been stopped from Sunday, West Bengal Transport secretary N S Nigam said.

Inter-state buses originating in the neighbouring states shall not be allowed to enter West Bengal with immediate effect till March 31, an order issued by the transport department said.

"Considering the emergent situation developing due to spread of Novel Coronavirus, all inter-state bus operations originating from this state shall remain suspended till March 31," it said.

A special train from Mumbai, however, arrived at Howrah on Sunday morning with around 1,000 passengers onboard, railway sources said.

All of them were screened by medical officers at the Howrah station, they said.

The special train arrived at the New Complex of Howrah station at 7.22 am, the sources said,insisting that the passengers were cordoned off by RPF and GRP personnel.

Medical officers of the state also examined passengers who had disembarked at Kharagpur, the only other station where the train stopped in West Bengal, the sources added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even during a coronavirus pandemic  and in some cases because of it  battles for pay and conditions are happening in Australia's workplaces.

The Department of Home Affairs has started negotiating with its workforce, many of whom are on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic enforcing travel restrictions, about their next pay deal.

Border Force staff are among Home Affairs staff being asked about a new pay deal. Credit:AAP

Despite calls from employer groups for it to be suspended, the annual review of the national minimum wage that determines more than 2.3 million workers' pay is also underway with unions and employers a gulf apart.

The Housing Industry Association has urged the expert panel that determines the minimum wage to defer any increase while the Masters Grocers Association, which represents the booming supermarket industry, and Restaurant and Catering Association want no wage rise this year.
Panic over the spread of the coronavirus sparked a prison riot in Colombia that killed 23 inmates on Sunday, as Chile became the latest Latin American country to announce restrictions on movement. Rioting swept through the crowded jail overnight in the Colombian capital Bogota amid rising tensions over the virus in the penitentiary system. Justice Minister Margarita Cabello described the violence as an attempted mass breakout, part of what she said was a coordinated plan with inmates who caused disturbances in 13 jails across the country. The minister rejected accusations by rights groups that the riots were sparked by unsanitary conditions inside a prison system that was woefully unprepared to face the pandemic. A curfew in Chile "will take effect throughout the national territory from 10:00 pm to 05:00 am the next day," Health Minister Jaime Manalich announced Sunday. The country, which has 632 infections, registered its first death from the pandemic at the weekend. Ecuador, which has seen the region's second-greatest number of deaths after Brazil, marked its highest daily increase on Sunday, doubling to 14 dead and 789 positive cases. Quito on Sunday ordered the military to take control of the worst-hit province of Guayas in the south-west of the country. Government Minister Maria Paula Romo said the armed forces had been authorised "to manage the province of Guayas as a national security zone". A nationwide curfew has been in place since Tuesday. Governments in the region have been stepping up efforts to try to slow the spread of the pandemic, which has claimed 13,500 lives worldwide Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador and Paraguay are among a growing number of countries to impose a total lockdown of their populations. Colombia will join the group from midnight on Tuesday with a 19-day mandatory lockdown of its 48 million population. - Ignoring lockdown - Bolivia's government criticized sections of the population for ignoring its lockdown on Sunday. "We are not going to do this with a 98 percent lockdown. We are only going to defeat the coronavirus with 100 percent commitment," Defense Minister Luis Fernando Lopez said. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday announced that the country would pay the salaries of employees at small and medium companies affected by the quarantine. The socialist leader said the measure would begin "in the month of March" but did specify were the funds for his plan would come from. Unlike other regional leaders, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has played down the crisis, though the pandemic has left 25 dead in his country, with 1,546 confirmed cases. State governors have taken matters into their own hands, with Sao Paulo's Joao Doria ordering a 15-day quarantine that requires a "total closure of non-essential businesses and services" and Rio's governor closing the city's iconic beaches. On Sunday, Brazil's development bank (BNDES) announced it would inject 55 billion reals ($11 billion) into the economy to counteract the impact of the coronavirus. The funds will be used to protect more than two million jobs and to finance the suspension of interest payments and direct and indirect loans of Brazilian companies with BNDES for six months, as well as to increase the supply of credit for small and medium businesses. Brazil agreed on Sunday with Uruguay to close their land border for the next 30 days, to prevent the spread of the virus. Only Brazilian citizens or residents, as well as Uruguayans with Brazilian spouses or children, may enter from the neighboring country. Freight transport may continue to cross the border. Brazil's top football clubs are handing over their stadiums to allow health authorities to turn them into field hospitals and clinics to fight the pandemic. With football in the country suspended until further notice, more than half the clubs in Brazil's Serie A have given up their stadiums, as authorities in densely populated Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro seek to expand hospital capacity to deal with the crisis. Mexico City's authorities Sunday ordered the closure of bars and clubs after being criticized for not taking more forceful measures earlier. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said museums, cinemas, theaters, gyms, bars and nightclubs would close "starting tomorrow." "Every day we can take new measures. These measures have to decrease contacts," said the mayor, who called on the population to stay at home and keep their distance from other people. Restaurants are not affected by the order, however. burs-db/ecl/je
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday visited the Rama Krishna Hospital in Raipur to meet the security personnel who were injured in an encounter, in Sukma district a day before.

"Total 17 security personnel (5 Special Task Force, 12 District Reserve Guards) have lost their lives in an encounter in Sukma, yesterday. They were missing and security forces were trying to locate them after an encounter with Naxals," said Chhattisgarh Police.

The 15 paramilitary jawans who were injured, three of them critically, during the encounter were airlifted and brought to a hospital here.

SP State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Ravi Shankar said, "As per information, near district Sukma there was a location of Maoist battalion. The encounter started on Saturday around 1 pm at different locations in the region."

Medical Director of Ram Krishna hospital, Sandeep Dave said, "Total 15 jawans have been brought here. They were brought in two lots. In the first lot, there were seven jawans, while in the second there were eight. Three jawans are in critical condition, we are trying to save them.

A team of STF District Reserve Group (DRG) and Cobra Battalion on Sunday relaunched a search operation in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district to locate the 13 jawans who went missing after the encounter with Naxals.

"Search operation by STF DRG and Cobra Battalion for 13 jawans re-launched today morning," Chhatisgarh Director General of Police DM Awasthi said on Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reporter

Sara Coello has covered the Charleston area's justice system for The Post and Courier since September 2019. She previously covered crime and courts at The Dallas Morning News.
A 59-year-old man was found guilty Friday of the notorious 1998 kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of 13-year-old Christina Williams, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Charles Allen Holifield was convicted of first-degree murder following a 10-day court trial before Judge Pamela L. Butler in Monterey County Superior Court. Butler also found two special-circumstance allegations that the murder was committed during the commission of kidnapping and the commission of a lewd and lascivious act on a child under the age of 14.

Christina Williams left her family home in the military housing complex in Seaside in June 1998 to walk her dog. The dog was found wandering in the neighborhood with his leash attached, but Christina never returned home. Seven months later, her skeletal remains were discovered under branches in a remote area of Fort Ord off of Imjin Road.

While the medical examiner was unable to determine her cause of death, the circumstances of Christina's disappearance and death indicated she had been murdered.

More for you San Francisco approves release of 26 inmates to minimize Covid-19 risk

The FBI was the lead agency investigating the case. Holifield was an early suspect because he was a convicted sex offender who had been found trespassing twice on restricted areas of Fort Ord in 1997.

In April 2017, Holifield was formally charged with Christina's murder after her underwear was re-tested for DNA evidence by the California Department of Justice Crime Laboratory, and sperm cells were located. The DNA profile developed from the sperm cells matched Holifield exactly.

Holifield's two prior sexual assault convictions involved him attacking, strangling and raping teenage girls walking alone in Monterey County in 1979 and 1983. Both of those victims took the stand against Holifield and testified at trial about their ordeals.

Holifield, who had been facing the death penalty, agreed to waive his right to a jury trial in exchange for a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole. The District Attorney's Office entered into this agreement after consulting with the Williams family, who expressed their desire for closure and finality of the judgment in their daughter's case. The decision was also partly based on an executive order issued in March 2019 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which created an effective moratorium on the death penalty in California.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
South superstar Prabhas has announced that he is in self-quarantine in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a short statement posted on social media, the "Baahubali" actor said he recently returned from Georgia after completing a film's shoot and therefore decided to keep himself in isolation.

"On safely returning from my shoot abroad, in light of increasing risks of COVID-19, I have decided to self-quarantine. Hope you all are also taking the necessary precautions to be safe," Prabhas wrote on social media on Saturday.

Read: Ritesh Sidhwani is 'Disgusted' by False Claims That His London Return Niece Has Tested Positive for Covid-19

The actor is currently working on filmmaker Radha Krishna Kumar's untitled film, which also features Pooja Hedge.

A number of Indian celebrities are under self-quarantine after their return from abroad, including Anupam Kher and Shabana Azmi.

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar had on Monday said he is completely under isolation to avoid any infection due to coronavirus outbreak. The 97-year-old actor shared the health update on his Twitter account.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 283 on Saturday after 60 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country.

Follow @News18Movies for more
WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGE

A French tourist who died on a major road in Bali is the holiday island's second coronavirus fatality, after the local government belatedly confirmed the cause of death.

A foreign tourist who witnessed the death of 72-year-old Frenchman Gerard Philippe Follet has described his horror at seeing emergency services scramble to save the man's life.

Bali has confirmed just three positive cases of coronavirus including two deaths (both of whom were foreign tourists), while the results of tests on 24 more people are pending. The number of cases in Indonesia has rocketed to 450 people and 38 dead since reporting its first infections on March 2. This is the highest total in south-east Asia, and a likely indicator that many more cases have not been detected because of scarce testing.

Australians holidaying in Bali have been scrambling to return home in recent days after the Morrison government said all citizens should return home, and airlines began to slash flights overseas.
Delhi roads wore a deserted look on Sunday as barring public transport buses and emergency vehicles, other vehicles kept off roads, as people joined hands to fight coronavirus by keeping indoors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed 'Janata curfew' on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm as part of social distancing to check the spread of the deadly virus.

Delhi Metro services remained suspended and only 50 per cent of DTC and cluster buses were operational during the Janata curfew.

Autos and taxis were a rare sight due to the support extended by various unions representing such vehicles to Prime Minister Modi's appeal for Janta curfew. Several unions like the Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union, Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union and Delhi Taxi Tourist Transport Association supported the curfew call. Unions of last-mile connectivity vehicles also joined the curfew.

Such was the impact of the lockdown that most of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses were seen running without any passengers. The inter-state bus terminals in the city too wore a deserted look. "No passengers or buses from any state were there at Kashmiri Gate, Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminals," said a transport department official.

The inter-state private bus operators also suspended their operations in view of the Janata curfew.

"The private buses plying between Delhi and other states also did not operate from 7 am onwards," said Shyamlal Gola, president of All India Luxury Bus Union.

He said the union members will distribute one lakh masks and sanitisers to poor people at the three inter-state bus terminals in the city on Monday. Rajendra Soni, general secretary of Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, said almost all the transport unions of the city have extended support to the prime minister's call of Janata curfew.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Night club revellers stood shoulder to shoulder at a raunchy show just hours after the Prime Minister pleaded for social distancing and told venues to close to stem the spread of deadly coronavirus.

Hours after Boris Johnson ordered pubs and clubs to shut on Friday, hundreds of Britons were heading to the Acapulco Club in Halifax, West Yorkshire, which was advertising a Giggle for the Girls night with 75p drinks before 11pm.

At the event, crowds of clubbers gathered around the dance floor as a woman got down on all fours in front of a gyrating male stripper, and the pair later swapped places.

The woman sat in a chair on the dance floor as the male writhes on the floor in front of her, before the woman's female friend joins in and both women slap the man's backside as the crowd roars.

Hundreds of people stood shoulder to shoulder as they watched the show, when earlier that night Boris Johnson had ordered pubs, clubs, bars, cafes and restaurants to close completely from midnight.

Holly Lynch, the Labour MP for Halifax, replied to a social media picture of a long queue outside the club, saying: 'This is unbelievably disappointing'

He pleaded with Britons not go out before the booze stopped flowing but by 9.25pm on Friday there were already huge queues of young people outside the Acapulco Club.

Holly Lynch, the Labour MP for Halifax, replied to a social media picture of a long queue outside the club.

She tweeted: 'This is unbelievably disappointing. I will be speaking to licensing colleagues at Calderdale Council immediately. For those queuing, you are not just putting yourselves at risk but anyone you might later come in contact with - parents, grandparents, anyone who might be vulnerable.'

Another Twitter user wrote: 'You are doing a grand job but judging by the sheer jaw dropping idiocy on display in Halifax I reckon they might be better off in Lima.'

Clubbers gathered around the dance floor as a woman gets down on all fours in front of a gyrating male stripper. The couple later swap places so the girl sits in a chair on the dance floor as the male writhes on the floor in front of her

The woman's female friend also dives into the shot and both women slap the man's backside as the crowd roars

Acapulco Club owner Simon Jackson said: 'We announced to the public that it would be our last weekend open and urged people to be safe and not to venture out.

'The Government announcement came late on Friday when staff were already expecting to work and many people would already be on their way to town.

'We worked with the police and said we would discourage people from staying late. We also took precautions like extra hand sanitiser inside the club and taking people's temperatures before they were allowed in.

'Anyone who was sick was not allowed in.'
President Trump's addresses the nation. (The White House)

The president's response

Regarding "Coronavirus Crisis Plan, Trump-style: A Swab and a Side of Fries" [March 13]: I was surprised that Mary McNamara noticed, as I did, that President Trump read his speech as if he resented having to say somebody elses words, even though those words were right on.

His flat tone and the bored look on his face was as unpresidential as anything I have ever seen or heard.

Im sure that McNamara and I are probably not the only ones who noticed.

Charlotte Gussin-Root



Tarzana

::

Even though Trump is not the best presenter at least he did something. And of course McNamara had to throw Trump under the bus for everything he had to say.

At least she did give him a kudo for taking an important step forward.

Perhaps if the Democratic Party had not tried to impeach Trump, he could have gotten ahead of the coronavirus a month ago instead of dealing with the Democrats' ridiculous impeachment charges.

Gregory Sirbu



Redondo Beach

That's not what 'plight' means

Regarding Colleges Send em Back. Yikes [March 14]: I was surprised and disappointed to read Mary McNamaras column about the plight of her daughter and son because their respective universities curtailed on-campus classes during the current pandemic.

That is a small sacrifice and inconvenience compared with the minimum-wage earner forced to stay home with his or her kids because of the closing of public schools and the economic hardship experienced as a result.

Instead of complaining about the sacrifices her children are making, McNamara should be grateful for the fact that she is affluent enough to afford room, board and tuition fees to two out-of-state universities and that the worst scenario for her kids is that they may be forced to live in what Im sure is a lovely home with their parents.

Ill be saving my compassion and understanding for those more materially impacted by this pandemic instead for some wealthy offspring whose only problem is a delay in receiving an expensive education.

Story continues

Barry Rubin



Beverly Hills

Actor's gathering was irresponsible

Amy Kaufman's article on David Arquette ["David Arquette Will Not Be Taken Down," March 15] was shocking. Not because of the revelations about his life. Because gathering five dozen guests in his living room, sitting shoulder to shoulder (an accompanying photograph showed this) to watch a documentary about his life was reckless and irresponsible considering that the screening party took place after SXSW, where his film was to be premiered, had already been canceled because of the looming virus.

Bob Lentz



Sylmar

What to make of ongoing conflict

In Mary McNamaras column on the documentary Mayor ["A Different View of West Bank," March 15], filmmaker David Osit states that he has no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but, he adds, I dont believe that enfranchising one group of people at anothers expense is a good idea . . ..

Presumably, he meant that the UN partition vote that paved the way to the creation of Israel in 1948 was an enfranchisement of Palestinian Jews at the expense of Palestinian Arabs. But if the UN had not voted to enfranchise the Jews with a piece of the British-controlled territory known as Palestine, then hundreds of thousands of European Jews left alive after the Holocaust would have had no place to go.

That same UN vote also enfranchised Palestinian Arabs to create their own state. In fact, they have had the opportunity to establish a state on six separate occasions: 1937, 1947, 1967, 2000, 2008 and this year, 2020.

Unlike Mr. Osit, I do have a solution to the conflict: For the good of their people, the Palestinian leaders should come to the table and negotiate an agreement that accomplishes the legitimate purposes of both sides as far as reasonably possible.

Robert F. Helfing



Pasadena

::

The story absolutely brought me to tears. We in the United States know so little about what is happening in Israel and Palestine. The documentary "Mayor" by director David Osit seems like a must to watch. It made me think of "The Judge," directed by Erika Cohn about the first female judge appointed to a sharia court in the Middle East.

There is so much more to know about the conflict.

Jim Plannette



Los Angeles

Death, not the devil

Regarding "Max Von Sydow, 1929-2020" [March 10]: Nardine Saad's obituary incorrectly described what is probably the most iconic film image from director Ingmar Bergman and Von Sydows long collaboration.

In The Seventh Seal, Von Sydow's character is not playing chess with the devil. The film takes place during the plague and he is playing chess with Death.

The Calendar section got it right in the photo and caption, and it was also correct later in the piece.



Saad's penance should be, at the very least, to watch the film.

Joseph Eastburn



Culver City

Long live Schulz and 'Peanuts'

Regarding "Calendar feedback: Enough With the Comics Reprints" [March 15] A letter writer wonders why there is no reprint disclaimer on the "Peanuts" cartoons in The Times.

I would point out that Garry Trudeau is very much alive and well, and still producing new Sunday strips for "Doonesbury," therefore a rerun disclaimer on daily cartoons is appropriate.

Also, because of the quasi-political nature of "Doonesbury," many strips are reflective of their times, so a reprint notice can sometimes provide clarification. I enjoy Trudeau's talent and sense of humor, and his new Sunday strips are a great antidote to the front page.

The world lost Charles M. Schulz 20 years ago, so there are no longer any new "Peanuts" cartoons; consequently, there's no need to identify currently running strips as reprints.

I for one would much rather revel in the genius of a Schulz reprint than in some of the other current drivel that graces the comics page every day  has anyone read "9 Chickweed Lane" recently?

Beryl Arbit



Encino

::

I read Peanuts as a kid and I enjoy the reprints even more as an aging boomer.

To the Calendar reader who suggests dumping this timeless comic strip, all I can say is Good grief!

Rhys Thomas



Valley Glen

::

Surely no one can remember specific strips from a run of four decades that ended 20 years ago. Perhaps the letter writer just dislikes Peanuts.

To understand the strips longevity, creator Charles M. Schulz once said, There will always be a market for innocence. Schulz is still correct. Please keep the strip.

Thomas A. Butterworth



Tustin




Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 12:18:35|Editor: huaxia

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The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation are donating medical supplies to 54 African countries to assist them with prevention and control of COVID-19. Each of the 54 African nations will receive 20,000 testing kits, 100,000 masks and 1,000 protective suits. The donated materials will first arrive in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued some challenges, some mandated by law, for hospitals across New York to prepare for coronavirus patients:

Cuomo said hes asking hospitals to increase patient capacity by 100 percent. The governor said hes waiving many state regulations so health-care leaders can act fast. He said he understands that not every hospital can grow this much.

Cuomo is mandating that all hospitals must provide the state a plan explaining how they can increase by a minimum of 50 percent. That would mean the state would have 75,000 beds. This is a law, Cuomo said.

The bed count is vital. The state has about 53,000 hospital beds. The current rate of spread of COVID-19 shows New York would need 110,000 beds, Cuomo said. That is an obvious problem, he said.

Thats the reason Cuomo has ordered people to stay in their homes and distance themselves from each other. Its also the reason hes ordering hospitals to prepare to treat more patients, immediately. As of Sunday morning, New York had more than 15,000 cases and more than 100 deaths.

The governor also said all hospitals must cancel all elective, non-critical surgeries as of Wednesday. Syracuses three major hospitals have already done this. That alone, Cuomo said, will free up 25 to 35 percent of hospital beds across the state.

I understand the hospitals are not happy about it, he said. Ive heard that. The elective surgery is a big source of revenue for the hospitals. I understand that. But this is not about money. This is about public health.

The state is also turning some nursing homes, hotels and other facilities into temporary hospitals. He gave a Brooklyn location as an example. syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has asked for a statewide list.

Cuomo also called on the federal government to take over all medical equipment acquisitions to stop states from competing with each other for ventilators, gowns, beds, facemasks and other equipment. Thats the reason price gouging is happening. New York is paying $7 for masks that recently cost 85 cents, he said.

Ventilators range from $16,000 to $40,000 each. And New York needs 30,000, he said.

Cuomo also is calling on the White House to enact the Defense Production Act. That would force companies to begin producing key medical supplies. Apparel companies would make gowns, for example, he said.

If I had the power, I would do it in New York state, Cuomo said. We need the product now.

Cuomo said he sent 1 million masks to New York City on Saturday. The state has also asked other companies to make masks. Were buying sewing machines to make masks, he said. This is not the way it should be done.

Cuomo also asked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin building temporary hospitals on four downstate sites: the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center; SUNY Stony Brook; SUNY Old Westbury and the Westchester Convention Center. From my point of view, construction can start tomorrow, he said. There is no red tape on the side of New York.

Additionally, hes asking FEMA to set up four of its special hospitals at the Javits Center. Those come with staff and supplies and would each hold 250 patients.

Time matters, minutes count, he said. This is literally a matter of life and death. We get these facilities up. We get these supplies. We will save lives.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

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Western Nebraska now has its third coronavirus case.

The Department of Health and Human Services reported late Thursday night that two more Lincoln County residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

One is a woman in her 40s who recently traveled to Colorado, and the other is a man in his 20s who was in close contact with a person who previously tested positive for the disease. Both are self-isolating at home.

On Friday, Douglas County Health Department officials confirmed three new cases in the county.

The Douglas County cases are two men in their 40s and a woman in her 30s who traveled to the southeastern United States, according to a press release sent Friday. The three cases are not connected and the people have not been hospitalized, county officials said.

Douglas County now has 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Sarpy County also announced its third case on Friday  a man in his 20s who recently returned from traveling to Europe.

And the Two Rivers Public Health Department said late Friday that a Buffalo County woman in her 40s has tested positive. They said the case was travel related.
Charles Mike Hanson has been selected as the new Tomah Area School District superintendent.

Hanson was named to replace retiring superintendent Cindy Zahrte during a closed session of the Tomah School Board Thursday. The vote was 6-0, with board member Gary Grovesteen absent.

Zahrte is retiring after 10 years as superintendent and nearly four decades as a teacher and administrator in the Tomah district.

Hansons hiring came less than 24 hours after he and two other finalists  Viroqua School District superintendent Kehl Arnson and Michelle Clark, principal of LaGrange Elementary School in the the Tomah district  spoke for nearly an hour each during a forum at Tomah High School.

During the forum, Hanson said he planned to bring a liberator style of leadership to the district.

I want to engage all voices, Hanson said. That is my leadership style.

Hanson begins his new job July 1.

Hanson has a 25-year background as a teacher, principal, curriculum director and district administrator in South Dakota. His most recent job was superintendent of the Joliet Township High School District in Joliet, Ill., where he resigned in January after seven months on the job.

Radio station WJOL in Joliet reported that Hanson and the Joliet District came to a separation agreement in early February. In a statement to the media, the district said the decision is not a result of fault or misconduct, but rather due to differences in philosophical direction and approach, and the board wishes Dr. Hanson the best in his future endeavors.

When asked if the Tomah School Board members had seen the separation agreement, board president Aaron Lueck said, I dont think I can comment on that because it was a closed session matter.

Board member Brian Hennessey said Saturday he hadnt seen the separation agreement and didnt know if anyone else on the board had requested it.

However, Hennessey was confident that there was nothing in the agreement to disqualify Hanson from the Tomah job. He said references from Hansons previous employers were positive.

I never had any concerns about separation from Joliet, Hennessey said. I dont think it was anything bad.

Hanson was asked about his resignation during the forum. He said differences over educational philosophies led to his resignation and described the separation as amicable in nature.

I think both parties worked through that in a very professional, positive manner, and each of us were moving in those directions we need to go, he said. Joliet is a fantastic school district. Theyll do great things.

Hanson went to Joliet after serving seven years as superintendent of the Hill City School District in South Dakota.

Lueck defended making the decision the day after the forum. He said the district followed a hiring timeline that was established in January.

People were able to leave comments through the internet after the forum, Lueck said.

He said board members received numerous phone calls and emails indicating who they thought was the best candidate. Board members also reviewed comments from the public that were submitted. I believe there was sufficient time for anyone who saw the forum to communicate their opinion.

Hennessey said well over 100 people submitted their opinions after watching the forum and that Hanson was favorably received.

They liked his passion and energy, Hennessey said. They liked the fact that he comes from outside the district and comes in with fresh ideas and without any baggage. Im excited to have him on board.

Board member John McMullen was impressed by Hansons enthusiasm.

(Hanson) has a lot of energy, McMullen said. He seems excited to be a superintendent in a school district of this size.

Wednesdays forum was conducted without an audience due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. It was live-streamed to the public, and 103 people were logged on prior to the first interview. Fran Finco, a Wisconsin Association of School Boards consultant hired by the district, moderated the forum.

Arnson spoke first. He said Tomah presents the opportunity to lead the perfect size district. He said the district is large enough for an economy of scale to offer a wide variety of programs but small enough to retain a sense of community.

Youre not so large that youre losing touch with your community, he said.

Clark spoke second. She touted her 15 years as an administrator in the Tomah district. She was assistant principle at Tomah Middle School before becoming LaGrange principal in 2011. She said her existing relationships in the district would make for a smooth transition. She described herself as devoted to the district and devoted to the community.

I think that the Tomah Area School District needs someone that has trusting relationships already with administrators, teachers, staff, community members, parents and students, Clark said.

Hanson, who spoke third, said his leadership style is to be out, be visible because Ive enjoyed so many things about the communities I lived in ... I love being at community events, athletic events, music events, different clubs and activities, both in the school setting and community setting.

He believes Tomah is a good fit for him professionally and for his family.

The Tomah area offers so many that things I value, Hanson said. I see so many parallels from my previous experience and my passions in life right here ... in Tomah. Thats why I want to be here.

Tomah Journal editor Steve Rundio can be reached at steve.runido@lee.net.

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Abu Dhabi plays a leading local and regional role in the water sector, and the emirate being home to many water projects guarantees the sectors sustainability for generations to come, said a senior government official on World Water Day today (March 22).

The emirate has nine desalination plants with a total production capacity of approximately 960 million imperial gallons per day.

Water security is a priority for Abu Dhabi and the emirate is committed to determining the best ways to make optimal use of natural and desalinated water resources, as part of an ambitious plan to develop projects that ensure sustainable water supply for future generations, said Engineer Mohammed bin Jarsh Al Falasi, the undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE).

Abu Dhabi plays a leading local and regional role in the water sector, and the DoE adheres to international standards in all projects and services to provide water in the emirate, most recent of which was the Recycled Water Policy, launched last June to support efforts to preserve water resources and provide sustainable supplies of recycled water," he stated, citing several other leading projects, such as the strategic freshwater storage facility in Liwa  the largest manmade reservoir for desalinated water in the world.

Al Falasi pointed out that the rate of water consumption in Abu Dhabi was among the highest in the world due to the desert climate and high temperatures, making it highly dependent on desalination.

Underlining the importance of reverse osmosis technology as the preferred and most cost-effective approach to water desalination, he drew attention to the growing use of desalinated water following the announcement of the new desalination plant project in the Taweelah B Power & Desalination Complex.

The project, which boasts a production capacity of 200 million imperial gallons, is expected to be operational in 2022.

Furthermore, Al Falasi explained that there are concrete efforts and projects underway in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to enhance the utilisation of rainwater and groundwater for agricultural activities and other uses.

The DoE undersecretary asserted that the coming period compels the emirate to raise community awareness about water consumption to curb water waste.

At the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, we have set clear goals to cut water waste to 10%, as well as to curb indoor and outdoor consumption to 12% and increase usage of recycled water to 100% by 2030, said Al Falasi.

The DoE had also launched the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030, which includes nine programmes to reduce electricity consumption by 22% and water consumption by 32% by 2030, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
A fit-and-healthy mother aged just 28 has revealed how catching the coronavirus made her feel like the 'devil was inside her'.

Jamie Baggett, from Loughton, Essex, suffers from asthma and had to be hooked up to an oxygen tank by nurses after coming down with a chest infection.

She was rushed to Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow, Essex but is now self-isolating at home and using her experience to warn young people of the dangers of coronavirus.

Ms Baggett has also admitted that she is worried she could pass the virus onto her son Rylan, eight.

Jamie Baggett, from Loughton, Essex, suffers from asthma and had to be hooked up to an oxygen tank after contracting coronavirus

She said: 'It was horrific pain. I was sick three times when I was coughing. I had a constant pain and aches all over'

The mother said she is healthy, a regular gym-goer and enjoys spin classes.

Speaking about he experience with coronavirus, she said she had a fever and nausea.

That developed into cold-like symptoms and what Ms Baggett thought was a chest infection.

A doctor initially gave her antibiotics and, a few days later, she felt better.

However, a continuous cough led her to developing pneumonia and she was diagnosed with Covid-19.

She told the Sun: 'It was horrific pain. I was sick three times when I was coughing. I had a constant pain and aches all over.

'My chest was the worst. It was like a stabbing pain every time I took a breath.

She was rushed to Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow, Essex but is now self-isolating at home

Speaking about her son Rylan, she said he's 'helping her' but she fears he will catch it from her

'It felt like it was piercing my inside and lasted a while.'

She says she is feeling a 'lot better' now that she has been discharged from hospital but admitted that she still gets coughing fits.

Speaking about her son Rylan, she said he's 'helping her' but she fears he will catch it from her, even though she isn't infectious any longer.

Ms Baggett admitted she 'never thought' she would contract the virus.

It comes as seven more people in Wales died today after contracting the coronavirus with three junior doctors on ventilators in the same London hospital.

Britain's total number of infections has soared to 5,018, after Chief Medical Officer for Wales Dr Frank Atherton confirmed that 12 people in total have died.

'My thoughts are with their families and friends, and I ask that their privacy is respected at this very sad time,' Dr Atherton said.

The latest announcement brings the number of UK deaths to 240, as Boris Johnson warned young people to take Covid-19 more seriously.

Meanwhile, three medics - all aged 30 - are 'not in a good way' after they contracted the virus 'precisely because they were helping other people'.

A medical source told The Sun on Sunday: 'Some will get mild symptoms - but not all will, and what has happened to the junior doctors shows that.

'Hopefully they are all strong enough to fight off the virus. But it serves as a warning to younger people not to be complacent.'

Last night Boris Johnson urged the public not to visit their parents for Mother's Day and instead make contact via video call services such as Skype, adding that 'we cannot disguise or sugar coat the threat' of coronavirus - and its potentially lethal threat to the elderly and vulnerable.

Britons are now entering a more severe state of social lockdown as doctors warn that a 'tsunami' of severely ill patients was about to engulf them, describing near-apocalyptic scenes amid chronic shortages of basic equipment and fears that unprotected medics could either become desperately ill themselves or become carriers and infect others.
More than 400 British and Irish nationals are believed to be stranded in Peru after the country declared a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

UK nationals in the south American country fear the window for repatriation is closing and say they feel let down by the government's efforts to fly them home.

Marcus Edgar, who is working in Huanchaco in the north of the country, said 422 UK and Irish citizens had so far registered on a database to say they were still stranded.

The PR consultant, from Reading, told the PA news agency: The UK government has done nothing so far and that is the frustration.

There are no repatriation flights, and the only way [to get home] is to register your interest in charter planes, and that is ridiculous because they cost 3,000.

However, late on Saturday the foreign secretary announced that he had secured such a flight and it could take place early next week.

In a Twitter post, Dominic Raab said: "I had a good conversation this afternoon with my opposite number in Peru, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra.

"Amidst all the challenges of tackling coronavirus, we committed to working together in the coming days to enable UK nationals in Peru and Peruvian nationals in the UK to return home."

The FCO said it would continue to work with the Peruvian government to arrange further flights in coming days.

Mr Edgar, who is due to return home on 2 April, said a Whatsapp group and database had been created by British nationals in the country, with the details for each person passed to the UK embassy in the city of Lima.

I think the general feeling from most people is that they feel let down by the lack of communication from the government, he said.

Peru is currently on lockdown, with borders closed and no flights allowed to enter or leave the country without government permission.

A curfew is running between 8pm and 5am and all shops are closed except for pharmacies and those selling food.

British nationals had been advised by the Foreign Office to find secure accommodation for the 15-day state of emergency period.

Caia Daly, from north London, whose nine-month-old baby is recovering from pneumonia, is among those stranded.

Ms Daly, who is originally from Dublin, Ireland, flew to Lima with her husband Carlos Abisrror and two young children in February for a four-week holiday and to see family.

Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Show all 11 1 /11 Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Ben Gurion International airport, Israel Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Changsha Huanghua International Airport, China Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam AFP via Getty

But their Air France flight home, which was scheduled for Friday night, was cancelled, and now they do not know how or when they will get back to the UK.

To make matters worse, Ms Daly spent three days in hospital this week after her baby picked up a virus which led to pneumonia.

Ms Daly told the PA news agency: If things get really bad here I'm worried for my children's health, particularly with the baby recovering from pneumonia.

More UK nationals are reportedly stuck on board a cruise ship that has docked in Genoa, Italy, after the Spanish and French authorities refused to let them disembark.

Guests of the Costa Pacifica, which left Argentina on 3 March and can hold up to 3,780 guests, are being held prisoner, the son of one of those on board has claimed.

Meanwhile, Sarah Baxter, from Bath, who is stranded in the city of Cusco in Peru, said the response from the UK government had been extremely disappointing.

The 42-year-old said: With so little time to react to the state of emergency, Brits stuck here had no choice, we would have left if able to do so.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Stepping up measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Delhi government has begun marking residences in which one or more people have been asked to stay in home quarantine.

For this, officials are using red and green stickers with a warning: Please do not visit. Home under quarantine.

Revenue officials said the department pasted stickers on at least 400 such houses till noon on Sunday. The Delhi government kickstarted the drive on Saturday evening in the central and north-west districts covering neighbourhoods such as Civil Lines, Ashok Vihar, Saraswati Vihar and Karol Bagh.

There are 10,475 people under home quarantine in Delhi at the moment, according to the data with the state health department.

People who are viewed to be potential carriers of the disease due to their travel abroad or likely contact with patients but who do not show symptoms are asked to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days. Patients testing positive for the fast-spreading infection with flu-like symptoms have to undergo treatment at government-run isolation wards. Delhi has so far recorded 24 positive Covid-19 cases with one death.

Talking about the new strategy for the identification of houses under quarantine, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal urged residents in the neighbourhood on Sunday not to stigmatise families under quarantine.

Delhi government is marking all homes with persons advised to home quarantine. I appeal to all not to stigmatise such families. Please be empathetic and supportive of them. The marking is aimed only at cautioning others for their own safety, he tweeted.

The drive is being carried out in addition to the hand-stamping process at the Indira Gandhi International airport, where flyers from other countries have to undergo the process since March 19 and stay in 14-day mandatory home quarantine even if they dont show symptoms of the disease. India has cancelled all international flights for a week beginning Sunday.

New Delhi district magistrate Tanvi Garg said officials are scaling up the process to mark houses, listing the challenges the administration is facing.

There are some [of those asked to be in quarantine] who are following this very responsibly. But there are others who need a lot of convincing. Many people tell our officials that they feel all right, and hence refuse to self-quarantine. We then tell them that home quarantine is mandated for all asymptomatic (without symptoms) passengers, and that they would have been in an isolation ward if they felt unwell after their international travel, said Gar.

A sub-divisional magistrate in north-west Delhi said there have been two instances where a neighbour (in one case) and a Residents Welfare Association (in the other) informed the administration of persons under quarantine venturing out of their homes.

On Friday, the Delhi government issued an advisory, asking 1,000-odd RWAs in the city to raise alarms if they spot any person, supposed to be quarantined, roaming openly.

One person said he had to take out money from an ATM. It is in such situations that we get into a dilemma about what to do. We asked the man whether he was okay if one of our officials went and took out the cash for him. He agreed and we did so wearing gloves. No penal action was taken in these two cases since the persons complied after we made them understand, said the SDM, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A senior official in the health department, who too did not want to be named, said information on home-quarantined passengers have been provided to the integrated disease surveillance programme (IDSP). A local IDSP team has been constituted to keep tabs on such people.

Revenue officials involved in tracking home quarantine cases and creating awareness on the issue said the most common query is regarding joint families.

In such cases, we advice them to first keep senior citizens and children below 10 away from those need to be quarantined. It is preferable if the elderly and the children are shifted to a relatives or a friends home (non-quarantined). If there is no option, then we insist on them living in completely separate rooms and ensure frequent sanitisation of the house, he said.

When asked about how officials deal with those who are reluctant to cooperate, Garg said: Mostly, an emotional conversation on how they are posing a serious health risk to their elderly parents and grandparents, who are most vulnerable to coronavirus, works.

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Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Eight more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Kenya, raising the number of confirmed cases to 15 and forcing the government to announce a ban on all international flights with effect from Wednesday
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc donates to COVID-19 prevention and control fund Photo: VNA

In line with what Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc proclaimed, that the country would stand ready to sacrifice short-term economic interests to combat COVID-19, protecting peoples health has come as one of governments top priorities.

Since last Monday, the Vietnamese government has mandated that people wear face masks in public places. Some may call these measures drastic, but as we have seen, an ounce of prevention is worth a kilo of cure. Vietnam has been all over this since day one, said Rick Ellis, an American expat in Vietnam.

Currently, more than 11,000 people with high risk of infection are under medical observation in quarantine areas and more than 25,000 in self-isolation at home across Vietnam, with daily meals and necessities offered for free.

Quarantined persons or patients were originally not asked to pay for testing or treatment  however, upon concerns about Vietnams financial burden, PM Phuc has approved a proposal that people who are not holding a Vietnamese passport will be charged only treatment fees once they test positive for the virus.

Joining the government in fighting against virus spread is the business community with massive contributions. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, as of March 18, there have been over one hundred 2- to 5-star hotels and accommodation establishments nationwide registering to support as quarantine centres.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, director of Hoi Ans Prevention Healthcare Centre said, The conditions in our centre are not as good as in hotels, but we try to provide people with essentials, especially suitable food upon request.

Major businesses in Vietnam are also proactively supporting the country in this challenging period, soon after the prime ministers call for donations.

The Vingroup Innovation Foundation and the Vingroup Big Data Institute financed a combined of VND20 billion ($855,000) for three research projects aiming to develop quick-response measures. Vingroup and FLC Group each contributed VND5 billion ($215,000).

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association also donated VND5 billion raised from its members to help the government produce 10,000 COVID-19 test kits.

TH Group supported one million glasses of its milk products to health workers and people subject to mandatory quarantine. Grab Vietnam provided 100,000 medical face masks.

Early in March, chairman of Imex Pan Pacific Group Johnathan Hanh Nguyen  without any hesitation  chartered a private jet for some $360,000 to bring his daughter home from London, with fear that she could have contracted the virus. She then became the 32nd patient in Vietnam.

When sending my daughter back to Vietnam, I laid all of my hopes on the Vietnamese medical system, said Johnathan. It was my wisest decision, and now my family is in utmost happiness as my daughter is recovering.

Expressing appreciation to the country, Johnathan Hanh Nguyen and his wife have donated over VND31.2 billion ($1.3 million) to support Vietnam in the fight against the coronavirus.

I know that businesses are under countless hardships during this period. But I believe we should express our responsibility and accompany with the government in the COVID-19 fighting campaign  which is also a way to protect ourselves and our families, he said.

As of last week the total amount of national contributions has surpassed VND300 billion ($13 million), according to the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

I believe that Vietnam will be able to push back the pandemic, bringing life back to normal and recover our economic production thanks to these meaningful actions, PM Phuc emphasised.
Gold bullion on a chart

Nitrogen dioxide levels are finally rising in China. Just a few months ago, few couldve imagined that anybody could be relieved at this news. But the coronavirus crash has thrown the oil crisis into sharp relief this month.

The outlook for oil and gas stocks was bleak enough at the end of February, so seeing an uptick in demand in China is a light at the end of the tunnel for the oil sector.

Indeed, watching China get back on its feet is heartening for the rest of the world. Major cities are going into lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19. Investors are wringing their hands over the oil crisis. Airlines are becoming inactive. So the last few months have been bad enough. And now were barely through March and already the sector is in need of government intervention.

The oil crisis has been a long time coming

Theres been an oil price war bubbling under world events for years. Price competition between Russia and the U.S. has driven prices to historic lows. The latest sign of how bad things have become came with the recent failure of OPEC to reach an agreement to critically reduce output.

Throw in that grinding trade war between China and the U.S. and you have a scene set for an interminable oil crisis. And then along came the coronavirus market crash.

But the outlook for oil has been bad for some time. The arrival of COVID-19 has just made it exponentially worse. Whole sectors could fail as a result, such as airlines. Worst of all, oil and gas stocks have been totally hammered this week.

Look at Canadian Natural Resources (TSX:CNQ)(NYSE:CNQ), down 42% on average. But check out that yield. A 15% dividend is nothing to be scoffed at. Whatever ones position on the oil price war, the chance to lock in 15% is certainly tempting. Other investors are getting the same idea: Canadian Natural Resources bounced 10% Friday on news of an oil stimulation package.

The name is a top pick for oil and natural gas investors. Its strong presence in Western Canada is diversified with sites in the North Sea and off the coast of Africa. Investors get access to the full gamut of light, medium, and heavy oil, as well as bitumen, synthetic oil, NGL, and gas.

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Justin Trudeaus $82 billion emergency stimulation package should go some way to prop up demand. A $1 trillion dollar package across the border in the U.S. could do likewise.

Will it help to relieve the oil crisis and buoy stocks like Canadian Natural Resources? At the end of the day, emergency stimuli such as these can only help.

The bottom line

Should investors be buying into big oil names like Canadian Natural Resources? Some pundits have floated the idea of a rally by the end of 2020. If the oil price war dialled down, its not impossible.

Political change is in the air, after all, and oil could see a recovery if the global economy absorbs COVID-19 quickly enough. If that happens, this blue-chip stock could come back stronger.

The post Oil Crisis: Should You Buy This TSX Stock During a Market Crash? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Victoria Hetherington has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
52 Cuban doctors and medical professionals left to travel to Italy on Saturday to aid the country's fight against the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic. 36 doctors, 15 nurses and logistical aid are flying Milan to provide support to medical staff there who are dealing with a growing caseload of patients, straining Italy's medical system.

The medical professionals' departure came as thousands of tourists began to leave Cuba after authorities ordered a complete shutdown of the island, due to start next Tuesday.

Around 60,000 tourists are set to leave the island, and Cuba will not allow any tourism for at least 30 days.

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.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Worldwide, the new virus has infected more than 303,000 people and killed more than 12,940.

(Image Credit AP)
T housands of NHS workers have made a desperate plea to Boris Johnson for better protective equipment to help them deal safely with the coronavirus crisis.

The group of nearly 4,000 medics called on the Prime Minister to protect the lives of the life-savers and resolve the unacceptable shortage of protective equipment.

In an open letter to the Sunday Times, the group said many medical workers are putting their lives on the line every day by treating coronavirus patients without appropriate protection.

They pleaded for Mr Johnson to ensure an adequate supply of masks, safety glasses, gloves, aprons and protective suits.

The letter, signed by 3,963 frontline NHS staff, reads: Front-line doctors have been telling us for weeks that they do not feel safe at work.

NHS workers are calling on Boris Johnson to ensure frontline staff are protected / PA

Intensive care doctors and anaesthetists have told us they have been carrying out the highest-risk procedure, putting a patient on a ventilator, with masks that expired in 2015.

It adds that paediatricians have warned their stocks of protective glasses would run out in 48 hours, including in special-care baby units.

One acute care worker reported one NHS trust had run out of its stock of masks last weekend, the letter said.

GPs have told us they feel abandoned; many have been left without any protection for weeks and do not even have simple masks to protect them if a patient comes in with symptoms of Covid-19, it continued.

NHS staff wearing masks / Getty Images

The group also said ambulance workers had been arriving for shifts to find no hand sanitiser, masks or wipes were available.

If urgent action is not taken, the doctors said, the public will be put at further risk and medical staff could lose their lives.

Meanwhile, Dr Lisa Anderson, a consultant cardiologist at St George's Hospital in London, told the Andrew Marr show that NHS staff are "unsafe" because of a lack of personal protective equipment.

Dr Rinesh Parmar, Chair of the Doctors Association, also said doctors are being treated like "cannon fodder" and called on Mr Johnson to do more to give workers protective equipment.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has also written to Downing Street on the issue of personal protective equipment, and called for healthcare workers and their families to be prioritised when it comes to Covid-19 testing to avoid unnecessary self-isolation.

The letter states: Doctors are increasingly contacting us stating that they want to return to work if they and their household is negative for the virus but cannot do so due to a lack of being tested.

Mr Johnson told the House of Commons during the week that NHS staff would be prioritised for testing, but the BMA letter said: We are deeply disappointed that this has not yet materialised.
Barry Mattson joins Rise Against Hunger at an important time as his expertise in non-profit operations and focus on global impact will be paramount to continuing the organizations commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #2 of achieving zero hunger by 2030. Walt Gaskin, Rise Against Hunger Board Chair, says, Barry is a phenomenal leader with extensive experience in non-profit management and a career dedicated to serving others. His passion for eradicating world hunger is evident and will be invaluable to our organization. As Rise Against Hunger looks to the future and, more specifically, to 2030, we are deeply grateful for Barrys guidance as we deepen our impact on the communities we serve around the world.

As CEO, I am excited to advance Rise Against Hungers global commitment, says Mattson. I gravitate toward audacious goals, which is one of the many reasons I am honored to commit to Rise Against Hungers mission of achieving a world without hunger. I believe hunger and poverty are solvable issues when undertaken through local community leadership.

Rise Against Hunger has four pathways to end hunger: nourishing lives by supporting nutrition-based safety net programs, empowering communities through agricultural development and business training initiatives, responding to emergencies through distributing food and aid to those affected by disasters and crises, and growing the movement to end hunger by encouraging volunteerism and advocacy. In 2019, Rise Against Hunger meals nourished more than 1,790,000 lives around the world.

Prior to joining Rise Against Hunger, Mattson most recently served as Vice President, Regional Operations for The Mission Continues, where his responsibilities included leading a diverse staff and running operations for 56 cities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Additionally, he has over a decade of extensive experience in capacity building, international supply chain management, agribusiness, civic engagement, and donor stewardship. He has also lived and worked in Ethiopia as the Founding Team Leader for Nuru International, and speaks Amharic, Wolaytta, and Spanish. Mattson served combat deployments in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army in Iraq.

Barry holds a BS in Biology from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, and an MA in International Development and International Security Studies from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

About Rise Against Hunger

Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization, aims to show the world that it is, in fact, possible to end hunger by the year 2030. With 28 U.S. locations and five international offices, the organization is committed to nourishing lives, providing emergency aid, empowering communities and growing the hunger movement. Rise Against Hunger has facilitated volunteer meal packaging of more than 537 million meals to be distributed to countries around the world. To find out more about Rise Against Hungers efforts to end hunger worldwide, please visit http://www.riseagainsthunger.org.
By Thomas Escritt and Christoph Steitz

BERLIN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany will protect domestic firms from foreign takeovers, two leading politicians said on Friday, after company valuations in Europe's largest economy have been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Ministers have already promised liquidity support to businesses and introduced measures making it easier to reduce working hours rather than lay off workers.

The cabinet is due to decide on further support measures on Monday, when a government source said it would back a supplementary budget worth around 150 billion euros ($161.18 billion).

Germany's blue-chip DAX index, which comprises the country's 30 largest listed corporations, has plunged more than a third over the past month as the coronavirus outbreak has brought several economies to a near standstill.

This has increased the risk of foreign companies snapping up rivals at a discount.

"We will avoid a sell-out of German economic and industrial concerns. There cannot be any taboos. Temporary and limited state support as well as participations and takeovers need to be possible," Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said.

Automotive companies have been among the worst hit, with Daimler, Continental and Volkswagen shares down 44-48% over the past four weeks.

Markus Soeder, state premier of Bavaria, where heavyweights such as Siemens and BMW are based, said all legal options should be explored to block potential bids for German companies.

"If most of Bavaria's and Germany's economy ends up in foreign hands once this crisis is over ... then it's not only a health crisis but a profound alteration of the global economic order," he said.

"We need to brace ourselves for that."

EMERGENCY FUND

German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday that Berlin was considering a half-trillion-euro fund to support companies thrown into payments difficulties by the coronavirus crisis, which would be able to guarantee liabilities or even inject capital when needed.

The plan is one of several being considered by officials as the government puts together a rescue package intended to keep the short-term havoc wrought by shutting down the economy from becoming a rout, an official told Reuters.

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One option is a 40-50 billion-euro ($43-$54 billion) "solidarity" fund for the self-employed and businesses with fewer than 10 employees, which could help them buy materials, pay rents and meet leasing payments. The details for this programme are due to be thrashed out over the weekend.

The roughly 500 billion-euro fund first reported by Der Spiegel is modelled on the 480 billion-euro Special Fund for Market Stabilisation that the government set up to support banks at the time of the financial crisis.

The government is prepared to revive that fund if banks get into difficulties, Der Spiegel said.

The finance ministry is currently considering direct support programmes to a value of around 180 billion euros, the magazine said, adding that sum might be increased to 700 billion euros.

Airline Lufthansa, which has been particularly badly hit, said on Thursday it would seek state help if the crisis persisted, adding this was not yet the case.

German investor Heinz Hermann Thiele has increased his stake in Lufthansa to 10%, a regulatory filing showed on Friday.

($1 = 0.9293 euros)

(Additional reporting by Christian Kraemer, Holger Hansen and Scot Stevenson; Editing by Larry King, Mark Potter and Louise Heavens)
The London stock market was deeply in the red again today despite the US monetary authorities revealing unlimited stimulus to combat the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis.

The FTSE 100 index of leading shares plunged nearly 5 per cent on the open as investors and traders braced for a fifth week of turmoil.

After the Federal Reserve announced an indefinite bond-buying programme to prop up the US economy, the blue-chip index recovered quite sharply at first, nearly overturning the morning's losses.

But London stocks were soon dragged down again as US shares failed to rally convincingly on the central bank's move. The FTSE 100 index closed 196.9 points down on the day at 4,993.9, a fall of 3.8 per cent.

Ghost town: A near-deserted Carnaby Street in London on a normally bustling Saturday. Government advice to stay home has also sent a wrecking ball through Britains high streets

The US Fed mounted an extraordinary new array of programs to offset the 'severe disruptions' to the economy caused by the coronarvirus outbreak, including an unprecedented range of credit for households, small businesses and major employers.

It is effectively an open-ended, bottomless quantitative easive programme to prevent the conomy collapsing. But despite the move, all three main US indices were trading 2 to 3 per cent down this afternoon.

In Asia overnight, the Indian stock market had lost more than 13 per cent of its value, while Honk Kong's Hang Seng index had closed nearly 5 per cent down.

Craig Erlam, Senior Market Analyst at OANDA, said it was 'frightening how normal it feels to wake up on Monday morning and see markets flashing red and down another 5%'.

'Governments and central banks, to their credit, are not taking the crisis lightly and have announced enormous stimulus packages to protect households and businesses, but even that hasn't been enough,' he added.

'As long as we continue to see this kind of exponential growth around the world, the case for a stock market bounce is weak. Even stability will be hard to come by. If investors hate uncertainty, they'll despise this.

'The v-shaped recovery is a hope of the past, everyone is now just hoping that the temporary unemployment spike doesn't become more permanent or we have a real problem on our hands.'

Boris Johnson ordered bars, pubs and restaurants to close at 5.10pm on Friday, after the markets closed. But he hinted yesterday that a lockdown could soon come into force as the public flouted advice on social distancing in the fine spring weather.

Government advice to stay home has also sent a wrecking ball through Britains high streets with many businesses  including Timpsons, John Lewis and Arcadia  closing thousands of shops over the weekend.

Yesterday Primark, which also announced store closures, confirmed it had taken the drastic measure of cancelling all outstanding orders to cut costs, devastating many suppliers businesses.

The dire outlook for many of Britains best-known businesses means the FTSE 100  which has plunged 36 per cent since mid-January  is likely to face further falls.

Business groups have pleaded with the Government to make emergency cash from grants and loans available immediately to avoid mass staff lay-offs.

Some firms, including Sir Philip Greens Arcadia group, have already axed staff raising the spectre of spiralling demand and a long-term hit to the economy.

A new report released today by KPMG said the UK economy will shrink 2.6 per cent this year, or 5.4 per cent if the Governments massive stimulus package does not work.

City tycoon Crispin Odey said he believed the markets had already priced in a recession, and expected a recovery in the stock market by the end of the year.

Experts said the rapidly-changing picture is a minefield for private investors, who were urged to look for companies that had enough cash to survive the onslaught.

The Financial Conduct Authoritys decision to ask companies to delay their financial results until the effects of the outbreak on their business is better understood.

Dozens of the nations biggest companies have already ditched guidance this year  an admission that they do not know how bad the situation could get.

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: There will be ripple effects for some time but it depends on how long the lockdown lasts for.
The world's largest diamond cutting and polishing hub, Surat in Gujarat, will shut down for a week from Tuesday due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council and Surat Diamond Association said in a joint statement on Saturday.

Diamond cutting and polishing units in other parts of the state like Bhavnagar and Botad will also remain closed, Gujarat regional chairman of GJEPC Dinesh Navadiya said.

"The industry has already witnessed $846 million fall in exports in February 2020 compared to the same month last year, and the crisis is deepeningfurther and could get worse than what was witnessed during the 2008 financial recession," he said.

Navadiya said the export-oriented diamond industry was facing a massive crisis, with three countries accounting for 80 per cent of the exports, namely USA, Hong Kong, and China, being among the worst hit due to the outbreak.

"USA accounts for 39 per cent of exports, followed by Hong Kong at 37 per cent, and Chinaat 4 per cent. They are among the countries that are worst affected by coronavirus. We are facing a situation that can get worse than what we witnessed during the 2008 recession," Navadiya said.

In another development related to coronavirus, Surat Municipal Corporation on Saturday launched an online voluntary self-reporting for citizens with history of visits abroad or other states within the country, and said non-registration will invite a penalty of up to Rs 25,000.

"SMC starts voluntary self reporting of corona affected Citizens, if someone has come from other countries or other domestic localities with suspected cases. Non Registration invites penalty up to 25000/-," Municipal Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani tweeted.

People who have recently returned to Surat from visits abroador other states within the country will have to provide travel details, as well as health information like whether they are suffering from fever, cough, or having difficulty breathing, etc.

The online form link is available on the Surat Municipal Corporation website.

Also read: Coronavirus crisis: Surat diamond industry braces for Rs 8,000 crore loss

Read more: No, coronavirus doesn't spread from non-veg food! Here's a myth buster
Former President John Mahama has been commended by some heads of religious organizations, health experts and social/political commentators for his personal involvement in the COVID-19 fight.

The former President has termed the situation a national challenge, saying that beyond political and ideological differences, every individual has to play his or her role in this fight. The former President has advised Ghanaians not to waste our energies over criticism, dissemination of false information, blame game and political point-scoring, and collectively, focus on fighting the deadly disease.

According to the former President, the government needs to understand that the war against coronavirus has to be fought on two fronts: containing the spread of the virus and mitigating the economic damage the virus will cause. He urged the government to extend its support to all the regions, districts, and villages. He said our steps could only be effective if the country is united.

The former President who has embarked on self "precautionary measures" education, has also advised his appointees who supported him during the Ebola fight to make their services available to the government anytime they are called upon to do so. So far, he has shown his presence as a leader by always reassuring Ghanaians who count on him that he is around and doing everything in his power to make sure we collectively weed out this dangerous Virus.

The Former President, through his interactions with the public via his Facebook page and other platforms, educate Ghanaians and keep people informed often and consistently. He has so far kept a level head by remaining optimistic and forges ahead with constrictive ideas and a disciplined focus.

A simple acknowledgment by the former President and his party of some of the measures taken by the President and his government is a mark of a mature opposition. It is not a sign of weakness, on the contrary, it strengthens the spirit of national unity.

Sadly, this was not the case in the past ( when the former president embarked on the Ebola fight). Instead of applauding the then President, Mr Mahama for his role in the Ebola fight and his brave stance on the epidemic which earned Ghana respect and recognition across the globe, the opposition then, led by the current President, vehemently condemned Mr Mahama for making Ghana the center for the Ebola fight.

The opposition will always remain irrelevant if it does not truly practice what is expected of an opposition party. In opposition, the Npp neglected this prudent virtue because it was not in power. The prayers of most Ghanaians are that the NDC continues to exhibit this unprecedented maturity and always rises to fulfill the role of the opposition, which the NPP could not fulfill in opposition.

The former President's criticisms so far have been constructive. The opposition must oppose when the need arises but must also support the government's initiatives by offering alternative ideas and policies.

The former President has suspended his campaign, suspended all political activities including his interactions with the various associations to join the coronavirus fight and education. This is the first time in the history of this country that we seeing this genuine cooperation and commitment. This is the kind of leadership Ghanaians, and Africans, in general, have been yearning for decades.

The former President today joined some religious leaders and party folks to pray for the nation. He used the occasion to continue his precautionary measures education and called on all Ghanaians to support the anti COVID-19 fight.
Local historian and genealogist, Brian Mitchell, has written a book called 'Derry: A City Invincible'. We are publishing extracts from the book. In this latest article, Brian examines what the local area was like in the Bronze Age.

One Autumns day in 1987 a local farmer ploughing his hill-top field, overlooking the River Foyle, hooked a large flat stone, of dimensions 5 feet by 4 feet, and brought it to the surface.

There it remained while the winters frosts worked to break up the soil.

It was members of Shantallow Local History Society, out searching for flint fragments, the evidence of prehistoric settlement, who on coming across this large flat stone realised it was perhaps the capping stone of a Bronze Age grave.

The Archaeological Branch of the Department of the Environment was called in, who, on one very wet March day in 1988, carried out an emergency dig.

Small village

What they found convinced them that here in the townland of Shantallow, on the fringe of the present-day city of Derry, in the early years of the second millennium BC, lived a small village community of farmers who had trade connections with the flint-mining areas of County Antrim, and who in a nearby cemetery buried their dead.

The stone which had lain undisturbed for some 4,000 years was, in fact, the capping stone of a cist tomb.

Around 2,000 BC a circular pit, 4 to 5 feet deep, had been dug on the brow of a small hill, 250 feet above the River Foyle.

In the middle of this pit slabs of stone had been laid on edge to create a stone box, 4 feet long by 2 feet wide.

The corpse, with his or her knees folded up to its chest, had been placed in this coffin on its side.

Rotted away

Only part of the skull and part of the leg bone remained of this skeleton, as the rest of the body had rotted away through contact with the soil.

Behind the neck of the corpse was an earthenware pot in the shape of a bowl and decorated with jagged imprints.

This bowl had been made specifically for the burial ceremony.

It is clear that these people believed in some form of afterlife, as the bowl would have been filled with food or drink to sustain the body after death in the journey through the underworld.

The cist in which the corpse lay was then roofed with a capstone. In this case, as occurred on other sites, the grave wasnt marked above the ground with a mound of earth.

The farmer had inadvertently uncovered on this hill-top site a Bronze Age cemetery.

Short cist

This distinctive form of burial, in a short cist with an upright bowl-shaped food vessel, is not unique to Ireland.

It has been found all over Europe, even as far east as Russia. It represents the spread of the so-called Beaker peoples, named after their pottery, who originated in lands around the mouth of the Rhine, then spread to Northern Britain and from there to Ireland. Around the early years of the second millennium they had reached Shantallow.

These people were settled pastoralists who introduced metal-working into Ireland.

Near the cist in Shantallow fragments of flint, which is not a native rock of this area, were found, and the area of their greatest concentration marked the spot where a small community lived.

Shantallow clearly supported a Bronze Age village.

The flints were fashioned to be used as arrowheads and thumbscrapers.

The arrowheads would have been used in hunting while the thumb-shaped flint scrapers would have been used in the preparation of animal skins before they were cured.

Clothes would have been made from this leather.

No metal artefacts were found, but in other cist burials hundreds of metal implements have been found.

Ireland possessed abundant supplies of copper, and these people exploited in a large way Irish copper and gold, as evidenced by the metal axes, knives and daggers they left behind.

Their most outstanding personal ornament was the sheet-gold lanula, a crescent-shaped neck ornament.

The settlers at Shantallow were primarily livestock farmers.

With their metal axes they would have begun to clear some of the surrounding forest to expose good pasture land. Here cattle were grazed for their beef.

They would also have grown wheat, oats and barley, with the grain being ground on saddle-querns.

Within an earth enclosure, perhaps topped with a palisade of timber stakes, the early inhabitants of Shantallow would have lived in small, single-room, circular wicker huts.

Their houses were probably built of posts and wattle rods.

Thin saplings

Strong posts were driven into the ground, and thin saplings of hazel, elm or ash were woven between them to form the walls. Then the walls were plastered with daub in which mud was mixed with straw.

This mixture dried very hard to create a sturdy homestead.

The roofs would have been thatched with straw or rushes obtained from marshy ground.

Our early settlers at Shantallow would have only made a small impact on the forests which clothed this area.

Only the hill top would have been cleared of wood.

On a clear day, rising above the trees that swept down to the banks of the Foyle on both sides of the river, the early dwellers of Shantallow might have spotted, some two miles to the south-east across the river, smoke curling up from open hearths on Rough Island in Enagh Lough.

Fragments

Finds of late Stone Age and Bronze Age pottery fragments on this island, lying almost in the middle of the lake, roughly circular in shape, with a diameter of 150 feet and now largely overgrown with trees and shrubs, identifies this as a settlement site around the same time as the community of Shantallow were burying one of their members.

This site on Enagh Lough, termed a crannog, was formed by a platform of timber, overlain with a layer of packed stones almost 3 feet deep, being placed, timber by timber and stone by stone, on top of a marshy island created by glacial dumping during the last Ice Age.

Bronze spearheads, flint flakes and abraded stones, worn away by mans rubbing or scraping, attest to its settlement in prehistoric times.

Around the edge of the crannog there may have been a defensive palisade of timber stakes with lighter branches of wattle woven in and out through them.

Very similar

The houses inside, built of wicker, wattling and daub, and the lifestyle would have been very similar to those at Shantallow.

Barley, wheat and oat impressions found on the pottery fragments are evidence of the cultivation of these crops in fields around the shore of Enagh Lough.

In addition to farming their own food, the inhabitants here exploited the fish and fowl associated with a small lake.

No names or even exact dates can be identified against these Bronze Age settlers of the Derry area.

But we do know that they did exist, and that they began mans first tentative exploitation and alteration of the local environment.
As in-person worship services are canceled or downsized amid the coronavirus outbreak, some churches across the U.S. are bracing for a painful drop in weekly contributions and possible cutbacks in programs and staff.

One church leader, Bishop Paul Egensteiner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americas Metropolitan New York Synod, said some of the 190 churches in his region were unlikely to survive because of a two-pronged financial hit. Their offerings are dwindling, and they are losing income from tenants such as preschools that can no longer afford to rent church venues.

As much as Id like to help them, everybody's reserves are taking a hit because of the stock market, Egensteiner said,

At Friendship Baptist Church in Baltimore, a mostly African American congregation of about 1,100, the Rev. Alvin Gwynn Sr. bucked the cancellation trend by holding services last Sunday. But attendance was down by about 50%, and Gwynn said the days offering netted about $5,000 compared to a normal intake of about $15,000.

Related video: How coronavirus may change Easter service at some churches

It cuts into our ministry, he said. If this keeps up, we cant fund all our outreach to help other people.

There was a brighter outcome at the Church of the Resurrection, a large United Methodist Church congregation that operates out of five locations in the Kansas City area.

Cathy Bien, the churchs communications director, said about 25,700 people logged in to join online worship last Sunday after in-person services were canceled. That compared to normal Sunday participation of 14,000 worshippers - 8,000 in person and 6,000 online.

It blew our minds, Bien said. They were coming from all over the country - a lot of Methodists from other churches.

The huge turnout didnt translate into a larger than normal offering, although the church is still processing checks that were sent by some of the worshippers, Bien said. She expressed hope that financial support will remain robust as the church stresses the need to bolster food pantries and other community programs in the face of COVID-19.

At Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, giving was down modestly last weekend as the church canceled in-person worship and made the service available online.

The pastor, Walter Kim, said some of his roughly 1,000 congregants have grown accustomed to online giving in recent years, but many worshippers still give in person at the services - an option not available for now.

Well be asking them to sign up (for online giving) or mail a check, said Kim. He will be urging congregants to bolster the churchs mercy fund for use assisting hard-up members of the community as job losses multiply.

In addition to his pastoral duties, Kim is president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents more than 45,000 evangelical churches. The NAE will be co-hosting a two-day digital summit next week featuring videos from church leaders advising other pastors nationwide how to respond creatively and effectively to the virus outbreak.

The co-host is the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College in Illinois, which already has offered resources to churches in response to COVID-19.

Some changes are going to be required, Kim said. The church is a very creative institution. In the end it will find ways of fulfilling its mission.

In western Massachusetts, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has indefinitely canceled all public Masses and recently rescinded permission for parishioners to pray individually at their churches.

Funeral Masses were still allowed with a maximum attendance of 25; the diocese said the times of those Masses were not to be shared in the media.

Lack of access to the churches and Eucharist is particularly difficult for many older parishioners whose entire daily routine is built around getting up, out of the house, and going to Mass, said the Rev. Mark Stelzer, who has served in the diocese as a parish priest and college chaplain.

The Rev. William Tourigny, pastor of Ste. Rose de Lima Church in Chicopee, Massachusetts, said his parish had a solid financial foundation and expected it could maintain all programs and staff payroll for the time being.

For smaller faith-based communities with little or no reserved funds, difficult decisions will need to be made, he said.

Joe Wright, executive director of the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network in Nashville said many pastors in the network have been holding regular in-person services while monitoring the spread of the virus.

Once the coronavirus rises to the level where it starts hitting smaller groups, then well see even the smaller groups back away and seek ways to gather, probably electronically, he said.

When that happens, Wright said, financial giving will depend on the church, especially the age of the congregations.

Some churches with older congregations do not give electronically so the transition to that will be a little bit harder, he said.

Ron Klassen, executive director of the Rural Home Missionary Association, said its too early to say how the rural churches he represents are being impacted.

"My sense is that in the past, people rise up, and if anything, the giving might increase, he said. People are going to give. Theyll take care of their church and their community.

In Baltimore, Gwynn worries that tensions might rise past the point that church outreach programs can help.

With all the uncertainty, Im afraid this could turn into anarchy, he said. Not everybodys patient. Not everybodys law-abiding.

He even envisioned the possibility of a stampede toward the goods being doled out after the churchs annual food drive.

My biggest fear right now is what's happening to the minds of our people, Gwynn said. How long can we hold them together?"
Rouhani : Countering COVID19 is duty of all nations

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 21, IRNA -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a message referred to his recent letter to people of the US to undermine sanctions, saying fighting coronavirus is the duty of all nations.

"In a pandemic Tehran, Paris, London and Washington are not far apart and any undermining of Iran's health system will cripple the global fight against this pandemic," Rouhani wrote in his Twitter account.

"#COVID19 is a matter of life and death and countering it is the duty of all nations," he added.

"In a letter addressed to the people of the United States of America, I asked them to appeal to their administration and congress that the current path of pressure and sanctions will never be successful," Rouhani said in a separate message.

In his letter to Americans, Iranian president said: "The Iranian people value friendship and respect based on the principles of dignity and humanity and respond positively to overtures based on such values."

"Simultaneously, they are ready to resist pressure and threats, as they have heroically throughout history," he reiterated.

Iran's Deputy Health Minister Ali-Reza Raeesi said on Friday that the cases of COVID-19 infection reached 19,644 with death toll having mounted to 1,433 in the country.

9376**1424

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The British Army has been called in to help organise food deliveries to people's homes as an astonishing 1.5million people were told to stay at home for up to three months.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that GPs were writing to hundreds of thousands of people with pre-existing health conditions, telling them not even to go out to shop for food or obtain medication.

Instead they will be asked to rely on family and other co-habitants to bring supplies to them, with armed forces, supermarkets and the NHS co-ordinating to bring items to those totally isolated alone.

Mr Jenrick told Sky News' Ridge on Sunday that the Government was not ruling out a complete lockdown of the country if people continued to flout pleas to socially distance from each other, amid huge crowds at beaches and in parks.

'We want to live in a free society where we can continue to go about activities whilst following the medical advice,' he said.

'But this isn't a game, it is very serious.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that GPs were writing to hundreds of thousands of people with pre-existing health conditions

Instead they will be asked to rely on family and other co-habitants to bring supplies to them, with armed forces, supermarkets and the NHS co-ordinating to bring items to those totally isolated alone.

Who are the 'at risk' groups who need to stay at home? People with underlying health conditions including severe asthma and specific cancers are being urged to stay at home 'at all times' amid the coronavirus pandemic. Children and adults already suffering from serious health conditions face the highest risk of needing hospital treatment for Covid-19, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said. The Government has strongly advised people who fall into the high-risk categories to exercise 'shielding' measures by staying at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for at least 12 weeks. Those at risk will be contacted by NHS England via letter and should implement the measures from the day they receive it, the DHSC said. People who are most at risk include: Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer, as well as those with cancers of the blood or bone marrow who are at any stage of their treatment.

People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer.

Those undergoing targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors.

People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the past six months or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs.

Those with respiratory conditions including severe asthma, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis.

Pregnant women who have significant heart disease. The DHSC said people with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase infection are also classed as high-risk. Advertisement

'People need to follow that advice. If people don't follow that advice then clearly we'll have to consider other options, but none of us want to go down that route.'

Mr Jenrick said people can still go out for walks and take exercise, but they should stay away from others.

'Lots of people sat out together in parks or on beaches. That isn't sensible. We strongly discourage that,' he said.

The move came as Boris Johnson called for Britons to resist visiting their parents on Mother's Day, with the Prime Minister warning the Covid-19 outbreak is 'accelerating'.

The Government and health officials have urged the 1.5 million people in England considered most at risk from the disease because of their health conditions to begin 'shielding' themselves by staying at home.

Letters will go out this week 'strongly advising' them not to go out for at least 12 weeks from Monday.

Mr Jenrick said: 'The NHS will be delivering medicines to these people through the community pharmacy network and I've been working with councils, with supermarkets and with the armed forces, to ensure that food and other basic supplies can be delivered to the doorstep of these people, hundreds of thousands of people across the country for as long as it takes.

'There is enough food in the system, we have a very resilient food sector, but we all need to behave responsibly and considerately.

'That isn't happening in all cases today and we need to make sure that happens.

'Supermarkets are best placed to take action and put in place specific systems and schemes in their own stores, knowing their customers and what's going on, on the ground and many are doing that, helping the elderly have specific times of day to go shopping or have special schemes in place for NHS and social care workers, and I strongly support that.

'I really urge members of the public to behave responsibly, if you just shop for what you and your family need and there will be plenty of food for other people and their families.'
Russia's Rosneft Chief Downplays Rift With Saudis, Seeks Quick Oil-Price Rebound

By Todd Prince March 21, 2020

The powerful head of Russia's largest oil company has downplayed the disagreement with Saudi Arabia that led to a dramatic fall in oil prices, and he predicted a quick rebound sometime this year as U.S. shale production is knocked out.

Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin told state media in a televised interview on March 20 that the so-called OPEC+ group had lost its significance in balancing the global oil market as countries including the United States, Brazil, Norway, and Mexico raised production at its expense.

"Is there any point in cutting production in the future if other countries are going to increase it?" he asked.

At a meeting of OPEC+ members on March 6 in Vienna, Russia informed Saudi Arabia it would not agree to its request for another production cut to support oil prices amid a fall in global demand caused largely by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sechin, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, was reportedly behind Russia's decision. Russia is a key member of OPEC+, which includes the 13-country OPEC cartel and several independent oil-producing states, but not the United States.

Riyadh, angered by Moscow's stance, announced the following day it would ramp up production by about 20 percent, causing the biggest one-day fall in oil prices in nearly three decades.

Riyadh's "shock-and-awe" move -- seen as an attempt to get Moscow back to the negotiating table -- has sent Russia's currency tumbling roughly 20 percent to a near record-low of 80 rubles to the U.S. dollar.

Oil is Russia's top export commodity and accounts for a large portion of its budget revenue. Brent crude prices closed March 20 at $29 a barrel, down by more than half over the past month.

Neither Moscow nor Riyadh has showed a willingness yet to give in to the other's demands.

Sechin, who has faced some criticism at home for the decision, said in the interview that Russia's production costs were nearly as low as Saudi Arabia's and that Rosneft could maintain its production for another 22 years at current levels, even if it stopped exploration.

He described Saudi Arabia's increase as market dumping.

However, he predicted oil prices would return to a range of between $50 and $60 a barrel by the end of the year as U.S. shale producers are squeezed by the low-price environment.

Some U.S. shale producers have high break-even costs of around $50 a barrel.

"Several companies in the shale sphere are already cutting back on their work and that, of course, will also bring the market into balance," Sechin said.

U.S. shale production has surged over the past decade and lifted the country's total oil output to 13 million barrels a day, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia for the top spot globally.

That has opened the door to U.S. oil exports to Europe and Asia, traditional Russian markets.

The 59-year-old executive said other factors were also impacting the oil market, including coronavirus and sanctions.

Sechin called the virus a "serious problem," but said China was making progress on stopping its spread and cautioned against "dramatizing" the situation.

He also claimed U.S. sanctions against Russia, which include financing and technology for the oil industry, had hurt American companies more than Russian companies.

U.S. banks have had to close their credit lines with Russia's oil industry, depriving them of billions of dollars in interest, he said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia -sechin-rosneft-oil-opec-saudi -arabia/30500656.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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- Nollywood actress, Uche Elendu, has reacted to the coronavirus pandemic that is rocking most parts of the world

- The film star has described the pandemic as a plague and she advised people to make peace with God

- Uche Elendu also said that the end times are obviously here

The coronavirus reportedly started in Wuhan, China, and has now spread to all but one continent in the whole world. As it stands, not even popular personalities are safe from the pandemic as top people in different fields of life have also tested positive to the disease.

Nigerians are already getting more aware of the pandemic and popular personalities have taken to social media to enlighten fans on how to keep safe during this period.

Nollywood actress, Uche Elendu, has taken to social media via her Instagram page to comment on the coronavirus pandemic which she likened to a plague.

According to the film star, it is obvious that the end times are here. She also advised fans to make peace with God while also taking all the necessary safety precautions.

She wrote: This is unexplainable but if youve suffered for something thats absolutely no fault of yours, then you can relate.

We blamed HIV on sexual misconduct, kidney issues ... that one don use cigar kill himself, cancer, haa that one too dey chop processed foods, Now corona virus... that one dey shake hands?? Guys lets wake up to reality, the signs are there, we all need to make peace with God , give your lives to Christ and be positive instead of creating panic.

Wash your hands thoroughly, Use hand sanitizers, Stay hydrated, Observe social distance, Dont shake hands or hugs, PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY.

May the good lord see us through this.

See her post below:

Could this really be a sign of the end times?

In other news, Legit.ng reported that Nigerian music star, Tiwa Savage, has shared her experience on social media on social distancing due to the coronavirus.

The music star revealed that she is lonely and has no cuddle partner. Tiwa also said that it is time for her to charge her 'toys'.

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UAE national airline Etihad Airways said it has implemented a series of consolidated network changes as per the directives given by UAE and international government and regulatory authority due to the spread of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus and its continuing impact on air travel services globally.

This is also being carried out for the safety and convenience of its customers and staff, and to minimise operational disruption during this period. The following services from Abu Dhabi have been temporarily adjusted:

India

Ahmedabad (AMD), Bangalore (BLR), Calcutta (CCU), Calicut (CCJ), Chennai (MAA), Cochin (COK), Hyderabad (HYD), Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), Trivandrum (TRV)

All flights suspended from March 22 to 28.

Kazakhstan

Nur-Sultan (TSE)

Reduced to one per week until March 31 and all flights suspended from April 1 to 30.

Maldives

Male (MLE) - Reduced to daily services until April 30.

Russia

Moscow (MOW) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Sri Lanka

Colombo (CMB) - Reduced from twice-daily to daily from March 29 until April 30.

The following previously announced network changes remain in place:

Azerbaijan

Baku (GYD) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Bahrain (BAH)

Reduced from triple-daily to daily until March 1; increase to twice daily April 1 to April 30.

China

Shanghai (PVG) - All flights suspended until March 28.

Chengdu (CTU)

All flights suspended until further notice.

Hong Kong (HKG)

All flights suspended until June 30.

Egypt

Cairo (CAI) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Greece

Athens - Reduced from daily to four weekly (operating on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays) from April 1 to 30.

Indonesia

Jakarta (CGK) - Reduced from double-daily to daily (suspension of EY472/471) until June 30.

Italy

Milan (MXP) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Rome (FCO)

EY85/86 suspended until April 30 and EY83/84 suspended until June 30.

Japan

Nagoya (NGO) - All flights suspended until June 30.

Tokyo (NRT) - Reduced from daily to four weekly (Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sunday) from April 1 to 30.

Jordan

Amman (AMM) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Korea

Seoul (ICN) - Reduced from daily to four weekly (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays) from March 30 to April 30.

Saudi Arabia

Riyadh (RUH), Jeddah (JED), Dammam (DMM), Medina (MED) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Kenya

Nairobi (NBO) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Kuwait (KWI)

All flights suspended until March 31.

Lebanon

Beirut (BEY)- All flights suspended until April 30.

Morocco

Casablanca (CMN) and Rabat (RBA) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Oman

Muscat (MCT) - Reduced from triple-daily to double-daily until April 30.

Philippines

Manila (MNL)- All flights suspended until March 31.

Serbia

Belgrade (BEG)- All flights suspended until April 30.

Singapore (SIN)

Reduced from daily to four weekly (operating on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays) from April 1 to April 30.

Spain

Madrid (MAD) and Barcelona (BCN) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Sudan

Khartoum (KRT) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Switzerland

Geneva (GVA) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Thailand

Bangkok (BKK) - Reduced from triple-daily to double-daily (suspension of EY406/405) from April 1 to May 2.

Turkey

Istanbul (IST) - All flights suspended until April 30.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways has cautioned that future changes to the route network could occur due to government directives in key markets.

"We are working closely with regulatory authorities in the UAE and overseas and continue to monitor this situation closely. For passengers impacted by flight cancellations, procedures are in place for fare refunds or for flight changes when services resume," stated the Abu Dhabi carrier in a statement.

The airline also appealed to passengers - whose flights have been impacted by Covid-19 travel restrictions - not to call the airlines customer service lines unless their flights are scheduled within the next 48 hours.

Contact centres are currently experiencing significant congestion and long waits. The immediate priority is to assist those guests with imminent travel, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Emirates will be temporarily suspending "most" of its passenger operations by March 25 as the COVID-19 pandemic slowly brings the world to a painful halt. he airline had earlier in the day announced that it will halt all flights.

"As a global network airline, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns. By Wednesday 25 March, although we will still operate cargo flights which remain busy, Emirates will have temporarily suspended most of its passenger operations. We continue to watch the situation closely, and as soon as things allow, we will reinstate our services," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group. Having received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to the following countries until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada. The situation remains dynamic, and travellers can check flight status on emirates.com, he said.

The airline has aimed to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible to help travellers return home amidst an increasing number of travel bans, restrictions, and country lockdowns across the world. It continues to maintain vital international air cargo links for economies and communities, deploying its fleet of 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods including medical supplies across the world.

Sheikh Ahmed said: "The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint. Until January 2020, the Emirates Group was doing well against our current financial year targets. But COVID-19 has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past 6 weeks."

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Emirates and dnata have been adapting operations in line with regulatory directives as well as travel demand.

With many of its airline customers dramatically reducing flights or ceasing services altogether, dnata has also significantly reduced its operations, including temporarily shutting some offices across its international network.

Cost reduction measures

The Emirates Group has undertaken a series of measures to contain costs, as the outlook for travel demand remains weak across markets in the short to medium term. This includes:

 Postponing or cancelling discretionary expenditure

 A freeze on all non-essential recruitment and consultancy work

 Working with suppliers to find cost savings and efficiency

 Encouraging employees to take paid or unpaid leave in light of reduced flying capacity

 A temporary reduction of basic salary for the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, ranging from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. Employees will continue to be paid their other allowances during this time. Junior level employees will be exempt from basic salary reduction

 Presidents of Emirates and dnata  Sir Tim Clark and Gary Chapman  will take a 100 per cent basic salary cut for three months

On the decision to reduce basic salary, Sheikh Ahmed said: "Rather than ask employees to leave the business, we chose to implement a temporary basic salary cut as we want to protect our workforce and keep our talented and skilled people, as much as possible. We want to avoid cutting jobs. When demand picks up again, we also want to be able to quickly ramp up and resume services for our customers.

Safeguarding customers, employees, and communities

Emirates Group is closely monitoring the situation and keeps in regular contact with all relevant authorities, so that it can implement the latest guidance to keep travellers and its employees safe and healthy.

The company has strongly discouraged its employees from non-essential travel, implemented work from home policies for all employees where operationally feasible, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols at its facilities, introduced temperature screening at its key office entry points, and launched internal educational campaigns on hand hygiene and health practices to reduce risk of COVID-19.

Over the past weeks, the airline has also implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures on all of its aircraft departing Dubai as a precaution, and worked closely with airports to implement screening measures as required by the local authorities.

Frontline employees such as crew and airport teams have also been provided with support to stay safe while on duty, including providing hand sanitizers and masks where required.

"The Emirates Group fully supports all initiatives to safeguard the health of communities in every market where it operates, including the UAE's national COVID-19 response," the carrier said in a statement. - TradeArabia News Service
Quick Syracuse nostalgia question.

What did Dey Brothers call their youth department in 1960?

It was called the Hi-Jinx Department.

That name was certainly appropriate on March 23, 1960 when a riot broke out there on the third floor of the downtown Syracuse department store.

The reason?

An appearance by 18-year-old movie star Sandra Dee in town to publicize her latest movie.

Despite her age, by 1960, Sandra Dee was already one of the most popular movie stars in America.

Her 1959 film, Imitation of Life, where she starred opposite Lana Turner, was Universal Pictures highest-grossing film to date and her titular role in the beach comedy Gidget was so popular it spawned the beach party genre of the 1960s.

She came to Syracuse in March 1960 to promote The Snow Queen, an animated movie from the Soviet Union based on the fairy tale by Hans Christen Andersen. In the English-dubbed version, Dee voiced the main female character, Gerda.

The Schines Eckel Theater in Syracuse was showing the film beginning on April 15, 1960.

- Actress Sandra Dee was at the Dey Brothers store in downtown Syracuse on March 23, 1960 to sign autographs for fans. It did go well. Heritage MicrofilmHeritage Microfilm

Before then, Dee would make an appearance at Dey Brothers and autograph photos of herself for her fans. It would last about an hour.

Well, that was the plan anyway.

Thousands of howling teenagers forced movie star Sandra Dee to flee yesterday afternoon from a downtown department store where she was giving out autographed pictures, the Post-Standard reported the next day.

Within minutes of the start, an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 mob of youngsters was storming the third floor for a glimpse of the girl.

Store officials blocked off elevators and escalators to the third floor when the mob got too big, but some youths ran up the down escalators to reach the star.

Display cases were knocked over and shoving teenagers pushed and shoved each other in their attempts to get to the star.

After less than 15 minutes, Dee was rushed to a back stairway by police and store attendants.

It was almost a riot, Dee said after she had safely returned to her room at the Hotel Syracuse. My dress was torn, and my gloves were taken.

I firmly believe that if the police and her press agent were not blocking the way, theyd have ripped the clothes off her back, Sidney Golberg, the stores sales promotion manager said.

While Dey Brothers president John Fitzgibbons told the Post-Standard that any damage was negligible, others painted a different picture.

It was a young riot, said one clerk, take a look at the damage.

It was mayhemyou ought to see my black and blue marks, said Mary Lou McFarland, manager of the Hi-Jinx Department said.

Eckel Theater manager was most dramatic, calling the situation a near panic.

Its the first time Ive heard anything so near to hell.

For her part, Sandra Dee found the positive in the experience:

I was delighted. I know it is a horrible thing to say, but I was thinking how I would feel if nobody showed up.

She was just as understanding a few days later when she was again rushed by fans while having dinner at the Persian Terrace at the Hotel Syracuse while doing an interview with the Post-Standards Nevart Apikian.

I cant refuse to sign an autograph, she said, as her agent rushed in and started shooing the youngsters away, most of them just a few years younger than her.

Please be nice to them, she asked.

READ MORE

1905: No one knows who killed a Cayuga County hermit and miser with an ax

1950: Despite condemnation, Syracuse movie fans turn out for scandalous Ingrid Bergman film

Remembering Keiths: Syracuses Million Dollar Temple to Vaudeville

1940: Frankly, my dear, Syracuse goes wild over Gone with the Wind

This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958.

Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
In a bid to ensure food security for the poor amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Odisha Government has decided to enhance coverage of five lakh additional beneficiaries under the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).

According to state government's Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department, five lakh eligible beneficiaries those who had been left out earlier will be included under the SFSS.

"These beneficiaries will get 5 kgs of rice per person per month at Re 1 per Kg from this tri-monthly allotment cycle of April, May and June 2020. Distribution of rice among the beneficiaries will be started from March 24 onwards," the department said in a release.

Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department Commissioner-Cum-Secretary Vir Vikram Yadav has written to all Collectors to take necessary steps for facilitating the inclusion of the beneficiaries.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday said that the total number of positive cases of COVID-19 has gone up to 315.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
File photo

According to a report by The PUNCH, Nigerias capital, Abuja, has recorded three cases of COVID-19, The PUNCH can confirm.

The PUNCH learnt that the index case is an official of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and was one of the passengers on British Airways flight that landed on March 13, 2020.

It was learnt that two other cases of COVID-19 were confirmed.

A medical doctor told The PUNCH that the three patients had been moved to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.

He said, The bad news is that three samples from the FCT (Federal Capital Territory) suspected cases tested positive for coronavirus. We have got in touch with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and we are moving them immediately. We will give more details as soon as possible concerning their flights, contact tracing and other protocols.

COVID-19 is in Abuja now. One of the passengers on the British Airways flight works with the FIRS and he is among those who tested positive. His wife tested negative. We are hoping that all biometric sign in at the FIRS headquarters in Wuse Zone 5 stops with immediate effect.

A top source at the Federal Ministry of Health told The PUNCH that the case had been reported to the ministry.

He, however, said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control would do its own fresh round of testing before the public would be notified.

The official said, Yes, we were notified on Friday about three cases by a hospital in Abuja. We are doing our own round of testing because we cannot rely on their own result and we dont want to cause panic among Nigerians.

The minister of health will make the official announcement once we are very sure.

Should the tests be confirmed officially by the ministry, this would imply that Nigeria has 15 cases of COVID-19.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, neither responded to calls nor a text message as of the time of filing this report.
Mumbai: As the country observed the 'Janata curfew' on Sunday, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said such a lockdown should have been imposed a week ago as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. Speaking to a regional news channel, Raut said the coronavirus outbreak would also have a "deep impact" on the country's economy.

Millions of people across the country stayed indoors, streets wore a deserted look and bare number of vehicles were on roads on Sunday

in an unprecedented shutdown on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janata curfew' to help check the spread of the deadly virus.

"The curfew should have been imposed a week ago. The government may have different views, but in my personal opinion, the decision of lockdown should have been announced earlier," Raut said. "There is no time for soft communication with people. Need to act like the authoritarian regime of China, where they strictly implemented their decisions and controlled the COVID-19 spread further," he said.

Instead of killing people over beef consumption or shouting slogans like 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', this is the right time to serve the country by helping each other and keeping people alive, the Rajya Sabha said. "Our country has survived in the past when people had

restricted their food habits to limited items. We need to reduce our consumption so that we can sustain for longer periods," he said.

Raut said the COVID-19 outbreak is also going to have a "deep impact" on the economy. "The impact will be felt for next some years as well. We need to stand by the government," he said. The opposition parties may indulge in some politics and blame the government for some of its limitations, he said, adding that "it is not the time to indulge in politics"
Islamabad, March 22 : Countries like Pakistan, which are burdened by external debt, should be provided relief in repayment of loans so that they could focus on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Qureshi made this request while talking to his German counterpart Heiko Maas over the phone on Saturday, reports Dawn news.

He told his German counterpart that united efforts were needed for dealing with the pandemic that has emerged as a major challenge for the entire world.

Maas assured Qureshi that he would raise the issues of debt relief for economically struggling countries and the international sanctions against Iran at the upcoming G7 meeting and the European Union Foreign Ministers' Conference next week.

Describing the situation in Iran as extremely serious, Qureshi said that Iran had been the worst-hit country in the region. Therefore, he said, sanctions on Iran should be lifted immediately so that it could use its own resources to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Qureshi asked the permanent members of the UN Security Council to remove US sanctions against it (Iran) for aiding its fight against the infectious disease.

Qureshi's remarks comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to 645 with three deaths.
Update (1100amET): NY Gov Andrew Cuomo is delivering his daily press conference. Watch live below:

Holding a briefing with updates on #Coronavirus. WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/sq3V2qRM8e  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 22, 2020

* * *

The surge in newly confirmed cases in the US and Europe continued overnight, as roughly 7,000 new cases were reported in the US, according to Johns Hopkins data, vaunting the US total above 25k while most Americans were asleep.

According to the latest numbers, as of 11amET on Sunday, 26,747 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19. 340 have died (and some of these were posthumously diagnosed).

New York State, where the Army Corp of Engineers has arrived to start outfitting school gyms and other buildings into COVID-19 hospitals, the picture of the outbreak continues to expand as testing capabilities in the state rapidly accelerate. 9 million New Jerseyans are now under 'shelter in place' restrictions following the mandatory lockdown order signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last night, although it's still not exactly clear how the order will be enforced. In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont has asked residents to stay at home and ordered non-essential businesses - including restaurants, gyms, theaters and the like - to close.

Keep in mind: Four days ago, there were fewer than 300 cases of the virus in the country, and only a few dozens deaths.

And globally, the total number of cases has passed 315,000, and is rapidly closing in on 320,000. We'll likely hit 350,000 by noon on Monday.

Across Europe and the Middle East, governments tightened travel restrictions and lockdowns, even as the WHO whined that these measures were now somehow not enough to contain the outbreak , when this very same organization for weeks denied that border closures were necessary to stop the spread in an obvious sop to the NGOs Chinese backers.



Following in Italy's footsteps, one week after Spain adopted nationwide lockdown measures and as the number of cases soars to 28,572, with 1,720 deaths, Spanish media says the government of PM Pedro Sanchez is planning to ask Congress to approve the nationwide lockdown for an additional 15 days.

Afghanistan, Kosovo and Romania all reported their first confirmed deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, while Albania closed flights as the virus continues to spread north through the Balkans from Greece, which has been turning away asylum seekers as it struggles to suppress its domestic outbreak.

After invoking the Defense Production Act last week, one of the most useful tools in the White House arsenal, granting Trump the power to act unilaterally and marshal the nation's factories to the "war" effort, the president has yet to use the power, even as Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer hammer him on the delay.

As it turns out, Trump might have a point. Though FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor contradicted Trump during an appearance Sunday on CNNs "State of the Union", saying the administration hadn't yet ordered factories to produce critical medical supplies, as Trump had claimed earlier in the week. But he clarified that the only reason Trump hasn't actively used the power is because companies are voluntarily taking these steps so as to deter the administration from seizing control of their operations. He described the act as "leverage".

Gaynor added that companies and countries around the world are offering help and support to the US.

With multiple officials making the Sunday show rounds, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin once again upped the ante of the administration's 'helicopter money' stimulus package (now that the Fed's balance-sheet expansion is back in full swing and the administration is preparing to issue 50-year bonds to back the stimulus), raising the amount to be doled out to individuals to $3,000. As we observed yesterday, the stimulus-bill figures continue to climb faster than the number of confirmed cases.

It's unclear when - or even if - the plan will make it into law, but Mnuchin said it's intended to sustain out-of-work Americans and suffering small-businesses for the next 10-12 weeks.

And with 7k new cases confirmed since VP Pence announced to the world last night that he had tested negative, and hundreds of thousands more layoffs announced overnight, we suppose it's only fitting.

Last night, Italy shuttered much of the country's industrial production (at least whatever was still operating) in a desperate attempt to contain the outbreak as it extends its national lockdown in the face of lackluster results. In Jordan, meanwhile, authorities are responding with a heavy hand, warning residents they will risk a year in jail if caught outside without permission.

Which approach do you think would work better in the US?

Whatever happens, any NYC-based bankers growing bored with their doomsday stash and willing to splurge on some high-quality meats can get takeout from Peter Lugar's.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf made one last public appeal Sunday night for non-life-sustaining businesses to comply with his order to shut down at 8 a.m. Monday.

Its the only way to prevent coronavirus from spreading and to prevent Pennsylvanias health care industry from becoming completely overwhelmed, he said during a video briefing.

Its creating the most significant public health crisis in our lifetime, Wolf said.

In Italy where the government was slow to act more than 5,000 people have died, many of whom didnt have access to lifesaving equipment due to the rapid spread of the disease. Thats more than China, where the COVID-19 disease originated.

We need to keep what happened in Italy from happening here in Pennsylvania, Wolf said.

He was gratified to say that most bars and restaurants have already complied to end sit-down service. Only 50 have been cited, he said.

Local and state police are authorized to enforce the shutdown but the governor hopes they dont have to.

There is no greater service you can perform for your family, for your friends and neighbors than to close physical locations and practice social distancing, Wolf said.

Philadelphia has ordered residents to shelter in place. Wolf said he would consider a statewide shelter-in-place order unless the number of positive cases of coronavirus starts to decline. Pennsylvania has 479 cases so far.

What were trying to do here is buy time, he said. He said he needs to see the number of positive cases start to decline before hell roll back emergency measures.

If we arent successful the consequences are going to be even more dire than the consequences that were facing now, Wolf said.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share., whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
At least 14 residents of a private nursing home in Leinster have tested positive for Covid-19.

The virus is believed to have been transmitted to residents via a health worker in the first case of mass contagion to occur in a nursing home setting.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre last night announced 102 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

There are now 785 confirmed cases here.

The outbreak in the nursing home has caused serious concern in the health service as older people are at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19. It also underscores the urgency of social-distancing and self-isolation to protect the most vulnerable from the virus.

All of the nursing home residents and staff were tested for the virus last week after a health worker was confirmed as Covid-19 positive, sources said. The sources said the figure is likely to increase.

According to medical sources, the residents remain in isolation in the nursing home where their condition is being closely monitored to ease the burden on the hospital system. They will be hospitalised if they start showing symptoms.

A senior HSE source last night confirmed that more than a dozen residents in one private nursing home in Leinster had been infected.

The source said the outbreak was very serious but measures could be taken to contain it. Some individual cases have been recorded in a number of other nursing homes.

"They [older people] are the most vulnerable group but if the nursing homes take action and isolate those who have contracted the virus there is a chance to limit the spread," the source said.

Hospitals expect a wave of new coronavirus cases to hit emergency departments this week as the Government prepares to unveil new measures to further restrict movements.

There are already 173 people with the virus being treated in hospitals around the country, with 13 in intensive-care units, but health sources expect that figure to double if not treble in the coming days.

The country's leading infectious diseases hospital, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, is planning for admissions of "hundreds" of new cases over the coming months.

The hospital's emergency department is gearing up for between 30 and 60 patients presenting every day, with most of those expected to require hospitalisation and around 5pc of those in need of critical care.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Independent as the Mater prepares for the upcoming surge, its chief executive, Alan Sharp, said the hospital plans to make 200 beds available, including 72 that are available immediately, 84 that can be switched on with a few hours of notice, and more beds are under consideration.

Read More

He said the hospital will drop medical pods containing 12 to 20 beds for coronavirus patients into its car park, if it runs out of capacity.

"Will we end up in the hundreds in this hospital? It's more than likely that we will at some point but we are hoping that that will be the height of it. This hospital will be as prepared as a hospital can be. We'll be ready, as far as one can be," Mr Sharp said.

Northern Ireland yesterday experienced its single biggest daily increase of confirmed cases since the first case was confirmed at the end of February.

Stormont's department of health said testing had resulted in 22 new positive cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 108.

As coronavirus cases continue to soar in Ireland, the Deputy Commissioner of An Garda Siochana, John Twomey, said the force has been in contact with hospitals concerned about the disappearance of personal protective equipment for staff.

The safety of frontline health staff, and the risks of contagion associated with their work, has been a serious concern for hospitals as the crisis unfolds. Mr Twomey confirmed to the Sunday Independent that gardai are investigating the concerns. He said the theft of protective gear is a crime and perpetrators will be brought to justice.

Another measure being considered by Government is that publicans opening bars and restaurants during the Covid-19 emergency risk losing their liquor licences.

Health authorities plan to record the names of bars flouting strict social-distancing guidelines during the national health crisis and objections will be lodged against the renewal of their licences.

A senior government source said the HSE can object to liquor licences being granted on the basis the pubs were not willing to adhere to health and safety advice during a national emergency.

"We'll remember those who stayed open while we fought the virus and the HSE has the power to lodge objections to licences," the source said.

The threat comes after Health Minister Simon Harris warned that the Government will forcibly shut pubs not complying with the social-distancing rules aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.

"Let me be very clear to those people - last night the Oireachtas gave this department and myself, as minister, emergency powers. The President of Ireland signed that into law last night and we will shut you down if you're a pub that is remaining open," Mr Harris said.

"You are letting down the people of this country. You are also letting down your fellow publicans who are helping out and complying, with great difficulty to them and their staff at a very challenging time."

Last night, Tony Holohan, the chief medical officer, said officals are asking gardai to help the public abide to social distancing measures by dispersing large groups.

Mr Harris said that he is satisfied measures currently in place will help slow down the spread of coronavirus.

He said a significant amount of new personal protective equipment is due to arrive in the coming days, including 6.5 million more facemasks.

The HSE said it has 35,000 coronavirus testing kits and another 20,000 kits are expected to arrive next week. To date, more than 12,000 tests have been carried out.

"My department will also meet, along with other state agencies on Monday, with stakeholders from industry. We will meet with some of the pharma companies in Ireland, some of the medical devices companies, and this is to ensure we can absolutely maximise the access we have to medical devices in the coming days weeks and months," Mr Harris added.

The minister said it was important that people continue to practise social distancing on Mother's Day today.

He said people can still bring a gift to their mother, cook a meal and leave it on their doorstep, or find other innovative ways to stay in touch.

He also thanked all the mothers on the frontline in the medical and retail sectors who are helping others at present.

Writing in today's paper the governor of the Central Bank, Gabriel Makhlouf, said the institution "will spare no effort to contain the economic effects of the crisis and do everything in our power to protect consumers, households and firms".

He added: "When the recovery comes, and it will come, we need to make sure we have a financial system that continues to serve households, businesses and the economy more widely."
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All arrivals since March 1 should self-isolate at home if they have not been quarantined in a centralized zone in the past 14 days, in order to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Ministry of Health said in a text message sent to mobile phone users on Sunday.

All such entrants, foreign and local, are advised to declare their health status at https://tokhaiyte.vn, where a medical declaration form is available in Vietnamese, English, Chinese, Korean, Italian, Khmer, Russian, Spanish, French, Lao, and Japanese.

Declaring false information is a violation of Vietnamese law and may be subject to criminal handling, says a warning on the website.

The declaration is an important document which is vital for health authorities to contact you to prevent communicable diseases.

It is recommended that all having entered Vietnam since March 1 self-isolate at home, if they have not been sent to a collective quarantine camp, for 14 days from the date of entry, according to the Ministry of Health's text message.

Those who have been inside the border for more than 14 days from the date of entry should limit their contact with others.

All such arrivals are advised to also take common preventive measures like wearing face masks and washing hands with soap or hand sanitizer.

They should contact the nearest medical facilities for further advice.

Incoming travelers to Vietnam will be quarantined in a collective zone for 14 days, the incubation period of the virus, according to government directives taking effect on Saturday.

Vietnam started denying entry to foreign nationals, including people of Vietnamese origin and their relatives who hold visa exemption documents, on Sunday.

The ban is applicable to all foreign arrivals  by sea, waterway, road, and air.

Visas will be issued when necessary to those entering Vietnam for diplomatic purposes, official duties, or other special cases.

Such people have to undergo compulsory inspection procedures, medical declaration, and appropriate isolation upon entering the country.

Vietnam has confirmed 94 COVID-19 patients so far, with 19 having fully recovered, with 19 having fully recovered, of whom 17 have been discharged from hospitals.

The country has recorded 78 patients since March 6, most of whom are imported cases.

Vietnam treats local patients for free while charging foreigners a fee for their treatment, though their testing and quarantine expenses are waived.

No coronavirus-related death has been recorded in the Southeast Asian country to date.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 307,000 and killed over 13,000 people all over the world, according to statistics. Almost 96,000 cases have recovered.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The coronavirus pandemic has been roiling oil markets. On its third worst day on record, the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude plunged 24.4% to settle at $20.37 per barrel on Mar 18. This also marked the indexs lowest since February 2002. Meanwhile, slipping to the lowest level since 2003, the Brent crude lost 14.1% to trade at $24.67 on the same day. Market participants believe that the oil market is dealing with dual blows of supply and demand. On one hand, the slowdown in global airline industry and fears of economic recession are resulting in waning demand for crude oil. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia and Russia are at loggerheads and ready to ramp up output.

Lets take an in-depth look at the factors affecting the oil markets.

Coronavirus and Oil Markets

The coronavirus-induced shutdowns have been escalating in the United States, as more than 8,700 people have tested positive and atleast 110 have died. All 50 states in the United States and the District of Columbia have confirmed cases. Globally, the number of infected cases has risen to more than 200,000. The outbreak has disrupted global supply chains and economic activities. Moreover, analysts are increasingly speculating a global recession. The rapid spread of the virus is leading to sweeping travel bans, cancelation of large events and conferences and shrinking factory activities. In fact, JPMorgan estimates that a recession will hit the U.S. and European economies by July. Analyzing the current gloomy scenario, Rystad Energys analyst has said, this is the most dismal oil demand picture we have witnessed in a long time with a simultaneous collapse in jet fuel, gasoline, shipping fuel, petrochemicals, and oil used for power generation (read: ETFs at Risk as Oil Slides to 13-Month Low on Covid-19 Scares).

Saudi Arabia-Russia Oil Price War

Russia did not agree with Saudi Arabias proposed plan to cut production to manage the impact of coronavirus. As a result, Saudi Arabia took a surprising decision to increase crude output starting next month. It now intends to raise oil output from next month, probably more than 10 million barrels a day, as a response to the breakdown of the OPEC+ alliance with Russia. Saudi also cut its export prices to encourage more buying from refiners. This will definitely trigger a price war in the oil market.Notably, the current output cut program will expire at the end of March, meaning OPEC+ can produce as much oil as they want beginning Apr 1. In this regard, Bank of America has noted, the oil market is about to flood with surplus barrels (read: Bull & Bear Tug of War for Oil: ETFs in Focus).

Story continues

Looking Forward

Analysts believe that the WTI and Brent crude are on track for their weakest monthly performance and can lose 54% and 50%, respectively. Moreover, Goldman Sachs has lowered its oil estimate for the second quarter projecting WTI and Brent to average at around $20 per barrel. The global investment bank believes that there has been a decline of around 8 million barrels per day in oil utilization (read: Goldman Forecasts Waning Demand: Oil ETFs to Lose).

Oil ETFs That Might Lose

Against this backdrop, investors can take a closer look at the oil commodity space and related ETFs (see all Energy ETFs here).

United States Oil Fund USO  down 63.2% year to date

The United States Oil Fund seeks to track the daily price movement of WTI light, sweet crude oil (read: Wall Street Enters Bear Market: ETFs That Are Near 52-Week High).

AUM: $1.48 billion

Expense Ratio: 0.73%

Invesco DB Oil Fund DBO  down 48.8%

The fund tracks changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the DBIQ Optimum Yield Crude Oil Index Excess Return, plus the interest income from the holdings of primarily U.S. Treasury securities and money-market income-less expenses (read: Virus Scare Weighs on Oil ETFs: Go Short for the Near Term).

AUM: $244.9 million

Expense Ratio: 0.78%

United States Brent Oil Fund BNO  down 57.3%

The fund tracks the daily price movement of Brent crude oil.

AUM: $86.8 million

Expense Ratio: 0.90%

U.S. Commodity Funds United States 12-Month Oil USL  down 50.8%

The fund replicates with possible accuracy the movement of West Texas Intermediate light, sweet crude oil.

AUM: $38.4 million

Expense Ratio: 0.82%

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Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Badal on Sunday urged all the MPs to release MPLAD funds needed by hospitals for purchase of medical equipment to gear up for the battle against coronavirus.

Kaur and her husband Sukhbir said all the hospitals in their respective Lok Sabha constituencies of Bathinda and Ferozepur could avail funds from them for this purpose.

In a joint statement here, Kaur, who is the minister for Food Processing, and Sukhbir said that as per various reports, there was a shortage of medical equipment and testing kits were needed in government hospitals.

They said the district administration could tie up with the hospitals and the money needed for the specialised equipment would be released by them from their MPLAD funds.

Both of them also appealed to all other parliamentarians in Punjab and across the country to do their bit to fight the pandemic by committing much-needed funds to government hospitals at the earliest.

"All other elected representatives and the general public should also assist in this task. We should initiate this relief effort immediately. We should be geared up for every eventuality," they said.

Sukhbir said his party fully backs the steps being taken by the Centre and the Punjab government in fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are human beings, Indians and Punjabis first and Akalis or Congressmen afterwards. Sikhism teaches us that we are all in it together. In Punjab, SAD offers its services to the chief minister in this fight," he said.

"We will cooperate with whatever steps Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces for the country and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for Punjab in this hour of shared challenge," Badal said.

"This is the time to put on the back burner and stand united in humanity's fight against the new enemy (COVID-19)," he said.

He also issued directions to the SAD office-bearers and cadre in countries like Canada, Italy, the USA, UK, Spain, Germany and the Middle East to coordinate efforts to extend every possible help to any needy Punjabi settled abroad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Late in the evening on Jan. 2, as Americans contemplated a return to work after the New Year holiday, shocking news began to ricochet across the internet: The United States had conducted a deadly drone strike on Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, one of that country's most esteemed military officers. Suddenly, the U.S. appeared to be on a war footing with a sovereign nation, one with nuclear aspirations.

As whispers of a possible World War III gained viral speed, something unexpected happened: The nation's attention turned to a small federal institution that has been little more than a historical footnote since the end of the Vietnam War. Google search traffic for "the draft" reached its highest levels since at least 2004; the U.S. Selective Service System's website, which officials say was undergoing maintenance at the time, slowed nearly to a halt as panicked visitors flooded in. In the days that followed, the U.S. Army was forced to issue an announcement combating a malicious hoax. No, officials said: We will not conscript you and order you off to basic training via text message.

But while the hysteria over rumors of a return to a military draft was short-lived, it came as a congressional commission wrapped up a multi-year study that may have major implications for the future of selective service. On March 25, the National Commission on National Military and Public Service will release its findings, with 164 specific recommendations. The 11-member commission may propose, among other things, including women in selective service registration for the first time in U.S. history; otherwise expanding or altering the registered population; or even doing away with SSS altogether.

Some argue that the selective service is a relic from the age of trench warfare, saying the sophisticated and highly technological nature of future fights means the nation will never again have to flood the military ranks with ground-pounders who deploy en masse. Others say the nation is now closer than ever to the sort of existential security threat that could make mass mobilization our best hope of national survival. What most experts agree on, however, is this: If the draft ever does make a comeback, it should not and will not look the same as it did five decades ago.

Here are five ways the draft could change to meet the challenges of modern warfare.

1. Draft Industry

Until the novel coronavirus pandemic brought much of American life to a halt in early March, little attention was paid to the Defense Production Act of 1950, a law that gives the president broad powers to direct private industry to change operations in order to meet pressing national needs. It is, in essence, a mobilization of corporations, rather than a mobilization of private citizens. President Donald Trump announced March 18 he was invoking the DPA "in case we need it" as the nation contends with critical shortages of testing supplies, masks and other in-demand medical equipment.

Historically, DPA has not served an exclusively military function; it was used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2017 to give priority status to contracts for housing, food, water and utilities restoration to hurricane-razed Puerto Rico.

But on a battlefield that has grown increasingly technological and complex, it's likely that the U.S. government would move aggressively to leverage American industry and ingenuity to answer a true crisis in national security, said Dr. Jason Dempsey, an adjunct senior fellow of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security.

"The early movers and the most valuable people in a future war aren't going to be conscripted, per se, but they're going to sell their companies and their services to the government," Dempsey told Military.com in an interview.

He referred to the way the government seized coal mines, railroads and even a department store in World War II, and nationalized steel mills during the Korean War. The precedent exists, and so does the continuing potential to use it.

"A bunch of conscripts standing around in uniform doesn't help with cyberattacks," Dempsey said. "It's not going to be the government enlisting unskilled labor. It's going to be a government takeover in banking security and cyber companies."

However, these industries don't function like steel mills, and globalization is a game-changer. Dempsey questions whether the nation would find the political will to initiate such a takeover today, and how technology companies, many of which do big business with America's global competitors, might react to being ordered to change tasking priorities and cooperate with the federal government for the sake of national defense.

"Is Google an American company or a transnational company?" he asked. "What does a company like Google do? You might not see a willingness to take a side."

2. Draft Big Brains

The U.S. Selective Service maintains basic records on its registry population: men between the ages of 18 and 25. While SSS Director Donald Benton told Military.com that the service estimates about 92% of those required by law to register do so, the records they keep on these young men are surprisingly sparse. Under Benton, SSS first moved to collect email addresses from registrants in 2017; it also failed to collect phone numbers until recently. If the nation ever determined it needed to mobilize individuals with a particular capability and skill set beyond what the Reserves could provide, the selective service would have no way to assist. And, as the system currently operates, Benton noted, it might not make sense to collect skills and education information -- particularly since most registrants are 18-year-olds, freshly graduated from high school.

"There's been some talk in [the national commission] ... in fact, that was one of their charges is, 'What about a conscription for skills, cyber, health care, things of this nature?' OK. However, you need to have some proof," he said. "'I like to play video games; that makes me a cyber expert.' Right? There has to be some veracity to the data."

Donald Benton, director of the U.S. Selective Service, demonstrates how to operate a World War II-era draft selection machine at SSS headquarters near Washington, D.C. (Hope Hodge Seck/Staff)

A better idea, said Dr. Jacquelyn Schneider, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institute and a non-resident fellow at the Naval War College, might be a new kind of strategic reserve: a roster of experts and specialists who have very few traditional military obligations, but stand ready to be mobilized in case of urgent national need.

"You're looking for those exquisite skills that give the U.S. a technological edge," she told Military.com. "[Americans are registering with the Selective Service] at 18 years old. So how do we know, 10 years later, that they have a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence?"

Earlier this month, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a brain trust established by Congress in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, released a wide-ranging report including a proposal for the establishment of a Military Cyber Reserve -- one that would give the Defense Department unique access to highly skilled individuals who might not otherwise be inclined to don the uniform.

Schneider, herself a former active-duty Air Force officer and current reservist, noted that the lion's share of military drilling time is spent keeping up on readiness requirements and mandatory training on topics like suicide prevention.

"Right now, our Reserve looks a lot more like active-duty lite," she said. "Reserves have increasingly been a stop-gap to allow the active duty to be more healthy. It's a more flexible option than active duty, but it's a really hard sell to get people who are really high talent in their current careers."

Like the "purple-haired" cyber auxiliary envisioned by former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, this group would likely be exempted from conventional military fitness, grooming and training requirements, but nonetheless be able to serve in a military role -- with a minimum of training and familiarization -- under the right circumstances.

But this concept would also require buy-in -- and the same challenges that dog recruiters striving to make mission in a population with perhaps less direct knowledge of and connection to the military than any in American history would come into play.

"The higher the stake in the conflict, the more people you would have to opt into something like that," Schneider said. "It's harder to recruit people for things the U.S. public, in general, doesn't value."

3. Draft Women

The National Commission on National Military and Public Service owes its existence to the heated national and congressional debate over whether women should be required to register for the Selective Service System. Despite the fact that the system has made no demands on its registrants in nearly 50 years, the issue is a deeply emotional one, stoking fears for some that young women -- who were not even permitted to serve in ground combat jobs five years ago -- will be mobilized against their will to fight and die on the front lines.

In 2016, two Republican congressmen, Duncan Hunter of California and Ryan Zinke of Montana, introduced the Draft Our Daughters Act as a provocative measure, to force debate on the issue. Unexpectedly for them, the bill passed as part of the 2017 defense policy package. Under the oversight of then-Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain of Arizona, however, the measure was converted from a policy to execute to a commission that would further study the issue and related topics.

During hearings held in April 2019, arguments on both sides of the issue were passionate and diverse. Those against including women in selective service raised issues including the role of mothers in society to the greater tendency of women to become injured when performing infantry tasks.

"Women, in the prime years for bearing and raising children, should not be consigned by the state away from hearth and home should they choose to work there," Dr. Mark Coppenger, of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in testimony to the commission. "And this applies to all forms of compulsory public service, not just military duty."

Jude Eden, a female Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, criticized the universal draft as fundamentally unfair to women.

"In warfare, women don't have an equal opportunity to survive," she said.

But from a purely numerical perspective, including all Americans in the draft system makes sense to many. In 2016, the then-heads of each military service testified to Congress that they supported including women. And, as some point out, in an era when most young Americans don't meet basic qualifications to serve, reducing the draftable population by half may leave the nation vulnerable.

Of the 32 million American youths between the ages of 17 and 24 at a given time, only 4.5 million meet the most basic military service qualifications and are considered highly academically qualified, meaning an A or B student, said Dr. Joe Heck, chairman of the National Commission, told Military.com. If the current male-only draft registration system hit 100% of required participation, Benton said, it would have about 2.3 million annual registrants. And that's before processing for a broad range of exemptions and deferrals.

For Katherine Kusminksi, an associate political scientist at Rand Corp., that's what the question comes down to.

"If what it is is access to talent, in some ways it's recognizing that you get more talent in a larger pool," she told Military.com.

Schneider noted that including women in selective service did not necessarily need to mean sending them to the front lines; in fact, that notion in some ways belongs to a bygone era of warfighting.

"We don't have this huge front line of troops that we've seen in the past," she said. "Instead, you've got this huge logistics arm and enablement arm. You can punt the question of whether women should be on the front lines of combat, and instead use women in useful ways all throughout the military."

4. Draft Everyone, But Not Just for the Military

Of all the arguments regarding national service, the one that appears to have gathered the broadest consensus is that the yawning civilian-military divide is troubling and bad for the nation. Some of the best minds in the national security field have waxed eloquent on the need for all Americans to feel a personal stake in the nation and the causes for which it sends troops to fight and die. A recurring proposal is for a form of universal national service that would become ubiquitous, like jury duty, but also offer Americans flexibility on how they might choose to serve, whether in the military or elsewhere.

In a March 12 essay on Project Syndicate, former Marine Corps commandant Charles Krulak argued for a mandatory two-year paid national service program that would prioritize service at the state and local level, offer benefits such as subsidized mortgages and low-interest business loans, and draw on the experience and wisdom of retirees from service professions to serve as "mentor-instructors" to young people in the program.

"The federal government should launch a block-grant program for each state to decide where an army of young men and women could best address its communities' most urgent social needs," Krulak wrote.

FILE -- In this Nov. 10, 2018, file photo, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Charles Krulak speaks to Marines and guests attending the Commandant's Birthday Ball at the Washington Hilton, Washington D.C. (Olivia G. Ortiz/U.S. Marine Corps)

Eliot Ackerman, a veteran Marine Corps special operations officer and acclaimed novelist, wrote in an electrifying piece for Time in October 2019 that a return to mandatory service could serve, finally, to end the nation's "forever wars" by bringing home to all Americans the real cost of fighting them. Ackerman's proposal was radical; it would specifically send inductees -- a percentage of the population drawn from families in the nation's top income-tax bracket -- into combat-arms roles to experience the fight at the tip of the spear.

While it's difficult to envision that specific proposition, which invites comparisons to the fictional series "The Hunger Games," becoming national policy, the National Commission's recommendations will include proposals for more pathways to service and broader participation.

"We have what we believe is a very bold vision and comprehensive plan to grow the number of service opportunities, in partnership with states and in partnership with the private sector," said Heck, the commission's chairman.

A brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve and former Republican congressman from Nevada, Heck said he and the other members of the commission were troubled by the lack of connection between civilians and the military and national service in general. Military service, he said, has almost become a "family business," with children following parents into the armed forces, and draws disproportionately from certain regions of the country, such as the southeastern United States, while urban areas go underrepresented.

The commission, he said, was heartened during visits to middle schools and high schools to learn that many students were open to the concept of serving, but felt they lacked a pathway.

"We'll lay out, in our report, what I call a cradle-to-grave pathway to service," Heck said. He added the report will include recommendations to offer more robust civic education for students -- a discipline that has become increasingly displaced by new priorities, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Dempsey, the CNAS fellow and a former Army infantry officer, cautioned that the structure of a new national service pathway would determine its success, and suggested it would necessarily involve a new government hiring program.

"We're trying to reinvigorate a sense of national and collective engagement," he said. "We should be talking about bringing back the [Works Progress Administration] ... everybody talks about public service in the outline. But when you talk about details, everybody shuts down."

The WPA, established in 1935 under the New Deal, offered road-building, public art and infrastructure jobs to millions of Americans left jobless in the Great Depression.

In a later conversation after precautionary measures due to coronavirus caused the stock market to plunge and unemployment claims to soar, Dempsey said the crisis might provide an on-ramp to precisely such a program, with the net benefit of seeing more Americans invested in serving their nation.

"Every gig worker in America right now who has lost part-time jobs from Uber and gig work, part of the government stimulus should be hiring all of them, and putting them to work to support hospitals and food banks," Dempsey said.

5. Abolish the Selective Service System

Since the Selective Service System was reactivated in 1980 following a five-year period of dormancy, it has come closest to being abolished at the hands of Rep. Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat. In the 1990s, he twice led successful efforts in the House to defund the agency, only to see funding restored in the Senate.

Decades later, he remains passionate on the issue; he last introduced legislation in December 2019 to repeal the draft system.

"It's a waste of money, it's unnecessary, we have an all-volunteer military that is superior," DeFazio told Military.com. "There's no conceivable scenario" in which the U.S. would bring back the draft.

He referred to a 2018 Rand report from Bernard Rostker, former director of the SSS from 1979 to 1981. In the report, Rostker notes that the only time a proposal arose to reinstate the draft -- amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004 -- it was resoundingly defeated, 402 to 2. Since the current SSS mandate requires that the first inductees report to entry-level training 193 days after a mobilization order is signed, Rostker also suggests that having ongoing draft registration is unnecessary, and that post-mobilization registration might be just as effective if the nation needed to return to conscription in a crisis.

Rostker also took issue with the argument that having to register for the draft served as a useful reminder of Americans' patriotic duty, since the registration process today is typically bundled into other paperwork, such as driver's license applications.

"Today, for most young men, the most affirmative act of registering for the draft is to open a letter containing notification that they have been registered and giving them their Selective Service number," he wrote. "This is hardly the link with the military envisioned by most who put forth this argument."

Gen. Gus Perna, commander of Army Materiel Command, administers the oath of enlistment to 27 future Soldiers during the 2019 AUSA Global Force Symposium and Exposition ROTC/Future Soldiers luncheon, March 28. (U.S. Army/Richard Bumgardner, USASAC Public Affairs)

Dempsey argued that a small reminder is better than none.

"As ineffective and as small and weird as it is -- if that's all we've got, let's at least not throw that one away," he said of the Selective Service registration process. "It's a reminder that, 'Hey guys, this is still a collective endeavor. There's always the possibility the nation-state might have to mobilize for its survival, and you're part of it."

Benton, the SSS director, told Military.com that the annual budget of the service is just $27 million, a slim increase over its 1980s-era operating budget. For that sum, he said, the service registers some 2 million Americans per year, holds drills, and stands ready to activate 43 area offices all over the United States if a mobilization order is ever again approved by Congress and signed by the president.

"Not everybody has a crystal ball like Congressman DeFazio," Benton said. "We don't know what the future holds. And it would be irresponsible for us to assume that a crisis will never again occur. For half the cost of an Apache helicopter, we keep this nation safe."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify the description of young Americans meeting qualifications for service.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
(Bloomberg) --

The Philippines is boosting its capacity to test more patients for the novel coronavirus after receiving 100,000 testing kits.

Five laboratories that can conduct up to 300 tests daily are in place across the Southeast Asian nation, and two more are being set up, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing Friday. China will donate 100,000 test kits and other medical supplies to the Philippines, its embassy said in a statement.

Just last week, the health department said the Philippines, which has a population of over 100 million people, only had 2,000 testing kits left.

We can now test more patients. We can release their results faster, and we can act quickly for those who will test positive for the virus, Vergeire said. The number of confirmed virus cases in the country rose to 230, including 18 deaths as of Friday noon.

Enough Food

The Philippines has sufficient food supply for its main Luzon island thats on a month-long lockdown to stem the spread of the virus, the Agriculture Department said in a separate statement.

Some 20,000 metric tons of rice thats enough for two weeks are stored in National Food Authority warehouses in Metro Manila and more will be available, the agency said in a statement. The capital region consumes about 110,000 of 50-kilogram bags daily, 93% of which are in private sector and household inventories and the 7% is with the state-run food agency.

Supplies of poultry, meat, eggs, vegetables and root crops are also enough for the 60 million people in Luzon island whose movements are restricted due to the lockdown, it added.

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Joe Biden has been keeping a low profile since his decisive victories in the Illinois and Florida primaries made him the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency. He has given no public addresses since his victory speech on Tuesday, even as the president flails and the economy collapses. On Friday, Biden spoke to reporters from his home in Delaware, explaining that hed been keeping radio silence while his staff tackled the challenging technical problem of setting up higher-quality cameras and video conferencing equipment. Weve hired a professional team to do that now, Biden told reporters. And excuse the expression: Thats a little above my pay grade. But Biden promised that soon he would be in daily or at least significant contact with the American people, to provide a counterweight to Donald Trumps daily torrent of lies and misinformation.

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Biden is planning to begin regular coronavirus briefings on Monday, assuming his staff can figure out how to crank the camera. But on Saturday, the age of daily or at least significant contact with the American people began. DJ Derrick Jones, better known as D-Nice, hosted a social distancing dance party on Instagram, playing classic hip-hop and R&B for hours as musicians like John Legend and Common made guest appearances and other celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, stopped by to check out the music. One of those celebrities was Joe Biden:

.@JoeBiden popped into @djdnice Instagram party tonight to show a little love. The party is now over 100k strong  Congrats D! pic.twitter.com/PnIszQPrOV  Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) March 22, 2020

This is all going to work out in the end, right?

Here is Joe Bidens complete statement on the matter of DJ D-Nices social distancing dance party:
Bengaluru, March 22 : A contingent of 195 people from the state were brought back here from Dubai on Sunday, Karnataka Health Minister B. Sriramulu said.

"As many as 195 Kannadigas who were in Dubai have been brought to Bengaluru airport on Sunday," Sriramulu said in a tweet.

Six people suspected of coronavirus have been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases here, and the remaining taken to the isolation ward of Akash Medical Institute, he said.

In the evening, the Health Minister tweeted a video of a returned man, who thanked the government for bringing them back safely.

In another video he posted, three boys and two girls wearing masks, who also returned from abroad thanked the government for facilitating their return.

Observing the people's curfew on Sunday, Sriramulu said he is working from home and exchanging information on phone with the officials.

He shared pictures of deserted roads and town centres of Karwar, Mangaluru, Shimoga, Mudhola to show how people from all parts of Karnataka are observing the people's curfew.

"We are all one, let us stop COVID-19 from spreading.A #IndiaFightCorona, #JanataCurfew," Sriramulu tweeted.

He also shared deserted pictures of Bengaluru, Mysuru and Madikeri.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao has tweeted a picture of the civic body, Health Department and police officials visiting the residences of Coronavirus suspects to ensure home quarantine.

Rao also posted a short video of two bike-borne women police officials patrolling the city during the Janata Curfew on Sunday.
Two Polish tourists have sent a thank-you letter to doctors in Hoi An City after completing a quarantine time in the area.





Foreign tourists who were quarantined for 14 days at a four-star hotel in Hoi An City attend a farewell ceremony with local authorities on March 20



The Quang Nam Provincial Steering Committee on Covid-19 Fighting and Prevention on Friday evening published the letter by Joanna Zythowska and Denisz Zythowski who used Google Translate to write in Vietnamese.

In the letter to Hoi An City's Centre for Diseases Control, the two tourists said that they had spent 11 out of their 16-day-vacation in Vietnam to stay in a quarantine area in the city.



"This was sure not how we imagined our holiday would be, but we were lucky to have been able to admire some beauty-spots in Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Ha Long before coming to quarantine in Hoi An," they wrote. "And the wonderful time in Hoi An would also be in our mind and heart forever."



In the letter, the tourists sent their gratitude to health workers in Hoi An for "risking their lives to take care of us every day", and all people in the city for "welcoming us sending juice and delicious fruits to the quarantine area".



The tourist shared that they had to experience some difficult days at first when having to sleep on the floor and having no shower in the bathroom which they understand was a minor issue compared to the seriousness of the situation. They were then moved to the Hoi An Beach Resort on March 16 where the living condition was more comfortable and they were served their favourite food.



"Vietnam is beautiful, it was a pity we couldnt explore more of your country," the tourists wrote. "But with this special experience of the epidemic here, we know more about the beautiful hearts of local people. We will return some day to complete our journey."





On March 20, the Hoi An City People's Committee held a farewell ceremony to 39 foreign tourists who had completed 14-day quarantine period at local hotels. The tourists, mostly from Europe, were presented flowers and gifts before leaving for their countries.

Tourists are presented gifts before leaving Hoi An



Speaking at the ceremony, vice-chairman of the city people's committee, Nguyen Van Son said he was sorry for receiving the visitors in quarantine areas during this epidemic.









Vice-chairman of the city people's committee, Nguyen Van Son (in white shirt) said he was sorry for receiving the visitors in quarantine areas during this epidemic.

"This is all our unexpected situation and we want to send our sincere thanks for your understanding and co-operation for our Covid-19 prevention work," the official said. "We hope to welcome you to Hoi An again soon when the coronavirus outbreak is under control." Dtinews



Cong Binh
Maharashtra Shiv Sena leader



Sanjay Raut on Sunday announced that his party MPs will not attend the ongoing budget session of Parliament from Monday in view of coronavirus outbreak.

Raut, who is party's chief whip in Parliament, made the announcement from his Twitter handle @rautsanjay61 saying, "Keeping the Covid-19 situation in mind, all ShivSena MPs won't be attending Parliament from today. The decision has been taken by our Party Chief and honourable CM Uddhav Thackeray for helping the government to fight this Pandemic. @CMOMaharashtra @narendramodi."



The NCP has already announced that its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members would be mostly staying back in their respective constituencies to assist the administration in its fight with Covid-19 outbrea.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ayesha Singh By

As South African storyteller Bongiswa Kotta Ramushwana sifted through her mind for the best stories to tell at the third edition of Udaipur Tales, she remembered the words of a former First Lady of the United StatesYour story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something you own, wrote Michelle Obama in her maiden book, Becoming.

Raised by a single mother who was a teacher, Bongiswa believes loneliness was her best companion. My siblings had friends to be with when mother left for work. I would be all alone. This invited trouble from people in the community who tried to do me harm, she says, refusing to elaborate. She was also mocked at school for not having enough money. These experiences drove Bongiswa to become an achiever.

Bongiswa Kotta Ramushwana

She found solace in stories and made them her ports of escape. She enrolled herself in Zanendaba: The Institute of African Storytellers and received advanced storytelling training at Kwesukela Storytelling Academy in 2010. This became a turning point in her life when she began using the medium to provide comfort and healing in the manner she healed herself in childhood. Stories are safe places. Sometimes when you go through hardship, you dont know where to turn, especially when you have tried everything else to make yourself feel better. Stories manage to touch the tender-most part of your being, parts you dont want to deal with. But after listening to a story, youre forced to, she says.

Today she is more than a storytellera mother, a wife, a pastor, a sister, a friend, a facilitator, an interpreter, a praise poet, a motivational speaker, an event organiser and a writerall hats worn with equal aplomb. Working presently as a professional storyteller at a heritage site called Freedom Park based in Pretoria, she partakes in private performances whenever there is a chance. Which is what brought her to Udaipur in February.

The piece she presented at the festival was a Bantwini village story from a book titled Hatidi Yetu written by storytellers of the Freedom Park. Hatidi Yetu means our stories. She writes her own tales and takes inspiration from the work of others. Needless to say, she is perfectly at home in Rajasthan, the land of endless eternal storiesRana Pratap and his horse Chetak, the battle of Haldi Ghati, the story of King Rana Kumbha who was slain by his son when he was at prayer, and many more. Sushmita Singha and Salil Bhandari, founders, Udaipur Tales, say, Today, this land is being re-visited through stories, old and new.

Bongiswas favourite story is also an old oneThe Monkey and the Crocodile which she heard from her grandmother as a child. Im glad it has lived on, she says. She is a story herself.
President Donald J. Trump Approves New York Disaster Declaration

March 20, 2020

Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of New York and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing.

The President's action makes Federal funding available for Crisis Counseling for affected individuals in all areas in the State of New York.

Federal funding is also available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, for all areas in the State of New York impacted by COVID-19.

Pete Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Seamus K. Leary as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

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In life, people you think are your friends and confidants often turn out to be your enemies. I went into a relationship that turned out to be full of deceit and betrayal. I never saw it coming; otherwise I would have run for my dear life. Before I knew what I had got myself into, I already had a child in the relationship.

According to Nifemi Oluwatobi Oladeji, a musician, saxophonist and CEO Neon Global Initiative, it never occurred to her that the man was interested in her wealth. I later got to know that it was all a set-up; the man had a bet with his friends that he would marry and dump me, but how was I to know? I didnt see the handwriting on the wall.

Prior to the accident that condemned her to a wheelchair, Oladeji described the marriage as hell on earth. I suffered one abuse or the other on a daily basis. Initially I thought it was because we didnt have children yet, but it got worse when I became pregnant and after delivery.

The arrival of the new baby did not help matter. At a stage, my neighbours warned me to leave the man before he killed me. I couldnt even tell my parents what I was going through in the relationship, neither could I tell my siblings. She said.

Narrating how it happened, Oladeji said, That fateful day, we had a little misunderstanding few months after I had my baby; the man started hitting me as usual. I decided to escape with my baby, but in the process I fell while trying to leave the house.

I was carrying my baby when he made to hit me, so he snatched the baby from me and threw her on the bed. I had to rush pick her up. It was while trying to leave his house that I had the accident, which has left me in pain ever since. Ive been in pain all through my life.

It was my neighbours who took me to the hospital because I couldnt get up or walk after the fall.

I was diagnosed of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) due to spinal cord injury, which for good six months I couldnt talk. I was in the hospital for a year; I couldnt sit or stand; I was bedridden all through. But I thank God that today I can sit on the wheelchair, move around and do whatever I need to do.

Five years on, has there been any step by the mans family towards reconciling them? How has she coped and what steps has she taken for towards getting justice?

Her reply was: None of his family members has asked after my welfare ever since. They abandoned me with my baby from that infant age (she was one month old); she is now five years old. He also has never shown up or shown any care about the baby  hes a military personnel. So, Ive been taking care of my baby all alone. I also think some of our so-called mother in-laws are not worth that name, because some are so brutal mean and outright wicked.

Neon Global Initiative



Basically, it was what I went through that led me into setting up my NGO, Neon Global Initiative. It is a foundation for people living with disability, the less-privileged and women suffering from domestic violence. We want to let them know that, Yes! They have a right. Like me, they have a right to step out to the world, to let people know what they are going through. I have decided not to die in silence. Looking back to what I have been through, the pain, the rejection, the trauma, everything I have come across in my life, even the challenge Im currently facing. It so disturbed me that I had to like sit down, think it through and decide that, yes I can stand for what Im standing for. I took it upon myself that there is ability in my disability. I have to let the world know globally that yes, even while you are disabled, while you are passing through some challenges, you can still make it. You can still do whatever you want to do in life; you can still go a long way in life; its not the end of life.

To all the women out there whose rights are being violated and are hoping against hope, Oladeji has this to say: To all women at home who are thinking: this man beats me today, let me endure, let me tell you, marriage is not by force. In life, its not everybody that will be opportune to be in a mans house. Its not everybody that will be opportune to marry. So, as a woman, dont say because you want people to call you Mrs somebody, youll now put your life at risk. We have only one life, once you lose it, thats the end. And if you lose your life, tell me, who is going to take care of your children? Because definitely, if your husband should marry another woman, she would start maltreating them. It takes the grace of God to find another woman taking care of someone elses child. So again, marriage is not by force. Dont say let me endure because of my children and kill yourself in the process. My advice therefore is Quit that relationship!

Linking her whole advocacy with the International Womens Day, Oladeji said, As I said earlier, Im a victim of domestic violence. It was this abuse that condemned me to a wheelchair, and that is why I am calling every woman out there selling their bodies, to say no to that. Stop abusing your body; stop abusing whatever God has given to you. Your body is the temple of God, you shouldnt abuse it.

Im proud to be a woman, despite all the challenges Ive been through. I am grateful to God for helping me overcome and keep me alive. So my advice to every woman out there is Speak out and let your voice be heard. No matter what you are going through in life, many people are willing to listen to you. Share your pain, share your problems; a problem shared is a problem half-solved. You have to recognise that you have a right as a woman and stand up for those rights. Im a generation of equality, so despite my challenges Im proud to be a woman.

Govt must preserve the right of persons living with disability

According to Oladeji, people with disabilities still suffer one discrimination or the other, and she is calling on government to address this issue. Its sad to see people pushing them away because they cant walk or are handicap in any other way. That is the challenge and I will urge the government to please do something about it. Government should create mobility for people living with disabilities; they should create job opportunities for them. They shouldnt think because we are now confined to the wheelchair, we cannot become anything in life. There are lots of people living with disability who need to be empowered with one skill or the other such as catering, hairdressing, computer training and stuff. Im a trained computer programmer. So with the help of the government, they could help us to become empowered and ultimately help us overcome our challenges.

***

Source: The Nation
Tesco's chief executive Dave Lewis has urged customers to keep calm amidst Covid-19

It's been a tough week for the whole country. No one is untouched. No one is immune to the challenges we face as a country. Covid-19 is bringing huge changes to the way we live and work.

Sadly, we are closer to the beginning of all this than the end, but it's clear that our national spirit is alive and well and nowhere is that more evident than in food retail.

We'll play our part but anyone watching the news knows that this last week has been extraordinary for all shops.

As a nation we bought more food than ever. We added extras to our baskets and trolleys. We queued inside and out and we did more shops.

Every food store in the land experienced the impact of that surge in demand and yes, there have been empty shelves and shortages of some products as a result.

Our colleagues have been worked off their feet trying to re-stock shelves. They're working round the clock. They're refilling fast, but stock is selling out faster.

We've made adjustments to our opening hours, so that we can keep our stores clean, replenish stock and allow our colleagues to rest.

In Tesco there's a team of 300,000 going above and beyond working in stores that are as busy as we have ever seen them. So, I'm pleased to say that those incredible colleagues will now be joined by the first of 20,000 new recruits hired over just the last few days.

It's been heartening to see a huge effort behind the scenes - between employers, unions and Government - to give people the chance to keep working and to try to keep wages coming in.

We're working together and we're trying to protect families and livelihoods while feeding Britain.

We're also making changes which mean we can better help healthcare staff, the elderly and more vulnerable customers.

Today, we're opening an hour early to allow vital NHS workers the window they need to look after their families in between the long hours they dedicate to looking after ours.

In Tesco, there's a team of 300,000 working in stores that are as busy as they have ever been

I hope our customers will understand when I ask that they hold back to let these people shop. The hour for elderly and vulnerable people didn't work universally well this week but we will persevere, we just need the help of everyone to allow this prioritisation.

Tough times inevitably mean tough decisions too. This week we've talked to our customers about how we ensure more people have access to everyday essentials.

We've introduced restrictions that the majority think are fair - three items per customer on every product line. For now, we are also cutting back on multi-buys and some promotions, so that there's enough to go round.

Where pressure is particularly high, we're simplifying our range to get more of the most popular products on shelves. Take milk. Right now shoppers mostly want two and four pints so we'll create capacity by removing single pints for a while.

Just one of many little changes we're making but we'd like you to make a little change too

If you're heading out today or next week we ask one thing: buy only what you need, so that there is enough for everyone.

Maybe at the end of each aisle ask yourself: 'Next week, do I need everything in my trolley or basket?'

If the answer is 'no', then please consider putting some things back on shelves. If all of us do just a bit of that, then every little will help.

Here's why: we've increased the daily flow of food to stores to record levels. Tesco lorries alone covered millions of miles last week sending up to double the normal amounts of milk, bread, rice and pasta. Other food items are going to stores every day at vastly increased volumes too.

A word on one of our national obsessions: we'd normally sell two million packs of toilet roll  last week we delivered to stores a whopping 3.4million!

We know there is enough food and essentials for everyone. It's those extras in every shop which create the big peaks in demand emptying the shelves.

If we all work together, and if we all shop normally together, we can all be more certain. We can fear one less thing: putting food on the table for ourselves and our loved ones.

Finally, I want to say 'thank you' to everyone who's shown patience and appreciation to our store colleagues. Many of them are also worried about their own families and loved ones as they work selflessly to look after millions of shoppers.

Small gestures go a long way. It's that spirit I talked about earlier.

Without doubt, we'll get through and we'll do it by working hard and working together. I've been a part of the Tesco team for six years, and there's never been a time where our colleagues haven't been willing to rise to a challenge.

There will be some issues and some disappointment, but we'll step up, crack-on and do our very best.

Together, we can do this.
Dentists and other businesses are donating equipment and supplies to hospitals that are reporting or suffering shortages while treating coronavirus patients.

N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment are among the most requested items for doctors and nurses.

The federal government is sending supplies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national stockpile and working with private companies to ramp up production. Meanwhile, people are reaching out to doctors and hospitals on their own, offering what they can.

From dentists donating their own supplies to contractors donating respirator masks, people are stepping up in a time of need.

Lowe's donating millions

Lowe's says it is committing $25 million to support the emerging needs of its associates, customers and communities.

"This includes a $10 million donation in essential protective products to do our part in helping to keep medical professionals on the frontlines of this crisis healthy and safe," the company said in a statement. "We deeply appreciate their actions and commitment. These funds will also support our Employee Relief Fund and offer small business relief for our Pros."

Related video above: Vocational school donates supplies to hospital

'I started reaching out to friends'

James Pring, a molecular biologist at Columbia University, enjoys woodworking when he's not in the lab for his day job. Pring listens to a couple of woodworking podcasts weekly, including "Shop Talk Live - Fine Woodworking."

After this week's episode, he realized other woodworkers and contractors have equipment hospitals need, such as respirator masks. Contractors use them to avoid breathing in dust during construction. Pring contacted the podcast host, Ben Strano.

"It's a running joke in the woodworking community that people over-order" the masks, Pring said. "I started reaching out to friends and said, 'Hey, if you have some, let me know.' They're going to do much more good on the face of a doctor or a nurse or a scientist than the face of someone who's tinkering about in their shops."

Health care workers don't use the exact same masks as woodworkers, but when the option is a construction mask or nothing, using the construction masks for doctors and nurses is a better option, Pring believes. 3M, an American manufacturer of these masks, makes them for health care workers and construction workers.

Pring requested woodworkers donate their refillable N95 and N100 cartridges, filters that go inside the masks, to health care workers, along with any extra masks.

When Strano received Pring's message March 17, he jumped into action, calling on the Fine Woodworking website -- where he is a digital brand manager -- and social media community to inform contractors and woodworkers across the country of the need for donations.

On the other side of the country from Strano's home in Newtown, Connecticut, two contractors in California saw the post.

Contractor Stuart Slack in Los Gatos, California, realized he had extra N95 respirator masks sitting in his garage from an attempted donation to fire victims in Napa, California. He missed the window to donate and still had the box.

Slack reached out to a surgeon friend at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, a San Jose County Hospital. The friend said he would pick them up as soon as possible.

Paul Kavanagh, owner of Hill 16 Construction in San Jose, had a few N95 respirators to donate. He reached out to his doctor at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara and asked if he wanted the extra masks. The doctor picked them up that night.

Another contractor friend of Kavanagh's, Liam O'Brien, had 160 masks of his own. Together, they donated 175 masks to Kavanaugh's doctor.

"These are the guys on the front lines. The man in charge says they are fighting a war here. The only ones fighting a war are the doctors and the nurses. They need them more than anybody else," Kavanagh said. "We can suck in a bit of dust, and we'll survive, but they won't."

Goldman Sachs, dentists donate gear

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, and the American Dental Association recommended patients delay all nonemergency or elective medical procedures in an effort to save supplies.

Some hospitals across the country mandated that all nonessential appointments be canceled. The states of Ohio and Michigan made similar announcements.

While dental offices shift to canceling nonessential procedures, some dentists are attempting to coordinate donation of the supplies they have that hospitals might need.

The Massachusetts Dental Society said in a tweet that it was working with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to organize donations from dental offices. A page on the society's website explains what donations are needed and how to make an appointment to drop off supplies at MEMA.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that Goldman Sachs, the investment bank and financial services company, donated 100,000 masks to the state. Cuomo called on others to consider donating what they could.

"Clinics that are closed," he said. "We need those masks, gowns, gloves, and we need them now."

While every donation counts, Dr. Evan Benjamin, chief medical officer of Ariadne Labs, a joint project of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital, said the donations aren't enough to fulfill the need across the country.

"Even if we had everyone donate all of these to their local hospital, we would still have a shortage," Benjamin said, also an associate professor at both HPS and Harvard Medical School. "It wouldn't be enough, but it would help, so I would encourage the donation. If they have (personal protection equipment), particularly the masks, I would encourage the donation to their local hospital. We do have to work on the bigger picture at the same time."

Pring agreed that donations will make an impact.

"If we get people to donate 10,000 masks, that's 10,000 health care workers who have a reduced chance of getting sick," Pring said. "That's 10,000 more people who can help people. It just seems the smart thing to do."
The federal government on Sunday said the confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria now stands at 30, with three fresh cases discovered in Lagos.

The new cases were confirmed by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Sunday evening.

Three new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Lagos, Nigeria. 2 cases are returning travellers and 1 is a contact of a confirmed case.

As at 05:28 pm on the 22nd of March, there are 30 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria. 2 have been discharged with no deaths, NCDC tweeted.

The Lagos State Ministry of Health earlier gave an update on the new cases, saying that one of the three new patients is a 51-year-old Briton who arrived Nigeria on March 8 via BA75 flight.

The second patient is a Nigerian who returned on March 14 through a connecting flight; KL0582 London -Amsterdam / KL0587 Amsterdam  Lagos.

The third patient is a 65-year-old United States citizen who arrived in Lagos about six weeks ago, but has just tested positive to the virus.

Given a rise in the number of confirmed cases in Nigeria, citizens have been advised to practise social distancing, wash their hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.

Several measures have been put in place by the federal and state governments to stall the spread of the virus, such as the closure of schools and the suspension of social and religious gatherings of more than 50 persons.

The Lagos State Government also announced on Sunday that civil servants from grade levels one to 12 should stay at home for 14 days starting from Monday 23, 2020.

Of Nigerias 30 confirmed cases, two have been discharged while no death has occurred from the disease.

A breakdown shows that Lagos State still tops the chart with the highest number of confirmed cases.

As of the time of reporting, Lagos State had reported 22 cases, Abuja  four, Ogun  two, Ekiti  one and Oyo  one.
Santa Clara County health officials reported a one-day, 67-person increase in novel coronavirus cases as of 5 p.m. Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the area to 263, with no additional deaths.

The increase wasn't unexpected due to "given community transmission, an increase in provider reporting and growing testing capacity through the commercial market," county health officials said in a statement. They declined to provide anymore information on the increase Saturday.
The arrival of the novel Coronavirus on our shores may have broadened our knowledge of disease, but it has also enabled misinformation to spread almost as quickly as the illness itself.

Those with only a casual awareness of how diseases work have become familiar with terms such as "containment phase", "contact tracing" and "herd immunity" in the past few weeks. We are all amateur immunologists now.

For anyone wanting to know how diseases spread, Adam Kucharski's book, The Rules of Contagion is a timely introduction. And as Kucharski points out, it is not only diseases that are contagious.

Behaviour also goes viral, as we have seen with the panic buying in shops in recent days. That is a form of social contagion. You only have to be in a room where one person yawns, to be followed by others, to see how a habit can quickly become infectious.

Expand Close An illustration of Mary Mallon aka 'Typhoid Mary' breaking skulls into a skillet, circa 1909. Photo: Fotosearch/Getty Images / Facebook

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Kucharski, an epidemiologist, just missed the boat as far as the novel Coronavirus is concerned. He finished his book just before the virus emerged in China.

But many of the themes explored here are relevant to Covid-19, and help to deepen our understanding of how the current pandemic is spreading.

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As Kucharski tells it, there have been superspreaders of disease since time immemorial. These are the individuals who manage to infect a large number of people.

Take the current outbreak for example. At the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in South Korea, a devout superspreader known as Patient 31 was reported to have infected at least 37 people with Covid-19 in February after suffering a high fever.

Ireland has made its own contribution to the world of superspreading in the form of Mary Mallon, an infectious but asymptomatic Irish cook from Tyrone who was dubbed "Typhoid Mary" in the early twentieth century.

Mallon carried a typhoid infection. She was employed for several families around New York City as a cook, and her cuisine is perhaps best described as toxic fusion. Her work as a cook was reported to have led to numerous separate outbreaks of Typhoid in the city and several deaths.

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Kucharski shows how the study of the spread of disease is as much about mathematics as it is about biology. Over the past few weeks, scientists have built mathematical models to predict what will happen with Covid-19.

For the scientists, one of the key figures is the Reproduction number of a disease. This is known as R. Kucharski explains that R represents the average number of new infections generated by a typical person with the disease.

The R number for Covid-19 is estimated to be between 2 and 3. In other words the average infected person passes on the virus to two to three people.

The difference between an R of 2 and R of 3 is enormous in terms of the speed of a disease's spread.

If R is 2, an initial infected person will generate two cases. These two new cases will on average generate two more each, and so on. By the fifth generation of the virus, you would expect 32 people to be infected. But if the Reproduction number is 3 - three cases per individual - the number of infected people at the same stage is 243 on average.

Historically, people of a certain background or nationality have been been stigmatised when there is an outbreak.

As with Covid-19, there has always been a finger-wagging tendency to blame certain groups for the spread of a disease.

As Kucharski points out, in the sixteenth century, the English believed syphilis came from France, and referred to it as the "French pox". The French were convinced it was from Naples, and called it the "Neapolitan disease", and in Russia it was attributed to the Poles.

We still refer to the lethal pandemic of 1918-19, which killed 23,000 in Ireland, as the "Spanish flu", but that was only because the Spanish media were able to file reports about the spread of the disease. In other countries where it was rampant such as England and France, there was wartime censorship and reports of the disease were cut for fear that it might damage morale.

Long-distance flights play a crucial role in spreading viruses around the world, and flight connections seem to be just as important as proximity.

Kucharski estimates that the 2009 flu virus took three months to spread across the eastern United States and it travelled at a speed of 1kmh.

In case anyone was in any doubt about the wisdom of shutting schools eight days ago, Kucharski dispels it with his description of the typical school as "a melting pot of infection".

In the 2009 pandemic there were two outbreak peaks, in Spring and Autumn, with a dip in between. This is explained by the fact that during school holidays, children have 40pc fewer daily social contacts.
- Kenya was ranked position 121 out of 156 in the latest World Happiness Report

-The country, however, beat its neighbouring countries Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi

- The happiest country in Africa was Libya which was ranked position 80 globally with a score of 5.489.

- Finland emerged as the country with the happiest people in the world after scoring 7.809 out of the possible 10 marks

- The ranking was based on income, healthy life expectancy, freedom, trust, generosity and social support in the countries

The United Nation's World Happiness Report 2020 has ranked Kenya as one of the countries with the most unhappy people in the world.

Kenya was ranked in position 121 out of 156 countries with a score of 4.583 out of the possible 10.

READ ALSO: Boni Khalwale stirs internet after sharing photos of Raila staring during prayer

Kenyans lining up during funeral service of late president Daniel Moi. Photo: Edwin Ochieng'

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Makau Mutua asisitiza maombi haitasaidia kupigana na coronavirus

According to the survey which was released on Friday, March 21, in East Africa, Kenyans were ranked the happiest people as compared to Uganda, which was in position 126, Burundi (140), Tanzania (148), Rwanda (150) and South Sudan (152).

Notably, Kenya maintained its position as was the case in 2019.

The happiest country in Africa was Libya, which came at position 80 globally with a score of 5.489.

It is closely followed by Ivory Coast at position 85, Benin (86), Congo (88), Ghana (91), Morocco (97) and Cameroon (98). South Africa is 109th with a score of 4.814.

READ ALSO: Former Real Madrid president dies after contracting coronavirus

The biggest gainer was Benin, up 1.64 points and moving from the bottom of the ranking to near the middle, read the report.

For the third year in a row, Finland emerged the happiest nation in the world with a score of 7.809.

Denmark was second with an index of 7.646 followed by Switzerland (7.560), Iceland (7.504) and Norway.

Others were Netherlands (7.449), Sweden (7.353), New Zealand (7.300), Austria (7.294), Luxembourg (7.238), Canada (7.232), and Australia (7.223).

Kenyans walking in the streets of Nairobi. Photo: Daily Nation

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Museveni suspends all flights as Uganda reports first case

The United States of America was ranked at position 18 with a score of 6.940, the United Kingdom was 13th with an index of 7.165, Germany was ranked 17th with a score of 7.076 while Italy was 30th with an index of 6.387.

The top countries tend to have high values for most of the key variables that have been found to support well-being, including income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust, and generosity, said the UN.

The countries were ranked based on income, healthy life expectancy, freedom, trust, generosity and social support, and freedom from corruption.

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Young Australians have been warned they are 'not immune' to the deadly coronavirus as cases continue to surge across the country and the globe.

Deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly made the grim announcement on Sunday, after the prime minister blasted beachgoers who flouted social distancing measures when they flocked to Bondi on Friday.

'Some young people have died and some young people have transmitted that infection to other members of their family,' Professor Kelly said.

Professor Kelly said although 80 per cent of those infected suffer mild symptoms, 20 per cent suffer severely - and young people are not immune.

Young people at Bondi on Friday before the beach was shut for social distancing. After strong government messaging stressing that coronavirus harms elderly people the most, young people are at risk of not understanding that they, too, can become seriously ill or die

Health authorities are now warning young people they are not immune from the coronavirus - and they need to keep 1.5m away from each other

'I would like to stress this, particularly to young people, you are not immune from this virus,' he told a national press conference.

'While we have seen across the world people getting this very severe infection, the 20 per cent who get it are mostly older people, but some young people have also had severe infection.'

Photos of young people hugging and partying at Bondi in the last of the summer heat on Friday shocked authorities into closing the iconic beach on Saturday to ensure people keep to the new 1.5m social distancing guidelines.

Pictures of crowds emerged on Instagram, while many shared jokes about about the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the issue on Saturday saying it was a wake-up call to the country to take social distancing seriously.

'What we saw on the weekend at Bondi Beach would have been done innocently, but negligently done,' he said in an address to the nation.

Waverley Council also closed Tamarama and Bronte Beaches on Sunday.

Young people enjoying Bondi Beach on Friday before Waverley Council closed Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches. Health authorities have warned that young people are at risk

One young woman who wished to remain anonymous contacted Daily Mail Australia in disgust after seeing the pictures on Instagram.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'No one's taking it seriously,' she said.

'People are making a mockery of it.

'Bondi was seriously packed and you wouldn't know there was a coronavirus crisis - The Bucket List was heaving,' she said on Saturday.

Australia has introduced stricter social distancing guidelines on Friday when Mr Morrison told the nation people should stand between 1m and 1.5 metres away from each other wherever possible.

In addition, gatherings of fewer than 100 people indoors must have four square metres of space per person.

'If you've got a room, if you've got a premises, if you've got a meeting room or something like that, that is 100 square metres, then you can have 25 people in that room,' Mr Morrison said.

Gatherings of more than 100 people indoors are banned as are gatherings of more than 500 people outside.

The World Health Organisation has also reminded young and fit people that they will not be spared by the virus.

'I have a message for young people: You are not invincible,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking online from WHO headquarters in Geneva on Friday.

'This virus could put you in hospital for weeks or even kill you. Even if you don't get sick the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else.'

Tragic news from the US city of New Orleans on Sunday underscored the risk for younger people, when a 39-year-old medical worker was found dead in her kitchen while still waiting for her coronavirus test results.

Natasha Ott, who worked for Crescent Care, an organisation that treated HIV positive people, didn't take a coronavirus test even though she had a dry cough because she was told she was low-risk, the US Sun reported.

Millenials at The Bucket List, Bondi Beach, on Friday night making coronavirus jokes before the beach was closed on Saturday. Young people have been unaware that they, too, are at risk

Bondi Beach was packed on Friday as seen in this photo. This shocked authorities into closing the beach on Saturday. Those who went to The Bucket List, a bar opposite the beach, on March 15 for the Boogie Wonderland party have been asked to self-isolate

There were only five tests left at her clinic and she didn't take one so that someone else who needed it more could have it.

She got tested a week later after developing a fever, but it was too late.

Australia's rapidly rising coronavirus cases hit 1316 by Sunday night with seven dead, as states moved to close their internal borders.

The Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia will all close their internal borders this week, while New South Wales and Victoria are going to shut down all non-essential services within the next 48 hours.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a second stimulus package on Sunday, adding $66 billion in new measures including doubling the Jobseeker Allowance (Newstart) from $550 a fortnight for singles to $1100.


From Men's Health

Strongman Eddie Hall just posted a video from his recent trip to Sydney, Australia where he was preparing for the Arnold Classic event in Melbourne. That event has since been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, much like the Arnold Classic in Ohio earlier in the month, but Eddie still managed to find a way to make the most of his trip Down Under.

Eddie is, of course, a fan of working out with other strength athletes, and tends to get a bit competitive in the process, recently taking on powerlifter Stefi Cohen and world arm wrestling champion Neil Pickup. In his latest trip to the gym, Eddie is joined by two-time Australia's Strongest Man winner, Eddie Williams, as well as his own brother James, a professional rugby player who holds four world records in the Ski Erg.

They warm up by working up to 60 percent of their max on the dumbbell press, then hit the log press, before Eddie issues the challenge that everybody has been waiting for: who can perform best on the Ski Erg, him or his brother? For clarity: James' four records are for the distance traveled in 1 minute, and best time in the 5o0 meters, 1,000 meters and 2,000 meters categories.

The Hall brothers key up the machines for 30 seconds, and then have at it. (Eddie Williams and trainer Jay are still there participating in the challenge, but this race is between the brothers.)

Eddie completes 209 meters in the allotted time, while four-time record breaker James holds onto his titles, winning with a distance of 209 meters.

"I've just beaten the World's Strongest Man on the Ski Erg," James crows. "By 2 meters!"

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The hanging of four convicts in the infamous Delhi gang rape and murder case of December 2012 brought down the curtain on one of Independent India's most heinous sexual assault cases. The case not only shook the conscience of the country but also prompted the government to usher in concrete changes in its legal framework and make stringent punishment the norm rather than the exception in sexual crime cases.

Ever since the death warrants were issued against all the four convicts, they resorted to every available legal means to delay their hanging. While we have every reason to heave a ...
The world's biggest Saudi has said it is focusing its downstream investments in high-growth nations such as India as it negotiates a deal to buy up to 20 per cent stake in Reliance Industries' USD 75 billion oil-to-chemical business.

In its latest annual report, said it is looking at investment opportunities in high-growth markets as well as nations that rely on importing crude oil.

India is the world's fastest-growing energy market with fuel consumption rising at 4-5 per cent annually. It also relies on imports to meet its 83 per cent of oil needs. Saudi Arabia is its second-biggest oil supplier, exporting close to a fifth of India's oil sourced from abroad.

"Saudi is focusing its downstream investments in areas of high growth, including China, India and Southeast Asia, material demand centers such as the United States, and countries that rely on importing crude oil, such as Japan and South Korea," the firm said in its annual report.

Besides, the integration of the firm's upstream and downstream segments provides a unique opportunity for to secure crude oil demand by selling to refineries designed specificallyto economically process Arabian crude oil.

"Furthermore, intends to enhance its domestic and global marketing businesses to support the position of its upstream business in key, high-growth geographies, including China, India and Southeast Asia, which are integral to Saudi Aramco's existing business and future expansion strategy," it said adding the firm intends to maintain its presence in key large countries that rely on importing crude oil.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani had in August last year announced initial agreements to sell a 20 per cent stake in the oil-to-chemical business to the Saudi national oil company. Also, a 49 per cent interest in fuel retailing business was sold to the UK's BP plc for Rs 7,000 crore.

Morgan Stanley in a March 19 research note stated thatAramco had in a conference call stated that it is still conducting due diligence on a potential investment in RIL's oil to chemicals operation.

"Once evaluation is complete, it will move to the next stage of the approval process," it said.

Refining and petrochemicals are a cash cow for Reliance. As part of the August deal, will supply 500,000 barrels per day of crude (25 million tonnes per annum) on a long-term basis to Reliance's Jamnagar refinery complex (40 per cent of the refining capacity).

Market analyst firm Bernstein in a recent report had stated that Reliance's partnership with Aramco signals expansion rather than retreat as growth opportunities are expected to boost the petrochemical and refining vertical.

Stating that India has significant secular expansion (that is, unaffected by short-term trends) ahead in refined products and petrochemicals, it had said with the lowest demand per capita of 1.3 barrels per person, demand for refined products will grow by 5 million barrels per day over the next two decades, more than any other major market.

Ethylene demand could grow ten-fold from 5kg per person per annum to 50-60kg pp/pa as consumer demand rises. India is estimated to be the fastest-growing refined fuels market over the next 20 years (faster than China) and will also one of the fastest-growing markets for petrochemicals given the per capita demand which will grow with the GDP.

The single largest asset within Reliance's refining and petrochemical business is the Jamnagar complex, which is one of the world's largest refining hubs.

The Jamnagar complex was built in 2000 with a capacity of 0.67 million barrels per day. After upgrades in 2008, Jamnagar's crude processing capacity has more than doubled to 1.24 million bpd. Not only is Jamnagar the largest refinery hub in the world, but it is also one of the most complex refineries globally, allowing RIL to process discounted heavier crude oil into oil products.
A batch of 263 Indians evacuated from Italy in view of the Covid-19 outbreak there were brought back to the country on Sunday and sent to a ITBP quarantine facility, officials said. "The special flight had 263 passengers. It landed at around 10 am at Delhi airport from Rome," an Air India official said.

The Air India flight had taken off from the Delhi airport on Saturday. "All the 263 people are being taken to our quarantine centre in Chhawla area of south-west Delhi after thermal screening and immigration at the tarmac," an ITBP spokesperson said. ALSO ...
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Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, will donate 10,000 disposable masks and 500 protective suits to the city of Braga, Portugal, said the municipal foreign affairs office.

In a letter to Shenyang Mayor Jiang Youwei on Thursday, Ricardo Rio, the mayor of Braga, said his city hoped to learn from Shenyang's experience in coronavirus prevention and control, as well as the support.

Shenyang authorities organized a video conference Friday afternoon with officials and medical experts of Braga to share its experience in epidemic prevention and public health crisis management.

Shenyang and Braga will establish a sister-city relationship in accordance with an agreement signed during Ricardo Rio's visit to the Chinese city in October 2017.
Yesterday, a year passed since Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation from the post of president of Kazakhstan, appointing Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev as successor to the chairman of the Senate of the Parliament. Experts believe that Tokaevs first year was a stress test for stability: the transit of power is already fraught with a situation of uncertainty, but the new head of state had to deal with a network of unpredictable and dramatic events that fall under the definition of black swans.

Kazakhstan was the first country in Central Asia where the change of power took place in full accordance with the Constitution. After 30 years of rule, Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned, transferring the powers of the president to Senate speaker Kasym-Zhomart Tokaev. He himself left the post of life-long chairman of the Security Council - the body that monitors the observance of the national interests of Kazakhstan, the Nur Otan party of power, whose members implement all the economic and political reforms of the country, and the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, which is responsible for international agreement in Kazakhstan. Even the first president has the title of Elbasy - the leader of the nation, which is more significant under the Constitution than the president. This allows Nazarbayev to keep his finger on the pulse of the state and control the president. In the country and abroad, the transit of power in Kazakhstan is considered incomplete.

Nazarbayevs departure resembles a common saying: "The British leave without saying goodbye, and the Kazakhs say goodbye, but do not leave." So Nursultan Nazarbayev, having left the post of head of state, fully retained all the political, economic and power levers of government.

"The model of the political system of Kazakhstan, which was initiated by the first president Nursultan Nazarbayev, was successful. It passed a gradual constitutional reform, smooth political transit, transfer of power to another generation of politicians, and Kazakhstan did not fall apart, remained a stable, dynamically developing country. Nazarbayev solved the same problem that and General de Gaulle in creating sustainable institutions of power, "Yuri Solozobov, director of international projects at the Institute for National Strategy of the Russian Federation, told Vestnik Kavkaza.

According to the expert, the resignation of Nazarbayev showed which institutions are well-functioning, which were decorative and were in the aura of Nazarbayevs charisma. For example, the Assembly of the Peoples of Kazakhstan (ANC) turned out to be weak in the recent ethnic conflict in the south of Kazakhstan with the Dungans. "The ANC as an institution was initiated by the president and built into the parliamentary system of the republic. It had the opportunity to become the immune system of Kazakhstan, by working to prevent and prevent ethnic exacerbations. But this did not happen. The ANC preferred a more comfortable regime of the House of Culture, and festivals of friendship of peoples - indicative, bright parades of costumes, "said Solozobov.

The expert believes that over the year, the Kazakhstan model of continuity has proven viability. The model of governance in Kazakhstan has changed. The country was transferred from manual control to automatic mode. Tokaev ensured a smooth transition of power and its international legitimization. He is a diplomat, known to all international centers of power, and here his candidacy did not cause any difficulties. Tokaev showed that he is a mature politician, competent, capable of certain reforms that have matured in Kazakhstan. But, according to the expert, Tokaev will have to work on establishing managerial and economic balance.

"The president has created a new structure - the National Council of Public Confidence (NNOD). Trust is the main element that connects the population with the political community. And here Tokayev appeared as the president of political reforms," said Yuri Solozobov.

According to the expert, the external background is not the most successful for President Tokayev. All year he had to deal with one crisis or another: rallies of mothers with many children and the opposition, explosions of ammunition depots in Arys, conflicts in Kordai, falling oil prices and demand for raw materials. The industrial collapse in China breaks many consumer chains, this reduces the living standards of the population. Unprecedented measures are being taken to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. And here we see that Kazakhstan proved to be one of the best in the post-Soviet space, a coronavirus memo was promptly introduced, the entire medical system was mobilized, an emergency mode was introduced in the largest million-plus cities.

It is these circumstances that caused Tokaevs anti-crisis decree on giving the president super powers and strengthening his position. Experts explain the direct presidential leadership by the upcoming package of "decisive and sometimes radical reforms," which Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev announced as the "New Economic Course."

Yuri Solozobov believes that the transition period usually takes several years. Cleansing work is necessary to eliminate the old guardsmen and honored people in the system of power. The second is the arrival of a new generation in politics. And there was hope for an early parliamentary election to renew the political elite of Kazakhstan. I think that this task will still be solved and it will take another two or three years for the transition period. Nazarbayev, however, remains in the current configuration as a republican monarch.

Valery Surganov, editor-in-chief of the Vedomosti Kazakhstan portal, also believes that the first year of Tokayevs presidency was not easy. "In addition to the fact that the transit of power is already fraught with a situation of uncertainty and some nervousness, the incumbent president had to deal with a whole network of unpredictable and dramatic events that fall under the definition of" black swans "- a technological disaster in Arys that occurred two weeks after the presidential election , inter-ethnic clashes in Kordai at the beginning of this year, the collapse of oil prices, the devaluation of the national currency and the epidemic of COVID-19. However, President Tokaev passed the tests with honor and passes demonstrating in his reaction to them the practical implementation of the concept of the hearing state: having left on an emergency basis in Arys, he introduced emergency (in the opinion of some, excessive) measures to combat the global pandemic COVID-19. At the same time, he consistently pursues his agenda, " - said "Vestnik Kavkaza" Surganov.

According to the expert, it is noteworthy that at the Tokayev Agenda Center there are changes along the lines of the state  society relationship and a clear idea that effective economic reforms are impossible without political modernization. The state has really become more hearing - people with a reputation of non-conformists and opponents of the government are invited to dialogue with the authorities at venues such as the NSOD. The taboo from rally activity is gradually being removed - the procedure for holding rallies is proposed to be transferred from permitting to notification. The possibility of liberalizing party legislation in terms of lowering the threshold for registering political parties is being considered. A decision was made on the parole of the former head of Kazatomprom Mukhtar Dzhakishev, who is considered a political prisoner in a liberal environment. These steps are supported by measures of social support for socially vulnerable groups of the population - large, poor, state employees. Targeted social assistance was increased, a credit amnesty was held, tax holidays for small and micro businesses were announced, salaries of state employees were increased, etc.

"This transforms the image of the Kazakh government, it appears as more democratic, tolerant of dissent, while noticeably" fieldless ", social democratic. Surely, this causes some misunderstanding on the part of the conservative elite and the state apparatus. As a result, tension arises, visible manifestations which becomes a drain of incriminating evidence and scandals on social networks, the thesis of the alleged dual power, various rumors and conjectures, etc. And this is another test for the incumbent president. As a matter of fact, the outcome of the first year of Tokayevs presidency can be called the formation of his own agenda - if it continues to move forward, Kazakhstan will face deep systemic changes, Valery Surganov said.
EDWARDSVILLE  With the closure of area schools, some families are looking for a reliable source for food.

According to an Edwardsville School District 7 Superintendent Jason Henderson, Grab and Go breakfasts and lunches are being provided by the district to those who are in need.

Im hopeful that everyone is safe at home today and that your students have been able to access the assignments that the teachers have provided, Henderson said in a statement recently. I also hope those of you that requested meals were able to pick them up today or that they have been delivered.

Parents were asked to request meals via survey by noon on March 16. The survey was used in order for the district to know how many meals were needed. Those who requested the meals could pick them up from 9 a.m. to noon at one of the three pick-up locations: Glen Carbon Elementary, Worden Elementary or Edwardsville High School. These meals will stop being served on Monday, March 30, depending on circumstances.

Aside from the district, Henderson also noted some local restaurants will help those in need of meals.

If your students are struggling on this first day to complete their assignments or are overwhelmed, please reassure them that their teachers are going to be flexible and will help them through this as we move forward, he said. I also want to continue to reassure students and parents that any assignments completed during the time of school closure will not negatively affect their grades.

Those who are struggling to access the internet may seek help from Charter or Madison Communications. Both companies are offering 60 days of free internet access to families during this time, Henderson said.

More Information Meals offered by local venues: SNACK: Source Juicery: Snack bags or fresh fruit for kids in need. If you call ahead, they will deliver to your car. 618-650-9080 228 N. Main Street, Edwardsville BREAKFAST: 222 Artisan Bakery: Free breakfast of baked oatmeal for kids, Monday thru Friday 7 a.m. - 10 a.m. Walk-in and grab a bag. 618-659-1122 222 N. Main St, Edwardsville LUNCH: McAlister's Deli: Offering a free lunch for kids from Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free lunch will include a turkey and cheese sandwich, chips, applesauce and a cookie. No other purchase necessary. 618-372-9599 312 Great Place Dr., Edwardsville Crazy Bowls & Wraps: Offering free kids quesadillas Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Meal will include a drink, crispy treat, chips and no additional purchase necessary. 618-692-9727 6679 Edwardsville Crossing, Edwardsville Mike Shannon's Grill: School-aged children will receive a meal with choice of a grilled chicken breast, turkey sandwich or ham sandwich and will be served with carrot sticks, fruit slices and a 12 oz. beverage (whole milk, apple juice, orange juice or lemonade). Between 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Pick up. 618-655-9911 871 S. Arbor Vitae, Edwardsville Doc's Smokehouse: Children who participate in the free lunch program at school may get a free child chicken sandwich with your choice of either applesauce or green beans, including a treat as well, Monday through Friday 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Call ahead and orders must be picked up inside. 618-656-6060 6108 Shoger Dr, Suite D, Edwardsville See More Collapse

To learn more about what Charter is offering, visit: https://corporate.charter.com/newsroom/charter-to-offer-free-access-to-spectrum-broadband-and-wifi-for-60-days-for-new-K12-and-college-student-households-and-more

To learn more about what Madison Communications is offering, visit: http://gomadison.com/about-us/covid-19-response
An enigmatic figure in suave, sombre attire scoots inside the cafe, dark eyes darting, his wide, Germanic lapels raised against the cold. He is wary, perhaps, of being observed. It comes with being married to a film star, hell later shrug. Is this really James Righton, one-time member of nu-rave figureheads Klaxons and now Mr Keira Knightley? Dressed in a woollen trench coat and with louche, slicked back hair, hes unrecognisable from the garish 20-something who blitzed the Noughties with gamma ray synths, angular barnets and T-shirts like a violent backstreet art attack. His look now is more Third Man than Mad Max, more Berlin 31 than Shoreditch 06.

At their late-Noughties peak, Klaxons briefly manned the control deck of alternative culture. They bagged the 2007 Mercury Prize for their fantasy vision debut album Myths of the Near Future, performed with Rihanna at the 2008 Brit Awards and inspiring legions of shouty, day-glo synth manglers in their image. Yet they collapsed over two messy and confused subsequent albums and now epitomise a Noughties indie hangover, a fractured neon memory of the nation being briefly intoxicated by MDMA and dazzled by glowsticks before guitar music went south.

With his debonaire, retro-modernist debut solo album, though, Righton has dubbed himself The Performer. Is it a means to shed the nu-rave stigma? A disguise? Is it both album title and new persona?

Righton slides behind a table in the north London cafe, not far from the home he shares with Knightley and their two daughters. With a persona, he considers, youre probably trying to hide behind something, and Im not trying to hide behind anything, lyrically at least. And yet, the white suits he has started wearing onstage as The Performer suggest seventies Ferry; Bowies Thin White Duke; a musician exploring the codes of showbiz. I started becoming something other, he admits. The suit became quite transformative in me  onstage, I became more confident and less scared about performing. I felt like I could do it again. I started to think about how as a musician, as an actor, whatever youre doing, youre becoming something else when you step on a stage, and the audience is complicit in that.

The title track of The Performer  a meta song about the art of performing that resembles Metronomy rewriting the Cabaret soundtrack  also speaks to the hollowness and discomfort of a performance you feel no part in, of really putting on a show. Thats not me standing there in the light, put it on for the night, he croons, a reference to grinning and bearing his way through the death throes of Klaxons. I felt like I wasnt there, he says. It became some kind of a karaoke show or a travelling circus where youre not really present youre doing something and you feel that its dying, but you have to go out every night as a commitment. There were times where I didnt want to be there.

Five years on from the bands split, Righton is only now beginning to feel comfortable on his creative feet again. My confidence was shot from the last three or four years of the Klaxons, he admits. Wed gone through such a journey of extreme highs, extreme lows, that by the end of it I didnt know if I could do it, or wanted to do it. I was lacking in any kind of confidence. The highs, he continues, were the first week of the band. The first time we got into a room together in New Cross, all on the dole, and the chemistry was instant  we wrote these songs that became the first album really quick.

Ive learnt to control my inner Virgo (Raffaele Cariou)

But the lows were hard to handle. Then the momentum and the hype happened and we couldnt ever control that. I felt deep down that we were doomed from that point. Whilst it was enjoyable to go on this ride, Id always look at myself from the outside and go, I would hate this band if I was looking in. I dont trust things that are hyped.

It sounds like a classic case of imposter syndrome. Massively, Righton agrees. I felt guilty: We dont deserve this. Also, how are you gonna do anything but disappoint with your next record? Of course, then it affected band dynamics. Some people are more prone to believe the hype, so egos, addictions, drugs, you name it, we did it all.

As the Noughties indie rock explosion gasped its last breath, and with it the pre-streaming age of music industry excess, Klaxons represented a final hedonistic blow-out, the last great party in town. It was out there, remembers Righton. Looking back, it was pretty extreme. We all had different issues that we were probably too young to understand at the time. The attention and the drugs and the constant travelling could mask over these things.

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There wasnt a no button, he continues. I remember one of our first tour managers, we asked him, Can we have our per diems [daily allowance] now? He said, No boys, I spent it all on drugs. It was crazy for me, because I was completely straight. I drank but I didnt really do anything else. I came from a small town where I wanted to be in Radiohead, then before I knew it I was in a cross between Duran Duran and Happy Mondays.

Righton recalls the troubled  and eye-wateringly expensive  birth of Klaxons 2010 second album Surfing The Void. We probably spent My Bloody Valentine levels of money on that second album, he chuckles. Im not joking. We went to Milan twice, for six weeks. Got to this amazing studio, the Abbey Road of Milan, old cinema, unbelievable. We all had apartments in Milan for six weeks. Day one, set up the gear. Day two, we go in. Any songs? Nothing. Day three, we just go shopping. We then spend the next five weeks going out and shopping in Milan.

Doomed: Righton (second from right) with Klaxons at the 2007 Mercury Awards (Gareth Cattermole/Getty) (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

But he isnt entirely despairing of his Klaxons years. We had a lot of fun, he says. We werent a cynical, negative band and we all had personalities. He shivers at the thought of being in a band again, though. Bands are brutal. Theyre a dog-eat-dog world. I always think its really weird that bands stay together because if youre an actor, you dont act with the same actors for your whole life.

When Klaxons broke up after three albums, Righton had perhaps more of a safety net than bandmates Jamie Reynolds and Simon Taylor-Davies. Hed partnered up with Keira Knightley, having randomly sat beside the actor at an Oscars screening party in Soho. Luckily, I was really, really drunk, he says. So I was fearless. I dont know what I did or said that connected. Maybe she took pity on me.

As for early dates  dinner in Paris? Night flight over Vegas? I remember taking her to Thorpe Park, he says. I thought that would do it. I was terrified of rollercoasters but I thought I needed to do something that was not the usual. It was a fun time in our lives together, when we could go out until the early morning, come back, have a late lunch, then do it all over again. Now, with two kids, thats like another lifetime. And theirs is not exactly an A-lister lifestyle, he says. Ive married the least movie star person possible, James laughs. You probably know more movie stars than my wife. When she does films, shes usually got quite a big part, and it means that she has to work really hard and theres a lot of onus on her.

So hes not round Bobby De Niros gaff twice a week? Youre not round Bobby De Niros house, Righton chuckles. When I go on set, its incredible watching her work, because I sometimes forget what she does, but then when I see it, Im completely blown away. Shes really f***ing good. Were talking about someone who had a lot of attention at such an early age and managed to survive it. Thats such a strength.

The least movie star person possible: Righton with his wife, Keira Knightley, in 2018 (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty) (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Righton credits his wife (they married in the south of France in 2013) for seeing him through a post-Klaxons wilderness period where he hated music and considered quitting. She encouraged him to play early solo demos, inspired by childhood loves like Todd Rundgren and ELO, to Klaxons producer James Ford, resulting in a 2017 album as Shock Machine. At the same time, Knightley filming The Aftermath in Eastern Europe allowed Righton to indulge his fresh interest in Germanys Weimar era, gleaned from reading the works of Christopher Isherwood and mainlining Cabaret. With Brexit kicking the nationalist hornets nest and Trumps dark star rising, Righton found modern resonance in this idea of a party, liberalism and hedonism at a point when things start to turn, and extremism and more fanatical ideas are coming in.

In Berlin, he took Isherwood tours; in Prague, he rented a cheap analogue studio beneath an apartment block, full of Soviet synths and a nuclear hot tub, and spent six weeks constructing the core of The Performer. The record laces hints of Brechtian drama  austere tones, theatrical strings  with Tame Impalas psychedelia and the sci-fi lounge feel of Arctic Monkeys Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (on which Righton played Wurlitzer). Its retro-modernism extends to drawing political parallels between 1930s Berlin and 2020s Britain on tracks like See the Monster, Devil Is Loose and Heavy Heart.

I felt really doomed, he says again, this time after the weeks around the referendum. There were British politicians who we could see were blatantly and openly lying and it didnt affect the way people voted. I just find that insane. Im from an incredibly right-wing town in the middle of England... I go home to my hometown, Im an alien to my family and friends and everyone I grew up with. When did we become so divided? How did we go to these extremes?

The monsters and devils of The Performer arent just deceit and xenophobia. They represent the climate crisis too. The human race only ever realises how serious things are when its at your door, Righton argues. Theres a general underlying level of fear that we all have in society now, a humming thing. Unless you live these puritanical lives, you cant feel guiltless. Thats why I think there have to be draconian rules that take control of the individual, which is a very fascistic idea, but its the only way that well actually do anything. Governments dont get elected saying, Were going to lower GDP next year, governments get elected on saying, Were going to increase prosperity and the happiness and the wealth of our nations. But that kind of capitalism will only lead to the destruction of our planet.

If The Performer is politically forthright, its also an emotionally frank peek behind the facade of the celebrity couple fantasy. In conversation, Righton paints a portrait of a domesticated family life dominated by tag-team parenting, school runs, weekend kids parties and all the movie star glamour of a wet Wednesday down Chippenham soft play. He relishes everyday fatherhood, remains very zen about tabloid attention and talks of exhaustion, marital point-scoring and rare, snatched trips to restaurants like a grandmaster of Mumsnet. On record, though, things sound somewhat less idyllic. The breezy Start daydreams back to more carefree early days of their relationship, and Lessons In Dreamland Pt. 2 suggests that paradise isnt entirely trouble free: The love, the painbuild me up and break me down.

Its more opening up, letting down the guard, letting down your pride, your insecurities, he explains of the lyric. You have to break each other down to grow as a partnership. She said, Go and see a therapist so I spent a lovely four months chatting with someone outside of my relationship. What did he learn? Where the traumas lie

And Rightons lessons in dreamland? Ive learnt to control worry, control doubt, control my inner Virgo, he admits. Ive learned to become a better human being  Im not there, but Im getting better. Im less self-consumed, less narcissistic, Im more selfless, more considerate. Ive just grown up. Its a slow growth, because I was in a band for ten years. I was given the card to be able to live an adolescent life forever. Youre celebrated, the more of a child you are. Luckily, Righton is coming of age again onstage, back where he finally feels he belongs.

The Performer is out now on Deewee
Relocating China-Centric Supply Chains to USA Could Cure Virus Woes

'Economic distancing' could return health, confidence to shaken US public and economy, say experts

As the United States suffers an increasing number of infections and fatalities from the CCP virus, a number of industries critical to the U.S. economyincluding the powerhouse automotive and aerospace industrieshave been forced to shut up shop. The double-whammy of supply-chain disruptions due to reduced Chinese and domestic industrial activity coupled with U.S. firms asking employees to stay at home to avoid spreading the coronavirus has ground American manufacturing to a standstill.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

However, numerous commentators have indicated that the time may have come for the United States to distance itself from China economically, industrially, and technologically to ensure American economic stability and resilienceand to cease supporting and financing Chinas repressive communist regime.

Economic Decoupling From China

According to Marc A. Thiessen, Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), American dependency on China for essential supplies should end. Writing in The Washington Post, Thiessen said that The current pandemic has exposed the fact that we are dependent on China for everything from iPhones and computers to clothing and footwearsupply chains that have been disrupted by the outbreak. Its one thing to depend on China for cheap T-shirts and sneakers. Its another to depend on a brutal communist dictatorship for life-saving drugs and the communications infrastructure that will undergird the 21st-century economy.

Thiessens writes that his colleagues at the AEIpolitical economist and China expert Derek Scissors and Director of Asian Studies Dan Blumenthalhave stated that the United States should change course and begin cutting some of its economic ties with China.

Economic Virus

Chinas communist regime locked down the city of Wuhan on Jan. 23, over six weeks after CCP officials had first reported an outbreak of the disease there. Other Chinese cities and entire industries were subsequently shuttered, instantly freezing global supply chains for all manner of manufactured goods and components at their source. As Chinese suppliers remained closed for business, the ripple effect meant that manufacturing companies across the United States soon lacked the components they needed to keep production going and, as their own measures to prevent the spread of the CCP virus kicked in, a wave of layoffs has ensued.

Things took a darker turn when Chinese regime mouthpiece Xinhua in early March threatened that if the Trump administration did not tread more carefully, China could elect to ban pharmaceutical exports to the U.S. China supplies over 90 percent of the antibiotics used in the United States, and some 95 percent of the Ibuprofen the United States needs for anti-inflammatory medication. America is also reliant on China for a range of other pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, including essential respirators and disposable items such as surgical masks and protective equipment.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) introduced a bill this week  the Protecting our Pharmaceutical Supply Chain from China Act (pdf)which aims to end U.S. dependence on China for pharmaceutical products.

The Chinese Communist Party has threatened to cut off Americas access to vital drugs in the midst of a pandemic caused by its own failures, said Cotton in a statement. Its time to pull Americas supply chains for life-saving medicine out of China and make the CCP pay for contributing to this global emergency.

The Chinese Communist Partys outrageous threats to withhold lifesaving drugs from the U.S. endangers public health and should open our eyes to our dangerous over-reliance on China in our medical supply chain, said Gallagher. This is a national security imperative that, to many Americans, is a matter of life and death. Its past time for us to develop an aggressive plan to move critical pharmaceutical supply chains away from China.

The Chinese Communist Party has threatened to cut off Americas access to vital drugs in the midst of a pandemic caused by its own failures. Its time to pull Americas supply chains for life-saving medicine out of China. https://t.co/XrBorsdynQ  Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) March 19, 2020

Gallagher wrote on Twitter that The CCPs outrageous threats to withhold lifesaving drugs from the US is a national security imperative that to many Americans is a matter of life and death. Proud to join @SenTomCotton in developing an aggressive plan to move critical pharmaceutical supply chains away from China.

Why Havent Manufacturers Left China Already?

For years, western manufacturers such as BMW feared being shut out of the lucrative Chinese market if they did not base a portion of their component manufacturing and assembly operations there. For cost-savvy manufacturers, China became the source of choice for components to feed assembly operations inside and outside China. According to Daniel Smith, product marketing leader at software specialists E2open, many companies have sought to expand their supplier base due to the Trump administrations tariffs on a raft of Chinese-made goods.

In an articles for Sourcing Journal, Smith argues that there are significant costs associated with such moves, and that labor costs in new supplier nations can rise quickly too. Furthermore, says Smith, Another key consideration for companies is that, even if they move production out of China, theyll only avoid potential tariff costs if specific conditions apply. If certain components or raw materials for a finished product originated in China, the manufacturer might still incur the full cost of the tariffeven if they had moved as much of their supply chain as possible to other low-cost nations or to the United States.

Chinese manufacturers maintain monopolies on not just pharmaceuticals, but a wide range of other products and raw materials, such as rare earth elements and other critical minerals, and everything from nuts and bolts to critical machine components. For example, the Financial Times reported last month that Jaguar Land Rover was struggling to ship enough key fobs from Chinese suppliers to their manufacturing plants in the UK.

Though it is definitely true that Clinton, Bush and Obama let key chokepoints on our supply chain migrate to China without a note of concern. That can be reversed.https://t.co/H0TgdRvD8G  Daniel Blumenthal (@DAlexBlumenthal) March 18, 2020

Bringing it Back Home

At a March 12 Small Business and Entrepreneurship Senate Committee hearing entitled The Coronavirus and Americas Small Business Supply Chain, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked Tim Morrison, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, about why the United States ceased manufacturing penicillin in 2004, despite some 62 million prescriptions being written for the drug in 2015 alone.

Morrison said: I think the point of Made in China 2025 is essentially to destroy the free market and create incentives to offshore production in China. And originally this seemed like a good thing. Well save prices. Well move value, or value you can move, well continue to do the innovation, but China is scooping that up as well. And so, without any decision by any government authority this happened and now we are going to deal with the consequences. And of course, an antibiotic isnt instrumental to treat a virus, but the respiratory infection, it is.

Hawley subsequently wrote on Twitter that any multinational corporations asking Congress for funding should explain how they will relocate their supply chain to the United States.

To any multinational corporations that come to Congress asking for taxpayer $$$, you better come prepared to explain how you will move supply chains and jobs back to America if you want my vote  Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) March 18, 2020

Speaking to the Hudson Institute in February, U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said its because of what communist Chinas doing. I think there is going to be more decoupling. I think were seeing with the coronavirus or I think people are saying to themselves, Are we too dependent in a country that acts an adversary? And I think  thats going to cause some people to rethink their supply chains.

Scott posed the question: Do I want to support a regime that  has the human rights record that the communist party has in China? I think people are going to say, Im not going to do that.'

I want more jobs in this country. I dont want people selling more fentanyl in this country. I dont want China to try to militarize the rest of the world, said Scott.

People are going to have to choose.
(Photo : Alfredo Rivera on Pixabay)

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently launched the WhatsApp chatbot to send people a warning about the dangers of COVID-19 which has now affected the whole world, infecting over 270,000 individuals and killing over 11,000 patients.

Specifically, WHO launched the social media platform's chatbot feature to provide people with accurate and the latest information about COVID-19 as the pandemic continues to spread fast across the universe.

Announced early today, the service allows all users of this messaging app owned by Facebook, to learn more about the present infection rates. App users will also find out more about how to protect themselves, and discover the answers to frequently asked questions about COVID-19.

Additionally, this is also one of Facebook's numerous steps taken to "try and promote" reliable data and information about the disease.

The COVID-19 Information Center

Based in Silicon Valley, Facebook has also launched the Coronavirus Information Center that releases information about COVID-19. More so, the industry leader has also prominently placed the said latest information in its main app and automatically deletes misinformation or fake news about the infectious illness.

Meanwhile, the WHO's chatbot is comparatively simple. It does not respond either, to regular questions or natural language from the users. The users can rather send numbers or emojis to receive more information on corresponding topics such as travel advice, how to donate to aid initiatives and the so-called "mythbusters."

This, some tech observes say, is a perfect time for WhatsApp to favorably respond to the repeated criticism it faced in the past, for reportedly spreading misinformation and hoaxes. And, unlike the namesake massaging app of Facebook, or its Instagram app, WhatsApp is using "end-to-end encryption."

This means that meaning Facebook, even as the owner, don't have the capability of actively moderating content being sent by the users to one another.

ALSO READ: COVID-19 Scanner: Chinese Government's New Diagnosis Tool

To Reach 2 Billion People

WhatsApp, an easy-to-use messaging service, according to the announcement posted on WHO's website, "has the potential to reach 2 billion people" all over the world. It also enables the organization to get accurate and updated information directly into the people's hands just when and where they are needed the most.

More so, from the leaders of the government from different countries to health workers, friends and families all over the world, WhatsApp chatbot will provide the most updated news and information on COVID-19 which include details on the symptoms and how to protect oneself and others.

In addition, the messaging service is also set to provide the latest reports on the situation of the virus, as well as the figures in real-time, to assist the governments' decision-makers as they protect their respective populations' health.

Finally, the said service is accessible through a link that automatically "opens a conversation on WhatsApp." On the conversation when the user gets into the app, he can just key-in "hi" to have the conversation activated, prompting an options menu that can help answer his queries about COVID-19.
An Upstate New York town has transformed its local vacant jail into a 24/7 emergency center for the homeless population to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

On Saturday Dutchess County announced an emergency order to use the previously vacant temporary housing units (PODs) at the Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center and Jail campus to repurpose it for those in need in the global pandemic.

'We are utilizing every resource at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively to this rapidly evolving health situation,' County Executive Marcus Molinaro said.

'Since social distancing is almost impossible at most homeless shelters, we can use the dormitory-style PODs to help create necessary space to help prevent further spread of this illness and increase our ability to respond to cases within the homeless population as needed.'

On Saturday Dutchess County announced an emergency order to use the previously vacant temporary housing units (PODs) at the Dutchess County Law Enforcement Center and Jail (bare bunk beds above) to shelter and space out the homeless to prevent the spread of COVID-19

The facility has the capacity to hold up to 100 people and has 48 female beds and 52 male beds. Two dormitory-style buildings will be divided into male and female sections to assure social distancing among shelter clients. Exterior of the prison above

The move comes after Molinaro declared a state of emergency in the county due to the pandemic.

The facility has the capacity to hold up to 100 people and has 48 female beds and 52 male beds.

Two dormitory-style buildings will be divided into male and female sections to assure social distancing among shelter clients, according to Mid Hudson News.

'It has shower facilities and it has laundry facilities. But that part of the jail is now not being used. So the county is retrofitting the access to those for that part of the jail,' Mental Health Americans executive director Andrew OGrady said to the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Guests can come to the prison freely and if they experience symptoms of the coronavirus they will be moved into a separate unit.

Guests may come and go as they please.

This map shows how the number of US coronavirus cases has surpassed 30,000 and the death toll has hit at least 386 as of Sunday afternoon

The number of coronavirus cases in the US has surged over the past month after first coming on the radar in January

'No one is a prisoner. No one is being treated like an inmate. It just allows us to have a bigger space, more social distancing, and allows us to expand if necessary to isolate people that may need to be isolated,' OGrady said.

The PODs were first opened in 2015 as temporary housing for inmates previously boarded in other counties but have been vacant since January after the county reduced the jail population through restorative justice programs and through the states bail reform legislation.

The shelter transformation is a joint effort between the County government and Hudson River Housing and Mental Health America. Dutchess Outreach will provide food service to shelter guests.

There will be physical barriers between the shelter and jail for extra security.

If needed officials say an additional POD will open as an alternate care facility if any homeless individuals need treatment or care.
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja reiterated the

commitment of his administration to the welfare of Nigerians especially with

the current happenings around the world.

Speaking while receiving the management of the National Hajj

Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in State House, President Buhari said: I am

pleased that you are working with the Ministry of Health on protecting our

citizens from Covid-19 virus.

You must work to guarantee the safety and security of our

pilgrims. As a government, this is now a key priority for us. I therefore

enjoin you to ensure that adequate medical provisions and other welfare

requirements are afforded our pilgrims, he added.

The President expressed his delight with the operations of

the Commission so far especially, the reduction to up to 15 per cent in Hajj

fares.

I am pleased to hear of the progress you have made thus far

especially in reducing Hajj fares by up to 15 per cent. I am also impressed that you are still

working to further bring down the cost next year. This is commendable now

especially with the recent global events that have impacted on the economy.

Such savings will be timely and most welcome to the pilgrims as well as to

Nigerias economy, he said.

President Buhari however, cautioned them against sacrificing

quality for safety and comfort of pilgrims.

However, as you assess and reduce these costs, you must

ensure that quality service and comfort are provided for our pilgrims as these are the core

mandates of your Commission and must remain your primary goal, he said.

The Chairman of the Commission, Zikrullah Kunle Hassan had

informed the President of the efforts of the commission to make life better for

Nigerians on pilgrimage. He said that

the Saudi government had given some concessions to Nigerians especially in the

way of accommodation and tents, assuring the President of even better deals

next year when his Board fully takes over negotiations.

With your kind approval this year, we are working to take

full charge of Makhan accommodation because hitherto, the states have been in

charge. The idea is that when we take full charge, we will be able to reduce

further the cost and to do this, we need to engage the accommodation agents and

owners in a possible two to three-year lease with a view to having a reduction

in price, he said.

Alhaji Hassan also appealed to the President to constitute

the Board of Trustees of the Hajj Savings Scheme to make it easier for pilgrims

to perform their religious obligation.

He further assured that he was in discussions with the

Federal Ministry of Health on the Covid-19 pandemic as the Commission aligns

itself with government positions in tackling the scourge.
Consuelo Vargas went to a hardware store Friday, scanning the aisles for anything she felt might protect her.

Vargas is a nurse in the emergency room at Stroger Hospital, where she said she already has treated suspected COVID-19 patients without wearing a mask. To help feel protected, she purchased coveralls meant for painters and booties to wrap around her shoes.

She and other nurses across the city are growing increasingly concerned about how they can safeguard themselves, their families and their patients when they say their hospitals dont have enough personal protective equipment like masks, goggles and gowns.

Recently, Vargas said, a supply cart where she accesses available gear only had one surgical mask with a face shield, and none of the hardier N95 masks. Even when masks are available, Vargas said, medical personnel are told to reuse them for five days and given a paper bag to keep them in. She refuses to reuse masks because she feels that puts both her and her patients at risk.

Theres no way to have a mask that youve been using for that amount of time, even after one time, and then put it in a bag and put it on your face and not touch it in the wrong way where youre not going to contaminate yourself or somebody else, she said.

Robert Feldman, attending emergency medicine physician and director of emergency management for Cook County Health, which includes Stroger, said in a statement that hospitals across the country are making difficult decisions to prevent further spread of the virus and protect workers.

Do we look forward to the day when an ample supply of PPE (personal protective equipment) is again available to every hospital? We do, he said. But until the supply chain can catch up again, like other hospitals across the country and the world, we have instituted tighter controls.

Nurse advocates have been raising the alarm about a lack of basic gear to protect them. The Illinois Nurses Association has noted a lack of available face masks and shields and requested better protection.

In these uncertain times, we must make every effort to support nurses so that they can take care of patients in Illinois, the union said in a statement.

And the American Hospital Association, which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals and health care networks, announced Friday it will ask Congress for $100 billion in aid, including funds for supplies.

Vargas has treated a patient suspected of having the virus. During the time she helped the patient, which included respiratory procedures, she was not wearing a mask. She is waiting to hear whether the patient tested positive.

I feel like health care workers are being asked for a lot right now, and we just want what we need to do our jobs, she said. Its like if you tell a construction worker to go work on the Sears Tower and you dont give them any kind of hard hat, you dont give them any kind of safety harness. You would never do that.

For Vargas, trying to treat patients while worrying about her own safety adds stress to an already difficult assignment.

Its kind of a fend-for-yourself environment, she said. So the nurses are really having to depend on each other. We feel like were in this alone.

Paul Pater, a co-chief steward of the Illinois Nurses Association and a nurse in the emergency room at University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, said he has been watching as photos stream in from other countries of health care providers wearing hazmat suits. He and his colleagues, he said, are told to use a face shield, goggles, surgical mask and a disposable gown.

Its the equivalent of fighting a dragon with a paper sword, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Protection suggested this week that health care workers could consider using a bandanna or a scarf. Chicagoans are even crocheting masks to give hospitals.

Pater himself is in quarantine after treating a patient who later tested positive for the coronavirus. When he was treating the patient, which was earlier this month, he was wearing only scrubs.

Right now, hes waiting to hear back on whether he has the coronavirus. Hes had a light cough and an on-and-off mild fever. He hopes he can return to work soon.

When he does, he hopes to be wearing more than scrubs.

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Libya's UN-recognised government declared a night-time curfew and closure of public spaces starting Sunday to keep the novel coronavirus out of areas it controls, while fighting continued south of the capital.

The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) said in a statement Saturday that the curfew would begin at 6:00 pm and end at 6:00 am. (1600-0400 GMT).

It also ordered the closure of restaurants, cafes and party halls and banned funeral and wedding ceremonies.

Libya, which has been mired in chaos since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, is divided between forces loyal to the GNA and those of Khalifa Haftar, a military commander who backs a rival administration in the country's east.

Pro-Haftar forces -- who in April launched an assault to seize Tripoli where the GNA is based -- imposed their own nightime curfew on Thursday in areas under their control.

Libya has not recorded any cases of the COVID-19 disease, but experts fear an outbreak could be catastrophic due to the country's degraded health system.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday joined those expressing concern and urged both GNA and Haftar forces to observe a truce in their deadly fighting in and around Tripoli.

"Given the already dire humanitarian situation in Libya and the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary-General calls on the parties to join forces to address the threat and to ensure unhindered access of humanitarian aid throughout the country," a statement said.

A fragile truce entered into force on January 12, but fighting has continued with each side blaming the other for starting it. Earlier this week the GNA and Haftar's forces welcomed calls for a humanitarian pause in the fighting made by the UN and several countries, although the GNA said it reserved "the right to respond to daily assaults targeting civilians and public facilities".

The UN statement said Guterres hopes the "positive" responses by the warring sides in Libya "will be translated into an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities... (and) a lasting ceasefire". Since April last year the fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and around 150,000 displaced.

Five women were killed on Wednesday in strikes carried out by pro-Haftar forces, according to the GNA, while on Saturday sporadic bombardment could be heard from the centre of Tripoli.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Australian gyms have been closed for six months as coronavirus continues to spread accross Australia.

Earlier this month, Dr Norman Swan, who is a medically qualified journalist, says gyms are the perfect place for the virus to spread because they are full of sweat.

'Dampness is a bad thing for spreading germs. You've got these big blokes pumping away and you never know, one of them might be a super spreader,' he told the ABC.

Gyms will e closed down for six months as part of the Federal Governments 'stage one' restrictions designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 (stock image)

On Sunday a fed-up Prime Minister announced tough new 'stage one' restrictions, ordering pubs and licensed premises close for six months.

The restrictions also cover places of worship, gyms, casinos, restaurants and cafes without takeaway services, nightclubs and registered clubs.

Expressing his frustration with Australians who flocked to Bondi Beach on Friday and Saturday, Mr Morrison begged the community to act responsibly.

'As we've just made very clear, that when that [social distancing] doesn't occur, then more dramatic measures have to be introduced,' he said.

'I would simply ask Australians to be calm and exercise some sensible judgement.'

The new restrictions were announced as the number of coronavirus cases in Australia hit 1,550, doubling every three to five days, and police warned of six month jail terms for those who breach public health orders.

Earlier on Sunday evening the Prime Minister managed to avoid a complete nationwide lockdown after a tense eleventh hour meeting with the national cabinet.

Mr Morrison met with state and territory leaders to discuss further measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, hours after announcing a second stimulus package worth $66billion.
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The picture-in-picture mode (PiP) came in as a flagship feature of the Oreo version of Android operating system and with it, users got the chance to enjoy playing floating videos on top of any application running on android devices.As the feature turned out to be a great step towards making the possibility of multi-tasking on your smartphone happen with great ease, there was only one issue with it; users were still unable to resize the window as per their choices.But now with recent developments in place, this isnt impossible anymore. Google has set a default value in AOSP but with OEMs one can change the value which goes in relation to the size of PiP window appearing on the display. For now, users cannot change these settings on their own but it looks like that the option might come in Android 11.The news was first confirmed by XDA Developers who have found out a new PipResizeGestureHandler class based in the SystemUI of Android 11 Developer Preview 2. The PipResizeGestureHandler class is also attached to the com.android.systemui instead of com.google.android.systemui. This means that the feature, when introduced with Android 11, will come to Google Pixel phones and all other Android devices that support Android 11 as well.Google has plans to release the new update for Android somewhere in the later part of this year. The company even teased its users by showing some really exciting features back in February including the all new music player in the Quick Settings panel.Google wants to make Android 11 as big as possible and therefore one can expect some necessary and some revolutionary changes to take place on your android phones soon.Read next: You Can Now 'Report Content' Within Google Discover
Prince William and Kate Middleton are two of the most important members of the royal family. And theyre raising their family at a time when its finally acceptable to break royal tradition. The Cambridges older children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are currently enrolled at Thomas Battersea School  and William and Kate actually broke royal tradition by sending them there.

Prince William and Kate Middleton enrolled Prince George and Princess Charlotte in Thomas Battersea school | Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Prince George and Princess Charlotte did not attend the same pre-school

William and Kate have made it clear that they take their childrens schooling very seriously. When it came time to decide where to send George to pre-school, the couple opted to go with the school that seemed to be the best fit for him, even if it meant sending him further away than they might have wanted. The two ultimately enrolled George at Westacre Montessori school in Norfolk, which was about 20 minutes from Kensington Palace.

When it came time for Charlotte to attend school, William and Kate did not push their daughter to go to the same pre-school as their son. Rather, they once again found what would be best for her, and ended up sending her to the Willcocks Nursery School in London.

Charlotte recently joined her brother at Thomas Battersea

Once George was done with preschool, William and Kate took the time to figure out where they should enroll their kids to continue their education. They found Thomas Battersea to be a great fit, and the couple decided that they wanted George and Charlotte to attend school together. This is what most parents do for their children, and it was likely to create more normalcy in George and Charlottes lives.

Prince Louis is still a bit young to attend school, and right now, its unclear where his parents will enroll him.

William and Kate broke the tradition of sending royal kids to boarding school

It was longstanding tradition to send the royal children to boarding school. Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Zara Tindall all attended boarding school at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. Prince William and Prince Harry studied at Eton. However, Kate and William opted not to continue with the boarding school tradition and instead chose to send their kids to Thomas Battersea, a day school that does not even have an option to board. But Kate has been adamant about following her own family values when it comes to raising her kids.

Kate has said she wants to raise her children the way she was raised

The Duchess of Cambridge has said in the past that she wants to emulate her own upbringing for her children. Kate grew up in a loving family with two other siblings, and her life was mostly ordinary. William and Kate have made a point to give their kids the most normal life possible; they are trying to hold off on explaining royalty to them for as long as they can.

The parents bond with their children in many ways as well, including spending time outdoors with them and making dinner as a family whenever they can. These are things they wouldnt be able to do if theyd sent the kids to boarding school. It seems to work for their family, so kudos to Kate for wanting to break tradition.
MONTREALAfter a week of strong urging from governments that people should keep apart to prevent the spread of COVID-19, provincial leaders  and their police forces  have stopped asking politely.

On Friday, provincial police in Ontario warned that people will face fines for violating orders to close certain businesses and to limit gatherings. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe suggested citizens who know of anyone not self-isolating after returning from international travel should call police.

In Quebec City, police arrested a woman Friday who was infected with the virus and who was walking around outside after being mandated to stay indoors. The arrest was the first time Quebec Citys public health director issued an order to police under emergency powers granted after Premier Francois Legault declared a public health emergency March 14.

Dr. Horacio Arruda, the provinces chief medical officer, told reporters Saturday that regional health directors across the province will have no problem ordering police to make arrests and ensure people carrying the virus are isolated.

Starting now, its clear that we will restrict people who arent respecting the orders, Arruda said. Especially if they have already been advised, contacted, and we have information that they are walking around.

Its a question of respect. The rights of individuals stop when the impact of the community is very high.

Mathieu Boivin, spokesman for Quebec Citys regional health authority, wouldnt give details on Fridays arrest or how the agency learned the woman carrying COVID-19 had violated a quarantine order.

Quebec medical authorities say they give clear directives to people who test positive for COVID-19. If medical officers get the sense an infected person might not obey an isolation order, the patient is monitored more closely.

In an interview Saturday, Boivin said regarding the prior days arrest: When it became obvious we had to act, we acted.

On Friday, Quebec Citys regional health authority said in a statement that police would maintain surveillance for a time to ensure the person respects the isolation order. If she tries to leave, they said, she will be arrested and brought to a secure location for her and for the population, where public health officials can ensure health orders are respected.

Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu warned Saturday that if Canadians choose to ignore the pleas from health authorities, the government will take more draconian measures.

When people are playing loose and hard with the rules like this it does actually put our civil liberties at jeopardy, Hajdu said. It makes governments have to look at more and more stringent measures to actually contain people in their own homes.

Politicians and governments will be pushed to a place to take more and stringent measures when people violate them and dont take this seriously. So I would encourage Canadians to think about that and to think about their obligation to act collectively right now.

Albertas deputy chief medical officer of health told a news conference Saturday that a plan will be rolled out there in the next week to allow public health inspectors to monitor large groups and businesses, including restaurants, to deal with people who might not be following the recommendations.

Dr. Marcia Johnson said she didnt want to give details of the plan, but said she believed it could give police, through fines, the ability to deal with such people.

There are some, unfortunately, that dont always go along with the restrictions. To make as much cohesion in society as we can, it is nice to have a mechanism to nudge the reluctant people more toward helping keep our communities safe, Johnson said.

In Ontario the provincial police issued a notice Friday warning people that they could face fines of $750 if they defy the expert advice provided by the chief medical officer of health to close certain businesses and institutions and limit gatherings to 50 people or less. Corporations defying orders can face a fine of $500,000.

In Saskatchewan, people not following isolation orders can also face fines or arrest. Premier Moe said anyone returning from outside the country must self-isolate for 14 days and he signed an emergency order authorizing police to enforce the measure.

This doesnt mean that you go to the grocery store or go to the drugstore or go fill up with gas and then you go home and self-isolate, Moe said Friday. This means you go home. And you stay home now.

If you dont do this, youre now breaking the law.

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With the four men convicted of raping and murdering a young woman being hanged, one chapter in India's history of aggravated sexual assault has ended but the framework in which the violence took place still exists, albeit a little weaker -- and Bollywood, say experts, is a critical pillar of that structure.

A bewildering number of mainstream Hindi films, right from the 60s to the 90s, figured graphic portrayals of rape with lascivious villains and helpless heroines.

And while things have changed with films such as Pink", "Thappad" and the post #MeToo-set "Guilty" that deal with consent, domestic violence and society's treatment of rape survivors, sexual violence against women is still used as a tool to forward the story of the protagonist, mostly male, in films as recent as "Kaabil" and "Simmba".

This concept is known as 'fridging' in cinema.

"Bollywood has normalised rape... Masculinity is an important narrative device in Bollywood cinema: strong masculinity and the threats to it," sociologist Sanjay Srivastava told PTI.

"There is a long history to this, particularly relating to the division between 'good' and 'bad' women where rape was frequently presented as an instrument of control. Bollywood has presented rape as a relationship between men: if a woman is raped, it is the men of the family who are insulted because (they feel) they have been unable to 'protect' the women of the family," he explained. I



In film historian S M M Ausaja's view, only a few Hindi films focus on the crime. In most cases, the plot becomes more about the 'hero' extracting revenge from the bad guys.

"It's always just an element of the narrative and to draw the revenge story forward in 'Andha Kanoon', for instance, Rajinikanth's sister was raped and then the revenge story goes forward. There are so many movies like that," Ausaja told PTI.

The December 16, 2012 gangrape, which sparked nationwide protests and led to a change in India's rape laws, also inspired introspective documentaries and a Netflix series "Delhi Crime" focusing on the police investigation into the crime,



Of the six accused, one allegedly committed suicide in Tihar jail while another, a juvenile, a juvenile, is out after serving a three-year sentence.

"Delhi Crime" is probably the only fictionalised account that engaged with the topic in a sensitive yet matter-of-fact approach, a narrative style that "Broadchurch" and "Unbelievable" employed to critical acclaim.

While the former is a British series set in a fictional English town inDorset, the latter is an American show based on a 2015 article.

Canadian Indian filmmaker Richie Mehta, in an earlier interview to PTI, said he did not want to depict the crime in the series neither in visuals nor audio form.

"I was very clear from the beginning that I didn't want to showcase the rape scene because I wanted the series to be about the procedure, not the crime," the Delhi Crimes director said.

"We weren't harnessing the pain, we were harnessing the strength of being able to catch the culprits," actor Shefali Shah, who fronted the critically-acclaimed show, had said.

The incident was also the focus of British filmmaker Leslee Udwin's documentary "India's Daughter", which was banned in India. The documentary featured an interview with Mukesh Singh, one of the convicts who was executed on Friday, confessing to the crime.

In Hindi films dealing with the topic of rape, there is a trend of replacing men with women as avengers.

"Mom", starring Sridevi, and "Maatr" with Raveena Tandon, which released back-to-back in 2017, revolved around the leading women avenging the gangrape of their daughters.

Rani Mukerji's 2014 film "Mardaani" features a female cop fighting a gang of women traffickers and in the 2019 follow up, a juvenile rapist, a character derived from real life incidents. Mukerji said the "Mardaani" franchise was born "out of the rage" the country felt after the gangrape.

"The first film was obviously, born out of the rage that we felt for Nirbhaya. I think as a country, we all were quite angered and shaken up. Because that was the first time through the media, we actually got to know the gory details of what happened to that woman," the actor had said in an interview at the time of the film's release.

A



According to Tandon, Indian cinema has started portraying gangrape cases in a sensitive manner.

"We have become quite aware and sensitised towards the issue, which wasn't probably so in the '70s and '80s. The trend started changing in the '90s. It is something that now whether it is our filmmakers, actors, everyone portrays this sensitively. It is an issue which needs to be taken up even more seriously," she told PTI.

Bollywood has often been called out for using harassment as a wooing method and the industry does not fare well in its dealing with crimes related to women.

Innumerable films have used 'fridging' as a plot device -- the most notable being "Ankush" in 1986 and "Mohra" in 1994. And more recently, Hrithik Roshan's "Kaabil", Sanjay Dutt-Aditi Rao Hydari's "Bhoomi" and Ranveer Singh-starrer "Simmba" in 2018.

There are all some stand out films. Rekha-Vinod Mehra-starrer "Ghar" in 1978, for instance, dealt sensitively with the subject with the dynamic between a woman who has been gangraped and her husband, shorn of the excessive melodrama that is a part of so many films.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)






By Steven L. Shields




The equity markets continued to bleed profusely in the week ended March 20 as coronavirus fears roiled investor sentiment worldwide. The carnage was doused, albeit slightly, by the relief rally on Friday, but the overall mood still remains sombre despite stimulus packages from various central banks across the world.

The BSE Sensex and Nifty cracked more than 12 percent, the biggest weekly loss since October 2008, the height of the global financial crisis.

Experts feel the regulator's measures may support the market from free-fall, but the sentiment is so dire across the globe due to COVID-19, that the weakness and volatility are likely to continue till the virus spread gets arrested.

Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research at Motilal Oswal Financial Services also feels while it was very difficult to predict the bottom of the market, it always rewards investors in the long term who take the benefit of such sharp fall. "Markets may continue to fall in the near term, and thats the time to start becoming greedy."

We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades:

Note: The OI and volume data of stocks given in this story are the aggregates of the three-months data and not of the current month only.

Key support and resistance level for Nifty

According to the pivot charts, the key support level for Nifty is placed at 8,321.43, followed by 7,897.42. If the index moves up, key resistance levels to watch out for are 9,026.23 and 9,307.02.

Nifty Bank

The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 19,413.54 followed by 18,509.47. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 21,073.14 and 21,828.67.

Call options data

Maximum call open interest (OI) of 14.49 lakh contracts was seen at the 9,000 strike price. It will act as a crucial resistance level in the March series.

This is followed by 9,500 strike price, which holds 12.23 lakh contracts in open interest, and 8,500, which has accumulated 9.96 lakh contracts in open interest.

Significant call writing was seen at the 9,500 strike price, which added 2.36 lakh contracts, followed by 9,200 strike price that added 1.77 lakh contracts.

Call unwinding was witnessed at 8,200 strike which shed 68,475 contracts, followed by 8,500 strike which shed 44,850 contracts.

Put options data

Maximum put open interest of 20.11 lakh contracts was seen at 8,500 strike price, which will act as crucial support in the March series.

This is followed by 8,000 strike price, which holds 19.19 lakh contracts in open interest, and 9,000 strike price, which has accumulated 16.73 lakh contracts in open interest.

Put writing was seen at the 8,000 strike price, which added 9.01 lakh contracts.

Put unwinding was seen at 9,500 strike price, which shed 52,125 contracts, followed by 8,100 strike price which shed 40,350 contracts.

Stocks with a high delivery percentage

A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks.

63 stocks saw long build-up

4 stocks saw long unwinding

Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the stocks in which long unwinding was seen.

11 stocks saw short build-up

An increase in open interest, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short build-up was seen.

68 stocks witnessed short-covering

Bulk deals

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Key corporate actions taking place in the coming week:

Stocks in news

Hero MotoCorp: HeroMotoCorp has decided to halt all operations at India, Columbia, Bangladesh with immediate effect. HeroMotoCorp has put all manufacturing plants on hold till March 31.

Dalmia Bharat: Dalmia Bharat approved a proposal to buy back shares worth up to Rs 500 crore. The company further said it intends to buy not more than 71,42,857 shares at a maximum price of Rs 700 per unit.

Tata Motors: With Maharashtra recording the highest number of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in India, Tata Motors is preparing for a one-week complete shutdown of its Pune plant.

IRCTC: IRCTC has ordered the closure of all onboard catering services in mail or express trains from March 22 until further notice in view of the coronavirus outbreak, according to an order from the railway subsidiary on March 20.

SBI Life Insurance: Gregory Zeluck resigns as non-executive director w.e.f March 20.

Hindustan Unilever: To reduce prices of sanitizers, handwash and floor cleaners by 15%

YES Bank: Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal on Saturday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and his family members, officials said.

FII and DII data

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 3,345.95 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares of worth Rs 2,431.24 crore in the Indian equity market on March 20, provisional data available on the NSE showed.

Fund flow

Stock under F&O ban on NSE

There are 9 stocks under the F&O ban for March 23. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.

YES Bank, Adani Enterprises, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Vodafone Idea, Jindal Steel & Power, Just Dial, NCC, Punjab National Bank and PVR are present in the list.
Guam's first COVID-19-related death  a 68-year-old woman with underlying medical issues  was announced Sunday morning. By Sunday night officials had announced 12 more confirmed cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 27.

Officials said 153 tests were performed from March 12 through March 22 with conclusive results.

All 26 remaining confirmed cases are in isolation. And more than ever, officials are urging members of the community to do the same as much as possible.

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Though the 68-year-old woman had not recently traveled, officials said she was exposed to the virus by a family member who had traveled to Japan. That family member also tested positive, government officials said during a press conference Sunday morning to make the announcement.

Later in the evening, officials announced that two of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 had frequented Hafa Adai Bingo Hall in Tamuning. Residents who were at the bingo parlor from March 6 to March 16 are asked to self-quarantine at home. If you are among these individuals and are experiencing flu-like symptoms, you are asked to contact the Medical Triage Hotline immediately for screening.

Hafa Adai Bingo management stated the business closed operations on March 15 for the safety of its customers, earlier than the March 18 government of Guam ban on crowds of 100 or more.

"We also have sanitized the facility daily when we found that the island had three positive COVID-19 (cases)," the bingo business stated.

With a number of people already staying home as businesses shut down and government of Guam offices close with the exception of essential services, it's unclear whether more extreme measures will be taken. However, in a recent press release, officials reminded recipients of government benefits to safeguard their EBT cards.

"In the event of a complete Government of Guam shutdown, the (Department of Public Health and Social Services) Division of Public Welfare Benefit Issuance Section may not be able to issue replacement cards quickly if lost or misplaced," the press release stated. "During this time of social isolation, it is important for recipients to have their EBT cards handy to purchase and stock food."

Older people more vulnerable

During the press conference, the governor and her two medical advisers, Dr. Mike Cruz and Dr. Joleen Aguon, reiterated a plea for residents to remain at home.

Additionally, they asked residents to isolate themselves as much as possible from those who are older.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said the people most vulnerable to COVID-19 are those with existing medical conditions that compromise their immune systems, as well as the elderly. She said healthy, younger people are more likely to have more moderate symptoms.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults ages "65 years and older, are at higher risk for severe illness. COVID-19 is a new disease and we are learning more about it every day."

The breakdown of the ages of patients, according to Cruz, are: Six are in their 60s, three in their 50s, three in their 40s, two in their 30s and one who is in their 20s.

"Five of the first 14 cases have had recent travel, most of which is linked to the Philippines," Cruz stated.

However, he also noted: "There is strong evidence that COVID-19 cases have spread throughout our community and has affected residents in northern, central and southern villages."

'Fevers, chills and shortness of breath'

The 68-year-old woman arrived at GMH on March 14 in a personal vehicle. Aguon said she was admitted to GMH on Sunday, March 15. GMH Administrator Lillian-Perez Posadas said the woman remained in isolation throughout the week.

"She came in with fevers, chills and shortness of breath. She had no travel history. However, she did have contact with a traveler," Aguon said during the Sunday morning press conference. "Before she could clinically decline, the patient and her family had made the decision not to undergo any extreme lifesaving measures. And so, for the last 36 hours, she was placed in comfort care and she passed this morning at 0130 (1:30 a.m.) at GMH."

Officials confirmed she was one of Guam's first COVID-19 patients.

Temporary home isolation

Several days ago, officials confirmed that some of the people who tested positive for COVID-19 were allowed to self-isolate at home.

Cruz said temporarily isolating the positive COVID-19 patients at home "was done in accordance to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and precedence set by other states."

"Those who were temporarily placed in home isolation were subject to monitoring by public health staff, which included home visits, and regular phone calls to check in," he stated.

Dr. Cruz noted that they continue to work to stop the virus from spreading.

"As we mourn our first death, we must note that work does not stop and cannot stop. As of March 21, a total of 15 cases have tested positive of 103 have tested negative of COVID-19," he stated. "All 15 confirmed cases were kept in isolation either at GMH or at home temporarily until transferred to the skilled nursing facility, which took place on Saturday."

Practice social distancing, good hygiene

The governor, on Sunday, also met with her Physicians Advisory Group, a group of bipartisan community physicians committed to stopping the spread of COVID-19 through coordination and expert advice, according to the Joint Information Center press release.

It wasn't disclosed in the JIC release what decisions were made or what actions will be taken moving forward.

Cruz during the press conference reiterated that every person can help to stop the spread of the virus.

"What you can do isn't dramatic, but it can work. Maintain social distance, wash your hands, avoid touching your face before your hands are clean and always maintain good hygiene," he stated.

Leaning forward on the podium, Cruz pleaded with the community, saying, "The health care community is taking this very seriously, as is the government of Guam. We ask the island community to take this seriously as well."

The governor added: "And stay home."
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A special train carrying over 1,000 workers of China's automaker Dongfeng Motor Corporation arrived Saturday afternoon in Wuhan, which was hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.



It marked the first such train to bring people back to their workplaces in Wuhan since the outbreak.

All the workers will be sent directly to factories or residential communities by buses. They had undergone health code and body temperature checks before boarding buses.

Dongfeng had earlier arranged "point-to-point" bus trips to bring people back to work.
Lineage Logistics, the largest refrigerated warehousing company in the country, is hiring 2,000 additional workers to meet a roughly 30 percent jump in demand in recent weeks. But in the age of social distancing, its hiring practices have changed.

Lineage used to do much of its hiring at job fairs at its 290 warehouses. Thats no longer possible. Instead, Lineage is screening applicants by phone, and asking them if they have been to any coronavirus hot spots or been in contact with anyone who is sick.

Those who advance are invited in for a one-on-one interview and asked to formally apply. But even then, there are extra precautions.

They get to keep the pen that they filled out their application with, Sean Vanderelzen, Lineages chief human resources officer, said in an interview. We dont want it back.

Lineage is doing much of its hiring from other companies that have done mass layoffs in recent weeks, including some of its customers, like major food service suppliers that have seen their business drop because of the disruption in the restaurant industry.

Dollar General was also making a direct appeal to workers who lost jobs as a result of the sweeping business closings in recent weeks. For any individual whose job has been temporarily impacted by the effect of COVID-19, we currently have a number of full and part time positions available across our stores, distribution centers and private fleet network, the company said on its website.
In the midst of a besieged Sarajevo, as bombs rained down and people risked lives for a loaf of bread, in the basement of an old, derelict building a 17-year-old blonde named Inela Nogic was crowned the city's beauty queen.

When asked what she would do with her year as Miss Sarajevo, Nogic replied: ''I have no plans, I could be dead tomorrow.''

Beauty, you may think, is too trivial - even too self-absorbed - to count in a crisis. But history, and the human spirit, proves otherwise.

Before she took the crown, Nogic told foreign media how continuing to look good was her form of resistance. No matter how long the enemy tried to destroy her city, who died or what buildings crumbled, Inela would put on her lipstick in the morning and look beautiful. They would not break her spirit.

Her story isn't unique.

Throughout war, poverty, genocide, terminal illness - and yes, even a global health pandemic like coronavirus - people strive to look good.

It's why, in recent days, Amazon announced that, although it will limit sending "non-essentials" to warehouses until April 5, it will continue to ship (as part of its list of five "essentials" such as health products and groceries) ''beauty and personal care'' items.

It's why in the 2008 financial crash, sales of lipstick rose despite people feeling more cash-strapped than any time in the previous decade.

An interest in physical appearance is more than vanity. It's a psychological weapon. It's about keeping normalcy and holding on to the things you can just about control when your world is falling asunder. It's about showing people you are staying positive, maintaining your sense of pride and self-worth, even when going through hell.

It's why doctors skilled in spotting depression warn that one of the first things to go is physical appearance. When the human spirit is crushed, simple acts like combing your hair or brushing your teeth feel pointless. Just as the gentle sound of a shower running or a loved one appearing at the kitchen table out of their pyjamas for the first time in weeks, can signal the green shoots of recovery.

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In her blog ''The power of lipstick'', Tonya Leigh describes being a nurse in an intensive care unit where a beautiful, vibrant 63-year-old woman was dying of breast cancer. She recalls: "When I'd walk into her room to start my shift, I'd often find her with her beautiful engraved mirror, lining her lips and putting on her lipstick du jour. One day, I overheard her son ask, "Mom, why are you putting on lipstick?" She replied: "Son, I may be dying, but that doesn't mean I have to look like hell while doing it."

If personal stories don't convince you, then know it was crisis itself that propelled make-up to go mainstream. In World War II, women stayed at home and joined the workforce taking on traditional male labour roles. Make-up became an essential tool to maintain ''femininity'' and uphold the day's gender norms.

Cosmetic companies cashed in, warning that the stress and strain of ''war face'' was to be avoided at all costs. They also offered the chance to give a V-sign to the enemy. Compacts carried propaganda messages and news that Hitler hated lipstick meant that smearing on shades like ''Victory Red'' was empowering as well as uplifting.

Even in the top echelons of the government where you would think they might have better things to worry about, secretaries working in an underground bunker and under constant threat of attack, left their boss Winston Churchill a memo before that prime minister set off on an official trip to Washington. Typing the words ''Operation Desperate'' on official paper, they demanded he return with supplies of three "vital commodities" - silk stockings, chocolate and cosmetics. He duly fulfilled their request.

But as the war ploughed on, things became really desperate. The ingredients used to produce cosmetics were redirected into producing war materials. Make-up became "cherished, a last desperately defended luxury", according to Vogue magazine in 1942, and women were forced to ration the precious contents of their make-up bag.

Lipsticks were used down to their bare nubs and every last drop was squeezed from face creams. Who you chose to put on your face for became the tell-tale sign of where your heart resided.

Indeed, one of the most famous war photographs of all time does not capture death or suffering but a woman named Meliha Varesanovic in Sarajevo in 1994. Head held high, wearing heels and a figure-hugging dress, she passes an armed soldier, cocking her face up to the sky, as if he has no bearing whatsoever on her day. "I always tried to be neat and nicely dressed," she told journalists afterwards, "spite and defiance were added to that walk and pride, it was my way to banish fear."

The same pride and dignity displayed by Sarajevan beauty queen Nogic was eventually immortalised by Bono in the song Miss Sarajevo, which in turn forced the world to pay attention to the conflict. Performed with Pavarotti, the lyrics "Is there a time for Kohl and lipstick? A time for cutting hair?" alongside "Is there a time for keeping your head down?" pay homage to the fact that the simple pleasures of life and the difficult nature of it can exist - and yes, even feel important - all in the same day.
Pennsylvanians and most other Americans should prepare to hunker down harder and longer than they probably ever imagined.

True, the promise when the state began shutting down schools and businesses was to revaluate after 14 days.

But as coronavirus cases increased exponentially last week in Pennsylvania and many other parts of the country, it became clear the shutdowns will last considerably longer than two weeks. And the restrictions might need to get tighter.

I only see things getting worse in the near term before it gets better, said Dr. Raghavendra Tirupathi, the medical director for Keystone Infectious Diseases and chair of infection prevention at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital.

Id say the next eight weeks for sure, he said when asked how long until the shutdowns begin to ease. Thats a best-guess scenario  if we do everything right.

Doing everything right, he says, could require a Pennsylvania stay-at-home order similar to orders in California and a growing number of states.

If all goes well, the state after eight weeks might begin gradually easing the shutdowns, such as re-opening schools or restaurants and waiting to see what happens. If that results in no big jump in cases, the state will allow more re-openings, Tirupathi expects.

His predictions are in line with others that have emerged in recent days. They have brought home the reality that what at first seemed like a profound, but short-term inconvenience, is more likely a historic event Americans will remember the way they do things like World War II and 9/11.

Assorted models predict that, in a worst-case scenario, coronavirus could kill 1.7 million or more Americans.

The only way to prevent that, most experts agree, is through the social distancing and school, business and other shutdowns which arose around the country last week.

The general view is that, if left unchecked, the curve of cases would look like a mountain, resulting in far more severely-ill people than hospitals could handle.

The best hope is to flatten the curve, so the number of sick people at any given time doesnt overwhelm the health care system.

Yet flattening the curve of the outbreak also extends its length. It would actually pass sooner with fewer restrictions and more people sick at once. But that would result in far more deaths, including many dying because of the resulting shortage of hospital beds, intensive care and breathing ventilators.

One of the models that has gained traction comes from a trio of University of Pennsylvania researchers who published an article in The New York Times last week.

Oncologist and medical ethicist Ezekiel Emanuel, biostatistician Susan Ellenberg and epidemiologist Micheal Levy, write Unfortunately, normal is a long way off. We need to be thinking in terms of months, not weeks.

They further say people should picture a roller coaster rather than a mountain: if the social distancing and shutdowns work as hoped, its possible some restrictions will be relaxed in about two months. But thats where the roller coaster comes in: as people begin interacting again, it will cause new outbreaks, resulting in the roller coaster bumps.

For comparison, the shutdown in Wuhan, which had been ground zero for the outbreak, began Jan. 23. Late last week, the city logged its third day in a row with no new infections and restrictions were slowly being relaxed.

But it should be remembered that China clamped down harder, with the goal of suppressing the virus, rather than the goal of mitigation  limiting the spread being carried out in the United States.

The Penn researchers urge Americans to plan to continue social distancing until at least late- or mid-May. But even after that, they expect the multiple roller coaster bumps  two, three, maybe four  will trigger returns to some of the restrictions. The good news is the bumps should be progressively smaller and the restrictions shorter.

The Penn researchers quash hopes the coronavirus will die down on its own when warm weather arrives, as does regular flu. The flu falls off because so many people have had it and become immune, combined with people spending more time outside rather than indoors, where the flu easily spreads. The coronavirus may well result in immunity, but its too early to know when and how much, scientists say. And one of the consequences of successful mitigation is that fewer people get exposed, meaning fewer people become immune.

It means there a good chance well be under at least some restrictions until the arrival of a vaccine, and thats expected to be at least a year away. Then, an estimated 45-70% of the population will need to get vaccinated to make enough Americans immune that the coronavirus can no longer easily spread.

If we are lucky, and an effective vaccine is quickly developed, this could happen by the fall of 2021, the Penn researchers write.
Bachelor winner Cassie Randolph is getting candid about how she is managing to live with Colton Underwood after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Cassie, 24, and Colton, 28, have spent the past week hunkering down with her family at her parents' home in Huntington Beach, California.

She explained that while Colton remained 'on the third story' of their residence 'Everyone else is quarantined in the rest of the house & yard.'

Managing: Bachelor winner Cassie Randolph is getting candid about how she is managing to live with Colton Underwood after he was diagnosed with COVID-19

'He is currently on the third story and I'm taking care of him by bringing him anything he needs (food, medicine, water, blankets, games), and then I disinfect myself every time I leave him. But I'm not "hanging out" up there per se - unfortunately,' she wrote.

The whole family are worried as 'he wasn't isolated from us until we got his results back. We quarantined the entire family together as soon as he showed symptoms, because we assumed that we were already exposed.'

As a result 'now we are like..."is it too late to not catch it? Do we already have it?"...we just don't know. So we are now implementing CDC recommended precautions and going to continue to reevaluate as days go on.'

She assured fans: 'No one else is showing symptoms. Yet, at least. I feel like it's been hard to tell if any of us are symptomatic or if we are just being paranoid and imagining symptoms?'

Staying in: Cassie, 24, and Colton, 28, have spent the past week hunkering down with her family at her parents' home in Huntington Beach, California

Precautions: She explained that while Colton remained 'on the third story' of their residence 'Everyone else is quarantined in the rest of the house & yard.'

Cassie and her younger brother Landon 'have a little bit of chest pain, but maybe it's just anxiety? Hard to tell just yet. Will keep you all updated!'

The family currently have 'No idea where he got it from. At this point, it could have been anywhere that he was the past 2 weeks. Whether it be from a stranger that he touched the same door handle as, or from a friend, someone in my family...'

Cassie related his symptoms as well, sharing that it 'started out with a headache' followed by 'body aches + mild fever' and then 'night sweats for the next 2 nights with the fever.'

The reality TV heartthrob 'started feeling some shortness of breath' and later 'started coughing, but only very mildly.' Colton 'has been pretty weak and tired the whole time.'

'It's hard': Cassie revealed that 'We quarantined the entire family together as soon as he showed symptoms, because we assumed that we were already exposed'

Watchful: Cassie and her younger brother Landon 'have a little bit of chest pain, but maybe ti's just anxiety? Hard to tell just yet'

Mystery: The family currently have 'No idea where he got it from' and feel that 'At this point, it could have been anywhere that he was the past 2 weeks'

Beginnings: Cassie related his symptoms as well, sharing that it 'started out with a headache' followed by 'body aches + mild fever'

In a video she dished: 'Were here with my family. Weve been quarantining ourselves for the past week now  Were all making sure to take very good care of ourselves and staying healthy. We're trying to one, stay positive, two, take a lot of vitamins, and get a lot of sleep.

'The doctor said that he was one of three people who tested positive that day out of 20 tests that he gave, and that number is probably only gonna keep increasing.'

Colton revealed Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 after showing symptoms earlier this week.

The 28-year-old Bachelor star made the news public in a video posted to his social media on Friday and revealed he caught the virus despite being 'pretty healthy' and following the recommended social distancing guidelines.

Colton described the physical toll the virus has inflicted on him saying it is 'kicking my a**' and revealed he is exhausted just by walking up the stairs.

Sick: Colton revealed Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 after showing symptoms 'a few days ago'

Alongside the video he wrote: 'I tested positive and I have been following all of the social distancing rules since last week. My symptoms started a few days ago, I was tested and just received my results today.

'For anyone out there that is hesitant to self quarantine... please do yourself and your loved ones a favor and stay home. We will all beat this and come out stronger on the other side. I'll keep you posted, Love y'all.'

In his Instagram video Colton said: 'I want to let you guys know: I'm 28, I consider myself pretty healthy, I work out regularly, I eat healthy, and I became symptomatic a few days ago, got my test results back today, and they are positive,

'It's been kicking my a**, just to put it pretty bluntly,' he said.

'The main thing is I can't even walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath or go to the bathroom without having to sit down because I'm exhausted.'

Listen up: The reality star made sure to issue a warning to his followers that everyone, even young adults, need to take the risk of the disease seriously

The reality star then made sure to issue a warning to his followers that everyone, even young adults, need to take the risk of the disease seriously.

'So, I guess the reason Im sharing this is not to cause fear or panic, but to hopefully encourage you guys to stay home, do your part, take care of yourselves, take care of one another,' he said. ' I just want to encourage everybody to stay at home. Stay in your house and do your part and take care of one another.'

Colton said that while isolating himself at Cassie's family's house they are 'all in it together'.

Colton said he's isolating himself at the home of his girlfriend Cassie Randolph's parents in Huntington Beach, California, and that they're 'all in it together'. The couple are pictured on March 11

Seemingly taking the risks seriously, earlier this week Colton modeled one of Scot Disick's 'Please Wash Your Hands' sweaters and posted a photo of it on Instagram with the caption: 'PSA'.

On Monday Colton and Cassie braved the outdoors and went for a swim in the ocean. But they ended up in the emergency room after Cassie got stung by a jellyfish and had an allergic reaction to the venom.

Colton joked at the time: 'Mother Nature sent us a warning shot to get back inside,'
DID Alliance Korea Chairman Kim Yeong-rin Courtesy of DID Alliance Korea



DID Alliance Korea seeks to lead global self-sovereign identity industry



By Lee Kyung-min



The Decentralized Identity (DID) Alliance Korea, an open industry association created to develop a standardized, interoperable framework for decentralized identity services, will seek to become a global leader in the budding industry with much growth potential, the alliance head said Monday.



A fully operational DID system would mean a Korean national, for example, could pass through immigration services in the U.S. via DID and use financial services there without any difficulty.



This would be possible as the person's personal information including passport number and bank and credit records would be stored in the DID system, ready to be reviewed for clearance by the immigration and financial authorities there.



The organization's continued effort, the head said, will enable Korea to have a greater say in setting global DID standards, facilitating the global expansion of not only local companies but also domestic technologies.



"It's similar to how Korea's Taekwondo became a full medal Olympic sport," DID Alliance Korea Chairman Kim Yeong-rin said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.



"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had a Korean vice president and the country's martial art was adopted as an official Olympic sport. Korea needs to lead the global discussion on the decentralized ID fully backed by its competitive IT technologies, prompting other nations to follow our lead in the development and implementation of the necessary systems."



The vision comes amid the growing importance of "self-sovereign identity," an industry term referring to a new form of identification which, through a layer of technologies, enables individuals and organizations to assert their own identity.



This is different from existing identity certification processes which require the help of intermediaries including government-certified or public entities that manage personal data.



"Personal identities are currency," said the former head of Financial Security Institute (FSI) who also served a deputy governor at Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Kim also worked at the Bank of Korea (BOK).



The new way of characterizing what largely remain under the "care" of state-run, or financial services firms follows a series of data leaks at major such organizations over the past years.



Mass data leaks at card firms in 2013, for example, put the issue front and center, prompting calls for personal data to be managed and controlled by individuals, not centralized institutions known for their high vulnerability with little accountability.



The Seoul High Court upheld a lower court's ruling that fined KB Kookmin, NongHyup cards 15 million won ($12,000) each and Lotte Card 10 million won, March 3. The Supreme Court is reviewing the case.



The ruling came about five years after the three firms were indicted for failing to supervise workers who handed over to an outside IT contract worker a combined 100 million unencrypted user data. Some of them sold the data to loan sharks.



"Crimes like this will no longer be possible if DID services are implemented."



Escalating the calls are global moves seeking to strengthen protection of personal data and to recognize them as personal assets, grounds to bolstering individual autonomy of what is rightly the bearers.



"A decentralized ID increases transparency management efficiency of data," Kim said.



Also to be helped by the DID initiative are about 13 percent of the global population currently without an identity.



According to 2018 World Bank Group data, an estimated one billion people around the globe face challenges in proving who they are.



"They are denied basic services such as finance and mobile connections, not to mention the high and untraceable risk of them falling victim to human trafficking. A global implementation of the DID will help solve the human rights crisis around the world."



The DID Alliance Korea is a Seoul office of the DID Alliance, a global foundation set up by IT firm Raon Secure CEO Lee Soon-hyung and Ramesh Kesanupalli in San Francisco, U.S., in 2019.



The DID Alliance has 62 members including Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute (KFTC), LG CNS, NH NongHyup Bank, Samsung SDS, Samsung Card, Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank.



Kesanupalli is the founder of the Fast IDentity Online (FIDO), an open industry association launched in February 2013 to develop and promote authentication standards that help reduce the world's over-reliance on passwords.





DID Alliance Korea Chairman Kim Yeong-rin Courtesy of DID Alliance Korea
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Guangdong Land Holdings (HKG:124) shares are down a considerable 31% in the last month. Indeed the recent decline has arguably caused some bitterness for shareholders who have held through the 51% drop over twelve months.

Assuming nothing else has changed, a lower share price makes a stock more attractive to potential buyers. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). The implication here is that long term investors have an opportunity when expectations of a company are too low. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E ratio means that investors have a high expectation about future growth, while a low P/E ratio means they have low expectations about future growth.

See our latest analysis for Guangdong Land Holdings

How Does Guangdong Land Holdings's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

Guangdong Land Holdings's P/E of 10.83 indicates some degree of optimism towards the stock. You can see in the image below that the average P/E (6.1) for companies in the real estate industry is lower than Guangdong Land Holdings's P/E.

SEHK:124 Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 22nd 2020

Guangdong Land Holdings's P/E tells us that market participants think the company will perform better than its industry peers, going forward. Clearly the market expects growth, but it isn't guaranteed. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Generally speaking the rate of earnings growth has a profound impact on a company's P/E multiple. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.

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Guangdong Land Holdings increased earnings per share by an impressive 14% over the last twelve months. Unfortunately, earnings per share are down 7.9% a year, over 5 years.

Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth.

Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).

So What Does Guangdong Land Holdings's Balance Sheet Tell Us?

Net debt totals a substantial 110% of Guangdong Land Holdings's market cap. This level of debt justifies a relatively low P/E, so remain cognizant of the debt, if you're comparing it to other stocks.

The Verdict On Guangdong Land Holdings's P/E Ratio

Guangdong Land Holdings has a P/E of 10.8. That's higher than the average in its market, which is 8.5. It's good to see the recent earnings growth, although we note the company uses debt already. But if growth falters, the relatively high P/E ratio may prove to be unjustified. Given Guangdong Land Holdings's P/E ratio has declined from 15.8 to 10.8 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is less confident about the business today, than it was back then. For those who don't like to trade against momentum, that could be a warning sign, but a contrarian investor might want to take a closer look.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is better than it expects, you can make money by buying and holding for the long term. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

You might be able to find a better buy than Guangdong Land Holdings. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings).

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Gallatin County health officials said Sunday four new cases of COVID-19 announced over the weekend indicate evidence of community spread of the coronavirus in Montana.

A spokesperson with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services said Sunday state public health officials have been in communication with other areas of Montana and Gallatin County is the only one reporting community spread. Montana reported 31 cases within the state's borders Sunday afternoon.

Community spread means the four newly infected people had no traceable contact with other people who are known to have the virus or been exposed to it. The virus was likely transmitted to them within the Bozeman community, county health officer Matt Kelley said Sunday in a press conference. All the state's major population centers have cases, as well as a few smaller and more rural counties.

Gallatin County has eight cases of COVID-19, the most of any county in the state. All cases before the four confirmed over the weekend were related to travel outside the state or country. However, Kelley said community spread was not unexpected.

On March 16 Gallatin County ordered places where people congregate like bars, casinos, gyms and more closed, and limited restaurants to offer only takeout or delivery. Gov. Steve Bullock implemented similar measures statewide on March 20. Kelley said Sunday the evidence of community spread in the Bozeman area isnt changing much" about the county's approach to limit gatherings and the Gallatin County Health Department isnt anticipating any more restrictions at this point.

Many people in Montana have raised questions about testing and Bullock acknowledged capacity is limited but has emphasized everyone who should be tested will be. Kelley said in response to a question from a reporter Sunday that the approach to testing will not change in Gallatin County due to the evidence of community spread. Kelley added that since there is not a specific treatment for COVID-19, knowing whether a person has it does not change how health care providers care for them. In Montana guidance dictates that testing be prioritized for those who are hospitalized so that health care workers can use necessary personal protective equipment but not waste it if the person does not have the virus, as well as for those who are in high-risk groups and for those who fall ill and have had close contact with someone else who is known to have virus.

Kelley emphasized the most important thing is to prevent further spread by taking recommendations to stay home as much as possible, limit travel to essential trips, avoid groups of people and practice social distancing seriously. He said people may see snippets of positive news about the virus spread, which can help boost morale, but he implored the public not to let those bits of information lead them to turn lax on taking precautions.

I urge you all to not fall into complacency, Kelley said.

According to Kelley, complacency is the main thing that allows the virus to spread, causing more preventable cases and deaths. No one has died from COVID-19 in Montana; the first case was reported in the state March 16. Kelley reiterated the need to wash hands frequently and that anyone feeling even mildly sick should self-quarantine.

Kelley said the county has seen pretty good adherence to quarantines and other preventative measures and indicated that it wasnt necessarily carelessness that led to community spread.

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By Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday opened the door to a radical shift in the U.S. government's relationship to private industry as the coronavirus outbreak upends the nation's economy, saying he would back the government taking stakes in certain companies.

Asked if he supported the federal government moving to take an equity stake in some companies, Trump said: "I do. I really do."

Trump, speaking at a news conference at the White House, added: "We will be helping the airline industry. We will be helping the cruise ship industry. We probably will be helping the hotel industry."

The White House did not immediately respond when asked if purchasing shares in battered companies was really under consideration. The U.S. government rarely invests in public companies except in the case of bailouts to save ailing firms and jobs.

The COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which originated in China late last year, has sickened more than 11,000 people in the United States and killed more than 180, upending American life as it shutters schools, restaurants and businesses across the country.

Bailout requests related to the spread of health crisis, in the form of direct grants, loans, loan guarantees and tax relief, have topped $2 trillion. Companies generally do not welcome government ownership for fear they would lose control of their business, however.

PRECEDENT

Taking stakes in companies is not without precedent in times of crisis.

The Bush and Obama administrations loaned the auto industry, including General Motors and Chrysler, which is now controlled by Italys Fiat, $80 billion to avoid the collapse of the industry that they felt would result in the loss of millions of U.S. jobs.

The U.S. government spent about $50 billion to bail out GM alone. As a result of the companys 2009 bankruptcy, the governments investment was converted to a 61 percent equity stake in the Detroit-based automaker, plus preferred shares and a loan. The government no longer has a stake in the company.

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Just last month, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said the United States and its allies should consider taking a "controlling stake" in Finlands Nokia and Swedens Ericsson to counter China-based Huaweis dominance in next-generation 5G wireless technology.

The Trump administration accuses Huawei of being able to spy on customers and has led a global campaign to convince allies to keep the blacklisted company out of their 5G networks.

Even if the idea of ownership stakes is ultimately discarded, sweeping measures to mitigate the economic fallout from coronavirus seem inevitable.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday urged Congress to pass a $1 trillion economic relief measure by early next week, adding the government was focused on being able to provide liquidity to companies.

Asked if a trillion dollar stimulus is enough, Trump said: "We will know about that later. We'll see what happens. It depends how long, so much depend on what's going on in this room, in terms of the medical. If we can stop it in its track the virus, it's plenty. If we can't, we'll have to go back and talk."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Alexandra Alper; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
There are more than 40,000 people waiting for Covid-19 tests in Ireland on the back of the relaxation of the symptoms threshold, the HSE has said.

At a media briefing in Dublin, Paul Reid, the executives CEO, said that all facets of the fight against the disease are set to scale up in the coming weeks.

35,000 testing kits, 11 million facemasks

He said that as much as 240m is to be spent on procurement of health supplies, in contrast with the normal annual HSE figure of 15m.

That will see the delivery of a further 35,000 testing kits for the illness this coming week, while the country is to take delivery of 11 million facemasks as the HSE moves to sate the services stretched resources.

An additional 10,000 beds are to be added to the Irish hospital system in expectation of a surge in patients, while the number of Intensive Care spaces would be increased to 500. As of Saturday evening, 13 people, or 2% of those hospitalised, were in intensive care.

Waiting times for the test are currently between four and five days Anne OConnor, the HSEs chief operating officer, said.

Last week 2,000 people were being tested on a daily basis. That will increase to 4,500 people from Monday, Ms OConnor said.

Meanwhile, Pairc Ui Chaoimh is to go live as Irelands 35th, and largest, testing centre for the illness this evening.

When operational the GAA stadium will be testing 1,000 people per day.

A further six testing sites are set to come online in the coming days, she added, with plans to eventually have 50 in place in order to deal with the backlog.

'No cause' for comfort

Mr Reid said, however, that the fact that positive test numbers for the virus were significantly lower yesterday than on Friday is absolutely not cause for comfort.

Some 191 new cases had been announced on Friday, by far the biggest figure to date. However, the figure as at Saturday evening was 102.

We are at the very beginning of this. We take no comfort just now, he said.

Dr Sarah Doyle, specialist in public health medicine, said that the chances of contracting the virus in the community do remain low, but that this is set to change in the coming days.

At present if you have mild symptoms, you probably do have a common cold, she said.

Mr Reid said that the number of people involved in contact tracing has ramped up to almost 1,200, from just 40 at the beginning of the crisis.

He urged people not to blame the young of the country for their perceived indifference to the crisis as it doesnt help. That wont win hearts and minds, he said.

Regarding the issue of inadequate social distancing in the retail outlets, such as supermarkets, which remain open, he said that the idea of enforcement of such measures is a matter for the National Public Health Emergency Team.

He added that the efforts of most such agents in the retail sector have been very commendable.

Regarding the mobilisation of the LE Samuel Beckett as a floating testing centre, Mr Reid said that represents a boon in the immediate availability of a trained workforce which can begin operations immediately.

There are currently 785 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland to date, with three people having lost their lives.
I am in my 80s and have heart troubles. My wife has Alzheimers and lives at home. Weve been told we should stay put, and not go out, but have carers that come in to help every day. Will they still be able to visit, and what will we do if they cant?

First, let me offer some reassurance. Even in high-risk groups such as the over-80s and those with heart disease, the majority who contract coronavirus will not have severe illness.

The information from the Chinese cases showed that more than 80 per cent of patients  even the older ones with heart disease  would not suffer serious illness.

A reader asks Dr Ellie Cannon whether his wife's carer will still be allowed to call to the house during the coronavirus outbreak or will he have to cope with this situation on his own

We have been told to socially distance to protect ourselves.

This means reducing close contact as much as possible, often defined as being within two metres of another person for more than 15 minutes.

You are not in isolation  that is for people or their households who have symptoms. So you could go out for a walk and some fresh air  that would do you good.

And since carers are essential to you and your wife, this kind of contact should not be avoided. They will absolutely still be able to visit you.

They will be practising even more stringent hand hygiene than normal, and they will be careful about not coming if they are ill. If they are unable to visit due to isolation, the care agency or local authority team will send back-up. Do not be afraid to ask them to wash their hands when they come in.

I am in my late 40s and take blood pressure medicine. Im confused about just who is high-risk. Should I be self-isolating?

We are all meant to be practising social distancing. This means having as little as possible physical contact with other people. Isolating means zero contact and is for people who have Covid-19 symptoms or are in the household of someone with symptoms.

Like everyone else, you should be minimising your contact with others. But it is more important for you, as we know that those with high blood pressure are considered more vulnerable.

So you need to be stricter. Every time you avoid coming into contact with other people or going to enclosed spaces where lots of people go, you are reducing your risk.

Stay at home as much as you can. Working from home, for instance, eliminates commuting  and the risk of sitting in an office all day with others who might transmit the virus.

They might be ill with low-level symptoms and unaware theyre spreading the infection, or simply have the virus on their hands after their commute.

There has been some discussion about high-blood-pressure medication and Covid-19.

The European Society of Cardiology has issued a statement to say that all patients with high blood pressure should continue their usual medication as there is no evidence that it is harmful during the infection.

For more information on precisely who is classed as being in high-risk groups for Covid-19, visit nhs.uk or Public Health England at gov.uk.

Family life must go on

Dr Ellie Cannon's son Jude, pictured on his 13th birthday blew out the candles on his cake by wafting his card in the direction of the flame

As we seem to be heading towards total lockdown, you might think that birthdays, parties and other celebrations are cancelled for the foreseeable future.

But my son Judes 13th birthday celebrations last week were proof that you CAN still have a good old celebration. It was a much-needed reminder that we are still the same family, with the same traditions, and it made us feel normal again  for a short while, at least.

And Id urge you all to do the same.

Intimate celebrations, with just your household, can be just what you need in a time of crisis to remind you what is important. All it takes is a bit of forward planning  buying presents, balloons and wrapping paper online and getting a friend to deliver a cake.

And instead of blowing out candles, Jude, left, wafted them out using a card  to reduce the chances of spreading the virus!

There's no need to stockpile your pills

Although it may seem like a bit of a joke, stockpiling is no laughing matter  especially when it comes to medications.

Last week I was appalled to see patients ordering extra pills because they had panicked about running out.

Not only is there no need to do this  because we have a strategic method of supply to ensure we dont run out  but if people buy too much, there will be less easily available for the most vulnerable. If we all order as normal, there will be no problems for anyone.

Medication is not loo roll  ordering in excess can have more serious consequences.

Do not use valuable supermarket home delivery slots if you are fit and healthy

Do you do your grocery shopping online? Well, if youre young, fit and healthy, I plead with you not to  go out to the supermarket and leave the delivery slots free for those who cant get out.

Online delivery services are totally inundated with orders, with reports of some waiting up to a month for an available delivery time. This will be disastrous for the thousands who are self-isolating,and are reliant on these services for vital food and medicines.

But if every person who could go out to the shops to get their stash did, wed have far more delivery slots available for people who really need them. If youre healthy, theres no reason why you cant go shopping  so long as you keep at a reasonable distance from others and wash your hands when you get home.

If you ever fancied visiting the Museum of Modern Art in New York City or even the Musee dOrsay in Paris, nows your time to do so  from the comfort of your living room.

Do you have a question for Dr Ellie? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to Health, The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT. Dr Ellie can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies. If you have a health concern, always consult your own GP. Advertisement

One of the most wonderful initiatives to save us from quarantine-boredom comes, surprisingly, from Google.

The tech giant has teamed up with 1,200 museums and sightseeing spots across the globe to bring you virtual tours of world-famous exhibitions.

It means you can enjoy a glass of wine while exploring masterpieces such as the Eiffel Tower.

Enjoy it while it lasts  its free!

Youll find the full list at artsandculture.google.com.
MIDDLETOWN  As we begin another tough week in Middlesex County, I have to open this weeks column once again by addressing the topic that will be top of mind for everyone for some time, and that is the COVID-19 situation that we are all grappling with.

The chamber is keenly aware that this is a very difficult time for the business community in Middlesex County. The chamber team continues to work extra hard to make sure that we are a trusted resource as we collectively work to navigate this unique situation. We are staying in constant touch with our elected officials at the local, state and federal levels, and are pushing hard for swift action to mitigate the economic damage that is being caused by this global pandemic.

The chamber remains operational, and we are going to hold critical meetings via conference call and through online portals. The chamber staff is able to work remotely, and will continue to be there for you and your business. Our message to you is to hang in there, and to lean on the chamber and other resources that are available to you or will become available to you in the coming days.

We are not only pushing every day for the quick availability of resources for the business community, we are leading the effort that will allow chamber members to effectively support each other throughout this crisis. We need to hear from you, our valued members. We want to know how this crisis is affecting your business, and how we can help.

If you visit our website, middlesexchamber.com, you can access the coronavirus tool kit, which includes a survey which will help us help you, along with a number of resources which we will be updating on a regular basis as more information becomes available. We have also created a social media campaign, which allows our members to share the creative ideas they are employing to stay operational and helpful to their fellow community members during this period. Please connect with the chambers Shout it Out campaign, and let us know what you are up to.

In addition to the resources that are available through the chamber, we also have the ability to connect our members and other interested parties to the many other important resources available at this time.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of coronavirus. If businesses find themselves in the very unfortunate position of having to lay off employees, we can connect them to the Department of Labor, which has critical information for employers and employees alike. Finally, the Department of Revenue Services has extended deadlines for filing and payments associated with certain state business tax returns. Details are the chamber website.

This week will feature a variety of important conference calls with the city of Middletown, state of Connecticut, members of Congress, chambers from around the state, and other partners. All businesses, large and small, are part of the fabric of this community. It is time to come together to support each other, so we can weather this storm and come back strong.

Before closing, I want to take a moment to thank my entire dedicated chamber staff, especially my vice presidents Jeff Pugliese and Johanna Bond, for their great work and commitment to our organization and to the business community in Middlesex County. I am proud of them all every day, and especially during these difficult times.

We are all in this together, and we will get through this. The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce will do everything it can to be a resource for the business community throughout this period.

In closing, this week marks the final week at the chamber for our longtime controller, Nancy Prue, who is retiring from her position after 27 years of outstanding service. Words cannot adequately express my feelings about Nancy, and my appreciation of her work and her professionalism.

She was a dedicated, loyal, and hard-working member of the chamber team who did an excellent job in a very important position. Throughout her career with us, she was a steady and composed presence who showed up ready to work, every day. On behalf of our entire membership and our staff, I thank Nancy and her family, and wish her nothing but the best in her well-deserved retirement. She will always be a member of the chamber team.

Remember, the sun always shines in Middlesex County. I will never waiver on that. Stay safe!

Larry McHugh is president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce in Middletown.
We will remain at maximum vigilance, Nisaka wrote in a message to the people of Wakayama. If we see another case, we must join hands and work together with our full force, just as we did before. Even then, dont we have this? The hope that weve won after our fierce efforts.
https://www.aish.com/tp/i/sacks/The-Prophetic-View-of-Sacrifice.html

Sacrifices, the subject of this weeks parsha, were central to the religious life of biblical Israel. We see this not only by the sheer space devoted to them in the Torah, but also by the fact that they occupy its central book, Vayikra.

We have not had the sacrificial service since the destruction of the second Temple almost 2000 years ago. What is deeply relevant today, however, is the critique of sacrifices we find among the Prophets of the first Temple. That critique was sharp and deep and formed many of their most powerful addresses. One of the earliest was delivered by the Prophet Samuel: Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to the Lords command? Surely, obedience is better than sacrifice, compliance than the fat of rams (1 Sam. 15:22).

Amos said in the name of God: If you offer Me burnt offerings  or your meal offerings  I will not accept them; I will pay no heed to your gifts of fatlings  But let justice well up like water, righteousness like a never-ending stream (Amos 5:21-24). Likewise Hosea: For I desire goodness, not sacrifice; obedience to God, rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).

We find a similar critique in several Psalms. Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for Mine is the world and all it holds. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? (Ps. 50:8-15). Lord, open my lips, and let my mouth declare Your praise. You do not want me to bring sacrifices; You do not desire burnt offerings. True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart (Ps. 51:17-19).

Jeremiah seems to suggest that the sacrificial order was not Gods initial intention: For when I freed your fathers from the land of Egypt, I did not speak with them or command them concerning burnt offerings or sacrifice. But this is what I commanded them: Do My bidding, that I may be your God and you may be My people; walk only in the way that I enjoin upon you, that it may go well with you (Jer. 7:22-23).

Strongest of all is the passage at the beginning of the book of Isaiah that we read on Shabbat Chazon before Tisha bAv: What need have I of all your sacrifices? says the Lord. I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to Me (Is. 1:11-13).

This entire line of thought, sounded by many voices and sustained across centuries, is extraordinary. The people were being criticised not for disobeying Gods law but for obeying it. Sacrifices were commanded. Their offering was a sacred act performed in a holy place. What then aroused the Prophets anger and rebuke?

It was not that they were opposed to sacrifice as such. Jeremiah foresaw the day when People shall come from the towns of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem  bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, meal offerings and frankincense, and bringing offerings of thanksgiving to the House of the Lord (Jer. 17:26).

Likewise Isaiah: I will bring them to My sacred mount and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices shall be welcome on My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples (Is. 56:7).

They were not criticising the institution of sacrifices. They were criticising something as real now as it was in their time. What distressed them to the core of their being was the idea that you could serve God and at the same time act disdainfully, cruelly, unjustly, insensitively or callously toward other people. So long as I am in Gods good graces, that is all that matters. That is the thought that made the Prophets incandescent with indignation. If you think that, they seem to say, then you havent understood either God or Torah.

The first thing the Torah tells us about humanity is that we are each in the image and likeness of God Himself. Therefore if you wrong a human being, you are abusing the only creation in the universe on which God has set His image. A sin against any person is a sin against God.

In the first mission statement of the Jewish people, God said about Avraham, For I have chosen him that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right (Gen. 18:19). The way of the Lord is to act justly and righteously toward your fellow human beings. In context, this meant that God was inviting Avraham to pray on behalf of the people of Sodom, even though he knew that they were wicked and sinners.

It is specifically in the book of sacrifices, Vayikra, that we find the twin commands to love your neighbour as yourself, and love the stranger (Lev. 19:18, 33-34). The sacrifices that express our love and awe of God should lead to love of the neighbour and the stranger. There should be a seamless transition from commands between us and God to commands between us and our fellow humans.

Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah all witnessed societies in which people were punctilious in bringing their offerings to the Temple, but in which there was bribery, corruption, perversion of justice, abuse of power and the exploitation of the powerless by the powerful. The Prophets saw in this a profound and dangerous contradiction.

The very act of bringing a sacrifice was fraught with ambiguity. Jews were not the only people in ancient times to have temples, priests and sacrifices. Almost everyone did. It was precisely here that the religion of ancient Israel came closest, outwardly, to the practices of their pagan neighbours. But the sacrificial systems of other cultures were based on totally different beliefs. In many religions sacrifices were seen as a way of placating or appeasing the gods. The Aztecs believed that sacrificial offerings fed the gods who sustained the universe. Walter Burkhart speculated that the ancient Greeks experienced guilt when they killed animals for food, so they offered sacrifices as a way of appeasing their consciences.

All these ideas are alien to Judaism. God cannot be bribed or appeased. Nor can we bring Him anything that is not His. God sustains the universe: the universe does not sustain Him. And wrongs righted by sacrifice do not excuse other wrongs. So intention and mindset were essential in the sacrificial system. The thought that If I bring a sacrifice to God, He will overlook my other faults  in effect, the idea that I can bribe the Judge of all the earth  turns a sacred act into a pagan one, and produces precisely the opposite result than the one intended by the Torah. It turns religious worship from a way to the right and the good, into a way of easing the conscience of those who practice the wrong and the bad.

To serve God is to serve humanity. That was the point made memorably by Micah: He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: To do justice, to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.(Micah 6:6-8). Jeremiah said of King Josiah: He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know Me? says the Lord (Jer. 22:16). Knowing God, said Jeremiah, means caring for those in need.

Maimonides said essentially the same at the end of The Guide for the Perplexed (III, 54). He quotes Jeremiah: Only in this should one glory: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, says the Lord (Jer. 9:23). To know God is to know what it is to act with kindness, justice and righteousness.

The danger of the sacrificial system, said the Prophets, is that it can lead people to think that there are two domains, the Temple and the world, serving God and caring for ones fellow humans, and they are disconnected. Judaism rejects the concept of two disconnected domains. Halachically they are distinct, but psychologically, ethically and spiritually they are part of a single indivisible system.

I believe that to love God is to love our fellow humans. To honour God is to honor our fellow humans. We may not ask God to listen to us if we are unwilling to listen to others. We may not ask God to forgive us if we are unwilling to forgive others. To know God is to seek to imitate Him, which means, said Jeremiah and Maimonides, to exercise kindness, justice and righteousness on earth.

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Editors note: News about the coronavirus is changing quickly. The latest information can be found at inquirer.com/coronavirus.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.  Drive-through sites have been opening around the United States to make it quicker and safer to test people for the new coronavirus. But much like the rest of the U.S. response to the pandemic, the system has been marked by inconsistencies, delays, and shortages. Many people who have symptoms and a doctors order have waited hours or days for a test.

More than a week after President Donald Trump promised that states and retail stores such as Walmart and CVS would open drive-through test centers, few sites are up and running, and theyre not yet open to the general public. Some states are leaving it to the private sector to open test locations; others are coordinating the effort through state health departments.

Patients have complained that they had to jump through cumbersome bureaucratic hoops and wait days to get tested, then wait even longer for a result. Testing centers opened in some places only to be shut down shortly afterward because of shortages of supplies and staff. And while the drive-through test centers that have opened are generally orderly, there have been long lines at some.

The slow ramp-up of the COVID-19 testing and the spotty nature now of the system makes it hard for public health officials to track the spread of the disease and bring it under control.

"We need to be testing more broadly to fully understand the scope of the public health situation we are facing," said Joseph Wendelken, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Dr. Brett Giroir, the federal health official tasked with overseeing testing, said at a White House briefing Saturday that so far about 195,000 people have been tested in the U.S. That figure does not include some people who have been tested in private labs.

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. 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.

Drive-through test sites have popped up in locations in more than 30 states  in state parks and parking lots, next to medical centers and universities, at the Mississippi state fairgrounds and near where the Jacksonville Jaguars play. The governor of Maryland this past week ordered vehicle emission inspection programs across the state to stop so that the locations can be used as drive-through centers to test for the virus.

But as of Friday there were no open drive-through tests available in Maryland's inspection centers.

The Utah health department said it isn't in charge of the sites and isn't tracking them. North Carolina's health director said the state is leaving testing to the private sector and declined to say how many sites there are. By contrast, in Rhode Island, health care organizations are running the sites in partnership with the state health department.

In Houston on Thursday, cars lined up for more than a mile outside a hospital when the citys first drive-through testing site opened. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said they administered fewer than 200 tests in the first six hours.

Elsewhere, at several sites visited by Associated Press reporters and photographers, the scenes were well-controlled and sometimes downright quiet.

Dozens of people waiting in cars at a center in Homestead, Florida, on Wednesday, waited their turn to speak with a screener wearing a gown and mask and carrying a clipboard. Some were apparently turned away. Others were waved through, had their temperatures checked and were swabbed for samples.

But supply shortages have shut down drive-throughs in several states, including Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, and Utah. One Las Vegas site was closed because it didn't have enough workers.

New York state opened several centers to great fanfare on Tuesday. By Friday, however, New York City's health department issued an alert saying only people who require hospitalization should be tested, due to shortages of protective equipment such as face masks.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he has begged the federal government for additional test kits and supplies, but the state received a notice Thursday that all of its requests for drive-through testing pods and testing kits are on an indefinite backlog, without any estimate of a timeline for delivery.

This is our unfortunate reality Nevada. Its up to us, he said.

The sites themselves are dotted with tents and traffic cones. The most notable features are medical personnel wearing masks, gloves and protective smocks or other clothing. They take nose and throat swabs from people sitting in their cars or help people go inside for the test.

Some states have as few as one drive-through site. Montanas sole site is in Billings, the states largest city. Others have a few dozen.

Security guards were reported at many sites, but a survey of states by the AP did not uncover any security problems. In Rhode Island, the National Guard have been on hand to set up the states three drive-through sites and even to swab patients.

The vast network of drive-through sites at retail chains that Trump said more than a week ago was coming has so far failed to materialize. CVS has opened one site in Massachusetts, which it calls a model for testing. Walmart said its launching two sites and Walgreens said it's launching one, all three around Chicago. Only health care workers and first responders are allowed.

The patchwork of approaches has caused confusion for patients. Caroline Mauldin was ordered to get a test by her doctor in Charleston, South Carolina, on Tuesday, after experiencing aches and chills for several days.

To get an appointment at a drive-through site at a medical center, she had to fill out a lengthy online questionnaire and she spent two days calling a number that rolled to voice mail and wouldn't take messages. She resorted to tweeting at the hospital several times just to move things forward.

Finally, on Thursday, she got an appointment for Monday. And she was told the results would not come back until four to five days after that. The visit will cost her $25, she said. Complicating matters, she doesnt have a car and has to borrow one from a friend.

We have a lot of elderly, low-income people here who don't have access to the internet and who don't have access to transportation. And given that they're the highest risk population, how are we getting tests to them? she asked.

In urban area such as New York and Philadelphia, some sites are providing "walk-up" appointments for people with no cars.

At the Penn Medicine testing site in West Philadelphia, two security officers late Thursday stood outside to make sure people who arrived by car or foot had an appointment. For about 40 minutes that evening, the line of cars never grew to more than six or seven. But Patricia Sullivan, chief quality officer of Penn Medicine, said every morning this past week, 25 to 35 cars have been lined up and six or seven walk-up patients have stood 6 feet apart under a portico waiting to be seen.

The 20 sites in Greater Philadelphia are testing about 1,000 people a day, but that hasnt cleared the pent-up demand.

Rosanne Tanners 79-year-old mother has been sick with a fever and chest pain since returning from visiting Tanners brother and his wife, who had recently been on a cruise ship.

Her doctor ordered a test on Tuesday, but when she tried to get an appointment at a drive-through site at a hospital outside Philadelphia, they were told they are overloaded, theyre bogged down, Tanner said.

Medical staff told her they're scheduling 15 minutes apart so there arent bottlenecks at the test site.

Finally on Thursday her mother secured an appointment for the following Tuesday. Then, she will have to wait five more days for a result.

The lag time on these tests, its putting people at risk, Tanner said.

In Rhode Island, state officials said they are testing around 100 to 200 people a day at all testing sites, including three drive-throughs.

Gov. Gina Raimondo said they want to perform 500 to 600 per day, but they dont have the supplies they need.

It is our absolute top priority to get to a place where everyone who needs it can be tested and youll get the results very quickly," Raimondo said at a news conference held via Facebook Live on Friday. "Then if youre positive, we can get you quarantined.

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Las Vegas, Lynne Sladky in Homestead, Florida, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Chris Ehrmann in Hartford, Connecticut, Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City, and Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, and contributed to this article.
To the Editor:

Re Transgender Teenagers Brace for Flurry of Bills Set to Curb Their Rights (news article, March 13):

As a mother who lost my son, Tyler Clementi, to suicide after he was bullied for being gay, I know that the language and sentiment around L.G.B.T.Q. children can be a matter of life and death. Just the act of introducing anti-trans bills like those in Idaho into public discourse has the potential to be damaging to thousands of transgender children nationwide. And the effects could be more far-reaching if these bills are passed.

Not only is it wrong for elected officials to try to dictate and control the very personal journey that trans youth face, but it is also incredibly harmful for them to hear their unique identities discussed and codified as if something is wrong with them. This language can only be described as bullying.

There is scientific evidence that this kind of rejection from society is connected to the suicides of these young people. We have to ask, Do these so-called advocates and legislators want these young people to die?

It is appalling for trans youth to be subject to debate over whether they deserve to express their identities openly and safely. Debating their worthiness to live as themselves is dehumanizing.
Is Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings Limited (HKG:423) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations.

A high yield and a long history of paying dividends is an appealing combination for Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings. It would not be a surprise to discover that many investors buy it for the dividends. Some simple analysis can reduce the risk of holding Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings for its dividend, and we'll focus on the most important aspects below.

Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis

SEHK:423 Historical Dividend Yield, March 22nd 2020

Payout ratios

Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Looking at the data, we can see that 91% of Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. This is quite a high payout ratio that suggests the dividend is not well covered by earnings.

In addition to comparing dividends against profits, we should inspect whether the company generated enough cash to pay its dividend. Of the free cash flow it generated last year, Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings paid out 36% as dividends, suggesting the dividend is affordable. It's good to see that while Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings's dividends were not well covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a free cash flow perspective. Even so, if the company were to continue paying out almost all of its profits, we'd be concerned about whether the dividend is sustainable in a downturn.

With a strong net cash balance, Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings investors may not have much to worry about in the near term from a dividend perspective.

Story continues

We update our data on Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here.

Dividend Volatility

Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings's dividend payments. This dividend has been unstable, which we define as having been cut one or more times over this time. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was HK$0.086 in 2010, compared to HK$0.085 last year. The dividend has shrunk at a rate of less than 1% a year over this period.

A shrinking dividend over a ten-year period is not ideal, and we'd be concerned about investing in a dividend stock that lacks a solid record of growing dividends per share.

Dividend Growth Potential

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share (EPS) are growing - it's not worth taking the risk on a dividend getting cut, unless you might be rewarded with larger dividends in future. Earnings have grown at around 7.5% a year for the past five years, which is better than seeing them shrink! Although per-share earnings are growing at a credible rate, virtually all of the income is being paid out as dividends to shareholders. This is okay, but may limit growth in the company's future dividend payments.

Conclusion

Dividend investors should always want to know if a) a company's dividends are affordable, b) if there is a track record of consistent payments, and c) if the dividend is capable of growing. We're not keen on the fact that Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings paid out such a high percentage of its income, although its cashflow is in better shape. Second, earnings growth has been ordinary, and its history of dividend payments is chequered - having cut its dividend at least once in the past. In sum, we find it hard to get excited about Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings from a dividend perspective. It's not that we think it's a bad business; just that there are other companies that perform better on these criteria.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings that you should be aware of before investing.

We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



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A major national newspaper recently reported about the wariness of younger people to vote for the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Will they vote, instead, for his Republican opponent, also a man over 70? There is growing unease that many younger voters, ages 18 to 45, will simply stay home on election day, allowing the rest of the voting-age population to decide.

In the presidential election of 1960, the first one I remember, 62.8 percent of the voting-age population cast ballots, the highest turnout in the last 110 years. (In comparison, 55.7 percent of the voting-age population voted in 2016.) Sixty years ago, Republican Vice President Richard Nixon ran against Democratic Senator John Kennedy. Among many compelling features, the powerful generational element.

Since the early 1930s, the presidency had been held by only three men, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower, all giants of the World War II and Early Cold War eras. At the beginning of the second full decade of the Cold War, which Kennedy called the hour of maximum danger, two younger men competed for American governments highest office: Nixon was 47, and Kennedy was 43. Kennedy won one of the closest elections in United States history. In January 1961, in his famous inaugural address, President Kennedy made many stirring statements, including: Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans  born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace. It was an exciting time!

In 2020, it appears virtually certain that the electorate will choose between two older candidates for president. The 18th-century Enlightenment political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu thought vigueur was the preeminent quality of political leadership. About 50 years later, in an essay published in 1788, Alexander Hamilton identified energy in the executive as a necessary characteristic of good government.

Many people in their 70s are vigorous and energetic. One must be in order to run for president. Nevertheless, I am concerned. The three greatest presidents in U.S. history  George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt  were 57, 52 and 51, respectively, when they took office. They were, of course, elected and served in times well before modern medicines remarkable advances. I would argue, however, that the best presidents have generally been younger ones. Of the older elected presidents, only Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan distinguished themselves.

The American presidency is not a lifetime-achievement award for long service to the nation and its people. In our government, the presidents extensive duties are both ceremonial and practical, so it is a big job! Whether the candidates are old or young, we must ask: What should voters look for in a president? Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin has identified six essential traits of successful presidents: Empathy, resilience, communication skill, openness, impulse control, and ability to relax. Finding those qualities in any person is not easy.

In over 230 years since the first presidential election in 1789, 45 people, almost all white men, have been elected or succeeded to the presidency, and no more than five were truly great. That is not an indictment of the presidents. It is, instead, a realistic assessment of the difficulty of the presidency in a complicated, often dangerous, world, where providing effective executive leadership might become more challenging every year.

What do younger voters want? On occasion, I ask my students. Responses vary, of course, but they often express concern about the growing international public health crisis and the costs of healthcare; the threat of climate change; widespread corruption in politics and government; wealth and income inequality; and other civil rights and social justice issues. Many older Americans agree, but these issues seem to have greater urgency for younger people.

As the political establishments elders offer a choice between aging candidates for president, skeptical younger voters might reject that choice and refuse to participate. Scholars of voter behavior know that older people are more likely to vote than younger ones.

In 2020, will voters between the ages of 18 and 45 turn out in strong numbers to choose between presidential candidates old enough to be their fathers, even grandfathers? If the answer is yes, younger voters likely will decide the election. If the answer is no because significant numbers of these voters reject the choice that is offered, they might ignore election day.

A low-turnout presidential election caused by deep generational differences signifies an unhealthy democracy.

Steven S. Berizzi is a professor of history and political science at Norwalk Community College.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:41:36|Editor: huaxia

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MACAO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government reported two newly confirmed imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday, adding the number of imported cases to 10 in March.

Before March 16, 10 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospital after recovery. Since then, Macao has reported a total of 10 COVID-19 cases, all of which were imported ones.

The 19th case is a 19-year-old Macao resident who had been studying in the United States, and is a son of Macao's 18th case of COVID-19 infection. He is now kept in quarantine for treatment at Centro Hospitalar Conde de Sao Januario.

His elder sister and young brother had been classified as close contacts with the 18th case, and were also in quarantine for test results of COVID-19 infection.

The 20th case is a 20-year-old male Macao resident traveling from Britain to the Hong Kong SAR on March 16. He arrived at Macao and received a 14-day medical observation in a local facility on Tuesday. He was diagnosed with the disease on Sunday.
The government is being urged to immediately release pregnant women and mothers and babies from prison because their lives are at risk amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, added pregnant women to the vulnerable group on 16 March. The government has advised them to self-isolate at home and reduce social contact during the pandemic.

However, social distancing would be challenging in prisons, campaigners say. Hygiene issues in the prison environment are also a concern, as well as limited access to healthcare.

We have always argued that prison is the wrong place to care for pregnant women, new mothers and babies because of the risks created by the system; we fear the current crisis will put more lives in jeopardy, Naomi Delap, the director of Birth Companions  the first organisation to call for the release of pregnant women, said. The prison environment makes it very difficult to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The most recent snapshot showed there were 47 pregnant women in prisons across England and Wales in November 2019, but this figure is likely to have changed since. Birth Companions warned the number shifts almost daily, particularly when pregnant women held on remand are considered.

The most robust figure, which is based on access to maternity services, shows around 600 pregnant women are in prison in England and Wales each year and about 100 babies are born in prison annually.

Meanwhile, there are six prisons with Mother and Baby Units, where mothers can care for their children up to the age of about 18 months.

Most women in prison serve short sentences because 80 per cent enter custody having committed non-violent offences.

Women in prison are already more likely to have high-risk pregnancies than those in the general population. Women in the prison estate are also more likely to give birth prematurely, more likely to suffer from health conditions such as pre-eclampsia and have smaller babies.

Ms Delap said: Beyond the direct threat posed by the virus, we fear women and babies will face significant risk because of the inevitable reduction in prison and healthcare staffing levels.

This will affect womens access to midwifery appointments in prison; scans and appointments in hospital; healthcare and mental health support in prison.

It will also heighten the risk that womens calls for attention, particularly in labour, are not responded to quickly enough, and impact on timely transfer to hospital for birth and in other emergency situations.

The likelihood that women will be confined to their cells for extensive periods of time is also likely to impact negatively on their mental health.

One in five appointments with midwives is already missed by women in prison and nearly 40 per cent miss outpatient appointments. This can be because there are not enough staff to escort them.

Several women deliver their babies alone in cells or on the way to hospital.

Miranda Davies, a senior fellow at the independent health think tank the Nuffield Trust, said: We know from our research that even before the Covid-19 outbreak, pregnant women in prison faced significant risks.

Our analysis showed that in 2017-18 roughly one in 10 pregnant women gave birth either in their prison cell or en route to hospital, raising questions about their ability to access the right care.

Right now, pressure is mounting in all prisons, with existing shortages of prison staff being exacerbated due to staff having to self-isolate due to Covid-19. This is likely to make social distancing in prisons a real challenge as it relies on staff being able to bring prisoners food and other supplies they may need.

The warnings also follow the death of a baby at HMP Bronzefield in September 2019. The mother had given birth alone without medical support in her cell at night.

Alongside Birth Companions and Women in Prison, Dr Shona Minson, from the Centre for Criminology at the University of Oxford, and Dr Laura Abbott, a fellow of the Royal College of Midwives and senior lecturer in midwifery at the University of Hertfordshire, have joined the call for the release of pregnant women and mothers and babies.

Ms Delap said: The release of pregnant women and those on Mother and Baby Units is a matter of urgency, but it must be done in the right way. All of us  the prison and probation services, local authorities, the NHS and the voluntary sector  need to work together to ensure a coordinated effort to move these women and babies to safe places where they can receive the services they require now and in the weeks and months to come.

Vulnerable prisoners are being released in countries such as the US, Spain and Iran amid fears that Covid-19 will spread rapidly in prisons and detention centres.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: The governments absolute priority is to protect life, and we have robust and flexible plans in place keep prisoners, staff and the wider public safe based on the latest advice from Public Health England.
Eighteen days after he was admitted to the hospital, the first identified Houston-area coronavirus patient is back home.

The Fort Bend County man is in his 70s and wished to remain anonymous. Though he declined an interview, he shared parts of his story in a letter to the Houston Chronicle, thanking the hospital staff who cared for him.

His story shows the difficulty of this illness: Its both physically taxing and mentally difficult, keeping loved ones away while medical staff offer support as they can.

He didnt know all his medical teams faces; They entered his room at CHI St. Lukes Health in Sugar Land covered head-to-toe in personal protective equipment.

They risked their own lives to save mine, he wrote. I will consider them my angels forever.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

Each morning before his release, Dr. Manpreet Mangat checked on him. At points, she was nervous about his oxygen levels. He would give her a thumbs up or a cheery smile.

Mangat, a mother of two whose 72-year-old father-in-law was visiting, knew she had to be careful. When she got the text from the patients wife that he was back in his own bed, she said, That made it all worth it.

His wife had only been able to see him through the window of his hospital room when her 14-day quarantine ended.

At home Saturday, the man was soon asleep and had a ways to go to regain his strength, his daughter said. Its going to be a process, she said, but at least it will be at home.

County officials do not yet consider him recovered, though four others in Fort Bend and 11 in Harris County are. (A patient must test negative for the virus twice 24 hours apart and show no symptoms.)

This is real: Her dad was the Houston areas first coronavirus patient. She felt dumbstruck.

The man first started feeling sick a few days after he and his wife returned to Houston from Egypt around midnight on Feb. 20, he wrote.

They had traveled with a group that came together as friends invited friends. Egypt was far from a coronavirus hotspot. He thought he felt badly because he arrived so late from a trip abroad.

We certainly didnt think it was COVID-19, he wrote.

He went to urgent care with a fever Feb. 24. They tested him for flu, and the result was negative.

On Feb. 29, he found out a member of their group tested positive for coronavirus when she arrived to Taiwan.

Her case led authorities in Egypt to quarantine the Nile River cruise ship they had been on, while a dozen more in the Houston area and others nationwide who went on the same boat also got sick.

Nile River cruise: Egypt cruise ship quarantined after 45+ passengers contract coronavirus

The man became fatigued, as his fever persisted. On March 3, his wife called 911.

From the moment I was put in the ambulance and arrived in the ER, he wrote, I could, half-consciously, feel a large group of health care workers fighting to gain time to save my life.

Doctors and nurses identified quickly what it was and developed a plan, said Mangat, a pulmonary critical care physician. They knew they would get a coronavirus case at some point. He was admitted to the ICU.

The caregivers confidence grew with time.

His positive attitude, his wifes positive attitude, that helped us a lot, Mangat said. They gave us a lot of confidence.

Caregivers came in his room after a 10- to 15-minute process of protecting and decontaminating themselves, he wrote. They coached the Houston-area man to inhale and hold his breath  something he could not do for days.

I was greeted everyday with nothing but the medical staffs love and encouragement, he wrote, and that gave me the positive energy I needed to get better.

On Friday, his daughter talked with him on the phone and heard the nurses coming by to say goodbye.

He returned Saturday to a changed place, where many residents were staying put, and the areas confirmed case count had reached 134.

Mangat had offered for him to stay one more day, but as he told her: He was going to be fine at home.

emily.foxhall@chron.com
An Airbus A380-800 passenger plane of the Emirates Airlines at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport. Mikhail Tereshchenko | TASS | Getty Images

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Dubai-based Emirates Airline is suspending all passenger flights from March 25 for a renewable period of two weeks as the United Arab Emirates halts all inbound, outbound and transit passenger flights in its effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus. "As per the latest UAE government directive, Emirates will temporarily suspend all passenger flights for 2 weeks from 25 March 2020," Emirates said in a statement Monday morning. "These measures are in place for the protection of communities against the spread of COVID-19, and we are in full support. We look forward to resuming passenger services as soon as feasible. Affected customers should visit emirates.com for more information on rebooking or contact their travel agents for assistance."

The move comes after multiple contradictory announcements on Sunday night, with Emirates initially announcing a total flight suspension and then reversing course within hours due to "requests from governments," instead announcing it would suspend "most" of its flights. With Monday's official ban on all passenger flights, even for transit, by the UAE's Civil Aviation Authority, Emirates is now completely suspending its passenger flights for two weeks beginning Wednesday, subject to review and renewal. Cargo and emergency evacuation flights will be exempt, the UAE's Civil Aviation Authority said, "taking into consideration all the precautionary measures adopted as per the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and Prevention." Emirates airline is the world's largest operator of wide-body jets and the fourth-largest in terms of passenger and freight ton miles flown. Dubai Airport in 2019 was ranked as the world's largest hub in terms of passenger traffic. The news comes amid mounting national lockdowns, border closures and flight groundings as coronavirus cases climb around the world. The UAE has confirmed 153 coronavirus cases, with 38 recoveries and two deaths.

Cost-cutting, slashing capacity as airlines get hammered

Emirates Group said Sunday that it will not cut jobs, but will implement a temporary reduction in basic salary for the majority of its employees for three months, ranging from 25% to 50%. "Pay cuts are across the board except junior level staff. But it is only on basic salaries. Flying pay isn't affected by the announced cuts," a representative from the company told CNBC. Cost-cutting measures being undertaken by the group beyond the salary cuts include postponing or canceling discretionary spending, freezing all non-essential recruitment and consultancy work, encouraging employees to take paid or unpaid leave, and a 100% basic salary cut for Emirates and airport services provider dnata's presidents Tim Clark and Gary Chapman.
Editor:

My fellow New Mexicans: As governor and your neighbor, I want to thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we face down the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple fronts and with every tool we have available.

Weve been preparing for this since long before the virus appeared in New Mexico, and Im confident that by being proactive  and with your continued support and cooperation  we will minimize the impact of COVID-19 on New Mexico.

Heres how you can support yourself, your neighbors and our communities:

Social distancing is the best tool we have to protect ourselves and the most vulnerable New Mexicans, and my executive orders suspending mass gatherings and temporarily closing public schools will greatly further that goal.

So, please, understand that right now the bottom line is this: Stay home. Leave for only the essentials. Even if you dont feel sick! This is the best way to reduce the risks of spread.

Additionally, weve ended most visitation at nursing homes and imposed rigorous protocols for the visitors who are admitted  all to make sure we protect those whose health is already compromised, putting them at high risk for the worst outcomes from COVID-19. If you have a loved one in care, please remain in touch by phone for the time being.

Weve made it so you can get your MVD needs met online and by appointment only. Were arranging for school meals to be provided to students during the duration of the school closures.

Were doing everything we can. We are all in this together, New Mexico.

Thats the best way well weather this storm.

Community spread occurs when an infected person coughs, and tiny droplets containing the virus are inhaled by others or land on hard surfaces, where they can survive for hours to be picked up on your hands. Because the virus can be spread before symptoms occur, its essential that you keep your distance from other people in public places; clean and sanitize frequently touched surfaces, and  I know youve heard it before  wash your hands frequently with soap and water. This virus hates soap!

Even as we hope to avoid broad community spread, we are preparing for it by expanding our surveillance work every day to quickly pinpoint new cases and working hard to assure we have the medical professionals, personal protection gear, hospital beds, oxygen and ventilators that could be needed. Thats not panic; its preparation.

If youve been out of the country or out of state recently, self-isolation for 14 days will protect your fellow New Mexicans from possible contagion. If you develop symptoms  fever, cough, shortness of breath  call our hotline at 855-600-3453 for instructions.

You can stay up to date on the latest information at NewMexico.gov.

And remember: Were all in this together.

Very kindly, I thank you.

Michelle Lujan Grisham
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:12:36|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- British train services are to be pared back across the country from Monday as passengers are urged to stop all non-essential travel to slow the spread of novel coronavirus.

With the aim of keeping core services running, ministers and rail operators across England, Scotland and Wales have agreed to make progressive cuts to timetable, which also reflects a drop of almost 70 percent in passenger numbers since the COVID-19 outbreak started, the London-based newspaper The Guardian reported.

The government and industry also made a decision to enable rail freight services to run effectively.

In London, a reduced subway service is already in place with the closure of 40 stations and axing of the Night Tube operations.

"We are taking decisive actions to protect the public which means reducing travel for the time being, whilst still ensuring key worker heroes can get to their jobs to keep this nation running," said the British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Meanwhile, Eurostar is running just three returns daily on its main route from London's St. Pancras International to Paris, the newspaper said.

As of 9a.m. (0900GMT) on Saturday, 5,018 cases were confirmed positive of COVID-19 in Britain with 233 deaths.
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COVID-19 has brought great panic across the globe due to the rapidity of its transmission and the danger it poses to seniors and those with compromised immune systems. However, COVID-19 has done more than just bring panic. It has also catalyzed several truths about American people, revealing a more troubling underbelly of the American way of life. COVID-19 may prove to be a sociologists dream as it has shown what we as American people are like, what we are truly like, when a crisis transpires. Because of the virus, comments on social media reveal four types of responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The comments begin to repeat over time. From the overlapping discussions, we can discover four categories of people. As a caveat, this information merely comes from this writers observations and is by no means intended to be a scientific study.

1. The Political Propagandist. For this person, everything becomes political. If the government says anything, the political propagandist will look for some twist and automatically assume that the authorities in question are only trying to pander for votes. Oddly, some of my Republican friends have taken this perspective even when a Republican President has issued some of the guidelines against which they are contending. Thus, every decision is thereby for or against the persons party. I mentioned a Republican friend earlier. Ironically, I have some Democratic friends who have used the same logic with what a Democratic governor has issued. Some in this category deny that there is a real problem. They hold that the virus is nothing more than a political stunt. But who's to blame? That depends on which political affiliation to which the political propagandist belongs.

2. The Paranoid Peddler. This person is one who is mostly given over to hysteria if left unchecked. For the paranoid peddler, everything is a conspiracy. Even if the government were to say that creamed cheese is good for your health, the paranoid panderer would attempt to find some agenda behind the governments endorsement. He or she might say, Maybe the government is trying to get rid of those of us who are lactose intolerant? What if thats all the food they offer? This is especially true when governing authorities have advised that people abstain from gatherings of over 100 people, including religious services. Katie, bar the door! From that point onward, the paranoid peddlers prognosticate that the governments war against religion is well underway, all within the guise of protective parameters. Paranoid peddlers hold to the adage, I dont care what the government says, Ill do it my way!

My friend, Thomas McCuddy pointed out that this logic is faulty on several fronts. The paranoid panderer commits the categorical mistake, mistaking the categories between shutting down something temporarily and permanently; the false dilemma, thinking that one has given up their faith by listening to the governing authoritys advice; and a non-sequitur, thinking that God will promise that if one goes to church that he or she will not contract the virus.

3. The Hysterical Hoarder. Perhaps the third person is linked with the second? Nonetheless, some have made a point to hoard as many items as they can. It is one thing to be prepared. It is another thing to buy as much as you can so that others cannot get what you have. COVID-19 will be known as the toilet paper disease even though it is a respiratory virus. Why? People have selfishly purchased and stored enough toilet paper to last an entire year out of fear of running out. My parents grew up in a time where indoor bathrooms did not exist. Ask them. There are other sanitary ways to live even if toilet paper is not around. Just make sure you dont use poison oak to take care of your sanitary needs. My mother who is five-feet-tall was reaching up to grab a couple of rolls of toilet paper when this tall young guy ran up and stole them from her before she could reach them. Such examples exemplify the level of selfishness that has captured our society. Should such a real crisis exist, we would not come together as a nation. Rather, we would selfishly tear one another apart over something so trivial as toilet paper. The apologist in me thinks that this is one such consequence of living in a nation that is turning from its Judeo-Christian roots.

4. The Rational Responder. Lastly, while the first three responses have been mostly negative, there is hope with the rational responder. I have noticed that many of my Christian friends have responded to this crisis responsibly and with great compassion. By using reason instead of hysteria, many believers have seen the inherent risks associated with the virus and have chosen to respond accordingly. Many of the rational responders are even looking for ways in which they can minister to people during the chaos. I find it fascinating that most of these individuals also have a healthy ecclesiology (theology of the Church) by realizing that the Church is not an organization that requires walls and a structure, but rather one that is an organism, consisting of the people of God.

This article is not intended to poke fun at anyone. Furthermore, it also is not to say that some of what the first three responders have claimed doesnt have some truth in it. Rather, the article comes as an observation of the reactions arising from COVID-19. By no means am I saying that I trust every governmental action. Nor am I saying that anyone should. However, when hysteria and emotionalism replace logic and reason, bad things soon follow. I am reminded of the words of the late Dr. Norman Geisler who said, A clear mind and a pure heart are dangerous to the devil. No matter what may come, let us always seek to think clearly while having faith that Christ can and will deliver us through any storm encountered. For our Great Shepherd will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death (Ps. 23:4) so that he may bring us to even greater pastures.

By the grace of God, we shall persevere!


Agenda Item 2 General Debate: Presentation of the written update on the implementation of HRC Resolution 30/1 by the High Commissioner for Human Rights pursuant to HRC resolution 40/1, OHCHR Report on Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka (A/HRC/43/19)

27 February 2020

Statement by Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Foreign Relations, Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations of Sri Lanka



Madam President,

Madam High Commissioner,

Members of the HRC and Delegates to the 43rd Session of HRC,

Ladies and gentlemen,



As this Council deliberates on the written update presented by the High Commissioner on progress regarding the implementation of HRC Resolution 30/1, I wish to reiterate that Sri Lanka remains committed to engaging with the High Commissioner and her Office in achieving sustainable development, peace and reconciliation, within the national framework overwhelmingly approved by the people of Sri Lanka during the Presidential Election last November, where President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected with an overwhelming majority.



Yesterday, the Government of Sri Lanka, at the High Level Segment made clear its position with regard to HRC Resolution 30/1, particularly, its decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of Resolution 40/1 of March 2019, which also incorporates and builds on preceding Resolutions 30/1 of October 2015 and 34/1 of March 2017.





Notwithstanding withdrawing from co-sponsorship of this Resolution, we emphasised our commitment to achieving accountability and human rights within the framework of our Constitution, towards sustainable peace and reconciliation  through the appointment of a domestic Commission of Inquiry, by implementing policies rooted in the Governments commitments to operationalise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and by continuing to work with the assistance of the UN and its agencies.



To those who have expressed disappointment on Sri Lankas decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of Resolution 40/1, despite the Governments re-assurance to this Council of our commitment to achieving the goals set on accountability and human rights, towards sustainable peace and reconciliation, it is clear that they are privileging a superficial facade which has failed to deliver for four and half years, over the genuine possibility of reconciliation, underpinned by a peoples mandate.



In keeping with our consistent policy of continued engagement with the Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka wishes to respond to the current Report of the High Commissioner and engage in a constructive discussion with this august assembly today, with the sincere hope that this Council would recognize the realities on the ground.



We do so conscious of the fact that, of the period of 1 year since the adoption of Resolution 40/1, and 4  years since the adoption of the initial Resolution 30/1, our government has been in power for only a little over 100 days out of the said period.



I wish to recall that, during the 40th Session of this Council, almost one year ago, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) was represented by a delegation headed by my predecessor, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who, in Sri Lankas statement, explained at length the constitutional, legal and socio-political challenges involved in fully implementing HRC Resolution 30/1. In this context, we consider that the High Commissioners insistence in the current Report on the full implementation of the demands made on Sri Lanka in Resolution 30/1 indicates that the OHCHR fails to recognise the rational and legitimate concerns voiced by States that are seeking, in good faith, to address issues.



As highlighted before this Council on several occasions, Sri Lanka has consistently refuted the credibility of the false and unsubstantiated allegations leveled against Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, the present Commander of Sri Lanka Army and Actg. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Sri Lanka considers that the continued arbitrary accusations made against Lt. Gen. Silva in OHCHR Reports and other statements made in this Council and unilateral actions by certain countries, are unacceptable and a violation of the principles of natural justice. We also stress that there are no proven allegations against individuals on war crimes or crimes against humanity in the OISL report or in any subsequent official document. It is an injustice to deprive any serving or retired officer of the Sri Lankan security forces or the police of their due rights.



With regard to alleged intimidating visits, surveillance, complaints of harassment and reprisals referred to in the High Commissioners Report, The Government has already publicly refuted these allegations, and is committed to protecting and promoting freedom of expression and civil society space, and ensure that complaints received on alleged attacks against journalists, human rights defenders and civil society are investigated and prosecuted.



With respect to references in the report to the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that established Provincial Councils, it must be noted that, soon after the end of the conflict, the citizens in the Northern Province were able to use their franchise at a Provincial Council election after a lapse of 25 years. However, the near two year delay in holding Provincial Council elections in any part of the country, by the previous Government which co-sponsored Resolution 30/1, with the active support of Members of Parliament representing the North and East, has hampered the operationalization of devolution of power as mandated by the constitution of Sri Lanka. The new Government, is committed to holding the Provincial Council elections at the earliest possible opportunity, upon suitable amendments being made to the requirements that are needed to conduct the provincial council elections in terms of the law.



We wish to reiterate to the Council Sri Lankas commitment expressed during the High-Level Segment to achieve sustainable peace through an inclusive, domestically designed and executed reconciliation and accountability process.



The existing reconciliation mechanisms established by an Act of Parliament such as the Office on Mission Persons (OMP) and the Office of Reparations (OR) will be continued, with appropriate adaptation in line with Government policy framework. With regard to the issues on missing persons, steps would be taken, after necessary investigations, to issue death certificates or certificates of absence, while also providing livelihood and other assistance to affected families;



A Commission of Inquiry (COI), headed by a Justice of the Supreme Court, will be appointed to review the reports of previous Sri Lankan COIs which investigated alleged violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), to assess the status of implementation of their recommendations, and to propose deliverable measures to implement them keeping in line with the new Governments policy;



National law enforcement systems will continue to investigate and prosecute cases on all allegations of torture and other human rights violations that are currently before the judicial processes.



We hope the Council would appreciate this approach of focusing on deliverable measures of reconciliation that are in line with the interest of Sri Lanka and its people, instead of the practice of taking on a host of undeliverable commitments with the intention of never implementing them.



Within the above parameters, we look forward to continuing our engagement with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights mechanisms and procedures, and to continue to work in close cooperation with the international community through capacity building and technical assistance in mutually agreed areas, in keeping with domestic priorities and policies.



Thank you.

Full Statement in PDF

Delivered Text in PDF
Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Mampong, Mr Kwaku Sarpong Ampratwum, on Saturday assessed the Municipal Hospitals readiness towards containing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).



Mr Felix Archer, the Hospital Administrator, conducted the MP round various wards to inspect precautionary measures instituted against the disease, and indications were that the facility was ready to handle COVID-19 cases.



He was taken to the Holding Ward, a ward designated for coronavirus cases, and also inspected a children's ward, which is about 95 percent complete.



The Asante Mampong Municipal Hospital has not received any suspected case of the virus since the country first reported two cases on March 12.



Ghanas case count has risen to 21 with one death as at March 21, prompting authorities to announce a raft of safety measures, including the closure of land borders with its neighbours.



All schools have also been closed and social gatherings, including religious activities, suspended. The government is encouraging social distancing and handwashing with soap under running water.



Briefing the MP, Mr Archer said the Hospital Superintendent, Dr Baffour Gyima, and his colleagues had already given thorough education and training to staff on how to handle COVID-19 cases.



He said Veronica Buckets had been procured and placed at vantage points with soap for handwashing.



The Hospital has not yet received any Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for the staff, he added, and pleaded with the MP to help procure them for the facility.



The equipment he requested for frontline workers include hand gloves, protective clothes, hospital clog shoes, nose masks and hand sanitizers.



In the absence of those protective gears, Mr Archer said staff might fear to attend to any case of COVID-19 if it spread in the Municipality.



The highly infectious and life-threatening nature of the coronavirus disease has scared personnel of the hospital because there is no insurance cover for them, he said.



Mr Ampratwum commended the authorities for their preparedness towards the pandemic and pledged to give out 300 Ghana cedis per month as incentive to each frontline worker.



This is to motivate them to work assiduously towards eliminating the virus in the Constituency, in case of any of spread, he said, adding that government would soon supply PPEs to all health facilities.

Source: GNA









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Nagaland on Sunday joined the rest of the country in observing Janata Curfew, a call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid a spurt in COVID-19 cases in the country.

People chose to stay indoors and vehicles remained off the roads as a preventive measure, while shops and eateries, except medical stores, were shut.

The Sunday devotional service in many churches also witnessed thin attendance. Some churches even remained closed, while few major churches delivered messages through social media sites.

The curfew started at 7 am will continue till 9 pm PM. Nagaland government had made it clear that Sundays curfew will be voluntary and not being enforced by the government.

With the state government appealing the citizens to show solidarity in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in consonance with Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for Janta Curfew, the roads, especially in the state capital, Kohima and commercial hub Dimapur wore a deserted look.

The state government on Saturday enforced closing down of all crowded market places which do not have the scope of maintaining social distance till further orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Nagaland Joint Christian Forum is also observing Sunday as a 'Day of Prayer' for the people infected in various countries and for the leaders to have the wisdom to take measures to curb the spread of the virus.

The body is also seeking God's grace to save the people from being affected.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Long term investing is the way to go, but that doesn't mean you should hold every stock forever. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. Spare a thought for those who held Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (NYSE:TNP) for five whole years - as the share price tanked 79%. And it's not just long term holders hurting, because the stock is down 44% in the last year. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 59% in the last three months. Of course, this share price action may well have been influenced by the 29% decline in the broader market, throughout the period.

See our latest analysis for Tsakos Energy Navigation

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

We know that Tsakos Energy Navigation has been profitable in the past. On the other hand, it reported a trailing twelve months loss, suggesting it isn't reliably profitable. Other metrics may better explain the share price move.

We note that the dividend has remained healthy, so that wouldn't really explain the share price drop. It's not immediately clear to us why the stock price is down but further research might provide some answers.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

NYSE:TNP Income Statement, March 22nd 2020

This free interactive report on Tsakos Energy Navigation's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. We note that for Tsakos Energy Navigation the TSR over the last 5 years was -74%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 17% in the twelve months, Tsakos Energy Navigation shareholders did even worse, losing 43% (even including dividends) . However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 24% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Tsakos Energy Navigation better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Tsakos Energy Navigation (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) you should know about.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Six new coronavirus cases surfaced in Bexar County on Sunday, bringing the San Antonio area total to 45, the Metropolitan Health District reported.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news with mySA.com, and ExpressNews.com:

In all, 26 of the 45 confirmed cases are related to travel to places where the virus had already spread, up from 16 reported the day before. Ten people contracted the virus through community transmission, meaning they were exposed from an unknown source. That is up from nine on Saturday.

Seven cases originated from close contact with someone who had the virus.

Metro Health is investigating two other cases, down from nine the day before. Metro Health also reports it has done 311 tests, with 273 negatives for the virus, as of Saturday evening. A third of the positive cases are people in the 40- to 49-year age range.

On ExpressNews.com: This is what a deep clean looks like

On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott said there were a total of 334 cases in Texas, with six deaths. But the governor added that when the number of people presumed by medical officials to be positive, and the confirmed cases at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland are added, Abbott said the total number for the state is 566.

Additionally, Abbott said 8,700 people have been tested in Texas so far. He noted less than 10 percent of those tests have returned positive.

This story will be updated as information becomes available.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Staff writer Chris Quinn contributed to this report.
The latest:

President Donald Trump said it is absolutely critical that Americans follow guidelines about social distancing, nonessential travel and hand-washing.

Vice President Mike Pence said it was vital for people to heed the advice of state and local officials to lessen the magnitude of the coronavirus in our country.

"We can slow the spread," Pence said Sunday at a White House coronavirus task force briefing. "We can protect the most vulnerable."

The president said we want to have as few deaths as possible.

"You will see our economy skyrocket once this is over," he also said.

As the U.S. coronavirus outbreak grows and more states order residents to stay home, officials also are making a tough choice to only test high-risk patients and those who are severely ill.



The number of coronavirus deaths has surged to 400 in the United States as the virus tightens its grip, leading to fears of a widespread shortage of medical supplies.

Video above: Maryland National Guard members set up triage tents to prepare for influx of hospital patients

Officials in hard-hit states such as New York and California are warning that panicked people are flooding hospitals for tests and health care facilities will run out of crucial items. The focus has shifted to avoiding broad testing to conserve rapidly dwindling resources such as masks, ventilators and intensive care beds.

In a strategic shift, authorities are recommending that health care providers avoid testing patients except in cases in which results would significantly change the course of treatment.

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New York health officials issued guidance asking medical facilities to stop testing non-hospitalized patients in an effort to preserve medical supplies.

"At this point in the pandemic, demand for unnecessary testing is contributing to the rapidly diminishing supply of PPE (personal protective equipment) ... ," the guidance read. "Testing may play a more significant role after the pandemic has peaked."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said testing should prioritize hospitalized patients, people with compromised immunities, health care workers, seniors and other high-risk patients.

"Not every single person in the U.S. needs to get tested," said Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "When you go in and get tested, you are consuming personal protective equipment, masks and gowns  those are high priority for the health care workers who are taking care of people who have coronavirus disease."

A first weekend under restriction for millions

As concerns over testing grow, states are ramping up efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

Millions of people in five states spent their first full weekend at home under new orders by their governors. California, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana, Connecticut and New Jersey have urged nonessential workers to stay home in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus and reduce stress on the health care system.

Newsom urged younger residents to avoid visiting beaches as Californians adjusted to their new normal. "(It's) time to recognize it's not only about the old folks, it's about your impact in their lives. Don't be selfish," he said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards officially issued a stay-at-home order Sunday after previously shutting down schools, bars, clubs and other nonessential workplaces.

The order officially goes into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, but Edwards said people shouldn't wait until then to follow the orders. He said it will expire April 13.

More than 800 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Louisiana. State health officials said 20 Louisiana residents have died of COVID-19.

On Sunday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also tweeted that health officials had signed a statewide stay-at-home order.

"There is nothing in the order that we haven't already been talking about. There is nothing in this that I haven't been asking you to do for the last few weeks," DeWine wrote in a subsequent tweet.

DeWine noted "common sense exceptions" to the order: leaving for health and safety, necessary supplies or services and outdoor activities, such as dog-walking or going to a park, although playgrounds are closed.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned younger people of the risk after 54% of the more than 10,000 confirmed cases in the state were individuals between ages 18 and 49.

"You're not Superman and you're not Superwoman," the governor said. "You can get this virus and you can transfer the virus and you can wind up hurting someone who you love."

The most recent state to enact such a measure was New Jersey, where Gov. Phil Murphy announced a statewide order closing nonessential retail businesses and asking residents to stay home until further notice. The order went into effect at 9 p.m. ET Saturday.

"We know the virus spreads through person-to person contact," the governor said. "The best way to prevent further exposure is to limit our public interactions to only the most essential purposes."

Each state provides for certain exceptions, such as visiting grocery stories, pharmacies or healthcare facilities, among others.

"Every state will head this way," CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem said. "People need to prepare themselves that this gets harder before this gets easier."

Meanwhile, Hawaii Gov. David Ige is implementing a mandatory 14-day self quarantine for all returning residents and visitors that will begin Thursday.

The order applies to all arrivals at Hawaii airports from the continental U.S. and international destinations and extends to other private and commercial aircrafts.



"With the majority of Hawaiis COVID-19 cases linked to travel, it is critical that we further mitigate the spread of the virus by both residents and visitors who are coming from out-of-state," Ige said in a statement. "This plan was developed in collaboration with our county mayors and Hawaiis business, community and visitor industry leaders."

Nashville Mayor John Cooper issued at 14-day "safer at home" order Sunday.

On Twitter, the mayor explained that the order is for residents to stay in their homes and only go out for essential needs.

Under the order, all businesses not performing essential services will close and all social gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited, Cooper tweeted.

Cases climb as more people are tested

Numbers have soared as testing became more available, with at least 25,740 confirmed cases as of Saturday evening.

More than 195,000 Americans have been tested, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters. That total does not include county hospitals or health care labs, the vice president said.

As the demand for tests grows, private companies are joining the government's efforts to restock masks, ventilators and other supplies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the first rapid diagnostic test that could detect the disease in approximately 45 minutes. The tests will start shipping this week, according to the California-based manufacturer.

Meanwhile, Pence and his wife tested negative Saturday after a staff member in his office tested positive.

Sen. Rand Paul announced Sunday via Twitter that he had tested positive.

In a subsequent tweet, Paul said he "expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time."



Physician predicts staffing shortages

Health care workers and state leaders have sounded the alarm on medical supplies beginning to run short. Some medical experts are going a step further and adding staff shortages.

Staffing shortages will likely come even before equipment starts to run out, said Dr. David Hill, a pulmonary critical care physician and a spokesman for the American Lung Association.

"Part of it is just exhausting our personnel. Health care is complicated and people make mistakes when they're overworked," Hill said.

If health care workers get sick, "everything can fall apart very quickly," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

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Canada and Australia will not send athletes to Tokyo Olympics

Canada and Australia will not send athletes to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo because of the risks associated with the coronavirus outbreak, the Olympic committees for both countries said in separate statements.

Both countries' Olympic committees also are calling for the Games to be postponed until 2021.

The International Olympic Committee's executive board said it is considering postponing -- but not canceling -- this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Iraq on Sunday imposed a total nationwide lockdown until March 28 to fight the novel coronavirus, as the number of cases grew and the death toll climbed to 18.

Most of Iraq's 18 provinces had so far imposed their own local curfews but the new measures would include the whole of the country, according to the government's crisis cell.

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North Macedonia's Leader Signs Final NATO Accession Document

Sputnik News

10:00 GMT 21.03.2020

BELGRADE (Sputnik) - North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski has signed the final document for the Balkan country's entry into NATO.

"Today I had the honour to sign the Instrument of Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the North Atlantic Treaty. This is the final step after 29 NATO allies ratified the accession protocol & @JensStoltenberg formally invited us to accede," Pendarovski wrote on Twitter late on Friday.

Earlier this week, Spain became the last alliance member to ratify the protocol on the membership of North Macedonia.

North Macedonia's path toward NATO membership opened after it signed a deal with Greece last June that resolved their years-old row over Macedonia's official denomination. Athens has repeatedly blocked country's accession to the military alliance due to the naming dispute, but in October 2019, the North Macedonian parliament started the process of renaming the country.

The nation signed an accession protocol to become a member of the alliance in February 2019. The Balkan nation becomes the North Atlantic Alliance's 30th member. The last country to join the military organisation was Montenegro back in 2017, which was preceded by Albania and Croatia in 2009.

 Sputnik

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Some of the most recent weeks in American history alert us, if were paying the least bit of attention, to the fact that sexism is alive and well, indeed robustly thriving, in U.S. culture and society.

Last March 11 brought a moment of victory and also frustration in the struggle for womens rights, for human rights, in the U.S.

Notable Hollywood producer and notorious serial sex offender Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for multiple sexual assaults against women, a victory pending a probable appeal.

Weinstein, while not testifying during his trial, did speak up at his sentencing hearing, unleashing a spate of sexist commentary which we should understand not as idiosyncratic to the mind of man in weakened and aging state, arguably on his last leg, but as sadly and dangerously symptomatic of a prominent strain of sexism characteristic of, dominant in, American life and institutions.

Heres one of Weinsteins comments in which he credits himself for the rise of the Me Too Movement and also excuses himself and men in general for basically being confused, not understanding that sexually harassing and hating women is wrong, a violation of human rights:

You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood.

And then he effectively made himself out to be a martyr, blacklisted because of some irrational feminist ideological movement out to deny capable and ingenious men like himselfand Dalton Trumboof their freedom and livelihoods.

You know, I just  dealing with the thousands of men and women who are losing due process, Im worried about this country in a sense too. Im worried there is a repeat of the blacklist there was in the 1950s when lots of men like myself, Dalton Trumbo, one of the great examples, did not work, went to jail because people thought they were communists. You know, there was a scare, and that is what happened, and I think that is what is happening now all over this country.

So, recognizing womens human rights and holding men accountable for violence against women is . . . just a grandiose scare?

This trial exemplifies how, even in the face of apparent progressWeinsteins convictionthe struggle against pervasive sexist cultural attitudes persists.

While we can hope that November 2020 brings the removal of likely the most grotesque and obscenely overt sexist from the presidency, lets not be fooled and lets understand that America has quite a ways to go in addressing the sexism so deeply rooted and embedded in the culture of the United States.

Certainly the Democratic primary process left many rightly outraged and deflated by they take as unmistakable sexism. This process, for example, featured questions regarding the electability of the super-qualified Elizabeth Warren, a candidate with far more detailed plans and arguably superior political skills in comparison to those of the other major progressive candidate, Bernie sanders.

Denials that sexism and misogyny are at play just make it work. As Jessica Valenti writing for Gen put it, Pundits will all have their theories; fears over electability will likely be their #1 explanation. Dont tell me this isnt about sexism. Ive been around too long for that.

And the documentary Hillary, now airing on HULU, makes an equally compelling point as it exposes the sexism at work in the political universe of the 2016 presidential election. And that analysis, too, will no doubt spark outrage and denials of the virulence of misogyny in U.S. culture. As Chauncey Robinson emphasizes in her discussion of the fil, writing for Peoples World, The documentary zeroes in on the history of womens rights in the U.S., indirectly painting a picture of how sexism played a huge role in Clintons defeat by Trump. Some will agree with that message, while others will vehemently disagree. The documentary is just as polarizing as the woman it centers onand its worth the watch.

This polarization itself signals a deep experiential and ideological divide, largely along gender lines, speaking to the reality of sexism, that our society distinguishes people on the basis of sex and gender and legitimates different, meaning unequal, treatment.

And taken both the silence around Kobe Bryants alleged past sexual assaults when his life was celebrated, and also the backlash journalist Gayle King experienced when she brought it up in an interview with former WNBA star Lisa Leslie.

On the morning of February 24, the day of the memorial service for Kobe and Gianni Bryant at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Eddie Glaude Jr., Chair of the host Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, appeared on MSNBCs Morning Joe. He and host Joe Scarborough praised Bryant for his achievement and excellence. Glaude, I recall, hailed Bryant as an exemplar of excellence across lines of race and gender.

Really? Across race and gender lines? Here we see the silence.

And when King brought it up in an interview, she was faced with death threats, including highly publicized if somewhat veiled threats from rap star Snoop Dog which he circulated widely on social media. King had to get bodyguards just because she asked Lisa Leslie whether or not the rape charge brought against Bryant, which he later settled out of criminal court in a civil proceeding, negatively impacted his legacy in any way.

King, I guess, is just some kind of federal feminist agent leading the scare against excellent men.

Like Glaude and Scarborough, we are just supposed to celebrate these men for part of their accomplishments, not be truthful about all of their deeds.

Keep it silent. Thats how sexism breeds and goes viral, enabling pandemic.
Saturday, March 21, 2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought the entire globe to a standstill. When will this Pandemic end or more generically, how does a Pandemic end? The short answer  a pandemic ends when it runs out of victims.

Infectious diseases become Pandemics when they are spread across the globe via carriers of the infection  essentially humans.

Infectious diseases like the Spanish flu spread exponentially as more and more soldiers got infected during World War I and continued to get deployed across the globe. Gradually, as people develop immunities, receive vaccines, or otherwise shield themselves from infection, the pool of possible victims dwindles until the virus can no longer sustain itself.

Epidemiologists often describe the rate of infection in terms of a reproduction number, the average number of new people whom each sick person will infect. If this number is higher than one, even by a small amount, the disease is still spreading. (One study estimates that the reproduction number of the Spanish flu was 1.49 when the disease first hit Geneva and a whopping 3.75 in the second wave, which came shortly thereafter). If the number is less than one, the disease is on the decline.

So let us look at some of the deadliest Pandemics in history and look for any patterns and lessons:

The Black Death (Bubonic Plague) (1347-1351)

The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s. The plague arrived in Europe in October 1347, when 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. People gathered on the docks were met with a horrifying sight: most sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those still alive were gravely ill and covered in black boils that oozed blood and pus. Sicilian authorities hastily ordered the fleet of death ships out of the harbor, but it was too late: Over the next five years, the Black Death would kill more than 20 million people in Europe  almost one-third of the continents population.

However, Europeans were scarcely equipped for the horrible reality of the Black Death. Blood and pus seeped out of these strange swellings, which were followed by a host of other unpleasant symptoms  fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, terrible aches and pains  and then, in short order, death. Today, scientists understand that the Black Death, now known as the plague, is spread by a bacillus called Yersina pestis, named after French biologist Alexandre Yersin who discovered it at the end of the 19th century. The bacillus travels from person to person pneumonically, or through the air, as well as through the bite of infected fleas and rats. Both of these pests were particularly prevalent aboard ships of all kinds  which is how the deadly plague made its way through Europe  one port city after another.

After Messina, the Black Death spread to the port of Marseilles in France and the port of Tunis in North Africa. Then it reached Rome and Florence, two cities at the center of an elaborate web of trade routes. By the middle of 1348, the Black Death had struck Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and London.

The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europes population. In total, the plague may have reduced the world population from an estimated 475 million to 350375 million in the 14th century. It took 200 years for Europes population to recover to its previous level and some regions like Florence only recovered by the 19th century.

The most visible impact of this pandemic was the end of serfdom. Before the plague, peasant serfs were confined to their lords estate and received little or no payment for their work. Overpopulation and shortage of resources led to malnutrition and extreme poverty for many peasants. After so many people died, serfs were free to move to other estates that provided better conditions and receive top pay for their work. Landowners, desperate for their labor, often provided free tools, housing, seed and farmland. The worker farmed all he could and paid only the rent.

Eventually two popular uprisings, La Jacquerie in France in 1358 and the Peasants Revolt in England in1381 followed the Black Death. Although the social and economic effects of the plague were not the primary cause for the downfall of feudalism and the rise of a mercantile class, most historians agree the Black Death contributed to it.

Smallpox (1520):

Smallpox is thought to have originated in India or Egypt at least 3,000 years ago. The earliest evidence for the disease comes from the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses V, who died in 1157 B.C. His mummified remains show telltale pockmarks on his skin.

The disease later spread along trade routes in Asia, Africa, and Europe, eventually reaching the Americas in the 1500s. In February of 1519, the Spaniard Hernan Cortes set sail from Cuba to explore and colonize Aztec civilization in the Mexican interior. Within just two years, Aztec ruler Montezuma was dead, the capital city of Tenochtitlan was captured and Cortes had claimed the Aztec empire for Spain. Spanish weaponry and tactics played a role, but most of the destruction was wrought by an epidemic of smallpox that gradually spread inward from the coast of Mexico and decimated the densely populated city of Tenochtitlan in 1520, reducing its population by 40 percent in a single year.

Indigenous populations in the Americas had never experienced the disease before the arrival of Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the late 15th Century and thus had no immunity. Deadly smallpox pandemics raged through Mexico and Central America in the 1520s. All the diseases brought (unintentionally) by the explorers are thought to have led to a reduction in native populations of up to 90 percent.

Smallpox is caused by an inhaled virus, which causes fever, vomiting and a rash, soon covering the body with fluid-filled blisters. These turn into scabs which leave scars. Fatal in approximately one-third of cases, another third of those afflicted with the disease typically develop blindness.

The ability of smallpox to incapacitate and decimate populations made it an attractive agent for biological warfare. In the 18th century, the British tried to infect Native American populations. One commander wrote, We gave them two blankets and a handkerchief out of the smallpox hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect.

The pandemic was finally brought under control through a vaccine by Dr. Edward Jenner. Jenner had noted that milkmaids, among others, who caught the cowpox from their animals rarely sickened with smallpox and resolved to test cowpox as a protection against smallpox. Jenner took material from a dairymaids cowpox and introduced it into scratches on an eight year old boys arms. He thus invented vaccination  a word whose root comes from the Latin for cow. Subsequently, mass vaccination against smallpox got going in the second half of the 1800s. And in 1980, the WHO declared smallpox eradicated.

Spanish Flu (1918-1919):

The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic infected 500 million people worldwide and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million  thats more than all of the soldiers and civilians killed during World War I combined.

While the global pandemic lasted for two years, the vast majority of deaths were packed into three months in the fall of 1918. Historians now believe that the fatal severity of the Spanish flus second wave was caused by a mutated virus spread by wartime troop movements.

When the Spanish flu first appeared in early March 1918, it had all the hallmarks of a seasonal flu, albeit a highly contagious and virulent strain. One of the first registered cases was Albert Gitchell, a U.S. Army cook at Camp Funston in Kansas, who was hospitalized with a 104-degree fever. The virus spread quickly through the Army installation, home to 54,000 troops. By the end of the month, 1,100 troops had been hospitalized and 38 had died after developing pneumonia.

As U.S. troops deployed for the war effort in Europe, they carried the Spanish flu with them. Throughout April and May of 1918, the virus spread like wildfire through England, France, Spain and Italy. An estimated three-quarters of the French military was infected in the spring of 1918 and as many as half of British troops. Luckily, the first wave of the virus wasnt particularly deadly, with symptoms like high fever and malaise usually lasting only three days, and mortality rates were similar to seasonal flu.

Interestingly, it was during this time that the Spanish flu earned its misnomer. Spain was neutral during World War I and unlike its European neighbors, it didnt impose wartime censorship on its press. In France, England and the United States, newspapers werent allowed to report on anything that could harm the war effort, including news that a crippling virus was sweeping through troops. Since Spanish journalists were some of the only ones reporting on a widespread flu outbreak in the spring of 1918, the pandemic became known as the Spanish flu.

But, somewhere in Europe, a mutated strain of the Spanish flu virus emerged that had the power to kill a perfectly healthy young man or woman within 24 hours of showing the first signs of infection. In late August 1918, military ships departed the English port city of Plymouth carrying troops unknowingly infected with this new, far deadlier strain of Spanish flu. As these ships arrived in cities like Brest in France, Boston in the United States and Freetown in South Africa, the second wave of the global pandemic began. The World War I troop movement proved to be the carrier of this flu. The most bizzare was the mode of death  struck with blistering fevers, nasal hemorrhaging and pneumonia, the patients would drown in their own fluid-filled lungs.

Decades later this phenomenon was known as cytokine explosion. When the human body is being attacked by a virus, the immune system sends messenger proteins called cytokines to promote helpful inflammation. But some strains of the flu, particularly the H1N1 strain responsible for the Spanish flu outbreak, can trigger a dangerous immune overreaction in healthy individuals. In those cases, the body is overloaded with cytokines leading to severe inflammation and the fatal buildup of fluid in the lungs. British military doctors conducting autopsies on soldiers killed by this second wave of the Spanish flu described the heavy damage to the lungs as akin to the effects of chemical warfare.

The core reason for the rapid spread of Spanish flu in the fall of 1918 was the public health officials unwilling to impose quarantines during wartime. The public health response to the crisis in the United States was further hampered by a severe nursing shortage as thousands of nurses had been deployed to military camps and the front lines. The shortage was worsened by the American Red Crosss refusal to use trained African American nurses until the worst of the pandemic had already passed.

By December 1918, the deadly second wave of the Spanish flu had finally passed, but the pandemic was far from over. A third wave erupted in Australia in January 1919 and eventually worked its way back to Europe and the United States. Its believed that President Woodrow Wilson contracted the Spanish flu during the World War I peace negotiations in Paris in April 1919.

The mortality rate of the third wave was just as high as the second wave, but the end of the war in November 1918 removed the conditions that allowed the disease to spread so far and so quickly. Global deaths from the third wave, while still in the millions, paled in comparison to the apocalyptic losses during the second wave.

The pandemic revealed just how many lives can be saved by social distancing: Cities that cancelled public events had far fewer cases. Just as the outbreak was unfolding, Philadelphia threw a parade with 200,000 people marching in support of the World War I effort; by the end of the week, 4,500 people were dead from the flu. Meanwhile, St. Louis shuttered public buildings and curtailed transit; the flu death rate there was half of Philadelphias.

The flu affected 28% of all Americans and claimed the lives of an estimated 675,000. The US industrial production and wider business activity dipped at the height of the pandemic in Oct 1918.

COVID-19 and Containment:

So there are 3 factors in play during an epidemic  the source, the containment and the vaccine.

In our rapidly shrinking and well connected world, containment of an epidemic becomes difficult. So it is extremely important to report the emergence of a new virus/illness in a timely fashion and even more important, is to react to the report and build defensive measures against the new virus/epidemic.

In case of COVID-19, we fell short on both counts. First, China underwent denial for more than a month (see Timeline) after the new virus was first reported in Wuhan, going to the extent of reprimanding the medical professionals who reported it. This behavior by a global superpower and a permanent member of the UN Security Council is utterly disgraceful!

The second failing was the rest of the world not implementing defenses against the virus in time. Even now, a lot of countries do not have adequate testing infrastructure to determine the blast radius of the virus in their respective countries.

So while we wait for a vaccine to be developed and approved  a few are already in clinical trials, our best bet is isolation/quarantine to cutoff any new targets for the virus. And the biggest hope is that governments across the globe and WHO are better prepared to deal with the next Pandemic.

A great example of an epidemic contained timely, is the SARS epidemic of 2003. SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) incidentally, is an illness caused by one of the 7 coronaviruses that can infect humans. In 2003, an outbreak that originated in the Guangdong province of China, rapidly spread to a total of 26 countries, infecting just over 8,000 people and killing 774 of them.

But the impact of the SARS pandemic were largely limited due to an intense public health response by global authorities, including quarantining affected areas and isolating infected individuals. Here too, China took its own sweet time to report it to the world and various health organizations and it is high time that this issue is resolved though intelligent monitoring of new illnesses across the globe. We cannot continue fighting pandemics in the 21st century, using 19th century techniques.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh said that imposing a Janata Curfew is a useful step to curtail the deadly virus spread.

"Janta Curfew is a unique way and a great initiative by Prime Minister to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak," he said while speaking to ANI.

On speaking about the responsibility that each citizen hold, as the nation battles the deadly virus, he said " Prime Minister has given a responsibility to each and every citizen of the country towards their health and society and people have supported it wholeheartedly".

He further added, "Some people from the elite class return from London and take part in public events. Strict action must be taken against them. In such a sensitive matter, each one of us must be extra cautious and follow all guidelines to control the spread of the virus."

To curb the spread of Covid-19 and as urged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday the nation observes a self-imposed "Janata Curfew" today.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive cases of Covid-19 in India stands at 341, which includes 41 foreigners. Five people have died in the country--two in Maharashtra and one each in Delhi, Karnataka and Punjab.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cases of coronavirus are increasing rapidly in America, which is included in the world's powerful countries. In the last three days, the number of victims has increased more than double i.e. more than 19 thousand. 230 victims have also died. In an effort to curb the virus, traffic and business activities have been stopped in the states of New York and Illinois after California. Major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have also closed in these states. Due to restrictions, about ten crore population of these states have been imprisoned in homes.

CORONAVIRUS: China almost contols virus, problem of rest of world increases

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced the closure of all non-essential businesses in the state, as well as ban the gathering of people. The lockdown was announced in California earlier. Similar measures have been taken in the states of New Jersey, Nawada, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Building collapsed due to earthquake in Greece

On the virus, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused Russia, Iran and China that these countries are propagating the Corona virus. He has appealed to American citizens to be aware of this on social media. A member of US Vice President Mike Pence's team has been hit by the coronavirus. His test has been found positive. This is the first case being reported in the White House. Pence's press secretary Katy Miller said in a statement, "Neither President Trump nor the Vice President came in close contact with him."

careful! Quit smoking today, otherwise your life can be lost
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 00:10:49|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- High-level officials from the Ethiopian government and other African countries and organizations on Sunday commended China's support to Africa's ongoing fight against the COVID-19 global pandemic.

China, which is also presently fighting against COVID-19 at home, is winning acclaim from across the African continent for its solidarity and support to African countries and regional organizations in the continent's fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of China's support to Africa's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, Chinese experts and officials from health and customs departments had shared information and experience about COVID-19 in a video conference with officials and healthcare specialists from Africa CDC and 24 African countries, showing commitment to sharing experience and supporting Africa in the fight against the pandemic.

Speaking to Xinhua on Sunday, Ethiopia's Minister of Health, Lia Tadesse, stressed that the China's support to the East African country and other fellow African countries in the fight against COVID-19 ranges from material support to experience and knowledge sharing endeavors.

China has delivered testing reagents to African countries via Africa CDC and emergency supplies to countries affected, with Chinese medical teams also helping fight the epidemic on the continent.

In addition to the Chinese government's solidarity with Africa on the face of COVID-19, Chinese companies and civil organizations are also providing urgently needed supplies to African countries.

On Sunday, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed commended the Chinese Huajian International shoe factory for its support to the East African country's efforts in containing the spread of the COVID-19 through material donation to the Ethiopia and other African countries.

"Grateful to Huajian International for donating anti-epidemic supplies in support of Ethiopia's COVID-19 prevention efforts. Ethiopia looks to similar benevolent acts by partners as we work diligently in preventing the spread," Ahmed said.

Also on Sunday, high-level officials from the Ethiopian government, Africa CDC, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ethiopian Airlines Group has witnessed the arrival of the first shipment of medical relief donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation to support Africa on the face of COVID-19.

They include 5.4 million face masks, kits for 1.08 million detection tests, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 sets of protective face shields, according to the Jack Ma Foundation. The supplies will first be distributed to countries throughout Africa which are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, the foundations had announced their commitment to donating 100,000 medical masks, 20,000 test kits and 1,000 protective suits and face shields to each of the 54 nations on the African continent.

Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, told Xinhua on Sunday that the donation is an exemplary move, serving as a lesson to the rest of the world, showing collaboration and joint efforts in the battle against the epidemic.

"The message is very important. It is a very good example for all over the world that feel panic and blame is not the answer. The answer is organizations, countries, institutions, and governments bringing their resources together to team up to provide this kinds of medical supplies medical equipment for the protection of the people. So, this is a very good example," Gebremariam said.

Speaking to Xinhua, Deputy Director of Africa CDC, Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, stressed that the Chinese government has placed its experience on the table for African countries to be able to see and use in their fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

"Right now that China has already done a very big effort in controlling this outbreak," Ouma told Xinhua."We are very impressed by the reduction in the numbers."

The Africa CDC Deputy Director also stressed that "the experience that China has undergone is very important for us, because ours is just starting, while in China it is ending. That experience is very important."

Ouma further stressed that the Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), "is working very closely with China CDC to ensure that Africa CDC is better prepared to support countries, and also to ensure that African countries are also learning from the experience of China."
While practicing social distancing and limiting exposure to the public, the Katy City Council and Katy ISD board of trustees are moving forward with scheduled business.

The Katy City Council will meet in regular session on Monday, March 23, albeit with some slight adjustments due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The keep a social distance, the council is planning to meet via telephone conference.

Members of the public who wish to participate may call toll free at 1-877-391-0239 or locally at 281-503-8022. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

Among the big issues facing the council are postponing city elections and establishing fines for certain public gatherings.

Because of the COVID-19 outbreak and the ongoing calls for social distancing, the city elections originally scheduled for May 2 could be pushed back to Nov. 3. The ability to postpone the election is being done under the guidance of the Texas Secretary of States Office.

A second ordinance would establish a find of up to $2,000 for violating a public health emergency declaration. The ordinance would prohibit community gatherings.

For more information, go to www.cityofkaty.com.

Trustees meeting

The Katy ISD board of trustees special meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 23.

The meeting will be held publicly via a livestream at https://tinyurl.com/wv7bzbg.

The lone action item on the agenda is the consideration and adoption of resolutions related to the cessation of normal business operations and cancellation of in-person instruction during COVID-19 emergency.

For more information, go to www.katyisd.org.

rkent@hcnonline.com
https://www.aish.com/sp/pg/Set-Your-Egg-Timer-to-6-Months.html

How would you live your life if you knew you had just six more months to live?

I wrote the following article in early February after my trip to Europe which concluded in Northern Italy that today is devastated by coronavirus. We missed the virus by only two weeks. In that short amount of time we have transitioned into a different world. I think the piece is now more relevant than it was in early February.

I bought the girls bracelets at the Venice airport on my way back to Denver. When we changed planes in Frankfurt, I realized I had left the bracelets in the airport gift shop. I was upset for about 5 seconds, and then I remembered a story from Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, the book I was rereading for the third time on the flight home. Randy Pausch was a 46-year-old professor who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told he had only six months to live.

He wrote the following:

Once, about a dozen years ago, when Chris was seven years old and Laura was nine, I picked them up in my brand-new Volkswagen Cabrio convertible. Be careful in Uncle Randys new car, my sister told them. Wipe your feet before you get in it. Dont mess anything up. Dont get it dirty. I listened to her, and thought, as only a bachelor uncle can: Thats just the sort of admonition that sets kids up for failure. Of course theyd eventually get my car dirty. Kids cant help it. So I made things easy. While my sister was outlining the rules, I slowly and deliberately opened a can of soda, turned it over, and poured it on the cloth seats in the back of the convertible. My message: People are more important than things. A car, even a pristine gem like my new convertible, was just a thing.

This story took place before Randy was diagnosed with cancer. Though we dont think of ourselves as being in Randys situation, we all have an expiration date. Randys egg timer had been set for 6 months by his doctors (he actually lived for 11 more months). Others of us have our lives suddenly interrupted, like Kobe Bryant, or greatly extended, like Kirk Douglas. We dont know.

We have been given the rare opportunity to prioritize what is most important to us.

How would you live your life if you knew you had just six more months to live? Would you let yourself care about the same things? Would you let yourself be upset about leaving some tchotchkes at the airport? Would you let a stained back seat or dirt on your car upset you? Think about it. Randy died 12 years ago. Where is his car today? Does it have clean backseats? Does it have dents? Does it really matter? The truth is we make a choice when we allow ourselves to value things that are so fleeting and unimportant.

I keep saying we, but of course I really mean me. Before I left for our ten-day European trip, I asked my wife to please not park my new Tesla Model 3 close to other cars, so it wouldnt get scratched. My wife loves to play a game of finding the closest parking spot to the door of the grocery store, which means she often parks too close to other cars. So she was texting me pictures of my car parked alone on the outskirts of parking lots, with the caption Your car is scratch-free.

If I knew I had six months to live, would I still have asked her to do this? We objectify things, cars especially. If we had our egg timer set on six months, wed prioritize what really matters: relationships, inhaling life, walking in the park. Wed reset what we care about, and it wouldnt be things.

I dont know when the buzzer on my egg timer will go off, but Ill be trying to keep it mentally set on six months (and at some point it will be). And honey, if you are reading this, you can park that piece of metal anywhere you want.

P.S. The world has changed in a matter of weeks, if not days  schools, restaurants, almost everything is closed. We went from normal life to a surreal world of empty store shelves, quarantines, and socially distancing from others. We are at war with an invisible enemy.

There is a silver lining in this.

Though the number of people in the US who have died so far from the virus is less than number of people who died by choking over the same time period, we are reminded about our mortality every day.

We have been given a very unique opportunity to divorce ourselves from material things and spend time with our family. To really spend time with them. We have been given the rare opportunity to prioritize what is most important to us without guilt. The material world is on pause, at least for a few weeks. Try to make the most of it while you can.
WASHINGTON  Takiah Garrett, a customer service representative at Newark Airport, still has a job, even as more than 100 of her fellow airport employees have been laid off as fewer people travel due to coronavirus lockdowns. She said she worries that she will be next.

I know I work in a high-risk job but I need my job and I like my job, Garrett told reporters Sunday. " I need to keep a roof over my head and my three kids. I could get laid off any minute now."

Airport employees like Garrett worry about their job security as President Donald Trump and congressional leaders decide how much money to spend on an industry reeling as the coronavirus leads more and more Americans to stay home.

The employees work for independent companies, not the airlines directly, and handle baggage, take passengers in wheelchairs to the gates, and clean the terminals.

Around 120 contract workers already have been laid off at Newark Airport, with more expected soon, according to their union, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union.

Theyre being thrown out on the street while airlines seek a $60 billion bailout, 32BJ SEIU President Kyle Bragg said. If we are bailing out the airlines, they have to bail out the workers.

The airlines trade group, Airlines for America, did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

Airline industry aid is among the items being negotiated as part of an economic stimulus bill worth at least $1 trillion.

Democrats insist that a condition of the airline aid be that the workers, including sub-contractors like Garrett, keep their jobs and that the industry cant spend the federal funds on stock buybacks or corporate executive pay instead.

If all I am doing is improving a corporate bottom line without improving the ability of workers to be employed and get a pay check, I havent achieved the goal, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, who is participating in the talks, told NJ Advance Media.

A Senate effort to bring legislation up for debate Sunday was delayed when Democrats, who have enough votes to block action, balked at several provisions, particularly one that would give the Trump administration as much as $500 billion to spend as it sees fit to help industries and states.

Nor have lawmakers agreed on how much money to give directly to Americans, or whether there should be one-shot or continuing payments.

This is not the way you negotiate, said Menendez, D-N.J. It doesnt solve the problem. Were not going to get a lot of shots at a trillion-dollar package. Weve got to get it right.

Besides activities like Sundays press call, Local 32BJs vice president, Rob Hill, said union officials, airport employees and state and local officials who supported them were burning up the phone lines urging federal lawmakers to insist on job protections in any bailout.

Were trying to make as much noise as we possibly can, Hill said.

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AMA WA president Andrew Miller is calling on the government to meet urgently with the states top healthcare professionals to ensure frontline workers were not pawns when it comes to important decisions being made.

AMA WA President Dr Andrew Miller. Credit:Nathan Hondros

Dr Miller said he had received thousands of messages from frontline doctors saying they were dissatisfied with the way the government had managed the pandemic.

Were at risk of having more cases than anywhere else in the country, he said.

I have never seen frontline doctors, as dedicated as passionate.

I'm seeing people speaking out who have never spoken out before in huge numbers, saying we really think we can help in this crisis, we understand it as well as anyone.

Dr Miller said the best medical minds in the country were on the frontline and the government needed to be open to working with them to tackle this terrible virus.

We're not just pawns to be moved around on a board at the whim of someone who doesn't understand our operational conditions, he said.

Once we've had that meeting, we undertake that we will have full transparency, not only to the profession, but also to the public.

That will have a calming influence once the doctors on the frontline have that seat at the table.
At the crack of dawn, the Fedke children are up and bolting out the door to check their rusty white letterbox.

Each morning for the past week, Leo, 6, and Willow, 3, have been creating new pandemic pen pals, sharing handwritten cards and letters with their elderly Geelong neighbours in the hope of warding off loneliness, as the country faces months of forced social isolation and self distancing in the COVID-19 outbreak.

In return, theyve already received a card from M adorned with a sketch of a cat and a bag of green Granny Smith apples.

From Marlene; a card adorned with teddy bears.
A physician at Mid-Michigan Medical Center-Midland is among two new Midland County positive coronavirus confirmations released to the public on Sunday. This brings the number of positive cases in Midland County to 5.

"We are in close contact with the medical center and both parties want to be as transparent in this," said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Public Health director/health officer, at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, just after issuing a press release. "We're determining the staff and patients that may have been potentially exposed. They will be contacted by us and given appropriate instructions."

Not even an hour after issuing the release about the physician who tested positive, the state released its 2 p.m. daily report that Midland County had a fifth positive case. Yanoski said his office had just received that notification and had not yet begun an investigation.

MidMichigan Medical Center  Midland, in a release, said it was notified Sunday morning by the county health department that one of its physicians tested positive for COVID-19.

Unfortunately, with this virus, it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of exposure. We are working closely with the local health department to inform patients, staff and others who may have had contact with the physician, said Lydia Watson, M.D., chief medical officer, MidMichigan Health. We made our health system staff aware immediately this morning and the tracers and calls are currently underway. Information will be provided to those identified on how to monitor for symptoms and take necessary precautions to minimize the exposure to others.

The medical center physician is quarantined at home, according to the release from the medical center.

State numbers also show one positive case in each Gladwin and Clare counties, and two in Saginaw County. Bay County also has one case.

Yanoski said positive case confirmations can come in pieces as private labs are also processing tests and reporting numbers to the state.

He said to expect more confirmed positive cases in contiguous areas, as some communities have just now refined their testing

MidMichigan Health continues to follow the guidance of the local, state and national agencies, including the CDC, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, according to the release. As part of its emergency preparedness plan, MidMichigan Health has reinforced its visitor restrictions and implemented screening checks for all its patients and visitors. In addition, as of Monday, March 23, MidMichigan will stop performing elective surgeries and procures in a further effort to decrease exposure to patients and staff. This also allows the health system to practice conservation of supplies.

It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to implement all recommended measures to significantly reduce the spread of illness. The best way to prevent the spread is social distancing and proper hygiene, such as hand washing and not touching our faces, Watson said. Again, as the virus continues, those we know, even one of our own, may become positive. With this, we urge all to please continue to share with your family, friends, loved ones and neighbors that for the safety of all, if they develop a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, or have concern of exposure to COVID-19 now with symptoms, they are to call their health care provider immediately for instruction.

Midland County's first confirmed case of coronavirus was reported Thursday; its second and third on Friday. The state of Michigan reported 1,035 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Sunday afternoon, and eight deaths.

COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath and may appear between two and 14 days after exposure.

If you think you've been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for medical advice. If they aren't available, call Mid Michigan Urgent Care in Midland at 989- 633-1350 or Mid Michigan Medical Center's Emergency Department in Midland at 989-839-3100.

Midland County Department of Public Health continues to encourage residents to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

 Continue to practice social distancing as recommended by Federal, State and Local Officials

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth

 Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash

 Disinfect commonly touched surfaces

 Stay home when you are sick

 Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

We cannot stress enough how important it is for our community to be diligent in their community mitigation efforts," Yanoski said. "We know that COVID-19 is in our community, and our residents can make a huge impact on slowing the spread of disease by following the recommended precautions."

In addition, MidMichigan Health has a COVID-19 informational hotline with a reminder of CDC guidelines and recommendations. The hotline can be reached toll-free at 800-445-7356 or 989-794-7600. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also has a hotline number for Michigan residents for questions about COVID-19. The number is 1-888-535-6136 and is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also send an e-mail to: COVID19@michigan.gov. E-mails will be answered seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The new NextSeq 550 sequencing machine at UCSFs clinical lab on Berry Street looks like a microwave with a computer keyboard, but to microbiologist Charles Chiu, it is the key to Californias fight against the deadliest, most invasive virus to strike humanity in decades.

The professor of medicine at UCSF will be using the black contraption, installed Friday, to sequence the genomes of the viruses infecting hundreds of COVID-19 patients in the Bay Area during the next few weeks.

We will be running this 24 hours a day, said Chiu, wearing a white lab coat and purple rubber gloves as he fiddled with the keyboard and opened the door to a compartment where slides holding genetic material are scanned. I see no reason why we cant sequence the genomes of every case.

Chiu, 48, of San Francisco is one of the top infectious disease specialists in the world. He has assembled an expert team of scientists who have also used his research lab on 16th Street to find critical clues about where the viral outbreaks in the Bay Area came from and how quickly the disease is spreading.

His work, which includes tracking mutations and the spread of infection, is a crucial cog in our understanding of what makes this unique coronavirus tick and, eventually, how we might control or eradicate it and similar viruses.

A married father of 13- and 11-year-old boys, Chiu was born in Missouri to immigrants from Taiwan. He is director of the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center. It was one of the first labs to sequence strains of the H1N1 influenza virus, which was associated with the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Chiu has sequenced 2,000 unusual strains of HIV and strains of the Zika virus.

He has already analyzed nine samples from the more than two dozen passengers who tested positive for the coronavirus on the Grand Princess cruise ship and is close to pinpointing the origin of those cases.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

Those sequences belong in the same cluster as the infection in Washington state, Chiu said. They really suggest a link between Washington state and California.

The Grand Princess, whose home port is San Francisco, departed Feb. 21 for a trip to Hawaii with more than 3,500 people aboard. It was halted off the coast of San Francisco after being called back because passengers from the ships previous cruise, to Mexico, had tested positive for the disease.

Among the passengers on the Mexico trip who tested positive was a 71-year-old Placer County man who died. Five people from Sonoma, Contra Costa and Alameda counties who were on that cruise also were infected.

Chiu has collected seven samples from passengers on the Hawaii cruise and, with help from the California Department of Public Health and the Washington State Department of Health, compared them with samples from two of the infected passengers on the Mexico cruise.

All of them were mapped to the Washington state strain, known to scientists as the WA1 strain, Chiu said. So the first cruise was basically the cause of all of those cases on the second cruise.

Chiu traced the disease back to a Mexico cruise passenger from Sonoma County who apparently transmitted the virus to the others, including crew members. They probably infected passengers on the Hawaii cruise.

Authorities are still tracing the links and validating the findings, but Chiu believes the infected Sonoma County man, who survived the disease, either visited Seattle before the cruise, came in contact with someone from Washington state or contracted it from an as-yet unidentified passenger from Washington state.

Chiu said tracking the spread of the virus through genetics is possible because coronaviruses are known to have one to two mutations per month, allowing genomic sequencing to track a particular strain back to its origin.

The rate of mutation in coronaviruses is much slower than it is with the influenza virus, which averages about eight to 10 mutations per month. The mutations are why it is impossible for humans to become immune to the flu, which comes back in a new form every year.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

Chiu used genomic sequencing to identify Californias first case of community transmission  a Solano County woman who was infected by an unknown source. She and a Santa Clara County woman who was subsequently diagnosed had not traveled any place where the coronavirus was known to have spread, and had not had contact with anyone who was infected.

The Solano County woman transmitted the disease to two health care workers. Chiu found that the three of them had a strain that was different from the others he has documented. In all likelihood, he said, it originated in China and was transmitted just to her by a traveler.

Perhaps by identifying that patient (and isolating her), we might have been able to stop that strain from multiplying, he said.

A separate strain seen nowhere else in the United States was also found in a San Benito County person who returned from a visit to China.

Its quite different from what is going on in Washington state, where all the cases are related to that single strain, he said about the 20 genomes that have been sequenced in that state, all of which originated in China.

With the new sequencing machine, Chiu expects to quickly analyze the 30 positive samples he has in the lab and more than 200 positive swabs he expects to receive from Santa Clara County on Monday. It will, he said, dramatically increase the amount of genetic information available about the coronavirus and its rampage.

Who knows what it will look like when we get the 200 samples, he said. Were basically scrambling to keep up. The situation changes every day.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The problem with tracking the various strains, Chiu said, is that China has not done much genomic sequencing  only 50 sequences are available. Thats another reason Chius work is so important.

Im now investigating a cluster in Santa Clara, in which four people in a single building tested positive, Chiu said. A key public health question is, Are these all related, or is it just by chance that four people who had been infected separately were in the same place? Knowing this might affect how you implement public safety precautions.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

Chiu is sequencing coronavirus genomes from cases in San Francisco and Berkeley, and from Sacramento, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Solano counties.

During the past week, the Washington strain has spread into California counties, he said. It means that what started out as a series of disconnected clusters of different strains is growing into a large conflagration of infection.

It concerns me that the Washington strain appears to be infiltrating California, he said. You could think of it like a fire, with sparks flying out. If all we are seeing is these sparks, the hope is that it never evolves into a fire. Are we still at the spark stage, where social distancing, quarantining, would make a difference? The question for us is, do we have the ability to contain this?

Another question is whether mutations can make the virus worse.

Its hard to answer that question, he said. I think over time we will find out if it becomes more transmissible or more deadly. Those questions take time.

One positive, he said, is that this virus mutates slowly. While the RNA changes slightly, the virus proteins and characteristics dont. The only way to tell whether the strength of the strain or the way it is transmitted has changed, he said, is to examine a lot of samples.

Even though influenza mutates every year, were not worried about it getting more deadly, Chiu said. Its unlikely that (the virus) will mutate to the point where it gets more deadly.

Chiu is also trying to solve the state and the countrys biggest problem  the lack of diagnostic testing. California has the capacity to process only about 200 swab tests a day, largely as a result of the nationwide shortage in test kits, regulatory delays and a lack of equipment, he said. His lab is developing a test that will give a result in 30 minutes.

Our goal is to develop the next generation of tests, he said. Two hundred tests is not good at all. We need thousands, tens of thousands.

Soon, all outpatient samples from the Bay Area and much of the state are expected to be sent to his lab. That would allow him to sequence more genomes and find out more about the disease.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite
ANN ARBOR, MI  The number of confirmed coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Washtenaw County has ticked up to 35, with six new cases reported Sunday, March 22.

Thats more than double the number of cases since the weekend started.

Of the 35 cases so far, six required hospitalization, according to the Washtenaw County Health Department.

Thats four more hospitalizations than were reported a day earlier.

Assume coronavirus may be present in public places, Washtenaw health officer warns

There have been at least nine deaths from COVID-19 across Michigan, and Washtenaw County saw its first on Sunday.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Michigan reached 1,035 on Sunday, up 486 from two days ago.

A majority of the cases have been in southeast Michigan, including 325 in Detroit, 277 in Oakland County, 152 in Wayne County and 140 in Macomb County.

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There is evidence of community spread locally, according to the Washtenaw County Health Department.

We have seen cases with no known contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19 or recent travel, the departments COVID-19 website states.

Nearly a third of cases in Washtenaw County, 11 of 35, are likely from community exposure, meaning there was no travel or known exposure to a confirmed case, health officials say.

The rest have known histories of recent travel or direct exposure to confirmed cases.

The department is working with people who have been diagnosed to identify close contacts so they can be notified, quarantined and alert to the possibility of symptoms.

Stay at home, Ann Arbor mayor tells residents in new coronavirus video update

All reported cases in Washtenaw County so far have been adult cases, according to the health department.

Because there is evidence of community spread, the health department is no longer identifying low-risk public exposure locations. Residents can assume there is a possibility the virus may be present when they are in public places, County Health Officer Jimena Loveluck said in a recent video message.

Most people who get ill will recover at home without medical care, but some will get seriously ill, she said. We must do everything we can to protect our community members and prevent our health care systems from being overburdened.

In addition to washing hands and regularly touched surfaces, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus, keeping at least six feet away from others and working from home if possible.

Before reporting six more cases on Sunday, the health department reported 13 new cases on Saturday.

Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, health department spokeswoman, said several of the cases reported Saturday involved people who were actually tested about a week ago. She cited a testing backlog and other issues as reasons for the delay.

Some tests are turned around quickly, in 24-48 hours, she said, and others take longer.

For the testing done at the state lab, we at the health department receive results directly and immediately inform individuals/providers, she said. Providers may get these results simultaneously, too. For testing now being done at other labs, its just started, but we havent noted much of a lag in reporting to us. But, those processes are just getting rolling.

The health department believes there are unconfirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washtenaw County, but just how many is hard to estimate, Ringler-Cerniglia said.

Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

There are still many tests pending and an increasing number through providers that are now using their own labs or commercial labs, she said. We also know there are other respiratory illnesses circulating, like flu, so a lot of local respiratory illness can be attributed to that.

In other words, not everyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 has the new coronavirus, she said.

But, this possibility of unconfirmed cases is also why there are strong recommendations in place for staying at home and practicing prevention and social distancing at every opportunity.

MORE FROM MLIVE AND THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

First coronavirus COVID-19 death reported in Washtenaw County

Coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Michigan

Dingell calls for evacuation of Americans stranded abroad amid coronavirus outbreak

Hundreds of Michigan health care workers, first responders line up to get tested for coronavirus

Michigan governor calls on federal government for more coronavirus tests and supplies

Complete coronavirus coverage in Michigan.
Authorities in the coastal enclave have shut restaurants and cafes, while Friday prayers have also been suspended.

Palestinian officials have announced the first two cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Deputy Health Minister Youssef Abulreesh said late on Saturday the two Palestinian patients had returned from Pakistan via Gazas Rafah border with neighbouring Egypt on Thursday.

The pair exhibited symptoms of the illness, which include a dry cough and high fever, Abulreesh told a news conference.

He added that the two were placed in quarantine upon arrival and are now in a field hospital in the border town of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Abulreesh urged Gazas nearly two million residents to take precautionary measures and to practise social distancing by staying home in a bid to halt the potential spread of the virus.

Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, at the main market in Gaza City [Adel Hana/The Associated Press]

Authorities in Gaza, which is run by the Hamas group, have decided to shut down the enclaves restaurants, cafes and reception halls. Friday prayers at mosques have also been suspended until further notice.

Meanwhile, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), an Israeli military unit that is responsible for civilian matters in the occupied territories, announced that effective on Sunday, all crossings into Israel from Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been closed.

Merchants, workers and other permit holders will not be permitted to enter from the crossings until further notice, COGAT said on its Twitter page, adding that some exceptions may apply to nurses and health workers, as well as exceptional medical cases.

Palestinians say permits to cross are hard to obtain, even for those with a medical or humanitarian reason, as each application is accompanied by a long logistical process, usually under the pretext of security clearance.

We are very afraid

On March 15, authorities in Gaza introduced measures to place incoming residents in quarantine centres.

To date, there are 20 designated facilities in Gazas south, including schools, hotels and medical facilities, housing more than 1,200 people, according to a report released on Saturday by the Palestinian Authoritys health ministry.

The quarantine centres are located in Rafah, Deir al-Balah and the southern city of Khan Younis. According to the report, at least 2,000 other returnees have been self-isolating in their homes, prior to when the mandatory quarantine procedures were implemented last week.

Um Mohammed Khalil is among those who are being quarantined in Rafah.

After returning from a short visit to Egypt last week, the 49-year-old was among 50 other people who were bussed to a school with poor hygiene standards, where single rooms are shared by seven people.

The news of the first two positive cases sparked fear and anxiety among those quarantined in the school, Khalil told Al Jazeera.

We were afraid that among us would be infected people, especially as we have been calling for an improvement in the quarantine conditions, she said.

Our families have been in contact with us since this morning, and they are also seriously concerned. Gaza has endured many wars and crises, but how can it tolerate this pandemic? she said. We are very afraid.

Gaza under siege

Gazas healthcare system is in shambles and its war-battered residents are especially vulnerable as they have lived under an Israeli-Egyptian siege for nearly 13 years.

The air, land and sea blockade has restricted the entry of essential resources such as healthcare equipment, medication and building materials, among others.





Since 2007, Gaza has seen three Israeli assaults that have resulted in the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities and a power plant.

Gazas homes, offices and hospitals receive an average of four to six hours of electricity per day.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned Gazas healthcare system would not be able to deal with an outbreak, given that the strips hospitals are overstretched and under-sourced.

Ayman al-Halabi, a doctor at the laboratories run by Gazas health ministry, is among a team of physicians responsible for testing incoming samples.

The routine from two weeks ago was to gather samples from returnees at the Rafah border, which undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test  the test of choice utilised to diagnose COVID-19, al-Halabi told Al Jazeera.

Hundreds of other samples of people who may have come into contact with the two first patients are now being tested, al-Halabi said.

Citing Gazas limited resources, al-Halabi said: Facing this pandemic is going to be extremely challenging.

If the biggest and most powerful countries are struggling, how is Gaza supposed to cope?

End of the world

Globally, more than 300,000 people have tested positive for the highly infectious disease, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University in the United States. More than 13,000 people have died from the virus, while some 92,000 have recovered.

With the looming threat of an outbreak, many say the virus might be the last straw for Gazas weary residents.

Amira al-Dremly knew that it would only be a matter of time until the virus made its way to Gaza.

But hearing the news that two had tested positive on Saturday still felt like the end of the world, al-Dremly told Al Jazeera.

The biggest fear is that the available resources in Gaza are not enough to act as a temporary solution [to the spread of the virus], the 34-year-old said.

Im very afraid for my children. I am taking measures to educate them about sterilisation and have prevented them from leaving the house, the mother of four said.

But the psychological effects are difficult, my family and everyone around me are very confused by this news, she added.

Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is home to some of the biggest Palestinian refugee camps, and al-Dremly noted that social distancing is something that is easier said than done.
Australian consulate in Phuket still open, as mass cruise passenger transfer conducted at sea

PHUKET: The office of the Australian Consulate-General in Phuket has confirmed that its staff are still receiving and processing enquiries and notarial services. The confirmation follows many enquiries after the office posted a notice that it has closed to the public temporarily.

tourismCoronavirusCOVID-19healthimmigration

By The Phuket News

Sunday 22 March 2020, 05:17PM

The two cruise ships Columbus and Vasco da Gama conducted the mass transfer of passengers 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket on Wednesday (Mar 18). Photo: Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia

The two cruise ships Columbus and Vasco da Gama conducted the mass transfer of passengers 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket on Wednesday (Mar 18). Photo: Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia

The two cruise ships Columbus and Vasco da Gama conducted the mass transfer of passengers 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket on Wednesday (Mar 18). Photo: Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia

The two cruise ships Columbus and Vasco da Gama conducted the mass transfer of passengers 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket on Wednesday (Mar 18). Photo: Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia

The two cruise ships Columbus and Vasco da Gama conducted the mass transfer of passengers 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket on Wednesday (Mar 18). Photo: Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia

The two cruise ships Columbus and Vasco da Gama conducted the mass transfer of passengers 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket on Wednesday (Mar 18). Photo: Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia

The office of the Australian Consulate-General in Phuket is closed to the public temporarily. Consulate-General staff are still providing consular assistance remotely at this time. We apologise for the inconvenience, the consulate has posted on its website. (See here.)

People in Phuket and the surrounding provinces with urgent enquiries are urged to contact the Puhket consulate staff by email consular.phuket@dfat.gov.au

The Phuket News was assured earlier today (Mar 22) that emails are being read, and replied to, quickly.

However, passport and notarial services requests should be directed to the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. For urgent consular assistance, please contact +61 2 6261 3305, the consulate advises.

The Australian embassy in Bangkok has echoed the Australian governments response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

We now advise Australians to not travel overseas at this time due to the risks to their health and the high likelihood of major travel disruptions.

We have issued this advice for two principal reasons:

You may be more exposed to contracting COVID-19 overseas. You may come in contact with more people than usual, including during long-haul flights and in crowded airports. Health care systems in some countries will come under strain and may not be as well-equipped as Australias. You may not have your normal support networks overseas.

Overseas travel has become more complex and unpredictable. Many countries are introducing entry or movement restrictions. These are changing often and quickly. Your travel plans may be disrupted. You may be placed in quarantine or denied entry to some countries. Think about what this might mean for your health, and your family, work or study responsibilities.

If youre overseas and cant or dont want to return to Australia, follow the advice of local authorities. Take care to minimise your risk of exposure to coronavirus.

Contact your airline, travel agent or insurance company to discuss your travel plans and options for cancelling or postponing current bookings. Or to arrange flights back to Australia.

For urgent consular assistance contact +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas, or 1300 555 135 from within Australia. For non-urgent queries contact smartraveller@dfat.gov.au

Cruise passenger mass transfer at sea

Following the announcements made by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Australian Government last Sunday (Mar 15), a total of 239 passengers were transferred between the two cruise ships Columbus and Vasco da Gama, both operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia (CMV Cruises), 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket on Wednesday (Mar 18) so that passengers can safely return to home ports.

In the transfer operation at sea, Australasian passengers were transferred to the Vasco da Gama, now bound for Fremantle, and European guests to the Columbus, now en route to Tilbury, outside London in the UK.

The switch also included over 500 pieces of luggage and numerous stores provisions between the two ships, all carried out by tender boats between 6.30am and midday. (See report here.)

Christian Verhounig, CEO of Cruise & Maritime Voyages said, We are tremendously proud of our onboard and shoreside teams for their fantastic job in delivering this safe and effective evacuation and relief operation. On behalf of the directors, staff and especially our hard-working crew, CMV would like to thank all our current passengers for their support, patience and understanding during this repatriation operation.
One of our engagement pics (Christina Farr and Jarred Colli) Christina Farr

After a year of planning, I made the decision last week to cancel my wedding. When the news started surfacing about a flu-like illness, my fiance and I remained cautiously optimistic that the virus wouldn't spread across the globe and to San Francisco, where we live. Even through February and early March, as the first reports surfaced about the rise of cases in the U.S., we naively hoped that we could go ahead with our nuptials but with reduced attendance. But once the CDC issued guidelines advising against gatherings of more than 50 people, we immediately looked at each other and we just knew. It was time to call the whole thing off.

Zoom wedding?

Dismantling a wedding is no joke. If you've done it before for any reason, I empathize. In our case, we had some help. We had hired a wedding planner, and immediately arranged to get on the phone with her to come up with a game plan. Once we had a minute to breathe and shoot out an email to our guests, the three of us started emailing vendors to let them know that our plans had changed. The first question we asked ourselves was whether the cancellation would be temporary. Would we pick another date? And if so, when? When we started reaching out to our vendors, they seemed eager to work with us in the future so they wouldn't lose our business. We're hoping to postpone, rather than cancel altogether. It's a huge hit to the business of our baker and florist, too, as all these spring weddings are now off. New Orleans, where we're getting married, is a big hotspot for hospitality and tourism. It hasn't been smooth sailing, though. One of our vendors offered us some openings in July and August, but that seemed far too soon to put something together and highly optimistic given the current models around how long Americans will be battling the virus. They told us we'd incur an additional charge if we selected a date in 2021. So that's up in the air, but we're also thinking through whether to get married in the next few months or to wait until we can schedule a wedding next year. But getting married soon would require an available friend who's a justice of the peace and can step up while maintaining the requisite level of social distance. Another idea that's on the table is a Zoom wedding, followed by a post-nuptial party next year. Our friends could tune in while we exchanged some vows, and hopefully remember to hit the mute button during the important parts. But I've had a few calls on Zoom this week, and it has been spotty at times likely given the flood of new users. Lots of people dropping off mid-vows because of an IT failure doesn't seem all that romantic. So it turns out that there's a lot of logistical difficulty in getting married during a pandemic.

Living with uncertainty

The honeymoon is also a question mark. Ours is planned in Portugal in early July. Currently there are more than 1,000 cases in the country. I know this because I've been obsessively checking each morning. It's a weird new thing that I now do. If we were to cancel that in a few months, which is looking increasingly likely, it'll take a few days to contact all the hotels and the airlines. I'm anticipating that we could be out hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, at the end of this. There's not much we can do about that, so we're making our peace. Everyone is hurting. Most airlines aren't providing refunds for economy tickets, so at best we'll get a flight credit. We've talked about taking some of the time off that's already on the calendar, but we haven't come up with many good ideas yet about where we'd go. A few friends have suggested a camping trip in a super remote place, which seems to meet the criteria as for flattening the curve. It could be great for the right couple, but I'm not particularly rugged or outdoorsy. If I'm being honest, I'm more of a glamper. Some friends have reminded us that the wedding is just an event and it's the marriage that counts. I wholeheartedly agree with that, but we were genuinely excited about the opportunity to bring our friends and family together in May. So it is a letdown. But it's also important to have some perspective. Our community is healthy and safe, and we're incredibly grateful for that above all else. We've realized through this experience is that our community is here for us. Our nearest and dearest have reached out to tell us that they'll be there for us, whenever we decide to get married. And that's meant a lot. Did you cancel a wedding? Let us know about your experience at @CNBCTech.
You are here: Business

China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) has taken multi-pronged efforts to spur funding for infrastructure construction as the government seeks to restore economic activities that had taken a heavy blow from the novel coronavirus outbreak.





The ministry has quickened fund allocations to local authorities for public infrastructure construction including roads, ports and airports, MOF official Song Qiuling said at a press conference on Saturday.





It has allocated more than 250 billion yuan (about US$35.2 billion) of vehicle purchase taxes, 7 billion yuan of port construction fees and 24 billion yuan of development funds for civil aviation ahead of schedule.





Over 20 billion yuan has been appropriated to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. to support work resumption on the railway network, according to Song.





So far, the MOF has allocated 1.85 trillion yuan worth of new local government bonds quotas ahead of schedule this year to shore up the economy, along with a wide range of tax cuts to reduce business burdens.





As of Friday, local government bond issuance reached 1.4 trillion yuan, accounting for 76 percent of the allocated quotas, Song said.





The MOF also pledged to take further efforts to stimulate the participation of the private capital.





Earlier MOF data showed China's fixed-asset investment declined 24.5 percent year on year in the first two months of 2020 partly due to the epidemic.




Hyderabad, March 22 : Following in the footsteps of Punjab and Rajasthan, Telangana will also lockdown till March 31 to combat coronavirus.

A decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday.

The Chief Minister will make a formal announcement this evening.

The decision came on a day when the state is observing a 24-hour shutdown. Backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Janata Curfew' call, Rao extended it by 10 hours.

Telangana has so far reported 21 COVID-19 positive cases. The first secondary transmission came to light on Saturday, sending the alarm bells ringing. The son of a man who had returned from Dubai and tested positive on March 19, was also found infected by the virus.
Question type:

Conclusion:

Task at hand:

What information was finally used during the review is not the flaw in the reasoning that has been presented.

When the author says that coffee is safe to drink because it does not harm the heart, he is assuming that the health of the heart is a general representation of the general health of the body. If not for this flawed assumption, he could not have come to the conclusion.

This option tells us that what is being eaten could be harmful. Not a flaw in this argument.

Not relevant.

This option is saying that stress harms the heart. Not a flaw in this argument.

Press release: A comprehensive review evaluating the medical studies done up to the present time has found no reason to think that drinking coffee in normal amounts harms the coffee-drinker's heart. So, coffee drinkers can relax and enjoy their beverageit is safe to drink coffee.Which one of the following points to a weakness in the reasoning in the press release's argument?Flaw in the argument (Note: Just because the word weakness appears in the stem, it does not necessarily mean that this is a weaken the argument question.)Coffee is safe to drink since it does not harm the heart.Find an option that shows the flaw in the reasoning presented to come up with this conclusion.(A) The review was only an evaluation of studies and did not itself undertake to study patients.(B) The health of the heart is not identical with the general health of the body.(C) Coffee drinkers might choose to eat along with their coffee foods containing substances that harm the heart.(D) Other beverages besides coffee might contain stimulants that have some effect on the heart.(E) Drinking unusually large amounts of coffee could be caused by stress that itself directly harms the heart.- Nitha Jay_________________
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, saying the valour of security personnel will not be forgotten.

At least 17 jawans were killed and 14 others injured in a Naxal attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh that took place on Saturday.

"Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel martyred in the attack. Their valour will never be forgotten," Modi tweeted.

He expressed condolences to the bereaved families. "I pray for a quick recovery of those injured," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SOUTHERN KADUNA PEOPLES UNION(SOKAPU)

PRESS STATEMENT

In what looks like an unceasing siege on Gbagyi communities

of Southern Kaduna, armed Fulani herdsmen last night simultaneously attacked

Kugosi and Kajari communities in Chikun ward, Chikun Local Government Area

(LGA) of Kaduna State killing three persons.

They also burnt down homes and property in the communities.

24 hours to the above attack, rampaging gang of armed

herdsmen lay siege to Manini village, in Chikun

ward killing two.

In the same manner, a day before the Manini violence, a

horde of armed herdsmen stormed Katarma village, in the same Chikun ward and

killed two family members.

In the past three days, at least 7 persons have been killed

by these outlaws.

According to village sources, those killed in Manini are:

Markus Danjuma a 50 year old farmer with three wives and 12 Children and Sharana Danjuma 42, who left behind a wife and five children.

The gunmen came on motorcycles around 8pm on Tuesday and

started shooting at anything at sight, traumatized villagers told SOKAPU.

Since the village has suffered similar invasions in the

past, the villagers had devised ways of escaping, thus children, women, the

aged and all found their ways into the bushes carrying only what they wore.

Sadly, the two victims were cut down by the bullets of the

aggressors for trying to fend off the marauders while others fled, it was

learnt,

At the time of writing this statement Kugosi and Kajari had

been deserted with scores of villagers wondering in the bush with no food or

water.

Those who made contact with us said that the invaders were

still around the village looting and burning down homes, bans of grains and any

asset they could not loot.

These communities, as indeed many other affected communities

in Chikun and environs have attained relative wealth from mass grain farming

and keeping large herds of cattle, sheep and goats.

But the invaders have rustled these cows in their thousands

including sheep and goats. After looting tones of grains, they set fire to the

ones they could not steal.

The villages have also been impoverished by mass kidnapping

of villagers who have to cough out tens of millions to pay as ransom to the

murderers in exchange for the loves ones.

SOKAPU has a

chronicle of the humongous loses suffered by these law abiding village in the

hands of herdsmen trying to forcefully eject them and occupy their lands while

government watches on.

These wanton cruelties on these native Christian communities

have been ongoing without let since January 6th 2020 with great casualties in

human lives and material loses. Curiously,

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has never mentioning them talk less of visiting to see for himself.

But early this month, el-Rufai rushed to inspect some Muslim

villages that had come under the attack of bandits in Birnin Gwari, Giwa and

Igabi LGAs in the northern part of the state and apologized over his inability to protect them. He also

promised to rout the bandits and had since swung into action.

It is clear that the governor does not see any humanity

among the Gbagyi Christian victims and as such he is unable to show any

sympathy, no apathy, zero pity and no sense of responsibility towards them.

This attitude is consistent with governor Nasir el-Rufai

when it comes to how he treats the Southern part of Kaduna that is dominantly

Christian and the northern part that is majority Muslim.

SOKAPU is hereby appealing to the governor to live by the

oath of impartiality he swore to at his inauguration and accord all indigenes

and residents of Kaduna state the constitutional responsibility he owes

everyone.

We also call on all well meaning individuals, groups and

corporate entities to come to the aid of these displaced persons. They are in

dire need of food, medical attentions and temporary shelter.

Sign: Luka Binniyat

(National Public Relations Officer)
Are you planning to vote in the 2020 presidential preference primary election on Tuesday, March 17? No matter your party affiliation, heres what you need to know to get up to speed.

Eligible voters will cast a ballot at the location on their voter registration card, which should have been received in the mail. Florida is a closed primary election state, meaning only voters who are registered members of political parties may vote for respective party candidates or nominees.

Sabrina Ullman, the voter registration chair of Get Out the Vote (GOTV) at the University of Miami, a student-led campaign which aims to increase civic participation among their peers, said if you did not receive a card, you can visit vote.org to find your polling place.

The presidential primary election is how voters will determine who will be the presidential nominee for their respective party, said Ullman, who double majors in broadcast journalism and meteorology. Since we live in a representative democracy, its important for people to vote.

On Miami-Dades sample ballot, four Republican candidates and 16 Democratic candidates are listed, respectively. Voters planning to vote should bring their drivers license to the polls.

Students can also bring their Cane Card in addition to their drivers license, just in case, said Ullman.

The bridge that connects Hecht and Stanford Residential Colleges is considered the dividing line on campus for polling places, Ullman said. Students who live in the University Village apartments and Stanford Residential College will cast their ballots at St. Augustine Catholic Church, and students who reside in Eaton, Hecht, Mahoney, and Pearson Residential Colleges will vote at the Watsco Center. Both polling locations also serve the greater Coral Gables community.

In her role, Ullman is responsible for hosting training sessions for voter registration ambassadors, scheduling tabling to increase GOTV visibility, and strategizing creative ways to increase civic engagement on campus with her fellow executive board members.

The University and the student-led GOTV initiative successfully registered 1,051 students during the 2018 midterm electionmore than double its 2014 student voter turnout rates.

Visit https://www.vote.org/election-protection/ for more information about voting rights.
Overseas portfolio traders (FPI) have pulled out over Rs 1 lakh crore from the Indian capital markets in March to date amid heightened fears of a coronavirus-induced international recession.

Specialists consider, international traders are withdrawing from riskier belongings and are choosing secure heavens like dollar-denominated asset courses and gold.

As per the depositories knowledge, abroad traders withdrew a internet sum of Rs 56,247.53 crore from equities and Rs 52,449.48 crore from the debt section, taking the entire internet outflow to Rs 1,08,697.01 crore between March 2 and March 20.

The newest withdrawal by FPIs got here after six months of internet shopping for within the home capital markets since September 2019. "The sudden emergence of coronavirus pandemic this 12 months has purchased the worldwide markets to its knees. This has resulted within the exodus of international traders from rising markets like India into safer locations," stated Himanshu Srivastava, Senior Analyst Supervisor Analysis, Morningstar Funding Adviser India.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak assets are more and more being centred round controlling the unfold of the virus, which is leading to slowing down of different financial actions, consultants consider.

"Within the present state of affairs, international traders have most popular to take a flight to safer funding choices, reminiscent of dollar-denominated asset courses and gold as towards investing in mounted revenue securities of rising markets like India," Srivastava added.

He additional stated the state of affairs ought to stabilise as and when there are seen indicators of coronavirus coming below management. Nevertheless, till then, it will proceed to be one of many main focus areas for FPIs, since it might have a extra severe influence on the already slowing international economic system, and subsequently international flows into the rising markets reminiscent of India.

Going ahead, the volatility is anticipated to proceed till the virus peaks, stated Harsh Jain, co-founder and COO at Groww, a web-based funding platform. In the course of the week ended March 20, the Sensex plummeted 4,187.52 factors or 12.27 per cent, whereas Nifty sank 1,209.75 factors or 12.15 per cent.

Also read: Coronavirus crisis: Surat diamond industry braces for Rs 8,000 crore loss

Read more: No, coronavirus doesn't spread from non-veg food! Here's a myth buster
As well as my work for The Independent, I help teach a class in contemporary history at Kings College London. On Monday, just before the country shut down, Tony Blair came to talk to our students about his time in government.

The first question from a student was what he would advise Boris Johnson to do about the coronavirus outbreak. Move everything on to a war footing, he said. Government works in traditional ways with traditional processes; businesses operate according to traditional regulations. Youve just got to put all that to one side. The whole sweep of government has just got to go on to dealing with one issue, because this is an issue which will have the most profound economic consequences as well as health consequences.

Within moments, he was no longer saying what he would advise the current government to do; he was telling the class what he would do if I was back in government. He said: Youve got to reckon on the worst-case scenario. Youve got to build enormous capacity at speed. And you have to communicate to the public in a way that they understand, and gives them confidence. Since always the worst thing about a crisis is people feeling that the leadership is not really quite in control or knowing what its doing.
The United States' offer to help Iran in its fight against the new coronavirus pandemic is strange, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech on Sunday, describing U.S. leaders as "charlatans and liars", The Star reports.

Washington has offered humanitarian assistance to its longtime foe, the Middle Eastern country most affected by the coronavirus, with 1,685 deaths and 21,638 people infected.

Tensions between the two countries have been running high since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump exited Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy.

"Several times Americans have offered to help us to fight the pandemic. That is strange because you face shortages in America. Also you are accused of creating this virus," said Khamenei, an anti-U.S. hardliner who has the final say in Iran.

"I do not know whether it is true. But when there is such an allegation, can a wise man trust you and accept your help offer? ... You could be giving medicines to Iran that spread the virus or cause it to remain permanently."
The Karnataka government on Sunday announced shutdown of all commercial activities other then certain essential services in the nine districts of the state including the capital city, where COVID-19 cases have been reported.

"After taking stock of the coronavirus situation in the state and in neighboring states, the Chief Minister has announced shutdown from tomorrow till March 31 in Bengaluru city, Bengaluru Rural, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, Chikkaballapura, Kodagu, Belagavi- the nine districts where COVID-19 cases have been reported," Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said other than essential services like medical, grocery and agriculture, all other commercial activities will be under "shutdown".

"In these nine districts in factories where there are large number of workers, half work force should be utilised on alternate day basis, 50 per cent of the labour should be used on a day," he said, adding that inter-district transport services from these nine districts has been cancelled till March 31.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa held a meeting with top ministers and officials of his government regarding COVID-19 in the state and measures that need to be taken.

Bommai said, 'Janta Curfew' will end by 9 pm, but section 144 (prohibitory orders) will be in force after that till 12 am to see to that people don't gather after curfew time ends."



Streets in Bengaluru and other parts of the state wore a deserted look as the 'Janta curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help check the spread of coronavirus received a tremendous response across Karnataka.

The Home Minister also said that the public transport will continue to remain shut tomorrow as well across the state, and all AC bus services will not operate till March 31.

Asked whether in the wake of shutdown in Bengaluru will the ongoing budget session Karnataka legislature be cancelled, he said the session will continue as per schedule, unless and until there is further notification, which will be duly communicated.

Responding to a question, Bommai said, government officeswill continue to function as usual to provide essential services, while at private and IT companies other than critical services most of the work force is already working from home.

After holding another such meeting earlier in the day, Yediyurappa had announced the decision to shut state borders, and also to postpone all exams includingLC (class 10- board), aimed at controlling the spread of virus.

However, one paper of PUC (class 12) scheduled for Monday, will be held as per schedule, officials clarified.

Appealing to people in cities not to travel to villages for next 15 days to control outbreak in rural areas, Yediyurappa has said a decision has also been taken to screen all domestic passengers here on at airports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Millions of people across India are following the Janata Curfew on Sunday to fight the threat of coronavirus. Roads and markets are empty as people are staying indoors to curb the spread of coronavirus infection, showing resolve and restraint requested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, there are some people who are still working amid the global pandemic, including doctors, paramedics, Army, police, media personnel among others. Applausing the hard work of these 'corona fighters', PM Modi asked people to appreciate them by standing up for them for five minutes at 5 pm on Sunday and clap hands, beat plates or ring out bells.

"For last 2 months, millions are working day and night in hospitals and airports and those serving others by not taking care of themselves. On Mar 22, at 5'o clock, we should stand in our doorways, balconies, in our windows and keep clapping hands and ringing the bells for 5 mins to salute and encourage them," PM Modi had said.

Join Zee News #PauseAndApplause initiative for Corona Warriors as they battle to save India from the deadly virus. At 5 pm today, clap, bang utensils, ring bells to show you gratitude to doctors, paramedics, Army, police in the war against #COVID19@narendramodi @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/9iypCAK1xs  Zee News (@ZeeNews) March 22, 2020

We at Zee News are requesting all of you to #PauseAndApplause at 5 pm on Sunday for these 'corona fighters' who are working tirelessly to save millions of Indians from the danger of coronavirus.

India's Corona Warriors are fighting against the deadly #COVID19. Join Zee Group's #PauseAndApplause initiative at 5 pm today to clap, bang utensils, ring bells and show you gratitude to doctors, paramedics, Army, police in the war against #coronavirus@narendramodi @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/ZJ2fxpxRN5  Zee News (@ZeeNews) March 22, 2020

Meanwhile, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Sunday that the number of people confirmed with coronavirus in India has jumped to 341 with 26 new cases reported from across the country.
New Delhi: In case you missed it, Marathi actress Manasi Naik has been ruling the trends list for a while now for her uncanny resemblence to superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Several of Manasis pictures are doing the rounds on the internet and they remind the netizens of Aishwarya in her early days in the film industry. Manasi has posted several pictures and videos of herself dressed just like Aishwarya from Jodhaa Akbar and comments like "Aishwaryas carbon copy and "Aishwaryas duplicate" have been posted on thread. Manasi is a TikTok star too with a fan following of 4 million while on Instagram, she has 945k followers.

Take a look at the pictures here:

Doesnt she resembles Aishwarya?

In May 2019, Iranian model Mahlagha Jaberi briefly took over the internet as she was called the new doppelganger of Aishwarya.

Earlier in 2005, actress Sneha Ullal, who debuted opposite superstar Salman Khan in Lucky: No Time For Love, made similar headlines for her striking resemblance to Aishwarya.

On the work front, Aishwarya, last seen in 2018s Fanney Khan, is currently in talks with Mani Ratnam for a film titled Ponniyin Selvan. She also has Anurag Kashyaps Gulab Jamun with actor husband Abhishek Bachchan.




We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here
Fifteen passengers, who were given 'home quarantine' stamp on hands after their arrival in Mumbai from Dubai on Sunday, fled from the airport here withouy informing the authorities, but were later found outside a railway station, police said.

The passengers were planning go to Punjab by train from Mumbai, police said.

"The 15 passengers arrived at the Mumbai international airport from Dubai on Sunday. On their arrival, they were given 'home quarantine' stamp on their hands. However, they disappeared from the airport without informing the authorities," a police official said.

"Soon a search operation was launched by the police as well as civic and district authorities and they were traced outside Khar railway station here around 1 pm," senior inspector of Khar Police station Gajanan Kabdule told PTI.

These passengers were later handed over to the civic and district officials, who are in the process of making arrangement for their transport to Punjab by road, sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:28:02|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,198 COVID-19 cases have been reported in 41 African countries so far, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Sunday.

The Africa CDC, in its latest situation update issued on Sunday, also revealed that the death toll in Africa due to COVID-19 is currently 37 across the continent. The 37 deaths occurred in seven countries.

The highly coronavirus-affected African countries include Egypt, with 294 cases, South Africa, with 240 cases, Algeria, with 102 cases and Morocco with 96 cases, as of Sunday, according to the Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 108 people who have been infected with the COVID-19 have recovered.

John Nkengasong, Africa CDC Director, told a press conference on Thursday that the Africa CDC is focusing on a three-pillar strategy to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the continent.

"Our first strategy is aimed at prevention, the second pillar of strategy is preventing death and the third pillar is preventing social harm," he said.

Nkengasong also said Africa CDC is facilitating mass testing across the continent as part of a comprehensive plan to fight the spread of the virus.
Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday informed that the 4-year-old child who was suspected of coronavirus has been tested negative.

"The 4-year-old child who was suspected of #covid19 and tested in Jorhat Medical College and RMRC, Dibrugarh has been found NEGATIVE," he tweeted.

He added no confirmed cases of COVID-19 is reported in Assam.

Along with the tweet, he also shared the image of the report from the Jorhat Medical College and RMRC confirming the news.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday said that the total number of positive cases of COVID-19 has gone up to 315.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite the complexities of COVID-19, shrimp exporters and processors still see a bright future ahead thanks to new markets, and boosting exports to traditional markets which have cut imports from China.

Industry leaders are encouraging enterprises to diversify their products to match the demand of consumers. Photo: Le Toan

Vietnams total seafood export value fell by 17.7 per cent on-year to $912 million in the first two months of 2020 due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.

The pandemic has greatly affected China, one of Vietnams main markets, and caused a strong reduction in seafood exports. However, despite general difficulties in the sector, there is optimism about the future of exported shrimp.

According to statistics released by Sao Ta Foods JSC (FMC), in February, 937 tonnes of processed shrimp were exported, with a revenue of $10.7 million. These figures are 187 tonnes and $8.3 million lower than during the same period of last year.

Ho Quoc Luc, chairman of FMCs Board of Directors, said, The company has yet to face any difficulties in exporting products to traditional markets, namely the US, Japan, and Europe. No customers from these markets have raised concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 on their business. Even in South Korea, which makes up 5-6 per cent of the companys exports, activity has been stable.

FMC has made an effort to expand export channels to Australia, Luc continued. In order to meet the demand of both traditional and new markets, the company raised new shrimp colonies in 220 existing ponds and accelerated the construction of new ponds so we can start to raise new batches in April this year.

Luc went on to say that although the company has yet to be affected by the virus, in early March they established a COVID-19 taskforce. The mission is to raise awareness about the outbreak among staff and develop preventive measures, he said.

Boosted exports

FMCs move is an example of how seafood processing companies can see opportunities in these difficult times. Furthermore, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the US decision to increase tax on goods imported from China is also a chance for seafood producers to boost exports to this market.

According to Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of the VASEP, at present, 70-80 per cent of Vietnamese exported shrimp is sent to Japan, the US, and Europe, with the remaining 20-30 per cent exported to China and South Korea. The COVID-19 outbreak will encourage large markets to reduce imports from China and increase imports from other countries, including Vietnam.

The expected rise in shrimp exports may be backed up by the statistics. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in January, Papua New Guinea ranked as one of Vietnams top 10 largest export markets with a turnover of $2.8 million, up 1,358 per cent on-year and 108 per cent compared to last December.

In the first month of 2020, the US accounted for 20 per cent of Vietnams total shrimp export turnover with a total value of $37.9 million, a significant on-year increase. In 2019, the US reported a decrease on the total imported shrimp volume, including a drop in imports from Indonesia, Thailand, and China. Meanwhile, the turnover of shrimp imported from Vietnam  along with India, Ecuador, and Mexico  still rose on-year.

Improving quality

Hoe from the VASEP stated that the peak shrimp farming season is usually at the end of June, by when the COVID-19 pandemic may have been brought under control and the market could be vibrant again. The sooner the outbreak stops, the better the sectors prospects are, he said.

Hoe also recommended diversifying products to match consumption demands, saying that, Fresh and clean shrimps are favoured by markets such as the US and Europe.

While the virus is spreading and impacting numerous areas of the economy, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) should prove to be an invaluable tool for the Southeast Asian nation, allowing it to cut taxes and approach new, potentially lucrative export markets and giving it a distinct advantage over competitors such as India and Thailand.

In order to seize this opportunity, Vietnamese businesses must satisfy many requirements relating to technical and quality standards and rules of origin.

Moreover, they should develop an efficient supply chain in order to ensure food safety and hygiene, and enhance the competitiveness of products, said the VASEP general secretary.

However, this is not an insurmountable obstacle for Vietnam to overcome. As one of the leading shrimp export companies, shipping thousands of tonnes of shrimp annually, Thai-backed C.P. Vietnam has applied numerous solutions to enhance productivity and improve the quality of shrimp farming to match the requirements of demanding markets, and explore new ones.

In 2019 alone, more than 4,000 new farms were developed and put into operation, following the companys advanced CPF-Combine shrimp farming model. This remarkable growth expanded the shrimp farming industry by 9,000 households.

The CPF-Combine approach produces organic, safe, and traceable shrimp, utilising baby shrimp imported from the parent company  C.P. Group, new high-quality feed, and advanced technology, resulting in large shrimp and high productivity.

Boonlap Watcharawanitchakul, senior vice president of C.P. Vietnam, said that this provides a sustainable foundation for the company to strengthen output, as well as improve export volume and seize opportunities created by the EVFTA to reach new overseas markets.

After fish fillets, shrimp is the second-biggest seafood product exported by Vietnam to the EU. It makes up 4.3 per cent of the EU market, behind Thailand (4.5 per cent), India (9.1 per cent), and Ecuador (12.4 per cent).

Therefore, as a result of factors like the outbreak, the EVFTA, and significant investment into farming and processing lines, as well as prominent businesses experience in entering new overseas markets, the Vietnamese seafood industry is expectedly well placed to make even bigger inroads into the EU and US in the near future. VIR

Kim Huong

Shrimp exporters in Mekong Delta face challenges amid Covid-19 epidemic Shrimp is a key export item of many provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta, but the Covid-19 epidemic has caused challenges for exporters.
The City of Fairhope has closed parks, beaches and pier. Fairhope has been carefully monitoring the pier, beaches and parks since the State of Alabama ordered the closure of Gulf Coast beaches," said Mayor Karin Wilson. The closures begin at 7 Sunday night.

Resources: Follow our live updates. Find all of our coronavirus stories. A continuously updated vital information post. A free text-messaging service so you can receive the most urgent coronavirus updates on your cellphone. And ask questions. To sign up, subscribe to Alabama Coronavirus Urgent Alerts. A new weekday newsletter is available. You can subscribe here. Also, download our mobile app where you can receive on-the-go notifications.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)  Lockdowns have begun in Africa as coronavirus cases rise above 1,000, while Nigeria on Saturday announced it is closing airports to all incoming international flights for one month in the continent's most populous country.

Rwanda said all unnecessary movements outside the home are banned for two weeks as of midnight except for essential services such as health care and shopping. The East African nation, which has 17 cases, told all public and private employees to work from home. Tunisia earlier imposed a lockdown as well.

Meanwhile, two African heads of state appeared to defy their own travel restrictions to attend another presidents inauguration.

Uganda, Eritrea and Angola announced their first cases, meaning 42 of Africas 54 countries are now affected. Congo and Ghana reported their first death; Burkina Faso reported two new ones. Uganda is closing its borders to all but cargo. Ethiopia said all arriving passengers will face mandatory quarantine as of Monday. Republic of Congo and Ghana are closing their borders. But Somalia is lifting its ban on international flights for two days so stranded citizens can come home.

Nigeria's international flight ban came a day after Africa's busiest airport, in Johannesburg, blocked foreigners from disembarking and two major airlines  Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways  announced sweeping cancellations of international flights.

Nigeria's announcement followed its first cases in the capital, Abuja.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said emergency and essential flights are exempt from the ban that starts Monday. An adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, said Nigeria also plans to suspend passenger rail services starting then.

While Angola closed air, land and sea borders this week, President Joao Lourenco attended Saturday's inauguration of Namibian President Hage Geingob. Also there was President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, which this week suspended international travel by all government employees. Namibia has three cases.

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My conscience tells me ... I did not give a bad example to Angolans, Lourenco told state television, saying his earlier decree left room for extraordinary circumstances, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa also was there. On Saturday, his country announced the first case in the capital, Harare.

Africa now has more than 1,100 cases, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Burkina Faso now has the most virus deaths of any country in sub-Saharan Africa and the most cases in West Africa with 64.

Several government ministers there have tested positive. On Friday, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore announced the country's two international airports would close for two weeks with exceptions for military and cargo.

Burkina Faso is one of Africas most fragile states with a growing humanitarian crisis caused by attacks linked to Islamic extremists. More than 130 health centers have closed, the government and aid groups say.

According to a government response plan seen by The Associated Press, emergency teams aren't trained for a respiratory disease outbreak and don't have appropriate protective gear.

There's also insufficient screening at borders. Of Burkina Fasos 44 high-flow entry points, only 23% have coronavirus screening devices.

Jerry-Jonas Mbasha, cluster coordinator for the World Health Organization in Burkina Faso, said he was much worried about what might happen in the next one week, two weeks from now.

Most people only experience minor flu-like symptoms from the coronavirus and recover within a few weeks, but the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those who appear well. It can cause severe illness, including pneumonia, in some patients, particularly those with underlying health problems.

More than 275,000 cases have been confirmed globally, including over 11,000 deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. At least 88,000 people have recovered.

In Nigeria, which just three weeks ago announced the first coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa, authorities said that first patient, a man who had traveled from Italy, was now fit to go home.

In Kenya, health officials disinfected crowded markets in the capital, Nairobi.

Its for the sake of us, its for the sake of the country, said Simon Kimani, public health council chairman.

___

Mednick reported from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Anna reported from Johannesburg. Francis Kokutse in Accra, Ghana; Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda; Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe; Abdi Guled in Mogadishu, Somalia; and Idi Ali Juma in Nairobi, Kenya contributed.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
LANE COUNTY, Ore. --- Oregon Health Authority and other officials announced details about $4 million in state funding that is going out to Local Public Health Authorities (LPHA), Tribes and Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA  the Urban Indian Health Program in Oregon) to support their COVID-19 response.

The amounts allocated for LPHA, Tribe and NARA combine for total $4 million.

Basic facts about the funding:

All LPHAs, the nine-federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, and NARA are receiving the funds.

Total amount to these recipients is $4 million, representing a substantial portion of the funds approved by the Oregon Legislatures Emergency Board on March 9.

Funding amounts are based on a funding formula as well as COVID-19 cases and investigative work as of March 10, 2020.

Funds can be used to support local and tribal COVID-19 response, including:

Reporting, monitoring and controlling of COVID-19 in communities Identification and screening of contacts of COVID-19 positive individuals Education, prevention and related communications activities to share information with the public and community partners

We believe that those funds will have a significant positive impact on our states capacity to perform COVID-19 response functions at the local level, said OHA Director Patrick Allen. Their staff are truly on the front lines of the essential epidemiological work that can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases in communities. But we know that more resources will be needed across all aspects of the response.
My position for the last three and a half years has been our problems are basically bipartisan problems. I went after a Republican Senate committee chairman last night (Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, who sold stock holdings after being briefed on the severity of the coronavirus). I think what he did is wrong. A very common attitude among people in charge which is, 'I don't care about you; I care about me.' I don't think that's a partisan thing. I don't think it's a Republican versus Democrat problem at all. You watch MSNBC or CNN. the Democrats are saintly and anyone on Trump's team is evil  They are liars because they are telling viewers that it's that simple. It's not that simple. It's not one party is on your side and the other is against you; it's the people with power don't care about you. That's my view and it always has been.
Toronto, and York Region recorded their first deaths related to COVID-19 on Sunday, Public Health officials said.

The Toronto man and the woman from York Region were both in their 70s. They both died on Saturday.

The man had travelled to the United Kingdom. On his return, he was tested at a hospital in Toronto and immediately began self-isolation at home, according to a City of Toronto press release.

The man was reported to Toronto Public Health by the hospital and a case investigation was completed.

He later presented at the Trillium Health Partners, a Mississauga Hospital on March 14 and died on Saturday, March 21.

'Today is a very sad day,' Dr. Eileen de Villa says

"Today is a very sad day for us and especially the family and loved ones of the man who passed away," said Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa.

"We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the individual who died this weekend. I'm asking everyone again to make every effort and take every opportunity to practice social distancing.

"Please stay home, stay safe and take care of each other," de Villa added.

'A tragic reminder that we are confronting a deadly virus,' mayor says

Meanwhile, Toronto Mayor John Tory says this first death of a Toronto resident related to COVID-19 is "a tragic reminder that we are confronting a deadly virus."

"I know the entire city will be saddened to learn this news and joins me in sending condolences to the loved ones of the Toronto man who has died," Tory said in a statement.

Tory has been in self-isolation since March 13, days after returning to Toronto from a trade mission in Britain.

He said the death of the Toronto resident is yet another reminder why it is so important that everyone continues to do everything they can to stop the spread of COVID-19.

"The advice from Toronto Public Health is simple: work from home where possible, stay home except to get essential supplies, and maintain social distance by keeping at least two metres (6 feet) from others," Tory said.

Story continues

7 newly-confirmed cases in York Region

The death in York Region is that of a Markham resident who returned from international travel on Saturday, and died shortly thereafter.

"York Region extends deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the individual," said Dr. Karim Kurji, Medical Officer of Health.

"This case speaks to the seriousness of the current situation and how as a community we need to continue working together to protect one another."

York Region also reported seven newly-confirmed cases of COVID-19 earlier Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in that region to 44.

48 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario Sunday

On Sunday Ontario reported 48 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 425.

Eight of those cases have been resolved, according to Ontario's health ministry on its special COVID-19 website.

Five people have now died in cases related to the novel coronavirus in the province.

One of the new confirmed cases involves a man in his 30s in Toronto. Under the kind of transmission, the ministry says "pending."

Gwen Gray/CBC

There are cases involving a man in his 70s in Peel region, a man in his 50s in Hamilton, two women in their 20s in Ottawa and Waterloo respectively, and a man in his 30s in Eastern Ontario.

There is little information listed about the majority of cases.

The province has tested 26,419 people for the virus and 8,361 people are under investigation. A total of 17,634 people have tested negative for COVID-19.

Ontario gives hospitals new powers to redeploy staff

In other developments, the Ontario government is using its state of emergency declaration to give hospitals temporary new powers to respond to the pandemic.

These powers enable hospitals to redeploy staff between locations, to different areas within hospitals and to COVID-19 assessment centres without notice. Hospitals are now able to change work assignments and schedules, cancel vacations and let volunteers do "bargaining work."

Under what the government calls a "temporary order," hospitals would be able to override collective agreements when they redeploy staff and that power includes superseding provisions governing such things as layoffs, seniority and service and bumping.

"This temporary order would give hospitals the ability to cancel and postpone services to free-up space and valuable staff, identify staffing priorities, and develop, modify and implement redeployment plans," the government said.

The government said hospitals can do the following as they try to "prevent and alleviate" the spread of COVID-19:

Redeploying staff within different locations in (or between) facilities of the hospital.

Redeploying staff to work in COVID-19 assessment centres.

Changing the assignment of work, including assigning non-bargaining unit employees or contractors to perform bargaining unit work.

Changing the scheduling of work or shift assignments.

Deferring or cancelling vacations, absences or other leaves, regardless of whether such vacations, absences or leaves are established by statute, regulation, agreement or otherwise.

Employing extra part-time workers, or temporary staff, or contractors, including for the purpose of performing bargaining unit work.

Using volunteers to perform work, including to perform bargaining work.

Providing appropriate training or education as needed to staff and volunteers to achieve the purposes of a redeployment plan.

Evan Mitsui/CBC

"When utilized by hospitals, these redeployment plans temporarily supersede the provisions of a collective agreement, including lay-off, seniority/service or bumping provisions," the government said in the statement.

"For example, currently a hospital would be required to post a lay-off notice and wait a period of time before being able to move a nurse or other unionized employee from an emergency department to a COVID-19 assessment centre," the government added.

"These measures would allow for the redeployment of staff to address the containment of COVID-19 without restriction or delay."

This time-limited order is valid for 14 days unless revoked or renewed in accordance with the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Ontario allows some child-care centres to reopen

As well, Ontario is allowing some child-care centres to reopen to help healthcare and frontline workers during the outbreak.

Doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters, police, and correctional officers are among those who can access the emergency child care, the government said in a statement on Sunday.

People who do work "essential to the delivery of core services in a municipality," will also be able to access child care, "as determined by the municipality."

The province ordered all licensed child-care centres to close as part of the state of emergency declared last week.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the province would keep a low number of children in each centre.

The centres will have to follow health and safety requirements and have a plan in place should any staff, children or parents be exposed to COVID-19, Lecce said.

People who are eligible are those who do "work of a critical nature in their service area or community," as determined by the education minister or his delegate in consultation with the relevant system manager or First Nation, he added.

Realtors urged to stop holding open houses

As officials continue to track the numbers of confirmed cases in the province, the outbreak is continuing to affect the economy.

On Saturday, the Ontario Real Estate Association called on all realtors to stop holding open houses during the province's battle with COVID-19.

The association is asking realtors to encourage their clients to organize virtual tours instead.

It says modern realtors have access to video teleconferencing and digital signings to go through the home-selling process, which could help curb the spread of the virus.

Employee at Petro-Canada/Tim Hortons tests positive

The province releases numbers twice daily about confirmed COVID-19 cases and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is doing his part to keep residents informed.

In a tweet early Sunday, Brown said an employee at a Petro Canada gas station and Tim Hortons outlet in Brampton, has tested positive for COVID-19.

The joint gas station and coffee outlet is located at 11980 Hurontario Street, near Mayfield Road.

Brown urges anyone who visited the location between March 9 and 20 to go into isolation.

"I would ask anyone who went here for gas, coffee or supplies to self isolate for 14 days," Brown said.

Petro-Canada has also tweeted about the confirmed case and said it has temporarily closed the location for cleaning. It has also asked store staff to go into isolation for 14 days.

"The health and safety of our partners, customers, employees and the communities we serve is the top priority for Petro-Canada," it said.
The Trump administration gave its blessing. Several states have already taken action. And soon New Jersey will have to make its own decision.

Considering the coronavirus pandemic will force students to stay home from school for the foreseeable future, should standardized testing be canceled?

The state Department of Education isnt saying yet. But COVID-19s outsize impact on education might soon extend to New Jerseys standardized tests, already a controversial issue.

The decision has not been made, Gov. Phil Murphy said Sunday in his daily coronavirus update. I guess well have an answer for you in the next day or two.

New Jersey students take their annual math and English tests on computers, so its not possible to do state testing from home, said Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the Department of Education.

Even if schools reopen later this spring, students will have missed weeks of classroom instruction. The worksheets and online assignments schools gave students to do from home are no match for in-person instruction, administrators have said.

With exams scheduled for late April in many districts, the next step is obvious, the states largest teachers union said.

Testing should be canceled for the year, given the massive disruption to the school year, said Steve Baker, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association.

Federal law requires schools to test students in grades 3-8 in English and math every year and test students at least once in high school under normal circumstances. New Jersey law also requires high school students to pass an exit exam to prove they are ready to graduate.

But others states, including Pennsylvania and New York, announced last week they would cancel exams. On Friday, the Trump administration said it would grant waivers to any state unable to test students because of the pandemic.

Neither students nor teachers need to be focused on high-stakes tests during this difficult time, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said. Students are simply too unlikely to be able to perform their best in this environment.

If students do return to the classroom this school year, the state would likely hear arguments both for and against testing students, said David Hespe, a former state education commissioner under Gov. Chris Christie.

Proponents of testing might argue the state should assess how students have been hurt by the missed class time, Hespe said. But others would argue that any time with teachers should be spent making up for lost class periods, he said.

Testing students instead of helping them catch up on what they missed would be absurd," Baker said.

That is completely wishful thinking that you would get useful data out of testing students on materials they havent even had the opportunity to be taught, he said.

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Production on long-running E4 soap Hollyoaks has been halted, amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, it has been announced.

Bosses of the popular series put out an announcement on Sunday, also revealing that the number of episodes aired weekly would be reduced from five to three.

The press release reads: 'Dear Hollyoaks viewers... It is with a heavy heart that we have made the decision to pause filming of Hollyoaks.

Halting: Production on long-running E4 soap Hollyoaks has been halted, amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, it has been announced

'From Monday 30th March, we will be reducing the number of our weekly new episodes from five down to three, which will air Monday to Wednesday.'

Bosses of the show went on to reveal that fans will still be able to get their Hollyoaks fix, with the introduction of a new series in which they can watch all-time highlights.

The press release continued: 'To make sure we stay on air every week night, fans can look forward to extra special episodes every Thursday and Friday on E4, as we begin a brand new series of "Hollyoaks Favourites".

New show: Former castmember Jorgie Porter is set to host a new show called Hollyoaks Favourites as the series' broadcast is pared down. Pictured in February

'Introduced by Kieron Richardson and Jorgie Porter, this series will give viewers a chance to revisit some of our biggest episodes, from weddings, bust-ups, heartbreaks and some of our biggest and best stunts.

'We will start the series with Mercedes' fourth wedding, to Dr Browning.

'Soaps are an important part of people's lives and we have 25 years of Hollyoaks Favourites to revisit over coming weeks, celebrating the history of the show that you love.

'We will remain as present as ever on our social platforms so please keep in touch with us here, stay safe and take care of yourselves. Thank you for your ongoing support. Love from everyone at Hollyoaks.'

Host: Kieron Richardson will also present Hollyoaks Favourites, which will focus on some of the show's 'biggest episodes, from weddings, bust-ups, heartbreaks'. Pictured in October 2019

The news came within hours of ITV's announcement that the production of Coronation Street and Emmerdale will stop from Monday due to COVID-19 concerns.

A statement from the broadcaster said its staff had been working hard to ensure filming continued 'whilst adhering to the Government's latest health guidelines'.

It said enough episodes have been recorded to see both soaps through until the early summer.

Announcement: The news comes as ITV bosses confirmed they would be halting filming for Coronation Street and Emmerdale from Monday March 23

The statement said: 'ITV has sadly taken the decision to suspend production of the soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale with effect from Monday March 23.

'We've been doing our best to carry on filming, whilst adhering to the Government's latest health guidelines, to ensure we've episodes of both soaps airing on ITV until at least the early summer.

'However, the health and well-being of the production teams, actors, crew and their families is of paramount importance to us and we now feel that the time has come to stop filming.

'We'd like to thank our viewers for their support and hope they continue to enjoy both soaps in the coming months.'

Suspend: A statement from ITV read, 'ITV has sadly taken the decision to suspend production of the soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale with effect from Monday 23rd March'

Earlier this week, the BBC suspended filming of EastEnders and other top BBC dramas including Casualty, Doctors, Holby City, River City and Welsh series Pobol y Cwm.

EastEnders fans will still be able to get their fix of Walford from episodes already filmed, and TV bosses say just two episodes will air each week to make them last as long as possible.

Coronation Street tweeted to fans: 'Well still be on air next week as normal, apart from Friday. From 30th onwards well be on three times a week.'

Out of kilter: A statement from ITV warned viewers that some episodes could be 'out of kilter' in the next few weeks as they attempt to establish a new transmission pattern

This is not the first time ITV has been forced to take shows off air due to circumstances outside of its control.

For eleven weeks, between August and October 1979, industrial action forced Coronation street (which began in December 1960) off the air, along with the majority of the network.

On Friday Andy Whyment, 38, who plays Kirk Sutherland on Coronation Street, said the show had been forced to rewrite scripts as cast members self-isolated.

Empty: The sets of Coronation Street (pictured) and Emmerdale will remain empty over the coming weeks if not months

Changes: Coronation Street was forced to rewrite scripts as cast members self-isolated revealed Andy Whyment on Friday

The actor took to Instagram to revealed it's been a 'tough week' amid the upheaval caused by the coronovirus pandemic.

Alongside a snap of himself and wife Nicola Willis enjoying a beer, the star praised everyone on the show for all pulling together during this difficult time.

He penned: 'So ready for a drink tonight been a tough week at work with rewrites and changes with some cast members having to self isolate.

'I just want to say Im so proud of everyone @coronationstreet the way people have mucked in this week has been incredible and shows how much love there is for the show.

Hard times: The actor, 38, who plays Kirk Sutherland on the ITV soap took to Instagram on Friday where he revealed it's been a 'tough week' amid the upheaval amidst the coronovirus pandemic

'Its a mad situation we all find ourselves in but well get through this, stay safe everyone  xxx.'

His co-star Georgiua Taylor, who plays Toyah Battersby was in agreement, as she wrote: 'Everyone has been incredible havent they?

'I was saying to Mark tonight how I feel so lucky to work with such an outstanding team. And all done with such good grace and humour xxx.'

With Andy replying: 'couldnt agree more we have an amazing cast and crew xx.'

Tribute: Alongside a snap of himself and wife Nicola Willis enjoying a beer, the star praised everyone on the show for all pulling together during this difficult time

Jane Danson, who plays Leanne Battersby, added: 'Totally agree. We all worked together at the worst of times. Its been difficult but everyone on and off camera has pulled together. Stay well everyone x.'

While Tyrone Dobbs actor Alan Halsall also wrote: 'Couldnt agree more mate, just shot the last scene of the week & the spirit was amazing! Tough times as you say & I hope @coronationstreet can keep people entertained!'

It comes after both Coronation Street and Emmerdale bosses confirmed that the soap's planned storylines will be affected by their scheduling changes during the coronavirus pandemic.

An ITV spokesperson revealed that episodes that were planned to air around Easter or VE Day in May will inevitably be shown on a different dates, after cutting back on their weekly broadcasts to ration their filmed episodes.

Scary: Coronation Street and Emmerdale bosses confirmed that storylines will be affected the coronavirus pandemic (Samia Longchambon pictured as Maria Connor)

Which UK shows have stopped filming? Hollyoaks Coronation Street Emmerdale EastEnders Line Of Duty Peaky Blinders Doctors Casualty Holby City River City Pobol y Cwm Vera Call The Midwife The Only Way Is Essex Advertisement

In their statement a spokesperson told MailOnline: 'In the coming weeks some episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale will understandably be out of kilter due to the temporary transmission pattern for both programmes which takes effect from Monday 30 March.

'Episodes due to broadcast at Easter and those commissioned and filmed to commemorate VE Day, for instance, won't now air on the dates we'd anticipated.

Coronation Street will now air just three episodes a week, while Emmerdale will only air five.

The ITV spokesperson also confirmed that despite government advice for residents to avoid social contact in pubs and restaurants, they would be continuing to include scenes in The Rovers Return and Woolpack.

They told MailOnline: 'Additionally, as both Coronation Street and Emmerdale film many weeks before they air on ITV, episodes will continue to feature scenes set in the Rovers and Woolpack and other communal areas.

'Although the Governments latest guidelines indicate that people should avoid such public spaces, wed ask viewers to make allowances for the fact that filming took place before the coronavirus pandemic... and to make sure they follow the most recent Government's health advice.'

Corrie and Emmerdale join a long list of programmes that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many shows including rival soap EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Call The Midwife forced to halt filming.

Circumstances: This is not the first time ITV has been forced to take shows off air due to circumstances outside of its control
The conflict in Yemen is no longer limited to political and military parties. It now includes the judiciary, which is being used to execute political agendas between the warring sides.

On March 3, the Houthi-controlled Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa sentenced to death 35 parliamentarians in absentia on charges of treason, ordered the confiscation of their movable and real estate property inside and outside the country, and put them in the hands of the Houthi government.

This is not the first time the same court has passed sentences of execution.

In July 2019, 30 academics and political opposition figures were sentenced to death following a trial Amnesty International described as a sham, saying those people are facing trumped-up charges, including espionage for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, following a fundamentally flawed legal process. None of the accused have been executed, and they are still being detained in Houthi prisons in Sanaa.

The list of figures recently sentenced includes parliament Speaker Sultan al-Barkani and his deputy, Abdul-Aziz Jubari, in addition to parliamentarians in the General Peoples Congress that was formerly led by ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the Yemeni Congregation for Reform  known as al-Islah, the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood arm. All of the sentenced reside outside Yemen or in areas controlled by the internationally recognized government.

The death sentence came after the public prosecutor put the accused parliamentarians on trial in September after their immunity was lifted. Charges include threatening the independence and safety of Yemeni territories and collaborating with foreign countries, like Saudi Arabia and the Arab coalition states.

Elected in 2003, the current parliament was divided between Houthis and the government after the pro-government members met in Seyon and elected new leadership in April of last year, headed by Barkani. Meanwhile, Yahya al-Rai continued to head the Sanaa-based parliament. The pro-government parliament is the one recognized internationally and represents the government in regional and international platforms.

The social implications of these charges will lead to divisions and tensions between the tribes supporting them and those opposing them, and among the people who voted in favor of the sentenced parliamentarians. In Yemen, generally, tribal ardency rather than democracy or civil dedication prevails in supporting parliamentarians. Besides, if Houthis face military defeat in the Yemen war, the tribes opposing the sentences will likely retaliate against prominent Houthi figures, especially since most parliamentarians belong to well-known and influential tribes in Yemen or are traders and large capital owners.

According to the Human Rights Office in Geneva, Following the issue of the sentences in Sanaa, we received reports that the homes of some parliamentarians in Sanaa were ransacked by a group of female Houthi police. The police gave the family members inside the homes 24 hours to leave their properties.

In a March 6 statement, the Human Rights Office called on the sentences to be revoked and said the trials are politically motivated [and fail] to comply with international norms and standards.

Noura al-Jarwi, director of the Coalition of Women for Peace in Yemen, told Al-Monitor the Houthis had a racial and linear approach to the case. She expects a reaction from the parliamentarians supporters, especially if the balance of power changes in favor of Houthis rivals. This will only lead to further division in Yemeni society.

One of the sentenced members of parliament told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity for the safety of his relatives in Sanaa, The houses and belongings of several sentenced members of parliament were confiscated, including some real estate assets. Their families in Sanaa were also harmed and threatened.

The member of parliament said, The verdict is political and has absolutely no relation to the constitution or law. Many do not recognize it and consider it a terrorist act. He blamed the United Nations and its special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, for what happened.

Meanwhile, some prominent figures known for their opposition to Houthis were not sentenced, such as tribal Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar, who is close to Qatar and lives in Turkey. Some observers believe those were excluded based on political arrangements involving countries in the region like Qatar, Turkey and Iran.

Mohammad Abdul Quddus, deputy editor of the Houthi-run SABA news agency, told Al-Monitor, The verdicts are legitimate based on the Law of Criminal Procedure, and those parliamentarians are fugitives. The prosecution met all legal conditions in filing the lawsuits after proving the accused jeopardized the independence of the state and the safety of its territories by asking the aggressing countries to attack Yemeni territories.

He added, Ansar Allah [Houthis] have nothing to do with this, and the verdict was an implementation of the law. The parliament in Sanaa lifted the immunity of the sentenced members of parliament.

On Nov. 13, 2019, the Yemeni government had called on the UN to prevent Houthis from conducting illegal and arbitrary trials against rights activists, journalists, women and members of parliament.

In December, the Supreme Judicial Council in Aden issued a decision ordering the illegitimacy of courts in Houthi-controlled areas and their subsequent illegal verdicts and considered them a form of extortion and money collection.

Yehya al-Shouaibi, a lawyer, told Al-Monitor, The so-called Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa does not have constitutional legitimacy, and its sentences are null and void.

The conflict in Yemen has undoubtedly taken dimensions other than the political and military ones. If the judiciary is not kept out of it, society will be largely divided and the UN-led peace process will face another hiccup.
Just as there is no leadership without followers there would be no business if it did not have customers. Business is a venture of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not surprising that business management involves leadership, adoption of 'smart' processes, ability to understand and handle human interactions, study of how national entities -- which are human -- behaved in a globalised world and a realisation that knowledge had become the new determinant of competitive success for human beings. Profit and loss is the outcome of this complex mix -- it is no more a matter of easy presumption that investors could make about the return on their investment.

When the demand shrinks for some reason, products fail to measure up to the new expectations of users or large events impact the population -- corona pandemic is a case in point -- businesses are affected one way or the other requiring close monitoring basically of how the people were responding to a situation. In a country like India, growers of food, the farmers, were placed on a special pedestal as they considered agriculture as a pious livelihood -- the role of profit making intermediaries was, in fact, viewed as a villainous activity in certain circumstances.

Commercial crops, horticulture and raising of medicinal plants, however, are at par with products raised through machines or handicrafts and all of these are governed by the economics of investment and output. The fundamental point of all business is that the logic of profit that drives it is totally determined by the people engaged by it.

All the five facets of any business activity bring out the centrality of human involvement -- these are nurtural leadership, productive teams, boss-subordinate relationship, study of competitive environ and right human intervention in the use of technology. A successful leader today has to have certain 'traits' and also show certain leadership 'ways' -- in the perception of the followers. The leader has to be trustworthy, capable of exhibiting decisiveness in times of difficulty -- this coming from both 'knowledge' and 'nerves' -- and interested in the well being and improvement of those who worked for him or her.

For nurturing talent and developing the human resource, the leader has to have an instinctive understanding of human nature and the so-called 'emotional quotient' that often governed human responses. As regards the 'ways' of leadership these basically touch on the communication skills, exercise of 'effective differentiation' when evaluating a situation and an unfailing ability to take knowledge-based decisions -- the knowledge here pertained to both external environ facing the enterprise and the internal resources the organisation had for implementing a decision. The human matrix of decision-making in business thus embraces information on both- the rivals outside and the human capital within.

The world of business is moving towards 'flat' organisations, realising that it was perilous to have a large vertical hierarchy with its bureaucratic rigidness. There is new awareness about the importance of productive teams under the mentors who would guide them while reporting directly to the top. It is vital for the success of the organisation that a team was well constituted and competently led. Today, an employee has to be treated as a 'knowledge worker' and as a distinct production centre, since he applies also his thinking and not merely his hands, while at work.

It is rightly said 'no one knows everything but every body knows something' and hence for good knowledge-based decision making the organisation should be able to garner 'tacit' knowledge carried by every team member. In an environ of interactiveness, the team will gain from individual strengths of the members -- benefitting from the new principle of 'partnership for success'. Even cultural diversity and individual specialisations can be put together in a team for complementarity.

It is now accepted that at the work place what affects the morale and performance of an employee is, more than the physical amenities and a feel of safety and security, the treatment that one gets from the immediate boss or supervisor. The framework of this interface is ideally defined by a few universally applicable parameters. First, the subordinate must understand that while he should have his say in a discussion, he must accept and abide by the decision taken by the boss as the latter was taking responsibility for the same. Secondly, the boss had the freedom to 'task' the subordinate but he should also be wiling to give guidance whenever sought by the latter in course of the implementation of the task. Thirdly, a boss should know enough about the life of a subordinate outside of the work place -- his family situation and concerns -- so that there was a personal touch about the interaction that made the subordinate look upon the boss as an elder who could be relied upon. Fourth, if the boss gives some freedom of thought and action to the subordinate by way of delegation, the latter would be inclined to give off his best. And finally, the relationship can be irreversibly marred if the boss tried to 'steal ' credit from the subordinate, going beyond what would always be his share as the senior in the success of a project. This unfortunately is not uncommon because many bosses are lacking in the qualities of leadership.

The advent of the 'age of information' due to the success of IT revolution in early Nineties has created a globalised world on account of instant connectivity and the rise of borderless markets. This has pushed competitiveness to a new high since every player in business knows about others on that turf because of information available in the public domain. Your competitor may arise from anywhere on the globe. What is even more unsettling is the fact that a small but 'smart' player can take on a giant in his field.

It is extremely important for any business enterprise to find out all about a competitor -- even by using special techniques of information gathering -- and scan the external environ for factors that were relevant to knowledge-based decision-making. Investors launching a business in a new country may have to study the political scene, law and order situation, socio-cultural factors, degree of economic development and the state of technological progress there. The finer point in all of this is that you ultimately want to know about the kind of 'people' who were heading a rival enterprise or who were governing the country you intend investing in.

Last but not the least, businesses today have to take to 'smart' ways for success in a competitive world. Being 'smart' can be defined as being able to produce more per unit of available resource. This is where technology, particularly IT, greatly helps by making the processes cost-effective. Since in these days of business being conducted at great pace, 'time' has emerged as another 'resource' in addition to manpower and funds, technology is important for lending speed to transactions.

However, technology cannot monitor its own relevance in a changing situation and therefore human intervention would be required to reset its parameters. Likewise, a decision about say any mid-course correction in business will always rest with its leadership even though data analytics -- a form of technology application -- might give indications of possible options that the information analysed brought out. Artificial Intelligence -- much in vogue today -- essentially makes technology 'smarter' by defining what 'action' should be initiated in response to the information input - this is how a robot could negotiate its passage through a corridor. However, the point here is that this response will always be of the 'tactical' kind -- never a substitute for human decision-making at the 'strategic' level.

(The writer is a former Director Intelligence Bureau)
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France is building military field hospitals as the world intensifies its battle against coronavirus with deaths hitting 13,274 and cases soaring above 300,000.

Soldiers were pictured setting up medical centres in Mulhouse, which along with Alsace, is France's worst-hit region.

Shoppers in Dubai are now greeted with 'stay safe' markings in supermarkets to encourage social distancing in the hope of stopping people from contracting Covid-19 from people nearby.

It comes as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanded Britons stay six feet apart when they go outside following appalling scenes earlier today of crowds hitting tourist destinations for Mother's Day.

French soldiers install beds at the military field hospital at The Emile Muller Hospital in Mulhouse, eastern France, on March 22, 2020, on the fifth day of a strict lockdown

Pictured: French soldiers in Mulhuse wearing protective masks set up tents as part of a field hospital to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases on Sunday. Mulhouse and the region of Alsace have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus and authorities are struggling to expand hospital capacity to cope with the pandemic

Pictured: French soldiers set up a military field hospital at the Emile Muller Hospital in Mulhouse aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus

Pictured: An outside view of a field hospital in front of Emile Muller hospital built to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases on March 22, 2020 in Mulhouse, France

Soldiers in Mulhouse, France, are pictured donning face masks as they set up military field hospitals to cope with the coronavirus outbreak. Service personnel are being drafted in across the world as countries battle the Covid-19 pandemic, which began in Wuhan, China

Pictured: French soldiers wearing protective masks arrive for setting up tents as part of a field hospital to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases on March 22 in Mulhouse, France, as the military are forced to set up medical centres while the world battles the coronavirus pandemic

Pictured: Distance stickers reading 'stay safe' placed along aisles at a supermarket in Dubai, marking safe distances for shoppers to facilitate 'social distancing' methods as part of safety measures during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

Pictured: Ukrainians wearing protective masks that resemble those worn by doctors at the time of the Black Death in Lviv, Ukraine, 22 March 2020. The face gear is being donned while the world continues to battle the coronovirus pandemic

Pictured: A woman wearing a protective mask is seen behind a girl dressed in a mark resembling thos worn by doctors who dealt with the Black Death in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday. Ukrainian Designer Anastasia Markovska sewed the protective masks, a traditional costume of Venice Carnival, for herself and her friends due to the ongoing pandemic

Pictured: A Moroccan health ministry worker disinfects a man walking a dog and carrying a mat in the capital Rabat amid a state of emergency designed to combat coronavirus as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world

Pictured: Moroccan military armoured personnel carriers (APC) patrol a street, instructing people to remain at home, in the capital Rabat on March 22. A public health state of emergency went into effect in the Muslim-majority country late on March 20, and security forces and the army have been deployed on the streets to combat the spread of COVID-19

Pictured: Firefighters carry a person on a stretcher after an earthquake in Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday. A strong earthquake shook Croatia and its capital on Sunday, causing widespread damage and panic while the country also battles the Covid-19 outbreak that began in Wuhan, China

Pictured: Croatian Health minister Vili Beros (L), Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic (C) and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic (R) pass by Croatian soldiers who are helping to remove the rubbles of destroyed building in downtown Zagreb after an earthquake hit

Medical staff and volunteers evacuate a maternity hospital in Zagreb, on Sunday, after an earthquake hit the country at 5am leaving the city with electricity and outages as the coronavirus pandemic continues

Pictured: Residents isolating in Anderlecht, Belgium, toast one another with an aperitif as the Government imposes a lockdown to fight the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to slow down the spread of Covid-19

Meanwhile, in Lviv, Ukraine, masks resembling the bird beaks worn by doctors during the Black Death were donned in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.

Tanks lined the streets of Rabat, Morocco, where an emergency health worker was seen disinfecting a man and his dog by spraying them in public.

There were devastating scenes in Zagreb, Croatia, where doctors fighting the pandemic were forced to flee with patients from a hospital as an earthquake hit early this morning.

Medical workers in protective gear walk to begin a shift at a hospital in Daegu, the epicenter of South Korea's coronavirus outbreak

Pictured: President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, speaking during the Presidential Commission meeting for the prevention of COVID-19, at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas

Medics and patients rushed from a health centre and through devastated roads covered in rubble as firefighters stretchered the injured to safety.

Residents living through lockdown in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, applauded medics from their homes as health workers were seen reacting to their praise in the streets.

It follows Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying 'the worst is yet to come' as he warned the country will experience a major peak in the coming week and warned residents to be prepared 'for very hard days ahead'.

Pictured: Members of the Catalan regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra, local police officers and other security forces gather outside the Bellvitge hospital near Barcelona to applaud and cheer the healthcare workers

Pictured: Medical workers in Madrid, Spain, react as residents applaud them from their homes for their service during the coronavirus outbreak
Five persons from Palghar district, who recently returned to India from different countries, but somehow failed to get the 'home quarantine' stamp at the airports, were traced and ordered to remain at home for the next two weeks, officials said on Sunday.

These five persons are children of the employees of the Tarapur Automic Power Station (TAPS) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), they said. They had returned to India from Paris, Philippines, the Netherlands, England and America, the officials said. "They had arrived at the airports in India between March 15 and 19. While one of them had landed at the Delhi airport, four others had arrived at the Mumbai airport," Palghar district disaster control room chief, Vivekanand Kadam, said.

"Although all of them had been screened at the airports, they somehow failed to get the 'home quarantine' stamp on their hands," he added. After the authorities were alerted about them on Saturday, District Collector Kailas Shinde asked the officials to trace them, Kadam added. Accordingly, the officials went to the houses of these persons and asked them to observe home quarantine for the next two weeks in view of the coronavirus pandemic, he said. Their parents were also asked to stop attending offices for the next few days, Kadam said.
A mother who was told her son had a rare cancer while she held her newborn daughter in her arms has revealed how his little sister is inspiring her son through his battle.

Claire Scott, 40, and husband Mike, 42, who live in Kent, found out their son had cancer - which they were originally told was a virus - in July last year, just over a week before Claire underwent a planned C-section for her daughter Kylie, who is now eight-months-old.

The day after welcoming Kylie, Liam's diagnosis was confirmed as neuroblastoma, and Claire and Mike were told he would have to endure intense chemotherapy, before undergoing surgery to remove his tumour.

The mother-of-two told FEMAIL that her two children quickly built an unbreakable bond, saying: 'He absolutely adores her. He kisses and hugs her constantly. And he loves feeding her.

'Kylie is without doubt the silver lining to the journey that we are on. When Liam is in hospital and Kylie is at home, they video call. They chat and blow kisses to each other.

When we take her out of the room after she wakes, he has such excitement in his eyes and says, "Look what weve got!" He is so proud to call her his sister.

Claire Scott, 40, from Kent, was left devastated when she was told her son Liam, 4, had cancer days before she gave birth to her daughter Kylie (pictured, before diagnosis)

A day after Claire gave birth, Liam was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and had to endure intense chemotherapy to shrink the size of his tumour (He is pictured in July 2019 at the start of his first round of chemotherapy)

She revealed how when Kylie sees Liam, she always has the biggest smile because they're best friends already.

He always knows where she is and carries the baby monitor around with him. Liam always wants to help.

She explained that despite his own illness, Liam insists that his little sister needs to get strong and loves watching her grow.

She revealed: 'He's insistent that she start crawling and walking soon. He is doing his very best to make this happen quickly.

Now, Claire and her husband are desperately trying to raise money for a pioneering treatment, only available in the US. He is pictured with sister Kylie towards the end of his first round of chemo in September 2019

She has grabbed his feeding tube before and almost pulled it out, so he holds her hands to make sure she doesnt do that.

Kylie has been a blessing in so many ways. When we go through our dark days, Kylie is there smiling at us as always and making us realise that we have so much to be grateful for.

Now, Claire is desperate to stop her son's cancer from returning by raising 232,000 to fly him to the US to take part in a clinical trial, revealing: 'It would mean the world to us as the treatment in New York aims to stop his neuroblastoma from coming back. Liam is in a battle for his life.'

In June last year, when Claire was nine months pregnant, Liam had just started pre-school and while he loved it, the transition seemed to be tiring him out.

The mother-of-two learned of their son's diagnosis just over a week before she underwent a c-section for her daughter, eight-month-old Kylie. Liam is pictured with mum and sister Kylie amid chemo in July 2019

He started sleeping in the afternoons, and experiencing night terrors.

When he developed mouth ulcers, Claire took him to the GP, who said he had a virus that would take a few weeks to work its way out of his system.

WHAT IS NEUROBLASTOMA? Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that affects children and usually starts in the abdomen. Around 100 children, who are typically under five, are diagnosed every year in the UK. The disease affects approximately 800 new children annually in the US. In around half of cases, neuroblastoma spreads to other parts of the body, particularly the liver and skin. Neuroblastoma's cause is unclear. There may be a family-history link. The main symptom is usually a lump in the abdomen, which may cause swelling, discomfort or pain. If the disease affects the spinal cord, it can lead to numbness, weakness and loss of movement in the lower part of the body. Treatment depends on how advanced the cancer is and the risk it will return after therapy. Surgery, and chemo and radiotherapy, are commonly used. Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement

Over the coming days he became more tired and irritable and lost his appetite, and Claire returned to the doctor who ordered blood tests, and Liam was referred to a paediatric consultant.

In late June last year, Liam was admitted to Pembury Hospital, where a CT scan confirmed he had a tumour, and needed urgent treatment.

Despite her C-section being just over a week away, Claire and Mike did everything they could to 'move quickly' for their son.

The following day, Liam was admitted St George's Hospital in London, where he underwent a biopsy, Hickman line insertion, and a bone marrow aspirate.

I wanted to take the pain away from him,' said Claire, I wished I could go through all of it instead of him. 

A day later, Claire was forced to travel back down to Kent from London, where she had blood tests at Pembury hospital for her planned C-section.

She compared the birth to an out of body experience, revealing: I knew that I had a beautiful little baby to look after.

'However, Liam, my gorgeous and adventurous little boy, was going through the toughest time of his life and he needed me too, more now than ever before.'

She said: I needed time to just be in the moment, but it was impossible as all I could think of was my gorgeous son and his future.

My mind was racing and I was living on adrenaline. I didnt know how to deal with it all.

Claire wanted to spend all the time she could with her son before he became a big brother. Liam is pictured in November 2018 before his diagnosis

Now, the family are desperate to stop Liam's very aggressive cancer from returning by raising enough money to fly him to the US. Liam and Claire are pictured before his diagnosis

She admitted she and Mike were 'completely overwhelmed' by the daunting prospect of how to move forward. The family are pictured in October 2018 before Liam's diagnosis

'All I was certain of, was that the love I have for my beautiful children is eternal and selfless.

I heard the words, "Happy birthday baby girl", and I knew that my life had changed yet again. I was so excited and I was filled with love, happiness and complete joy.

She continued: 'She was so beautiful. I was in love with this perfect little human. I held her tight and promised her the world.

It was so overwhelming. An out of body experience. I didnt know how to deal with these feelings.

After her daughter was born, Claire insisted she was discharged from the hospital in London so that she could attend a meeting for her son, while holding her newborn baby in her arms.

She and Mike had the 'most important meeting of their lives' with a consultant when they were given Liam's diagnosis and told that chemotherapy would begin immediately.

The mother described the feeling of finding out her little boy was sick as 'pure pain' and admitted she and Mike (pictured) were 'completely overwhelmed'. The family are pictured in July 2019 during Liam's chemotherapy

Claire told how she 'broke down' just before Kylie was born, realising that Liam had 'such a long road ahead of him' and that he was fighting for his life. She is pictured on Kylie's birthday on 4th July 2019

Claire said: 'He was getting very excited about being a big brother. My heart was melting'. They are picture in July 2019 on Claire's 40th birthday

Claire said: 'He was so healthy. He is our precious little boy' She is pictured with Liam . Claire and Liam are pictured during his chemo in July 2019

The mother described the feeling of finding out her little boy was sick as 'pure pain'. He is pictured right during his chemotherapy, left following a six and a half hour surgery at St George's Hospital

In October 2019, Liam had to undergo a six-and-a-half hour surgery at St George's Hospital to remove his tumour, followed by high-dose chemotherapy including a stem cell transplant.

Liam recovered in hospital until mid-December, and from January to August received both radiation therapy and immunotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton.

Claire revealed: 'When he first went to hospital he was three years and four months, and he said to me "He loves his family" over and over again.'

Liam's diagnosis timeline 24th June 2019 - Liam was admitted to Pembury Hospital where he had a CT scan to confirm the tumour 1st July 2019 - Liam was admitted to St George's Hospital 2nd July 2019 - Liam had a biopsy, hickman line insertion, and bone marrow aspirate 3rd July 2019 - Liam was discharged late afternoon. Claire went to Pembury hospital for blood tests later for the c-section the following day 4th July 2019 - Kylie was born in the morning 5th July 2019 - Claire and Mike had a meeting with our consultant about the diagnosis. It was then they found out it was Neuroblastoma and chemotherapy had to commence that evening 5th July 2019 to mid-September - Liam began chemotherapy to shrink the tumour for surgery 8th October 2019 - Liam had surgery at St George's Hospital. It was six-and-a-half hours long. Liam took just over a week to recover in hospital. 28th October - 4th November 2019 - Liam underwent high dose chemotherapy. This included a stem cell transplant. 5th November-Mid December - Liam recovered in hospital 28th January - 12th February 2020 - Liam underwent Radiation Therapy 16th March - end of August 2020 - Liam due to undergo Immunotherapy. September 2020 - Claire and Mike are hoping to give Liam the vaccine in the US. Advertisement

Sadly, Claire said that Liam did get depressed about being separated from his family due to the one overnight parent policy, and while he didnt understand much about his treatment at the beginning, hes grown up so much throughout his battle.

At the beginning, we tried to explain and told Liam that he had a sore in his tummy that was going to get better,' said Claire.

We explained that the sore, had to be made smaller and then taken out. They grow up and learn so quickly and in the last eight months, Liam understands so much more.

But while Liam is currently receiving immunotherapy treatment, neuroblastoma has a high relapse hope with his chances of long-term survival dropping to less than one in ten.

His parents are now determined to raise 220,000 to fly Liam to the US to take part in a clinical trial of the Bivalent Vaccine in New York after immunotherapy is completed.

The vaccine targets two antigens found in patients with neuroblastoma, and is said to help train the body to do the work of the Hu3F8 antibody to keep them disease-free.

If you wish to donate to Liam's appeal, please click here.

Claire said: 'He was getting very excited about being a big brother. My heart was melting'. Liam is pictured feeding sister Kylie in August 2019

Claire said: 'Now this new little person was joining our family and I wondered how he was going to feel'. They are pictured nearing the end of Liam's chemo in September 2019
We are facing a huge challenge on a scale not seen since the Second World War. Its not just a national emergency, its a global emergency  one which puts some of us at more risk than others. The choices that we must make over the coming days and weeks can save many lives.

That means families making big sacrifices  especially today, on Mothers Day. Its so important that we speak to our loved ones as much as we can  whether thats FaceTime or a phone call. But for now, we must practise social distancing in order to tackle the spread of the virus.

We need to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. But while we create physical distance between ourselves, we must at the same time have closer social support for our neighbours.

While we create physical distance between ourselves, we must at the same time have closer social support for our neighbours, writes ROBERT JENRICK. Pictured: Piccadily Circus was nearly empty today

I am writing in The Mail on Sunday today to directly address your concerns and update you on some of the steps we are taking to shield those at the highest risk and support them through this period.

Already people have been asked to limit their activities, be restricted to non-essential contact and to stay at home for 14 days, if you or anyone in your household begins to show a symptom.

Now pubs, bars and restaurants have closed to limit the spread of the virus and the Government has set out exceptional measures to support workers and businesses until this is over.

Today, the Government has set out the next steps we must take to ensure those who are most at risk if they contract coronavirus are protected. The Chief Medical Officer has identified those underlying health conditions that make people more vulnerable. This means up to 1.5 million people. We are asking this group to follow this specific guidance and to stay at home for at least the next 12 weeks. And shielding this group is one of the most vital things that we can do.

Already people have been asked to limit their activities, be restricted to non-essential contact and to stay at home for 14 days, if you or anyone in your household begins to show a symptom. Pictured: Regent Street was almost deserted

I know those of you in this group will be worried and none of us would wish to worry you unduly, but it is now necessary to take these steps for your protection. People who fit in this category will shortly be contacted with detailed advice on behalf of the NHS and their GP practice or specialist on how to best protect themselves.

You will also be thinking about the practicalities of life at home for a prolonged period, from obtaining medicines and food, access to carers, looking after pets and to contact with friends and the outside world. As Communities Secretary, I want you to know that you will not face this alone. I have been working closely with local councils and local partners across the country and we have established a new community support network in England.

We will ensure those self-isolating at home in this category and who dont have family, friends and neighbours as support, will receive the food and medical supplies they need, for as long it takes.

We are working with community pharmacies for medicines; supermarkets for food; and voluntary groups to provide delivery of items, prioritising the most vulnerable. This is only possible thanks to our incredible NHS and social care workers, local council employees and businesses.

The Armed Forces will support us. They are already helping Local Resilience Forums and councils on their coronavirus response plans. Our military planners are some of the finest in the world, and they are at the heart of our local planning.

Now pubs, bars and restaurants have closed to limit the spread of the virus and the Government has set out exceptional measures to support workers and businesses until this is over. Pictured: An empty street in Exeter, southwest England

RED tape and bureaucracy also wont slow support down  Im giving councils maximum flexibility to respond to local demands. And like the NHS, councils and social care providers will have the financial resources they need.

Time and time again throughout our history, the people of this country have shown the courage to rise to the challenge before us. Let us ensure that vulnerable and older people are left in no doubt of their importance and of our determination to protect them as best we can.

Lets think of them when we go shopping, wash our hands and cancel social engagements we have been looking forward to. Lets ensure they have the medicines, the food and supplies, the lawn mowed, the pet walked, the phone call made, the knock on the window, the friendly wave. The small acts of thoughtfulness, kindness and love.

There will come a day soon when the streets will throng, the pubs, shops, cafes, bars and parks will hum again. We will get through this. Lets ensure we are a stronger society, who loves their neighbours, proud of the part we played.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has made all the arrangements for students, including the international students who have stayed back in hostels amid coronavirus outbreak, varsity Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said on Sunday.

"We are mindful of the fact that some students could not leave the hostels due to various reasons even though the JNU administration has advised them to leave the campus on 19th March. The JNU administration has made all the arrangements for students, including the international students, who have stayed back in hostels," an official statement quoted Kumar as saying.

"Those who are staying in hotels are requested to maintain social distancing and follow all the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the University and Health department," the statement added.

JNU administration on March 19 had "strongly adviced" its students to return to their homes and "take adequate precautions as per guidelines issued by the Government of India" to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The University had on March 13 suspended all classes, lectures, and events on the campus in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data.

India reported two deaths today from the highly contagious virus - one each in Maharashtra and Bihar - taking the tally to six, as per state authorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As Massachusetts continues to respond to the coronavirus, Gov. Charlie Baker last week ordered the closure of all daycares.

All daycares must close by Monday and will remain closed until April 6. There will be more than 300 exempt emergency daycares opening Monday.

The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care released a list of the exempt programs which can be found online.

The emergency programs are being made available to those who have no other option during the COVID-19 crisis.

Priority will be given to health care workers, essential state workers, COVID-19 health workers, grocery store employees, emergency response personnel, law enforcement, transportation and infrastructure workers, sanitation workers, DCF involved families and families living in shelters.

The government also prepared a list of frequently asked questions from parents about the daycare closure.

Enter your city or town into the search field below to find one near you:

Who is eligible?

The emergency daycare programs are for vulnerable families and workers who have no other option. People who have alternate childcare such as friends or family should not contact the emergency programs.

Priority will be given to people including but not limited to health care workers, essential state workers, COVID-19 health workers, grocery store employees, emergency response personnel, law enforcement, transportation and infrastructure workers, sanitation workers, DCF-involved families and families living in shelters, the EEC said.

How do people find an exempt emergency daycare program?

The state EEC posted a list of programs and will update the list as more programs are approved. Parents are responsible to reach out to the program directly.

What are the hours?

The programs will determine hours. Parents need to reach out to the programs to learn about the hours.

Is there a fee?

No. The state is funding the programs.

Are the daycare program workers getting tested for COVID-19?

Yes. The state Department of Public Health will prioritize emergency childcare workers that are exposed or symptomatic for testing of COVID-19.

What about others who have to work?

The EEC said families need to check programs in their area to see if a slot is available but reminded people the emergency daycares are not a replacement for traditional childcare.

Individual programs will make decisions on slots while consulting with the state EEC on who qualifies for care.

Is transportation being offered?

No.

How fast are families being notified?

Parents will receive quick answers from the daycare facilities approved by the state.

Can my childs closed daycare still collect tuition from me?

The EEC said it cannot comment on payment policies by individual providers because the daycares are independent businesses.

EEC has encouraged all programs to be flexible with parents during this time, the EEC wrote. The state is providing financial assistance programs for small businesses, including childcare providers, that may help programs offer that flexibility. Programs that provide subsidized care are continuing to receive full payment from EEC during this time.

My child is enrolled in subsidized care. Is my child still eligible for care when daycares are reopened?

Yes. The temporary closure of daycares will not impact eligibility for care.

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A man who lives in both Midland and Mississippi has tested positive for corona-virus, according to a press release from the city of Midland.

The man is in his 80s and traveled from Midland to Mississippi on March 9, according to the release. The dual resident became symptomatic and was admitted to the hospital, where he tested positive.
The ultimate hope is to have a vaccine that will protect everyone, and many companies and governments have already rushed the design of candidate vaccines. But as Dr. Fauci has explained multiple times, testing those candidate vaccines for safety and effectiveness takes time.

The process will take at least a year, even if nothing goes wrong. The roadblock, vaccine experts explained, is not bureaucratic. It is that the human immune system takes weeks to produce antibodies, and some dangerous side effects can take weeks to appear.

After extensive animal testing, vaccines are normally given to about 50 healthy human volunteers to see if they cause any unexpected side effects and to measure what dose produces enough antibodies to be considered protective.

If that goes well, the trial enrolls hundreds or thousands of volunteers in an area where the virus is circulating. Half get the vaccine, the rest do not  and the investigators wait. If the vaccinated half do not get the disease, the green light for production is finally given.

In the past, some experimental vaccines have produced serious side effects, like Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can paralyze and kill. A greater danger, experts said, is that some experimental vaccines, paradoxically, cause immune enhancement, meaning they make it more likely, not less, that recipients will get a disease. That would be a disaster.

One candidate coronavirus vaccine Dr. Hotez invented 10 years ago in the wake of SARS, he said, had to be abandoned when it appeared to make mice more likely to die from pneumonia when they were experimentally infected with the virus.
By PTI

CHANDIGARH: A 40-year-old woman in Panchkula in Haryana has tested positive for coronavirus, prompting the authorities to launch a health check in the slum where she lived with her family, officials said on Sunday.

With this, the number of cases in the state reaches eight  four from Gurgaon and one each from Panchkula, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonipat.

The slum in Panchkula, with a population of around 9,000, has been cordoned off and residents have been asked to quarantine themselves in their homes, they said.

Health officials in Panchkula are checking each household and anyone with cough and fever has been asked to inform the authorities immediately, the officials said.

The woman, who works as a masseuse in Chandigarh, got infected from a young woman who had recently returned from the UK.

The Chandigarh resident later on tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the Union territory's first patient.

The Panchkula woman had been traced based on details given by the Chandigarh patient, the officials said.

She has been kept in isolation, they said, adding that her son has tested negative but is still being kept in a different isolation ward.

Samples of her other family members too have been taken, the officials said.

A Health department official in Panchkula told media persons that four teams of healthcare officials, besides 50 police personnel, have been deployed in the slum colony.

All residents of the colony, a majority of whom work as domestic helps, labourers and autorickshaw drivers, are being screened.

Civic authorities have sanitised the area.
Mothers are supposed to be loving and caring for their children, but an Ohio Woman committed one of the worst crimes. In a hotel room where she stayed, a boy was found dead. Later, the mom was arrested as the law caught up with her.

In Laurel Mississippi, what seemed to be a normal mother and son, staying together in the hotel ended up in a nightmar. Latina Marie Oates, 33, of Powell, Ohio, checked-in the hotel with her 11-year old son, Joshua Oats and what happened next was a heinous act that is rarely seen in a mother.

Soon after checking in and leaving, the hotel staff discovered the dead body of the 11-year old boy Joshua inside their room. When Marie Oates entered the hotel, she may have had no intention of leaving with Joshua, making the hotel his final resting place.

Despite the cruel murder of her son, her escape from the hotel was brief as the law caught her in New Orleans last Wednesday.

According to Mississippi Police Chief Tommy Cox, Latina from Powell, Ohio was apprehended at 9 a.m. Wednesday in New Orleans.

She was charged by the police for first-degree murder in the death of Joshua Oates, added Police chief Cox.

There were two other her children with her,Mark Anthony Oates (9-years old), and Justin Lamar Oates (6-years old). Both were found unharmed despite what happened to their older brother Joshua at the Mississippi Hotel.

Also read: Coronavirus Can Survive in Air and Surfaces, Infecting Victims

When found on Wednesday with their mother, the police took custody of the two children, fearing the mother would attempt to harm either of the two little boys. They are now under child welfare authorities until their guardians come for them. Police have gotten in touch with their immediate family in Ohio, who are coming to get them.

In a news conference, in a Wednesday morning broadcast by WDAM-TV Cox, he said that the children are safe, and their mother is in their custody as well.

They were able to get a tip that helped Mississippi Police Chief Tommy Cox find her in New Orleans and arrest her inside the car in a driveway. No details were given by the authorities other than that.

It was Tuesday when the child's body was found lying in the hotel bathroom. Cox added that it was a bad scene and said no more, but implied it was not anything pleasant at all. An autopsy of the child's body was to be scheduled on a Wednesday by the coroner.

When the body of Joshua was discovered, both Mississippi and Louisiana put out warnings that the two boys were in danger from their mother. A surveillance video showing Oates about to leave a Hampton Inn with the unharmed children.

Cox added that Oates and her children stayed in a hotel on Saturday. No one knows if there was someone else, although investigators are looking into whether Latina has a relative nearby. The mom will soon be tried for murder.

Related article: Wife Accidentally Kills Husband in Utah But Further Investigation Reveals a Different Story

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Being part of the information age in a time of coronavirus can be helpful. Unlike medieval people whom the Black Death caught unaware and helpless, we can see whats coming. Thats why President Trump, ignoring accusations he was racist and risking his trade negotiations with China, stopped flights from China. The free flow of information also allows the global science community to share data and ideas, pushing us faster towards vaccinations and cures.

Too much information can also be a curse because the data overwhelms peoples analytical abilities. Different countries use test kits with different false positive rates, testing rates within countries vary dramatically, socialized health care systems dont adapt to crises as well as market-based health care systems, political and individual panic affects mass behavior, and totalitarian countries lie both to their citizens and the world.

Nevertheless, for those comfortable with data, there are discernable trends out there. Aaron Ginn, a number-crunching kind of guy, wrote a long, fascinating article at Medium -- which depublished it on the opaque ground that it was "in violation of Medium rules." In the article, Ginn assembled much of the available data. He crunched the numbers, drowned out the noise, and produced helpful conclusions. Fortunately, the post is still available at Zero Hedge.

Ginn begins the article by explaining who he is and what he's doing:

Im quite experienced at understanding virality, how things grow, and data. In my vocation, Im most known for popularizing the growth hacking movement in Silicon Valley that specializes in driving rapid and viral adoption of technology products. Data is data. Our focus here isnt treatments but numbers. You dont need a special degree to understand what the data says and doesnt say. Numbers are universal.

Because Ginn's is a long article, it cant be summed up in a single blog post. However, there are a few things that stand out. For those who believe this is just a flu and no worse than MERS or SARS, thats correct. But  and this is a big but  its more contagious, meaning that more people will be at risk, putting greater stress on the healthcare system than MERS or SARS, and resulting in more deaths.

Ginn also shows that the U.S. is handling the outbreak well, both when it comes to the speed with which people are infected and the case outcomes. The slower pace of infections is undoubtedly due to President Trumps quick decision to shut down our borders. The case outcomes also reflect the quality of medical care here. As the U.S. ramps up its testing abilities, well see more mild cases of the virus. This will increase overall case numbers but lower the mortality rate.

No matter the viruss aggressiveness, it will always have a bell curve, with the infection rate first accelerating and then decelerating. This will end. Given that the Chinese Virus, like other coronaviruses, hates heat and humidity, it will probably decrease with warm weather. Warm weather also matters because the infection rate is dependent on close, consistent contact. When people go outdoors more, the chance of contagion lessens.

Those are just a few of the takeaways from the massive amount of data Ginn has assembled and analyzed, so its worth your time to read the whole thing. Pay attention, too, to Ginn's conclusion, which argues against the panicked responses we see now, all of which increase government power and damage peoples wealth and livelihoods:

Local governments and politicians are inflicting massive harm and disruption with little evidence to support their draconian edicts. Every local government is in a mimetic race to one-up each other in authoritarian city ordinances to show us who has more abundance of caution. Politicians are competing, not on more evidence or more COVID-19 cures but more caution. As unemployment rises and families feel unbearably burdened already, they feel pressure to fix the situation they created with even more radical and creative policy solutions. This only creates more problems and an even larger snowball effect. The first place to start is to stop killing the patient and focus on what works.

The most helpful thing people can do is to wash their hands really thoroughly, keep their hands from their faces, and keep surfaces clean. Because the disease does not transmit well in relatively open spaces (e.g., big stores as opposed to small rooms), theres no reason to shut down businesses:

The data is overwhelming at this point that community-based spread and airborne transmission is not a threat. We dont have significant examples of spreading through restaurants or gyms. When you consider the environment COVID-19 prefers, isolating every family in their home is a perfect situation for infection and transmission among other family members. Evidence from South Korea and Singapore shows that it is completely possible and preferred to continue on with life while making accommodations that are data-driven, such as social distancing and regular temperature checks.

With this data, which people are beginning to intuit even without the numbers, people are right to fear government more than the coronavirus. This virus is a problem; the government is a threat.

Again, its a riveting article and well worth the time it takes to read.
Siege Ministere de la Communication A Yaounde Facebook

Cameroons Ministry of Communication has engaged a robust media campaign aimed at reinforcing anti-coronavirus restrictive measures rolled out by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya.

Aside sending SMSes to locals, the Ministry of Communication took to twitter Saturday to remind Cameroonians of their civic responsibilities in rolling back the novel coronavirus.

In order to address the contamination threat and the extremely rapid spread of COVID-19, due to the absence of a civic spirit of some fellow citizens, the Government urges on every one to be more conscious to guarantee the success of the ongoing response, the ministry tweeted.

It went on to recall that with 27 confirmed cases within 14 days, the situation could deteriorate should citizens fail to respect the basic hygienic rules and other prescribed measures.

Cameroon is faced with a serious world COVID-19 pandemic. 27 cases were confirmed between 6th and 20th March 2020. The Government appeals on the civic spirit of populations to strictly abide to the hygienic rules and measures prescribed by the Head of State H. E. Paul BIYA.

The Government went on to call for the responsible citizenship of all media practitioners, community relay agents and associations for an increased awareness of the populations with regard to the risks of the spread of COVID-19.

At press time, the Minister of Public Health Dr. Manaouda Malachie said 13 new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed Saturday following 65 tests carried out on those who recently got into the country.

Hear the Minister: Out of 65 passengers on the flight of March 17, tested today, we recorded 13 positive cases. They are all asymptomatic at the moment. This still gives me the opportunity to call for more responsibility and vigilance in the fight against this virus.

The Minister regrets that many people continue to fail to observe the required hygiene measures and the rules laid down by the Government. He reminds all and sundry that by doing so, they are putting their lives and that of others at risk.

With confirmed cases in Africa rising at a rate of approximately 26 percent per day, time is of the essence if Africa is to avoid the worst effects of the pandemic. While nearly two-thirds of affected African countries thus far have reported only imported infections, slowing the exponential expansion of the virus will increasingly rely on reducing in-country transmissions, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies says.

Cameroon has however ramped up measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, including closing its borders, schools and restricting gatherings of more than 50 persons among other restrictions for a 15-day period renewable.
Lutheran Pastor Gary Grindeland returned my call at 9:15 in the evening after he had spent three hours calling every one of his parishioners at Grace Lutheran in Bayonne and Trinity Lutheran in Greenville, Jersey City.

People are fine holed up and not meeting, he said, and they expect to make it work for themselves.

This one-to-one care and concern have been Grindelands hallmark, helping him build up the parishes to thrive. He is worried, though, that the parishes may not rebound from the measures being taken to contain the coronavirus.

All the gain,'' he said. "Will people return? Will they come back again?

Hes not alone. With the drastic measures and no public officials talking yet about light at the end of the tunnel, some religious leaders are scared.

We are trying to minimize this (disruption) and be content and at peace, but it is very scary and there is fear, Imam Mohammed Al Hayek of North Hudson Islamic Educational Center in Union City said.

Ramadan, the monthly fast, is about one month away and Al Hayek is worried about not hosting the nightly taraweeh, when Muslims break their fast. While there is a spiritual aspect, he worries about the financial burden, too, since these daily meals are fund-raisers.

The Friday prayers, Jumah, which normally attract over 500 people, are canceled as are all other programs at the center.

With cancellations, religious leaders are adjusting.

I have become an expert at virtual worship, Facebook Live, setting up a YouTube channel, and all kinds of things I never thought Id need to do! boasted the Rev. Elaine Ellis Thomas, rector of All Saints Episcopal Parish in Hoboken.

She was replying to an e-mail from Rabbi Rob Scheinberg, who coordinates the Hoboken Interfaith Clergy group. His United Synagogue, he said, has been livestreaming services. Beyond that, a team of volunteers began contacting all the households in their community and plans to be in touch with members by phone twice a week.

They are trying to link people up with resources and volunteers who can assist them, if needed.

But, most of all, people are simply eager for any chance to talk with a compassionate listener about how they are feeling, Scheinberg said.

Religious retirement communities are also adjusting to new realities.

The Felician Sisters of Lodi house 71 mostly elderly and some sick nuns in two buildings adjacent to the Felician University campus, which is closed. They are reducing the outside visitors to twice-a-day pharmacy deliveries, physical trainers and medical services. The sisters are not allowed to leave the convents; one sister who returned from a Florida trip has been self-quarantined.

Even their dining procedures have been changed with sisters in wheelchairs and using walkers sitting in one section so they can be served and the remaining sisters coming up buffet style. Sitting farther apart is the new norm. Small loaves of bread are placed in plastic bags.

But the spiritual denials have hit hard, Sister Mary Virginia Tomasiak, a member of their local leadership team, said, noting, for example, that none of the lay associates who would normally attend liturgies or morning and evening prayer are allowed.

I feel badly that some associates cant come and worship, she said.

The sisters do gather in the chapel conscious of health guidelines about social distancing. Three times a week, they have recreation activities and some sisters have filled in for outside staff who cannot enter.

Im a little bit nervous normally but am glad we are taking precautions to be safe, Tomasiak said.

So, too, the Rev. Stanley Gomes, director of the St. John Vianney Retirement home in Rutherford, the next town over, where 21 active and ambulatory priests reside.

Gomes, whose family is from St. Aloysius Parish in Jersey City, is a young priest and very amiable and has learned to gently persuade many retired pastors who like to call the shots. I caught him after he held an emergency meeting with the clergy announcing some changes.

There would no longer be one daily Mass where all the priests would gather. Each priest can celebrate a private Mass, which used to be more common before Vatican II. Morning and evening prayers will be done individually instead of communally. They will break down the meal times with two sessions so they can sit apart in the dining room.

The facility has stocked up with food and supplies for two weeks, and outside visitors will be cut to essential people only. The priests may not go outside without permission but they have a roof that is accessible and has views of the Meadowlands and Manhattan.

On St. Patricks Day, one of the Irish priests got permission to go to Manhattan and walk around even though there was no parade. He just had to go. It just shows that some habits die hard and most people long for normalcy soon.

The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken.
San Antonio has recorded its first death from the coronavirus, city officials said Sunday.

The patient, a woman in her 80s, was being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and had a history of underlying health issues. She died Saturday in hospice care. The exact location is unknown and still being investigated. No other information about the patient or her case was released.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news with mySA.com:

Todays tragic development illustrates the importance of the aggressive steps we are taking to thwart the spread of COVID-19, said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. Stay home unless you must go out. Follow the health experts guidelines. We can all play a role in saving lives through social distancing and healthy behaviors. Together we will overcome this challenge.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff expressed condolences to the womans family.

It is very important for our community to continue to take precautions, practice safe distancing, stay at home when you feel sick, and wash your hands often, Wolff said. We are working hard to slow the spread of this virus and are keeping the interests of Bexar County residents, and our families first and foremost. Your cooperation during this time is of the utmost importance and I thank you for your helping us by doing your part.

The womans case does not appear to have been factored in to the total number of patients that Metropolitan Health District reports have become sickened by the coronavirus so far.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

More Information Local coronavirus information Call the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District for information about coronavirus: 210-207-5779 (Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., English and Spanish). Email questions to COVID-19@sanantonio.gov See More Collapse

Peggy O'Hare reports on the census, demographics and occasionally crime and general assignments in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: @Peggy_OHare | Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact on San Antonio, Bexar County and the nation. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- As one of mainstays to the development of national economy, Chinas automobile industry takes the brunt of the shocking waves sent by the COVID-19 epidemic. Nonetheless, the emergence of some new industrial scenarios and novel ideas still demonstrate the inherent dynamism and resilience of China's economic growth.

Gasgoo hereby summarized the measures adopted by Chinese automobile companies to fight against the war without smoke. As the severer situation outside China has made the epidemic escalate to pandemic, we expect this report to show some experience about how they support the country and find the way out for themselves.

How they prepare for work resumption

With the coronavirus epidemic being effectively contained in China, OEMs and auto parts have been resuming works in an orderly manner.

According to surveys done by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), automakers including Changan, Chery, Geely, JAC Motors, Brilliance Auto, Sinotruck and Yutong have all fully restarted operation as of March 11. Such major auto parts suppliers as Weichai, Continental AG, Faway, CITIC Dicastal, Yuchai and CATL have also witnessed their businesses 100% operational as of now.

The new good news has been reported from Hubei province as well. Work resumption is taking place across Hubei's auto parts companies, Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of China's MIIT said at a press conference held on March 13. For instance, some component suppliers in Xiangfan have restarted production. Besides, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, the hardest-hit auto group with most vehicle plants and parts suppliers located in Hubei, has seen its Shiyan truck manufacturing base go into resumption with the daily capacity topping 200 units. The joint venture Dongfeng Honda and the group's self-owned PV unit have both resumed production as well.

(Dongfeng Motor's WeChat account)



Since the regional lockdown has not been entirely removed yet, most companies are still paving the way for the future business relaunch. Let's see what efforts Dongfeng Trucks have made. It set up a special working group to evaluate the risks of auto parts supply disruption before giving corresponding solutions, and coordinate the purchase and delivery of the supplies used to contain the epidemic.

Besides, an information sharing mechanism has been built between the auto parts purchase and the material service & procurement departments to make clear about when and how many suppliers resume operation, and the influence brought by local policies, and comprehensively check and screen the risky factors appearing in links like logistics, employees safety as well as the supply of raw materials and tier 2 components.

Between March 6 and 8, Dongfeng charted 104 buses to bring back over 600 employees who were forced to stay home due to the epidemic. Some of them have begun conducting the equipment overhaul and maintenance, and disinfecting working place after they went through the health screening and relevant tests.

They are automakers, also mask makers

The dearth of face masks has promoted Chinese automakers to make their own to help fight the coronavirus. Up until now, companies like SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), BYD, GAC Group, Changan Automobile and Skywell have joined the string, earning multiple thumbs-up thanks to their rapid response to the epidemic and flexible usage of their manufacturing capability.

(Photo source: SGWM's WeChat account)



SGMW was the earliest doer. The joint venture announced on Feb. 13 its first batch of home-made face masks had rolled off the production line. It took us only three days to roll out the first masks from putting forward this idea, said the automaker.

To increase the mask daily outputs, SGMW decided to go deeper. With the first Wuling-branded mask-producing machine coming off the production line on Feb. 19, the automaker became China's first company that simultaneously makes both face masks and the equipment used to output masks.

BYD is another prominent one. After the company announced on Feb. 8 the resolute decision to produce the urgently needed medical supplies, all production lines running at full capacity are currently able to output 5 million masks and 300,000 bottles of disinfectant. The impressive capacity also makes BYD honored todays largest mask producer in the world.

Impossible mission? So what!

Amid the anti-coronavirus battle, you must frequently hear of a vehicle type negative pressure ambulance. Unlike the ordinary ambulance, this kind of ambulance uses negative pressure devices to make the air pressure inside a car lower than the outside, so that the air flows in a fixed direction (from outside to inside) and then is discharged out of the car after being sterilized. Thus, it is able to protect people from cross-infection when transporting patients.

Without the coronavirus outbreak, China's annual outputs of this special-purpose vehicle stood at roughly 50 units, while the volume has exceeded 100 units per day thanks to automakers working day and night and the coordination supports offered by China's MIIT and local authorities.

(Photo source: SAIC Maxus' WeChat account)



On the Lunar New Year's Eve, some key automakers in Shanghai, Anhui, Henan and other regions received the production task assigned by the MIIT which required them to hand over 200 negative pressure ambulances as soon as possible. As of Feb. 5, such companies as Jiangling Motors, SAIC Maxus, Fujian Benz, Yutong Group, Renault Brilliance Jinbei, Foton Motor and Chery REV had successfully completed the first stage of the mission.

On Feb. 6, the ministry gave the second-time task of 345 units. Powered by automakers round-the-clock efforts, a total of 360 negative pressure ambulances had been delivered to Hubei by Feb. 15, and over 2,000 units has been handed over nationwide as of now. Besides, the manufacturing cycle has been halved to 15 days to-date.

Technology is power

When cities go into lockdown and people have to observe quarantine, it quickly engenders plentiful troubles as the social contact is largely shut off. The other way around, the contact must be bridged because the access to health-care resources is extremely vital to the epidemic containment.

To solve that problem, many technology companies send autonomous vehicles to the battle lines, serving as a useful replacement of human in delivering goods without risk of person-to-person transmission. Besides, their participation also effectively mitigates the shortage of medical staff.

China's tech giants like Baidu, e-commerce titan like JD. com as well as a number of self-driving startups exert as much as their advantages without hesitation.

On Feb. 10, Baidu Apollo, the open-source autonomous driving tech platform of Baidu, announced it would open up its low-speed minicar kits and autonomous driving cloud services for companies to fight against the epidemic free of charge.

(Photo source: JD Logistics' WeChat account)



On Feb. 6, JD's autonomous delivery robot successfully completed its first delivery in Wuhan. Departing from JD's Renhe logistics station, the robot delivered medical supplies to the No.9 Hospital of Wuhan.

Analyzed by Gasgoo Auto Research Institute

The aforesaid cases are too few to draw the complete picture. By sorting out a plenty of materials, Gasgoo Auto Research Institute (GARI) found out that low-speed autonomous cars are mainly deployed to spray disinfectant, deliver goods indoors and outdoors, and patrol public places during the epidemic.

Car wearing N95 mask is not a rhetoric thing

Where there is risk, there is chance. Timely seizing the newly-emerged demands may be the key for companies to swiftly save them out of the plight, or at least lay a favorable foundation for the future rise.

The contagious respiratory disease promotes people to more highlight their breath quality when staying in car. Thus, the concept healthy car or healthy cockpit comes in front of the public. To offer a cleaner indoor environment, automakers and component suppliers throw themselves into the R&D of healthy car by means of adopting the higher-performance air filter, negative-ion generator, air quality monitor, disinfection devices and antibacterial materials, etc.

The most used method is introducing more advance air filter into cars. That's why the healthy car is figuratively regarded as the vehicle wearing N95 mask.



(Photo source: Geely Auto's WeChat account)



Geely took the earliest action on such business after the epidemic erupted. In early Feb., the automaker said all of its future vehicles would be equipped with Geely's G-Clean Intelligent Air Purification System (IAPS), a new system that is able to automatically filter out harmful particulates from the vehicles internal air environment.

Besides, the IAPS is also equipped with a negative ion generator that can sterilize and deodorize in vehicle pollutants, and aim to remove airborne viruses, bacteria, fungi, and molds, etc, achieving the same level of air filter as an N95 respiration system. The R&D is carried out under the Geely Healthy Car program, in which Geely would move to invest RMB 370 million initially.

Moreover, the ICON, Geelys second BMA-based model that hit the market on Feb. 24, is the first mass-produced model carrying the automotive-grade CN95 air filterC is the abbreviation of Car and N95 means the air filter can filter out 95% of particles with an aerodynamic diameter of or above 0.3m. Currently, CATARC Huacheng Certification (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. is the only authority in China that has the right to do the CN95 certification.

So far, such auto brands as Roewe, MG, GAC NE, Jetour, WEY, BYD, Oushang, Trumpchi, Qoros, Changan Mazda and JAC Motors have all announced similar kind of products.

Body temperature measuring car, another hardcore technical species

Another new species particularly created to combat against the coronavirus is the mobile temperature measuring vehicle. The effective body temperature measurement is the essential way to distinguish the suspected cases from the public and prevent a wider spread.

The one-to-one operation is available when people can still be numbered. However, in scenarios like subway and railway stations where a huge amount of passenger flow passes every day, the tool that can handle large-scale workloads flexibly is urgently needed.



(Photo source: Baijun's WeChat account)



After rolling out masks and mask-producing machines, SGWM handed over on Feb. 20 the first batch of its self-developed smart mobile temperature measuring vehicles to Liuzhou government. Boasting compact car body and outstanding maneuverability, the Baojun E200 NEV is chosen as the carrier of hardcore technology. The automaker said the innovative vehicle is able to continuously measure body temperature over streams of people thanks to the vehicle-mounted AI facial recognition and infrared temperature measuring systems. Within a 2-meter distance, the measurements margin of error is plus or minus 0.2.

SGMW is not the unique one, but has its counterparts. Changan Automobile said it would provide Chongqing with thermal-imaging temperature-measuring cars free of charge from March 1. The solution it adopts is similar to that of SGMW, namely, adding AI-enabled cameras and infrared thermal imaging system.

Digital marketing may usher in golden age

During the extended business shutdown caused by the epidemic, most automakers and dealers fretted over the vehicles lying still in their warehouses and call forth all the faculties of the mind to sell products out. Therefore, the online marketing businesses have risen into favor with firms.

Such measures or forms as live-streaming sales promotion, VR showroom, crossover marketing and online shopping have constituted the key part of digital marketing solution hyped during the anti-coronavirus battle.



(Photo source: BMW China's WeChat account)



Some traditional automakers (ex. BMW) and startups (ex. NIO) won a great number of view counts for their online platforms during the outbreak, thanks to their professional marketing strategies or forward-looking deployment in new retail business.

According to GARI's analysis over published information, BMW organized quite a few official live-streaming activities from Feb. 10 to Mar. 1, which was unlike other brands that sold cars online through their scattered 4S shops. The hosts directly from OEMs know more and better of the products than ordinary salespersons from 4S shops.

Besides, the premium carmaker formulated a complete schedule to decide which model would be introduced. The bullet screen comments made the seller and users closer, and the lottery to some degree enhanced audiences sense of participation.

Using online platform is to display goods and offer services when the face-to-face contact cannot be taken. For NIO, contactless is in no way a strange word as it had offered such kind of services before the break. For instance, when enjoying services like repair, maintenance and One Click for Power, a car owner can authorize a NIO's customer service officer to unlock his car using NFC function. The whole process is carried out without any contact.

Amid the epidemic containment period, the startup also carried out live-streaming activities with different themes, including test drive and Gundam model building. The contents usually downplayed products while highlighted interaction experience, demonstrating the user-centric spirit NIO upholds.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:46:07|Editor: xuxin

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DAR ES SALAAM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli announced on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has risen from six on Friday to 12 by Sunday morning, appealing for heightened observance of protective guidelines given by health authorities.

"People should not panic but they should continue observing protective guidelines given by health authorities," he said in his address to the nation televised live by state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation from the capital Dodoma.

"The government is doing all it takes to fight the COVID-19 pandemic," he said, adding that people should not stop working as an excuse for the outbreak of the virus.

Magufuli said eight out of the 12 confirmed cases were Tanzanians and the remaining four cases were foreigners, adding that all but one case came from countries affected by the disease.

He said all the 12 patients staying in isolated health facilities were in good condition, adding that the first Tanzanian female patient that tested positive on March 16 has now tested negative.

The head of state explained a number of measures taken by his administration to contain further spread of the virus, including reinforcement of a national task force monitoring and controlling COVID-19.

Magufuli said the task force will be headed by the Prime Minister assisted by the Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children and other experts to be appointed by the premier.

He added that travelers arriving in the country, including Tanzanians, from countries most affected by the virus will undergo self-isolation for 14 days on their own expenses starting on Monday.

The president also announced suspension of foreign travels by all public servants effective from Sunday and urged other people to avoid all non-essential travel abroad.

He directed the Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities to strengthen the National Laboratory by equipping it with state-of-the-art testing facilities.

The president also directed defense and security agencies on the country's border to reinforce surveillance lest people entered into the country without undergoing tests for the virus.

Tanzania has taken a number of measures in the wake of the outbreak of the virulent disease, including the ban on public gatherings, the shutting down of schools and universities and restrictions on non-essential travels.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:23:58|Editor: xuxin

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LUSAKA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has recorded a third case of COVID-19, health officials said on Sunday.

The case involves a 59-year-old Zambian man who had traveled to Pakistan. Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the patient has been put in an isolation facility and is recovering well and the condition is stable.

He further said the first two cases were also stable.

Zambia announces its first cases on the 18th involving a Lusaka couple who had traveled to France for a holiday.
MALACANANG on Sunday, March 22, commended the selfless and heroic deeds of health workers as the Philippine medical community mourned the passing of three Filipino doctors who died from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Cardiologist Israel Bactol from the Philippine Heart Center, anesthesiologist Gregorio Macasaet III of Manila Doctors Hospital and an oncologist at the San Juan de Dios Hospital succumbed to the disease in the last two days.

The Philippine Heart Center (PHC), in a statement, confirmed Bactols death and described him as a casualty of this war against Covid-19.

We honor him as he lost his young life while fulfilling his duties as a doctor, a young cardiologist and a dedicated member of PHA, the association said.

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA), in a separate statement, said it deeply mourns for our fallen colleagues who have died while serving on the front line in the fight against Covid-19.

You are a great loss to the medical profession and to our country. We thank you dear doctors for finishing the race with a great fight, the group said.

In a Facebook post, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said Macasaets wife Eva, who is also an anesthesiologist, has also contracted the virus and is in another isolation room.

David said Macasaet had already been intubated when he tried to call him. He instead reached the wife, who agreed to a pray-over through the phone.

David said there are at least 10 other doctors on the front line who are now themselves fighting for their lives.

As of Sunday, March 22, the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 380 Covid-19 cases in the country, with 25 deaths. Many patients are still waiting for their test results.

At The Medical City, hospital president and chief executive officer Eugenio Jose Ramos said almost 150 of their health workers have been ordered to go into self-quarantine after they were exposed to Covid-19 patients.

"As of last night, placed under quarantine for 14 days were 95 nurses, 13 residents and fellows, 12 emergency room physicians and 24 house staff," he said.

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"Medyo na-expose sila o pinapasigurado lang, pinapauwi namin baka na-expose...May nakabalik naman," he added.

Supplies running low

Ramos admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic is putting a strain on their resources and manpower.

He said The Medical City's intensive care unit (ICU) is full. Four patients under investigation (PUI) are currently hooked to a respirator in the ICU.

Ramos said they might run out of machines as more people seek treatment. They are already running low on personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 masks.

He said they have to regulate the use of their supplies to make these last while waiting for additional supplies.

"Kahit 'yung mga PPEs, N95, talagang lahat parang war time, stretched lahat," Ramos said.

"Ang supplies namin good for two weeks na lang," he said.

While they do not turn away patients, Ramos said people who suspect that they have contracted the coronavirus should seek help from other hospitals.

The Department of Health has designated the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital and Jose Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (formerly Tala Leprosarium) as Covid-19 hospitals in Metro Manila.

At the Palace, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo assured support for all the frontliners, including the doctors and other health workers.

Palace thanks frontliners

Panelo extended the Palaces appreciation and gratitude to the following:

The doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who continue and constantly place their lives on the line to attend and care for their patients;

The employees who risk being exposed to -- or infected by -- Covid-19 to report to work at the drugstores, supermarkets and groceries;

The farmers and farm workers who continue to bring their produce and other products to sell in wet markets;

The employees of food preparation and delivery services who make sure that there will sufficient food supply to the people;

The business owners who caused the delivery of essential food and basic items;

The drivers of designated vehicles who bring thousands of frontline employees, and health workers to and from work including those who deliver agricultural products and other food items;

Other employees in the private and public sectors who form part of the skeletal workforces of their offices to see to it that basic private and government services remain in operation;

The local government officials who rise to the challenge thrown by the health crisis to enforce the established protocols and guidelines of the enhanced community quarantine or lockdown in partnership with the national government;

The media workers who bring to the nation the news and information vis-a-vis the fight against Covid-19 to keep it informed of the evolving development of the crisis for its guidance; and

The officers and men of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies who leave their families in their hours of duty to ensure the strict enforcement of the measures set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to halt the spread of the virus to maintain peace and order as well as secure the safety of the Filipino people.

The entire Luzon, with a population of over 53 million, is under enhanced community quarantine until April 14, 2020.

The residents, except the frontline workers in the fight against Covid-19, are mandated to stay at home. Only one person per household is allowed to go out to procure basic necessities.

Public transportation systems as well as domestic air and domestic sea travel have been suspended.

Across the country, many local governments have also imposed localized quarantine measures in a bid to slow the spread of the disease.

The entire country is under a state of public health emergency and state of calamity to allow government to tap emergency and quick response funds.

A P2.7-billion program to help fight the disease has been rolled out while officials have introduced a monetary stimulus package to bolster the bleeding economy.

The business community, however, is calling for a massive fiscal stimulus program to save lives and mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. (MVI and TPM/SunStar Philippines)
NASHVILLE, March 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CapStar Bank, a subsidiary of CapStar Financial Holdings (CSTR), has launched a proactive response plan to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on its clients, communities and employees.



During this unprecedented time, it is our obligation as a responsible, community-centric financial institution to protect and support our employees and their families, our clients and our local communities, said Tim Schools, President and CEO.

Branch Service Delivery Effective Monday, March 23, 2020

To support the efforts of public health officials and help curtail the spread of COVID-19, CapStar is expanding its social distancing practice by modifying the operations of its financial center network.

Effective Monday, March 23 and until further notice, CapStar will temporarily redirect to drive-thru service only in most locations with in-branch consultations by appointment.

Two locations without drive-thru lanes that serve a critical community need will remain open with enhanced sanitation protocols, including financial centers in Green Hills (2321 Crestmoor Road) and the Gulch (1201 Demonbreun Street, Main Level). All locations will continue to actively accept loan and deposit applications and provide uninterrupted wealth management services.

For your convenience, drive-thru hours of operation have also been expanded. Please visit www.capstarbank.com/covid19 for updated hours at your local financial center.

We encourage our clients to take advantage of CapStars full suite of digital services for 24/7 account access, including telephone, online and mobile banking, and our convenient ATM network, said Schools.

Clients who would like to establish or discuss their account, have specialized cash supply needs, or need access to safe deposit boxes may schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-526-3572.

About CapStar

CapStar Bank, with assets of $2.03 billion, provides a relationship-based and highly personal banking experience to small to mid-sized private businesses, professionals, and individuals. Focused on delivering superior flexibility, responsiveness, and customer service, CapStar serves customers through highly-skilled employees, digital channels, as well as 13 locations in seven Tennessee counties. The bank was recognized by Greenwich Associates, an international marketing firm, as a national Customer Service Leader for small business banking.

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For more information about CapStar, please visit www.capstarbank.com .
The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause chaos across the UK and around the world. Heres your morning briefing of everything you may have missed overnight.

Boris Johnson tells Britons not to visit parents on Mothers Day

Boris Johnson has urged the British public not to visit their parents on Mothers Day as he warned the NHS was in danger of being overwhelmed by the coronavirus outbreak.

The prime minister suggested families avoid any unnecessary physical contact and try to protect their loved ones by speaking over the phone or online instead.

It comes as Mr Johnson warns the nation is only a matter of weeks  two or three  behind Italy, where officials reported 793 deaths across a 24 hour period on Saturday to bring the total to more than 4,800.

Food banks in crisis as 1bn panic-buying spree leaves families facing real hunger

Real hunger is affecting Britons on a scale not seen in decades as food banks are hit by the dual impact of soaring demand and dwindling supplies due to panic buying sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, charities have warned.

Staple components of emergency food packages are just not on the shelves, one charity boss told The Independent, while another spoke of his fear that worse was to come given that the UK would be on lockdown for months.

Senior DWP staff to be sent to front line to prepare for rise in benefit applications

Senior staff at the Department for Work and Pensions are being sent into benefit centres to help them cope with a deluge of claims from people who rely on us to survive.

Thousands of people in London, Leeds, Sheffield  including managers in policy, finance, communications and analytical posts  have been told they will be sent to frontline roles.

They will be matched with job centres as they prepare for a flood of benefit applications from people who lose jobs or hours as the coronavirus epidemic spreads.

New symptom of coronavirus could be loss of taste and smell, top UK doctor says

Ear, nose and throat specialists in the UK have identified the sudden loss of sense of smell or taste as a new symptom of coronavirus.

Recommended Firefighters call for priority coronavirus testing

The British Association of Otorhinolaryngology said the new symptom was found in the absence of other symptoms of coronavirus, and patients experiencing it could be hidden carriers of the highly contagious disease.

The organisation, which represents ear, nose and throat surgeons, said in a statement there was good evidence from coronavirus patients in South Korea, China and Italy who developed the symptom, called anosmia.

NHS to gain thousands of additional staff and beds in historic deal with private hospitals

Private sector hospitals will partner with NHS England in a first-of-its-kind deal to provide thousands more beds, extra ventilators and additional staff as the health service attempts to fight against the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in this country.

Announced by the NHS, the plan is expected to help the nationalised service deliver urgent operations and cancer treatments while also treating those infected with the virus, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 170 people and infected over 4,000.

The deal includes the provision of 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1,200 more ventilators, more than 10,000 nurses, over 700 doctors and over 8,000 other clinical staff.

Boris Johnson faces Commons revolt over emergency coronavirus laws

Cross-party MPs will mount a Commons revolt over emergency coronavirus legislation that would hand sweeping powers to the government for two years.

Former Tory cabinet ministers David Davis and Andrew Mitchell have signed a cross-party amendment to curb the emergency powers for the government after 12 months.

The move presents a headache for Mr Johnson, who is hoping to fast-track the legislation through parliament within days without a vote.

Italy death toll rockets by 793 in a day, with more than 6,500 new cases recorded

Italys death toll from coronavirus has risen by 793 in 24 hours to 4,825. The daily increase is the largest since the contagion began and comes two days after the nation overtook China as the worst-hit country for fatalities.

Confirmed cases also surged by 14 per cent from 47,021 to 53,578, according to the civil protection agency. The northern region of Lombardy is the most badly affected, with 3,095 deaths and 25,515 cases.

Of those originally infected nationwide, 6,072 had fully recovered on Saturday compared to 5,129 the day before. There were 2,857 people in intensive care against a previous 2,655.
From the taiga snow forests of Russias far east to the savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, I have been on the frontline of the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. With my publications, the Evening Standard and the Independent, we have campaigned for more than a decade against the horrors of animal poaching. Now coronavirus has emerged as yet another gruesome consequence of the way we treat animals.

It is clear now that Covid-19 first crossed over from another species, and one potential origin is the pangolin, or scaly anteater. This mammal is poached in Africa and Asia for use in traditional Chinese medicine and has the questionable honour of being the most hunted creature in the world.

As I saw only last week in Chad, they are majestic, beautiful animals in the wild. Yet in China, they are pathetic, caged things.

Source of the misery: Caged wild animals at the market in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus pandemic originated

Pangolin meat is seen as a delicacy, but some Chinese also believe the scales, once dried and treated with urine, can tackle nervousness and excessive crying in children. Im willing to wager there are more, not fewer, anxious children thanks to this peculiar tradition.

According to the Zoological Society of London, 75 per cent of new infectious diseases come from animals.

Why, then, does China continue to permit the existence of unhygienic live animal markets, where disease transmission is known to happen?

Why havent the Chinese authorities tackled poaching, animal cruelty and pseudoscientific traditional medicine with the same ferocity that they have applied to Falun Gong religious group or Uighur culture?

The Communist Party has passed laws banning the illegal wildlife trade and cracking down on live markets. But it did the same during the SARS outbreak of 2002- 2004 (another coronavirus), then quietly relaxed the ban a few months later.

The Chinese government appears desperate to avoid any blame for this outbreak. It is mobilising diplomats to spread conspiracy theories, and disingenuously relying on the Western language of anti-racism to avoid criticism. But criticism is all too necessary if things are to change.

It is not racist to confront the medieval beliefs of so-called traditional medicine around the world. Culture is not a fixed thing, a museum for others to gawk at. It is a constantly evolving conversation and we have to be part of it.

If China fails to act, the rest of the world should take steps to force its hand.

It is clear that Covid-19 first crossed over from another species, and one potential origin is the pangolin (pictured: an ambulance drives by a street cleaner in Wuhan on January 22)

It is Chinese culture, after all, that is at the epicentre of a global crisis of animal rights.

It is what fuels the pitched battles between rangers and poachers in sub-Saharan Africa. It is Chinese money that lines the pockets of criminal traffickers and terrorists such as Boko Haram and AlShabaab. We all know how that money is spent.

And it is this same culture of barbarity that leads to filthy cages in filthier markets where miserable animals from snakes and bats to pangolins are imprisoned. Not even familiar domestic animals such as dogs are spared. They can be bludgeoned to death or cooked alive. In some areas their legs are hacked off while they are still alive.

The illegal wildlife trade corrupts everything it touches. African ecosystems have been destroyed, while elephant populations are only just beginning to recover thanks to organisations such as Space For Giants.

And now we are seeing another horrifying facet of the corruption, as viruses spread from trafficked animals to humans.

It would be a sweet irony if this virus were the saviour of the critically endangered pangolin. If one good thing comes out of this terrible pandemic, let it be a reassessment of the atrocious and disgusting animal trade that has given us two coronaviruses this century alone.

In his novel The Plague, Albert Camus correctly identified that the sickness afflicting humanity was not simply a disease, but a result of the way man chooses to live his life.

Ive seen the rotting, maggotinfested carcasses of elephants murdered for their tusks in the savannah too many times.

Its a sight no one should endure ever again.

Now nature has threatened us with the same fate, its time we finally listen.

Evgeny Lebedev is the proprietor of the Evening Standard and Independent publications. He is also patron of the conservation organisation Space For Giants.
Striking his most somber tone yet, Gov. Andrew Cuomo this morning said the number of coronavirus cases is more than 15,000, with nearly 2,000 hospitalized. Nearly a quarter of those hospitalized are in the ICU.

The state has 114 deaths, he said. About 70 percent who died were people 70 and older who had underlying health problems, he said. The majority of people who died who are younger than 70 also had another health issue, he said.

No one under 40 has died in New York, according to Melissa DeRosa, Cuomos top aide. Fifteen who died were 90 or older.

114 total

90+: 15 people

80-89: 36 people

70-79: 29 people

60-69: 18 people

50-59: 11 people

40-49: 5 people https://t.co/EcG8t04z99  Melissa DeRosa (@melissadderosa) March 22, 2020

I dont mean to be overly dramatic, Cuomo said, noting that 13 percent are hospitalized. The numbers are still going up."

Forty to 80 percent of the population will get the illness, he said. Its going to work its way through society, the governor said. It could take four to six to nine months for the virus to spread. No one knows the exact timeline, he said.

But it is going to be ok, he said. Grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential functions will remain. Life will go on, he said. We are going to be the better for it.

New York has tested more than 61,000 people, the governor said. Nearly 16,000 were tested in the last day or so, he said.

This is key: 486 of 1,974 hospitalized #coronavirus patients in New York are in the ICU. https://t.co/KGyoLBTrKW  Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) March 22, 2020

The governor is also calling on all hospitals to expand existing hospital capacity by 100 percent -- to double their ability to treat patients. He acknowledged thats hard. But hes requiring that hospitals increase their treatment ability by at least 50 percent. Im not just asking you as governor, he said. This is a law, he said of the 50 percent goal.

Starting Wednesday, all elective, non-critical surgeries will be canceled across the state, he said. That is a mandate, he said.

Cuomo also said drug trials will start being used on Tuesday in New York. Its an anti-malaria treatment, he said.

The governor also reiterated that young people can get coronavirus. As of today, 53 percent of New Yorks cases involve people 18 to 49 years old. Its a nasty illness, he said. And you can transfer it to other people. Older people can die from the virus, he said.

The governor also called the national government to take charge of medical equipment acquisition. He said the federal government should use the Defense Production Act to force businesses to start making medical supplies.

Cuomo also asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to start building four temporary hospitals in the New York City and Long Island areas. From my point of view, construction can start tomorrow, he said. The facilities are just one element, he said. Staff and equipment are needed as well.

Cuomo also is asking FEMA to build four hospitals at the Javits Center in New York City. Each FEMA hospital has 250 beds, he said.

This is a breaking story. It will be updated.

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THE GLASS HOTEL

By Emily St. John Mandel

The success of Emily St. John Mandels 2014 National Book Award-nominated novel Station Eleven, in which a band of artists travel a post-pandemic North American landscape (and which may merit a rereading after youve finished rewatching Contagion), inspired a lot of the usual talk about genre and literary fiction, and whether here was another shining example of the distinctions decline. The thing that makes Station Eleven National Book Award material, Joshua Rothman wrote in The New Yorker  in other words, the thing that makes it literary  is that the survivors are artists. As further evidence, Rothman cited the fact that the Travelling Symphony (as the group calls itself) performs Shakespeare rather than whatever will pass for pop culture after the apocalypse.

For me, the boundary has always come down to something different: the complexity of the feelings and ideas the work inspires; the labor that has gone into its voices; and, simply, how engaging it is. These criteria have less to do with what makes fiction genre vs. literary than, simply, what makes it good. For me, it isnt enough that a book deploys Shakespeare, and even cites King Lear and A Midsummer Nights Dream fluently, as Station Eleven did. Rather, does it have anything interesting to say about Shakespeare? Or about pop culture, for that matter?

In this formulation, genre is a pejorative adjective for any kind of mediocre writing rather than a designation for nonliterary styles, and can easily refer to mediocre fiction that happens to carry literary markers. The postapocalyptic reality I fantasize about has done away with jacket copy, blurbs and bookstore shelf markings, and we all wander around in a happy daze, finding joy from the last things we expected.

[ Read an excerpt from The Glass Hotel. ]

This brings me back to Mandel, who has a new novel out, her fifth, The Glass Hotel. By the prevailing definitions, this is a literary novel without even a whiff of genre around it  its largely a description of events, public and personal, surrounding the exposure of a Ponzi scheme with close resemblance to Bernie Madoffs. In the novel, Jonathan Alkaitis claims he acted alone, as did Madoff; there is an ignored Cassandra in the image of the Madoff whistle-blower Harry Markopolos; here, too, the S.E.C. mishandles an early investigation; and exactly five Alkaitis employees are involved.
The self-proclaimed eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) on Saturday followed the Tripoli-based government of National Accord (GNA) in responding positively to a call for a truce to allow the country to focus on the danger from the coronavirus.

The General Command is committed to stopping fighting so long as the other parties abide by it, LNA said in a statement.

the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and international partners have called earlier this week on all parties to the Libyan conflict to declare an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities as well as a halt to the continuing transfer of all military equipment and personnel into Libya, in order to allow local authorities to rapidly respond to the unprecedented public health challenge posed by COVID-19.

However, the LNA, which has launched in April last year an offensive to capture the capital Tripoli, seat of the internationally recognized GNA, continued shelling of the area around Tripoli, including an attack that killed five persons, four girls and young women, on Thursday.

The United Nations on Saturday welcomed the positive responses of the GNA and LNA to calls for a pause to stop the fighting, in the hopes that this would allow humanitarian access throughout the crisis-torn country and head off the potential threat of COVID-19.

Given the already dire humanitarian situation in Libya and the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary-General calls on the parties to join forces to address the threat and to ensure unhindered access of humanitarian aid throughout the country, a statement issued by a UN spokesperson said.

According to media sources, Libya has not reported any cases of the coronavirus that has infected 306,892 persons and killed more than 13,000 worldwide since last December. A truce between the warring sides may make it easier for humanitarian workers to help avert a possible outbreak in the North African nation.

Mr. Guterres also hoped the humanitarian pause will be translated into a lasting ceasefire.

He therefore calls on the parties to accept the draft ceasefire agreement emanating from the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks facilitated by the United Nations in Geneva last month, the statement concluded.

In a separate statement, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), also welcomed the developments and expressed the hope that that the parties stop the fighting immediately on all fronts to allow national health authorities and health partners to respond to the potential threat of COVID-19 in the country.

The UN mission called on all parties to join forces, work together and direct their powers and resources to support Libyans and local authorities to improve their preparedness to battle this pandemic and prevent catastrophic consequences.

This includes allowing unhindered access to the provisions of humanitarian assistance, goods and food items, and to allow WHO and health sector partners to work unimpeded in all parts of the country, according to the mission.
Iran releases brother of Christian woman who met with Trump to discuss regimes persecution of believers

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The brother of an Iranian Christian who met with President Trump at the White House last July has been released from prison along with several other Christians and high-profile international political prisoners in Iran.

Assyrian Christian Dabrina Bet Tamraz confirmed to the Iranian human rights watchdog organization Article 18 that her brother, 35-year-old Ramiel Bet Tamraz, was released three months early from his four-month prison sentence for participating in house churches.

Tamrazs release comes along with the release of over 85,000 other prisoners serving short-term prison sentences in an attempt by the Iranian regime to combat the spread of the coronavirus in its overcrowded prisons.

Tamraz had been in prison since early January and was released in late February.

We are very happy and excited that Ramiel is safe and back home. This was a big surprise and a miracle for our family, Dabrina Bet-Tamraz told Al Arabiya English. We still pray for those who are in prison, for God's protection over their health.

As there are over 18,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iran, prisoners in the Islamic Republic have reportedly tested positive for the virus. Those include prisoners at Irans notorious Evin Prison, which is known for holding political prisoners.

Many others who gained their freedom in the mass release will only be released for a temporary amount of time before they must go back to prison. But Tamraz will not have to serve the remainder of his time.

An American Navy veteran, Micahel White, who has been wrongfully detained in Iran since 2018 and is serving a 13-year prison sentence, was released on a medical furlough this week. The U.S. State Department announced that he is now in the custody of the Swiss embassy. However, Whites release is conditioned upon him staying in Iran.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian mother of one from London, received a two-week release from Evin Prison.

We again call on the Iranian government to immediately release on humanitarian grounds Morad Tahbaz, Baquer Namazi, and Siamak Namazi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. We also ask the regime to honor the commitment it made to work with the United States for the return of Robert Levinson.

Thirty-six-year-old Christian convert Fatemeh Bakhteri was only given a temporary reprieve from prison, Article 18 reports, adding that three other Christian converts were given 36 days leave from prison on March 2.



Another convert, who could not be identified by Article 18, was released weeks ahead of schedule on Feb. 26.

Also on Feb. 26, 21-year-old convert Mary Mohammadi was released on bail.

Although Ramiel Bet Tamraz is now free, his parents are still in prison.

His father, Victor Bet Tamraz pastored a Farsi-language Pentecostal Assyrian church that was shut down by authorities in 2009. He is serving a 10-year sentence for acting against national security by creating house churches and proselytizing.

Mother, Shamiram Isavi, is serving a five-year prison sentence for similar charges.

Victor Bet Tamraz and Isavi were slated to have another court hearing on Feb. 25. However, it was yet again delayed, according to Article 18. Dabrina Bet Tamraz previously told The Christian Post that her parents cases were postponed about five or six times in 2019.

Article 18 reports that four other Iranian Christians  Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammad Reza (Yohan) Omidi, Zaman (Saheb) Fadaei and Nasser Navard Gol Tapeh  have been denied temporary releases even though their requests for retrial have been accepted.

Last week, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, called on Iran to release all political prisoners temporarily. Rehman called it unfortunate and disturbing to keep political prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak.

A number of dual and foreign nationals are at real risk, Rehman told reporters at a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.

Iran ranks as the ninth worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. Christians in Iran are banned from sharing their faith with non-Christians and from holding church services in Farsi. Christians risk the possibility of arrest just for attending a house church.

During the course of the 2020 World Watch Lists reporting period, at least 169 Christians were arrested in Iran.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi Shiites turned out to commemorate a revered imam on Saturday, defying curfews imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus. On foot, they streamed to the golden-domed mausoleum of Imam al-Kadhim in Baghdad, where authorities kept an outer gate open to allow pilgrims into the surrounding courtyard. The inner shrine remained closed despite some pilgrims pressing authorities to let them in, a shrine official told AFP. "There are many fewer pilgrims than in previous years," the official said, asking not to be identified. "For the first time, there are no foreign pilgrims -- everyone comes from Iraqi provinces." The anniversary typically draws millions of devout followers from around the world who visit and kiss the shrine housing the remains of Musa al-Kadhim, who died in 799 in the custody of Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid. Many come from Iran, which is now battling one of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreaks. Iraq banned travel to and from Iran last month for fear of a potential spillover. Last week, it expanded the measures into a total flight ban until March 24 and shut shrines across the country. The country's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has urged Iraqis not to gather in large numbers for prayers, where the risk of contamination could be high. On Friday, his representative issued another rare statement urging Muslims to abide by medical advice on social distancing, but did not specifically tell pilgrims to stay home. Authorities have struggled to enforce lockdowns announced in more than half of Iraq's 18 provinces, as well as a ban on travel between provinces. In the southern city of Nasiriyah, thousands of pilgrims packed onto a bridge with a mock coffin to honour the fallen Imam as they could not make it to Baghdad. Influential cleric Moqtada Sadr called on his followers to take part in the pilgrimage to the Imam al-Kadhim mosque despite federal authorities urging otherwise. The Iraqi health ministry has documented 208 COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths, but many expect the real number is much higher as only some 2,000 people have been tested in a country of 40 million. A fully fledged outbreak would be devastating for the country, where years of conflict and underinvestment have ravaged the healthcare system.
The emergency coronavirus relief package that the US Congress is negotiating for businesses and people hit hard by the pandemic calls for up to USD 4 trillion in aid, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday.

Under one component of the plan a "significant package working with the Federal Reserve will have up to $4 trillion of liquidity that we can use to support the economy," Mnuchin told "Fox Sunday."



America is enduring its own fast-growing slice of the world upheaval that has seen businesses shut down en masse, workers laid off overnight, schools close and millions of people adjusting to life confined to their homes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Dagbani music legend, Abu Sadik was known in showbiz as Policeman has been honoured by the management of the Voiceless Media and Consult in Tamale on March 21st for his contribution to the development of Dagbani music in the Northern Ghana and beyond.

Speaking at the awards ceremony which was modestly done in Tamale, Chief Akilu Sayibu of the Voiceless Media fame explained that Abu Sadik has contributed to the development of the Dagbani music for over two decades and the time has come for him to be acknowledged and honoured for his huge contributions to the society through music.

The legendary Abu Sadik has over the years through his music served as a source of wisdom, inspiration, guidance, and motivation to many and deserves the honour done him by the Voiceless Media.

His music has brought happiness and stability to families and communities over the years for which reason he was recognised at a brief ceremony in Tamale on March 21st.

The Awards ceremony came with 100% sponsorship of the latest song track by Abu Sadick titled Dabiem by the Voiceless Media.

Receiving the award Abu Sadick disclosed that the decision by the Voiceless Media to honour him was first made known to him over two years ago and was pleased that the award which was dated February 14th, was eventually received and the first of its kind in his music career.

Abu Sadick also thanked Professor Habib Iddrisu of the School of Music and Dance of the University of Oregon in the United States who is also a renowned traditionally trained musician, dancer, and historian and a friend to the Voiceless Media for his association with his historic award and prayed for the very best for him in all his endeavours.

Chief Adam Cockra, a fan of Abu Sadick and a veteran journalist, Alhaji Sheikh Yakubu Abdul- Karim of Gubkatimali and Sule Salifu, the Northern Regional Director of the Youth Employment Agency were among the dignitaries in attendance.
Millions of people across the country stayed indoors on Sunday in an unprecedented and overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janta curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus, coming out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps.

The prime minister thanked the people but said it was the start of a long battle, as he urged them to follow social distancing to stop the chain of transmission of Coronavirus which has infected 360 people and claimed seven lives in India.

Be it Mumbai, known as the city that never sleeps, Patna or Ahmedabad, life came to a standstill in the country as roads, railway stations and airports wore a deserted look and markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services remained shut during the 14-hour self-imposed curfew that started at 7 am.

In the national capital, roads which are usually chock-a-block had only a few private vehicles and buses plying. The Delhi Police gave flowers to people who stepped out of their homes, requesting them to stay indoors. In some parts, policemen also handed out masks and sanitisers to spread awareness about coronavirus.

As the clock struck 5, the air reverberated with a medley of sounds from bells, conches and beating of metal plates, with people coming out in balconies, lawns and terrace of their homes to express appreciation for medical and other staff who are on the frontline of the battle against the coronavirus.

From children to the elderly, common people to VIPs, residents of metropolitan cities to villages, all responded to Prime Minister Modi's appeal to show gratitude to doctors, paramedics, police and other personnel associated with essential services.

Many took positions with their choice of instruments, including metal plates or whatever kitchen utensils they could get, while some played the sounds of conches and bells on their phones and music systems. Police sirens too also heard.

People also shared videos on social media on the response of residents in their areas.

Taking to Twitter, Modi said it is an expression of gratitude by the people and also the sound of the bugle declaring the long battle ahead.

"With this resolve and patience, let's restrict (social distancing) ourselves," Modi tweeted in Hindi with the hashtag 'Jantacurfew'.

"Today's Janta Curfew may end at 9.00 pm, but this does not mean we start celebrating... it is the beginning of a long battle. Today countrymen have told that we are capable, and once we decide we can take on any challenge together," he said in a series of tweets.

He urged the people living in areas which are under lockdown not to venture out of their houses.

By evening, authorities announced a slew of extraordinary restrictions including suspension of all interstate-buses, passenger trains and metro services in the country, while 80 districts in 18 states, and four Union Territories including Delhi where coronavirus cases have been reported were locked down.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the lockdown in Delhi will be from March 23 on March 31.

Commercial capital Mumbai, which is not new to natural and man-made disasters, observed a shutdown on Sunday unlike any. The iconic Gateway of India, Juhu beach and the Bandra-Worli sealink, which are otherwise always bustling with activity, wore a desolate look.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and other suburban train stations presented an uncommon sight of being empty as people stayed indoors to support the curfew.

Key market places in Fort, Dadar, Andheri, Borivali, Ghatkopar, Bandra-Kurla Complex and other areas were also empty as the city intensified its fight against the deadly virus by staying away from public places.

The Goa Church and others cancelled Sunday masses. Prominent temples were also shut while community prayers were suspended by almost all major shrines of various faiths.

Most of the gated-colonies and apartments in cities were locked from inside, while civic bodies took up the job of sanitising public places such as parks and bus stands.

In Kolkata, the usually crowded Esplanade, and Dalhousie areas, besides airport and railway stations were nearly empty.

Roads, railway stations and airports in Gujarat's four major cities - Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot - had very few people.

In Tamil Nadu, arterial roads, including the Anna Salai and the GST Road in Chennai and vital junctions like the Kathipara grade separator which are usually teeming with vehicles and people were empty. The iconic Marina and Elliots beach were also deserted.

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and others leaders had urged the people to follow the self-imposed curfew and thanked them for their cooperation.

No passenger train from any railway station in the country originated beginning Saturday night and metro services, including in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, were suspended for the curfew.

Air carriers like GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara had curtailed domestic operations and traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had announced that they will keep their establishments shut across the country on Sunday.

Modi had on Thursday called for the voluntary 'Janta curfew', saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses, and asserted that it will be a litmus test to show India's readiness to take on the coronavirus challenge.

Ahead of the start of the curfew, he said this morning, "In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace".

He said the steps to be taken now will help in the times to come.

"Stay indoors and stay healthy," he said on Twitter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(IOC), the nation's biggest oil firm, has begun the supply of the world's cleanest petrol and diesel across the country with all its 28,000 petrol pumps dispensing ultra-low sulphur fuel a good two weeks before the April 1 deadline.

"We have successfully rolled out the supply of BS-VI grade fuel across the country," IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh said.

"All our 28,000 petrol pumps across the country are dispensing BS-VI grade fuel for more than a week now."



Other fuel retailers, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), are also progressively supplying BS-VI grade fuel and the entire country will switch to the cleanest fuel within this week.

The government had set April 1 as the deadline for starting supply of Euro-VI emission compliant fuels. With this India joins the select league of nations using petrol and diesel containing just 10 parts per million of sulphur in an attempt to cut vehicular emissions that are said to be one of the reasons for the choking pollution in major cities.

"We have leapfrogged from BS-IV (equivalent to Euro-VI grade fuel) straight to BS-VI in just three years," the IOC chairman said adding this is an achievement not seen in any large economies around the globe.

Singh, whose firm controls roughly half of the country's fuel market, said almost all the company's refineries began producing ultra-low sulphur BS-VI (equivalent to Euro-VI grade) petrol and diesel by the end of 2019 and thereafter the mammoth exercise was undertaken to replace every drop of fuel in the country with the new one.

"We have achieved the switchover without a single disruption," he said.

This comes at a time when the nation battling outbreak of coronavirus imposed restrictions and states declared part lockdowns.

India adopted Euro-III equivalent (or Bharat Stage-III) fuel with a sulphur content of 350 ppm in 2010 and then took seven years to move to BS-IV that had a sulphur content of 50 ppm. From BS-IV to BS-VI it took just three years.

"It was a conscious decision to leapfrog to BS-VI as first upgrading to BS-V and then shifting to BS-VI would have prolonged the journey to 4 to 6 years. Besides, oil refineries, as well as automobile manufacturers, would have had to make investments twice - first to producing BS-V grade fuel and engines and then BS-VI ones," he said.

State-owned oil refineries spent about Rs 35,000 crore to upgrade plants that could produce ultra-low sulphur fuel. This investment is on top of Rs 60,000 crore they spent on refinery upgrades in the previous switchovers.

BS-VI has a sulphur content of just 10 ppm and emission standards are as good as CNG.

Originally, Delhi and its adjoining towns were to have BS-VI fuel supplies by April 2019 and the rest of the country was to get the same supplies from April 2020.

But oil marketing switched over to supply of BS-VI grade fuels in the national capital territory of Delhi on April 1, 2018.

The supply of BS-VI fuels was further extended to four contiguous districts of Rajasthan and eight of Uttar Pradesh in the National Capital Region (NCR) on April 1, 2019, together with the city of Agra.

BS-VI grade fuels were made available in seven districts of Haryana from October 1, 2019.

The new fuel will result in a reduction in NOx in BS-VI compliant vehicles by 25 per cent in petrol cars and by 70 per cent in diesel cars.

India adopted a fuel upgradation programme in the early 1990s. Low lead gasoline (petrol) was introduced in 1994 in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. On February 1, 2000, unleaded gasoline was mandated nationwide.

Similarly, BS-2000 (Euro-I equivalent, BS-1) vehicle emission norms were introduced for new vehicles from April 2000. BS-II (Euro-II equivalent) emission norms for new cars were introduced in Delhi from 2000 and extended to the other metro cities in 2001.

Benzene limits have been reduced progressively from 5 per cent in 2000 to 1 per cent nationwide. Lead content in gasoline was removed in phases and only unleaded gasoline is being produced and sold from February 1, 2000.

The octane number of gasoline signifies the improved performance of the engine. Loss in octane number due to phasing out of lead was made up by installing new facilities in the refinery and changes in refinery operation. RON (Research Octane Number) of gasoline for BS-2000 spec was increased to 88. This has over time been increased to 91.

Singh said sulphur reduction will reduce Particulate Matter (PM) emissions even in the in-use older generation diesel vehicles.
A NEW YORK POLICE OFFICER WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA APPARENTLY PLANTING MARIJUANA IN A CAR  FOR THE SECOND TIME Intercept (furzy)

The Diversity of Tropical Forest Carbon Sinks Is More Complicated Than We Thought Science Alert (The Rev Kev)

Big Brother IS Watching You Watch

Syraqistan

Hong Kong

#COVID-19

Your biggest questions about coronavirus, answered MIT Technology Review

COVID-19: the biology of an effective therapy Ars Technica

COVID-19 treatment might already exist in old drugs  were using pieces of the coronavirus itself to find them The Conversation

COVID Transmission Graphic The Spinoff (chigal)

Italy, Pandemics New Epicenter, Has Lessons for the World NYT

Australia coronavirus: Sydney and Melbourne to shut down BBC

How the Coronavirus Became an American Catastrophe Atlantic (chigal)

China Is Not the Hero of the Pandemic Slate

My partner and I traveled from London Heathrow to Beijing yesterday. Given the current #COVID19 situation, I thought that I would share my experience of what traveling to China is like at the moment (it might be a preview of what could come to Europe). 1/n  Lukas Hensel (@LukasHenselEcon) 19 March 2020

Is Our Fight Against Coronavirus Worse Than the Disease? NYT (david l)

Taking stock of strange days: The week that America changed AP

Coronavirus: UK panic-buyers urged to think of frontline workers Guardian

In the age of the coronavirus pandemic, not all patients are created equal, author Nelson Schwartz tells @hereandnow. https://t.co/NZAH4KbOsF  NPR (@NPR) 21 March 2020

How Are the Rich and Famous Jumping the Test Queues? In England, by Paying $425 WSJ

NEW 10 Days That Changed Britain: Heated Debate Between Scientists Forced Boris Johnson To Act On Coronavirus BuzzFeed News write-through of the most extraordinary week-and-a-half in modern British historyhttps://t.co/TnSpbdZXkA  Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) 21 March 2020

Oh Hell No: DOJ Using Coronavirus Crisis to Push for Expansive Emergency Powers

Common Dreams

Hollywood Celebrities Are Psyops Wrapped In Human Skin Caitlin Johnstone

The US military would be superb at fighting coronavirus. Lets use it The Guardian (The Rev Kev)

As a medical professional, what is your biggest concern about the COVID-19 coronavirus? Quora (RH)

Cuomo: Javits Center on list to become coronavirus field hospital The Hill (pq)

L.A. County gives up on containing coronavirus, tells doctors to skip testing of some patients LA Times (furzy)

A bunch of rich people from LA and Seattle fled/flew up to their vacation homes in Sun Valle, Idaho now that county has more confirmed cases than the rest of the state combined, despite being the most isolated and rural There is one ICU bed in that town  Nurse Larsen Squires, MSW, RN (@Eugene_V_Dabbs) 20 March 2020

Why Indonesia has worlds highest Covid-19 death rate Asia Times

Bravo!

South Korea  has set up phone booths that can test people for the coronavirus in just 7 minutes. The country has earned praise for its mass testing amid the Covid19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/lQ47UPdiaz  Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) 21 March 2020

Tomorrows Sunday and Protestant churches in South Korea are adamant they will hold services, despite the coronavirus outbreak. Some pastors even say the virus is spreading because people arent worshipping enough and that youll be cursed if you dont https://t.co/tAECoQQ0zm  Joseph Kim (@josungkim) 21 March 2020

Are Hospitals Ready for the Coming Wave of Corona Cases? Der Spiegel

Coronavirus: How many cases will India see? Heres one experts best-case prediction India Today

Coronavirus: Why is India testing so little? BBC. Compare with the Atlantic article about the US above. I understand that India has far smaller resources, but it seems they are nonetheless making a similar mistake.

India to observe Janata curfew on Sunday amid spurt in Coronavirus cases Economic Times

Coronavirus: Why Indias busiest rail network is being shut down BBC

Coronavirus: Prison inmates in Bengal clash with guards after denied meeting with families Times of India

Prosecutors: COVID-19s threat to millions of incarcerated people needs to be addressed now AlterNet

Guidance for Sheriffs and Jail Officials in Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis>The Center for Health and Social Policy, LBJ School of Public Affairs. Recommendations of Michele Deitch.
ALBANY  New York's number of confirmed coronavirus cases continued to surge, topping 15,160 overnight Saturday - an increase of more than 4,000 cases in 24 hours.

New York has about 46 percent of the nation's confirmed cases  15 times higher than any other state. There have been 114 deaths in New York as a result of COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the virus. The majority, 70 percent, took the lives of those over age 70. But five people also died who were in their 40s.

In New York City, where more than 6,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus, people continue congregating in parks, increasing the likelihood of rapid spread. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo asked Mayor Bill de Blasio to craft a plan within 24 hours to deal with that situation.

"I dont know what Im saying that people dont get. This is not life as usual. None of this is life as usual," Cuomo said Sunday at the Capitol in Albany. "I was in these parks (Saturday), you would not know that anything was going on. This is just a mistake.  It's insensitive. Its arrogant. It's self-destructing to other people and it has to stop and it has to stop now. This is not a joke and I am not kidding."

De Blasio said in press conference Sunday afternoon that for the next week, the city is going to try to educate the public through warnings that people can go outside to the parks, but only for some quick personal exercise. Team sports will not be allowed. And if a playground begins to get crowded with children, police will clear the area.

The governor said that 54 percent of the people infected in New York are between the ages of 18 and 49 - so younger and healthier people are still vulnerable.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Albany County Executive 'begging' feds for more tests, supplies to combat COVID-19

NYS parks fill up as last of non-essential businesses close

For a detailed map, check out The Times Unions New York Coronavirus Tracker

To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Cuomo on Sunday also called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to "immediately proceed" to erect mobile hospitals at two Long Island state universities, Stony Brook and Westbury, and at convention center sites in Westchester County and Manhattan.

"We are the heaviest hit state right now," Cuomo said. "Time matters. Minutes count. And this is literally a matter of life and death."

De Blasio said on CNN Sunday that we are only now just starting to see the worst of the virus' spread. The month of May could prove to be the worst of the pandemic thus far. "I think we're about 10 days away now from seeing widespread shortages of really fundamental supplies  ventilators, surgical masks, the things that absolutely are necessary to keep a hospital system running," de Blasio said. "And we have seen next to nothing from the federal government at this point."

The governor also urged President Donald Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to order manufacturing companies to begin producing hospital gowns, masks and other protective equipment that is in short supply. Cuomo said states and hospitals are competing against each other, resulting in price gouging.

"If the federal government does it then they can do it in a very orderly way," Cuomo said. "They could distribute those goods by need rather than having these states all compete against each other. It would avoid the price gouging."

The state is receiving large amounts of two drugs that medical experts said have been successful in treating symptoms of COVID-19. New York is being shipped 70,000 Hydroxychloroquine doses and and 10,000 doses of Zithromax.

Cuomo said Africa has not been as hard hit by the novel coronavirus as other areas of the world, and some health experts believe it could be due to people in that nation receiving anti-malaria drugs including Hydroxychloroquine.

"The president is optimistic about these drugs and we are all optimistic that it will work," Cuomo said. "We're going to start and we're going to start (the trial program) Tuesday."

Cuomo said the rate of hospitalizations in New York continued to decrease slightly Sunday, with 13 percent of those infected in a hospital  1,974  which was down from 15 percent on Saturday, when 1,603 people were hospitalized.

The governor said everyone should understand the fight against coronavirus could drag on for months and that up to 80 percent of the population may eventually be infected, but that elderly people with compromised immune systems are most at risk of fatality.

"This is not a short-term situation," he said. "The timeline, nobody can tell you, it depends on how we handle it. ... It's going to be hard. There's no doubt. I'm not minimizing it. ... It is going to be OK. We don't want to overreact either. ... All essential services will be maintain. There's not going to be chaos; there's not going to be anarchy; order and function will maintain."

As of Saturday afternoon, New York had conducted 45,000 tests  more than any other state and more per capita than South Korea and China. California has conducted 23,200 tests and Washington 23,343.

"The number of new cases is only reflective of the number of cases you are (testing)," Cuomo said at the Capitol that day. "We're actually looking for positives. The more tests you take the more positives you will find."

But the governor said the rate of infection in Westchester County, which has been a hotspot in New York for the infectious disease, "is now slowing and that's very good news."

There were 294 new cases in Westchester County overnight Friday, pushing the total number of cases in that county to 1,385.

The increasing rate of confirmed cases has prompted Cuomo to order numerous businesses and industries to close, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles joined the effort to slow the spread and on Saturday evening said all of its state and county offices are shut down.

"Any driver license, non-driver ID or registration set to expire on or after March 1, 2020 will be extended until further notice," the agency said in a notification. "The current 45-day temporary vehicle registration issued by auto dealers will also be extended. This extension does not apply to insurance coverage requirements."

"I believe it is going to be a matter of months, but, we are going to get through it," Cuomo said. "A crisis really brings out the truth about ourselves, first of all, and about others. You see society's strengths and you see society's weaknesses ... both the beauty and the vulnerability."

State Attorney General Letitia James on Sunday issued a press release calling on Cuomo to issue an executive order suspending all in-person voting until further notice and sending eligible voters an absentee ballot for the April 28 presidential primary and five special elections scheduled on that date.

The state has also purchased 6,000 more ventilators from "around the globe" that will be delivered in the coming weeks, Cuomo said, and many of those will be delivered to hospitals in New York City and Long Island.

The sprawling Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Eleventh Avenue in Manhattan is being eyed as a location to house four federal field hospitals, which can hold 250 patients each, and an Army Corps of Engineers mobile hospital. The effort is to increase the number of New York's hospital beds from roughly 53,000 to more than 75,000.

Elective surgeries have been ordered suspended to help free up hospital beds, and the rate of flu in New York may be slowing, which has also resulted in hospitalizations.

Several universities and other downstate facilities also are being considered as locations for makeshift hospitals, and Cuomo said he was scheduled to visit those sites on Saturday afternoon, including SUNY Stony Brook and the Westchester County Convention Center. The state is sending 1 million N95 respirator masks to New York City health facilities, and another 500,000 to Long Island, but the governor said it will not be enough.

It is estimated that worldwide between 40 and 80 percent of the population could be infected with coronavirus. Cuomo said the challenge is to slow the spread so that medical facilities are not overwhelmed.

Essential businesses that will remain open include grocery, convenience and liquor stores, as well as banks, farmer's markets, beverage stores, gas stations, pharmacies, home-improvement and hardware stores, auto repair shops and medical offices.

A complete list of the business restrictions can be found here.

Cuomo as well as neighboring governors Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania also ordered barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing parlors, nail salons, hair removal services and other personal care businesses to close after 8 p.m. Saturday.

Delaware has also joined the multi-state cooperative agreement, Cuomo said.

Indoor malls, restaurants, bars and other businesses that attract crowds were directed this week to close until further notice. Many restaurants are still delivering food and providing take-out orders.

State Health Department Commissioner Howard Zucker said the New York deaths have been "primarily senior citizens." Nationwide, the rate of fatalities is about 1.4 percent for those who contract the infectious disease, far below the fatality rate in many other hard-hit nations including Iran and Italy.

"The toilet paper's going to be there tomorrow. We are going to be the better for it," Cuomo said of the toll the outbreak is having on society. "Dealing with hardship actually makes you stronger. ... Life it not about avoiding challenges."

Lauren Stanforth contributed to this report


By Trudy Rubin





While Americans are wrestling with how to get tests and equipment to curb the coronavirus, it's easy to forget this is a global crisis.



Unless the virus is quashed everywhere, it can resurge anywhere. That means the U.S. government has to be concerned about the skyrocketing epidemic in Iran, where a venal theocracy and crippling sanctions have left the population exposed.



We should also be concerned about (at least) four U.S. citizens (and half a dozen other Westerners) who are being held as political prisoners in Iran, where the crowded prisons are petri dishes of contagion, without medicine or disinfectants or gloves or temperature checks.



So here's a spot of good news: The pressure of the epidemic may force a humanitarian deal between Washington and Tehran. At the start of the Persian New Year, there are signs that Iran may free some U.S. citizens while Washington may finally facilitate desperately needed humanitarian aid to Tehran. Neither could happen too soon.



On Thursday, Iran released U.S. Navy vet Michael White on medical furlough to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents American interests.



White apparently had the misfortune to visit an Iranian girlfriend in 2018 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, at a time when Iran's Revolutionary Guards were seeking payback for U.S. sanctions, in the wake of the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.



Since then, Iran has been arresting Western academics and dual citizens visiting Iranian family members and holding them as hostages in future political bargaining.



White was sentenced to 13 years for "espionage" and is now suffering from cancer, besides being exposed to the virus. It's unclear yet when or whether White will be allowed to return home.



Equally painful is the case of dual Iranian American citizen and U.S. businessman Siamak Namazi, who was jailed in 2015 while visiting family in Tehran, and his then 80-year old father, Baquer, who was arrested the following year after he came to try to help his son. Baquer has been paroled but can't leave Tehran.



And, although the regime has furloughed tens of thousands of Iranian prisoners over the Nowruz holiday, Siamek remains in a crowded cell. "The only way to describe it is beyond horrific," his brother told NPR on Wednesday. "Imagine a room which is very, very small with 15, 20, 25 people crowded in there, not having access to basic products for disinfectants, not having medicine, not being tested. The prison is not containing the virus."



Nearby Namazi is dual British American citizen Morad Tahbaz, whom I've written about, held since 2018, whose crime was working with the Persian Heritage Wildlife Foundation to save endangered cheetahs (all nine of the PHWF staff were also imprisoned; one, a Canadian Iranian died during interrogation). Tahbaz also has cancer and hasn't been furloughed.



"The prisons by definition are the complete opposite of social distancing, like sitting ducks being sacrificed, a way to get rid of a lot of political prisoners," I was told by Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the U.S.-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.



So hats off to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for calling on Iran to release "all wrongfully detained Americans as COVID-19 spreads to Iranian prisons." He's also insisted that "any nation considering humanitarian assistance to Iran should seek the release of all dual and foreign nationals," i.e., hostages who come from Britain, France, Austria, and elsewhere.



But, of course, the question is what kind of aid the Iranian government would seek in return.



Only last week, the Trump administration piled more sanctions on Tehran, designed to further squeeze any efforts to evade past sanctions on Iranian oil sales. Oil sanctions have cratered the Iranian economy (with no clear U.S. definition of what it would take to get them lifted).



And there's no question that the sanctions have blocked Iranian access to desperately needed medical supplies and equipment to fight the coronavirus, even though humanitarian goods are supposed to be exempted.



Washington has just established a "Swiss humanitarian channel" to take food and medicine to Iran, which is starting trial operations. But any one business must receive written guarantees from the United States that they will not be sanctioned.



Such a limited channel at a time of coronavirus is surely a sham. True, the Iranian regime has been shockingly lax in confronting the pandemic, with many of its own political elite infected. But Iran's death toll is soaring. It has a decent health system, but without improved medical supplies its caseload could soon spiral out of control.



So Pompeo (together with European counterparts) should go big on a humanitarian aid deal in exchange for the release of Western hostages. This is not about Tehran regime change or shaming the ayatollahs. It's not about punishing Iran for its malfeasance in the Middle East.



"An urgent bypass to sanctions is needed to focus on the epidemic," says Ghaemi, "which is in everyone's interest. This is above geopolitics. It is about bringing a pandemic under control, about addressing a collective danger."



A pandemic explosion in Iran threatens us all.





Trudy Rubin (trubin@phillynews.com) is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her commentary was distributed by Tribune Content Agency.




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Following are the top stories at 9.40 pm:



NATION



DEL150 LDALL VIRUSIndia prepares for lockdown as coronavirus death toll rises to 7New Delhi: India reported three more coronavirus deaths on Sunday, including the first casualties from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 360, as authorities suspended all passenger train and inter-state bus services till March 31 and imposed a lockdown in 80 districts in unprecedented steps to contain the spread of the infection.

DEL151 LDALL CURFEW



Coronavirus: India observes Janta curfew, PM says long battle ahead



New Delhi/Mumbai: Millions of people across the country stayed indoors on Sunday in an unprecedented and overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janta curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus, coming out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps.

DEL147 VIRUS-3RLD LOCKDOWN



Coronavirus: All passenger trains, metro, inter-state bus services suspended till Mar 31, 80 districts to be under complete lockdown



New Delhi: All inter-state buses, passenger trains and metro services have been suspended across the country till March 31, while 80 districts in 17 states and five Union Territories including Delhi where coronavirus cases were reported will be under complete lockdown during the period.

DEL140 VIRUS-2NDLD CASES



COVID-19: Death toll rises to 7, total cases 360



New Delhi: The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to seven in the country, while the total number of cases rose to 360 as fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country on Sunday.

DEL141 VIRUS-LD HEALTH



Centre asks states to set up exclusive facilities for treating COVID-19 patients



New Delhi: Amid rising cases of coronavirus in India, the central government on Sunday asked all states to ready health facilities earmarked exclusively for treating COVID-19 patients to ramp up their capacity to manage such cases in the country.

CAL12 BH-VIRUS-2ND LD DEATH



Bihar reports first Covid-19 death; another woman tests positive



Patna: Bihar on Sunday reported its first COVID-19 death as a 38-year-old man with a travel history to Qatar died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Patna, where he was admitted after seeking treatment at PMCH and a hospital in Munger, a government official said.

BOM31 GJ-VIRUS-LD DEATH



Surat man first victim of coronavirus in Gujarat



Surat: Coronavirus claimed its first victim in Gujarat on Sunday when a 67-year-old man, who had tested positive for the infection, died at a private hospital here, officials said.

BOM11 MH-VIRUS-DEATH



Another COVID-19 patient dies in Mumbai; Maha toll reaches 2



Mumbai: A 63-year-old coronavirus patient died in Mumbai on Sunday, taking the death toll in Maharashtra to two, a health official said.

BOM37 MP-VIRUS-LD CASE



Coronavirus: Woman tests positive in Bhopal, fifth case in MP



Bhopal: A woman studying law, who recently returned from London, tested positive for coronavirus in Bhopal on Sunday, making it the fifth case of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh and first in the state capital, officials said.

DEL107 VIRUS-LDALL TRAINS



Rlys suspends all passenger services from Mar 22 midnight to Mar 31 midnight



New Delhi: In an unprecedented move, the railways on Sunday announced suspension of all its passenger services from March 22 midnight to March 31 midnight and said only goods trains will run during the said period amid concerns that coronavirus-infected passengers were spreading the virus.

MDS29 KA-VIRUS-LD NEW CASES



Six new cases reported in Karnataka, tally rises to 26



Bengaluru: Six new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Karnataka on Sunday, taking the total number of positive cases to 26 in the state, Health department said.

BOM18 CG-ENCOUNTER-BODIES



C'garh Naxal encounter: Bodies of 17 missing cops found



Raipur: Bodies of 17 security personnel, who were missing after an encounter with Naxals in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, were found on Sunday, police said.

BUSINESS



DEL138 BIZ-VIRUS-2NDLD MARUTI



Coronavirus impact: Maruti, Honda, Mahindra suspend manufacturing operations



New Delhi: The country's leading automakers, including Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), Mahindra & Mahindra and Honda Cars, on Sunday announced suspension of manufacturing activities across plants in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

FOREIGN



FGN38 PAK-LD VIRUS



Coronavirus: Pak PM rules out complete lockdown, says it will create chaos



Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday ruled out complete lockdown in the country, saying it will create chaos and urged people to self-quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far claimed four lives and infected over 700 people in the country. By Sajjad Hussain



SPORTS



SPO-VIRUS-LIFT-MIRABAI



All efforts will go waste if Olympics is cancelled, says worried Mirabai Chanu



New Delhi: A wary Mirabai Chanu has only one prayer on her lips that the Tokyo Olympics goes as per schedule despite COVID-19 pandemic otherwise all her efforts of winning an Olympic medal will go down the drain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
OTTAWA - Canada needs a more unified approach in the fight against COVID-19 and the feds "will not hesitate" to step in with stronger measures if provinces can't make it happen, the health minister said Sunday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/3/2020 (661 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A father and a daughter are reunited as an Air Canada flight with a group of Canadians passengers from Morocco arrive in Montreal on Saturday March 21, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrej Ivanov

OTTAWA - Canada needs a more unified approach in the fight against COVID-19 and the feds "will not hesitate" to step in with stronger measures if provinces can't make it happen, the health minister said Sunday.

With messages varying across the country about the best way to limit the spread of the virus, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said the federal and provincial governments are looking at ways to standardize public health advice across the country.

"Should we not be able to get consensus, that would indicate to us that we need stronger measures," Hajdu said at a briefing Sunday.

In Ontario, for example, the provincial police said it would intervene if people were found flouting a ban on gatherings of 50 people or more. Meanwhile Nova Scotia, the latest province to declare a state of emergency, has barred any more than five people from being together.

Premier Stephen McNeil said Sunday residents are blatantly ignoring the need for social distancing.

"Hundreds gathering on our beaches and in our parks, large groups of people congregating, young people playing street hockey, cars parked everywhere, people disregarding law enforcement," McNeil said. "We are dealing with a deadly virus and this behaviour is unacceptable."

Police in Nova Scotia are being given the power to enforce social distancing with $1,000 fines for individuals and $7,500 fines for businesses.

Hajdu said the best way to make sure there is a uniform approach across the country is for the provinces to collaborate. But if that fails, the federal government will step in.

"What we're trying to do is make sure that as we go into the next week we have a much more unified approach across the country," she said.

For now, the federal government is strongly urging people returning from travel to self isolate, but is not enforcing it. She hopes Canadians are willing to comply voluntarily.

The federal government does have the power to invoke the Emergencies Act, which would give it extraordinary powers to limit the civil liberties of Canadians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is not at that point yet.

"There are many things that are being done and can be done at the local level, at the municipal level and at the provincial level. The federal Emergencies Act is a significant step that can and should be taken when we've exhausted all other steps," Trudeau said at a news conference Sunday.

"We continue to work very closely with provinces, with other jurisdictions, to make sure that they are able to do the things that need to be done and we will continue to look at if it is necessary to move forward with the Emergencies Act."

Hajdu said there are also powers she can invoke under the Quarantine Act to levy fines or even criminal charges against people defying self-isolation orders.

She said all Canadians should be able to expect the same level of attention and service in response to the virus, no matter where they live.

Public health officials from across the country will meet Sunday to discuss how they can unify Canada's response to the crisis.

They'll also be looking at federal standards for testing, surveillance and data provision, Hajdu said.

Canada has confirmed more than 1,400 cases of COVID-19 across the country including 20 deaths.

Those numbers include several "signals of concern," said deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo, including a sharp increase in cases, indications of community spread and cases among health workers and people in long-term care homes.

Trudeau said the country will have to drastically increase testing in order to combat the virus, but that has proven a challenge in some areas of the country.

Canada has tested 92,000 people for the virus, and more than half have been tested in the last five days.

Njoo said Canada's national lab is able to turn around results in 24 hours, but in some places it's taking closer to five days to get a result.

Provinces are also putting restrictions on who they test to reserve limited supplies like swabs and test kits.

Njoo said the government is working on solutions that will help standardize testing and make it more widely available. Health Canada approved two test kits that would be able to turn results around within hours instead of days, as an example, he said.

"We are looking to acquire these new types of testing kits and roll them out across the country as quickly as possible," Njoo said.

In the meantime the government is moving forward on ways to mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak.

Parliament will resume on Tuesday so the House of Commons can debate and pass emergency legislation. Proposals would allow the government to make changes to employment insurance benefits as well as extend support to people who don't qualify for EI, among other measures.

Trudeau promised more financial aid in the coming days and weeks.

Late Saturday night 444 Canadians who had been stuck in Morocco arrived in Montreal aboard an Air Canada commercial flight from Casablanca.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also tweeted late Saturday night that he has been speaking with his counterparts in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Morocco, Peru, Turkey and the United Kingdom about how to safely repatriate citizens abroad, including those stuck on cruise ships.

Trudeau urged Canadians abroad to be patient as the government organizes more flights to repatriate them. He said he hopes to be able announce more flights in the next few days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2020.
HELENAS innate desire to write stories that deeply resonate with readers has always come before the need to write for a particular demographic.

The Limerick authors fourth novel, The Gone Book, is technically a young adult novel - though the themes, characters and plot is one that both 15-year-olds and 50-year-olds can relate to and engage with.

I dont tend to write for a genre, I write whats in my head, Helena simply and unapologetically told the Limerick Leader.

Theres a need out there for good stories, and I want to leave a decent legacy of writing and work after me, she added. So there's my focus, and I suppose it's easier for me as, as I get older, to be less concerned with bestsellers or anything like that and more concerned with how I do myself as a writer.

The novel, which is set for release on April 2, tells the story of 15-year-old Matt, whose mother walked out of his life when he was a child.

I just heard a true story of a mother who walked out on her kids, just never saw them, never had any contact with them afterwards. We hear all the time of dads walking out on their kids, and it's almost accepted in this society.

I just thought it would be interesting to maybe turn the tables, it caught my curiosity. A girl and her mommy - we hear that a lot. But a boy and his mother - what's that going to be like? How will it be? What if she actually comes back?

I think I had that idea for about a year and just let it compost in my head, and allowed the characters to come through themselves. So in the end, it was the main character of Matt and his friend Mikey. Theyre two boys at the beginning of summer 2018 in Limerick.

To a certain extent, it's almost a bookend to my first novel which was about two boys' friendship at the beginning of the summer in the mid '70s, Helena explained. I like that mirror thing, where everything is so different, but everything is the same, just different generations.

Helena works with students in Thomond Community College as a narrative facilitator and said: Its all teenagers and I absolutely love them, they're so underestimated. But you have to put the work in with them, you really have to work at it with them to connect.

I found being a teenager really, really difficult, Helena admitted. If I think of one stage of my life that I absolutely did not enjoy, it was my teenage years. Because I was figuring myself out. I think when you're a child, you're looking up all the time, you're looking to your parents, you're looking to other people. And you have this sense of security, which I think when you're a teenager, you realise is a false sense of security.

But whats great now is that there's a whole movement now with young lads, she continued. As a mother, I feel responsible in bringing my son up to be a feminist for example, and I think I've succeeded with that. Its things like that, that's up to parenting as well, to acknowledge feelings. With mental health, it's lads and men really have the most difficulty in actually having honest conversations, you know?

This book is a 15-year-old learning to be able to articulate his feelings about his mother, but also about what's going on in his life and about making sense of the real world.

The book explores themes of family, friendship and the trials and tribulations that come with being a modern-day teenager.

It details the general difficulty in negotiating the world if you're a teenager, with alcohol and drugs. We can pretend they don't exist, but I chose to actually write the gritty, real kind of picture. I feel teenagers will be more inclined to relate to that because, you know, this is what they know.

The story takes place in Limerick, with Helena stating that its very important in writing to have a sense of place.

I don't like making up places, she said. We have a gorgeous city as a backdrop.

The skate park features heavily because the protagonist is a skater. I love the idea of skating, the sound of the wheels on the ground. I love when they do little tricks. Theres this whole kind of soundscape that goes with skating.

My son used to skate many years ago, I think it's an incredible community. It's always stuck with me, this skating community came from all over the city, it didn't matter where you were from, it was very united. I used to sit below in the skate park, while I was writing in the early stages, and you'd have this soundscape of the skaters and the sun setting over the river and that told me that this is where they live. Its just so beautiful and almost calm in the middle of a city.

It's Limerick, but it's really Limerick. Its Limerick with all its warts and everything that goes with it and what's going on with a city. It's not a Bord Failte version of a city in Ireland, it could really be set anywhere.

When asked whether she feels a certain responsibility with not only being a Limerick author, but writing about Limerick, she said:

I think that's a very interesting question, and in some ways, yes. I remember my third novel, The Clever One, which was extremely well-reviewed. Some of it was in the Limerick vernacular, and there was one Limerick reviewer that said Limerick people might be offended by this.

I don't mind, I don't care about reviews, Im in that lovely place now. But, you know, it's okay for Roddy Doyle to have the Dublin vernacular, but we're not allowed to have any vernacular here in our own city, which isnt fair.

I suppose you can get drowned in responsibility as a writer, I try to get things right as much as possible. I think writers have to be careful around cultural appropriation. So I wouldn't say Limerick writers have raised responsibility, I think all writers have a certain responsibility.

Despite being a writer of fiction, Helena has adopted a methodology to inject real life and real people into her stories.

Fiction is fiction, but it still has to come from somewhere. It comes from snatches of conversations in cafes, or pubs. It's a chance you have, it's stories you read. So it always comes from real life.

Helena is a self-confessed recluse when writing, taking to the coast with no internet in order to submerge herself in her craft.

Ive been a self-isolator since the nineties, she laughed. I'm happiest when I'm working and really kind of stuck into a project. It just overtakes everything, everything in my life. Ive a mobile home in Spanish Point and I just love going down there by myself. My days are my own and they are punctuated with swims - my treat is the swim afterwards, the walk or the sunset.

The book has been published by Little Island, who Helena has endless praise for.

I do love this publisher. They take such care with their books, and their books are like little works of art. Every single one of them. My editor Matthew Parkinson Bennett is just amazing. I think that's so important, to have an editor that you absolutely trust. I trust him implicitly you know, and I've taught him loads of Limerick-isms, which is great. 

The book, priced at 9.99, is available from Little Islands website and from OMahonys Booksellers, where signed copies will be available after its release. The official launch of the book is set for later in the year.
All non-essential travel in and out of Western Australia will be banned from Tuesday afternoon as the McGowan Government declares the state is now at war to try and contain the spread of the potentially deadly coronavirus.

Premier Mark McGowan on Sunday announced the state was taking war-time measures including border controls and exiling people to Rottnest Island for quarantined isolation.

Premier Mark McGowan told West Australians "we are at war" at a press conference on Sunday. Credit:Nine

The new extreme steps to close the state will be enforced from 1.30pm Tuesday and refer to any non-essential travel via land, sea and air.

Anyone breaching the border enforcement could face fines of up to $50,000.
Swept to power with an overwhelming majority, the man whose boyhood dream was to be world king saw before him the chance to reshape post-Brexit Britain.

But 100 days from his decisive election victory, Boris Johnsons dreams of levelling up the country and presiding over an infrastructure revolution are disintegrating before his eyes.

His place in the history books will instead be shaped by his response to the coronavirus, a public health challenge of such magnitude that it has brought the UK to a standstill.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday thanked people of the state for their spontaneous response to Janta Curfew and choosing to stay at their homes.

The restraint shown by people of the state at the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows they are ready to deal with any challenge, Rawat said in a statement.

"The spontaneous response evoked by the Janta Curfew makes us confident that we will definitely win our fight against coronavirus," the chief minister, who himself worked from home, said.

The CM also thanked people who help in maintaining essential services like doctors and sanitation workers. He asked people to maintain the spirit as there could be difficult times ahead. Rawat, however, assured that there will be no shortage in supply of foodgrains and medicines due to preventive measures being taken in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

Even if a lockdown is imposed, "we can even deliver foodgrains and medicines at people's doorsteps, the chief minister said the statement. He said the state government will soon take a decision regarding daily wagers. We won't let anyone go hungry," Rawat said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The "Boy Meets Girl" mentoring programs hosted their inaugural youth gala recently at The Premiere in Orangeburg.

The theme for the night was "An Enchanting Moment in Time." The gala was a joint effort to celebrate the academic achievements of the girls and boys in both mentoring programs, Girlz R.U.L.E. and Boys 2 Men.

Founded by Rachelle M. Estrill and 7-year-old Gabrielle Estrill, Girlz R.U.L.E. is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering mentorship, leadership development and empowerment programs to promote self-esteem, combat bullying and embrace the uniqueness of girls and young women ages 5-17.

Girlz R.U.L.E. strives to ensure that the girls are provided with information to make wise health choices and increase self-awareness to develop self-worth and value. The organization foresees a world where girls become confident women whot are better prepared to embrace and address life-changing challenges.

Rachelle Estrill said she has noticed much growth within the girls group.

"We are Girlz that R.U.L.E. -- Radiate Unique Levels of Excellence! A girl with a mind, woman with attitude and a lady with class," she said.

Founded by Robert Alexander, Boys 2 Men caters to the progression and success of adolescent teenage boys.

Alexander said, "From an adolescent to an adult, I noticed the vital necessity of influential and positive role models in a young man's life. There is a need for positive mentoring and guidance as it has become more noticeable in my role as an educator. I created Boys 2 Men to give young men the gateway in creating lifetime memories.

We place great effort into uplifting our young men and have set a standard to expose them to elite and inspirational experiences," he said.

Boys 2 Men has proven to be a successful endeavor as it continues to grow in participants and support from the community.

Its mission is to strengthen family and student relationships and has proven to be a strong support unit for the future leaders of tomorrow. Community service, volunteerism and mentoring are major parts of the organization.

Rachelle Jamerson-Holmes, owner of Thee Matriarch Bed & Breakfast, served as mistress of ceremonies.

Dance group Higher Heights performed to an excerpt of Cynthia Erivo's "Stand Up from the original movie and soundtrack of Harriet. They also performed to "Be Lifted" by Micah Stampley.

Higher Heights Dance Company LLC, founded by Nichelle Cole, is a versatile group that learns different styles of dance: Ballet, hip-hop, jazz, African and praise dance.

Orangeburg native Kevin A. Rasberry was the keynote speaker. Rasberry spoke to audience members about decisions and consequences within life.

"You have to select the right group of people to be around and work hard to be whatever you want to be," he said.

A business educator and author, Rasberry has been a mentor for more than 24 years. He said the event was a success and that mentorship is indeed effective.

"It is imperative for some kids and important to all children. Friday evening was an absolute success," he said.

Raleigh Wright, 10, was named the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year. At the tender age of 9, Wright started Raleigh Pops LLC after telling her mother her vision. She saved her allowance for six months to purchase supplies to start her business while earning A's and B's.

With the success of the business, she has been featured at many events. Raleigh Pops LLC has catered parties and events, and Wright has been able to help and interact with her community by giving back. Last summer, she hosted a cupcake decorating class with the Boys and Girls Club.

She is an active member of the High Steppin Cloggers, Girl Scouts Troop 471, Lady Stringers Cheerleading Squad and Girlz R.U.L.E. She enjoys acting, playing volleyball and listening to music, Her motto is, "Always remember little girls with goals become women with visions."

Wright's mother Matisse Lee, assistant athletic director at Claflin University, accompanied her at the event and said her daughter was unaware that she had been selected to be this year's award recipient.

"She was surprised and I am so proud of her. She has always been a go-getter -- she has always been one who dreams and imagines what some may think is impossible, and I don't want anyone to ever take that away from her, Lee said.

She said that she fully supports programs like Girlz R.U.L.E. and Boys 2 Men because they benefit the children and the parents.

"The leaders of the programs have a vision and followed their hearts to brighten our children's futures. Programs like this are doing just that giving the children opportunities to grow and become successful. We must show our children how to be elegant in our world," she said.

Contact the writer: shakora.purple@gmail.com.

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On the dot of noon Friday, a group of two or three trickled into a weekly Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library gathering. That number quickly grew to four, then six. People said their hellos, exchanging the usual pleasantries, and then proceeded with the main event: Writing.

Dubbed Writers Who Lunch, the meeting is one of several community outreach events offered through the librarys writer in residence programEvery Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, library employees and members of the community come together to work on their writing with help from the librarys writer in residence.

On Tuesday, following Mayor Coral Evans decree that all nonessential businesses close, WWL entered the fourth dimension. On Tuesday, WWL became virtual.

Flagstaff Library: Im here just making sure it is still working.

J.L. Guyer: Hello!

Joy K.: Joy here too, but dont have time to write

Flagstaff Library: aww Joy! Sad.

Flagstaff Library: how is the dog story?

The library is not the only community hub forced to get creative in light of COVID-19 closures, but it was one of the first to introduce online alternatives. And so far, Writers Who Lunch (from home) is running smoothly, while achieving many of the same goals it worked toward under normal circumstances.

Normally were one of the only places where you can go and hang out all day and not spend money. So we have a lot of people spending time in the library who are homeless or some people who dont have a lot of social contact with folks at home, Jamie Paul, events and marketing librarian, said. Were closed now but we can provide to the community by giving people ways to communicate with each other or get information through different formats. The reason we want to keep the writing going even if we do it virtually is so people can still feel like they have contact with others.

We are encouraging people to stay home for safety reasons, but still connect through the magic of the internet.

More specifically, through a group chat on Google Hangouts.

Writers Who Lunch was launched in the spring of last year during the first session of the writer in residence program. Flagstaff nonfiction author Stacy Murison was the first in the position, meeting around lunch time to offer writing help or feedback to anyone who might want it. The residency, which includes 10 hours of office hours open to the public, and outreach including workshops, resume writing tips and more, also aims to afford local authors time to work on their own projectssurrounded by the ample information held within the library stacks.

On an average day, WWL numbers range from two to six participants, said Jenn Guyer, the resident author at the eastside branch WWL and one of two current writers in residence. Katie Rose, a sociology professor at Northern Arizona University, is the other.

We have a range of people, from young mothers to retirees, Guyer said. Well write for about an hour and a half and then well share or ask questions and talk for the next half hour. Sometimes if just one person comes and wants feedback well do more feedback than writing. It changes day to day.

Flagstaff Public Library: How are people feeling? Need some [writing] sprints or exercises or just want to write a bit and maybe share something if it strikes you?

Amelia M.: Just write a bit?

Flagstaff Public Library: sounds good:)

Before she became writer in residence, WWL helped Guyer jumpstart her own practice as an author. Now editing the final draft of her fantasy trilogy seriesconsisting of Smells of War, Smells of Exile and Smells of Paradise, a literary world of magic wielded via the olfactory sensesthe fulltime mother of three had not starting writing until a couple years ago, beginning with blog posts and eventually moving to novels averaging 500 pages in length.

I was just a library patron at the time. I came in and saw this Writers Who Lunch thing and I thought, Thats something I can do. With my kids in school, I can come here and connect and get feedback and encouragement and motivation. Even during the summertime Id take my kids to the library with me and do it, Guyer said.

At the time, local thriller novelist Karen Renner was the writer in residence leading the program, and she and Guyer immediately hit it off.

Library specialist Sarah Weatherby, who holds a masters degree in environmental science with a focus on nature writing and hosts the program at the eastside branch of the library, said she was pleasantly surprised by how seamlessly the online version of WWL was running.

I was not expecting it to translate online as well as it did because we meet in person and get to actually have that bond where we are all working on things together, Weatherby said. So to see that translate in this time where we are all separated and pretty nervous was super positive."

Like the in-person groups, the online equivalents, which have so far included many regulars as well as one or two WWL newcomers, vary greatly in age and interests. Some attend in-between work shifts, others have long ago retired and simply want to connect with fellow writers.

Amelia M.: Can I ask what everyone is working on?

Jamie Paul: Amelia Im working on the time travel one done more.

Jamie Paul: Amelia are you still working on your twisted fairy tale novel?

Jamie Paul: Right now I mean:)

Amelia M.: Yep. :)

Jamie Paul: If you ever want to let us read a snippet wed love it:)

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 01:14:38|Editor: yan

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MAPUTO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique registered on Sunday the first confirmed case of COVID-19, said the Minister of Health Armindo Tiago.

Providing the information at a press conference this afternoon in Maputo, the health minister revealed that the patient is of Mozambican nationality and is a 70-year-old man, who recently returned from the UK in the middle of this month.

"The diagnosis of this case was carried out at the National Health Institute using the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique (called PCR), " said Tiago, adding "it is an imported case of the existence of coronavirus."

"The tracking of the people he had contacts will continues, for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating the transmission," said Tiago.

The Ministry also reiterated the need for the strict compliance with the preventive measures announced by President Filipe Nyusi, including observing individual and collective hygiene measures, the minister added.

The patient is reportedly to be showing slight symptoms of the disease and currently under medical supervision.
As the coronavirus continues spreading throughout New Jersey, the state frantically is seeking to ramp up testing to combat the outbreak.

New Jerseys first government-run coronavirus testing center opened March 20 in Bergen County to long lines and people being turned away. A second, similar site will open at 8 a.m. Monday, March 23 at PNC Bank Arts Center in Monmouth County, Gov. Phil Murphy said.

The site at Bergen County Community College is set to operate seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will collect 2,500 specimens each week at no cost to the public and with no pre-registration required. All individuals will be screened for symptoms of coronavirus, including fever, sneezing, cough or shortness of breath. Asymptomatic individuals will be turned away from the site.

Six-hundred people were tested on March 20, a number Murphy said was beyond our wildest dreams. The site hit capacity within two hours after it opened at 8 a.m. Saturday, an official confirmed.

Results will be processed within two to five days of testing. Those who wish to be tested must bring identification that provides proof of New Jersey residency with them.

We know from the phone calls and messages weve received that access to testing has been an overriding concern of residents, Murphy said March 20 during his press briefing at the Bergen testing site. Expanding testing is absolutely critical.

Who can get tested in New Jersey?

Murphy said people will need to show symptoms at the two government-run testing sites at Bergen Community College and PNC Bank Arts Center in order to be tested. They also must bring identification proving their New Jersey residency.

People would not need to get a recommendation from a doctor, Murphy said.

Some privately-run testing sites, like Riverside Medical Groups drive-thru site in Secaucus, have a pre-screening process. Patients have to call in to be screened by an expert at Riverside, and the tests are for Riverside patients only at this time.

A second drive-through coronavirus testing site is coming to Hoboken on March 21, Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced. If a person meets the CDCs criteria for testing, an appointment is made.

Union County will open the first county-run drive-through coronavirus testing site at Kean University beginning on March 23. There will be another site opening soon at the County College of Morris in Randolph.

The CDC recommends seeking medical attention immediately if a person exhibits the following symptoms:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

New confusion or inability to arouse

Bluish lips or face

New Jersey is requiring hospitals and health clinics in the state to waive fees for coronavirus testing and related diagnostic services for uninsured residents as the outbreak continues to spread, Murphys administration announced March 20.

FEMA is helping set up sites

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is helping the state set up the testing sites in Bergen and Monmouth counties. They represent the first major public testing centers run by the state and the federal government in New Jersey.

New Jersey is one of 12 states identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a priority state that will have testing sites supported by the federal agency, Murphy said.

In addition to FEMA-supported sites, Atlantic Health, the parent company of Morristown Medical Center, has begun drive-through testing in Morris Township. As of March 20, the site is only accepting patients who meet the state Department of Healths criteria for COVID-19 testing through appointments made by Atlantic Medical Group physicians, according to a new release.

InFocus Urgent Care also has begun setting up test sites in Mercer County, according to reports.

Two drive-thru facilities have opened in Secaucus  the first site launched at the Riverside Medical Groups command center, and the second at Hudson Regional Hospital.

Testing also is being conducted at various state laboratories, hospitals and private companies, as well as at the Hackensack Meridian Hospital and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Other healthcare facilities across the state are offering testing  some walk-in, others requiring an appointment. Call your healthcare provider for more information about getting tested at these facilities or contact them directly.

Murphy announced 590 new coronavirus cases and four new deaths on March 22, increasing the statewide total to at least 1,914 positive tests and 20 deaths.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips.
The sanctuary at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Liverpool is empty on this Sunday morning. The church is adhering to the states guidelines to slow the spread of coronavirus by keeping its doors closed to the 150 parishioners who would join services.

The Rev. Tara L. Eastman will still deliver her sermon on how Jesus appears in our lives in unexpected ways; she just wont be there. Eastman will deliver the message from her computer in her apartment six miles away. The organist and director of music, Kristina Vernyi, will send the music in from her home. Deacon Nancy Wagner will conduct virtual Sunday School for children from her home using Zoom, an online video conferencing platform.

Houses of worship throughout the state were forced to close this week to help slow the virus. Some churches are closed altogether, and others are moving their services online.

On Saturday, Eastman and Vernyi rehearsed todays cyber service with the help of Howie Mansfield, the churchs technology director. The observance starts at 9:30 a.m. and will be broadcast through the churchs Facebook page. Other Lutheran churches throughout Upstate New York are doing the same.

We were going through it earlier, and there was a little bit of a lag between the organ and my voice, Eastman said Saturday afternoon. We want it to be professional. We want them to have the time to worship. They need it. We all need it.

If todays service is anything like Wednesdays 7 p.m. Lenten prayers, theyll have more eyes than usual. As of yesterday, the 8-minute virtual get-together has gotten 1,655 views. After it ended, parishioners who had missed it hosted watch parties so they could catch up together.

Theyre not alone. One of the largest and most diverse churches in Upstate New York, Abundant Life Christian Center in East Syracuse, will broadcast two services live from the church without an audience.

"Though we will need to meet via internet for a short period of time, Abundant Life will continue to provide spiritual and practical care to our members and the community, said, the Rev. Mark Haywood, director of the churchs outreach and missions.

Abundant Life Christian Center is moving its church services to online only.Submitted photo

Eastman has been the pastor at King of Kings for a month. She delivered her first Sunday service on Feb. 23, and she was installed on March 8. Now she and the churchs staff are working together from their homes.

At her last church in Jamestown, she had used Facebook live and other social media to promote her church. She also had done distance learning while in seminary. Mansfield, who works for Onondaga County, has worked with computers most of his adult life and wanted to help migrate King of Kings online. Last Sunday, they did a trial run-through by streaming the service on Facebook from the church with a skeleton crew. It worked well, he said.

This week, video of Eastman performing the morning liturgy will run alongside a PowerPoint presentation of the readings and hymn. The online gathering will end with Amazing Grace.

The heart of this is to encourage people in this difficult time, Eastman said. Were trying to retain some sense of normalcy.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Charlie Miller is a journalist for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com.
Emirates, the world's largest long-haul airline, will suspend nearly all of its passenger operations this week, in the latest concession to the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated global travel.

Flights to most destinations will cease from March 25, Emirates said on Sunday in an email. Cargo service will remain in operation, as will routes to 13 countries including Australia, the US, UK, Switzerland and Singapore in response to requests from governments and customers to support repatriation, the company said.

Emirates will keep flying to 13 countries for the time being, including Australia. Credit:Bloomberg

"We cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns," Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a memo to employees seen by Bloomberg. "Some of our competitors, or even our supply chain partners, may not survive this crisis."

With its fleet of all wide-body aircraft, the state-owned airline has turned Dubai into a hub for global travel, typically operating more than 500 flights a day. That mission, which has fed the city's growth since Emirates was founded in the mid-1980s, is now under assault by the coronavirus pandemic.
An Egyptian staff major general died of the novel coronavirus on Sunday after participating in work to prevent the spread of the disease.

The armed forces mourned with deep sorrow the death of Staff Major General Khaled Shaltout.

Egypt has so far registered 294 coronavirus cases, including ten deaths.

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Australia's biggest brewer says the country could run out of beer within weeks and thousands of jobs could be lost because of the impending coronavirus lockdown.

Carlton and United Breweries, whose major brewery is in Abbotsford, Melbourne, is pleading with the Victorian government to ensure the breweries are included in the 'essential services' that remain open.

All non-essential services will be shut down within the next 48 hours in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory to slow the spread of coronavirus after a spike in confirmed cases.

Carlton and United Breweries, whose major brewery is in Abbotsford, Melbourne, is pleading with the Victorian government to ensure the breweries are included in the 'essential services' that remain open

Australia's biggest brewer says the country could run out of beer within weeks and thousands of jobs could be lost because of the impending coronavirus lockdown

Premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews released separate statements assuring supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and home delivery services would stay open during the 'comprehensive shutdown'.

But bars, restaurants and cafes will likely be forced to close in the coming days.

Carlton and United Breweries, based in Melbourne, claims that if it is shut down thousands of jobs will be lost and the country will be without beer for three months.

'Carlton & United Breweries, Australia's largest brewer, is greatly concerned about no beer being available in Australia for at least three months if beer is not given exempt status, and what this would mean for tens of thousands of jobs,' a spokesman told The Australian.

The company claims Australians 'need normalcy in their lives' and believe this includes accessing beer and liquor at bottleshops.

'You can't turn major breweries off and then quickly turn them back on. After re-opening there could be three months of no beer for pubs and bottleshops,' he said.

It's understood bottle shops are considered 'essential services' and will not be closed, however it hasn't stopped anxious shoppers flocking to stockpile alcohol

'The UK and other countries have kept retail and takeaway alcohol. We urge Australian Governments to do the same.'

The spokesman dubbed the closure of liquor supply stores as 'nonsensical' especially as it is believed supermarket chain stores will remain open.

Lion Australia Managing Director James Brindley told Daily Mail Australia it was also concerned if take-away liquor and supply chains were closed.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'Our breweries are 100 per cent able to operate under strict health and safety rules  we have been doing this for the past 10 days to support the Government in the fight against COVID-19,' he said.

'You can't turn off and then quickly turn back on major breweries like Tooheys. After re-opening, there could be up to three months of no beer for pubs or bottle shops because it takes that long to grow the quantity of yeast needed.

'UK, EU and US have kept retail and takeaway liquor going, and the supply chains behind them.'

Panic buyers are rushing to bottle shops to stock up on alcohol amid fears stores across the country could be shut down.

It's understood bottle shops are considered 'essential services' and will not be closed - especially liquor stores attached to supermarkets - however it hasn't stopped anxious shoppers from flocking to stockpile booze.

One man said his local bottle shop had done three weeks worth of trading in two hours on Sunday.

Thousands of anxious Australians took to social media in search of clarification about whether bottle shops would stay open in Melbourne and Sydney.

A Coles spokesperson was unable to confirm whether Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, and First Choice Liquor stores would be closed down when contacted by Daily Mail Australia

'Urgent clarification required: are bottle shops considered an essential service?,' tweeted one man.

'Bottle shops are essential for keeping the peace,' added another.

'Brace for the onslaught of people that are getting in their car right now to nip down to Dan Murphy's to stock up,' added a third.

Others said their local bottle shops were flooded with customers after the announcement on Sunday afternoon.

A Coles spokesperson was unable to confirm whether Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, and First Choice Liquor stores would be closed down when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

It's understood home delivery alcohol services such as Jimmy Brings will still be able to operate as usual.
A homeless man walks by a closed theater in Los Angeles, on March 21, 2020, as California grapples with its part of the global coronavirus pandemic

A trillion-dollar Senate proposal to rescue the reeling US economy crashed to defeat Sunday after receiving zero support from Democrats, and with five Republicans absent from the chamber because of virus-related quarantines.

Democrats said the Republican plan failed to sufficiently protect millions of American workers or shore up the critically under-equipped health care system during the coronavirus crisis.

The bill proposed an estimated $1.7 trillion or more in funding to cushion the blow for American families and thousands of shuttered or suffering businesses.

Despite intense negotiations between Republicans, Democrats and President Donald Trump's administration, the roll call was 47-47, far short of the 60 votes needed to advance.

Five Republican senators are in self-quarantine and did not vote, including Senator Rand Paul, who announced Sunday he had tested positive for the COVID-19 illness.

Even as infighting derailed the plan, lawmakers carried on with closed-door negotiations deep into Sunday hoping to get the package back on track.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin "are working late into the night, and they just had another productive meeting," a Schumer spokesman said.

The shock Senate result heaps major pressure on Congress to overcome divisions and swiftly greenlight a federal government intervention -- likely the largest of its kind in US history.

The impasse likely will have a profound effect on already-traumatized stock markets when they open Monday.

The futures on the main US stock exchange indicators were dropping around four percent or more, indicating that Wall Street could open sharply lower.

Hong Kong stocks plunged five percent upon opening.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted the Democratic opposition and warned of economic devastation ahead if Congress does not act promptly.

"The notion that we have time to play games here with the American economy and the American people is utterly absurd," he fumed.

"We need to signal to the public that we're ready to get this thing done."

He said he wanted lawmakers to recognize "the need to act before the markets go down further and the American people become even more depressed about our lack of ability to come together under the most extraordinary circumstances."

- 'Not' there yet -

Schumer insisted the bill falls well short of sufficiently protecting US employees, millions of whom are at risk of losing their jobs as the economy grinds to a halt, while offering a "large corporate bailout with no protections for workers and virtually no oversight."

He accused Republicans of trying to "skimp on funding" to address shortfalls for hospitals, equipment, medical personnel and other health care infrastructure.

Mnuchin, Trump's key representative in the negotiation, had expressed hope an agreement could be reached Sunday.

Speaking on Fox News earlier Sunday, he detailed a separate massive relief plan by US financial authorities that "will have up to $4 trillion of liquidity that we can use to support the economy."

Columbus Drive is seen empty in downtown Chicago, Illinois, on March 21, 2020

Together, the urgent measures represented one of the most dramatic governmental rescue efforts outside wartime, with millions of people thrown out of work, thousands of businesses shuttered, travel severely curtailed and no certainty as to when things might improve.

The measures also came as the death toll and contagion confirmations continued to rise -- especially in hotspots like New York -- and several states including California, New York and Illinois effectively went into lockdown in a bid to halt the virus's spread.

"The worst is yet to come," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on CNN, predicting hospitals in the city would face serious shortages of protective equipment within days unless drastic action is taken.

"We expect April will be a lot worse than March, and I fear May could be worse than April," he said.

Mnuchin said the congressional rescue would give small businesses enough cash to pay laid-off workers for two weeks, provide direct cash payments to Americans -- about $3,000 for a family of four, he said -- and enhance unemployment insurance for those laid off.

Democrats have demanded stronger worker protections. Schumer has said he wants the government to pay full wages for four months to workers laid off due to the crisis.

Trump sounded a note of optimism, even as the Senate bill stalled.

"I think that the Democrats want to get there, and... the Republicans want to get there," he said.

The president also said the administration was "considering" the prospect of US lawmakers being allowed to vote remotely, a dramatic departure from current House and Senate rules that mandate all votes be conducted in person.
On Friday night there was one place in the country where you could take part in a social gathering and not be afraid of spreading or contracting the coronavirus.

Over 4,000 people were in attendance, including headliners like Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Naomi Campbell, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, T.I., Queen Latifah and Tracee Ellis Ross.

There was no charge at the door, no security, no drink minimum and you could attend in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home.

The party, named Homeschoolin, was easy to find: It was on D.J. D-Nices Instagram live.

Since Wednesday, Derrick Jones, 49, more popularly known as D-Nice, has held streams of hourslong jam sessions from his home in Los Angeles. He plays all of the hits, new and old, but you never hear the same song twice.
U.S. President Donald Trump is facing increasing calls from some U.S. senators and congressmen to pressure Saudi Arabia into ending the oil price war, with one of his own Republican party - Senator Kevin Cramer  last week urging him to impose an embargo on oil imports from Saudi Arabia, Russia and other OPEC nations. It is not because the U.S. shale producers cannot deal with a much lower sustained oil price environment as they can. It is because in order to cope with this environment, capital expenditure will have to be trimmed back to the sorts of ratios seen the last time that the Saudis tried the same thing from 2014 to 2016. The U.S. shale sector won last time and it will win this time (along with Russia) but behind the scenes, the U.S. Presidential Administration is also being advised that it already has the ultimate weapon to make Saudi Arabia end the oil price war right now, OilPrice.com understands from legal sources in Washington. The weapon is the NOPEC Bill Bomb. The NOPEC Bill Bomb refers specifically to the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act (NOPEC) that was last threatened by the U.S. in October 2018 when the Saudis had enabled the Brent oil price to remain above the key US$70 per barrel level since March. Any sustained Brent price above US$70 per barrel was  and is  regarded by the current Presidential Administration as being in an area where the benefits to U.S. shale producers of higher prices are outweighed by the relative damage done to the U.S. economy. More specifically, it is estimated that every US$10 per barrel change in the price of crude oil results in a 25-30 cent change in the price of a gallon of gasoline, and for every 1 cent that the average price per gallon of gasoline rises, more than US$1 billion per year in consumer spending is lost. As Bob McNally, the former energy adviser to the former President George W. Bush put it: Few things terrify an American president more than a spike in fuel [gasoline] prices.

In any year, this is bad news for the sitting U.S. President but at that specific point in 2018 when the U.S. (in March) was looking to re-impose sanctions on Iran just a couple of months later it looked like Saudi was taking advantage of the U.S. position, rather than helping its most important ally, as one senior Washington-based legal source told OilPrice.com last week. It came at a time when we were concerned anyway that the Saudis were becoming too dependent on Russia because of the OPEC-plus deals and were listening too much to its [Russias advice], he added. With the oil price during the March-October period consistently well above US$70 per barrel of Brent and in September trading at nearly US$85 per barrel and looking like it was going higher, Trump warned Saudi Arabias King Salman that: He would not last in power for two weeks without the backing of the U.S. military. This was also the occasion when the Saudis were remainder of the NOPEC Bill, according to the legal sources in Washington.

Related: Russia Moves In On European Gas Markets As Oil Prices Crash

Specifically, the NOPEC bill would make it illegal to artificially cap oil (and gas) production or to set prices, as OPEC and Saudi Arabia do. It would also now work as a very neat trick to prevent Russia from resuscitating OPEC+, rather than just OPEC, as if it did then it too would face the consequences of the NOPEC Bill, once it was approved and became the NOPEC Act. The bill would also immediately remove the sovereign immunity that presently exists in U.S. courts for OPEC as a group and for each and every one of its individual member states. This would leave Saudi Arabia, for instance, open to being sued under existing U.S. anti-trust legislation, with its total liability being its estimated US$1 trillion of investments in the U.S. alone. The U.S. would then be legally entitled to freeze all Saudi bank accounts in the U.S., seize its assets in the country, halt all use of U.S. dollars by the Saudis anywhere in the world (oil, of course, to begin with, is denominated in U.S. dollars), and to go after Aramco and its assets and funds, as it is still a majority state-owned production and trading vehicle. It would also mean that Aramco could be ordered to break itself up into smaller, constituent companies that are not deemed to break competition rules in the oil, gas, and petrochemicals sectors or to influence the oil price. Up until recently, the bill was progressing at a pace through the U.S. system and came very close indeed to being passed into law before Trump stepped in and vetoed it after the Saudis did what he told them to do. In February of last year, the House Judiciary Committee passed the NOPEC Act, which cleared the way for a vote on the Bill before the full House of Representatives. On the same day, Democrats Patrick Leahy and Amy Klobuchar and  most remarkably  two Republicans, Chuck Grassley and Mike Lee, introduced the NOPEC Bill to the Senate. Even before this, the full approval of the Bill has only been stopped by the President. In 2007, the full House of Representatives and Senate passed the NOPEC legislation and it was passed again in 2008 by the House. In terms of presidential views on the Bill, George W. Bush always threatened a veto and Barack Obama opposed it, but Trump has veered from initially being against it to being a lot less clear.

Related: Rig Count Plummets As Oil Price War Rages On



Aside from the various threats to King Salman whenever oil prices have come near to the US$70 per barrel level, and the increasing omni-toxicity of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  documented here - Trump also, understandably, has a big problem with OPEC. Since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran nuclear deal) in May 2018, Trump has regarded OPEC and Saudi as looking to take advantage of the short term supply constraints [at that time] that resulted from the U.S.s attempts to force Iran back to the negotiating table for a better deal for the U.S. by imposing sanctions on it, according to one of the Washington-based legal sources. In addition to telling Saudi Arabias King Salman that he and his family would not be in power without U.S. support  entirely true, incidentally  Trump also blamed OPEC via Tweets for the 2018 multi-month oil price spike. He said: Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil [sic] all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil [sic] prices are artificially Very High [sic]! No good and will not be accepted! He later added at the U.N. General Assembly in September 2018 that OPEC is ripping off the world. Shortly after this, Trump told reporters when asked about the NOPEC Bill specifically: The United States is firmly committed to open, fair, and competitive markets for global energy trade. We do not support market-distorting behaviour, including cartels. Quod erat demonstrandum.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
WASHINGTON - Usually considered a remote outpost on Capitol Hill, the congressional Small Business committees have come up bigger than ever before in the fight against the economic contagion caused by the coronavirus impact on U.S. workers.

They have crafted a rescue package for small businesses that, if successful, could provide a lifeline for countless bars, restaurants, retail shops and other storefront operations that provide millions of jobs that are woven into any community's economic and cultural fabric.

They reached this agreement through an increasingly rare fashion in Congress: a pair of senators with implicit across-the-aisle trust; one high-profile Republican's political evolution; and planning that began in earnest last month.

Negotiations on the overall package, worth at least $1.3 trillion, will continue throughout the weekend, but by Saturday the bipartisan talks trying to save small businesses had advanced further than any other piece of the legislative jigsaw puzzle.

"We believe that we have a small-business proposal that every member of the Senate should be able to support," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, told reporters late Saturday. Budget officials still needed to hash out some details, but he said this emerging legislation could provide at least six weeks of pay for employees of small businesses.

The plan, with Rubio and Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, as lead negotiators, would transform the Small Business Administration's main loan program designed for companies with fewer than 500 employees.

Eligible companies would be able to get SBA-backed loans from banks, essentially a free grant program if the small businesses used money to keep paying salaries and for rent or mortgage payments. President Donald Trump has boasted about it.

These talks advanced so quickly because these lawmakers saw the potential crisis a month ago. Rubio's staff has been working closely with aides to Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee.

Except they had no idea of the size and scale of what their emerging proposal would become.

Ten days ago the bipartisan talks centered around a $50 billion plan, which seemed massive. By Thursday, when Senate Republicans unveiled their first offering, the small-business portion hit $300 billion, the second-largest chunk of the plan.

As she returned to negotiations Saturday afternoon, Collins confirmed that it had grown to $350 billion and could go higher, depending on how much they loosened the SBA's definition of "small" to include businesses with more than 500 workers.

To put that surge in perspective, the SBA issued $21.2 billion in new loan guarantees for all of 2019.

The somewhat improbable Rubio-Cardin relationship played a key role in spurring these talks along.

Rubio, 48, has been a conservative star since his first Senate bid in 2010, a hard-charging, anti-big-government prodigy of the tea party movement. A man in a hurry, his every move was analyzed for presidential ambition.

Cardin, 76, took his first oath of elective office, for a seat in Maryland's state House, 4 1/2 years before Rubio was born. It took another 40 years for Cardin to win his first Senate race.

Their bond grew on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where for the past two years they ran the subcommittee focused on the Americas.

In November they won passage of a law supporting democracy protesters in Hong Kong, which came two months after they led the Senate in passing a condemnation of China's mass imprisonment of Muslims.

"We really became soul mates on a lot of human rights issues," Cardin said in a telephone interview Saturday night during a break in negotiations. "It's a trust relationship."

A reshuffling of GOP committee chairmen ended with Rubio holding the gavel at Small Business, where Cardin has served for several years as the top Democrat.

Their talk about doing big things prompted chuckles behind their backs, because for decades this has been considered one of the least-high-profile assignments.

But now this duo is on the cusp of the most significant piece of legislation ever produced by the committee, marking a dramatic transformation of Rubio 2010 to Rubio 2020.

In 2016 he ran for president maintaining traditional GOP approaches to free trade and business-first economics, belittled by Trump as "Little Marco" and ending the campaign with plans to retire after one relatively inconsequential term in the Senate.

Friends encouraged him to jump back into the Senate race and, after a comfortable win, he emerged as a bit more populist, abandoning the work he did as a Gang of Eight member on a far-reaching immigration bill with a path to citizenship for the millions here illegally. Cynics viewed those steps as just positioning for the next presidential bid, trying to get more in line with Trump's more nativist base.

But allies say Rubio, on the 2016 trail, came across too many people unable to make it in the 21st-century economy having only a 20th-century skill set.

In 2017, in a tax-cut bill that favored the rich, Rubio fought to include a $1,000 child tax credit for the middle class - but, since it left out some working poor, critics wondered if Rubio was still just positioning himself, especially after he brought on board several top advisers who previously worked at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.

But by Wednesday, he stood next to Collins at a news conference detailing the proposal to simply give small businesses grants to pay workers who aren't working.

His plan has won support across the ideological spectrum of the GOP caucus, and Rubio and Cardin won plaudits from Velazquez for keeping her involved in every step of the negotiations, as other GOP chairmen faced criticism for leaving Democrats out of their talks.

"I have been in close contact with my Senate counterparts, Chairman Rubio and Ranking Member Cardin, and have expressed the need to consider all options as we seek quick infusions of capital and other innovative opportunities to help our small businesses recover," she said in a statement.

Each negotiator has a family legacy with small businesses that could have gone under in today's circumstances.

Velazquez grew up in Puerto Rico, her father working sugar cane fields before becoming a political leader. Collins grew up in a family-run lumber company in tiny Caribou, Maine. Cardin's father ran a grocery store that eventually turned into a food distribution company.

And Rubio's parents, after emigrating from Cuba to Florida, ended up working as a bartender and housekeeper in Las Vegas - the types of jobs that have simply vanished across large parts of America in the past week.

Rubio, in all likelihood, will spend just one term chairing this committee, as another reshuffle is going to open a more plum gavel for the taking. Cardin is poised to move up at another higher-priority committee also.

But they are on the verge of a very big achievement, one that might have to grow even bigger if the coronavirus crisis continues well into the summer.

"That's the question that nobody has the answer to, right? How long are we going to be operating under these circumstances? We've never faced anything like this," Rubio said.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have wished their Instagram followers a Happy Mothers Day whether they are spending the day "together or apart" and shared photos of their own mothers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a series of pictures to their official Instagram account in honour of the holiday, including a never-before-seen photo of the couple playing with two of their children, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, a photo of the late Princess Diana and her sons Prince William and Prince Harry when they were young children, and a photo of Kate and her mother Carole.

For the final photo, the couple shared a picture of a card Prince George created for his mother this Valentines Day.

To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart - we are thinking of you all at this difficult time, the duke and duchess wrote. Happy Mothers Day.

The post prompted the couple's followers to share their own Mothers Day sentiments and thank them for sharing the photos of the couple as children.

Happy Mothers Day! And thank you very much for this lovely post! one person commented.

Another said: Thank you for sharing these lovely photos! The Duchess looks so much like her beautiful mum.

The couples tribute comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britons to stay home this Mothers Day instead of visiting their parents.

"I am afraid that this Mothering Sunday the single best present that we can give - we who owe our mothers so much - is to spare them the risk of catching a very dangerous disease," Johnson wrote on Saturday. The sad news is that means staying away. This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity.
AMSTERDAM, March 21 (Reuters) - The Dutch government on Saturday said it would halt all passenger flights from Spain to the Netherlands until at least April 4 in an effort to limit the coronavirus outbreak.

The government said it would only make an exception for flights to repatriate Dutch people from Spain and for medical staff.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; editing by Jason Neely)
Hundreds of British travellers stranded in Peru may finally be rescued this week after the country closed its borders and halted all flights amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Peru, which attracts the highest number of UK tourists in South America, is under lockdown, with official permission required for any non-local journey.

Almost 600 British and Irish nationals have been seeking an escape route for the past week. While French and Israeli citizens have been airlifted home, the UK government had initially offered only the possibility to pay at least $3,000 (2,600) for a seat on what would be a crowdfunded charter flight from the Colombian airline, Avianca.

But in the past few hours British travellers have been emailed to say that several repatriation flights should operate this week  with passengers asked to pay only 250, after they have returned home safely.

The flights may depart from military airports instead of civilian facilities.

We will update you on details as soon as they are available and we are in touch with the Peruvian authorities to secure the necessary permissions, the stranded travellers have been told.

Passengers with underlying medical conditions, including respiratory or mobility issues, or who are over 70, are to be prioritised. But anyone showing symptoms of Covid-19 will be unable to fly.

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, spoke to his counterpart in Peru today, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra on Saturday afternoon.

He said: Amidst all the challenges of tackling Coronavirus, we committed to working together in the coming days to enable UK nationals in Peru and Peruvian nationals in the UK to return home.

Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Show all 20 1 /20 Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Top: Nabi Younes market, Mosul Bottom: Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Grand Mosque, Mecca Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Nabi Younes market, Mosul Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Basra Grand Mosque, Iraq Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Taj Mahal hotel, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Dubai Mall, UAE Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Gateway of India, Mumbai Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Victoria Memorial, India Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sidon, Lebanon Reuters

Sarah Baxter, a journalist currently stranded in Peru, told The Independent: I started the day feeling low, with the supposed announcement of no humanitarian flights by a Peruvian minister, but ended feeling far more positive.

My main concern at the moment is internal travel. Realistically, or at least ideally, we need a flight to get from Cusco to Lima. It is a 24 hour road journey. Also, there are, according to data weve collected on our WhatsApp group, more of us stuck in Cusco than in Lima.

A group of French tourists who were supposed to travel overland to Lima to join their countrys repatriation flight were denied permission to get to the capital.

Provision also needs to be made for the smaller pockets of people in places such as Arequipa, Puno, Iquitos etc.

Recommended Travel firms are cancelling holidays but refusing to give cash refunds

As nations around the world impose ever-stricter controls on flights and border crossings, hundreds of thousands of British traveller are still trying to get home.

The Foreign Office is warning against all but essential travel anywhere in the world.

The Independent calculates that at least 200,000 UK holidaymakers have still not returned from short-term visits abroad.

While many are in European and Mediterranean destinations, from which flight links are still reasonable, there are pockets of British tourists in Latin America where airline options are much more scarce.

Now attention is switching to a group of 20 young British travellers in Honduras.

Rachael Yates, whose daughter Flossy is among them, said: These young people have been living in Honduras for nearly eight months, as volunteers through Project Trust.

They are all recent school leavers and are each based in remote villages supporting local children to learn English.

As the coronavirus situation escalated last week Project Trust had made arrangements to pull the youngsters out, with flights arranged on Monday.

The Honduran president placed the country in lockdown on Sunday and the teenagers are now stranded.

"Despite the best efforts of Project Trust over the last week they have been unable to secure travel home.

So far the British Embassy and the FCO have failed to assist. Project Trust and the families and parents are becoming increasingly concerned for the health, wellbeing and safety of our children.

The stress, anguish and anxiety caused by this situation cannot be overstated. Our children are scared and isolated and the parents are distraught and feel totally helpless.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: We recognise that any British people currently overseas may be nervous about the impact of coronavirus on their travel and their health.

We are in close contact with travel providers and our international partners to provide support to those British people affected by ongoing measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Mark Swords, managing director of Swords Travel, asked: Please can we get support for Cuba next? We have clients that are currently not due to depart until 26 March with VirginAtlantic and panicking that the airport may shut down on the 23rd.

International airlines are currently permitted to land in Cuba with Cuban nationals and foreign residents and take off with passengers without symptoms of coronavirus.

The Cuban government is expected to tighten its travel restrictions in a broadcast to the nation on 23 March.
One person, a returnee from Spain, tested positive for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu, taking the total to seven, as people fully backed the 'janta curfew' call while the government extended the curb till Monday morning and announced suspension of inter-state bus and Metro rail services here till March 31.

The state came to a virtual standstill on Sunday with roads, bus stands and railway stations wearing a deserted look and shops downing shutters in solidarity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to people to stay put in their houses to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Authorities said buses were deployed to help scores of migrant labourers stranded at the Central Railway station here.

Health Minister C Vijyabaskar in a tweet confirmed the new case: "#corona update: A traveller from Spain tests #Covid_19 positive. Patient is undergoing treatment in isolation. @MoHFW_INDIA #Vijayabaskar."



On Saturday, three new positive cases, including two Thai nationals were confirmed.

As of Sunday, as many as 2,05,396 passengers had been screened and 9,424 were under the monitoring of authorities.

Of the 443 samples tested, 352 were negative and seven positive. One of the positive patients, a 45-year old man from Kancheepuram, has been discharged.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami meanwhile, in a brief statement, said Metro rail and inter-state bus services will be suspended till March 31.

The government had already shut state borders with neighbours, including Karnataka and Kerala, while allowing trucks ferrying essential commodities.

Meanwhile, citing the Centre's move to lockdown 75 districts -- from where coronavirus cases were reported- including Chennai, Kancheepuram and Erode, DMK's president MK Stalin said the Chief Minister should issue appropriate orders ensuring that people's basic needs are not affected.

The main opposition party's top leader said essential needs, including food, should be ensured for marginalised people like daily wage earners, pavement dwellers and those living on alms during the lockdown.

He also wanted adjournment of the ongoing assembly session from Monday.

Stalin said his party MLAs and MPs will donate one month's salary to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to help workers of the unorganised sector hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

PMK, an ally of the ruling AIADMK, favoured a lockdown till March 31 across Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the state government extended the 'janta curfew' till 5 am tomorrow.

While the support of people, traders, industries and other sections of the society was visible on Sunday, the government acknowledged their "cooperation" and said the curfew scheduled to end at 9 pm on Sunday "will continue till 5 am tomorrow considering people's welfare."



An official release here said there was no bar to continuation of essential services and appealed to people to extend their full cooperation.

Public and private buses, autos and taxis stayed off the roads in most parts of the state. Metro Rail services were not operated.

Similar was the scenario in other cities and towns of the state such as Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai.

However, the low-cost eatery chain 'Amma Canteen' run by local bodies across Tamil Nadu were open and came as a boon to migrant labourers and workers since all other eateries were shut.

In the evening, at the stroke of five o clock, the Chief Minister led the state in thanking those involved in essential services to combat the spread of coronavirus by clapping hands.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and other state Ministers honoured the personnel like doctors and sanitary workers by clapping in their respective residences.

Interestingly, weddings at several places in Tamil Nadu turned out to be low-key affairs with only close relatives of the bride and groom taking part.

In neighbouring Kancheepuram, a wedding took place at the home of the groom with only a few relatives participating.

Local bodies across Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, continued with their clean up-cum-disinfection drive in public places like bus terminals and markets by spraying disinfectants.

Essential services like milk distribution and hospitals (including the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital which treats COVID-19 patients and the Stanley Hospital) functioned as usual.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 behind bars, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is urging Ottawa to release some prisoners and limit further incarceration.

Michael Bryant, executive director and general counsel for the civil-rights group, on Sunday appealed to federal Attorney General David Lametti to act.

In a nutshell, a public health approach would necessitate that the releasable be released (and) that detention be a measure of last resort, Bryant wrote in a three-page letter to the justice minister obtained by the Star.

For those convicted, existing legal tools could be accessed to reduce the prison population (and immigration detention) through conditional releases, compassionate releases, and other discretionary measures, he continued.

Every release from confinement will alleviate overcrowding, avoid the spread of infection when the virus reaches penal institutions, and protect inmates, correctional officers, and the innocent families and communities to which detainees and inmates will return.

Bryant, who was Ontario attorney general when the provincial Emergency Management and Preparedness Act was updated after the 2003 SARS outbreak, said extraordinary measures must be taken during the health crisis.

For the presumed innocent, pre-trial, quasi-judicial discretion ought to be exercised so as to drop charges where it is in the public interest, which includes the public health issues raised by this pandemic, he wrote.

The veteran lawyer added that the public interest can be invoked to justify the liberation of a defendant, but not to justify the laying of a charge or continuation of a prosecution, absent a reasonable prospect of conviction.

He also said all police and prosecutors should be encouraged, with support from respective governments, to take into account public health goals, and exercise their discretionary authority by releasing those charged at the scene with less serious offences.

As well, Bryant implored Lametti to provide emergency funding of provincial legal aid services so those charged are not stuck in limbo.

Legal Aid Ontario, for example, dispatched duty counsel and funded defence counsel to assist with the disposition of charges and judicial interim releases this past week in Ontario, thereby permitting the release of over 1,000 in custody, he noted.

Bryant also asked Ottawa to ensure that there continues to be intergovernmental transparency of legal orders so Canadians are not left in the dark about the actions being taken the various levels of government.

Regarding access to information, during the coronavirus response, at least, the executive branch must better align itself with the legislative and judicial branches of the state, he said.

A judicial decision is made public immediately upon being rendered. The same is true of legislative action. The same is not true of cabinet orders. While political communication of an executive decision receives great attention before and after its made, the same cannot be said for the disclosure of legal orders.

On Saturday, Premier Doug Ford acknowledged there are concerns about conditions inside provincial jails during the pandemic.

Right now, I know our number one priority  is to take care of our correctional service guards, Ford said at Queens Park.

Theyre out there. Theyre on the frontline making sure that everything safe in the jails across this province, he said, adding Solicitor General Sylvia Jones is making sure theres that theres a plan to keep the jails safe.

Ontario Public Service Employees Union president Warren (Smokey) Thomas, who represents provincial jail guards, said Jones and her officials need to move quickly.

This threat needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand, said Thomas.

Correctional institutions can be a petri dish in terms of spreading infection and Im worried the reaction to this threat has been too sluggish. We need to get ahead of the danger, the union leader said Saturday.

We need to get the folks making decisions at the ministry level in a room with the medical experts who know what needs to be done to keep everyone in institutions safe, he said.

Our correctional facilities were already under enormous pressure and strain long before COVID-19 came along and this virus could bring complete mayhem if it is not kept in check. Walls and bars wont stop COVID-19, a clear plan based on advice from medical experts is our best hope to prevent tragedy.

A 50-year-old woman whose partner is at the Beaver Creek minimum-security prison in Gravenhurst is desperate for Ottawa to act.

Please. Im praying. Ill do whatever I can to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus to inmates, she said. Not just for their sakes but if it spreads in there, they wont be able to treat them they are going to have to be taken to hospitals and that will flood the hospitals and make it harder on everybody.

She said in order to plank the curve the government has to really get these inmates out. People like my boyfriend who are non-violent and at a very low risk to re-offend.

The woman, who is not being named by the Star out of concern for repercussions for her partner, said her partner was convicted of impaired driving and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.

The 54-year-old will be eligible for day parole in April and has been preparing for his parole hearing for weeks.

She is hoping that he can be released on full parole rather than day parole so that he can be at home with his elderly mother and two children  where it would be safer than a halfway house. He has also been a heavy smoker most of his life, making him particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, she said.

He keeps trying to calm me down, she said. Its getting to be a lotI just want him to come home to me.

She has been terrified for his physical and mental heath his entire time in prison, and has been counting down the days until he can be released.

I just dont want him now to get sick with coronavirus and not come out and we wont have a future, she said, near tears.

He told her on Friday that, as of Saturday, he and the other inmates at the prison are on lockdown. They are no longer allowed to leave their ranges, other than to have one hour a day outside. Visits with family have been cancelled, as has all programming including Alcoholics Anonymous, she said.

He is in constant close contact with other inmates now, she said. They are getting paranoid. Several inmates are coughing and sniffling and they are very concerned now about being cooped up all day long.

She said that they are not allowed to have hand sanitizer in the prison due to the alcohol content. Instead her partner has been using a rag and tiny amounts of disinfectant used to sanitize needles for harm-reduction to keep his own room and high-touch spots as clean as possible.
The SAARC Disaster Management Centre has launched a website for information related to the coronavirus pandemic in the region as proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent video conference with leaders and representatives of the member states.

The website shows the number of coronavirus cases in the member states, updating the numbers regularly.

It shows that at least 960 coronavirus cases have been reported in the SAARC region with maximum from Pakistan (495), followed by India (324), Sri Lanka (77), Afghanistan (24), Bangladesh (24), Maldives (13), Bhutan (2) and Nepal (1). The website says that at least 5 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in India, three in Pakistan, while two died in Bangladesh.

"From regional plan to regional action! SAARC Disaster Management Centre launches a website for information related to COVID-19 pandemic in the SAARC region, as announced by PM Narendra Modi during the video conference with SAARC Leaders," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

During the video conference last Sunday, Modi had called for using existing facilities, like the SAARC Disaster Management Centre, to pool in the best practices among all the member states to combat coronavirus.

"Looking ahead, we could create a common Research Platform, to coordinate research on controlling epidemic diseases within our South Asian region. The Indian Council of Medical Research can offer help coordinating such an exercise," the prime minister had said.

Modi had also proposed an emergency fund with an initial offer of USD 10 million from India. Apart from Modi, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza, had participated in the conference.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation and geopolitical union of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Image Credits: ANI
NHS healthcare workers have received a round of applause and flowers from staff at Tesco in a nod to their work during the coronavirus outbreak.

Tesco told the PA news agency that staff at stores across the country independently decided to make the gesture as part of the NHS hour it introduced today.

The new measure, introduced after some workers found shelves emptied by stockpiling, allows healthcare workers to arrive one hour before the usual store opening times every Sunday to buy supplies.

Workers in Belfast were greeted with a warm reception at the Tesco Extra on Knocknagoney Road, in a gesture which appears to have been mirrored by various outlets across the UK.

Showing our appreciation for our amazing NHS staff **a lot of people are commenting the same things... just to clarify, NHS ID cards were checked at the door and the store opened early for both NHS and Tesco employees** Posted by Michaela Osborne on Sunday, March 22, 2020

Video of the moment NHS workers entered the Northern Ireland shop, which is just a 10-minute drive from Ulster Hospital, shows people being handed bouquets as they enter the shop.

The footage has been shared widely on social media after being filmed by Tesco worker Michaela Osborne  who posted it to Facebook with the caption: Showing our appreciation for our amazing NHS staff.

Elsewhere many more similar stories were shared from Tesco stores in Llansamlet, Swansea, Kidsgrove in Staffordshire and Twickenham in London among others.

A huge thank you to @Tesco and other stores who have opened this morning for #NHS staff. NHS workers were handed flowers at Twickenham Extra and the staff gave everyone a round of applause. #Coronavirus #InItTogether pic.twitter.com/Ood3H7ZYWR  HRCH NHS Trust  (@HRCH_NHS) March 22, 2020

Sharing an image of one of the bouquets, the Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust tweeted: A huge thank you to

Tesco and other stores who have opened this morning for #NHS staff.

NHS workers were handed flowers at Twickenham Extra and the staff gave everyone a round of applause.

And the lovely Sheila from our Immunisations team led a round of applause for Tesco staff who are all working so hard for everyone affected by the pandemic.

In a statement on its new Sunday opening policy, Tesco said: We know that those working for the NHS may be finding it hard to find time to shop for their groceries at the moment.

They can come to our large stores one hour before the usual store opening time every Sunday, and will be able to browse the store and select their shopping before the checkouts open.

All we ask is that they bring a form of ID with them to store, such as an NHS staff card.
Seven more persons tested positive for coronavirus in Punjab on Sunday, taking the total number of confirmed cases of the deadly infection to 21 in the state, official said.

All fresh coronavirus cases were reported from Nawanshahr district on Sunday and they were either family members of a 70-year-old man, who was earlier tested positive, or the ones who came in contact with the septuagenarian, the official said.

Seven more persons have tested positive for coronavirus, Nawanshahr Civil Surgeon Rajinder Prasad Bhatia told PTI over phone.

Out of the seven, four were family members of the 70-year-old coronavirus positive man while two others had travelled with the septuagenarian while returning from Germany and one was a villager who came in his contact, said Bhatia.

The 70-year-old coronavirus patient, resident of a village in Nawanshahr district, had returned from Germany via Italy on March 7. He died at a hospital in due to cardiac arrest on Wednesday.

With seven more Nawanshahr residents testing positive, total number of confirmed cases in Nawanshahr district alone reached 14. Overall, the number of positive cases in Punjab has touched 21 mark.

On Saturday, six family members of the 70-year-old man had tested positive.

At present, 88 people in Nawanshahr had been home-quarantined.

In Punjab, four positive cases had been reported from Mohali, two from Amritsar and one from Hoshiarpur.

Meanwhile, Punjab on Sunday announced to enforce lockdown in the state till March 31 to check the spread of infection.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Alliance News) - Retailers John Lewis and New Look have announced the temporary closure of all of their stores in the latest blow to the UK high street amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The John Lewis Partnership said it was the first time in its 155-year history that it will not open its shop doors for customers, but added its online site Johnlewis.com will continue to operate as normal.

The group said it will temporarily shut all of its 50 John Lewis stores at the close of business on March 23.

Meanwhile, fashion retailer New Look also announced that it had temporarily closed all of its UK stores at 5pm on Saturday.

The company said its shops in the Republic of Ireland shut at the same time on Friday.

John Lewis chairwoman Sharon White, said in a statement: "While it is with a heavy heart that we temporarily close our John Lewis shops, our partners will, where possible, be taking on important roles in supporting their fellow partners, providing critical services in Waitrose shops and ensuring our customers can get what they need through johnlewis.com, which is seeing extremely strong demand.

"The partnership has traded for over 155 years, during which time we have faced many difficult periods, including two world wars and the 2008 financial crisis.

"On every occasion, thanks to our customers and partners, and the long standing relationships with our suppliers and stakeholders, we have emerged stronger.

"We all need to continue to support each other and our strength and resilience will be tested. But they will not be broken."

While the John Lewis stores will temporarily close, the group said its 338 Waitrose shops will remain open, as will waitrose.com.

More than 2,000 John Lewis staff are already working in Waitrose shops to cope with "unprecedented" demand for groceries following the coronavirus outbreak, the group said.

White was even reportedly seen helping to stack shelves in the Holloway branch of Waitrose.

It said staff will be redeployed to provide additional support to Waitrose and johnlewis.com "wherever possible".

John Lewis said a surge in demand in its Waitrose shops and a reduction in footfall at its John Lewis stores made predicting its full year cash flow and profits "difficult".

"The government's decision to introduce a business rates holiday will save the partnership around GBP160 million over the next 12 months, and in addition, VAT and wages support is welcomed," the retailer said.

The company said it had about GBP1.5 billion of liquidity, consisting of GBP950 million cash and GBP500 million of undrawn committed credit facilities.

The retailer said its plans to spend more than GBP500 million this year will now be "scaled back significantly", while it will also reduce the supply of general merchandise to reflect the impact of the shop closures.

Meanwhile, New Look said its newlook.com website would remain in operation during the temporary closures, adding that it had extended its refund policy to 90 days.

In a Twitter post, the company said: "These are uncharted territories for all of us and we thank you for your continued support during this time."

By Luke Powell, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Mumbai, March 22 : Automobile major Mahindra and Mahindra on Sunday announced suspension of manufacturing operations at its Nagpur plant with immediate effect due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the company, its other plants at Chakan (Pune) and Kandivali (Mumbai) will suspend manufacturing operations from Monday night onwards.

"None of the plants are working today, Sunday, March 22, 2020," the statement said.

"We are carefully monitoring the rapidly evolving Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to take swift and appropriate action on other plants in the state of Maharashtra and across the nation should the situation change." The company added that all its offices across the country have already implemented 'Work from Home'.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a large number of COVID-19-related bills into law Friday, after the Legislature worked to pass them quickly.

The signed bills included one sponsored by Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic, giving county clerks an additional week to mail ballots for the 2020 primary election.

On Thursday, Murphy signed into law a bill sponsored by Assemblyman John Armato, D-Atlantic, to temporarily allow professional and occupational licensing boards to speed up licenses for out-of-state medical professionals.

State recommends testing for health care workers exposed to COVID-19 Health care workers exposed to someone positive for the novel coronavirus more than likely 

Other bills signed include those to:

Extend the deadlines for adopting county and municipal budgets

Require school districts to provide school meals or meal vouchers to eligible students during COVID-19 school closings

Require health insurance and Medicaid coverage for testing of coronavirus disease, and for telemedicine and telehealth during a state of emergency

Allow public agencies more time to respond to a request for a government record during a time of emergency
By Trend

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) is operating charter flights, as air traffic with a number of countries has been suspended in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in Azerbaijan.

Two charter flights were made to Lankaran International Airport to return Azerbaijani citizens, AZAL told Trend.

On the night of March 21, AZAL transported 48 Azerbaijani citizens on a charter flight from Moscow to Lankaran and they have been quarantined.

In addition, on March 21, AZAL made another charter flight from Istanbul to Lankaran to return 248 Azerbaijani citizens.

More than 9,000 passengers have been transported to Azerbaijan by air from all over the world since March 15.

In the current emergency situation that most countries in the world have encountered, we once again urge our citizens to show restraint and understanding. As every citizen returning to our country undergoes a medical examination and quarantines, the date of return of citizens to the country is determined in accordance with preparatory work of the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers. For example, the schedule of charter flights delivering our citizens from abroad is compiled in accordance with preparation of special treatment hospitals and quarantine places, testing of people coming from abroad, logistics for people sent to quarantine, and other details.We urge our citizens to follow the information on the flight schedule and plan their visits in accordance with this schedule, the message says.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Dont expect Russia or Saudi Arabia to bail out shale again. Balancing the oil demand destruction resulting from the global spread of the Covid-19 virus requires action from all producers, and the leaders to make it happen.

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The forecasts for oil demand are grim. Analysts from Goldman Sachs Group to Macquarie Group and commodities trader Trafigura Group estimate the peak hit to global demand will be anywhere from 8 million barrels a day to 11.4 million. Consultancy IHS Markit says global oil markets face the possibility of the biggest crude surplus ever recorded. That is too big for any single producer, or small group of producers, to deal with alone. And its become painfully clear that they have no appetite to do so anyway.

In the space of two weeks Saudi Arabia has gone from being threatened with legal action in the U.S. for holding oil off the market to facing calls for legal action against it for flooding the market with it. Its not lost on the kingdom's leaders that the people who accused them of artificially inflating the price of oil by not pumping at capacity are the same ones who are now accusing the country of dumping crude since it opened the taps.

Dont be surprised that it has no desire to ride to anyones rescue. No doubt it would only be pilloried again for pushing prices up as soon as motorists complain about the cost of filling their tanks.

We have all become too used to Saudi Arabia (and the others in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) balancing supply and demand while the rest of the world pours cash into pumping as much as it can  even while destroying shareholder value on the way. Three years ago I suggested that U.S. lawmakers should applaud OPEC's market management  now I'm going to argue that they need to go further and join them in it.

The virus-related demand destruction will pass at some point, and the time will come when the world will need everyone to be pumping again. It makes no sense to allow the shale industry to be hollowed out, and why should the U.S. or other large producers expect someone else to sacrifice production when theyre not willing to give up any of their own? Soaking up crude by putting it back underground might bring temporary relief  if the Department of Energy can find enough high-sulfur crude pumped by small American producers  but it won't be long until the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is full.

Story continues

Dealing with the oil crisis  just like dealing with the wider health and economic crisis  needs a joined-up international response and leaders worthy of that name to lead it.

Sadly, at the moment we seem to be locked into a cycle of finger pointing and tough-guy posturing. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, appears content with what my colleague Javier Blas described as a period of Darwinian survival of the fittest. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he won't yield to Saudi "blackmail." While Russia would like higher oil prices  what producer wouldnt  its not prepared to act alone, or with a small group of other producers, to keep the rest afloat. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Donald Trump is being pressed by some to consider an import tariff, or other sanctions, on Saudi and Russian crude.

But the time for playing the blame game is past. Whether or not Saudi Arabia and Russia did the right thing by initiating a production free-for-all, any solution has now gone far beyond both OPEC and its wider OPEC+ coalition. On Thursday, Trump said he could intervene in an oil-price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that has left U.S. oil drillers reeling. The time to do so is now. Not by slapping trade barriers on their oil, but by using his deal-making skills to bring them together to agree a united response that includes America and the rest of the world.

The U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia  the world's three biggest oil producers (by far) in that order  should agree deep, but temporary output restraint. Each needs to bring its allies along to share the burden. This shouldn't become an open-ended OPEC++ arrangement, but a one-off, time-limited agreement.

It will be painful for oil companies everywhere and I have no doubt there will be howls of protest. But the alternative is the death of the shale sector or, if taken to extremes, possibly even some kind of a war in the Middle East to halt supply.

While striking such a deal wont be easy, there are signs of willingness to help make it happen. The Texas Railroad Commission has signaled its readiness to be part of a solution. Im sure other U.S. states and Canada will follow.

Saudi Arabia and Russia have both decided that high-cost producers outside the OPEC+ group must finally share the burden of balancing the market  if they won't, those high-cost producers may find they bear it all.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg. Previously he worked as a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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ANTWERP, Belgium - With only 20% of normal lung capacity, Sien Lagae was extremely wary of viruses before anyone in Belgium heard of the coronavirus  and has long relied on caregivers to help her get dressed, clean her house and provide home health care services.

Then one of her caregivers mentioned she had just paid 10 euros ($10.67) for a mask to protect herself and others from the virus. Lagaes hobbies happen to include sewing  and inspiration struck.

I suddenly had the idea to make some face masks for my physiotherapist so that she could protect herself and her patients better, Lagae said.

What started as a one-person operation about a week ago has mushroomed into a small army of home sewing Belgian mask makers. Membership in Lagaes Facebook page  Mondmaskers Naaien (Sewing Mouth Masks)  jumped to 3,000 two days after she started it and hit 5,300 on Friday.

In another boost to Belgiums mask making production, the countrys Van De Velde lingerie company is now producing masks for hospitals. The hospitals provide the material to the company and Van De Velde provides the labour for free.

Lagae, 31, from Torhout in western Belgium, created her first design from scratch. Belgian medical authorities then gave her an approved design and advised her on materials to use.

She makes her masks using two layers of cotton fabric so they can be washed at 90 C (194 F) and reused, taking care to ensure the masks fit well around the nose and chin.

Each member can produce about 20 masks per day, and it isnt only women sewing.

We have plenty of men, she said.

There is no suggested quota for members, with Lagae stressing that every mask does count.

So everyone who wants to help is welcome, even if you only make one a day, Lagae said.

Its unclear how the protection provided by home-sewn, reusable masks compare to mass produced masks, but masks are in very short supply with the World Health Organization asking manufacturers to boost production by 40%. Scientists think the coronavirus is mostly spread by respiratory droplets when people cough or sneeze, so masks provide a physical barrier to protect wearers.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. About 93,800 people have recovered, mostly in China.

Among Belgiums new mask makers is Anais Moyson, who is staying at home with her 3-year-old child because of Belgiums virus lockdown, which asks people to stay home and limit contact to immediate family members. Moyson saw home mask making as a way she could contribute to the effort to keep the virus at bay.

I had a lot of extra fabric at home, and also my sister-in-law works in a hospital as a midwife and they are affected by the shortage of masks, she said. I will also bring some to my doctors in the neighbourhood and to the nursing homes.

Mask making volunteer Lies Astro is sewing them for her relatives and friends.

The government first told us weeks ago they werent needed, then all of the sudden they say its better to wear them, she said. Since I couldnt find them anywhere I made (one) myself. Everyone was laughing at me, and now all my friends want one.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Income is one of the stronger predictors of health outcomes  and of how long we live, Woolf said. Lost wages and job layoffs are leaving many workers without health insurance and forcing many families to forego health care and medications to pay for food, housing, and other basic needs. People of color and the poor, who have suffered for generations with higher death rates, will be hurt the most and probably helped the least. They are the housekeepers in the closed hotels and the families without options when public transit closes. Low-income workers who manage to save the money for groceries and reach the store may find empty shelves, left behind by panic shoppers with the resources for hoarding.

Is there another way?

One of the best ideas I have come across was offered by Dr. David L. Katz, the founding director of Yale Universitys C.D.C.-funded Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and an expert in public health and preventive medicine.

Katz wrote an Op-Ed in The Times on Friday that caught my eye. He argued that we have three goals right now: saving as many lives as we can, making sure that our medical system does not get overwhelmed  but also making sure that in the process of achieving the first two goals we dont destroy our economy, and as a result of that, even more lives.

For all these reasons, he argued, we need to pivot from the horizontal interdiction strategy were now deploying  restricting the movement and commerce of the entire population, without consideration of varying risks for severe infection  to a more surgical or vertical interdiction strategy.

A surgical-vertical approach would focus on protecting and sequestering those among us most likely to be killed or suffer long-term damage by exposure to coronavirus infection  that is, the elderly, people with chronic diseases and the immunologically compromised  while basically treating the rest of society the way we have always dealt with familiar threats like the flu. That means we would tell them to be respectful of others when coughing or sneezing, wash their hands regularly and if they feel sick to stay home and get over it  or to seek medical attention if they are not recuperating as expected.

Because, as with the flu, the vast majority will get over it in days, a small number will require hospitalization and a very small percentage of the most vulnerable will, tragically, die. (That said, coronavirus is more dangerous than the typical flu we are familiar with.) As Katz argued, governors and mayors, by choosing the horizontal approach of basically sending everyone home for an unspecified period, might have actually increased the dangers of infection for those most vulnerable.

As we lay off workers, and colleges close their dorms and send all their students home, Katz noted, young people of indeterminate infectious status are being sent home to huddle with their families nationwide. And because we lack widespread testing, they may be carrying the virus and transmitting it to their 50-something parents, and 70- or 80-something grandparents.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Ensure your mouth and throat are always moist. Stomach acid can kill coronavirus. It's just the flu. China created COVID-19 as a biological weapon. At least 60 per cent of the population needs to be exposed to build up "necessary resistance" to the virus. All of these claims are inaccurate or unfounded but have quickly spread across the modern information landscape. They've been shared on social media, in some cases by well-known media personalities and politicians, and forwarded in WhatsApp messages to countless Australians. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, so does viral misinformation. As personal hygiene becomes an imperative, experts warn information hygiene is almost as important. The world may be battling two outbreaks; one of viral disease and one of viral misinformation. Credit:Bloomberg The public is facing information overload, making it hard to distinguish between what is fact and what isn't. Social media users will often hit post or retweet a lot of what they see and agree with, without fact checking it. Fake news is not new. But in the midst of a pandemic, it is particularly dangerous. A 2019 study by Caroline Fisher, the deputy director of the University of Canberra's News & Media Research Centre, which surveyed 2010 Australians, found only 36 per cent checked information they found online against other sources.

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"The problem is we have a really bad record of checking things," Ms Fisher explains. "Last year, we asked people about whether or not they engaged in fact-checking behaviours ... most people share stories [even if they think they're dubious]. They dont go and check with other sources of information. Very few people  only 30 per cent of people  check one story against other sources." Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged Australians to stop believing unverified content circulated on the internet and through text messages, after an online post that claimed to be based on information from an Australian government cabinet briefing said the country would be locked down by later this month. The post was a direct copy of a Malaysian government announcement. "There's a lot of ridiculous stuff that's circulating on text messages and the internet about lockdowns, and sadly, even cases of wilful fraud and fraudulent preparation of documents  even recordings alleging to represent cabinet meetings and things of this nature," Mr Morrison said. "Don't believe it  it's rubbish." The viral hoax message on coronavirus is a copy of Malaysia's announcement. Australian academics warn that increased use of social media combined with higher volumes of news content are causing misinformation and panic to spread more rapidly. For example, a graph created by Andreas Backhaus, a research fellow at Brussels-based think tank CEPS to help explain why coronavirus-related deaths were so high in Italy, spread rapidly across the internet without attribution last week. The graph was quickly contested with some sceptics asking whether it was from an authoritative source. Others pointed out that commentary in tweets accompanying the graph was incorrect such as the false claim Italy is solely testing people with symptoms (high-profile ABC medical commentator Norman Swan was among those who retweeted this misinformation).

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Monash University's Dr Carlo Kopp, who has been researching fake news since the 1990s, says the pandemic has created ideal conditions for the spread of misinformation, a problem amplified by more people working from home or being isolated. "We are seeing several nation state actors spreading conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus, we are seeing speculation being presented as fact by parties in parts of the mass media and social media, there has been a deluge of de facto and actual scams promoting false cures for the disease, sometimes intended to sell useless products, or promote dubious agendas, and in some nations, to distract the public from government bungling," Mr Kopp says. "The problem is compounded by increasing numbers of nations going into lockdown, with anxious citizens sitting at home spending time browsing the web or engaging on social media while off work. This has potential to become the proverbial 'perfect storm' of fake news propagation." Loading Misinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic has been circulating social media since January. Earlier this year, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher urged Australians to remain sceptical of what they read online, after NSW Health issued a public statement about a false post that urged people not to consume certain foods or visit locations in Sydney. There's also conspiracy theories  the US and China have separately been accused of creating COVID-19 as a bio-weapon.

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And then there's countless emails and WhatsApp messages which are not based in fact. Ms Fisher says the spread is being caused by the "reflexive" nature of social media. "The reason why it is being spread so quickly is because it is an emotional response, people are not thinking," she says. "Everyone is scared, so theres that panic. The virality of social media amplifies and facilitates that. "At the moment, there is no break between your adrenaline kicking in and you pressing share. It's this immediate reflex." A lack of clarity from authoritative sources like the federal government can also generate more confusion and panic. ABC chair Ita Buttrose recently complained mixed messaging from the Morrison government and state leaders over the dangers of coronavirus had confused the public. She's not the only person to make this point. But it's not just the government causing confusion.

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Two weeks ago, Dr Swan, who has accumulated a large following because of his prominent role at the public broadcaster, argued the government should shut down schools. But on his new podcast, Coronacast, last week, he was urging children to be in school. 2GB's Alan Jones, one of the most powerful radio broadcasters in the country, insisted most people would get a "mild illness". And on Fox Footy, Eddie McGuire suggested the warmer weather could slow the virus' spread and that it is "just the flu". Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, said it was important non-medical experts did not give medical advice to the public. It is a call backed by peak bodies such as the Public Health Association Australia which wrote to members last Wednesday asking them to reinforce the advice of Professor Murphy and his state-based colleagues. Loading Ms Fisher warns the media industry can play a part in misleading the public and causing panic. "This type of event ... it is the perfect news story. It ticks all of the boxes of prominent news values on conflict, fear, drama," Ms Fisher says. "What we need at a time like this is for journalism to be constructive, service journalism and not sensational clickbait. We need the news media to be providing accurate news information that is not increasing alarm in the community." Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are working to fact-check articles and posts on their platforms to improve the situation. A joint statement from Microsoft, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube earlier this week said the companies were working together on responses to the pandemic. Facebook uses fact-checkers to help remove misleading content and is working with global and regional health organisations to push out authoritative content for consumers. But it faced a glitch last Wednesday when a bug in its software caused user posts of news and information to be blocked as spam. Twitter is similarly trying to direct people to more accurate information. If users search coronavirus or COVID-19, a prompt at the top of the screen urges them to "know the facts", directing them to authoritative sites such as the Australian Department of Health.

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Dividend cuts are an inevitable consequence of the economy  both here and worldwide  sliding into recession in the coming months.

It is also a sound response, preferably accompanied by directors forgoing their generous bonuses if it means the money saved can ensure businesses survive the current crisis.

Already, at least 20 British companies have said they are cutting dividends or suspending them.

They include housebuilder Crest Nicholson, which has axed the 21.8p per share final dividend it was due to pay next month for the year ending November 2019  a move that has upset investors.

At least 20 British companies have said they are cutting dividends or suspending them

It means shareholders will have received just 11.2p per share in dividends for the year compared to 33p in the previous financial year. Bookmaker William Hill, software company Micro Focus and footwear retailer Shoe Zone have also axed dividends.

FTSE 250 company National Express has not gone so far, but has put its declared final dividend of 11.19p per share for 2019 under review.

While other companies are likely to follow suit, some investment trusts with an income bent should prove more dividend-resilient because of the income reserves they have squirreled away.

Data compiled by the Association of Investment Companies shows 21 investment trusts have increased their dividend payments to shareholders each year for more than 20 years.

Of these, 13 now have enough income tucked away in their reserves to pay at least a years dividend if future income payouts from shares were to dry up.

They include FTSE 100-listed Scottish Mortgage, a number of longstanding global trusts  such as Bankers (managed by Janus Henderson), F&C and Alliance  and UK income funds including Murray Income and JP Morgan Claverhouse.

Investment trusts have built these reserves because regulations allow them to store away 15 per cent of the income they receive every year from shareholdings.

Investment funds  commonly known as unit trusts or open-ended investment companies  are not allowed to do this.

Andrew Bell is chief executive of global trust Witan. The 1.2billion trust has increased its dividend every year since 1975  despite seismic stock market events such as the 2008 global financial crisis.

Bell says he is confident the trust can continue to grow the dividend. But he adds this would only be done if prudent to do so.

Dividends are less volatile than share prices, he says, and wed hope that even in a bad year for part of the trusts portfolio, some companies will still be in dividend growth mode.
Taiwan confirms 18 more cases of COVID-19, total at 153 (update)

ROC Central News Agency

03/21/2020 05:41 PM

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) Eighteen new cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported in Taiwan on Saturday, bringing the total number in the country to 153 since the outbreak began, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

They were all imported cases, with the ages of those infected ranging between 20 and 70 years old, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (), who also heads the CECC, said at the daily CECC press briefing on Saturday.

Among the 18, 12 were women and six were men, and they all returned to Taiwan from overseas between March 8 and March 19, Chen said. The majority of them started developing symptoms of the disease after returning home.

The countries they visited included Turkey, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Egypt, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and Indonesia, Chen said.

According to CECC data, a Taiwanese couple identified as cases No. 143 and No. 144 reside most of the time in the Czech Republic and had been to several countries before their return to Taiwan on March 19.

They are also relatives of the recently confirmed case No. 77 in Taiwan, a woman who visited the couple in the Central European country before they all traveled together to the United States from March 7 to 14.

Of the three, the wife (case 144) developed muscle pains and a throat ache on March 6 before their departure for the U.S., while the other two (case 77 and 143) started feeling ill a week later on March 14.

The couple came back to Taiwan on March 19, and were confirmed as having COVID-19 on Saturday, the CECC said, noting that their relative (case 77) returned a few days earlier on March 16 and tested positive for the virus the next day.

The 18 new imported cases consisted of individual travelers, tour group members, and students studying in France and the U.K., such as cases No. 138, 139, 141, 152 and 153, CECC data showed.

Seventeen of the confirmed cases were Taiwanese nationals, and one was an Indonesian woman in her 20s who returned home to attend a wedding March 14-15.

After returning to Taiwan, she began developing a cough and headache on March 17 and went to see a doctor at a local hospital.

She was confirmed COVID-19 positive on Saturday.

(By Ko Lin)

Enditem/ls

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The Spanish government has decided to extend for another 15 days the 15-day state of emergency announced on March 14 to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, El Pais and El Mundo newspapers reported on Sunday.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez communicated the decision to regional leaders during a videoconference call, the reports said. The nationwide state of emergency bars people from all but essential outings.

The death toll from Europe's second-worst outbreak of the virus jumped to 1,326 from 1,002 the day before, according to Spanish Health Ministry data released on Saturday. The number of cases rose to 24,926 from 19,980.

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At the stroke of 5 pm during the 'Janta Curfew' on Sunday, police and other security forces joined citizens across Jammu region to express their gratitude to those who have been at the forefront of India's fight against coronavirus and extending essential services risking their own lives.

"Indian Army keeping up to its ethos and traditions joined hands to show support and gratitude for the people who have been constantly working to keep the country safe and healthy amid the scare of COVID-19," a defence spokesman said.

"Towards this, Indian Army troops of White Knight Corps wholeheartedly thanked Doctors, Medical personnel, cleaning staff for their services to contain Coronavirus outbreak by clapping and ringing bells for five minutes at 5 pm," the spokesman said.

Similar scenes were witnessed at police stations, BSF and CRPF camps and other security installations across the region including the Line of Control and the International Border, officials said.

Meanwhile, Police arranged meals for the stranded people at Jammu bus stand and various other district headquarters including the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, the officials said.

Senior civil and police officers were seen making the rounds of the deserted streets and appeal to people to maintain social distancing to contain the deadly virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"We have made the difficult yet necessary decision to close after Friday, March 19th until this pandemic is over," the restaurant posted on Facebook. "We have absolutely no plans to close indefinitely, but until times are a bit more certain it is in our best interest to stop service for now. We are overwhelmed with the love and community support we have received through all of this. We love being a part of Michigan City and we look forward to brighter days in our future... During our little 'vacation,' we wish all of you health and happiness. Sending all our love and healing thoughts! Can't wait to see you all again very soon!"
Good Morning, welcome to Information Nigerias Newspaper headlines for today, 22nd March 2020.

Here are the major headlines.

Nigeria Records 10 Fresh Cases Of Coronavirus

Nigeria has recorded 10 new cases of coronavirus, including in the federal capital territory, Abuja, according to latest report. Osagie Enahire, minister of health, made this known on Saturday morning

Daura Residents, Emir, Hold Prayers Against Coronavirus

Despite the federal government directive that gathering of over 50 people be suspended as a preventive measure against the deadly coronavirus, the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouq has gathered a large group of people at his palace to pray against the deadly disease on Saturday, Channels television reports.

Coronavirus: FG Bars International Flights From Lagos, Abuja

Following the pandemic of coronavirus, the federal government of Nigeria has taken more steps in preventing the spread of the deadly disease by baring international flights from coming into the country via Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja.

COVID-19: NRC Shuts Down Railway ctivities

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced a shut down on all passenger train services with effect from Monday.

Lai Mohammed Reveals When Buhari Will Address The Country

Following public outcry calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to personally address the nation following the pandemic of coronavirus, Lai Mohammed, the minister for culture and Information has revealed that the president would do that when it is appropriate.

Bayelsa Government Shuts Down Schools, Bans Public Gatherings

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri has ordered the closure of schools in the state as a preventive measure against the spread of Coronavirus.

NYSC Suspends Monthly Biometric Verification

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced the suspension of group bio-metric clearance for corps members.

Set Prisoners Free, Use Prison As Quarantine Centers  REPS

A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Chukwuma Umeoji, has suggested that inmates of correctional centers across the country be set free, while prisons are converted to quarantine centers for patients who have tested positive for the Coronavirus.

Coronavirus: INEC Postpones Bayelsa, Plateau, Imo Bye-Election Indefinitely

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a statement informing the general public that bye-elections across the country have been postponed indefinitely as a result of coronavirus pandemic.

PDP Slams Buhari For Failing To Address The Country

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated President Muhammadu Buhari over his response to the senate for calling on him to address Nigerians over the scare of coronavirus.
Government is to begin a mandatory quarantine of all travellers arriving at Ghanas airports and land in Ghana from tonight, March 21, regardless of nationality.

Everyone who comes into the country before Sunday will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus, President Nana Akufo-Addo disclosed in an address to the nation on Saturday evening.

Following restrictions from recent travel protocols, the only admissible travellers into Ghana were Ghanaians and foreign nationals with residence permits in Ghana.

These persons were to engage in a mandatory self-quarantine for 14 days.

The President also announced the closure of the countrys border effective midnight on Sunday.

All our borders; by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday, he added in the address.

Ghana announced new travel protocols when the detected cases stood at seven.

Travellers who had been in coronavirus-hit countries with cases exceeding 200 within the 14 days preceding their arrival were to be barred from entering the country.

The admissible travellers who exhibit symptoms of the virus are to be quarantined and tested upon reaching Ghana.

The government said airlines had been instructed not to allow such persons into the country.

In general, the government said travel to Ghana was strongly discouraged until further notice.

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Ghana currently stand at 22 .

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough but severe illness can occur, especially in the elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions.

More than 287,239 people have been infected worldwide with over 11,921 deaths.

As the spread of the pandemic worsens, Countries around the world have been shutting down airports and imposing travel restrictions and completely sealing their borders.

citinewsroom
Earlier this month, the CEO of an Italian 3D-printing startup learned that a hospital near the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy was running short on a small but crucial component: the valves that connect respirators to oxygen masks.

The company that makes the valves couldn't keep up with the demand, and doctors were in search of a solution.

"When we heard about the shortage, we got in touch with the hospital immediately. We printed some prototypes. The hospital tested them and told us they worked," the CEO, Cristian Fracassi, told Reuters. "So we printed 100 valves, and I delivered them personally."

Similar efforts have popped up around the world. In Liverpool, New York, Isaac Budmen and Stephanie Keefe were printing more than 300 face shields for workers at a coronavirus test site in Syracuse this week, according to The Post-Standard of Syracuse. Budmen and Keefe, who run a business, Budmen Industries, selling custom 3D printers out of their home, turned to a fleet of 16 3D printers in their basement.

More from NBC News:

Graphic: See the day-by-day size of the coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus cases in New York State now top 10,000

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

With medical supplies strained by the coronavirus outbreak, health care professionals and technologists are coming together online to crowdsource repairs and supplies of critical hospital equipment.

Doctors, hospital technicians and 3D-printing specialists are also using Google Docs, WhatsApp groups and online databases to trade tips for building, fixing and modifying machines like ventilators to help treat the rising number of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The efforts come as supply shortages loom in one of the biggest challenges for health care systems around the world.

"We have millions of health care workers around this country who are prepared to do battle against this virus, but I am concerned there are a couple of areas of supplies they need to fight that virus as effectively as possible," Dr. Peter Slavin, president of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told NBC News' Chuck Todd on March 15, noting that protective equipment, including surgical masks and eye protection, was in particularly short supply.

"We wouldn't want to send soldiers to war without helmets and armor," he said. "We don't want to do the same with our health care workers."



The American Hospital Association says COVID-19 could require the hospitalization of 4.8 million patients, 960,000 of whom would need ventilators. As the demand for the equipment surges, making timely repairs will be critical to saving lives.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio warned Friday that the city could run out of basic medical supplies in as little as two weeks.

3D printing, a relatively new and niche technology that can create everything from houses to tiny and complex structures from raw materials, has remained mostly on the fringes of the manufacturing and health care sectors.

But the coronavirus has suddenly made it a crucial resource. On Thursday, Slavin called on people with 3D printers to help make protective masks for hospital staff.

"I would hope companies across the country ... would start making masks later this afternoon," he told NBC Boston.

One company, Copper3D, developed a 3D-printed N95 mask designed to filter out airborne particles that could carry the virus. The company released the plans for the mask, called "NanoHack," free online. A 3D-printing company in the Czech Republic, Prusa Research, has presented its prototype for a 3D-printed face shield to the Health Ministry for verification, according to a company blog post.

Several other initiatives have focused on repairing or building ventilators.

Residents at Mass General are planning a virtual open "moonshot" competition, CoVent-19, hosted online, to develop a rapidly deployable mechanical ventilator within 90 days.

They are inviting engineers, designers and technologists to collaborate with medical experts and technical ventilation specialists to build a device that allows a single existing hospital ventilator to treat multiple patients at the same time or a new type of low-cost ventilator that could be manufactured and distributed quickly.

"We are looking for a solution to rapidly expand our capacity but also not create a whole bunch of ventilators in the world that we won't need after the pandemic," said Dr. Sarah Low, who was among the hospital's anesthesia residents to develop the competition after elective surgical procedures were canceled and they were sent home.

Low said the easiest solution in terms of winning approval from the Food and Drug Administration would likely be a device that could be attached to an existing ventilator and could control the pressure, volume and oxygen being delivered to multiple patients.

The team has assembled an international panel of experts to shape the development of the ventilator and will officially launch the competition, inviting anyone to participate, in the coming week.

"It's a worldwide hackathon," she said. "The best ideas come from outside your field. The answer will come from somebody who doesn't normally think about ventilation."

The U.K.-based nonprofit Newspeak House has created the Coronavirus Tech Handbook, an online guide for responding to the pandemic.

"This is about how to use simple tech that people are familiar with in a sophisticated and nuanced way," said Edward Saperia, founder of Newspeak House, noting that the handbook is a Google Document and that collaborators are organizing via WhatsApp.

The guide includes a section on more than a dozen open-source projects to build an emergency ventilator using inexpensive hardware. Saperia also set up a WhatsApp group in which specialists discuss modifying, repairing or building ventilators. In screenshots of the group chat reviewed by NBC News, a doctor in India described how he modified a single ventilator to treat two patients.

The efforts  and their wider embrace by the medical establishment  underscore the urgency of the needs of medical professionals.

Kevin Cyr, a clinical student at the Stanford University School of Medicine who researches 3D printing for medical devices, said there are still challenges to crowdsourced solutions.

"The concerns are quality and the ability to manufacture at scale, with sterilization and the safeguards that are necessary for medical equipment," Cyr said. "And that's really been the topic that I've seen from the medical field and the FDA that they're still grappling with, which is trying to ensure the quality at a localized manufacturing facility.

"This case in Italy is a good example of doctors' identifying a concrete need that they can take to an innovator and could find a solution around," Cyr said.

Other efforts have focused on making sure information on how to fix medical devices is readily available. The gadget repair company iFixit is building a digital library of dozens of service manuals for ventilators and anesthesia machines that can be used as backup ventilators to ensure that the machines can be repaired as quickly as possible.

Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, said medical professionals face a challenge in part because of just how many different pieces of medical equipment are in use.

"The variety of equipment out there is huge," he said, which means it's rare to find technicians who have experience in repairing all types of ventilators.

Wiens said that by creating a central repository of repair manuals, he hopes to enable a bigger pool of independent technicians to repair medical equipment so hospitals don't have to wait for the manufacturers to send their own technicians.

iFixit is also considering providing designs to allow people to 3D-print key components for ventilators, such as valves, if there is demand for them from U.S. hospitals, he said.

"We are on the phone regularly with our local hospitals and doctors, and if any issues come up, we will try to develop solutions," he said.
Focus on nine stocks



The Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (Sebis) move to tighten the norms for derivatives trading has placed the spotlight on nine stocks in the derivatives segment. Analysts say Adani Enterprises, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Vodafone Idea, Jindal Steel, Just Dial, NCC, Punjab National Bank, PVR, and YES Bank will enter the ban period, where fresh positions will be barred and only unwinding of existing positions will be allowed. Further, there are over a dozen other companies which could be on the verge of entering the ban period. While one cannot say for sure if these stocks will correct or rally. However, one can expect frenetic activity as traders align themselves to the new rules, said an analyst. Samie Modak

MF distributor commissions to be hit

Persistent selling in the has significantly eroded commission-linked investor assets, handled by mutual fund (MF) distributors. Industry participants say this will further erode commissions on which MF distributors were depending on after the scrapping of upfront commission by Sebi. "Large asset base was helping some individual distributors as this still yielded decent trail-based commissions. However, erosion of asset base will deepen the cut on distribution income," said an individual adviser. "Higher asset base had become crucial in the industry to absorb cost of client acquisition and other operational costs, after removal of upfront payouts," he added. Jash Kriplani

Coal Indias m-cap less than dividend payouts

Shares of plunged to all-time low of Rs 122 last week. At that price, the state-owned company was valued at Rs 75,000 crore  less than the total dividend of Rs 79,000 crore paid by the company in FY14 and FY15. made its stock market debut in October 2010. In the IPO, stock was priced at Rs 245. Now, the stock trades at nearly half the issue price. Even if one adds all the dividends paid since listing, the adjusted stock price works out to Rs 290. Market players said the stock has proved to be a value trap. It has been a decade since Coal Indias listing. The stock has always topped the dividend yield charts, but failed to make real appreciation. Its an example why the market doesnt value PSUs, said an analyst. Samie Modak
Imagine that a year ago Theresa May, then Prime Minister, had made a dramatic announcement about public emergencies  slap bang in the midst of the Brexit turmoil.

On that very day, this site carried her press release confirming that Britains date for departure had been postponed until April 12 at the earliest  and that any further extension would mean participation in the European Parliamentary elections.

Within a week, Oliver Letwins motion to seize control of Commons business had been passed, with three Ministers resigning to vote for it. Now return to that imaginary statement from the then Prime Minister.

Lets suppose that she had said that the NHS was switching resources to buy ventilators and surgical masks; that HMRC was preparing to revise its systems to better reach the self-employed, and that the army was taking special measures to keep recruiting stations open in a crisis.

The uproar would have echoed nationwide. Leave EU would have denounced a Remainer scheme by Treason May. Labour MPs would have said that the NHS move was a plot to starve the services front line of resources.

As for the army, Carole Cadwalladr would have written that the whole exercise was a Leaver conspiracy, perhaps funded by Vladimir Putin, to prepare for a military coup. Some who claim to speak for the self-employed would have said that the new plans intention was to draw them, IR35-like, into being treated like employees.

Add to the mix the nations propensity to want public money to be spent now, rather than invested for a rainy day, and you will see at once why no such plan was made last year, but has never been made at all.

All this is not a bad way to start thinking about a real world aspect of part of the above  namely, the treatment of the self-employed under the Governments latest economic package to help counter the Coronavirus crisis. Those who work for themselves are undoubtedly being treated less generously than those who work for others.

There is a devils advocate defence of the rationale behind the Governments thinking, which we now set out in order ultimately to debunk it.

The case begins with practicalities. Rishi Sunaks new Jobs Retention Scheme is focused on firms and employees because these are relatively easy to find. The data that HMRC holds on them will be up-to-date in most cases. This is not so with the self-employed, and its claimed that the Government doesnt hold bank accounts for all of them.

If Ministers had stepped up their plans to make tax digital, and sought to push the plan faster on the self-employed, some would indeed have claimed that the whole business was an IR35-type plot.

The Government could reasonably object that some of the very same people who denounce Ministers for imposing too much state intrusion are now denouncing them for not imposing more. There is an additional practical problem which also becomes a philosophical one.

If a firm tries to cheat the Jobs Retention Scheme by taking the money, claiming that workers have been furloughed, and then quietly insisting that they continue to work, the fraud will be relatively easy to trace.

For example, employees could complain  and ultimately make those complaints public. But if a self-employed person takes the money and defrauds the system, who is to know? So there is moral hazard in the taxpayer footing the bill.

The issues of principle stretch wider. If a firm goes bust and its employees lose their jobs, they will have none to return to when the crisis lifts. But if a self-employed actor or plasterer or electrician or childminder wont have to face that problem, some of those close to the Governments planning say.

Furthermore, Tory MPs suggesting that their self-employed constituents cant live on expanded Universal Credit  the cornerstone of planned help for them at present  should think through what theyre saying. Labour and Momentum will be taking a note of their names and seats.

And will remind voters, when the time comes, that their local Conservative MP intimated, while the Coronavirus was raging, that Universal Credit isnt enough to live on. Whats changed, they will ask?

Now we said above that we would set out this case in order ultimately to dismiss it  and so we shall. For example, it isnt convincing to argue that, once the virus abates, the self-employed will simply be able to pick up where they left off.

The actor may find that the theatres take time to get back to full tilt. The childminder, that families have shifted their childcare habits for good, as they are now used to working from home.

The plasterer, that their former clients have discovered the money-saving joys of renovating and repairing their properties themselves. And so on. But the core of the case for putting the self-employed on the same basis as other workers is less theoretical than remorselessly political.

Just as public sector workers lean Labour, so the self-employed lean Conservative. No wonder Tory MPs are knocking so loudly on the Chancellors door.

As for moral hazard, well, it was suspended for the banks during the financial crisis, on the ground that the entire economic system would be imperilled by their collapse. What was good for the capitalist goose in 2008 must hold good for the workers gander in 2020.

Given the scale of the crisis, there is a trade-off between fraud and simplicity. Ministers have little choice but to baptise voters with a financial hosepipe, even if some of them dont need the money (or will run off with cash to which theyre not entitled).

In any event, there are simple actions that can help. The Government is already deferring the next quarter of VAT payments until the end of the financial year.

With the economy contracting at a frightening rate, Ministers have little choice but to delay them further, or write off a proportion of them altogether. There is no point in giving with one hand through Universal Credit while taking with the other through VAT  or income tax at the standard rate.

Bright Blue argues that the self-employed should get the equivalent of the Maternity Allowance, which is around 150 per week, rather than Statutory Sick Pay, which is 94.25 per week.

It also says that the Government could and should offset the five-week wait for Universal Credit by easing the repayment of advances and paying more of the credit upfront. That is sensible. Then there is the coming increase for some in bank overdraft charges.

The Financial Conduct Authority says that seven out of ten people will be better off as a consequence of new rules. Even on those figures, three out of ten wont be at this turbulent time.

And since the Authority argues that all those who run up unarranged overdrafts will be better off and see no change, the losers will, according to their own logic, be those who have arranged overdrafts. This is an unreasonable burden on the latter at this or perhaps any time.

As matters stand, some Conservatives will take up arms for the self-employed. Others will ask: where will this spraying about of taxpayers money end? With 30 years of socialism, as Thatcherites used to complain?

Tomorrow, ConHome will be writing about the Governments proposed Emergency Legislation. There will be no end of calls for sunset clauses, regular Ministerial statements and future Commons votes. They are a model for checks that should also be applied to the gargantuan but necessary state spending expansion thats now taking place.
MELBOURNE, March 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged people on Saturday to cut non-essential internal travel and asked older residents to stay at home to help combat the spread of the coronavirus, which has now infected more than 50 people in the island nation.

The 39-year-old leader said in a televised address that she will keep schools open for now, in a similar policy employed in neighbouring Australia.

"Schools will be closed if there is a case that affects a school, as we have been doing to date," Ardern said.

"Sending children home at this stage, though, doesn't necessarily reduce transmission in the community," she said, "but I can assure you we are constantly monitoring these settings to keep children safe. As a mum, I can assure you that is my key consideration."

Announcing a new alert system, Ardern said New Zealand was at level two, where the virus is contained but the risks are growing as there are more cases. She urged those aged over 70 to stay home as much as possible.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand's director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, said there were 14 new cases of COVID-19 in the country in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 53.

While the policies being enacted in New Zealand and Australia are unprecedented there, and include a ban on non-residents from entering, they are less stringent than measures being employed in parts of Europe and North America which have suffered higher rates of infection and are in lock-down.

New Zealand and Australia are also gateways to small Pacific islands, which are now starting to grapple with the epidemic. French Polynesia and Guam are among the hardest hit island countries in the Pacific, although COVID-19 cases have also been recorded in Fiji and New Caledonia.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Jonathan Barrett; Editing by Leslie Adler)
AROUND 160,000 families in Cebu City will each receive 25 kilos of rice from the City Government.

It is the Citys measure to help residents who are affected by the no work, no pay principle following the closure and suspension of work of some establishments due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Cebu City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia said the City will start the distribution Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

Garcia emphasized that the distribution cannot be done in a day given the number of families concerned.

He said the rice assistance is only the first wave of the aid. The City is now finalizing the second wave, which is the distribution of food packs.

Jose Daluz III, City special assistant for budget concerns, said each household still have to be profiled which will be conducted by barangay officials.

The breadwinner and/or the head of the family has to be an informal earner and is taking care of a senior citizen or person with disabilities (PWD).

Daluz said a family has to meet one of the qualifications for them to be qualified to receive the assistance.

He emphasized it is not necessary that the beneficiaries are voters of the city.

We said residents, we did not say Cebu City voters. If they are residents of Cebu City, they have been residing here for a long time and they are informal earner and they have a family residing here, then they are qualified, Daluz explained.

In the conduct of the distribution, Daluz said personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police will be present. (JJL)
Pressure was on Sunday mounting for Hong Kong to follow Singapore and Taiwan in closing its borders on all non-residents as it reported 44 new coronavirus infections, the second-highest single-day spike since the outbreak began.

Of the newly confirmed cases, 29 involved travellers returning from North America, Europe and Asia, including seven students. There were also cases with unknown chains of transmission, raising fears of possible community outbreaks.

The flurry of diagnoses took the citys confirmed infection tally to 317, with four deaths.

The Hong Kong government also revealed on Sunday night that police were investigating 41 cases of quarantine violation, including five people who could face prosecution for leaving their confinement without permission or removing their tracking wristbands.

While the five people had been found, police were still tracking down the other 36, who left their designated address without approval.

A top medical expert warned that the number of infections could reach 1,000 in the next few weeks unless drastic measures were taken.

Dr Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the advisory committee on communicable diseases at the Hong Kong Medical Association, said the city could reach a point of no return. He urged the government to ban non-residents from entering without compelling reasons.

graphic for online

Earlier in the day, Singapore announced just that. Starting at 11.59pm on Monday, the Lion City will ban all short-term visitors from entering or transiting through it. Even foreign work pass holders will not be able to re-enter the country, except those who provide essential services such as health care, as well as their dependants.

The countrys National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, tasked with containing the spread of the disease, said closing the border was a hard decision for a small, open economy such as the city state. But he said it was necessary given the risks of imported cases and the scarcity of valuable medical resources.

Story continues

For every visitor that comes through, for every work pass holder that comes through, they take up resources. They take up enforcement resources who are asked to enforce the 14-day self-isolation, and if one were to fall sick, they take up medical resources, Wong said. During this time, we just have to focus our resources on the returning.

Another regional transport hub, Taiwan, also shut its doors to all non-citizens.

Asked if Hong Kong would follow Singapores lead, a government spokesman replied in a statement that it needed to conduct a thorough risks assessment first.

The assessment will take into account factors such as the number, distribution and rate of increase of infected persons, measures put in place for surveillance and control of the outbreak, and the frequency of visits by Hong Kong residents, it said.

Since last Tuesday, when Hong Kong first announced that all non-residents  except those from Macau and Taiwan  would be put under a 14-day home quarantine, the city has reported 90 imported cases. Over that six-day period, the health authorities also identified 45 cases that may possibly be local, although they could not ascertain the chains of transmission.

In the preceding six days, Hong Kong recorded only 25 imported cases and six possible local infections.

Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, another local infectious disease expert, supported the idea of barring non-residents from entering. He said the citys public health system could collapse if there were more than 800 infections.

The daily number of non-resident arrivals has dropped from 2,800 to about 600 since Hong Kong introduced the 14-day home-quarantine measure. But Tsang said more needed to be done.

The government must come up with plans to further lower the number of non-resident arrivals from the current 600 or so. There are still other ways to do it, even without a total ban, he said.

For instance, the authorities can consider requiring all visitors to present health certificates before allowing them in.

Gabriel Leung, an epidemiologist and dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said viral tests on saliva samples from airport arrivals should cover those aged 60 or above, and people returning from Europe and North America, even if they have no symptoms.

You can simply distribute empty bottles to all travellers who have been to Europe and North America  the results will be out in 24 hours or 48 hours, he said. This would be better than knowing nothing at all [about whether people are infected].

Hong Kong is one of the few places in the Asia-Pacific region yet to introduce a blanket travel ban.

Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Saturday issued a directive that banned all foreigners from entering, and suspended flights carrying foreign passengers. Australia and New Zealand also closed their borders to any foreigners who are not permanent residents, while Malaysia banned visitors and imposed a partial lockdown until the end of March to restrict the movement of its residents.

In mainland China, the central government announced all international passengers heading to the capital Beijing would be redirected to 12 designated entry points scattered across the country. They would be quarantined for 14 days, and be allowed to continue to Beijing only after testing negative.

Chinese authorities said the measures were necessary because Beijing had become a top destination for imported cases on the mainland, reporting 13 such new cases on Sunday.

To prevent similar imported cases, the Hong Kong government has set up a temporary test centre at AsiaWorld-Expo, near the airport. Officers have been carrying out Covid-19 tests on arrivals who show upper respiratory symptoms or have a fever.

Tsang said these people needed to be tracked and to take further tests later, even if their first tests come back negative, because the coronavirus had an incubation period of 14 days or longer.

Additional reporting by Dewey Sim

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Mahindra and Mahindra Limited on Sunday announced the suspension of operations at its Nagpur plant with immediate effect due to coronavirus concerns.

The production at the company's Chakan and Kandivili facilities will also be suspended from Monday night onwards, M&M said in a statement.

All the three plants are closed today as well.

"In light of heightened concern on spread of Coronavirus in Maharashtra, we have decided to suspend the manufacturing operations at our Nagpur Plant with immediate effect and Chakan (Pune) and Kandivali (Mumbai) from Monday night onwards," the company said.

It said that the company has taken 'proactive, preventive and pre-emptive measures" at all its offices and manufacturing locations in the country, to ensure employee safety and contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

"We are carefully monitoring the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to take swift and appropriate action on other plants in the state and across the country should the situation change,' it added.

Meanwhile, all the company's offices across the country have already implemented 'work from home,' among other measures.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
What's Next After Self-Isolation? Expert Outlines Our Coronavirus Future

By Ardita Dunellari March 21, 2020

As major cities in the United States and around the world roll out strict measures to control the spread of coronavirus, public health experts warn that a couple of weeks of self-isolation will not solve the problem and say the public needs to prepare for extended restrictions in response to the disease.

Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist with the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, explained the efforts to VOA as an attempt to buy time for an overwhelmed public health system.

"We're trying to reduce the number of people who become sick at any one time. And essentially what that does is that it stretches it [the epidemic] out over time," she said, adding that this approach does not guarantee fewer infections but rather a more manageable burden on the health infrastructure.

Despite these efforts, she said, she expects the situation to get much graver in the days ahead.

"There's just not a lot of extra capacity," she said, "Not enough doctors and nurses, not enough personal protective equipment, we're now seeing not enough important medical technologies like ventilators. So it's a really challenging situation."

Nuzzo said scientists and medical practitioners raised concerns about inadequate capabilities with the U.S. health care system long before the crisis.

Nuzzo last year headed a joint effort by Johns Hopkins, the nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, which resulted in the Global Health Security Index pointing to insufficiencies in the system in managing a pandemic. But even professionals such as Nuzzo didn't foresee the extent of the problem.

"The situation that we're in in the United States, where we are unable to really scale up laboratory-based testing, was not something I would have anticipated," she said. "That seemed like something that we were capable of handling in previous pandemics and epidemics, and so I hadn't anticipated that that would be as much of a challenge as it has turned out to be."

Reaction to the epidemic around the world has produced varying results, but Nuzzo warned that no nation, no matter how developed, is immune to a devastating blow from a sudden spread of infections.

"I don't think there's any health system that can handle a huge surge in critically ill patients like Italy is seeing," she said.

As far as the success achieved by some other countries, Nuzzo said she believes other factors led to those results.

"A very high proportion of their [Italy's] cases are among individuals we know to be at increased risk of severe illness and death, and that's older individuals," she said. "Other countries like South Korea and Singapore, that have had a bit more success in their response, have also had perhaps the luxury of having this disease be limited to more younger members of their population."

Nuzzo said she thinks the problem is far from over even for China, where authorities said Wednesday there had been no new cases of domestic transmission for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.

China is now beginning to remove restrictions in Wuhan by allowing a gradual return to economic activity. Nuzzo welcomed the news, saying she hopes the return of industrial production in China will improve U.S. medical equipment shortages.

"China is an important producer of essential medical products like personal protective equipment." she said. "So we very much need them to go back to work. But it does raise the question of whether their cases will increase once they do go back to work."

The ultimate answer to coronavirus will be a vaccine, but that might be years away, Nuzzo said.

"If all the science works in our favor and all the clinical trials worked out and we identify a vaccine that can be safe and effective, that's probably something that we could have, all going well, in 12 to 18 months," she said.

"That said," she added, "we still have to then produce it, we still have to manufacture it, and that requires dedicated facilities and, you know, a scale-up of resources that may not even fully exist.

"So I anticipate that getting quantities of vaccine at the levels that we will need will take some time thereafter, possibly years thereafter."

Meanwhile, scientists are working on identifying drugs and therapies to help treat the disease.

It's too early to calculate the disease's global fatality rate, but Nuzzo said information can be gleaned from current trends, saying that for most of the world, "this disease is more deadly than the flu."

She said she believes measures such as lockdowns and self-isolation that control the spread of the virus are of great value in controlling the surge of infections. Where possible, she encourages controlling stress and anxiety through physical activity outdoors to make isolation more manageable.

Reacting to a new National Institutes of Health study showing that the coronavirus can remain viable and infectious in droplets in the air for hours, Nuzzo stressed that there is no risk of contracting the virus from breathing. The study, she said, used an aerosol to disperse the virus in the air, in droplets which kept the pathogen viable for hours.

"It takes a procedure to generate an aerosol, it's not something that a human can just generally do throughout life," she said, adding that droplets of saliva released through coughing or sneezing are too heavy and fall to the ground immediately, so they cannot float through the air to infect others for hours.

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In Ukraine, eight out of 47 patients with a new type of coronavirus recovered. The Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reports.

"As of the morning of March 22 in Ukraine, 47 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded, including 3 fatal cases, and 8 people recovered," - the report said.

The situation in the regions of Ukraine:

Dnipropetrivsk region - 2;

Donetsk region - 1;

Zhytomyr region - 2 (1 lethal);

Ivano-Frankivsk region - 2 (1 lethal);

Kyiv - 9;

Kyiv region - 4;

Lviv region - 1;

Ternopil region - 1;

Chernivtsi region - 25 (1 lethal, 8 recovered).

According to the Ministry of Health, since the beginning of the year, the Center for Public Health has received 531 reports of suspected COVID-19: 47 confirmed, 441 negative results, 43 samples examined.

As we reported before, In Italy, 20% of doctors have become infected with coronavirus since the epidemic began to spread in the country. The UN reports on Twitter.

In Italy, according to the BBC, as of March 21, over 53 thousand Italians have already become infected with a deadly infection. During the day, 793 deaths from COVID-19 disease were recorded there.
Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) smiles as he speaks during a House Rules Committee hearing on the impeachment against President Donald Trump on Dec. 17, 2019 (Patrick Semansky/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

California Congressman in Critical Condition After Accident, Pneumonia

His office says he didn't test positive for COVID-19

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) is in critical condition after falling during a run, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

DeSaulnier, 67, suffered a traumatic rib fracture while he was jogging before he was hospitalized on March 13, his chief of staff, Betsy Arnold Marr, said on Saturday.

He then developed pneumonia due to his injuries and is now in critical condition. DeSaulnier did not test positive for the CCP virus when he was given a test, according to Marr.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

The doctors are doing everything they can to care for the Congressman, Marr said. Marks family and staff appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.

Unfortunately, Congressman DeSaulniers condition has deteriorated and he is in critical condition, her statement also said. The doctors are doing everything they can to care for the Congressman.

The congressman was elected in 2014 to Californias 11th congressional district.

The state of California had the third-highest number of CCP virus cases in the United States behind New York and Washington state.

Three members of Congress so far have contracted the virus, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), whose office said Sunday that he appears to be asymptomatic. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) have also tested positive.

Paul will still work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time, according to a Twitter post on his account. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.

The 57-year-old junior Kentucky senator is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person, it added.

A staffer working for Vice President Mike Pence was confirmed to have contracted it. Pence and his wife were tested for the virus, and the results came back negative on Saturday. Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual, Pence spokeswoman Katie Miller said in a statement. Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines.

More than a dozen lawmakers have entered voluntary self-quarantine amid the pandemic, and its likely that more will be infected.
Rival brides Stacey Hampton and Hayley Vernon faced off at the girls' night reunion on Sunday's episode of Married At First Sight.

But Daily Mail Australia can reveal there was a lot more drama happening behind the scenes that viewers didn't see on TV.

There were tears, tantrums and crisis talks with producers during filming at The Toxteth pub in Sydney's Glebe on November 26.

Tears, tantrums and crisis talks: Most of the drama at the Married At First Sight girls' night happened off camera during filming at The Toxteth pub in Sydney's Glebe on November 26. Pictured: Connie Crayden, Stacey Hampton, Elizabeth Sobinoff, KC Osborne and Mishel Karen

Poppy Jennings didn't get much airtime on Sunday, but she caused major problems for producers by bursting into tears and threatening to leave.

In exclusive on-set footage, the mother-of-two wept during a tense conversation with a MAFS staffer, who seemingly convinced her to stay.

An onlooker said: 'She spent time alone away from the cameras making a phone call, before a producer sat with her and calmed her down. Things got quite tense.'

Emotional wreck: Poppy Jennings didn't get much airtime on Sunday, but she caused major problems for producers by bursting into tears and threatening to leave

Is everything okay? In exclusive on-set footage, the mother-of-two wept during a tense conversation with a MAFS producer, who seemingly convinced her to stay

Cathy Evans attempted to flee the girls' night, too.

The 26-year-old logistics investigator was pictured looking emotional outside the venue where the brides had gathered for the reunion.

Two producers spent several minutes talking to her outside, before one of them ran back into the pub to retrieve Cathy's jacket as she shivered in the street.

The pep talk appeared to work, because Cathy eventually agreed to return to the set.

Hard night: Cathy Evans attempted to flee the girls' night, too. She was pictured looking emotional outside the venue where the brides had gathered for the reunion

Pep talk: Two producers spent several minutes talking to her outside, before one of them ran back into the pub to retrieve Cathy's jacket as she shivered in the street

In scenes that didn't air on Sunday night, Hayley was briefly whisked off set after things became too heated with the other brides.

The girls' night was filmed in an outdoor terrace that was blocked off with a black curtain, but Hayley was made to sit with regular punters back in the pub for several minutes to 'cool off'.

'She was marched out from behind the curtain and forced to sit in the corner of the pub with producers,' an eyewitness said.

'The locals had no idea what was happening, and began laughing when producers jumped in front of the windows to block the paparazzi outside.'

Time out: In scenes that didn't air on Sunday night, Hayley Vernon was briefly whisked off set after things became too heated with the other brides

Nothing to see here! Producers attempted to hide Hayley from the paparazzi with little success

Can we do that again? Meanwhile, Vanessa Romito was made to film her arrival six times. Producers kept asking her to do it again, hoping for 'a bit more attitude'

Meanwhile, Vanessa Romito was made to film her arrival six times. Producers kept asking her to do it again, hoping for 'a bit more attitude'.

In a bizarre twist, ex-MAFS star Nasser Sultan also tried to crash the shoot on his moped but was chased away by security.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.

Set: The girls' night was filmed in an outdoor terrace at The Toxteth pub that was blocked off with a black curtain (left). Locals were confused by the presence of camera crews and security
Two special trains carrying passengers from Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra arrived at Howrah station on Sunday, Railway sources said.

The medical officers of the state government examined the passengers who disembarked at both Howrah and Kharagpur railway stations, they said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Saturday alleged that the Railways was not ensuring proper screening of passengers entering the state through long-distance trains.

She claimed that migrant workers from the state, particularly those in Maharashtra, were being packed off in trains and sent back without medical checkups.

The special train from Mumbai arrived at the New Complex of Howrah station at 7.22 am following which 1,000 passengers were cordoned off by RPF and GRP personnel and examined by the medical officers, the sources said.

Another special train carrying passengers from Pune arrived at Howrah at 6.25 pm.

The medical officers also examined the passengers who disembarked at Kharagpur railway station, the sources said.

Apart from the special trains, passengers of all long- distance trains arriving at Howrah in the South Eastern Railway jurisdiction on Sunday were being screened for any signs of fever, cough, they said.

The Indian Railways on Sunday announced the cancellation of all passenger train services in the country till March 31 to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nigerian police with megaphones struggled to keep the faithful in bustling Lagos away from church on Sunday, as worshippers in Africa faced tough restrictions aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus. "Go home, coronavirus is not a joke," a uniformed officer shouted at a crowd in the tightly-packed slum Makoko. Authorities in the city of around 20 million have limited religious gatherings to no more than 50 people -- a miniscule number compared to the thousands who regularly pack out churches. Tensions rose as worshippers clustered at the gate of Makoko's Celestial Church of Christ only to find policemen handing out fliers on the dangers of the virus blocking their way. "No-one told us that the churches were closed," shouted Judith, a young woman dressed up in her best Sunday outfit of a sparkling dress. "We want to pray, coronavirus is not here -- it is the whites who brought it to us." Florence Uche, a regular at the Methodist Church of the Trinity on Lagos island, said she would not miss the Sunday service for "anything in the world". But she still had her temperature taken at the entrance and insisted she was not hugging her fellow worshippers any more. "God told me three days ago to spread the word that the spirit of coronavirus is dead. We will soon attend its funeral," she said, brandising a bottle of hand sanitiser. Some 30 kilometres (18 miles) away in neighbouring Ogun state, thousands of believers flocked to one of Nigeria's largest pentecostal churches despite similar limitations from local authorities. "Coronavirus cannot stop God's children, but I assure you that the solution will be found this week," Bishop David Oyedepo told those gathered at the Living Faith World Outreach Ministries. The roughly 10,000 people praying and singing was still far short of the 50,000 that the church can hold as worshippers were told to gather in homes and local church branches to follow the service on television. "Our markets are open so there is no way to curb this but only God can save Africa from this pandemic," the bishop said. - 'For our health' - From Kenya, to South Africa, to Nigeria, authorities across the continent have imposed draconian limits on their deeply religious populations to curb the rising number of confirmed infections. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation of some 190 million people, currently has 27 recorded cases, but testing has been limited. Most places of worship were closed in Kinshasa, the chaotic capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the first time in living memory. "Since we were born we can't remember anything like this," Catholic priest Father Michel from the shuttered Notre Dame de Fatima told AFP. "But it is for our own good, for our health." Services were broadcast over the internet and radio, and donations were made online after religious leaders told citizens to take the new virus as seriously as the Ebola epidemic that has ravaged the country. "It is quite shocking as Sunday is the day dedicated to Jesus," said 16-year-old high school student Deborah. "But we understand that it is for our own security." Elsewhere in the region, pastors have come up with new ways to reach out to their congregations. In Abidjan in Ivory Coast evangelical preachers made tours of private houses where worshippers had been told to gather in groups of 20 or 30. Soap and sanitiser was waiting for visitors outside one home in the crowded district of Yopougon as some 20 people inside sat on plastic chairs one metre apart from each other. "Usually the congregations are about 3,000 or 4,000 people," said evangelist Elie Kone from the Baptist church. "But this is not too serious -- our faith is above all inside us." Despite a government ban of gatherings of more than 100 people in Zimbabwe, worshippers flocked to Harare churches on Sunday. The Zimbabwe government stepped up its rhetoric to try and dissuade people, even going so far as to say that worshippers risked going to hell. "Let?s be responsible. All of us will die. And then go to hell," government spokesman Nick Mangwana said on Twitter. burs-cl/del/har Worshippers clustered at the gate of Makoko's Celestial Church of Christ only to find policemen handing out fliers on the dangers of the virus
Though Cate Blanchetts Hela in Thor: Ragnarok left much to be desired in terms of character depth and exploration, the actress perfectly embodied the ruthless killer with a fearless sense of omnipotence and superiority; she slayed and then sashayed with a strut to be remembered. Yet, why did the two-time Oscar winner and six-time nominee choose to step into the skin of a Marvel Cinematic Universe villain? Why join the MCU for a single turn  as a force destined to be eliminated by the end?

Actress Cate Blanchett arrives at the premiere of Disney and Marvels Thor: Ragnarok | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Cate Blanchett explained why she was drawn to the role of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, as well as some of the difficulties that the character presented.

Cate Blanchett on why she chose to portray Hela in Thor: Ragnarok

When asked why she wanted to portray Hela in the MCU  one of the most formidable foes to ever threaten the God of Thunder, who was capable of destroying Mjolnir with one hand  the actress kept her answer short and sweet. Blanchett provided three clear reasons:

A) It was Taika. B) It was the goddess of death. And C) Theres never been a female Marvel villain. Cate Blanchett / LA Times

From Taika Waititis unique directorial flair to the opportunity to play the first major villain in one of the most successful franchises, Blanchett could not walk away from Hela. And, the actress has experience taking on roles in franchise films, as she previously starred in both Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings.

Remember deadly agent Irina Spalko who was also on the hunt for the Crystal Skull of Akator in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Or, what about Galadriel  the royal Elf of Noldor and Teleri? When it comes down to it, Blanchett seems drawn to the fantastical and the mystical  as such roles likely present a nice change of pace from the real-life  often emotionally debilitating characters she tends to try on for size.

Cate Blanchett on her struggle getting into character and Helas get-up in Thor: Ragnarok

Cate Blanchett explained to the LA Times that her biggest struggle transforming into Hela was the need to feel powerful and credible as a villain, all while wearing a CGI suit and some over-the-top headpiece. She labeled the role an exercise in tone for this reason. Blanchett stated:

The headdress is such a huge part of when she comes into the height of her powers in the filmI only wore that really in the photo shoots. I had to sort of imagine what it was like being a reindeer. LA Times

Though fans hoped to see Cate Blanchett play a character who would continue to exist in the landscape  and go on to receive the same sort of complex and layered depiction inherent to Loki  this actresss time in this superhero soiree has likely come to an end. However, who knows what Kevin Feige and Co. may have tucked up their sleeves?
According to the current analysis of Reports and Data, the Global Artificial Urethra Market is expected to reach USD 946.62 Million by the year 2027, in terms of value at a CAGR of 12.5%. The efflux of urine is a common condition, which affects the patients quality-of-life. Incontinence may arise as a consequence of a weakness of the urinary bladder or sphincter dysfunction, usually over-activity. The artificial urethra, also called the artificial urinary sphincter, consists of a cuff or ring that is placed around the urethra. There is a pump placed in the wall of the scrotum, which can be manually squeezed. Upon squeezing the pump, fluid is shifted from the cuff to a balloon or reservoir that is placed behind the abdominal muscles.

Increasing investment in the market, which are supporting technological advancements, and a rise in healthcare expenditure are estimated to shape the growth of the artificial urethra market. The technological advancements in artificial urethra include the development of enhanced silicone rubber designs, advanced slings, and other flow securing devices. Due to these advancements in recent times, artificial urethras have demonstrated lesser adverse effects and greater efficacy and symptomatic relief in patients with prostate gland disorders as compared to conventional methods. Likewise, the potential benefits of artificial urethra therapy, such as long-term efficacy for 10 to 15 years, are projected to facilitate growth over the study period.

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Furthermore, these advancements aid clinical researchers and physicians in investigational efficacy studies for the usage of artificial urethra off-label clinical applications such as prostate cancer. The flow Secure artificial urinary sphincter is a new prosthesis for the management of urinary incontinence due to intrinsic urethral sphincter deficiency (ISD). Indications for implantation of the Flow Secure device in order of significance are post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence, incontinence due to congenital abnormalities, neurogenic bladder with ISD, and stress incontinence.

The different and novel products in the artificial urethra market designed for implantation in pediatric patients to treat deficient bladder sphincter function are expected to drive the demand for the artificial urethra in the analysis period. The ZSI 375, for instance, has the advantage of increasing the permitted pressure and allows the user to readjust the cuff. Various new types of artificial sphincters are being developed using a spring-loaded mechanism for applying circumferential pressure in the urethra, which is easy to implant and simple to use. These product development initiatives undertaken by various companies are anticipated to bolster the artificial urethra market growth in the forecast period.

Key findings from the report suggest

The silicone elastomers segment of the global artificial urethra market is expected to grow at a high CAGR by 2027. The significant share is due to the long-term effects of silicone elastomers.

As no single device to manage incontinence is appropriate for all situations, a diverse range of products are available on the market. Some of the key issues of continence care along with the current technology and recent product development strategies, assessment & treatment of incontinence through novel procedures are expected to drive the demand in the analysis period. However, the high cost of the surgery is still a restraining factor.

By application, it has been observed that men are using artificial urethra to a greater extent due to the increase in prostate infections. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, 2014), prostatitis accounts for about two million visits to health care providers in the U.S. each year, affecting 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. male population.

The increasing geriatric population across the world is a major driving factor for the artificial urethra market.

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Companies considered and profiled in this market study

Boston Scientific Corporation, Zephyr Surgical Implants, GT Urological, Myopowers Medical Technologies SAS, and Promedon are some of the major players in the artificial urethra market.

Market segmentation:

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels to provide an analysis of industry trends in each segment and sub-segment from 2017 to 2027. For the purpose of this study, Reports and Data has segmented the Global Artificial Urethra Market into product types, incontinence types, disease type, sales channel types, end-use type, and region.

By Product: (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)

Silicone elastomers

Others

By Incontinence Type (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)

Stress Incontinence

Urge Incontinence

Overflow Incontinence

Functional Incontinence

By Sales channel (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)

Channel sales

Direct sales

By End-user: (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)

Hospitals

Specialty Clinics

Research institutes

By Region (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)

North America U.S. Canada Mexico

Europe Germany France U.K Spain Italy Russia Rest of the Europe

Asia Pacific China India Japan Australia South Korea Taiwan Rest of Asia-Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia South Africa Egypt Other Countries



To identify the key trends in the industry, click on the link below: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/artificial-urethra-market

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I hope we eventually study the COVID-19 event after a sober period of analysis and reflection as an example of a societal panic attack. This is not Ebola, with a mortality rate of over 50%, or even SARS, with a 10% death rate. Weve seen this movie before, figuratively and literally.

A new viral disease appears (like the swine flu in 2009), people die, the fear and misinformation spread like wildfire. No test kits are initially available as each new virus takes some time to be analyzed. The first that are developed are used on the very sick; thus, the new virus initially appears to be extremely virulent, with high death rates (selection bias). The China data initially suggested a mortality rate well above 3%. The media fans the wildfire of fear; its all about the click count. The politicians, in the midst of an election season that coincides with the epidemic, stoke anxiety with the blame game, adding toxin to the atmosphere. Markets tumble. Lots of non-constructive finger-pointing

Yet as information accumulates, dire predictions recede. The Diamond Princess is an instructive case study, a tightly confined populational cohort in a sealed environment. Its data provide an unbiased insight. Of its 3,711 concentrated occupants (one of whom tested positive before embarkation), approximately 18% became infected  a rate relatively low number given the enclosed surroundings, and contact opportunities. More than half of those tested positive stayed asymptomatic. Seven deaths resulted (below 1%). This alone suggests an initial overestimation of the viruss true fatality rate, especially given the age of the average cruise customer.

As the test kits become widely available, a very large number of non- and mildly symptomatic patients are being found positive (and total infection numbers are greatly rising), the mortality rate will then see a drop. Indeed, the South Korea outbreak data supports this. Widespread testing is available there, 98% of tested individuals are negative, and the documented death rate is below 0.6%. Additionally, even in China, a low mortality rate of 0.2 to 0.4 percent was found in infected healthy nongeriatric adults who were tested (never mind the untested asymptomatic cases). Mortality was zero in children ten or younger, among hundreds of cases there.

The Wuhan data has been re-analyzed in a Nature Medicine report just released, and the initially reported overall 3.4% mortality rate at the explosion center has been adjusted down to 1.4%. This reiterates that COVID-19 is not as lethal as it seemed at first. As of 3/21/2020, the U.S. data shows 19,777 cases, 276 deaths, and that is at the early stage of testing the sicker patients. Yes, these numbers will skyrocket, but will they reach the mind-numbing 80,000 deaths and up to 50 million infections in the U.S. during the flu pandemic of 2017-18 as reported by CNN from CDC data? Perhaps they will surpass them, and it may be the lockdown will prevent that. Should we have locked down the country then?

Containment strategies for COVID-19 may well fail, but given the above, should we worry about preventing infections among healthy people? 85% of those infected do not need medical care, but fear is driving even those with symptoms to the ERs, and we are seeing a 90% negative testing rate in sick people nationally. Or should we diligently focus instead on protecting those at high risk for severe illness and death, namely those over 65, folks in nursing homes, and those with co-morbidities and immunocompromise. The mortality rate for flu in 2017-8 was 8% in nursing homes.

Not everyone gets tested for flu; we deal with the illness as it is a known entity. The clamor for testing everyone for COVID-19 is questionable, as is the mandate we all must be quarantined for the next month or more. If that happened with the flu, we would be a nation in seasonal lockdowns. Remember, the flu vaccine is only about 50% effective, depending on the strain variation each year. If COVID-19 does not disappear as SARS did, we will eventually use the same guidelines and approach to it as we do for the flu today. Hopefully, we will have learned the critical importance of personal hygiene, to self-quarantine when sick going forward, and stick to those guidelines much more rigorously.

That said, a bad combined flu/COVID-19 season will always extremely strain a health care system built for just-in-time care, more than the worst recent flu season of 2017. Wuhan, Italy, and Iran are stark examples of such a phenomenon. Yes, tens of thousands of the elderly and those with immune deficiencies  and even young people  will still succumb. That is the sad ending of this movie we call life on earth for all of us; its just a matter of time and cause. As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote to his daughter: Life is essentially a cheat, and its conditions are those of defeat; the redeeming things are not happiness and pleasure, but the deeper satisfactions that come out of struggle.

Let us struggle together to optimize not just the health, but the collective overall well-being of our society, including the economic and social fabric we weave as human beings, and not be destructively reactive to any one black swan challenge.

The author is an anonymous physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Betty, who is cancer survivor, married Governor Rotimi Akeredolu 40 years ago and the union is blessed with four children.

Mr and Mrs Akeredolu

Despite being First Lady of Ondo State, many people dont know that Mrs. Betty Anyawun-Akeredolu is from the eastern part of Nigeria, The Nation reports.

She speaks and understands Yoruba language perfectly. The only thing that may give an indication is her full name  but she is often addressed as Mrs. Akeredolu.

Betty, who is cancer survivor, married Governor Rotimi Akeredolu 40 years ago and the union is blessed with four children.

Social Circuit gathered that the couple met during their compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme at a friends house in Enugu.

The insider explained, The governor accompanied his friend who visited his girlfriend and the rest is history. I think, for them, it was love at first sight because everything was so smooth. Even though the wife is three years older than her husband, she has always respected him. When they met, she was 25-year-old while he was 22-year-old But they respect and love each other a lot.
During the summer of 2009, we began seeking information from those who had reportedly been close friends of Epstein, including Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, and I issued subpoenas demanding that they tell us what they knew.

The first of Epsteins powerful friends to respond in a meaningful way was Trump. He explained that he was a business acquaintance of Epstein from many years earlier. He said the two had attended many of the same events and parties, but that he was not as close with Epstein as the media had made it seem.

I reminded Trump that he had been quoted in a 2002 New York magazine article stating: Ive known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it  Jeffrey enjoys his social life.

Close: Donald Trump posing with future wife Melania, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2000

Trump had an answer for this, saying when that article was being written, Epstein called him to say he needed people to say nice things. So hed asked Trump if he would attribute the quote written by Jeff himself  as his own words. As it was long before the allegations of Epsteins abuse surfaced, Trump had agreed.

Trump did say that he always saw Epstein around younger girls, but to his knowledge, none was under age. He said Epstein was not secretive about his lifestyle and whether it was at a party, a private event, or a public event, there were always multiple young women at his side.

I asked about a rumour that Trump had expelled Epstein from the Mar-a-Lago club for trying to take the 15-year-old daughter of a member home with him.

Trump paused before saying that something along those lines happened, but he could not recall the exact details.

He had not spoken with Epstein in years, he said. The last time he remembered seeing Epstein personally was one day when he went to Epsteins house in Palm Beach for a business meeting, and that was before Epsteins legal troubles came to light. Trump recalled he had seen young women who, Epstein explained, were part of a mentoring-type programme that he was involved in.

Trump admitted this was odd and then quickly said to me: The guy was always strange. Even back when I ran into him more, I never really liked him.

Trump did say that he always saw Epstein around younger girls, but to his knowledge, none was under age, writes Bradley Edwards (pictured: Trump is shown on video with Epstein)

American financier Epstein (left) and Trump (right) as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997 (file photo)

I met Trump again in 2015, when he again maintained that his relationship with Epstein was primarily based on business.

Over the next few years, I spoke to several witnesses who told us that they had been introduced by Epstein to Trump. Some had seen him at Epsteins office, others at one of Epsteins homes, at parties or social events, and even on his plane. In fact, Epstein bragged to certain young women in his life about how he had bailed Trump out of bankruptcy and how he was indebted to him.

Last year, I saw a 1992 video of Epstein and Trump together, suggesting that they were closer social friends than I had been made to understand.

I spoke to several witnesses, some of whom said they had been introduced by Epstein to Trump. Some had seen him at Epsteins office, others at one of Epsteins homes, at parties or social events, and even on Epsteins plane.

And Epstein was happy to use his name when trying to pressure me into dropping the legal action. There is no way they will prosecute me, he said. This will go all the way up to the Attorney General. You know Trump was my friend and [Attorney General William] Barr is his boy.

That said, whether Trump was ever a closer friend than he let on was of no real concern to me. None of the people I interviewed who had met Trump through Epstein claimed that he had engaged in any improper sexual activity, nor did they say that Trump was around when minors were present.

 Bradley J Edwards, 2020

By The Mail on Sunday, based on Relentless Pursuit: My Fight For The Victims Of Jeffrey Epstein, by Bradley J Edwards, published by S&S on March 31, priced at 20. Offer price 16 (20 per cent discount) until April 30. To preorder, go to mailshop.co.uk or call 01603 648155. Free delivery on all orders  no minimum spend
President Donald Trump has focused attention on possible treatments for the new coronavirus, citing potential use of a drug long used to treat malaria and some other approaches still in testing.

Trump and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn cited the malaria drug chloroquine, along with remdesivir, an experimental antiviral from Gilead Sciences, and possibly using plasma from survivors of COVID-19, the disease the new virus causes.

Those treatments are among several being tested that might ease symptoms but do not stop the virus from spreading.

Also, Swiss drugmaker Roche said it was working with the U.S. government to start a study of Actemra, a drug used now for rheumatoid arthritis and some other conditions, against the coronavirus.

"We're looking at drugs that are already approved for other indications" as a potential bridge or stopgap, Hahn said, while also doing rigorous studies to see if the drugs truly make a difference versus usual care, and if they are safe when used for a new purpose.

"We want to make sure this is done well and right," he said.

No drug is specifically approved now for treating COVID-19.

Chloroquine and a similar drug  hydroxychloroquine, sold as Plaquenil by French drugmaker Sanofi and in generic form  are available now and can be used off-label in the United States. They may interfere with the coronavirus being able to enter cells, and some scientists have reported possible encouraging signs in test-tube and other small studies.

ProPublica reports: Trumps dubious claim that hydroxychloroquine could be used to treat COVID-19 has led to hoarding, putting Lupus patients and others at even greater risk. As of Saturday afternoon, Anna Valdez had 27 pills left. That number is now down to 25. Read more.

German drugmaker Bayer has said it would donate 3 million tablets of its chloroquine drug, Resochin, for use against coronavirus. That drug was never approved in the U.S., so Bayer is working with federal agencies to get an emergency-use authorization.

Chloroquine and remdesivir are among the drugs the World Health Organization said would be tried in a five-part international study announced Wednesday.

Already approved drugs are tempting for doctors to use off label, but formal studies are needed to see if they truly work for a new purpose or disease, said Dr. Ross McKinney Jr., chief scientific officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges, which represents about 400 major teaching hospitals across the country.

Chloroquine may look promising in a test tube, but "I'm skeptical it will be effective" in patients, he said Thursday in a call with reporters.

Remdesivir interferes with virus reproduction and has shown some promise in lab and animal studies against other coronaviruses that cause similar diseases, MERS and SARS.

It's being tested in at least five separate experiments, and Gilead also has given it to several hundred severely ill patients in the U.S, Europe and Japan under "compassionate use" provisions. That includes three of the first dozen COVID-19 patients in the United States. They recovered, but it's impossible to know whether they would have anyway without the drug.

On a podcast Wednesday with a medical journal editor, the National Institutes of Health's Dr. Anthony Fauci said China had enrolled several hundred people in its two remdesivir studies but is having trouble recruiting more because many patients just want the drug and are unwilling to take a chance on being randomly assigned to a comparison group that just gets usual care.

It would be great if an independent monitoring board could look at results so far and see if there are signs of safety or effectiveness, Fauci said.

"We desperately need the data" on this and other drugs being tested in rigorous scientific studies, Fauci said. "We've got to be able to determine if they work and if they're safe."

Apart from the studies in China, Fauci's agency is running a study of remdesivir that aims to recruit 400 patients in the U.S. and elsewhere. That study is "adaptive," meaning it will allow scientists to add other drugs under the same testing umbrella as time goes on. Gilead also has said it will do two studies testing remdesivir treatment for five or 10 days in about 1,000 hospitalized patients primarily in Asia.

Remdesivir "does look like it could be promising," said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In animal tests, it was "quite effective at preventing infection" and reducing severity of illness and damage to the lungs when given early enough in the course of illness, he said.

"It interferes with the enzyme that reproduces the genetic material of the virus" and acts at an earlier step than protease inhibitors such as lopinavir and ritonavir, which are used now to treat HIV and also are being tested against the new coronavirus, Kuritzkes explained.

The HIV drugs gave disappointing results, failing to shorten illness in a study of 199 severely ill hospitalized patients in China, scientists from that country reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Some other studies testing the HIV drug combo are still underway.

The Roche drug, Actemra, is used now for rheumatoid arthritis and some other conditions. It targets interleukin-6, which plays a role in inflammation. Roche's U.S. subsidiary, Genentech, said Thursday that it was working with the FDA to start a 330-patient study on hospitalized COVID-19 patients in April.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals says it will lanch a study of Kevzara, its rheumatoid arthritis drug that also targets interleukin-6, against the coronavirus.

A Japanese company, Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, says tests suggest its drug favipiravir, used to treat the flu in Japan, shows promise against the coronavirus, though no large studies of that have been published yet.

Other companies are developing monoclonal antibodies, proteins that specifically fight the coronavirus. Antibodies or combinations of them were tried against Ebola, and doctors think a similar approach may help against the new virus.

Finally, some doctors have urged collecting plasma from people who have survived COVID-19, because they should have made natural antibodies to the virus that could be given to people to help their immune systems fight it off.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
But many of them also oppose what they see as an outdated Democratic establishment. And they dont necessarily think replacing Mr. Trump will make their lives better.

Beating Trump is important to me, but that is not the primary issue of this campaign, said Adam Miller, 24, who lives in Chicago and voted for Mr. Sanders. When I hear Bernie speak about the bold action he wants to take against climate change, I see a future where I can consider starting a family again. When he talks about canceling student debt, medical debt and recognizing health care as a human right, I see a life for myself where I can live without these financial burdens.

Young conservatives, of course, do not want the same policies as young liberals  but many of them express the same disillusionment with their leaders, and the same sense that neither party is addressing their needs.

In particular, young Republicans tend to be more liberal than older ones on issues of gender, sexual orientation, race and multiculturalism.

The older people in my party are more wedded to preserving culture than preserving liberty, said Natalia Castro, 23, who grew up in rural Florida and now works in Washington. A lot of older conservatives are a lot slower to advocate for legal immigration because theyre concerned with what they see as the American identity, and I think thats problematic.

Climate change is also a big issue for young Republicans, just as it is for young Democrats. They dont necessarily support proposals like the Green New Deal. But they do want the government to take urgent action, and the resistance at the top of their party has been alienating.

Blair Egan, 22, said she had argued over climate change with older Republicans, including her father, who she said isnt thinking about what the worlds going to look like 50 years down the line because it honestly doesnt impact him.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Collector A Md Imtiaz said that 18 of the total 90 students, who returned from Malaysia, reached Krishna district on Thursday. There are no more students who will come to the district from abroad. All of them have been put under home isolation for 14 days. Medical teams with a doctor, Asha workers and ANMs have been deployed at the mandal level to keep a check on these students and prevent them from venturing out, he said. He further informed that 650 people who came from foreign countries, have been kept under home isolation.

About 15 rapid response teams and two control rooms have been set up to combat COVID-19. As many as 17 isolation wards with 91 beds have come up in the district. All the private hospitals have also been directed to set up isolation wards and COVID-19 corners, he said.Anyone who spreads wrong information related to COVID-19, will be arrested under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Collector warned.

Imtiaz inaugurated thermal screening at Swaraj Maidan Rythu Bazar. Now, thermal screening is being done at courts, jails and Rythu Bazars the district. Private firms have been asked to explore the possibility of allowing their staff to work from home and conduct official meetings through video conference.In the evening, the Collector, along with Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh, held a meeting with managements of hotels, restaurants and shopping malls and directed them to take all precautionary measures at their respective entities to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Emphasis should be laid on maintaining hand hygiene to keep coronavirus at bay, they said.

The APSRTC and SCR have been asked to procure devices for thermal screening of passengers at bus stands and railway stations. People have been asked to celebrate functions and social events on a low key as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. People who come across any symptomatic patient, should immediately inform the matter to the control room (0866-2410978/104), he said.
As the world scrambles to make sense of and respond to the coronavirus threat, leadership will be tested in unimaginable ways. Each day brings jarring new information that requires system-wide response. Sequoia Capital is calling this period the black swan of 2020. Black swans are rare unexpected events like 9/11 that impact global activity. After living through downturns for 50 years, Sequoia notes the companies that survive are able to act decisively and quickly. But how do you act quickly in the midst of so much uncertainty and human risk? At the macro level, successful companies will mirror biology as Darwin surmised; those who survive are not the strongest or the most intelligent, but the most adaptable to change.

Managing change is a special leadership skill. When youre navigating uncharted waters, slashing budgets and making changes, good leaders will stay attuned to peoples emotions and continue to invest in their teams.

Here are 5 things that leaders can do to navigate this crisis and emerge stronger than ever.

Related: Coronavirus: Australian experts predict $2.4 trillion global GDP loss ...

Confront the brutal facts while maintaining faith that you will prevail

Adopt the mental framework of the Stockdale Paradox. Admiral Stockdale survived 8 years as a prisoner in the Vietnam war with this concept. He was able to stay positive without falling trap to the blind optimism of fellow prisoners who failed to confront the reality of their situation. There is no time for denial in this crisis: Stay vigilant to the harshest realities and fast-moving changes. Communicate the brutal facts directly to your team while maintaining confidence that you will get through it together. This will happen faster for teams with high trust. When they believe that you have their backs, they value the truth and will work together to find the best paths forward.

Don't assume you know what people are afraid of

It may seem obvious to surmise that people are most worried about getting sick or job security. But there are many other things that might matter to different people. Working from home might cause some to lose visibility and information they get informally from important people. People need different things to feel safe, and it's important to find out what matters to them. Double down on your listening to ask what people are afraid of losing as this crisis continues. Don't just focus on tactical communication around hygiene or travel protocol; make sure you allow people to express any emotional concerns they may have. Doing this allows you to help them sort real losses from perceived ones. And when there is real loss coming, deliver that information directly and quickly.

Related: Coronavirus Home Testing Kits Are Coming to Seattle

Get ready for chaos

With so much out of our control, leaders will need to adopt a crisis management approach. Expect anxiety to rise and motivation to suffer. Pick a few priorities to focus on while regaining balance. Set smaller goals with frequent checkpoints so that people can feel some sense of positive movement. Redesign operating rules, even temporarily, to address the needs of this time. Pay close attention to managing stress  including your own.

Do virtual team-building

As companies are encouraging more and more employees to work from home, virtual team-building becomes an imperative. With the loss of informal, personal contact you will need to find new ways to stay connected. Understanding the working styles, motivators and stress behavior of the other people on your team will yield the greatest productivity and help everyone to stay aligned when working remotely. Build in time during one-on-ones for personal check-ins. Think creatively about how to keep people motivated and small ways to get groups to continue building relationships over video conference and instant messaging channels.

Envision the new beginning

Incorporate learning as you go through this time. Ask how this will affect the future of your enterprise and make adjustments. As with any downturn, there are opportunities for creativity and change. Recessions create new problems that can turn into business opportunities. Some incumbents will fall and open doors for new startups. Smart investors will continue to look for good ideas and people. Stay vigilant in seeking out options that might pay off when things return to normal.

The future state will bring a new normal that no one can predict today. All we can do is prepare ourselves to walk straight into the chaos, bringing our personal best to rally the troops through these challenges into the new day.

Related: Coronavirus and a Looming Recession: How to Raise Capital in ...

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7 Investment Strategies to Follow During a Crisis

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Tech Billionaires Including Tim Cook, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg Promised 18 Million Masks to Fight COVID-19



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Bethenny Frankel has revealed she's donating 500,000 N95 masks to medical professionals.

The 49-year-old has been working alongside hospitals and clinics all around the United States and will be providing masks to those at high risk for contracting coronavirus.

She took to social media to update her fans on her disaster relief mission and reveled she had now been cleared by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to provide the masks via her organisation, BStrong.

Doing good: Bethenny Frankel has revealed that she's donating half a million masks to medical staff in desperate need via her organization, BStrong

'We're in touch with hospitals nationwide who are desperately seeking masks in EVERY state,' she shared, adding that she was both 'manufacturing and shipping.'

Bethenny revealed on Saturday that her number had gone up from a 10,000 to 150K+ mask commitment.

'#BStrong has now committed to 150k+ masks to be distributed to Mass. General, UCLA, Cedars Sinai, Mt. Sinai, NYU, Newton Wellesley, and more hospitals all over the country - this is because of YOU!' she wrote on social media.

Giving back: 'We're in touch with hospitals nationwide who are desperately seeking masks in EVERY state,' she shared, adding that she was both 'manufacturing and shipping'

'Thousands of dollars are coming in by the minute and we need to keep it going! Our healthcare workers cannot protect themselves and need support.'

She added that her charitable organisation would also be donating some kits for health workers during this global pandemic.

'We are also donating #coronakits to healthcare workers who need hydration, sanitization, and immune building supplies. #THISISACRISIS.'

She continued: 'Without our doctors and nurses, who would take care of us when we or our family members get sick? As always 100% of the funds we raise go towards the effort'

Some of the hospitals: 'We're in touch with hospitals nationwide who are desperately seeking masks in EVERY state,' she shared, adding that she was both 'manufacturing and shipping'

Giving back: Bethenny's 'corona kits' included hand santizer, a hydration kit, medical recommendations, gloves, immune boosters, and a cash card

Bethenny also made it a point on Sunday morning to tell her 2.1 million followers that she had six assistants helping her ensure that masks were also being distributed to smaller hospitals as well.

'The mask task is my b***h right now,' she added.

She also noted that that FEMA had now agreed for hospitals to source their own masks and get fully reimbursed, since their was now such a shortage.

'Hospitals, come to us. We have masks, we're manufacturing them by the minute, and then you can get reimbursed.'

Hard at work: Bethenny shared a video of her staff packing 'corona kits' for medical staff in need

'So if you're in a hospital in Philadelphia, if you're a hospital in Washington, if you're the President of the hospital, I'll get on the phone with you and decide how many masks you need right now and then you can bill FEMA.'

The former Real Housewives of New York star also spoke about how celebrities were getting their coronavirus test results back faster.

'I don't know, I don't have an answer for you,' she shared.

'I was sick as a dog two weeks ago with no answers for 10 days and had a splitting headache and didn't go to a very good friend's wedding cause I thought I had it so I just kept myself alone and in my room and I don't have an answer for you.'

There are currently 12,322 cases of coronavirus in New York alone.

Around the US, the are currently 28,650 cases and there have been nearly 350 deaths.
Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, Sunday announced that he secured $50 billion in funding authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the Phase III COVID-19 response legislation to help farmers and ranchers. Specifically, the legislation, which is being considered by the Senate, includes provisions to:

 Replenish $30 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funding authority for the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA)

 Increase the CCC borrowing authority an additional $20 billion for USDA to respond to COVID-19

 Enable USDA to utilize CCC funding to assist livestock producers

Our producers are really up against it right now, and the coronavirus pandemic is only compounding the challenges in farm country, said Hoeven. As chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations Committee, I worked to ensure that this Phase III COVID-19 response bill provides USDA with the resources and authority to provide relief for our farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

Hoeven worked to ensure that the legislation replenished and increased borrowing authority for the CCC and also provided USDA with the resources necessary to utilize CCC funding to assist livestock producers. The senator said he will continue working with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide relief to impacted producers and ranchers in a way that works.

The legislation is expected to be voted on by the Senate Monday.
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has held a program to train SSNIT Brand Ambassadors (SBAs) for the Trust at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani.

The SSNIT Brand Ambassadors training which was organized for some selected student opinion leaders who are assumed to be influential and vocal within the university community and its environs, was held at the GetFund Conference Room on Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th March 2020 respectively.

The Head of External Communications, Public Affairs Department of SSNIT, Mr. Charles Akwei Garshong, said the primary objective of training SSNIT Brand Ambassadors (SBAs) is to continue education about the benefits of the SSNIT Scheme, expand coverage and extend its services to the doorsteps of potential workers, students, new and existing members and the general public.

"In 2018, the Trust collaborated with the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) to organise the SSNIT Infoshop at some selected Universities across the country. The Infoshop which has so far taken place in eight (8) campuses across the country has equipped participants on their right to social security and the need for them to ensure their employers pay their contributions on the right salaries," he said.

Mr Charles A. Garshong stressed that it is against this backdrop that the Management of the Trust, through the SSNIT Infoshop has introduced the SSNIT Brand Ambassador program.

The Sunyani Area Representative of SSNIT, Mr. Sylvester Teprey charged the SBAs to take the initiative very seriously and that, as Brand Ambassadors of SSNIT on campus they are expected to live and exhibit the values of SSNIT as well as continue to educate the entire university community, particularly their peers, workers, friends, family members and the general public on the benefits of the SSNIT Scheme.

Fourteen (14) students who were led by the President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) were identified as peer influencers and opinion leaders.

They were taken through a series of presentations and have been adequately trained and equipped with the requisite knowledge to spearhead this initiative within the campus and its environs.

A simulation exercise was undertaken to test the Brand Ambassadors on the knowledge gained.

The SRC president Mr. Joseph Adomako expressed confidence in his team and promised that they would take up the challenge to empower their peers, workers, friends, and employers within and outside the university community to take control of their pension as well as increase awareness and knowledge on the SSNIT Scheme.

The SBA program will continue to other Universities across the country.

ABOUT SSNIT

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is a statutory public Trust charged under the National Pensions Act, 2008 Act 766 with the administration of Ghanas Basic National Social Security Scheme. As the operator of the First Tier of the Three-Tier Pension Scheme, it replaces part of the lost income of workers in Ghana due to Old Age, Invalidity or Death of a member where lump sum payment is made to dependents. It is also responsible for the payment of Emigration benefit to a non-Ghanaian member who is leaving Ghana permanently.

For further information, please call SSNIT on 0302 611 622, toll-free number 0800 110 094 or WhatsApp/text message 0500 003 050. You can also find us on Instagram, twitter @SSNITGhana and Facebook @SSNIT. Visit us on www.ssnit.org.gh.
A woman in Yarls Wood has tested positive for coronavirus in the first confirmed case in a UK removal centre, prompting renewed calls for the Home Office to release people from detention during the pandemic.

The unnamed woman's diagnosis was confirmed by the Home Office on Sunday. A spokesperson said no other staff or detainees in the women's detention facility had tested positive.

Other detainees told The Independent they had been ordered not to leave their rooms since Saturday evening as a precaution, and said they felt they had not being given adequate means to protect themselves.

Campaigners said some of the women had underlying health conditions that would make them even more at risk if infected, and urged the Home Office to stop pretending it can operate a deportation system in a global pandemic.

The department is currently facing a legal challenge over claims it is unlawfully maintaining the detention of people who have underlying health issues  making them more susceptible to the virus  and people for whom there is no realistic prospect of deportation due to widespread travel bans.

Becky, a Nigerian national who has been in Yarls Wood since mid-February after her asylum claim was refused, told The Independent she and other detainees had been ordered to stay in their rooms since Saturday evening, and only permitted to leave to collect meals which they then must eat in their rooms.

The 31-year-old, who claimed asylum on the basis that she is a lesbian and faces LGBT persecution in her home country, said: They arent allowing us to go anywhere  not to the gym, not outside. They said we had to stay in our rooms and not talk to people except our roommate. I dont have a roommate.

I usually go the gym to forget things, but now I cant go anywhere. Im just thinking, depressed. Im afraid. Ive got a headache. They should free us. Some people are sick in here, some people have asthma. They have to be careful.

Another detainee, a woman who has been in the centre for more than a fortnight, said: Now they are taking precautions, but they were taking no precautions until yesterday. So right now everyone is panicking. We know there is a pandemic going on and here we are not being given the means to protect ourselves.

Charity Women for Refugee Women said some of the women they support in the centre had underlying health conditions that would make them more vulnerable if they became infected with Covid-19, but they have not been given any extra protection or information.

Recommended Immigration detainees say they feel unprotected from coronavirus

Natasha Walter, director of Women for Refugee Women, said: Many of the women in detention have underlying health conditions that would make them even more at risk if infected. The Home Office is putting already vulnerable women at risk through its chaotic and inhumane system of detention.

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, which has launched the court action, said: On the best scientific evidence, the Home Office is dangerously endangering life by keeping removal centres open and pretending it can operate a deportation system in a global pandemic.

The reports coming from Yarl's Wood this weekend illustrate this and will cause grave concern for everyone that believes in human rights and universal healthcare. We will be putting this evidence before the High Court at a hearing next week and calling for comprehensive and urgent releases."

A Home Office spokesperson said: A woman at Yarls Wood immigration removal centre tested positive for coronavirus and following guidance from Public Health England (PHE), was placed in isolation after displaying symptoms. No other staff or detainees have tested positive for coronavirus.

Immigration enforcement is responding to the unique circumstances of the coronavirus outbreak and decisions to detain are made on a case-by-case basis. The health of people in these centres is of the utmost importance. We are following all PHE guidance and have robust contingency planning in place.
900 million confined worldwide due to coronavirus restrictions

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 March 2020 6:14 PM

The COVID-19 pandemic, with well over 11,000 deaths globally as of Saturday, has resulted in many countries across the planet enforcing restrictions on the movement of people, shutting down schools, and forcing millions to work from home.

Nearly 900 million people are now confined to their homes in 35 countries around the world, including 600 million hemmed in by obligatory government lockdown orders, according to an AFP tally.

Although the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the most severely affected by the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that young people are also vulnerable.

"Today I have a message for young people: you are not invincible. This virus could put you in hospital for weeks  or even kill you," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "Even if you don't get sick, the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else."

As China reported no new local infections for a third straight day, the WHO said the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year, offered a glimmer of "hope for the rest of the world."

Concerns over a new wave of imported infections in the region have escalated, with Hong Kong reporting 48 suspected cases on Friday  its biggest daily jump to date. Many of the afflicted people have a recent history of travel to or from Europe.

Despite efforts by Italian authorities to stem the spread of the virus, the death of a staggering 793 people on Saturday  the most it has suffered in a single day  marked the worst single day, with a total of 4,825 deaths since the outbreak began.

France, Italy, Spain, and other European countries have told people to stay at home, threatening fines in some cases, while Bavaria became the first region in Germany to order a lockdown.

Britain, finally falling in line with its EU neighbors, also announced tougher restrictions, telling pubs, restaurants, and theatres to close and promising to help cover the wages of affected workers.

The world-famous Bondi beach was also ordered shut after sunbathers crowded the hotspot in defiance of government orders to avoid non-essential outdoor gatherings.

US 'hotbeds'

California, the largest US state, with over 1,000 cases and 19 deaths, told its 40 million residents to stay at home.

The state of New York, with over 7,000 reported cases and 39 deaths, followed suit on Friday, ordering its nearly 20 million residents to stay home from Sunday evening.

President Donald Trump, while applauding the decisions by California and New York, went on to reiterate his opinion that a nationwide lockdown was unnecessary.

"Those are really two hotbeds," he said. "I don't think we'll ever find (a US-wide lockdown) necessary."

The governor of Illinois, however, disagreed with this assessment and, shortly after Trump's speech, ordered residents of the state to stay at home. Connecticut's governor followed suit quickly afterwards.

The restrictions so far imposed in seven US states cover around 100 million people, with the country's three most populous cities  New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago  under lockdown.

Trump also announced Friday that the US and Mexico had agreed to restrict non-essential travel across their border.

US lawmakers also missed a deadline to reach an agreement on a $1 trillion emergency package on Friday evening, amid fears of widespread economic fallout because of the pandemic.

China's help

Strict confinement measures across Europe, which now accounts for more than half of the world's fatalities linked to COVID-19, follow the template set by China, where the lockdown imposed in Hubei Province  of which Wuhan is the capital  appears to have paid off.

China has sent medical supplies to European nations struggling to cope with the pandemic, including Greece, which received 500,000 medical masks from Beijing on Saturday.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo reported its first death on Saturday, while Burkina Faso reported two new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa to five.

Cases stand at over 1,000 across Africa, where health care systems are fragile and social distancing is not possible in many crowded cities.

Iran reported 123 new deaths on Saturday. The country has more than 1,500 deaths and some 20,000 infections.

In Latin America, Cuba and Bolivia announced they were closing their borders, and Colombia said it would begin mandatory isolation from Tuesday.

Rio de Janeiro's beaches will be off-limits to sunbathers from Saturday, leaving street vendors worried how they will survive with limited government support.

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Cath Kidston is looking for a buyer to save the business and up to 800 jobs just days after Laura Ashley went under.

The fashion and homeware chain, known for its floral designs, has appointed restructuring experts to work on a strategic review.

Insolvency is believed to be an option as shoppers desert the High Street ahead of tighter restrictions on the movement of people in the UK.

Jobs threat: Cath Kidston, known for its floral designs, has appointed restructuring experts to work on a strategic review

The first Cath Kidston store was opened by a British designer of the same name in Holland Park, west London, in 1993, selling car boot finds and vintage fabric.

She made a multi-million pound fortune after selling a stake to American private equity firm TA Associates.

The American firm sold its stake to another investment firm, Baring Private Equity Asia, which hoped to expand in Asia.

The company now has 200 stores in 16 different countries, but still makes two-thirds of its sales in the UK.

In 2018, the most recent accounts, the company made a 19.6million loss on 130.7million of sales.
The Pennsylvania State Police said Sunday they will begin enforcing Gov. Tom Wolfs order closing the physical locations of non-life-sustaining businesses at 8 a.m. Monday to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

While Col. Robert Evanchick, the commissioner for the state police, said troopers are ready to assist in enforcing the order, they are encouraging compliance.

The priority of the Pennsylvania State Police is protecting lives and maintaining order in the commonwealth, Evanchick said in a press release Sunday. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, troopers and liquor control enforcement officers are prepared to ensure compliance with Governor Wolfs order.

Violations are summary offenses punishable by fines and possible jail time, as well as administrative penalties, police say.

We believe most Pennsylvanians want to act responsibly and do their part to help slow the spread of this deadly virus, he said. Troopers and liquor control officers will make every effort to achieve voluntary compliance by educating business owners and using discretion when appropriate. But our message is clear: COVID-19 is a serious health and public safety risk that requires an extraordinary response from law enforcement and the public.

Wolf ordered the shutdown of all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania Thursday, closing their physical locations to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

As of Sunday, the total positive cases in Pennsylvania hit 479, up from 371 on Saturday. There have been two deaths in Pennsylvania.

Along with the state police, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the departments of Health and Agriculture and local officials will help the state police in enforcing the temporary closures.

I urge everyone to stay home, stay calm, and stay safe, Evanchick said in the news release.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Theres no school bell, but COVID-19-quarantined families across American are hosting makeshift classes in their living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and basements. Recess is in the backyard.

Friday marked the end of the first full week of what 2019-2020 Michigan Teacher of the Year Cara Lougheed referred to as pandemic school," an unexpected dynamic that left parents, babysitters, guardians -- or in some cases no one -- to teach their kids amid a worldwide coronavirus pandemic thats killed more than 11,000.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in order to combat spread of the quickly spreading disease, ordered all Michigan schools, public and private, to close on March 16. Originally, Whitmer said the closures would last about three weeks -- an extended spring break, if you will, for the states 1.5 million students -- but as time progresses and the virus spreads, a return to school before fall is sounding less likely.

Our plan and hope is always that well be in a position to get back into school, Whitmer said Friday, March 20, but, of course, were very aware of what the sciences says and the experiences elsewhere and so we are working hard to ensure that we can give kids the education that they need while they are not physically in the classroom."

To help on that end, MLive spoke with Lougheed, an award-winning 21-year veteran history and English high school teacher at Rochester Community Schools, to get some tips for parents who might feel a little hesitant about their new roles.

Our kids arent impressed with us

Just so everyone is clear: my children are not the least bit impressed at being home-schooled by the Michigan Teacher of the Year, Lougheed recently typed in viral tweet that received 12,000 likes and a response from Maria Shriver.

Just so everyone is clear: my children are not the least bit impressed at being homeschooled by the Michigan Teacher of the Year.  #Homeschooling #stayhomechallenge #workingfromhome #remotelearning  Cara (@WonderTeach) March 17, 2020

I wasnt trying to go viral, Lougheed said. I was just trying to say to parents and teachers out there, Hey, you know were all just doing the best we can, she said.  ... Were all in the same boat.

Cara Lougheeds husband, Aaron Lougheed, is also a teacher. His specialties are math, physical education and health. The couple met while teaching at Rochester High School and now both teach at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills.

With school out, theyre now home teaching a much smaller class that includes two sons: 11-year-old Aiden, a sixth-grader; and 15-year-old A.J., a ninth-grader. Both had perfect attendance this week.

I think what occurred to me as I was trying to make a schedule with my boys on Sunday night ... This is going to be really hard for me, Lougheed said, and I have this (Teacher of the Year) title. I just thought, You know, my boys arent impressed with me any more any other kids are impressed with their parents.'

Reach out

Rookie parent-teachers need to use whatever resources they have, Lougheed said, family, friends, social media.

While some school districts may provide a rough outline regarding what students in a certain grade should be learning, she said there are Facebook groups and teachers who are willing to assist.

Reach out to your childs teacher, Lougheed said. Even if they havent sent you work, they could still tell you, hey, this is where we left off, this is the book we were reading ... I think its just a matter of thinking about what resources you have around you and trying to make the best of those resources."

Lougheed said her sons school has a Google Hangout classroom that allows him video-chat with classmates, sort of like recess, interact with teachers and receive assignments.

If a school district isnt providing guidance or take-home work for students, Lougheed said there are plenty of online teaching resources for students of all ages. She recommended ABC Mouse for elementary-age students and Khan Academy for older students.

Sleep in, a little

No need to use that algebra book as a pillow.

Lougheed said one of the greatest benefits of teaching your kids at home is you can do it on a schedule that works for them -- and you.

My teenager gets to sleep as much as he needs to sleep, she said. "We get kids up at the crack of dawn for high school ... and thats not good for their brain rhythm.

So I have loved letting my 16-year-old sleep in a little. Now, not until noon. You want to be reasonable. We want them up an moving by 9 a.m. and they are in a better mood, theyre able to focus.

But parents have to have a plan, she said.

Dont rush it. Do your research, figure out what you want to teach your children and then lay it out in a schedule.

Maybe its just that youre going to have reading time each day and do some math each day, Lougheed said. Thats it. You just have to figure out what works for you and no one is expecting parents to be perfect teachers.

Pajama code

A.J. and Aiden Lougheeds teacher showed up to school" in sweatpants Friday.

Cara Lougheed said theres no need to lay our school clothes or dress up, but there should be some decorum, even if its made by Hanes.

She makes sure her sons at least put on clothes that wouldnt cause them to be arrested or whisked off to an orphanage if found alone on the street.

If I didnt make him get dressed, hed probably be in pajamas, Lougheed said of her youngest. So he has to be reminded to shower, which is pretty typical of 11-year-old boys ... Monday through Friday he has to get up, get dressed, eat something, like start his day, and then we start doing some school about 11 a.m.

" ... We still want there to be a difference between the weekend and the weekdays."

Romper to classroom

Should there be a special area in the house dedicated to learning? That depends, according to Lougheed.

My younger one just does his work at the kitchen table so that we can help him if he needs it, she said. My older one has flexibility that he can work in his room if he wants and he just shows us when hes done.

Younger kids, I think, might need a space.

For younger students, Lougheed recommends setting up a little school area somewhere in the house, a spare bedroom, a corner in the family room ... or whatever you have.

You kind of need to feel like, OK, we go to this place in the house for school, Lougheed said. I think thats smart.

Saved by the bell

When it comes to how long you should teach your children in one session, Lougheed recommends keeping it short.

I teach mostly 10th- to 12th-graders and I generally dont teach anything for an entire hour, she said. "I would say, like 15- to 20-minute chunks is probably good.

So were going to do math for 15 minutes, then were going to have a snack or were going to get some fresh air or were going to play a game.

If they seem to be enjoying the learning or a lesson, however, Lougheed said dont stop them.

You can really watch your kids and see what they respond to. Use that flexibility she said. " ... If you see that hes getting really frustrated after 15 minutes, OK, well then thats what were going to do. Were going to stop at 15 minutes."

A.j., Aaron, Aiden and Cara Lougheed, courtesy of Cara Lougheed

Silver lining

Theres an upside to the society-crippling, deadly virus that landed guardians and their children together in at-home classrooms across America, Lougheed said.

Silver linings, right, trying to find the bright spot in all of this, she said. "If youre home with your kids ... this is a chance to get to know them, because they cant run off to their friends houses and they cant leave the house.

So Im getting to spend some quality time with them as well.

Embrace the screen

Many schools have strict rules banning use of cell phones during class time, but the home is a different atmosphere.

Lougheed says not to get hung up on your childrens cell phone, tablet or laptop use.

You have to embrace that your kids are going to get more screen time than you like, she said. "Thats just gonna happen. I mean, were all on our phones more than we are normally.

There are ways ... they can feel like they are on a screen but theyre really learning ... Theres this really fun app that my kids used to play called Stack the States, learning geography basically ... But, I mean, even just letting them play Minecraft. Theres a lot to be learned from Minecraft, you know.

Weird Time

While parents having a teaching game plan, that game plan should include flexibility and an escape hatch, Lougheed said.

Its not the same as summer break and its also not the same as a snow day, she said. This is an extended period of time that none of us have ever dealt with before ... Be reasonable with your expectations and flexible with your kids."

If a lesson isnt going well, if you or your child are feeling frustrated, dont be afraid to call it quits, move on or take a break, Lougheed said.

" ... Just give yourself a lot of grace. This is a weird time and were all in this together. Were all experiencing it. Dont be too hard on yourselves. You dont have to get everything right every day all the time.

Resilience

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says its too early to say whether students will return to classrooms. It depends how long it takes to flatten the curve."

The Michigan Department of Education this week said at-home, remote learning wont count toward classroom credit, a statement that Whitmer said dismayed her.

I know it caused a lot of confusion and panic among schools, teachers, students, and families, Whitmer said. "The memo does not mean that school work done during the mandatory school closure wont count toward grades, credits, or graduation.

" ... I will be working in the coming days to ensure our seniors graduate and that no child is held back as a result of our ability to provide face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 school closure."

Either way, Lougheed said shes not too worried.

I dont know whats going to happen," she said. "I do know that our students are very resilient, our parents and our caregivers love our kids and the teachers arent going anywhere, so well figure it out.

The state will figure out what to do and I have no doubt they they will take care of our families and communities. I just have full confidence.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

Michigans State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips:

What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases:

 Always cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.

 Stay home if you are sick and advise others to do the same.

 Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

 Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

 Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if soap and warm water are not available.

 Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces(computers, keyboards, desks, etc.).

 Its not too late to get your flu shot! While the influenza vaccine does not protect against COVID-19 infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season.

Related stories:

Whitmer to ensure seniors graduate

Friday, March 20: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Number of people on life support with coronavirus, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says

Looking for coronavirus case numbers in Michigan? Why official data lags

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:56:30|Editor: xuxin

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VIENNA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Austria has climbed to 3,123 with nine deaths reported as of Sunday morning, according to local health authorities.

Most cases in the Alpine country are mild, while 105 patients are hospitalized with 15 requiring an intensive care, according to the Health Ministry.

There are currently two main thrusts in the fight against the virus: drastic measures including exit restrictions to contain the outbreak; and the search for medicines and vaccines against it, said Minister of Environment, Innovation and Technology Leonore Gewessler at a press conference on Saturday.

The curve of new infections is beginning to flatten out, and the measures taken by the government to curb the spread are having an effect - with a corresponding time delay, according to an analysis released by researchers at the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) Vienna.

"Now we are seeing a turnaround," according to the analysis published Saturday.

The government has now provided a further fund of 22 million euros (24 million U.S. dollars) for research to fight against the coronavirus, said Gewessler at the press conference.

"School closing and social distancing are only emergency measures," said Minister of Science Heinz Fassmann. "We urgently need this call in research."
A Primark clothing store, operated by Associated British Foods. Photo: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg

Popular clothing store Primark, owned by Associated British Foods (ABF.L), announced that it will close all its 189 stores across Britain, which will affect around 37,000 staff.

The group said in a tweet: With the health and welfare of our employees and customers at the front of our minds we have made the decision to close our stores in the UK, until further notice. A huge thanks to all our employees, customers, suppliers and partners for their continued support.

With the health and welfare of our employees and customers at the front of our minds we have made the decision to close our stores in the UK, until further notice. A huge thanks to all our employees, customers, suppliers and partners for their continued support  pic.twitter.com/AynpV8KiQi  Primark (@Primark) March 22, 2020

The group also said that separately that for the next 14 days at least, it would continue to pay its staff's contracted wages. It said it would review the situation at a later date.

According to KPMGs latest quarterly economic outlook, it warned that high street closures will push the UK into a deep recession this year.

Primarks announcement comes at the same time as the UK prime minister Boris Johnsons daily press conference where he threatened to impose stricter measures on society if people continued to ignore social distancing rules.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Markets poised as France could help tip UK into lockdown

Currently, the UK government is following the suppression strategy, leads to some restrictions on wider society. However, this is not a lockdown  that would involve official measures and authorities stopping the movement of people and officially imposing closures.

Today (22 March), Johnson said "my message is you've got to do this in line with the advice, you've got to follow the social distancing rule  keep 2 metres apart.

Story continues

"Otherwise if you don't do it responsibly... as you suggest there is going to be no doubt that we will have to bring forward further measures and we are certainly keeping that under constant review."

This weekend, according to French newspaper Liberation (link in French), citing unnamed sources in French president Emmanuel Macrons office, Macron gave Johnson the ultimatum that unless he installs more stringent measures to contain the coronavirus, then there will be an entry ban on any traveller from the UK.

We had to clearly threaten him to make him finally budge, said a source in the Liberation report.
By Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA

This story was produced as part of a joint effort among Spotlight PA, LNP Media Group, PennLive, PA Post, and WITF to cover how Pennsylvania state government is responding to the coronavirus. Sign up for Spotlight PAs newsletter.

Workers on Wednesday packed into buses before dawn for the drive to the Shell cracker plant in Beaver County. Many drivers had called in sick, requiring the 8,000-person crew to cram by the dozens on to fewer buses than normal.

Already, there had been concern about how to stay safe  and separated  if the coronavirus were to spread to a construction site roughly the same size as the small towns surrounding it. By midweek, state health officials had reported two confirmed cases in the county.

Yet lunch was still eaten that day in 500-person tents, workers told Spotlight PA. Photographs showed hand sanitizer containers hanging empty from walls and graffiti on an orange porta-john wall reading, I have COVID-19 coronavirus and Im going to infect all of you on this job if I can.

As state health officials warn of exponential increases in the number of confirmed cases across Pennsylvania, there is growing anxiety among workers such as first responders, nurses, doctors, cleaning staff, cashiers, and truck drivers who are part of the essential economy.

The state Department of Labor and Industry assured workers on March 16 by saying those who contract the coronavirus on the job might be eligible for workers compensation benefits. But legal and public health experts say that help may be very hard to obtain.

To be eligible for workers compensation, a claimant must prove they were injured or made sick at their workplace. For a disease that's scope is both constantly changing and unprecedented, proving it was contracted while on the job will be challenging, if not impossible.

Proof is going to be really difficult, said Burke McLemore, a Harrisburg-based defense attorney who has specialized in workers compensation for 42 years. If an employer is defending the case he will say, How can you assume you picked up the virus here at work as opposed to the grocery store?

The Shell cracker plant site closed temporarily Thursday after more than a thousand workers signed a petition outlining their concerns. A spokesperson said it will likely reopen after the company implements mitigation measures outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Thursday morning, there had been 31 workers compensation claims related to the coronavirus filed in Pennsylvania, according to a state senator briefed by the Department of Labor and Industry.

Vincent Quatrini, a workers compensation attorney near Pittsburgh, said the more coronavirus-related claims are filed, the more likely it is that companies and their insurance providers will fight them.

It is sort of like the AIDS epidemic, Quatrini said. The insurance companies did not see that coming and their premiums were not set high enough for all of the claims that were made.

Their first reaction is going to be No, aint paying. Because if I start paying I am going to set a precedent, and it is going to be a tremendous hit on our earnings.' 

Pennsylvanias workers compensation law is more worker-friendly than many other states'. It includes provisions to cover both injury and occupational disease, like silicosis, a lung disease that can result from exposure to coal dust particles.

If an employer denies a claim, a worker can appeal to a judge. To prove a coronavirus claim in court, a doctor must find it is more likely than not the worker was exposed at the job. This could require proof that other colleagues were sick, evidence easily blocked through patient confidentiality laws like HIPAA, attorneys said. And the more widespread coronavirus becomes in the community, the harder it will be for workers to trace the illnesses to the workplace.

That might be easier for some professions such as health care and emergency response, where there is a greater likelihood workers contracted the coronavirus as part of their job.

The workers compensation system has been stacked against workers for many years, said David Michaels, a professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health, and the U.S. assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health from 2009 to 2017. Many [policy] decisions are made in favor of the employers and insurance carriers rather than injured and sick workers.

Because the system is so cumbersome, Michaels said, workers who have strong medical benefits and paid sick leave are less likely to turn to the workers compensation system, which could lessen the potential influx of claims.

While Gov. Tom Wolf has said he would ease the burden for filing unemployment claims, waiving the one-week waiting period and work search requirements, the Department of Labor and Industry has not taken measures to ease the burden for workers compensation claims.

Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D., Philadelphia), the minority chair of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, said she was told by the department that easing workers compensation rules would encourage workers sickened on the job to stay home longer to boost benefits.

Thats because, currently, those exposed to the coronavirus are required to be quarantined for 14 days. Under workers compensation rules, absences of 7 to 14 days receive only partial benefits, while those greater than 14 days receive full benefits.

A spokesperson for the governor referred questions to the Department of Labor and Industry, which said it is monitoring the federal legislation measures to address the pandemic and reviewing what changes that offers to states.

Police and firefighters across the state are already gearing up for a fight over benefits.

The Fraternal Order of Police has drafted legislation, which has yet to find a sponsor in the General Assembly, that would add the coronavirus to the list of occupational illness covered under the Workers Compensation Act for first responders. That would allow a police officer or firefighter who has the coronavirus to be eligible for benefits without having to document how they got it.

We cant shelter in place, cant quarantine, said Les Neri, president of the Pennsylvania State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police. By the very nature of our job it is very hard to use social distancing. We are constantly exposed to the general public and in many cases environments that are less than pristine.

Already, Neri said, at least one police officer has contracted the coronavirus, forcing many other officers into quarantine. Some municipalities, which are responsible for paying overtime and workers compensation for local first responders, have said they dont know how they will deal with the unexpected cost associated with the disease, he said.

Neri said it would be impossible for a police officer to track every doorknob, sneeze, or potential sick person encountered in the line of duty in order to prove exposure in a workers compensation case. Still, he is telling his officers to document what they can.

Guys putting their life on the line dont need one more thing to worry about, he said. Just like we put on the bulletproof vest, we want the legislature to have our back should we get exposed [so] we dont have to go through a circus act to get covered.

Dave Chiaramonte, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, said that without the legislation, all the employers, every municipality, will have a right to deny the missed time, the medical treatment.

And as we are finding out, in some cases, the medical treatment is significant, Chiaramonte said. We are talking about isolation, ICU stays.

Even if the first-responder legislation ultimately becomes law, all other essential workers who get the coronavirus will be left to fight an uphill battle to prove they got it on the job.

The state says, Dont worry there is workers compensation, said Pittsburgh attorney Larry Chaban. But you cant necessarily say that.

100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA provides its journalism at no cost to newsrooms across the state as a public good to keep our communities informed and thriving. If you value this service, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:11:04|Editor: xuxin

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ALGIERS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Sunday announced the activation of level III alert for the spread of the novel coronavirus, as infection cases have been reported in at least 17 out of the 48 provinces in the North African country.

The announcement was made by Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid during an interview with the state radio Channel 3.

"We must get prepared for the worst," he warned, without providing the latest death toll of the infections.

A day earlier, the Algerian health authorities said COVID-19 had claimed 15 lives among the 139 cases.

According to the COVID-19 Detection and Following-up Commission, the average age of the death cases is 63 years old and they all suffered from chronicle diseases.

On Friday, Algeria began evacuating the 2,278 nationals stranded in some airports in other countries.

The government has also kept 50 percent of employees on paid leave, except those working in vital fields such as security, army, fire-fighting and medical institutions.

The government has suspended all unnecessary air and sea travels as well as private and public transport, and closed crowded places such as schools, universities, stadiums and mosques.

All the measures will be maintained until April 4, and likely to be extended if necessary.
City dwellers are being warned to "stay away" from Australia's country towns to avoid spreading the deadly coronavirus, after the Royal Flying Doctors Service evacuated the first 10 COVID-19 patients from rural and remote communities.

Rural Doctors Association of Australia president John Hall said people who thought escaping to the country would keep them safe from the virus were wrong and it risked bringing the infection into tiny communities without hospital intensive care units.

Doctors are warning people to stay away from country towns. Credit:Janie Barrett

"It's not a good idea because if they do become unwell with it, they could find themselves in areas where the health services will be limited," Dr Hall said.

Many country towns do not have a hospital with an intensive care unit, meaning people who become seriously ill with COVID-19 and need to be put on a ventilator will have to be medically evacuated to larger centres or major cities.
Guwahati/Agartala, March 22 : The nation-wide 'Janata Curfew' was observed across the northeastern region on Sunday as the shutdown is near total as most people remained indoors.

Political leaders and officials said that Janata Curfew got an unexpected response from all walks of life in the entire northeastern region, comprising eights states, including Sikkim.

According to officials, no positive coronavirus case has appeared in the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim, yet.

In BJP-ruled Assam, vehicles remained off roads; shops, except some medicine outlets, business establishments and markets are closed.

Similar situation prevailed in other northeastern states.

While BJP leaders and workers campaigned to make 'Janata Curfew' a success, the other political parties including the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist did not oppose it.

Governors and Chief Ministers of eight northeasterns states and other persons of influence urged the people to observe the 'Janata Curfew' to prevent the community transmission of coronavirus.

Sanjeev Jindal, Regional Executive Director (NER) of Airport Authority of India (AAI) said, during 'Janata Curfew' on Sunday all the 12 airports in the northeastern states would remain operational as essential services.

"We would follow the 'Janata Curfew' otherwise and less number of staff would be posted at the airports," the AAI official told IANS.

There are 12 airports operational in the northeastern region. These include Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur (all in Assam), Tezu and Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Agartala (Tripura), Imphal (Manipur), Shillong (Meghalaya), Dimapur (Nagaland) and Lengpui (Mizoram).

Jindal said screening of passengers -- including by infrared thermometers -- has been further intensified at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and at 11 other airports in the northeastern states.
If you live in a township, make a living in the informal sector, or travel on a crowded bus, how do you self-quarantine?

The COVID-19 pandemic has already permeated all aspects of life.

While optimists hope it will force us to rethink inequality and global access to healthcare, the realists believe the net effect of the pandemic will be to further entrench the divides that already exist.

In Africa, the crisis has not yet reached epic proportions. But the cracks caused by existing inequalities are already showing.

In South Africa  which declared a national state of disaster because of the pandemic last week  the working classes are navigating how to avoid contamination on cramped public transport on their way to meagre-paying jobs that often only help them live hand-to-mouth, while the more affluent classes empty large chain stores to stockpile as much food and toilet paper as they can.

Imaginary borders

In South Africa, the government only declared a disaster after more than 60 cases appeared. But Rwanda and Kenya declared decisive measures  including travel restrictions and bans on public gatherings  just after the first positive case was reported.

The option of closing borders to deal with the crisis, which some countries have already adopted, is undoubtedly a vexed one. South Africa, for example, has said it will build a 40km (25 miles) fence along its border with Zimbabwe. Although closing borders contributes positively to the social distancing recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the question is how practical such a measure will be for African countries.

National borders were arbitrarily drawn during the colonial era and, for many communities living along these boundaries, they exist only in theory. We see them on Google maps. But trade and family ties have been established since way before colonialism  and they endure. It may be possible to close an official border post, but so-called irregular crossing points  dotted across hundreds of kilometres and even over rivers and lakes  abound.

As we saw in the West Africa Ebola outbreak  where the first case was recorded in Guinea before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone  and the cholera outbreaks that began in Zimbabwe before spreading to South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique, diseases can easily spread across these essentially imaginary lines that nation-states carve out.

COVID-19 is not novel in this sense.

The myth of self-isolation

Knowing the realities on the ground, it is curious that the WHO and ministries of health in different African countries are recommending that people self-quarantine if they could have been exposed to the coronavirus. In Rwanda, for example, a man travelling from the US has potentially infected his wife and brother, accounting for three of the seven cases. Which raises the question: how are people in shared accommodation expected to self isolate?

Slums and informal settlements are also part of the physical infrastructures of many African cities. All of them were overcrowded and lacked services even before the threat of a global health crisis emerged.

Think of Alexandra in Johannesburg, where over 700,000 people are estimated to live in less than 5 square kilometres (1.9 square miles), Mbare in Harare with some 800,000 people, Kibera in Nairobi with at least 250,000, and Makoko in Lagos with over 300,000 whose homes are built on stilts in a lagoon.

Our big cities also pose a conundrum to people who must commute to work. Anyone who has been stuck in a traffic jam in a matatu (bus) in Nairobi or in a taxi in Johannesburg  often filled with 12 to 14 people  knows too well that the idea of social distancing on your way to work is a myth.

Not only are these overcrowded, but the commute and queues to use them require significant amounts of time that could potentially expose more people to the coronavirus.

No choice to work from home

It is more practical for people who work in offices to work from home but if your only means of livelihood is selling tomatoes or second-hand clothes at an informal market in a big city, how do you begin to do this online?

The choice before you is often to stay home and fail to provide the evening meal for your family, or to brave it out into the city and try and fend for your family. If I was that person selling at a market, I know what choice I would make. It is not social distancing.

For those concerned about the risk of exposure to the virus, the WHO recommends self-quarantining. This has so far included advice for people not to share bathrooms, living space and even bedrooms, if they can. But what if you live in a house where the bedroom doubles as a kitchen and living space  all shared with your (sometimes extended) family? Such recommendations are even more absurd if your source of water is a community tap or borehole, or if your toilet is one you share with a dozen other families. For many people forced to live on the margins of our societies, this is unfortunately a reality.

Even in the well-to-do parts of many African cities, getting access to water is a challenge. Harares taps have been nearly dry for almost 10 years now  and yet we recommend that residents not only self-isolate but also regularly wash their hands.

With coronavirus on our doorsteps, suddenly the importance of access to water is staring all of us in the face. But the governments and the WHO giving advice know only too well the conditions and challenges these communities have always faced.

Struggling health systems

A lot has been said about the health systems of many African countries and how they would struggle to cope with a fast-spreading virus like the coronavirus. Indeed, after many years of conflict, in countries like South Sudan and Somalia, the health system has almost collapsed.

In some countries around the Sahel  Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali  people continue to be displaced by conflict and live in squalid conditions in displaced peoples camps. Even in countries not in conflict, like Uganda and Zimbabwe, structural adjustment programmes proffered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have seen a continuous decrease in funding available for healthcare. The Abuja declaration of 2001, requiring each country to set aside at least 15 percent of its national budget for healthcare, is still gathering dust in health authorities offices. None of the parties to the declaration has managed to achieve its goals.

It clearly does not require a pandemic to expose the gaps in the health system. If developed systems like in northern Italy can buckle under pressure from COVID-19, one can only imagine the impact this will have on front-line health staff who are without adequate training, protective equipment and even basic drugs.

No one knows how the pandemic will spread across Africa. But we know it is a matter of time. One can not help but wonder if it is not time for African governments, with support from the WHO, to develop recommendations that take all these environmental conditions into account.

Social distancing could probably work in China and in Europe  but in many African countries, it is a privilege only a minority can afford.

The WHO has done well since the onset of the outbreak to provide leadership and access to information about a virus that virtually nothing was known about just several weeks ago. But now, more must be done to reimagine our governance systems, especially because healthcare is intrinsically linked to everything else.

And in Africa  likely the next battlefield for the virus  tackling COVID-19 will need more imagination and alternative solutions from all of us.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Bahrain's His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has directed government authorities to enable mothers affiliated with ministries, government bodies and institutions to work from home.

The royal gesture, which takes into consideration the family needs during this exceptional period, provides support to Bahraini working mothers to enable them to take care of their children during the temporary closure of public and private schools and kindergartens due to the Coronavirus scare, a Bahrain News Agency report said.

Competent authorities shall regulate this procedure, taking into account the public interest which requires working mothers to continue performing their duties in vital functions, especially in the health and security sectors, in the service of the homeland and its citizens and residents in all honor and honesty.

He paid tribute to Bahraini mothers, hailing their landmark achievements in all fields and on all levels.
I think there is an awful lot of pressure for solar, and I think its really good, said Shore, whose lobbying recently got the site moved to a less visible field. I am willing to accept seeing solar in a lot of different settings. I just think that there are certain places that just should be off-limits.
The Otherwise Bookshop, a local English language bookshop in Rome, sent out a newsletter promoting their home book delivery service. It might come in handy during these quarantine days. Here is the original text:

Dear friends,

These are strange times for all of us. As Covid-19 sweeps the globe and affects our lives, we are all reminded how precious our health and communities are.

While we miss seeing you in the bookshop, we are setting up a book delivery service through the OtherQuestionnaire  a few questions to help us select the books you want, and those you didnt know you wanted! Feel free to contact us on email, Facebook or Instagram after answering the questionnaire, or to inquiry about other titles we might have in stock. We are glad to offer free delivery via courier on all local orders of 2 books or more.

On behalf of the whole Otherwise team, thank you for your ongoing support. We sincerely hope that you and all your loved ones are healthy and safe.

Stay home, remain hopeful and take care of each other (and keep reading!)

Otherwise Bookshop x

Via del Governo Vecchio 80 - 00186 Roma

+39.06.6879825
LANSING, MI -- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the state needs more test kits to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Talking on Fox News Sunday, Whitmer outlined her aggressive approach to fighting the spread of the virus and said state leaders need more data to make educated decisions.

Theres so much that we need to learn in such a short period of time and testing is a fundamental, crucial component of that, Whitmer said Sunday, March 22.

Related: Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

The state is having to prioritize testing for those who are medically vulnerable, and that doesnt offer enough data on the impact of the virus in Michigan, she said.

Whitmer appeared on multiple national television programs Sunday morning to talk about the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since Michigan confirmed its first case 12 days ago, Whitmer has closed K-12 schools, restaurants, bars and other businesses and mandated that people dont gather in groups of 50 or more.

Its really important that were taking this seriously and mitigating the spread or we will overwhelm our healthcare system and more people will lose their lives and our economy will suffer even longer, Whitmer said on Fox. So weve got to be aggressive now.

Michigan currently has almost 800 cases confirmed and eight deaths related to the virus.

In an interview on ABC This Week, Whitmer criticized the federal governments response to coronavirus and said states need personal protection equipment for healthcare workers.

We need clear directive and guidance from the federal government, Whitmer said. Frankly, a patchwork strategy of each state doing what they can. Were going to do it if we need to, but it would be nice to have a national strategy.

Had the federal government really started focusing when it became clear that the whole world was going to be confronting this, we would be a stronger position right now," Whitmer said. Lives will be lost because we werent prepared. Our economy will struggle longer because we didnt take this seriously early enough as a country and there will be consequences to that.

The state is continually analyzing the situation to determine what the next move will be, Whitmer said in response to a question about other governors mandating that the public stay home.

Whitmer said the number of cases will continue to rise exponentially."

We know that COVID-19 has infected a lot more people than just those who are being tested and testing positive, Whitmer said. In order to make decisions, we really need better data.

Were all building the airplane right now as we fly it, Whitmer said. Were doing the best that we can. We are going to continue to be aggressive.

PREVENTION TIPS

Michigans State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips:

What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases:

 Always cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.

 Stay home if you are sick and advise others to do the same.

 Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

 Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

 Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if soap and warm water are not available.

 Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces(computers, keyboards, desks, etc.).

 Its not too late to get your flu shot! While the influenza vaccine does not protect against COVID-19 infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Also on MLive:

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closes hair and nail salons, tattoo shops due to coronavirus

Ohio has 247 coronavirus cases, compared to 787 in Michigan: Compare timeline of restrictions
Australians need to follow social distancing instructions or risk a rapid rise in coronavirus cases overwhelming hospitals, an expert claims.

University of New South Wales infectious disease professor Raina MacIntyre said the country would end up like Italy by mid-April unless the public stringently followed social distancing and self-isolation directives.

She said the success of China and South Korea at slowing their increase in cases to a crawl showed strong measures - more than implemented in Australia so far - was the best way to prevent widespread infection.

Australians need to follow social distancing instructions or risk rapidly rising cases overwhelming hospitals, an expert claims

'We've got to go hard and go now. The window is closing. We don't have months and months to think about it,' she told The Australian.

'In three weeks' time it's going to be much worse than anyone can imagine.'

Professor MacIntyre said Australia's cases were growing at an 'almost vertical' rate in recent days and were tracking Italy and the U.S. where infection and death rates were climbing alarmingly.

Italy has almost 52,000 active cases and 5,500 deaths, while the U.S. has 32,000 cases and 414 deaths.

'Surely we can learn from the mistakes that were made there, which were not testing widely enough, and not using social distancing?' Professor MacIntyre said.

Scenes in a hospital in Italy, a country which has has almost 52,000 active cases and 5,500 deaths

Instead, she said Australia should follow South Korea's example of mass testing, targeted social distancing, lockdowns of hard-hit areas.

The Australian government had imported an extra 100,000 testing kits but was still a long way short of testing the percentage of the population that Korea had.

University of NSW infectious disease professor Raina MacIntyre said the country would end up like Italy by mid-April if it didn't get serious

Professor MacIntyre said Australia therefore needed to close schools and increase social distancing measures beyond current levels.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday ordered pubs, cafes, restaurants, places of worship and other non-essential activities where people congregate while stationary.

People are supposed to stay at least 1.5m apart at all times - less than the two metres Britain is recommending.
Centers for Disease Control

For weeks, Liberty County officials crossed their fingers crossed in hopes that they would be able to avoid the tide of counties reporting coronavirus cases, but late Saturday night, the first case was reported.

The female is in the 40-50 age range and the source of the infection is being investigated. The victim is currently experiencing mild symptoms and isolating at home.
Moscow: The Russian army on Sunday began flying medical help to Italy to help it battle the new coronavirus after receiving an order from President Vladimir Putin, a goodwill gesture that Moscow labelled "From Russia with Love".

Military trucks load onto an Il-76 cargo plane at Chkalovsky military airport outside Moscow, Russia. Credit:AP

Giant Il-76 military planes began taking off from an airbase in the Moscow region after Putin spoke to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday and agreements were later reached between respective defence ministers.

The move comes days after China delivered a plane-load of supplies and medical experts to Italy to help the hard-hit nation battle the coronavirus.

The Kremlin said Putin had expressed his support for Italy's leaders and people in the extremely difficult situation they were facing and had heeded an Italian request for help.
Conects Q&A, an education app developed by ST Unitas, tops education app charts in the United States, Korea and 10 other countries. Courtesy of ST Unitas



By Lee Hyo-sik



Conects Q&A, an education app developed by ST Unitas, has topped education app charts in the United States, Korea and 10 other countries, attracting the attention of students seeking to solve their homework problems in real time, the company said Sunday. The other 10 countries are Canada, England, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Africa and India.



The official version of the app, which debuted in early 2019 as a beta model, is scheduled to be launched in April worldwide. It has undergone a series of improvements through constant feedback from users, the company said.



Conects Q&A provides instant answers to questions in real time. Once students scan and upload a problem, the app provides an answer in less than 5 seconds by searching through its database, according to ST Unitas.



In addition, it offers a 1:1 chat with experts or 15-second video answers, and a 1:1 voice call consulting service with experts for customized advice.



The global testing of Conects Q&A revealed that the app's total cost per install was 12.5 times lower than that of other education apps in the United States, ST Unitas said, adding it achieved 27 times greater efficiency than average education apps in the U.S. market.



"Conects Q&A is a knowledge platform where the underprivileged 99 percent receive the same opportunities given to only the blessed 1 percent," company founder and CEO David Yoon said. "At the same time it is a global edutech service that aligns with ST Unitas' vision to help those in need learn and achieve their dreams."



Yoon said the firm has very high expectations for the official version based on the success of the beta version, including in English-speaking markets. "We will always strive to be the best in the global edutech platform market."



ST Unitas, founded in April 2010, acquired The Princeton Review, a major U.S. education service firm, in 2017, as its first major step toward becoming a global powerhouse in the rapidly expanding online-based exam preparation market.



Korea's largest operator of private learning institutes, which offer English, Chinese and other foreign language courses as well as various civil-service tests, plans to make the best use of the Massachusetts-based company's extensive database and knowhow on the scholastic aptitude test (SAT) and other standardized U.S. exams.


Elks Theater owner Curt Small had to get creative with his business and work force after social distancing slowed his business.

He solved some of the problem by starting a popcorn takeout and delivery service.

With social distancing making seeing a movie in a theater ill-advised, Small realized that many people were staying home to watch movies, and said that nobody should have to eat microwave popcorn!

Luckily for Rapid City residents, the Elks is both delivering its popular popcorn as well as selling it as takeout. They are delivering within the Rapid City limits but they can only handle around 70-90 deliveries per night with two drivers going constantly. They can handle almost all requests via the takeout line.

Small said the most popular movie people are watching at home right now is Frozen 2. He said he isn't able to keep the complete staff for their full hours, but he is using seven people at a time and might have to go up to 10.

He said he is grateful to the community for keeping his employees busy in thie difficult time.

"I don't think there are words to express how appreciative my staff and I are," Small said.

The Elks intends to continue this seven days per week for two weeks. The large bags of popcorn are $10 each, which includes the delivery charge. They are delivering between 5-9 p.m. but if you call early it will help them make a few more deliveries.
Father and daughter

Wonders, they say, shall never end. This is the scenario currently playing out in Wuyeya, a village under Assakio, Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, where a 48-year-old farmer and petty trader, Theddius Audu has impregnated his 15-year-old daughter.

Whereas one would have thought that such obnoxious occurrences happen only in Hollywood or Nollywood movies, considering the tenacity with which Nigeria upholds tradition, culture and religion, Audu seemingly threw every sense of decency and morality to the dustbin, when he sexually abused his biological daughter without recourse to the emotional and psychological effect of the incestuous act.

The incident has literally left every jaw in the village and environs dropping in disgust. Years back, Audu had been married to Talatu Ayi from Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of the state; the marriage was blessed with a daughter, Justina, before they both went their separate ways due to irreconcilable differences. Audu was therefore left to stay alone with his only daughter, then just a year and seven months old.

Subsequently, he took up the challenge of raising his little baby albeit under a very poor condition, since he was just a peasant farmer and petty trader. He was however able to do this, more, with the assistance of his younger sister, Agnes.

The departure of Audus wife 13 years ago under controversial circumstances made him vow not to get married again. However, his younger sister who helped in raising the little girl, died in a tragic accident in January 2019 on her way back from Lafia market, where she had gone to buy some goods for her elder brother.

The good news was that the little Justina had become a grown up girl.

Audu, who is the only son in the family of two, had lost his parents 21 years ago and was left with his sister Agnes, who played the role of a mother in the house, until her demise.

Left alone with his daughter, Audu decided to relocate to a three-bedroom apartment he had managed to build in the village, so his daughter could live comfortably in safety, without any fear.

It is therefore horrifying to see that good intention boomerang, as Justina is now four months gone for her father.

When our correspondent visited the area, following a tip-off from a source in the village, Justina was lounging at the frontage of her fathers house. Before she could say a word, tears flowed down her eyes uncontrollably. God has inflicted a permanent wound on me; there is absolutely no point keeping me alive. I think I should just commit suicide and die, rather than continue living to bear this shameful burden. God has not been fair to me and I dont know my sin or offence. My mother left me when I was barely two years old; and up till now, hasnt taken as much as a second look back. My late aunty Agnes, who brought me up died, recently and now Im pregnant for my father. What could be worse than that, she asked bursting into tears.

Wiping away tears, she said, When my aunty died in an accident, my father moved me into his three bedroom apartment to occupy one of the rooms. He used to check my private part to see if I had started menstruating or having sex with boys. One night, I was sleeping after a hectic day; he came into my room, removed my wrapper and inserted his finger in to my private part, asking if I had started menstruating. I woke up suddenly from sleep and asked, Daddy why are you doing this to me?

He asked if I had had sex before and I said no. He then said he would use his penis to test my virginity. Before I could utter any word, he had climbed on top of me. I wanted to scream, but he held my mouth and penetrated into me. I struggled to wriggle free but he over-powered me and forcefully deflowered me. I bled throughout that night, crying uncontrollably till the following day. I was also in pains throughout.

I felt very bad but he warned me that nobody must hear of what he did to me. He also threatened to slaughter me with a knife if he heard it from anybody. That was how he kept sleeping with me at night and eventually got me pregnant.

Continuing her lamentation, she said, How I wish my mother were around; this shameful thing would not have happened to me. It is incredible; my world and life has crumbled. How can I have a child for my father? Again, she burst into tears.

She said her woes started way back when her aunty died. From that incident on, she said it was clear to her that her world had come to an end. The days that followed her death were both utterly full and completely empty; full of activities, yet empty of life because there was nobody to take care of me and guide me properly.

Her absence gave my father the opportunity to ruin my life. I feel very ashamed that Im pregnant without getting married and more ashamed that my own biological father is responsible. Now I think about death frequently because my father decided that I should leave the pregnancy and deliver a male child for him.

She said her father has even threatened to kill her if she tried aborting the pregnancy. So I dont have any choice but to allow it grow; meanwhile, the pregnancy is just four months.

I couldnt stand another man reaping from where I sowed  father



Following several efforts to get the side of Mr Theddus Audu, The Nation finally caught up with the man in the middle of the controversy in an undercover effort.

Audu said, She looks beautiful and I always feel the pains that one day, someone else will toast her and start enjoying what I suffered all these years to raise. When her mother left me, I took the pains to bring her up because I could not get married and was alone.

It started like a joke. I dont know what came over me; she tried to resist me but I was very harsh on her and she allowed me have my way. Thereafter, we continued unabated. I actually wanted to test her virginity status, to know whether she had started going out with boys but when she told me she missed her period, I decided that she should not abort it. She should deliver the baby for me since I dont have any other child. Thereafter, she can get married to anybody of her choice. This was the secret arrangement we had and I dont know why she is exposing it now.

That is the much I can say about it, Audu said with finality.

Mr Abraham Dabu, one of the elders of the community told our correspondent that what has happened is a taboo. He said going by the culture of the people, Audu may be banished from the village.

***

Source: The Nation
Two teenage girls have been arrested for an alleged racist attack on several Chinese people wearing face masks.

The pair  aged 14 and 15 years old  have been accused of assaulting and shouting abuse at four people in central Southampton, police have said.

The alleged incident is believed to have been racially aggravated and linked to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Hampshire Constabulary.

The victims, three Chinese men and one woman, were all aged in their early 20s and did not suffer any lasting physical injuries.

They are believed to have been wearing medical face masks at the time of the alleged assault on 17 March in Vincents Walk, in the city centre.

Two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of affray, police said.

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China but quickly spread to other countries in the world, various cases of racially-aggravated abuse against people of Chinese or East Asian descent have been reported in connection with the pandemic.

A Chinese takeaway owner has allegedly been spat at in Hertfordshire, while a stranger reportedly told a woman to take your f****** coronavirus back home in a Birmingham nightclub in recent weeks.

A young Singaporean student has claimed he was punched and kicked in central London by people who had shouted coronavirus at him.

A poll last month found that 14 per cent of Britons would avoid contact with people of Chinese origin and appearance because of the virus.

Speaking about the alleged incident in Southampton, a Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said: Any crime perpetuated through ignorance, prejudice or hate is unacceptable.

We are working with our partners and the local Chinese communities and we would encourage everyone to report incidents to us either by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.

Anyone who has information that might help the investigation into this incident should call 101 and quote 44200101024.

Additional reporting by Press Association
A NSW father who "felt he was in a secret relationship" with his young daughter and used her as a "sexual plaything" for almost a decade has been sentenced to more than 16 years in jail.

The 41-year-old frequently sexually abused his daughter from the age of four, telling the girl not to discuss "their games" with anyone or "he would get into trouble".

A 41-year-old man has admitted to sexually abusing his daughter.

He cannot be identified to protect the identity of the victim.

On Wednesday, Wagga Wagga District Court Judge Gordon Lerve sentenced the man to 16 years and three months, for the "frequent and regular" sexual activity he inflicted on his daughter between January 2010 and December 2018.
A number of MPs said a partial curfew should be implemented to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from reaching a crisis point

Although the measures taken by the Egyptian government over the past week to contain the spread of the coronavirus have been welcomed by MPs, some say it is also necessary to impose a partial curfew to stem the spread of the virus.

Inas Abdel-Halim, an MP and physician from Mansura city, said in a statement that a two-week curfew from 6pm to 6am would go a long way to help authorities fight the virus.

"The partial curfew would be a temporary measure that would help state authorities carry out the sterilisation and isolation efforts necessary to stem any possible [large outbreak] of the virus," said Abdel-Halim, adding that, The partial curfew would also help prevent the virus from entering a terrible and deadly phase as we see in Italy, Iran and France."

Deputy parliament speaker Soliman Wahdan said the government of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has been pro-active in combating the spread of the coronavirus.

"The government's approach was also very necessary in order to not let the country face the disastrous consequences we saw in Italy and Iran," said Wahdan. But in the battle against the coronavirus, I think we also need to take other emergency measures such as imposing a partial curfew from 7pm to 6am, which would help prevent an outbreak on a mass scale.

"Other measures should include the Ministry of Industry allocating complete lines for the production of hospital beds, sterilisation materials, drugs, and breathing equipment," said Wahdan, adding that youth centres should be also used as field hospitals in emergency cases."

Magdy Malak, an MP from Minya governorate, said, A partial curfew would help prevent Egypt from reaching a crisis point, which would be having 1,000 citizens infected with the coronavirus."

"We are now in control of the virus, but we need a partial curfew to eliminate it completely."

Two MPs, however, said they are not in favour of imposing a curfew.

Galal Awara, an MP from Tanta, said a curfew would be a premature measure that would be difficult on millions of citizens.

"The curfew would push them to hoard goods and this is not good for the economy, and I think that the recent measures, such as suspending flights and tourist traffic and shutting down malls, restaurants and cafes from 7pm to 6am, will help contain the virus to zero in the next few days," Awara said.

Ahmed El-Sigini, head of parliaments local administration committee, said a curfew would have grave economic and social consequences.

So, it is not an easy decision, but there could be a limited number of curfew hours, which would help deter gatherings at night and prevent any spread of the virus," said El-Sigini.

Egypt's parliament has taken a number of measures in recent days to protect MPs from contracting the coronavirus.

"MPs, media correspondents, and visitors will be allowed to enter parliament only after they test negative, and those who test positive will be sent to hospital," said parliament's secretary-general Mahmoud Fawzi on Saturday.

Parliament is scheduled to hold plenary meetings 29 March.

Egypt has so far registered 294 coronavirus cases, including 10 deaths.

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Viewers love her portrayal of Fleabag's highly strung and ambitious older sister Claire.

But until the part in the hit comedy came along, Sian Clifford's acting career was in the doldrums.

Now she has revealed how she became hot screen property thanks to Phoebe Waller-Bridge  who created the show and is also her best friend.

Fleabag star Sian Clifford (right) says she 'felt dead inside' until her on-screen sister Phoebe Waller-Bridge (left) rescued her acting career

Clifford claims she was saved from long periods of unemployment by Waller-Bridge's insistence that she join her BBC show.

The 37-year-old, who met the Fleabag writer on their first day at drama school, told the Telegraph's Stella magazine: 'There were long periods where I didn't work and my confidence was very low.

'Phoebe believes in me more than I do myself and there's no fear of failure when you're working with someone who has seen you at your best and worst and everything in between.'

The actress credits her on-screen chemistry with WallerBridge, 34, to their friendship.

Clifford (left) and Waller-Bridge (right), who would catch the Tube home together from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art each day, both struggled to make their mark after they graduated in 2006

She said: 'I guess that's why Phoebe fought so hard for me to play the role  the dynamic of Claire and Fleabag was just always in us, we didn't ever have to talk about how to play them.'

She added: 'I think their relationship is the heart of the show. It's the clearest and most accurate depiction of sisterhood that I've ever seen on screen  it captures so much depth and pain and humour and humanity.'

Clifford and Waller-Bridge, who would catch the Tube home together from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art each day, both struggled to make their mark after they graduated in 2006.

Clifford spent almost four years working as a temp in a London hospital. Referring to that period, she said: 'It was absolutely soul-destroying. I felt dead inside.'

The actress credits their on-screen chemistry to their friendship. Pictured: On the set of Fleabag

But the global success of Fleabag means she now has her pick of roles.

She is in series two of ITV crime drama Liar and next month she will star in Quiz, about the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? cheating scandal.

She plays the wife of 'coughing major' Charles Ingram, who was accused of cheating to win the show's 1million jackpot in 2001.

Clifford said: 'What fascinated me reading the scripts was that it treated the Ingrams as human beings. They are very ordinary people in this extraordinary situation.'
The office of U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson of the Northern District of California in San Francisco is urging the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Reports can be made by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at (866) 720-5721 or by sending an e-mail to disaster@leo.gov.

U.S. Attorneys have been directed to make investigation and prosecution of coronavirus fraud a priority.

Reports and complaints made to the center will be entered into a centralized system accessible by all U.S. Attorneys and the federal Department of Justice, officials said, and allow investigation and prosecution of fraud attempts.

"Unfortunately there are fraudsters out there who will try to use this public health emergency to scam the public and profit on the pandemic," Anderson said in a statement. "As communities throughout Northern California take steps to limit the spread of COVID-19, we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to guard against fraud and bring swift justice to those who try to ply their scams in our district."

The office said examples of schemes include fake COVID-19 cures; Malicious websites and apps that appear to share Coronavirus-related information; fraudulent donation appeals; and medical providers using patient information obtained for COVID-19 testing to fraudulently bill for other tests and procedures.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen last week directed each U.S. Attorney to appoint a coronavirus fraud coordinator to serve as legal counsel for the federal judicial district on coronavirus issues, direct prosecution of related crimes, and conduct outreach and awareness activities.

To learn more about Department of Justice resources and information, visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
As the nationwide 'Janta Curfew' began in India at 7:00 in the morning, the country is observing a shutdown following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janata curfew'. People have been urged to voluntarily stay indoors to check the spread of coronavirus; public transport will be suspended or curtailed and all markets and shops except those dealing in essential items will be closed on the day.

Take a look at the photos from the capital of India to maximum city Mumbai, how the whole country is observing Janta Curfew in the fight against COVID-19:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday appealed for the extension of janata curfew till early morning and said the police and administration should patrol the streets.

The chief minister made the appeal shortly after assuring the state's residents that arrangements are being made for free tests and treatment of people infected with coronavirus in the state.

"Chief Minister has appealed that the janata curfew be extended till early morning, and the police and administration should patrol the streets," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi in a statement in Lucknow on Sunday.

While apprising reporters in Gorakhpur of the government's endeavour to arrange for free tests and treatment of people infected with coronavirus in the state, Adityanath said the number of isolation beds for coronavirus-patients too is being increased.

At present there are more than 2,000 isolation beds in the state, he said, adding the number of such beds will be more than 10,000 within the next two days.

"The number of persons infected with coronavirus was 27 in the state. Eleven people out of them have become completely healthy. The rest of them are stable and their condition is improving rapidly. In order to prevent the increase in the number of coronavirus-infested people, we have to be prepared for campaigns like janata curfew," said the chief minister.

"The janata curfew is a collective fight under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the safety and health of 130 crore citizens of the country," he said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "It is necessary for us to observe and maintain social distance and adhere to the doctors' suggestions. I will appeal to each and every citizen to adhere to the janata curfew."



During this time, he said, the awareness can become the biggest means of protection against the coronavirus.

"An important aspect of this disease is the prevention and all these efforts are being made for prevention. The precautions we should take in terms of prevention of coronavirus will be very important," Adityanath said.

"Coronavirus is an infectious disease. It can spread to other people after contact with an infected person. Therefore, it is essential that we maintain social distancing," the UP chief minister added.

"Whatever suggestions are being given by doctors, we should follow them all. Prime Minister Modi has called for a janata curfew to keep the country's 130 crore people safe. I want all citizens of the state to register their participation in this campaign and discharge their duty to the nation," the chief minister urged.

He said it is commendable the way all our officers and staff, including doctors, paramedical staffers, health experts and SDRF, are fighting this battle on the front foot.

"I appeal to the public not to panic but to fight against the virus spread. The government is fully in their support. We have also said earlier that the state will not allow shortage of essential commodities in any way," he said.

"The government is making arrangements for the maintenance and food for those who are unable to find work in the present situation. There is no problem, so do not hoard essential commodities by crowding shops," he urged the citizens.

Making an appeal to drug dealers and traders, the chief minister said, "I appeal to the drug dealers and businessmen to discourage hoarding. Do not charge anything more than the MRP. If such a complaint is received from anywhere, the government will take strict action against it."



He said the way citizens are ensuring their participation in the janata curfew today is a welcome move.

"By participating in this type of campaign, we will be successful in defeating the coronavirus," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday refused assistance from the United States to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in his country, citing a conspiracy theory that accuses the U.S. military of developing and spreading the virus, AP reports.

Why it matters: Iran has reported more than 20,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,600 deaths, making it one of the hardest-hit countries in the world. Its economy was already in free-fall mostly due to sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.

The conspiracy theory Khamenei used is the same one being spread by some Chinese officials to deflect blame for the pandemic.

What he's saying: I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication? Khamenei said, according to AP. Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.

You might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in person, he said.

Khameini also alleged without evidence that the virus is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means.

The big picture: Iranian officials have criticized offers of aid from the U.S., claiming they are disingenuous.

U.S. sanctions have blocked Iran from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that "the whole world should know that humanitarian assistance to Iran is wide open, its not sanctioned. ... Theyve got a terrible problem there and we want that humanitarian, medical assistance to get to the people of Iran."

One person dies in Iran every 10 minutes from the coronavirus, and someone is infected every 50 minutes, according to the Health Ministry.

Iran on Sunday enacted a two-week closure on major shopping centers in the country. Only pharmacies, supermarkets, groceries and bakeries remain open.

Go deeper: Coronavirus could force the world into an unprecedented depression
Samples of four people



sent for novel coronavirus testing from Amravati in Maharashtra on Saturday returned negative, while ten new samples were sent on Sunday, health officials said.

So far 47 sample sent from the district have tested negative, they said.

Another 214 people who returned from cities like Mumbai and Pune have been advised home quarantine, they added.

Meanwhile, the Janta curfew as well as the 5pm tribute to frontline health and essential services staff got an ovewhelming response in the district.

Roads were deserted in Amravati and Badnera cities, and shops were closed from 7am.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
USS Gerald R. Ford Achieves 1000th Aircraft Arrestment, Launch

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS200321-02

Release Date: 3/21/2020 10:16:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan Seelbach, USS Gerald R. Ford Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to "Blue Blasters" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34, landed aboard USS Gerald R. Ford's (CVN 78) flight deck marking the 1,000th recovery of a fixed wing aircraft using Ford's Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) March 19, 2020 at 5:13 p.m.

Minutes later, the crew celebrated a second milestone launching an F/A18 E Super Hornet attached to "Warhawks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 97 from Ford's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapults for the 1,000th time.

This significant milestone in the ships' history began on July 28, 2017 with Ford's first fixed wing recovery and launch using its first-in-class AAG and EMALS technologies.

Capt. J.J. "Yank" Cummings, Ford's commanding officer, explained how the entire Ford crew has worked together over the last few years to reach this achievement.

"I couldn't be more proud of our crew, their motivation is amazing," said Cummings. "We've been working extremely hard to get here today, and to see this 1,000th trap completely validates their efforts and the technology on this warship."

Boasting the Navy's first major design investment in aircraft carriers since the 1960s, Ford's AAG and EMALs support greater launch and recovery energy requirements of future air wings, increasing the safety margin over legacy launch and arresting gear found on Nimitz-class carriers.

Lt. Scott Gallagher, assigned to VFA 34, has landed on five other carriers, but became a part of Ford's history with his, and the ship's 1,000, recovery.

"There are a lot of people who are working night and day to make sure that this ship is ready to go be a warship out in the world," said Gallagher. "To be a part of that; and this deck certification is super cool. Also getting the 1,000th trap helps the ship get one step closer to being the warship that it needs to be."

Capt. Joshua Sager, commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, explained why his squadron's integration with the ship's personnel is important and how their relationship impacts operations.

"It's great to share this moment in history with Ford. Integration between the air wing and ship's company is crucial to the everyday success of carrier operations," said Sager. "Completion of the 1,000th catapult and arrestment shows that the ship and her crew have tested and proven the newest technology the Navy has, and together we are ready to meet the operational requirements of our nation."

With 1,000 launches and recoveries complete, Ford will continue its flight deck and combat air traffic control certifications in preparation to deliver to the fleet regular flight operations in support of East Coast carrier qualifications.

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Sometimes it seems harder for the public to move on from a celebrity break up than it does for the individuals themselves. This is especially true when the couple  or at least their public personas  seem perfect for one another.

While we may cheer on the demise of a relationship of ill-suited lovers, some couples just seem matched by fate. When it turns out they werent actually meant to be, the public can have a hard time letting go.

That seems to be the case with Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton. Even though the pair split five years ago and have each moved on to other serious relationships, many people still look for signs that they arent over each other.

The most recent speculation is the rumor that Lamberts new pregnancy is a calculated revenge move targeted at Shelton. Is there any reason to believe something so extreme?

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton captured peoples hearts

Miranda Lambert | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Lambert and Shelton seemed like a match made in country music heaven. The two each had their own dedicated fan bases when they met in 2005. They were paired up for the CMT 100 Greatest Duets special and sang Youre the Reason God Make Oklahoma.

Shelton, who was married at the time, later reflected on the interaction: Looking back on that, I was falling in love with her, right there on stage.

Five months later, Shelton filed for divorce from his first wife. By 2010, Lambert and Shelton were engaged. They tied the knot the next year and seemed like a picture-perfect couple that had many fans smitten.

By 2013, though, trouble emerged. Cheating rumors plagued Shelton, and he was adamant to both the public and Lambert that they had no truth behind them. No one knows what the exact cause of the split was, though some speculate that one or both cheated. They were divorced in 2015.

A video of that original duet performance has been viewed more than 8.5 million times since it was posted in 2013, so its clear that the public has stayed invested in this relationship even as it came to an end.

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton have both moved on

While the public may still be trying to figure out what went wrong, both Lambert and Shelton have moved on.

In 2019, Lambert remarried after a brief courtship with former New York City police officer Brendan McLoughlin. The pair seem extremely happy, and friends report that Lambert has finally opened back up and been more herself since entering the new relationship.

Meanwhile, Sheltons relationship with Gwen Stefani has generated its own fandom. Many people find the relationship between two musicians with such different personas and from such different genres to be endearing. The pairs public performance as hosts on The Voice helped solidify fans interest in them as a couple, and many hope that marriage is in the near future.

Tabloids reported Miranda Lambert is pregnant

While both Lambert and Shelton have moved on to new relationships, many people still seem determined to tie their actions together. In particular, people frequently look to Lamberts actions for signs that she hasnt gotten over the divorce.

One of the many theories about their relationship ending is that Shelton did not want kids, so when the National Enquirer reported that Lambert and McLoughlin were expecting a baby, fans were quick to jump in with theories. Some believe the pregnancy is a kind of revenge on Shelton. The National Enquirer called it sweet revenge on her ex.

Nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, there is no verification of pregnancy. GossipCop claims to have reached out to a trusted source close to the situation. The source told the outlet that Lambert is not pregnant.

Whats more, GossipCop notes that the National Enquirer has a history of reporting on revenge babies as a way to stir up headlines and drama. The publication has made the same claims using Miranda Kerr and even Kylie Jenner after her Travis Scott split.

Theres no evidence to suggest that any of the women theyve accused of making this calculated choice actually had their exes in mind when they decided to grow their families.
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Linkedin Igor Ilic (Reuters) Zagreb, Croatia  Sun, March 22, 2020 17:18 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c994e5 2 World coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,Zagreb,Croatia,social-distancing,earthquake Free

A large earthquake struck near the Croatian capital Zagreb on Sunday, leaving a teenager critically injured after an apartment building in the city collapsed, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences and a hospital official said.

Another minor was badly injured and the quake caused several fires and power blackouts in parts of the capital, hospital and emergency services said.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic called on citizens to remain outside their homes amid potential aftershocks. Plenkovic and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic also appealed for people rushing onto the streets to keep social distances from each other as the country struggles to contain the spread of coronavirus. So far, Croatia has reported 206 cases of the virus and one death.

"We will do our utmost to make the best estimate of what to do at the moment. There are protocols when it comes to an earthquake. But when it comes to an earthquake combined with the global pandemic, then it is a much more complicated situation," Bozinovic told local media.

Plenkovic said the quake, with a magnitude of 5.3 according to GFZ, was the biggest to hit Zagreb in 140 years. It struck 6 km north of the city and was felt across the Western Balkans.

Zarko Rasic, head of the Zagreb Emergency Medicine Institute, a children's hospital, said a 15-year-old was in a critical condition after being found by an emergency services team under a collapsed building and another minor had been admitted with head injuries from a falling roof. He did not give further details on the persons' identities.

The Zagreb Fire Department said firefighting and rescue operations were ongoing at several locations.

Read also: Croatian designer launches 'cheerful' virus mask line

Plenkovic said the army had been called in to help clean up debris in Zagreb and urged citizens to "stay outside and keep your distance".

"The situation is contradictory, we invited people to stay at home to avoid spreading of the corona virus, and now we are advising them to leave their homes," Plenkovic told a press conference.

GFZ downgraded the magnitude of the quake from an initial reading of 6.0.

"It lasted over 10 seconds. By far the strongest I have ever felt," one witness said, adding that it was followed by several aftershocks.

A Reuters reporter on the scene saw a church bell tower damaged, some buildings fell down as people fled apartments and took to the streets.

The government convened an urgent cabinet meeting and said it would hold another press conference on Sunday afternoon.

The US Geological Survey said the quake measured 5.4, while the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also reported 5.3 magnitude, followed by another 5.1 magnitude earthquake.
Washington: President Donald Trump's insistence on speaking of a "Chinese virus" has a dark historical precedent for some Asian Americans, who say his word choice is fueling an at times violent backlash.

Speaking daily on the global coronavirus pandemic, Trump has incessantly called COVID-19 the "Chinese virus," with one photo even showing his notes in which he had crossed out clinical terms preferred by health professionals.

Asian American advocates say that such language plays into centuries-old stereotypes of the community as perpetually foreign and unclean -- and signals, incorrectly, that individuals of one ethnicity are responsible for spreading illness.

While US incidents appear to be fewer than in Europe, New York police said that a man last month chased and beat an Asian woman wearing a protective mask on the subway, calling her "diseased."

On Thursday, civil rights groups launched a site for Asian Americans to report bias crimes linked to the pandemic to see how widespread the problem has become.

The site received 36 submissions in its first 24 hours, said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council.

She pointed to one incident where a middle school bully in the Los Angeles area punched an Asian American classmate in the head some 20 times, accusing him of carrying the coronavirus, and telling him to "go back" to China.

Kulkarni said she saw the violence as part of a wider history in the United States dating back to the "Yellow Peril," when suspicions about Asians led the United States in 1882 to ban all Chinese immigration.

"I definitely think it will get worse, partly because of the president's relentless effort for weaponizing hate against communities," Kulkarni said.

"He has the bully pulpit. With that comes tremendous power. People listen to him," she said.

Caught in US-China Tensions

Trump rose to power on vows to keep out Latin American and Muslim immigrants but has signaled that his intention in saying "Chinese virus" may be more about geopolitics.

"It's not racist at all," he told a news conference. "It comes from China. I want to be accurate."

The United States has wide-ranging tensions with China and Trump voiced anger over a Beijing official who promoted an unfounded conspiracy theory that the US military brought the virus to Wuhan, where cases were first reported.

China's foreign ministry has accused Trump of seeking to shift blame over his own response to the pandemic.

Frank H. Wu, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law and author of "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White," acknowledged that diseases were long given geographical names and said it was fair game to criticize Beijing's actions.

"What's important here isn't the intent. It's the consequences. And these words matter, because this is a time of incredible stress," Wu said.

Wu said that Asian Americans have long been associated with dirtiness, pointing to contemporary perceptions of Chinese restaurants.

"Cleanliness has always been a metaphor for whether you're a morally deserving, good individual and part of a good community," he said.

"So this isn't actually about just disease and the source of disease. It's symbolic of much, much more."

Targeting Chinese Over Plague

In vivid examples of the association of Asian Americans with disease, authorities in 1900 sealed off the Chinatowns of both San Francisco and Honolulu after outbreaks of the bubonic plague.

Charles McClain, a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law who has written a book on the history of Chinese Americans' efforts against discrimination, said medical professionals at the time concluded that Asians were more susceptible to the plague.

"It was a very crowded area," he said of San Francisco's Chinatown. "I don't think morbidity was any worse there than it was any other part of the city. But there was this sort of stereotype that played a large role in forming opinion."

San Francisco was eventually forced to end its mandatory quarantine of Chinatown after a court agreed that authorities needed to prove that Chinese Americans were more likely to get infected.

While no US officials are suggesting that Chinese Americans are spreading the coronavirus, Asian Americans have repeatedly borne the brunt of wider international tensions.

Most notoriously, the United States detained 120,000 Japanese Americans in camps during World War II as it questioned their loyalty.

Wu said that Asian Americans still struggle in not being identified as foreigners.

"You can be an assimilated, English-speaking Christian who has never been to China and has high sanitary standards. People still somehow associate you with dirtiness and disease."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday evening expressed gratitude to the nation for the gratuitous clapping and ringing of bells at 5 pm during Janta Curfew to acknowledge the medical fraternity which is engaged in fighting the coronavirus, endangering their own safety.

The nation thanks every citizen who is leading the fight against Coronavirus. My gratitude to the countrymen, he tweeted.

The prime minister added that the event also marked the beginning of nations victory march in a long battle against the deadly virus.

This loud sound is for thanksgiving, and also for the beginning of the victory march in a long fight. Let us bind ourselves to the principle of social distancing with the same resolve and restraint, his tweet added.

The Janta curfew was observed on Sunday for the twin purpose of enforcing social distancing and awareness of the population on the prime ministers appeal made in an address to the nation a few days ago.

India has registered over 341 cases of Covid-19 till Sunday with five confirmed deaths, the global toll, however, has crossed 267,000 infections and over 11,000 deaths.

Janta Curfew has so far been hugely successful across the country with reports of massive participation in the initiative coming from across the country as the streets bore a deserted look and places like markets, mosques, temples, railway and bus stations and other public recreational places remaining empty.

From children to elders everyone happily participated in the clapping initiative and prayed for the countrys well being amid coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reminded people to be on their terrace and balconies to express their gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 in a reference to the medical teams employed to fight coronavirus.

A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data and a total of 24 previously positive cases have been discharged after successful treatment.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Fifth Third Bank will give bonuses to its employees working in essential customer service roles during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Cincinnati-based bank said that the special payments could be up to $1,000, with $500 installments paid in April and May, according to a news release.

Many of our banking center, operations and call center employees are coming to work while facing challenges related to childcare, transportation or general concern for their familys well-being, Fifth Thirds president and CEO Greg D. Carmichael said in the release. Our employees are making a real difference for our customers as we navigate this pandemic. We need to do the same for our employees and want to recognize how appreciative we are of their extraordinary service.

While Fifth Third has already made sure many of its employees are working from home, customer service representatives, bankers, call-center employees and others must still work on-site to perform essential duties.

On Saturday, Fifth Third announced that bank branch lobbies will be temporarily closed to the general public. Customers can still meet with a banker in person, but they must make an appointment either online or by calling the branch, the news release says.

Fifth Third bankers are still available to work with customers over the phone, the release states. The company also encourages its customers to utilize its online tools for self-service banking.

Fifth Third  which operates more than 1,000 branches in 10 states  is not the first company to announce it will provide bonuses to its employees during the coronavirus pandemic. Pittsburgh-based grocery store Giant Eagle, which has a large presence in Northeast Ohio, is planning to give $10 million in bonus pay to employees through May 2, at the earliest.

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: The Telangana Railway Police on Sunday booked cases against five passengers, including two women, for allegedly violating the government's orders by using public transport despite being advised home quarantine on their return here from abroad.

According to Superintendent of Railway Police B Anuradha, all passengers who came from abroad are checked with thermal screening devices and some of them had been advisedhome quarantine and also marked with stamping.

"They (thosestamped on their hands along with the date up to which the quarantine is to be observed) should not use public transport. But these five came to railway stations and boarded trains (to reach their destinations) on Saturday and Sunday, " the official said.

They were caught from various places of the state (while travelling) and shifted to differenthospitals.

The fivehome quarantine passengers including one with suspected symptoms of coronavirus, and belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh were detained after fellow passengers alerted the authorities.

They had travel history to Nigeria, US Indonesia, Australia and Dubai.

ases were registered against them under relevant sections of IPC and The Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, which the Telangana government invoked in the state on Saturday on violating the state government's order to prevent COVID 19, the official said.

Health officials earlier said any person who has returned from any foreign country or has been in transit shall be in self-home quarantine for 14 days from the time of arrival in India, irrespective of having any symptoms or not.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 'fit and healthy' nurse, 36, on the frontline of the battle against coronavirus is now in critical condition after being diagnosed with the illness, her devastated family have revealed.

Areema Nasreen, a mother-of-three, tested positive for the virus after developing a soaring temperature, body aches and a cough.

The nurse, who has no underlying health conditions, and has worked for the NHS for 16 years, was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital in the West Midlands after her condition worsened.

She is now on a ventilator in intensive care - being cared for by the medics she usually works alongside.

Areema Nasreen, 36, a Walsall staff nurse and mother-of-three who is battling coronavirus in intensive care

Areema's sister is now urging people to take the illness seriously - saying it is 'not just the elderly at risk'.

Kazeema said: 'My sister who is an amazing nurse on the front line and who always helps so many has now caught this virus. She is critically ill in ICU, on a ventilator and fighting for her life.

'I want everyone to know how dangerous this is. My sister is only 36 and is normally fit and healthy.

'People are not taking this seriously enough. She is young - it is not just the elderly who are at risk.'

Areema first became unwell around ten days ago, suffering with 'body aches', a high temperature which could not be brought down and a cough.

Her sister said: 'Her temperature would not go down and her cough was so bad it affected her lungs.

'Eventually she got taken to hospital and they tested her two days ago. It came back positive and now she is in the Intensive Care Unit at the Manor Hospital.

The nurse, who has no underlying health conditions, and has worked for the NHS for 16 years, was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital

She is now on a ventilator in intensive care - being cared for by the medics she usually works alongside

'We're obviously not allowed to visit her but the hospital staff are keeping in touch and updating us as often as possible.

'Areema loves the NHS. Her colleagues are like a second family and they have been truly amazing with her - and us. They are keeping us all strong and doing everything they can for her.

'The Manor Hospital are brilliant and she has loved working there for over 15 years. She started off as housekeeping, then a Healthcare Assistant and now is qualified as a staff nurse.

'She is my queen and is truly loved by everyone - always putting others first. We are heartbroken.'

So far, two patients confirmed to have coronavirus have died in Walsall.

The borough's first coronavirus fatality was a woman in her 80s, who also had underlying health conditions when she contracted the illness.

She died on Thursday, March 12.

Walsall's second coronavirus victim was a 75-year-old man, also suffering from underlying health conditions, who passed away on March 16.

It comes as seven more people in Wales died after contracting the coronavirus as the UK death toll hits 240 with 5,018 positive tests for Covid-19.

The surge in cases of the virus comes as Boris Johnson pleads with young people to take the potentially life-threatening infections more seriously.

Chief Medical Officer for Wales Dr Frank Atherton confirmed today that 12 people in Wales have died in total, with figures rising overnight by seven.

'My thoughts are with their families and friends, and I ask that their privacy is respected at this very sad time,' Dr Atherton said.

The total deaths in England rose by 56 yesterday, as a 41-year-old is thought to be the youngest victim in Britain since the outbreak began.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson urged Britons to celebrate Mother's Day remotely by using video calls - as he admits the NHS could be 'overwhelmed' by the outbreak.

The PM warned that 'the numbers are very stark and they are accelerating' as doctors said a 'tsunami' of severely ill patients was about to engulf them.

They described near-apocalyptic scenes amid chronic shortages of basic equipment and fears that unprotected medics could become desperately ill themselves - or even become unwitting carriers and infect others.

As hospitals raced to convert operating theatres into intensive care wards and begged vets to hand over ventilators normally used for pets, Mr Johnson pleaded with the public to reduce social interaction, even with their mothers.

Mr Johnson said that 'this Mother's Day, the single best present that we can give... is to spare them the risk of catching a very dangerous disease'.
Bogota: A prison riot in Colombia's capital Bogota late on Saturday left 23 prisoners dead and 83 injured, the Justice Minister said on Sunday after detainees protested against what they say are poor sanitary conditions amid the global coronavirus outbreak.

Police and prison guards outside La Modelo jail in Bogota, Colombia on Sunday. Credit:AP

Thirty-two injured prisoners were hospitalised, Justice Minister Margarita Cabello said in a video, while seven prison guards were also injured. Two guards were in critical condition.

The Andean country will enter a nationwide lockdown meant to stem infections from Tuesday night. So far, 231 people have been confirmed infected with the disease and two have died.

"Today is a very sad and painful day," Cabello said. "Last night there was a mass criminal escape attempt at the El Modelo prison and riots in various detention centres around the country."
Today, a cargo-passenger ferry arrives at the port of Chornomorsk in Odesa region from the port of Karasu (Turkey)

112 Agency

March 22, a cargo-passenger ferry arrived at the port of Chornomorsk (Odesa region) from the port of Karasu (Turkey). According to Radio Liberty correspondent, there are about a hundred people on board.



These are, in particular, those who could not get home by air after Ukraine suspended international regular flights with other countries in connection with the pandemic of Covid-19 coronavirus infection.



Passengers fill out forms recommended by the Ministry of Health, in which they must indicate in country they came from and leave their contacts. They also receive a memo on self-isolation and recommendations on the actions in case their health worsens.



"The order is such that healthy people who claim that they have not had direct contact with a patient with coronavirus infection are not examined," explained Mykola GHolubyatnikov, chief state sanitary inspector for water transport.



Another ferry from Batumi is expected in the coming days.



Related: Italy tightens measures due to coronavirus, halting production



Over the past day, 28.9 thousand people crossed the state border, the demarcation line and the administrative border with the Crimea. The press service of the State Border Service reports.

28.2 thousand people were registered at the state border, 257 people at the demarcation line, and 436 people at the admiring borders.

Of these, more than 19 thousand are citizens who returned to Ukraine.

"The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine continues to work and interact with other bodies to ensure home delivery of Ukrainians who are on the adjacent side without vehicles. Nearly 4 thousand of our compatriots are delivered to Ukraine within 24 hours using local government vehicles and the State Emergency Situations Service," - the message says.

In addition to border control, border guards, together with representatives of the sanitary-quarantine units, carry out activities aimed at detecting signs of the disease in citizens. Over the past day, we conducted a survey on the state of health and temperature measurements in 19 thousand people who were traveling from abroad or temporarily occupied territories. During the day, people returning from abroad with an elevated temperature were not detected.
An ethnic-minority village in Lam Dong has become well-known for its title village with 3-nos (no drinking, no smoking and no social evils) thanks to a concerted communal effort that commenced over a dozen years ago.

Villagers in Dam Rong districts Ro Men commune can now access clean water. Life in the Mong ethnic minority village in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has changed a lot thanks to a concerted communal effort that commenced over a dozen years ago. (Photo: tintaynguyen.com)

The village, home to 789 people of the Mong ethnic group, is in Dam Rong districts Ro Men commune.

While drunkenness, smoking and social evils are rife in the countryside, the village has set a bright example of civilised society by stopping the sale of alcohol and tobacco. This has helped eliminate scenes of drunken men and gambling.

Sung A Sang, 40, head of the village, said every Mong person who wanted to settle there had to strictly follow the States laws and commit to not drinking or smoking, while avoiding social evils.

This has achieved security and order, and no one leaves their houses after 9pm anymore.

When a stranger comes to visit, they must inform the head of the village even if they are only staying for one night so the police can carry out the necessary procedures for them. If they don't, the family they are visiting must take responsibility in case any regulations are broken.

During the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, local residents participate in games such as nem con (throwing a ball through a ring for good luck) and badminton. Theres a lot of fun. However, people never drink wine or smoke cigarettes. They only consume soft drinks, Sang told Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

Giang Seo Pao, 55, a local resident, agreed.

Everyone in the village gave up drinking and smoking because we are aware of its harmful effects, he said.

Everybody knew that tobacco was harmful because it affected both smokers and their families in the long run, Pao said.

It is easy for men to get drunk, but that can lead to domestic violence. That's why people decided to give up all these bad habits."

Pao said he was from the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang where there are only terraced fields and it was difficult for local residents to develop a well-rounded economy. Like many other people, they volunteered to go to areas like Lam Dong, Dak Lak and Dak Nong provinces to settle down with the hopes of a better future.

To start with back in 2004, they faced a lot of difficulties.

We had to borrow rice seeds from residents in Da Tong, another commune in Dam Rong district, and dig dong (arrowroot) bulbs in the forest. We couldn't make ends meet, he recalled.

With hard work, a passion for learning and support from the Party and Government, the living standards have gradually improved.

The district authorities have poured resources into building infrastructure and implemented social security polices for poor people to help them escape poverty.

They have also promoted restructuring crops and livestock, taking advantage of the regions potential to boost sustainable socio-economic development.

Local authorities have strived to achieve the target of between 1,000-1,500 new jobs created each year, and the percentage of people who have access to clean water at 93 percent.

As Pao said: My family now has 1 hectare for coffee cultivation. I will plant durian and avocado trees on that land to boost my income.

Whats more important is that villagers have access to clean water thanks to a facility which was put into operation in 2015.

In the past, they had to travel dozens of kilometres to take water from local streams.

The improvements have led to a change in awareness among the community.

Knowing that the Government had invested in building infrastructure for the commune, some people donated land for the construction of a 1,500 sq.m community house, Sang said.

Local residents have also contributed land for concrete roads built with Government funding. As a result, they dont have to walk on dirt paths when it rains.

Their efforts have been paid off as Ro Men commune has been recognised as meeting the nation's new rural standards thanks to the contributions of the Mong community./. VNS
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Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday appealed to the state's folk artists to publicise in local dialects the ways for prevention of the spread of coronavirus.

In a statement issued here, Yadav said, "For prevention of coronavirus, people in large numbers are heading to their homes from cities. In this scenario, the dangers of the disease have increased. I appeal to folk artists of Uttar Pradesh that they should publicise ways to prevent spread of coronavirus in various dialects including Awadhi, Braj and Bundeli".

He added that this will help the public in understanding ways of protection from the contagion in a simple manner.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A drive-thru coronavirus testing center is being set up at the County College of Morris in Randolph, county officials said.

There is no opening date yet for the test center, but work is already underway. Tents have already started to pop up in the colleges parking lots, officials said.

Officials say its opening is contingent on being able to stock the center with the necessary medical supplies. Only patients with prescriptions can be tested at this location, officials said.

The center will be staffed by the Morris County Office of Emergency Management and Office of Health Management, in partnership with Atlantic Health Systems.

This is the second drive-thru testing center in Morris County. The first, also operated by Atlantic Health Systems at Morristown Medical Center, opened on Wednesday. Patients at that center must have a prescription written by an Atlantic Health Systems doctor.

Drive-thru testing centers have been busy in New Jersey. A state-run center at Bergen County Community College reached capacity just hours after opening on its first two days in operation. A second state testing site is being prepared at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, and is expected to open on Monday.

A center in Camden County is also nearly ready to open, pending the delivery of test kits, officials said.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

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Bhopal, March 22 : With another man from Jabalpur testing positive on Sunday, the number of coronavirus cases increased to six in Madhya Pradesh.

Till Friday, four persons - three who returned from Dubai and one from Germany - had tested positive in Jabalpur.

The sixth victim, is a man in his early 40s who works at a shop of in Dubai. He was hospitalised for the Covid-19 in Jabalpur, health officials said.

Hours before him, a 26-year-old woman studying law, who returned from London on March 17 and reached Bhopal the next day, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, an official said. She is the first COVID-19 case in the state capital.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 22

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

As many as 123 Azerbaijani citizens have been evacuated from Hungary by charter flight, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Hungary Vilayat Guliyev told Trend.

"Azerbaijanis in Hungary can be divided into three groups. The first group are those who live and work here for a long time and they are not going to leave the country because of the coronavirus spread. The second group are students. More than 800 Azerbaijanis study in Hungary with the Hugaricum scholarship. The third group includes tourists, businessmen who came to Budapest for a few days. After Wizzair suspended flights on March 15, we contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrange a charter flight. Azerbaijan showed maximum activity and care for its citizens, as a result of which, a charter flight to Budapest was carried out, on March 18 to transport 123 Azerbaijani citizens, including 50 students to their home country. We keep in touch with the citizens of Azerbaijan in Hungary. We invite all of them to register at the embassy in order to facilitate communication with them. In general, the situation is under control. We have a hotline around the clock. We are ready to help our citizens at any time. This is our job, said the ambassador.

Regarding the situation in Hungary, Guliyev noted that the country is successfully combating the spread of coronavirus.

"On March 16, a state of emergency was declared in Hungary, all borders were closed. There are also news about the possibility of declaring curfew in the country. About 112 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Hungary, 117 have been quarantined, seven have recovered and five have died from the virus. In general, the country has a calm atmosphere, people cooperate with the authorities, there is no hype, the shops are full of products, he concluded.
The first four victims were over 80 years old.

So far the Luxembourg government has only communicated about the first four victims, all of whom were over 80 years old.

The first-ever victim of coronavirus in Luxembourg, was 94 year old woman.
Irish airline CityJet has been forced to temporarily lay off most of its 1,200 staff - including many of its 430 Irish staff - and the crisis will delay its planned merger, according to its chief executive.

Pat Byrne, who founded the airline in 1993, hit out at what he said was the Irish Government's lack of adequate financial support.

But Byrne was defiant and said the Dublin-headquartered airline, which operates flights for other airlines such as SAS, would survive.

"I think we can. But it is going to take a huge effort and a lot of cooperation and sacrifice. I think we will survive but it is going to be incredibly difficult," said Byrne.

"I've had some challenges in my career but this one tops it all by some way. We've a great team of fantastic people and if anybody can get through it, we can. But it's bloody tough," he said.

CityJet has spent two years putting together a merger with Spanish airline Air Nostrum to create Europe's largest regional carrier and was close to finalising the deal before the crisis broke.

"We haven't abandoned the merger by any means but we each have to attend to our own survival," said Byrne. "The plan and ambition is still there, just delayed. Air Nostrum are in the same boat as we are rigging for the storm."

The deal was not complete but had been approved by the EU, said Byrne. He added: "We did all the bilateral due diligence and were in the final stages when this hit. Like every airline, they are going through negotiations with their customer airlines, their suppliers, their partners. We are all just trying to reach an accommodation. It's like a conga dance."

CityJet's entire fleet was expected to be grounded by today, with only a handful of flights last week. The fleet was moved to "safe harbour" in Dublin, Stockholm and Copenhagen.

"They are in places where we have clusters of engineering support because even when not flying, they still have to be maintained. It has caused us immediate problems because we have no revenue and loads of costs. We're consulting trading partners - lessors, banks, financiers, suppliers - and everybody has to look to everyone else for forbearance, support, help, flexibility."

Byrne called on the Government to greatly increase the weekly amount paid to laid-off staff and also called for support for companies like CityJet to meet fixed costs that it cannot avoid. "The emphasis at the moment, and rightly so, is on stopping the spread of this disease, but I don't think enough thought has gone into how to protect business. This is going to have a devastating effect and take years to recover from.

"The Irish Government have done absolutely nothing to help us. We have our head office here in Ireland. We are a big employer. All of our aircraft are on the Irish register. They should grant us some funding towards meeting our fixed costs and making sure we get through these few months and come out the other side."

Byrne said CityJet had been forced to dramatically reduce staff costs but its "trade unions had been phenomenally cooperative". "I guess we all want the same thing a future," he said.

CityJet operates in nine different countries - the five Nordic countries, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Ireland - and must follow the labour laws and union rules in each territory.

Major aid packages had been announced for the transport sector in the UK and Nordic countries, Byrne said. "But what's available here in Ireland is pretty awful. It's jobseeker's allowance and that's it. In Denmark, they are paying 3,000 a month per employee and in Sweden it is 4,000. And we are paying 203 a week here in Ireland. It's just not good enough. Other countries are putting this to shame, paying multiples of that.

"The second thing I would like to see from the Irish Government, from the company's point of view, is to give us some funding to help us meet the fixed costs that we can't escape. We are all lightening our costs as much as we can and staff are bearing a huge brunt of that."

Denmark has also brought out a package of aid measures that will make a contribution to fixed costs in the aviation industry, which CityJet can avail of in regard to the element of its fleet that is based in Copenhagen.

Byrne said the airline was currently negotiating these issues in nine different jurisdictions, each with different emergency measures in place.

"The complexity is unreal, dealing with different governments and a whole set of different unions. There should be an EU-wide position on what should be paid to staff and to help with fixed costs, for example."

He said he feared differing amounts of support for firms based in different countries around Europe would distort competition after the crisis. "The EU is an incredibly difficult place to do business because every country plays the sovereign card and has its own set of labour laws. There is no uniformity even though there is meant to be."
On the same day Marin County law enforcement official urged people not to crowd beaches, Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed some of the questions about Californias stay-at-home order Saturday, emphasizing social distancing and urging citizens to use common sense to guard against the spread of coronavirus.

In a news conference, Newsom had especially pointed words for young people in California who might be taking the stay-at-home and distancing guidelines lightly.

If youre young, you dont have any symptoms, I know you may have deep anxiety, Newsom said. Just assume that you potentially are contagious and act accordingly. Socially distance yourself from others. Just use common sense. Be a good neighbor. Be a good citizen.

Those young people that are still out there on the beaches thinking this is a party? Time to grow up. Time to wake up. Time to recognize its not just about the old folks, its about your impact on their lives. Dont be selfish. Recognize you have responsibility to meet this moment as well.

Under the order, residents are allowed to leave home only for essential trips such as grocery shopping or obtaining prescriptions and can walk or exercise if they stay 6 feet away from others.

If you want to take a walk with your dog, take a walk with your dog  just dont do it with five or six neighbors, Newsom said. If there are people around just mind your space. Socially distance yourself at least 6 feet.

Newsom reiterated his hope that social pressure will enforce the order and said as of now he sees no need to use a hammer of law enforcement.

To the extent we feel people remain stubborn over the next few days, we will increase our efforts, not only in outreach and encouragement (but) to the extent we must in appropriate enforcement, Newsom said.

Law enforcement in Marin County responded to residents concerns Saturday that visitors were not practicing social distancing guidelines on the countys beaches. The countys Sheriffs Office posted on Twitter, We understand the communities frustrations with the LARGE amount of people traveling to the Coast today and NOT practicing social distancing. We are working with the Public Health Officers to address the issue. Please stay at home! along with a photo of cars jammed on a small roadway.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

At one point during the news conference, Newsom was asked about images of some public areas remaining crowded the last two days. He cited the relative newness of the order and said the state is working with local governments and social media sites to make everyone aware of the guidelines.

I think youre also seeing images of people taking this quite seriously, Newsom said. Youre seeing streets in cities large and small that are vacant, theyre empty. Youre seeing no kids in playgrounds  This is part of the process of protocol. Its going to take a little time to see advanced. Were confident people are going to start changing behaviors in real time.

For now, Newsom said he does not foresee a scenario of closing trails or public outdoor spaces.

I want people to feel free to take a deep breath, fresh air, get some exercise, take a nice walk, hike out in nature, walk along the beach, Newsom said. Just not with thousands of others.

Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mkawahara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @matthewkawahara
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced sweeping closures across Australia on Sunday with gathering places shut down to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The changes come into force at noon on Monday and will radically alter life for all Australians for up to six months, the Prime Minister said on Sunday night.

Nightclubs, pubs, cinemas and casinos are among the establishments to close their doors indefinitely.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (right) reportedly wanted schools to close but the Prime Minister says they will remain open

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Hotels and pubs will not have to close their accommodation areas, only their licensed areas and gathering areas, the Prime Minister said.

Bottle shops that are off-license and not used for gatherings will remain open.

Restaurants and cafes must close their indoor areas but can still sell takeaway and delivery food.

Indoor sporting venues and places of worship will also have to close their indoor gathering areas but funerals will still be allowed.

'Enclosed spaces for funerals and things of that nature will have to follow the strict four square metre rule which will be enforced,' the Prime Minister said.

Victoria, NSW and the ACT had been pushing for school closures in an emergency National Cabinet meeting with the Prime Minister on Sunday but the Prime Minister said the schools will reopen as normal after the Easter break.

'The premiers and chief ministers all have the same view that schools should reopen on the other side of the term break, subject to the health advice at that time,' he said on Sunday night.

'Health advice has been clear and they have remained open and this is important because I want to stress this, I do not want to see our children lose an entire year of their education.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said schools would stay open. A lockdown may last for six months as if everything were reopened after two weeks, the virus would spread again, he said

Shortly after the Prime Minister's address, ACT Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry said the nation's capital territory would follow NSW and Victoria in closing early for Easter.

'ACT schools, government and non-government, will begin pupil-free days from Tuesday 24 March through to the school holidays despite statements from the Prime Minister,' she said in an emailed statement late on Sunday.

Victorian schools have brought forward the Easter holiday break and teachers will use it to look at how to implement distance learning.

NSW is expected to follow suit.

Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, convenience stores, freight and logistics services will remain open, with the full details to be spelled out in coming days.

State and territory leaders will make their own announcements on the details of the announced closures on Monday morning, the Prime Minister said.

Supermarkets will remain open through the lockdown which starts at noon tomorrow and applies to gathering areas in places such as casinos, pubs, clubs and restaurants

Premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews released separate statements assuring supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and home delivery services would stay open during the 'comprehensive shutdown'.

The prime minister said a six-month shutdown had been modelled by medical experts - and any lockdown would need to be long-term.

'If you shut things down you have to understand that if you do, you may well be doing that for at least the next six months,' he told Seven News on Sunday night.

Domestic travel has also been discouraged in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are imposing two-week quarantine periods on people seeking to enter these states, with police checkpoints posted to monitor travellers.

Pharmacies, petrol stations, convenience stores, freight and logistics services will remain open, with the full details to be spelled out in coming days

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) is also seeking approval to implement a total lockdown in his state at a scheduled national meeting on Sunday night

Scott Morrison says he will send his kids to school tomorrow Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he will be sending his children to school as the nation gets ready to lock down with internal state borders closing. 'On the medical advice, my kids will be going to school in the morning, and that's important,' he told Seven News on Sunday night. 'A complete closure of schools across the country would take out 30 percent of our health workforce,' he said. 'Now you can imagine what the impact would be on running our intensive care units and our emergency departments.' Schools have closed across other nations such Britain, where exceptions were made for key workers, including healthcare staff and police, SBS news reported. Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a teleconference with Australia's state premiers and chief ministers on Sunday night then announced that schools would remain open. The ACT said it would follow Victoria in bringing school holidays forward, closing early for Easter Schools will be operating as usual in NSW on Monday pending further notice Advertisement

WA Premier Mark McGowan said entry to his state would be restricted via road, rail, air and sea from 1.30pm local time on Tuesday.

There will be exemptions for health, emergency, defence and policing personnel, certain mining industry workers, flight crews, essential goods deliverers and on compassionate grounds.

Unless exempted, arrivals from interstate will be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days.

Australians have been told not to undertake non-essential travel and Mr Morrison told the ABC on Sunday night what that meant.

Mr Morrison said travel necessary for compassionate reasons or health was allowed, but holidays or discretionary travel must be cancelled.

Even within states, people should scrap travel which isn't part of their essential routine, Mr Morrison said.

Australia's international travel ban would extend to Australia's Olympic team throwing their participation into doubt - but he had words of encouragement for the nation.

'Australians are strong,' he told Seven News on Sunday.

'And we're going to find out just how strong we are, and I know we're not going to be disappointed ... we will get on this bridge to the other side of recovery.'

The AFL announced matches would be suspended until at least May 31.

Mr Morrison warned of more draconian measures as people continued to ignore warnings about social distancing and maintaining at least 1.5 metres of space between people.

'You've got to keep a healthy distance between each other,' Mr Morrison said.

'If Australians can't do that on a broad scale, then they are denying the governments and the authorities the most important weapon we have to save lives and to save livelihoods.'

WHAT WILL CLOSE AND WHAT WILL STAY OPEN? WHAT WILL STAY OPEN: Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and convenience stores. Home delivery, freight and logistics services Schools (but ACT, NSW and Victoria schools will close early for Easter) Accommodation areas of pubs and hotels Restaurants and cafes for takeaway and delivery food (but closed for dining) Places of worship for funerals (but must observe the four-square-meter rule) Off-license bottle shops NRL season Everything except for primary gathering places in entertainment venues WHAT WILL CLOSE: Restaurants and cafes for seated dining (takeaway is OK) Licensed clubs, bars, hotels and pubs - the licensed and gathering areas Entertainment venues and cinemas, casinos and nightclubs. Indoor sporting venues Places of worship (except for funerals) AFL season until May 31 All bars and restaurants will close to diners but will still be able to sell takeaway and delivery food ( Pictured: Club 77) Petrol stations will remain open as will pharmacies and supermarkets Advertisement

All bars and restaurants in NSW will be forced to close within the next 48 hours as the premier implements total shutdown of non essential services ( Pictured: Club 77)

Wes Lambert, chief executive of the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association had been fiercely lobbying for states to allow restaurants to stay open for take away and delivery.

'Businesses need to be able to continue to employ staff for food delivery and takeaway, which we think is essential,' he said.

'About 36 per cent of meals are eaten outside the home, so you're talking about a substantial amount of extra purchasing at grocery stores if you don't allow food delivery.'

Beachgoers are seen at Bondi Beach on Friday (pictured) despite the threat of coronavirus

Supermarkets throughout Australia are already struggling to cope with extra demand as a result of panic-buying, however this should subside as there is no change to their opening hours.

NSW Health on Sunday confirmed 97 new COVID-19 cases overnight to Sunday, bringing the state's tally to 533 and the national count to more than 1350.

Several of the new diagnoses were made in backpackers in the Bondi area - just a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison was forced to close the famous beach when thousands of people flouted social distancing measures.

'There were two recent parties that some of the cases attended where the cases may have acquired their infections,' a spokesman for NSW Health said.

Partygoers who attended the Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List (pictured) on March 15 have been asked to self isolate. The Bondi Beach pub was packed on Friday night just before Waverley Council closed the beach to enforce social distancing rules

Beachgoers seemingly ignored warnings about the closure of the beach on Sunday morning

Those two parties were the Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List on March 15 and a party at Club 77 on the same date.

Beaches were closed across Sydney on Sunday as people continued to ignore the social distancing rule.

Rangers were on hand to help move people along from the beach on Sunday after Mr Morrison closed it due to lack of social distancing
New Delhi, March 22 : In the backdrop of the outbreak of coronavirus, the Supreme Court on Monday will hold a full court to consider further steps on the functioning of the court.

A full court involves all judges of the apex court meeting will be held at the Supreme Court at 12.30 p.m. on March 23 to discuss further steps to be taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to consider the suggestions of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record Association (SCAORA) to declare vacation from two to four weeks.

Meanwhile, the apex court administration will also begin testing video conferencing, where lawyers can argue before a bench from a separate room.

On March 21, in the backdrop of coronavirus outbreak, the SCBA had urged the Chief Justice S.A. Bobde to consider declaring four weeks' vacation beginning March 23.

In a statement SCBA Secretary Ashok Arora said the lawyers' body request the Chief Justice to adjust the lost days in the upcoming summer vacation.

"The EC (Executive Committee) of the SCBA is elected to look after the welfare and well-being of the members of the SCBA and must take decisions accordingly irrespective of the reservations that some members may have", said the statement. Arora said, "The EC resolves to inform the court of its readiness to help the institution at any point of time".

Similarly, to curtail the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, SCAORA also urged the Chief Justice to close the Supreme Court for a period of at least two weeks beginning from March 23. However, if this request is not accepted, then the SCAORA has proposed various measures to prevent overcrowding in the court complex.

"Filing of matters be completely stopped except urgent matters pertaining to death warrant, bail/custody and habeas corpus petitions...In lieu of the loss of court hours, summer vacation may be curtailed in the month of May and if necessary the courts may function on Saturday accordingly", said Joseph Aristotle, Secretary SCAORA.

On March 13, the Supreme Court in a notification said it will have limited functioning restricted to urgent matters. "The competent authority has been pleased to direct that the functioning of the courts shall be restricted to urgent matters with such number of Benches as may be found appropriate", said the notification issued by the apex court Secretary General Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar.

The apex court authorities took into account the office memorandum issued on march 5 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as advisory cautioning against mass gathering and also took cognizance of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which declared Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) as global pandemic and advised against mass congregation.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Curfew-like restrictions on the movement and assembly of people were imposed in Kashmir on Sunday as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to observe 'Janata curfew', even as the virtual lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus in the valley entered its fourth day.

Only government and essential services employees with valid identity cards and emergency cases were allowed to move



Strict curfew-like restrictions on the movement and assembly of people were imposed across all districts of the Kashmir valley on Sunday morning, officials said.

They said the deployment of security forces was strengthened and more barricades, including concertina wire, were put up at several places across the valley, including in the city here, to enforce the restrictions.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar had said on Saturday that extra security forces will be deployed across the valley to ensure that strict restrictions are imposed.

"It may be Janata curfew by name, but the history of Kashmir is such that whatever the situation is, the restrictions cannot be imposed without the police or security forces enforcing them," he told reporters at a press conference.

At several places across the valley on Saturday night, the police used vehicles fitted with public address systems to announce the restrictions on Sunday and appealed the people to stay indoors.

The police also appealed the people on Twitter to observe the curfew.

On Sunday morning also, police vehicles were used to announce strict restrictions, the officials said.

Markets across the valley were shut and public transport was off the roads, they said.

Train services also remained suspended, they added.

Educational institutions across Kashmir have already been closed, while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants have been shut down.

Restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the valley on Thursday to contain the spread of the virus.

The measures were taken after a 67-year-old woman from Khanyar area of the city, who had returned on 16 March from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah, tested positive for COVID-19 infection.

So far, the valley has registered only a single positive case of the infection.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Ohio police officer was killed late on Saturday night after a suspect on the run collided with her vehicle during a chase, authorities in a Cincinnati suburb said.

Kaia Grant, 33, is the first police fatality in the line of duty in the history of Springdale, Mayor Doyle Webster said at a news conference.

Grant was killed Saturday night in a crash that also injured Sgt. Andrew Davis.

Officers in another jurisdiction began the pursuit, which entered Springdale city limits, Police Chief Thomas Wells said.

The suspect was being chased by police while driving on Westbound I-275 at State Route 4 at around 8:30pm, according to WKRC-TV.

Grant and Davis tried to stop the suspect, but at some point during the pursuit, the suspect collided with their cruiser on an interstate.

Kaia Grant, 33, an eight-year veteran of the Springdale Police Department in suburban Cincinnati, became the first officer to die in the line of duty late on Saturday night

Sgt Andrew Davis, a 30-year-veteran of the Springdale Police Department, was injured during the chase late on Saturday night

The suspect was being chased by police while driving on Westbound I-275 at State Route 4 at around 8:30pm

Grant was treated at the scene and airlifted to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Wells said.

She had been with Springdale police for eight years.

Grant, a native of Wyoming, Ohio, graduated from Wyoming High School and the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

The suspect is in custody and a firearm was recovered at the scene, Wells said.

Grant, a native of Wyoming, Ohio, graduated from Wyoming High School and the College of William and Mary in Virginia

He didn't identify the jurisdiction in which the chase began or why the person was being pursued.

No charges were immediate announced and an investigation is ongoing, with the assistance of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Police spokesman Keenan Riordan said the suspect is hospitalized, news outlets reported.

Davis, who has been with the department for three decades, was released from the hospital and present at the news conference, news outlets reported, adding that officers from the department lined the back of the briefing room.

Wells thanked those officers for coming to the station to help, as well as departments from around Hamilton County for offering support.

He highlighted the agencies covering the city for the department.

'Frankly we're not in a position to do this right now,' he said. 'We're hurting.'

Tributes poured in from across the state as Governor Mike DeWine ordered flags to fly at half mast in honor of Grant.

The Cincinnati Police Department paid tribute to Grant on its social media page on Sunday

'The void created by this officers sacrifice can never be filled and will never be forgotten,' Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a release.

'My deepest condolences are with the Springdale community.'

The Greater Cincinnati Police and Fire Chaplain Services tweeted: 'We are heartbroken. The Springdale PD has suffered an extreme loss.

'Officer Kaia Grant was killed in the line of duty tonight. Sgt. Davis was also injured.

'Please pray for the families, the PD, and all of the law enforcement, fire, dispatch, and medical personnel involved.'
A hotel owner was arrested and a case was registered against him for allegedly flaunting government order by not providing information about a British guest in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, a police officer said on Sunday.

The hotel owner, Ajaz Ahmad of Kaskoot village, was arrested and booked under section 188 Indian Penal Code (IPC), Station House Officer of Banihal police station, Inspector Syed Aabid Bukhari told PTI.

He said the hotel owner has violated the district magistrate order by not providing information about the foreign guest in his hotel.

According to reliable information, the officer said Britain national, Richards, had stayed in the hotel near Banihal Railway station during the intervening night of March 19 and 20.

He was supposed to visit Kashmir, where the entry of foreign nationals was banned by the administration on March 17 as part of efforts to check the spread of coronavirus.

The foreigner was noticed by some policemen while he was on his way way to the Banihal railway station to take a a train to Kashmir and subsequently taken to district hospital Ramban for a checkup. He was later shifted to Jammu.

The Ramban district magistrate had issued an order on March 17, directing all hotels to provide information about their guests, especially foreigners to police.

On March 19, the authorities also suspended the train service between Banihal and Baramulla in Kashmir valley till March 31 as a precautionary measure.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rajasthan government has arrested 29 people for allegedly spreading rumours on social media and flouting prohibitory orders in the state imposed in wake of coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

Chairing a high-level meeting with officials from the Armed Forces, the Railways and paramilitary forces on Sunday to review the situation, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said rumourmongering and violation of government guidelines cannot be tolerated.

He directed officials to take strict action against those flouting government advisories and spreading misleading information on social media.

Gehlot said that coordination among the civil administration and central agencies, the Army and the paramilitary forces was necessary to deal with the challenge.

Air Vice Marshal S Ravi and Lieutenant General Alok Kler said the force was ready to provide isolation, quarantine, testing and treatment facilities and other necessary support to the state government.

Railway General Manager Anand Prakash said that the railway has a quarantine facility for 1,300 people and isolation space for 200 people.

Director General, Home Defense and Civil Defense, Rajiv Dasot said that about 7,500 homeguard personnel are fully prepared to meet any challenge.

The Chief Minister said that District Collectors should ensure that during the lockdown, which was announced on Saturday, no needy person faces any trouble and no one sleeps hungry.

He said the government has earmarked a Rs 25-crore fund to encourage doctors and paramedical staff in the state.

Gehlot said that the steps taken by Rajasthan were discussed in the video conference meeting held on Sunday by the Cabinet Secretary of the Government of India and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister with the chief secretaries of all states.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 19:27:35|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran's health ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,685 people have died of COVID-19 in the country, official IRNA news agency reported.

A total of 21,638 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus as of Friday and 7,913 have recovered, said Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center at the ministry.

Earlier in the day, the Iranian authorities ordered the closure of commercial centers, except convenience stores and pharmacies, in the capital Tehran amid the challenges of COVID-19 spread.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries by the coronavirus epidemic.

China sent a five-member expert team on Feb. 29 to Tehran to help control and prevent the spread of the virus.
Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon and other 12-step groups, many of which are locked out of their regular meeting sites because of the coronavirus pandemic, are Zooming along.

Zoom, an online meeting app, has become a popular alternative to physical meetings, enabling recovering alcoholics to stay sober.

Meetings, which many AA members attend daily, are at the heart of 12-step programs, where members share their struggles and successes, griefs and joys.

Its a lifeline that keeps me sober, said a member using the alias of Tom because hes a minister in an area church. The real names of AA members are not being used in order to protect the anonymity of the groups members.

Theres a saying in AA that I get drunk, but we get sober.

He said he started a Zoom meeting at the same time as his regular meeting and its slowly taking shape. The first two days we had eight people  and today we had 21.

Finding out that he couldnt go to his daily meeting wasnt easy. It was very daunting and quite depressing to not meet with those people who Ive been meeting with for years on end every single day, said Tom, who has been sober 14 years.

The Zoom meetings have been a godsend, he said. Now were grooving on it. I get to see you; I get to hear you. Its slowly becoming A-OK. I cant wait for tomorrows meeting already.

Not every regular meeting has closed. Toms church serves as host to a number of 12-step groups, including Co-Dependents Anonymous and daily AA meetings. Knowing how important meetings are, especially to newcomers and travelers, Tom has given each group the choice of whether to meet, and some have continued to get together.

For those that continue to meet, Tom supplies gloves and disinfectant and insists that all surfaces, including doorknobs, faucet handles and light switches, be cleaned, and windows and doors be left open. He stops by and closes them afterward.

Three meetings that Frank, the alias of a Guilford AA member, goes to are still open, but Frank is going to online meetings only. Were encouraged in AA to be responsible  living right in every way that we can, he said. He said he took the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions advice to avoid groups of people seriously.

I go to meetings mostly along the Connecticut shore from Branford up to Essex, Frank said. In the course of a week I walk into five or six different rooms full of people.  I think its wrong to go to an inside AA meeting at this time. I dont judge anyone. Im not telling people who are still going that theyre wrong, but Im not going.

What if everyone in the room is healthy but me and I seem to have picked it up? Frank said. When everyone returns to their families, all of a sudden Ive infected a thousand people without knowing it.

Zoom is free for meetings of 40 minutes or less, so Frank is paying the $15 a month for longer meetings, less than he would put in the basket at his regular meetings. Hes set up daily meetings at 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Also, he said, Ive just set up a site which will be a drop-in site, so people at any time of the day can drop in and talk to an alcoholic.

Frank has been sober for 40 years, but said, I believe that we all do this a day at a time and that I have to do everything that the newcomer does to stay sober, including reading AA literature, getting a sponsor and working the 12 steps.

Its been a great help to me, he said. I get a lot of strength from being with people who are like me, who have the same personality I do. Alcoholics are not like other people. Its a disease. Were in this big lifeboat together and doing this online has been enormously helpful to me.

He said members have started joining the meeting early and staying on afterward to chat, just as they do at regular meetings.

The fear of the unknown has always been one of my greatest fears, Frank said, and, with the uncertainty of the pandemic, Ive never experienced so many unknowns at the same time. Thanks to my friends online Im getting that sense of peace again.

Mary of Guilford (also an alias) said she did go to a face-to-face meeting. There were four of us and we sat 6 feet apart.  There are some meetings that are meeting outdoors, such as on the Guilford beach, she said.

Mary has been signing in to online meetings and said High Watch Recovery Center in Kent, founded in 1939 as the worlds first 12-step treatment center, offers three online AA meetings a day, as well as a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

Its not the same, but its still connection, she said. The most important part is to stay connected.

She worries about how newcomers will find the online meetings. I dont know how they would find the resources that I have because Im getting them from people that I know from meetings, Mary said.

Fred from Branford is the chairman for the AA answering service in the south-central part of Connecticut and is working to get online meetings posted on the states website, ct-aa.org. If people call the state hotline, they will tell a caller that they can go to the website, he said. The hotline numbers are 866-783-7712 (866-STEPS-12) for English and 855-377-2628 for Spanish.

This is going to be extremely difficult for newcomers who decide they need and want AA but cant walk into a scheduled AA meeting, Fred said. We havent yet developed the ambiance, the etiquette of how to bring a newcomer to AA into an online meeting, but its very good for existing members.

Al-Anon, a similar program to AA for families and others affected by problem drinkers, also is moving meetings to Zoom. Jean of West Haven, whose Saturday morning group moved to Yale Health on Lock Street after Church of the Redeemer closed last year, now has set up a Zoom meeting because Yale Health is not allowing the group to meet.

It was disappointing. I immediately got on the phone and started talking to people, Jean said. The safest thing feels like doing it virtually, where we can at least hear peoples voices and get the experience, strength and hope that we always get at a meeting.

She said now that her other activities are shut down, including yoga and dancing, this is where the reassurance comes for me.

An Al-Anon member from Wolcott, who chose Meryl as her alias, said her group held its first Zoom meeting on Tuesday. It was great; it was really good, so were going to do a meeting Sunday night and were going to do one Monday morning, she said.

Meryl said shes usually busy with meetings and volunteering at the state literature-distribution center in Hartford. Now she and her husband, who is an AA member, are pretty much staying at home. Im going stir-crazy a little bit, she said.

While the online meetings are not the same as physically being together, she said, Its wonderful that we have this. I was thinking wed all be a bunch of lunatics if we couldnt connect somehow. Its great that we have it, but I would prefer to be at a face-to-face meeting, absolutely.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
President Ram Nath Kovind along with First Lady Savita Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and other leaders joined the fellow citizens on Sunday to express their gratitude towards all those who are safeguarding the health of the nation in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

IMAGE: President Ram Nath Kovind with First Lady Savita Kovind claps as a gesture to show gratitude to medical practitioners and other emergency services workers during Janta curfew, in New Delhi, on Sunday. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/Twitter

'The President, along with the First Lady and other members of the family, joined the fellow citizens and expressed their gratitude towards all those who are safeguarding the health of the nation in spite of the grave risk to them and their families. Janta Curfew,' the President of India tweeted.

WATCH: The President along with his family clapping to thank the health workers and other service providers

WATCH: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and his wife clap to cheer for emergency services

IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also rang the bell in Gorakhpur. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari along with his family members clap as a gesture to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, in Nagpur, on Sunday. In Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar and former CM Devendra Fadnavis were among the politicians who paid tribute at 5 pm to those in the frontline in the fight against the novel coronavirus. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and his family members clap and clang utensils in New Delhi. Photograph: @ombirlakota/Twitter

IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his wife show gratitude to healthcare and other emergency services workers in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI

IMAGE: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa along with his family members clap in the balcony of his residence in Bengaluru, on Sunday. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

IMAGE: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar along with his wife Sudesh Dhankhar claps in Kolkata. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan along with his family members claps at his residence in New Delhi, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

WATCH: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik rings a bell to show gratitude to healthcare workers
Ramirez: Bookselling came to me as a happy accident. Honestly, I wasnt a big reader growing up and basically stumbled into it working for the book division at Tower Records in Sacramento. I moved to Chicago in 1995 to open a Tower store in Schaumburg as a head book buyer and have been here ever since. The biggest challenge is getting readers to appreciate the wonders of the short story, and the biggest reward is the return reader, the one whose trust you gain. We just met a customer recently that had received a signed first edition of Stoner by John Williams as a gift, and she cried over it. That conversation began by talking about books that we both loved.
This week was to be the most consequential of ABC managing director David Andersons 31-year career at the public broadcaster. It's the week in which the ultra-low-profile executive was poised to step out from behind the shadow of his celebrity chairwoman, Ita Buttrose, and, well, do something.

But the unveiling of Andersons ambitious five-year plan to push the ABC towards a digital future, fine tune some of his zany predecessor Michelle Guthries restructuring, and slash about 200 jobs necessitated by the governments $84 million budget indexation freeze, was postponed due the coronavirus crisis.

Celebrity boss: ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Eighteen months into the job he took over in an emergency capacity, until Buttrose formally appointed him after a global search, Anderson was set this week to solve the central conundrum bedevilling the national broadcaster: embracing a digital future while its core audience is ageing rapidly and digitally naive.

Coronavirus put paid to that but if the ABC has learnt anything in recent years, it is to never waste a crisis. The question, though, is who is really running the organisation?
In these extraordinary times, we want to ensure Irish companies know Enterprise Ireland is open for business. We are here to listen to and support Irish export businesses. It's critical work and never more important than now.

Like any organisation, our first priority is the health, safety and security of our employees and clients.

Our next focus is to provide the most complete services and supports we can to our client base from all our global locations.

We understand events are moving incredibly quickly. Every day, something new is happening and new countries are affected.

For some companies, the impact of Covid-19 may take some time to arrive or may not have crystallised yet, while others might be feeling it immediately.

But there is no doubt that this will be a severe economic crisis, likely to last some months and place many jobs at risk.

We're working hard to understand how different international markets are affected and the challenges companies in different sectors may face.

We're listening to our clients, so we can develop how we support companies as this difficult scenario evolves.

Our development advisers are working virtually and available as usual. For those with specific questions, we have set up a Covid-19 client unit, along with a dedicated helpline and email address.

We'll also proactively provide information and webinars, as we did for Brexit.

All our existing supports remain in place and more help is coming. The Government has announced 200m in enterprise supports, including the Rescue and Restructuring Scheme.

We are working through that now to finalise the details and get feedback from clients around how we structure it.

Our role is to work side by side with companies, along with other stakeholders that can offer help, such as the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, Microfinance Ireland, the banks, investors, Revenue and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

Our Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Business Response Plan document (which you can download from enterprise-ireland.com/businessresponse) gives guidelines for businesses on how to plan and prepare for any changes needed in terms of people management, business processes and operations management, supply chain management, and internal and external communications.

This guide also outlines the many key supports available to businesses from Enterprise Ireland, Government departments and other sources, and includes a step-by-step risk assessment process.

It's crucial for businesses to look after their employees. They are the lifeblood of every company, so have real concern for their welfare and make sure they are healthy.

Think about how your company can continue, both in terms of business processes and operations.

For example, how will you continue if you lose key staff or if your inward or outward supply chains are affected?

Really think about it and put contingency plans in place if possible.

There may not be easy answers, but the important thing is to recognise the challenge facing your business and to think about how it could operate in a different way.

Can you hunker down and prepare for the coming storm?

Of course, everyone is anxious and concerned, so communicate clearly and regularly, updating your staff, customers and other stakeholders about any relevant changes.

Some companies may see an upside from this crisis, so we are mindful of that, but it's not our core focus. We know we'll need to help reposition many companies to get through this and bounce back.

There are no panaceas, but we've been through tough times before and now have a much stronger and more resilient pool of Irish industry.

These are going to be a tough few months, but we're optimistic the Irish business community will rebuild.

It has talent, commitment and a strong track record in dealing with challenges.

Joe Healy is part of the Covid-19 Business Response Unit at Enterprise Ireland. For further information on the supports available or for any related queries, email the Business Response Unit at clientresponse@enterprise-ireland.com or call 01 727 2088.
Aly Song/Reuters

As the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow at a rapid pace in the U.S., the White House is launching a communications plan across multiple federal agencies that focuses on accusing Beijing of orchestrating a cover-up and creating a global pandemic, according to two U.S. officials and a government cable obtained by The Daily Beast.

The cable, sent to State Department officials Friday, lays out in detail the circumstances on the ground in China, including data on coronavirus cases and deaths, the local business environment and transportation restrictions. But it also issues guidelines for how U.S. officials should answer questions on, or speak about, the coronavirus and the White Houses response in relation to China.

The talking points appear to have originated in the National Security Council. One section of the cable reads NSC Top Lines: [Peoples Republic of China] Propaganda and Disinformation on the Wuhan Virus Pandemic.

Chinese Communist Party officials in Wuhan and Beijing had a special responsibility to inform the Chinese people and the world of the threat, since they were the first to learn of it, the cable reads. Instead, the... government hid news of the virus from its own people for weeks, while suppressing information and punishing doctors and journalists who raised the alarm. The Party cared more about its reputation than its own peoples suffering.

President Trump Says Has Not Compelled Companies to Make Coronavirus Gear Despite Nationwide Shortages

The cable was disseminated to officials at a time when the administration is engrossed in a communications battle around how to disseminate the flow of crucial health information to the American public while at the same time deflecting criticism that the White House was unprepared for the pandemic and that President Trump is at odds with members of his coronavirus task force.

One of the results of those internal deliberations appears to be a renewed focus on underscoring Chinas missteps. Two U.S. officials working on the administrations coronavirus response said the White House is pushing federal agencies to stick closely to the national security councils talking points, especially when senior officials take to the podium, to ensure continuity with President Trump.

Story continues

These talking points are all anyone is really talking about right now, one official said. Everything is about China. Were being told to try and get this messaging out in any way possible, including press conferences and television appearances.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Over the last several weeks top administration officials, including President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have referred to the coronavirus as both the Chinese virus and the Wuhan virus. Beijings leaders have pushed back on the designation, claiming the terms are xenophobic and inaccurate now that the virus has spread to dozens of countries across the world. American doctors and scientists involved with the administrations task force operations continue to call it the coronavirus.

The [Chinese Communist Party] is waging a propaganda campaign to desperately try to shift responsibility for the global pandemic to the United States. This effort is futile, one of the talking points in the cable reads. Thanks to the cover-up, Chinese and international experts missed a critical window to contain the outbreak within China and stop its global spread. Saving lives is more important than saving face.

But the administration isnt just focusing on criticizing China, its also painting Americas response to the global pandemic as extraordinary humanitarianism.

The United States and the American people are demonstrating once again that they are the greatest humanitarians the world has ever known, according to the cable. The United States stands ready to provide more assistance to China, if the Chinese Communist Party would allow us to do so.

Tucker Carlson: Trump at His Very Best Defending Use of Chinese Virus

The cable notes that the U.S. has donated millions of dollars worth of medical supplies and provided financial assistance for countries trying to fight the coronavirus.

As of last week, about 95 percent of Chinas cities and prefectures had reported zero new cases in the past 14 consecutive days as of March 19, including 16 of the 17 prefectures and cities in Hubei Province, according to the cable, which noted that the State Department had conducted an analysis of the data.

Cases among Chinese travelers infected in other countries accounted for virtually all the new cases reported outside Hubei since March 13, according to the cable. While the vast majority of these cases are Chinese nationals, the first confirmed imported case of a U.S. citizen was reported in the Shanghai consular district.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the number of positive coronavirus cases ticked above the 20,000 mark Saturday morning, with more than 270 deaths reported.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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South superstar Prabhas has announced that he is in self-quarantine in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a short statement posted on Twitter, the "Baahubali" actor said he recently returned from Georgia after completing a film's shoot and therefore decided to keep himself insolation.

"On safely returning from my shoot abroad, in light of increasing risks of COVID-19, I have decided to self-quarantine. Hope you all are also taking the necessary precautions to be safe," Prabhas tweeted on Saturday.

The actor is currently working on filmmaker Radha Krishna Kumar's untitled film, which also features Pooja Hedge.

A number of Indian celebrities are under self-quarantine after their return from abroad, including Anupam Kher and Shabana Azmi.

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar had on Monday said he is completely under isolation to avoid any infection due to coronavirus outbreak. The 97-year-old actor shared the health update on his Twitter account.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 283 on Saturday after 60 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Triplicane police arrested two men for allegedly running a hookah bar. Based on a tip-off, police raided Benze Vacation Club at Wellington Plaza on GP road and seized 32 shisha pots and 50 boxes of different flavours of tobacco. J Kesavaraj (28) of Tiruvarur district and Bala, a worker at the bar were arrested and released on station bail, police said.

Meanwhile, Nungambakkam police seized 30 small sachets of ganja from a bike-borne duo during a vehicle check on Friday night. Three mobile phones, `5,000 and the two-wheeler were also seized from the two identified as V Udayakumar (23) of Ayanavaram and M Rajesh (28) of Saidapet.

Police said the duo worked in a private firm as housekeeping staff, police said. Similarly, Washermenpet police arrested a man, aged 31, who was allegedly in possession of 2.1 kg ganja on Friday. Police identified him as D Manikandan of Old Washermenpet.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday issued an order for Ohioans to stay at home and avoid nonessential business.

DeWine also placed restrictions on daycares, closed playgrounds and closed nonessential businesses.

Grocery stores, take-out restaurants and pharmacies will remain open. And there are plenty of common-sense exceptions.

This is an order, DeWine said. It is a reasonable order. If everybody does this were going to save a lot of lives.

The order begins at 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Heres the 23-page order, which can be enforced by police or health departments. If you cant see the document viewer below, please click here.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Janata curfew in Kerala seems to be almost total with public remaining indoors throughout the day. The curfew was announced by prime minister Narendra Modi to be observed from 6 am to 9 pm on March 22.

Shops, from shopping malls to wayside tea shops, remain closed in all districts. The state public transport services, KSRTC, private buses, Kochi Metro and boat services are suspended.

Except fuel pumps, no other public utility service is available. Even in the fuel pumps, very few staffs are on duty.

The busy roads in Kochi, the commercial capital of the state, are deserted with very few people are seen moving around. Vyttila, the biggest junction in Kerala, is seen quiet and deserted, with no vehicles and pedestrians.

It is the first time in recent years that such a total lockdown is happening in the always busy Kochi city.

Only the vehicles of police officials or media professionals are seen moving along the city roads, except very few two-wheeler riders.

Same is the scene in other towns including the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. Ministers, legislators and all top bureaucrats are remaining within their houses.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the public to utilise the day for cleaning their house premises. The chief minister cancelled the daily press briefing after the review meeting on Covid-19 as well.

Meanwhile, more district administrations in the state have started to impose stringent restrictions to prevent virus spread.
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By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: A minor Assam girl, who tested positive for novel coronavirus at the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital on Saturday, tested negative on a recheck at the Regional Medical Research Centre under Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at Lahowal in Dibrugarh.



Test report at ICMR, Lahowal, is negative, Jorhat District Magistrate Roshni Aparanji Korati told this newspaper on Sunday morning.

COVID-19 LIVE | India observes 'Janta curfew' as confirmed cases reach 315



The four-and-half-year-old girl had returned from Bihar along with her sister and mother by a train on March 19.



Earlier, the authorities had put her family members as well as the ASHA, who reported her sickness, at an isolation ward of the JMCH.



Assam, and the northeast at large, has not yet recorded any COVID-19 positive case as of yet.
~ Historic digital vote on Monday ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of Parliament MP Rolando Brison (UP) on Sunday said Dutch Chairman of Kingdom Affairs Jan Paternotte (D66) has committed to relaying the sentiments of kingdom partners that swift action is needed in the interest of the survival of the people of the islands in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, March 19th, Presidents of the Parliaments of Curacao and St. Maarten, as well as the chairs of the Kingdom Relations Committees of 3 countries within the Kingdom, met via video conference to discuss the need for economic and labor stimulus. While much of the discussion had to do with the health impact of the coronavirus, we shifted focus as well to economic relief for the countries within the kingdom.

It is clear from the perspective of all countries that what all of us will need is a comprehensive package that, if executed as planned, should greatly help reduce the economic and social impact of the Coronavirus on St. Maarten, Brison said, adding that Aruba was to be a part of the discussion, but at the last minute due to an urgent press conference announcing their new measures, they were not able to attend.

MP Brison said that shortly after this meeting, Dutch Minister of the Interior Raymond Knops confirmed that some assistance was coming for the islands. However, Dutch funds will not likely form the entirety of the relief package. The government would be wise to also secure other sources of funding sufficient to be made available as soon as possible, stated Brison.

MP Brison also took to his Facebook Livestream to grant this assurance to the public, so that all are aware that it is not being ignored. While much of the attention is on handling the health risks of the virus, I know it would be equally important to focus on actions geared directly at mitigating the economic damage and loss of jobs. The Parliament of St. Maarten is not sleeping on this issue and will continue to work, even if virtually, to pass important legislation geared at facilitating relief for the economy and laborers, he assured during the Livestream.

One step that parliament will be taking in assisting government to acquire much-needed funds is an amendment to the UTS Law, an initiative law by MP Brison. The amendment aims to more clearly define what the maximum price is of the sale of the UTS shares, after which, government will be able to collect millions of guilders from the remainder of the sale of UTS Shares. The timing of this could not be better, as government needs every guilder it can get to drive us through the tough times that are undoubtedly ahead.

Parliaments handling of MP Brisons UTS Law will also be historic in nature, where for the first time in the history of the Kingdom, a Public Meeting of Parliament to vote on law will be held using video conferencing technology. The meeting will be to vote on an amendment to the UTS Initiative law, which would also free up much-needed funds that the government can choose to use to help fund the relief package.

Other legislative actions will need to be at the forefront. For example, some tax rates are tied to legislation, and any deviation from such rates or the creation of tax incentives for businesses and laborers will require legislative changes. Parliament will be acquiring some legal and technical support to work closely with government to bring these legislative changes about simultaneously with the relief package, Brison concluded.
The unthinkable happened

People in Majorca, as in the rest of Spain, had to become accustomed to what had seemed the unthinkable. The government met last Saturday in order to confirm the state of emergency and the measures that this would entail. The Sunday morning coffee was cancelled. The streets were silent. It was a state of emergency for two weeks. Few could have expected that it would be over by the 29th of March.

In the Balearics, the number of cases increased daily. Compared with the whole of Spain these were very low, as were the fatalities. A hope for the islands was that insularity would spare us the worst. Travel had to be curbed, and it was. The principal movement would be that of ships bringing supplies; these would be guaranteed.



Tourists departing; huge layoffs

Tourists departed, but not all. Hotels, which hadn't been obliged to close under the government's measures, were mostly doing so anyway, but there were those hotels which still had tourists. The government then altered its position. Hotels in Spain must close by Thursday this week; the last "repatriation" flights will be taking these tourists home. Businesses initiated ERTE temporary layoff procedures. Employment minister Iago Negueruela issued an assurance that force majeure ERTEs would mean workers being paid benefits as soon as possible.

Few sectors of the economy were unaffected. Inditex, which includes Zara, decided to close all its stores not just in the Balearics and Spain but worldwide. There were daily reports of the impact on the likes of taxi drivers, fishermen, the film industry, live music.



Unity and division

The Spanish government's motto was #Este Virus: Lo paramos unidos" - This virus, united we will stop it. On Wednesday night, King Felipe's message to the nation referred to this unity. "We must unite around the same objective: to overcome this serious situation. We must do this together."

However, unity wasn't total. In Catalonia, for example, the region's president, Quim Torra - who succumbed to the virus lsat week - rejected the government's plans. They were an "undercover Article 155" to take over Catalonia's powers. The Mossos police force in Catalonia was placed under the direct command of the interior ministry in Madrid.

The King, meanwhile, was caught up in the scandal affecting his father, Juan Carlos, something which once more highlighted the lack of unity with regard to the monarchy.



When normality returns

Planning for the return of normality, whenever this may be, included tourism promotion. The Council of Majorca, which had been anticipating being in Berlin at the start of next month in order to stage special promotions, was now indicating that its strategic plan for tourism promotion will be adapted. This plan is due to be presented shortly. It is the first strategic plan of its type that Majorca has known. A document for the long term, there was now a pressing short-term priority.



Tourism employment

With employees being laid off in huge numbers, the release of figures for employment in the tourism sector in February seemed distinctly incongruous. Nationwide, slightly over 100,000 more people had been taken on in the tourism sector. Andalusia had led the way with some 17,000. In the Balearics, the number had been more modest - 944. But that was February; this was now March.
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The unprecedented clash between the two giant exporters -- and former OPEC+ allies -- threatens to push the price of a barrel below $20, but the Kremlin wont be the first to blink and seek a truce, said people familiar with the governments position.

Putins government has spent years building reserves for this kind of crisis. While Russia didnt expect the Saudis to trigger a price war, the people said, the Kremlin so far is confident that it can hold out longer than Riyadh.

Putin is known for not submitting to pressure, said Alexander Dynkin, president of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow, a state-run think tank that advises government on foreign policy and economy. He has proved that he is ready for a hard competition to protect national interests and to keep his political image as a strongman.

After two decades at Russias helm, the president has enough experience to survive the current crisis, said three people, asking not to be named because the information isnt public. Putin is not someone who gives in, even if the fight brings significant losses, said one person.

The Architect

The entire oil market is watching and waiting to see if Russia or Saudi Arabia will balk at the painful price slump and call a truce. Brent crude has plunged from over $50 a barrel in early March to as low as $24.52 this week as the Gulf kingdom, angered by the Kremlins veto of deeper OPEC+ cuts, undertook a historic output surge just as the coronavirus pandemic wiped out demand.

The losses are already visible for Russia, weakening its currency and potentially putting the nation on course for a recession. The state budget, which is based on oil prices of just above $40 per barrel, will be in deficit this year, forcing the government to tap its sovereign-wealth fund just two months after Putin promised higher social spending.

U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday called the price war devastating to Russia and said, at the appropriate time, Ill get involved. The Wall Street Journal reported the White House is considering new sanctions against Russia as a means to push for higher prices. So far, the Kremlin has refused to change policies in the face of such restrictions from the Trump administration.

Someones economy always suffers from low or high oil prices, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Now many companies are suffering, including shale-oil producers in the U.S.

Russia is always ready to talk, especially in such dramatic times, he said. Earlier in the week, Peskov said Russia would like to see oil prices higher. Crude prices jumped after Trumps comments.

Russia and Saudi Arabia were architects of the original cooperation deal between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting countries and several other non-members in 2016. Their goal was to end a slump in prices as low as $27 a barrel and initially their accord was a great success.

The Prince

Crude rebounded and relations between the two nations and their leadership were very warm. But over time, the alliance became increasingly unbalanced as the Saudis took an greater share of output curbs and Russia flouted its obligations.

Putin engaged in obvious power plays, making the OPEC+ meeting in June 2019 essentially redundant by pre-announcing fresh cuts after a chat with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Osaka, Japan.



Russian decisions came to carry ever-greater weight within OPEC+, eventually leading to a rupture early this month. Saudi Energy Minster Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Crown Princes older brother, demanded additional cuts to offset the impact of the coronavirus, but his counterpart from Moscow, Alexander Novak, said no.

Saudi Arabia responded with a shock-and-awe oil price war that stunned the global oil industry. Riyadhs unprecedented barrage on the crude market included the deepest price cut in 20 years, a record supply surge and a fleet of tankers to deliver it, and tens of billions of dollars for new fields.

If these shock-and awe tactics were designed to bend Putin to the kingdoms will, so far they havent succeeded.

The Strongman

The Russian president has made refusing to back down under pressure one of the hallmarks of his rule. From the brutal crackdown on Islamist terrorists in Chechnya to the recent showdown with Turkey over the civil war in Syria, Putin has shown hes willing to face down foes in the face of both military and economic pressure.

In 2014, when waves of western sanctions over Putins annexation of Crimea in Ukraine battered Russias economy and some of his closest associates, he refused to consider calls from some of his allies to soften his line. Earlier this year, Rosneft PJSC, run by the presidents close ally Igor Sechin, shrugged off U.S. sanctions on its trade in Venezuelan crude.



Putins team expected the collapse of OPEC+ talks to lead to a price decline, two of the people said. The Russian leadership was ready for crude plunging as low as $20 and is facing the economic consequences with a cool head, one person said.

Still, with the national economy bleeding, Russia has enough pragmatism and common sense not to refuse talks, with its OPEC partners, Dynkin said.

The Kremlin is still open to cooperation with OPEC, but on its own conditions. The Russian proposal -- rejected by the Saudis -- for OPEC+ to maintain its existing production cuts until the end of June still stands, two of the people said.

For any discussion with the Gulf kingdom to restart, both Russia and Saudi Arabia will need to make some face-saving steps requiring a complicated PR dance, said Elina Ribakova, U.S.-based deputy chief economist at the Institute of International Finance.

Russias current position is unlikely to achieve that.



It is unlikely that Saudi Arabia now would turn around and agree to the Russian proposal of extending the current cuts, said Dmitry Marinchenko, senior director at Fitch Ratings Ltd. That would essentially mean they have given in to Russia and lost face.



Bloomberg
Night curfew was imposed in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya on Sunday to tackle any emergent situation and ensure safety of people, amid concerns over coronavirus threat.

The night curfew has also been imposed to prevent incoming vehicles from Assam from entering the district via Malidor area, according to a senior government official.

"Keeping in view the emerging scenario, safety of the people, and to avoid any outbreak of an epidemic, night curfew has been imposed with effect from 7 pm on March 22 till 7 am on March 23," district magistrate F M Dopt said.

The state government has also directed its employees to be stationed at their places of posting even as inter-state and inter-district public transport have been withdrawn till March 31, according to a government notification.

Chief Secretary M S Rao has restricted government employees from leaving their place of posting without the permission of their respective deputy commissioners.

He also directed government employees to keep their mobile phones switched on so that they are available for any emergency requirement at all times, warning that non- compliance will be viewed seriously.

The transport department has restricted the inter- state movement of public transport till March 31 besides curbing the movements of town taxis and inter district taxis.

"There shall be no inter-state plying of buses, tourist taxis and no inter district plying of any public transport vehicle with effect from tomorrow till March 31, a statement from the government said.

District transport officers are directed to ensure strict compliance of this order to tackle the emergency-like situation due to threat of COVID-19.

The use of public transport in the state capital and East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills and West Garo Hills districts would be restricted to just 25 per cent on Monday and on Thursday but passengers are to maintain necessary social distancing.

From March 24, taxis and buses are to keep their vehicles off the roads till March 31 except for medical purposes, Transport Commissioner and Secretary M R Synrem said in an order.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 73-year-old woman who just came out of surgery was stabbed by a 15-year-old psychiatric patient according to Baltimore Police, Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday.

The police also said that the patient, identified as Andrew Gaudet, came out of his room at the University of Maryland Medical Center and attacked the woman who had just came out of surgery around 9:30 PM. They also added that when they arrived, the staff was already tendering aid to the woman while the hospital security detained Gaudet.

According to the preliminary investigation, the hospital staff was unable to stop the suspect when he left his room and entered the victim's room on the sixth floor of the hospital. Then, it was reported that Gaudet attacked the victim without warning which caused multiple injuries to her face.

Based on the police report, the suspect grabbed an ink pen after entering the woman's room and then proceeded to stab the woman in the face. Moreover, it was stated that the hospital staff tried to intervene by trying to pull the woman's bed out of the room but struggled since Gaudet was holding on to the bed and did not allow them to do so.

Gaudet was supposedly under the care of a hospital sitter before it happened. However, he was able to push his way past her to attack the woman. On Thursday, the woman was pronounced dead and was taken to the office of the medical examiner to be autopsied and find out what caused her death.

Read also: Guilty Mom Arrested After Son Was Found Dead Inside Hotel Bathroom

Gaudet will be charged as an adult

On the other hand, Gaudet who was in the hospital while recovering after a suicide attempt has been taken into custody by the police and is currently detained at Central booking. He is also being charged as an adult with six counts of second-degree assault, first-degree assault and first-degree attempted murder.

According to a representative from UMMC, the tragic situation has both saddened and shocked the affected families as well as their entire community. It was further added that they are currently conducting a thorough review of the incident and that they are still working in cooperation with the Baltimore Police Department as the investigation moves forward. Moreover, the hospital assured that they are doing everything they can to provide comfort to the family of the victim and to the staff that witnessed the attack and intervened.

The detectives assigned to the case are still awaiting the results of the autopsy and will confirm with the State Attorney's Office of Baltimore City on additional and pending charges.

Photos of the attacker are still being blurred out by media outlets due to his age and his psychiatric condition.

Only about two years ago, the hospital was also scrutinized when a suicidal patient jumped out of a window from a room in the medical center and killed himself. Hence, regulators are already expected to condemn this event and use it to check on the safety and security procedures of the institution.

Related article: Body of Missing Colorado Boy Found, Stepmother Faces 9 More Charges

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Young woman drowns at Puerto Morelos cenote

Puerto Morelos, Q.R.  A woman of American nationality has reportedly drowned in a cenote located in the municipality of Puerto Morelos.

The 22-year-old woman drowned while ziplining at cenote Las Mojarras, located along the Ruta de Cenotes roadway. Firemen from Puerto Morelos were called to the scene around 2:30 p.m. Saturday along with divers to remove the body from the water.

When pulled to land, she was pronounced without vital signs.

Authorities from the Forensic Medical Service arrived to remove the body. Ministerial Police officers met with cenote owners and rescue services to detail their investigation. She has been identified as Brittany Spivey from Los Angeles.
Giving a major relief to workers of private firms during the lockdown in the capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said both permanent and contractual employees will be considered to be on-duty and their companies will have to provide them with the salary from the period of March 22 to March 31.

"All private offices will remain closed but the employees - both permanent and contractual - will be considered to be on-duty. The companies will have to provide them with the salary for this duration," said Kejriwal in a press conference.

Delhi has ordered complete lockdown in the capital from 6 am tomorrow (March 23) till midnight of March 31, in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic.No transport services will be allowed, despite few DTC buses. All borders of the capital will be sealed and domestic and international flights will be suspended, he said

There are 27 cases in Delhi - 6 of them fall under the category of transmission, 21 had come from foreign countries, the Chief Minister said.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A 69-year-old woman who landed at the Ahmedabad airport from Sri Lanka and went to Vadodara on March 14 also reported positive. She was admitted in SSG Hospital at Vadodara. BJ Medical College found her samples positive. Twelve persons who came in contact with her have been quarantined by authorities.Earlier in the morning, Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Department, told the media: "Three more cases have been found positive. One is a resident of Vadodara, aged 49, who traveled from Spain to Mumbai and arrived in Vadodara by road. The patient''s blood samples were found positive by BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. The administration has quarantined two persons who had close contact with this person."A woman, aged 34 and resident of Ahmedabad, had returned to the city from Finland and was admitted at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel hospital (SVP) on March 18. The health authorities immediately quarantined three persons who were in close contact with her.An American woman, aged 21, who travelled from New York to Mumbai and then to Ahmedabad was also admitted in the SVP on March 17. The administration quarantined 18 persons who were in direct touch with her.On Thursday, a 32-year-old man from Saudi Arabia had arrived from Mumbai, and was found positive after tests at MP Shah Medical College in Jamnagar.Another case was of a woman, 21, in Surat who arrived from London and was admitted in Surat Civil Hospital. Her samples tested positive at the BJ Medical College and later confirmed by National Institute of Virology, Pune.Meanwhile, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Ashish Bhatia has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC within Municipal Corporation area, banning gathering of four or more persons at one place from March 21 to 31.Source: IANS
BEIRUT, Lebanon  Down on earth, the coronavirus outbreak was felling lives, livelihoods and normalcy. A nation-spanning blessing seemed called for. So up went a priest in a small airplane, rumbling overhead at an epidemiologically safe distance from the troubles below, wielding a sacred golden vessel from a cockpit-turned-pulpit.

Before his flight over Lebanon, a soldier at an airport checkpoint asked the Rev. Majdi Allawi if he had a mask and hand sanitizer.

Jesus is my protection, said Father Allawi, who belongs to the Maronite Catholic Church. He is my sanitizer.

Religion is the solace of first resort for billions of people grappling with a pandemic for which scientists, presidents and the secular world seem, so far, to have few answers. With both sanitizer and leadership in short supply, dread over the coronavirus has driven the globes faithful even closer to religion and ritual.
Pet Paradise, a Florida-based pet care provider offering boarding, day camp, grooming and veterinary services, announces new support for pet owners in response to the developing COVID-19 situation nationwide.

All of Pet Paradises nearly 40 resorts across nine states remain open and fully operational and are now offering new curbside drop-off and pick-up for all pet care appointments. Beginning on Monday, March 23, Pet Paradise will extend a 50% discount on boarding and day camp services for all health care workers. Pet Paradise is also offering a variety of offers to help all pet owners during this challenging time including 30 percent off all boarding rates, $30 off a weekly day camp pass, and $20 day camp on Wednesdays. These offers will be valid over the next 30 days.

The current situation is stressful for all of us, yet it is particularly demanding on our countrys health care and other essential service workers, said Pet Paradise President & CEO Fernando Acosta-Rua. Many people are working significantly longer hours than usual, placing a strain on their pets and normal routines and we are here to help.

To utilize the new curbside drop-off and pick-up, customers are encouraged to call their resort five minutes prior to arrival. A complete list of resorts and phone numbers is available here. All pets will be double leashed as they are escorted into the resort as an added safety precaution.

We continue to monitor the situation and will adapt our operations accordingly, including limiting contact in our lobbies, enhancing our cleaning procedures and offering flexible work schedules and paid sick time for our employees, added Acosta-Rua. No matter the challenging times, we remain focused on our mission of enhancing the quality of life for pets, customers and team members.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) states that COVID-19 is not transmittable between animals including people. Infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets become ill with COVID-19 or that they spread it to other animals, including people.

To book a boarding, day camp, grooming or veterinary appointment, visit https://www.petparadise.com/ or call 877.PETS.PLAY.
Ejaz Kaiser By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: Fourteen security personnel are missing and many sustained bullet injuries after a fierce exchange of fire with the outlawed Maoists took place at Elmagunda in the edgy district of Sukma, south Chhattisgarh.

According to the officials, the fourteen wounded jawans have been airlifted from the encounter site to Raipur and admitted in a private hospital. The conditions of three are stated to be critical.

On a tip-off, a joint team of district reserve guards (DRG) and special task force (STF) were out on special anti-Maoist operation near Kasalpad forested hilly terrain, close to Chintagufa yesterday late evening. There was heavy exchange of fire between the forces and the rebels for around five hours. 14 injured personnel were air-lifted to Raipur. The conditions of three stated to be serious. We are not able to contact 14 jawans engaged in the gunfight, a senior police officer said.

According to the official statement, over 150 jawans are still inside the inhospitable forested region cited to be the stronghold of the Red Brigade.

So far there are no reports of any security personnel being killed in the encounter, he added. The police claimed that the jawans shot dead some naxal leaders too, though their bodies have not been recovered so far.

Chhattisgarh director general of police D M Awasthi briefed the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel about the encounter at his official residence.

Sukma is among the seven districts of conflict zone of Bastar in south Chhattisgarh affected by the Maoists violence.

Further details are awaited.
Wash your hands when you get home, and keep scrubbing them for at least 20 seconds  that is good advice, with or without the coronavirus. However, there is one big problem: more than 40 per cent of the worlds population lives in regions where water is scarce and is increasingly becoming more so.

According to the United Nations, over two billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources, and by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. Today, with ...
Kolkata and several areas across West Bengal will be put under lockdown from 5 pm on Monday till March 27 in view of the coronavirus outbreak, even as three more persons tested positive, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to seven, officials said.

The state also witnessed a near-total shut down as people chose to stay indoors following the Janata curfew call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to check the spread of novel coronavirus.

According to a notification issued on Sunday evening, Kolkata, all other urban areas and some of the rural areas of the state will be put under lockdown from 5 pm on Monday till March 27.

Official sources said the decision was taken after consultation with the central government.

The lockdown will apply to areas under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, all municipal towns in North 24 Parganas district besides Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, West Burdwan, North Dinajpur and Howrah districts.

Apart from other urban areas of the state, Siliguri, Darjeeling and Kurseong towns in North Bengal will also be locked down.

"No public transport services, including operation of taxis and autorickshaws, will be permitted. The exception will include transports of all kinds to and from hospitals, airports and goods carrier carrying food and essential commodities," the notification said.

All shops, commercial establishments, offices, factories and workshops will down their shutters, it added.

The notification asked people to stay at homes and come out only for basic services while strictly following the social distancing guidelines and prohibited congregation of more than seven people in public places.

Any person found violating these restrictions shall be deemed to have committed a punishable offence, it added.

Shops selling foodgrains, groceries, vegetable, fruits, meat, fish, bread and milk, medical services, home delivery, petrol pumps, pharmacies, the IT sector, banks and ATMs, and the media have been exempted from the purview of the lockdown.

It also made mandatory for those returning from abroad to go on home quarantine for two weeks.

The West Bengal government also stopped inter-state bus services till March 31 in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, the state reported three new coronavirus positive cases. The three new positive cases include the parents and a maid working at the residence of a 22-year-old youth with a travel history to the UK. The youth had tested positive two days ago.

"After the youth was tested positive on March 20, we had sent his father, mother and a maid on quarantine and conducted tests. The test results are positive. They have been kept in an isolation ward at Beleghata ID hospital," a senior health official said.

The state now has seven confirmed COVID-19 cases, out of which three have travel history to the UK and Scotland. The fourth patient has no travel history, but is suspected to have come in contact with someone who had recently returned from abroad.

The fourth patient is 57-years-old and his condition is critical. He has been put on a ventilator.

Meanwhile, there was total shut-down in the state as people remained indoors during the Janata curfew hours.

Private vehicles were off the roads, and all markets and business establishments were shut in the city and districts.

Major railway stations and airports in the state also wore a deserted look as people avoided venturing out.

At 5 pm, thousands of citizens across the state, came out in their balconies, doorways and windows to clap and clang utensils as a gesture to thank the people in essential services for working during the COVID-19 outbreak, as requested by the prime minister.

A total of 1,324 passengers have been enlisted for observation in the state, while 1,312 people are kept under home surveillance, a bulletin of the state health department said on Sunday.

As many as 21 passengers were sent to isolation wards in different hospitals, it added.

Meanwhile, two special trains arrived at Howrah station carrying more than 1,000 passengers from Mumbai and Pune. They were screened by medical officers of the state government at the station.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At a news conference March 13, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer announced a joint coronavirus task force to identify price gougers and scammers claiming to have a cure for the coronavirus. (Los Angeles city attorney's office)

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, public health officials have made it clear: There is no pill, vaccine or supplement that can cure or prevent the virus.

But that hasnt stopped scam artists from trying to take advantage of people's fears.

In Peru, a curandero claiming to have "a pact with the devil promised to treat coronavirus among other ailments. On Craigslist, a now-removed post claimed: I think I found how to prevent coronavirus ... from my grandmothers herbal remedy recipe card. And a televangelist recently promoted his Silver Solution on his show, suggesting the concoction would boost the immune system and kill the virus within 12 hours.

These are just a few examples of people who are trying to capitalize on the coronavirus panic, and there are countless others  from price gougers selling hand sanitizer for hundreds of dollars to fake at-home coronavirus test kits coming from out of the country.

Officials are aggressively pursuing scammers, threatening legal action if they continue.

The FDA has issued warning letters to seven entities that it says have made false claims about coronavirus cures or treatments, including "The Jim Bakker Show," which is already facing legal action from federal and state agencies.

Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer and L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey have formed a coronavirus task force dedicated to scouring the internet and brick-and-mortar stores for fraudsters and price gougers.

Feuers office is already investigating two Los Angeles companies: CEN Group LLC., which on its website, SafeBabyHealthyChild, promoted vitamin C as a coronavirus treatment, and the website modernbeyond.com, which was selling face masks.

So far, CEN Group LLC. has complied with requests to take down the false claims, Feuer said.

On March 12, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at Los Angeles International Airport seized six plastic bags containing fake coronavirus home testing kits that were shipped from the United Kingdom. Dozens of vials inside the plastic bags were labeled "Corona Virus 2019nconvd (COVID-19)" and "Virus1 Test Kit," according to CBP.

Story continues

Feuer said his coronavirus task force is on the lookout for other fake at-home test kits advertised online.

The city attorney wouldn't talk about the details of each investigation, or how many cases his office was following, but he promised: Scam artists who are targeting Angelenos are going to confront our office and were going to take them on.

On March 12, border patrol officials discovered fake coronavirus test kits at Los Angeles International Airport that were shipped from the United Kingdom. Officials are on the lookout for more bogus kits. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

The crackdown comes as normal day-to-day activities are grinding to a halt across the country. In the Bay Area, seven counties are under a shelter-in-place order, and in Los Angeles County, bars and restaurants have closed or prohibited dining in. Nearly 900 people in California have tested positive for the virus and 17 have died so far. Experts say in the next year, up to 70% of the population will become infected.

Officials say that not only do the false claims for cures and tests fuel the national anxiety, they could prevent sick people from seeking the help they need, or discourage healthy people from adopting best practices such as social distancing and washing their hands.

Scam artists who emerge during a health crisis are nothing new. Any time a new panic arises, they seize the opportunity to prey upon a frightened population, as was the case with SARS in 2003 and the H1N1 virus in 2009, another outbreak during which we heard about colloidal silver. Some scammers touted it as a cure-all, insisting that it could get rid of cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes and numerous other diseases. Others pushed counterfeit Tamiflu pills as a cure.

When people are at this state, theyre willing to try almost anything, said April Denise Thames, an associate professor of psychology and a clinical neuropsychologist at USC.

On a recent show, Jim Bakker a televangelist who spent almost five years in jail in the 1990s for defrauding followers into buying memberships and retreats that supported his extravagant lifestyle  said of his colloidal silver product: Weve tested, it works on just about everything.

Holding the black Silver Solution bottle, he asked a guest: This influenza that is now circulating the globe, youre saying that silver solution would be effective?

It hasnt been tested on this strain of the virus, but its been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours the woman responded. Totally eliminate it. Kills it. Deactivates it.

Bakker is now facing a lawsuit in the state of Missouri, and New York officials have ordered him to stop promoting his colloidal silver products, which have since been removed from his website. Feuer has also taken aim at Bakker, saying his office is collaborating with federal and state officials who have already targeted the televangelist.

Representatives of "The Jim Bakker Show," which airs in Los Angeles on satellite and cable TV, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Boise, Idaho, a business called Herbal Amy, which was selling products developed by herbalist Stephen Buhner, received a warning letter from the FDA.

According to the letter, the Herbal Amy site claimed that Buhner analyzed how coronaviruses infect tissuesand herbs that are useful to interrupt that process and that Stephen Buhner has used this with other corona virus infections, including SARS, it works well.

By Tuesday, the website had taken down those statements and added a note warning that the products were made in a kitchen and were not FDA-approved. The website also noted that herbs high in demand, such as Chinese skullcap root, were sold out.

As people are concerned about their immune systems, these and many other immune herbs are being sold out across the nation, the site read, before directing people looking for such products to google Stephen Buhners herbs.

In response, Buhner said though he's not happy about Herbal Amy's claims and that the company used his name without permission, he believes in the effectiveness of herbal medicines in some circumstances. He said he is not affiliated with Herbal Amy or any other company selling his herbs.

Despite the existence of a few antiviral pharmaceuticals the only real treatments that Western medicine has developed for viral infections are vaccines, Buhner said in the statement. "Unfortunately, vaccines for new organisms generally take a year or so to develop, hence my desire to create an herbal protocol that people could begin using to boost their immunity to, and disrupt the tissue infections of, this specific coronavirus strain.

Facebook, Amazon and other major companies have banned and removed advertisements and posts about bogus cures. In addition, Amazon has blocked or removed millions of products suspected of making misleading claims about the coronavirus. Facebook has done the same, and has instigated a new policy about certain medical supplies:

We are temporarily banning advertisements and commerce listings that sell medical face masks, a Facebook spokesperson said. Our teams are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency for their own benefit.

When panic and fear are pervasive, people are more likely to fall victim to these types of claims, because their decision-making skills could be impaired by the heightened anxiety, USC's Thames said.

In times of uncertainty and distress, theres a tendency for people to be reactive, Thames said. Were all vulnerable to it.

Officials say that seniors, whose decision-making skills may be diminished by age, are more frequently targeted by scammers looking to make money or steal people's identities. The health risks and panic caused by the coronavirus make them even more vulnerable to scammers claiming to have a quick fix for the virus.

On the other hand, younger adults and teenagers may be susceptible to scams because, Thames said, they will often think with emotions, so if something looks good or exciting, the thought often is, Why not?' "

Others who have a distrust of the public health system or don't have the means to obtain the care they need sometimes search for alternative forms of healing, putting them at risk as well.

"I've had several patients come to me and say, 'I heard this works' about some herb they heard about, and they would prefer to try that than any type of Westernized medicine," Thames said. "It's a complete scam, because it's not backed by scientific evidence of any kind."

The scams also show up via emails and robocalls.

One robocall claiming to be associated with the World Health Organization said: The WHO is informing you that you applied for a coronavirus vaccine and today is the last day to address it. If you have any questions, press 9 for help. The message is then repeated in Chinese.

Emails might disguise themselves as helpful resources from official sources, such as the WHO or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When users click through, they are actually allowing access to personal data like passwords or credit card details or downloading malicious software, said Nikolas Behar, a cybersecurity expert.

Behar said these types of online scanners are always pervasive and looking for new targets. The coronavirus is simply the flavor of the month.

Officials and experts say protecting the public will be, to a great extent, a matter of how well health officials can disseminate educational information to those at risk.

Thames said the public should be educated about the rigorous scientific process that cures and vaccinations need to go through before becoming available to the public.

"There needs to be a wide public information campaign by our national health experts about some basic issues ... where [they] make clear there's no home testing, there are no cures for coronavirus, and there is no medication that one can take."

"The more pervasive the campaign would be, in many languages, the better."




A friend of a 16-year-old rodeo girl who was found dead earlier this month has been arrested for her murder.

Student Gabrielle (Britney) Lynn Ujlaky was last seen on March 8 outside of Spring Creek High School, Nevada, after reportedly telling her father she was getting a lift with friend Bryce Dickey, 18.

Dickey, of Spring Creek, was cuffed on one count of open murder on Friday.

Ujlaky was reported missing a day after her disappearance, and she was found dead two days later in the Burner Basin area.

Student Gabrielle (Britney) Lynn Ujlaky, left, was last seen on March 8 in front of Spring Creek High School, Nevada. Bryce Dickey, 18, was cuffed on one count of open murder on Friday

Ujlaky, pictured, had been friends with the suspect, Dickey, for years through the rodeo community

Her body was found between the city of Elko and the community of Spring Creek, about 15 miles away.

Elko County Sheriff's office announced earlier this week that they were investigating the death as a potential homicide on Monday.

It's believe Dickey was one of Ujlaky's friends from the rodeo.

He allegedly told investigators that he had given her a ride but then Ujlaky was picked up by a 'mystery man in a cowboy hat who was driving a green Ford pickup truck', the Daily Beast reported.

Investigators now believe such a sighting to have been completely made up.

Ujlaky's body was found between the city of Elko and the community of Spring Creek, about 15 miles away. Pictured, Spring Creek High School

'Investigators continue to conduct follow-up in the case which remains active,' the Elko County Sheriff's Office said on Friday. 'At this time, the tip line has been closed.'

Ujlaky's father, James, said she trusted Dickey, and that the two had been friends for years through the rodeo community.

'There's no worse betrayal than this,' James told The Daily Beast. 'Because she really thought he was a good friend.'

'She did trust everybody. She always saw the good. If someone did wrong, she would call you out in front of everybody. She was going to expose you for who you were, come hell or high water.'

'She did trust everybody. She always saw the good. If someone did wrong, she would call you out in front of everybody. She was going to expose you for who you were, come hell or high water,' said the victim's father, James Ujlaky

In the days since her disappearance, Dickey had posted on his Facebook page how much he missed Ujlaky.

'Yesterday, we all received news that made us hit the floor. Around 8 in the morning we all started meeting up at my house to grieve an to mourn Britney's life. Which was taken far too soon. That day I had tears of pain and joy. I wish she could have seen the amount of us that came together to honor you sis. We love you so much. Just know you won't ever be forgotten.'
Flights carrying thousands of passengers from the worst-hit coronavirus areas are still landing in Britain.

Passengers from Italy, China and Iran have arrived a Gatwick and Heathrow this week, even as the UK went in to lockdown, shutting bars, cafes, restaurants and banning mass gatherings.

Planes have arrived in London from Rome, Beijing and Shanghai every day this week. Direct flights from Rome are also still due to arrive next week.

The route between London and Rome has remained open despite British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair cancelling all flights between Italy and Britain.

This week Italy surpassed China, where the outbreak emerged last December, as the country with the most deaths after fatalities soared to more than 4,800. The Italian government also increased its lockdown measures as a result.

A passenger wearing protective clothing checking in for a flight from Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 in London yesterday

The Colosseum is seen in Rome today as Italians stay home as part of a lockdown. At least 16 flights from Rome landed at Heathrow over the last seven days

Iran Air is still operating three flights a week from the capital Tehran and in the last seven days three Iranian aircraft landed at Heathrow.

Iran has the third-highest coronavirus death toll with more than 1,500 fatalities.

On Saturday two Air China flights from Beijing and a China Eastern jet from Shanghai landed at Heathrow, while a flight from Shanghai arrived at Gatwick.

This afternoon, a flight from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, is due to arrive at Heatrow Airport at around 3pm this afternoon.

At least 16 flights landed at Heathrow from Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome since March 15. A further three are due to land today.

Since last Sunday, 11 Air China Dreamliner jets landed at Heathrow from Beijing Capital International Airport.

Travellers coming from China, Iran and Italy with symptoms of the virus are supposed to be stopped from boarding.

On arrival in Britain passengers from these countries are supposed self-isolate for 14 days, although there is no way of actually enforcing this policy.

People waiting for passengers in International Arrivals at Heathrow Terminal 5. Several UK and European carriers are reducing staff and practically grounding their fleets

Iran Air is still operating three flights a week from the capital Tehran to London Heathrow. Iran has the third-highest coronavirus death toll with more than 1,500 fatalities

Last week the European Union banned nearly all travellers from outside the bloc for 30 days as a measure to try and halt the spread of the disease that has sent many countries around the continent into lockdown.

The Foreign Office advised Britons last week not to travel anywhere abroad unless it was essential.

Non-EU countries, such as India and Kazakhstan, suspended Iran Air flights last week when the crisis in the country deepened.

Former Secretary of State for Environment, Theresa Villiers, alerted the government to the issue of flights from Tehran after constituents of Iranian descent contacted her about it.

She told the Sunday Times: 'The time has come to suspend routine air travel from Iran. I have raised this issue with the foreign secretary and I would now urge him to take this step.'

A deserted Heathrow Terminal 5 last week. Some flights are still arriving from coronavirus hotspots such as Italy, Iran and China

A woman wearing a mask walking past the the People's Bank of China in Beijing. Eleven flight from the city landed in Heathrow this week despite the UK going into lockdown

A spokesman for the government said: 'There is no evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans would have any effect on the spread of infection.'

EasyJet and Ryanair will ground the majority of their fleets from next Tuesday as travel bans around the world kick in.

Other airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Norwegian and Jet2 have cut schedules to as little as 10 per cent of normal levels.

Talks are continuing between the Department for Transport and the Treasury about a rescue deal for airlines and airports, with an announcement thought to be imminent.

Virgin Atlantic said staff had agreed to take eight weeks of unpaid leave over the next three months, with the salary docked from workers' pay over six months so their income does not dry up.

All 10,000 employees of the company, founded and controlled by Richard Branson, will also be offered voluntary redundancy.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that arrangements are being made for free tests and treatment of the people infected with coronavirus in the state.

At present there are more than 2,000 isolation beds in the state, he said, adding the number of such beds will be more than 10,000 within the next two days.

"The number of persons infected with coronavirus was 27 in the state. Eleven people out of them have become completely healthy. The rest of them are stable and their condition is improving rapidly. In order to prevent the increase in the number of coronavirus-infested people, we have to be prepared for campaigns like janata curfew," said the chief minister.

"The janata curfew is a collective fight under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the safety and health of 130 crore citizens of the country," he said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "It is necessary for us to observe and maintain social distance and adhere to the doctors' suggestions. I will appeal to each and every citizen to adhere to the janata curfew."



During this time, he said, the awareness can become the biggest means of protection against the coronavirus.

"An important aspect of this disease is the prevention and all these efforts are being made for prevention. The precautions we should take in terms of prevention of coronavirus will be very important," Adityanath said.

"Coronavirus is an infectious disease. It can spread to other people after contact with an infected person. Therefore, it is essential that we maintain social distancing," the UP chief minister added.

"Whatever suggestions are being given by doctors, we should follow them all. Prime Minister Modi has called for a janata curfew to keep the country's 130 crore people safe. I want all citizens of the state to register their participation in this campaign and discharge their duty to the nation," the chief minister urged.

He said it is commendable the way all our officers and staff, including doctors, paramedical staffers, health experts and SDRF, are fighting this battle on the front foot.

"I appeal to the public not to panic but to fight against the virus spread. The government is fully in their support. We have also said earlier that the state will not allow shortage of essential commodities in any way," he said.

"The government is making arrangements for the maintenance and food for those who are unable to find work in the present situation. There is no problem, so do not hoard essential commodities by crowding shops," he urged the citizens.

Making an appeal to drug dealers and traders, the chief minister said, "I appeal to the drug dealers and businessmen to discourage hoarding. Do not charge anything more than the MRP. If such a complaint is received from anywhere, the government will take strict action against it."



He said the way citizens are ensuring their participation in the janata curfew today is a welcome move.

"By participating in this type of campaign, we will be successful in defeating the coronavirus," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
We are truly living in extraordinary times. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency with few precedents in history.

We all appreciate the exceptional efforts by Ireland's health professionals and our wider public service in facing this challenge. Lives are at risk and the response requires unprecedented action by all governments across the EU.

It needs to be forceful, co-ordinated, ambitious and urgent. It needs every EU government and every EU institution to play its part. We need to have trust and confidence in each other, to deal with the pandemic and to manage the recovery that will come.

The key focus now is working to make sure health systems can cope and people get through this together.

In addition to the public health emergency, Covid-19 is also putting livelihoods at risk. Households and businesses across the country are worried on two fronts - about the health of family, friends and loved ones and about their financial futures.

The spread of Covid-19 is a major shock to the economy in Ireland, the euro area and globally. Its impact is already being felt in homes and businesses around the country. In recent weeks many businesses have closed and thousands of people have lost their jobs, causing considerable distress and hardship for those affected. Unfortunately, many more will be affected in the weeks ahead.

The impact of the pandemic, and the measures to mitigate it, will have significant economic consequences and at this stage we do not know precisely what shape these will take. We do know effects of Covid-19 will be different to that of the financial crisis a decade ago. Part of the economy is essentially shutting down for a period.

While the containment measures now in place to ''flatten the curve'' are necessary, and our best possible chance to reduce the impact on human life, they will have a significant impact in economic terms, particularly on tourism, transport and recreational services.

How people live their daily lives has changed and this affects how we spend our time and our money. Demand for some goods and services is down or, in some instances gone entirely, at least for now. This means companies and businesses have to let people go, they are investing less in goods and machinery, and people are spending less money in shops.

The Central Bank, working with other central banks and regulators across Europe, is playing its part to reduce the economic harm to businesses and households in the country. Our mission is to serve the public interest by safeguarding monetary and financial stability and by working to ensure that the financial system operates in the best interests of consumers and the wider economy.

Believe me when I say that we, too, will spare no effort to contain the economic effects of the crisis and do everything in our power to protect consumers, households and firms. We have already taken significant action.

Together with the European Central Bank, we are making immense financial firepower available in a bid to ensure that the economic shock will be no longer and no deeper than it needs to be. This complements the fiscal measures announced by Government over the last two weeks.

At a European level, last week the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (of which I am a member) announced a new Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme with an envelope of 750bn until the end of the year. This is on top of the 120bn we announced earlier in the month.

At national level, the Government has introduced substantial measures and brought emergency legislation through the Dail to offer, among other things, greater protections to renters.

Our job in the Central Bank is to protect consumers and ensure that our financial system remains stable in this uncertain time. We are doing everything in our power to make these issues in the economy and impact on the financial system are managed and minimised, so the economy can recover as quickly as possible.

We have moved swiftly in recent days to take action to improve the flow of credit to banks for the benefit of households and businesses. These new measures, including the release of the counter cyclical capital buffer, will result in smoother access to credit for those who need it at this challenging time. We have been clear with the banks that we expect them to use this increase in available capital solely in support of their customers and the economy and not for dividend distributions.

The introduction of capital buffers is something the Central Bank has been focused on as part of building up Ireland's financial system resilience over the last decade. That we have these buffers in place, to use when needed, is of real benefit to us all at times like this.

The team in the Central Bank and I are also working with financial services providers to make sure that those people who - through no fault of their own - lose their job, get sick, or have to care for loved ones, have some breathing space when it comes to their financial commitments.

Banks are introducing three-month payment breaks on mortgages, and personal and business loans, for some business and personal customers affected by Covid-19. We expect that all mortgage lenders, including non-banks, will introduce this measure. We will continue to maintain oversight of the firms we regulate, in line with our mission, to help ensure this happens.

We are also working with lenders to develop practical measures so that the credit record of those who avail of a payment break includes an appropriate recording on the Central Credit Register so that their credit record is protected.

Every economy needs a resilient financial system. Our job is to make sure that the system works well for everyone, and that consumers are protected, particularly those who may experience financial difficulties. A significant amount of work has been undertaken since the financial crisis a decade ago to make sure the system became more resilient and to improve how consumers and investors are protected.

That resilience and those protections were built for moments like this. So that, when shocks hit, the financial system is better able to support households and businesses and so that people in distress are protected.

People are right to focus on the immediate public health issues now. We also need to see through this shock. When the recovery comes, and it will come, we need to make sure we have a financial system that continues to serve households, businesses and the economy more widely.

Gabriel Makhlouf is Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland
The picturesque Chuchot Gongma village -- located on the banks of Kishen Ganga river  that used to supply dairy and poultry products to Leh is battling the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, as all the positive cases in the district have come from this hamlet.

A major part of the village, which has a mixed population of over 3,000 people, including both Muslims and Buddhists, is under containment, a form of community quarantine, since March 7 after 10 Covid-19 cases were reported.

Mohammad Hussain, who had gone on pilgrimage to Iran, was the first person to test positive in the first week of March. The villagers are getting worried with every new positive case.

Haji Ghulam Mohammad, sarpanch, Chuchot Gongma village, said on February 28, Hussain and Mohammad Hadi returned from Iran after pilgrimage. He [Hussain] was suffering from cough and cold. He was taken to the hospital and three days later he tested positive. His other family members have also been kept under isolation. Hadi also developed symptoms and his tests also proved positive, the sarpanch said.

All the positive cases from Leh are from our village. The patients are relatives and acquaintances of the people who tested positive. Everybody is in panic and dont know what is in store for them, he said. Haji said the government teams are camping at the edge of the village to tackle any emergency.

Villagers know the consequences. They dont come out of their houses. Essential items are being provided for every household. Four vehicles are moving around the village. Whenever there is any emergency these vehicles ferry people to the entrance of the village, where a health centre has been set up and an ambulanced is stationed, the sarpanch said.

The villagers are taking extreme precautions. Unfortunately, some decisions by the government have created panic. Hussains son-in-law, Nazir Hussain, was released by the hospital authorities after his tests showed negative. There was a big gathering near Nazirs house after he returned from the hospital. The following morning the health officials told us that Nazirs third test was positive. Then, he and his family members were shifted to Leh, he added. The sarpanch said villagers feel government officials are hiding some details from them.

Our village is known for supplying dairy and poultry products to Leh and also to the army. Now, all supplies have been stopped because we know only isolation can prevent this disease from spreading to other areas.

Another villager, Mohammad Ashraf, said local volunteers are helping people inside the quarantine area. A major part of the village from where the cases have been detected is under quarantine. Even the employees who are working in Leh have been asked to stay put. We are trying to follow every protocol to save the people.

Block Medical Officer Dr Disket Dolma didnt wish to comment on the patients condition in the village.

Commissioner secretary and spokesman of the Union Territory of Ladakh Rigzin Samphel said that extreme precautions are being taken.

The area has been isolated. Villagers who have showed symptoms are under quarantine. We released the patient after his test was negative. But, another test came positive and then so we got him back, he added.

Social activist Sajjad Kargili said that it was easy to combat the disease in Ladakh by proper screening at Leh airport. Unfortunately, the two slip-ups that took place have raised questions on working of the administration in tackling the Covid-19 outbreak, he said.
Given the circumstances, Gov. Mike DeWine was duty-bound to cancel Tuesdays statewide primary election and aim to reschedule it for June 2.

Even so, what Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, the governors fellow Republican, said is 100 percent correct: Legal authority to change the date rests with the Ohio General Assembly  not the courts and not via executive fiat.

Thats why the General Assembly, this new week, may do what it should have done long ago: create a mechanism to reset the date of an election in the face of a catastrophe. Legislators should also create a kind of statewide central clearinghouse court for election disputes like last weeks. As Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard Frye said, when he refused to postpone the primary, There are too many factors to balance  to say that we ought to take [setting an election date] away from the legislature and elected statewide officials and throw it to a Common Pleas Court judge in Columbus with 12 hours to go before the election.

Then theres this: Citing public health as a reason for regulating or banning something is a necessary part of confronting disaster  in this case, the coronavirus pandemic. In the right hands (and Mike DeWines hands are the right hands) thats essential to protecting the public.

Still, in the wrong hands, and for bad reasons, that power can be misused. Someday, for example, those people who want to limit gun ownership may try to overcome Second Amendment arguments by  reshaping  public health laws.

For instance, soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, a proposed model state emergency health powers bill, prepared for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would have given state Health Departments powers  to control, restrict and regulate  firearms. That was dropped from the model bill (which Ohio didnt adopt, anyway). But it showed the potential for deciding by decree  to protect public health  what a legislature would probably never pass.

As for rescheduling the primary, it would be easier to have confidence in the General Assembly if it would stop yammering and start legislating. For instance, if you havent heard from your school superintendent about the financial mess your district faces thanks to Ohios school voucher circus, you havent been listening. Legislation to address that is stalled in the legislature.

And the General Assembly has failed to bolster Ohios unemployment compensation fund. Now, thanks to the coronavirus plague, unemployment is skyrocketing.

Through Thursday, Ohioans filed 139,468 unemployment claims last week, the Job and Family Services Department reports. In contrast, Ohioans filed 4,815 claims the week before.

Statehouse tradition has been that business and labor fashion agreed unemployment compensation laws. Given last weeks stats, though, buck-passing on unemployment compensation is the very definition of Statehouse irresponsibility. True, the federal government might fire up the (money) printing machines, as one Statehouse officeholder said, to bolster states unemployment compensation funds. But thats iffy.

Theres this, too, looming on Ohios horizon: The same slowdown thats boosting unemployment compensation claims will stress Ohios state operating budget. The current budget, passed last summer, runs through June 30, 2021.

True, at the end of February, Ohios state tax collections, fiscal-year-to-date, were about 1.6 percent greater than the amount that legislators had estimated when they wrote the budget (House Bill 166), according to the state Budget Office. But also true, while filing deadlines are a way off, state revenue from Ohios income tax, year to date, was $17.6 million (0.3 percent) below the estimate that legislators used to write the budget.

Sure, if President Donald Trumps administration does send each taxpayer a $1,000 check (which works out to the equivalent of one week of pay for the typical American, The Washington Post reported, citing Labor Department data) thatd likely boost Ohios sales tax collections, thanks to consumer spending.

But its hard to believe that federal cash could fully offset the hit to Ohios budget that coronavirus layoffs and furloughs will make in Ohios income-tax collections. At the very same time, layoffs and furloughs may drain an Ohio unemployment compensation fund that the General Assembly needs to bolster  now.

Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.

To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-408-9474

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As Staten Island businesses struggle to survive never-before-seen governmental restrictions, and attempt to navigate the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, some of them are reaching out to help each other.

Owners of local businesses Delco Drugs and Family Fruit are supporting Supreme Chocolatier, selling their products in the weeks leading up to Easter -- one of the 109-year-old chocolatiers most important holidays.

All ShopRite locations in the borough will also have Supreme Chocolatier products as part of their Easter offerings.

It is great to have friends like them in times like this, Supreme Chocolatier owner Mike Katsoris said.

Some Easter items, like chocolate bunnies, will be available at the Delco Drugs location in Eltingville and at both Family Fruit locations -- Hylan Boulevard in New Dorp and on Arthur Kill Road in Huguenot -- starting Tuesday.

A look inside of Supreme Chocolatier's store during Easter 2017. (Gracelyn Santos/Staten Island Advance)

Supreme Chocolatiers store will remain open to the public, following the same rules for essential businesses that are in place for other food retail stores, said Katsoris.

Usually the South Avenue store has a capacity of 60 people, but after the new restrictions ordered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the store will allow 20 people inside at a time, giving them the six foot distance required.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Supreme Chocolatier has also put in place a curbside pick-up for customers who have ordered online or by phone. Orders will be ready in a couple of hours and employees will deliver them directly to the customers car.

Overall, Katsoris said, the business is trying to keep the tradition as normal as possible.

We are trying to bring a little bit of joy to people in this difficult time, he said.

Those who wish to make an online order can visit their website, which is updated daily, here or call (718) 761-9600.

ABOUT SUPREME CHOCOLATIER

The 106-year-old Staten Island-based chocolate empire was founded in 1911 by Greece natives Emmanuel and Katherine Katsoris, who were candy makers in Europe.

They continued to make candy on a marble slab table upon emigrating to the United States. That table is still on display in the 6,000-square-foot retail store in a place of honor.

Four generations later, The World of Chocolate is located in Nicotras Corporate Park. It spans 100,000 square feet and produces several million pounds of chocolate per year.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren has buttonholed Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer in the Capitol to press him on the shape of a coronavirus relief package. She headlined a recent call with liberal groups to push her ideas on the subject. Her top aides have been talking to Joe Biden's campaign about an economic response.

Sen. Bernie Sanders held an online "roundtable" to rally voters around his own ideas on tackling the pandemic. He urged Senate colleagues on a conference call last week to focus more on revamping the current health-care system. And his team, too, has been in touch with the Biden camp.

The Democratic Party's two liberal leaders, whose presidential ambitions have respectively collapsed and faded in recent weeks, are opening new lines of communication with the party's likely nominee, and they are seizing on Washington's push for coronavirus relief in hopes of putting their stamp on the national agenda.

There is some evidence it's working. Schumer has embraced key parts of Warren's ideas, including cancellation of student debt and a $200-a-month increase in Social Security payments, as well as restrictions on companies that receive bailout money.

Biden's team is listening to both Sanders and Warren, according to four people familiar with those discussions and, according to Biden spokesman Andrew Bates, is planning to "talk more about his views on how to support our economy, working families, and the American middle class in the coming days."

Top Democrats have a powerful incentive to work with the liberal leaders. Warren and Sanders gained big followings during this year's primary, and party leaders are desperate to avoid a repeat of their damaging split with the liberal wing in 2016. Some Democrats also believe they paid a political price for dismissing liberal complaints on the 2008 financial bailout, which many activists said shafted workers while rescuing corporations.

For Biden, who has a prohibitive lead in the race for the nomination, the moment presents an unexpected and potentially powerful opportunity to unify the disparate wings of the party and signal that he's serious about embracing elements of the Sanders and Warren agendas.

"I think it's critical that he embraces ideas in a spirit of compromise - not in a spirit of 'I'll take the things from your list that nobody noticed (and put them) on my list," said Larry Cohen, who heads a nonprofit aligned with Sanders.

Although Biden, who is holed up in Delaware, is far from the center of action in Washington at the moment, strategists on the left say that whatever stimulus package passes now would be implemented by Biden should he prevail in November, making him a key player regardless.

Many liberals see the response to the virus as a way to enact quicker versions of the broad social changes at the heart of the Warren and Sanders campaigns. The talks could enable Sanders to win policy concessions in a way that eases his own departure from the presidential race.

Some Sanders supporters even say privately that in deciding whether to throw their support behind Biden, they will be more influenced by the former vice president's coronavirus platform than whether Sanders endorses him. The pandemic, they say, is likely to be central to the nation's political discourse for the foreseeable future, and it is rapidly becoming the venue for hashing out the party's - and the nation's - larger policy debates.

Still, the moment presents political peril for Biden as he seeks to attract liberals without compromising the centrist message that has propelled his candidacy.

The apparent political opening for liberal, big-government initiatives has come up suddenly, the result of a shocking pandemic and accompanying economic crisis. Even many Republicans are joining calls for free health treatments, cash handouts to poorer Americans, and significant aid to businesses - a head-spinning twist in a political season that for months saw relentless attacks on "socialism" and "socialized medicine."

President Donald Trump initially downplayed the pandemic, predicting the country would be down to one or two cases within days, rather than the thousands or millions that will be the reality. But in recent days, Trump has signaled he is taking the outbreak more seriously and embraced broad aid packages.

That prompted some Sanders supporters to claim that Trump has outmaneuvered Biden on the left in some respects. Briahna Joy Gray, national press secretary for the Sanders campaign, posted on social media that Biden "is realizing how tough it will be to win in the fall when you're so moderate Trump can outflank you on the left."

For now, Biden has provided few details about the strings he'd like to see attached to bailout dollars, a key point for many liberals. On a conference call with reporters Friday, he said, "Any large business that in fact gets helped by this, they are going to have to pay back what is lent them to stay in business."

He added that the wants to see some restrictions on how companies spend the money. "They're going to have to make sure any aid they get does not go to buying back their stock, does not go to increasing benefits for the management, etcetera," he said.

Sanders and Warren have lost little time repurposing some of their central campaign proposals as coronavirus relief measures. Both are sitting senators as well as prominent figures in the 2020 primary, giving them a foot in two camps.

Sanders has urged dramatically expanding the social safety net to respond to the crisis, offering a $2 trillion plan for Medicare to cover all health costs - essentially an abbreviated version of his Medicare-for-all plan and other protections. He has proposed monthly $2,000 checks for most Americans, among other things.

"This is a moment that history will look back on and say: How did the people of the United States respond?" Sanders said in opening remarks at his recent online "roundtable" to discuss the virus. He added, "This is the equivalent of a war, and we cannot allow large corporations to be profiteering."

Sanders returned home to Vermont in recent days to hold conversations with close confidants about whether to continue his flagging campaign. As he mulls his next move, Sanders has continued to aggressively use his campaign apparatus as a platform.

In addition to deploying staffers to work behind the scenes with Biden's team on policy, Sanders has held a series of live-streamed events dedicated to discussing the virus. He has added a new policy document to his website formalizing his ideas, and on Saturday, his campaign announced that it had raised $2 million in 48 hours for charities combating the crisis.

Warren, who rose to political prominence as a critic and player in the 2008 financial bailout, has pushed an effort to cancel $10,000 of federal student loan debt per person, an idea that's been embraced by Schumer. He also backed her call for a temporary $200 per month hike in Social Security payments, similar to a proposal she first floated on the campaign trail.

Warren also pushed for an initial $750 billion stimulus package, an amount largely adopted by Schumer. Other ideas she laid out in a CNN op-ed are being broadly discussed, such as banning companies from using bailout money to buy back stock, enrich executives via bonuses or lay off workers. (Though her more unorthodox concepts, like granting workers seats on corporate boards, are not in play.)

Some Warren allies believe her separate efforts to work with Biden's team could help build ties to the former vice president, who has said that he wants to pick a running mate who is female and with whom he's "simpatico." Warren and Biden do not have a long history of working together, and the crisis could provide that opportunity.

Warren has also engaged with outside groups, speaking on a conference call last Wednesday organized by two liberal organizations that had endorsed her campaign, discussing her goals for a coronavirus response.

"The big issue in front of us is, what is our government going to do and what are we going to push it to do?" Warren said, according to a recording of the call. The country, she said, needs "a grass-roots stimulus package. We need legislation that provides relief to the families that need it, and that permanently improves the lives of those families."

Sanders and Warren are not among the group of about 10 Democrats tapped to negotiate a coronavirus package with Republicans. And neither has played a prominent role in shepherding major legislation in the past two years, preferring instead to focus largely on their presidential campaigns.

But their role as leaders of the party's energized liberal wing gives them a special role. The 2008 bailout remains a sore spot for many left-leaning Democrats, who are looking for signs that Biden will push for this package to include significant help for ordinary Americans.

"So much of the debate on the left right now is how this is similar to the 2008 bailout," said Adam Jentleson, a liberal activist and a prominent Warren ally. "That (centrist) wing of the party has said, 'Trust us - if this happened again we would do it differently, especially with what we know now.' So this is a chance to show, not tell."

Liberals also argue that Democrats in 2016 made a mistake by rallying around Hillary Clinton's centrist policies, and they say the outbreak hands Biden an opportunity to show he will take a different path. That includes both "personnel and policy," said Cohen, the Sanders ally.

"Who's going to run Treasury?" Cohen asked as an example. "Are we done with bankers?"

Backers of Sanders and Warren are meanwhile fighting to keep their messages in the mix. Ady Barkan, a prominent health care activist, used last Wednesday's call with Warren to urge fellow activists to flex their muscles in Congress's debate over an economic stimulus.

"We must engage in this fight," Barkan said. "I believe that our progressive movement is stronger today than it was when the economy collapsed in 2008, and so I am hopeful that we can force a better response this time. "

- - -

The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis contributed to this report.
UBLY  Great teachers leave a lasting impression on the students who pass through their classrooms. Small town educators are blessed with the opportunity to watch many of their elementary students blossom into graduating men and women.

Cheryl Guigar has been inspiring young students in Ubly, where she teaches the third grade, for over two decades. Growing up in Harbor Beach, it was her own first-grade teacher who inspired Guigar to pursue a career in teaching. After 21 years, Guigar is able to reminisce on her experiences, appreciate small town teaching, and reflect on how teaching has changed over the years.

Its definitely not just a 9-5 job, I know a lot of teachers who work really hard year-round, Guigar said. We go home at the end of the day, but its not just our own families that we are thinking about. We are with these kids every day. They become a part of our family too.

While teaching at any grade level has its highs and lows, some might say teaching elementary students comes with its own unique set of challenges. Elementary students generally require more emotional support than high school students. While the educational curriculum keeps expanding, elementary students are also still learning basic skills like controlling their feelings and using their manners.

The jump from second to third grade is a big step for these kids, Guigar explained. Theyre a little more independent and more is expected of them on an academic level  specifically reading.

With the implementation of Michigans new third-grade reading law, entitled Read by Grade Three, the reading requirements for elementary students to advance to the next grade level are higher. For some students, this may mean having to repeat the third grade.

In order to be ready for fourth grade, there are certain benchmarks that the students need to meet, Guigar said. Were implementing individual reading plans that involve the parents at home to get the kids who may be struggling to where they need to be.

While it has always been a part of the elementary curriculum, reading has quickly become a top priority for young students. The halls of Ubly Elementary School are decorated in celebration of National Reading Month, giving the students an exciting place to take a break with a book.

Every day the students get time to take their book into the hallway and read, Guigar explained. Its something fun they look forward to that helps them learn at the same time.

There are so many more things now these kids have to learn, compared to years ago, she added. Day by day, teaching is constantly changing

Despite the challenges, many teachers would agree the rewards of their career far out way the challenges.

You spend a lot of time together, Guigar said. So, when a concept finally clicks for these kids and you can see it happen, its really rewarding. It feels good to be a part of that.

Were all from the same close-knit community, she added. Everyone knows whats going on in and outside of school. I think thats one of the benefits of being a teacher in a small town  getting to know your students really well and what their needs are.

Ubly Elementary Principal Yvonne OConnor spoke highly of the third-grade teacher, praising her stability in the classroom and her ability to work well with her fellow teachers.

(Cheryl) works hard to structure her class so that the students are always learning and growing, OConnor said. She makes sure they are meeting the necessary requirements for their grade level while taking into consideration their emotional needs. Shes a great asset to the school.

Despite the changes and challenges, Cheryl Guigar is a perfect example of what a great teacher can do for her students. The community thanks her for her years of dedication and looks forward to her continued inspiration of young students.
: As the 14-hour Janta Curfew



evoked a tremendous response on Sunday, the Andhra Pradesh government received requests that it be extended for a couple of more days as people took the fight against the dreaded coronavirus seriously.

The issue came up for discussion at a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, in which Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, Director General of Police D G Sawang and other top officials were present.

Rather than extending the curfew, the government decided to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr P C to prevent crowding of people, official sources said.

The Janta Curfew, observed as per the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to check the spread of coronavirus, turned out to be a super success in the state.

Vijayawada, the commercial nerve centre of the state, remained completely shut down, with even the roadside kiosks remaining closed.

For the first time in history, even the food courts in the Vijayawada Railway Station, one of the busiest in the country, did not open.

In the temple-town Tirupati, the RTC bus station that teems with thousands of pilgrims daily, wore a deserted look.

The APSRTC did not operate a single service across the state and the services will remain suspended till March 31, as per the decision announced by the Chief Minister.

Late in the night, people came on to the streets mainly to purchase essential items like milk.

At 5 pm, the Chief Minister, Deputy CM (Health), Chief Secretary and other officials stood in the corridor of the CMs camp office and clapped, thanking the health workers for their services.

Public too did this from their houses.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Patel, now 29, felt he had to be disruptive to cope with the fact he felt different to others, a quality he recognised in "goofy" Copperfield. "I saw this story of an outsider  he's a guy that feels like an impostor, like myself. He's trying to fit in."

The class clown has been a lifelong role for Patel, starting at the school he attended near his home in Rayners Lane, north London. "The only way I didn't get beaten up or bullied was because I was the funny dude that did the impressions of my maths teacher", he says.

At other points, he is restless and cheeky, cutting off a serious question about "colourblind" casting in period dramas to say: "But I look good in a suit, come on, with that cravat and that top hat..." After the interview, I watch him wrap his arms around his staff as they lead him off to lunch.

You need a lot of energy to interview Dev Patel. At one stage, the star of Armando Iannucci's new David Copperfield adaptation is so enthusiastic about a point he is making that he stomps on a coffee table in the central London hotel room where we are sitting.

It is true that Patel's school days differed from most. While he was studying for his A-levels, he was also filming for the teen drama Skins. It stipulated that no experience was necessary; for Patel, who had only been in school productions, it was the start of the rest of his life.

His breakthrough came in 2008, when he starred in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, a popular and critical success that won eight Oscars, and produced a six-year relationship between Patel and his co-star Freida Pinto until they split in 2014. He has since been in several major Hollywood movies including the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films and an Oscar-nominated turn in 2016's Lion, in which Nicole Kidman played his adoptive mother.

But until now, the roles he was offered were always affected by his race, says Patel, the son of Gujarati Indian parents who emigrated to the UK from Kenya. He says that from his Skins days until a few years ago, looking at the parts he was offered was like: "Taxi driver? No. Terrorist? No. Waiter? Already played one of those. I just wasn't getting in the room on the stuff that I wanted to get. You're just waiting for the character name 'Hakim' or something."

The UK is even worse than America in offering parts fairly, he thinks, which is part of the reason he decided to move to LA. "I felt like there's a real Downton Abbey kind of thinking here", he says. "In the USA, there's this wonderful attitude, this boldness in society that you can do it, anything is possible," he says. "That kind of attitude is what allowed me to really find a career and build a brand, and now I can come here and be Copperfield."

Period dramas always felt particularly off-limits to him. "It's kind of like this incredible party that you can never get into. And then along comes Armando [Iannucci, the director] and he kicks the bouncer, and then you're in," he says. "Normally in a period film, I'd be at the back holding the tray."
Queen Elizabeth has reunited with Prince Philip amid growing health concerns about the Duke of Edinburgh. Her Majesty left Buckingham Palace at the end of the week as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. While the entire UK bunkers down over the COVID-19 pandemic, Buckingham Palace has assured royal watchers that Prince Philip is doing absolutely fine.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip | Alastair Grant/AFP via Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth adjusts her schedule

Every year, Queen Elizabeth travels to Windsor Castle to spend Easter break at her Berkshire home. But in light of the coronavirus crisis, Her Majesty left Buckingham Palace a week before her scheduled break.

Queen Elizabeth received private guests earlier in the week before leaving for Windsor Castle on Thursday. She is expected to greatly reduce her staff at Windsor as a precaution against the virus.

This week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked all citizens in the UK, especially those over the age of 70, to remain home and only travel when it is essential.

Health experts have warned that the elderly population is at a higher risk of complications from the coronavirus, as well as people with underlying health issues. With Queen Elizabeth turning 94 next month and Philip on the verge of turning 98, they are both in this high-risk group.

Prince Philip reunites with Queen Elizabeth

Amid growing health concerns, the Duke of Edinburgh flew to Windsor Castle to reunite with Queen Elizabeth. According to Metro, Philip took a helicopter to the couples Berkshire home and had been previously staying at their estate in Sandringham.

Philip was not planning on making the trip to Windsor but was unsure when he would see Queen Elizabeth next. The two have been apart since February, and as the coronavirus outbreak continues to escalate, it could have been months before they reunited.

The Duke of Edinburgh retired from his royal post three years ago. He spends the vast majority of his time at the Sandringham estate and is rarely seen in public.

Queen Elizabeth, meanwhile, was spotted leaving Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Her Majesty was accompanied by one of her adorable dorgis and left after her final round of private meetings.

Prince Philip reportedly absolutely fine

The latest news on Philip comes amid growing concerns about his health. According to ET Canada, rumors recently surfaced that Philip had succumbed to the coronavirus, reports that Buckingham Palace quickly shut down.

Source close to Buckingham Palace tells me hes absolutely fine, the editor of Telegraph, Gareth Davies, revealed. I dont know what would possess someone to start a lie like that, but stop.

Inside sources close to the royal family assured fans that Philips health is good and that he has not experienced anything unusual in the past few weeks.

At the age of 98, Philips health is an ongoing concern for the royals. He has experienced a number of scares over the past few years, though it sounds like he is in good spirits at the moment.

We do not know how long Philip and Queen Elizabeth will remain at Windsor Castle. They are expected to remain in self-isolation for several weeks, and that could change depending on what happens with the outbreak.

Either way, royal watchers should expect Queen Elizabeth to stay out of the public eye for the next month or so.

Prince William and Kate Middleton offer their support

With the royals protecting Her Majesty and Prince Charles, who is in his 70s, Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to increase their responsibilities in the coming weeks.

To that end, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently released a statement on behalf of Buckingham Palace, informing the public of Queen Elizabeths latest move.

As Philip and I arrive at Windsor today, we know that many individuals and families across the United Kingdom, and around the world, are entering a period of great concern and uncertainty. We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them, the statement explained.

Multiple members of the royal family have already canceled future public engagements. This includes Queen Elizabeth and Charles, who was scheduled to visit Jordan and the Republic of Cyprus with his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles.

It is unclear if the cancelations will extend into the summer, but we should learn more in the coming weeks.

William is currently second in line to the throne, following Prince Charles. He has not commented on his increased role in the monarchy or acting as a placeholder for Queen Elizabeth during the coronavirus crisis. He did, however, recently release a statement on the matter encouraging people in the UK to stay safe.
Under the current law, an asset declaration could be updated within seven days since its first submission.

Ukraine's newly appointed Minister of Economy, Trade and Agriculture, Ihor Petrashko, has not mentioned a number of assets in his declaration, namely two SUVs, an estate in the village of Romankiv outside Kyiv, and a flat in Moscow (Russia), co-owned by his wife, who is a citizen of Russia.

Journalists from the Skhemy (Schemes) project found out that the area of the house in the elite "Sunny Valley" cottage town in Romankiv is 409 square meters. According to the Ukrainian real estate register, it is owned by Petrashko's wife, Svetlana, who is a citizen of Russia. Also, she owns 15 hectares of land there.

The Moscow-based property was identified with the use of her former surname, Pozdnyakova. According to the Russian State Register of Real Estate, she co-owns a third of a 109-square-meter flat in Moscow's Donskoy district, sharing it with her mother and brother. The cadastral value of the property is RUB 18.035 million, which is about US$200,000.

Also, according to the registry of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ihor Petrashko is the owner of two SUVs  a Suzuki Vitara S (2016) and a Land Rover Range Rover Sport (2017). They are not mentioned in his assets declaration now.

While commenting on details in his declaration for Schemes, Petrashko said he had to submit the document before taking office, but he failed to complete it in full over the "lack of time."

"I filed it without details because everyone understands that it is impossible to collect so many documents within such a short period of time. Now I am gathering them, I have already prepared a new draft there and I hope to submit the updated version before the deadline set by the law," the minister said.

"I indicated only the Kyiv-based flat, because at least certain property was to be mentioned, and this is the place of registration, and the procedure required at least any address. We'll declare everything, everything is official, my income is all official  you will see huge revenue in the tax forms," he said.

When asked to clarify whether the Moscow flat where his wife has a share would be shown in the declaration, the minister thanked "for reminding" and noted that he "might have forgotten about it." Under the current law, an asset declaration could be updated within seven days since its first submission.

Read alsoUkraine's new economy minister outlines first steps in office to respond to looming crisis

Petrashko's short bio mentions, among other things, that he worked in representative offices of Ernst & Young.

As reported, since 2007, his work had been connected with Russian investment capital. Since then, Petrashko had run an investment banking department and was managing director of the Troika Dialog Ukraine investment company, a subsidiary of a large Russian investor, which, in turn, was a subject of a probe by the OCCRP project, where journalists exposed an offshore scheme used to launder billions of dollars by a Russian investment bank.

Also, the Russian group Troika Dialog is one of the investors of Sberbank of Russia. From 2012 to 2013, Petrashko was transferred to the Russian bank's subsidiary where he headed a corporate business department.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, appointed Petrashko as Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine on March 17.
At least 15 paramilitary jawans were injured, three of them critically, during an encounter with Maoists near Sukma district in the state on Saturday. The injured jawans were airlifted and brought to a hospital here.

SP State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Ravi Shankar said, "As per information, near district Sukma there was a location of Maoist battalion. The encounter started on Saturday around 1 pm at different locations in the region. In the encounter, 15 jawans have been injured who were airlifted and brought here at Ram Krishna hospital."

The SP (SIB) said, "We have got an interception in which Maoists were talking that four of their members have died and three are injured."

He said, "A force is still in the operational area, we will have more information when the parties will return."

"A group is currently not in our contact but to say it is missing will be inappropriate," he said.

Medical Director of Ram Krishna hospital, Sandeep Dave said, "Total 15 jawans have been brought here. They were brought in two lots. In the first lot, there were seven jawans, while in the second there were eight. Three jawans are in critical condition, we are trying to save them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Faced with a Coronavirus pandemic while Venezuela was suffering from an economic crisis has left people with no choice but to turn to home remedies. The economic crisis in Venezuela means that there is a shortage of medicines and medical supplies. In such circumstances, the people of Venezuela are turning to homemade remedies.

Forced to turn to homemade remedies

The homemade remedies include hot drinks infused with lemon, salt, garlic or onions. Venezuelans that find themselves without monetary resources are cooking up concoctions handed down from one generation to another. According to reports, while these home-made remedies may have been passed down generations, none of them has been scientifically tested.

Venezuelas president has ordered the entire country into lockdown in an effort to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus. According to reports, people are only allowed to buy food or medicines. Schools are closed and most air transport links suspended. Police and the armed forces have been mobilized and patrol the streets in an effort to ensure that the lockdown is adhered to.

Venezuela has reported 70 confirmed cases of coronavirus but has not reported any deaths.

Read: IMF Rejects Maduro's Loan Request For Fighting Coronavirus Outbreak In Venezuela

Read: Venezuelan President Says Every Women Should Have '6 Children' To Boost Country's Growth

IMF rejects Venezuelas request

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on March 17 rejected Venezuela's request for a $5 billion loan to help the economically devastated country fight the novel Coronavirus outbreak. This comes a day after IMF's managing director Kristalina Georgieva in a blog post said that the global lender stands ready to mobilize its $1 trillion lending capacity to help member countries.

According to reports, the IMF cited a lack of international recognition and clarity on President Nicolas Maduro's government in its denial statement. President Nicolas Maduro had reportedly requested the loan earlier in the day when he said would help his government fight the global pandemic. The United States and 50 other countries have refused to recognize Maduro's government for more than a year.

Read: Venezuela's Rojas Sets New Indoor Women's Triple Jump World Record

Read: US Imposes Sanctions On Russian Oil Company To Pressurise Venezuela

(With input from Agencies)
The Nasarawa state police command has arrested a 48-year-old farmer and petty trader, Theddius Audu for reportedly impregnating his 15-year-old daughter Justina.

Audu took has been catering for his daughter alone after his 13-year-old marriage to Talatu Ayi from Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of the state ended.

The suspect had the help of his younger sister in raising the little girl, until his sister died in a tragic accident in January 2019 on her way back from Lafia market.

Read Also: Nirbhaya case: Four men die by hanging for 2012 Delhi bus rape and kill kill

Recounting how the sad incident occurred, Justina said;

God has inflicted a permanent wound on me; there is absolutely no point keeping me alive. I think I should just commit suicide and die, rather than continue living to bear this shameful burden. God has not been fair to me and I dont know my sin or offence. My mother left me when I was barely two years old; and up till now, hasnt taken as much as a second look back. My late aunty Agnes, who brought me up died, recently and now Im pregnant for my father. What could be worse than that, she asked bursting into tears.

When my aunty died in an accident, my father moved me into his three bedroom apartment to occupy one of the rooms. He used to check my private part to see if I had started menstruating or having sex with boys. One night, I was sleeping after a hectic day; he came into my room, removed my wrapper and inserted his finger in to my private part, asking if I had started menstruating. I woke up suddenly from sleep and asked, Daddy why are you doing this to me?

He asked if I had had sex before and I said no. He then said he would use his penis to test my virginity. Before I could utter any word, he had climbed on top of me. I wanted to scream, but he held my mouth and penetrated into me. I struggled to wriggle free but he over-powered me and forcefully deflowered me. I bled throughout that night, crying uncontrollably till the following day. I was also in pains throughout.

I felt very bad but he warned me that nobody must hear of what he did to me. He also threatened to slaughter me with a knife if he heard it from anybody. That was how he kept sleeping with me at night and eventually got me pregnant.

How I wish my mother were around; this shameful thing would not have happened to me. It is incredible; my world and life has crumbled. How can I have a child for my father?

The days that followed my Aunts death were both utterly full and completely empty; full of activities, yet empty of life because there was nobody to take care of me and guide me properly.

Her absence gave my father the opportunity to ruin my life. I feel very ashamed that Im pregnant without getting married and more ashamed that my own biological father is responsible. Now I think about death frequently because my father decided that I should leave the pregnancy and deliver a male child for him.

She said her father has even threatened to kill her if she tried aborting the pregnancy. So I dont have any choice but to allow it grow; meanwhile, the pregnancy is just four months.

On his own part, Audu said

She looks beautiful and I always feel the pains that one day, someone else will toast her and start enjoying what I suffered all these years to raise. When her mother left me, I took the pains to bring her up because I could not get married and was alone.

It started like a joke. I dont know what came over me; she tried to resist me but I was very harsh on her and she allowed me have my way. Thereafter, we continued unabated. I actually wanted to test her virginity status, to know whether she had started going out with boys but when she told me she missed her period, I decided that she should not abort it.

She should deliver the baby for me since I dont have any other child. Thereafter, she can get married to anybody of her choice. This was the secret arrangement we had and I dont know why she is exposing it now.

That is the much I can say about it.
On Thursday morning in a church hall in Dagenham, east London, a mother in her 40s arrived with her daughter to ask for food. She had already been to her local branch of Iceland with a prepaid card in the days beforehand, but every time she had tried to pick up what she needed, she found the shelves empty. On her last attempt before arriving at the food bank, pandemonium had erupted in a scene more like a US Black Friday electronics sale than the opening of a frozen goods supermarket. As soon as they opened the doors, everyone was just everywhere, the woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Independent. They were pulling stuff out of trolleys. I just got my children and left.

It was not her first time using the food bank, one of the 1,200 supported by the Trussell Trust around the country. She first visited a food bank after a change in her universal credit left her in dire financial straits, an experience shared by many who make use of the Trussell Trust to pick up a three-day emergency food parcel. However, even with shop credit in her pocket, public panic left her with no choice but to go back home  empty-handed. There was no food, she said. Literally no food, no toilet roll, no nappies. You cant get a loaf of bread. Its not even me [at risk], its the children. Its the elderly. Ive got a child with medical issues, I need to make sure they have certain stuff and we just cant get it.

Eight days earlier, before the UK was fully caught up in the coronavirus pandemic, more than 400 food banks were asked by the Trussell Trust how they expected to respond. The virus, they were told, could reach threat levels on par with Italy within weeks, where deaths at the time had passed 800. It posed a number of risks, not least to volunteers who should be self-isolating or practising social distancing.

[The food banks] were quite unequivocal in their response to us, the charitys Garry Lemon said. They said that they would carry on doing what they had done  which is looking after the people who need it most in their communities.

Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Show all 15 1 /15 Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK The usually busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 13 March Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Ho bart's Amusement Arcade in Westward Ho!, Devon is offering toilet roll and soap as prizes in grabber machines Rob Braddick/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK An empty platform at Farringdon Station in London the morning after the Prime Minister said that Covid-19 "is the worst public health crisis for a generation" PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Shopkeepers Asiyah Javed and husband Jawad from Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk are giving away facemasks, antibacterial hand wash and cleaning wipes to the elderly in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A usually busy street in Cambridge is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 2 March James Linsell-Clark/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A hand sanitiser dispenser is seen inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on 8 March Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Maaya Indian Kitchen in Milton Keynes is offerig customers a free roll of toilet paper with every takeaway order SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Oliver Cooper[L], was sent home from school for selling spurts of handsanitiser to fellow pupils at 50p a time. He poses with mum Jenny Tompkins by their home in Leeds Ashley Pemberton/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Empty toilet paper shelves at a supermarket in London on 12 March EPA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A member of the public is swabbed at a drive through Coronavirus testing site set up in a car park in Wolverhampton Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A passenger wears a protective face mask as she travels on a bus in the City of London AFP/Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A Southampton fan wears a face mask before the match against Newcastle United on 7 March Reuters Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A loudspeaker placed in grounds of St Mary's Catholic Church in Broughattin, Dundalk, County Louth ahead of funeral mass later this morning. The loudspeaker has been placed in the grounds after the Catholic Archdiocese said that funerals and weddings should not exceed 100 attendees within the church building PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A hand sanitising station set up outside Cheltenham Racecourse during day four of the Cheltenham Festival on 13 March PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK People wearing protective face masks walk across London Bridge on 11 March AFP/Getty

The Trussell Trust, the nations largest food bank charity, serves as the central hub. But each food bank under their umbrella operates independently, reacting individually to the pandemic. Its been genuinely humbling to see the response across the network, Mr Lemon added. They face some significant challenges and they, supported by brilliant staff at the Trussell Trust, have essentially been running to solve all of them at once.

Chiefly among them: more people appear to be in need. From April 2018 to March 2019, the most common reasons for visiting a Trussell Trust food bank were insufficient income and difficulty with benefits. However, with schools closed and businesses put at risk by closures, food banks now believe new people will be visiting  those suddenly finding themselves jobless, and those with children on free school meals who ordinarily rely on holiday hunger programmes.

Food banks were already running at capacity before this hit, Mr Lemon added. Alongside that increased demand, we have issues around securing adequate food supply, youve got issues with the lack of volunteers. Also, Trussell Trust food banks work on a referral basis, so weve also got challenges around referral partners  people who normally assess peoples need and give them the vouchers... And on top of all of that, they are needing to operate in epidemic conditions.

Lauren Tunnicliffe, manager of the Manchester Central food bank, said: I think the concern is were going to see a lot of people who otherwise wouldnt need the food bank  people who would generally consider themselves very secure, theyve had jobs for a long time, and who provisions are in place for.

The branch, which was set up by students and is close to University of Manchester buildings, has seen a 38 per cent increase in users over the last week  and expects the figure to increase. But a number of referral partners who had sent people to the food bank now appear to have closed without any formal announcement.

While need has increased, so too has support  albeit while fluctuating with the publics sense of concern. We hit a really low point with our stock towards early March, Ms Tunnicliffe, 22, added. About two weeks ago we were saying, Oh god we dont have any food. We cant say for sure but we think it might have been just as the panic buying was starting, and just as people were getting preoccupied with coronavirus and seeing it as a threat to themselves, that I think our collection points at our supermarkets were a little forgotten about.

Recommended Food banks forced to close amid coronavirus outbreak

We started putting appeals out towards the end of last week, and weve had just a massive amount of donations, she added. Its almost Christmas levels of donations... people coming in every day bringing in a carrier bag full of groceries that theyve picked up while they were doing their own shopping.

How long the show of solidarity will last in the face of surging demand remains a concern. On social media, many operators have followed up on appeals with renewed calls for food, while many have said they are close to running out on core staples such as UHT milk. The response has been massive, Ms Tunicliffe noted, but were a little bit worried about the sustainability of it because this is so open-ended at this stage. We dont know whether were still going to be desperate in six weeks, or whether people are still going to be able to keep supporting us in six weeks  obviously theyre going to be concerned about themselves, theres people that are losing their jobs, theyre not going to be able to afford to go and buy us food every single week.

With a cohort of young student volunteers, the site is expecting to remain well staffed throughout the crisis  unlike many food banks elsewhere reckoning with the governments advice for over-70s to consider self-isolating. A large proportion of our volunteers are older and are quite rightly self-isolating, so that is an issue, Mr Lemon said. In response, the charity has set up a new volunteering system on its website with a focus on connecting people with the nearest operator, wherever they may be.

However, along with fewer volunteers, services offered by the charity are at risk  such as the cup of tea and chat that volunteers share with visitors. In latest guidance from the charity, volunteers are told to limit contact with the public by no longer allowing visitors to come inside  instead handing over food parcels at the door. Were seeing food banks completely changing the way that they operate overnight in order to tackle this, Mr Lemon said. Some of its quite unfortunate. Food banks pride themselves on their wraparound services  things like a cup of tea and a cake or a chat  but thats unfortunately had to stop.

The impact of fewer volunteers, increased demand and fluctuating stocks has already proved to be too much for a small number of food banks, with some reducing their operating hours and others suspending services altogether. In Islington, a branch announced it would stop offering food parcels until further notice  citing limited supplies and staff shortages. The Trussell Trust has since said it is working with local agencies to help.

However, Mr Lemon added, the virus has exposed flaws in the public safety net, which food banks have attempted to patch up. Its about government responsibility here and it comes down to the issue of increased demand, Mr Lemon said. Theres only so much that this network can take and its important that the government steps up and has a look at our social security system as its immediate priority to make sure that were able to cope.
Boris Johnson's father is looking to become a French citizen to keep his close ties with the continent, it is claimed.

Stanley Johnson, 79, is 'en route to becoming a French citizen' - which remains an option because his mother Irene had been born in Versailles and his grandmother had been in Paris, his daughter Rachel revealed in her new book.

In Rake's Progress: My Political Midlife Crisis, published last week, the author writes that Stanley's application is 'good news', adding that she 'might be able to become French too'.

Stanley Johnson, left, is 'en route to becoming a French citizen' - which remains an option because his mother Irene had been born in Versailles and his grandmother had been in Paris, his daughter Rachel revealed in her new book, right

A source close to the Johnsons told the Sunday Times that they believe Stanley applied so his grandchildren could live and work in the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc.

Stanley had been the Conservative MEP for Wight and Hampshire East between 1979 and 1984 and had worked for the European Commission - meaning his children had partly spent their childhood in Brussels.

Boris Johnson is today urging Britons to follow Government advice and stay at home 'as far as possible'.

Boris Johnson and his father Stanley are seen at a hustings event in Exeter, June 28, 2019

'We will get through this together, and we will beat the virus,' the he tweeted today.

The Prime Minister has also told the nation not to visit family on Mother's Day, and for those at highest risk to stay at home for at least 12 weeks.

The deaths of another seven coronavirus patients in Wales brought the nationwide total to 240 on Sunday.

The Prime Minister has warned the Covid-19 outbreak is 'accelerating'.

The Government has also announced a new local support system to ensure people self-isolating at home without support networks can have basic groceries delivered.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday



urged all the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members of his party not to visit Delhi and instead help their respective local government agencies in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, Pawar said, "Request all MPs of NCP- LS and RS not go back to Delhi, please stay where you are and assist Govt agencies help citizen to fight the #Coronavirus pandemic."



So far, 74 coronavirus positive cases have been found in Maharashtra, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREAU.S. President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un, expressing his willingness to help the North battle the coronavirus, North Korea said Sunday.

I would like to extend sincere gratitude to the U.S. president for sending his invariable faith to the Chairman, said Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leaders sister and policy aide, in a statement carried by the Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency. She lauded Trumps decision to write the letter as a good judgment and proper action.

In the letter, Trump wished the family of the Chairman and our people well-being, she said, referring to his brother by one of his official titles.

The White House confirmed that Trump had sent Kim Jong Un a letter but did not comment on its specifics.

Trump and Kim have repeatedly touted their unusual relationship. They exchanged a number of personal letters before and after their first summit in Singapore in 2018, and at one point Trump said he and Kim had fallen in love.

But relations between Pyongyang and Washington have cooled since the leaders second summit, held in Vietnam last February. Talks collapsed over differences regarding how quickly North Korea should dismantle its nuclear weapons program and when Washington should ease sanctions.

Since then, Kim has repeatedly said that North Korea was no longer interested in diplomacy with the United States unless it changed what he called its hostile policy, including sanctions. He also warned that the North no longer felt bound by its self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles.

On Saturday, Kim attended the testing of two short-range ballistic missiles by his military.

Kim Yo Jong said Sunday that her brother had mentioned his special personal relations with President Trump again and appreciated the personal letter. But she said good personal relations between the two leaders were not enough to improve their countries ties.

A senior Trump administration official, who insisted on anonymity, said the presidents letter was consistent with his efforts to engage world leaders during the coronavirus pandemic.

Officially, the North has reported no coronavirus cases, although it says it is waging an all-out campaign against the virus. Outside health experts fear that the country might be hiding an outbreak.

Read more about:
Acne treatment including the highly effective acne medication isotretinoin should be made more readily available despite reports of its association with depression and teen suicide. That's the implication of a study just published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Isotretinoin has been linked to depression and suicide. But UCR researcher Misaki Natsuaki, one of the study's authors, said severe acne itself, when left untreated, poses a serious risk for depression and anxiety.

Natsuaki's research team conducted the first meta-analysis, analyzing 42 studies involving more than one million people, to resolve sometimes-conflicting data related to studies of how acne is related to depression and anxiety. The studies showed a significant association with acne and mental health.

"Acne may not cause physical pain or impairment, but you do not want to leave acne untreated because that's a risk for mental health," said Natsuaki, an associate professor of psychology and director of the UCR Developmental Transitions Laboratory. "Undertreatment of acne itself is related to depression and anxiety, especially in females."

Isotretinoin, often referred to by the since-discontinued brand name Accutane, is an effective acne medication that hit the market in 1982. It can reduce the new acne after a standard six months treatment by reducing the size of oil glands and the amount of oil they produce, and making pores less hospitable to the Propionibacterium acnes bacteria. In up to 90% of cases, all or nearly all of acne is eliminated. Its brand names include Absorica, Claravis, Amnesteem, Myorisan, and Zenatane.

But in 1998, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to doctors regarding a possible association with depression, psychosis, suicidal ideation, and suicide. One estimate -- not based on a study -- attributed 10 suicides in 2019 to isotretinoin.

The anti-Accutane phenomena, and regulatory action, grew 20 years ago after a congressman attributed his son's suicide to the medication. A subsequent suit was dismissed years later. In 2006, the FDA created the iPledge monitoring program, a risk management system specifically for Isotretinoin. With a goal of enforcing control over prescribing, dispensing, and using isotretinoin, the program requires all prescribers, pharmacists, and patients to register and log detailed information into the site.

Natsuaki's meta-analysis found both depression and anxiety heightened in acne sufferers at an effect size similar to the ill effect of cyberbullying on victim's depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Contrary to expectations, the researchers found that acne is associated with greater anxiety and depression among adults than adolescents.

"We speculate that, although no one likes to have acne on his or her face, the prevalence of acne is high in adolescent years and it's somewhat expected to happen in teens," Natsuaki said. "However, for adults, acne may appear as a deviation from social norm."

The study also found the emotional cost of acne is higher in Middle Eastern regions, though that may have been impacted by the inclusion of a disproportionately high number of studies from countries including Turkey, Iran, and Egypt.

The study concludes: "Given the psychiatric risk of acne itself, it is important for clinicians to optimize acne management which may include utilization of isotretinoin."
India is observing a 14-hour self quarantine today to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease Covid-19. Named Janta Curfew by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this exercise is voluntary and helps in prevention of community transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus.

Community transmission occurs when a person with no travel history to a Covid-19-affected country or known contact with a confirmed case tests positive for the disease. It indicates undiagnosed and often asymptomatic people are unknowingly causing infection, which makes it difficult to break the chain of transmission.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been conducting community surveillance by lifting random samples from intensive care unit (ICU) patients suffering from severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), including severe pneumonia. These samples are taken from people with no travel history or contact with a positive patient.

The Janta Curfew seeks to break this chain as the people will remain indoors during this period. This means they will not step out of the house, not even for a morning walk or an evening stroll or for buying rations or other stuff. It is to ensure that people do not come in contact with any person outside who could be a carrier of the virus.

As #JantaCurfew, peoples movement begins, I pledge to strictly follow PM @narendramodi jis call. I also urge my fellow countrymen to participate. Lets break the chain and protect our nation against this pandemic with social distancing and self isolation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted on Sunday morning.

As #JantaCurfew, peoples movement begins, I pledge to strictly follow PM @narendramodi jis call. I also urge my fellow countrymen to participate.



Lets break the chain and protect our nation against this pandemic with social distancing and self isolation. #IndiaFightsCorona  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 22, 2020

The Prime Minister on Thursday called for Janta Curfew on March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of house.

He also said that at 5 pm on March 22, we should thank people like doctors, medical personnel, cleaning staff, for their service during the coronavirus outbreak.
By Mark Peterson





I realize that I am about to contradict the summary of Korean history told by 95 percent of my friends in Korea, but I am of the opinion, based on my studies, that my contrarian view is more accurate. Most of my Korean friends are of the opinion that Korea has been invaded numerous times. I don't buy it. I see relatively few invasions in Korean history, and long periods of peace and stability.



Where does the multiple invasion point-of-view come from? Unfortunately, much of the reason for thinking that Korea has been invaded often comes from the Japanese period. And it was to the Japanese administration's advantage to advocate multiple invasions, thus making the Japanese invasion less of an oddity, "why, it's just another invasion!" "You've been invaded so many times, what's one more?"



When I was a student, I met a retired high school teacher in Gangneung who was an expert on invasions. He had gone through all kinds of historical sources and had tabulated an exact number. I can't remember his exact number, but it was like 983 or so. He counted every pirate raid on the coast and every border skirmish he could find. I think that such an approach trivializes the idea of an invasion.



I am of the opposite point-of-view. I see very few invasions, and I see long periods of peace and stability between invasions. And I see two invasions as distinct from all the others  the Hideyoshi Invasion (Imjin Waeran) of 1592, and the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. In the former, between two and four million people died; in the later, between one and two million died. No other invasion or skirmish comes anywhere near those numbers.



Well, you ask: "What about the Manchu Invasions of 1627 and 1636?" Those had an entirely different purpose  the Manchu's wanted Korea to be their ally as they planned to march into China. Korea, still not recovered from the Japanese invasion, was not ready to resist the Manchus and agreed to recognize them. But Korea went secretly to China to propose that Korea and China attack the Manchus, but the Chinese were similarly beaten up by the Japanese war and never marshalled the troops to attack. That's why the Manchus came into Korea again, and this time when the king agreed to recognize them, the Manchus took two princes as hostages  a time-honored strategy in East Asia. The Manchus did not run amok killing and plundering at will  with one exception, but that general was relieved of his command and sent home. The Manchus wanted Korea on their side. So, these two invasions were very different from the Japanese and the Mongols.



What about the Japanese takeover in 1910. There was no invasion against the Koreans at that point. The Japanese very cleverly took control of Korea in a measured, step-by-step process. They landed troops in 1894 to fight the Chinese, not the Koreans. They assisted the Korean court in suppressing the Donghak Movement, but their objective was not like the 1592 invasion, but rather, reform, modernization, and eventually takeover by Japan.



What invasions were there from China? There were the famous seven invasions by Sui and the Tang against Goguryeo, but the important part of that story is that Goguryeo won! They repelled each invasion from China. Thereafter, Tang came to Korea as an ally of Silla. Silla's idea was to attack Baekje first and then go after Goguryeo. The strategy worked, but China's involvement was not as an invader, but as an ally. True, Tang and Silla fought each other after they defeated Baekje, but they fought to a stalemate and agreed to a political conclusion of hostilities.



Why is there a multiple invasion point-of-view that is so strong in Korea? It's a 20th century phenomenon. Between the Japanese takeover in the early 20th century, the mid-20th century saw Korea as a true victim in the afterward of World War II. Victimized by Japan, and then revictimized by the U.N. and the U.S. in the unintended 70-year division of Korea, victimization is a major theme in Korean history. But my position is that this is only a 20th-century issue.



South Korea, now, in the 21st century, is a very different country from the poverty-stricken Korea of the mid-20th century. Korea, today, is not a victim of other countries, but a powerful player on the world scene. The saying, "When whales fight, shrimp get their backs broken," is no longer an appropriate saying.



And Korean history in the long view has experienced very few invasions, interspersed with long periods of peace and stability. This then, is section 3 out of 10 articles on "Peaceful Korea." More to follow. Skeptics, keep reading.





Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.


CONCORD  Three inmates and five employees at the 1,883-inmate George W. Hill Correctional Facility have tested positive for coronavirus and 13 more employees had to be self-quarantined, officials said Saturday. One of the employees had to be hospitalized and has since been released.

Delaware County signed an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Chester County so that its health department will provide services related to COVID-19 for Delaware County residents, including prisoners at the county prison, instead of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Delaware County does not have its own health department.

On March 13, a maintenance employee at the Delaware County prison tested positive. As a result, 34 people, including 11 inmates and 23 prison employees, were quarantined. The employees self-quarantined at home and the inmates were placed in a housing unit separate from the rest of the population.

On Saturday, the Chester County Health Department announced that the total testing positive for coronavirus now includes three inmates and five employees.

The three inmates are isolated and none have needed medical care at a hospital, Rebecca Brain, public information officer for the Chester County Commissoiners Office said. At this time, inmates with known exposures  but not showing symptoms  are grouped together. Everyone in the prison  staff and inmates  are told to report symptoms of COVID-19 immediately.

GEO Group Inc. the operator of the prison, said one of the 11 inmates who had been quarantined tested positive for coronavirus and two other inmates in another part of the prison also tested positive and were immediately isolated.

One of those inmates had been on quarantine since March 13 along with 10 other inmates, and developed symptoms while on quarantine, the statement from GEO read. While the 11 inmates had been medically cleared by the Pennsylvania Health Department earlier in the week, in an abundance of caution, GEOs medical team continued to monitor these individuals in an isolated housing status away from the rest of the inmate population.

In addition, the statement read, Two other inmates developed symptoms and were immediately placed on quarantine and tested for the Coronavirus, which came back positive (Saturday). At this time, as clinically necessary, inmates who require isolation will be placed on quarantine to allow for medical staff to monitor their health and well being.

GEO officials said they continue to closely watch prisoners who came in contact with positive individuals.

All the inmates who have developed symptoms are in stable health and have not developed any symptoms that would require hospitalization, their statement read. We are closely monitoring their health and providing treatment consistent with health guidelines and latest guidance from the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

GEO addressed the five employees who tested positive for COVID-19.

Four of the employees are under self-quarantine at home with full pay and the other has been released from a local hospital with improved health, GEOs statement read. In addition, 13 other employees have been advised to remain at home on self-quarantine but have so far not developed any symptoms.

Delaware County Councilman and Jail Oversight Board Chairman Kevin Madden issued a comment on the situation.

Since joining forces with the Chester County Health Department on Friday, they have jumped into action, having inspected the facility, met with the leadership and agreed on a plan to keep our employees and inmates as safe as possible, he said. We will be in constant communication as a team until this threat is behind us. This is a trying time for everyone, and we know its creating concern and disruption for our inmates and our employees. But we hope they appreciate that these measures are being put into place with their safety as the top priority. And we thank them for working with us to defeat this virus.

With regards to testing at the prison, Brain explained that priority testing guidelines from both the state Department of Health and the Chester County Health Department, are that those showing no symptoms are not routinely tested for COVID-19. This holds true for anyone  either in the facility, or residing in Chester County or Delaware County, she explained.

On March 5, a George W. Hill Correctional maintenance employee spent time with his son, a Lower Providence, Montgomery County, police officer. The next day, he reported to work in his department, as well as attending a meeting with department heads in the administration building.

The next two days were regularly scheduled days off for the employee. By March 9, he took a sick day due to sinus issues. On March 10, he again did not report to work and went to his doctor. At 10:49 p.m. that night, prison leadership were notified that the man tested positive for coronavirus that day. Facility leadership then immediately notified the county administrator.

GEO officials said that based on available information, the employees son, the police officer, may have been infected by his child who was attended by a pediatric cardiologist, who had recently been to China and practices at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia in King of Prussia.

The following day, the employee remained out of work and was tested for coronavirus. He stayed out of work, pending the results of his test, which came back positive March 13.

A relative of one of the 11 inmates who had been quarantined said one of the three infected prisoners had been showing signs for days with a fever and that the group was told that after the employee was discovered to have COVID-19, they were administered the wrong test but were not re-tested for coronavirus.

After that guy was sick, they didnt disinfect his cell or nothing, the relative said. Nothing.

She said the quarantined inmates were instructed to clean up the cell after the prisoner testing positive was taken away.

Chester County officials said they were not aware of the situation with the prisoners being given the wrong test. They did confirm that recommended cleaning guidelines were followed. However, Brain added that Chester County officials hadnt discussed with prison officials who undertakes the cleaning there.

The Chester County Health Department has provided guidance on social distancing, isolation and quarantine monitoring, and use of personal protective equipment at the facility, Brain added. The facility is preparing a written management plan and CCHD will review it as soon as it has been submitted. Social distancing guidance addresses the 6-feet rule in various locations including meals, recreation etc. The Health Department also advised that, as long as there is capacity to do so, individuals with symptoms should be isolated by themselves, but not in solitary confinement. All staff and inmates are being screened for symptoms before entering the facility.

The facility is fully cooperating with CCHD and regular conference calls are assessing implementation of guidelines, of the facilitys plan, unmet needs, and any adjustments to the plan that may be needed in the future, she continued.

GEO officials shared some of the protocol they are following during this pandemic.

All staff members who are working directly with the quarantined inmates are being provided with personal protective equipment, they said. If any additional inmates develop symptoms they will be placed on quarantine.

GEO officials said that the prison has been placed on restricted movement and non-legal visitation has been cancelled since the first employee tested positive on March 13. The facility will continue to operate on restricted movement and non-legal visitation will remain cancelled while we work with local health officials to manage the situation, they noted in their statement. The health and safety of all those in our care and our employees is our utmost priority and we will continue to coordinate closely with our client and the local health department to ensure their health and safety.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condemned the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma and paid tribute to the 17 security personnel of District Reserve Guards (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF), who lost their lives in the encounter.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said the valour of the Bravehearts will never be forgotten.

"Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel martyred in the attack. Their valour will never be forgotten. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for a quick recovery of those injured," he wrote.

Earlier in the day, BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan too expressed his condolences to the kin of the security personnel and expressed anguish over the deaths of soldiers, stating that the culprits will be taught a lesson soon.A total of 17 security personnel of DRG and STF lost their lives in the encounter with Naxals in Sukma, Chhattisgarh Police said on Sunday.

"Total 17 security personnel (5 Special Task Force, 12 District Reserve Guards) have lost their lives in an encounter in Sukma, yesterday. They were missing and security forces were trying to locate them after an encounter with Naxals," said Chhattisgarh Police.

The 15 paramilitary jawans who were injured, three of them critically, during the encounter were airlifted and brought to a hospital here.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel visited Rama Krishna Hospital in Raipur to meet the security personnel who were injured in the encounter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ugandan poet Stella Nyanzi was released in February after spending more than a year in prison for some words she wrote on Facebook. Ugandas government says those words insulted President Yoweri Museveni.

While in prison, Nyanzi wrote a book of poems, called "No Roses from My Mouth." Her writings have influenced other people to use poetry to express their political opinions.

Now, Ugandas government plans to appeal her recent acquittal.

Before her release in February, Stella Nyanzi was serving 18 months in prison for cyber-harassing the Ugandan president.

She was jailed last year for writing on Facebook in 2018 that she wished Museveni had died as a fetus. She blamed him for her countrys many problems.

I sit on the...prison beddings spread on the floor, lean against the walland write whatever I pleasewhat freedom to write," Nyanzi said. She added that her writings were often taken by prison guards during body searches, but she continued to write as a form of resistance.



After her sentencing, some Ugandan writers were afraid to criticize the government. Free speech was quieted.

Nyanzi supporters were pleased by her decision to use her poetry to take on politics. But others are still too frightened to publish.



Danson Kahyana works for the Department of Literature at Makerere University. He says he wrote a book that he decided not to publish because he does not have the courage of Nyanzi.



Shes our hero. I think we shall celebrate her. One day, there will come a time when we shall say Stella, you are the reason we are better governed because your fighting has given us all these beautiful fruits, he said.

Ugandan officials repeatedly have detained Nyanzi for criticizing Museveni, who has served as president for 34 years.



Although a high court canceled the cyber-harassment charge against her, Ugandas public prosecutor continues to say that Nyanzis Facebook post were illegal.



Jacquelyn Okui is spokeswoman for the prosecutors office. She said the government is appealing the high courts ruling and will continue bringing legal action against Nyanzi.



Other poets like Daphine Arinda are learning what it means to try to speak freely in Musevenis Uganda.



So, I am terrified, I cant lie, but I also have the confidence and also the inner will to know that if Im strong about something, then I can pursue it to its end, she said.



Arinda has written poetry about Nyanzi.



"Nails darkened from a walk amongst trees, thats her, thats her, ask no more who she is, who, who, who she is, she wrote.



For now, Nyanzi lives at her home, waiting for her next court appearance. No one is sure when that will be.

Im Ashley Thompson.

VOAs Halima Athumani reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

acquittal  n. the decision that someone is not guilty

cyber-harass  v. to use online resources to annoy or bully someone

fetus  n. a human being just before it is born

lean  v. to arch one's body against something

courage  n. bravery

prosecutor  n. one who represents the state or the court in a criminal case

confidence  n. the belief that one can succeed

pursue  v. to chase, or to try to achieve
Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement of constituting a Covid-19 Economic Task Force under Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman comes in the nick of time. Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, has ground to a complete halt; the stock market is in a downward spiral. Shops and other commercial establishments in cities and towns across the country have downed shutters and their usually busy market streets and bylanes are deserted. This is unprecedented.

Amidst this gloom, in India, there is humour among traders and consumers alike. They hope that like all cheap China-made goods, the coronavirus, too, wont last long. Elsewhere, its a much more serious matter. American President Donald Trump has called the coronavirus the China Virus, clearly laying the blame for the worlds misery at Chinas door. Indeed, there are even suggestions from some in the strategic community that the Covid-19 pandemic may not have innocent origins but is perhaps the result, deliberate or inadvertent, of a biological war effort or of deliberate non-conventional warfare aimed at paralysing the enemy (in this case, the US).

It is premature, perhaps even silly, to make such conjectures. After all, the Chinese economy is intertwined with the American economy and can thrive only if the latter thrives. But again, in the competitive dynamics of power between the Superpower and the Challenger, one cant say what tools of war may be employed. If the war by other means theory is true, then we may be heading for the next phase of the US-China trade war, which will be devastating for the world.

But this much, we more or less know now: The first cases of Covid-19 emerged in China at least as early as September last year, with more than 200 patients reporting symptoms. A doctor in Wuhan who shared this information with his colleagues was reprimanded by local authorities and later went missing for a while. The next that the world heard of him was weeks later -- that he had died of Covid-19 himself, probably having contracted the virus from his patients. China made an official announcement to the World Health Organisation confirming the first case of coronavirus only in December; and human-to-human transmission was reported only in the third week of January, by which time thousands, if not millions, of people possibly infected with the virus had travelled in and out of Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic, and out of China. The gravity of the situation is being felt across the world.

As the virus has brought nations and economies across the world to their knees, governments, especially in the rich countries, are announcing bailout and stimulus packages for citizens and large sectors of their economies  from aviation and tourism to small-scale industries -- as they prepare for what was already a global economic slowdown turning into a recession at least in some major economies, if not all. In America, lawmakers are sitting through the weekend to finalise a $1 trillion economic stabilisation plan, which could include tax breaks, a $1,000-2,000 cheque to citizens, a $50 billion bailout for the airline industry and a $250 billion fund for small-scale industries. There is also more money being pumped into the healthcare system and to take care of unemployment doles as millions of jobs are expected to be lost over the next few months.

If the worlds largest economy is so worried about the impending economic gloom, it is obvious that Indias emerging economy will need much more than knee-jerk reactions and band-aid solutions. The Union Minister of State for Finance has put up a brave face, saying that Covid-19 will not have an adverse impact on the economy. One can only hope that either his words become prophetic or that he wakes up and smells the coffee. The great recession is only weeks away. The year 2020 began on a dull note for the economy, and Budget 2020 failed to boost the morale of the industry and markets. Though not many in the industry complained initially, slowly, one doyen of the business world after another have expressed apprehension about the economy and business prospects.

Now, with city after city shutting down, the business environment will further deteriorate, forcing entrepreneurs to shrink operations and recover losses by cutting costs and staff. As it is, the manufacturing sector was already facing huge problems. From tax holidays to easy credit and zero restrictions on small and medium-scale industries through sincere and transparent ease of business provisions, the government should help unleash the entrepreneurial potential of the people. Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary solutions, using tools that will rebuild the economy, not just tinker with it or repair.

Every crisis has two sides  a challenge and an opportunity. In all likelihood, a vaccine will be found in the next several months. But the world that emerges on the other side of this will be a different one. The economic damage caused by the pandemic will take a much longer time to repair. Time tested tools of economic revival and reconstruction may not be sufficient. And, most importantly, the world will be looking for new centres of production that are transparent, respect international covenants, deliver quality and scale. New Delhi needs to shift gears and prepare India for the role. Hopefully, the Covid-19 Economic Task Force will rise to the occasion.
A new video has emerged online capturing the moment a church in Ogun state was sealed off by men of the Nigerian police for flouting restriction on religious gathering in the state.

The state government had stated that religious gathering of more than 50 people be boycotted as a preventive means against the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

However, the church went ahead with the church activities despite having more than 50 people in gathering.

Read Also: Coronavirus: Federal Allocation For March, April Should Be Shared To The Masses- Shehu Sani

This is coming only few hours after the total confirmed case of the dreaded disease was announced as 27 in the country.

Watch the video below:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 09:09:27|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Sunday sent a congratulatory message to the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee on the 65th anniversary of the party's establishment.

The LPRP has united and led its people in successfully realizing national liberation and unification and scoring splendid achievements in the country's socialist construction and reform cause in the past 65 years, said the message.

The CPC is confident that the Lao party and people will constantly consolidate and improve the party's leadership and push forward the country's socialist construction and reform cause under the strong leadership of the LPRP with General Secretary Bounnhang Vorachith at its core, so as to welcome the LPRP's 11th congress with outstanding achievements.

The CPC attaches great importance to the China-Laos ties. Last April, Xi Jinping, general secretary of CPC Central Committee and Chinese president, signed an action plan with Bounnhang on building a community with a shared future for the two countries, charting the course for the development of the relations between the two countries in the new era, said the message.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Lao party, government and all sectors of the Lao society lost no time in expressing sympathy and solicitude to China and providing financial and material assistance, well embodying the spirit of the China-Laos community with a shared future, the message said.

The CPC is willing to work with the LPRP in implementing the consensuses reached by their general secretaries, strengthening strategic communication, enhancing political mutual trust, deepening exchanges of experience in party and national governance, and expanding pragmatic cooperation in all fields, so as to push forward the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future, secure new developments in the two countries' socialist construction and make new contributions to the progressive cause of humanity, the message added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 09:39:50|Editor: huaxia

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Members of Palestinian Civil Defense sterilize a street in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, March 23, 2020. Two Palestinians in Gaza have tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first cases recorded in the Hamas-ruled enclave, a health official said early Sunday. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

GAZA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians in Gaza have tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first cases recorded in the Hamas-ruled enclave, a health official said early Sunday.

The patients are two Palestinians who arrived in Gaza from Pakistan through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Thursday, said Health Ministry Director-General Yousef Abu al-Reesh.

The two patients are under full quarantine at the Rafah crossing point, he told an urgent news briefing at his office in Gaza City, adding that it is the first two cases that have been discovered in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the global pandemic.

The official called for stricter precautionary measures in the Gaza Strip to prevent the spread of the virus.

A total of 53 Palestinians have been infected with the virus since March 5, and 17 of them have recovered, the health ministry in the West Bank said earlier Saturday.
The sudden halt in mission trips has left some volunteers stranded, ministries scrambling for assistance, and missions organizations concerned about the inevitable long-term fallout of coronavirus cancellations.

Each summer, Cru sends up to 1,500 college students on international mission trips and about the same number on domestic ministry assignments. But this year, the COVID-19 global pandemic is changing everything.

Out of more than 100 Cru international mission trips once scheduled for this summer, not one of them is going to take place, said Daniel Higgins, associate executive director of Cru Global. Cru has announced it will suspend all international ministry travel through July 31.

In lieu of physical trips, the college-focused evangelism and discipleship organization is working to organize virtual mission trips, including virtual prayer walks using Google Maps and sharing the gospel with students at international universities through social media. Though optimistic about the push for online evangelism (one Cru website has recorded up to 2,300 decisions for Christ per day), Higgins acknowledges that volunteers on the ground are really critical for Crus work.

The story is similar at other mission organizations. Approximately 20 percent of all US-based international mission work each year is done by short-term volunteers, according to an analysis by sociologist of religion Robert Wuthnow. That translates to 1.6 million US church members annually going on international mission trips and doing work valued at $1.1 billion (not counting preparation time and travel days).

Yet that activity has ground to a virtual halt, with the US State Department warning Americans to avoid all international travel because of the coronavirus and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urging caution with domestic travel.

Some Christians who traveled for mission trips over spring break in early March were left stranded and still have not returned home, including dozens in Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru, which is sparring with the US over whether to let Americans fly back.

The pause of both international and domestic mission trips has potential both to disrupt short-term ministry and hamper missions giving and missionary recruitment long-term, missiologists say.

In light of canceled mission trips, ministries are developing creative solutions to mitigate the effects of lost volunteer labor. Meanwhile, mission leaders wonder whether virtual trips and other attempts to help from afar can make up for the absence of short-term missionaries.

Slowdown of short-term volunteers

Hardly any mission organizations are continuing to run their short-term program, said Ted Esler, president of Missio Nexus, an organization of 285 mission agencies and some 100 mission-focused churches. The fallout will be seen in the years and months ahead.

Taylor Field is among domestic missionaries affected by the slowdown of short-term volunteers. Funded by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), he brings in 400 short-term volunteers a year to help at Graffiti Ministries in Lower Manhattan, a church and compassion ministry.

With 8,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the city and an order by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for all nonessential workers in the state to stay home, teams are beginning to cancel down through the summer, Field said.

Without its typical slate of volunteers, Graffiti has begun to rely on volunteers within walking distance to help feed the homeless and teach them how to practice social distancing. The usual tutoring programs and worship gatherings have given way to grab-and-go meals as well as demonstrations of proper hand-washing technique and how to cover coughs with your arm. Some volunteer teams are still delivering supplies to Graffiti, including 6,000 meals from Send Relief, the SBCs channel for compassion ministry.

At our ministry center, theres always a plan B, Field said. If that doesnt work, there are 24 more letters in the alphabet. Well find a way to do this.

Across mission organizations broadly, Cru and Graffiti may be exceptions in their reliance on volunteers for day-to-day ministry operations, as the mission landscape continues to debate the place of short-term mission trips (see CTs 2019 cover story on gospel tourism). Critics contended short-term volunteers are often poorly trained or organized and are essentially a drain on the busy schedules of full-time workers, Wuthnow wrote.

Disruptions to giving and recruitment

Consequently, most agencies do not use enough out-of-town volunteers for the COVID-19 drop-off to affect ministry operations, Esler said. However, even organizations that dont directly depend on short-term volunteers acknowledge they play a key role in long-term missions success.

The Dallas-based church planting organization Christar sends only 2030 volunteers annually to assist nearly 300 workers in over 30 countries. Most volunteer projects are not traditional short-term trips that are building something or doing a VBS, said Andrew Broeckelman, Christars director of mobilization.

Volunteers tend to focus on seeing what life as a long-term worker looks like, he said. As a result, its not uncommon for short-term workers to catch the vision and become long-term overseas workers.

Participants in upcoming summer trips have begun to cancel, Broeckelman said. While that will have minimal effect on ministry now, it really hinders the ministry the most with [recruiting] potential long-term people.

Across mission agencies, short-term trips often influence participants to become career missionaries, Esler said, with almost 100 percent of career workers citing short-term missions as a key influence on them.

In addition, short-term volunteers tend to give more money to missions upon their return. According to Wuthnows analysis, Christians who participate in volunteer trips report that 5 percent more of their giving is devoted to international ministries than the giving of Christians who have not gone on a mission trip. Overall financial giving to Christian causes is substantially higher among mission trip participants.

Those realities could mean fewer missionaries sent in the future and fewer dollars given to support themthanks to COVID-19.

The immediate effect of coronavirus cancelations may be more significant at large mission organizations. Cru, for example, utilizes approximately 12 percent of the trip fees paid by each short-term volunteer to help fund work around the world. That yields about $430,000 annually, Higgins said. This year, many of those funds may not be available.

SBC and Assemblies of God

The SBCs International Mission Board (IMB) is Americas largest sender of short-term volunteers, according to records compiled by Missio Nexus. In 2016, it sent 20,000 people on volunteer trips of two weeks or less. Earlier this month, the IMB recommended that churches postpone volunteer trips through at least April 30.

The coronavirus has meant the cancelation of hundreds of Southern Baptist churches planned short-term volunteer mission trips to engage in the missionary task alongside our IMB missionaries and national partners, said Charles Clark, IMB vice president of mobilization.

Volunteers unable to proceed with their trips should pray for IMB missionaries around the world, he said, many of whom live in areas with closed borders, restrictive quarantines, and a high incidence of infection by the virus.

Among the other largest senders of short-term missionaries, according to Missio Nexus, Assemblies of God World Missions sent 10,489 volunteers on trips of two weeks or less in 2016, the Church of the Nazarene sent 8,484, and SCORE International sent 6,500.

Earlier this month Assemblies of God World Missions placed all missionary personal under an indefinite international travel restriction and requested all mission trips be deferred. Its executive director and Northern Asia regional director have both been hospitalized with COVID-19.

Stranded spring break trips

Another issue for some short-term volunteers is not being able to return to the US now that the coronavirus crisis has escalated. One Orlando, Florida, mission team was working in Honduras when the Honduran government closed the countrys borders March 17, Orlandos Fox 35 reported.

The teams goal is to rescue kids living in poverty and bring them into safe, loving shelters, said team member Stephen Hauck, a Fox 35 anchor. With the country now on a seven-day lockdown, the volunteers need their own help.

Several other mission trips serving in Honduras have run into the same issue. Meanwhile, Perus travel ban continues to frustrate American groups who were scheduled to return but can no longer fly home.

The US State Department has warned that other countries may limit traveler mobility, including quarantines and border restrictions  without notice.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, many ministries appear hopeful rather than panicked.

Im wondering what the Lord is up to, like all of us are, Higgins said. I just have this sense that the Lord is going to prepare people and perhaps bring about an openness spiritually.

David Roach is a writer in Nashville, Tennessee.
The police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea, said 98 people in the New York Police Department, including 70 uniformed officers, had tested positive for the coronavirus. Three people have been hospitalized, and one was discharged on Sunday, he said at a news conference on Sunday.

Police officials do not believe the members of the department are contracting the virus through police work, but that officers and civilian workers are contracting it from sick family members, he said. More officers were also getting tested, he added.

As society contracts this disease, so do we, he said.

But two police officials said that the confirmed cases were just a fraction of the overall problem. Overall, more than 2,000 police officers and civilian aides have called out sick with flulike symptoms, according to the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential police medical records.

Commissioner Shea would not give specific numbers but said the rate at which officers were calling out sick since Tuesday is approaching double the normal rate. But he said the department had not been hindered in carrying out its duties, including its new role enforcing social distancing at grocery stores, parks and other public places.

We are not at the point where were close to going to 12-hour tours, he said. But what we are doing is planning for all eventualities and moving people from units that are less-important right now to be ready for any and all eventualities. So I think we are in a good place still and the planning is literally ongoing hour by hour.

New Jersey has nearly 2,000 confirmed cases.
President Akufo-Addo has disclosed that eight out of the 20 active cases of COVID-19 in Ghana are being managed from home.

There have been 15 new cases of the virus this past week, increasing Ghana's total to 21, with one patient dead.

In the third national address held on Saturday night, President Akufo-Addo said that I am reliably informed that all the otherpersons are doing well, and are responding to treatment. Indeed, eight of them are being managed from their homes, in isolation. Ghanas cases

So far, Ghana has confirmed 21 coronavirus cases.

According to the Ghana Health Service website, as of Saturday, March 21, Ghana records two new cases of COVID-19 with one death. This leaves the existing case count in the country to be 21.

Prior to the new development, the website reported three new cases earlier on Saturday, pushing the figure to 19.

One of the patients said to have an underlying health problem however died in the Ashanti Region.

The deceased, a 61-year-old man, reported to a health facility in Kumasi with a fever and cough.

President announces mandatory quarantine of travellers entering Ghana

The government also began a mandatory quarantine of all travellers arriving in Ghana from March 21, 2020.

Everyone who comes into the country before Sunday will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus, President Nana Akufo-Addo disclosed during the national address on Saturday evening.

The President also announced the closure of the country's borders effective midnight on Sunday.

All our borders; by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday, he added in the address. Gov't making provisions for those who can't self-quarantine  Health Minister

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, had earlier hinted that government was making arrangements to provide isolation centres for people suspected to have Coronavirus but may not be able to afford facilities to self-quarantine themselves for a mandatory 14-day period.

Speaking at a ceremony where officials of GCB bank donated GHS100,000 to the Ministry of Health to help combat the pandemic, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said: Let me advise that if you do not have some very essential things to do in town, stay at home. We are still getting some of our people coming from outside, they are our family people, they are Ghanaians, we can't stop them from coming but when they come, please, we need to put them into quarantined places.

Even if it is your room let that person stay in one room, fed him for the 14 day period. Government is working so hard to bring in some other test kits to begin to see how we can manage with these things. Let us get them checked up before they integrate with us. Some people who can afford are renting empty places for their relatives who are coming back so that they can be quarantined This is what we call self-mandatory quarantine but the state is making provision to quarantine those of us who cannot afford to put ourselves into quarantine places, the Minister added. Below is the Presidents full statement:

Fellow Ghanaians, good evening. This is the third time in the last ten (10) days that I have come into your homes to give you an update on the progress of our fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. I am going to be providing you regular updates.

On Sunday, 15th March, I briefed you about the enhanced measures taken by Government to deal with the virus, which has, so far, infected nineteen persons (19) in the country. Unfortunately, one (1) person, who tested positive for the virus, but had serious underlying health complications, passed away in the early hours of today. I am reliably informed that all the other eighteen (18) persons are doing well, and are responding to treatment. Indeed, eight (8) of them are being managed from their homes, in isolation.

I am deeply humbled by the widespread nature of the support from you, the Ghanaian people, for the measures I have taken so far. Let me also commend both sides of Parliament for the expeditious and responsible manner in which they handled the passage of the Imposition of Restrictions Act, to which I have given assent.

This morning, I chaired the daily Inter-Ministerial Committee Meeting on our Coronavirus Response to review the current position. I am encouraged by the numbers of Ghanaians that are observing the prescribed social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols announced earlier. However, it has become necessary to take additional measures to stem the spread of the virus, and protect the lives of our people. We must do everything within our power to contain the spread of the virus.

Firstly, all our borders, that is by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks, beginning midnight on Sunday. Anybody who comes into the country, before midnight on Sunday, will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus. This closure will not apply to goods, supplies and cargo.

Secondly, the Ministry of Health will not only step up its contact tracing efforts, but will also see to it that all persons who have been identified as having come into contact with infected persons are tested for the virus. More personal protection equipment are being procured to beef up supplies for our frontline health workers. Fifty thousand additional test kits have been ordered, and are expected in the country very shortly.

Thirdly, the Ministry of Health is mobilising new and retired healthcare professionals to augment our preparedness in dealing with a possible surge in infections. It is heartening to hear of the numbers of retired healthcare professionals who have stepped forward to offer their services, just as it is to note the Ghanaian entrepreneurs who have responded to this crisis by producing greater quantities of sanitisers and 'Veronica buckets'. Let me reiterate my appeal to members of the pharmaceutical industry to scale up their domestic production of pharmaceutical products. Government will do its best to support them.

As I have stated before, there will be a constant review of the measures announced, and, if necessary, enhanced.

Fellow Ghanaians, the cases of localised infections require that we maintain strict self-discipline, and continue to practice prescribed social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols in all aspects of our daily lives. We must wash our hands regularly, use alcohol-based sanitisers, stop shaking hands, and avoid unnecessary close body contact. I am pleading with each and every one of you, comply with these measures. Our survival is in our own hands.

Whilst we continue to adhere to these measures, and ramp up our efforts to defeat this virus, I urge all of us, also, to seek the face of the Almighty. So, on Wednesday, 25th March, 2020, I appeal to all Ghanaians, Christians and Muslims, to observe a national day of fasting and prayer. Let us pray to God to protect our nation and save us from this pandemic. I thank the men and women of God who prayed for the nation with me on Thursday, and with the Vice President on Friday, for their intervention.

I applaud the efforts and courage of Ghanaians in the forefront of the fight against the virus  health workers, immigration officials, customs officials, civil aviation officials, airport staff, port health officials, police and military personnel, and other essential service providers  for the yeoman's work you are doing. Our nation is deeply in your debt.

Fellow Ghanaians, all that Government is doing is intended to achieve five (5) key objectives  limit and stop the importation of the virus; contain its spread; provide adequate care for the sick; limit the impact of the virus on social and economic life, and inspire the expansion of our domestic capability and deepen our self-reliance.

There are obvious difficulties ahead of us, and we should all brace ourselves to face them. I will be transparent with you, and not shirk from sharing with you the realities of our situation. But, I am determined to take whatever steps are necessary to safeguard our society, our economy and our future. I remain confident that together, and by the Grace of God, we shall overcome. This, too, will pass.

May God bless us all, and our homeland Ghana, and make us great and strong.

Have a good night, and I thank you for your attention.

citinewsroom
Mumbai: Fifteen passengers, who were given 'home quarantine' stamp on hands after their arrival in Mumbai from Dubai on Sunday, fled from the airport here without informing the authorities, but were later found outside a railway station, police said.

The passengers were planning go to Punjab by train from Mumbai, police said.

"The 15 passengers arrived at the Mumbai international airport from Dubai on Sunday. On their arrival, they were given 'home quarantine' stamp on their hands. However, they disappeared from the airport without informing the authorities," a police official said.

"Soon a search operation was launched by the police as well as civic and district authorities and they were traced outside Khar railway station here around 1 pm," senior inspector of Khar Police station Gajanan Kabdule told PTI.

These passengers were later handed over to the civic and district officials, who are in the process of making arrangement for their transport to Punjab by road, sources said.
Apart from India, 188 countries of the world have been hit by the coronavirus but China has controlled the virus to a great extent. So far more than 13 thousand people have lost their lives due to this killer virus. Scientists and researchers from all over the world have not been able to find a cure for this epidemic. Meanwhile, a French researcher has claimed that he has detected a drug that outperforms Covid-19.

CORONAVIRUS: China almost contols virus, problem of rest of world increases

Researcher Professor Didius Rovolt has claimed about this deadly virus that it stops the spread of the virus within just 6 days after treatment in this new way. He has also released a video of his research done this week. Professor Rovolt has been nominated by the French government to seek treatment for Corona. The professor told that if chloroquine is being given to the patients of Covid-19, then the process of their recovery is becoming very fast. Its rapid spread is also decreasing significantly.

Building collapsed due to earthquake in Greece

Chloroquine drug is being used commonly in the treatment of malaria since the 1940s. Professor Rovolt gave this medicine to about 24 patients in Southeast France. All these people voluntarily took this medicine. Chloroquine medication of 600 MCG was given to the patients for 10 days. They were extensively monitored as there was a risk of side effects. Prof. Rovolt said, "We were able to find out that patients who were not given chloroquine medication continued to suffer from the disease even after 6 days but those who Chloroquine was given medicine, only 25% of them are now suffering from the disease." Before this, chloroquine phosphate and hydrochloroquine were also given in China. Apart from this, HIV drug Collectra is also being used in the treatment of corona.

careful! Quit smoking today, otherwise your life can be lost
While the Illinois primary election has passed, it couldnt be a better time to look back and reflect on elections of the past. Take for example the first time women were allowed to vote in McLean County. That was in 1892. But getting that vote took over twenty years of sustained effort by area women.

In March of 1870, womens suffrage advocate Susan B. Anthony arrived in Bloomington for a much-publicized debate with Illinois State Normal University Professor Edwin Hewett. Held at Bloomingtons Schroeders Opera House, Anthony and Hewett addressed the question, Is it best for the women of American that they should vote? As reported by The Pantagraph, the capacity crowd got an earful.

Hewett stated that women have labors enough to perform  her brain is full, her hands are full, and her dresses are full. It is the supposition of advocates of women suffrage that voting would lift women to a higher place of responsibility, and thus increase her capabilities and powers ... Womanly power will not be developed by voting. Granted that women have been oppressed by the old laws which were made by men, yet these laws have been changed by men.

Anthony responded that there is always war when one human being attempts to rule another. And there consequently is war between men and women ... It is essential for men to have the widest field of labor and every opportunity  why apply a different rule to women? Voting is a mighty thing for men  why not for women? Voting hasnt spoiled men and would not spoil women. Voting is not dirty work. It wont contaminate women any more to vote with men than to live with them. If the old laws affecting women were oppressive, how come they are there  men put them there.

Soon after the debate, the McLean County Suffrage Association was formed, and area women began to actively advocate for the right to vote. They had the support of a few men who agreed that they should be allowed to vote, but mostly they faced off against both men and women who believed the sordid activities of politics belonged in the mans world, and that women should focus on maintaining the home and raising children.

In 1872, the McLean County Suffrage Association hosted the annual meeting of the Illinois Woman Suffrage Association. Among the many speakers was Bloomington physician Dr. Ellen B. Ferguson, who expressed her pro-suffrage views:

People often ask what good the ballot will do women? No matter it will do her any good or not, it is her right ... The argument that she would be contaminated is a very flimsy one. If men are degraded by the ballot, he should not be left alone in this shame.

It took 21 years, but with determination and grit the McLean Countys Suffrage Association, together with members of the Illinois Suffrage Association, was finally able to convince the Illinois Legislature to pass a new law giving women the right to vote for school officers, with exceptions for state or county superintendents.

The following spring, 1,241 Bloomington women (including five black women) participated in the Bloomington Township vote. On April 5, 1892, the Bloomington Pantagraph reported: None of the lady voters yesterday smoked, chewed tobacco, or drank whiskey while waiting in line. No wonder some people dont want women to vote.

Despite the reporters sarcasm, this small success motivated area suffragettes to continue their efforts to expand voting rights. They took small steps and endured many setbacks. In 1913, the Illinois Legislature was convinced to give women the right to vote for most state offices. But members of the McLean County Suffrage Association were not yet done. Area advocates sustained their efforts and on June 4, 1919, the 19th Amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony and first introduced to Congress in 1878, was passed by the U.S. House and Senate and sent to the states for ratification. Illinois was the first state to ratify the amendment, which went into effect in 1920.

Learn more about womens efforts to be heard and see firsthand the artifacts pictured here and many more in the McLean County Museum of Historys exhibit, Challenges, Choices, & Change: A Community in Conflict.

Pieces From Our Past is a weekly column produced by the McLean County Museum of History.
(Alliance News) - Spire Healthcare Group PLC confirmed on Saturday it has signed a heads of agreement with the UK National Health Service to make Spire's private hospitals available to the NHS during the Covid-19 health crisis.

The private hospital operator on Wednesday had noted the letter from NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens saying the UK healthcare service was in the process of block-buying capacity in independent hospitals.

In his letter, Stevens said the purchases - expected to be completed in two weeks - would make staff and facilities in concerned independent hospitals "available for urgent surgery". He added that beds, operating theatres and recovery facilities would be repurposed to provide respiratory support for Covid-19 patients.

On Saturday, Spire Healthcare said it now has signed an agreement to make all 35 of its hospitals in England available to the NHS for a minimum of 14 weeks and then on a rolling basis, terminable by the NHS with a month's notice.

The NHS will pay Spire weekly in advance to cover the company's costs. Spire said primary care is excluded, and its private general practitioner service will continue as normal.

Spire also said Saturday it will suspend all non-urgent elective surgery for patients over age 70 and others particularly vulnerable to Covid-19.

The company said the NHS agreement will give it sufficient liquidity and financial stability during the current health crisis, but the uncertainty caused means it is withdrawing the profit guidance it had given earlier in the month.

Spire shares rose 8.5% in London on Friday to 57.00 pence but remain down more than 50% in the past month.

By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
By Dan McMenamin

Bay City News Service

CONCORD (BCN)

On March 11, the World Health Organization changed its designation of the COVID-19 coronavirus from an epidemic to a pandemic.

Ten days later, with large swaths of society shut down amid a statewide shelter-in-place order, Concord-based Epidemic Ales brewery is among the Bay Area businesses that have shut its doors -- for now.

After closing initially following Gov. Gavin Newsom's call last week for brewpubs, wineries and other businesses to close, Epidemic announced Saturday that it is remaining closed with no to-go orders for the time being.

"We'll continually reassess this decision day-to-day," the company wrote on social media. "We've had no layoffs and our employees are being paid their expected wages including what they would've made in tips and commissions had we been fully functional."

Co-owner Brian Wang said, "Having the theme be about the apocalypse, we have been thinking about plans ahead of time. Obviously nobody could predict this, but we do have some funds set aside."

He said, "I think our employees are the ones that have helped us build this fund, it's time to help them weather through this."

Wang said having a brewery named Epidemic amid an escalating epidemic has resulted in some extra attention, including accidental mentions on social media, "so we've definitely benefited from that."

He said, as with all other public-facing businesses like their brewery on Mason Circle that hosts food trucks, trivia nights and other events, "financially everyone's hurting, but marketing-wise, it does help us in getting some attention."

Wang said he and his fellow co-owners are fulfilling orders themselves for local markets that sell their beers, and have gotten support via gift cards on their website too.

Epidemic Ales had seen an uptick in business following its Lager At World's End winning a gold medal in the category of "American-Style Lager" at the Best of Craft Beer awards held last month in Bend, Oregon, but now Wang said they're just waiting like everyone else to see what will happen in the coming days and weeks.

"Every business is going through the same thing," he said. "You have to do what is safe for everybody."

Epidemic Ales beers are still available by can in most Whole Foods and Total Wine stores in the Bay Area, as well as local stores like S&S Fast & Easy Mart, Monument Wine and Spirits, Cork N' Bottle, and Don's Market & Liquors in Concord, Rotator Taproom in Walnut Creek, Marina Market and Deli in Martinez, Jr's Discount Liquors in Castro Valley and Aisle 5 in Oakland.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
A man looks at damages at the Basilica of the Heart of Jesus, following an earthquake in Zagreb, Croatia March 22, 2020. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic

A large earthquake struck near the Croatian capital Zagreb on Sunday, critically injuring a teenager caught in a collapsed building in the city centre and prompting appeals for social distancing after people rushed out onto the streets.

Sixteen other people were injured, including another minor who was badly hurt, and the 5.3 magnitude quake caused fires and power blackouts in parts of the capital, hospital and emergency services said.

People ran from their apartment buildings to their cars as pieces of the facades started falling off. Dozens of cars were also damaged by debris which fell off buildings.

Authorities said around 70 buildings were damaged.

Ministers warned people not to walk close to buildings and beware of falling debris due to a strong wind. They also urged them to stay apart from one another as the country struggles to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"We are fighting two enemies at the moment, one is invisible and the other is unpredictable," Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said.

So far, Croatia has reported 254 cases of the virus and one death.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the government would provide accommodation in the students' dormitory in Zagreb for up to 1,800 people whose homes were damaged.

He said the quake was the biggest to hit Zagreb in 140 years. It struck 6 km (4 miles) north of the city and was felt across the Western Balkans.

Zarko Rasic, head of the Zagreb Emergency Medicine Institute, a children's hospital, said a 15-year-old was in a critical condition after being found by an emergency services team under a collapsed building and another minor had been admitted with head injuries from a falling roof.

The Zagreb Fire Department said firefighting and rescue operations were ongoing at several locations.

Plenkovic said the army had been called in to help clean up debris in Zagreb and urged citizens to "stay outside and keep your distance".

"We are facing two crises now," Plenkovic told a news conference. "Let us not forget the coronavirus epidemics ... Individual discipline and responsibility is of utmost importance."

Local media reported that many people had headed out of Zagreb, prompting police to organise checkpoints on the highway to check if they were violating self-isolation.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) downgraded the magnitude of the quake to 5.3 from an initial reading of 6.0. Croatia's state seismology service said there had been 30 aftershocks.

The government said it would estimate the damage in the coming weeks and ask the European Commission for aid.

The US Geological Survey said the quake measured 5.4, while the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also reported 5.3 magnitude, followed by another 5.1 magnitude earthquake.
Saudi Arabia and Russia must have anticipated an oil price crash when they broke up their three-year-long bromance to push up oil prices. Two weeks later and nearly 4 million bpd of total promised additional oil supply to the market next month, and Riyadh and Moscow are now counting the cost and trying to adjust government spending. The friends-turned-foes expect sharp drops in oil revenues in the near term, not only because Brent Crude is barely managing to cling to the $30 mark these days, but also because the coronavirus pandemic is leading to huge demand destruction.

Saudi Arabia announced this week that it is reducing government expenditures by US$13.2 billion (50 billion Saudi riyals), or nearly 5 percent of its budget spending for 2020 after the government approved a partial reduction in some items with the least social and economic impact.

These measures were approved in light of the noticeable development in the public finance management, and the existence of the appropriate flexibility to take measures in the face of emergency shocks with a high level of efficiency, says Saudi Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economy and Planning, Mohammad Al-Jadaan, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Kingdom has taken measures to reduce the impact of low prices of oil, and additional measures will be taken to deal with the expected drop in prices, Saudi Arabia says, nothing that additional expenditures could be re-evaluated and potentially cut.

Related: The Reason Why Russia Refused To Cut Oil Production Even before the collapse of the OPEC+ talks, Saudi Arabias finance ministry had asked government agencies to propose a 20-30 percent cut in their budgets due to the oil price slide, Reuters reported last week, citing four sources with knowledge of the plans.

It looks like Saudi Arabia bets on tapping cash from its sovereign wealth fund to patch up government finances with oil prices three times lower than their break-even oil price.

According to Fitch Ratings, Saudi Arabia needs oil prices at $91 a barrel in 2020 to balance its budget, all else being equal.

For countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), we estimate that a change of USD10 in the price per barrel of oil tends to affect government revenues by 2%-4% of GDP, Fitch said last week. The rating agencys statement came a day after oil prices crashed by 25 percent as Saudi Arabia  a GCC member, OPECs top producer, and the worlds top oil exporter  vowed to significantly boost supply and slashed the price for its oil in a dramatic shift in its oil price-fixing policies of the past three years.

The Kingdom is signaling that it can adapt to today's lower oil prices, but analysts are not buying this claim.

At $30 a Brent barrel, the Saudi wealth fund will deplete fast and reduced government spending will stall projects, and the already suffering private non-oil sector will suffer further. Thats the near-term damage.

The longer-term damage is the lack of funds for the ambitious Vision 2030 plan of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, which was already going downhill even before the oil price collapse as the promised multibillion foreign investment and Saudi investment in diversifying away from oil werent exactly flowing to the Kingdom.

I think we are beginning to see that the vision 2030 is not going well, Jean-Francois Seznec, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council, said on an Atlantic Council press call last week.

There is a growing amount of tension among the population, even among the crown princes main supporters, Seznec said.

But he needs to make a big impact. Now, his big impact is to force the Russians to give up and agree to the cuts, and if at the same time it destroys the U.S. shale industry so much the better, Seznec noted.

Related: Big Oil Prepares To Suffer In 2020

The Russians are also bracing for an oil price war, promising up to a 500,000 bpd production increase and assuring the market they have enough resources to cover budget shortfalls at $25-30 oil for six to ten years.

The coronavirus pandemic and the lower economic activity, coupled with oil prices half the level before Russia and Saudi Arabia broke up the OPEC+ pact, will weigh on Russias revenues and budget, too.

Russias revenues from oil and gas will be US$39.5 billion (3 trillion rubles) lower than planned, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said this week, adding that Moscow now expects a budget deficit.

Analysts argue that Russia is in a better fiscal, financial, and political leadership position than Saudi Arabia to win the oil price war.

Yet, there will undoubtedly be economic pain for both sides in this war, which is already claiming the first collateral victimsU.S. shale, Canadas oil industry, and the UKs offshore oil and gas sector.

Its now a game between Saudi Arabia and Russia of who will blink first, and in this game, the Saudis seem to have overestimated their fiscal buffers and underestimated the coronavirus-hit enormous demand destruction.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Science will ultimately defeat Covid-19. Science and the human spirit (and huge sums of money spent in research). We have to believe this.

We also have to believe that the world will never be the same again.

The financial crisis of 2008 asked serious questions of the worlds preferred capitalist model  and some of these are yet to be answered. Real incomes around the world have since declined, one reason why many countries have made unconventional political choices. Over the following decade, multilateralism started on what is almost certainly the lingering journey of its death and countries became more protectionist, inward-looking, and immigrant-unfriendly.

Check out our complete coverage of the coronavirus crisis

Now, 12 years later, Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, has highlighted the risks of the networked, globalised approach countries and people around the world have adopted for work, and life, building on and amplifying fractures that emerged in 2008.

Also Watch | COVID-19 concerns? AIIMS Director answers top 10 crucial questions

The World Health Organization (WHO) would like to believe that it can orchestrate, lead, and manage a global, multilateral response to the pandemic.

That is not going to happen.

Recent history has shown that it is largely the African countries that have been open to following WHOs lead. In this particular case, WHOs handling of the crisis when it first emerged  till mid-January, it continued to insist that there was no risk of human-to-human transmission  has severely dented its credibility. It is clear that the organisation was happy (and far too quick) to accept whatever Beijing was saying.

Most countries have chosen to follow their own approach in dealing with the pandemic; many have instituted international travel bans and closed borders on their own (without checking with WHO, as they promised to in an agreement they signed after the Sars scare). Vaccine development has become an international competition between countries  the 21st century equivalent of a space race, with the winner likely to focus on ensuring its citizens get the advantage of early vaccination.

The response to the pandemic, then, will not be international, but national.

And once they have defeated Covid-19  we have to believe they will  it is certain that they will take measures they think will ensure that they never find themselves in the situation in which they currently find themselves.

Unfortunately, the chances are that this response will not be about vaccine development or early warning systems for pandemics.

What will it be about then?

For one, countries will start hoarding strategic resources at a national level. It could be oil; it could be lithium; or it could be medical equipment and drugs. Expect every country in the world to start building reserves of these, and also encouraging (and perhaps mandating) their companies to start manufacturing these  locally.

Two, borders have become harder, and while thats likely to change after the crisis, they are not going to go back to where they were before. Indeed, open borders in Europe are being cited by some experts as one reason why Covid-19 has ravaged the continent. Even before the virus emerged, many countries had started clamping down on immigrants, whom they saw as a drain on their resources. Now, they will also see them as possible carriers of infections such as Covid-19. Expect it to be tougher to travel; and even tougher to emigrate.

Three, there will be a new world order that all countries will try to fit into. Any country that manages to come out of Covid-19 relatively unscathed, or quickly, will find itself at the high table of such an order. Its too early to predict which will, though. Sure, China has had zero cases of local infections for several days running, but will there be a second wave with businesses reopening and travel restrictions easing? The US looks like it is at risk of being overrun by the virus, but can it pull off a miracle? And what of India?

Four, it is likely that countries (at least some of them) will continue monitoring the health and movement of their citizens  something many of them are doing now. What form this will take is not clear, but theres already some talk that Covid-19 has accelerated the emergence of the surveillance state. They may be overstating the case, but one never knows.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR R Sukumar Sukumar Ranganathan is the Editor-in-Chief of Hindustan Times. He is also a comic-book freak and an amateur birder. ...view detail
Federal law enforcement warned that white supremacist terrorists had considered weaponising coronavirus through saliva-filled spray bottles and contaminating non-white neighbourhoods with the virus, according to intelligence briefings.

A brief from the Federal Protective Service written last month reported that white supremacists on the encrypted messaging app Telegram discussing spending "as much time as possible in public places with their 'enemies'" to transmit the virus.

They also plotted targeting law enforcement by leaving "saliva on door handles" and elevator buttons at government offices.

In a brief obtained by Yahoo News reports that "violent extremists continue to make bioterrorism a popular topic among themselves" and that "white racially motivated violent extremists" had expressed that it was their "obligation" to spread the virus should any of them be infected.

While Donald Trump's administration was downplaying the impact of a Covid-19 outbreak within that same timeframe, the Federal Protective Service, part of the US Department of Homeland Security, shows that at least some white terror groups were treating the virus seriously with potentially devastating effects.

The memo follows warnings from the FBI about the increased threat of racially and ethnically motivated extremists, following a record high in hate-motivated attacks and the rise of neo-Nazi and white supremacist violence.

Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Judiciary Committee that the threat of far-right domestic violent extremism has risen to a "national threat priority" for 2020, posing a "steady threat of violence and economic harm" to the US while its underlying drivers  including "perceptions of government or law enforcement overreach, socio-political conditions, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and reactions to legislative actions"  persist.

In 2019, the FBI made 107 domestic terrorism arrests, on pace with the number of arrests it made for international terrorism. Racism and hate-driven ideologies were the driving forces behind most of the ideologically motivated killings and violence in the US in 2018 and 2019, and were the most lethal of all domestic extremism movements over the last 20 years.

He said: "The spate of attacks we saw in 2019 underscore the continued threat posed by domestic violent extremists and perpetrators of hate crimes. Such crimes are not limited to the United States and, with the aid of Internet like-minded hate groups, can reach across borders."
Warrenton officials effectively shut the town to visitors late Saturday after spring breakers flocked to the Oregon coast, disregarding Gov. Kate Browns pleas to stay home as coronavirus ramps up in Oregon.

A resolution approved by the city council closed campgrounds, including at Ft. Stevens State Park, commercial campgrounds, RV parks and private camping. It also shuttered hotels, homestays and short-term rentals.

Visitors have 24 hours after the resolution was signed to leave.

Other coastal towns are considering similar action. Astoria Mayor Bruce Jones said in a statement Saturday that he applauded Warrentons effort and is working closely with Clatsop County on their consideration of a similar measure county-wide.

"We dont want vacationers turned away from Warrenton to simply move to Astoria or other County jurisdictions, Jones said.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Sunday that a surge of coronavirus cases over the next two weeks could cripple the country's National Health Service (NHS), Reuters reports.

Why it matters: Johnson said the U.K., in terms of cases, is only "a matter of weeks  two or three  behind Italy," which overtook China last week as the country with the most reported deaths from the virus.

The surge of cases in northern Italy has severely strained the country's health care system, NBC reports.

By the numbers: As of Sunday morning, the U.K. had reported 5,067 cases and 233 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Italy has reported more than 53,500 cases and 4,825 deaths.

What he's saying: Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread  then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed, Johnson said, according to Reuters. The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating."

The Italians have a superb health-care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand, Johnson added.

He advised people to stay away from their parents on Sunday, which is Mothering Sunday in Britain.

The single best present that we can give ... is to spare them the risk of catching a very dangerous disease."

The big picture: The NHS struck a deal with the independent hospital sector on Saturday, giving the institution more ventilators, beds and health care staff.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Jaen town in Nueva Ecija province is the latest municipality to be placed under total lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Jaen Mayor Sylvia Austria issued on March 21 an executive order barring the entry of non-residents at all of the town's borders.

"Non-residents of the municipality of Jaen shall no longer be allowed entry in all points within the territorial and administrative jurisdiction of Jaen, Nueva Ecija, subject to exemptions," the order read.

Exempted from the ban are government officials doing essential functions in responding to emergencies, as well as persons authorized by the local government, frontline service providers, and suppliers of goods, medicines, and basic commodities for the town.

Barangay officials have been instructed to strictly implement and monitor home quarantine of all households, while movement of residents within the municipality will be "very limited. "

Curfew will also be enforced from 8:00pm to 5:00a.m, while mass public transport is suspended.

The entire region of Luzon is currently under an enhanced community quarantine until April 13 as the government intensifies efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

As of Saturday, the Philippines has recorded a total of 307 COVID-19 cases, with 77 more testing positive, the biggest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus infections in the country since the outbreak erupted in January.
This president has been both ambivalent about how to approach this crisis, unsure about the strategy to deal with it and has not been able to, in an honest and direct way, unify the country behind this effort, he said. The leadership that is absolutely required by a president of the United States at a moment of this kind of serious crisis is lacking.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday urged all citizens to remain at home and make the 'Janata Curfew', which he termed as 'one of the biggest social distancing and mass awareness initiative against a pandemic', a success.

"I am working from home today. I appeal to everyone that except those working in emergencies and critical areas to stay home or work from home and support the Prime Minister's call for Janata Curfew," Singh's tweet read.

"India today is observing the 'Janata Curfew' from 7 am to 9 pm. This is going to be one of the biggest social distancing and mass awareness initiative against a pandemic in the history of mankind," his other tweet read.

The Defence Minister also praised Modi for "bringing the entire nation together at this critical juncture. He has given the people of India a sense of urgency and a great amount of hope in combating this global pandemic."

The Janata curfew, at the behest of Prime Minister Modi, is being observed around the country from 7 am till 9 pm on March 22.

Modi had on Thursday urged citizens to remain at their homes as a measure to combat the spread of COVID-19.

India so far has 315 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, as per ICMR, while four people have died due to the highly contagious virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kims sister warned against drawing hasty conclusions from the good personal relationship between the two leaders. I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice is ensured between the two countries, not merely by the personal letter between the two leaders, Kim Yo Jong said in her statement.
A number of readers have written to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper expressing their concerns seeing many foreigners belittling the risk of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as they ignored wearing face masks despite being encouraged to do so.

As the pandemic is becoming complicated in Vietnam and around the world, more and more people are putting on face masks when going out of their home, in addition to washing their hands frequently with soap, as a preventive measure to protect themselves and those around them from the virus.

However, many foreigners still refuse to wear face masks, concerning many Vietnamese people who do not mind doing it.

In other countries, Asians are discriminated against for wearing masks," reads one comment left under a Tuoi Tre story.

"In Vietnam, Vietnamese people fear seeing foreigners without face masks.

"They think that COVID-19 is just a normal flu, so they keep traveling.

The Tuoi Tre article included pictures of groups of foreign tourists without face masks on at tourist destinations, including the Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office and Can Tho Citys Cai Rang Floating Market.

In fact, it seems that not all Vietnamese are aware of the face mask thing, as the story also reported that many locals choose not to wear face masks in public places such as markets and parks.

Foreign tourists, without wearing face masks, gather in front of the Saigon Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, March 16, 2020. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

As the number of COVID-19 patients including many arriving from Europe is increasing in Vietnam, stories to remind people of wearing masks have been picked up by media outlets throughout the country in recent days.

A story on the official portal of the Ho Chi Minh City administration featured foreigners not wearing face masks on the streets and at public places like bus stations, supermarkets, and airports.

Meanwhile, another article said some foreign tourists even refused to wear face masks even though they can be acquired for free.

In the comment section of a piece on the issue run by Tuoi Tre, a reader posting under the username 'Thy' complained that foreigners dont wear face masks.

A group of foreign tourists visit the Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office with their faces uncovered on March 16, 2020. Photo: Thao Le / Tuoi Tre

Another comment by 'Thanh' noted, This is not their country so they are not afraid of the local laws. I feel safe or Im still young and not afraid [of COVID-19] are all excuses for their irresponsibility.

If they dont care about other peoples health, we have no reason to welcome them. Maybe we should send them home so that they can enjoy a more civilized life, the comment reads.

Rather than wait for tourists to listen to advice, some cities are doing their best to make sure every tourist is aware of putting on face masks.

Hoi An, for example, has stationed security teams at the entrances to its Ancient Town to remind visitors to wear face masks. Those who refuse to follow suit are denied entry.

A separate team has been directed by the city to distribute leaflets with updated COVID-19 information and medical recommendations to restaurants, hotels, and other foreigner-frequented businesses.

The number of visitors wearing masks has risen from last week, but a large number of foreign tourists have still not, Truong Thi Ngoc Cam, director of Hoi Ans Culture, Sports, and Radio Broadcasting Center told Tuoi Tre on Wednesday.

"Its very hard to convince foreigners, especially those from Europe or the U.S. to wear masks because their general outlook on COVID-19 is different from ours, Cam added.

Two foreign tourists are seen walking in the central city of Hoi An without face masks. Photo: B.D / Tuoi Tre

The south-central city of Nha Trang has also been dealing with foreign visitors not wearing face masks at bus stations and tourist destinations such as Thap Ba Po Nagar Tower and Tran Phu Beach.

My hotels staff gave me face masks and hand sanitizer but Nha Trang makes me feel safe, 28-year-old Russian tourist Zulia told Tuoi Tre.

I dont feel the need to wear face masks or worry about the epidemic.

Meanwhile, a representative from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi said that although most passengers are wearing face masks at the airport, a few foreign passengers on domestic flights are still opting not to wear them.

Foreign tourists visit the Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office with their faces uncovered on March 16, 2020. Photo: Thao Le / Tuoi Tre

They should be informed Some Tuoi Tre readers also said that Vietnam should better inform tourists about regulations on face mask wearing. One reader advised that local authorities should establish teams to give away free face masks and remind both tourists and Vietnamese citizens of wearing them. Reader Hai Van suggested adding COVID-19 prevention instructions and regulations to electronic traffic information boards along the streets for everyone, especially foreign tourists, to see. Im worried about seeing so many foreign tourists belittling the epidemic, she added. Meanwhile, reader Hien Nguyen wrote that face masks should be sold at public places where the regulations are applicable because it is not very easy to purchase them amidst recent panic buying.

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Contrarian and compelling voices are rising to warn that the lockdown of the American economy is overdone, not sustainable  from the Wall Street Journal editorial pages to a standalone blog entry from a Hoover Institution economist highlighted by the Power Line blog to the Cato Institute.

In fact, the economic lockdown itself is unfolding into a catastrophe, needlessly devastating the engine of American exceptionalism itself.

The economic shutdown by government fiat, driven by public health authorities' overreach  led by the CDC, whose recent preoccupations have been focused on the phantom enemies of racism, global warming, and gender dysphoria, rather than communicable diseases  is looking like the Vietnam war cliche: "we had to destroy the village in order to save it."

Yes, the CCP Wuhan COVID-19 virus is serious stuff, but not exactly an unknown. We know that it is a super-contagion, but its ravages can be confined to identifiable clusters, and the disease duration in any person is on average short-lived, more virulent than the flu, less virulent than SARS.

Let's understand what the CCP Wuhan virus is not: it is not a bio-terror weapon infecting the water supply; it is not an electromagnetic cluster bomb shutting down communications and transmission of electrical power; it is not a thermonuclear event covering the globe with radiation. This is not pestilence wiping out food supplies, nor Vesuvius-Pompeii-style volcanic eruptions.

Since the lockdown of the U.S. economy began the week of March 9, with a fifteen-day initial phase announced by President Trump on March 16, several therapeutic solutions are in the works. Even some have been deployed, notably a decades-old quinine compound  chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine  used for malaria and lupus, which apparently has been successful in reversing the CCP Wuhan virus within six days in small but promising sample populations. It is also odds-on that the increasing sunlight UV duration in the northern hemisphere  increasing by some 30% from March 15 to March 30  will knock down the virus's chemical bonds.

The death rate, unwelcome for sure, is nowhere near the catastrophic projections. The overall infection rate is a fraction of SARS. It is likely that the CCP Wuhan virus has been floating around since November, maybe late October. The vast majority of infections are relatively mild, in some cases asymptomatic, with recoveries on par with the flu.

In the meantime, we also know that the economic shutdown is costing us between one and two trillion dollars per month, a government-induced depression that, if prolonged beyond a few weeks, may be impossible to overcome. The social-cultural dislocation will be immeasurable, indeed cataclysmic.

And we have top-level public officials ranging from the CDC's Dr. Anthony Fouci to N.Y. State governor Andrew Cuomo speculating about sheltering in place lasting from 45 days to a few months. That's the sort of reckless talk that, if enacted, would destroy the nation.

Why are we willing to spend untold trillions on economic resuscitation plans that may not work, no better than "peeing on the ashes"? Why not keep the economy driving while directing emergency funds and other resources to the front-line health care workers, hospitals, clinics, and researchers?

Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan seem to be coping while not completely scorching their economies. What are we missing?

Maybe we will we be rescued by mass disobedience from everyday Americans, who soon enough will say " hell, no" to enduring prolonged madness, nullifying hysterical and misguided governance.

Who shall soothe the unbridled rage of everyday Americans when they lose their livelihoods, their homes, their savings, and their communities, realizing they were betrayed by the terrified governing clan?

President Trump's fifteen-day protocol says the shutdown of American life and its economic engine will be evaluated by March 31. That is too late.

The American engine needs to be restarted now. Suffocating the economy has been easy; reviving an economic corpse will be the stuff of hopeless heroics, fit only for Disney happy endings or the Hallmark channel. Simple commonsense leadership is the cure. Let's get back to work  today.

Image: Jeff Turner via Flickr.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh reported five fresh Covid-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the two Telugu states to 27.

An official bulletin released by the Telangana state medical and health department on Sunday afternoon said a fresh case was reported in the morning  that of a 24-year-old unmarried man hailing from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.

The patient, a resident of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, arrived from London via Dubai and landed in Hyderabad International Airport. He was admitted at a designated hospital in Hyderabad and his condition is stable, the bulletin said.

On Saturday morning, two more Sars-Cov-2 positive cases were reported in Hyderabad. For the first time, a primary contact (relative) of another person who already tested positive was detected, indicating that the disease had reached the second stage.

The primary contact is a 35-year old male relative of another person with travel history to Dubai, who was the 14th positive case in the state. This Dubai returnee developed symptoms and was admitted to Gandhi Hospital on March 17, tested positive on March 19. The contacts were traced and were put under home quarantine. It turned out that one of the primary contacts of the positive patient also got infected and tested positive on Saturday, an official bulletin said.

Similarly, another positive case that was reported on Saturday was that of a 33-year-old male working on cruise ship MSC Bellissima with a travel history to Dubai. With these three fresh cases, the total number of cases in Telangana went up to 22, the official bulletin said.

Neighbouring Andhra Pradesh reported two more positive cases by Saturday night, taking the patients tally to five. A 24-year-old man, who came from Paris to Delhi on March 15, arrived in Vijayawada on March 17. He was admitted to hospital with symptoms of cold and fever on March 20 and tested positive on Saturday.

Similarly, another patient  a 22-year-old man returned to Rajahmundry from London via Hyderabad on March 18 and got admitted to hospital with symptoms. He tested positive on Saturday evening.

Following the fresh case reported in Vijayawada, Vijayawada police commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao suggested to the state government to extend Janta Curfew to three more days to break the chain.

Telangana has not only extended the Janta Curfew to 24 hours till Monday morning but has also closed borders with all neighbouring states for 24 hours. The state is considering indefinite closure of border with Maharashtra considering the severity there.

The government invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, empowering local officials to take action necessary to contain the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday announced introduction of work from home for 50 per cent of its employees, including the contract and outsourced staff, for maintaining social distance.

As per the order, 50 per cent of the employees will work from home while 50 percent will be in office. This will be on a weekly rotation basis. Already, the state secretariat has been closed for visitors.

All section officers, assistant section officers and below cadre may be grouped as two (approximately 50%) and permitted to attend office on alternate weeks, the order said. All the officials above section officer level will attend regularly (they have individual chambers in offices).

Head of the Departments, District Offices and below Offices, all non-gazetted officers may be grouped as two (approximately 50%) and permitted to attend office on alternate weeks. All gazetted officers should attend the office regularly, the order specified.

Officials appointed as advisors, chairpersons and consultants after retirement who are of the age of 60 years and above are allowed to work from home with the permission of heads of the department. Their emoluments will remain as fixed originally.

Officials who wish to self-quarantine, as a preventive measure and those aged above 50 years having underlying conditions like diabetes, respiratory problems, renal diseases and other life-threatening illness could work from home for a period up to April 4 to grant committed leave without production of medical certificate by the competent authority.
" " If you see a headline like this, you know it's made-up. Other times, it's not so easy to spot fake news. iStockphoto.com/DNY59

Back in the old days, when people got their news mainly from papers, magazines, radio and television, it was generally easy to figure out when someone was pulling your leg. Pretty much anything in the National Enquirer was suspect, for example. That tabloid often featured stories with outrageous headlines, such as, "Woman Gives Birth to Alien." We may laugh at such titles, but what's not so funny is that in the last decade or two, with the growth of the Internet and social media, fake news stories and entire fake news sites have proliferated.

Some sites intentionally write false, humorous stories under the satire genre.A prime example is The Onion. Many people realize The Onion is a satirical publication. But if there's any doubt, it's pretty clear if you click on the site's "About Us" tab. The information there says, among other humorous bits, "The Onion now enjoys a daily readership of 4.3 trillion and has grown into the single most powerful and influential organization in human history," and, "The Onion uses invented names in all of its stories, except in cases where public figures are being satirized."

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But many other fake news sites intentionally try to pass themselves off as real, either by never disclosing their satirical nature or hiding the disclosure deep within their website. Still others are just peddling false and salacious tales to drive traffic to their site and rake in ad revenue  something easy to do when social media allows the rapid spread of misinformation.

So how can you ensure you're not being bamboozled? We have 10 tips to get you started.
It was a a day 100 years in the making, but changed by the coronavirus restrictions. The larger party at a restaurant for Marjorie Wilsons 100th birthday had to be reduced to a small event on the front patio. Granddaughter Pamela Gwaltney, left, and Marjorie raise cups of champagne on March 21, 2020. Read more

In this time of social distancing, Marjorie Wilsons family still managed a way to come together and watch the matriarch blow out the candles on her 100th-birthday cake.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, on the porch of the East Mount Airy home where Wilson raised two children by herself, the former baker and factory worker beamed as her 80-year-old daughter, Victoria Green, and two of her grandchildren stood around her and wished her well.

Oh I feel fine, Wilson said, laughing. I feel not a day older.

Pamela Gwaltney, one of Wilsons granddaughters, was the party planner. She arrived almost an hour before Wilson ran a knife through the first cut of the cake, taking time to bleach down some outdoor furniture and spread out paper plates.

For her, belting out the words to Happy Birthday and sharing a champagne toast with her grandmother were a welcome distraction from the coronavirus pandemic. It was a meaningful moment for her family, the foundation of which was laid at the home on Durard Street.

Shes 100 today, thats pretty major, and we dont know how much longer well have with her," Gwaltney said. Life isnt promised anyway, but I think even more so now, the reality of that is very clear. And its staring us in our faces.

The original plan, Gwaltney said, was to celebrate Wilsons life at Zakes Cafe, a small restaurant in Fort Washington. It wouldve been a modest party, maybe 15 family members and close friends.

She didnt want a big party  she thinks its bad luck to celebrate a significant birthday like that, Gwaltney said. But we wanted to do something comfortable for her. It would be like inviting friends to a lunch. Nothing fancy, but a celebratory get-together.

But, when Montgomery County officials announced last week that they were closing all restaurants, Gwaltney made the call to make an already intimate gathering a little smaller. She ordered an ice cream cake  funfetti pound cake with cream-cheese ice cream  from the nearby Zsas Ice Cream on Germantown Avenue and tucked it into her freezer.

A few neighbors stopped by, drawn by the sight of the balloons and the sounds of Lou Rawls singing Youll Never Find Another Love Like Mine. One handed Wilson a $100 gift card to Dunkin Donuts  a signature part of the centenarians daily routine is going with her daughter to get a cup of coffee every morning at the location on Stenton Avenue.

Gwaltney read her grandmother the citation given to her by Mayor Jim Kenney, in which he commended her for living such a rich and fulfilling life. Another citation, from the state Senate, came courtesy of Sen. Art Haywood, a Philadelphia Democrat.

Were blessed with longevity in our genes, Erica Green, Gwaltneys sister, said. And we stopped to think about how she was about to turn 100, we knew we had to do something special.
Flipdish, the Irish online food delivery platform, expects to have signed up an additional 100 restaurants here by the end of the month. This is as a result of restaurants and bars which are shut due to Covid-19 shifting to home deliveries as a means of keeping their businesses going.

Flipdish co-founder James McCarthy told the Sunday Independent that there had been a significant increase in enquiries and new customers in recent days. The company allows restaurants to have their own branded ordering app. It has 1,000 restaurants already using the platform in Ireland and also operates in several European countries.

"We are getting a huge number of enquiries from restaurants and cafes," he said. New signings include Roly's Bistro, Poulet Bonne Femme, Siam Thai and the White Moose Cafe.

He said that the online orders and deliveries meant some premises which would have been forced to close their doors can now remain open.

McCarthy said it is very easy to set these businesses up for online ordering. "We can do it within 24 hours and they don't need any prior technical expertise," he said.

"We are in talks with some well-known bars which have kitchens and maybe won't have to let their staff go."

He said that people seemed comfortable about food deliveries despite coronavirus fears.

"Consumers just need to feel comfortable that what they are getting is not contaminated and that they are not going to have to interact with the person who is delivering it to them."

The company started in Ireland in 2015. It is also in the UK, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany and the US.

The implications of the pandemic vary from country to country. "In the Netherlands in particular, one customer has quadrupled their online orders. Generally, the feeling is if you are set up for online orders, for deliveries, and you embrace it, then actually it can be pretty good," he added.
She's usually jet-setting around the world on glamorous photoshoots.

And, Demi Rose, 24, posed topless on a swimming pool swing in a throwback photo from her recent luxury ski break, which she shared while getting used to life in coronavirus lockdown, on Saturday.

The Instagram model left little to the imagination in the snap taken on her recent trip to Chalet Grande Roche, Courchevel 1850, in France.

Throwback! Demi Rose, 24, posed topless on a swimming pool swing in a throwback photo from recent ski break, which she shared to Instagram, on Saturday

Wearing just skimpy turquoise bikini bottoms, Demi covered her modesty with one hand, while holding onto the swing's rope with her other.

She captioned the jaw-dropping photograph: 'Pleasure over matter.'

Speaking on her Instagram stories, she made it clear that the raunchy snap was a throwback as she said: 'I'm hiding out with some doggies: This is Mocha, and this is Ted.'

Demi went on to tell her fans that she had to queue to get into Boots and that Sainsbury's was 'bare.'

Cheeky: The beauty also shared a throwback snap to happier times, modelling a tiny pink bikini as she gazed out to sea

New 'normal': She's usually jet-setting around the world on glamorous photoshoots, but now the model is getting used to life in coronavirus lockdown

Work it: Demi made the best of her situation with an impromptu: 'couch photo shoot'

Talking about the coronavirus pandemic and UK-wide lockdown, she said: 'the whole thing is giving me anxiety. It's getting real! I hope everyone's okay.

'I think change scares us all. Human contact is everything. It's so nice to interact with people. And, just isolating isn't healthy, but I guess in a way it is because we need to stay safe...'

Unable to be out and about at glamorous locations shooting with professional photographers, Demi made the best of her situation with an impromptu: 'couch photo shoot.'

It comes after Demi shared images of herself posing topless for a shoot in the snowy French Alps.

Wow! It comes after Demi shared images of herself posing topless for a shoot in the snowy French Alps

Risky! The model covered her ample assets with a pair of red striped braces, which matched her bright salopettes, in the snaps posted to Instagram

The model covered her ample assets with a pair of red striped braces, which matched her bright salopettes, in the snaps posted to Instagram.

Standing on a wooden deck that overlooked the breathtaking snow-covered mountain range, she highlighted her looks with a generous application of makeup, while she hid her eyes behind a pair of sunglasses.

Captioning the pair of sultry images, she wrote: 'l'art subtil de ne pas se soucier,' French for 'the subtle art of not caring'.

Demi also took to her Instagram Stories to share footage of herself enjoying her time in the Alps with a range of activities, including flying in a helicopter.
A woman studying law, who recently returned from London, tested positive for the coronavirus in Bhopal on Sunday, making it the first case of COVID-19 in the Madhya Pradesh capital, an official said on Sunday.

The student recently returned to Bhopal from London where she was pursuing a post-graduate law course and her test report was found positive for coronavirus, Bhopal commissioner Kalpana Shrivastava told PTI.

She is admitted to a hospital and being provided treatment as per the protocol, another official said, adding that the area where she resided is being sanitised.

Bhopal collector Tarun Kumar Pithode said there was no need to panic as standard protocols were immediately followed.

"Yesterday, as soon as we got information, they were advised to remain in quarantine. Her sample was collected and its result was found positive today. She was admitted to a hospital and her treatment has already begun," Pithode said.

The student's parents were also advised to be in quarantine and not to meet anyone, he said, adding that all precautionary measures were being taken.

Meanwhile, taking the matter seriously, the district administration has announced a 72-hour lock-down in Bhopal till March 24 midnight, Srivastava said.

"We are taking all precautions to ensure safety of the citizens and there is no need to panic, she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A positive nickname for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.



While Meghan and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex ride out their final weeks as senior royals back in Canada with their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, were revisiting the Duchess of Sussexs time as an actress on the USA legal drama, Suits.



She starred in Suits for seven seasons

Meghan appeared in more than 100 episodes of Suits as Rachel Zane, a paralegal-turned-lawyer. She exited the show after playing the character for seven seasons. Meghan not only left the show but she bid farewell to her acting career to prepare for life in the British royal family.

During her time on Suits, the Duchess of Sussex became close with her costars, among them Sarah Rafferty (Donna Paulsen) and Patrick J. Adams (Mike Ross). She also made a name for herself on the shows Toronto, Ontario, set.

Meghan Markle became known for getting things done on the set of Suits

Working 12 hour days on a TV set means nicknames are bound to happen. Thats exactly what happened to Meghan while shooting Suits. The Duchess of Sussex became the first subject of a new documentary series from Vice TV and during interviews with royal experts and commentators, Meghans nickname on the set of Suits came up.

Meghan Markle in Season 7 of Suits | Ian Watson/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

In Vice Versa: Meghan Markle Escaping The Crown, which premiered on March 10, 2020, and is now available to watch on Vices website, royal commentator, Omid Scobie, shared the nickname Meghan had been given on the set of the show.

Scobie said the Duchess of Sussex received the nickname, Meghan gets sh** done, after she noticed all the leftover food provided by craft service on the set of Suits had been going to waste. She got them to donate the leftovers to local organizations in need and thus, Meghans new nickname came to be.

Her nicknames since becoming Duchess of Sussex havent been kind

Since officially joining the British royal family in May 2018 when she married Harry, Meghans reported nicknames havent been as kind as the one she had on the set of Suits. Various reports have claimed Meghan had been referred to as Duchess Difficult, Me-Gain, and Hurricane Meghan by members of the staff at Kensington Palace.

The supposed reasons for the cruel nicknames? Sending emails at 5 a.m., wanting things done promptly, having a boundless work ethic, and generally shaking up the establishment.



Meghan Markle has her own nickname for Prince Harry

Not only has the Duchess of Sussex been on the receiving end of nicknames, but shes also dished them out herself. In the Oct. 2019 ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan spoke one-on-one with the Duke of Sussexs friend Tom Bradby. While saying she wasnt doing OK amidst intense media scrutiny, Meghan revealed her own nickname for Harry.

I have said for a long time to H  thats what I call him  Its not enough to just survive something. Thats not the point of life. You have got to thrive. You have got to feel happy, Meghan told Bradby.

Harry and Meghan arent the only ones with nicknames. Theyve also been known to call Archie bubba, little boy, and pumpkin.
Moroccos Ministry of the Interior announced Saturday the suspension of all intercity bus travels, starting Tuesday, March 24, at midnight, the National Railways Office (ONCF) announced the same day that it will suspend all train connections with the exception of some proximity trains, while the national carrier suspended all its domestic flights.

People were also banned from travelling between cities aboard either private or public means of transport as of Saturday March 21 at midnight.

The ban does not concern the transport of goods and basic products, which is carried out normally to meet the daily needs of citizens. The ban does not concern either travel for health or professional reasons.

The decisions come after Morocco decreed a state of health emergency that came into effect Friday at 6 p.m. to limit citizens movement in cities and villages across the country and thus prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Regarding the suspension of intercity bus travels, the Interior Ministry called on local authorities and intercity transport companies to take the necessary measures to suspend travels and make sure the buses return to their home bases before the suspension goes into effect.

The ministry also urged transport companies to have their buses available in case local authorities need to requisition them.

The ONCF announced that it will suspend all railway connections, as of Monday at 11.59 p.m. with the exception of some specific destinations.

ONCF will thus provide a minimum service on some proximity trains linking Casablanca to Rabat and Kenitra; Casablanca to Mohammed V Airport; and Casablanca to Settat and El Jadida for people who commute on these lines to go to work.

Only the commuters officially authorized to go out to work will be allowed to board the trains, as stipulated by the Ministry of Interior.

Royal Air Maroc announced the suspension of all its domestic flights, until further notice, in compliance with the state of health emergency.

Morocco took a set of preventive measures to limit the propagation of the virus. After it suspended air and maritime connections and closed land borders, Morocco, as of Monday, March 16 at 6 p.m., ordered the closure of all public venues considered non-essential, such as cafes and restaurants, gyms, hammams (public baths), cinemas, and other gathering spaces. It cancelled sporting events and all cultural, artistic, music and religious festivals.

Also beginning Monday, March 16, classes in all educational public and private institutions, from kindergartens to universities, have been cancelled until further notice. Lessons are provided online or via TV.

Part of these anticipatory measures, Morocco has purchased the entire stock of Nivaquine, an antimalarial drug, whose tests on patients infected with the coronavirus proved encouraging. French RFI, which reported the information Saturday, said Moroccan authorities bought all the stock of Nivaquine, produced by Sanofi laboratories in their Casablanca factories.

According to RFI, Morocco has ordered additional quantities of Nivaquine from Sanofi laboratories.

Moroccan authorities are taking these precautionary measures as the number of COVID-19 cases in Morocco is increasing. According to the tally of Saturday March 21, Morocco recorded 96 confirmed cases, including three fatalities. Three patients have totally recovered.

At a press briefing last week, the Minister of Health, Khalid Ait Taleb, said some local cases have started to appear, rather than patients carrying the virus from abroad as with the previous cases.

The coming days will be decisive, he had said, urging people to focus on respecting all precautions to avoid the proliferation of the virus.

He said Morocco will move into the second phase if the number of cases exceeds 500.

Globally, Coronavirus infected 306,892 persons and killed 13,025.
UPDATE: 8 people now dead from coronavirus in Michigan; infant tests positive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The first coronavirus death on the states west side was reported Saturday night.

A male patient in his 70s, who tested positive for COVID-19, died March 21 at a Spectrum Health hospital in Kent County, according to a news release issued around 8 p.m.

The man had a history of underlying health conditions, according to the Kent County Health Department.

Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson with Spectrum Health, said he could not confirm which Spectrum Health facility the patient was in or where the patient was from.

"On behalf of Spectrum Health and the clinical team dedicated to caring for this patient, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this individual, Dr. Joshua Kooistra, chief medical officer at Spectrum Health stated in the release.

We were saddened by his death and realize it is difficult news for our community as we face the reality of the COVID-19 outbreak. All of our team members, from clinicians to support staff, are committed to caring for our COVID-19 patients. We are united with our communities in fighting this virus together.

The Kent County Health Department issued the following video Saturday night.

The death is the seventh in Michigan from the COVID-19 outbreak, and the third announced today.

Its a tough day and unfortunately I think we may have some tough days to come, but weve all got to stick together through these tough times, said Adam London, director of the Kent County Health Department.

There have been 20 confirmed cases in Kent County and the average age of those infected is 42, he said.

This is not an illness that is just for the old or those with underlying health conditions," London said. "Anyone can be seriously affected by this and we should all be taking this seriously.

The number of reported coronavirus cases in Michigan jumped to 787 on Saturday  an increase of 238 cases since Friday, according to data released by the state Health and Human Services Department.

London pointed out that while Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has banned gatherings of more than 50 people and exempted churches from the ban, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends gatherings of no more than 10.

Lets shoot for that, in fact lets do better that he said. "Tomorrow is Sunday. Many of you would like to go to church, would like to participate in another social gathering.

But as much as reasonably possible, lets avoid unnecessary travel, lets avoid unnecessary gatherings, lets focus on the things that are essential. Lets focus on protecting our families and protecting the families of those who are serving us.

Those who live in Michigan, exhibit symptoms and are concerned they may be infected with COVID-19 can take advantage of free virtual screenings for COVID-19 provided by Spectrum Health.

Callers to the hotline, 616-391-2380, will be asked a series of questions about their condition by a Spectrum Health provider who will advise whether they need to seek additional care.

The hotline has received more than 20,575 calls since it opened March 6, including approximately 2,000 calls yesterday, according to the network.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Also on MLive:

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closes hair and nail salons, tattoo shops due to coronavirus

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asks Trump to help auto industry weather coronavirus storm

RELATED: Saturday, March 21: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Michigan coronavirus cases climb to near 800, with 5 deaths

FDA approves first rapid coronavirus test

Stay at home, Ann Arbor mayor tells residents in new coronavirus video update
KELOWNA, British Columbia, March 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allied Corp. ("Allied" or the "Company") (OTCQB: ALID), an international medical cannabis company focused on creating and providing targeted cannabinoid health solutions to address todays medical issues, today announces the resignation of David Weinkauf as a director and the resignation of Anthony Zelen as a director of the Company both due to personal reasons and to pursue other professional opportunities. Calum Hughes, CEO, has expressed appreciation for both of their contributions to the development of the Company on behalf of the Board of Directors and management team.



On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank David and Anthony for their many contributions to Allied as directors over the past year. Under David and Anthonys stewardship, Allied has successfully positioned itself as a leader within the sector and within the North American public markets. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors, commented Calum Hughes, CEO.

For more information on Allied Corp. visit: www.allied.health

About Allied Corp.

Allied Corp. is an international medical cannabis production company with a mission to address todays medical issues by researching, creating and producing targeted cannabinoid health solutions. Allied Corp. uses an evidence-informed scientific approach to make this mission possible, through cutting-edge pharmaceutical research and development, innovative plant-based production and unique development of therapeutic products.

Media Contact:

allied@5wpr.com

Investor Relations:

Anthony Zelen

ir@allied.health

+1-778-388-5258

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws in Canada or forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbour provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, forward-looking information). Forward-looking information may relate to the Companys future outlook and anticipated events, plans or results, and may include information regarding the Companys objectives, goals, strategies, future revenue or performance and capital expenditures, and other information that is not historical information. Forward-looking information can often be identified by the use of terminology such as believe, anticipate, plan, expect, pending, in process, intend, estimate, project, may, will, should, would, could, can, the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on the Companys opinions, estimates and assumptions in light of managements experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that management currently believes are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. Forward looking statements in this press release include the following: that Allied is leveraging the conditions in its Colombia grow operation and future Kelowna location to support its Research and Development efforts; that Allied is making important strides forward to position itself as a leader in the medical cannabis space, that Allied intends to make a series of proposed trademark and other intellectual property protection filings, as part of the Companys Intellectual Property and Pharma Development (IP&PD) Strategy, statements respecting the joint development, manufacturing, and introduction of TACTICAL RELIEF branded products, and the use of proceeds from the offering of convertible notes.

Story continues

There can be no assurance that the underlying opinions, estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information in this release include: the Companys exposure to legal and regulatory risk; the effect of the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Canada and Colombia on the medical cannabis industry is unknown and may significantly and negatively affect the Companys medical cannabis business; that the medical benefits, viability, safety, efficacy, dosing and social acceptance of cannabis are not as currently expected; that adverse changes or developments affecting the Companys main or planned facilities may have an adverse effect on the Company; that the medical cannabis industry and market may not continue to exist or develop as anticipated or the Company may not be able to succeed in this market; risks related to completion of the greenhouse construction in Colombia, risks related to market competition; risks related to the proposed adult-use cannabis industry and market in Canada and Colombia including the Companys ability to enter into or compete in such markets; that the Company has a limited operating history and a history of net losses and that it may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future; risks related to the Companys current or proposed international operations; risks related to future third party strategic alliances or the expansion of currently existing relationships with third parties; that the Company may not be able to successfully identify and execute future acquisitions or dispositions or successfully manage the impacts of such transactions on its operations; risks inherent to the operation of an agricultural business; that the Company may be unable to attract, develop and retain key personnel; risks resulting from significant interruptions to the Companys access to certain key inputs such as raw materials, electricity, water and other utilities; that the Company may be unable to transport its cannabis products to patients in a safe and efficient manner; risks related to recalls of the Companys cannabis products or product liability or regulatory claims or actions involving the Companys cannabis products; risks related to the Companys reliance on pharmaceutical distributors; that the Company, or the cannabis industry more generally, may receive unfavourable publicity or become subject to negative consumer or investor perception; that certain events or developments in the cannabis industry more generally may impact the Companys reputation or its relationships with customers or suppliers; that the Company may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage in respect of the risks that it faces, that the premiums for such insurance may not continue to be commercially justifiable or that there may be coverage limitations and other exclusions which may result in such insurance not being sufficient; that the Company may become subject to liability arising from fraudulent or illegal activity by its employees, contractors, consultants and others; that the Company may experience breaches of security at its facilities or losses as a result of the theft of its products; risks related to the Companys information technology systems; that the Company may be unable to sustain its revenue growth and development; that the Company may be unable to expand its operations quickly enough to meet demand or manage its operations beyond their current scale; that the Company may be unable to secure adequate or reliable sources of necessary funding; risks related to, or associated with, the Companys exposure to reporting requirements; risks related to conflicts of interest; risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; risks related to the Companys potential exposure to greater-than-anticipated tax liabilities; risks related to the protection and enforcement of the Companys intellectual property rights, or the intellectual property that it licenses from others; that the Company may become subject to allegations that it or its licensors are in violation of the intellectual property rights of third parties; that the Company may not realize the full benefit of the clinical trials or studies that it participates in; that the Company may not realize the full benefit of its licenses if the licensed material has less market appeal than expected and the licenses may not be profitable; as well as any other risks that may be further described in and the risk factors discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure including its Management's Discussion and Analysis sections in its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed under the Company's profile at www.sec.gov.

Although management has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information in this presentation, there may be other risk factors not presently known to the Company or that the Company presently believes are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking information in this presentation. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers and viewers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date made. The forward-looking information contained in this release represents the Companys expectations as of the date of this release or the date indicated, regardless of the time of delivery of the presentation. The Company disclaims any intention, obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws.
Vanessa Hudgens may have already said sorry for the flippant and insensitive comment she made over the coronavirus pandemic, but it does not mean she has already moved on from the incident. Instead, she is still very worried about the implications of what she did and scrambling for some remedy.

According to Hollywood Life, Hudgens is in full-on damage control mode at present. After President Donald Trump revealed that the coronavirus crisis can last as long as August, Hudgens irked many by announcing her disbelief.

In a March 17 Instagram live session, she said, "Um, yeah, 'til July sounds like a bunch of bulls***." This is not what annoyed many though, because it is normal not to believe what the President has been saying for so long anyway.

What sent ripples of anger across the Internet is that she said that deaths from the virus are "inevitable" even if this is "terrible."

Since she has 38.4 million followers, her words naturally have some weight. By being flippant about it, she was sending the wrong message of not to take the virus seriously.

This is the first virus in this century that had schools, malls and other public places closing and locking down. People are also advised NOT to go out as much as possible in different parts of the world. So, this is serious.

Following the uproar, Hudgens quickly said sorry after all the backlash her words caused. She even said that the fact that she is home means she is not the one to take the situation less seriously than it needs to be taken. But she knows that this is not enough.

Insiders have shared to Hollywood Life that the actress is wishing she did not let those words come out from her mouth. One said, ""Vanessa feels terrible for what she said and as much as she wishes she could take it back, she knows she can't so she's using it as a lesson."

Another source said the actress is using the incident as an opportunity to grow.

The actress, who was such a darling when she starred in the breakout teen movie "High School Musical," reportedly felt intense regret. Insiders claimed that she realized too late that she does have a platform that she must use carefully.

"Vanessa never meant any harm, and of course she is sorry for anybody that she may have offended," another source said.

What the insiders have been saying are not new. Hudgens have apologized twice for her words. She said that it has been taken out of context in a crazy time and that people should be striving to stay safe and sane. Vanessa also said her words are not appropriate for a time of crisis and that she realized the power of her words.

Chrissy Teigen, following the backlash that Hudgens' initial words and apologies have caused, claimed that now is not the time to make anyone an Internet punching bag. She said Hudgens for sure is learning and there is no cause for her to be attacked for her errors.

Right now, Hudgens has been repeatedly sharing posts on how to beat the virus and calling for people to stay at home. She has also disabled the comments section of her newest posts (or has it always been disabled?) of her Instagram.

Now is not the time to pour hatred on anyone and bicker, folks. That said, this is the video that had people wishing ill of her.





Also "it's a virus, I get it, I respect it" is sending me. Vanessa Hudgens was doing great when she was just moaning.Also "it's a virus, I get it, I respect it" is sending me. pic.twitter.com/R6gILcEdjk March 18, 2020

READ MORE: Chrissy Teigen Shushes Those Making Vanessa Hudgens Their Latest 'Internet Punching Bag'
President Ram Nath Kovind claps to cheer for emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus. (Photo: Pankaj Singh Tomar)

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and his family members clap to cheer for emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus. (Photo: Pankaj Singh Tomar)

An old woman bangs utensil to cheer for emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus. (Photo: Pankaj Singh Tomar)

A child climbs on his balcony and claps to cheer for emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus. (Photo: Pankaj Singh Tomar)

People clap and bang utensils from their balconies to cheer for emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus, in Mumbai. (Photo: Reuters)

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and his family members clap to cheer for emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus. (Photo: Pankaj Singh Tomar)

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with his family members clap and clang utensils as a gesture to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, in New Delhi.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik rings a bell as a gesture to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, in Bhubaneswar, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo)

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy along with his family members clap as a gesture to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, at Tadepalli in Guntur District, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo)

People clap and clang utensils as a gesture to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, in Thane, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo)

People clap and clang utensils to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, Kolkata, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo)

Telangana Chief Minister K.Chandrashekhar Rao along with his family members clap as a gesture to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, in Hyderabad, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo)

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan along with family members clap as a gesture to show gratitude to the helpers and medical practitioners who are working relentlessly to fight coronavirus during Janta curfew, in Mumbai, Sunday, March 22, 2020. (PTI Photo)
(Natural News) World Health Organization (WHO) officials have a warning to young people: they can still get infected with the coronavirus.

Youre not invincible, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on COVID-19.

One of the things that we are learning is that although older people are the hardest-hit, younger people are not spared. Data from many countries clearly show that people under 50 make up a significant proportion of patients requiring hospitalization, he continued.

The WHOs warning came out just as the death toll from COVID-19 topped 10,000 Friday, then hit 13,000 Saturday, as described on a dashboard created by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering.

Of those, Italy has the highest number of recorded deaths at 3,405?surpassing the 3,248 reported in China. The numbers look even bleaker for the European country considering that it only has a population of 60 million, compared to the 1.437 billion of the latter.

Young people arent taking the outbreak seriously, but they should

Despite the increased death toll, it looks like young people arent taking the pandemic seriously. Early reports focused more on the increased risk that the elderly faced from the disease, which may explain this trend. In the United States, for instance, college students have continued to ignore calls for social distancing as they go their annual spring break pilgrimages to beaches in cities such as Miami.

Recent reports, however, say that young people should be concerned.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) close to 40 percent of those hospitalized for COVID-19 fall between the ages of 20 to 54. Meanwhile, in Canada, data from the Public Health Agency of Canada show that 21 percent of cases over there are from people aged 20 to 39.

Younger people shouldnt pass the virus off as a common cold or flu, cautioned Dr. Alon Vaisman, an infectious disease expert in Toronto.

There are going to be individuals who, for sometimes clear reasons, sometimes unclear reasons, who are young, who will still have severe complications, related to disease, said Dr. Vaisman in an interview Thursday night. He added that it was still more likely for a young person to experience a mild form of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, WHOs Dr. Tedros noted that whether or not a young person falls ill to the disease themselves, they still have a role to play in stopping the spread of the disease.

The choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else, he said.

As deaths rise, so have infections

The increased death tally comes alongside a significant rise in the number of infections over the past couple of weeks. The WHO stated Friday that, based on reports from health agencies around the world, 100,000 people have become infected in just 12 days, bringing the total to around 210,000. Before this, it took three months for the number of COVID-19 patients to reach 100,000. This means that the number of new cases of COVID-19 have surged since it hit that milestone earlier this month.

Based on the WHOs most recent data, the overall picture of the COVID-19s spread changed markedly this month. Experts expect the number of infections to continue to rise as several countries including the U.S. continue to improve their ability to test for the coronavirus.

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, its epicenter was Chinas Hubei province. However, Europe now has the highest rate of new cases and more people have now died from the disease in Italy than in China.

Italys death toll is more than 3,400 as the country enters its 11th day in lockdown, NPRs Sylvia Poggioli reported from Rome. A decline in new cases is not expected until the end of next week.

Besides this, Poggioli also reported that 300 volunteer doctors are being sent to the Lombardy region to provide relief to overworked medical workers there. The Lombardy region is the epicenter of the outbreak in Italy.

In a situation report published Friday morning, the WHO warned that the European region was now poised to supplant the Western Pacific region as the region hardest hit by the pandemic. The latter has 92,333 reported cases, while the former is quickly catching up with 87,108 cases.

The WHO also released a graphic showing the changing source of new COVID-19 cases by region around the world. The graphic highlighted spikes in cases in Europe and the Americas since late February.

The figures from the WHO reflect their most recent data as of late Thursday. Their tally, however, is lower than the 244,000 reported by the Johns Hopkins University dashboard, as the latter reports coronavirus numbers in near real-time.

Coronavirus has overwhelmed health systems

One reason people, let alone those who are young, shouldnt take the coronavirus for granted is how easily the outbreak has overwhelmed health systems around the world.

Take one look at whats happening in some health systems around the world. Look at the intensive care units; completely overwhelmed. Doctors and nurses utterly exhausted, stated Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHOs emergencies program. This is not normal. This isnt just a bad flu season.

During a WHO press briefing, Ryan stated that there was a shortage of protective equipment for the estimated 26 million health-care workers that would be needed to take care of COVID-19 patients.

These are health systems that are collapsing under the pressure of too many cases, continued Ryan, who then added that the supply chain for personal protective gear like masks, gloves and gowns is under huge pressure.

Meanwhile, Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, a virologist at Germanys Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, stated that Italys high death rate was an example of a public health system that has been overwhelmed. Thats what happens when the health system collapses, he stated.

In response to this, countries throughout Europe have implemented social distancing policies to try to slow the spread of the virus and keep the number of patients within the capacity of their health systems. The governments of especially hard-hit countries such as Italy, Spain and others have even restricted travel within the country.

Several and states in the U.S. are also following suit. On Monday, San Francisco Bay Area officials ordered some 7 million residents to shelter in place, telling them not to leave their homes except under limited circumstances. The state of New York followed suit on Friday, putting stringent new restrictions on individuals while requiring nonessential businesses to keep 100 percent of their workforce at home.

When he announced the new rules, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for hospitals in the state to increase their capacity to treat an influx of COVID-19 patients. Earlier this week, Cuomo projected that the state would need up to 110,000 hospital beds to deal with the disease, more than double the states current capacity.

Right now, in New York specifically, the rate of the curve suggests that in 45 days we could have up to an input of people who need 110,000 beds that compares to our current capacity of 53,000 beds, 37,000 ICU units, ventilators, which compares to a capacity currently of 3,000 ventilators, the governor said Wednesday. Thats our main issue.

Sources include:

GlobalNews.ca 1

GlobalNews.ca 2

Arcgis.com

USAToday.com

CDC.gov

Canada.ca

NPR.org 1

NPR.org 2

WHO.int

CNBC.com 1

CNBC.com 2
Albany

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Saturday said the spread of coronavirus is continuing and that New York has more cases of COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the virus, than any state and nearly half of the cases in the nation.

"The number of new cases is only reflective of the number of cases you are (testing)," Cuomo said at the Capitol. "We're actually looking for positives. The more tests you take the more positives you will find."

But the governor said the rate of infection in Westchester County, which has been a hotspot in New York for the infectious disease, "is now slowing, and that's very good news."

There were 294 new cases in Westchester County overnight Friday, pushing the total number of cases in that county to 1,385.

In another positive sign, Cuomo said, the rate of hospitalizations in New York is down to about 15 percent, with 1,603 people hospitalized.

Still, the rate of confirmed cases is surging in New York and prompted the state Department of Motor Vehicles on Saturday evening to order all of its state and county offices to shut down.

"To ensure there are no unintended consequences for New Yorkers who are not able to visit the DMV during the closure, any driver license, non-driver ID or registration set to expire on or after March 1, 2020 will be extended until further notice," the agency said in a notification. "The current 45-day temporary vehicle registration issued by auto dealers will also be extended. This extension does not apply to insurance coverage requirements."

Albany County officials, meanwhile, said Saturday that any dip in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the next few days is likely from a lack of testing not a sign the outbreak is ending yet. The county donated 5,000 masks to hospitals and EMS personnel in an effort to curb the supply shortage, the officials also said.

New York's 11,645 cases by late Saturday afternoon  up from 10,356 announced at 11 a.m.  well exceeds other states, including California (with at least 1,400) and Washington (about 1,300). Most counties in New York have confirmed cases, with Oswego and Steuben counties reporting their first cases overnight. By late Saturday afternoon, New York deaths were at 56.

The high rate of confirmed cases, Cuomo said, is due in part to New York having conducted 45,000 tests  more than any other state and more per capita than South Korea and China. California has conducted 23,200 tests and Washington 23,343.

"I believe it is going to be a matter of months, but, we are going to get through it," Cuomo said. "A crisis really brings out the truth about ourselves, first of all, and about others. You see society's strengths and you see society's weaknesses ... both the beauty and the vulnerability."

The state is working aggressively with federal officials to become a test site for off-label trials of certain drugs, hydroxycholoroquine and Zithromax, that are showing promising results in people afflicted with COVID-19.

The Food and Drug Administration is accelerating the distribution of 10,000 doses of those drugs to New York, Cuomo said.

The state has also purchased 6,000 more ventilators from around the globe that will be delivered in the coming weeks, Cuomo said. Many of those will be delivered to hospitals in New York City and Long Island.

The sprawling Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 11th Avenue in Manhattan is being eyed as a location to house four federal field hospitals, which can hold 250 patients each, and an Army Corps of Engineers mobile hospital. The effort is to increase the number of New York's hospital beds from 53,000 to more than 75,000.

Elective surgeries have been ordered suspended to help free up hospital beds, and the rate of flu in New York may be slowing, which has also resulted in hospitalizations.

Several universities and other downstate facilities also are being considered as locations for makeshift hospitals. The state is sending 1 million N95 respirator masks to New York City health facilities, and another 500,000 to Long Island, but the governor said it will not be enough.

Priority testing

Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, in his daily briefing Saturday, said testing is going to continue, but it's going to be prioritized. Those who have symptoms should talk to their doctor, and then the doctor will make the determination if they are to be tested.

"A lot of misinformation is going out that Albany Med and St. Peter's were going to shut down (testing), but that's not the case, they're prioritizing," McCoy said.

He said there are 89 confirmed cases in the county as of Saturday morning. Saratoga County's caseload is now 40, Rensselaer County added five new cases standing now at 20, officials there said Saturday.

Albany County Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen said testing restrictions will begin next week.

"Starting Monday and Tuesday because that (widespread) testing isn't available, we may not see numbers as high as we're seeing now," Whalen said. She said 18 positive test results came in Friday night, and she wouldn't be surprised if there was a similar result Saturday night. However, she said next week the numbers might start to drop.

"The public needs to know that is not a reason for celebration. It's not a reason for comfort. It is simply a reflection that we are not doing widespread testing, Whalen said. "The reality is that we are just at the start of this outbreak in the community."

McCoy said preparation was key to the ability to distribute 5,000 N95 masks to EMS personnel across the county as well as to St. Peter's Hospital and Albany Medical Center. "We continue to applaud Governor Cuomo for telling the federal government that these masks, gowns, Clorox wipes, and test kits remain in short supply and we need more," McCoy stated.

He reminded everyone of the new Mental Health Support Line that is now operational for those dealing with stress and anxiety while remaining in their homes. People can call seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 518-269-6634. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team at 518-5496500.

State-level concerns

Cuomo said that he has not been tested for the virus.

"Because I have not been exposed to anyone who is positive," he said. "I don't have a fever; I don't have any symptoms and I don't want to waste a test."

This week, a member of Cuomo's press staff who had been at the Capitol tested positive for the virus and is in quarantine.

The governor said he was planning to visit a New York City park on Saturday afternoon because he wants to view the situation where many people, especially young people, are ignoring social distancing directives and congregating in crowd situations.

"We do have an issue with younger people who are not complying," he said. "It has not gotten better. You can have your own opinion, you cannot have your own facts."

The governor said that 54 percent of the people infected in New York are between the ages of 18 and 49.

"There is a significant amount of non-compliance, especially in New York City, especially in the parks," he said. "It has to be stopped because you are endangering people. ... This is a public health crisis, and you cannot be endangering other people's health."

It is estimated that, worldwide, between 40 and 80 percent of the population could be infected with coronavirus. Cuomo said the challenge is to slow the spread so that medical facilities are not overwhelmed.

"I understand there is anxiety and stress but ... society functions, everything works, there's going to be food in the grocery stores," he said. "There's no reason to buy a hundred rolls of toilet paper .... and by the way, where do you put 100 rolls of toilet paper?"

Cuomo on Friday ordered all employees of non-essential businesses to stay home, an edict that goes into effect Sunday.

Essential businesses that will remain open include grocery, convenience and liquor stores, as well as banks, farmers markets, beverage stores, gas stations, pharmacies, home-improvement and hardware stores, auto repair shops and medical offices.

Cuomo, as well as neighboring Govs. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, also ordered barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing parlors, nail salons, hair removal services and other personal care businesses to close after 8 p.m. Saturday.

Delaware has also joined the multi-state cooperative agreement, Cuomo said.

Indoor malls, restaurants, bars and other businesses that attract crowds were directed this week to close until further notice. Many restaurants are still delivering food and providing takeout orders.

State Health Department Commissioner Howard Zucker said the New York deaths have been primarily senior citizens. Nationwide, the rate of fatalities is 1.4 percent for those who contract the infectious disease, far below the fatality rate in many other hard-hit nations including Iran and Italy.

Attorney General Letitia James said employees who believe their employer is violating labor laws or Cuomo's directives can contact the AG's Labor Bureau and file a complaint.

"During this time, my office is closely monitoring the treatment of employees across the state," she said. The number to call is 212-416-8700 or email Labor.Bureau@ag.ny.gov




A meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held earlier this month called for accelerated efforts to build new infrastructure, such as the 5G network and data centers, which prompted market gains in the related sectors.





A report by the country's state broadcaster China Central Television later listed seven areas of the "new infrastructure." They include 5G, ultra-high-voltage power facilities, inter-city transport, vehicle charging stations, big data centers, artificial intelligence, and industrial internet.





Huang Qunhui, director of the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said this was not the first time that the term of "new infrastructure" has been put forward. He noted that the Central Economic Work Conference, a key annual meeting to plan for the national economy, had called for such efforts in late 2018.





Huang said that the new infrastructure should be understood as new public facilities that serve the needs of new industrialization, as opposed to the traditional infrastructure construction such as railways, roads, and airports.





As of March 10, 25 provincial-level regions had announced a total of 49.6 trillion yuan (US$7 trillion) of investment in 22,000 projects, including 7.6 trillion yuan for this year, according to figures tallied by China Economic Weekly.





Zhang Liqun, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, said he believes the response of the capital market and the media reflected people's enthusiasm for investment in infrastructure in general, noting that the growth rate of government-led investment in infrastructure had declined for years.





In the first two months of this year, China's fixed asset investment dropped 24.5% year on year, and investment in infrastructure in particular plummeted 30.3%, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday.





Lyu Tingjie, a professor of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said that even the narrowly defined new infrastructure has huge potential to boost the Chinese economy in the short term, and that it has strategic significance in the longer term.





He said that, among the seven areas, the fifth generation wireless technology is the key of all, as it paves the way for the other areas such as AI and industrial internet.





China's telecom carriers are already answering the call. China Mobile announced on Thursday a whopping 100 billion yuan to invest in 5G this year, making up around 56% of the company's capital expenditure, compared to only 14% last year.





Lyu said investment in 5G will create jobs right away, as more base stations will be built and more equipment manufactured. In the future, the investment will also shape new manufacturing and bring forth new industries.





Accumulative investment in 5G network construction in China is estimated to reach 1.2 trillion yuan by 2025, and the total investment in the entire industry chain and related industries is expected to top 3.5 trillion yuan by that year, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.





But Zhang said he believes the scope of new infrastructure will be expanded gradually in the future beyond 5G and other high-tech sectors, to include transportation, public health, education, etc. He said it will be very important to plan and lay a strong foundation for a sustainable economic growth.




Lehigh Valley hospitals are asking employees, patients and community partners to donate supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak.

St. Lukes University Health Network and nearby Hunterdon County Office of Emergency Management both are in need as statewide health organizations prepare for shortages that could happen as the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow. In Pennsylvania, the number of new cases totaled 371 Saturday with the second death reported by the Allegheny County Health Department.

St. Lukes is asking for such items as surgical masks, N95 masks, goggles, face shields, vinyl gloves, hand sanitizer, and Lysol and Clorox products, including wipes. The network also is accepting hospital-grade cleaning supplies and disinfectant. Hunterdon County emergency responders and healthcare workers are seeking eye protectors; face shields; goggles; sterile gowns; medically-rated gloves; both regular, surgical and procedural masks, alternative respirators approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; disinfectant wipes; and other disinfectant products.

There is a nationwide shortage in the supply chain and you can help, the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce and Hunterdon County Economic Development stated in an email.

For St. Lukes to make its own masks, the health network needs supplies such as cotton, denim, duck cloth, canvas, twill, silk or other tight woven fabric, as well as elastic and rubber bands. Drop-off locations include the following places: 501 Cetronia Road, Allentown area; 2402 MacArthur Road, Whitehall Township; 153 Brodhead Road, Bethlehem; 487 East Moorestown Rd., Wind Gap; 200 Strykers Road, Phillipsburg; 157 West End Blvd, Quakertown, Bucks County; 9 Daves Way, Hamburg, Berks County; 575 S. 9th St., Lehighton, Carbon County; and 111 Route 715, Brodheadsville, Monroe County.

St. Lukes states companies can arrange pickups by calling 610-739-9332 or emailing Benjamin.Guerin@sluhn.org. Those with questions can call 1-866-STLUKES (785-8537), option 7. In Hunterdon County, donation forms can be downloaded here.

Some organizations and businesses across the Lehigh Valley already were lending a hand this past weekend. Christmas City Spirits posted on its Facebook page it was donating 27 gallons of bulk sanitizer to St. Lukes, as well as other emergency responders. An additional 80 gallons also was coming, the post stated.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email her. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
With ringing of bells, beating of metal plates and clapping, people across the country on Sunday evening expressed appreciation for medical and other staff who are on the frontline of the battle against the novel coronavirus.

The clanging sounds rang in the air as the clock struck five and people came out in balconies, lawns and terrace following an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show solidarity with doctors, nurses and others involved in providing essential services, as the country observed an unprecedented 'Janta Curfew' to check the spread of the virus.

The Hindi film industry too came out in full support of Modis call to support the professionals working during the coronavirus pandemic. Many such as Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Himanshi Khurana, Kangana Ranaut, Bhumi Pednekar clapped, rang bells and blew conch to show solidarity.

While superstar Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were seen on their terrace, Karan Johar was seen clapping on the top of his building.

Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan stood atop of the boundary wall of a sea-facing bungalow. They clapped and played thali too.

5mins at 5pm :With my neighbours,taking a moment to appreciate those who do not have this luxury of staying at home & working tirelessly to keep us safe.Thank you to all the essential service providers for your selfless work #JanataCurfew #BreakCorona @iHrithik #SajidNadiadwala pic.twitter.com/sE7RaiFoqv Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) March 22, 2020

Not only these, but actors such as Karisma Kapoor, Pawan Kalyan and Bobby Deol were also seen supporting the PMs call.

We salute to all the Doctors, Nurses, health workers, sanitary workers, media and police for fighting against corona. pic.twitter.com/2KuzdVhdcx Pawan Kalyan (@PawanKalyan) March 22, 2020

Producer Ekta Kapoor also rang bell while Kartik Aaryan and Vicky Kaushal rang utensils and clapped. Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor too were seen with his family applauding professionals.

Check out other celebrity videos below:

(With inputs from PTI)

Follow @News18Movies for more
Sir Richard Branson and other billionaire aviation investors should reach into their own pockets and contribute to any bailout deal for the sector, former Ministers have demanded.

The Government is thought to be on the verge of agreeing a multi-billion pound rescue deal for airlines and airports  which could include the State taking stakes in the firms  amid their battle to survive the coronavirus crisis.

But research by the MoS has found that the industry's biggest firms  which count billionaires and sovereign wealth funds among their largest investors  have paid out more than 12billion in dividends and share buybacks in the past five years.

With companies already facing bankruptcy and planning thousands of job cuts, the figures will raise questions about whether more earnings should be saved up for disaster scenarios.

On the board: Virgin Atlantic's Sir Richard Branson is coming under pressure over talks for a bailout

Lord Myners, a former City Minister who worked on the bank bailouts of 2008, and former Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable are among those who said any Government support deal 'should involve participation by existing owners'.

Lord Myners told the MoS: 'The taxpayer isn't there to provide a one-way bet for owners, but to protect jobs and the economic and social framework.'

A number of large UK companies have been bracing for an downturn over the past few years by trimming debt piles, slimming oversized businesses and boosting cash reserves.

However, many aviation firms have continued making large payouts, with big chunks going directly to billionaire founders and overseas shareholders. Now the coronavirus pandemic has grounded planes, they are running out of money.

Branson's Virgin Group, the majority shareholder in Virgin Atlantic Airways, has called on the Government to provide 7.5billion of emergency support for the sector.

Billionaire Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and his family own more than a third of EasyJet

Airport bosses, including executives from Heathrow and Gatwick, have asked to be part of any rescue deal.

It is not clear how any bailout fund would be divided and which companies would be included. But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps held talks with a number of major airlines  thought to include Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways owner International Airlines Group  and airports last week.

Heathrow announced on Friday that it would need to 'reorganise and shrink our operation' in response to the coronavirus crisis but added that it has 3.3billion available to maintain 'at least a 12-month liquidity horizon'.

Heathrow has also paid out 2.15billion in dividends since 2015. This would have been divided up among a consortium of large, mainly foreign, investors who own the airport.

Spain's Ferrovial will have taken more than 500million, while the Qatar Investment Authority and China Investment Corporation received around 430 million and 215million respectively.

In the same period, Gatwick  which was owned by a number of sovereign wealth funds during these years  paid out 1.1billion.

British Airways owner IAG has paid out 2.4billion (2.2billion) in dividends since 2015, and has also completed share buybacks worth 1.7billion in this time.

Around 20 per cent of this total  nearly 800million  will have gone to IAG's largest shareholder, the state-owned Qatar Airways.

Ryanair bought back 3.2billion of shares in the period and paid out 918million of dividends. Michael O'Leary, the airline's controversial chief executive, owns around four per cent of its stock and so would have taken around 150million.

EasyJet came under fire last week for completing a 174million dividend payment while participating in bailout talks.

The latest payment takes its total since 2015 to 1.2billion. Greek-Cypriot billionaire Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and his family own more than a third of the company, and so would have taken more than 400million of this total, including about 60million last week.

Virgin Atlantic, which is a private company 51 per cent-owned by billionaire Branson's Virgin Group, has not declared a dividend since 2014 when it paid out 88million.

Each of the firms has also paid out tens of millions of pounds to executives in the past five years, although many bosses have agreed to take pay cuts during the Covid-19 crisis.

Branson and Haji-Ioannou are not on the boards of Virgin Atlantic or EasyJet and so are not in charge of dividend decisions.

Lord Myners suggested the Government should provide financing through interest-paying bonds that can be converted into shares.

The price of these convertible bonds should be at a 'small premium' to current stock market values, Lord Myners said.

He added: 'If no existing owners subscribe for the new security, they will own a smaller percentage of a healthier business than they own now. If this doesn't appeal, they have to contemplate the consequences of administration.'

Sir Vince Cable said he is concerned about the prospect of Heathrow getting financial assistance from the State without it being 'conditional on shareholders making a contribution' to recognise the dividends they have been paid.

Last weekend, the Centre for Aviation warned that without assistance, most of the world's airlines would be bankrupt by the end of May.
Nearly everyone across the world will be battling a case of cabin fever, at one time or another, during on-going home quarantine measures in place due to the growing coronavirus pandemic.

And on Saturday Kristen Stewart did her best to stave off the stress of the global crisis by going out on a hike with friends, which also included a few relaxing moments at a park, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.

In keeping with recommendations from health experts, the group enjoyed their day of fun in the sun by adhering to social distancing.

Fresh air moment: Kristen Stewart did her best to stave off a case of cabin fever by going for a hike with friends in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on Saturday

The Charlie's Angels star, 29, kept it sporty in the fashion department in black sweatpants, a black hoodie and black sneakers.

Wanting some sense of anonymity, she also donned dark sunglasses and wore the hood over her short dyed blonde tresses.

After the hike, Stewart sat down on an open field at the park and rested with her pals, all while staying a safe distance from each other as a precaution.

Both of her two friends also opted for casual wear as they stretched out on the green grass, chatting and laughing.

Having a laugh: The Charlie's Angels star, 29, met up with a couple of friends

Catching up: At one point the group relaxed on the grass at a park that was nearly deserted, all while adhering to social distancing

For the most part, the park was virtually deserted; there was almost no one there soaking in one of the first sunny days in the LA region over the last week or so.

And the string of gloomy and rainy weather came just as the COVID-19 outbreak was escalated to a pandemic.

Stewart just wrapped shooting for the upcoming romantic comedy film, Happiest Season, at the end of February, which was a couple of weeks before the heightened COVID-19 precautions went into effect.

The film, co-starring Mackenzie Davis, Mary Steenburgen, Alison Brie and Victor Garber, is currently slated to premiere November 25, 2020, but that too could change, like many other Hollywood projects, in light of the effort to stamp out the virus.

Stewart was the highest paid actress in the world in 2010 and 2012.

Here comes the sun: This was the first consistently sunny day in the LA region in about a week
The Gujarat government has requested the Election Commission to postpone the March 26 Rajya Sabha election for four seats in the state in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Sunday.

The government will, on Monday, decide whether the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly should continue in view of the pandemic, he said. The budget session is scheduled to end on March 31.

The state has so far reported 18 positive cases and one death so far.

"It is for the Election Commission of India to decide on the Rajya Sabha election. We (state government) have requested the Election Commission to postpone the upcoming March 26 Rajya Sabha election as this will help (in fight against coronavirus)," Patel told reporters.

The Congress, meanwhile, said the Vijay Rupani government was buying time in order to indulge in horse trading.

The Congress stands depleted in the Assembly after five of its MLAs resigned recently.

"As the BJP senses defeat of its candidatein the Rajya Sabha election,it is trying to get the election postponed in the name of coronavirus. Its main purpose is to buy time for horse trading," state Congress president Amit Chavda said.

In a setback ahead of the Rajya Sabha election, the Congress party lost its five MLAs who resigned as legislators, reducing its number to 68.

Fearing more poaching by the ruling camp, it recently shifted its MLAs to a resort in Jaipur, and said they will only come back on the day of election on March 26.

Elections for four Rajya Sabha seat is scheduled to be held on March 26 with three candidates from BJP and two from Congress in the fray for four seats.

BJP has fielded Abhay Bhardwaj, Ramilaben Bara and Narhari Amin, Congress has fielded Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:38:02|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong police have intercepted five people and will place 36 others on the wanted list for contravening quarantine orders during compulsory quarantine, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Sunday.

Since the introduction of compulsory quarantine arrangements for persons arriving at Hong Kong from foreign places on March 19, the HKSAR government has been enforcing the regulation with full force in the past two days, said a spokesman of the HKSAR government.

Law enforcement agencies have been conducting spot checks against suspected offenders with the aid of electronic monitoring systems. Five people were found to have left their dwelling places without permission, with two of them having removed or cut off the electronic monitoring wristbands.

Following the interception of the five persons by the police, the HKSAR government's Department of Health has immediately started the relevant investigation in collaboration with the police and is collecting evidence for the Department of Justice's consideration of prosecution.

All the five concerned have been sent to quarantine centers subsequently.

During the police's operations, 36 people were also found to have left their dwelling places without permission. The police will place them into the wanted list and continue to locate them.

The HKSAR government strongly condemns anyone who intends to contravene quarantine orders. Such actions increase the risk of community transmission and will bring about negative impact to the health of others and public at-large, said the spokesman.

Leaving dwelling places without permission is a criminal offense and offenders are subject to a maximum imprisonment for six months and fine of 25,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 3,221 U.S. dollars).

The spokesman said the HKSAR government urged all people under quarantine to follow the law and appeals to members of public to report contravention to the police.
By Miguel Pereira and Andrei Khalip

LISBON, March 22 (Reuters) - Portuguese authorities began the coronavirus testing and repatriation process for 1,338 passengers aboard a cruise ship en route from Brazil that docked in Lisbon on Sunday after its other European stopovers were canceled.

The interior ministry said passengers of the MSC Fantasia, mostly from the European Union, Britain, Brazil and Australia, would stay on board until all had been tested for the virus, after which those who tested negative would be allowed to disembark.

It said authorities in Portugal, which imposed a state of emergency over the pandemic on Wednesday with restrictions on the movement of people, were coordinating the repatriation efforts with embassies of various countries.

There are 27 Portuguese citizens and some with residency permits who will be tested on Sunday afternoon. No suspected cases have been reported so far on the ship, which left Rio de Janeiro on March 9, according to the Lisbon port authority.

"Beginning on Tuesday ... after verification by the health authority, the rest of the passengers will disembark and will be escorted to the Humberto Delgado airport to board humanitarian flights to their home countries," the ministry said.

British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab tweeted on Sunday he had discussed the repatriation of Britons from the MSC Fantasia with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva.

The final destination of the ship, which can carry 4,363 passengers and 1,370 crew, had been Genoa in Italy, which is Europe's worst-hit country by the virus.

"There is no corona here, the corona is over there," a passenger shouted in Portuguese with a Brazilian accent from the deck of the moored ship.

Portugal has reported 1,600 cases of the virus and 14 deaths, far below the tens of thousands of cases in Italy and Spain - the two worst-hit European countries.

After doubling on Saturday to 12, the death toll increased only slightly overnight, but the number of infections rose by a quarter, the health authority DGS said.

Health Minister Marta Temido has said the epidemic is only expected to peak in Portugal around April 14. (Reporting by Miguel Pereira and Andrei Khalip Editing by David Holmes)
By Express News Service

GUNTUR/KAKINADA/ANANTAPUR/NELLORE/VIJAYAWADA: The doctors at Guntur Fever Hospital, who were anxiously waiting for the results of 55-year-old mans samples sent to Virology Research and Diagnosis Lab (VRDL) at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati, heaved a sigh of relief when he was tested negative for COVID-19.

The patient was admitted to the Fever Hospital in the early hours of Friday with complaints of respiratory problems and his condition was critical when he was brought to the hospital. Though he has no travel history of any foreign country, the doctors sent his samples for testing as he came from Hyderabad with symptoms of COVID-19.

Speaking to TNIE, Guntur DMHO Dr J Yasmin said the elderly person was a painter by profession. Though he belongs to Inkolu in Prakasam district, he has been staying in Samshabad (Hyderabad) for the past 10 years. He had been suffering from fever and respiratory problems and underwent treatment in a private hospital there. His relatives brought him to Guntur and admitted him to a private hospital. When we came to know about the case and symptoms, we admitted him to the isolation ward at the Fever Hospital as a precautionary measure, she explained.

In the early hours of Saturday, he died and the reasons for his death were stated as ARDD (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) with multi-organ failure.

However, the authorities did not release the body until the test results came from Tirupati. Two persons with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 are undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Fever Hospital.

In Kakinada Government General Hospital of East Godavari district, on a single day, five suspected COVID-19 cases were admitted. According to Dr Kiran, four of the five people have recently returned from abroad, while one returned from Italy 14-days ago.

Out of the five cases admitted today, one is a 26-year-old man from Samarlakot. He returned from Italy and came to us, complaining of mild symptoms. For the last 14-days, he was in home quarantine. The others are a 31-year-old woman from Kakinada, who returned from Taiwan, a 35-year-old woman from Yanam, who returned from Oman, a 19-year-old woman from Kakinada, who returned from the Philippines and a 32-year-old man from Kakinada, who returned from Dubai. Samples of all have been collected and sent for testing, he said.

In Kurnool city, a 65-year-old woman was admitted to the isolation ward in Kurnool GGH with COVID-19 symptoms.

She had visited her relatives in London and returned to Kurnool on March 4. Since then, she has been under home isolation. She was reported to be a cardiac patient. As she was suffering from cold and fever for the past couple of days, her family members shifted her to Kurnool GGH on Saturday evening.

Her samples were sent for testing and she is being closely monitored by a group of doctors. A Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) in Anantapur district got himself admitted to the isolation ward in Anantapur Government General Hospital, suspecting symptoms of COVID-19.

The 65-year-old doctor from Kalyandurg is a member of Radha Swamy Sathsangh and has recently been with a group of foreigners from March 7 to 13 in Visakhapatnam before returning to Kalyandurg on March 14. According to Kalyandurg Medical Officer Dr G Ranganath, the RMP has been on self-medication since he returned.

He is suffering from a kidney ailment and under medication. As he has been suffering from cold and fever for the past two days, he contacted us and got himself admitted to Anantapur GGH as a precautionary measure. In Visakhapatnam, two more suspected COVID-19 cases were admitted to Chest Hospital on Saturday. Their samples were sent for testing. Officials withheld their details including their travel history.

Second sample of Nellore student negative

The second sample of the PG Student from Italy in Nellore, who tested positive, sent to VRDL in Tirupati on Saturday morning came negative. A RMP doctor in Anantapur district got himself admitted to the isolation ward in Anantapur Government General Hospital.
THE UNITED STATES CALLS ON LNA TO OBSERVE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN LIBYA

Press Statement

Morgan Ortagus, Department Spokesperson

March 21, 2020



The United States joins the UN Support Mission in Libya in welcoming the decision of Libyan Prime Minister al-Sarraj to endorse an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities to allow local authorities to come together in response to the unprecedented public health challenge posed by COVID-19. Libyan leaders must urgently prioritize the health of the Libyan people; it is the only responsible thing to do. Now is the time for all actors, including LNA Commander Haftar, to suspend military operations, reject toxic foreign interference, and enable health authorities to fight this global pandemic. The United States has consistently opposed all military escalation and the ongoing transfer of foreign military equipment and personnel into Libya; in that spirit, we support UN-facilitated dialogue among Libyan actors in order to achieve a lasting ceasefire and create the conditions for all actors to halt their military activities and return to meaningful negotiations.

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Smoking, drinking, general poor health: Researchers say these are some of the factors that could explain why more men seem to be dying from coronavirus than women.

In countries such as Italy, men represent nearly 60% of people who tested positive for the virus and more than 70% of those who have died, according to the country's National Health Institute (ISS). Even in countries like South Korea, where the proportion of women who have tested positive for the virus is higher than that of men, about 54% of the reported deaths are among men.

But while health officials are starting to take note of these staggering numbers, the United States is not releasing the basic nationwide data that is crucial to understanding who is most vulnerable to the virus, according to a CNN analysis.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, said at a White House press briefing on Friday: "From Italy we're seeing another concerning trend. That the mortality in males seems to be twice in every age group of females."

Regarding this data on Italy, Birx said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "Just having the knowledge of that helps us in the United States so we can be very specific in talking to the American people about who to protect and how to protect them."

CNN has reached out to Birx for additional comment.

When CNN asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for data split by sex for US cases of coronavirus and deaths by coronavirus, known as sex-disaggregated data, the CDC did not respond.

Comprehensive data about those who have gotten sick could help inform more effective responses to the crisis. But public health researchers say that when governments such as the United States either don't collect, or don't publish their data, it's impossible for experts to gain an accurate sense of what's going on.

Data divided by sex

In collaboration with Global Health 50/50, a research institute examining gender inequality in global health, CNN analyzed the publicly available data from 20 countries with the highest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 at the time of data collection -- March 20.

The aim was to see why men seem to be dying more than women.

From these 20 countries, only six provided data broken down by sex for both confirmed cases and deaths - China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy and South Korea. A further seven provided such data for the number of confirmed cases only. No sex-disaggregated data could be located for the remaining countries. The research has been submitted for publication and has not yet been peer-reviewed.

The data is not comprehensive in all cases: For example, the figures for China only cover the period through the end of February, well before community spread approached zero. And no reliable data exists on the proportion of tests administered to men versus women in any country. Furthermore, there are undoubtedly cases of the virus that are not reflected in the national data for any country.

But across the countries for which we have data - spanning nearly a quarter of the world's population - we found that men were 50% more likely than women to die after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

While necessarily partial and incomplete, the results highlight what public health experts have been warning for some time, theorizing that it is not only biology but also gendered behaviors -- the different ways in which men and women conduct their lives -- which may play a significant role in the different mortality rate for respiratory diseases.

"When we look at the data what we're seeing is that in every country with sex-disaggregated data ... there is between a 10% and 90% higher rate of mortality amongst people diagnosed with Covid if they are men compared to if they are women," says Sarah Hawkes, professor of global public health at University College London (UCL) and co-director of Global Health 50/50.

"If I was designing clinical guidelines, I would very much want to understand why some people seem to have a much higher risk of mortality than others. It might for example lead to a difference in the way in which we administer clinical guidelines amongst people who have pre-existing health conditions that lead to risk of death along with those with chronic lung disease, who are more likely to be men."

Hawkes also noted that reporting sex-disaggregated data on epidemics has been requested by the World Health Organization since 2007, but many countries fail to do so.

As the US data was not publicly available on a national level, CNN went state by state to request the data, but many did not release it. Even states such as New York and California, where the outbreak is particularly severe, did not provide CNN with the requested data, despite several attempts. In some cases, CNN located the data in press releases from local counties, care homes and hospitals.

"I'm pretty sure that in a country with the sophistication of the health system and the surveillance system that the United States has, that it's not that there's an absence of data," says Hawkes.

"I am fairly sure that down to the smallest districts across the US, people have the data. What we've not seeing happening it seems is a collation, a collection of that data at state and national level with the speed which one might hope to see from the perspective of global health research."

Historically, coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS tended to affect men disproportionately, according to Dr. Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, infectious disease specialist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Texas.

During previous epidemics, males were reported to have a worse clinical outcome due to SARS in Hong Kong. They also had a higher risk of dying from MERS, in a study conducted in Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

From an evolutionary perspective, some research suggests that women have a stronger immune response against viral infections than men because they spend part of their lives with a foreign body inside -- their offspring -- thus granting them a survival advantage.

"It might have to do with hormonal changes," Ostrosky-Zeichner said. "There is actual research in animals that has shown there may be a biological basis for the sort of increasing susceptibility in the male gender and not only that but also an increased severity and response to the virus."

Pre-existing conditions

Initial reports of people with severe Covid-19 disease have found that they were likely to have underlying health conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and chronic lung disease, according to Global Health 50/50. These conditions tend to be more common among men in the six countries analyzed as well as globally, the institute said, possibly because of riskier lifestyle choices.

"If Covid-19 is following the same kind of patterns that we see across a range of other diseases, what we know is that men tend to have across their life courses ... greater risks of exposure to behaviors that will lead to adverse health outcomes in the long term," says Hawkes.

"So in most countries, for example, what we see is that men smoke tobacco and drink alcohol at far greater rates than women do," she said.

Smoking is a clear example of how such behavior differs between men and women.

China has the largest smoking population in the world, with around 316 million adult smokers. But while over 50% of Chinese men smoke, less than 3% of women do, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Italy, 7 million men smoke as opposed to the 4.5 million women, according to 2020 data released by the National Health Institute (ISS)

The institute reported that, upon admission to hospital, "a third more Covid-19-positive smokers had a more serious clinical situation than non-smokers."

For these smokers, the risk of needing intensive care and mechanical ventilation is "more than double.

"If you've got a group of men who have been smokers in their lifetime and then get it [Covid-19] and now have chronic lung disease as a result of the smoking, and then get exposed to corona infection, it seems as if they are more likely to suffer from severe corona infection, and be at risk of death," Hawkes said.

Other studies have shown that Italian men also have higher rates of hypertension than age-matched females, while Chinese men tend to have higher blood pressure and are more likely to have Type 2 diabetes.

All these factors contribute to possible complications if they get the coronavirus, researchers say.

But the lack of data on how many men died of novel coronavirus as opposed to women, Global Health 50/50 researchers say, feels like a missed opportunity for governments to implement public health policies that target certain groups of people who are significantly more vulnerable than the rest of the population.

"What Covid-19 reveals is a classic case of failing to use data for decision making. For every patient there is a record of their sex. But that data is not collated and analyzed with a gender lens," Dr. Kent Buse, co-founder of GH5050 and chief of strategic policy directions at UNAIDS told CNN.

The same view is shared by Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University,

"All data establishing risk, ability to recover, infectivity is crucial in a pandemic," he told CNN. "Data ought to be collected, transparent as to methods, and disseminated promptly."

For as long as this data is not made publicly available, it cannot be analyzed by outside experts, like Global Health 50/50, for clues on why men seem to be dying more from Covid-19.
C riminals broke into a staff restaurant at a north London hospital tackling the coronavirus crisis.

The suspects targeted a cash machine at Barnet Hospital at around 2am, police said.

Royal Free London said the facility remained open and tweeted: "Our staff restaurant at Barnet Hospital is open despite someone breaking in last night to steal the ATM. We have no words! Police are aware."

A subsequent post from Barnet MPS said: "We were called at around 2am to a restaurant area broken into at Barnet Hospital in Wellhouse Lane.

"An ATM was tampered with; we await confirmation of cash or any other property stolen during the burglary. NorthWest BCU investigating."
Rand Paul has become the first senator to test positive for the novel coronavirus, his office said Sunday, a development that raises questions about the threat the virus poses to senators' health as they defy warnings about public gatherings.

"Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19," Paul's office said in a statement Sunday, referring to the disease the virus causes. "He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person."

Paul's office added that the senator "expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends" and that "virtually no staff" has had contact with him since Paul's Washington office began operating remotely 10 days ago.

But word of Paul's diagnosis prompted two of his fellow GOP senators, Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, both of Utah, to announce that they were self-quarantining because of their recent contact with him.

Paul, R-Ky., is the third member of Congress to announce that he has tested positive for the virus. Last week, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah, announced that they had tested positive.

At Sunday's coronavirus task force briefing, President Donald Trump called Paul "a great friend" and sent his regards to the senator and Diaz-Balart. Trump made no mention of McAdams, a Democrat. The coronavirus, Trump said, is "getting quite close to home, and it's a terrible thing that's going on."

After being informed that Romney was self-quarantining, Trump told reporters at Sunday's briefing, "Gee. That's too bad." Asked whether there was sarcasm in his remarks, Trump responded, "No. None whatsoever." Romney was the only Republican to vote last month to convict Trump on one article of impeachment.

On Sunday evening, Trump tweeted about Paul: "Just spoke to him and he was in good spirits."

Paul received his test results Sunday morning, according to his deputy chief of staff, Sergio Gor, who did not answer repeated questions about when Paul took the test. He also did not elaborate how the senator got tested even though he was asymptomatic.

Most Americans have been instructed not to seek testing unless they have had severe symptoms and close contact with a confirmed carrier, but in recent weeks, some politicians, celebrities and others have received quick and easy access to testing, prompting public outrage and accusations about a double standard.

Paul, a 57-year-old ophthalmologist, is in his second term in the Senate. Last year, he revealed that part of his lung was surgically removed because of injuries he suffered in 2017 when he was attacked by his neighbor. Paul also traveled to Ontario, Canada, last year to have hernia surgery, which he said was related to the 2017 assault.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., told fellow senators that Paul was working out in the Senate gym Sunday morning. Moran also said Paul was swimming in the pool.

Asked about Paul's Sunday morning whereabouts, Gor said, "As soon as he got the results, he left the building."

Paul and several other Kentucky political figures attended a fundraiser for a Louisville art museum this month. Two guests later tested positive, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, and some of the attendees have since gone into self-quarantine. Gor said Paul decided to get tested after the event, though Paul was not aware of any direct contact with any of the two individuals who tested positive.

The news of Paul's coronavirus diagnosis sparked concern on Capitol Hill, where the senator has been present in recent days as lawmakers have been working on a financial relief package in response to the pandemic.

Lee, 48, said he had been advised by the Office of Attending Physician, which handles lawmakers' health care, that a coronavirus test was "not warranted" but that he should self-quarantine for 14 days "given the timing, proximity, and duration of my exposure to Sen. Paul."

"That means no traveling or voting," Lee said in a statement. "But I will continue to make sure Utah's voice is heard as we shape the federal response to the Coronavirus through phone, text, email and whatever other means are available."

Romney, 73, said in a statement that he "has no symptoms but will be tested."

"Since Senator Romney sat next to Senator Paul for extended periods in recent days and consistent with CDC guidance, the attending physician has ordered him to immediately self-quarantine and not to vote on the Senate floor," Romney's office said.

Other Republican senators appeared unnerved by the revelation that one of their own had tested positive - and several voiced uncertainty about how to proceed.

"There's no doubt, I'm sure, that there are members, our members, who have had contact with him," Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said of Paul. "That's why I think we have to get this [relief package] done quickly."

Roy Blunt, R-Mo., chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, said he wasn't sure how the Senate should handle lawmakers being in the Capitol complex at the moment. He suggested that members should finish their work on the legislation and then leave the building.

"We are going to need a little better medical advice on this than we have right now," Blunt told reporters. "I think we need more information before we can comment knowledgeably."Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., by contrast, said he had been told by the Capitol physician that lawmakers who have recently interacted with Paul do not need to take any additional precautions.

"I sat by him Thursday. I've been told that we don't need to self-quarantine," said Graham, who had previously tested negative after coming into contact with another person who tested positive for coronavirus. "So what I'm going to do is just assume it's OK."

One of Paul's fellow lawmakers, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., was sharply critical of his actions Sunday."I've never commented about a fellow Senator's choices/actions. Never once," Sinema said in a tweet. "This, America, is absolutely irresponsible. You cannot be near other people while waiting for coronavirus test results. It endangers others & likely increases the spread of the virus."

The news prompted some senators to call for the chamber to allow for votes to be cast remotely. Last week, Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., jointly introduced a measure that would allow remote voting in the Senate for renewable 30-day periods.

"Remote voting must be instituted immediately, so that the federal legislature can do its job, not just today, but for the duration of this crisis," Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said in a tweet Sunday.

Paul took part in Friday's Senate Republican luncheon at the Capitol. He was the lone senator to vote "no" this month on an $8.3 billion emergency spending measure to fight the outbreak and on Wednesday was among eight senators to vote against a relief package that ensures paid leave for many Americans.

The Kentucky Republican, who is a frequent critic of federal spending, said in a floor speech Wednesday that he objected to the legislation's price tag and its effect on the federal debt.

"The history of pandemics indicates a strong likelihood that the peak of infections and mortality could pass in a few weeks to a few months," Paul said. "Congress should remain calm and try not to explode the debt in our response."

He also sought to strike a positive tone in addressing the crisis facing the nation.

"Reports indicate that scientists will likely set a speed record in developing a vaccine," Paul said. "Now is not the time for malaise. Now is the time for optimism."

While Paul is the first senator to test positive, several others have announced in recent weeks that they are self-quarantining after having contact with individuals who tested positive.

As news of Paul's diagnosis made the rounds, some observers noted that the senator's father, former congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas, recently wrote an online column calling the coronavirus a "hoax."

"People should ask themselves whether this coronavirus 'pandemic' could be a big hoax, with the actual danger of the disease massively exaggerated by those who seek to profit - financially or politically - from the ensuing panic," the elder Paul wrote.

- - -

The Washington Post's Paul Kane and Hannah Knowles contributed to this report.
During an ASEAN-EU ministerial teleconference on cooperation in coping with the epidemic on March 20, Minh informed participants about ASEANs active and timely response to the outbreak in the spirit of Cohesive and Responsive as the theme for the ASEAN Year 2020.

ASEAN has shown the highest determination to combat the epidemic by issuing the ASEAN Chairs Statement, and statements of ministers in charge of national defence, economy and tourism on measures to jointly fight COVID-19.

Vietnam also chaired a meeting of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Council to coordinate efforts of the bloc, he said, adding that active efforts of the ASEAN Community have brought about positive results with low rate of deaths compared to other regions in the world.

In the near future, ASEAN will continue stepping up specific actions and cooperating with partners in the regard, he said.

Minh suggested the EU offer technical assistance and partner in scientific research on the disease control and treatment, thus mitigating its socio-economic impacts.

ASEAN and EU agreed to enhance the sharing of information and experience, policy consultation, especially in diagnosis, treatment and vaccine production.

Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrel proposed that ASEAN countries make it easier for EU citizens travelling in Southeast Asia to return home.

ASEAN member countries also wished that the EU would provide treatment for their infected citizens living and working in Europe.
The Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, on Sunday, denied social media report that it would shut down its daily operations, beginning from Marc...





The Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, on Sunday, denied social media report that it would shut down its daily operations, beginning from March 23 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.





The Head, Corporate Communication and Marketing of the bank, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, said in Lagos on Sunday that the financial institution would be opened and fully operational.





Union Bank branches will remain open and fully operational to serve customers during these Covid-19 crises.





In addition, with the exception of customers serving employees and critical operations and technology functions, most other employees will be required to work remotely from home.

However, we have adopted safety protocols to protect our customers and employees during this period, she said.

Ekezie-Ekaidem added also that the bank had essentially activated its flexi-work policy for those employees who could still perform their duties remotely.





She gave the assurance that the bank would continue to assess the situation and make necessary adjustments as events unfolded.





Besides, she said that the bank branches were now operating under a heightened hygiene protocol, all in a bid to ensuring safe banking halls for all. (NAN)




The number of coronavirus cases in the state jumped from 109 on Thursday to 190 on Saturday, according to data posted by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

The Washoe County Health District announced three new cases on Saturday: a man in his 20s who recently traveled internationally, a woman in her 60s who is a contact to a known case, and a woman in her 50s who recently traveled domestically.

--

ELKO  A second coronavirus case has been reported in Elko County, the city and county have been given authority to shut down non-essential businesses, and Gov. Steve Sisolak has released grim projections about what will come next as the number of cases in Nevada topped 100.

The latest patient is a male in his 40s with recent, extensive, international travel history. He is self-isolating at home. The first case was a female in her 30s who has no underlying medical conditions. Both were tested March 16 after feeling symptoms.

If a patients travel history dictates a notification to passengers that are not Elko County residents, this is determined and coordinated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated a release from Elko County.

Sisolak issued a new directive Friday that orders non-essential businesses to close their doors to the public.

Previously, I asked non-essential businesses to close their doors to the public. I am no longer asking them to do that, said Sisolak. I am directing all non-essential businesses to close. I repeat. If you are NOT an essential business, I am using my power as Governor under an emergency declaration to order you to close. I am signing a new emergency directive, the third Ive signed since declaring a state of emergency.

The City said that by signing the emergency directive, the governor is granting local governments the authority to impose civil and criminal penalties for businesses that defy it. As such, The City of Elko Police Department, City Attorney and City Clerk are urging compliance.

A copy of the Emergency Directive has been posted on elkocity.com for review.

Las Vegas also began enforcing the directive over the weekend, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, after the city attorney initially said Sisolak's order was unconstitutionally vague.

As of Friday evening, Nevada had 154 cases and two deaths, according to data collected by The Nevada Independent.

The governor stated that we dont have to guess what comes next: the rapid increase in positive cases will continue, the number of cases arent slowing down, and we have not yet reached our apex. He indicated that Nevada does not have enough test kits and there is an indefinite backlog of future shipments from the federal government. This is our unfortunate reality, Nevada.

Sisolak also said hospitals may not have sufficient capacity to handle the expected number of cases.

Nevadas health system will not be able to handle an excessive increase in patients all at once without rapidly straining resources, he said.  Let me be clear, if we do not do everything we can to slow this virus, hospital beds will soon be completely filled with COVID-19 patients. There will be no beds to set broken bones, treat heart attacks or use for other necessary medical procedures.

He also addressed concerns related to the economic impact.

Some are saying these actions will devastate our economy, but for a state that relies this heavily on visitors, the impacts are inevitable. Its happening whether we want it to or not.

In response to the latest statements from the governor, Elko County announced that a triage hotline would be set up by the county to help centralize information and give residents directions.
Young German adults hold "corona parties" and cough toward older people.

A Spanish man leashes a goat to go for a walk to skirt confinement orders. From France to Florida to Australia, kitesurfers, college students and others crowd the beaches.

Their defiance of lockdown mandates and scientific advice to fight the coronavirus pandemic has prompted crackdowns by authorities on people trying to escape cabin fever brought on by virus restrictions.

In some cases, the virus rebels resist -- threatening police as officials express outrage over public gatherings that could spread the virus.

"Some consider they're little heroes when they break the rules," French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said. "Well, no. You're an imbecile, and especially a threat to yourself."



After days of noncompliance by people refusing to stay home and venture out only for essential tasks, France on Friday sent security forces into train stations to prevent people from traveling to their vacation homes, potentially carrying the virus to the countryside or beaches where medical facilities are less robust.

The popular Paris walkway along the Seine River was closed and a nightly curfew was imposed in the French Mediterranean city of Nice by Mayor Christian Estrosi, who is infected with the virus.

Florida officials closed some of the state's most popular beaches after images of rowdy spring break college crowds appeared on TV for days amid the rising global death toll, which surpassed 13,000 on Sunday.

Australia closed Sydney's famous Bondi Beach after police were outraged at pictures of the crowds.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that people from 18-to-49 account for more than half of the state's coronavirus cases, warning them "you're not Superman, and you're not Superwoman."



Many people were not complying with social distancing recommendations to stay away from each other in New York City's vast city park network ahead of a ban on congregating in groups that goes into effect Sunday night, Cuomo said.

"You can wind up hurting someone who you love, or hurting someone wholly inadvertently. Social distancing works, and you need social distancing everywhere," Cuomo warned.

As new coronavirus cases in China dropped to zero several days in a row, the chief medical officer for the International Clinic of Wuhan was alarmed at those elsewhere refusing to follow rules to contain the virus.

Dr Philippe Klein said people should look to China's confinement of tens of millions as an example to emulate with courage, with patience, with solidarity.

"I exhort you, the French, to apply the rules in our way," said Klein, who is French.

Worldwide, over 307,000 people have been infected. For most, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms.

But it can cause more severe illness in others, especially older adults and people with existing health conditions.

Some 92,000 people have recovered, mostly in China, where the virus first struck late last year.

The virus rebels tend to range from restless teens to wealthy adults who can travel to their getaway homes.

Even in Italy, where the virus death toll soared beyond China's last week, authorities are still trying to rein in people from going outside for fresh air, sun and visits with friends to escape walled-in lives.

French farmers' markets where people congregate to shop for food have posed a special challenge for police trying to keep people apart from each other at the recommended 2 meters (6 feet), along with neglected urban housing projects where distrust and disobedience of authorities runs deep.

In Clichy-Sous-Bois, a Paris suburb where nationwide riots triggered by police harassment allegations erupted in 2005, a person bit a police officer trying to enforce confinement rules, said Linda Kebbab, a police union spokesperson.

And a large crowd threatened to spit on officers who had planned to disperse them in the southeastern city of Lyon but left instead, she said.

In the southern German state of Bavaria, Gov. Markus Soeder lamented that "there are still corona parties, there are young people who cough at older people and shout corona for fun and, above all, there are an incredible number of groups being formed.

National police in Spain, which has the second-highest number of coronavirus infections in Europe after Italy, are using helicopters to spot groups of people meeting up outdoors. Then agents are sent in to break up the gatherings.

Spanish police have also taken to highlighting examples on social media of what people should not do in public during the country's state of emergency.

In the southeastern Murcia region, they posted video of police stopping a person waddling outside in a full-body dinosaur costume and tweeted that pets can be taken for brief walks by owners but that "having a Tyrannosaurus Rex complex is not allowed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal urged people in the Capital to stay home as much as possible as he announced a complete lockdown on Sunday and said that extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures to fight the public health threat triggered by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Under the lockdown, which began from 6am on March 23, all public transport services, except 25% of DTC buses, will remain suspended. These include the Delhi Metro, private buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws.

Kejriwal said that India needed to learn from the mistakes of nations such as Italy and Iran, which have been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, reporting thousands of deaths. Italy now has the highest death toll, surpassing China, where the disease originated and has affected about 82,000 people.

Addressing a news briefing along with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, the Delhi CM said the lockdown will be in place till March 31. Other than public transport, private and commercial establishments, construction activities and interstate movement will be shut for the rest of the month.

The Delhi administration said there was no need to panic because essentials services such as general stores, grocery shops, milk outlets, ration shops, pharmacies, hospitals, dispensaries and ATMs (including cashier and teller operators of banks) will remain open. No restrictions have been clamped on the services provided by fuel stations, LPG cylinder dealers, pipeline gas providers, water and electricity supplies, and food, medical and grocery delivery persons from restaurants, general stores, cloud kitchens or ecommerce firms.

Kejriwal said no certificate will be required from the people if they move about during the lockdown with valid needs and reasons. No certificate will be required to move across the city. Gathering of five or more people will be barred. All the private establishment will be shut, while the employees should be paid, he said. Both permanent and contractual employees will continue to be paid for the month of March, the CM said.

Certain exceptions have been made to ensure essential items are available for purchase and basic services continue to operate, Kejriwal added.

On the hoarding of masks and sanitisers, he said it is not just against the law but humanity. We did 327 raids and 437 cases have been filed so far. We will be continuing raiding for hoarding, he said.

Shortly before the announcement, the Delhi Police on Sunday afternoon imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), according to which the assembly of four or more people in one place, protests and other gatherings are banned.

The lockdown will also mean that all borders of Delhi with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana will be sealed. All interstate buses and private transport will be prohibited. However, the movement of those working to provide essential services will be allowed. These services include the police, health care professionals, fire department workers, media professionals, etc. The movement of others in need of essential services such as buying groceries and filling fuel in vehicles will be considered by the police on trust basis.

Explaining the need for the lockdown at this moment, the chief minister said any further delay in taking such a stringent action would not only provide a conducive environment for the spread of the virus but will also put a massive load on the health care infrastructure, which may not be able to handle an Italy-like situation, where the death toll has surged past 4,000.

As per the order, issued by secretary (health and family welfare) Padmini Singhla on Sunday, no public transport services will be available from Monday. Taxis, including those under cab aggregators, private buses, auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws, gramin sewas and all lines of the Delhi Metro will not operate till March 31.

The only transport that will be available will be the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, which also will operate at only 25% of the strength. This means that out of the Delhi governments total fleet of over 6,200 buses (including cluster buses), 945 buses will ply on city roads.

Special secretary to the L-G, Chanchal Yadav, said the bus service was allowed keeping in mind those who have to come to travel to work for essential services.

The order mandates closure of all private companies, shops, commercial establishments, factories workshops, godowns, weekly markets and any other office during this period. While all liquor shops will be shut, stores providing groceries, medicines and other essential items will remain open.

The employees of private establishments (including temporary/contractual/outsourced, etc.) required to stay at home in view of this order shall be treated as on duty and be paid in full, read the order.

While the Delhi government has already asked half of its staff to work from home, Kejriwal said the work model for central government employees will be given by the Centre.

The order also resulted in some confusion as it mentioned that all domestic and international flights arriving in Delhi during this period will be suspended. While all international flights to the Capital are already suspended as per the central governments orders, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a clarification saying that all domestic flights to and from the national capital will continue to operate as usual.

When asked how those arriving at the airport or wanting to board flights will travel to and from the airport, a senior government official said on condition of anonymity: The reason for shutting all public transport, all offices including private ones and closing all borders is to ensure that people do not move around and stay at homes to avoid the spread of coronavirus. The order implies that those engaged in essential services will invariably be allowed to travel and thus, they may use their private vehicle and arrive at the airport. Others are anyway advised to stay at home.

The restrictions under the lockdown imposed by the government will have to be enforced by the Delhi Police, the district magistrates and other officials.

Delhi Police commissioner SN Shrivastava said that all the restrictions imposed by the Delhi government will be enforced by the police personnel, keeping in mind that it does not cause any inconvenience or unnecessary harassment to the public.

Our basic objective is to prevent the spreading of Covid-19. We appeal to the people to follow the restrictions as they have been issued for our own safety. The people should voluntarily participate in the mission and assist us by complying with the orders. Those found violating it without any valid reason will be dealt as per law, said Srivastava.

We will put iron barricades and deploy personnel on the border points. No vehicles carrying essential commodities will be stopped. Anybody stuck in other states and coming back to their homes in Delhi will be allowed. Those who would unnecessarily try crossing the border will be stopped, he added.

About restrictions on various modes of transports such as private vehicles, auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws, Shrivastava said that the police personnel deployed on streets will ensure that the order is enforced. He also said that the police will work in coordination with other agencies to check that non-essentials shops are not violating the governments order.
From Australia's Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia ramped up efforts this weekend to stem the coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control. Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries while Malaysia deployed its army to enforce a lockdown as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 -- a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows. Outside China -- where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people -- South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with over 8,500 cases. While the number of infections in China has been falling for weeks, other countries are seeing the toll gather pace as the highly contagious virus takes hold. Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections. Three doctors treating virus patients in Indonesia died, taking the country's death toll to 48 with 514 confirmed infections. Most cases are in the capital of Jakarta where businesses have been ordered to close for two weeks. After shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents, Australia has told citizens to cancel their domestic travel plans too as the number of cases topped 1,300. Bondi Beach and several other popular swimming spots were shut to the public after crowds of sunbathers defied a ban on large outdoor gatherings. Pubs, casinos, cinemas and places of worship will be shuttered for up to six months from Monday. - India curfew - Pakistan suspended international flights in a desperate bid to prevent the virus spreading in a country with more than 300 reported cases. Officials in Sindh -- the country's second-most populous province -- ordered a provincial lockdown effective midnight. Pakistan has reported 5,650 suspected cases, 646 confirmed infections, and three deaths from the virus. Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tests the country's ability to fight the pandemic that has killed over 13,000 worldwide. Officials said everyone in New Delhi in the private sector would have to work from home this week unless they were involved in an essential service, and most public transport would be halted. Billionaire Anand Mahindra, whose Mahindra Group business empire spans everything from cars to real estate, said his manufacturing facilities would try to repurpose to make ventilators. Vehicle manufacturers Tata, Maruti Suzuki, Fiat and Hero Motocorp all said they were suspending operations. Testing has also been expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people amid concerns that the more than 320 reported cases vastly understate the true scale of the health crisis. The World Health Organization has called for "aggressive" action in Southeast Asia amid fears a major outbreak of the virus could cause some decrepit health care systems in the region to collapse. - Second wave - In places where outbreaks appeared to have been brought under control, authorities are now dealing with a second wave of infections as people return from abroad. Singapore is banning all short-term visitors to the densely populated city-state after a surge of imported cases took its total to 432 -- including its first two deaths on Saturday. In Hong Kong, where the worst had appeared to be over, the number of cases has nearly doubled in the past week as more people fly back to the financial hub. Infections in Malaysia hit 1,306 -- more than half linked to an international Islamic gathering held last month, with attendees later returning to Singapore and Indonesia with the virus. Prison guards opened fire on inmates in Sri Lanka's north after they tried to break out in protest over a ban on family visits to prevent the spread of the virus. Two convicts were killed and six others wounded. Authorities also put restrictions on the sale of two malaria treatments in the country amid fears of a run on the drugs after US President Donald Trump tweeted they could be a game changer in the treatment of the Coronavirus. Papua New Guinea, which has one confirmed infection, declared a 30-day state of emergency and halted domestic flights and public transport for two weeks. Guam, which has 15 cases, confirmed a 68-year-old woman had died of COVID-19 -- the first virus-related death in the Pacific. burs-amj/fox/kaf
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 07:29:47|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member places sanitizer products in No. 2 Middle School of Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 21, 2020. According to local authorities, students in their final year of senior and junior high schools in Ningxia will return to school by March 25. Schools are required to prepare face masks, hand sanitizer products and other disinfectants, disinfect campus, and organize emergency exercises in a bid to ensure the orderly reopening. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
New Delhi, March 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reminded people to express gratitude to all the COVID-19 fighters at 5 p.m. for five minutes.

"Do remember, 5 p.m. this evening for 5 minutes...Be on your terraces, balconies or windows to express gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 so that our nation becomes free from COVID-19," Modi tweeted.

The nation is witnessing 'Janata Curfew' on Sunday between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. to break the chain of coronavirus spread.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:48:42|Editor: huaxia

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TAIPEI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The total number of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Taiwan has increased by 16 to 169, the island's epidemic monitoring agency said Sunday.

Among the new patients, 13 were believed to have contracted the virus during their trips overseas, including trips to the United States, Egypt, Germany, France, Italy and the Philippines, while three were believed to be infected locally, the agency said in a press release.

Among the island's confirmed COVID-19 cases, 133 were imported. Twenty-eight of the confirmed patients have recovered, and two died of the disease. The rest are in stable condition.

The agency also announced that Taiwan will suspend transfer services of international flights via its airports from March 24 to April 7.
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), WHO (World Health Organization), and commercial laboratories are in a quandary. The first COVID-19 case in the US occurred on January 21, but after eight weeks, the country still lacked diagnosis test kits for the people who needed them. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the system in place is admittedly not geared to respond to the needs of the current situation properly. Daily testing in the US is limited to roughly 7,000 only.

PCR (or polymerase chain reaction) analysis is a tried and tested in detecting parts of the genetic material of a virus from tissue samples. It is reliable, highly sensitive, and fairly accurate. However, in a pandemic such as the COVID-19 that has alarming severity and spread, critics say it's simply too slow.

According to Boston University Laboratory for Diagnostics and Global Healthcare Technologies director Catherine Klapperich, tests in this situation need to be quicker, and the technology exists but has not been commercialized so that it is not readily available. She adds that such a quick method of testing for the presence of a virus is known as point-of-care testing, and is essential in an outbreak.

The Sars-CoV-2 or the novel coronavirus' genetic sequence, which is necessary for making a PCR test, was already known last January. Researchers in Germany designed such test, and WHO or the World Health Organization used this.

PCR testing is cheap and straightforward but complicated. Klapperich explained, not all laboratories are capable of doing it, and the entire procedure takes hours. Plus, special permits must be acquired by laboratories to do it, which can take months.

The German test was the one used by different countries. South Korea tests about 10,000 people daily and has so far completed 250,000 tests. It was able to do testing faster because it did not have as many legal constraints as the U.S. had.

CDC did not use this protocol and developed and used its own test. However, it yielded results that were false positive and was quickly recognized as unworkable. CDC thus had to design and produce new test kits, adding to more delays in the crucial race to test more people at the soonest possible time.

The slow approval process for new tests by the FDA or Food and Drug Administration was another cause for delay. To speed up the process, it relaxed its rules for approval and allowed commercial laboratories to start testing for the virus on February 29. Roche, a diagnostics and pharmaceutical company, only got support for automated testing last March 13.

Speed is of the essence in a pandemic. This is also evident in the effects of the different reactions to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic compared to today's COVID-19. An ideal test would have a result after only 20 minutes. Tests that look for proteins on virus surfaces instead of viral genes are faster, but they are less sensitive and are much more susceptible to false-negative results.
KAMPALA  The Health Ministry has unveiled four emergency telephone numbers for novel coronavirus cases after one person was diagnosed positive for the highly contagious disease on Saturday night.

The coronavirus emergency numbers?+256 800 203033 and +256 800 100066, both toll-free lines are operated by the ministrys emergency teams for any suspected cases.

Other emegency numbers include 0782 909 153 operated by Mr. Atek Kagirita and 0772 460 297 operated by Dr. Allan Muruta.

The numbers are operated by emergency teams to allow quicker responses, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng announced on Saturday night.

Health minister Dr. Ruth Jane Aceng confirmed the first coronavirus infection in Uganda on Saturday night.

The ministry would like to inform the general public that Uganda has confirmed her first case of coronavirus disease COVID-19.

Dr. Aceng said the confirmed case is a 36-year-old Ugandan male who arrived from Dubai, on Saturday, March 21, 2020, aboard Ethiopian Airlines.

Hes being isolated at Entebbe Grade B hospital.

President Yoweri Museveni is expected to address the country again today on Sunday, March 22, 2020, at 4 pm on the same.

Senior press secretary to the President, Don Wanyama said, the address will be will be carried live on television and radio.

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Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Ten more people in Punjab have tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the total in the state to thirteen, while four more positive cases have been reported from Haryana, taking the total to 10.

As per the medical bulletin issued by the Punjab government, six family members of 70-year-old Baldev Singh of Pathlawa village, who died on Wednesday at the civil hospital in Banga after having recently travelled to Germany and Italy, have also tested positive for Covid-19.

They include Singhs three sons who are 45, 35 and 34 years old, his 40-year-old daughter-in-law, 36-year-old daughter and 17-year-old granddaughter, besides a 60-year-old man of Moriwala village in Nawanshahr district. All of them have been shifted to the isolation ward in the hospital.

Deputy Commissioner of Mohali, Girish Dayalan, said that three more people also tested positive in Mohali including the 72-year-old sister of the 69-year-old woman living in Phase 3-A who tested positive on Friday. Both sisters were shifted on their request from the civil hospital to the Fortis Hospital.

A 25-year-old woman of Phase V also tested positive. She had come in contact with her friend, a 23-year-old woman from Chandigarh, who tested positive earlier.

It is learnt that she went to pick up her friend from the Amritsar international airport on March 15. She has been kept in isolation and is stable at the civil hospital in Phase 6.

The third case is a 42-year-old resident of Sector 69 who had recently returned from the United Kingdom and was admitted to a government hospital in Sector 16 in Chandigarh.

The close contacts of all these cases have been put under quarantine and surveillance. Samples of close contacts of these cases have also been taken and sent to designated labs for testing, stated the bulletin.

It further stated that a total of 96,983 persons have been screened in the state and 48 persons are under government quarantine at Amritsar.

The Punjab health department has changed its strategy from testing only symptomatic patients to testing all close contacts of a positive patient.

It is learnt that earlier the department was testing only those suspected patients who were showing symptoms of COVID-19 but is now testing all close contacts of a positive patient. It has tested 43 people in the state in the last three days thus taking the number of tested patients to 181. The results of 27 are awaited while 141 samples tested negative. This step was taken after the death of Baldev Singh on Wednesday.

Sources point out that this was being done as even asymptomatic patients could spread the virus.

Meanwhile, with four more positive cases, the number of confirmed Covid patients in Haryana has gone up to 10. This does not include the foreigners who are being treated in the state.

Two coronavirus cases were reported from Gurugram, and one each from Panchkula and Sonepat. The first case was of a gynaecologist at a local civil hospital in Gurugram who was entrusted with collecting samples of suspected coronavirus cases. After she began to show symptoms herself her swab sample was sent to PGIMS Rohtak, which tested them positive. Thus now the eleven doctors and paramedic staff who were associated with her are also being screened.

The second patient is a 16-year-old boy from Palam Vihar in Gurugram whose sister tested positive two days ago. In Sonepat, a young girl who returned from the UK on March 18 has tested positive on Friday. Her family and those whom she recently met have been put under surveillance.

A 38-year-old woman from Kharak Mangoli village in Old Panchkula adjoining Sector 1 (Haryana), who worked at a beauty salon in Chandigarh and came in contact with the 23-year-old woman who had returned from London, has also tested positive. She has been kept in isolation at the civil hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula.

Earlier, on Friday, Faridabad and Panipat reported one case each. A 52-year-old woman of Sector 11 in Faridabad tested positive after returning from Spain on March 12, while a 21-year-old man of Panipat also tested positive after having returned from the UK.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, a couple from Solan who recently came back from Indonesia have been booked for having broken their home quarantine. The state police registered a case against Tanveer and Neha of Kothi Kunal in Arki Tehsil. They had returned on March 10 and were advised by medical authorities to follow home quarantine procedure for 28 days.

Additional SP of Solan Shiv Kumar Sharma said that a case has been registered under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) of the IPC after the Block Medical Officer of Arki Radha Sharma filed a complaint. The two offences could lead to an imprisonment of up to six months and a fine.
Police have imposed



prohibitory orders in Mumbai, Pune and Thane cities of the state from early Monday to March 31.

Police have invoked section 144 of the CrPC, which gives them wide-ranging preventive and remedial enforcement powers.

As per the orders, the restrictions have been imposed in Mumbai, Pune and Thane cities from Monday 5 am to March 31.

The Mumbai police had earlier issued a separate order for section 144 for period between 9 pm on Sunday, the time the Janata curfew ended, till 5 am on Monday.

As per the orders, religious events, cultural ceremonies, festivals, fairs, sporting activities in private or public places where five or more people come together, will be prohibited.

The order will restrict presence or movement of one or more persons in public places and also any vehicles carrying such persons.

The ban is also applicable to restaurants, eateries, permit rooms, pubs, malls, theatres, swimming pools, schools, colleges and gyms.

However, the order does not apply to establishments that come under essential services such as hospitals, pathology labs, post offices, banks, water supply, power companies, groceries, clinics, petrol pumps railway stations, ST stands, airports and last rites.

Violators would be punished under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, the order said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WASHINGTON  Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House churned late into the night over a now nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, the nation shut down and the first U.S. senator tested positive for the disease.

As President Donald Trump took to the podium in the White House briefing room and promised to help Americans who feel afraid and isolated as the pandemic spreads, the Senate voted Sunday against advancing the rescue package. But talks continued on Capitol Hill.

I think youll get there. To me its not very complicated: We have to help the worker. We have to save the companies, Trump said.

Later, the Republican president suggested the remedies may be more harmful than the outbreak, vowing to reassess after the 15-day mark of the shutdown. WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF, he tweeted.

Inside the otherwise emptied out Capitol, the draft aid bill was declared insufficient by Democrats, who argued it was tilted toward corporations and did too little to help workers and health care providers. Republicans returned to the negotiating table.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, exiting the Capitol just before midnight, struck an optimistic note: Were very close, he said, adding negotiators would work through the night.

Our nation cannot afford a game of chicken, warned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., his voice rising on the Senate floor Sunday night. His goal is to vote Monday. The Senate will re-convene at noon.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, sounded an optimistic note.

This bill is going to affect this country and the lives of Americans, not just for the next few days, but in the next few months and years  so we have to make sure it is good, he said. There were some serious problems with the bill leader McConnell laid down. Huge amounts of corporate bailout funds without restrictions or without oversight  you wouldnt even know who is getting the money. Not enough money for hospitals, nurses, PPE, masks, all the health care needs. No money for state and local government, many of whom would go broke. Many other things.

But Schumer said they were making progress in dealing with those issues. Were getting closer and closer. And Im very hopeful, is how Id put it, that we can get a bill in the morning.

With a population on edge and shell-shocked financial markets poised for the new work week, Washington labored under the size and scope of the rescue package thats more ambitious than any in recent times  larger than the 2008 bank bailout and 2009 recovery act combined.

Democrats say the largely GOP-led effort did not go far enough to provide health care and worker aid and fails to put restraints on a proposed $500 billion slush fund for corporations. They voted to block its advance.

Democrats won a concession  to provide four months of expanded unemployment benefits, rather than just three as proposed, according to an official granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. The jobless pay also extends to self-employed and so-called gig workers.

While the congressional leaders worked into the night, alarms were being sounded from coast to coast about the wave of coronavirus cases about to crash onto the nations health system.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had dire, urgent news from the pandemics U.S. epicenter: April and May are going to be a lot worse, he said on NBCs Meet the Press.

De Blasio, a Democrat, all but begged Washington to help procure ventilators and other medical supplies. He accused the Republican president of not lifting a finger to help.

Trump urged Congress to get a deal done and, during the Sunday briefing, responded to criticism that his administration was sluggish to act. He cited his cooperation with the three states hardest hit  New York, Washington and California  and invoked a measure to give governors flexibility in calling up the national guard under their control, while the federal government covers the bill.

But even as Trump stressed federal-local partnerships, some governors, including Republican Greg Abbott of Texas, expressed unhappiness with Washingtons response. The president himself took a swipe hours earlier at Gov. J. B. Pritzker, D-Ill., saying that he and a very small group of certain other Governors, together with Fake News should not be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings.

This came as Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky announced he tested positive for the coronavirus. Paul, who is a doctor and close ally of the president, said in a tweet he was not showing symptoms and was in quarantine.

Paul was seen at a GOP senators lunch on Friday and swimming in the Senate gym pool on Sunday morning, heightening concerns. His office said he left the Senate immediately after learning his diagnosis.

A growing list of lawmakers have cycled in and out of isolation after exposure, and two members of the House have said they tested positive. Five senators were in self-quarantine Sunday evening and could not vote.

In recent days, Trump invoked the Defense Protection Act, a rarely used, decades-old authority that can be used to compel the private sector to manufacture needed medical supplies like masks and ventilators. Officials said Sunday that it would be used voluntarily and businesses would not be compelled to act.

We are a country not based on nationalizing our business, said Trump, who has repeatedly railed against socialism overseas and among Democrats.

Two days after he lashed out at a reporter who asked about his message to frightened Americans, Trump said, For those worried and afraid, please know as long as I am your president, you can feel confident that you have a leader who will always fight for you.

But minutes later, when he learned that rival Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was one of those in isolation, he declared, Romneys in isolation? Gee, thats too bad.

Trump said he was not being sarcastic.

The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket and the financial markets are set to re-open Monday eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the healthcare crisis and what experts say is a looming recession. Stock futures declined sharply as Trump spoke Sunday evening.

Officials late Sunday put the price tag of the ballooning rescue package at nearly $2 trillion. That does not include additional measures being taken by the Federal Reserve to shore up the economy.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was leading a third day of nonstop talks on Capitol Hill, said the plan was meant to prop up the nations weakened economy for the next 10 to 12 weeks.

Central to the package is as much as $350 billion for small businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home. There is also a one-time rebate check of about $1,200 per person, or $3,000 for a family of four, as well as the extended unemployment benefits.

Hospitals, Mnuchin said, will get approximately $110 billion for the expected influx of sick patients.

The treasury secretary said a significant part of the package will involve working with the Federal Reserve for up to $4 trillion of liquidity to support the economy with broad-based lending programs.

But Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have pushed for add-ons, including food security aid, small business loans and other measures for workers.

They warned the draft plans $500 billion for corporations does not put enough restraints on business, saying the ban on corporate stock buy-backs is weak and the limits on executive pay are only for two years.

Were not here to create a slush fund for Donald Trump and his family, or a slush fund for the Treasury Department to be able to hand out to their friends, said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Were here to help workers, were here to help hospitals.

The president, when pressed by a reporter, dodged a question as to whether his own business would seek federal funds.

With Sundays failed vote, McConnell angrily blamed Pelosi, who returned to Washington for a top-level meeting, saying she poured cold water over the draft plan. But any measure from the Senate also needs to pass the House.

The details are coming from drafts of both bills circulating among lobbyists but not yet released to the public. They were obtained by The Associated Press.

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. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

___

Bev Banks contributed. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Hope Yen, Mary Clare Jalonick, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Inside Hook

As COVID-19 spreads and the number of diagnoses rise, the condition of prisons in New York State and around the country are cause for concern. Yesterday, a substantial number of prisoners and guards at Rikers Island tested positive for the coronavirus  an alarming statistic that may well rise in the coming weeks.

Now, The Daily Beast has a report of another high-profile COVID-19 case at a prison elsewhere in the state. That would be Harvey Weinstein. According to a report first published in the Niagara Gazette, Weinstein is currently in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
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Martha Soukup / Flickr, CC

The coronavirus pandemic is exposing inherent flaws in the US' social safety net. And lawmakers are tripping over themselves to show just how seriously they're taking the crisis.

Major entitlements and governmental agencies have been born in moments of national upheaval. And once they're here, they almost never get rolled back.

Some, like Social Security and the Centers for Disease Control, are popular and considered vital. While others, like the Department of Homeland Security, are bloated and ineffective.

Many progressives see the current crisis as an opportunity to extend sick leave and other benefits to workers permanently.

But there exists a danger of an overreaction to a crisis, where well-intended proposals are passed without much consideration. And emergency relief efforts frequently become permanent and unnecessary parts of the federal bureaucracy.

This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Social Security. The Centers for Disease Control. The Department of Homeland Security.

All of these institutions were born of tremendous national upheaval: the Great Depression, World War II, and 9/11, respectively. The novel coronavirus pandemic absolutely qualifies as such a paradigm-shifting moment, and some form of major government expansion is sure to follow.

The current crisis is exacerbating the flaws inherent in the US healthcare system. But it's also revealing just how precarious life is for millions of working Americans who are suddenly out of a job through no fault of their own.

That's led to the somewhat surreal scene of Vice President Mike Pence, famously a staunch opponent of organized labor, telling Americans "If you're sick, stay home  you're not going to miss a paycheck."

is this the unemployment line

As Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch put it, "In 2020, a liberal is a conservative who's been exposed to the coronavirus."

As evidence, Senate Republicans are pushing for a trillion-dollar emergency stimulus package which will include cash payments of $1,200 to every American who makes less than $75,000 and $600 for every person who did not have a tax bill. Congress already passed temporary expansions of paid sick leave and expansion of unemployment benefits.

Story continues

The Army Corps of Engineers might soon begin building new hospitals in coronavirus-stricken New York. And the demand for a COVID-19 vaccine and faster, more accurate tests have sent the public and private sectors into action.

For those taking the longview, some questions linger: Will these measures become permanent? Is a new giant bureaucracy about to be born? Are Americans going to fundamentally alter their view on certain guaranteed benefits for workers?

"Like in previous moments of crisis, whether it's the Great Depression or the 2008 financial crisis, we will need new governmental bodies to address the public needs at this scale," Sabeel Rahman, the president of the progressive-leaning think tank Demos, told Insider.

The social safety net could look much different when this crisis subsidies, a period which could conceivably last two years. Emergency measures rarely, if ever, get rolled back when they're no longer as urgently needed. Once a service is nationalized and people like it, it's hard to un-nationalize.

And even when a department born of a crisis is wildly unpopular and has grown far beyond the scope of its mission  think the Department Homeland Security  that bureaucracy is essentially untouchable, too.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)  a DHS agency  has for nearly two decades put travelers through onerous airport security theater and failed to catch anywhere between 70% and 95% of weapons and contraband in undercover operations, ABC News reported. Another DHS agency, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, has been particularly polarizing in the Trump era  with allegations of rampant civil liberties abuses in both their arrest and detention practices.

Progressives sense an opportunity to implement their reforms

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York tweeted this week, "What we should seriously start to consider now for the medium & long term (bc it will take time) is New Deal-style policy. We need a mix of policies to help put a lot of people to work. Climate transition, [education] expansion w/ apprenticeships & colleges, [Medicare for All]."

While a new "New Deal" doesn't seem to be in the cards just yet, progressives are sensing an opportunity to bring their political agenda to the table, at a time when conservatives are up against the wall and don't want to be seen voting against anything that might help the public amid fears of a Depression.

"We're having a national teaching moment on how outdated and full of holes our basic economic security net is," Gene Sperling, the former Director of the Economic Council to Presidents Clinton and Obama, told Insider.

"There are a few areas where this emergency is starting to lead to real progress, like on paid sick leave where they seem to be trying to cover not formal employees, but those who are counted rightly or wrongly as contractors or self-employed," Sperling added.

"What's really critical is that this moment be used to expand our unemployment insurance system," Sperling continued. "So many people are just getting crushed. People like drivers domestic workers whose employers don't file are going to lose everything and are not even currently eligible for unemployment insurance. The people who are eligible often get paid 33% to 50% of their paycheck, which makes no sense in a crisis like this."

Angela Rachidi, a scholar specializing in poverty and the safety net at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told Insider that certain aspects of the social safety net  paid leave, food assistance benefits, Medicaid for the newly unemployed who have lost their health insurance  will almost certainly be codified or expanded within the current system.

But she's skeptical that more aggressive changes like universal basic income are here to stay, adding that she doesn't see a political will for UBI to emerge even after this crisis.

However, she thinks it's "very possible" that we could see a Department of Homeland Security-sized agency devoted to public health that would be designed to address the gaps in the social safety net.

Veronique de Rugy, a Senior Research Fellow at the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Institute, told Insider that while she supports government taking emergency measures like the ones currently being implemented, she warns against an "overreaction" that would make such measures permanent and potentially create massive additions to the federal bureaucracy.

"It is becoming obvious that a lot of the bureaucracies we already have played a role in slowing down our response to this event. I'm thinking about the FDA and the CDC and the mistakes have been made with testing," de Rugy said.

"This is not a great time for the FDA," Mike Tanner, a senior fellow specializing in poverty, health, and social welfare at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, told Insider. "On the one hand, we're seeing calls for centralization, for war powers and for the government to do all sorts of things in terms of the healthcare sector. On the other hand, they're cutting a lot of regulations, a lot of red tape, and we're seeing where regulation and red tape have gotten in the way of the response."

Tanner added, "The question is, are we looking at the Great Depression or are we looking at a short-term crunch with a bounceback?" He continued: "For now I think we should avoid anything that's going to lock us in for the long-term and what may or may not be necessary [We] should target the immediate problem."

In a national crisis, Congress moves fast and breaks precedent

One thing's for certain: legislation moves fast in these times of crisis.

A Congress that has seen lawmaking grind to historic lows in recent years is suddenly ready to swiftly act and break long-time precedents. But even though no one is untouched by the pandemic, it seems reasonable to have sober conversations about permanent reforms, lest the federal government bloats itself regrettably.

Social Security is perennially popular, and few would argue against the necessity of the CDC. But a great many Americans probably wish there had been a moment of reflection in the legislative branch after 9/11, before Congress approved the creation of the DHS  a lumbering behemoth with ineffective and, at times, abusive agencies.

Not all crisis aid is created equal, and not every emergency response should be permanent.

But America's "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" ethos is indeed facing a reckoning, and change is coming.

Business Insider
Another gas rig comes on line at Iranian offshore reserve in Persian Gulf

Iran Press TV

Friday, 20 March 2020 6:18 PM

Iran has started pumping natural gas from a new offshore drilling rig in the Persian Gulf while a local contractor finishes installation for a separate platform in the region as development efforts continue in Iran's giant energy sector despite a series of tough sanctions imposed by the United States.

Reports in the local media on Friday suggested that production of gas had started from a fourth rig at Phase 14 of the South Pars, the largest gas field in the world which is shared between Iran and Qatar.

The rig, a super-size structure fully built inside Iran, had been installed at a location some 100 kilometers off the port of Kangan in southern Iran in early February.

The SPD-14D is now pumping 14.2 million cubic meters (mcm) per day of natural gas from the offshore field, bringing the total production from Phase 14 of South Pars to 56 mcm a day.

Other reports said Iranian engineers and technicians had ended installations for extra equipment at a separate drilling rig in the adjacent Phase 13 of South Pars late on Thursday.

The reports said the platform was the third of a group of four rigs that would bring total gas production from Phase 13 to 56 mcm per day.

Iran's rapid development of South Pars over the past Persian calendar year ending on Thursday March 19 come despite mounting difficulties facing the government in accessing technology and finances because of the American sanctions.

Giant international energy firms like France's Total and China's CNPC withdrew from a major agreement to develop Phase 11 of the field after the United States imposed its unilateral sanctions on Iran in November 218.

Production from the sprawling gas field is now exceeding 700 mcm per day thanks to homegrown efforts and extensive government support.

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By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Two more COVID-19 positive cases confirmed in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said on Twitter.

#coronaupdate: 2 new positive cases of #Covid19. 64 Y F, traveled from California, under isolation at Stanley Med College. 43 Y M, returned from Dubai, under isolation at Tirunelveli Med College. Both the pts are stable. @MoHFW_INDIA #Vijayabaskar  Dr C Vijayabaskar (@Vijayabaskarofl) March 22, 2020

The minister in his tweet said a 64-year-old woman, who had travelled from California, has tested positive and is undergoing treatment at Chennai's Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. The second case is a 43-year-old man who came from Dubai and is undergoing treatment at Government Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.

Vijayabaskar said both the patients are now stable.

The State confirmed three new cases on Sunday. With this the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases increased to nine including the one recovered and discharged from the hospital.
Medibank's telephone health advice and nurse triage service has been overrun, receiving close to 12,000 calls a day from members and via the governments COVID-19 hotline. The service usually gets around 400 calls daily, and Medibank hired more than 300 nurses last week alone to handle calls. Loading Drummond says the financial impact on Medibank is unclear, but notes the company is debt-free and "feeling pretty good and robust". Ramsay Health Care, the country's largest private hospital operator, withdrew its earnings guidance last week due to uncertainty around COVID-19. Its likely COVID-19 patients will start to be transferred from public hospitals into the private system, Drummond says, which would lead to a spike in medical claims from members. But a surge of COVID-19 patients in private hospitals would also cause elective surgeries to be delayed or cancelled, potentially flattening out claims volumes. Ancillary services like physiotherapy could also fall.

And the expected rise in unemployment will put pressure on membership numbers, which have already been falling industry-wide as insurance premiums rise faster than wages. "Were watching that pretty closely at the moment," Drummond says. "There are many potential ups and downs and it depends on how long this goes on for." Medibank investors do not appear too spooked by the health crisis. The fund's shares are down 8.2 per cent since February 20, compared to a 33 per cent collapse across the ASX200. When COVID-19 does pass, Drummond's attention will return to addressing the structural headwinds battering his industry.

The former Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and NAB banker says the Grattan Institute's descriptions of his industry as being in a "death spiral" is an "over-dramatisation". But he is the first to admit the challenges are real and the industry needs to change. "The system needs a good hard look at itself and be prepared to compromise and make some changes because without it the path is troubled," he says. While some question if the $6 billion in government subsidies the private sector receives a year from the insurance rebate is money well spent, Drummond says our public health system would end up "like some of our peers internationally" without the private system to take the pressure off. "And I tell you now... you wont like it," he says.

The forces upending the industry are the decline in insurance coverage rates (down to 44 per cent of the population in December from 47 per cent five years ago) driven by the loss of younger members, who funds need to subsidise the care of older members; and funds' hospital bills rising faster than their revenue (up 4 per cent versus 2.5 per cent in the year to December). Medibank's first-half profit fell 9 per cent to $178 million - it's worst result in five years - which it blamed on an "extraordinary" 6 per cent hike it hospital claims, driven by higher prostheses costs. Drummond is attacking Medibank's own costs - cutting its cost base by 9 per cent, or $10 million, in the first-half of the year and planing to do the same in the second half with new IT systems and replacing workers with automation. But as Drummond points out, Medibank controls only 7.5 per cent of its total costs. The balance is claims, which he says need to be brought under control. One step Medibank is taking on that front is to intervene in members' lives early to stop them going to hospital in the first place.

A pilot program is helping 400 people who would otherwise be on track for knee replacements to lose weight (the leading cause behind such surgeries). It also trailed heart attack and knee replacement rehabilitation, and chemotherapy in patients' homes. Drummond says Australia lags behind a global trend of moving more medical care into patients' homes and prioritising shorter hospital stays - both cheaper and often clinically superior options. "Were trying to push the system to say this is what customers want... we should move down this path," Drummond says. Drummond attributes a slowing of the decline in private health coverage (down 8000 members in the past 12 months compared to a 65,000 drop in the year before that) to recent government reforms, including discounts for young members. Loading

"In order for that type of trend to continue, well need to see more reform," he says. Health funds are pleading with government to further reduce how much they pay for medical devices - a major driver of their growing costs. Drummond also hopes the government will increase the Medicare Levy Surcharge - which punishes high earners who don't take up insurance - by 100 basis points to between 2 and 2.5 per cent. Further subsidies through the insurance rebate would work too, he says, but are unlikely in the current fiscal environment. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority recently warned without significant change then only three of Australia's 36 health insurers would have a sustainable business model by 2022, raising the prospect of takeovers and mergers.
Warrenpoint's Lee Duffy and Ballinamallard's Aaron Arkinson during today's game at Mourneview Park, Lurgan. Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press

A former Warrenpoint striker has urged the public to take coronavirus seriously after spending eight days in hospital "hooked up to oxygen" after receiving a Covid-19 diagnosis.

Lee Duffy spent eight days in hospital "hooked up to oxygen" with Covid-19 before making a recovery.

The 28-year-old said he could "no longer breathe on my own, scared not knowing what was going to happen.

"Luckily I got through it and Im starting to feel a lot better now," he said.

Warrenpoint wished Duffy, who played for Newry City until January, a full recovery, saying "thankfully" he is on the mend.

"Lee is a young very fit 28 year old. Please take this virus seriously. It attacks all ages," they said. "Lee is in our thoughts and we pray for his continued recovery."

A Linfield player tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month. Meanwhile, all Irish League fixtures have been suspended until at least 4 April.
Streets and beaches remained empty in Goa on Sunday as people observed the 14-hour 'Janta curfew' initiated to check the spread of coronavirus.

Except for the essential services, everything else including bus services, commercial establishments, restaurants, markets and places of worship were shut and people remained inside their homes.

The Goa Church cancelled its Sunday masses all over the coastal state to avoid crowding.

Prominent temples, including the Mangueshi temple, the Mahalsa Narayani temple at Mardol and the Kamakshi temple in North Goa district were shut.

Gudi Padwa festivities, scheduled for later this week, have also been cancelled, officials said.

Leaders cutting across party lines supported the 'Janta curfew', which was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Goa has not reported a single case of coronavirus. Till Saturday, only one patient was in isolation at a hospital.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant released pictures where he was seen playing chess with his daughter at his residence in Sakhalim.

"I am reviewing and monitoring the situation across the state with respect to movement on borders as well as healthcare services. Also, I had an opportunity to spend some quality time with my family. I request everyone to stay indoors with your loved ones," Sawant said.

In another statement, Sawant asked media persons not to venture out, and said he would be providing visuals of the 'Janta curfew' across the state through the security agencies which are on duty.

State BJP chief Sadanand Tanavade thanked all the people for cooperating and said it was time to flatten the coronavirus curve.

"This is not a time to argue over anything. I am happy that all the political parties have extended their support to this day," he said.

Sawant on Saturday announced a slew of measures, including shutting down of roadside eateries and partial restrictions on government and private offices till March 31, to check the spread of the deadly virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The May 2 elections planned by more than a dozen school districts, municipalities and other entities in Bexar County should be postponed.

The election is only six weeks away. There are no guarantees that many of the precautionary measures that have been put in place to slow the COVID-19 outbreak will be lifted by the time the campaign season kicks off or early voting begins April 20.

Social distancing and quarantines could significantly impact balloting in what are already low-turnout races, often determined by a handful of votes.

Social distancing and the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people will greatly hamper candidates ability to block walk (this is not the time to be knocking on doors), hold political rallies, visit with neighborhood associations and schedule fundraising activities. Limiting political newcomers access to potential voters gives incumbents an unfair advantage.

The anti-coronavirus measures in place, which include the closing of public schools and libraries, would wreak havoc on Election Day. During the countys last election, 65 percent of the poll sites were at schools.

Beyond this, the health of the civil servants who staff poll sites is of concern. Public health officials have warned that senior citizens are in the highest risk pool for this potentially deadly virus. Many of the election judges and their assistants are retirees, and approximately 45 percent of them are older than 70.

Some of these public health concerns could be averted if Texas elections could be conducted entirely by mail as many states have successfully done for years.

Unfortunately, that is not an option for Texas counties under current election law, Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen said.

The states election code allows only mail balloting by registered voters who are older than 65, disabled or incarcerated but otherwise eligible to vote, or anyone who is going to be out of the county during the entire early voting period and Election Day. To avoid fraud, that mail-ballot application requires a signature, which has to be validated against the one on the ballot submitted.

Bexar County is equipped to handle mail voting on a small scale. During the recent primaries, 23,000 mail ballots were requested and 18,000 of those ballots were returned.

If all of the countys balloting were to be done by mail, legislative changes to ballot deadlines would be needed so the counting could be completed in a timely manner, election officials said. It would also require counties to purchase the equipment needed to verify voter signatures.

There are those voters who will always insist on casting a ballot in person, but allowing more voters access to mail ballots is worth exploring.

It certainly would make moot many of the potential problems with going forward with the May 2 elections.
The chairman of Arizona's Asian Chamber of Commerce didn't see much downside to attending a small dinner at a local restaurant to bolster the business and bring together other leaders to discuss how to help Asian-American eateries devastated by the coronavirus.

That was, at least, until he posted about it on Instagram. The feedback was swift from people who were appalled that Ryan Winkle would promote a gathering  even a small one  as COVID-19 raged and entire cities were urged to self-isolate.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Over 500 cases in Texas, city ramps up testing

I started getting some messages saying, Hey, why are you trying to spread the virus?' I was like, Its a small event, and everyone had washed their hands, and they had sanitizer on the tables,' Winkle said of the dinner held Saturday in Mesa, Arizona. My thinking is always about the economics. Imagine when all these businesses shut down. Thats a whole different problem.

Quarantine shaming  calling out those not abiding by social distancing rules  is part of a new and startling reality for Americans who must navigate a world of rapidly evolving social norms in the age of COVID-19. As schools close and shelter-in-place orders sweep across the U.S., the divide between those who are stringently practicing self-isolation and those who are still trying to go about some semblance of a normal life has never been more clear. Complicating matters: What was socially acceptable even 48 hours ago may now be taboo, as government officials race to contain the virus with ever-expanding circles of social isolation.

The time matrix seems to be shifting. Ive never known several days to go by so slowly and watching the collective conscience move more and more in one direction day by day," said Paula Flakser, who lost her bartending job when California's Mammoth Mountain ski resort closed this week.

For those who must go to work, the divide is widening too.

Steve Diehl, who is considered an essential employee at his job at a warehouse near Chicago, wears a mask to work because a family member has a compromised immune system. He's terrified of catching the new coronavirus or transmitting it to his loved one at home.

Diehl posted a sign at the warehouse entrance asking people to put on masks that were provided to protect immuno-compromised family, but several co-workers didn't wear them, he said. One of them coughed into his hand while standing by Diehl's desk  and then began to touch things on his desk with the same hand.

TRACKING CORONAVIRUS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID-19

That angered me greatly," said Diehl, who posted a photo of himself in a mask on Twitter. And when I made a comment about it, they shrugged it off.

Others who are trying to juggle working from home while caring for kids who are also home are making smaller and more mundane choices that nevertheless bring shocked responses  or even rebukes  from co-workers, friends and even family. Is it OK to run out for a coffee? Can you allow your children to go the playground? What about sending kids to day care centers, which remain the only lifeline in many states that have closed schools?

Flakser, the woman who lost her bartending job, said she was upset by the hundreds of people who flocked to her tiny hometown of Bishop, California, from Los Angeles and other large cities to vacation the minute schools shut down. The 42-year-old climber posted angry messages about the crowds on Facebook and was quoted in an online climbing magazine, Thundercling.

So many people descended on a climbing spot called Happy Boulders over the weekend that lines of people were walking into the narrow canyon. The routes to reach the top mean dozens of people were grabbing the same handholds in the rock again and again, potentially spreading germs, she said.

When people from urban areas are escaping, theyre escaping to vulnerable areas that have incredibly limited medical resources  and it felt pretty entitled and selfish," she said in a phone interview. It feels like a lot of first-world privilege knocking at our door."

By Wednesday, the crowds had abated  possibly because of the article and social media posts  but this weekend will be the true barometer," Flakser said.

Her concerns echo those who slammed St. Patrick's Day revelers who flooded bars in Chicago and New Orleans and those who called out college students who've been thronging to beaches for spring break. An Instagram video of hundreds of partiers packed onto a booze cruise in the Bahamas drew comments calling for a boycott of the company that organized it.

Some of the strong online reaction to these crowd-size violations likely stem from the fact that authorities would be hard-pressed to enforce the new rules and are relying on a social compact to keep everyone safe. In Oregon, for example, restaurants that continue to offer dine-in service would face only a low-level misdemeanor  and social shaming is much more effective.

Jeff Carreras, owner of Traceys Original Irish Channel Bar in New Orleans, said he's faced similar scathing criticism over the crowds that gathered outside his bar Saturday. People on Facebook accused him of raking in money while disregarding growing warnings about the dangers of crowds during the outbreak of COVID-19.

One poster, Claire Hassig, said on the bar's page that her 70-year-old mother had to walk by to get to her car and was mobbed by drunken idiots with zero respect for social distancing or her safety.

Carreras said he kept the crowd inside below its 250 capacity and didn't set up the usual outside bar  but crowds formed anyway. It was the bars idea to have police break them up when his staff couldn't do it, he said.

Theres no way I would entice, encourage the public to come out and spread a virus that's as bad as it is," he said. We did everything we were asked to do."

Those appalled by the behavior of some of their fellow Americans have welcomed a crackdown this week from many state and local governments that are adding daily to lists of closures and bans.

Bars in a popular part of Portland, Oregon were busy on Friday and Saturday nights but are now dark after Gov. Kate Brown banned all dine-in service at food establishments and bars statewide.

Alec Bhurke, who wrote an angry post on Facebook about the weekend crowds, said most people likely just need that kind of guidance from authorities to recognize the seriousness of the crisis.

People dont understand ... the implications of what even a single day does to the body count (from the virus) at this stage, he said Wednesday. But people should know better  and they should do better.

Winkle, for his part, has re-examined his approach to social distancing since the weekend event. It helps that Mesa instituted a ban on dine-in serve at restaurants and bars on Tuesday.

I get it, and I get where theyre coming from, he said. I definitely took it to heart and thought maybe it's time to start slowing things down.

____

Associated Press writers Kevin McGill in New Orleans and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Guests are jittery, travel is tangled, and soon-to-be brides and grooms are facing tough choices because of the coronavirus outbreak: postpone, cancel or forge ahead with their weddings?

Uncertainty as virus cases grow in the U.S. and elsewhere has sent ripples through the wedding industry, from photographers and caterers to harried wedding planners and venues.

So much extra stress, said bride Hayley Pass, 26, of Saddle Brook, New Jersey. After all this planning its like, really, were going to postpone? We just really want it to happen but it seems like the worst is yet to come.

She and her fiance had 155 confirmed guests for their planned nuptials today in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, with a handful of cancellations due to virus fear. One relative made it clear that she and her family will attend but would keep hugging and kissing to a minimum.

The couple initially said they would cancel the wedding only if their venue  or their closest loved ones  pulled out. Theyve now postponed the wedding to July.

Other couples expressed similar resolve to keep their wedding dates as the industry heads into the busy June season.

Rescheduling or canceling raises a world of questions. What are the odds that vendors will all be available on the same new date and time? Will couples lose money, in deposits and beyond already paid? Standard wedding insurance doesnt cover anxiety over a spreading virus that has come with restrictions on travel and large gatherings in spots around the world. Some insurance companies are fielding a barrage of queries over how policies work in such a unique situation.

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.

In the wedding world, vendors are feeling the pinch.

Professional planners who have longstanding relationships with suppliers have found themselves negotiating new minimum guest counts to help save their clients money as friends and family decline. Travel agents said theyre trying to reroute honeymoon flights to avoid popular destinations in Asia and Europe that have been restricted or closed, such as Lake Como in Italys hard-hit Lombardy region.

Were trying to guess what is to come, said Sasha Souza, a wedding planner in Californias wine country. Guest counts are dropping dramatically. We have a wedding for 150 people in June and were now looking at 50 people. Guests are just like, Im not coming. Maybe theyll change their minds. People are receiving such mixed messages right now.

Gabrielle Wheeler, 22, was supposed to get married in April in the olive groves of an Italian villa in the Tuscan town of Grosseto. She now has to settle for a wedding at the same place in a year. She tried to cancel when travel restrictions were imposed, but the venue wouldnt refund her money.

Honestly, Im upset, said Wheeler, who lives in Amsterdam. I have to make the best of it.

Abby Murray, a Charlotte, North Carolina, travel agent who specializes in honeymoons, said new business has come to a halt as existing clients postpone, shift destinations from hot spots like Italy to Hawaii, Costa Rica and the Caribbean, or try to navigate around connections through China.

At this time of year, she usually would be handling 20 clients. She now has two.

People are scared to book their honeymoons right now. People dont even want to explore it. Theyre going to move forward with their weddings but take their honeymoons at a later date, Murray said.

Dresses also are a problem for some.

The Green Bride shop in Littleton, Colorado, typically receives up to 60 wedding dresses shipped from China each month from February through May. In February, it received only four.

We are on crunch time, said Holly Marsh, one of the owners. If the wedding is in June, and the dress is supposed to be here in February and its not going to get here until May, what do you tell them?

David Gaffke, who owns the shop Complete Bridal in East Dundee, Illinois, relies heavily on China for manufacturing, as do most in the wedding gown business.

Its frustrating when it comes to having to tell a bride that were not able to fulfill your needs, he said. This is the most important dress theyre going to wear.

Larger retailers, including Davids Bridal with more than 300 stores, said their supply networks are holding steady.

Photographer Michael Busada in Washington, D.C., relies on weddings for about half his business. He has 36 weddings under contract this year, including one that recently was canceled after the bride was possibly exposed to the virus. Another wedding went from a large venue with 150 guests to a home ceremony with 20. A 10-hour day for Busada dropped to three hours of work.

Busada offered the couple who was forced to cancel a credit or postponement without penalty.

Everybodys struggling. It doesnt do me any good to be the bad guy, he said.

Leon Rbibo, president of The Pearl Source, an online jewelry company headquartered in Los Angeles, has been servicing the industry for more than 10 years.

He started seeing cancellations and requests for order delays in mid-January. It started with an uptick of about 5%, he said. Fast forward to late February, when such requests shot up to 15%. He projected March would end at closer to 17%, representing about $50,000 worth of business canceled or postponed.

We know these requests are related to concerns around the spread of coronavirus because our customer experience teams are trained to ask for the reason for cancellation or postponement, Rbibo said.

At RentMyWedding.com, which provides everything from lighting to linens for thousands of couples across the U.S., orders for March have decreased by 24.3% compared with March 2019, said Marie Kubin, the founder and CEO in Miami.

The majority of our clients place orders one to three weeks prior to their wedding, she said. The couples that are canceling have said they plan to reschedule for the future, but theyre not going to choose a new date until they see how things shake out with the coronavirus. Many other couples with weddings happening in the next month are asking us to put their orders on hold because theyre not sure whether or not to go ahead with their weddings.

Caterers are holding on with extra care.

Andrea Correale, president and founder of Elegant Affairs catering and event firm in Manhattan, said she is doubling and tripling hand washing stations for workers, placing hand sanitizer in coat check and registration areas, and offering baskets of sanitizer on tables for guests.

Shes also creating more distance between guests at tables, so a round table that usually seats 10 is now set up for eight.

Large bottles and pitchers of juices and soda have become individual bottles, bartenders are wearing gloves and Correale has replaced communal bowls of bar snacks with individual bags, so people can still graze and feel safe about it.
"We won't go to any infidel school," 11-year-old Mohammed from Tajikistan says. Other boys in the group agree. The group is speaking with VOA reporters in a special area of the Al-Hol refugee camp in northern Syria.

But Azerbaijani Qassam has another idea. "If they taught us things like math and reading, then we would go," he says.

Mohammed considers it. "If they taught English and things like that, I would go too," he agrees.

Mohammed only remembers his life under the control of the Islamic State group. He studied some usual school subjects along with weapons and Islamic State ideology. He would like to go to school again, but worries the educators will try to undo his IS training.

During the final months of IS control, he could not go to school. His family and thousands of others moved from town to town with the militant group until they reached the Syrian town of Baghouz. Coalition forces surrounded them there a year ago. They were bombed every day until they surrendered.

"We couldn't go to school in Baghouz because of those dogs," Mohammad says. He directed his words at two young women nearby, soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF guards the camp.

Mohammed says his father died fighting in Afghanistan. But, the boy says he was a baby and does not really remember him. He does remember his mother, who was killed by a bomb in Baghouz.

The camp is in a lonely corner of the Syrian desert. It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. There is not enough food, clean water or medicine. Al-Hol holds about 70,000 displaced women and children. An estimated 7,000 of them are foreigners, linked to IS fighters. Most of the countries from which they came have refused them reentry.

Mohammed knows his future.

"I will be a fighter," he says.

"Do other kids here want to do this, or is this just your idea?" one of the reporters asks.

"Some kids don't want to," he answers. "But 99 percent of us want this."

The school prison

Boys not much older than Mohammed are often taken from this camp and never heard from again, he says.

A veiled woman from Uzbekistan enters the discussion. "Why are they taking our boys to prison?" Asma asks loudly. "What did they do?"

Other women hear her questions and join the crowd.

The women confirm reports that sons of IS fighters are taken from the camp around the age of 14 and placed in special schools designed to reshape their ideologies.

"It is not a school. It is a prison," Asma says. And it is true that the boys are barred from leaving.

But officials say there is no other choice.

Extremist ideas are growing, not decreasing, among many families of IS fighters. Most now live in horrifying conditions at camps all over Syria and Iraq. Many camp parents encourage their children to become IS fighters when they grow up.

School officials hope to provide the boys with different ideas, so they can have a good future, says Amara, a security officer at al-Hol Camp. The schools also aim to separate them from their extremist family members.

Their childrens only hope

But at the market inside the camp, many women say there is only one way their children can have a safe future. They want the many countries they came from to take them back.

An Australian woman at al-Hol says she would happily surrender her two children to Australian officials, even if she were left in the camp. "They were born in Syria, but when they grow up I hope they don't know where Syria is," she says.

Asma, the woman from Uzbekistan, follows the VOA reporters around the market, repeating her questions: "Why did they take my son? What did he do?" she shouts.

Another Uzbek woman tells Mohammed not to talk to the reporters. He says later that the woman believed the reporters might be part of the group that takes boys to school.

"She said not to tell you anything, or you may use it to come back and take me away," he says.

Im Caty Weaver.

VOAs Heather Murdoch reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

infidel n. one who does not belief in the Muslim faith

ideology n. a belief system

veiled adj. a cloth worn by women to hide their faces from men

encourage v. to express belief in ones success
The Ministry of Health on Sunday night announced seven more SARS-CoV-2 infections, adding to the 12 announced earlier the same day.

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Sunday's 19 new infections are the largest single-day rise in the country and bring the total to 113.

The seven announced in the evening, all Vietnamese nationals, were in Hanoi.

The 107th patient was a 25-year-old woman and is the daughter of the 86th patient, who was one of two nurses at Bach Mai Hospital who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Friday.

The other six patients were all quarantined upon arrival in Viet Nam.

The 108th patient was a 19-year-old man studying in the UK. He returned to Viet Nam on Wednesday on Vietnam Airlines flight VN054 on seat 3K.

The 109th patient was a 42-year-old male university lecturer in the UK. He returned to Viet Nam on March 15 on Thai Airways flight TG560 on seat 37E, after transitting through Bangkok.

The 110th patient was a 19-year-old student in the US. He returned to Viet Nam on March 19 on Japan Airlines flight JL571 on seat 1A, after transiting through Japan. He contacted a person who was confirmed infected in the US.

The 111th patient was a 25-year-old female student in France. She returned to Viet Nam on March 18 on Vietnam Airlines flight VN018 on seat 36D.

The 112th patient was a 30-year-old student in France. She contacted people with symptoms of coughing and fever at a Vietnamese pho shop, where she worked as a part-time job in France.

The 133rd patient was an 18-year-old woman and is a student in the UK.

All patients are under treatment at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in ong Anh District and in stable health conditions.

Earlier on Sunday evening, the ministry announced seven more SARS-CoV-2 infections, adding to the five announced earlier the same day.

The seven announced in the evening, all Vietnamese nationals, were in HCM City and the Mekong Delta region.

The 100th patient was a 55-year-old man in HCM Citys District 8. He has diabetes and arthritis. He flew from Malaysias Kuala Lumpur to Viet Nam on AirAsias AK524 on March 3 and was instructed to isolate at home.

However, from March 4 to 17, he attended religious ceremonies five times a day at Jamiul Anwar Mosque at No157B/9 Duong Ba Trac Street in HCM Citys District 8. Despite having no symptoms of COVID-19, the district medical centre on March 18 took test samples from all members of the mosque who had attended religious ceremonies in Malaysia in recent days. HCM City Pasteur Institute confirmed the positive result on Sunday. He is now being treated at the citys Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Four other cases arrived on Vietnam Airlines flight VN0050 from the UK to Can Tho Internationl Airport on the morning of March 18. None showed any symptoms when they arrived and were sent to the collective quarantine area immediately.

Of those, the 101st patient was a 26-year-old woman living in Vung Tau City on seat 26F. The 102nd patient was a 9-year-old girl living in Ha Nois Hoan Kiem District on seat 20D. The 103rd patient was a 22-year-old man living in HCM Citys Phu Nhuan District on seat 12F. The 104th patient was a 33-year-old man living in HCM Citys District 12 on seat 27D.

Two more cases were confirmed in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinhs collective quarantine area. They were both on AirAsias flight AK575 from Malaysia to Can Tho International Airport on March 18. They did not show any symptoms of COVID-19 and were sent to the quarantine area.

They are a 35-year-old woman living in An Giang Provinces Cho Moi District on seat 6E and a 20-year-old woman living in Chau Phu District on seat 6C.

Hanoians to receive one million free face masks

From now to the end of March, residents in Hanoi will be offered five free face masks each in public areas, shops and supermarkets in the city.

People can register in advance and pick up their free masks at these areas.

The programme has been initiated by iCheck Corporation (code scanner application) and LizN Health (American cosmeceuticals brand) in response to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs call for people to team up to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Vu The Tuan, CEO of iCheck.

As technology is our advantage, we want to donate carbon activated protective masks imported from the US for the people in a fair, safe and transparent way, he said.

People can register for their free masks at https://liznvn.com/ to avoid big crowds where the risk is very high. They will receive a QR that can then be used at shopping centres such as Big C Supermarket, Aeon Mall, Kids Plaza, Pico Mart, Soi Bien food shop chain and Lotte Mart./.

Medical students ready to join COVID-19 fight

The Hanoi Medical University has mobilised a total of 124 final-year students to join the frontline in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the capital city.

This is one of the university students activities as part of Youth Month programme, which is observed annually every March.

The volunteer students will work under the direction of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control on different tasks such as conducting epidemiological investigation in isolation areas, giving support in blood tests for COVID-19 at the airport, and collecting the information of passengers on flights to Vietnam.

In the same move, 50 final-year students at the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in Ho Chi Minh city have also volunteered to join the COVID-19 fight in reply to the call of the citys Health Department.

The students have received training on inputting the data on COVID-19 cases and those who have had direct contact with the confirmed cases, conducting epidemiological investigations of those who have indirect contact with the confirmed cases, and providing medical support in isolation areas.

Also in response to Youth Month, the Vietnam Youth Federation launched an action programme in Tan Chau town, An Giang province on March 21. The programme includes the construction of two childrens playing areas in Vinh Xuong and Phu Loc commune, the award of scholarships for 40 children living in the provinces border areas, and the presentation of face masks and antiseptics to the provincial border guards.

Since the beginning of this month, youth union members in Ninh Binh province have handed out free face masks and leaflets on preventive measures against COVID-19 traders at markets and workers at the industrial parks.

Vietnamese Embassy supports citizen stranded at Malaysian airport

The Embassy of Vietnam in Malaysia has taken citizen protection measures as a Vietnamese citizen was stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Ha Vi Lam, 30, working in Macau (China), boarded a plane home on March 18 and transited in Malaysia.

However, he was estranged at the airport as the Malaysian government had enforced the Movement Control Order (MCO), which bans all foreigners from entering Malaysia in two weeks starting on March 18, in an attempt to curb the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.

The airports hotel also shut down and refused services to new guests due to the MCO, forcing him to stay at the airports transit lounge.

Along with support for his meals, the embassy is helping Lam to seek a flight home, which is expected to be after March 31, following the end of the MCOs two-week enforcement.

In case of emergency, Vietnamese citizens in Malaysia are recommended to contact the embassys round-the-clock hotline ( 60) 1136 682 866 or email address vnemb.my@mofa.gov.vn./.

Vietnamese in Thailand advised to obey countermeasures against COVID-19

Passengers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Embassy of Vietnam in Thailand has advised Vietnamese citizens living, working and studying in the country to rigorously comply with precautionary measures set out by the local government against the wide-spreading novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

Due to the complex developments of the pandemic, the governments of Thailand and other regional countries like Laos and Cambodia have raised travel restrictions to the highest level, the embassy said in a statement.

Thailand has closed most of its land border checkpoints and introduced new entry rules for all nationalities. Accordingly, travellers are required to present virus-free medical certificates and health insurances showing minimum coverage of not less than 100,000 USD to gain entry into the country.

Some parts of Thailand have imposed travel restrictions in cities shutdown while domestic airlines suspended commercial flights between the country and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the government of Laos has halted free-visa entry for all Vietnamese passport holders starting from 0:00am on March 20 while the Cambodian government has announced to bar entry of Vietnamese nationals from 11:59pm on the same day.

At the same time, Vietnam has also extended mandatory quarantine to all people entering the country.

The embassy advised all Vietnamese people living, working and studying in Thailand to strictly obey the local government's preventive measures against the epidemic and avoid non-essential travel back home during this time.

If a Vietnamese citizen desires to return home because of urgent reasons, he/she must fill in an online application form available on the embassys website. The embassy will review the request and coordinate with the authorities of both sides to support him/her.

To seek help, Vietnamese citizens are advised to contact the embassy hotlines: ( 66) 8989 66653 or ( 66) 2650 8979 during working hours./.

Quang Ninh CDC qualified for SARS-CoV-2 testing

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the northern province of Quang Ninh has been qualified to perform tests for the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), according to a newly-released decision by the Ministry of Health.

The Quang Ninh CDC is among 22 medical laboratories across the country authorized by the ministry to conduct tests for the virus which is spreading around the globe.

The list comprises central-level facilities such as the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pasteur Institutes in HCM City and Nha Trang and National Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

Along the Quang Ninh CDC, similar centres in other five cities and provinces  Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho, Yen Bai, and Lao Cai  are also included in the list, along with the General Hospital of Phu Tho province.

As of 8:00am on March 21, Quang Ninh has conducted tests for 1.645 suspected cases, of which, 1.632 cases came out negative, seven pending results and six positive.

The province has invested 173.5 billion VND (7.4 million USD) to purchase required medical equipment and supplies to aid efforts against the pandemic.

It has been providing treatment for one patient and putting 99 people in quarantine at healthcare facilities and 769 others in concentrated quarantine areas.

PM hails army for efforts in fighting COVID-19 outbreak

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (second from left) visits a mobile SARS-CoV-2 test station of a medical institute of the army

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has commended the entire army for its efforts to overcome a wide range of difficulties and challenges to fulfill all assigned tasks in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

While attending a teleconference of the army on COVID-19 prevention and control on March 22, PM Phuc affirmed that the Vietnam Peoples Army (VPA) is always a pillar of the nation and its role is further promoted when the country is in danger.

The VPA has been in the front line of the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, he said, adding that thousands of officers and soldiers have been mobilised to directly participate in the combat.

PM Phuc also praised the armys science and technology units for their successful development and production of SARS-CoV-2 new coronavirus test kit which has greatly contributed to COVID-19 check-up and treatment.

In the time to come, the government leader asked all VPA officers and soldiers to protect themselves from COVID-19 and prevent the spread of the disease in military units. The whole army needs to make greater endeavours to well manage concentrated quarantine areas, he added.

A report delivered by the Ministry of National Defences Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control showed that, a total of 34,734 people have been quarantined at barracks across the country. Of them, 17,910 people have completed their quarantine periods and 16,538 others have been undergoing quarantine.

The Ministry of National Defence has 140 establishments which are capable of receiving more than 44,700 people for quarantine.

As of March 22 afternoon, Vietnam had reported 99 COVID-19 infection cases, of whom 17 patients have recovered./.

Tay Ninh reports no COVID-19 cases: health official

Border guard officers in Tay Ninh check temperature of people before entering the province

The southwestern province of Tay Ninh had reported neither SARS-CoV-2 infections nor suspected cases as of 13:00 on March 22, said Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Health Nguyen Van Cuong.

Cuong confirmed the information during a press conference of the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control.

Since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Tay Ninh had sent 31 samples to Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City for testing, with 25 turning out negative and the rest awaiting results, he added.

Quarantine areas at border gates and border districts of the province have to date accommodated 1,702 Vietnamese-Cambodians who returned to Vietnam in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

The Tay Ninh Peoples Committee has approved the establishment of concentrated quarantine areas at Moc Bai international border gate and in all of the provinces districts and city./.

Da Nang people join hands to prevent pandemic

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No shortage of rice supply in Vietnam. We commit to selling at the right price, ensuring the quantity supplied to the market. The notification is put in front of a rice shop in Lien Chieu District, making sure that goods supply are plentiful, and people should not be confused due to concerns over the disease, leading to overbuying.

Meanwhile, to ensure customers safety, a number of shops in the city have been temporarily closed.

For businesses that are still operating, disease preventive measures have been carefully implemented.

Positive actions of the people are joining in the citys efforts in the fight against the pandemic, ensuring safety for people and tourists when coming to the coastal city./.

Organisations, firms join hands in fight against COVID-19

Organisations and businesses nationwide have provided financial assistance for Vietnams fight against the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) presented a donation worth 3 billion VND (over 128,500 USD) to the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee on March 21.

To ease difficulties of businesses and airlines affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, the ACV had reduced service fees at 21 airports across the country.

On March 20, the VFF Central Committee received 10 billion VND from the Long Thanh Golf Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company to support the COVID-19 combat.

The company also presented an additional 10 billion VND to help people overcome losses caused by drought and saline intrusion in the southern region.

The same day, the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) presented 2 billion VND to the VFF Central Committee.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) of the SCIC previously joined hands with Vinh Phuc provinces HCYU and Red Cross Society to hand over 3,000 face masks and 120 bottles of hand sanitiser to residents of Son Loi commune of the provinces Binh Xuyen district.

The FrieslandCampina dairy products company offered 1 billion VND in cash and commodities worth 1 billion VND.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Construction presented 300 million VND each to the VFF Central Committee to back the fight against the epidemic.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) handed over 3 billion VND to the Vietnam Fatherland Front of Hanoi to purchase medical equipment to serve the COVID-19 pandemic combat./.

German newspaper praises Vietnams proactive, resolute COVID-19 fight

A German newspaper recently ran an article praising Vietnams prompt and resolute response to the COVID-19 as it is quickly spreading in many countries despite their numerous measures.

The Junge Welt daily highlighted that a neighbour of China, Vietnam applied prompt and resolute measures in response to the disease as soon as it broke out. The government decided to close down schools and repeatedly extended the decision, as well as aired lectures for students on the TV as a way to help control the spread of the disease.

The article further said Vietnam made a good preparation in terms of test as it successfully developed cheap test kits which give accurate and early results and have been ordered by over 20 other countries.

The daily added that the Vietnamese government and local authorities have also taken resolute measures against the pandemic as there were more cases after three successive weeks absence.



Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered authorities to quickly define and tightly control the sources of the disease and restrict the entry of the people from a number of countries, together with a fortnight compulsory quarantine./. VNS/VNA/VNN/VOV
MONTREAL, March 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maya Gold & Silver (Maya or the Company) (MYA.TO) announces that it has begun implementing business continuity plans and procedures at its Moroccan operations and corporate office in Casablanca in response to developing concerns around COVID-19.



Noureddine Mokaddem, Chairman and CEO, states: Ensuring the health and safety of our workforce is Mayas highest priority. There have not been any confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 at any of our operations however the Company has begun implementing various precautionary measures aimed at reducing the risk of COVID-19 impacting employees and collaborators.



In response to ongoing concerns around COVID-19 Maya Gold & Silver has chosen to continue, until further notice, its activities at the Silver Mine Zgounder by doubling vigilance everywhere at the mine and to decelerate exploration activity at the Boumadine Project to one drill rig in order to limit the number of employees at site. Additional health and safety protocols have also been implemented and the Company has also restricted travels to site.



The Company will continue to closely monitor the directives of all levels of governments in Morocco as well as the relevant health authorities and will take necessary action should the situation escalate.



Noureddine Mokaddem, further states: Although slowing down some of our activities at Zgounder, Boumadine and Azegour has been a difficult decision for the Company to make, we believe it is a prudent measure that will ensure we retain our key employees and preserve our capital structure so that we can quickly ramp up activities when the current risks subside. In the meantime, we will continue to advance our target generation and resource modelling work through integrating the historical data with the excellent results collected from the drilling programs we have completed to date in both Zgounder and Boumadine.



It should be noted that the Company had a cash balance of C$ 21.4 million as at December 31, 2019. Also to date, our stocks of chemical reagents including cyanide cover 4 months of consumption. Finally, the suspension of air and sea links from and to the Kingdom of Morocco may make export difficult of either the silver ingots to the refiner in Switzerland and the flotation concentrates to the smelters in China.

Story continues

We will continue to stay in touch with you during this unprecedented time.

ABOUT MAYA

Maya Gold & Silver Inc. is a publicly-traded Canadian company focused on the operation, exploration and development of gold and silver deposits in the Kingdom of Morocco. Maya is currently operating mining and milling facilities at its Zgounder Mine, an 85%-15% joint venture between its subsidiary, ZMSM, and the ONHYM of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Its mining portfolio also includes the Boumadine polymetallic deposit located in the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Eastern Morocco. This property is also a joint venture with ONHYM wherein Maya retains a 85% ownership.

Additionally, the Corporations portfolio includes the Amizmiz and Azegour properties, both being 100% owned, with gold, tungsten, molybdenum and copper deposits covering over 100 square kilometres in a historical mining district of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains statements about future events or future performance and reflects managements current expectations and assumptions. These are forward-looking because we have used what we know and expect today to make a statement about the future. Forward-looking statements usually include words such as may, intend, plan, expect, anticipate, and believe or other similar words. We believe the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable. However, actual events and results could be substantially different because of the risks and uncertainties associated with our business or events that happen after the date of this news release. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. As a general policy, we do not update forward-looking statements except as required by securities laws and regulations. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in the Corporations filings with SEDAR.

On behalf of the Board:

Noureddine Mokaddem

Founder, Chairman & CEO

+1 514-866-2008

nmokaddem@mayagoldsilver.com
Since then we have adapted our model to feeding first responders in the California wildfires, as well as stricken communities after natural disasters in the Caribbean and Mozambique. This week I have re-opened several of my own shuttered restaurants as community kitchens, serving meals at low or no cost to people in need.

But these are only models for what we should do now; they are too small to meet the unprecedented challenges we face as a nation. We need to understand that these crises threaten our national security.

Today an army of American cooks stands ready to serve our most vulnerable citizens, at a time when those cooks are themselves in desperate need of support. They are our food first responders. With the full support of the federal government, they can serve the many, while saving so many jobs.

There are three groups in our communities who face the greatest threat from the pandemic: the elderly, the homeless and families struggling to make ends meet.

As we know from public health officials, the elderly face the greatest risk of infection and mortality. We know that many of them are afraid for their lives in doing something as routine as going to the supermarket.

Isolation may be the best option for avoiding the pandemic, but our parents and grandparents still need to eat to be healthy in body and soul. The plight of Italys elderly is an unspeakable tragedy that we should avoid at all costs.

Now is the time to stand up the private sector  our neighborhood restaurants  to sustain the lives of our elderly neighbors.
New Delhi, March 22 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged people to stay indoor, avoid outdoor activities for the coming days and practice the 'janata curfew' even after 9 p.m. on Sunday.

"The Prime Minister has announced 'janata curfew' till 9 p.m. We all have to follow it. I request everyone not to leave the house even after 9 p.m. Stay indoors in the coming days as well," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the people to opt for 'janata curfew' and avoid stepping out between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

As the number of coronavirus cases across the nation is rising, the central government on Sunday decided to shut all passenger trains, Metros and inter-state bus services till March 31 across the nation.

So far, 341 cases have tested positive for coronavirus and five deaths have been reported.
Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), has ordered police officers not to detain suspects for minor offences over the coronavirus outbreak.

This direction was made known in a statement by Frank Mba, police spokesman, on Sunday.

Mba quoted the IGP as saying that detention should be reduced to the barest minimum, and only for serious offences.

Read Also: God Wants To Use Coronavirus To Show The World That He Is Almighty  Pastor Adeboye

Mba said: The IGP, while urging officers to observe personal safety measures, further directs the Zonal AIGs and Command CPs to ensure that cases of unnecessary arrests and detention of suspects are not condoned.

He reiterates that detention of suspects must be reduced to the barest minimum and that only very serious cases such as terrorism, armed robbery, homicide and other non-bailable offences should warrant detention.

More details to follow
Srinagar, March 22 : The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to trace all those Kashmiris hiding travel histories to overseas and have returned home.

The DC Srinagar Shahid Choudhary in a series of tweets has given details about some Kashmiris returning from foreign countries and are hiding travel histories for escaping the mandatory quarantine in the wake of coronavirus threat.

"Four passengers just reached from Mauritius, Dubai and Kazakhstan have declined to declare travel history. Done quickly by IT team. My 'WHO Guidelines wala Friends' can u pl send a 'Recorded Sermon' to help convince such people? Please? I beg. Ignore the Thick Skin and help", he said.

"A girl coming from the United States posed as student returning from Bangladesh. A "thick skinned babu" (as we are called) insisted on passport while allotting room, got to know. USA 3rd highest COVID cases in the world. I need to attend another lecture on WHO guidelines now!!," he said in another tweet.

"A gentleman coming from Italy reaches New Delhi via another port. Takes train to Jammu and cab to home in Srinagar. Just to hide travel history. Traced. Need collective focus to handle it. Things are not that simple as they appear from homes & office rooms. WHO guidelines anyone?, " Choudhary said in one of the tweets.

"Two brothers, same medical college in Bangladesh -- one travels by air, declares travel history, lands in quarantine. Other takes road goes home, probably enjoyed Wazwan. Smart neighbour informs Control Room. Team got in touch. Symptomatic. WHO guidelines lecture please?", one of the tweets read.

Speaking about the crisis in the wake of coronairus he appealed to people in Kashmir to set aside egos.

"Trust me if I share a summary of daily events none in Kashmir will sleep. Let's keep our egos aside, work collectively and instead of raising panic and alarm help each other to improve. This is 3rd World War. Nothing less. If it passes we will have a Lifetime for all that. Good day," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Srinagar administration has requisitioned 65 well-equipped hotels and government accommodations to be used as quarantine facilities for citizens arriving back in Srinagar from outside countries and those who might have come in contact with a COVID-19 positive case in the district.

The hotels requisitioned for the purpose are all 3-stars certified with all facilities to ensure comfortable quarantine. The government accommodations acquired are also all well-equipped.

The citizens adding up to 1,166 persons who arrived back in Srinagar from abroad during the last three days have been shifted to 20 of these quarantine facilities.

Overall 685 persons out of the total people having arrived back in Srinagar so far returned to a quarantine facility on Sunday. The remaining 481 persons had returned during the previous two days and had been shifted to quarantine facilities soon after their return.

Following standard operating procedures, all these persons who mainly include students arriving back mostly from Bangladesh were isolated soon upon their arrival and then shifted to these well-equipped quarantine facilities located at different places.
Teachers and public school principals are struggling with conflicting advice about the safety of keeping schools open and their inability to impose social distancing measures in schools.

NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said teachers and principals "are struggling under the weight of a lack of clarity, contradictions and a lack of resources".

Teachers are struggling to keep children apart in crowded classrooms. Credit:James Alcock

He said teachers were finding it impossible to impose social distancing measures in crowded schools. The NSW Department of Education has also acknowledged that social distancing strategies have been difficult to implement.

Mr Gavrielatos said older teachers who are also grandparents and those at high-risk, including pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems and chronic illnesses, should be advised to work from home.
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 22, 2020 19:37 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c9e49f 1 Politics Indonesia,politics,health,law,disaster-mitigation,COVID-19 Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodos lack of a clear and comprehensive plan to contain the COVID-19 coronavirus has both allies and critics calling for better solutions to avert the deeper crisis of a loss of public confidence.

Jokowi has mobilized all efforts to contain the pneumonia-like disease, save for declaring a state of emergency or imposing a lockdown on Jakarta, which has caused confusion and frustrated ongoing efforts to curtail any chance of social unrest that might unseat him.

Read also: Jokowi must make case for lockdown as COVID-19 may spark social unrest: Report

This way of handling the pandemic has led to a number of reactionary policies, his detractors have said privately, from unlawfully delegating responsibility to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) for declaring a state of emergency to the late introduction of social distancing and rapid testing to map out the extent of the contagion.

The absence of a carefully designed plan has led the Presidents critics to call him out for exercising what they call the quintessential Jokowi leadership style, which is to let his aides jostle with one another about the best solution before eventually stepping in.

For me it is obvious that the President has no grand plan, lawmaker Hidayat Nur Wahid of the opposition Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) told The Jakarta Post recently.

As a member of the House of Representatives Commission VIII, which has the authority to supervise the work of the BNPB, Hidayat argued that this absence of a plan has caused confusion and sown distrust for the Jokowi administration.

The government has called on the people to not panic, but what it has done so far has convinced us to do the contrary, he added.

The BNPB recently declared a particular state of disaster emergency until May 29 to contain the quick spread of the virus, but even then it was mired in controversy.

Under the leadership of Army general Doni Monardo, the agency initially declared the emergency status in a decree signed on Jan. 28, which states that an emergency status is needed to allow emergency disaster mitigation measures to be taken.

Read also: It's a non-emergency emergency, BNPB says regarding COVID-19 pandemic

The decree stipulated that the state of emergency would last for a month until Feb. 28, although the public got a whiff of this plan only very recently after the decree was leaked.

It remains unclear why this was not communicated directly to the public at the time of the decrees issuance, although Jokowi has admitted to suppressing other information on COVID-19 so as not to stir panic.

Donis authority to call a state of emergency was also questioned.

The law doesn't confer any kind of authority to the chief of the BNPB to declare cross-province emergencies, said Anton Aliabbas, a researcher from a security reform and human rights watchdog, Imparsial.

"The agency only acts as a policymaker and not to declare emergencies. Presidential Regulation No.1/2019 does not even delegate that authority to the BNPB chief," Anton told the Post this week.

"Big decisions like this should be the responsibility of the President."

The 2007 Disaster Management Law confers authority to declare a state of emergency  including for a pandemic  on the President. Article 7 of the law requires the President to officially declare the situation an emergency and order the BNPB to draft, implement and coordinate measures to mitigate the crisis.

Well-coordinated efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the country are possible only if Jokowi carries out his duties as mandated by law, said Yandri Susanto of the National Mandate Party (PAN), who heads House Commission VII.

It is supposed to be the Presidents responsibility to declare a state of emergency when it comes to a national-scale disaster such as this outbreak, he said.

The situation we now face is an emergency; President Jokowi must declare this so as to make the public aware that there is a crisis.

On Friday, Jokowi issued the revision of an earlier presidential decree relating to the formation of a COVID-19 task force to include the Defense Minister on the one hand, and to demote the Health Minister to deputy chairman of the task force steering committee.

Presidential Decree No. 7/2020 also delegates the task of cutting through red tape to the secretary generals of relevant ministries, as well as introducing a provision to ease imports on items used in the fight against COVID-19.

Calls for such measures coincided with a March 10 letter by the World Health Organization  a day before the outbreak was classified as a pandemic  asking Jokowi to scale up the response, including declaration of national emergency.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted a few days later that he had an excellent phone call with Jokowi, saying they agreed to scale up cooperation.

Doni extended the emergency status to late May as the number of recorded cases in the country spiked. As of Sunday, Indonesia recorded 514 positive cases and 48 deaths, giving it one of the worlds highest death rates -- not taking into account all unconfirmed and probable infections.

Elsewhere, some Jokowi supporters have called for the leader to increase efforts to contain the virus, including by deploying police officers and soldiers to help with measures nationwide.

The police and the military have officers and intelligence agencies all across the archipelago that allow them to reach even the most remote areas, said lawmaker Charles Honoris of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), calling for more effective measures.

As a member of House Commission I, which supervises the military and state intelligence services, Charles insisted the public is still unaware of the gravity of the situation and urged the President to make use of the security apparatus to create the sense of crisis so as to avert a possible lockdown that he believes could spark even deeper social unrest.

 Editor's note: Revised and updated with details of new presidential decree
As many as 120 hotels nation-wide have offered the use of their facilities as quarantine areas as of March 19.

Visitors receive guidelines from health workers

Vu Van Thanh, head of the Hotel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said 120 facilities from two to five-star hotels have registered as quarantine areas.



There are two models registered. The first is a fee-paying area where the hotel employees will still work. In the second case, the owners will let the government borrow the premises. A large number of hotels are in big cities like Hanoi, Danang and HCM City.



"For the first model, they only collect a minimum fee. Every gesture is appreciated during this time," Thanh said.



HCM City Tourism Department said nine accommodation facilities had registered. Holiday Inn and Suites Saigon registered 350 five-star rooms, Can Gio Resort registered 80 three-star rooms, and other facilities also registered dozens of rooms for quarantining. Phuong Nam Resort registered up to 70 rooms with 200 beds.



In Ninh Thuan Province, Saigon-Ninh Chu Hotel and Resort registered 30 rooms, TTC Resort Premium registered 30 rooms and Hacom Galaxy registered 10 rooms. Three hotels in Danang also offered their facilities as quarantine areas. The employees at SamGrand are still working as the hotel offers room for 200 people.



Huynh Duc Tho, chairman of Danang People's Committee, previously asked the Tourism Department to negotiate with the hotels' owners to borrow at least 700 rooms as quarantine areas.



The interior of the room must follow protocol about safety distance and air circulation. The city Steering Committee for Covid-19 Control and Prevention will directly monitor and manage the areas. Dtinews
It was accepting we had finally lost control that hit us the hardest.

Ten days into what was supposed to be the dream honeymoon to the South African metropolis of Cape Town, my wife and I were met with unexpected news; we must enter quarantine.

Our honeymoon was scheduled to coincide with my wifes friends wedding, the unwitting scene of our brush with coronavirus.

On Wednesday evening, we were sitting on the balcony of our hotel room, overlooking the eerily quiet beaches of Camps Bay.

In fear of the pandemic, we brought our return flights forward to the following day.

Escape was confirmed, or so we thought.

The crashing of waves against the beachs rocks below was suddenly pierced by the sound of my wifes phone ringing.

It seemed ominous. My wifes face went white. A local who attended last weeks wedding had coronavirus.

Any semblance of control had been snatched from us by the tentacles of this dangerous, yet invisible virus.

Quarantine awaited. During our first week in South Africa, people were relaxed. The virus was a world away, a distant storm that offered little threat.

South Africa only had a handful of cases. It seemed under control. By week two, things changed. On the same day as Lions Head, one of the hills which dominates the skyline of Cape Town, caught fire, Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, took to the nations airwaves.

He announced a series of measures to halt the spread of coronavirus in his country.South Africas attention to coronavirus caught ablaze - the face masks and hand sanitizers of Europe and Asia were now everywhere. The panic had caught up with us. It was time to return home.

Little did we know the virus had singed our plan to leave South Africa.

Looking back, the wedding was perfect. The stunning location, a Western Cape winery set against a mountainous backdrop, was matched by everyones shared love for the bride and groom.

The subsequent news that a friend in attendance had tested positive for COVID-19 was a bolt from the blue. Nothing could ruin that day, but it meant remaining in a foreign land at a time most would wish to be home.

Many Irish nationals attended the wedding. The majority of them are home, seven days into the Irish governments recommended two week-long period of self-isolation.

Around ten of us remain in South Africa. We now join them in isolation, though 14,000km away. No Irish national in attendance at the wedding has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

When that fateful phone call came on Wednesday, we were advised to stay put. The local government confirmed our self-isolation the following morning.

With our fates now sealed, selfish thoughts of fleeing on a plane raced through my mind. Our route to freedom was leaving soon. Get home, I thought, back to my bolthole in the Wicklow hills.

I can self-isolate there for a fortnight - armed with home comforts like Barrys Tea and biscuits. No one else needed to know. But then came the realization; what if Im carrying the virus?

What if I spread it and others are hospitalized? Those selfish thoughts dissipated. We entered self-isolation. We feel like the lucky ones, others who have travelled abroad havent been so lucky.

Officials here are patient and have offered us reassurance that we will soon return home. Many of us have also joined together, setting up camp in a rented house near Lions Head.

From ordering a small tub of Kerry Gold butter during our online quarantine food shop, to watching The Late Late Show on RTE, we are doing our utmost to close the chasm that separates us from Ireland, the place we all dearly wish to be. Our decision is a small action, but one that we hope will help combat the spread of this vicious virus. For the first time in 72 hours, we feel like we have regained control.
Religious gathering in Malaysia that drew 16,000 Muslims from about 30 countries linked to spike in COVID-19 cases.

Manila, Philippines  Authorities are scrambling to trace the Filipinos who attended a religious event in Malaysia which has been linked to a spike in COVID-19 cases in several countries across Southeast Asia.

The Tablighi Jamaat congregation held from February 27 to March 1 at the Sri Petaling Mosque on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur drew an estimated 16,000 devotees from about 30 countries.

On its Facebook page, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) announced that 215 Filipinos attended the four-day religious gathering.

During the event, the attendees prayed together and slept alongside one another inside a mosque, with many others camping in tents pitched outside.

Malaysia recorded its single biggest number of 190 COVID-19 cases on March 15, with a majority of those cases being people who attended the Kuala Lumpur event. Brunei, Singapore and Cambodia have also recorded cases connected with the assembly.

200320225513796

The NCMF said most of the Filipinos who went were from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a group of provinces in the southern Philippines.

Due to the limited personal information available, local authorities are depending on those who went to put themselves forward or communities to identify them.

Some fear they will be rejected by their communities or are afraid of being isolated from their families if they are suspected of having the virus. The current messaging of identify and isolate is scary for many, said BARRMs Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo.

Moreover, some attendees may have left undetected through the countrys southern backdoor, the islands closest to Malaysias maritime border in th Borneo state of Sabah.

On March 13, a Filipino man died after he tested positive for COVID-19. He had travelled to Malaysia, but local authorities were unable to confirm if he attended the Tablighi Jamaat event.

On Thursday, another death was recorded in the BARMM province of Lanao del Sur. His test result released on Friday showed he was positive for COVID-19. He had been to the gathering.

What we really need now is more test kits to identify the cases, said Sinarimbo.

Not enough tests

200319022504907

On Saturday, the health department said it received 100,000 test kits from China, South Korea and Brunei.

In the coming days, we will see the true increase in cases, Health Under-Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a news briefing.

A spike in COVID-19 cases would be devastating for the BARMM region, with more than 60 percent of its people facing poverty.

We suspect the number of cases will increase. Our strategy is to slow down transmission, improve our response and try not to overload our health facilities, said Sinarimbo.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte announced an enhanced community quarantine on the island of Luzon, north of Mindanao, to limit the spread of the virus.

Checkpoints manned by the police and the military were set up to seal off the island of about 56 million people. Other provinces, including those in BARMM, declared similar lockdowns.

The Philippines has so far confirmed 307 COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths.

200310163714493

The countrys former health minister, Manuel Dayrit, who oversaw the 2003 SARS outbreak, said the number does not present a full picture on the spread of the virus in the Philippines.

The governments latest data showed only 1,399 people had been tested for COVID-19 across the archipelago.

We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Many cases are undetected due to the low level of testing, said Dayrit.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization called on the countries to test, test, test to check for the disease.

But even with additional kits from China, the Philippines health department said testing would be limited to people under investigation (PUI), a classification for those showing COVID-19 symptoms and a recent history of travel to a country with a high number of infections.

#MassTestingNow trended online on Friday as angry Filipinos took to social media, demanding more tests.

Health workers

Experts said the WHO recommendation is not a sustainable solution for countries such as the Philippines which have limited resources.

200316161225532

Testing is good if we can do it without much money. Between protecting a health worker, treating a patient and testing for a disease that does not yet have a treatment, what will save most lives immediately? asked Edsel Salvana, an infectious diseases specialist.

Salvana said protective gear for front line medical workers and better patient care should be the priority.

This week, the Philippines government announced a 27.1-billion-peso ($529m) budget to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, with half the money allocated to the lucrative tourism sector.

The Alliance of Health Workers, a union of health workers across the country, slammed the move.

Government authorities do not provide health workers with proper protective gear, making them vulnerable to the virus. Where is the heart of this government? AHW president Robert Mendoza asked in a statement.

Private citizens and various corporations are making up for the shortfall with an outpouring of donations of protective gear and food.

The show of support is keeping health workers such as Eleazar Sobinsky in positive spirits. We really feel everyones concern for us.

But Sobinsky said they are bracing themselves for a long haul where they will see more cases, overloaded hospitals and fatigued health workers.

We will worry about our personal safety and may have to be away from our families for long periods of time. That will be a double burden for us.
(Newser)  President Trump sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seeking to maintain good relations and offering cooperation in fighting the viral pandemic, Kims sister said Sunday. The correspondence came as Kim observed the firing of tactical guided weapons over the weekend, drawing criticism from South Korea, as nuclear talks remain deadlocked. In a statement carried by KCNA, Kims sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, praised Trump for the letter at a time when big difficulties and challenges lie ahead in the way of developing ties" between the countries. She said Trump explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries ... and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work. She said her brother expressed gratitude for Trump's letter. North Korea has repeatedly said there hasnt been a single case of coronavirus on its soil. Some foreign experts question that claim and say an outbreak in the North could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its poor medical infrastructure.

story continues below

Last month, the State Department expressed concerns about North Koreas vulnerability to a potential coronavirus outbreak and said it was ready to support efforts by aid organizations to contain the spread of the illness in the North. There was no comment from the White House, notes the AP. Kim Yo Jong said Trumps letter is a good example showing the special and firm personal relations between the North Korean and US leaders. But she said its not a good idea to "make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about the prospect for bilateral relations. I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries, she said. "Even at this moment we are working hard to develop and defend ourselves on our own under the cruel environment which the US is keen to 'provide.'"

(Read more Kim Jong Un stories.)
An unprecedented shutdown commenced across the country on Sunday morning on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janata curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus.

As the 'Janata curfew' got underway at 7 am, people largely kept themselves indoor as part of the social distancing exercise to stop the spread of the virus and bare number of public transport vehicles plied on nearly empty roads.

All markets and establishments except those dealing in essential goods and services will be closed for the day. The 'Janata Curfew' will end at 9 pm.

Ahead of the start of the curfew, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "In a few minutes from now, the #JantaCurfew commences. Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against COVID-19 menace".

He said the steps to be taken now will help in the times to come.

"Stay indoors and stay healthy," he said on Twitter.

In the national capital, the roads were deserted with barely some private vehicles and buses plying. Vendors were off the roads in the morning hours with people confining themselves to their homes.

In Mumbai, the usually bustling western and eastern express highways and other arterial roads looked empty as people stayed in their homes to support the curfew.

Same was the situation at the suburban train stations which normally see thousands of commuters jostling to get inside the overcrowded trains.

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers and others leaders have urged the people to follow the self-imposed curfew, noting that "social distancing" was key to breaking the chain of transmission, as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 283 after 60 new cases were detected on Saturday, the highest so far in a day.

States like Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Bihar have announced either complete or partial lockdown till month end.

No passenger train will originate from any railway station in the country from midnight to 10 pm on Sunday while all suburban train services will be reduced to a bare minimum as well. Metro services, including in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, will remain suspended for the day.

Air carriers like GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara have announced that they will be curtailing domestic operations on Sunday.

Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has announced that they will keep their establishments shut across the country for the 'Janata curfew'.

From suspending regular prayers involving large gatherings in shrines of various faiths, including Sunday mass, to disallowing jail inmates from meeting their families on the day, organisations and institutions in every sphere have announced restrictions.

Modi had on Thursday called for the 'Janata curfew' from 7 am to 9 pm on March 22, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses, and asserted that it will be a litmus test to show India's readiness to take on the coronavirus challenge.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked chief secretaries of all states to ensure that the 'Janata Curfew' is observed properly and to see that local bodies, fire services, police and civil defence blow sirens or ring bells on Sunday evening to express gratitude towards those involved in tackling the disease.

"We are looking for unity in isolation," Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal had said.

Describing it as the need of the hour, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asked everyone in the country to support the step.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had also made a fervent appeal to the people of the country to confine themselves to homes. He said that since the virus spreads through physical contact, social distancing is an effective measure to contain its spread by avoiding contact during the incubation period of the virus.

"It is a matter of great assurance that people have responded very positively to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Saturday.

In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that 50 per cent of the buses will ply on roads on Sunday considering some people may have to travel due to an emergency.

Autos and taxis will, however, be off roads in the national capital as several unions including the Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union, Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union and Delhi Taxi Tourist Transport Association, have decided to join the 'Janata curfew'.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also appealed to the people of the state to stay indoors on Sunday.

"Metro trains, roadways buses and city buses will not operate on Sunday," the statement said on behalf of the chief minister.

"To curb this infection, we are working on a war footing. Isolation wards have been set up in every district hospital and medical college. So far, 23 patients have been identified in the state, out of which nine have completely recovered. There is no need to panic, but prepare yourself to fight against this challenge," the UP chief minister had said in the statement.

Leaders and other prominent personalities also urged the traders not to hoard essential items and the people to purchase only necessary things.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
They stole several bottles of liquors, cigarettes and cigars as well as cash from the register before driving away north on Clark, possibly in a dark sedan, police said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 6

Trend:

Turkmenistan and Morocco signed a number of bilateral documents for further strengthening the bilateral relations, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

The signing of the documents took place during the visit of Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Chairman of the Turkmengas State Concern Murad Archayev in Morocco.

The visit took place on March 4-5.

On the first day of the visit, the Turkmen delegation was received by the Prime Minister of Morocco Saadeddin Osmani.

During the meeting, the interest of both states in promoting bilateral relations, as well as the similarity of positions on the issue of maintaining peace, stability and security throughout the world was emphasized. The parties considered the possibility of developing Turkmen-Moroccan relations in the political, economic and cultural-humanitarian fields.

On the same day, the delegation took part in political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs of Turkmenistan and Morocco.

The parties discussed the current state of bilateral relations, as well as cooperation between Turkmenistan and Morocco within the framework of international organizations, in particular, the UN and OIC. The importance of developing a regulatory framework for cooperation was noted.

Diplomats considered the possibilities of developing trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties. An exchange of views took place regarding the possibilities of increasing commodity circulation between countries, and the organization of joint business forums.

As part of the consultations, the parties signed a number of bilateral documents for further strengthening the relations between the two countries.
Enemy troops used 120mm and 82mm mortars that are banned under the Minsk agreements.

Russia-led forces mounted 10 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday, March 21, as a result of which one Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action.

"One member of the Joint Forces was wounded as a result of enemy attacks on our positions yesterday, March 21," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a morning update on Facebook on Sunday, March 22.

Read alsoUkraine reports four WIAs amid nine enemy attacks in Donbas on March 20

The enemy attacked Ukrainian positions, using proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, as well as grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns, and rifles.

Ukrainian troops fired back to "give an adequate response."

Since Sunday midnight, Russian invaders have been observing the ceasefire. No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported since then.
Americans are questioning how asymptomatic Mike and Karen Pence got tested for coronavirus just hours after urging Americans not to seek testing unless they were showing symptoms.

The Vice President and second lady announced over the weekend that they tested negative for the coronavirus after a member of Pence's staff tested positive for the virus.

'I'm so confused did @MikePence just address America saying we should not ask for testing if asymptomatic we need to save tests for people who need them? Even if exposed people can't just get tested you have to have symptoms - all of them. But he and his wife are being tested... ' Vicky Cornell, the co-founder of a nonprofit that helps at-risk children, tweeted Saturday afternoon.

During a press briefing Saturday, Pence asserted: 'We want to remind Americans, as Dr. Fauci will emphasize in a moment: if you don't have symptoms don't do a test.'

'It is another way that the American people can make sure that we are preserving the resources that our healthcare workers need to minister and support those who are dealing with the coronavirus and other illnesses,' he continued.

Americans are asking questions of the administration and coronavirus task force after Mike Pence told people not to get tested unless they are showing symptoms, but then got tested without showing symptoms

One user asserted the task force and Donald Trump's administration is 'not looking out for us' as many symptomatic Americans struggle to get tested and many who have been tested claim they have had to wait days to get their results

Both Mike and Karen were tested after a member of the vice president's staff tested positive for coronavirus  even though both claimed they were not experiencing any symptoms and had not come in close contact with the staffer

'Mike Pence just said 'don't get tested if you don't have symptoms' and then two sentences later said he and his wife don't have symptoms but are getting tested. These people are NOT LOOKING OUT FOR US,' Twitter user, Maebe Marbles, posted.

Journalist Jarrett Bellini also expressed his ire at the situation.

'Tonight, Mike Pence and Karen Pence both tested negative for Coronavirus. However, relief was only short-lived for the Vice President after doctors informed him that, unfortunately, they did find trace amounts of empathy,' he tweeted.

The Office of the Vice President did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the Pences were tested.

The Vice President's Press Secretary Katie Miller tweeted the results of the Pence's tests Saturday night.

They came just hours after Pence announced earlier in the day that he and his wife would be tested for the virus, but only out of an abundance of caution, claiming the staffer who tested positive did not have close contact with either himself or Donald Trump.

Pence said his staffer was doing well.

Still, he stood a few feet from the president at the podium during the now-daily coronavirus task force press conference Saturday afternoon.

'If you can't get tested for Coronavirus the easiest way to find out if you have it is to cough on Mike Pence or Karen Pence & wait for their test results to come back in 5 minutes,' a Twitter user sarcastically quipped.

Many Americans have revealed they were unable to receive testing even when showing symptoms  and others who were lucky enough to get tested have complained it has taken them up to a handful of days to receive the results.

One Twitter user said to find out if you have coronavirus, it would be more effective to come in close contact with the Pence's and wait for their results rather than seek a testing kit themselves

Speaking about the staffer who had shown symptoms for COVID-19, Pence said Saturday, 'I'm pleased to report that he's doing well. He had mild cold-like symptoms for about a day and a half, has not been to the White House since Monday.'

Even though Pence reinforced previous statements that he and Trump had not had close contact with the infected individual, he said he would take a test due to his prominent role in the nation's response to the outbreak.

'Neither the president nor I had direct contact with that staff person. We worked immediately with the White House physician and the CDC. We've done all contact tracing and the White House doctors indicated that he has no reason to believe that I was exposed,' he said.

Pence's announcement that he was getting tested came just moments after he told the rest of the American public 'don't get tested if you don't have symptoms'.

He told people to save resources amid ongoing concerns that there are insufficient tests for those who may need them.

Pence did not mention that he or his wife had any symptoms.

He has appeared at Trump's side daily at the White House press conferences to announce developments in the US fight against the outbreak.

The vice president's office confirmed that one of its staffers had tested positive for the virus on Friday.

Pence's press secretary Katie Miller said: 'Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual. Further contact tracing is being conducted.'

This was the latest case of coronavirus to brush the inner circle of US leadership.

An attendee at a political conference last month featuring Trump and Pence tested positive for the illness, and multiple political figures who regularly meet with the president and vice president have gone into preventive self-quarantine.

Pence and his wife Karen tested negative for coronavirus on Saturday, claiming he was only tested due to his 'unique position' as vice president and as the leader of the White House coronavirus task force

The Vice President's press secretary reported news that Mike and Karen Pence tested negative

His announcement that he was getting tested came just moments after he told the rest of the American public 'don't get tested if you don't have symptoms'

Trump tested negative for virus last week. He had agreed to take the test after coming into contact with several members of a Brazilian presidential delegation visiting his Florida resort who have since been found to have the virus.

Saturday's press conference came just hours after Trump tweeted the Food and Drug Administration urging them to speed up approval for a malarial drug and an antibiotic to treat coronavirus patients.

'HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine,' Trump wrote in a tweet on Saturday morning.

'The FDA has moved mountains - Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH...be put in use IMMEDIATELY. PEOPLE ARE DYING, MOVE FAST, and GOD BLESS EVERYONE!' he continued.

Trump noted that 'H works better with A,' referring to the drug combination, and cited a small French study published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

The president tagged the FDA and FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in his tweet, apparently urging them to action.

An FDA spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.

The French study, carried out on 20 patients earlier this month, is highly preliminary and was non-randomized.

However, it did find that six patients who received a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin had their viral load reduced faster than those on either hydroxychloroquine alone or neither of the drugs.

Hydroxychloroquine is a high-power drug used to treat malaria, which is a parasitic infection, as well as some non-infectious inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Azithromycin is a fairly common antibiotic that is used to treat a number of bacterial infections, such a strep throat.

Neither drug has been previously indicated to treat a viral infection such as coronavirus, although there were anecdotal reports of hydroxychloroquine being used successfully to treat SARS, a close relative of coronavirus.

Though both drugs are common, with side effects that are well understood, the combination of the two drugs is novel and its unclear what interactions they may have.
- Senator Wetang'ula urged the government to increase surveillance and security along porous borders of the frontier counties as a means of containing the spread of coronavirus

- Seven cases of COVID-19 have so far been confirmed in the country

- Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, Marsabit, Garissa, Kitui, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Busia and Wajir have been listed as high risk counties likely to be affected by the pandemic

Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula has led legislators from the county for a spot check of public health facilities in the county to ascertain preparedness for handling COVID-19.

The Ford Kenya leader urged the government to increase surveillance and security along porous borders of the frontier counties as a means of containing the spread of the virus from neighbouring countries.

READ ALSO: Body of missing Nation journalist found at City Mortuary

Wetang'ula greets Bungoma county health staff. Photo: TUKO.coke.

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Coronavirus in Kenya: Uhuru says even science, medicine need prayers to work

Kenya has so far confirmed seven cases of coronavirus.

"We have an additional three cases of coronavirus bringing the current number of cases in Kenya to seven confirmed cases. All these are imported cases from outside the country. Of the three is a couple from Spain and a Burundian from Dubai," Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said.

Moses Wetang'ula (center) with Bungona lawmakers. Photo: TUKO.co.ke

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Uhuru amjibu Makau Mutua, asema hata sayansi inahitaji maombi

Counties have been tasked with leading on the forefront in handling coronavirus with the Health Ministry lisiting Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, Marsabit, Garissa, Kitui, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Busia and Wajir as likely to be affected.

Wetang'ula shares a light moment with a health worker. Photo: TUKO.co.ke

Source: Original

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

How street families in Kenya are dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
(Newser)  Fair warning: It makes for disturbing reading. An ICU staffer at a hospital in Louisiana has provided a first-person account to ProPublica of what some COVID-19 patients are going through. The worker is a respiratory therapist, and neither he nor his hospital are identified. He estimates dozens of coronavirus patients have been admitted, and about a third have required ventilators, usually cranked up to their highest settings. Some snippets:

Middle-aged: The worker says he has been "shocked" to be treating so many relatively young patients, in their 40s and 50s, who did not have preexisting conditions. "This is knocking out what should be perfectly fit, healthy people."

The worker says he has been "shocked" to be treating so many relatively young patients, in their 40s and 50s, who did not have preexisting conditions. "This is knocking out what should be perfectly fit, healthy people." The damage: He's also been stunned at the severity of damage to lungs, saying it's "usually more typical of someone who has a near drowning experiencethey have a bunch of dirty water in their lungsor people who inhale caustic gas."

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Speed: Another trait is the speed at which patients go from bad to worse. "Patients will be on minimal support, on a little bit of oxygen, and then all of a sudden, they go into complete respiratory arrest, shut down and cant breathe at all." Typically, this kind of shutdown happens over time, "but with this virus, it seems like it happens overnight."

Another trait is the speed at which patients go from bad to worse. "Patients will be on minimal support, on a little bit of oxygen, and then all of a sudden, they go into complete respiratory arrest, shut down and cant breathe at all." Typically, this kind of shutdown happens over time, "but with this virus, it seems like it happens overnight." Grim image: With his first patient, the worker realized this wasn't like the flu. "Watching this relatively young guy, gasping for air, pink frothy secretions coming out of his tube and out of his mouth. The ventilator should have been doing the work of breathing but he was still gasping for air, moving his mouth, moving his body, struggling. We had to restrain him. With all the coronavirus patients, weve had to restrain them."

Read the full interview , in which the worker explains acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, in which lungs fill with fluid. From the patient's view, "you are drowning." (Read more coronavirus stories.)
An inmate at a federal jail in New York City has tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first confirmed case in the federal prison system.

The inmate, who is housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, complained of chest pains on Thursday, a few days after he arrived at the facility, the federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press.

He was taken to a local hospital and was tested for COVID-19, officials said.

The inmate was discharged from the hospital on Friday and returned to the jail, where he was immediately placed in isolation, the agency said. The Bureau of Prisons learned Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The confirmation of the first coronavirus case in the BOP system comes as jails and prisons across the country are taking precautions to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The inmate is housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, pictured

Health officials have been warning for more than a decade about the dangers of outbreaks in jails and prisons, which are ideal environments for viruses: Inmates share small cells with total strangers, use toilets just a few feet from their beds, and are herded into day rooms where they spend hours at a time together.

There have been two positive cases among BOP staff members: an employee who works at an administrative office in Grand Prairie, Texas, and another employee who works in Leavenworth, Kansas, but who officials said did not have contact with inmates since becoming symptomatic.

The Bureau of Prisons has temporarily halted visitation at all 122 federal correction facilities across the U.S., including both social and legal visitation, though officials have said some exceptions could be made for legal visits.

Officials said staffers at the Metropolitan Detention Center would continue to monitor the inmate and they were working to trace who he had contact with, as well as sanitizing 'affected areas.' Other inmates who were housed with the man are also being quarantined, along with staff members who may have had contact with him.

Health officials have been warning for more than a decade about the dangers of outbreaks in jails and prisons, like New York's Rikers Island (pictured)

Every staff member and contractor entering the Metropolitan Detention Center is subject to an enhanced medical screening, including having their temperature taken with an infrared thermometer and are asked a series of questions to screen for coronavirus risk factors, a Bureau of Prisons official wrote in a letter to the chief judge in the Southern District of New York earlier this week.

The agency said inmates at the lockup are free to walk about their housing units and use common areas but may also choose to 'remain in their cells to self-seclude.' But officials said they were not going to isolate inmates who may be considered to be 'at risk' because there were too many of them to isolate them on one or two units, according to the letter.

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, and even death.

The vast majority of people recover from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe cases may take three to six weeks to recover.
Lubeck, March 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The worldwide spread of the coronavirus is also a concern for Drager. We are seeing a significant increase in demand worldwide for our ventilators, the corresponding accessories and personal protective equipment. At the same time, it is our duty of care to provide our employees with the best possible protection. This presents us with challenges that we reassess and solve every day.

"Our goal is to maintain business operations with the purpose to fulfill our duty to provide our technology for life to as many as needed. This motivates us to give our best every day, even in these difficult times," said Stefan Drager, Chairman of the Executive Board of Dragerwerk Verwaltungs AG.

To meet the high demand for our products, we have already significantly expanded our production capacities in recent weeks. Our production facilities for respiratory masks in Sweden and South Africa are working at full capacity and are running around the clock. In medical technology, for example, we are currently producing almost twice as many ventilators as before. We are working flat out to expand our production capacities even further. The fact that we invested in a future-oriented factory with state-of-the-art industrial production methods several years ago is paying off here. We have agreed innovative work organization and working time models with our employees. This gives us the necessary flexibility to react to the high volume of orders. We especially appreciate the commitment of our employees and are very grateful for their daily efforts to support our customers in helping others.

In times of a pandemic, we at Drager are doing everything in our power to fulfill our social responsibility to provide for society  worldwide. We have recently received major orders from the German Federal Ministry of Health to supply ventilators and monitors. However, also internationally incoming orders and deliveries of personal protective equipment and ventilators are significantly higher than in the previous year. Yesterday alone, for example, Drager shipped over 100 ventilators from Germany to Italy.

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It is not only the delivery of new equipment that is important for patient care. Existing technology must also function perfectly. That is why we will maintain our service on site in the hospitals as long as possible and focus the priority of our work on the functionality of our products and services. Repairs and installations will be in the foreground, routine activities will be handled subordinate to this. We are in close coordination with the authorities in order to be able to continue to provide our services even under difficult conditions.

Stefan Drager: "I am aware that despite all our efforts we can only partially meet the current demand in the world. And believe me, we would like to do even more. But I can assure you: We do what we can. Our thoughts are with the doctors, nurses and rescue workers who are currently doing a great job for patients and society at large."

###

Drager. Technology for Life

Drager is an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology. Our products protect, support, and save lives. Founded in 1889, Drager generated revenues of almost  2.8 billion in 2019. The Drager Group is currently present in over 190 countries and has more than 14,500 employees worldwide.

Please visit www.draeger.com for more information.

Melanie Kamann (Communications)

Drager

+49 451 882-3202

melanie.kamann@draeger.com



Thomas Fischler (Investor Relations)

Drager

+49 451 882-2685

thomas.fischler@draeger.com


Bihar's chief minister Nitish Kumar has urged the Centre to cancel all flights into the state.

In a telephonic conversation with the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Bihar chief minister suggested suspension of all flights coming to Bihar.

This came in the wake of two COVID-19 positive cases were reported from the state earlier today. This included a 38-year old man, a resident of Munger district with a a travel history to Qatar, who died of renal failure but who also tested positive for coronavirus later.

Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar said today that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) confirmed two positive cases of coronavirus in the state.

"One patient passed away yesterday due to kidney failure, his tests have come positive for coronavirus. A woman has also tested positive, she is admitted at AIIMS," Kumar said.

The Total number of people in India who have been infected by the virus so far as on 22 March at 02.30 PM including foreign nationals stands at 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Andrew Piotrowski, president of the Chicago Peace Corps Association, a local affiliate of the national nonprofit, recommends evacuees get connected with the Facebook group, check in with the COVID-19 page on the Peace Corps website for updates and connect with their local affiliate groups. Our role as an association is to be supportive and collaborative with them and ensuring that volunteers land on their feet and are able to overcome the initial shock in all of this and find their way over the challenges and onto their next step in life and service, said Glenn Blumhorst, president of the National Peace Corps Association.
(Reuters) - Britain may need to impose curfews and travel restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus if people do not heed the government's advice on social distancing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Sunday.

Pubs, clubs and gyms have already closed, but social media on Sunday was awash with pictures of people congregating in parks and food markets, apparently ignoring advice to stay two metres apart. Parks in London are already closing down as authorities struggle to slow the advance of coronavirus through the population, the biggest public health crisis since the influenza pandemic of 1918. So far 281 Britons have died from coronavirus. The spiralling number of infections means Johnson is in a race against time to prevent a repeat of the tragedy in other countries, including Italy where the death toll reached 5,476 on Sunday.

Johnson was blunt as he delivered his message to the public.

"Stay two metres apart. It's not such a difficult thing. Do it," he said. "Otherwise.... there is going to be no doubt that we will have to bring forward further measures and we are certainly keeping that under constant review." Johnson said tougher measures such as curfews needed to be timed right for maximum impact. "After all, when the epidemic is hardly spreading at all that's not the moment to impose curfews and prohibitions on movement and so on and so forth," he said. "You've got to wait until, alas, it's the right moment to do it and that's always been how we've been guided."
One more person tested positive for coronavirus in UT Chandigarh, taking the total number of confirmed cases of the deadly infection to six in the city, officials said.

A young male, a resident of Chandigarh, was the secondary contact of the city's first coronavirus patient and was positive for coronavirus, said an official statement of UT Chandigarh Administration.

Uptill now, the total number of positive cases in Chandigarh is six, the statement said, adding the condition of all patients was stable.

A 23-year-old woman, who returned from London, was the city's first positive case for coronavirus.

Later, her mother, brother and cook had also tested positive for the deadly infection.

Besides, a 26-year-old woman, who also had travel history to London, was Chandigarh's fifth person who had tested positive for coronavirus.

At present, as many as 203 persons in Chandigarh have been home quarantined, the statement said.

As part of measures to prevent spread of infection, the UT Chandigarh administration had banned the gatherings of 50 or more people till March 31.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi, March 22 : While the whole city was under 'Janata Curfew' on Sunday, the people of south Delhi's Freedom Fighter Colony - the capital's largest unauthorised colony - were out in their balconies to abide by the Prime Minister's request to show support to the medical professionals by clapping and banging on plates with spoons.

People came out in their balconies and started to clap, thump and some of them even danced. In the colony, people also used 'Dafli' and drums.

Speaking to IANS, Gagandeep Sohal, 22, a college student said, "We are abiding by the PM's request and are thanking the medical, media and security personnel for their exemplary services in the hour of need." "The doctors, media personnel and security personnel are risking their lives to keep us protected," said Manas Sachdeva, 34, a software professional.

Earlier on Thursday night, Modi had appealed to the people to mark this Sunday as 'Janata Curfew' from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"Don't look at it as a curfew, look at it as a 'care for you' initiative," said BJP MP Gautam Gambhir.

"I appeal to all of you to support Janata Curfew by staying in your homes and participate in the fight against corona," said Gambhir.

At least 341 corona cases have been confirmed in India so far, the Union Ministry of Health and family Welfare said on Saturday with five deaths reported from across the country.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
A speeding truck crashed into a passenger vehicle in southeastern Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people and wounding seven others, according to media reports.

The accident took place on late Saturday at Chunti area in Chittagong district when the salt-laden truck, bound for the coastal district of Cox's Bazar, rammed the passenger vehicle, police said.

At least 12 people died on the spot and seven others were injured after the head-on collision between the two vehicles, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Three people, who were injured in Saturday's accident, succumbed to their injuries on Sunday, raising the death toll to 15, it said.

Four more people are undergoing treatment at Lohagara Upazila Health Complex and Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), the report quoted a police official as saying.

All the deceased are men who were passengers, but more details are awaited, it said.

Alamgir Hossain, the officer-in-charge of Chunti Highway Police Camp, said the small vehicle was ferrying passengers from Amirabad to Chakoria in Cox's Bazar.

Police have seized the truck but its driver has fled, the officer told bdnews24.com.

Every year, scores of people are killed in road accidents in Bangladesh mainly due to rash driving, improper maintenance of vehicles and poor road conditions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Millions of workers will be shielded from an economic slump with a $25.2 billion cash injection to ensure employers can keep paying wages if the coronavirus crisis hits their business.

The federal government will transfer up to $50,000 to small and medium businesses within weeks and will offer another $50,000 in the new financial year to confront fears of widespread lay-offs.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said "there is a lot of pain coming". Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In a mammoth stimulus package to be unveiled on Sunday, the government will also guarantee half the value of new bank loans to small and medium companies to unlock up to $40 billion in finance.

While the government will also boost welfare payments in its statement today, its priority is to keep Australians in work with the help of a total stimulus worth $189 billion  or 9.7 per cent of the economy  across all measures.
Fresh clashes between inmates



and security personnel, and an incident of arson were reported at the Dumdum Correctional Home near here on Sunday, a day after one inmate was killed and three others were injured there, officials said.

At least two persons, who are yet to be identified, were injured in the clash which broke out on Sunday afternoon over the state government's decision not to allow them to meet their family members till March 31 in wake of the coronavirus outbreak, they said.

"Some inmate set on fire properties inside the correctional home after damaging them. They also pelted the police personnel with stones and tried to attack them. Two firearms were seized from the inmates," a senior officer of Barrackpore City Police said.

Sounds of two rounds of gunshots were heard from inside the prison, sources in the Correctional Services department said adding that a huge team of policemen was deployed there.

Officials said one inmate of the Dumdum Correctional Home was killed and three others were badly injured when they clashed with police personnel posted there on Saturday.

A similar clash has also been reported from the Presidency Correctional Home in Kolkata on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Boris Johnson government on Sunday assured Indian citizens whose visas may be ending and are stranded due to the lack of flights to India that no one will be unfairly penalised for events related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The assurance was conveyed to the Indian high commission in the context of anxiety and worse among many Indians who are unable to return after New Delhi stopped incoming flights as well as citizens from the UK and the European Union from entering the country.

The Foreign Office said: The Home Office is working urgently on guidance for Indians and those of other nationalities in the UK whose visas are due to expire but are currently unable to leave due to the impacts of COVID-19.

While that work is ongoing, foreign nationals in the UK do not need to be concerned about their immigration status: no one will be unfairly penalised for events beyond their control as a result of COVID-19, it added.

Some Indian students keen to return home demonstrated in the high commission over the weekend. They were told of the travel ban and inability of the mission to arrange flights until the ban is in place, while officials arranged food and stay for many in the group.

Indian high commissioner Ruchi Ghanashyam said: I appeal to all Indian citizens to stay calm and follow the advisory issued by the National Health ServiceAt the moment, flights to India stand temporarily suspended till 31st March.

We will keep you all updated about the resumption of flightsThese are trying timesThe High Commission has been getting encouraging response from individuals and organisations who are coming forward to help stranded Indians, she said.

Student visas are tied to teaching and universities are obliged to report any absences by visa holders to the Home Office, but it recognised that Indian and other international students and professionals with work visas may be prevented from attending their studies or employment due to illness.

The Home Office recognises the current situation is exceptional and will not take any compliance action against students or employees who are unable to attend their studies/work due to the coronavirus outbreak, or against sponsors which authorise absences and continue to sponsor students or employees despite absences for this reason, it said.

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WASHINGTON, March 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Facing unprecedented catastrophic losses due to a more than 80 percent reduction in parking demand, the nation's parking industry has requested that Congress and the White House provide immediate financial relief.

The parking industry generates $131 billion in revenue and directly employs 581,000 workers, primarily hourly wage earners, who are facing massive furloughs and layoffs due to the collapse in parking demand across the nation. More than of 50% of our workers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, will be out of work.

The National Parking Association, in a letter sent to Congressional leadership and President Trump, has requested an initial $5 billion allocation to stabilize this industry. The industry is looking to federal leadership to make our employees whole and expand unemployment benefits as close to 100 percent as possible, with an income guarantee for employees.

Parking is an essential service critical in first mile and last mile infrastructure for our cities and citizens. "The nation's parking industry serves hotels, airports, hospitals, office buildings, shopping centers, and mixed-use residential properties across the United States, with both privately owned and municipal parking facilities simplifying our lives on a daily basis," said Christine Banning, IOM, CAE, President of the National Parking Association. "Parking industry cash flow is collapsing with layoffs of more than 50 percent of our employees, if not more, unless we get immediate relief from the federal government."

Parking contributes more than $175 billion in economic impact to GDP through direct, indirect and induced impact. Total parking industry related employment tops at nearly 1 million workers in the public & private sectorsincluding suppliers to the industry.

About National Parking Association

The National Parking Association is the nation's leading voice of the $131 billion parking industryan essential industry that contributes $261 billion in total economic activity across the country. We are the market leader in parking industry research, education and programs, and advocate for its nearly 1 million employees. We support advancing the interests of the private and public sector in parking technology, sustainable mobility, certification, advocacy, research, and education. Learn more at weareparking.org.

Contact:

Linda Gill Anderson

202-470-6304 | [email protected]

SOURCE National Parking Association

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Clinicians combat the drug resistances of some cancer types by using a combination of different drugs. To make this approach more effective, chemists have designed a chemical conjugate that can simultaneously attack several cellular targets using different modes of action. Such a single-drug therapy would increase the chances of killing all cancer cells, the authors state in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

The most frequently clinically applied chemotherapeutic drug is cisplatin, a metal complex based on the platinum(II) ion. The drug's mode of action is binding to the DNA in the tumor cells, where it distorts the DNA structure and ultimately triggers cell death. Other chemicals facilitate the interaction of cisplatin with DNA, and they are often combined with cisplatin for chemotherapy. The photodynamic therapy (PDT) approach, in contrast, relies on the activation of a metal complex by laser light. A reactive form of oxygen is formed, which interferes with cell metabolism, triggering cell death.

"In clinical protocols, each drug is administered separately and may not reach the tumor at the same time or at a fixed ratio," says Prof. Gilles Gasser from the Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) University in Paris, France, who is one of the leading authors of the study. His group, in collaboration with Prof. Dan Gibson's group from Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, combined cisplatin, phenylbutyrate, which is a chemical enhancer for cisplatin, and a PDT drug, which is a metal complex based on ruthenium(II), into a single compound called Ru-Pt. The idea was that the three drugs in conjunction could travel the bloodstream intact and enter their target tumor cells, which would reduce side effects and the need to adjust the dosages.

The scientists have designed the phototherapeutic Ru(II) half of Ru-Pt so that it can be excited with laser light in the deep red section of the wavelength spectrum, which penetrates deeply in the biological tissue. The cisplatin and phenylbutyrate containing half of Ru-Pt was designed as a prodrug, which would be activated by cellular components inside the cell. Both therapeutic components were attached to each other by a molecular spacer. "The correct spacer length was critical to ensure that both drug compounds will not interfere with each other, but the molecule remains small, water-soluble, and able to travel across membranes," Gasser says.

The researchers added Ru-Pt to some normal and cancer cell lines and found that Ru-Pt was significantly more efficient in killing cancer cells than the single compounds Ru(II) and Pt(IV). The authors also reported that the irradiated samples had significantly higher tumor-killing rates, which means that the specific drug activation in tumor tissue is possible. And finally, Ru-Pt had a ten times higher efficiency for drug-resistant cell lines than the single reagents. These results demonstrate the high potential of multimodal drugs for developing more selective and effective drugs that have fewer side effects and allow for a simple handling for an effective cancer treatment.
A proposal to postpone the April 28 Pennsylvania primary due to the coronavirus is in the works, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to the news report, Gov. Tom Wolf and key members of the state legislature are preparing to ask for the election to be postponed until June 2.

No agreement has been reached, but the Inquirer reported lawmakers and members of the governors administration have discussed the idea for the last several days."

Senate Republicans are expected to introduce the legislation early next week, Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-Philadelphia) told the Inquirer. If it passes there, then it would move to the House for consideration.

Its unclear how the legislation will play out once it leaves the Senate.

The report explained county election officials have been pleading with the state to postpone the primary, saying it is all but impossible to prepare for an April 28 election at a time when institutions are pulling out of hosting polling places and poll workers are declining to work - not to mention the possibility of endangering public health with in-person voting. Some elections offices have been temporarily closed or have been functioning with skeleton staffs as part of government shutdowns to prevent further spread of the coronavirus."

During a news conference Friday, Wolf said, "My administration is working with the legislature on that very issue and weve had conversations and discussions about that. So I think the House is coming back into session next week, the Senate is meeting remotely, and I think we should have some word on that very shortly. But this is something we all recognize.  Weve got to make a decision. We are a democracy, and were working together here.
Chief judges could detain suspects indefinitely without putting them on trial under plans to give the Department of Justice emergency powers as the coronavirus continues to spread through the US.

The DOJ has asked Congress to grant use of the controversial powers during emergencies like the current pandemic - in a move that critics condemned as 'terrifying' and an infringement on people's constitutional rights.

The department, led by Attorney General William Barr, asked lawmakers to allow chief district court judges to pause court proceedings if the court is closed because of 'any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation,' documents obtained by POLITICO reveal.

Fears have been raised that the Trump administration is using the outbreak of the deadly virus to bring about policy changes sought by Republicans such as clamping down on asylum seekers, strengthening border restrictions and cutting taxes.

Members of the National Guard prepare for drive-thru COVID-19 testing at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Powers are being requested to detain people without trial after a national state of emergency was declared by President Trump

The move by the Department of Justice, led by Attorney General William Barr, has been condemned by civil liberties advocates as 'terrifying' and an infringement on people's constitutional rights

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency on March 13 to fight the coronavirus crisis.

The amount of cases in the US soared above 26,000 on Sunday.

Civil liberties advocates have condemned the move by the DOJ - which would be unlikely to be approved by the House of Representative where the Democrats hold the majority - as a breach of constitutional rights.

The right to seek release from a judge is known as habeas corpus.

The request for the power to apply 'pre-arrest' was criticized by Norman L. Reimer, the executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

'That means you could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over,' he said.

More than 26,000 people have tested positive to Covid-19 in the United States, and 346 Americans have died

More than 26,000 people have tested positive to Covid-19 in the United States, and 346 people have died

'I find it absolutely terrifying. Especially in a time of emergency, we should be very careful about granting new powers to the government.'

'That is something that should not happen in a democracy.'

The DOJ also asked Congress to pause the statute of limitations in national emergencies and for a year after.

It requested that video conference hearings take place without defendants' consent, according to the documents.

'If it were with the consent of the accused person it would be fine,' Reimer said.

'But if it's not with the consent of the accused person, it's a terrible road to go down. We have a right to public trials. People have a right to be present in court.'

Lawmakers were also asked to ban people with coronavirus from applying for asylum.
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for covid-19, state prison officials told the Niagara Gazette on Sunday. The 68-year-old who is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault has now reportedly been isolated at Wende Correctional Facility in in Alden, just outside of Buffalo. He is one of two inmates at the facility who have tested positive and his diagnosis comes as officials warn of a rising number of New York City inmates who are in the same position. Weinsteins spokesman, one of his attorneys, and his prison consultant all told Variety they could not confirm the news.

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The officials who talked to the newspaper said they believed Weinstein was already carrying the virus when he entered the state prison system from Rikers Island in New York City last Wednesday. He had been scheduled to remain at Wende for as long as eight weeks as officials figured out where would be best to send him. During his trial, Weinstein alternated his time between Rikers and a hospital because of his high blood pressure.

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News of Weinsteins diagnosis comes as at least 38 people have tested positive for coronavirus inside New York City jails. Jacqueline Sherman, the interim chairwoman of the New York City Board of Correction, sent a letter to state and city officials on Saturday detailing that 21 inmates, 12 Department of Corrections employees, and five Central Health Services workers had tested positive for the virus while an additional 58 are being monitored. Officials had been warning for weeks about the potential disaster if covid-19 began to spread throughout the countrys prison system.

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Some in New York have been calling for authorities to free people who are particularly vulnerable to covid-19, including the elderly. Public defenders have said all inmates with pre-existing medical conditions, those over 50, and anyone imprisoned for violating parole should be released. It is a ticking time bomb, said Justine Olderman, executive director of the Bronx Defenders. Officers have also called for a suspension of all but essential transfers of inmates from one facility to another. There is no better breeding ground for this virus than a closed environment such as a correctional facility, said Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA).
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2020) Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC) said on Sunday its agents had neutralized a bandit near the city of Ufa, who planned to carry out a terror attack.

According to the NAC, the officers attempted to stop a car with the armed bandit on a highway in the suburbs of Ufa on Saturday at about 14:00 GMT.

When demanded to lay down his arms and surrender to the authorities, the bandit opened fire.

"The criminal was neutralized in a fire exchange. A gun and a ready-for-use improvised explosive device were found at the scene of the shootout. According to reports, the neutralized bandit intended to carry out a terrorist attack," the NAC said.

There were no victims in the incident, it added.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Malaysia rose above 1,300 on Sunday.

Health Ministry director Noor Hisham Abdullah said 123 new cases were detected over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 1,306.

The death toll rose from 4 to 10 over the same period, he said.

The Malaysian government has deployed the military to help police control people's movements across the country.

The measure is aimed at breaking the chain of infection.

In Kuala Lumpur many signs can be seen across the city encouraging people to stay at home.

For most people, the COVID-19 illness 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.
Madrid is preparing for a new wave of coronavirus infections as the country's Prime Minister warns the next phase of the crisis will push the country's facilities to the limit.

Pedro Sanchez says Spain will experience a major peak over the coming week and has asked residents to be prepared 'for very hard days ahead'.

'The worst is yet to come,' he said, adding: 'We are at a very critical moment.'

'We have yet to receive the impact of the strongest, most damaging wave, which will test our material and moral capacities to the limit, as well as our spirit as a society.'

Health authorities today announced 394 new deaths, raising the country's total to 1,720, a 30 percent increase over the previous day.

Health workers prepare to receive the first patients with coronavirus at Ifema exhibition complex in Madrid, Spain

The Community of Madrid and the UME (Spanish Emergency Army Unit) are installing a specific hospital for COVID-19 with 5,500 beds and an UCI (Intensive Care Unit)

The number of confirmed cases of the disease rose by 3,646, or 14.6 per cent, to 28,572, according to health ministry figures, with officials warning infections will rise further in the coming days.

Health workers are now receiving the first patients with coronavirus at the Ifema exhibition complex on the outskirts of Madrid.

The field hospital will have 5,500 beds once it is fully sent up, including 500 in an intensive care unit.

The first patients with coronavirus arrive at Ifema exhibition complex on March 22 in Madrid

The number of people confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Spain has increased to at least 25,400, with the latest death toll reaching 1,381 according to the countrys Health Ministry

The country's capital has reported by far the largest number of cases, 9,702, and at least 1,021 deaths.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the country's situation was close to its most difficult since the 1936-39 civil war.

With 1,785 people being treated in intensive care units for the virus, there is mounting concern about the ability of hospitals to cope.

Health care workers accounted for over 10 percent of all confirmed cases of coronavirus, the health ministry's emergencies coordinator, Fernando Simon, said.

Lockdowns are not enough to defeat coronavirus, WHO experts says Countries cannot simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert said today. Mike Ryan, chief executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said even if countries stop citizens mingling, there still needs to be public health measures to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on. He said in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them. 'The danger right now with the lockdowns...if we don't put in place the strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up.' Advertisement

'This is a significant problem for our health care system,' he told a news conference.

Authorities have called up 52,000 extra workers to help the country's health service as it struggles to contain the virus, including 14,000 retired doctors and nurses.

Soldiers helped move coronavirus patients on Sunday to a makeshift field hospital set up at a Madrid conference centre which is to be fitted with 5,500 hospital beds, which would make it the biggest such facility in Europe.

Spain on March 14 issued lockdown orders for its roughly 46 million residents who are only permitted to leave their homes for essential work, food shopping, medical reasons or to walk the dog.

Sanchez is expected to ask parliament to extend the initial 15-day state of emergency for another two weeks.

In a speech last night, Mr Sanchez said Spain is one of the countries most affected in Europe by the pandemic, stressing that the virus has several different characteristics from those of the common flu and that it spreads much faster and is more lethal.

Hotels across Spain are being offered as hospitals and in Madrid, the region worst-hit by the coronavirus, Madrid's famous conference and exhibition centre has started to receive its first patients.

The halls have been converted in just 18 hours, compared with 18 days for a major event, and will offer 5,500 beds, as well as an intensive care unit.

This morning, the Prime Minister confirmed that the State of Emergency imposed on March 14 will be extended for another 15 days

Paramedics work at the temporary hospital set up at a pavilion in Ifema convention and exhibition center in Madrid, Spain, late March 21

'The main objective of this new health provision will be to provide an adequate response to the needs for hospitalisation and ICU care that will occur, due to the rebound of new cases that are being anticipated for the region in the coming days,' said Madrid council in a statement.

The Ayre Gran Hotel Colon in Madrid has been the first to start receiving patients who have symptoms but whose condition requires medical follow-up without the need to be admitted to a hospital, both at the beginning of the disease and in the final phase.

The chains with a presence in Madrid have made 60,000 spaces available to the health authorities.
Agence France Press / Tribune News Service

Al Qaedas branch in Somalia, the terrorist groups largest and most active global affiliate, has issued specific new threats against Americans in East Africa and even the United States, U.S. commandos, counter-terrorism officials and intelligence analysts say.

Several ominous signs indicate that the al Qaeda affiliate, al-Shabab, is seeking to expand its lethal mayhem well beyond its home base, and attack Americans wherever it can  threats that have prompted a recent flurry of U.S. drone strikes in Somalia to snuff out the plotters.
The delivery schedule of Rafale fighter jets ordered by the Indian Air Force from France could get affected if lockdown measures in France to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) are extended beyond March-end, two people tracking the aircraft acquisition said on Sunday on the condition of anonymity.

Confinement measures announced by France to battle the outbreak until March 31 have temporarily halted production at aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviations Merignac facility, said one of the persons cited above.

India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016 as an emergency purchase to arrest the worrying slide in the air forces combat capabilities.

France handed over to India its first Rafale fighter during a ceremony attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart, Florence Parly, in Merignac on October 8, 2019, which coincided with the IAFs 87th founding day and the Hindu festival of Dussehra.

The first batch of four Rafale jets was supposed to fly to their home base in India in May 2020, but the plan faces uncertainty due to the swift spread of Covid-19. Subsequent deliveries are also likely to be delayed if lockdown measures are in force for longer, said the second person cited above.

The first 18 jets (including the four in the first batch) were supposed to be delivered to the IAF by February 2021, with the remainder 18 expected in April-May 2022. Experts said the IAF would have to come up with a plan and delay the phasing out of older aircraft in these extraordinary times.

The likely delay in Rafale induction is beyond anyones control and would have to be factored in in the phasing out plan of older aircraft. I am sure the IAF would be up to the task, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

The jets have been specially tailored for IAF. India-specific enhancements on the Rafales include a helmet-mounted sight, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, jammers, cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases and towed decoys to ward off incoming missiles.

The Indian fighters will be equipped with Meteor beyond-visual-range missiles built by European defence major MBDA Missile Systems. The Meteors no-escape zone is touted to be three times greater than that of current medium range air-to-air missiles.

The twin-engine jet is capable of carrying out a variety of missions --- ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance and nuclear strike deterrence. It can carry nine tonnes of weapons on as many as 14 hard-points.

The IAFs fighter squadrons have reduced to 31, compared to an optimum 42-plus units required to fight a two-front war with China and Pakistan.

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A furious woman has called out two Coles customers for buying a trolley-load of nappies during coronavirus pandemic panic buying.

The pair were filmed at the checkout of a Coles store in Penrith, in Sydney's west, on Saturday.

'Look at this woman,' the woman said while filming the couple.

'After everything that's happening, she has the hide. These people right here with a full trolley of nappies. How disgusting.

'She served them,' she added while panning the camera toward the checkout worker.

A furious woman has called out a Coles customer for buying a trolley-load of nappies during coronavirus pandemic panic buying

Despite nappies not being on Coles' list of restricted products, the shopper was slammed as 'greedy' for buying such a large quantity while necessities run in short supply due to panic buyers.

'I cant believe no one said anything to her... no way would I be able to restrain myself and say zip,' one person said.

'This made me so angry. Coles needs to make the anyone on the check out accountable. It's part of their job,' said another.

'Yet parents with their children in their arms are allowed 1 packet of wipes go figure.

'Its quite simple. They believe theyre more entitled than the rest of society.'

Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have been forced to introduce buying limits on a various items after panic-buying cleared out stores of toilet paper, pasta, rice, frozen food as well as tinned and other dried goods.

Despite nappies not being on Coles' list of restricted products, the shopper was slammed as 'greedy' for buying such a large quantity while necessities run in short supply due to panic buyers

The hysteria has seen supermarkets stripped of toilet paper, pasta, rice and frozen food, as well as tinned and other dried goods. Pictured: Empty fruit and vegetable shelves in Woolworths due to coronavirus panic buying

But Coles currently has no restrictions on how many nappies a shopper can buy.

Woolworths customers are also allowed to buy as many packets of nappies as they wish.

The supermarket giant put a one-pack limits in place for toilet paper, baby wipes, antibacterial wipes, paper towel, serviettes and rice amid the hysteria.

Panic-buying has even sparked a wave of 'supermarket tourism' with residents from large cities or urban areas descending on rural regions in NSW and Victoria in search of supplies.

In Victoria, residents from Kilmore, Traralgon, Wallan and Ararat slammed city 'vultures' for coming in by the 'busload' and emptying grocery store shelves.

Nervous shoppers are believed to be coming in from Melbourne and targeting stores for items that have been sold out in the city amid the panic-buying chaos.

Locals claim tourists have been coming in on buses, while some have been driving in, from as far as Mornington.

Tourist panic-shopping appears to be taking hold in NSW as well, with some residents in Mudgee, northwest of Sydney, complaining over the lack of supplies due to city folks travelling in to bulk-buy.

'People from Sydney [are] packing cars to the brims. Our supermarkets don't get enough supplies only enough for our population let alone hoarders. It's really sad and I think it needs to be policed from now,' one angry resident said on Facebook.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'Usually city folk hoard wine not milk!'

Peter Dutton said the government will come after possible crime syndicates who have been clearing supermarket shelves amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week urged Australians to stop hoarding toilet paper and other essential supplies.

He said the panic-buying chaos sweeping grocery stores across the country has been one of the 'most disappointing things' he has seen in 'Australian behaviour' in response to this crisis.

'Stop hoarding. I can't be more blunt about it. Stop it,' Mr Morrison said as he addressed the nation last Wednesday.

'That is not who we are as a people. It is not necessary. It is not something that people should be doing.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While working on keeping ourselves healthy, we shouldnt forget to keep our planet healthy as well.

The Advance/SILive.com spoke with Staten Islands resident green-blogger for all the tips and tricks necessary to remain sustainable during a pandemic.

Ariana Palmieri, a Bay Terrace resident, runs a blog sharing her zero-waste journey and tips and tricks for being environmentally conscious. She told the Advance/SILive.com that a pandemic shouldnt prevent us from thinking about the earth.

In a crisis, we tend to panic and see only what is in front of us,'' Palmieri said. While this is understandable, we cant lose sight of the things we value and cherish most.

While were being told to practice social distancing and quarantine ourselves, Palmieri says sustainability is how we can stay connected to the world.

With fewer people commuting, there has already been a significant change in air pollution in China and Italy, according to NASA.

There have also been reports of clearer waters in Venice, with fish visible and swans bathing.

Despite this good news, the current panic-buying spree that can be seen all over the world takes away from the sustainability movement, Palmieri says.

Were encouraged to buy a lot of single-use items during this time, like hand sanitizer, toilet paper, face masks, gloves," she explained. These will ultimately wind up in landfills, or worse  our environment.

The green-blogger shared with the Advance/SILive.com a few product suggestions and tips:

TOILET PAPER

Rather than waiting in the long lines at early hours for toilet paper, pre-order plastic-free brands online. When you subscribe, products are shipped as often as you choose.

The brands she recommends are:

Another investment Palmieri suggests is a bidet. They can be installed on toilets or purchased in a hand-held form.

HAND SANITIZER

If you cant find hand sanitizer at home, you can make it yourself! Check out the video below to see how to make your own.

CLEANERS

One of Palmieris favorite green cleaners is her D.I.Y. orange peel vinegar cleaner. All you need is orange peels, vinegar and water to make it. It is an all-purpose cleaner that works just as well as store-bought ones, she says.

Palmieri details how to make cough drops at home on her blog, GreenifyMe. (Courtesy Ariana Palmieri)

SICKNESS REMEDIES

All serious concerns should be addressed by a doctor, but Palmieri has some immune-boosting and comforting cold and flu season remedies. Whether it is tea, a neti-pot, or natural cough syrup, there are many ways to naturally calm your symptoms, she says.

If you are unable to eliminate medical waste during this pandemic, Palmieri says not to beat yourself up.

If you must go get tested for coronavirus, dont worry about the waste that will produce, she explained. The same goes for any kind of medication you might need during this time. If it comes in plastic, dont even stress it.

GLOVES

Rather than disposable gloves, Palmieris top tip is to wash your hands frequently. However, if you feel more comfortable with gloves, she recommends buying plastic free gloves.

She uses the brand If You Care, which are reusable and made from fair trade FSC certified natural rubber. Rather than disposing of them, they simply have to be washed and dried to be reused.

FOOD SHOPPING

Palmieris main tip is to stock up on only what you need, she told the Advance/SILive.com.

Dont hoard food  theres more than enough food for everyone, she said. Just take what you need and leave some for others too.

To shop sustainability, she recommends visiting a local farmers market.

The GrowNYC Greenmarkets on the Island are currently still operating on a regular schedule:

Staten Island Mall: behind Macys, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays

St. George: St. Marks Place and Hyatt St., 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays

If youd like to shop at a grocery store, Palmieri recommends bringing reusable shopping and produce bags, being sure to wash them after every use.

While you should avoid buying plastic or cans, its understandable that it may be necessary during the current health emergency. Palmieri recommends that if you have to buy something in plastic, get the biggest container you can find. Smaller plastics are known to be harder to recycle.

FOOD WASTE

It is important to make sure the food you do purchase is made to last as long as possible, Palmieri says.

She recommends cooking with leftovers, making veggie stock out of food scraps, or making jam out of mushy berries. In her e-book, " How to Reduce Food Waste," she details many ways that food can be multipurposed.

If you have food waste, another alternative is to compost it. Currently, food scrap drop-off sites are suspended, but organic curbside pickup is still regularly scheduled.

Palmieri uses vegetable scraps to make a healthy vegetable stock. (Courtesy Ariana Palmieri)

Even though it is important to think about sustainability, Palmieri admits that, during a pandemic, it isnt entirely within our control. The most important thing is making sure youre staying safe.

If [creating waste] is going to keep you healthy, its worth it, she says. After all, how can you care for the planet if you cant care for yourself?

For more articles about #SISustainability, follow the links below:

Want to share how you foster sustainability on Staten Island?

Email me: rhumbrecht@siadvance.com
The Blackrock Tidy Towns group have urgently called for people to adhere to social distancing in the village after a spike in crowds at the promenade and beach in recent days.

Taking to Facebook the group pleaded with people, saying:

"It has been brought to our attention that the Gardai are concerned at the number of people walking in Blackrock.

"The need for social distancing can not be adhered to, with large numbers walking the promenade and beach. In the interests of public well being it is incumbent on all of us to follow the guidelines of the HSE on the issue.

"Also, parents with children and young teens need to know where they are and impress upon them the importance of social distancing and why they should not congregate in groups at this time."
Kayla Arend, an MFA film writing and directing candidate at New York University (and Rochester native), just finished production on her graduate thesis short film, "Horror in Yellowstone."

She described the films plot: "Tessa is excited to visit Yellowstone National Park with her new boyfriend, Mark. What begins as an idyllic winter weekend slowly becomes a nightmare as Tessa realizes shes alone in the woods with a man she really doesnt know at all."

Timing was everything for Arends project. Her plans to film last summer changed when her mother had a heart transplant. She "dropped everything" and returned to Rochester to care for her mother. Upon returning to New York last fall, Arend was given a production shot for January.

Without missing a beat, she changed the focus and wrote a different story. Heading to Wyoming in the middle of the winter allowed her to "expand (her) winter-shooting-horizon."

Financial support for the film came from a Spike Lee/Sandra Ifraimova production fund award. In addition to funding, Lee has also given Arend guidance. She met with him earlier this month and described him as "an amazing mentor."

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Arend has been making films since she was 8. Although she has over 200 short films to her name, it is the work of the past five years that she hopes to share with a wider audience.

Perhaps an evening of her shorts will be screened in Rochester. Her ultimate goal is to film a feature-length production here in her hometown. The script is in progress, and with the support of Ambient House Productions, she has already filmed a "little trailer" starring Roo Yori and Jane Hamilton.

Volunteering is nothing new to Merrick Ducharme. When he was a Hayfield High School student, he and his family saw a need to provide food during the holiday season. With the support of their local church, the family began the "Thanksgiving in a Bag" program.

Ducharme and his siblings handed out paper bags with fliers that listed the food they needed, and donors were asked to fill the bag. As the Ducharme children graduated from high school and headed off to college, the program expanded. "Thanksgiving in a Bag" now operates in Northfield, St. Peter, Owatonna and Hayfield.

In 2018, Ducharme graduated from Carleton College in Northfield with a biology degree. He now works in a pulmonary lab at Mayo Clinic.

With his passion for helping others, he wanted to give back in the workplace. On Thursday mornings, he spends time at the Mayo Clinic Childrens Center. Ducharme describes the child life specialists who oversee the program as the "think tanks."

Ducharme said working with children is rewarding, and he aims to "help kids forget theyre in the hospital," which he acknowledges is "an inherently stressful situation." Providing activities for children also means their parents get a break. He sees firsthand that games, crafts and activities "bring a bright light into a room that was dark."

He plans to apply to medical school; perhaps pediatrics will become his speciality. He said he plans to "keep an open mind and see where life takes me." But one thing is certain, his passion for volunteerism is unlikely to wane. In fact, Ducharme hopes his story inspires more people to give back to the community with their time and talent.

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DETROIT, MI  Hundreds of health care workers and first responders with coronavirus COVID-19 symptoms are lining up to get tested this weekend, Wayne State University reports.

Wayne States Physician Group has teamed up with WSU Health Sciences and the ACCESS Community Health and Research Center to provide drive-through testing in both Detroit and Dearborn this weekend.

Volunteers from the organizations tested 362 health care workers, police officers and firefighters experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 on March 20-21, WSU stated in a news release.

Wayne State has long played an integral role in the health and well-being of the Detroit community, which is why its critical we step up and help test those who are involved in caring for others, Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson said.

Testing is an important measure toward controlling the spread of the virus, and weve made this drive-through testing process as accessible as possible for those on the front lines of care who have symptoms suggesting that they may be infected.

First responders take cautious new approach to medical calls amid virus outbreak

Saturdays testing took place at the Physician Group headquarters at 400 Mack Ave. in Detroit.

Volunteer clinicians and staff from participating organizations and resident physicians from area hospitals manned drive-through stations, conducting brief background and medical history surveys, followed by a simple and quick nasal swab test, according to the WSU news release.

Testing of health care workers and first-responders with COVID-19 symptoms is scheduled to continue at the ACCESS Community Health and Research Center, 6450 Maple St. in Dearborn, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22.

Testing also is expected to be available at both the Detroit and Dearborn locations from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting March 23.

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The tests are being offered at no charge and are limited to health care workers, police officers, firefighters and medics from across the region who are displaying COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat.

Those tested will be notified of results and care instructions through a secure text message developed in partnership with Patient Education Genius, according to WSU.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Michigan jumped from 549 to 787 on Saturday, with the majority in southeast Michigan.

8 people now dead from coronavirus in Michigan; infant tests positive

WSU Health Sciences purchased equipment to launch the testing program, while the Physician Group is leading the screening effort, which includes health care providers from the Physician Group and professionals from Wayne States School of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Social Work and the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Our front-line health care workforce is one of our most precious assets in the fight against COVID-19, Dr. Charles Shanley, Physician Group president and vice dean of clinical affairs at Wayne States School of Medicine, said.

We cannot protect the public without protecting them, as well as the first responders who provide critical support to our health care system, and protect public safety.

Lina Hourani-Harajli, chief operating officer at ACCESS, said the partnership is essential to help reduce the pressure on already overwhelmed hospital systems.

Our hope is to provide support to those who are putting themselves at risk to help contain this virus so they may return to their service roles as quickly as possible, she said.

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It has been another busy week here in New Mexico tracking COVID-19 cases and we are promoting social distancing everywhere.

The Lujan Grisham administration is doing everything we can to protect New Mexicans. But the majority of questions that get emailed, phoned and texted to us are not technical questions about social distancing  Are we supposed to stay 6 feet or 6 meters apart?  but rather, Should I get tested? and Where can I get tested?

Should I get tested? First, do you have symptoms? If the answer is no, then you do not need to be tested.

Weve heard from hundreds of people who had contact with someone who had contact with someone who had a positive COVID-19 test. Only a few need testing.

What if I live with someone who just tested positive? No testing is needed, unless you develop symptoms. To date, DOH has recommended testing for only a few contacts.

You have symptoms of fever greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or a new dry cough, or shortness of breath. Should you get tested? The answer is maybe. Without additional risk factors, your health-care professional may decide to watch and wait, especially since there is no recommended treatment for COVID-19 patients outside of the hospital. And, after all, this is still flu season.

What are the risk factors? If you have symptoms and one of the following, then DOH does recommend testing:

 Persons who are 65 years and older, immunocompromised, pregnant, homeless, living in congregant facilities, or have chronic disease.

 Any of the following in the last 14 days before the onset of symptoms: Travel to affected areas (see below). Close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

If you have symptoms and risk factors, your health-care provider will recommend testing. And immediate self-isolation for a total of 14 days if the test comes back positive.

Travel to affected areas is tricky. Every day it changes. Early last week it was Italy, Iran, China, South Korea. Now it is all of these, plus all of Europe, and an increasing number of hot spots in the United States.

The CDC website shows at least some community spread in about half of U.S. states. There were only four states with that designation three days ago. Community spread is designated when cases no longer have a travel-related explanation and spread is occurring from person to person.

Where can I get tested? A new DOH web page lists almost all of the known testing sites and includes hours of operation and important information: cv.nmhealth.org/public-health-screening-and-testing.

Most sites start with a standardized DOH screening tool to determine whether testing is necessary  if you dont have symptoms you dont need testing  and risk factors. This may be available online, when you get to the site, or both.

If testing is needed, a health-care provider will perform a nasal swab to collect material and put it in a vial to send to the lab. A reference lab will then run the specific test to see if you have been infected by COVID-19. Current lab turnaround is two to three days to process the test and report results, but we expect this time to drop as we rapidly expand our lab equipment and materials.

New Mexico has done an amazing job in only nine days getting many people tested for COVID-19 virus, and we want to thank our partners in the private sector for rapidly expanding testing sites and laboratory capacity.

We tested 2,797 people in nine days with test results from people in every state quadrant. We believe its the most rapid rate of tests per person per day of anywhere in the world. But weve tested less than 0.2% of our population, and we need to improve the accessibility of screening and testing to all New Mexicans in every corner of the state.

But what if I am scared and want the reassurance of a negative test, even though I dont have symptoms? Isnt that a good enough reason to get tested?

It is understandable that you might be scared. This viral pandemic has quickly spread over the entire world in just a few months and has a high mortality rate in older people. But we both believe that a test in a person without symptoms wont help you at this point, although our epidemiologists are closely watching the data from every test.

A negative test only means it is negative at the time the test is done. Since 80 percent of those infected have only mild disease, and since there is no officially recommended treatment for those not in the hospital, we suggest that you stay home and practice social distancing in as many ways as you can, wash your hands, avoid touching your face and check the DOH website daily.
The "evolving" insolvency law is a kind of "Swachhata drive" to clean up non-performing assets as well as put companies in the hands of capable and credible people, according to chief M S Sahoo. Around 3,600 companies have been admitted under the (IBC) so far.

While acknowledging that the Code is still evolving, Sahoo said authorities are conscious of the emerging needs.

"As and when they find a problem, they try to address it as expeditiously as possible. The insolvency professionals, creditors, NCLT, -- all are on a steep learning curve. The Supreme Court has been settling matters at a quick pace. I believe the road to success is always under construction," he told PTI in a recent interview.

Sahoo is the chairperson of the Insolvency and the Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), a key authority in implementing the Code. A case is taken up under the Code only after approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

When asked about the enduring benefits of the Code, which came into force in 2016, the chairperson said, "This is another kind of Swachhata (cleanliness) drive to clean up NPAs (non-performing assets) and to put companies in the hands of capable and credible people".

"This reinforces the rule of law by treating every company on the same level-playing field, irrespective of its size or the influence of the people behind them. Repayment of loan is no more an option, but an obligation," he noted.

With the IBC in place, as the Supreme Court puts it, the defaulter's paradise is lost, Sahoo emphasised.

The Code provides for a time-bound and market-linked resolution of stressed assets. If the resolution does not happen, the company concerned goes into liquidation.

"Failing is succeeding in Silicon Valley. An entrepreneur should not be stuck up in a business if he is failing to deliver," Sahoo said.

On whether the success of IBC is not just in numbers, the IBBI chief said that given the behavioural change, the performance should be seen in totality.

It should be seen in terms of "what happens under the IBC, what happens on account of the IBC and what happens in the shadow of the IBC," he said.

"190 companies were rescued, while 780 companies were referred for liquidation. Thus, the number of companies getting into liquidation is four times that of companies being rescued. These 190 companies, however, had assets, which is four times of the assets of the 780 companies.

"Thus, asset rescued is four times compared to those referred to liquidation. Importantly, of the companies rescued, one-third were under BIFR or defunct. Of the companies that proceeded for liquidation, three-fourths were under BIFR (Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction) or defunct," he said.
Katrina Johnson, left, Ralph Gomez and Kenya Smith leave a bag of food for Davis Soto, taking care to stay at least six feet away from him. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a list of new precautions that outreach workers must follow. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

On a recent morning, Katrina Johnson, Ralph Gomez and Kenya Smith are eager to hit the streets. Outreach workers for a homeless agency serving South Los Angeles, they want to catch up with their clients before the weekend, to make sure everyone is safe for the days ahead.

Standing in their office off Slauson Boulevard, they put together their game plan but pause when they come to the supply closet. Its shelves are close to empty.

The two-ounce containers of hand sanitizer are gone. Wipes are in short supply, and their van needs its daily cleaning. They scrounge for what they can find: granola bars, cookies, crackers, a few personal care items.

The scarcity, they hope, will be temporary, but they can't be certain. The threat of the novel coronavirus hangs over them, invisible and menacing, threatening to infect them and their clients  the men and women struggling with homelessness.

But they wonder and worry.

Outreach worker Ralph Gomez tosses a clipboard for a signature to Davis Soto, making sure to stay at least six feet away. The pandemic has altered how homeless outreach is conducted in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

By hitting the streets each day  assessing needs, delivering food  they know that they represent a possible source for transmitting the virus to a population that is fairly isolated. More than just a fever and cough, the resulting disease COVID-19 could lead to pneumonia, organ failure and death, worst-case scenarios for the most vulnerable.

At a staff meeting a day earlier, outreach teams discussed new protocols: social distancing, no transporting of clients, no salad deliveries, placing water or prepackaged snacks on the ground, leaving pens with clients instead of reusing them.

They are a tight group, the employees of Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System, or HOPICS, conditioned by months, if not years, of standing on the front line of what was once the citys most conspicuous public health crisis.

This is what weve always done, Johnson says. We just need to take it to another level entirely.

The simplicity of the measures, the outreach workers say, is what makes them so challenging. They are so basic, they are easy to forget.

Story continues

But forgetfulness, they know, comes with a price, especially among a population whose health is already compromised by preexisting conditions, stress, addiction and the squalor of the streets.

Odessa Henderson, left, and Anthony Garcia pack up kits, which include hand sanitizer, snacks and personal care items, to pass out to homeless people as part of their outreach program in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Age, too, is a risk factor. According to the most recent government-mandated homeless count, 13,600 men and women in Los Angeles County are at least 55 and older. By another estimate, close to 4,000 are older than 65. While COVID-19 infects people of all ages, mortality among seniors has been especially high.

The outreach workers know their jobs will change in the coming weeks, that their focus will be on seniors and the medically vulnerable. But on this day  while they can  they would like to help Orlando get his Social Security card and locate Mary, who has been approved for a bed in a shelter but is missing.

A light rain is falling. The odds are against them. In the rain, clients tend to scatter into fast-food restaurants, libraries, any place to get out of the wet and cold.

But Johnson, Gomez and Smith have to keep trying, even as they stand at this strange confluence of crises where homelessness and disease meet.

::

LA Family Housing outreach coordinator Eric Montoya, right, interviews homeless man Patrick Moran, who is camped in the Sepulveda Basin in Encino. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

In the San Fernando Valley, outreach worker Eric Montoya is ready to start his day. He parks his car in the Sepulveda Basin and heads out.

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released a webinar on the coronavirus. Montoya watched it from LA Family Housing's North Hollywood office but found his mind wandering.

They were telling him everything he already knew.

Having experienced homelessness himself, he keeps a distance from his clients and is conscientious about washing his hands.

"I try not to think about the risk of getting infected myself," he says. If God wants me to die from the coronavirus, so be it. What can I do? I need to help these people.

This feeling of responsibility prompts him to strike out on a dirt path edged by wild mustard. He carries five small bags filled with food, water and a hygiene kit. Joggers breeze past him, as he sneaks a quick cigarette before skirting the scrub brush on his way to an encampment.

Montoya knows that if he doesnt check in on its residents, no one else will. He talks to his clients about the principles of social distancing and urges them to sleep one person to a tent if they can. If that's not possible, he tells them about the risk of sleeping face to face. Feet to face is better.

LA Family Housing outreach coordinator Eric Montoya walks out into the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area to conduct interviews with homeless people camped in the Sepulveda Basin in Encino. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

::

Johnson joins Gomez and Smith in the parking lot of the HOPICS offices. Their employer refers to each team of workers by a specific color, coded to specific neighborhoods. They are the Green Team, assigned to the streets around Leimert Park and Vermont Square.

We just wiped everything down, Smith says, looking at the van. He and Gomez had taken Clorox wipes and Lysol disinfectant spray to its doors, the dashboard and seats.

Good, Johnson says, I was going to ask.

Gomez drives. Johnson rides shotgun, and Smith sits in the back. They pull out of the parking lot of the one-time Webers bakery on Slauson Avenue and head west.

Its crazy that the virus got started three months ago, and here we are today, Smith says, as he reflects upon the chaos of the last week. He is surprised city and state agencies hadnt done more sooner.

Earlier in the week, the Green Team spent three days trying to find hand sanitizer, extending its search into hardware and medical supply stores. Even if it cost more, it would be worth it. But they couldnt find any.

Outreach workers Denise Ramirez, left, and Katrina Johnson pack food to hand out to homeless people as part of their outreach program in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The supply manager for their agency, Zyanya Martinez, had scoured her usual sources  Smart & Final, 99 Cents Only Stores, Dollar Tree  and had come up empty. Her fallbacks, Target and Walmart, were no better.

The agency was able to get hospital wipes from a medical supply store, but using them requires gloves. And gloves and masks are being rationed.

Even deliveries of bottled water have been cut back or are running late.

Its very discouraging that we dont have the supplies we need to do our jobs, Smith says.

Within a week, the shortages will have eased. Gloves and masks will arrive from the county Department of Health Services, but more than shortages, the Green Team worries that the new protocols  as necessary as they are  will make its jobs more difficult.

Outreach workers Ralph Gomez, left, and Kenya Smith sanitize their van before going out to look for homeless people as part of their program in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

::

Welcome to the temporary new normal in homeless outreach work.

Last week, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the city would convert 42 recreation centers into temporary shelters, providing 6,000 new beds in an effort aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus among the homeless population.

The new shelters, 13 of which opened Friday, will focus outreach efforts primarily on older clients.

"I want to make sure what resources we use up, are used up on people who are most vulnerable," said John Helyar, a manager with HOPICS.

But when Helyar heard of Garcettis plan, his enthusiasm was guarded. Opening doors is easy; getting clients to step inside is tricky.

Were seeing a lot of people worried about going into shelters due to the risk of infection, which is understandable, Helyar said.

He and his staff are putting together a list of their clients in South Los Angeles who are older than 65 or especially vulnerable to illness. With that list in hand, they will start targeting their outreach efforts.

Beyond the challenge of persuading clients to move off the streets and arranging safe transportation, there are a million considerations, Helyar said, when it comes to running a shelter.

Who is going to staff it? he asked. What cleaning protocols will be in place? How will security be handled?

He heard that city employees will be enlisted in order to keep his personnel free for outreach, but the details are still sketchy.

::

Working his way through brush growing on the side of the Los Angeles River, Montoya meets Patrick Moran, one of the residents of a nearby encampment.

Montoya has been trying to help Moran, 56, who wants housing and needs a hernia operation. But before any of that can happen, Montoya has to get him to the Department of Motor Vehicles where Moran can get a new identification card.

Hes hoping they can make that trip in a day or two, but he has his doubts.

He hands Moran a drawstring bag and makes a point of telling him that there is soap and hand sanitizer inside. Morans hands are caked with dirt.

You know about the virus, Montoya asks.

If you have friends that are sneezing," he adds, "you might not want to hang out with them.

::

Outreach worker Ralph Gomez looks out for homeless clients while driving around in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

With the radio playing low, Gomez wheels the van through the narrow streets of South Los Angeles, lined with low-slung bungalows with broad front porches and green lawns.

The Green Team never knows where its clients might show up.

We need to put pens in our vans, Johnson remembers. When getting signatures from clients, from now on they will want to leave the pens behind.

They pass a full shopping cart and slow down.

Thats Davids, Johnson says. I wonder where he is.

A block later, they see someone lying on the sidewalk under the overhang of a recreation center. The figure is covered with a purple blanket, black trash bags close by.

Johnson rolls down her window.

David, she calls out. David!

The purple blanket jerks, and David abruptly sits up.

The Green Team first met him eight months ago. A bright silver earring catches the light through David's thick black hair and beard. His fingers are covered with rings, his arms with bracelets and scabs.

Smith explains that David can be delusional: He thinks he is a shaman and burns himself with cigarettes and lighters. Despite the possibility of the wounds getting infected, he waves off a closer examination.

Hows your skin feeling? asks Smith, who stands more than six feet away and has to raise his voice. He explains that he is keeping his distance because of the coronavirus.

You know about the coronavirus? Smith asks, reminding David to be sure to wash his hands and keep away from others. Hand sanitizer is in the hygiene kit.

Johnson places a paper bag on the sidewalk: granola bars, water and the kit.

Gomez speaks to David in Spanish, tosses him a clipboard and a pen. David signs and tosses the clipboard back. Gomez wipes it down.

As they say goodbye, Smith abstains from the fist bump that he and David have always shared.

As a nurse, Smith prides himself on his interactions with his clients. Patting them on the back, shaking hands, handing out a salad  these simple gestures go far toward building trust and a rapport that might one day open the door to housing.

These protocols sure make interacting with clients a lot more awkward, he says.

We have to break old habits, Johnson says. We have to retrain ourselves before responding.

::

Throughout Los Angeles, outreach workers such as Montoya and Green Team members are still trying to understand how to do their work in this time of pandemic.

If anyone feels sick, Montoya tells Moran, tell them to go to the hospital.

Calling 911 is another alternative, which is what members of the Green Team will do if they encounter someone with a fever. Smith carries a thermometer.

Their greatest concern is less about the virus spreading within the homeless community than about outsiders introducing it.

In the Sepulveda Basin, that means police officers who patrol this urban wilderness and are not always able to respect social distancing and the do-gooders who don't understand what the limits of their generosity should be.

In the streets of South Los Angeles, that means anyone passing on the sidewalks where homeless men and women live next to businesses and the neighborhoods that they grew up in.

Montoya heads back to his car, and the Green Team continues to search for clients under the days gray and drizzly sky. Though the city and state have ordered businesses to close and residents to remain at home, they are essential workers.
A fourth person has died from the coronavirus and another 121 have tested positive.

The latest death involved a man in the east of the country, with an underlying health condition.

It brings to 906 the numbers of people who have tested positive here in the Republic of Ireland.

The HSE is now working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

Read More

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of the patient who died today.

Cases confirmed today were most likely exposed to Covid-19 prior to the introduction of the public health measures implemented on Friday, 13 March.

It is vital that everyone complies with the public health advice on hand and cough hygiene, working from home where possible and practising social distancing of 2 metres.

Public health doctors carrying out contact tracing are advising that confirmed cases are now reporting fewer contacts, which is an encouraging sign that people are following the public health guidance.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of everyone adhering to public health advice. You are actively helping flatten the curve and limit the spread of Covid-19.

Anyone waiting to be tested should act as though their test is positive and should self-isolate now, while they await testing and results.

As of Friday, 55pc of confirmed cases are male and 44pc are female, with 35 clusters involving 190 cases.

The median age of confirmed cases is 44 years.

211 cases (30pc) have been hospitalised and of those hospitalised, 17 cases have been admitted to ICU.

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, a second Covid-19 patient has died.

The elderly patient had an underlying medical condition and was being treated in hospital, Stormont's health department said.

Health Minister Robin Swann said: "This heart-breaking news should bring it home to every one of us that coronavirus is a real and present danger across our community."

He said a minority of people continue to flout social distancing advice designed to minimise the coronavirus spread.

Mr Swann added: "These behaviours are putting the people themselves, their families and their friends and neighbours at risk.

"Coronavirus is a threat across generations and all walks of life.

"We all need to unite to fight against it."

There were 20 new positives cases of the virus in Northern Ireland as of 2pm on Sunday, bringing the total to 128.

The total number of tests completed is 2,484.

Earlier today, the HSE revealed that a backlog of 40,000 people who are waiting for a coronavirus test has built up.

It comes amid growing anxiety among people who were referred for a test by their GP but are waiting days to be called to give a swab.

The HSE also said 177 patients with coronavirus are now in hospital and 30 are in intensive care, a significant escalation in numbers.

HSE executive Ann O Connor said there were challenges in setting up the testing centres and the average wait is four to five days.

She said there will be a big expansion in testing centres this week and some 41 centres should be operational by Tuesday with the largest in Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.

Another 20,000 test kits are being secured next week.

As the country faces into a week of escalating numbers of people falling victim to the virus the HSE chief Paul Reid said it will double its bed capacity and also set up field hospitals.

It expects the number of intensive care beds available to increase to 500.

Another 1,000 ventilators will be delivered in the coming days to support patients who have a breathing crisis.

In response to fears by health staff that hospitals and health facilities will run out of protective equipment to guard them against getting the virus the HSE chief executive Paul Reid said it has a contact with suppliers in China and has an order worth 210m and the first 28m supply is due.

Social distancing has been re-named physical distancing  people can continue to be socially connected but must try to stay six feet apart when outside their household.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  I was supposed to leave today for a vacation in Ecuador, my first trip to South America. Obviously, thats not happening.

Im still working on some of the details, but I hope to get most of my money back from this (expensive) adventure. I know many of you are dealing with the same issues. So I thought it would be instructive for me to tell you how Ive handled it, in case my efforts can help you.

First, some background

My daughter, a junior at Ohio State, was studying abroad this semester in Ecuador. She left in late January and planned to stay through late May. She had a week off in late March, and my husband and I planned to explore some of the country with her during her time off.

Even through early March, I thought we could make the trip, even after the State Department issued a global Level 3 travel advisory, suggesting U.S. citizens reconsider travel worldwide. But then, last Saturday (March 14), the Ecuadorian government announced a 21-day total ban on travel into and out of the country, effective late March 16.

My daughter, with the help of her program, quickly booked a flight home. And I set about the arduous task of canceling the many pieces and parts of our trip.

The airline

We were booked on Delta Air Lines, Cleveland to Quito via Atlanta. Because my flight from Atlanta to Quito was canceled  no flights into the country for at least three weeks  I qualify for a full refund, not a credit. I filled out a form online and asked for my money back.

Because I am a journalist, I have access to some resources that others do not. I emailed the media-relations folks at Delta and asked them to clarify the airlines policy about refunds and canceled flights. I received a phone call later in the day from a customer service representative, who agreed that I qualified for a refund, but that it could take longer than normal to receive it (probably no more than 14 days, she said).

While she was explaining my options to me, she asked that I consider the possibility of a credit for future travel instead of a refund, but I was firm: Ill take my money back, thank you.

I understand that the airlines need the money. But so do I.

(Related note: My daughter flew home from Quito on Delta, and went through Customs in Atlanta, where there was absolutely no screening of arriving passengers, no temperature taking, no questions asked, nothing. But I digress.)

A photo my daughter took during a visit to Antisana Ecological Reserve near Quito, Ecuador. (Rachel Brunot, Special to The Plain Dealer)

Handling hotels

Our itinerary included a couple of days in Quito, and then a trip to an eco-lodge in the Amazon River basin in the eastern half of the country.

I had booked three nights at a hotel in Quitos Old Town neighborhood through Booking.com, with a cancelation policy that allowed me to cancel up to three days in advance. So that was easy.

We also planned to spend three nights at an eco-lodge on the Napo River, which I paid for in advance. It was about $4,000 for three of us, including all meals, activities and a short flight from Quito to Coca, followed by a three-hour boat ride into the jungle.

Canceling this part of the trip wasnt as easy.

Before Ecuador closed its borders  before we officially decided we werent going  I emailed Sacha Lodge to ask them if we could get a refund if we canceled. The representative offered a full credit to come back anytime in 2020 or 2021.

Frankly, I was OK with that  it would guarantee that eventually we would make it to Ecuador.

But when the government closed the borders, I decided to inquire again: What about a refund now? This time, I was told I could get a refund on all but the airfare from Quito to Coca, which was $270 per person (times three).

I am waiting for the lodge to refund my money. In the meantime, I have contacted Tame Airlines and asked them, separately, for a refund or, at minimum, a voucher for a flight at a future date.

Travel insurance

I purchased travel insurance for this trip  not because of the coronavirus (trust me, I didnt see this world meltdown coming), but because my husband and I have older parents and I wanted the ability to cancel should something happen to one of them. I also wanted health coverage on an adventure itinerary in a developing country.

The coronavirus was contained mostly to China when I finalized our trip, and I realized at the time that basic travel insurance wouldnt cover any coronavirus-related claims.

But what if I literally couldnt get to my destination? What if the government shut down entry to Ecuador. Would my insurance kick in then?

No, said Steve Dasseos, the founder of TripInsuranceStore.com, a travel insurance comparison site. Ive used his site a couple of times to compare and purchase insurance; this trip, I bought a basic, comprehensive policy from Travel Insured International.

All policies have exclusions for governmental actions, including advisories and border closures, according to Dasseos. And unless you have cancel-for-any-reason coverage, insurance will not cover fear of travel, although you will potentially be covered if you get sick with COVID-19 while traveling.

He said his company has fielded many calls from distressed travelers, upset because they didnt understand the details of their plans. Who has time to read the fine print? he quoted one long-time customer.

Indeed, I went back and reminded myself of the numerous reasons I could cancel a trip and get reimbursed: jury duty, house fire, loss of employment, traffic accident and many others. But no world pandemic or border closures.

One bit of good news on the travel insurance front: Because I am not taking my trip, Dasseos told me I am eligible for either a refund on my policy or a credit for a future trip. The policy refund provision kicks in if your trip has been canceled and youve already received a refund from all your suppliers; the credit applies if you get future travel credits.

At the moment, I believe I qualify for a credit, and am awaiting confirmation. Not all travel insurance policies work this way, but an increasing number do, according to Dasseos.

Other expenses and final thoughts

This tale isnt over yet.

I havent actually received any money back from Delta Air Lines or Sacha Lodge. I am hopeful there will be no significant delays.

I also paid a substantial sum for travel vaccines at Passport Health that cant be refunded. (On the other hand -- Im all set if I wander into any areas where I need a yellow fever vaccine.)

I also bought some new clothes for the jungle that I now plan to return.

All in all, Im relatively pleased with how it turned out. The pandemic has been stressful for all of us, for many different reasons. I appreciate that the travel community  at least the vendors Ive been dealing with  have been generally understanding and sympathetic.

We will get through this together. And when its all over, I hope to finally make that trip to Ecuador.

***

Travel tips during troubled times

Book directly with vendors, when possible; it makes asking for a refund easier.

Avoid prepaying for hotel stays and other activities, when possible.

Where available, opt for a refund over a credit  you never know when a vendor might go out of business.

Wait to cancel a trip, if possible. If the vendor cancels first, youre more likely to qualify for a refund; if you initiate the cancellation, you may have to settle for a credit.

Even if youre not entitled to a refund, it never hurts to ask; but ask politely.

Understand your travel insurance policy; read the fine print!

Read more:

Ohios hotel, tourism industry facing huge losses during coronavirus crisis

Cleveland Hopkins airport could see up to 50% drop in air traffic due to coronavirus-related reductions

Tourism to Cleveland, region, likely to drop due to coronavirus concerns

Many out of work due to coronavirus arent eligible for unemployment benefits

Walt Disney World in Orlando is closing Monday due to concern over coronavirus

How and where to get tested for coronavirus

Childcare centers, parents grapple with tough choices

Acts of kindness amid coronavirus pandemic

Workers at highest risk

Health care workers, whats it like handling coronavirus cases?

Hudson mom shares brutal encounter with coronavirus
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Sunday cautioned Igbos against going to church and travelling, amid t...





Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Sunday cautioned Igbos against going to church and travelling, amid the scourge of Coronavirus.





Kanu also cautioned people of the Southeast to withdraw their children from school in a bid to enforce social-distancing.





In a statement he personally signed, the IPOB leader urged Igbos to adhere to advice from health workers on how to prevent COVID-19.





Kanu said: In the name of Elohim, the Most High Chukwu Okike Abiama puru ime ihe nile, I address you today on the Coronavirus Pandemic.





You are all aware of the ravaging effects of this damnable virus and the deaths and suffering it has brought to many nations.





You are also aware that the World Health Organization has declared it a Pandemic, which demands that everybody must observe our long-cherished Hebraic/Biafran tradition of high personal hygiene and social-distancing to stem the spread of the virus.





I am personally impressed with the high level of compliance with social-distancing and other precautionary measures all serious and vulnerable nations have embarked on. I worry about Biafrans everywhere, especially those trapped within the geographical space called Nigeria.





The IPOB leader urged people of the Southeast to be vigilant to medical tips, especially coming from World Health Organisation, WHO.





He said: To this end, I direct all members of the Indigenous People of Biafra everywhere in the world, including particularly the geographical space called Nigeria to take matters into their own hand and protect themselves, their loved ones and the general public.





What you must do is to be vigilant to the medical advise issuing from medical professionals, including particularly the World Health Organization. To be sure, you must immediately embark on all measures that enhance your personal hygiene.





Begin your social-distancing now by withdrawing your children and wards from schools. Do not attend the Church or the Synagogue for now. Avoid unnecessary travel, except if the purpose is to distance yourself from high infected areas. This is a once in a 100 year event. Pandemics of this magnitude has been part and parcel of human existence since the beginning of time. In holy books it is commonly referred to as a plague. Do not dismiss what is going around the world as a hoax as some conspiracy theorists would have us believe.





Above all, trust in yourself and medical professionals, while abiding in the faith that Elohim, The Most High will surely and ultimately hearken to the supplications of his Faithfuls by showing us the most effective solution to this virus.





Meanwhile, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday confirmed another case of Coronavirus in Abuja.





This is coming after it earlier confirmed four cases in Lagos and Oyo State on Sunday.




- Kenya Airways said it reduced its flights to nine African countries, the UAE and India upon effecting travel restrictions over COVID-19

- The carrier directed all employees at grade H06 and above to take a one-week paid and three-week unpaid leave effective April 1

- All staff members have been asked to proceed to annual leave while those on duty will take between 25 % to % 60 % pay cut

Kenya Airways (KQ) has said it has been forced to reduce its flights by 65% owing to global coronavirus pandemic.

As a result of the global situation, the national carrier directed all its employees who will not be required at work to take their annual leave with immediate effect.

READ ALSO: Germany planning to return her tourists residing in Kenya back home

KQ boss Kilavuka clarified the reductions will be considered as owed to affected employees and will be compensated. Photo: Allan Kilavuka.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Matatu za kubeba abiria 14 zaagizwa kupunguza idadi hadi watu 8 pekee

In an internal memo on Friday, March 20, the airliner's CEO Allan Kilavuka, however, asked staff who will be needed at their work stations to take 25% or 50% pay subject to job grade.

Additionally, all employees at grade H06 and above will proceed to a one-week paid and three-week unpaid leave while colleagues at grade H06 will contend with two weeks of unpaid and paid leave with effect from April 1, 2020.

Kenya Airways reduced its international flights by 65 % after nine countries in Africa announced travel restrictions. Photo: Kenya Airways.

Source: Facebook

"All employees who will not be required at work will take their annual leave with immediate effect. All employees at H05 and below will be on two weeks paid and two weeks unpaid leave. If you are required to be on duty, you will be on 25% or 50% pay subject to your grade,"stated Kilavuka.

However, Kilavuka clarified the reductions will be considered as owed to affected employees and will be compensated at a future date depending on the company's profitability.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe giving status updates on coronavirus on Friday, March 20. Kenya has seven confirmed cases. Photo: Ministry of Health.

Source: Facebook

"These reductions will be considered as owed to you as an employee to be compensated at a future date when the company can afford to do so and upon return to profitability," he added.

Though no decision on layoffs was on the table, the CEO said he would now take 80 % pay cut and not 35 % he indicated in the previous communication on Thursday, March 19.

"My communication regarding the 25% pay cut for the leadership team and 35% for myself has been superseded as the situation has evolved significantly. They will now be subjected to a 75% pay cut and I will get an 80% pay cut," he added.

So far, nine countries in Africa have announced travel restrictions thus reducing passenger numbers exponentially with negative impact on revenues.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly.

God is punishing Kenyans with Corona Virus: Corona Virus in Kenya | Tuko TV.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
OConnor has a federal firearms license, or FFL, but she is not a gun retailer. Instead, she serves as a go-between for Maryland buyers and out-of-state sellers. Under federal law, buyers can purchase pistols only from FFL-holders in the states where they reside. If you live in Rockville and see a handgun you want online, you can have it shipped to OConnor, at TK Defense, and shell complete the sale for a fee.
A 40-year-old woman in Panchkula in Haryana has tested positive for coronavirus, prompting the authorities to launch a health check in the slum where she lived with her family, officials said on Sunday.

With this, the number of cases in the state reaches eight four from Gurgaon and one each from Panchkula, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonipat.

The slum in Panchkula, with a population of around 9,000, has been cordoned off and residents have been asked to quarantine themselves in their homes, they said.

Health officials in Panchkula are checking each household and anyone with cough and fever has been asked to inform the authorities immediately, the officials said.

The woman, who works as a masseuse in Chandigarh, got infected from a young woman who had recently returned from the UK. The Chandigarh resident later on tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the Union territory's first patient.

The Panchkula woman had been traced based on details given by the Chandigarh patient, the officials said.

She has been kept in isolation, they said, adding that her son has tested negative but is still being kept in a different isolation ward.

Samples of her other family members too have been taken, the officials said.

A Health department official in Panchkula told media persons that four teams of healthcare officials, besides 50 police personnel, have been deployed in the slum colony.

All residents of the colony, a majority of whom work as domestic helps, labourers and autorickshaw drivers, are being screened. Civic authorities have sanitised the area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Lehigh Valley Health Network is enacting new safety measures due to an increase Lehigh Valley residents testing positive for COVID-2019.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Lehigh Valley had 40 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the Pennsylvania Department of health. Thats an uptick of six new cases in Lehigh County and four in Northampton County.

The network will close some operating rooms, relocate some ExpressCARE sites and postpone non-urgent planned testing and procedures of some patients, health network spokesman Brian Downs stated Sunday afternoon in a news release.

We appreciate your understanding as we put safety first, Downs said.

Closing operating rooms

The network is temporarily closing select operating rooms to protect patients and staff, and to preserve medical supplies and protective equipment.

This precaution is consistent with decisions being made at other health networks throughout the country, and it will allow us to maintain vital surgical services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Downs said.

Operating rooms will be temporarily shut down at these sites:

 Fairgrounds Surgical Center, 400 N. 17th St., Suite 300, Allentown.

 Lehigh Valley Hospital17th Street operating room, 1627 W. Chew St., Allentown.

 Lehigh Valley Health NetworkTilghman, operating room, 4815 Tilghman St., South Whitehall Township.

 J.B. and Kathleen Reilly Childrens Surgery Center, 1210 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Third Floor, Salisbury Township.

 Coordinated Health, all operating rooms, across Northampton and Lehigh counties.

Downs said critical procedures scheduled for those sites will be relocated to other operating rooms. The network started contacting patients Sunday to discuss plans for scheduled procedures.

Service Changes: Ambulatory services

Some scheduled tests and procedures are being postponed across the health network, Downs said.

On Monday, teams will start contacting those scheduled for tests and appointments that need to be delayed due to the impact of COVID-19. All the procedures being postponed are considered non urgent and arent being canceled but delayed, Downs said.

Service Changes: ExpressCARE consolidation

To help ensure there is adequate staffing at the health networks COVID-19 assess and test locations, Downs said the health network must temporarily suspend services at three of its ExpressCARE locations.

ExpressCARE locations now being used as COVID-19 assess and test services will redirect those seeking ExpressCARE treatment for minor illnesses and injuries to other sites.

The Lehigh Valley Health Network ExpressCARE locations temporarily suspending services, effective Monday are as follows:

 LVHN ExpressCARE, 2101 Emrick Boulevard, Bethlehem Township (those seeking non-COVID-19 care, will be redirected to LVHN ExpressCARE in Palmer Township or another location).

 LVHN ExpressCAREBangor, 1337 Blue Valley Drive, Washington Township, Northampton County. (those seeking non-COVID-19 care, will be redirected to LVHN ExpressCARE in Palmer Township or another location).

 LVHN ExpressCAREBlakeslee, 5683 PA-115, Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County (those seeking non-COVID-19 care, will be redirected to LVHN ExpressCARE in Tobyhanna or another location).

Starting Tuesday, parents seeking care for their children should use LVHN ExpressCAREPalmer Township at 3701 Corriere Road in Palmer Township while Childrens ExpressCARE services are temporarily suspended, Downs said.

Additional safety actions

Lehigh Valley Reilly Childrens Hospital in Salisbury Township will remain open to provide specialized care to children, Downs said.

These Lehigh Valley Health Network ExpressCARE locations serving as LVHN COVID-19 assess and test locations will redirect patients starting Monday:

 ExpressCAREMacungie, 6451 Village Lane, Macungie: COVID-19 assess and test only (those seeking non-COVID-19 care will be redirected to ExpressCAREFogelsville or another location).

 LVHN ExpressCAREMacArthur Road, 2741 MacArthur Road, Whitehall: COVID-19 assess and test only (those seeking non-COVID-19 care will be redirected to ExpressCAREMuhlenberg or another location).

 LVHN ExpressCAREPalmerton, 528 Delaware Ave, Palmerton: COVID-19 assess and test only (those seeking non-COVID-19 care will be redirected to ExpressCARE-West End or another location).

 LVHN ExpressCAREBartonsville: COVID-19 assess and test only (those seeking non-COVID-19 care will be redirected to ExpressCARE-Pocono or another location).

 LVHN ExpressCARERichland Township, 320 W. Pumping Station Road, Suite 3, Quakertown, Bucks County: both COVID-19 assessment and testing and ExpressCARE services (however, those seeking non-COVID-19 care will use a separate registration desk and waiting room).

The health network will work with all who have had their tests and procedures delayed so they can receive proper care as soon as it is safe to resume normal services, Downs said.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share., whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email her. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Former Goa Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Digambar Kamat on Sunday urged Goa Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant to take experts advise and ensure the supply of essential commodities amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

"I urge the Chief Minister to take experts advise and decide accordingly. The government should ensure that the supply of essential commodities for day to day living continues. Panaji- Goan's have responded positively to Janata Curfew today. Such preventive measures on the COVID-19 virus need to continue," a press statement quoted Kamat as saying.

"It is important to ensure that supply of basic essential commodities like milk and vegetables are made available to the people regularly. Government should take steps in that direction and also make arrangements to see that no one remains hungry in Goa. The government should also contemplate on giving financial package to those who survive on daily wages. It is important that Government forms a task force of medical experts from Civil Society and Army to handle the coronavirus threat," the statement added.

He also appealed people to take precautionary measures to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"As it is now clear that social distancing is the only effective step in controlling the spread of Corona Virus, the need to extend the Janata Curfew is the right decision. I appeal to all to follow the government directives and remain safe at all times. I appeal to all to maintain peace and calm and take utmost precautions with self-hygiene," the statement reads.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Saratoga County Sheriff's Office

GALWAY  A motorcyclist died in a crash with a car Saturday at the intersection of Galway Road and Jockey Street, the SaratogaCounty Sheriffs Office said.

The accident occurred at 5:24 p.m. with first responders reporting the motorcycle driver had died, deputies said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday condoled the death of 17 security personnel who were ambushed in a Naxal attack in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

At least 17 jawans were killed and 14 others injured in the attack on Saturday.

"I am deeply anguished by the death of security personnel in Sukma. I offer my respects to the brave jawans who laid their lives in security of the nation," Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.

In a major joint offensive on Saturday, separate teams of nearly 600 personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) launched an anti-Naxal operation from three sides towards Elmagunda after getting inputs about a huge gathering of ultras there.

When the patrolling teams were near Minpa village forests, a group of around 250 heavily armed ultras ambushed them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Metals and mining giant Vedanta Ltd on Sunday announced setting up of a Rs 100-crore fund to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The fund will be utilised to provide preventive healthcare to daily wage workers, company employees and contract workers in and around various plants of the company, Vedanta said in a statement.

"I commit 100 crore towards fighting the pandemic. We will increase the corpus if the need arises," Anil Agarwal, executive chairman, Vedanta Resources Ltd, said.

As part of other measures, Vedanta said the company will not cut salaries or fire any of its staff, including temporary workers during this crisis period.

Besides, the company has also decided to provide a special one-time insurance to cover Vedanta's employees and their families against COVID-19.

Further, all mobile health vans in operational areas will aide in preventive healthcare and each business unit will contribute towards the livelihood of daily wage earners around plant locations like tea sellers and vegetable vendors.

The fund will cater to livelihood of daily wage workers, employees and contract workers, preventive health care and provide timely help to communities in and around various plant locations.

Agarwal further said, "The world is currently putting up a spirited fighting against COVID19. It is critical that corporate houses should assist the government in the fight against this deadly virus by contributing to the best of their ability so that the nation has adequate resources to take care of its citizens and provide both medical and financial assistance."



Vedanta Ltd is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Ltd.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi to ease restrictions, if Covid cases come down in next 2-3 days: Health Minister

Lata Mangeshkar health update: Doctor says,'She in ICU with Covid-19 and pneumonia, will be under observation'

Actor Prabhas in self-quarantine after returning from Jaan film's shoot in Georgia

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Hyderabad, Mar 22: South superstar Prabhas has announced that he is in self-quarantine in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In a short statement posted on Twitter, the "Baahubali" actor said he recently returned from Georgia after completing a film's shoot and therefore decided to keep himself insolation.

"On safely returning from my shoot abroad, in light of increasing risks of COVID-19, I have decided to self-quarantine. Hope you all are also taking the necessary precautions to be safe," Prabhas tweeted on Saturday.

Join 'Janata Curfew' to make fight against coronavirus a success: PM requests people

The actor is currently working on filmmaker Radha Krishna Kumar's untitled film, which also features Pooja Hedge. A number of Indian celebrities are under self-quarantine after their return from abroad, including Anupam Kher and Shabana Azmi.

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar had on Monday said he is completely under isolation to avoid any infection due to coronavirus outbreak. The 97-year-old actor shared the health update on his Twitter account.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 283 on Saturday after 60 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 10:19 [IST]
By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 22, 2020 | 09:17 AM | GRAVES COUNTY

A Louisville man is facing charges in Graves County following his arrest Saturday night.

The Graves County Sheriff's Office says a deputy clocked a vehicle on I-69 traveling at 122 miles per hour. The deputy stopped the vehicle and learned that the driver, 33-year-old Deonte Hudson of Louisville, was driving on a DUI suspended license.

Hudson was arrested and charged with speeding, reckless driving and driving on a DUI suspended license second offense. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail.

A passenger in the vehicle was cited and released after he was found in possession of an open alcoholic beverage container.
Friday: The last day that was normal was Friday 13. The last day I left the house.

It wasn't fully normal. They'd closed the schools the day before and the musical I was in, in The Pavilion, had ended two days into the run because the theatre was closed but I still went to work. Did the show on Newstalk, wrote my column at my desk, did an interview with Off The Ball about health risks and Cheltenham.

I drove home in good spirits. Picked up some Indian food on the way. Thought about a bottle of white wine I had in the fridge. I did buy some paracetamol on the way. We'd been talking about the imminent arrival of coronavirus all week. But I was looking forward to Friday night.

I got home and was calling the family for dinner. "Food's here!" The brood arrived to the table. No sign of the 17-year-old. "She's sick," said her brother nonchalantly. She arrived slowly into the kitchen. She looked unwell. Flushed. Lethargic. Chesty. I checked her temperature. 39.0. "How long have you been like this?" "Most of the day."

I gave her a drink, some paracetamol. She picked at food and went back up to bed. I felt a sense of foreboding. She hadn't been abroad. Didn't know any confirmed cases. But she, like me, is never sick. And I knew she knew lots of kids, who knew kids who had been to north Italy.

Saturday

I woke up and checked her. Fever again. Unwell and chesty. Stuck to the bed. I'm a doctor but I'm not in practice. I'm out of the loop. I knew she needed testing but I wasn't even sure how to get it.

My old practice partner is in Lesbos (she's the Irish doctor attacked while treating refugees) and I could hardly ask her. I texted other GP friends. "How do I get a test?" "How bad is she?" was the reply. "We'll have access to testing on Monday. Will she be OK 'til then?" I wasn't sure she would. I rang the HSE line. I rang it over and over, but couldn't get through.

I contacted the doctor line for the National Ambulance service. "Are you guys doing the testing?" "Yes, does someone need one?" "My daughter." "Are you worried, does she have breathing difficulties?" I looked at her. Feverish. And I could hear her breathing across the room. "Yes." "Look if we have anyone out your way we will try to get to you. But we are flat out, it will all depend. Otherwise self-isolate and it'll be Monday through the GP or call 999 if she's getting worse." "OK."

I gave her more paracetamol. She cooled down when she got it but became hot again afterwards. I listened to her chest with the stethoscope I hadn't used in over a year. Dramatic bilateral wheeze throughout both lungs. I forced myself not to react. "We're waiting on the test now, love. It'll be grand." "Do you think I have it?" "I don't know." I texted a GP friend to discuss. "Presume she has it. Stay home. Call an ambulance if you need to."

I rang work. We'd been given equipment the week before so we could present from home if the need arose. "I'm in self-isolation. I need to broadcast from here."

I started to feel sick. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it. Could it come on this fast? No fever. But sweats and chills, soar throat and headache. My chest was tight. I was short of breath. I had pain in my chest. But not the same as any I'd ever had before. My respiratory tract started to burn. I will tell the truth. I was afraid. I never worry about my health. I'm not a huge worrier in general. But I was scared.

The burning started in the back of my nose and throat, extended down to the centre of my chest and started to move lower. I got into bed. It was hurting now to breathe. I willed myself not to panic. To pull myself together. I tried to sleep. I gave us both more paracetamol. I stayed curled up in a ball.

Sunday

I got a phone call on Sunday morning. "There's a van near you - they can test your daughter." They'll ring you when they are close. I woke her. "They're on the way." She still looked dreadful but maybe not as bad as the previous days. Hope. Another phone call. "I'll be with you in 10 - I was at a call up the road. I'll try not to be obvious in the Hazmat - you have neighbours." "Do what you have to do. By the way. I seem sick now, too." I felt irrationally embarrassed. "Same symptoms?" "Yes, except I've no fever." "I better swab you both."

A sunny Sunday morning. A lovely man in protective gear came into our house and swabbed our throats and up our noses. He gave us face masks to wear. He looked at my daughter. She still had a fever. "She meets the criteria for admission."

It would mean calling an ambulance and her going into hospital alone. No one could visit. I looked at her. Her breathing was still bad but I knew the fear that this would cause. "I'll manage her here. If she gets worse I'll call you." I was afraid again. Hoping I'd gotten it right.

I felt fluey. But my chest pain and the burning had eased. I was still short of breath but I took comfort that some symptoms had already passed. I decided to be less scared. I was less scared. We waited on the tests. Maybe it wasn't even it.

Monday

Her fever broke. No temperature today. A huge relief. I felt dizzy and my legs were wobbly. My breathing was still not right; the stairs were a slight challenge but I was managing. It felt more like a regular flu.

I moved my studio equipment from the room I'd set it up in, into the hot press instead so it would be quieter. I sat in the tiny space surrounded by towels and duvets and broadcast to the nation. It felt like an act of defiance in the face of the virus. Like Radio Free Europe during the war. It wouldn't stop me. It wouldn't stop us. We would adapt. We would overcome.

We played the REM song on air. I did a report by Skype on Euronews, a French TV channel, on the importance of social distancing and the lack of UK response to Covid-19 and went straight to bed after it.

My daughter was now on day four in bed. But definitely was no worse. And possibly was a bit better. I got up a few times but was oddly drowsy, so kept having to lie down. I fell asleep at around 9.30pm and slept for 11 hours.

Tuesday - St Patrick's Day

Woke up fluey. But no real deterioration and possibly better than the previous evening when I was so drowsy. I knew I might struggle on air as I was fierce tired still, so we played some Irish songs to break up the show. Back to bed.

Social distancing from the rest of the kids was hard. But we still didn't know what was wrong. At around six or seven I got a phone call. "Is this Ciara Kelly? This is Public Health." It was slightly surreal but all of it was. The sick daughter. The Hazmat. The hot press. "Yes." "You have been tested positive for Covid-19." I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding in. "And my daughter?" "Her test isn't through yet. You are a doctor so it went through as a priority." "But I'm not working as one and she is sicker than me?" "Health care workers are processed first." I know, in principle, this makes sense but not in this case. "OK, how soon will we get hers?" "As soon as it's processed."

There was form-filling about my symptoms and if I was safe to stay at home. And then he was gone. I went into the rest of the family. "I have it." Even though we were all talking as if it was already here in our home. We were all still a bit stunned. I texted and rang friends and family.

Shock and offers of help came back at us. We sat around the TV in the dark watching Leo Varadkar's address to the nation. To this day, I have no idea what he said. I thought about what I should do.

Wednesday

Woke up tired. The fatigue seemed to be the hardest symptom to fight now. My chest felt a bit better. Ella was a bit improved so we are about the same level of unwell now. Tired and fluey but managing. I told work I had it. "I'm going to say so on air." Army cadets rang me to do contact tracing. They only trace you from day one of symptoms. So in my case Saturday. And I had seen no one but my own family in this house, so it was easy. Back into the hot press. Feeling slightly daunted.

"You may have heard there were 69 new cases overnight. Well I am one of them. I have coronavirus," I had to go to ads after that. I felt oddly emotional saying it out loud. I had not foreseen the reaction. The textlines went mad. My phone started hopping. I was on the news.

My head felt woolly. None of it felt very real. I wanted to go back to bed but in another weird twist I was asked to go on Liveline with Joe Duffy. Our shows overlap and compete with each other but these are strange times and I thought it was important to say what it was like to have it. He was lovely. I went to bed. Prime Time asked me if I would do an interview by Skype. I agreed but getting dressed nearly killed me. I'd been in pyjamas since Monday. I spoke to Miriam from my living room but I was barely able to stay awake to watch it. I felt very weak on Wednesday night and realised I'd done too much.

Thursday

Felt very tired facing into show. Rang work and said I think I will take tomorrow off. Daughter on day seven in bed but looking brighter. Still no word back on her swab. Felt flu-like and more wrecked than I could remember since childhood illnesses.

On air, a listener said they were worried about their son's Leaving Cert results and they were unhappy the orals were cancelled. I said perhaps they needed some perspective.

They were worried about their Leaving results; some of us were worried about our children's Covid-19 results. I almost broke down on air.

Definitely needed Friday off. Overwhelming amount of kind wishes and offers of help. One or two nasty things said, too, though. Oddly the kindness and the meanness both made me teary.

Cakes and food arrived to our door. People I don't even know offered every kind of assistance. Back to bed. Everything all a bit too much.

Friday

Day seven. Slept in. No alarm as no work. Cough had changed. Now chesty and much deeper. Productive. Not like the dry, short-of-breath one I'd had up until now. I'd been told days seven-nine were the worst and if I was going to get a pneumonia it'd probably be now. It feel a bit like that.

I listened to my own chest. Not dramatic but something was changing. I rang the local pharmacist.

It isn't best practice to treat yourself as a doctor but I can't go out. No one can come here without full protective gear.

And I know the protocol. I started the antibiotics. My sister did the pharmacy run.

And that is where we are at. I still have no word on Ella's swab. So no one she was in contact has been informed officially about her. Although we have told her friends' families that we presume she could have it.

We're both still in bed mostly. And I'm on antibiotics now. I've tried to describe this honestly so people would get proper insight into it and no doubt it's an unpleasant time in general.

Physically I feel sick. But mentally and emotionally, feeling unwell and being stuck at home for a week and counting is hard and a bit depressing. But it is still just like a really bad flu we're going through.

I'm weak and wobbly but I am not at death's door. And I'm hoping the antibiotics for the chest infection will kick in over weekend and next week I will be on the mend.

For most people, this is what coronavirus is. And it is doable. And I am fully convinced I and my family will come out the other side of it as most other families will, too.

What surprised me most was just how sick Ella was. It is the sickest she has ever been.

Please, for all of us, stay safe, stay home and keep social-distancing.

@ciarakellydoc
Pennsylvanias casinos are closed and the businesses that offer skill game machines have mostly all shut their doors, as well, because of COVID-19.

That means, for the first time in a long time, the states lottery system might be the only in-person gambling opportunity available to those who are interested.

Pennsylvania Lottery Press Secretary Ewa Dworakowski told PennLive on Friday that the lottery has not seen an uptick in sales, however, in the days since the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has shut down almost everything besides gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals, auto shops, banks, and a shortlist of other places that Gov. Tom Wolf refers to as life-sustaining," many of which happen to be lottery retailers.

Lottery sales typically rise and fall with retail sales, Dwoarakowski said. Because of this fact, we are seeing our traditional sales soften a bit during this unprecedented situation as non-essential businesses close and Pennsylvanians comply with the Governors request to stay home.

Dwoarakowskis email signature also includes an important reminder:

Please Play Responsibly. If compulsive gambling is a concern, please call 1-800-GAMBLER (800-426-2537) for confidential help.

Those hoping to participate in Saturdays Powerball drawing, which has an estimated jackpot of $140 million, can still do so while following the pleas of Wolf and health secretary Rachel Levine to stay home by purchasing a ticket on the lotterys mobile app. And, those who do venture out can expect to find scratch-offs and the other games the lottery has always offered, as there are currently no concerns about supply chain, delivery, or manufacturing issues.

There is one change to note, but its one many may not even be aware of anyway.

As a precaution to protect our senior citizens and to comply with the recommendations pertaining to social distancing, volunteer senior witnesses have temporarily been replaced by a member of management from our broadcast partner, WITF, Dworakowski said.

More of PennLives coronavirus coverage:
The next wave of border wall projects near Tucson will cost taxpayers an estimated $1.5 billion, federal officials say.

Those funds will be used to build 74 miles of 30-foot-tall wall along the U.S.-Mexico border in Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties, Department of Defense officials wrote in court documents.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the new wall projects last week after the Defense Department, which is funding the projects through its anti-drug-smuggling accounts, approved them in February.

Construction already is underway on three projects approved last year to build 63 miles of wall in Pima and Cochise counties for $1.3 billion, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. With the new projects, the cost for 137 miles of border wall comes to nearly $2.8 billion.

Hundreds of millions of dollars more, pulled from congressional appropriations and Defense Department accounts, will be spent along Yuma Countys border with Mexico, including $320 million for 16 miles of wall announced last week.
Rooke Coronavirus Drive-Thru

A new drive-through Coronavirus Testing Centre has been opened by the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) at Rooke on Queensway.

This is to help protect the health of our community during the COVID-19 outbreak and will be accessible to those with an appointment, after making contact with the COVID GHA team. Only those asked to attend will be swabbed.

The Rooke site has been chosen as it is conveniently close to most of the population, access will be via Admiral Rooke Road, by the Parcel Post Office.

People will be invited to drive through Rooke, where swabs will be taken by staff in protective clothing, whilst remaining in their vehicle. It also mitigates the risk of spread from those infected with the virus from attending St Bernards Hospital or the Primary Care Centre for the test.

Invitees will be asked to bring their GHA card as a form of identification. Opening hours of the new Rooke drive-through will be from 10am to 2pm; the hours will be reviewed to meet demand.
In the past week, Germany has overtaken several nations to find itself on number four on the list of countries in terms of total Covid-19 infections, but it has managed to keep its fatality rate relatively low. Scientists attribute the disparity between the number of confirmed cases and death rate to a handful of factors, primarily Germanys aggressive testing strategy.

With only 67 deaths from nearly 20,000 cases as of March 20, Germany is far better placed than Italy, which has reported 4,032 deaths and over 47,000 cases despite the two countries sharing a similar demography and reporting their first cases in the same week. This means that while Italy has more than twice Germanys case load, its death toll is nearly 60 times worse.

Test, test, test has become the best recommendation for tackling the virus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In this aspect, Germany has not faltered. Lothar Wieler, president of Germanys disease control and prevention agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said that German labs were performing 160,000 tests every week.

With an estimated 280,000 tests as of March 20, Germany has conducted more tests than several other European countries combined. For context, Italy, has conducted 26% fewer tests.

Also Watch how Italians & Parisians are turning to music amid coronavirus lockdown

Mass testing helps Germany monitor the fatality rate as it allows officials to detect cases that show no symptoms, and thus have a much better chance of survival if cases are detected in nascent stages, scientists say

Another key factor is the age of the patients infected in Germany. According to official data, the majority of confirmed patients in Germany are under the age of 60  over 80%  which also explains the low death rate. In Germany, the median age for Covid-19 patient is 47 years, while in Italy, it is 63 years. In fact, more than 70% of patients in Italy are above the age of 50, according to government statistics.

However, the German government struck a note of caution as many of the cases remained in the early stages of the coronavirus. We are at the beginning of an epidemic Over 1,000 people have already survived the virus. But many will also get seriously ill. And we have to be able to provide them with medical care, Wieler told local news outlets last week.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jamie Mullick Jamie Mullick works as a chief content producer at Hindustan Times. He uses data and graphics to tell his stories. ...view detail
The number of coronavirus cases in Louisiana jumped to 763, while the death toll increased to 20 victims as of Saturday afternoon, according to the state's Department of Health.

In Orleans Parish, state officials confirmed 418 cases and 15 deaths Saturday afternoon, the most of any parish in the state. Half of the COVID-19 deaths in Orleans Parish have come out of Lambeth House, a senior complex in Uptown that has been fighting with a cluster of cases spreading to various floors and wings of the building.

Jefferson Parish confirmed 166 cases, while 22 residents of St. Tammany Parish tested positive for coronavirus. As of Saturday afternoon, 35 parishes had confirmed cases in Louisiana.

The number of patients dead from coronavirus increased from 16 on Saturday morning to 20 victims.

Only one of those patients, 77, was from Jefferson Parish. The other three victims, ages 50, 83 and 90, were residents of Orleans Parish.

Health officials said the only one of those patients who did not have underlying medical conditions was the 83-year-old Orleans Parish resident.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Health officials recently began publicly reporting the amount of all tests -- state and commercial -- given out in Louisiana, which is now at 3,302. The majority of those tests, 2,008, are done by private labs.

As a result of the increase in private testing, the proportion of Louisiana tests returning a positive result has started to fall.

The high rate was a reflection of the fact that tests, because of their scarcity, were primarily being given to people who were severely ill. The threshold for a test has been reduced with broader availability of testing kits.

LDH has also loosened its coronavirus testing criteria, dropping a requirement that patients first test negative for the flu. That requirement had been put in place amid a serious shortage of coronavirus tests and was aimed at determining whether symptoms were caused by the flu instead.

People seeking a coronavirus test will still need to show symptoms of illness  including a fever over 100.4 degrees  but won't need to have tests done to rule out the flu first, said Kevin Litten, an LDH spokesman.

Officials still warn residents that a bump in positive cases will continue to come as more testing ramps up.
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Riverstone Holdings Limited (SGX:AP4).

What Is Insider Buying?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.

See our latest analysis for Riverstone Holdings

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Riverstone Holdings

Notably, that recent purchase by Teek Wong is the biggest insider purchase of Riverstone Holdings shares that we've seen in the last year. That implies that an insider found the current price of S$0.75 per share to be enticing. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the Riverstone Holdings insider decided to buy shares at close to current prices. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Teek Wong.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Story continues

SGX:AP4 Recent Insider Trading, March 22nd 2020

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does Riverstone Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership?

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Riverstone Holdings insiders own about S$381m worth of shares (which is 69% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Riverstone Holdings Tell Us?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about Riverstone Holdings. Looks promising! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Riverstone Holdings. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Riverstone Holdings and we suggest you have a look.

Of course Riverstone Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Emojis have become ubiquitous in text communication  messages are peppered with smiley faces, hearts and other graphic icons. They were first drawn by graphic designer Shigetaka Kurita , and generated by a Japanese communications firm called NTT DoCoMo in the late 1990s. Now they're everywhere.

But would you be quite so quick to insert an emoji into a message if you thought it might be interpreted as a threat or might offend the receiver? What if that smiley face could land you in court? Or bind you legally to a contract you never formally signed?

There's a growing body of case law from around the world  including the United Kingdom , New Zealand and France  where courts have been called on to interpret emojis as evidence. This, in turn, has seen a rise in academic literature on the subject. That includes research in the field of forensic linguistics, which we both study .

The phrase forensic linguistics was first recorded in 1968 by professor of linguistics Jan Svartvik , who was analysing the language in a set of legal statements. Forensic linguist John Olsson, defines the discipline as

 the interface between languages, crime, law, where law includes law enforcement, judicial matters, legislation, disputes or proceedings in law, and even disputes which only potentially involve some infraction of the law or some necessity to seek legal remedy.

Globally, forensic linguists are called on to offer expert testimony on emojis as evidence. Contentious emoji use hasn't made too many headlines in South Africa yet, but given instances elsewhere in the world, it's likely that forensic linguists may soon be called into play in the country's courts quite soon. That's why forensic linguists in South Africa should keep abreast of new developments around emojis as evidence.

We held a two-day colloquium at Rhodes University in South Africa where forensic linguists and legal practitioners interested in language and the law discussed international developments. We also explored the ways that emojis might be interpreted in the context of South Africa's cultures and languages.

Similar colloquiums will be held with the legal fraternity to ensure judges and magistrates are able to interpret emojis and the importance of calling forensic linguists as expert witnesses.

Emojis in other courts

Forensic linguists are called as expert witnesses in court cases to provide linguistic analysis of legal documents and other forms of oral and documentary evidence  including emojis. They can identify authors based on the language used in a document or statement. They can also provide legal interpretation or translation in a court room.

Read more: Forensic linguistics holds promise for South Africa's legal system

The US probably leads the way in terms of cases where emojis have been proven to defame others. In one circuit court case , the plaintiff alleged that the tongue out emoji insulted and defamed him on social media platforms. The court held that the emoji was intended to insult, ridicule, criticise and denigrate. This interpretation took place in relation to the facts and other circumstances of the case.

The interpretation of emojis, where the true intention of the sender is in question will be determined by other surrounding facts and circumstances, including the nature and tone of other communication, the relationship and surrounding factors. This will have to be carefully interpreted in multilingual settings and where communication is taking place across cultures. Shutterstock

In France in 2016 a man was convicted of threatening his ex-girlfriend and was sentenced to three months in prison. The charges were brought based on a text message in which the man sent the gun emoji. The court held that the gun emoji translated to a

 death threat in the form of an image

Sometimes emojis have held people to contractual obligations in court. In civil cases in the US, courts have interpreted the thumbs up, fist bump, handshake and glasses emojis as constituting an agreement or an intention to enter into a contractual agreement .

The interpretation of emojis will require specialised knowledge in a legal setting and forensic linguists are therefore necessary in court rooms to impart their expert opinion and assist the courts the interpretation of this evidence. With emojis being a form of non-verbal communication linguistic and legal expertise. In courts around the world, forensic linguists are proving to be of vital importance in ensuring that justice is fair and accessible. Their role in a multilingual and multicultural South African courtroom will prove to be vital with the interpretation of emojis.

Interpretation

One of the big issues that forensic linguists will have to contend with in South Africa, as in any multicultural society, is that of cross-cultural barriers. These may unintentionally place the sender of an emoji in an awkward  and even legal  dilemma if the recipient interprets it differently from the intended meaning.

For example and based on our own understandings and subjective beliefs and ideas, some emojis may be offensive, racist, culturally insensitive and homophobic. The monkey emoji may be viewed by a recipient as being racist, given the dark history of comparing black people to monkeys. A pig emoji may be read as insulting or degrading.

Of course these sorts of misunderstandings aren't limited to South Africa. In Italy, pinching your fingers together means What do you want? Unicode Consortium , a nonprofit corporation that standardises software and the representation of text internationally has said the meaning of this emoji will not be misunderstood as everyone knows the Italians talk with their hands . But in India , for instance, the same gesture is a way of asking whether someone is hungry. The thumbs up sign, meanwhile, tells people in some parts of the world that everything is in order; elsewhere, it's an insult .

Emojis are here to stay. And they will no doubt start to crop up in cases in South Africa's courts, if the global examples are anything to go by. Forensic linguists can play a valuable role in guiding courts as they seek to interpret emojis as evidence.

Zakeera Docrat receives funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Russell H. Kaschula receives funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF).

By Zakeera Docrat, Postdoctoral research fellow (Forensic Linguistics/ Language and Law), Rhodes University And

Russell H. Kaschula, Professor of African Language Studies, Rhodes University
Gloria Sarfo

22.03.2020 LISTEN

Ghanaian actress Gloria Sarfo picked her first Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA) at this year's edition of the ceremony held in Lagos at the Eko Hotel on Saturday night.

She won best actress in supporting role with her performance in Shirley Frimpong-Manso's sequel film 'The Perfect Picture: 10 Years Later'.

The AMVCA is an annual award presented by Multichoice recognising outstanding achievements in television and film throughout the African continent.

Saturday's event saw many talented actors win various awards.

Gloria Sarfo made Ghana proud as the only Ghanaian to get nomination for the AMVCA 2020 and subsequently winning it.

She beat tough competition from equally good actresses like Toni Tones, Eucharia Anunobi, Tina Mba and Mary Lazarus to win the best supporting actress in a movie or TV series category.

In an interview with NEWS-ONE ahead of the award, Gloria believed she has been discriminated against in Ghana's movie industry for so long.

The AMVCA recognition is, therefore, a test to prove her talent.

She first auditioned for 'Perfect Picture' 10 years ago, but she didn't get the opportunity to star in the film's first instalment.

Finally when Frimpong-Manso cast her for the films sequel, she only played about four scenes in the movie. Interestingly, that is the only performance that got the film nominated for this year's AMVCA.

Over the weekend, a number of Ghanaians and showbiz industry players took their social media platforms to congratulate her on winning the award.

By Francis Addo
Dax Shepard had been traveling this past week when the coronavirus fears reached a fever pitch.

So when he returned back home to Los Angeles on Monday, wife Kristen Bell opted on the side of caution and had him steer clear of her and their two kids by self-quarantining at a friends empty apartment.

Some five days into his isolation, Bell decided to lift the familys spirits with a dance-off outside his window that was captured on video and posted on Instagram.

Act of love: Kristen Bell and her two daughters lifted Dax Shepards spirits by performing a dance routine outside his apartment window where hes self-quarantining. The couple seen here in 2017

In the clip, Bell and their daughters Delta, five, and Lincoln, nearly seven, busted out the moves near the entrance staircase as Shepard looked on from afar, no doubt, with a proud smile on his face.

To be cautious, I asked him to stay at a friends empty apartment for a bit to make sure he had no symptoms, Bell explains in the caption of the video that showed them circling around the complexs courtyard.

Today we were missing him so much, we did the only logical thing we knew how to do. Danced outside his window to a @bensplatt and @dearevanhansen serenade.

In a sign of the current times, she also added the hashtags: #staysane #stayhome #wereinthistogether #wavingthroughawindow

Adorable: The actress, 39, shared a video clip of their dance-off on Instagram

Turns out that Ben Platt song was appropriately titled: Waving Through A Window, from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.

During the heightened response to COVID-19, the Forgetting Sarah Marshall star, 39, has been sharing helpful health tips on how to stay safe during these stressful times.

Many people have many [different] reasons for being more susceptible to this virus that we others may be. Some may be obvious, others may not. Its incredibly important that we socially distance, to protect the vulnerable ones among us, Bell wrote in another post.

Lets show up for one another, by staying home for one another.

Bust a move: Bell and their daughters Delta and Lincoln busted their moves as they circled the complex courtyard

Over the last week or so, the Bad Moms actress has also taken the time to thank healthcare workers, teachers and organizations that help feed kids in need.

Bell and Shepard have been married since October 2013.

The actress has also garnered world-wide recognition as the voice of Princess Anna in the hugely successful Disney animated films Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019)
https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Passover-and-Corona-A-Message-of-Hope.html

Passover is coming with a powerful message that speaks to us today.

We are plunged into a world we have never imagined. Many are gripped by fear, anxiety, and disbelief. The unknown is frightening. We must cope with worries  physical, financial, emotional. Parents are distressed for their children, and children distressed for their parents. How long can we go on like this?

Every time the phone pings with news updates, there is another dent in our mental armor. We are depleted. How can we find the strength and positivity to overcome our challenges?

Though we do not have prophets to speak to us, we do have Jewish wisdom to guide us.

In a world filled with chaos we yearn for security and stability. We are now preparing for Passover and anticipating Seder night. The definition of Seder is order, exactly the safety net we crave. First, we must hear the message of our Seder. Know without a doubt that we are not alone in this world. Just as our people wondered in Egypt if they would ever get out of the awful darkness they were suffering, we too may wonder: Are we spiraling out of control? Will we ever see the light again?

God took us out of Egypt and we will get out of this darkness too.

Seder night comes to teach us perspective for life. There is marror (bitter herbs), it is true. Our forefathers had many moments of grief. There were times that they were anguished and felt as if they had lost their spirit. But they did not allow the marror moments to overcome them. They were not stripped of their faith. We dip the marror into charoset  a delicious mixture of apples, nuts, wine and honey  to teach us that even in the most difficult of times we must see the sweetness that imbues our life. The friendships, the love, the resilience, the kindness that surrounds us. God took us out of Egypt and we will get out of this darkness too.

At our Seder we make a sandwich of matzah and marror with a bit of charoset, for such is life. Sandwiched between the hardships are the flashes of joy. Grab onto them! Seize the moment.

With quarantines and social distancing, take this time to build a bridge. Call someone youve lost touch with. Think of others who are feeling isolated right now and hug them with your heart.

This one germ has spread throughout the world and created havoc. Imagine how one good word, one good deed could spread throughout the world and counter the devastation. Your light could spread from one person to another, and on and on. The antidote to destruction is creation. Create goodness. Be a blessing.

Rabbi Akiva's Optimism

It is easy to grow hopeless. We are not the first to feel this way.

Our Haggadah speaks of a famous Seder that took place in Bnei Brak. There were many great rabbis sitting together. One rabbi mentioned is Rabbi Akiva, who was actually the younger scholar hosting the elders. The rabbis spoke about the exodus until their students came in to say, Rabbis, it is time to recite the morning Shema prayer!

My dear readers, this Seder invite Rabbi Akiva into your hearts. He will give you strength. He will empower you with courage.

Rabbi Akiva lived in the darkest of times. The holy Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. The Romans had conquered the land. The spirit of the Jewish nation had been crushed; their soul trampled upon. Studying Torah and doing mitzvot were met with imprisonment, torture and death. Soon the long and bitter exile would begin. The Jews would be put into chains and sold in the Roman slave market. Who could think about joining a Seder in such darkness? Who could feel inspired and speak about the exodus in Egypt when despair was in the air?

This is exactly why the sages met in the home of Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Akiva was the eternal optimist. He refused to surrender to depression. Where others saw the end of the road, he saw the beginning of the journey. His eye was always on the future. His heart was eternally filled with faith.

We meet Rabbi Akiva once again when he is walking with his peers up to Jerusalem When they reached Mount Scopus, they tore their garments from grief at the sight of devastation. As they reached the Temple Mount, a fox emerged from the place that had been the Holy of Holies. The rabbis started to weep. Rabbi Akiva laughed. Why are you laughing? they asked. He explained that while they see the destruction of the sacred, he sees the fulfillment of prophecy. Just as the first part of prophecy had been fulfilled, that the Temple would be destroyed, now we must look forward to the second part of the prophecy-the rebuilding of our Temple and return of our people.

We must gather now round the table of Rabbi Akiva. It takes courage to keep a positive spirit. The sages assembled by the spirit who would keep hope and faith alive. As long as we do not get stuck in the blackness of yesterday we can emerge into the brightness of tomorrow. Is it easy? No, it takes all youve got. But if you are able to spend the night recalling the exodus, reinforcing within the understanding that there is a God who watches over you, cares for you, and takes you out of your personal Egypt, you will make it. We must tap into the eternal optimism of Rabbi Akiva.

When the students came in to say it is time for the morning Shema they were transmitting a message to us, today: Dont give up. Dont fall into despair. The darkest part of the night comes just before dawn.

The morning Shema is a prayer of clear-cut faith. There are no hazy doubts. It is bright and unobscured. We proclaim our unwavering belief with one voice.

We will stand up again. We will feel joy again. We will rebuild.
Doctors are being asked to ensure their elderly patients have a 'do not resuscitate' directive in place should they wish to, as the NHS comes under strain due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The message sent to GPs has urged them to discuss older patients' medical options with them and was circulated by an unnamed respiratory physician, reports The Sunday Times.

Trisha Greenhalgh, professor of primary care at Oxford University, tweeted on Saturday: 'From a hospital respiratory physician. Please ask GPs to ensure that all nursing home patients have an advance directive in place where appropriate.'

An elderly man walks with a Zimmer frame, dangerously close to others on Chelsea Embankment , South West London, amid the coronavirus pandemic

Palliative charity, Compassion in Dying, said the move would mean 'difficult decisions for doctors will be made much easier' during this crucial time.

NHS guidelines already ask GPs to draw up end-of-life plans for over-75s, as well as younger patients suffering from cancer, dementia, heart disease or serious lung conditions.

Guidelines also suggest asking whether the patient wants doctors to try to resuscitate them if their health suddenly deteriorates.

Usha Grieve, director of information and partnerships at Compassion in Dying, told The Sunday Times: 'We have heard from people who are concerned about surviving the virus with a poorer quality of life than they currently have, and want to explore how they can express their wishes clearly to their loved ones and doctors.'

NHS guidelines already ask GPs to draw up end-of-life plans for over-75s

By signing an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) patients can ensure their loved ones understand their wishes said the charity.

Adding: 'Difficult decisions for doctors will be made much easier if they know what we do and do not want.'

Only four per cent of people in the UK are believed to have signed an ADRT, according to a You-Gov poll carried out in 2018.

However The Sunday Times reported that Google searches for 'living wills' had increased by 79 per cent over the last week, compared to the previous week.

Doctors are being asked to ensure their elderly patients have a 'do not resuscitate' directive in place should they wish to

This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped up the country's response to the outbreak and urged people not to go out or to visit others unless they had to.

He had been warned that the original strategy of trying to slow down an outbreak could lead to 260,000 people dying  new efforts could cut this to below 20,000 which the government's chief science adviser called a 'good outcome'.

Dr Catherine Millington-Sanders, clinical lead for palliative and end-of-life care at the Royal College of General Practitioners told The Sunday Times that specific restrictions could be written into an ADRT such as the wish not to be placed on a ventilator.

She added that an ADRT would only apply if the person receiving the treatment was 'not able to express their wishes at the time'.
From Town & Country

Back in March, Joe Biden pledged that should he get the Democratic nomination, a woman would be his running mate. When asked during the debate in D.C., "How will your cabinet ensure the best advice on issues that affect women's physical and financial health?" Biden committed to putting a woman on his ticket.

"If I'm elected president, my cabinet, my administration will look like the country, and I commit that I will, in fact, pick a woman to be vice president," Biden says in the video above. "There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow. I would pick a woman to be my vice president."

Bernie Sanders later dropped out of the race, leaving Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee, but one question remained: who would he choose as his VP?

Today, we finally have an answer. This afternoon, the Biden camp confirmed that he has selected California senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate.

"Ive decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021," Biden said Tuesday.

Photo credit: Win McNamee - Getty Images

Harris, one of Biden's former sparring partners, has been on a short list of VP contenders for weeks now. She made a name for herself during the debates, and while she doesn't directly help Biden flip a swing state, having a person of color on the ticket is a key issue for many Democratic voters.

Last August, Biden said he was open to choosing a person of color as his running mate, suggesting it might be his preference. "Whomever I pick, preferably it will be someone who was of color and/or a different gender, but I'm not making that commitment until I know that the person I'm dealing with I can completely and thoroughly trust as authentic and on the same page [as me]," he said.

Below, a few of the other women who were thought to have been in the running for Biden's VP.

Story continues

Elizabeth Warren

Photo credit: Alex Wong - Getty Images

With his statement about choosing a woman, Biden eliminated the possibility of selecting Bernie Sanders as his running mate, but some members of the liberal wing of the Democratic party hoped Biden will choose Elizabeth Warren to shore up his prospects with progressives.

Earlier this year, Biden's campaign announced that he was adopting Warren's bankruptcy legislation as part of his platform, which was seen as an olive branch to both progressive-leaning Democrats and Warren supporters.

Tammy Duckworth

Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla - Getty Images

While Duckworth wasn't a candidate during this election cycle, the junior Senator from Illinois checked a number of advantageous boxes for Biden, should he have chosen to add her to the ticket. Not only is she a woman of color, but she is a decorated veteran with years of legislative experience, and she could have helped Biden's appeal in the midwest.

Stacey Abrams

Photo credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez - Getty Images

Abrams earned national attention when she nearly won the Georgia gubernatorial race in 2018 as the first black woman in the U.S. to be a major party's nominee for governor. Biden floated the idea of having Abrams in the past. When asked about his vice presidential pick last fall, he said, "I could start naming people but the press will think thats who I picked." But then he vaguely listed the qualifications of a few women, including "the woman who should have been the governor of Georgia."

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Photo credit: Bill Clark - Getty Images

The only Latina governor in the country, Lujan Grisham, would have possibly Biden with his appeal in the Latinx community.

Gretchen Whitmer

Photo credit: JEFF KOWALSKY - Getty Images

Another name floated was Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan who is widely considered a rising star within the Democratic Party. But earlier this year, she's confirmed that its not going to be me.

"I think it's important that he has a woman running mate, to be honest. I think that there are a lot of phenomenal potential running mates for him," she recently told MSNBC. "I'm going to help him vet and make sure he's got a great running mate. It is not going to be me."

Amy Klobuchar

Photo credit: Scott Eisen - Getty Images

Senator Klobuchar was previously thought to be a frontrunner in the race to be Biden's VP, so much so that back in May, it was widely reported that Biden asked Klobuchar to "undergo a formal vetting to be considered as his vice presidential running mate." But now she's taken herself out of the running.

"This is a historic moment, and America must seize on this moment. And I truly believe as, I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket," Klobuchar said in June, referencing the protests following the death of George Floyd and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"And there are so many incredibly qualified women, but if you want to heal this nation right now, my party ... this is sure a hell of a way to do it."

Catherine Cortez Masto

Photo credit: Zach Gibson - Getty Images

A relative newcomer among the senators on this list, Nevada Senator Cortez Masto represented a changing of the guard in the Democratic party when she took over for Harry Reid following his retirement in 2016. One notable area where Bernie has had success in the primaries has been with Latinx voters; she could have provided a much-needed boost to Biden's appeal in that community. But in late May she withdrew her name from consideration.

It is an honor to be considered as a potential running mate, but I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration," she said in a statement. Nevada's economy is one of the hardest hit by the current crisis and I will continue to focus on getting Nevadans the support they need to get back on their feet.

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Sovi Vidyadharan By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On the eve of Sundays Janata Curfew, brisk shopping was witnessed across the state with people stocking up essential commodities fearing similar lockdown in the coming days as well. Most of the shoppers either withdrew money from ATMs or used Point of Sale (POS) machines for card payment even though authorities advised extra caution while using both facilities owing to chances of Coronavirus spread.

Studies worldwide on the SARS-CoV-2 virus have shown that it can remain alive up to two days on solid surfaces. In clothes and other soft materials, the virus can remain active for less than a day, said a virologist of a leading research institute. Since it is not advisable to clean electronic items such as POS machines and ATMs with sanitisers after every use, the best way to avoid spread of the virus is to ask customers to use hand sanitisers before and after use of such facilities, he said.

In the wake of the outbreak, many major banks had come out with a detailed advisory on the safety precautions to be adopted at ATM counters and card swiping machines in banks. The precautions included disinfecting and fumigation of ATM counters on a daily basis. More importantly, banks had insisted on providing hand sanitisers at every ATM counter.

Sanitisers vanish

TNIE visited a number of ATM counters in Thiruvananthapuram city but found that none of them had any hand sanitisers on the premises. Most of the ATMs did not have any boards informing the customers about the importance of keeping ones hands clean before and after using the ATM so as to avoid spread of the virus.As part of precautionary measures, we had put up hand sanitisers at 80 ATM counters in Thiruvananthapuram city. But we found that almost all of them were stolen overnight. Scarcity of hand sanitisers in the market may have caused this situation, said the spokesperson of a leading bank.

Traders said they were not given any advisory by the government on precautions to be taken while using POS machines. According to Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi state president T Naziruddin, some of the traders have themselves urged shoppers to use sanitisers. The government should have called us for a discussion in the wake of the Coronavirus threat as close to one crore people visit shops and business establishments every day across the state. There are limitations on our part in insisting customers to adopt safety measures while visiting shops, Naziruddin said.

Shopkeepers willing to shut shops, says Naziruddin

Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi state president T Naziruddin said shopkeepers were willing to shut shops for two more days after Sundays Janata Curfew as an added precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the virus. But the state government should assure us that we would be compensated for the losses suffered, Naziruddin added.

Many major banks had come out with a detailed advisory on the safety precautions to be adopted at ATM counters and card swiping machines
D owton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is currently bringing a whole new equally wealthy set to life in his latest drama Belgravia.

The series, airing on Sundays at 9pm, follows the story of the Trenchards and their ambitious attempts at social climbing as they entered the rarefied air of the upper classes around two hundred years ago.

And while the plotline of the period piece is fictional, Fellowes sought inspiration for the twists and turns from history, with the central affair between Sophia Trenchard and Lord Edmund Bellasis being inspired by a scandalous true story.

So what's real? And what isn't? Here's everything you need to know...

ITV's Belgravia (2020) - In pictures 1 /24 ITV's Belgravia (2020) - In pictures Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV Carnival Films for ITV

Frederick Berkeley and Mary Cole's real-life romance

The affair between Sophia Trenchard and Lord Bellasis, who is the nephew of the Duchess of Richmond, is a central component of Fellowes' drama.

Sophia becomes infatuated with the dashing Lord Bellasis, who in turn is equally as interested in her.

However, the young Lords intentions arent quite as honourable.

He is intent on sleeping with a woman before being sent off to war while Sophia would rather protect her virginity and refuses to bed him until they are married.

She falls for his charms and ithe couple appear to get hitched - but little does Sophia know, their wedding is a fake one.

The young couple's story is a key plotlinefor the series (Carnival Films for ITV) / Carnival Films for ITV

Fellowes said the inspiration behind this tragic tale was the real life story of Mary Cole, the daughter of a publican and butcher, who had six children with aristocrat Frederick Berkeley.

According to Fellowes, Berkeley had tricked Cole into marrying him with a fake ceremony at which a false cleric officiated.

It wasnt until Mary was pregnant with her seventh child that the couple had an official wedding, meaning that Berkeleys titles passed onto their fifth son, and not their eldest, who was considered illegitimate in the eyes of the law.

Fellowes told the Express: He eventually married but its a rather tragic story actually, because he, first of all, seduced his wife with a false cleric pretending to marry them, and all the rest of it, and then they were very happy.

The scandal only happened around 30 years prior to the events in Belgravia, with the beginning of the series set at the start of the 19th century.

Karen Davidson, who is an archivist at Berkeley Castle, told the Mail Online: They claimed they had married in Berkeley church before his birth. There is no entry in the parish register recording this marriage, but in court it was claimed there was a note of the marriage by the vicar.

Berkeley Castle was given to the couples eldest son William FitzHardinge Berkeley, but his titles were not. The issue reached the House of Lords, and after a while the titles were instead passed onto Thomas Morton FitzHardinge Berkeley, their fifth, and first legitimate, child.

Thomas Cubitt

Glenister's Trenchard goes into business with the Cubitts / Carnival Films for ITV

While James Trenchard's (Philip Glenister) storyline is fictional, in the series he joins Thomas Cubitt and his brothers in their building of Belgravia and accrues his wealth through property development with them.

In real life, Cubitt built a number of buildings throughout London, including the London institution and areas of Bloomsbury for a group of landowners, including the Duke of Bedford in 1820.

But it was in 1824 - when Cubitt was commissioned to turn a vast area of swampy marshland home to highwaymen, robbers and bandits into a playground for the rich - that he really earned plaudits.

Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster, asked Cubitt to design an estate to rival Mayfair in prestige, and over the next 30 years the area then known as Five Fields was transformed from marshland known for crime and violence into a unique design concept as a city for the wealthy aka Belgravia.

Fellowes said of the area: "The other thing that interested me is the concept of Belgravia itself. It's unusual in London because it doesn't overlay any buildings from a more ancient time.

"It was conceived as a whole, built on marshy fields and executed as a total design concept. That gives it a uniformity that few other places in London can match.

Duchess of Richmond's Ball

The ball has gone down in history as it took place days before the Battle of Waterloo / Carnival Films for ITV

The show opened in Brussels during the Napoleonic Wars, at a now infamous ball hosted by Charlotte, Duchess of Richmond in 1815.

Hosted by the Duchess just days before the Battle of Waterloo, the ball has gone down in history as perhaps the most famous of all time, in part thanks to its guest list which read like a whos-who of battle-scarred war veterans, including the Duke of Wellington.

The Duchess husband was one of the few generals not present at the ball, as he was away in charge of a command of a reserve force in Brussels, but the party was interrupted by the news that Napoleons forces had advanced into the territory of the then-Kingdom of Belgium.

After ordering his generals to leave and join their regiments, Wellington also soon left to join the battlefield as well.

Fellowes said of the Duchess of Richmond's Ball: "The ball was an extraordinary acme for a certain kind of tragic privilege. Uniquely entitled young men with their nice fiancees, wives and sisters were dancing at the Duchess's ball.

"They then left the dance floor to go straight to the battlefield. Many of the details fascinated me. As the men left and the women were weeping, some people carried on dancing.
By Ted Gover





Washington and Seoul's contentious multi-round talks on a new agreement for splitting the cost of keeping 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea have led to unnecessary tensions between the two allies. While President Donald Trump's tough bargaining to protect the American taxpayer is right in spirit, the five-fold increase he asked of Seoul was an excessive opening bid that threatens the strength of the alliance and overlooks the strategic value of forward-deployed American forces on South Korean soil.







Taking into account the security challenges of Northeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific, the desire for improved deals must not override American defense needs in the region. As such, striking a balance between cost sharing arrangements and addressing U.S. national interests is vital amid the ongoing North Korea nuclear crisis and the growing U.S.-China rivalry.







The Trump administration's demand of a sharp rise in the amount that Seoul pays for U.S. troops  an increase to $5 billion from the $923 million that was paid to Washington in 2018  has bred resentment in South Korea. A poll in 2019 indicates that South Koreans viewed this as too much and disapproved of agreeing to such a deal.







An important factor in Trump's negotiating position is his belief that U.S. allies are free riders and that they ought to pay more for the security benefits provided by the American military.







Spending 2.6 percent of GDP on defense each year, Seoul is no free rider. Additionally, since 2015 South Korea has made $13 billion in American arms purchases and paid over 90 percent of the cost to upgrade U.S. Army Garrison-Humphreys, the largest overseas American military base.







However, the president also believes that the U.S.-ROK alliance lacks reciprocity given that while Washington is required to come to the aid of Seoul in the event of an attack, Seoul is not obliged to do the same for Washington.







Yet, this ignores the fact that Seoul has fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Washington in every conflict since the Korean War as well as participating in anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, contributing to U.S.-led peacekeeping operations worldwide and, most recently, sending a naval unit to support American patrols in the Strait of Hormuz.







Lastly, Washington's security alliance with Seoul provides another advantage that arguably overrides in value the relationship's perceived costs and burdens: South Korea's strategic geography. By hosting forward-deployed U.S. forces, South Korea contributes to the deterrence of hostile regional states and serves as a launching point for operations on the Korean peninsula and in the broader region.







Better deals should not come at the expense of overriding security objectives or the values that the American and South Korean peoples share as sister democracies and brothers-in-arms. South Korea and the United States are well served by their defense treaty which amounts to more than a mere commercial transaction.



), Ph.D., writes on foreign policy and is director of the Tribal Administration Program at Claremont Graduate University.



Ted Gover ( amberjack_shoal@yahoo.com
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been branded a possible contender for president in the 2020 election by social media users due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The hashtag #PresidentCuomo began trending on Twitter on Saturday as users praised the Democratic governor's 'presidential' demeanor in addressing the outbreak both within and outside his home state - which accounts for 11,705 of the more than 25,430 cases in the US.

Cuomo has been holding daily press briefings on coronavirus for the past several weeks as the case count in New York continued to climb.

He strikes a strong, steady tone as he hammers home guidelines for how individuals can stem the spread of COVID-19 and berates the federal government for not doing more to aid states while pointing out specific ways it could help.

Cuomo's direct messaging bears stark contrast to the often haphazard and hyperbolic messages coming from President Donald Trump, who has faced fierce criticism over his administration's handling of the crisis.

On two occasions last week, Trump's briefings from the White House were pushed back until the end of Cuomo's briefings from the New York capital in Albany.

Meanwhile, current Democratic 2020 frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have struggled to secure airtime and subsequently faced criticism for their lack of input on the crisis gripping the nation.

The hashtag #PresidentCuomo began trending on Twitter on Saturday as users praised New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's handling of the coronavirus pandemic

Dozens of users praised Cuomo's 'presidential' demeanor in addressing the COVID-19 outbreak both within and outside his home state - which accounts for 11,705 of the more than 25,430 cases in the US

Cuomo became the subject of widespread praise on social media on Saturday as the hashtag #PresidentCuomo hit the top trends list.

'I feel like so many people around the country are turning to @NYGovCuomo for guidance, facts, and empathy during this crucial time. Makes me proud to be a New Yorker! #PresidentCuomo,' @debillperson66 tweeted.

'President Cuomo is really raising the bar for leadership [right now], and I'm here for it. #PresidentCuomo#CoronavirusPandemic,' @j_m_storm added.

Another fan, @RastaRusty, noted how New York has the highest testing rate on any state, writing: 'Proud to have Gov Cuomo not only leading NY but also the country. #PresidentCuomo.'

'#PresidentCuomo is my Governor I'm happy & proud to say. I don't agree with him about everything, but I think he's doing a helluva job for the state of New York right now. I feel safer with him in charge,' @akailiajade added.

Many users pointed out the stark contrast between Cuomo's messaging and that of President Donald Trump (pictured during a briefing Saturday)

Many fans pointed out the contrast Cuomo and Trump, declaring that the former is handling the crisis much better than the latter.

'#PresidentCuomo should be trending more. I'm 9,100,431 miles to the left of the guy, but he's at least responding to this COVID19 situation in a methodical, layered and measured way,' @MJalonschi tweeted.

'Could he do better? Definitely. But he's helping a TRILLION TIMES better than Trump right now.'

Another user, @matt_angles, wrote: '#PresidentCuomo has done more for the American people in one day in terms of fact and science based recommendations and reassurance than the actual president has in the past month.

'@realDonaldTrump take notes. This is how you lead a country through a pandemic.'

A few people referenced Trump's declaration that he is a 'wartime president' and said that Cuomo is the one who actually deserves the moniker.

'The U.S. needs Andrew Cuomo as its wartime President, and not the phony and fraud currently in the White House,' @RobShattuckAL06 wrote.

As of Sunday there are over 25,430 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and 308 deaths

Much of the praise for Cuomo surrounded his comments about young people, who he has criticized for not practicing social distancing despite widespread warnings from officials.

The governor took aim at teens and young adults several times last week after photos and videos emerged of college students enjoying spring break as if the outbreak wouldn't affect them.

'These pictures of people on beaches, these videos of young people saying: 'This is my spring break, I'm out to party,"' Cuomo told reporters on Thursday. 'This is so unintelligent and reckless. I can't even begin to express it.'

He doubled down on Saturday, saying: 'There's a significant amount of non-compliance, especially in New York City, especially in parks.

'I'm gonna go down there today, I want to see what the situation is myself.'

Cuomo's emergence as a leader in the national response to coronavirus could have Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders worried as both of the Democratic presidential frontrunners' campaigns have lost momentum amid the outbreak. Biden and Sanders are seen greeting each other without a handshake at their debate on March 15

Biden has said he plans to begin his own daily news briefings about coronavirus next week

Cuomo's emergence as a leader in the national response to coronavirus could have Biden and Sanders worried as both of the Democratic presidential frontrunners' campaigns have lost momentum amid the outbreak.

#PresidentCuomo gained traction days after Twitter users took aim at the current Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, questioning why he's gone relatively quiet during the crisis under the hashtag #WhereIsJoe.

Biden said on Friday that he plans to begin his own daily news briefings about coronavirus next week.

'I want to be in daily or least in significant contact with the American people and communicate what I would be doing, what I think we should be doing, and how we should be doing it,' Biden told reporters on a conference call.

'Hopefully by Monday we're going to be in a very different place in terms of the ability to be in communications with all of you.'

In the same call, Biden admitted that Cuomo has been 'doing one hell of a job', according to Mediaite.com.

Sanders held an online roundtable on coronavirus on Friday

Sanders is also trying to insert himself into the coronavirus conversation.

On Saturday he suggested sending $2,000 in pandemic relief to every American - a significantly higher figure than the $1,200 included in the Senate's bill to address the economic impacts of the virus.

He also held an online roundtable discussion in his home state of Vermont on Friday, where he urged Americans to come together to combat the outbreak.

The Biden and Sanders camps have also reportedly been in regular contact about coronavirus, which has caused several states to postpone presidential primaries and prompted both candidates to suspend campaign events.

No matter who comes out of the primary race with the Democratic nomination, new polling data suggests the party will be facing a tough fight against incumbent Trump.

The results of an Ipsos / ABC News poll released Friday showed that 55 percent of Americans approved of the way the president is handling the crisis - up from 43 percent last week.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a Janata Curfew on Sunday, about 7 crore traders throughout the country and 40 crore of their employees are staying at home, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS

New Delhi, March 22 : Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a Janata Curfew on Sunday, about 7 crore traders throughout the country and 40 crore of their employees are staying at home, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said.

The apex traders' body also urged PM Modi to announce a national lockdown in view of rapidly growing numbers of COVID-19 cases and help prevent possible community transmission.

"About 60,000 commercial markets and 40,000 Trade Associations having 7 crore traders and 40 crore employees are all set to stay at home observing Janata Curfew today on call of PM Modi," CAIT said.

Meanwhile, popular market places in national capital saw deserted roads, with traders in markets like Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Khan Market, Chandhni Chowk market, Connaught Place and others observing Janata Curfew and kept shutters of their shops down.

IANS rag/skp/dpb
DALLAS (AP)  Gov. Greg Abbott announced new measures Sunday to free up hospital resources to address the COVID-19 pandemic, as Texas saw its sixth death tied to disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Abbott said at a news conference that he issued executive orders to allow hospitals to treat two patient in a room, rather than one, and directing heath care workers to postpone all "elective or non-essential medical procedures.

DISASTER EXPERT: Houston-area needs shelter-in-place and coronavirus command team now

The announcement came as the Texas Department of State Health Services said 334 people statewide have tested positive for the virus, up from 304 on Saturday, and officials in Dallas confirmed an man in his 80s who had the disease had died.

The man's death was the second death linked to the coronavirus in Dallas County. He had been critically ill in an area hospital but more details will not be released, said a county spokeswoman

The vast majority of people who contract the virus recover within weeks. It causes only mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but it can lead to more severe illness, including pneumonia, especially in older adults and people with preexisting health problems.

RECOVERY FROM COVID-19: Houston-area coronavirus survivor returns home, thanks medical staff

Abbott said that the increase in Texans with the disease comes as testing is ramping up, and that both the number of people sick and the number tested with continue to rise. He urged the federal government to do more to help states acquire supplies needed for testing and protective equipment, such as face masks, for health care workers.

Abbott said he is not prepared to issue a shelter-in-place order, as governors in some large states have. He noted that more than 200 Texas counties currently have no cases of COVID-19 and said leaders in harder-hit parts of the state could take this action at the local level.

Dallas County has the greatest number of cases, with 30, according to the health department. It is followed by Harris County, with 27, and Bexar County, with 24.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 00:48:42|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest developments on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China:

-- Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality reported an imported COVID-19 case on Sunday. The patient was studying in Spain before returning to China on March 18, and is receiving treatment. Close contacts are under medical observation.

-- Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province will continue to donate medical supplies to cities in 16 countries to help fight the coronavirus. The supplies include masks, protective overalls and disinfectants. It donated such supplies to eight cities in four countries previously.

Meanwhile, the provincial capital Guangzhou has donated 300,000 masks and 200 thermometers to five Italian cities. The supplies are expected to arrive on Sunday.

-- Central China's Hubei Province on Sunday launched week-long training for medics, focusing on staff from local disease prevention and control centers, hospitals and health centers.

Seasoned experts will hold a variety of training sessions to enhance the medics' skills to win the battle against the epidemic. About 536,000 textbooks will be given out to the medics.

-- Medical supplies donated by central China's Henan Province went to Luxembourg by air on Sunday. The materials include 4,500 protective clothes, 500,000 surgical masks, 5,700 N95 masks, 100,000 pairs of gloves, 600 thermometers, 20,000 hand sanitizers and 1,080 pairs of protective goggles. The supplies are worth more than 2.5 million yuan (352,400 U.S. dollars).

-- Beijing reported 13 new confirmed COVID-19 cases from other countries on Saturday, bringing the total number of imported cases in the capital fo 97. Five of the new cases reported were from Britain, five from Spain, two from France and one from Austria.

-- The public need to go through real-name registration for taking public transportation or taxis in Wuhan. The requirement is part of a work plan issued Sunday by the bureau of transportation of the city. It applies to buses, ferries, trams, subways and taxis that have resumed operations.

-- Crayfish in large quantities is being transported across the country from the Hubei city of Qianjiang. On the first day, locals have sold more than 400 tonnes of crayfish.

-- A total of 46 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland were reported on Saturday, of which 45 were imported from abroad.

-- Also on Saturday, six deaths and 45 new suspected cases were reported on the mainland with five of the deaths reported in Hubei Province.

-- The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,054 by the end of Saturday, including 72,244 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,261 people who died of the disease.

-- South China's Guangdong on Sunday reported the province's first indigenous COVID-19 case infected by a patient recently returned from overseas.

-- Museums across China were asked to collect and preserve representative mementos to record the country's battle against the COVID-19 epidemic.

-- The Beijing municipal government has required strengthened nucleic acid testing (NAT) of the COVID-19 for people arriving in the city from other countries.

-- Chinese experts in traditional Chinese and western medicines have shared their experience via video call in treating COVID-19 patients with peers from Italy, the United States, Belgium, Japan and the World Health Organization.

-- The city of Huanggang, one of the hard-hit cities in the epidemic-stricken Hubei Province, has been resuming routine operation of public transport in an orderly manner.
March 20, 2020

News

By David Vergun

Defense.gov

Army Employs All-Out Effort to Combat COVID-19

Army researchers are working to rapidly develop and test experimental vaccines to combat COVID-19, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said.

The Army is also collaborating with the private sector and other government entities on 24 vaccine candidates, some of which are headed for human testing after having been tested on animals, he said.

McCarthy conducted a Pentagon press briefing today to discuss the Army's efforts to prevent the spread of and find a cure for COVID-19.

The Army and other partners are working to more rapidly conduct COVID-19 testing to screen the force at a higher rate, he said. Currently, testing is at a rate of 810 samples per day and plans are to increase that to more than 16,000 per day.

The Army has nine medical treatment facilities with clinical laboratories certified to conduct testing, he noted.

In the treatment effort, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working with state governments in 13 states  and that number will reach 18 by this evening  to provide planning and concept development and increase bed space on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said.

"The Army is ready to surge additional medical support if asked," McCarthy added.

As of 7 p.m. yesterday, the U.S. Army has 45 cases of COVID-19, including 21 soldiers, six civilians, eight family members and 10 contractors, he said.

Force health protection plans at U.S. military installations in hard-hit Italy and South Korea have greatly reduced the number of infections that could have occurred had measures not been enforced such as modifying training activities, delaying moves, quarantining anyone suspected of having the virus, enforcing social distancing and promoting good hygiene, he said, adding that the Army is rapidly ramping up similar measures throughout the force.

Recruiting stations are shutting down and recruiters are recruiting virtually, meaning through social media, he said.

The Army is also moving to install virtual learning for its educational institutions like the Army War College and the U.S. Military Academy, he said.

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James McConville, Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite and Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Scott Dingle also spoke during the press briefing.

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Senior Cabinet ministers are said to be at war over who gets to replace Boris Johnson in leading the nation if the Prime Minister comes down with coronavirus.

No 10 is believed to have set up a 'designated survivor' plan setting out who takes over if Mr Johnson becomes ill and is unable to continue working.

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State, will take on the top job should it occur.

But the decision has not gone down well with some top Cabinet ministers who think it should be then stepping up to the plate, the Sunday Times reported.

Matt Hancock, the Health and Social Care Secretary, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have both had high-profile roles in the UK's response to the pandemic and Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office Minister, has also had a senior role.

One fellow minister told the paper: 'If Boris can't do his job because he is incapacitated, a lot of people think that Michael should be running the show, not Raab.

'One of these people is Michael, of course.'

The term designated survivor has been popularised by the Netflix series of the same name.

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State, will take on the top job should Mr Johnson be incapacitated, the Sunday Times reported

One fellow minister told the paper: 'If Boris can't do his job because he is incapacitated, a lot of people think that Michael (Gove, pictured) should be running the show, not Raab. One of these people is Michael, of course'

The term designated survivor has been popularised by the Netflix series of the same name starring Kiefer Sutherland (above)

It sees Kiefer Sutherland, the 24 star, play a lowly official in a fictitious US administration who is forced to become president under a power transfer initiated when all senior politicians are wiped out in a terror attack.

The strain of managing the Government's response to the coronavirus pandemic has led to claims of tensions between two of the most senior Ministers tackling the crisis.

Colleagues say that Mr Gove is 'vying' with Mr Hancock to be Boris Johnson's 'chief executive' on Covid-19 by leading the Cabinet's approach.

Both men chair one of four committees set up to tackle the virus, as well as sit on the daily C-19 super-committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, which draws the four committees' findings together in a pan-Whitehall operation.

They also take part in the regular emergency Cobra meetings on Covid-19, also chaired by Mr Johnson, attended by senior members of the security services.

Mr Hancocks responsibilities on the health committee extend to critical decisions about boosting NHS capacity before the peak of the epidemic hits, while Mr Gove is focusing on the rest of the public sectors preparedness.

They are joined on C-19 by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is in charge of helping Britons caught up in the crisis overseas, and by rising star Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, who some commentators argue has stolen the limelight from all of them by masterminding the Governments multi-billion-pound Covid-19 bailout package.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 22

Trend:

Twelve more coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Azerbaijan, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers told Trend.

The patients, who have been placed in special treatment hospitals and are under control, feel normal, their health condition is stable.

Currently, 54 patients with coronavirus in active phase are under the supervision of doctors in special treatment facilities, and appropriate measures for their treatment are underway.

People who have tested positive for coronavirus infection are those who have arrived in Azerbaijan from abroad, and those who infected each other within the country. In this regard, we again urge our citizens to follow the personal hygiene rules, as well as the requirements and recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers.

Citizens are required to act in accordance with self-isolation measures, to leave home only in case of emergency, to minimize contacts with other people, not to visit crowded places and to strictly follow other preventive measures.
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(Photo : sungmin cho from Pixabay) A woman who was positive of COVID-19 recorded a harrowing video from her ICU bed.

A woman who was tested positive for COVID-19, the disease brought by the novel coronavirus, had now gone viral on social media when she posted a video from her bed in the intensive care unit, struggling to breathe, sending a grim warning to everyone.

Woman positive of COVID-19 issues a warning to others

According to Business Insider, the woman is Tara Jane Langston, aged 39, and was described as a healthy gym goer before she was admitted to Hillingdon Hospital in London.

In the short but harrowing video, Langston can be seen with a breathing tube, saying she can't breathe without it and gasping as she shows two tubes each attached to her arms.

"If anyone is thinking of taking any chances, just take a look at me ... Because if it gets really bad, then you're going to end up here," the woman said, pleading to everyone to take coronavirus seriously.

Langston also issued a warning to smokers and telling them they would need their lungs.

Even more distressing is the fact that she mentioned she was already "10 times better than before" as she was making the video, mentioning to MailOnline that breathing was "like having glass in your lungs."

Additionally, she also told MailOnline that she once thought the virus was "all hyped up" and that she made the video to warn others about meeting up with people and not following social distancing.

She issued a reminder, saying people should self-isolate as it was the only way.

When asked about who she saw at the hospital, Langston said there were mostly patients in their 50s and 60s.

As per MailOnline, Langston has slightly recovered and was moved out of the ICU on Thursday, Mar. 19.

Read Also: A Hope For Cure: Old Malaria Drug Eyed as Possible COVID-19 Cure After 'Largely Successful' Trials

COVID-19 threats could last for more than a year

As of writing, there are already 268,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world, with more than 11,000 confirmed deaths.

Coronavirus also doesn't have a known cure yet, and countries around the world are racing to create a vaccine that could stop it in its tracks.

However, TechTimes have previously reported that it could still take 18 months for the vaccine to be manufactured and sent out to everyone, so the pandemic may also last for more than a year, meaning it could infect more people and claim more lives.

Big countries around the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom, are now urging their citizens to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary and to never go to any gatherings as well as to maintain social distancing.

These precautionary measures are put in place to help slow the coronavirus infection.

People are not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously

However, photos and videos of spring breakers in Florida have started to pour in, undeterred by the mass quarantine and orders of avoiding large, mass gatherings--and most of all, the real threats of COVID-19.

USA Today mentioned one spring breaker was even bold enough to say that if "I get corona, I get corona," but the pandemic will not stop him from partying as they have been waiting for spring break in Miami for a while.

People have also gathered in pubs and other establishments during the St. Patrick's Day celebration amid the coronavirus warnings.

Read Also: Coronavirus Update: Ravage Lung X-Ray Photos Show How Coronavirus Coul Kill You Softly...But Surely?

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Public health authorities in Mumbai have approached the police to track the daily movements of people who returned to the city by air from abroad and are self quarantined to ensure they are confined to their homes and check the spread of the coronavirus.

They have shared with the police a list of such persons along with their addresses and mobile numbers, urging that any non-compliance by the concerned (sic) persons should be dealt very strictly, according to one such circular reviewed by Moneycontrol.

In the circular dated March 19, the Medical Officer of Health R/North Ward has shared a list of 138 persons with the senior police inspector of the MHB Colony police station. This police station has jurisdiction over some parts of Borivali West and full Dahisar West, two suburbs in north Mumbai.

All the persons in the list have their hands stamped, according to the circular issued under the aegis of the Brihanmumbai Mahanagarpalika Public Health Department. Last week, Maharashtra began stamping the hands of people flying into India with indelible ink to prevent the spread of the virus through communities.

The public health department has stressed that all the persons in the list, some of whom have tested negative for the virus and have travelled to Nepal, must not move out of their home for 15 days. It is unclear whether similar directives have gone to other police stations.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Medical teams at the Mumbai airport that screen passengers must inform them that government agencies would be monitoring them and they would be liable for punishment in case of non-compliance, according to the circular. Similar directives have gone to other police stations in Mumbai, officials said, asking not to be named.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:16:12|Editor: xuxin

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in battle against the common threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 180 countries and regions around the world.

The following are the latest updates on the contagious illness.

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COLOMBO -- Over 300 people were arrested in Sri Lanka for violating a countrywide curfew which was imposed on Friday evening, the police said in a statement here Sunday.

Till Sunday afternoon, the police said a little over 300 were taken into custody for roaming the streets, gathering in public grounds to consume alcohol, traveling in vehicles without a curfew permit and trading, despite stern warnings to remain indoors.

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TEHRAN -- Iran's health ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,685 people have died of COVID-19 in the country, official IRNA news agency reported.

A total of 21,638 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus as of Friday and 7,913 have recovered, said Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center at the ministry.

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WASHINGTON -- Italian general practitioners remember seeing strange pneumonia cases as early as November, which could mean the virus was circulating in parts of Italy before doctors became aware of China's COVID-19 outbreak, a U.S. radio outlet reported, citing a paper on Italy's coronavirus crisis.

The report published Thursday by U.S. media outlet National Public Radio (NPR) cited Giuseppe Remuzzi, co-author of a recent paper in The Lancet about Italy's epidemic.

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ADDIS ABABA -- Eritrea on Saturday confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in a 39-year-old Eritrean who was linked to travel to Norway.

"The Eritrean Ministry of Health announced on Saturday evening the first confirmed case of a coronavirus patient who arrived at Asmara International Airport from Norway with Fly Dubai on Saturday morning," the Eritrean Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel said in a statement.

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BUCHAREST -- The Romanian government late Saturday declared a curfew and required citizens to stay at home as much as possible during daytime in the latest move to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Interior Minister Marcel Vela said the curfew will be imposed between 22:00 and 06:00 beginning Sunday, with the exemptions for professional reasons, shopping of daily necessities, and necessary medical services.

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HAVANA -- A Cuban medical corps on Saturday arrived in the Jamaican capital Kingston to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Jamaican media reported.

Jamaica earlier this month declared the island a disaster area and requested Cuba to send medical professionals for help.

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NEW DELHI -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 315, said the official data issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Four deaths have been reported so far, and no casualty reported in the past few days.

"Total number of confirmed cases so far in the country as on March 21 at 10.45 p.m., including foreign nationals, is 315," said a statement put up on the ministry's website on Sunday.

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BANJUL -- The Gambia's government announced on Saturday night it will close borders with Senegal and suspend all flights from Monday in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"President Adama Barrow has approved the closure of the border between the Republic of The Gambia and the Republic of Senegal, effective midnight, on Monday," said a statement from the presidency.

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WUHAN -- No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported Saturday in Wuhan, marking the fourth day in a row of zero report at the epicenter of the epidemic in a months-long battle with the deadly virus.

The health commission of Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, said Sunday the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan and Hubei remained at 50,005 and 67,800 by Saturday.

Hubei saw five new deaths, four of which were in Wuhan, bringing the total number of deaths in the province to 3,144.

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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 66.

The newly reported cases are in both North Island and South Island regions of Auckland, Northland, Canterbury, New Plymouth, Waikato, Tauranga, Coromandel, and Dunedin, the Ministry of Health confirmed.
Seven steps to help those concerned about a drop-off in business as the spread of Covid-19 gathers pace

As each day changes the global landscape, one reality is certain. Business has fallen off a cliff for many firms.

Its good to see the Government and banks stepping in to offer support. While we wait for those supports to kick in, please remember one thing. Your business is your business. Dont rely on Big Brother for all the answers. You have to take control and act now to manage your cash flow.

Hopefully, this is a short-term crash. Richard Curran in this paper described the global crash in 2008 fundamentally as a top-down crisis that affected liquidity. This crash is different. While recession is inevitable as a consequence of whats happening, economic experts advise that it is more likely to be for the short term.

Meanwhile, the unfortunate stories are endless. The hospitality sector in particular is very badly hit. With 240,000 engaged in servicing the domestic tourist market, this industry employs 11pc of the workforce in Ireland.

Noel Anderson is the owner of Lemon & Duke in Dublin city centre and The Bridge 1859 in Ballsbridge. Just like every other similar business, his telephones are ringing for cancellations only.

The Ireland-Italy match, the Schools Games and the St Patricks Day festival are all huge losses to him. As pubs close around the country, all turnover will completely disappear.

Andersons greatest concern is for his staff, as this crisis puts jobs in jeopardy. He is particularly concerned for those that are renting accommodation, as banks will be supportive of mortgage holders.

He told me that while drinks suppliers are being flexible, others are not.

I met with Rachel Naughton, the head of SME business at AIB. She described the mixed responses and some examples of how businesses are affected by this.

For example, some customers that have been approved already for loans are not drawing down. Others are panicking due to having already paid for stock that either has a short shelf life or will not sell for some time. But Naughton also assured me that pillar banks are concerned for the short and long-term sustainability of businesses in Ireland. They will be supportive. So if youre under pressure, go and talk to your bank immediately. Speed, openness and dialogue are critical.

Here are some other tips that Naughton shared with me for those under cash flow pressure.

1 Check the reality of your cash flow for the near term

Download the free cash-flow template from business.aib.ie/cash-flow-planner. Fill in your numbers as shown. You can do this yourself; you dont need an accountant. This spreadsheet automatically calculates your risks and your exposure. You might not like what it tells you, but you cant avoid this reality so dont bury your head in the sand.

2 Consider all costs

Go through all of your overheads with a fine-tooth comb. Prioritise them and check what you can defer. Talk to your creditors, who are obviously in the same boat as you. Some of those will be in a better position than others to support you, especially the bigger ones. Revenue is already being lenient and perhaps your county council will be flexible with your rates bill.

3 Speak to customers

Its quite surprising how many small businesses are still very slow at getting their invoices out. Do that immediately and then assess each customer debt one by one. Some of them may have cash and with a good incentive/discount, they might pay you now.

4 Go to your bank

There are many things you might be able to do to alleviate your cash pressure. You might be able to negotiate a moratorium, which defers loan repayments for a period of time.

You might be able to switch to interest-only or get temporary working capital funding. Your bank will discuss options with you.

5 Explore alternatives for funding

Because of the challenges with Brexit, the Government got behind the business sector with new funding schemes.

Go to microfinanceireland.ie and youll see that it is offering Covid-19 business loans of up to 50,000. Enterprise Ireland is also very proactive and is offering supports. Check out enterprise-ireland.com.

6 Get creative with the art of the possible

After youve got visibility and a plan for your cash flow, your head will be clearer. Now get back into a more positive mindset and brainstorm some options. Anderson is considering engaging with Deliveroo to offer a take-home delivery service. One bricks-and-mortar retailer that I know does not have an e-commerce presence. She is partnering with an online store to clear spring/summer stock at a discount.

7 Plan for Recovery

I appreciate that this might be too early and too much for some, depending on the life cycle of your business. But your bank will ask you about this. So when you can get your head into it, think about what you will do to drive revenue when this is all over. Remember what Ryanair did after the 9/11 disaster when the world stopped flying? It went out with a massive seat sale to encourage people to start flying again. Remember The Gathering? This was an initiative designed to get the diaspora to have a big extended family party back on the Emerald Isle.

The Last Word

The pace at which this Gurtage (gargantuan and unprecedented reaction to a global event) crisis is unfolding is astounding.

More developments will undoubtedly occur after I have submitted this copy. But regardless of what happens in the next few days, these tips will still be highly relevant.

There is one common denominator in this for all of us: cash flow will be on all radars. Dont ignore it. Do what you can to get cash now and worry about making a profit when the tide turns. And the tide will turn.
This job expired on 15 May 2020.
Nurses on the frontline of Britain's war against coronavirus have revealed they have been forced to buy their own aprons and treat patients without wearing face masks, due to an alleged supply shortage.

Government guidelines for treating infected patients have also been switched, meaning staff working with suspected cases are not allowed to wear full protective gear.

The alert comes amid warnings that the UK could end up like Italy, where more than eight per cent of their COVID-19 cases are in doctors or nurses, unless staff are better protected.

NHS Supply Chain, which provides hospitals with healthcare products, has assured them that it has an adequate supply.

Nurses at two major London hospitals have revealed the conditions they face. It is feared that without adequate protection the UK healthcare force could end up infected. Pictured above is a nurse treating a coronavirus patient at a Paris hospital

The stark warning was issued by nurses working at two major London hospitals.

One nurse, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed she had been forced to head to Leyland's and other tool shops to find plastic aprons after the hospital ran out.

She also said the hospital has run out of surgical masks, forcing it to rely on paper masks.

'We have minimum four patients in a bay,' she said, 'and we are just trying to look after them the best we can, but they keep coughing and coughing on us'.

'We need to protect ourselves and our families. Some of my colleagues are even refusing to go in now it's got so bad.'

Another nurse, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a nurse on her ward had to care for three suspected COVID-19 patients without a face mask.

'We are also short of all types of masks and protective clothing and equipment for the nurses and doctors,' they said.

It comes after nurses were pictured wearing clinical waste bags on their heads for protection at another London hospital.

A nurse treats a coronavirus patient at a Paris hospital. There are fears that without adequate protection the UK's healthcare workforce could become infected

Nurses and doctors have been told to wear short gloves, face masks and aprons when treating suspected coronavairus patients, which is short of WHO guidelines.

They recommend staff wear a full gown and visor to protect themselves.

'There's a lack of protection for us, but it extends to a lack of planning of how to segregate patients from clean and dirty, how to protect us and keep us away from the public and doctors have no faith in what's going on,' Dr Lisa Anderson of St George's Hospital, London, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday.

The UK's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, has reassured the public that hospitals have adequate supplies.

NHS Supply Chain said on Friday it had eased restrictions on supplies of personal protective equipment following a wave of criticism.

It has also started delivering masks from the national pandemic stockpile to hospitals across the country.

Dr Jenny Harries, the UK's deputy chief medical officer, has said that Britain has adequate supplies. She is pictured at a press conference on March 20

Hospitals are reportedly overstretched and already struggling to handle the outbreak, which is said to be no where near its peak.

Northwick Park hospital, north London, declared an emergency situation this week when all of its critical care beds were filled.

The situation was stood down 24 hours later, after patients were transferred to other hospital.

The UK has so far reported more than 5,000 cases of coronavirus, although the actual number is thought to be much higher, and 233 deaths due to the virus.
PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Churches across the UK will 'begin an entirely new way of doing things' this morning as they prepare to deliver Sunday services to mass audiences online amid social distancing efforts to tackle the coronavirus.

Both the Church of England and Church of Scotland have now banned mass worship and will be leading services on social media platforms such as Facebook.

This is while Catholic churches are adopting a similar approach to encourage people to maintain social distance to slow the spread of the virus.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will also be broadcasting a service on BBC Radio today.

A church parishioner is seen watching a laptop inside Liverpool Parish Church this morning

So far there have been 233 deaths in the UK due to the virus and 5,018 confirmed cases.

As more and more people start to implement social distancing measures the Reverend David Meakin said the church was having to work out 'an entirely new way of doing things'.

'The Second World War didn't shut the churches, but this has, so we're in day three of trying to work out what we're going to do,' he said.

Mr Meakin is part of a rural team of parishes near Aylesbury comprising 11 churches who will be broadcasting morning prayer and Eucharist services online from this Sunday.

Mr Meakin is unsure, however, whether the streams will be used by all parishioners.

'We will put stuff online, but I don't know how much take-up there will be, because a proportion of our people are relatively old,' he said.

'They don't go on to the internet, it's not a place that they go.'

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will be broadcasting a service on BBC Radio today

Still, Mr Meakin says it is important to maintain a church presence for as long as possible.

'Stick a laptop somewhere and you can broadcast on Facebook within seconds, it's very straightforward, even if it won't be high quality,' he said. 'This is sustainable.

'I think some will value it  frankly, even if a few access it, it's still worth doing.'

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will broadcast a service on BBC local radio today, and other denominations are making similar plans.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said the UK is caught between the need to 'keep life going' and 'necessary imposed isolation' amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Church will begin streaming Sunday services online from today owing to coronavirus lockdowns

The service featured prayers, hymns recorded by St Martin's Voices from St Martin-In-The-Fields, and a short sermon.

Introducing the service, the archbishop said: 'Good morning to all of you in this strange and difficult time in the life of our world.

'Today is Mothering Sunday, a day when, traditionally, all went back to their mother church, to the place where they were nurtured, loved and formed into the ways of God.

'Nowadays, of course, we also often celebrate Mother's Day, a day to thank those who have mothered us in all the ways that we needed to be cared for.

'It is usually a day of celebration, when we draw together with family and loved ones.

'And so this day is a strange one for those of us in the United Kingdom and indeed in most of the world, where we are drawn between our need to keep life going, to celebrate relationships and kindness, and the fear and the necessary imposed isolation that we face.

'This is a day when we are not able to go and see those we love, or care for loved ones considered to be vulnerable or at risk.'

Mr Welby said the service had been recorded at Lambeth Palace 'with the absolutely minimum number of staff keeping appropriate social distancing and no congregation'.

He urged people to think about how they can care for those around them.

'At difficult times we have a choice,' he said.

'We can focus on fear, on ourselves and what we cannot do. Or we can turn to God and let God lead us into praying for the world, and let prayer flow into us, taking creative and loving action.

'That's what we want to do today, to remind ourselves that life carries on and that there is much to celebrate in our communities.

'To listen to the voice of God's caring love for us, and his encouragement to turn ourselves towards others, and how we can care for those around us, in person or virtually.'

He concluded: 'Today we are separated in space but we are still worshipping together before God.'

The service also featured prayers for 'those without adequate medical resources', 'those facing war' and the 'challenges of Covid-19'.

The Mothering Sunday service, recorded in the crypt chapel at Lambeth Palace in London, was broadcast across 39 local BBC radio stations.

Protestant theologian Ulrike Trautwein prepares for a an interfaith church service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church be broadcast live on television in Berlin

Churches and other places of worship across Germany are turning to broadcast and live streaming as ways to reach their congregations in the midst of the coronavirus crisis

A monitor at the rear of the church shows preparations underway for an interfaith church service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Authorities have banned gatherings of more than 10 people and some German states are enforcing dawn-to-dusk curfews in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus

The Church of Scotland has a list of 40 churches that share their services online in some way.

Catholic dioceses have also made their plans, with Shrewsbury Cathedral among those that will be broadcasting Mass.

In a letter to the congregation, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon said: 'During these disturbing and threatening times, the rhythm of the prayer of the Church will continue.'

One London church, St Martin-In-The-Fields, has already begun online worship, and says there has been an enthusiastic response, with audiences of more than 1,000 people for morning prayer and lunchtime services  far more people than can physically fit in the church.

Earlier this week it was revealed that Church of England weddings.
In the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) has temporarily called off their strike which had been ongoing for more than three months at gate number 7 of the Jamia Millia Islamia University.

The strike which began on December 12, 2019 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Population Register (NPR) and the proposed Register of Citizens (NRC) was called off on Saturday by the JCC.

One of the students of the varsity, who has played a prominent role in organising the protest told ANI that the protest has been called off in solidarity with the nation during the coronavirus crisis.

"Jamia is an institution where students come, we respect the Constitution and are in solidarity with the nation. We will therefore not hold the sit-in protest here till March 31. We do not want to commit any mistakes which might put the blame on us, neither do we want the coronavirus to spread because of us. The country comes first, and we will resume the strike with double the vigour once this period is passed," Faraz Khan said.

Earlier yesterday, the Jamia Millia Islamia University Teachers Association had urged the anti-CAA protesters across the country to suspend their agitation, including that at Shaheen Bagh, in the face of coronavirus outbreak.

In a letter addressed to protesters, the Teachers' Union said, "Jamia Teachers' Association (JTA) respects the spirit of your fight and sentiments to get equal rights and treatment in your own country as framed in the Indian Constitution."

"At present, the world is facing a situation of health emergency posed by a highly contagious virus called coronavirus causing COVID-19 disease. There are around 2.85 lakh cases reported so far worldwide including more than 280 in India.

"The WHO has already declared COVID-19 as global pandemic disease and India is under huge threat of spreading through 'human to humans', thus forming an infection web. Therefore, JTA urges you all to immediately suspend the protest, including at Shaheen Bagh and those on the model of Shaheen Bagh, in the interest of nation and humanity," the JTA said.

There have been so far 315 positive cases of coronavirus in the country so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former WAG Nadia Bartel has revealed she certainly isn't immune to feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, the 34-year-old shared her concerns to Instagram as a small business owner.

'It's impossible not to feel a little worried and anxious in this time as information is changing daily and we don't know what the future holds,' she wrote.

'It's impossible not to feel a little worried': On Sunday, WAG Nadia Bartel, 34, (pictured) shared her concerns about the coronavirus pandemic

The mother-of-two added she was also feeling the pinch.

'Particularly as a small business owner, it's tough financially too,' she wrote.

'I do believe we have to take this seriously, so I have been listening to the authorities and trying to self isolate as much as possible.'

Tough time: 'It's impossible not to feel a little worried and anxious in this time as information is changing daily and we don't know what the future holds,' Nadia wrote

The blogger-turned-designer then encouraged her followers to stay positive.

'I am listening to news only once a day and trying not to be consumed by it,' she wrote.

She finished by saying she was doing things at home to try and stay in a positive mindset.

Nadia recently shared a passage from a book which appeared to predict the pandemic.

Last week, she posted the page to Instagram, captioning it: 'This was written 40 years ago. Freaky!'

The page read: 'In around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and the bronchial tubes and resisting all known treatments.

Prediction: Last week, Nadia shared a prediction from late psychic Sylvia Brown's book, End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies about the End of the World, published 12 years ago, in 2008.

'Almost more baffling than the illness itself will be the fact that it will suddenly vanish as quickly as it has arrived, attack again 10 years later, and then disappear completely.'

The passage is from late psychic Sylvia Brown's book, End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies about the End of the World, published 12 years ago, in 2008.

However, the meme the former WAG shared actually incorrectly names the book as Dean Koontz's The Eyes of Darkness, published in 1981.

As of Sunday, March 22, there are 1,349 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia. The virus has resulted in seven deaths.
(Natural News) Epidemiologists at Imperial College London looked at how various health measures can potentially slow or even prevent the spread of the current coronavirus pandemic, which has infected over 275,000 people and killed over 11,000.

The study, which is published in the 9th report from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling within the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, is widely credited for shaping government policies in the U.S. and U.K. on how to handle the pandemic, considered by many to be on the most serious global health crisis in generations.

We use the latest estimates of severity to show that policy strategies which aim to mitigate the epidemic might halve deaths and reduce peak healthcare demand by two-thirds, but that this will not be enough to prevent health systems being overwhelmed, explained Neil Ferguson, head of the MRC GIDA team and the director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA). More intensive, and socially disruptive interventions will therefore be required to suppress transmission to low levels.

It is likely such measures  most notably, large scale social distancing  will need to be in place for many months.

Ferguson and his team at Imperial College have been instrumental in dealing with past epidemics  including SARS, avian flu and swine flu. Epidemiologists, as well as governments, around the world, take their models into account when drafting policies.

Crunching the numbers

In the study, the team looked at public health measures that are currently used to stem the coronavirus tide. The team, in particular, took five measures into account, both independently and in combination, including:

Home isolation , where a person showing symptoms of the disease stay at home for seven days after the onset of symptoms

, where a person showing symptoms of the disease stay at home for seven days after the onset of symptoms Home quarantine , where all household members remain at home for two weeks after the onset of symptoms in one person

, where all household members remain at home for two weeks after the onset of symptoms in one person Social distancing , where policies are in place to limit overall contact  except for households, schools and workplaces

, where policies are in place to limit overall contact  except for households, schools and workplaces Social distancing for the elderly , particularly those over 70 years old who have the highest risk of severe infection

, particularly those over 70 years old who have the highest risk of severe infection Closure of schools and universities

The team developed two different models, based on the intensity of the interventions.

The first model, which sought to slow the spread of the coronavirus, would combine home isolation, home quarantine and social distancing for those over the age of 70. According to the team, this model can significantly ease the healthcare burden by as much as two-thirds, and reduce overall fatalities by half over a three- to four-month period. However, this could still have an outcome of around 250,000 deaths, which will still overwhelm hospitals.

The second model, which they designed to suppress the outbreak, would require entire populations to practice social distancing, home isolation and home quarantine, and even closure of schools and universities. While this can potentially interrupt sustained community transmissions and significantly reduce the number of new cases, researchers warn that policymakers must still be vigilant, since there is a risk of an upswing in cases in the winter months. The researchers are studying outcomes in China and South Korea  which have enforced similar models  to help them understand the impact of this strategy.

As for its impact on the U.K. and the U.S., the team said that placing the most stringent traditional interventions are needed to contain the virus spread early on. Once these are in place, governments can explore the measures to improve the interventions. (Related: Isolation, quarantine and social distancing: Practice these essential strategies to stop the spread of coronavirus.)

Our results indicate that widescale social distancing measures, that are likely to have a major impact on our day-to-day lives, are now necessary to reduce further spread and prevent our health system being overwhelmed, concluded Azra Ghani, who heads the MRC GIDA infectious disease epidemiology unit. Close monitoring will be required in the coming weeks and months to ensure that we [minimize] the health impact of this disease.

In response to the report, the World Health Organization released this statement: Data to date suggest that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe infection, requiring oxygen, and 5% are critical infections, requiring ventilation.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus encouraged countries to develop their own responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to the press last week, Tedros noted that world governments should develop blending strategies that aim to control the rate of new infections, as well as push the deadly virus back.

Its not about containment or mitigation  which is a false dichotomy, he stressed. Its about both.

Sources include:

Imperial.ac.uk

CleanTechnica.com

NYTimes.com
The governments decision to incentivise manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials (KSMs) for drugs under Make in India will work well in the creation of a self-sufficient healthcare ecosystem in the country, and reduce dependence on imports, say experts in the field.

India has the capability and competence to manufacture all APIs. The announcement by the Government will help revive the API industry in the country and will help the sector regain the dominance that was lost over the years. The investment in creating bulk drug parks is an important step in the right direction for the development of the industry, said Satish Reddy, IPA president, and chairman, Dr Reddys Laboratories, in a statement.

India is the pharmacy of the world and contributes 20% to the global generics market. As per government estimates, every third tablet sold in the US is from India.

However, the industry is dependent on China for many APIs and KSMs, which go into the manufacturing of formulations.

China has gained importance in fermentation based APIs namely, antibiotics and vitamins. The government policy to encourage fermentation based industry will help build self-reliance, said Pankaj Patel, chairman, Zydus Cadila.

With the positive numbers of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) increasing in the country, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) and its member companies are working in an integrated manner with the government, other Indian pharmaceutical industry associations and key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain, to ensure that patients in India continue to have access to affordable, quality medicines.

The IPA represents 24 research based national pharmaceutical companies. Collectively, IPA companies account for at least 85% of the private sector investment in pharmaceutical research and development.

They contribute at least 80% of the countrys exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals and service over 57% of the domestic market.

The Cabinet in its decision on Friday approved schemes that will promote bulk drug parks for financing common infrastructure facilities in three bulk drug parks with financial investment of Rs 3,000 crore in the next five years; and secondly will create a production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical KSMs/Drug Intermediates and APIs in the country with financial implications of Rs 6,940 crore for the next eight years.

The new policy is a bold announcement by the government and will give the necessary fillip to the API industry in India... this will safeguard healthcare security and create ecosystem for strong Indian API industry, said Dilip Shanghvi, managing director, Sun Pharma.

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Ukrainians can return home, they only need to get to any city where SkyUp and UIA airlines operate their flights

With the assistance of diplomatic institutions, 59,494 citizens returned to Ukraine. Such data was published on Facebook by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on March 21 at 22 oclock.

Citizens of Ukraine are returning from the most remote corners of the world - Sri Lanka, Thailand, Chile, the Philippines, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Mauritius, Japan, Qatar and other countries, - the Ukrainian diplomatic service said.

In addition, 152 Ukrainians are quarantined abroad, 101 of them are in Poland.

The Foreign Ministry notes that Ukrainians can return home, they only need to get to any city where SkyUp and UIA airlines operate their flights.

For transit in most countries, you must have a ticket from the country of transit to Ukraine.

As we reported before, the American Center for Systems Research and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University announced 11 921 deaths from coronavirus have been recorded in the world on March 21.

The largest number of deaths was recorded in Italy (4,032), China (3,139), Iran (1,556), Spain (1,375), France (450) and the UK (177).
Reform the U.S. Government's Structure and Organization for Cyberspace Strengthen Norms and Non-Military Tools Promote National Resilience Reshape the Cyber Ecosystem Operationalize Cybersecurity Collaboration with the Private Sector Preserve and Employ the Military Instrument of National Power

In the midst of our growing COVID-19 pandemic crisis, a major new U.S. cybersecurity strategy was released by a bipartisan commission on March 11, 2020. This ground-breaking report outlines a strategy to fundamentally reshape the U.S.s approach to cybersecurity and prepare for resiliency and response before a major cyberincident occurs.Despite everything going on right now with the global pandemic, this report is afor any serious cybersecurity leader, policymaker and planner.In studying this issue, begins the letter from Sen. Angus King and Rep. Mike Gallagher, the chairmen of the commission, it is easy to descend into a morass of classification, acronyms, jargon, and obscure government organization charts. To avoid that, we tried something different: an unclassified report that we hope will be found readable by the very people who are affected by the very people who are affected by cyber insecurity  everyoneThis report is also aimed squarely at action; it has numerous recommendations addressing organizational, policy, and technical issues, and we included an appendix with draft bills that Congress can rapidly act upon to put these ideas into practice and make America more secure.The reality is that we are dangerously insecure in cyber. Your entire lifeyour paycheck, your health care, your electricityincreasingly relies on networks of digital devices that store, process, and analyze data. These networks are vulnerable, if not already compromised. Our country has lost hundreds of billions of dollars to nation-state-sponsored intellectual property theft using cyber espionage. A major cyberattack on the nations critical infrastructure and economic system would create chaos and lasting damage exceeding that wreaked by fires in California, floods in the Midwest, and hurricanes in the Southeast. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission's proposes a strategy of layered cyber deterrence. The report consists of over 75 recommendations to implement the strategy. These recommendations are organized into 6 pillars:The Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) was established in the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 to "develop a consensus on a strategic approach to defending the United States in cyberspace against cyber attacks of significant consequences." Warontherocks.com described the commissions background this way: The commission took its name from Project Solarium, a secret study comparing options for confronting the Soviet Union early in the Cold War. Rep. Michael Gallagher, the commissions co-chair, has written extensively about the Eisenhower-era project, describing it as a model of incorporating intelligence into a competitive analytic exercise. The Eisenhower administration invited strategists to flesh out three options for confronting Soviet power in the shadow of nuclear weapons: containment, deterrence, and rollback. It believed that introducing competition would force advocates of each approach to sharpen and improve their arguments, and ultimately produce a more coherent grand strategy.The administration organized three task forces to write reports describing each option. Each task force had seven members, who spent six weeks working in secret at the National War College. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission originally planned something similar, with separate task forces conducting a  deliberate, structured debate  among different approaches to cybersecurity. These options roughly paralleled the public debate, where commentators have alternately championed a more robust commitment to international norms , more credible deterrent threats against adversaries, and what U.S. Cyber Command calls persistent engagement . Those favoring norms warn that cyberspace will remain vulnerable to predators until the international community gets serious about setting limits on acceptable behavior. Those favoring deterrence argue that predators will continue to operate, norms notwithstanding, until they face serious consequences for their actions. Those favoring persistent engagement, however, argue that continuous contact among rivals is built into the structure of the domain, and  setting the conditions for security  is only possible by being proactive. They explicitly reject deterrence.A structured debate among these three perspectives may have been illuminating. But that is not what the Cyberspace Solarium Commission delivered. Unlike that of the original Project Solarium, the commissions report is a consensus product that includes all of them. The report's summary webpage, which can be found at https://www.solarium.gov/report , says this about the outcomes:After conducting an extensive study including over 300 interviews, a competitive strategy event modeled after the original Project Solarium in the Eisenhower administration, and stress tests by external red teams, the Commission advocates a new strategic approach to cybersecurity: layered cyber deterrence. The desired end state of layered cyber deterrence is a reduced probability and impact of cyberattacks of significant consequence. The strategy outlines three ways to achieve this end state:The United States must work with allies and partners to promote responsible behavior in cyberspace.The United States must deny benefits to adversaries who have long exploited cyberspace to their advantage, to American disadvantage, and at little cost to themselves. This new approach requires securing critical networks in collaboration with the private sector to promote national resilience and increase the security of the cyber ecosystem.The United States must maintain the capability, capacity, and credibility needed to retaliate against actors who target America in and through cyberspace.Each of the three ways described above involves a deterrent layer that increases American public- and private-sector security by altering how adversaries perceive the costs and benefits of using cyberspace to attack American interests. These three deterrent layers are supported by six policy pillars that organize more than 80 recommendations. These pillars represent the means to implement layered cyber deterrence.The introduction to the full report begins with a what if things go wrong mini-story of what life might be like if the country does not act. Here is that paragraph:The full commission report calls for an urgent call to action with substantial government reorganization to implement their recommendations.The first five key recommendations include (with detailed sub-bullets under each in the report):The executive branch should issue an updated National Cyber Strategy.Congress should create House Permanent Select and Senate Select Committees on Cybersecurity to consolidate budgetary and legislative jurisdiction over cybersecurity issues, as well as traditional oversight authority.Congress should establish a National Cyber Director (NCD), within the Executive Office of the President, who is Senate-confirmed and supported by the Office of the National Cyber Director. The NCD would serve as the Presidents principal advisor for cybersecurity and associated emerging technology issues; the lead for national-level coordination for cyber strategy, policy, and defensive cyber operations; and the chief U.S. representative and spokesperson on cybersecurity issues.Congress should strengthen the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in its mission to ensure national resilience of critical infrastructure, to promote a more secure cyber ecosystem, and to serve as the central civilian cybersecurity authority to support federal, state and local, and private-sector cybersecurity efforts.Congress and the executive branch should pass legislation and implement policies designed to better recruit, develop, and retain cyber talent while acting to deepen and diversify the pool of candidates for cyber work in the federal government.Other key recommendations are not listed here due to length of the report. FederalNewsNetwork.com does a nice summary piece with interviews here This report is impressive in its scope and in the number of recommendations included.I was frankly overwhelmed by the amount and complexity of the ideas and opportunities. If I have one central criticism, it is this: The genius may be lost by offering too much information.Nevertheless, I will definitely spend more time reading through the details in the months ahead, and I strongly urge readers of this blog to do the same.Also, I think the timing of this reports release is unfortunate. Many colleagues around the country were unaware of the existence of this report, and the global pandemic continues to suck all of the oxygen out of the room regarding media, political and economic attention. This new reality is sad due to the urgent nature of this cybersecurity topic.Indeed, cyberattacks are happening now within our current COVID-19 pandemic.My advice, take some of your ample social distancing time at home and read the report  or at least the executive summary.
The Navys two hospital ships, the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, are being prepared for deployments in the coming days. Trump said Sunday that the Mercy will go to Los Angeles, while the Comfort will go to New York. Neither is designed to handle virus patients because of their open floor plans, so the military has offered them to treat other illnesses and injuries to free up bed space in civilian hospitals. The Comfort, under maintenance, is not expected to arrive for a few weeks.


Seven more people of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday. These people had come in touch with the 70-year-old man of Pathlawa village in the district who died due to coronavirus last week.

SBS Nagar civil surgeon, Dr Rajinder Bhatia confirmed the development saying that the patients were already isolated at hospitals. The health officials said that these seven people are among 18 close contacts of the 70-year-old man and also include the family members. With this, the total number of patients who tested positive in the state has touched 21. 14 people have tested positive in SBS Nagar district, one person has died. One positive case of Covid-19 was reported in Hoshiarpur district.

On Saturday, seven people from the Doaba region, including six family members of the 70-year-old man of Banga in SBS district who died due to Covid-19 on Wednesday, tested positive for the disease.

The family members of the septuagenarian patient include his three sons, 36-year-old daughter, 40-year-old daughter-in-law and a granddaughter aged 17. The seventh positive person is a 68-year-old man of Moranwali village in Hoshiarpur districts Garhshankar subdivision who was in contact with the elderly victim from Banga. Meanwhile, four other cases that have been reported include three from Mohali and one from Amritsar.

70-year-old Baldev Singh, a resident of Pathlawa village, returned from Italy on March 7. He died on Wednesday due to coronavirus at civil hospital, Banga town of SBS Nagar district of Punjab. The entire Pathlawa village, which has a population of 3,000, was sealed by the district administration while nearly 200 close contacts of the deceased have been kept under surveillance under home quarantine.
James Randolph Light, Jr., 74, longtime resident of Long Cove Club and respected Hilton Head Island real estate business owner, died peacefully on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina on March 16, 2020.

Born in Chattanooga on February 27, 1946, Mr. Light will be remembered for his utmost loyalty and generosity to both his close friends and those he connected with in daily life. His four children were his greatest pride and joy, and his wife of 36 years, Merrill, was his best friend and supporter.

Randy grew up on Lookout Mountain and graduated from McCallie School in 1964. He attended the University of Tennessee, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After college, he joined his family's real estate company, Light Realty Co. in Chattanooga. After the company was sold in 1980, he moved to Hilton Head Island where he purchased Island Rentals & Real Estate, a short-term rental company specializing in ocean-oriented and oceanfront homes exclusively in Sea Pines Plantation. In 1992, he sold Island Rentals and developed apartment complexes throughout South Carolina and was a partner at the Red Piano Art Gallery, which specializes in fine art. More recently, he served at chairman of the Board of Coastal Forest Resources Company, one of the largest independent wood products companies in the United States.

He served in the National Guard for six years training at Fort Pierce in Florida. His civic service included the Volunteers in Medicine Board, South Carolina Board of Realtors as Ethics Chairman and on the Board of Hilton Head Preparatory School. A founding member of the South Carolina Yacht Club, he served on the Board of Governors for many years.

Randy was known to friends as loyal, well-informed and a man of good taste. There was no one better to recommend the right Pinot Noir, the perfect hunting spot or to recount a tale. An avid sportsman, his favorite hobby was chasing birds (wing shooting), especially with close friends and each trip was always an adventure. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends in both Hilton Head and Linville, North Carolina.

Randy was preceded in death by his parents, James Randolph and Mary Virginia Gray Light and a sister Jarand Light Lane.

He is survived by his sister Starlet Light Speakman of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. He is survived by his wife, Merrill Barringer Light, four children, James Randolph Light III (Atlanta, GA), Miranda Kemp Light (Carbondale, CO), Paul Barringer Light (New York, NY), Thomas Gray Light, wife Kate and his first grandchild, Louisa Corral (Tampa, FL).

A private family burial will be held at Six Oaks Cemetery in Sea Pines Plantation. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

The family deeply appreciates the loving care and support of Shelly and Kenneth Tensley. In lieu of flowers, if friends choose, they may make contributions to the church of Kenneth Tensley (The Ark c/o Kenneth Tensley, 35 Wyndham Drive, Bluffton, SC 29910 (757-404-6023)) or to the Volunteers In Medicine Clinic Hilton Head Island (PO Box 23858, Hilton Head Island, SC 29925 or https://vimclinic.org/donations/make-a-donation/).
The patient had recently visited Australia and Dubai

The 33-year-old had come to the city on 12th March after touring Australia and Dubai. (PTI)

Hubballi: One resident of Hosayallapur layout in Dharwad has become the 21st COVID-19 positive person in Karnataka, indicating entry of coronavirus to Mumbai-Karnataka region.

He was admitted to a private hospital on 18th March after identified to have symptoms of the virus. The health officials had sent necessary samples for conducting tests in VDRL laboratory in Shivamogga.

The 33-year-old had come to the city on 12th March after touring Australia and Dubai.

The district administration has declared entire Hosayallapur layout as confinement zone and restricted people travelling any farther than 3 km radius of the locality.

Health officials are also tracing out people who could have come into contact with the virus-infected person. He is currently undergoing treatment at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS).

The administration has also set up check posts at various places in the twin cities to control the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, prime minister's call for Janata Curfew has evoked good response in North-Karnataka as people have been staying indoors since early morning on Sunday. All business establishments are shut and bus services are suspended.

Addressing the press, industries minister Jagadish Shettar said that separate laboratories will be set up in Hubballi and Belagavi as people of North-Karnataka have to depend on Bengaluru and Shivamogga to get their samples tested.

"We are facing the 2nd stage of coronavirus threat. We are conducting thermal screening of the passengers who land at Hubballi and Belagavi airports from Mumbai. We have directed private hospitals to provide necessary treatment to the people who are suspected to be infected with the virus. We also have other options to take action on private hospitals if they refuse to give treatment", Shettar said.
Looking for shows to keep you glued to your couch  or at least keep you entertained enough not to venture outside unnecessarily? Here you go.
Below is critical information for Staten Islanders, organized into ten key areas. Visit our data page for a visual analysis of confirmed COVID-19 cases on Staten Island and in New York state.

Get full analysis of current Staten Island data.

As of 8 p.m. on Sunday, the NYPD will be enforcing these rules for individual New Yorkers:

Only workers providing essential services can be outside their homes in groups and they must use social distancing

Non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason (e.g. parties, celebrations or other social events) are canceled or postponed at this time

Individuals can leave their homes, but they must be six feet from others at all times

Outdoor recreational activities must be non-contact and people should avoid any activities where they come into contact with other people

Public transportation must be used only when absolutely necessary. Distancing rules must be applied on public transportation as well

Those who feel sick should leave their homes only to receive medical care and only after they have assessed their medical status with a tele-health visit

Young people must practice social distancing and avoid contact with vulnerable populations

Businesses that are considered essential and are allowed to remain open must implement social distancing rules

There is a different set of rules for vulnerable populations, defined as those over 70, with compromised immune systems or with existing illness. For this group:

Remain indoors

Limit outdoor activity to solitary exercise

Pre-screen all visitors and aides by taking temperature

Wear a mask when in company of others

Do not visit households with multiple people

Everyone in presence of vulnerable people should wear a mask

Stay six feet from other people

Do not take public transportation unless absolutely necessary

As of Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. all barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing salons, nail salons, hair removal services and related personal care services were closed. Gyms, theaters, retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys were already closed until further notice.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles has announced that all offices and auto bureaus will be closed until further notice. While offices are closed, expiration dates for driver licenses, non-driver IDs, and registrations will be extended, according to the agency. In addition, road tests will be suspended until further notice.

As of Sunday at 8 p.m., all other non-essential businesses will close.

New Yorkers are allowed to visit essential businesses, though social distancing should still be implemented. Essential workers are the only individuals who can congregate in groups, although, again, social distancing is required.

Essential businesses include:

Health care operations  Research and laboratory services, hospitals, walk-in health care facilities, veterinary and animal health services, elder care, medical distribution, home health care workers/aides, doctors and dentists, nursing homes or residential facilities, and medical and equipment providers.

Infrastructure  Utilities, including power generation, fuel supply and transmission; public water and wastewater, telecommunications and data centers, airports and airlines, and transportation infrastructure, such as bus, rail and for-hire vehicles.

Construction  skilled trades such as electricians, plumbers; other related construction firms and professionals for essential infrastructure or for emergency repair and safety purposes

Manufacturing  Food processing, chemicals, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, safety and sanitary products, telecommunications, microelectronics, agriculture and paper products.

Retail  Grocery, including food and beverage stores; pharmacies, convenience stores, farmers markets, gas stations, restaurants and bars for takeout and delivery, and hardware and building material.

Services  Trash and recycle collection, tech support, mail and shipping, laundromats and dry cleaning, building and cleaning maintenance, child care, auto repair, warehouse and distribution fulfillment, funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries, and animal shelters.

Financial  Banks, insurance, payroll and accounting.

Providers of basic necessities to economically disadvantaged populations  homeless shelters and congregate care facilities, food banks, human services providers.

As of 8 p.m. on Sunday, all non-essential businesses will close, but essential stores will remain open. These include: grocery stores, food and beverage stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, farmers markets, gas stations, restaurants and bars for takeout and delivery, and hardware and building material stores. Banks and laundromats are also allowed to stay open.

Do call ahead to check on the hours and to confirm a particular business is open.

Restaurants continue to remain open for takeout and delivery only, however some restaurants have been forced to close temporarily. Call ahead to confirm that a restaurant is open.

New Yorkers are asked to use public transportation only when absolutely necessary.

As of midnight on Sunday, ferry service will be reduced, on the following schedule:

Only three boats will operate in the morning and evening rush hours on weekdays. Previously, four boats operated during these hours.

From 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., the ferry will operate every 20 minutes. The ferry previously operated every 15 minutes.

From 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the ferry will continue to operate every 30 minutes.

From 4:30 to 8:00 p.m., the ferry will operate every 20 minutes. The ferry previously operated every 15 minutes.

From 8:00 p.m. to every 12:00 a.m., the ferry will continue to operate every 30 minutes.

From 12:00 to 5:00 a.m. on weekdays, and from 12:00 to 7:00 a.m. on weekends, the ferry will operate every hour. The ferry previously operated every 30 minutes.

The MTA has announced new rules for bus riders: disabled riders will continue to board local buses as usual, but all other riders will back-board. Express bus riders will continue to board as usual, but the first three rows will be left empty to provide appropriate distancing for bus operators.

Back-boarding riders will not pay the bus fare.

Online learning for public school students begins Monday. Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has asked parents to sign up for the NYC Schools account, which will be critically important as the DOE pushes information out and resources for remote learning needs.

You can go to www.myschools.nyc for more information.

Houses of worship are not ordered closed as part of Gov. Cuomos P.A.U.S.E. order, however, it is strongly recommended no congregate services be held and social distance maintained.

Some houses of worship may continue to be open daily for private prayer; worshippers should check for hours and closures.

The Archdiocese of New York has cancelled public mass for Holy Week and Easter.

As of Saturday, ALL visits to both Richmond University Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospital remain suspended.

As of Friday, March 13, only medically necessary visits are allowed at nursing homes.

The state has asked nursing homes to set up skyping and other online communication capacity so families can tele-visit their loved ones.

The state additionally requires health screenings for all nursing home workers each day when they enter a facility and require them to wear surgical masks to guard against any potential asymptomatic spread.

According to the World Health Organization, common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.

Testing guidelines issued Friday, March 20, directed healthcare facilities to immediately stop testing non-hospitalized patients for the virus unless test results impact the clinical management of the patient," which the city says gives medical facilities some discretion if they feel a test is vitally important.

City Hall also said the Department of Health would start advising providers and hospitals to stop testing asymptomatic people including healthcare workers and first responders.

If you have symptoms and feel you may qualify for coronavirus testing, you may call the New York State Department of Health at 888-364-3065 for screening and a possible appointment at Staten Islands drive-through testing center.

The site, located at 777 Seaview Ave., is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. De Blasio has said drive-through sites will be reserved for serious cases only and are not for everyone.

The hotline has also seen long wait times; to avoid waiting, the state recommends patients first call their primary care physician, who may also be able to match them with testing, if appropriate.
Cholera was the epidemic disease most feared around the world in the nineteenth century. In the eighteenth century neighbouring countries began to suffer from the disease and in the nineteenth century it attacked Europe.

Cholera spread around the world in great epidemics from its traditional base in the Indian sub-continent and carried with it high mortality rates, severe suffering and terrifying symptoms. These began in 1817 but the first wave did not reach Europe and was halted temporarily at the shores of the Caspian Sea.

From there in 1829 it spread rapidly through Europe. It arrived in Ireland around St Patricks Day 1832. This was the most serious cholera outbreak in Ireland in the nineteenth century and it has been estimated that 25,378 people died during that epidemic. The Irish death rate was high when compared to other countries for the same period.

In 1832 the causes of cholera were enveloped in inscrutable mystery and thought to be beyond human control. Doctors who understood the causes of typhus, smallpox and other contagious diseases were perplexed by cholera. Whatever the causes of the transmission of the disease it was almost instinctively known that it would have its biggest impact on the poor, the undernourished and the badly housed and dressed.

Because of that there were repeated exhortations to the public to eat well, not to over indulge, to keep warm and to avoid large gatherings of people. In 1832, Archbishop Murray, who had a long association with Offaly where he spent his holidays every year with the OBrien family in Rahan, told his flock that cholera had been sent by God as they had disregarded the warnings of the word of God and that, He has sent a preacher to your doors Murray saw cholera as a punishment sent to a sinful people by God.

In June 1832 the outbreak of the cholera disease was followed by a general panic. One of the first reports of the epidemic in Offaly came from the parish of St Rynagh, Banagher. A local committee was established on 12 May 1832 and by 29 May the committee reported that there had been no new cases for four days. Banagher was unusual in having a doctor on the committee, namely Richard Joynt. Banagher had a population of 3,000 but as the committee complained there was no local trade and the poor of the area were generally employed in labour. This committee raised a small fund and got matching funds from Dublin Castle. The money was used to purchase oatmeal, potatoes and straw for the local poor. The straw was for bedding and the poor were encouraged to dispose of their old straw beds.

Edenderry

In Edenderry most of the poor relied on agricultural labour which was subject to great variation and uncertainty as to rates of wages and to the numbers employed. In Portarlington, agricultural labour was again described as the principal employment but in Birr and Banagher labour is the phrase used to describe employment reflecting the outlets in distilleries and mills in these towns. In Clara many were employed in the cotton and linen trade but since the failure of these trades many of the labourers have turned to agricultural employment which was described as very casual.

The other area in Offaly where there was a distinctive craft, was Rosenallis where the weavers were in the same difficulty as casual workers. The Rosenallis committee chaired by Samuel Crossdaile complained that the labourers were almost wholly without work and the inhabitants in general were miserably poor and, in many instances, destitute even of the necessities of life. Roscrea with a population of 9,000 had a distillery, a brewery and a large dense pauper population. There June was described as the dead season for distillery workers and so many were idle. Even in the grain growing area of the county around Moneygall and Shinrone, there was a shortage of agricultural employment.

The fear that cholera would strike was almost as great as the terror when it arrived. So the Portarlington committee applied in June 1832 for money to buy bedding to prevent the disease spreading. Curiously the disease was confined to the Offaly part of Portarlington and money was expended in preventing it crossing the river into county Laois.

In nearby Edenderry, the disease arrived in June and the local committee had collected a mere 24=12=0. It planned to fit up a small fever hospital in the town and the local fund included 5 from the towns principal landowner, the Marquis of Downshire who resided in Hillsborough Castle in Co. Down. Edenderry had a small population of 2,000. In Birr the population was 9,617 and there cholera appeared at the end of May 1832. Within countries cholera also travelled along trade routes. It hit Portlaoise (formerly Maryborough) hard and indeed was still virulent there in March 1833.

A local committee reported that homes had been deserted as people fled to the country and a soup kitchen was opened for the poor. Borris-in-Ossory or the parish of Aghaboe in Laois was described as being on the public road from Dublin to Limerick with constant intercourse from the nearest towns of Maryboro, Mountrath and Roscrea where cholera has made its appearance.

Mountmellicks population of 4,000 had a rich variety of work in the 1830s. There was employment in wool combing, worsted spinning, woollen and cotton manufacturing, malt houses, breweries and a distillery. Turf cutting and saving was also mentioned as a significant employment as turf or peat was the fuel mainly used in these establishments. The towns on the periphery of the county on the main routes west and south suffered badly.

Athlones 7,344 inhabitants felt the impact of the disease early in May 1832 and by March 1833, 65 deaths had occurred in the town from the disease. Athlone also had two distilleries and a brewery but its other main source of employment was described as government works and intercourse with the military.

Birr

Birr suffered its first cases in May 1832. A committee was set up to give aid and apply for government funds on the 25th. day of May 1832. The committee was chaired during this period by John Lloyd and included the following; Hubert OKelly, Thomas Hackett, A. G. Judge, M. J. Usher, P. Kennedy, William Kinahan, John Brereton, P. OMalley and Thomas L. Cooke.

By the end of August 1832 the first epidemic appeared to have run its course in the town and only a few solitary cases occurred in the period up to the middle of October when it returned with greatly increased virulence.

The committee expressed regret that there was no mendicity institution in the town to which the poor could turn for aid. Consequently the members felt obliged to feed the poor as the best means of preventing the spread of the disease.

The applications made in November 1832 for aid were made by a new committee chaired by Lord Oxmantown, one of the resident magistrates who had been away during the first serious outbreak.

Some of the old personnel survived and the new committee assured the Cholera Board that the funds had been properly spent by the old board. Reporting on victims the new Birr Board stated that there had been 53 deaths from the disease up to the beginning of August 1832 but that the later outbreak had carried off twice as many victims.

The local board commented that it could not account for this lamentable effect. The unknown nature of the disease perplexed people. By the 25 January 1833 the committee reported that cholera had ceased for the last week but that 146 persons had died by then.

Tullamore

In Tullamore the population was gripped by terror when the epidemic struck and as in Birr and elsewhere, those who could afford to flee did so. It was reported that 145 of the 160 persons who had contracted disease had died and this led to the town being isolated by the surrounding rural dwellers.

The canal was drained to prevent barges from trafficking with the town. In Kilbeggan, the local Board of Health employed men to prevent those fleeing Tullamore from entering that town. The siege mentality can also be seen in Portarlington where the local committee employed guards to prevent the disease spreading from the Offaly side of the town to the Laois side. The Tullamore applications for aid to the Cholera Board in Dublin Castle began after a local committee was established on the 15th June 1832. The chairman was William Wallace and the committee consisted of Edward Gorry, James Whitney and John Lever members.

The application noted that the population of the town was 9,673 persons and that the employment available was mainly manual and agricultural. The Committee reported that private funds had been exhausted, that the disease had appeared suddenly and that it had a devastating effect on the town. 300 was given by the Board and it helped fund a hospital in the town.

The Tullamore committee got another 100 from a London charity and 50 from the Earl of Charleville, the towns proprietor. By July 1832 the committee reported that private doctors were working in the area and that the committee was compensating persons for articles burned to prevent the spread of disease and to aid widows and other survivors of cholera. Cholera reappeared in the town in November after which it disappeared.

Banagher

The Banagher committee chaired by T. St. John Armstrong, landowner and magistrate, complained that there was no trade and that the poor were only supported by manual labour.

The committee there purchased oatmeal, potatoes and other provisions to relieve the distressed state of the poor as the cause which appeared to aggravate the awful visitation of cholera, those provisions are distributed every second day.

The committee claimed that wholesome food and constant attention to cleanliness were the main reasons as there was only one death in the first week of the disease reaching the area. In June the committee looked for money for coffins, a hospital and other necessities. Food alone was not sufficient to stop the spread of the disease.

Daingean

The disease lingered in this area and there were still applications for funds for medical relief in January 1833. The need to look after the poor was also mentioned by the committee for the parishes around Philipstown or Daingean. John Walsh as chairman of the Philipstown committee was still reporting deaths in January 1833 when 3 persons died in one week.

He wanted funds for food, for cleaning and to pay the nurses and medical attendants.

There are many references in the cholera papers to hospitals in Offaly. From Edenderry, there was correspondence with a Dr Hugh Gilligan who wrote of the need to establish a small hospital and to take precautionary measures to combat the disease. Charles Bagot, chairman of the Clara committee and a landowner and a justice of the peace, wrote in June 1832 that;

From the town of Clara (where a case of cholera has already occurred) being situated between Tullamore (where the disease has raged with particular violence) and Moate near where cholera has also made its appearance, we have a strong reason to fear the immediate occurrence of the disease, we therefore think it necessary to establish an hospital, to provide medical assistance, medicines, blankets, beds and all the other means as usually adopted for the prevention of this fearful malady.

The Cholera Board sent 150.00 in June 1832.

Moneygall

In Moneygall in the south of the county the local committee was set up in July 1832 with William Minchin in the chair. The object of the application for funds was to have in readiness a fund to provide a place for the reception of any persons who may be visited by cholera, to provide blankets and other requisites together with a nurse and an assistant.

As in many areas when the first applications were made in June and July 1832, all the Moneygall magistrates were absent. The disappearance of so many must be further evidence of the flight of those with means as the disease approached. Moneygall was one of the few Offaly towns that had a dispensary and so had the nucleus of a medical relief establishment.

The chairman of the dispensary board had also given at his own expense lime to clean and whitewash the houses in the town. The town had a number of proprietors listed, Lord Bloomfield who was non resident, the Rev William Minchin, Alex Holmes, Rev Arthur Holmes and Rev William Gresson. Curiously a later application for more funds makes no mention of the town suffering from an outbreak of the disease, but it still attracted aid.

Shinrone

In nearby Shinrone, H. Lloyd was chairman of the local committee established in June 1832. There was no local subscription raised from the 5,631 inhabitants but the prevalence of cholera in Birr was sufficient cause for the committee to attract aid. In Shinrone the longer list of landowners reflected the absence of larger estates in that area. The landowers are listed as the Atkinsons, Trenchs, Lloyds, Minchins, Hammersbys, Whites, Smiths, Doolans and Spunners. In Roscrea there was a serious outbreak of the disease and the town attracted considerable funding for its cholera hospital. The 9,000 persons living there were badly effected and there was additional distress as the towns distillery was closed during the summer of 1832, described by the local committee as the dead season of the year.

Rosenallis

The last of the local cholera committees included in the Offaly file was that set up in Rosenallis, county Laois. The town of 5,000 inhabitants was suffering from chronic poverty as much as from the threat of disease.

The principal landowners, the Marquis of Drogheda and James Kemmis, were both absentees, John Pigott was deputy lieutenant for Laois, Lancelot Crossdaile was a magistrate and Thomas Pigott was both the vicar and a local landowner. There was a small outbreak of cholera and medical attendants were employed. By January 1833 the appeal to Dublin Castle for aid was for the relief of ordinary poverty and with some references to further precautionary measures which were required.

By 1838 the new poor law was introduced and then the poor rate made the local contribution mandatory. The evidence of local contributions in 1832 shows how difficult it was to get local aid mobilised.

FOR MORE ON THE HISTORY OF OFFALY GO TO www.offalyhistory.com
Coronavirus cold be a tipping point in terms of workplaces rethinking the need for a physical office if work-from-home options achieve the same level of productivity at a much lower cost. Read more

Mark Silow sat in a near-empty office on the 21st floor of 2000 Market Street, wondering whether he spends too much on rent.

Silow, the chairman of Fox Rothschild, was one of four people on his floor Tuesday after the law firm let nearly 2,000 lawyers and staff members across the country work remotely. With the exception of some skeleton staff, the firms 27 offices were largely empty during the coronavirus outbreak. But everyone was still working.

You say to yourself, Gee, do I really need to spend the rent on 20,000 square feet on this floor? Silow said.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced businesses in Philadelphia to make changes to their operations to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus. For many companies, this is the first time theyve let employees work from home en masse. For others, the outbreak has accelerated existing trends in technology, from eateries offering online delivery to studios releasing new movies for streaming.

As the business disruption persists, theres a growing sense that when the pandemic ends, some changes could endure. Policies and technology used out of necessity now could become permanent later, if businesses and consumers find theyre convenient, efficient, and productive.

The silver lining could be the technology breakthrough," said Robert Li, a professor at Temple University and director of its U.S.-Asia Center for Tourism & Hospitality. When a crisis like this happens, it is most certainly tragic, but it may also feed new opportunities.

 READ MORE: Workers in the poorest big city in America are reeling as coronavirus leaves thousands jobless

He noted that the 2003 SARS outbreak helped fuel Chinas e-commerce growth as consumers unwilling to leave their homes shopped online instead. Alibaba, the Chinese web retail giant, reportedly saw its business grow 50% that year. The epidemic is what inspired JD.com, now one of Chinas largest online retailers, to sell products on the internet.

A defining moment

The current pandemic could be a defining moment for remote work. In Philadelphia, some of the citys biggest employers, including Comcast, Independence Blue Cross, and the University of Pennsylvania, have thousands of employees working from home. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all nonessential businesses to close their doors.

If successful, companies could decide they dont need as many employees on site and downsize office space to cut costs, causing a ripple effect that could harm commercial real estate and even restaurants, observers said.

Now that people are forced and have an excuse to do it, I think a lot of people are going to intentionally use this as a means of justifying further remote work," said John Cardone, a Philadelphia brand and innovation consultant

Independence, one of the largest health insurers in the region, was among the first in the area to send workers home as the new coronavirus spread. The company stress-tested systems in early March and required all associates in the region to work remotely last week. On Tuesday, Independence had roughly 4,500 people working off site.

The remote work has gone well so far, though Independence had minor issues and made adjustments, said Mike Vennera, Independences chief information officer. Workers had to adjust, too. During large conference calls, its hard to use social cues like raising hands to speak. So the insurer has put a moderator in charge who can mute speakers if too many talk at once, Vennera said.

Seeing it work for real, you obviously will iron out certain kinks, Vennera said. I think the other important thing were looking for out of this, above and beyond the technology, just how does the workforce perform?

 READ MORE: Unprecedented, nothing like it: Closures deal a crippling blow to Philly small businesses

Ryan Vogel, a human resource management professor at Temple, researched remote work at a large company and found employees engagement and productivity was about the same at home as in the office. Stress was considerably higher at home, though, as its hard for employees to separate home from work, he said. Still, he expects companies to realize the benefits of remote work during the pandemic.

This is a trial period where we are forced into it," Vogel said. And I think managers will realize the cost savings associated with it are great."

Unsurprisingly, those in the commercial real estate industry disagree. Jeffrey Tertel, executive managing director at Newmark Knight Franks Philadelphia office, said he expects people to flock back to the traditional office after the pandemic, seeking personal interaction with colleagues after weeks of isolation.

It is extra resources and time and money to create for these people to work from home because they cant share resources at home and they dont have collaboration," he added.

Rendered nonessential

Remote work is hardly the only business disruption to come from coronavirus. States and cities have banned large gatherings and nonessential retail," devastating the tourism and hospitality industries. Pennsylvania is requiring all businesses not considered life-sustaining to close.

With movie theaters shuttered, Comcasts Universal Pictures is making movies available at home the same day they hit theaters. Starting with the April 10 release of Trolls World Tour, the studio will also make movies currently in theaters  such as The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Emma  available for on-demand rental. The move breaks the longtime practice of waiting 90 days between a movies release in theaters before its available at home.

The company said the decision was a response to the coronavirus outbreak, but it further disrupts a movie theater industry that has been dragged down by the growth of online streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Comcast is planning to release its own streaming service, called Peacock, in April.

NBCUniversal will continue to evaluate the environment as conditions evolve and will determine the best distribution strategy in each market when the current unique situation changes, the company said in a statement.

Eateries also are evolving. Food delivery services Grubhub, DoorDash, and Caviar are offering no-contact delivery, in which drivers leave orders in a safe spot for customer to grab. And in Philadelphia, the Center City Taiwanese eatery Baology launched its own meal delivery service Wednesday that lets customers order food from its menu and those of other women-led restaurants in Philly, said owner Judy Ni.

For restaurants, the current disruption could mean that a strong digital presence is not just a good option, but a matter of survival.

Ben Fileccia, of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, said he had expected eateries that werent doing delivery and take out before to start now due to the pandemic.

And thats been the case in some respects, he said. However, there are a lot of restaurant groups that have made the decision to just shut down completely.
A federal appeals court is ordering a U.S. district judge in New Mexico to reconsider a case involving a fight over critical habitat for the endangered jaguar in the American Southwest.

Groups representing ranchers had sued, arguing that a 2014 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to set aside thousands of acres for the cats was arbitrary and violated the statute that guides wildlife managers in determining whether certain areas are essential for the conservation of a species.

With the order released this week, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling that had sided with the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Jaguars are found in 19 countries. Several individual male jaguars have been spotted in Arizona and New Mexico over the last two decades, but theres no evidence of breeding pairs establishing territories beyond northern Mexico.

Shrinking habitats, insufficient prey, poaching and retaliatory killings over livestock deaths are some of the things that have contributed to the jaguars decline in the Southwest over the past 150 years.

Under a recovery plan finalized last year, Mexico as well as countries in Central and South America would be primarily responsible for monitoring jaguar movements within their territory. Environmentalists have criticized the plan, saying the U.S. government is overlooking opportunities for recovery north of the international border.

At issue in the latest legal battle is more than 170 square miles that span two desert mountain ranges in Arizona and New Mexico.

Greater scrutiny is required when including in the critical habitat designation those areas that arent occupied by the endangered species. In order to do so, wildlife officials have to determine that those areas occupied by the jaguar when it was first listed as an endangered species would be inadequate to ensure the conservation of the species.

The appellate court said the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to make that argument.

The court also said there was no evidence in the record of jaguars being present in the two areas around the time of the initial listing in 1972 or at any time before 1995.

The Services reliance on sightings in 1995, 1996, and 2006 to support a conclusion of occupation in 1972 is not based on expert opinion and is purely speculative, the court said.

While the Fish and Wildlife Service was accused of not following its own regulations regarding the habit designation, the court said the areas in question could be considered essential for the species if it were to expand its existing range.
God has been very kind to Indians in showing the trailer of a movie on COVID-19 in China and Italy and waiting patiently for us to act. We have just 20 days to act, sorry, with today gone it is 19 days.

We suggested an action plan for Karnataka. Lombardy, in Italy, has a population of 10 million and Karnataka's population is 64 million. Lombardy has 13,272 positive patients, out of whom 15 per cent needed hospitalisation and 12 per cent needed ICU care.

Comparatively, Karnataka will have around 80,000 COVID-19 positive patients, 12,000 need hospitalisation and 9600 will need ICU care with 4,800 needing respiratory support with ventilators.

Also Read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Delhi govt announces complete lockdown from 6 am on Monday

For simplicity, as an example, let us plan the COVID-19 care for the city of Bangalore, which should have about 16,000 positive patients, 2,400 will need hospitalisation and 2,000 will need ICU care which requires 1,000 ventilators.

1. Let us follow what the UK government did by closing a few big government hospitals and converting them into dedicated COVID-19 facilities. The Karnataka government should close two busy 1,000-bed government hospitals in Bangalore. Convert 2,000 beds as critical care beds with piped oxygen, suction, and compressed air supply to run 1000 ventilators. This should happen today (Sunday) since this work takes at least 2 weeks after placing the order with the contractor.

2. Never take the oxygen supply for granted. Even in western Europe, COVID-19 patients died because the oxygen supply was exhausted.

3. Switch off all air conditioners in hospitals treating COVID-19 patients unless you are 100 per cent certain about the quality of air. Please don't bother about isolation rooms, the whole hospital should be an isolation hospital, soon you may be forced to put patients in the corridors of the hospital.

4. Ministry of Health should create 2 teams.

4a. A Medical team of general physicians, pulmonologists and infectious disease experts headed by a senior physician from the government hospital with members from both government and private hospitals

4b.ICU team of anesthesiologists and intensivists headed by a physician from the government hospital with members from both government and private hospitals.

5. The first point of contact for the suspected COVID-19 patients should be the government hospital.

6. Patients who may not require advanced critical care support should be treated at the government hospital. Critically ill patients should be sent to large private hospitals after the initial treatment at the government hospital for the benefit of modern ICU with highly skilled staff.

7. Launch fever clinics with online consultation across the city with guidelines on viral screening and follow-up.

8. COVID-19 positive patients, at the discretion of doctors, can opt for monitored self-quarantine at home. It is equivalent to a house arrest. The monitoring team should call the patient at regular intervals to check on the progress. COVID-19 is a mild disease for the majority of healthy people. We don't have enough beds and the people to take care of all the positive patients.

9. ICU team's priority is to take stock of the infrastructure in government and private hospitals, Number of anesthesiologists, intensivists, pulmonologists, ICU-trained nurses, junior doctors with basic knowledge of ICU care, nephrologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, neurologists and cardiologists.

10. The number of ICU beds, ventilators, cardiac monitors, syringe pumps, portable X-Ray machines for Chest X-Ray, beds with oxygen, compressed air and central suction lines, blood gas machines, N 95 masks, protective eyeglasses and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), disposables like endotracheal tubes, suction tubes, PPE would be required for the workforce for two months.

11. For 2,000 ICU beds, a 6-hour shift needs 700 nurses, 200 resident doctors and 100 anesthetists/intensivists. For 24-hour coverage, 2,800 nurses, 800 resident doctors and 400 anesthetists.

12. At least 200 senior intensivists/anaesthesiologists would be needed to cover 2,000 beds remotely through WhatsApp.

13. The requirement would be to double the number of these medical experts to cover for leave and fatigue.

14. Identified doctors, nurses and technicians should be given a pair of PPE to wear at home for practice. COVID-19 ICU simulation should be set up at large hospitals to teach staff on safe practices to protect themselves.

15. The safety of health workers should be the utmost priority.

16. Additional cardiac monitors, ventilators and syringe pumps should be procured locally or imported. This should be done by the government for bulk purchase urgently. Soon, they will be out of stock. Ventilators are key to preventing coronavirus deaths.

17. PG students working in any specialty, clinical and non-clinical should be given the option by the university to serve the COVID-19 ICUs as part of their training programme. This will provide a large number of young skilled workforce. Karnataka alone has more than 6,200 bright young doctors who specialise in vital medical specialties.

18. PG students, interns and final year medical students should be posted in the respective hospitals' ICUs to familiarise themselves with ventilated patients. Doctors and nurses will not be able to work for more than a week at a stretch in COVID-19 ICUs. A large pool of doctors and nurses can cover the requirements on a rotational basis.

19. Junior doctors should be trained to work with PPE in non-covid-19 ICUs for 2 weeks under supervision before entering the COVID-19 ICU.

20. The Health Ministry should ask for special permission from the Indian Medical Council to allow young doctors trained in recognised overseas medical colleges for temporary licence to work under senior doctors. In the end, it is the junior doctors and nurses who are going to win the battle to save humanity.

21. Every health worker should have a data-enabled mobile phone.

22. Each Senior intensivist/anesthetist can manage at least 50 patients remotely through apps like WhatsApp. Apart from licensing foreign-trained Indian doctors, MCI should temporarily allow WhatsApp to create patient groups by the doctors and manage them remotely. In fact, nurses in the ICUs wearing PPE will not be able to maintain the progress notes of each patient. It can be only maintained by the senior intensivists/anesthetists from home remotely on WhatsApp or any chat-based app on cloud.

23. The Medical Council of India should permit online consultation and prescription

24. About 12,000 specialist doctors just finished their final year theory paper of specialty exam in anaesthesia, medicine, pulmonology, cardiology, etc under National Board of Examination (DNB). Nearly 38,000 medical specialists finish training in vital specialties under MCI annually. As in the USA, they can be given the degree as "BOARD ELIGIBLE SPECIALIST" and when they pass the final exam, they can be called "BOARD CERTIFIED SPECIALIST." They can be absorbed by the Ministry of Health to fill in the vacant positions in hospitals.

25. Indian Nursing Council should permit final year nursing students to take care of stable ICU patients.

Every suggestion we have made has precedence in some of the developed countries. All we should do is to identify their best practices and learn from their mistakes. China lost the battle initially because of an unprecedented surge in the numbers. We still have some time and all we need to do is execute.

A British study predicts 22 lakh deaths in the USA and 5 lakh deaths in the UK due to COVID-19. Despite the prediction, India can conquer COVID-19 and set an example for the rest of the world to follow because we have the largest number of young skilled doctors, nurses and technicians, thanks to our government's progressive policies. We must liberate the true potential of what they can do by empowering them legally and providing them with the necessary tools.

Also Read: Coronavirus updates: No shortage of commodities, masks, sanitisers; don't panic, says govt

(The author is chairman, Narayana Health.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 07:14:17|Editor: huaxia

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Yemeni men read precautionary instructions distributed during an awareness campaign against COVID-19 in Sanaa, Yemen, March 22, 2020. Sanaa launched on Sunday an awareness campaign to teach people how to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
Nigerias former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has revealed that his son tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus.

Atiku, on his verified Twitter page, late Sunday night disclosed that his son had tested positive for the virus.

He said the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, had been duly informed.

Atiku added that his son, whose name he did not disclose, had been moved to Gwagwalada Specialist Teaching Hospital in Abuja for treatment and management.

Read Also: Covid-19: Lagos Govt Orders Civil Servants To Stay At Home

He called on Nigerians to pray for his sons quick recovery.

My son has tested positive to the #coronavirus. Nigerias Centre for Disease Control has been duly informed, and he has been moved to Gwagwalada Specialist Teaching Hospital in Abuja for treatment and management.

I will appreciate it if you have him in your prayers. Stay safe, coronavirus is real, he tweeted.
Adhering to 14-hour 'Janata Curfew' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of coronavirus in India, the Indian Railways has announced the cancellation of over 3,700 passenger locomotives and long-distance mail, express trains, which were scheduled to run on Sunday (March 22).

"No passenger or express train will originate from any railway station on the country between Saturday/Sunday midnight to 10:00 pm on Sunday," said the order issued by Indian Railways.

Indian Railways has also announced that the services of intracity trains in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Secunderabad will also be affected due to Janata Curfew. The order means that no train would be allowed to start its journey from 12:00 am on Sunday till 10:00 pm.

The order also said, "However, the passenger train services already on run at 7:00 am on Sunday will be allowed to run their destinations. Divisions should keep a watch and trains which are empty could be short term terminated if required." This means that trains that start their journeys before midnight on Saturday and are still running at 7:00 am on Sunday would not stop and they will continue their journey as usual.

Directions have been issued by the Railway Board to all zones that passengers already travelling in trains during the Janata Curfew should not face trouble. "Adequate arrangements may be made to facilitate hassle-free refund to passengers affected by tarin cancellations," the order said.

Public transport will be cut or cutailed on Sunday following Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal for a Janata Curfew to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

In Mumbai, local trains, which are called the lifeline of Mumbai, the services will be curtailed to 60% on Centeal line. The Western line will operate services as per Sunday schedule but it has cancelled four services, two from Virar to Dahanu Road, and two from Dahanu Road to Dadar and Churchgate.

Meanwhile, the Konkan division commissioner on Saturday (March 21) announced that only people involved in essential services or people having medical emergency will be allowed to travel in Mumbai suburban trains from Sunday (March 22). The order said that the restriction will remain in place from 6am on Sunday to March 31.

Despite appeals, travellers arent reducing. Therefore, only people involved in essential services or people having medical emergency will be allowed to travel in local trains, said divisional commissioner Shivaji Dhaund.

The 'Janata Curfew' announced by PM Modi during his address to the nation on Thursday (March 19) will be observed from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm on Sunday.
SEATTLE, March 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trupanion , the leader in medical insurance for pets, announced today that it is joining forces with The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA), the membership organization exclusively for animal welfare, care and control leaders in the United States, Canada, and Australia. This partnership aims to provide veterinary and animal shelter professionals guidance on a community response during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

With the COVID-19 pandemic requiring communities to quarantine citizens, the care of impacted family pets has become a topic of concern for the entire veterinary community including, but not limited to, veterinary hospitals, veterinary educational institutions, and government and nonprofit animal shelters.

The first collaboration between Trupanion and AAWA will be a free, RACE approved, webinar for veterinary and animal shelter professionals offering guidance on community response to COVID-19, including considerations for those impacted by the crisis who have pets in their care.

We know that the veterinary community is on the frontline hearing from concerned pet owners about COVID-19 and their pets, said Jim Tedford, president and CEO for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Certified Animal Welfare Administer (CAWA). At the same time, animal shelters play the important role as the community safety net for stray or relinquished animals within the scope of public health, law enforcement, public safety, and animal protection. By working together, united in a community response, our veterinary profession, including animal shelters, can help ease the minds of worried pet owners and provide sound guidance for pet owners to keep their pets safe as part of the family and out of shelters.

Using One Health as a driving philosophy, the webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 25 at 11:00 a.m. PDT (2:00 p.m. EDT) and will cover the latest information related to COVID-19 and its impact on our entire community. Covetrus, a global leader in animal-health technology and services, is generously hosting the webinar, which is expected to attract thousands of attendees.

Understanding how COVID-19 is transmitted, what to expect and how to bathe a pet exposed to a COVID-19 infected person, will enable veterinary professionals to help pets stay in homes and out of the sheltering system. This webinar will also provide clarity regarding conflicting information around personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements to help veterinary hospitals and shelters better anticipate the potential barriers and contingencies involved.

The webinar, moderated by Trupanions Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Steve Weinrauch, is the first collaboration of its kind, bringing together the leading organizations in human, animal, and environmental health in discussion of this latest pandemic.

By joining forces with these worldwide authorities in pet health and welfare, our goal is to provide the most current and useful information to the veterinary and sheltering community, said Dr. Steve Weinrauch, BVMS, MRCVS, chief veterinary officer at Trupanion and Founder of MightyVet  an industry-wide platform to support veterinary professionals in their career and well-being. Trupanion is here to bring our members and pet owners across the world comfort in times of uncertainty, and that includes with Pandemics. We have been diligent in providing our members with the latest information around COVID-19 and how it impacts them as pet owners. Bringing these world leaders in pet health together to discuss these timely and important issues continues our commitment, not only to our members but also to the worldwide community. We look forward to spearheading this critical community effort with our esteemed colleagues.

This webinar will serve In Practice, Nonprofit and Government veterinary personnel as well as animal sheltering leadership.

Webinar Details

WHO: Dr. Steve Weinrauch, BVMS, MRCVS, chief veterinary officer, Trupanion, Founder, MightyVet; Jim Tedford, president and CEO for The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Certified Animal Welfare Administer (CAWA); Michael Lappin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM), Chair, WSAVA One Health Committee; Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice), Fran Marino, Endowed Professor of Shelter Medicine, Maddies Shelter Medicine Program, University of Florida

WHAT: Free, RACE approved webinar: Guidance for COVID-19 Community Response for Nonprofit, Government, and In Practice Veterinary Personnel

WHEN: Wednesday, March 25, 11:00 a.m.  noon PDT

WHERE: There are two ways to access this webinar:

The first 3,000 veterinary professionals who pre-register at https://covetrus.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IpntPH6NQAmEOg0UKedSuA will be eligible for RACE credits and will join the webinar via the Zoom platform.

The webinar will also be streamed live at www.facebook.com/NotOneMoreVet . Please note that RACE credits are not available via the Facebook Live stream.

About Trupanion

Trupanion is a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States and Canada with over 500,000 pets enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet's recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet owners with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol "TRUP". The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly-owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Omega General Insurance Company. For more information, please visit trupanion.com.

About AAWA

Since 1970, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement has been leading the conversation among animal welfare leaders. As the only membership organization dedicated exclusively to animal welfare, care and control professionals, The Association develops strong leaders, promotes standards of practice, and cultivates collaboration to advance the animal welfare profession with a united voice. For more information, please visit theaawa.org

About WSAVA

The WSAVA represents more than 200,000 veterinarians worldwide through its 113 member associations. Its core activities include the development of WSAVA Global Guidelines in key areas of veterinary practice, including pain management, nutrition and vaccination, and the provision of continuing education.

About MightyVet

MightyVet is an initiative to support and evolve the veterinary ecosystem for the common good of pets, families and the veterinary professionals entrusted with their care. MightyVet provides veterinary professionals with free on-demand Continuing Education courses, mentorship from industry experts, virtual office hours for real-time feedback with Veterinary educators, and online resources for their day-to-day needs. Incubated by Trupanion, MightyVet is an industry-wide movement with participation and support from over 30 veterinary-related organizations. For more information, please visit mightyvet.org

Contact:

Media

Michael Nank

michael.nank@trupanion.com

206.436.9825
Stephanie Maulbeck, an animal care specialist at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, pets Beatrice, a cat ready for adoption, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is looking to place as many cats and dogs as possible into foster care during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Stuck at home for two weeks or more? Now might be the perfect time to add a furry friend to the family, even if its just temporarily.

As the growing coronavirus pandemic sweeps through New Jersey, shutting down non-essential businesses and forcing people to stay at home, animal shelters and rescues are facing many of their own challenges and fears.

Not having enough volunteers to help. More people needing to give up their animals. Losing funding due to a drop in retail sales.

But above all, their biggest concern is making sure the cats and dogs are being taken care of.

"One thing that the public needs to hear through all of this is that one of the main goals in this is to take care of the animals that we've got," said Deborah Yankow, shelter manager at Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center in Teterboro.

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Veterinary technician Samantha Friedman, who also manages the NICU Kitten Nursery at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, dries a new kitten after it was given a bath in Dawn dish soap to rid him of fleas, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is continuing to intake animals during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

With Bergen County seeing the majority of positive COVID-19 cases in the state, the shelter closed to the public on Tuesday for adoptions to ensure the safety of the employees and volunteers.

"If all my staff gets sick, who's going to take care of those animals?" said Yankow, noting that approximately 150 cats and 70 dogs are currently housed in the shelter.

While St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison remains open -- the North Branch and Noah's Ark locations are temporarily closed for adoptions -- staff are taking extra precautions by cleaning and sanitizing public and common areas multiple times a day as well as limiting the number of people inside the shelter at any one time, said Michelle Thevenin, Chief Operating Officer of St. Hubert's.

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. volunteer Noelle Bruno, of Galloway, feeds the free-roaming cats their afternoon meal at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by volunteers and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Smaller rescue groups are facing different challenges during this pandemic.

Randall's Rescue, a non-profit in South Jersey, has removed all of their cats from its PetSmart adoption location.

Prior to approving adoptions, "we typically do home visits, so we are being very selective about that and some of them are being done virtually via FaceTime or other phone apps," said Cindy Randall.

For Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S., its Mew to You Retail Shoppe in Ocean City is a main source of funding for the rescue.

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. founder/director Judy Cantin, left, and volunteer Noelle Bruno, of Galloway, feed the free-roaming cats at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by Cantin and volunteers, and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

"Sales are very slow," said Judy Cantin, founder and director of Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S., on Wednesday.

Due to the business being classified as non-essential, the retail shop -- which also houses two large cat rooms where most of the cats are free-roaming -- announced its temporary closure Friday night.

"The well-being of the cats/kittens here at Mew IS essential," Cantin said in a Facebook post.

"Our volunteers will be here to provide care, socialization and enrichment for our felines."

And cats and kittens can still be adopted here, but by appointment only.

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Animal care specialist Annette Kalawur, right, and medical technician Alexandra Rasenchuk examine Chief at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is looking to place as many cats and dogs as possible into foster care during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Barbara Damico, a boardmember of The Pet Adoption League in Hackettstown, worries that the coronavirus pandemic will lead to animals being surrendered.

"My biggest fear is this: people will be looking to get rid of their animals because they have no money to feed them," said Damico. "And we won't have the resources to take them in."

Yankow and her staff are working hard to discourage non-emergency surrenders in their contracted towns Bergen and Hudson counties.

"We're encouraging people to ride this out and keep them for now," said Yankow, adding that while there are many reasons people surrender their pets -- such as evictions, homelessness, and illness -- reducing the burden on shelters and rescues at this time is especially important.

Thevenin also said that St. Hubert's will work with people who are considering surrendering their pets due to sickness or financial strain with the goal of keeping their pet in the home by providing support services.

So how can you help?

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Bruno looks on at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is taking precautionary steps to disinfect public and common areas during the coronavirus outbreak, and is continuing animal adoptions at this time. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

ADOPT

Now may be a great time to consider adding a furry friend to your household. Being less "on the go" gives people more time to acclimate a pet into their homes and more time to bond with them.

St. Hubert's currently has a "Name Your Own Fee" adoption special happening, if you're looking for a new buddy to keep you company while working from home.

"We are encouraging serious adopters only -- that is people who are ready to come in and adopt the same day," Thevenin said.

Also be sure to check out your local rescue groups for pets available for adoption as well.

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St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center volunteer Denise Pecheur holds Fritz in the NICU Kitten Nursery, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Pecheur picked up Fritz to foster him during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

FOSTER

If you're not ready to make a full-time commitment but are looking for a companion while working from home, consider fostering a cat or dog. Many shelters, including Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center and St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, are looking to get these animals into a home environment, even if just temporarily.

Fostering provides important socialization and one-on-one care which will help ready the pet for a home of its own.

St. Hubert's will provide all you need -- including food, blankets, litter, and all other items required to care for the animal -- and is currently offering curbside pickup once a match is made.

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. volunteer Rebecca Selby socializes the cats in one of the adoption rooms at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by volunteers and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

VOLUNTEER

If you have some extra time on your hands -- and you're well and non-symptomatic, noted Yankow -- it's a good time to reach out to your local shelter or rescue.

"We rely on volunteers 100% and have definitely seen a decline in willingness to help especially in the older volunteers, who are more worried about coming in contact with the coronavirus," said Randall.

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. founder/director Judy Cantin, right, and volunteer Noelle Bruno, of Galloway, prep food for the cats at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by Cantin and volunteers, and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

DONATE

Monetary donations are always needed, and as always, check with your local shelter for specific items they may need, and what they can and can't accept.

Food, litter, cleaning supplies, toys -- if it's pet-related, they likely need it. Some places will accept gently used items, but call ahead to ensure these items can be used, as protocols may have changed during the coronavirus outbreak.

"This is a time to pull together," said Yankow.

Scroll below for more photos of shelters and rescues in action.

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Nick Eckert, a veterinary technician in the NICU Kitten Nursery, right, and Nursery manager Samantha Friedman examine new kittens during intake at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is continuing to intake animals during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Renee Thomaier, an animal care specialist at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, processes adoption paperwork, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is taking precautionary steps to disinfect public and common areas during the coronavirus outbreak, and is continuing animal adoptions at this time. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Tracey Bednash, a canine behavior technician at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, works with Bruno, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is taking precautionary steps to disinfect public and common areas during the coronavirus outbreak, and is continuing animal adoptions at this time. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. founder/director Judy Cantin says hello to Mallory in one of the cat rooms at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Mallory is one of numerous cats up for adoption through the rescue. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by Cantin and volunteers, and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Veterinary technician Samantha Friedman, who also manages the NICU Kitten Nursery at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, cuddles a new kitten, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is continuing to intake animals during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. volunteer Rebecca Selby gives treats to the cats in one of the adoption rooms at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by volunteers and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Animal care specialist Annette Kalawur checks for a microchip on Chief at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is looking to place as many cats and dogs as possible into foster care during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Veterinary technician Samantha Friedman, who also manages the NICU Kitten Nursery, left, and vet tech Nick Eckert work on the intake of new kittens at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is continuing to intake animals during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. volunteer Noelle Bruno, of Galloway, carries trays of cat food to the cat rooms for their afternoon feeding at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by volunteers and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center volunteer Denise Pecheur plays with Fritz in the NICU Kitten Nursery, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Pecheur picked up Fritz to foster him during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Veterinary technician Samantha Friedman, who also manages the NICU Kitten Nursery at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, combs a new kitten to check for fleas, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is continuing to intake animals during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Stephanie Maulbeck, an animal care specialist at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, pets Beatrice, a cat ready for adoption, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is looking to place as many cats and dogs as possible into foster care during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Tracey Bednash, a canine behavior technician at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, gives Bruno a treat, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is taking precautionary steps to disinfect public and common areas during the coronavirus outbreak, and is continuing animal adoptions at this time. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Cape-Atlantic C.A.T.S. volunteer Noelle Bruno, of Galloway, socializes the cats in one of the adoption rooms at Mew to You retail store in Ocean City, N.J., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. While the store is now closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the cats are being cared for by volunteers and adoptions continue by appointment. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Nick Eckert, a veterinary technican in the NICU Kitten Nursery at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, examines a new kitten, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. St. Hubert's is continuing to intake animals during the coronavirus outbreak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

RELATED STORIES:

Can dogs contract the coronavirus? What to know about your pets during an outbreak.

Murphy orders N.J. residents to stay home, closes non-essential retail businesses in state lockdown to fight coronavirus

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Lori on Instagram at @photog_lori and Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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China reported its first domestic coronavirus case after a gap of three days as the country saw a surge in imported infections with 45 new cases and initiated stricter measures to avert COVID-19 to resurface and create a second wave of infections, health officials said on Sunday.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) said that 46 new confirmed cases were reported on the mainland on Saturday, including one domestic infection transmitted by imported cases in Guangzhou.

Six deaths were reported from China, including five from Hubei Province, taking the death toll in the country to 3,261.

Coronavirus epicentre Wuhan, however, has not reported a new coronavirus case for the fourth consecutive day, health officials said.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,054 by the end of Saturday, including 3,261 people who died of the disease, 5,549 patients still being treated and 72,244 patients discharged after recovery.

On Saturday, 504 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 118 to 1,845, it said.

The imported cases included 14 from Shanghai, 13 from Beijing, seven from Guangdong province, four from Fujian province and two from Jiangsu province, while the provinces of Hebei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong and Sichuan reported one case each, taking the total number of infections from abroad to 314, the NHC said.

By the end of Saturday, 273 confirmed cases, including four deaths, were reported in Hong Kong, 18 confirmed cases in Macao and 153 in Taiwan, including two deaths.

Meanwhile, facing a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases from abroad, China will take strict measures to prevent imported cases, NHC spokesman Mi Feng told media here on Saturday.

He called for unswerving efforts in preventing the COVID-19 epidemic from rebounding.

Beijing and several other cities have already initiated stricter quarantine rules under which the people will be confined to designated hotels for which they have to pay.

Beijing also started diverting flights to neighbouring cities where the foreign returnees would undergo a 14-day quarantine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

MUMBAI: In view of the coronavirus outbreak, a local NGO has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, demanding that office-bearers of all housing societies in Mumbai be given the responsibility of monitoring the health of their members.

If the housing society office-bearers fail to report to health authorities about coronavirus cases, they should be held criminally liable, Harmony Foundation chairman Dr Abraham Mathai said in his letter.

He said due to "lack of testing facilities", only symptomatic cases at the airport were being sent to the Kasturba Hospital here for coronavirus test.

However, majority of the people who are asymptomatic are sent from the airport to their respective homes for self- quarantine which needs to be monitored, the former vice-chairman of minorities commission said.

"Maharashtra is leading with maximum number of cases reported in India and we are supposedly in phase-2 of spread of the viral infection, according to medical experts.

The transition from phase 2 to 3 is critical as it can either escalate into a community transmission or de-escalate on account of the preventive measures taken by all of us," he said.

In a city like Mumbai, with small flats being inadequate for proper quarantine, it is important to involve all local housing societies and Advanced Locality Management (ALM) in this fight against COVID-19, Mathai said.

As it is now a known fact that majority people are asymptomatic in the beginning, it is important to make the chairman or secretary or the managing committee of a housing society responsible to visit each and every house and report the status to the local health officer, he said.

This should be a mandatory duty and the chairman or secretary should be held criminally responsible in the event of a case not reported, Mathai said.

There should be a daily update given by the society office-bearers to designated local civic health officers either directly or through ALM, he said.

Holding housing society office-bearers responsible is the only way to keep a tab on people who are asymptomatic in the beginning, as it is not possible for the municipal health officers to micro-manage this, he said.

Considering the official figures nationally "may not be actually true" as a majority of the coronavirus carriers are asymptomatic and cannot be detected in the beginning, maximum care and caution should be exercised to contain and curb its spread at this time, he said in the letter.

Talking to PTI, Mathai said, "If we don't do what we are supposed to do, our situation could become like China or Italy, for that matter. A lapse on part of the society office-bearers should be treated as a criminal offence in these times by issuing a special Act."

If criminal liability is put on office-bearers of the housing societies, they will be compelled to do their duty, he opined.

"I have also sent this letter to all municipal commissioners in Maharashtra and I believe they will implement my suggestions immediately in the interest of the nation," he added.

The total number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra has risen to 74 with 10 more positive cases reported in the last 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.

Of the 10 new cases, 6 are in Mumbai and 4 in Pune, they said.

Two deaths have also been reported in the state, both from Mumbai.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday sent his condolences to the family of the man who died of coronavirus on Saturday.

"The person who died due to coronavirus in Patna is sad. The families of the deceased will be given financial assistance from the Chief Minister Relief Fund," Kumar tweeted.

He also said in his tweet, "The citizens need to be vigilant. Nobody should hide their symptoms of the disease and travel history and should inform the authorities immediately for treatment."

A 38-year-old man passed away in Bihar due to kidney failure was tested positive for COVID-19. The man, a resident of Munger district, had a travel history to Qatar, and on his arrival in Patna via Kolkata was admitted to AIIMS in Patna.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The first French doctor battling the coronavirus has died as the death toll in the country spiralled to 674 Sunday. With the outbreak spreading to eight regions -- and 112 more dying in a single day -- authorities admitted their count does not include those who died at home and in old people's homes. "We are looking at an epidemic that is widening and escalating," the head of the health service Jerome Salomon said. With hospitals flooded with 7,240 victims, the military are having to transfer some from the worst-hit areas. "The virus kills and it is continuing to kill," Salomon added. The 67-year-old emergency room medic who died worked at Compiegne hospital, north of Paris, the town's mayor told AFP. He was hailed as a hero by his family for coming back from holiday to treat the first major outbreak in the country. Mayor Philippe Marini said that Madagascar-born Jean-Jacques Razafindranazy "came back to work voluntarily to treat people and knew he was taking a risk". - Calls for curfew - His wife, a family doctor, is now also sick with the virus and has been quarantined at home. Dr Razafindranazy's death came as controversy raged over a shortage of protective gear for medical staff in some parts of France. Despite Health Minister Olivier Veran saying more than 250 million masks had been ordered, some doctors and nurses have complained that they have had to do without. The French government is also under pressure from doctors' unions to impose a total nationwide curfew. The northeast city of Mulhouse, where French soldiers have already set up a military field hospital to help hospital staff overwhelmed by the number of cases, declared its own curfew from Sunday night from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am. Some other cities, including Nice and Perpignan, have already imposed their own curfews. With authorities expected to extend the lockdown beyond the end of March, doctors want it tightened to "at a minimum" stopping people going out to jog or exercise. Parliament toughened fines for people who break the current confinement measures late Saturday. Repeat offenders now face six months in prison and a fine of 3,700 euros ($3,950). And on Sunday it declared a health emergency in the country, granting greater powers to the government to fight the pandemic. - Shortage of masks - Dr Razafindranazy died on Saturday in a hospital in the northern city of Lille, with his son paying an emotional tribute to him on Facebook. "He was passionate about his work and chose not to retire. He has left a family behind him who will never forget him," he added. The family also warned that "this illness is extremely serious and must not be taken lightly". Marini said Dr Razafindranazy "would soon have been 68" and had treated some of the first cases in the Oise department, the first area in France to be badly hit by COVID-19. He was infected in early March, the mayor added. A quarter of the more than 7,200 people now in hospital with the virus are in intensive care. Veran said many medical staff who contract the virus could in fact be getting infected outside of their work, while adding that protection for frontline staff was "absolutely indispensable". But doctors and nurses were losing patience, with the Frederic Adnet, the head of an emergency department at Seine-Saint-Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris, saying supplies of protective clothing were clearly under strain. "We know we are exposed," he told French television. "We know a number of us are going to contract it and there will be a price to pay... with protective gear cruelly lacking." Some French hospitals are already struggling to cope with the numbers of patients French soldiers have been setting up field hospitals to help overstretched health workers in several northern French cities Some medical staff say they have not been able to get sufficient protective clothing
Cowardly thieves broke into an NHS hospital helping to tackle the coronavirus outbreak and tried to steal cash from an ATM.

The thieves broke into Barnet Hospital in north London last night and tampered with the machine, which is inside a staff restaurant.

Hard working medical staff at the hospital have been battling to look after coronavirus patients. In Barnet alone, 81 people have tested positive for Covid-19.

The thieves broke into Barnet Hospital in north London and stole from the machine, which is inside a staff restaurant

The Royal Free London NHS trust tweeted: 'Our staff restaurant at Barnet Hospital is open as normal this morning despite someone breaking in last night to steal the ATM.

'We have no words! Police are aware. #togetherwecan.'

Barnet MPS posted earlier today saying: 'We were called at around 2am to a restaurant area broken into at Barnet hospital in Wellhouse Lane.

'An ATM was tampered with; we await confirmation of cash or any other property stolen during the burglary. NorthWest BCU investigating.'

MailOnline has contacted Metropolitan Police for further comment.

The Royal Free London NHS trust tweeted: 'Our staff restaurant at Barnet Hospital is open as normal this morning despite someone breaking in last night to steal the ATM'

Hard working medical staff at the hospital (pictured) have been battling to look after coronavirus patients. In Barnet alone, 81 people have tested positive for Covid-19

The news comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel called NHS staff, police and firefighters the 'glue holding us all together' amid the pandemic.

Britain's coronavirus death toll rose today to 240, after seven new victims were confirmed to have died in Wales.

The raid on the hospital has sparked anger on social media.

Piers Morgan tweeted: 'FFS. This is this is beyond contempt. In fact, it's beyond humanity.'

Another person tweeted: 'Lowest of the low. How do people genuinely live with themselves after doing stuff like this?'

It also comes as NHS workers have voiced concerns they do not have enough protective equipment to ensure they do not catch the virus from patients.

Piers Morgan tweeted: 'FFS. This is this is beyond contempt. In fact, it's beyond humanity'

The surge in cases of the coronavirus today came as Boris Johnson pleaded with young people to take the potentially life-threatening infection more seriously.

Chief Medical Officer for Wales Dr Frank Atherton confirmed today that 12 people in Wales have died in total, with figures rising overnight by seven.

'My thoughts are with their families and friends, and I ask that their privacy is respected at this very sad time,' Dr Atherton said.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson urged Britons to celebrate Mother's Day remotely by using video calls - as he admits the NHS could be 'overwhelmed' by the outbreak.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The arrival of the coronavirus in the Gaza Strip, an impoverished enclave where the health care system has been gutted by years of conflict, raised fears Sunday the pandemic may now prey on some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.

Authorities in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, confirmed its first two cases overnight, in returnees who had come from Pakistan.

An outbreak could wreak havoc on the Palestinian territory, which is home to over 2 million people, many in cramped cities and refugee camps. There are similar concerns about a catastrophe if the virus turns up in war-torn Syria, Libya or Yemen.

The virus causes only minor flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death in some patients, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health problems. Severe cases are often only able to breathe with respirators.

Abdelnasser Soboh, director of the World Health Organizations Gaza office, said the territory only has 62 ventilators, with all but 15 already in use. He estimates the territory needs 50 to 100 more to address an outbreak.

With its current capacity, he estimates Gazas hospitals can handle the first 100 cases if they come in gradually. If there is a spread to hundreds, this will cause a challenge to the health care system, he said.

Gazas isolation likely delayed the arrival of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 300,000 people worldwide and killed more than 13,000. More than 90,000 people have recovered.

Hundreds of Gazans have returned home in the past two weeks, but only 92 people have been examined, highlighting the territorys limited testing capacity. More than 1,270 people have been quarantined at hospitals, hotels and schools after crossing into Gaza from Israel and Egypt, according to the Health Ministry.

Several countries in the Middle East that have sealed their borders and ordered the closure of nonessential businesses. On Friday, Hamas ordered the closure of wedding halls and weekly street markets, after earlier closing Gazas schools. Sanitation crews have also been patrolling the streets and public buildings, spraying disinfectant.

In Lebanon, army helicopters flew over Beirut and other areas, including the eastern Bekaa Valley, urging people to stay home unless they have to leave for an emergency. In the capital, army and police patrols drove through the streets ordering groups of people to disperse.

Lebanon ordered the closure of all nonessential businesses several days ago and the police in Beirut have cleared out the citys famed Mediterranean boardwalk. Lebanon, with a population of around 5 million, including hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees, has reported 230 confirmed cases and four deaths.

Outside the capital, the residents of some villages have set up checkpoints and are only allowing their neighbors in once their cars have been sprayed with disinfectant.

Interior Minister Mohamed Fehmi told reporters that there will be a crackdown against any gathering of people. The situation is scary. Let us save ourselves, our loved ones and our country before its too late, he said.

The worst outbreak in the region is in Iran, which has reported more than 21,600 cases and 1,685 deaths, according to government figures released Sunday.

Irans supreme leader refused U.S. assistance to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could have been created by Americans.

Ayatollah Ali Khameneis comments come as Iran faces crushing U.S. sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets. But Iranian officials have also come under heavy criticism for not imposing stricter measures early on to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The 80-year-old Khamenei seized on a conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic. The virus first emerged in China late last year.

I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication? Khamenei said. Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.

He also alleged, without offering any evidence, that the virus is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means.

You might send people as doctors and therapists, maybe they would want to come here and see the effect of the poison they have produced in person, he said.

There is no scientific evidence to support Khameneis comments.

Scientists have not yet determined exactly how the new coronavirus first infected people. Evidence suggests it originated in bats, which infected another animal that spread it to people at a market in Wuhan, the Chinese city that was the epicenter of the outbreak.

On Sunday, Iran imposed a two-week closure on major shopping malls and centers across the country to prevent spreading the virus. Pharmacies, supermarkets, groceries and bakeries will remain open.

In Saudi Arabia, the kingdom said its armed forces are now taking part in combating the virus, setting up mobile hospitals in various cities.

And in Kuwait, authorities have instituted a nightly curfew from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m., warning that violators face up to three years in prison and fines of $32,000 if arrested and convicted.

In Iraq, officials and religious figures have urged citizens to abide by a government-imposed curfew. The country has the highest virus death toll in the region after Iran, registering three new deaths Sunday. That brought the total to 20 fatalities among 233 confirmed cases, according to a Health Ministry statement.

___

Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem and Samya Kullab in Baghdad contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Almost 8,000 volunteers have signed up to a support system designed to mobilise members of the community to help those in need during the coronavirus outbreak.

What began less than a fortnight ago as the Twitter hashtag #selfisolationhelp has mushroomed to such a degree that volunteers are making themselves available all over the country via the website www.localsupport.ie to carry out simple everyday tasks such as grocery shopping or picking up prescriptions, on behalf of those forced to self isolate.

Former BBC One executive and former director of RTE TV Helen ORahilly, who is one of the key people behind the movement, said they are in for the long haul.

This is not some self-referential Twitter nonsense, this is a genuine effort to put in another layer of support on top of all the effort thats already going on, Ms ORahilly said.

Ms ORahilly, who recently returned home after 30 years in London, said she was inspired by the spirit of volunteering evident in Ireland and by a tweet from social media manager Samantha Kelly, aka @tweetinggoddess, who had started the hashtag #selfisolationhelp last Thursday week.

6725 volunteers are now saturating Ireland. Gobsmacked by the response. Thank you all. SMS now launched for non-online people who need help with food/meds delivery. Ad coming out 2moro here. Please give it a boost when you see it. https://t.co/uWl3zIEp61 #selfisolationhelp pic.twitter.com/96L0HhdQxZ  Helen O'Rahilly  (@HelenORahilly) March 18, 2020

The reaction on Twitter was so positive that Ms ORahilly felt its potential could be tapped.

She asked her friend, actor Chris ODowd, to re-tweet (he has 785,000 Twitter followers) and by the next morning, it had gone into sixth gear, Ms ORahilly said.

A number of fellow-professionals such as Grainne Dwyer of Stori Creative in Skibbereen and freelance journalist Coilin Duffy came on board, as well as Dave Bolger of Devhaus software company, leading to the development of the website www.localsupport.ie where people can now go to either register their offer of help or register a request for assistance.

Mr Duffy said they pair volunteers with people in need of help in the neighbourhood. He said the website also advises on best practice and HSE guidelines in terms of following social distancing and hand hygiene requirements when carrying out volunteer tasks.

Ms ORahilly said the movement is now attracting overseas interest.

She said herself and the small team running the operation are doing so between 7am and 11pm everyday, operating two to three hour shifts.

Im fully aware that there are already terrific volunteer groups out there, this is simply another layer, she said.

In my previous jobs I was used to dealing with crises, Im a bit gobby, Im here (in Ireland) and I have time, so I am in for the long haul.

Ireland has come out in a rash of volunteers! 7000+ plus. Now we have a TEXT system for elderly/isolated people to ask for help. Monitored 7am-11pm. We are already matching volunteers with those in need of groceries/meds. https://t.co/uWl3zIEp61 #selfisolationhelp Please RT! pic.twitter.com/YLZFb9oE3x  Helen O'Rahilly  (@HelenORahilly) March 19, 2020

The team has also created a text service/voice messaging service for those who are not on line (contact: 087 3658233).

Mr Duffy said anyone willing to display graphics to spread the word about the service - such as supermarkets - should get in touch through the website.
Streets were empty and only a few vehicles were seen in Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan on Sunday as people observed 'Janata curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help curb the spread of coronavirus.

At 5 pm, people across the state expressed gratitude towards medical staff and other essential service providers for working in difficult conditions by clapping, beating thalis and ringing bells.

PM Modi had urged people to come out of their homes at 5 pm and acknowledge the services provided by those on the front line in the fight against COVID-19.

At Raj Bhawan, Governor Kalraj Mishra and his wife also appreciated the personnel working 24/7 in this difficult situation.

Meanwhile, one fresh positive case of COVID-19 was reported in Jodhpur on Sunday taking the total cases to 26 in the state so far. The reports of 41 suspects are still pending.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed to the people to stay indoors and be safe. "The best way to protect ourselves is to stay inside. Barring essential services, Rajasthan has been completely locked down for the safety of the people. Together, we will defeat this epidemic," he said.

Just before the 'Janata curfew' began at 7 am, people wearing masks were seen buying milk and groceries in some parts of the city. Shops were closed on Chhoti Chaupad, Badi Chaupad, Chandpol Bazar and MI Road.

Other districts of the state such as Udaipur, Bharatpur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jhunjhunu and Bhilwara wore a similar deserted look as people chose to stay indoors. Shops and markets were closed.

On Saturday, the chief minister had given instructions to completely lock down the state from March 22 to 31, except for essential services.

All government and private offices, malls, shops, factories and public transport have been directed to suspend operations during the period.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kiwibank says any policies purchased through its sister company Kiwi Insurance will not be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, however warns that its travel underwriter Tower Insurance will not cover for the virus under any circumstances.

Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich reassured customers that all decisions would prioritise customers safety and financial wellbeing, and that its team would advise on the best course of action to minimise impact as much as possible for its customers.

When it comes to overseas travel however, he noted that Tower Insurance had issued an advisory earlier this month, and that even customers who brought policies before that advisory would not be covered for claims related to the coronavirus.
KAMPALA  The government has announced a total ban on new asylum seekers entering the country, for 30 days.

Eng. Hilary Onek, the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, in a directive that takes immediate effect said no new asylum seeker arrivals will be received within the country in a period of 30 days.

With immediate effect, no new asylum seeker arrivals will be received within the country in a period of 30 days, he said adding that all Transit and reception centres including DOR/ Kampala and Old Kampala Police Desk Refugee Office shall be closed to new asylum seeker arrivals for a period of 30 days. Security is hereby enjoined to ensure strict compliance with this guidance.

Onek also issued guidelines that must be followed by asylum seekers already at the reception and transit centres in refugee settlements.

His guidelines were later followed by a presidential directive halting all movements in and out of the country.

No person Ugandan or otherwise will be allowed to enter Uganda by land, water  except drivers of cargo vehicles. No buses minibusses, salon cars, boda boda, pedestrians on foot, people on bicycles. Nor will they be allowed to exit by these means.

The presidential directive also stopped all refugees from arriving.

President Museveni said humans crossing into Uganda from the different border points are prohibited going forward.

This is until we find coordination at the East African level. Please stay where you are. We are not against anyone but this is about manageability.

Health minister Dr. Ruth Jane Aceng confirmed the first coronavirus infection in Uganda on Saturday night.

To date, Dr. Aceng said a total of 1,827 travelers including Ugandans and others travelling back home have been identified as coming from high-risk countries for purposes of follow up and are under quarantine.

About 827 are completing self-quarantine while about 1,000 are under mandatory quarantine.

Related
Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Riverstone Holdings Limited (SGX:AP4) Co-Founder, Teek Wong, recently bought S$114k worth of stock, for S$0.71 per share. However, we do note that it only increased their holding by 0.04%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.

See our latest analysis for Riverstone Holdings

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Riverstone Holdings

In fact, the recent purchase by Teek Wong was the biggest purchase of Riverstone Holdings shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That implies that an insider found the current price of S$0.75 per share to be enticing. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. The good news for Riverstone Holdings share holders is that an insider was buying at near the current price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Teek Wong.

You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

SGX:AP4 Recent Insider Trading, March 22nd 2020

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Riverstone Holdings insiders own 69% of the company, currently worth about S$381m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Riverstone Holdings Tell Us?

Story continues

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Along with the high insider ownership, this analysis suggests that insiders are quite bullish about Riverstone Holdings. Nice! So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Riverstone Holdings and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 17:36:07|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 40 medics dispatched by the Ministry of Veteran Affairs to support the hard-hit city of Wuhan has started to withdraw Sunday, after combating the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for some 40 days at the front line.

The supportive medical team, which arrived in Wuhan on Feb. 11, is comprised of medics from hospitals affiliated to China's veteran affairs authority in Jiangxi Province, Shanxi Province and Zhejiang Province.

Working together with their counterparts in Wuhan, the supportive medics have treated 659 COVID-19 patients and successfully achieved goals of having no relapse of patients and no infections of medical staff.

The departure of the supportive medical team will last from Sunday to Monday.
OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASOCommuters on bicycles and motorbikes wove through traffic in this West African city wearing face masks to protect their lungs  but not against coronavirus. They were protecting themselves from the fine dust blowing in from the Sahara.

Widespread panic over the coronavirus has not yet arrived in this country and many others in Africa, even as the pandemic has swept across China and now Europe and the United States.

Sub-Saharan Africa has not been hit as hard or as early by coronavirus, despite predictions by many experts who had warned that the high traffic between the continent and China, where the outbreak started, would set off the infection in Africa. Instead, it has been mostly people coming from Europe and North America who have carried the virus to Africa.

The first two cases in Burkina Faso were a husband-and-wife team of megachurch pastors, local celebrities, who contracted the virus after attending a Lenten prayer conference in France. Of the 20 cases now confirmed in Burkina Faso, two are members of the couples megachurch  and both are from France.

Several African nations, including Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, South Sudan and South Africa  the sub-Saharan country with the most cases  recently imposed travel bans on swathes of Europe and on the United States, countries that for years have set strict limits on Africans entering their borders.

But some experts said that people across the continent had yet to take the threat of coronavirus seriously enough, even though African presidents have begun announcing strict measures to try to prevent its spread.

Thats the danger Im worried about. We cant wait for a repeat of what happened in China, said Oyewale Tomori, a professor of virology and former president of the Nigerian Academy of Science.

As the number of cases on the continent has slowly climbed, reaching more than 410 across 30 countries Tuesday, some African leaders tried to prepare their countries to prevent the spread of the virus. Senegal banned public gatherings, including religious ones. South Africa declared a national disaster and closed half its borders. Libya closed its airspace.

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia posted videos on social media of themselves washing their hands and challenged others to do the same.

In Burkina Faso, the government has closed schools and universities and banned public gatherings, but has enforced the measure haphazardly, and did not apply it to religious meetings.

The celebrity pastors, Mamadou and Hortense Karambiri, and their health were the talk of the open-air casual restaurants and mango tree-shaded drinking spots that dot Ouagadougou, a sprawling, sociable city. The couple leads a church of 12,000 members and had held a service before coming down with symptoms. But the country is not in panic mode. Not yet.

On Friday more than 5,000 people gathered for prayers at Ouagadougous Grand Mosque, where men in face masks and latex gloves pumped disinfectant and soap into the hands of attendees.

On Sunday, services were cancelled at the Karambiris megachurch, Bethel Israel Tabernacle, the streets around it deserted.

But elsewhere across the capital, thousands of men and women put on their Sunday best, climbed aboard their motorcycles and zoomed to church.

Worshippers arriving at the central Assemblies of God church put their tambourines down to have their hands spritzed with sanitizer. The air conditioning was turned off and the windows opened. Communion was cancelled.

Dont give in to panic; dont give in to fear, Rev. Jean-Baptiste Rouamba told his congregation, after a special announcement about hand washing, coughing into elbows rather than hands and avoiding contact with sick people. Fear is another kind of sickness.

After services, he said in an interview at the gate of his church that he would cancel worship services if the government ordered it. But he said that his services had been more popular than ever since the outbreak, attracting up to 2,000 people.

If things got worse, he said, he would hold two Sunday services instead of one so that people could sit with a seat between them. Choir practice, Bible study groups and morning prayers were to go ahead as usual. But he said he was taking the threat of the coronavirus very seriously.

If it got the Karambiri couple, nobody is safe, he said, putting his hand on the shoulder of a young congregant who wore an airline eye mask over his mouth.

Experts have varying explanations for why coronavirus has not yet hit Africa hard: Some say it is slower to spread in warmer weather, though this is disputed; others say that the continents relatively limited international links have slowed it down.

It has not gone unnoticed on the continent that the preponderance of cases originated from Europe and the United States. Last week, after Kenya announced that the countrys first case of coronavirus was a woman who had travelled from the United States through London to Nairobi, rumours began circulating on social media that Africans are immune to the virus.

I would like to disabuse that notion, said Mutahi Kagwe, Kenyas minister of health, at a news conference. The lady is an African, like you and I.

Some warn it is only a matter of time, and that if and when it gets into the crowded residential areas of cities like Kinshasa, Lagos and Addis Ababa, the results will be disastrous.

Many African countries set up public health institutions in the wake of the Ebola outbreak that began in West Africa in 2013, and the African Union established the continentwide Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which co-ordinates the fight against outbreaks of disease.

The Ebola outbreak was a wake-up call for the entire continent that our public health systems and health systems as a whole were weak, said Dr. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC.

However, the continents public health systems have never been well-funded, and experts warned that this vulnerability, along with crowded conditions and poor sanitation in cities, and the unpredictable movement of populations, could make outbreaks impossible to control.

I dont believe, if we have a large influx of people with the virus, we can cope, Tomori said.

Nevertheless, in Ouagadougou in recent days, life continued almost exactly as normal. Photographers jostled a stream of wedding parties into position in front of Ouagadougous fanciest swimming pool. Strawberry hawkers elbowed each other to get the best position to sell their wares at car windows.

More than 500 men gathered Saturday in Samandin, a neighbourhood in the capital city, for the inauguration of a new local crime-fighting group. Seeking shade in the 104 degree heat, they sat close together on plastic chairs under tarpaulins for more than three hours. There were no hand washing facilities, hand sanitizer or disposable masks to be seen.

Presiding over the ceremony was the Malgre-Naaba of Samandin, a traditional chief, who gave up his personal name when he assumed the role.

I think we can manage it if we practice the correct behaviour, he said. He then warmly shook the hands of a dozen supplicants.

The Malgre-Naaba acknowledged that the government had forbidden such gatherings but said the event was an exceptional case.

This was planned in advance, he said. But coronavirus  that was not.

Read more about:
As the number of Massachusetts residents tested for coronavirus continues to rise, a new trend has arisen in testing data. The majority of people confirmed as positive for COVID-19 have been under 50 years old, according to the Department of Public Health.

Of the total 646 confirmed cases in Massachusetts, 357 are 49 years old and younger.

The most vulnerable population of facing severe to serious symptoms remains older adults and people of all ages with pre-existing conditions.

There have been five deaths in Massachusetts.

The first death due to a COVID-19-related illness was reported Friday, a man in his 80s from Suffolk County. The second death was reported Saturday, a woman in her 50s from Middlesex County who had a pre-existing condition.

Three more deaths connected to coronavirus were reported by Massachusetts health officials on Sunday.

Two of the men were in their 70s from Berkshire and Hampden Counties. The third man was a Suffolk County resident in 90s.

As of Sunday, 6,004 residents of Massachusetts have been tested for COVID-19 by the State Public Health Laboratory and commercial labs. Of those case, 646 people have tested positive.

There were 525 cases reported Saturday. Gov. Charlie Baker warned residents to expect an uptick in positive diagnoses as more tests are being done across the state.

New York City is also seeing similar results of testing with 57% of those who have tested positive in the city being 49 or younger.

The age groups of confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday are:

19-year-olds or younger: 18

20 to 29-year-olds: 93

30 to 30-year-olds: 112

40 to 49-year-olds: 134

50 to 59-year-olds: 119

60 to 69-year-olds: 87

70-year-olds and older: 83

Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts

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Washington: President Donald Trump has hit out at China for being "very secretive" in sharing information on its coronavirus outbreak that has claimed over 13,000 lives globally, asserting that the US and the world would have been better prepared if Beijing gave an "advance warning" about the impending crisis.

Speaking at a press briefing here on Saturday, Trump denied reports that the US intelligence reports in January and February had warned of a coming pandemic, saying America did not know about the outbreak until it started coming out publicly.

"Just so you understand, China is not a beneficiary here. China has thousands and thousands of people. China has gone through hell over this. They've gone through hell. I've had conversations with (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping). I just wish they could have told us earlier. They knew they had a problem earlier. I wish they could have said that," Trump said.

For more than a week now, Trump has been addressing the White House press on a daily basis, with each briefing running for more than an hour every day.

"China was very secretive (on coronavirus). Very, very secretive. And that's unfortunate," he told reporters.

Trump reiterated that he greatly respects China and shares a very good relationship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, but expressed his disappointment that Beinjing was dishonest and slow to alert the world about the seriousness of coronavirus.

"I have great respect for that country. I have great respect for the leader of that country and like him. He's a friend of mine. But I wish they would have told us earlier, that they were having a problem," he said.

"Because they were having a big problem and they knew it, and I wish they could have given us an advance warning. Because we could have done a lot of things - as an example, some of the things that we're talking about, where we order them as quickly as we can. If we had a two- or three-month difference in time, it would have been much better," Trump said.

As per latest figures available at Worldometers, the United States with 26,686 confirmed cases has emerged as the third most coronavirus infected country after China (81,054) and Italy (53,578).
March 22 March 22 : "The arts are wonderfully challenging and difficult to engage with or tackle, depending on your point of view. They are by nature, reflections of a nations identity -- at times displaying the glaring darkness in a society or celebrating the unique beauty and genius of a land and its people. They forever pose questions and provoke answers. So, the challenge is how do the arts stay independent of the powers that be, of politicians, bureaucrats, corporates and their agendas?" Asks theatre person Sanjna Kapoor, who was recently conferred with the prestigeous 'The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government for her outstanding contribution to the field of theatre.

Stressing that they (the arts) are like education, and if education were to truly achieve its aim of creating young adults who are critical thinkers, with discerning approaches and questioning minds, then most people in positions of power would fear such youth. "Thus, the arts are slightly feared by the powers that be," she tells IANS.

Talking about the recent honour conferred by the French government, Kapoor says it is always a happy occasion to know one's work is acknowledged and celebrated. "It feels like a pat on one's back of encouragement that energises one and enables one to continue towards realising one's dream. Especially in a climate like in India, that has absolutely no support or infrastructure towards seeding arts across our urban landscapes." Kapoor, who ran the Prithvi theatre in Mumbai from 1993 to 2012, making it a vibrant cultural space and co-founded the theatre group 'Junoon' along with Sameera Iyengar feels that they are at an important juncture in the life of iJunoon. "Several factors, some of our own making and some beyond our control have forced us to pause and relook at our plans, and to strategically move ahead. The next few months will be critical in allowing us to envisage the next four years of the group's life. We plan in four-year bursts, as we were born on a leap day eight years ago i.e. Feb 29, 2012." Insisting that for far too long, India has worked with systems of patronage towards the arts, and it is now time to change this decadent and obsolete approach, she feels that the arts rarely need handouts or sops from the state. "What they need are for the ground to be nurtured that will seed their work in a sustainable manner, and embed it into the daily lives of our society, wherein the value of the arts will be recognised, understood and celebrated." Stating that theatre in Maharashtra is celebrated and may wield social power while artists in Bengal are revered and respected, but alongside this, we have art forms, languages and stories that are vanishing at a rapid rate, Kapoor, a pass-out from the Herbert Berghof Studio in New-York, where she realised that he true passion was in theatre, says, "What we need is to create centres of advocacy that debate and discover ways to enable this. "With the understanding that no one way need suit the entire country, and we may need to think of multitudinous methods to reach the same aim, taking local cultures and practices into consideration. The artist community needs to advocate for this to happen." Kapoor, who actively engaged with corporates like Coke and Ceat a decade back for theatre feels that is essential to try and build relationship beyond simply being transactional. "One has to see where true value can be sought by both partners. It is not an easy task, but then no 'relationships' are easy," she adds.

Talking about the very few theatre festivals in the country, even as literature festivals increase their footprint all over, including small town India, she opines that the latter turn out to be much cheaper than a theatre festival which is people-intensive and can be tech-heavy which can both be expensive. "Not to mention, we have also lost the panache of our annual iconic theatre festivals due to a lack of vision. But of course, we do have festivals like the government run ITFOK festival (International Theatre Festival of Kerala) in Thrissur, and more rural independent festivals like Theatre Festival Under the Sal Trees in Assam run by the Badungduppa Kala Kendra." Even as the education system has finally accepted the value of the arts in children's education, she feels that it is as essential that Teacher Training programmes are designed to address this new subject, as they address training for teachers of the sciences, languages etc.

"What should not happen is that young people who come out of drama schools be expected to teach children theatre in schools. This is absurd unless the drama schools (which are so few and far between) have specialised courses on education that look at the curriculum and most importantly how to interact with children. Maya Krishan Rao began an ambitious and valuable programme at the Shiv Nadar University called TEST : Theatre for Education and Social Transformation, in which that offered teachers a one year course in theatre so they could use theatre in the classroom as well as teach theatre in the school." As the conversation veers towards the need to have more theatre training institutes across the country, Kapoor feels that when we set up specialised higher educational institutions, there is an idea of where this learning will take the young students in their lives. "If we believe that theatre institutions are necessary across the country, which is a laudable idea, what will these young graduates do? Where will they work? What are their opportunities? I personally believe there is a huge opportunity to hone these magnificent talents across our country, through local interventions of this kind. But without simultaneously building the infrastructure, the ecosystem, the support systems that can enable professionalism or innovative sustainability, this is a dead end gamble." Believing that art by virtue of its nature deals with aesthetics, ideas, opening up worlds, and provoking different ways of imagining our world, with posing difficult questions, she feels that using one's art to ignite new thoughts is central to creative expression.

"The challenge is that we have created a society that knows no other way of expressing dissent of ideas other than through violence, bullying or terror. This must change. We must evolve ways of expressing our opposing views that reflect our civilisation and not the basest of our human nature. Unfortunately, we have zero political will to work towards this change." (This article is a website exclusive and cannot be reproduced without the permission of IANSlife)

Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in
Jordan starts nationwide curfew as virus spreads in Mideast

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 March 2020 10:13 AM

Jordan has imposed a nationwide curfew in an attempt to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, as the respiratory disease continues to afflict more people around the globe.

Sirens marked the beginning of the curfew on Saturday, limiting the mobility of 10 million citizens except for emergencies and essential services.

The army has deployed thousands of soldiers on the streets of main cities across Jordan to enforce the curfew.

The army said anyone who violates the curfew can be jailed for up to a year. The nationwide restrictions are in place until further notice.

They came after Jordan's King Abdullah declared a state of emergency earlier this week, giving the government sweeping powers to enforce an army-imposed curfew and other measures.

On Friday, Jordan's Minister of Health Saad Fayez Jaber said the country had 85 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, after 15 new cases were identified.

Jordan has closed land and sea border crossings with Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Israel, suspending all incoming and outgoing flights since Tuesday.

The new coronavirus, a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province late last year.

More than 240,000 people have now been confirmed with the coronavirus globally, at least 85,000 of whom have recovered, while more than 9,800 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Turkey reports five more coronavirus deaths

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Turkey has recorded five more deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the overall total to nine.

"We have lost five patients who are elderly and with a weak resistance," Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter on Friday.

This is while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged people not to go out for "non-essential reasons".

In a voice message published on his official Twitter account, Erdogan urged the Turks to follow hygiene rules and implement social distancing, while calling on the faithful to pray at home.

Turkey, which has a population of 83 million, has announced a raft of measures to limit the spread of the virus, including the closure of schools and universities, and shutting mosques to mass gatherings.

Saudi Arabia suspends public transport to curb coronavirus

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi's Interior Ministry said that all public transport would be suspended in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.

The kingdom has 274 cases of COVID-19, according to an official toll, and has imposed numerous restrictions intended to limit gatherings.

The rules apply to all internal flights, buses, taxis, trains and ferries "for a period of 14 days beginning Saturday morning," the official SPA news agency reported.

"The suspension will not apply to means of transport linked to vital sectors like health... or food, energy, water and communications, among others."

Cargo and travel are exempt from the new measures for reasons of security.

The neighboring United Arab Emirates, which has recorded 140 cases, has increased restrictions on passenger arrivals.

Only citizens of Persian Gulf countries will be allowed in and will be "required to undergo a medical examination on arrival followed by a 14 day quarantine period," the foreign ministry announced Friday.

So far, more than 1,300 coronavirus cases have been detected in the Persian Gulf region.

Egypt registers 29 new coronavirus cases, 1 new death

Egypt has registered 29 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 285.

In a statement, Egypt's Health Ministry said there was one new fatality, bringing the total number of deaths to eight.

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories  Sun, March 22, 2020 10:03 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c81e55 2 People coronavirus,COVID-19,wedding,Palestine,love Free

A wedding in the West Bank on Friday saw a twist on a familiar scene: the Palestinian bride wore a long white dress, but with a matching face mask and gloves to protect against the novel coronavirus.

As the COVID-19 illness sweeps the globe, public events have been cancelled in droves, including many weddings.

Those seeking to plow ahead with their nuptials have had to radically alter their plans.

Baraa Amarneh and her fiance, Imad Sharaf, decided to carry on with their wedding, despite the bride coming from Bethlehem, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the West Bank.

Almost all of the 48 COVID-19 cases among Palestinians have been in the Bethlehem governorate.

The couple's wedding had been planned months in advance and Sharaf, 25, said they decided not to postpone to show fellow Palestinians that life could continue, despite the pandemic.

The city where Christians believe Jesus was born has been under lockdown, with no one allowed in or out without a permit, for more than two weeks.

Read also: Just the two of us: Israeli couple ties knot to beat coronavirus blues

Sharaf, who comes from a village near Hebron, around 20 kilometers south of Bethlehem, had to get special government permission to enter the city to pick up Amarneh and bring her to his hometown for the wedding on Friday.

The ceremony was supposed to include dozens of guests, but in the end, the bride and groom were flanked by just a few family members each, standing at a safe distance.

"The conditions and the spread of the virus meant we had to marry without guests and without anyone except my family and the bride's family," Sharaf said.

As Amarneh has left the locked down area and is therefore considered at risk of having contracted the disease, she will now have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Sharaf said that wouldn't be a problem, treating it as a staycation honeymoon.

"We are talking about 14 days. I would stay in quarantine with my wife a month or more."
BOGOTA, Colombia  At least 23 inmates died in clashes with prison authorities over the weekend after what prisoners described as protests against officials for not doing enough to control the spread of coronavirus.

The protests erupted in 13 penitentiaries across Colombia. The deadly clashes were in La Modelo prison in the capital, Bogota, and officials described the riots as an effort by inmates to escape.

The countrys justice minister, Margarita Cabello, announced the deaths in a video address on Sunday morning, saying that the riots were part of a massive and criminal escape attempt that authorities had thwarted, and that there was no sanitation problem in the prison.
TROY  The Madison County Health Department on Saturday announced that a second coronavirus case had been confirmed in the county.

A few hours later, members of the Bethel Baptist Church in Troy learned that new patient was their senior pastor, Tim Lewis.

As you know, since being on mission to Ukraine I have been isolated at home, Lewis shared on the churchs Facebook page. During my self-quarantine, I began to feel some symptoms of COVID-19. I contacted my family physician and he referred me to the Madison County Health Department.

Lewis said he initially was denied testing but pursued a second opinion.

Once it was proven that I met certain criteria for testing, I was administered a test from St. Johns Mercy Hospital (in St. Louis), Lewis said. This morning (Saturday) I was called with the news that I tested positive for this virus.

In his Facebook post Lewis, who has been pastor at the church since 1986, said he had not been to the church or office, nor had he met with any of the churchs staff.

I have been home alone, noting his wife was visiting their son in Cincinnati. I am recovering. The medical staff at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis is monitoring my progress.

I will continue to be quarantined here until I am cleared to go out into the public, he said in his post. The Lord is with us. He provides and protects us.

The first COVID-19 case in Madison County was announced Tuesday night. That patient, a man in his 30s who also had recently traveled abroad, also was self-quarantined in his home. His name has not been released.
Streets of Agartala and other



parts of Tripura wore a deserted look on Sunday as people largely remained indoors in response to the 'janata curfew' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid a spurt in Covid-19 cases in the country.

Almost all shops, eateries and market places, barring pharmacies and those selling essential items, remained closed in the state, official sources said.

The usually busy Kaman chowmuhani (four-point crossing) and its adjacent areas in the city remained empty throughout the day, with just a handful of people seen travelling to work.

Only a few buses and autos were seen plying the streets since morning, the sources said.

Donning masks and gloves, policemen and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) personnel were patrolled various parts of the capital town, asking people to return to homes unless absolutely necessary.

The Northeast Frontier Railway has cancelled all mail and express trains to and from Tripura.

The state has not reported any Covid-19 case so far.

As a precautionary measure, the BJP government in the state has ordered the closure of a host of public places, including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, amusement parks, massage parlours, museums and zoos, till March 31.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Oh hell no," tweeted Fletcher School professor Daniel Drezner.

The DOJ plans were reported on by Politico's Betsy Woodruff Swan, who reviewed the request documents.

According to Swan:

The proposal would also grant those top judges broad authority to pause court proceedings during emergencies. It would apply to "any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil process and proceedings," according to draft legislative language the department shared with Congress. In making the case for the change, the DOJ document wrote that individual judges can currently pause proceedings during emergencies, but that their proposal would make sure all judges in any particular district could handle emergencies "in a consistent manner." The request raised eyebrows because of its potential implications for habeas corpusthe constitutional right to appear before a judge after arrest and seek release.

"You could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over. I find it absolutely terrifying," National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers executive director Norman L. Reimer told Swan. "Especially in a time of emergency, we should be very careful about granting new powers to the government."
(Natural News) A woman who concealed her coronavirus symptoms to board a flight from the United States to China and then lied to flight attendants about her health status is now facing criminal charges for exposing other people to the virus.

The woman, Jie Li, is a 37-year-old Chinese Biogen employee who has been living and working in Massachusetts. The L.A. Times reports that she got ill with symptoms of coronavirus, but a local hospital did not test her, so she decided to go to China to get the test. She then flew from Massachusetts to Los Angeles and then on to Beijing, taking medications to reduce her fever before boarding and then lying to flight attendants so she could complete her trip.

Li, who is now hospitalized in China with the virus along with her husband, is being investigated for impeding prevention of infectious diseases. People in China face up to three years in jail with forced labor or up to seven years in prison, according to Chinese law, for such an offense. Experts say that she is likely to only face the lesser charge because she was not diagnosed until she entered the country.

All passengers who arrive in Beijing from abroad are now required to undergo a quarantine in government centers for 14 days.

Although she works as an associate director of biostatistics for Biogen, Li did not attend a big conference that was held by the firm in Boston in the end of February and has now been connected to nearly 100 coronavirus cases. However, she did have contact with people who attended the conference.

The company says shes no longer an employee, with a Biogen statement saying that she made the personal decision to travel to China without informing the company and ignoring the guidance of health experts. She is no longer an employee of Biogen. We are deeply dismayed by the situation as reported by the media in China.

Biogen recently announced it would be donating $10 million to help fight the pandemic, with the money geared toward expanding testing options, training health workers at the front line, easing the stress on medical systems and improving peoples access to food. Theyve also provided medical equipment and supplies to major hospitals in Massachusetts.

Those who lived near Li in Belmont, Massachusetts, reported seeing someone going door to door trying to track her down earlier in the week, and the Belmont Health Department placed a notice on her door. After the health department learned she had traveled, they asked MassPort to notify anyone who might have come into contact with her about the potential exposure.

People who irresponsibly expose others to coronavirus will be held accountable

China takes this type of irresponsible behavior very seriously, with six crimes identified in a statement released Monday connected to national quarantine and health measures. These include refusing to follow quarantine measures like medical inspection and temperature monitoring, hiding symptoms, refusing to undergo customs health checks, and reporting false information on health-related declaration forms.

These crimes are considered serious threats to the health and safety of the public, and more than two dozen people in China are already being either investigated or punished for these acts.

For example, a man who lied about where hed been in the country before testing positive for the virus prompted the quarantine of 900 other people. He was sentenced to a year in prison. Another man was sentenced to eight months in jail after testing positive after lying to medical workers about having been in Wuhan; eight medical workers were quarantined as a result and at least one of his close contacts was infected.

This disease has shown that its not something to be taken lightly, and even spreading it to just one other person can set a chain in motion that can leave countless people dead in its wake. It is time for people to start taking this pandemic seriously and be held accountable if they fail to do so.

Sources for this article include:

NBCBoston.com

LATimes.com
Voting rights groups and the head of the Democratic National Committee want the states with remaining primary elections to offer voting by mail as a way to ensure that voters can safely cast their ballots amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Its not an issue in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where registered voters in the 2020 presidential primary elections will be able to vote by mail for any reason.

Pennsylvania made the change under the Act 77 election reform law of 2019. New Jersey has allowed any registered voter to cast a ballot by mail since 2009.

Registered voters in Pennsylvanias April 28 primary election can skip the polls by turning in a completed application to their county elections office by 5 p.m. April 21. The deadline to return the ballot is 8 p.m. on election night.

Visit pavoterservices.pa.gov for more information.

In New Jersey, to receive a ballot by mail, the application must be received by the county clerk seven days prior to the election. This years primary is June 2. A voter may also apply in person to the county clerk until 3 p.m. the day before the election.

Visit the state.nj.us for more information.

Lehigh Valley voters can find the candidates on the 2020 primary ballot here. New Jerseys deadline to file nomination petitions to get on the ballot is March 30.

For other states, it's not always a quick and easy fix to expand offer voting by mail.

For states that dont already have vote-by-mail or that greatly restrict it, such a change could require amending state law. It also would require major changes to state and county voting and tabulating systems. Buying the equipment and software to track ballots and read the signatures on them could cost millions. And thats not to mention deciding who pays for return postage  individual voters or taxpayers?

So far this year, there have been quick moves to extend mail voting in only two cases, both limited in scope: Maryland postponed its primary but decided to hold next month's special congressional election by mail. And the Democratic Party in Wyoming, which already was sending all its members ballots, has canceled the in-person portion of its presidential caucus.

As in Wyoming, the Democratic caucuses and primaries in Alaska, Hawaii and Kansas were already to be held largely by mail this spring. So far, none of the five states that have postponed their primaries  Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland or Ohio  have said they will mail ballots statewide.

A bill in Louisiana seeking to expand vote-by-mail was introduced even before the states primary was pushed back, but it hasnt received a legislative hearing and is opposed by the states top elections official. After Pennsylvania lawmakers eased absentee ballot rules last year, Democrats want to expand voting by mail. Republicans, who control the statehouse, have generally resisted voting changes, and its unclear if the virus crisis is enough to overcome concerns about the costs of greatly expanding vote-by-mail.

Opposition isn't unusual, typically because lawmakers or election officials believe it opens a pathway to voter fraud. The ability to receive a ballot in the mail is greatly restricted in 16 states.

Those states allow absentee ballots only for voters who give a valid reason to get one  and require they be requested for each election. Of those, Delaware and New York are phasing in no-excuse mail voting.

The hurdles to implementing voting by mail for all voters is why states might be better off taking only small steps at first, said Charles Stewart, a professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That could mean simply making absentee ballots easier to get.

Hastily implemented changes to voting rules and laws can end up causing all types of problems that you didnt anticipate, he said.

Doug Jones, an election security expert at the University of Iowa, said universal mail voting also raises concerns about voters illegally selling blank ballots or being coerced to vote a certain way.

On Tuesday, after Ohio postponed its primary and poll workers failed to show up at some Florida and Illinois precincts, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called a shift to voting largely by mail the simplest tool to balance health concerns and the need to carry out a fundamental function of democracy.

A half-dozen states already have or are implementing systems where all voters are mailed ballots. They can mail them back, drop them off at designated spots or choose to vote in person on Election Day.

Oregon has been conducting elections that way since the 1990s. Since then, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Utah and Washington have implemented or begun phasing in similar systems.

With the coronavirus pandemic, the idea has generated more interest. The National Vote at Home Institute advocates for a switch to a mail-based voting system and consults with governments about it.

Said chief executive Amber McReynolds: Its better than hoping people show up and arent scared, and hoping that you dont have a giant poll worker shortage and hoping polling places arent closed.

Kurt Bresswein contributed to this article. He may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him.
Newborn babies had to be evacuated from a maternity hospital after a strong earthquake rocked Croatia during a partial coronavirus lockdown.

The 5.3 magnitude tremor  the biggest to hit the capital Zagreb in 140 years  left at least 17 people injured and caused widespread damage to buildings. A 15-year-old girl was in a critical condition, according to authorities.

Power was cut as people ran out of their homes in terror and streets were left littered with debris as rooftops collapsed, including one of the spires on the iconic cathedral.

Video footage shows mothers dressed in nightgowns hugging their newborn babies in a freezing car park after they fled a damaged maternity ward. Staff moved incubators to a new location with the help of the army.

The quake forced people to ignore government warnings to avoid public spaces such as parks and squares to slow the spread of Covid-19.

There are rules for when there is an earthquake, but when there is an earthquake at the same time as when there is a global pandemic, then its a much more complex situation, said interior minister Davor Bozinovic.

However, officials urged the public to obey new regulations on maintaining a two-metre social distance from each other and restricting gatherings to five or less.

Earthquakes are dangerous, but coronavirus is even more so, said health minister Vili Beros. There have been 235 cases confirmed so far in Croatia.

Soldiers wearing masks and carrying shovels helped to clear the debris from the streets of Zagreb as officials assessed the damage.

Prime minister Andrej Plenkovic urged citizens to remain calm and stay outside their homes in the central parts of Zagreb, which sustained the most damage.

We have two parallel crises that contradict each other, he said after an emergency meeting of Croatias top officials. We will try to clear the streets as soon as possible.

Stay outside your homes and keep distance.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 6:23am local time (5:23am UK time), was four miles north of Zagreb at a depth of six miles, according to the European seismological agency EMSC.

Additional reporting by agencies
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 14:40:55|Editor: zyl

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HAVANA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A Cuban medical corps on Saturday arrived in the Jamaican capital Kingston to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Jamaican media reported.

Jamaica earlier this month declared the island a disaster area and requested Cuba to send medical professionals for help.

"We will assist our sister nation. We are proud of following the principles of the Cuban medical collaboration," Eduardo Ropero, head of the 140-member Cuban corps, was quoted as saying, who meanwhile stressed the importance of solidarity amid the spiraling spread of the novel coronavirus worldwide.

"We, along with Cuban doctors already working in Jamaica as part of a bilateral agreement between the two governments, are committed to helping address COVID-19," he added.

Medical collaboration between the two Caribbean states dates back to 1976. The majority of the Cuban health workers sent to Jamaica to tackle the coronavirus are female doctors and nurses with over 20 years of experience in Cuba's public health system.

Reports said that on Saturday, Cuba also sent more than 50 medical workers to help with the efforts to curb the coronavirus in Italy, the hardest hit in Europe. Currently, Cuban medical staff are also working in Surinam, Nicaragua and Venezuela to help fight COVID-19.
As strict new rules affect shopping, working and social habits of Australians, economists believe some industries are likely to weather the economic downturn of the coronavirus pandemic better than others.

Health businesses and technology services are expected to be some of the most resilient during the outbreak, thanks to streaming and more people working from home, while supermarkets are doing well in the short-term before panic buying slows.

Technology stocks are expected to outperform during the pandemic as more people work and entertain themselves at home. Credit:istock

EY Oceania markets leader Jenelle McMaster said the boom in retail store panic buying had already caused a knock-on surge in demand for ancillary businesses like transport and third-party logistics providers.

But she said the hoarding wouldn't help the supermarkets for long as there was a limit to how much people needed to stock up, and there would be a decline in this excessive buying behaviour.
The Palestinian Health Ministry on Sunday announced that two residents who returned recently from Pakistan to the Gaza Strip have tested positive for the new coronavirus, making them the first cases to be diagnosed in the region.

The two people have been moved into isolation at a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.

More than 1,270 people have been quarantined at hospitals, hotels and schools after crossing into Gaza from Israel and Egypt.

The cases have added fears of a potential outbreak in the crowded region, which has an overstretched health care system after years of political and military turmoil.

Gaza has been mostly cut off from the world as Israel and Egypt imposed severe movement restrictions following the 2007 takeover by the militant Hamas group.

On Saturday, Hamas' Interior Ministry shut down wedding halls and banned weekly street markets as precaution measures to combat the spread of the new virus.

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.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Worldwide, the new virus has infected more than 303,000 people and killed more than 12,940.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:26:32|Editor: yan

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SKOPJE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The first case of death from coronavirus infection was confirmed in North Macedonia, Health Minister Venko Filipce said on Sunday.

A 57-year-old woman died in a hospital in the city of Kumanovo, some 40 km northeast of the capital Skopje on Saturday night.

"Late on Saturday, after the woman passed away, the authorities determined that she had been infected with the coronavirus," Filipce told a press conference.

According to the Health Ministry, 29 cases of coronavirus infection were confirmed overnight, bringing the country's total to 114.
Senior presidential secretary for policy Kim Sang-jo, right, speaks to Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol without covering his nose ahead of an emergency economic meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



Government officials are supposed to take the initiative and set an example for members of the public being urged to follow social distancing guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19.



But some high-ranking officials, including senior presidential secretary for policy Kim Sang-jo and those from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, have appeared to do exactly the opposite.



As a result of this, eight officials from the health ministry have gone into self-quarantine for two weeks after they had close contact with a person who was later diagnosed with the coronavirus, raising concerns over interruption of operations of the public health control tower.



The guidelines call for canceling gatherings and keeping a distance between individuals by, for example, wearing face masks and not shaking hands, as a precautionary measure against the spread of the new coronavirus.



Kim, who participated in an emergency economic meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, was photographed while talking face to face with Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol at a very close distance.



Both of them were wearing face masks, but Kim did not cover his nose.



Health experts say wearing face masks without covering the nose is nearly the same as not wearing the masks as the virus can enter the body via the nostrils very easily.



Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo presided over a meeting with heads of 18 higher-level general hospitals, March 12, to ask for cooperation from the hospitals in the fight against COVID-19.



But the minister, who was not wearing a face mask, shook hands with the participants one by one.



Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip also held a meeting the following day with the heads of general hospitals and other health-related officials. Among the participants was Lee Yeong-sang, president of the Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, who tested positive for COVID-19, March 18.



This forced eight health ministry officials including the vice minister to go into self-isolation for 14 days from March 18.



"If they show any symptoms, they need to go through diagnostic tests. If they do not show symptoms, they will be cleared from self-isolation on March 28," Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official who is in charge of containment measures, said during a briefing.



On Sunday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun strongly called on citizens to maintain social distancing, warning that the government will issue an administrative order to ban gatherings.



But the actions of government officials seem to give a different message.



Photos of politicians published in the media can give the wrong signal to citizens. This is why they should behave more cautiously, as dictated by commonsense.


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Some states on Friday continued to report huge spikes in new claims for unemployment benefits after a week of widespread business closures as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.

The figures provided to Associated Press reporters provide a more up-to-date look at joblessness than the official weekly unemployment report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.

That federal report showed more than 250,00 new unemployment claims were filed nationwide during the week that ended last Saturday, an increase of 25% over the previous week.

The AP reported Wednesday that some states were seeing significantly sharper increases during the first few days of this week, as governors and mayors began encouraging people to stay home and ordering certain businesses to close as a way to limit the spread of the virus.

The U.S. Department of Labor tried to discourage states from releasing those figures.

State Unemployment Insurance data is regularly embargoed until the national numbers are published on Thursday morning and states are asked not to share their data until that time, department spokesman Egan Reich said in an email Thursday to the AP. As a leading economic indicator that has the potential to impact policy decisions and financial markets, it is important to ensure the state Unemployment Insurance data is communicated in a consistent and fair manner.

Yet some states have continued to release their own figures, a full week before they will officially be distributed by the federal government.

The Kansas labor secretary said during a news conference Friday that the state has received 11,355 initial jobless claims since Sunday, up 524% from the 1,820 it received all of last week.

Michigan said Friday that more than 55,000 people had filed unemployment claims through Wednesday, a 15-fold increase over normal.

Louisiana said more than 30,000 new claims for unemployment assistance had been filed by midday Thursday, up from 1,700 for all of last week.

And Pennsylvania had more than 174,000 new claims from Monday through Wednesday, the only three days for which the state released figures. This week's claims set a new record, the state said.

___

Associated Press writers Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
But in recent years, the Bureau of Land Management has been losing that fight on two fronts: It hasnt been able to round up nearly enough horses to limit the wild population. And it doesnt know what to do with the ones it has managed to capture.

The roundup operation itself is strikingly efficient  a helicopter and a few workers in jean jackets can catch scores of mustangs in a day. The bureau rounded up 7,300 in 2019.

But once they are caught, they have to be fed and cared for. And the costs and frictions of having so many animals on the governments hands  49,000 at last count  have pushed the whole wild horse program toward collapse.

The rented pastures and feed lots where they are kept now devour more than two-thirds of the programs budget, leaving little money for anything else, including looking for ways to get the bureau out of its current fix.

Low on cash, the bureau cut roundups drastically in recent years. But officials acknowledge that the move just made matters worse, by allowing the population on the range to grow rapidly. There are now about 100,000 wild horses and burros on public lands  more than at any time since the days of the Old West. The government reckons the land can sustain only about 27,000.
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Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 22, 2020 19:29 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c9d8ec 1 National religion,coronavirus,#coronavirus,COVID-19,#Jakarta,Jakarta-Cathedral,#Catholics,church,#religion Free

On Saturday afternoon, Stefania Fanya Magis, her older sister and their two parents put on their best outfits as if they were going to their local church.

This time, however, they went to Stefanias sister's apartment in Depok, West Java. They set up a table in the middle of her apartment, opened a laptop and tuned on a livestream of a Mass held by the Jakarta Cathedral.

As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 increases across the country, especially in Greater Jakarta, authorities have urged people to maintain social distance and avoid large public events, including religious gatherings.

The Jakarta Archdiocese has ordered the suspension of most on-site church services in the city from March 20 to April 2. The weekly and daily services will instead be offered via livestream.

Stefani was well aware that drastic measures, including those related to religious observation, were instrumental to prevent contagion, but she said most elderly people around her were not.

Many of them kept asking what was happening and why they had to alter the tradition. Some were anxious about the adjustments to the services, Stefani said.

During the livestream, my mother cried, asking Why must this happen? I was speechless and couldnt answer her question, Stefania told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

My parents, aunts and grandparents are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Nothing like this [pandemic and suspension of public life] has ever happened before in their lives, she said.

However, Stefania was relieved that the online Mass was available.

There is nothing good in praying and asking God for safety and health while we ourselves are putting others at risk [by attending large religious gatherings], she said.

In the online Mass, communion cannot be given directly to congregants. The church instead offers an online communion prayer, Stefania said.

However, even with these adjustments, I feel like I am encouraged to be more disciplined in my devotion to God through prayer, she said.

Under normal circumstances, Stefanis family regularly goes to the Santo Markus Catholic Church in Depok, as they live within the parish, while Stefania frequents the Saint Theresia Catholic Church in Menteng, Central Jakarta, for choir practice.

We prefer the online Sunday mass provided by the [Jakarta] Cathedral because they are the most ready. They started streaming last week while other churches were still providing on-site services, she said.

Budi Komala, a 30-year-old freelancer and photographer, listened carefully to the Jakarta Cathedrals livestreamed Mass on its YouTube channel with his wife and toddler at their home in Tangerang, Banten, on Saturday.

During the first few minutes of the Mass, I was amazed by how technology could help in situations like this. I never expected myself to turn to online Mass from home, Budi said.

He said that church officials had prepared the online Mass well enough, although he still felt something was missing.

I am a little sad to be honest, especially during the communion. We cannot directly receive it like we usually do at church, he said.

As of Sunday, Indonesia had confirmed 514 cases of COVID-19 and 48 deaths.

Instead of enforcing lockdowns in the country to curb the virus, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has ordered mass testing.

On Friday, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan declared a state of emergency in the capital, limiting public transportation and urging offices to suspend operation for 14 days as of Monday.

The city has also suspended mass prayers in places of worship for two weeks, including Friday prayer at mosques, Sunday services at churches and the upcoming ceremonies commemorating Nyepi (Hindu Day of Silence).

In Surakarta, which had recorded 11 confirmed cases and three deaths as of Saturday, a number of Catholic churches, including the citys largest church, Santo Antonius Purbayan, provided their Sunday Masses online to comply with instructions given by Semarang Archdiocese vicar-general Robertus Rubiyatmoko on Thursday to suspend all religious services involving large crowds.

"This Sunday we relied on online streaming by the Semarang Archdiocese. Next week, we will broadcast our own Sunday mass," priest Stefanus Bagus Aris Rudiyanto of Santo Antonius Purbayan said. "Religious activities often attract large crowds. It's better for us to suspend church activities at least until Friday, April 3."

Some Protestant and Pentecostal churches in Surakarta are using Youtube channels or Instagram accounts to broadcast their Sunday services.

Amboina Diocese, covering the Maluku and North Maluku provinces, has canceled all Sunday Masses and diocese activities until April 4.

 Ganug Nugroho Adi and Belseran Christ contributed to this story from Surakarta and Ambon.
Spain's royal family is facing a scandal as a former royal mistress is set to testify in court that she was hounded by a spy after falling out of favour with the clan.

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, a German businesswoman who used to be a lover of Spain's former King Juan Carlos, was initially due to give evidence on Monday in a Madrid court.

However, the hearing was cancelled because of coronavirus.

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (pictured), a German businesswoman who used to be a lover of Spain's former King Juan Carlos, was initially due to give evidence on Monday in a Madrid court

She claims that the former head of the country's National Intelligence Centre, General Felix Sanz Roldan, carried out an intimidation and harassment campaign against her under the orders of Juan Carlos.

After she joined him on a controversial hunting trip to Botswana she claims that she got a text message from a security company who said her 'friends in Spain' has asked them to take care of her and had put French Foreign Legionnaires at her Monaco flat.

In her affidavit, seen by the Sunday Telegraph, she says she believes that the company was hired by Roldan as a cover to search her flat for anything that could be embarrassing to the King.

She says that after she refused them entry, she received messages which she believed to be threatening.

She claims that the former head of the country's National Intelligence Centre, General Felix Sanz Roldan, carried out an intimidation and harassment campaign against her under the orders of Juan Carlos (pictured with Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein)

She met with Roldan at the Connaught hotel in London in May, 2012.

'His words were that he 'could not guarantee [my] physical safety or that of [my] children,' unless I complied with his instructions,' she said in her written testimony.

She claims the harassment continued and includes unexplained break-ins at her British home. She is believed to be preparing a lawsuit against the Royal Family at the High Court in London.

The scandal has thrown even more doubt on to the Spanish Royal Family, which came under fire last week when it was revealed that 52-year-old King Felipe is named as a beneficiary of an offshore fund holding a 65million gift from Saudi Arabia given to his father (pictured with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz in 2006) when he was on the throne

The scandal has thrown even more doubt on to the Spanish Royal Family, which came under fire last week when it was revealed that 52-year-old King Felipe is named as a beneficiary of an offshore fund holding a 65million gift from Saudi Arabia given to his father when he was on the throne.

Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein's legal team have written to the Foreign Secretary to flag the potentially explosive diplomatic implications of such a move and the heads of MI5 and MI6 to say that Spanish intelligent agents have been running a rogue operation on British soil.

Roldan denies the allegations. Both him and the Spanish Royal Familyi declined to comment.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Trade Ministry is in need of more money from the budget to build three months' supply in its strategic wheat and rice stockpiles in the face of the country's growing coronavirus problems, it said late on Saturday.

Months of political deadlock have already delayed budget approvals for Iraq, a major Middle East grain importer.

"It is necessary to have enough financial allocations to provide a strategic stockpile for three months, especially given the law governing the ministry stresses its role in providing that stockpile in case of emergencies," the ministry statement said.

"The lack of approval of a budget for the current year has affected the ministry's plans to increase each person's portion of subsidised goods."

Iraq, which depends on oil revenue for 95 percent of its income, is expected to cut its spending rather than increase it as oil prices continue to suffer on the back of the collapse of the oil output pact between OPEC, of which Iraq is a member, and its allies.

Crude oil's price crash comes as Iraq also contends with a political power vacuum since Adel Abdul Mahdi was ousted as prime minister after nationwide anti-corruption protests.

Iraq has so far recorded 229 coronavirus cases and 20 deaths. Case numbers are likely to be far higher than stated because testing facilities are limited in a country with a healthcare system that is already stretched.

The ministry did not reveal how low its stocks were but sources told Reuters on March 3 that stockpiles held enough rice for about two months.

Iraq had planned to purchase 750,000 tonnes of wheat from abroad in 2020.

The country needs between 4.5 million and 5 million tonnes of wheat a year to supply its food rationing programme. It mixes local grain with supplies from Australia, Canada and the United States.

Iraq's grain board, which falls under the Trade Ministry, holds regular international tenders to import wheat and rice for the rationing programme. The programme covers rice, flour, cooking oil and sugar.

(Reporting by Moayed Kenany; Writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by David Goodman)
Mental health patients are cancelling sessions they can no longer afford because existing Medicare rebates are not available for online and over-the-phone appointments.

Psychologists say the "nonsensical" exclusion of Telehealth sessions from existing rebates will destroy their industry and send desperate patients into a strained public health system that's about to be hit with exploding coronavirus cases.

Head Psychologist and Founder of the Indigo Project Mary Hoang sits in her empty office space in Surry Hills. Credit:James Alcock

More than 340 NSW private practice psychiatrists wrote to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Friday, warning that "the mental health of existing and new patients will be compromised, lives will be lost, and hospitals and community services will be rapidly overwhelmed" if existing rebates are not urgently applied to online sessions.

The letter warned that a consequence of failing to do so would make private psychiatry practices unsustainable and "inject large numbers of patients into the already overburdened public system"  circumstances that "should be avoided at all costs ... in particular when emergency departments need to have capacity to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic."
Pham Duy Khuong, managing director of ASL Law, talked about some important contents related to anti-dumping laws that foreign companies should pay attention to when digging into the Vietnamese market.

Anti-dumping regulations are among the important issues that Vietnamese and foreign businesses are interested in. Why is this the case, and what factors are involved in determining whether these regulations are being followed?

Pham Duy Khuong, managing director of ASL Law

Anti-dumping is one of the most important measures that domestic and foreign enterprises can take to ensure their rights and interests to competitors exporting identical or similar products.

At the request of domestic enterprises, Vietnam has conducted anti-dumping investigations on many products imported from abroad. However, it is not always the case that Vietnamese enterprises have favourable conditions and get the desired results when using anti-dumping measures against overseas enterprises.

For example, through a directive last year Vietnamese businesses conducted an anti-dumping investigation on some wooden fibreboards and other wood-based materials originating from Thailand and Malaysia, in which ASL Law acted as lawyer for the fibreboard business from those countries. The requesting party was a representative of the domestic manufacturing industry.

In order to draw a final conclusion on whether dumping was involved here, the investigation agency had to consider a lot of factors.

First was assessing the impact of imported goods. Pursuant to Article 3.2 of the World Trade Organizations (WTO) Antidumping Agreement, the investigating authority considered whether or not there had been a significant increase in imports or relative to output or consumption in the importing country.

In the case of fibreboard, the review of the proportion of imports from sources indicates that goods from Thailand and Malaysia increasingly take up a larger share. This shows that the impact from imported goods on the domestic industry, if any, mainly comes from those two nations.

Second was the price impact of investigated imported goods. The Article 3.2 provided, With respect to the price effect of dumped imports, the investigating authority must consider whether there is a significant price difference between the selling price of the dumped imported goods and of similarly manufactured goods in the country, or consider whether the impact of the imported goods under investigation have caused the price pressure at a level or prevent price increases significantly, which should have happened. None of these factors can be decisive.

Next, economic factors are considered when determining significant losses of a domestic manufacturing industry. Article 3.4 of the agreement explains that the investigating authority must consider the impact of dumped imports on the domestic manufacturing industry and state the factors to be assessed.

Factors and suitable economic indicators are related to the status of the industry, including the decline in actual and potential revenue, profits, output, market share, productivity, rate of return, labour and wages, and much more besides. In addition, the investigating authority may consider other factors and none of them will be decisive.

Last, evaluation is taken of the cause and effect relationship. The investigating agency said that the volume and price of imports from other countries were not the cause of the domestic industrys losses. There is no basis for the cause of the loss in the domestic industry due to exports or poor labour productivity. Increasing production costs and the supply-demand relationship are the main reasons for the decline in the profits of the domestic manufacturing industry.

On that basis, and going by the Law on Foreign Trade Administration and its guiding documents, the investigation agency recommended the minister of Industry and Trade to issue a decision to terminate the investigation of the case and not take anti-dumping measures. Objectively, this is a great victory for the market in general and partly a victory for foreign enterprises.

Under the provisions of Vietnamese law, what cases will be considered for application of anti-dumping measures? Could you please tell us the provisions relating to anti-dumping?

The investigation of the application of anti-dumping measures shall be conducted on the basis of Vietnamese law provisions on trade remedies.

These include the Law on Foreign Trade Administration No.05/2017/QH14 dated June 2017; Decree No.10/2018/ND-CP dated January 2018 detailing a number of articles of the Law on Foreign Trade Administration on trade remedies measures; 2017s Decree No.98/2017/ND-CP on defining the functions, tasks, powers, and organisational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT); Circular No.06/2018/TT-BCT dated April 2018 of the MoIT detailing a number of contents on trade remedies; and the 2017 MoIT Decision No.3752/QD-BCT defining the functions and structure of the ministrys Department of Trade Defense.

The investigation of the application of anti-dumping measures also complies with the international commitments which Vietnam has signed or acceded to, including the aforementioned WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement, and also the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement.

Vietnamese businesses can conduct anti-dumping investigations with foreign enterprises if the following conditions are met:

Occupying the majority rate: Clause 1, Article 69 of the Law on Foreign Trade Administration stipulates the following, Domestic manufacturing industry means a collection of similar goods manufacturers within the territory of Vietnam, or their representatives account for a major proportion of the total output of that industry, that is domestically produced. If a domestic manufacturer directly imports investigated goods or has relationships with exporters or importers of investigated goods, this manufacturer may not be considered a domestic producer.

Meanwhile clauses 1 and 2, Article 4 of Decree 10 stipulates, The determination of domestic manufacturing industry shall comply with the provisions of Clause 1, Article 69 of the Law on Foreign Trade Administration.

It also states, The volume and quantity of manufactured goods account for at least 50 per cent of the total volume, and the quantity of similar goods or directly competitive goods produced domestically shall be regarded as a major proportion of the total output of goods of the domestic manufacturing industry, according to the provisions of clause 1, article 69 of the Law on Foreign Trade Administration.

The investigating authority may consider the lower rate if there is evidence that such percentage is sufficient to constitute a major proportion of the total production of goods of the domestic manufacturing industry.

What do you recommend for foreign companies to consider when distributing products in Vietnam?

The way that foreign enterprises export their goods to Vietnam should comply with the provisions of domestic law, and avoid the application of measures that may be considered dumping in accordance with Vietnamese regulations. In addition, enterprises need to monitor the growth of this market as well as closely monitor the sudden increase in export volume to the country.

In case of encountering anti-dumping investigation requests from Vietnamese investigating bodies, foreign enterprises should actively participate in the investigation process to ensure the provision of legal evidence benefiting the business and thereby partly avoiding heavy fines from the authorities.

Are Vietnams anti-dumping regulations similar to those of other Southeast Asian countries, and what should Vietnamese enterprises be concerned about when they tap into this market?

Vietnams anti-dumping regulations, on the whole, have major similarities with other countries in the region. Vietnamese enterprises exporting goods abroad and encountering anti-dumping investigations should seek the support of Vietnamese representatives in the host country and actively involve in the investigation, in order to avoid the investigator deciding to use available data and draw adverse conclusions for their business. VIR

Hoang Oanh

Vietnam's anti-dumping duties on steel products extended for 5 more years The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has decided to extend the anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled stainless steel products originated from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan (China) for an additional five years, starting from October 26.
It's time to shift our thinking about an arms race coming in the form of a nuclear mushroom cloud and devote some serious thought to biological warfare.

Over the course of the last two months, we have witnessed how a virtually invisible yet highly insidious weapon like a virus strain can glom onto the human body and wreak worldwide havoc. We're witness to wholesale closure of countries, home restrictions, economic slowdown on some fronts with total destruction on others and long-term catastrophic effects on the rest, broken supply chains on a global scale, and a sense of uncertainty to paralyze anyone who has been paying attention.

We've all seen the black-and-white videos of nuclear tests, read about the nuclear build-up in Iran, discussions about which countries can be trusted to be in the global "nuclear club," and heard how rogue elements could detonate a low-yield dirty bomb from a small suitcase in downtown Manhattan. But the COVID-19 coronavirus strain is right out of a Hollywood movie that we've been watching for the last 50 years. I'm not so far out on the conspiracy theory limb to aver that this is what is happening, but it certainly provokes some thought.

Popular biologic warfare movies, from The Omega Man (1971) and The Andromeda Strain (1971) to newer, more potent thrillers like Outbreak (1995), Pandemic (2007), and Contagion (2011), provide the world with a fictional blueprint of how it's done.

The world has seen these movie plots played out to a lesser extent in real life before but with real life-and-death implications; SARS, Zika, MERS, Avian Flu, HIV-AIDS, H1N1, and Ebola. The best news is that the U.S. has the best collection of Infectious disease specialist minds in the world working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). If a solution to the current strain of coronavirus emerges, the odds are very good that the CDC and NIH will have their fingerprints all over it.

Let's go back to the 2016 election and recall the two front-page issues candidate Donald Trump was peddling: border security and bringing jobs back to America. What has become evident in our current plight is that both of these banner issues are now screaming their importance.

The EUobserver reported on March 16, 2020 that the borders of 26 countries have imposed full or partial border closures, while the U.S. has halted travel to all 26 plus Ireland and the U.K. A country's ability to control their own borders and set parameters for entry and exit is a major tool in terms of analyzing who comes and goes from one country to the next from many perspectives. Today that perspective focuses on sickness and health. Last week, Italy asked for medical assistance from its E.U. counterparts. They declined. So much for open borders and globalism.

The Washington Examiner published an article by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) wherein he chronicles the travails of border agents giving testimony before a congressional committee as they have become prey to typhus, tuberculosis, mumps, and Swine Flu. Borders serve for more than simply keeping bad people out of the country. They are a major asset in protecting citizens within a country from good people emigrating into that country who have previously contracted bad diseases.

Trump's second issue of importance dealt with bringing jobs back to America. Steel, auto manufacturing, textiles, and computer component production got the early headlines, but it's become clear that pharmaceuticals are now front and center. I was shocked to read senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations Yanzhong Huang's report:

Chinese pharmaceutical companies have supplied more than 90 percent of U.S. antibiotics, vitamin C, ibuprofen and hydrocortisone, as well as 70 percent of acetaminophen and 40 to 45 percent of heparin in recent years.

These are all drugs originally researched, developed, and tested in the U.S. How many Americans know that the essential drugs they consume to get well, remain healthy, and survive are controlled by China either in production or the supply chain, wherein China runs the show?

Back to the nuclear option fear. Chances are that in the new millennium, it seems unlikely it'll be a nuke that can be traced back to a specific country, a nefarious group of terrorists, or some lone wolf on a fanatical mission. There remain threats imposed via a massive cyber-attack, an assault on the "grid," or some form of artificial intelligence siege, but it's not a stretch based on current events that a door has been opened to an insidious enemy of microscopic size with an origin virtually impossible to trace that puts the world in a panic, shuts down economies, and brings civilization to a virtual halt while access to curative drugs is controlled by unfriendly sources. You can't make this stuff up. Oh, wait  Hollywood has been feeding it to us for years.

I seriously doubt that candidate Donald Trump had this in mind back in 2016, but it sure seems prescient in 2020.
A Buckingham Palace worker was diagnosed with coronavirus before the Queen left the capital for Windsor, reports suggest.

The Queen, 93, left London - with her faithful corgi-dachshund mix Candy on her lap - for her Easter break a week earlier than planned.

The aide tested positive for the bug - which has killed 233 and infected 5,018 in the UK alone - after falling ill last week, sources say.

A Buckingham Palace worker was diagnosed with coronavirus before the Queen left the capital for Windsor, reports suggest. Pictured: The Queen, 93, left London with her faithful corgi-dachshund mix Candy on her lap

The Buckingham Palace (pictured) worker tested positive for the bug - which has killed 233 and infected 5,018 in the UK alone - after falling ill last week, sources say

It is not yet known whether the infected staff member got close to the Queen, The Sun reports.

A source told the paper: 'The Palace has 500 members of staff so, like any workplace, it's not inconceivable it would be affected in some stage.'

A Palace spokesperson said: 'We wouldn't comment on individual members of staff.

'In line with the appropriate guidance and our own processes, we have taken the necessary actions to protect all employees and people involved.'

The Queen was joined at Windsor by her husband Prince Philip, 98, who travelled by helicopter from his home of Wood Farm at Sandringham in Norfolk, amid an anticipated lockdown of London.

Reports say Prince Philip (pictured on Christmas Eve last year leaving King Edward VII Hospital in London) has joined the Queen a week early to match her revised schedule, as she prepares to wait out the coronavirus crisis away from London

In a message to the nation, Her Majesty urged Britain to come together amid the coronavirus crisis and assured the country that the Royal Family is ready to 'play its part' in beating the deadly infection.

She praised medical workers, scientists and the emergency and public services who are fighting the pandemic, and stressed everyone has a 'vitally important part to play as individuals' - today and in the coming months.

'Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe. I am certain we are up to that challenge,' she said. 'You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part.'
Is Chesnara plc (LON:CSN) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. If you are hoping to live on the income from dividends, it's important to be a lot more stringent with your investments than the average punter.

In this case, Chesnara likely looks attractive to investors, given its 8.4% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. Before you buy any stock for its dividend however, you should always remember Warren Buffett's two rules: 1) Don't lose money, and 2) Remember rule #1. We'll run through some checks below to help with this.

Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis

LSE:CSN Historical Dividend Yield, March 22nd 2020

Payout ratios

Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Chesnara paid out 55% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. A payout ratio above 50% generally implies a business is reaching maturity, although it is still possible to reinvest in the business or increase the dividend over time.

Consider getting our latest analysis on Chesnara's financial position here.

Dividend Volatility

From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. Chesnara has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. During this period the dividend has been stable, which could imply the business could have relatively consistent earnings power. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was UK0.16 in 2010, compared to UK0.21 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 2.9% per year over this time.

Story continues

Slow and steady dividend growth might not sound that exciting, but dividends have been stable for ten years, which we think is seriously impressive.

Dividend Growth Potential

While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. It's not great to see that Chesnara's have fallen at approximately 2.5% over the past five years. If earnings continue to decline, the dividend may come under pressure. Every investor should make an assessment of whether the company is taking steps to stabilise the situation.

Conclusion

When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. First, we think Chesnara has an acceptable payout ratio. Moreover, earnings have been shrinking. While the dividends have been fairly steady, we'd wonder for how much longer this will be sustainable if earnings continue to decline. While we're not hugely bearish on it, overall we think there are potentially better dividend stocks than Chesnara out there.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. To that end, Chesnara has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.

Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
"Entourage" alum Debi Mazar is the latest Hollywood figure to test positive for coronavirus.

The 55-year-old actor shared the about her COVID-19 diagnosis on Instagram, saying that on March 15, she woke up with a sore throat, cough, severe body aches, and a 102.4-degree fever.

"I had cocktails the evening prior, and smoked a few cigarettes. I figured I had jacked my immune system from having a fun night with friends. I called a doctor/friend to ask if I could get the Covid-19 test on 3/16. He said NO, I didn't meet the criteria.

"I hadn't recently travelled out of the country and I hadn't been with someone who had actually tested positive. I found this kind of a CRAZY criteria for a NY'er as I had taken the subway, gone to the theatre, the grocery store, the pharmacy, hair salon etc," Mazar wrote.

The actor said she found out there were tests available at a local facility in her neighbourhood. She got her test done on March 17 and was advised by doctors to self-quarantine.

"Well... Today is day 5 and I just found out. Im hoping I've been through the worst of it already. Its very 'morphy'. One day I feel crappy and the next I'm normal. Today my lungs are heavy, but I'm tough. I can breath, and I'm going to heal here, in my own home," Mazar said.

She said her family is also under quarantine now but they have showed no symptoms so far.

"I think we all had it possibly already? Who knows. Anyhow, stay home people!Protect yourselves and your loved ones. Build up your immune systems. Good luck and god bless us all!" she concluded her post.

Before her, a number of celebrities have gone public with their COVID-19 diagnosis, including Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks and his wife, actor Rita Wilson, British actor Idris Elba, former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, "Frozen 2" actor Rachel Matthews, Daniel Dae Kim, "Game of Thrones" star Kristofer Hivju and celebrated TV host Andy Cohen.

The novel virus, which first originated in China's Wuhan city, has claimed over 13,000 lives so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kong, March 22 : A demonstration by more than 100 people to mark eight months since the mob beatings in Hong Kongs Yuen Long area led to protesters blocking roads and starting a small fire, as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, a media report said on Sunday.

The rally on Saturday night centred on the events of last July 21, 2019 when a group of white-clad men wielding metal rods and wooden poles attacked protesters and commuters indiscriminately at the district's MTR station and on a train, injuring 45, the South China Morning Post said in the report.

As the demonstration gaind momentum, the participants started a fire and blocked some roads in the Tai Ton district, prompting officers to rush to the area soon later at night to disperse the crowd.

Members of police's Special Tactical Squad, known as Raptors, subdued at least two people.

By January, a total of 37 people had been arrested for their alleged roles in the Yuen Long attack, seven of whom were charged with rioting.

Police have said they were continuing to collect evidence.

By the early hours of Sunday, clashes were still ongoing between protesters and riot police in Yuen Long, with pepper spray deployed by officers to disperse crowds as angry crowds shouted at them.

Since June 2019, Hong Kong has been gripped by often-violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police, sparked by a piece of extradition legislation which officials have since withdrawn.
Egypt is one of several countries who have sent Italy medical masks and other medical supplies to help it deal with the world's the worst coronavirus outbreak

Egypt has sent 1.5 million medical masks to Italy to help it deal with its growing coronavirus crisis, Italy's foreign ministry said, as the world's worst-hit country is grappling with a shortage of medical protective gear.

"The first million and a half masks that had been stuck in Egypt landed in Italy," Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on his official Facebook page on Saturday.

Local media said the EgypAir plane carrying the shipment landed in Malpensa Airport in the northern city of Milan.

The delivery from Egypt was followed by another shipment of 40,000 masks from India, he added.

An EgyptAir spokesperson contacted by Ahram Online provided no further details.

Italy is the world's hardest-hit country by the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the European country has registered more than 53,500 cases and over 4,800 deaths, overtaking China--the epicenter of the outbreak--as the country worst hit by the highly contagious virus.

Doctors, nurses and social health workers are currently suffering from the lack of protective equipment, especially masks. Di Maio said, adding that law enforcement and rescue workers, military personnel and factory workers are also affected by the shortage.

"The foreign ministry, with its women and men in the diplomatic corps, together with our intelligence agencies, will continue to search the world over for the material we need," the minister said. "Every day the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and my closest collaborators call dozens of our ambassadors around the world to see if there is any new help."

Another four million face masks and 100 lung ventilators were due to be sent from China aboard two Italian military aircrafts on Sunday and Monday, Di Maio said.

Other countries like Russia, Brazil, Ukraine and Turkey have also assisted Italy with masks and other medical supplies.

In Egypt, the prices of medical masks have soared, with some types no longer found in the market amid a rise in coronavirus cases -- now at 294.

Earlier this month, the Egyptian trade ministry banned the export of surgical masks and disinfectants as well as medical alcohol for three months in a bid to avert a potential shortage in local market.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy person only needs to wear a mask if they are taking care of a person with suspected coronavirus infection.

Masks are effective only when used with frequent hand-cleaning and a knowledge of how to use them and dispose of them properly, WHO says on its official website.



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New Jerseys state-run coronavirus testing center in Bergen County quickly reached capacity in its third day of operation and was forced to close Sunday as cases of the virus grew to at least 1,914 with 20 deaths.

Hundreds of people have swarmed the testing site at Bergen Community College, waiting in long lines of cars since the center opened Friday. Bergen County leads the state in reported cases of the respiratory virus, with 457 people sickened, according to health department data.

Meanwhile, Gov. Phil Murphy said he was really damned unhappy to hear about New Jersey residents not following his stay-at-home order. The governor ordered sweeping restrictions on daily life in the state, including shutting down all schools, suggesting a curfew and closing a range of non-essential businesses.

A look at other coronavirus related news around New Jersey:

Administrator at nursing home where coronavirus has spread dies: A nursing home administrator at a Montclair facility who tested positive for the coronavirus has died, according to an association for health care management. John Cofrancesco, 52, of Bergenfield, worked at Family of Caring, where an 86-year-old patient there also died and tested positive for the virus. A spokesman for the nursing home said a visitor brought the virus into the facility.

N.J. Gov. really damned unhappy about people violating coronavirus lockdown. Expect crackdown: Gov. Phil Murphy said he was really damned unhappy about reports of people ignoring his order to stay home as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The governor said residents should expect a law enforcement crackdown, including possible arrests.

N.J.s first coronavirus patient released from hospital: The 32-year-old Fort Lee man who became the states first reported coronavirus patient was released from Hackensack Meridian Health, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed to NJ Advance Media.

GW Bridge, Lincoln and Holland tunnels to stop accepting cash for tolls tonight due to coronavirus: Drivers will no longer be able to use cash for tolls at the three Hudson River crossings starting at 9 p.m. Sunday in response to coronavirus concerns, the Port Authority said. Toll collectors were already temporarily removed from the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Lockdown rules: What New Jersey residents need to know about stay-at-home order: Gov. Phil Murphy ordered New Jerseys 9 million residents to stay at home with some exceptions and required all non-essential retail businesses in the state closed until further notice. Read up on what exactly is and isnt allowed under the governors executive order.

Coronavirus cases in the United States: There were 32,640 cases reported in the country as of Sunday afternoon, according to information from the the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. There were 404 reported deaths, with the highest toll in New York where 114 fatalities were logged. As of Sunday, 178 people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracking information. It was unclear exactly how many people have recovered from the virus in New Jersey.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

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NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco, Brent Johnson, Jeff Goldman and Avalon Zoppo contributed to this report.

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Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also called for getting everything from masks to gowns, as well as doctors and other medical workers to New York. De Blasio on Sunday asked Trump to have the U.S. military take over the logistics of making and distributing medical supplies. Cuomo warned that hard-hit states are outbidding one another for ever scarcer supplies, sometimes doubling or tripling prices.
Oil jumped more than 3% on Monday as the Federal Reserved announced aggressive asset purchases to support markets. The move higher was a reversal from last week's steep declines, which saw U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude post its worst week since 1991.

In a volatile session that saw oil alternate between gains and losses, WTI gained 3.23% to settle at $23.36 per barrel. Earlier, prices fell as much as 6%. International benchmark Brent crude traded 0.6% higher at $27.18 per barrel.

The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent business slowdown has pressured oil prices and sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 tumbling into bear market territory.

On Monday, the Federal Reserve announced a new round of measures aimed at propping up the economy.

The central bank said it will continue to purchase Treasury securities and agency mortgage-backed securities in the amounts needed to support smooth market functioning and effective transmission of monetary policy to broader financial conditions.

Traders are hoping that this additional support will put a floor under oil prices, which have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus outbreak. WTI crude futures have been cut in half this month as a travel slowdown eats into crude demand, just as powerhouse producers Saudi Arabia and Russia prepare to ramp up production.

The rapid decline in prices has wreaked havoc in other areas of the financial markets, as investors have been forced to sell other other assets such as Treasuries or equities indiscriminately to cover losses in their energy positions.

Ed Morse, Citi's global head of commodity research, believes there's more downside ahead. He's forecasting crude below $20 per barrel for much of the second quarter.

"I think it can go much lower," he said Monday on CNBC's "Squawk Alley." "We don't think the one-two punch is over, particularly on the demand side where the impact on transportation fuels in Europe and the U.S. is just beginning."

Traders are also eyeing a stimulus bill from Washington, which could also boost oil prices. The massive stimulus funding package failed for a second time on Monday to get enough votes in the Senate, although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations would continue.

The fast-spreading virus has now infected more than 350,536 people worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, and killed at least 15,328 people. More than 100,000 people of that tally have recovered, according to Hopkins.

As traders attempt to quantify what increasingly strict travel restrictions and stay-at-home mandates will mean for longer-term crude demand, prices have swung in either direction.

On Wednesday WTI dropped 24.4% to a more than 18-year low, in its third worst day on record. One day later, prices snapped back, surging 23.8% for the largest percentage gain in history. Given WTI's 60% decline this year, a smaller gain, of course, now accounts for a much larger percentage move. But the volatile swings are notable.

Just as demand drops, the OPEC+ production cuts currently in place expire at the end of the month, meaning nations will soon be allowed to pump as much as they please.

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to increase its daily production to a record 12.3 million barrels per day in April. By comparison, the kingdom pumped roughly 9.7 million bpd in February. Russia is among the other OPEC+ nations that has said it, too, could ramp up production.

"With each day there seems to be yet another trapdoor lying beneath oil prices, and we expect to see prices continue to roil until a cost equilibrium is reached and production is shut in," said Rystad Energy analyst Louise Dickson.

"This is the most dismal oil demand picture we have witnessed in a long time with a simultaneous collapse in jet fuel, gasoline, shipping fuel, petrochemicals, and oil used for power generation," she added.

WTI has dropped 43.9% in March, putting it on pace for its worth month on record, back to the inception of the contract in 1983. The contract is squarely in bear market territory, currently trading 66.32% below its most recent 52-week high of $66.60 hit on April 23, 2019.
YELLOWKNIFE - The Northwest Territories reported what is believed to be the first case of COVID-19 in Canada's North on Saturday as it closed its doors to those from outside the territory.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/3/2020 (661 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

YELLOWKNIFE - The Northwest Territories reported what is believed to be the first case of COVID-19 in Canada's North on Saturday as it closed its doors to those from outside the territory.

The patient had travelled to British Columbia and Alberta, and developed mild symptoms three days after returning to Yellowknife, the government said.

The person is now recovering at home and public health officials are in the process of contact tracing so all those exposed can be monitored or tested.

"Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola has issued an order prohibiting entry of non-residents to the Northwest Territories by land, air, or port with limited exceptions," Health Minister Diane Thom said Saturday.

"These measures are drastic. They will be challenging. But they are necessary."

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Disobeying that order is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and six months in jail, according to a news release.

The North is considered to be among Canada's most vulnerable locations to an outbreak of COVID-19, because of the limited health care access.

The territory is requiring that returning residents self-isolate in Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Hay River or Inuvik in an effort to stop the virus from making its way to smaller, more remote communities.

Thom said the government is doing everything in its power to prevent an outbreak.

"We're testing at a rate double that of Canada's as-a-whole so we can trace and respond to infection quickly. We're marshalling all available resources to bolster our health care response," she said. "And no option is off-the-table as we move forward."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2020.
Liam Fox: The latest evidence from Italy suggests that public health messaging should change. We need less me and more us.

Liam Fox is a former Secretary of State for International Trade, and is MP for North Somerset.

The Italian authorities released a batch of information this week about the victims who have died of coronavirus in Italy.

The current level stands at over 3400 dead with around 41,000 confirmed cases of the illness. The latest data, however, gives us a much better picture about those at greatest risk. Here is some of it:

The median age of those infected is 63 but the average age of those who have died is 79.5.

Of those that have died only three victims, 0.8 per cent of the total, had no previous pathology.

25.1 per cent of those who died had one other illness, 25.6 per cent had two other illnesses and 48.5 per cent had three or more illnesses.

Over 75 per cent of those who died had high blood pressure, around 35 per cent had diabetes and around 35 per cent suffered from other forms of heart disease.

All Italys victims under the age of 40 have been males with serious existing medical conditions.

45 per cent of patients do not exhibit anything more than mild symptoms.

10 per cent of those with the illness display no symptoms at all.

22 per cent of infections have occurred in the age range 19 to 50.

What does this tell us? Among other things, it tells us that elderly patients who have coexisting cardiovascular problems, particularly high blood pressure, are at particular risk.

This seems to be even more true amongst males and smokers. It also tells us that there will be a large portion of the population who may feel well or have minimal symptoms who might be spreading the infection without knowing it.

This makes it particularly important that they stay away from those who are likely to be more vulnerable. This is best done by observing the advice around social spacing. I think we need to shift the emphasis in our public health messaging away from how we stop becoming infected ourselves and start to focus on how we stop infecting those who might be at particular risk. Less me and more us.

We do not have an update yet on gender differences, but early evidence from China showed that there was a strong difference in mortality between men and women with older men significantly more likely to die (men over 75 were twice as likely to die as women in the same age group).

This may be as a result of a higher level of coexisting conditions in men. It may also be as a result of cultural and behavioural factors such as smoking. Official figures show that 90 per cent of smokers in China are male but this is likely to be over-reported as smoking is regarded as socially unacceptable among women.

This gender difference replicates what was seen in both SARS and MERS. If this difference is replicated in other data then it becomes much more important to encourage men to seek early medical intervention (they tend to seek medical help later than women).

This article is a cross-post from Dr Foxs blog.


DEARBORN, MI  U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell is urging the State Department to evacuate United States citizens stranded in Peru and Guatemala amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Dearborn Democrat and her office have been in contact with several Michigan families unable to leave the countries after their borders were closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Dingells office said Sunday, March 22.

Dingell released a copy of a March 20 letter she sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

These families are afraid for their future and are worried they may not be able to return home to the United States if action is not taken soon to help them, she wrote. I implore you to act expeditiously and use all authorities in your power to begin evacuations of U.S. citizens who are stuck in these countries.

The Hill reported Sunday that the State Department has flown over 3,000 Americans back from Morocco after the country closed its borders and evacuated 439 Americans from Peru, but many more were still waiting to come home.

As of Friday night, more than 2,000 people added their names to a Google spreadsheet of U.S. citizens stuck in Peru, and several hundred others joined an American Citizens Stranded In Guatemala Facebook page where posts were a mix between anger and escape plots, The Washington Post reported.

Feeling abandoned by their government, thousands have turned to social media for help and solace, The Post reported.

While working with the families, Dingell said, they have expressed to her great uncertainty and fear that the situation could get worse and they wont be able to leave.

Every U.S. citizen deserves the peace of mind in knowing that the U.S. Department of State is working on their behalf when they are overseas, she wrote to Pompeo.

I have great respect for the brave men and women of the Foreign Service and all of our employees at the State Department, but we need them to act quickly and expeditiously in times of national crisis such as this.

The situation is urgent, Dingell said in concluding her letter, urging Pompeo to get personally involved.

U.S. citizens in Peru who are trying to head home are being held there by a Peruvian government that first wants assurances thousands of Peruvian citizens will be able to return from the U.S., Politico reported Saturday, March 21.

Some were able to evacuate, but thousands remain, said Maggie Rousseau, Dingells deputy chief of staff.

MORE FROM MLIVE:

Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Hundreds of Michigan health care workers, first responders line up to get tested for coronavirus

Washtenaw County coronavirus case count climbs to 29 with 13 new cases

Assume coronavirus may be present in public places, Washtenaw health officer warns

Complete coronavirus coverage in Michigan.
He was an obscure pamphleteer even then, a British-born immigrant to the Colonies, but an ardent American patriot. Yet, his little pamphlet, Common Sense, written in early 1776, stirred a continent to action.

His opening lines grabbed people where they lived, worked, relaxed, in homes and assemblies, in taverns and the shops of mechanics, in schools and churches, in public halls and the quiet times of private reading.

These are the times that try mens souls, he wrote, in a clear and direct language of the common speech of the day, with crisp analogies all could understand. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

The writer was Thomas Paine, just shy of his 40th birthday, and his little essay on why America should be free of Britain helped galvanize the incipient revolution, pulled a group of disparate colonies to a cause, and not incidentally, lit the spark which founded a nation.

He did that with sentences so obviously true they were undisputed even by extreme Loyalists. The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only that gives everything its value.

Are we not in such a time today, a time in need of common endeavor? A world gone seemingly mad, a pestilence disease sweeping over us as if a plague from the Middle Ages. An economy ground down with people hording, fighting over rolls of thin paper.

I dont know about you, but this winter, and particularly this past week, I have seen a self-less president step up and take on some hard tasks, travel restrictions, shutdowns, directives. And lo and behold, his legion foes in Congress (Yes, theyre still there.) saw the wisdom of working together for now as Americans, to fight and conquer something larger than each of us individually.

This is not to say he did these things alone, or perfectly as he likes to claim. There is a point of narcissism about him, a sometimes-insufferable self-importance. In that, he resembles two other presidents, Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt, who also pushed the pasts barriers aside with verve, energy, fortitude.

There are many points of criticism about him which any journalist can quickly find. Yet, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Representative government is messy with lots of pitfalls, blind alleys, full of human avarice, greed and calumny. As we are told, no one, not one, is without fault.

Out of this medical, social and economic crisis has already come a determination of spirit and pulling together as a nation which we Americans havent seen since 9-11, almost two decades ago. We are all inhabitants of this bountiful and blessed land, on a planet not tumbling out of control, but created of Gods blessing and our hard work and free will.

Is it not particularly true in our remote, almost isolated Idaho, a swatch of the continent as fruitful a place as there is anywhere on Earth, full of industrious people, hard-working, committed to their families, communities, state and nation?

Even in the final days of a tumultuous week, we could see the common purpose, spirit, leadership; men and women in government and health care, pulling together. Wouldnt both our American and Idahoan ancestors say, yep, hang tough? Youve chosen well.

Sure, were isolated. Idaho was one of the final states to record a coronavirus case, not because were healthier than the others, but likely due to our isolation. Social distancing comes with living in Idaho; we dont have to learn that, free and independent people that we are. You want us to keep our distances from each other til this passes? No problem. Individual isolation is in our blood. Every one of us has some streak of special Western and American individualism.

But we also have common endeavor, common work, common pulling together, common sense. In that too, we are united. When our president calls us to pull together, when our governor echoes that call, we do so.

Social distancing? As in self-hermiting? Thats the key to it. Just stay home. Just stay home. No bars, treeforts, sports crowds. God, we might even see a run on  wait for it reading. Take down a classic from your shelf and start on page one. There is wisdom from every age. Learn it.

Then, go out on the deck this next clear Idaho night when the wind is up and look at the stars; and think about the vastness of the universe, its Creator, our life on this planet, our front-line, health care providers. Think about how lucky and blessed we are. Say some prayers, in whatever form you like.

It is indeed a time which tries mens souls. Well get through this. No doubt about that. Were Idahoans. Were Americans. Thats what we do.

Stephen Hartgen, Twin Falls, is a retired five-term Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the Commerce & Human Resources Committee. Previously, he was editor and publisher of The Times-News (1982-2005). He is the author of the new book Tradition & Progress: Southern Idahos Growth Since 1990. This column was first published in www.idahopoliticsweekly.com. He can be reached at Stephen_Hartgen@hotmail.com

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NEW DELHI: A day after Nepal and Bhutan pledged funds to the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund, Afghanistan and Maldives too on Saturday pledged $1 million and $200000 respectively to it.

The fund was announced by PM Narendra Modi during the video conference with SAARC leaders on March 15 to chalk out a common strategy to fight the spread of coronavirus.

India has pledged $10 million to the cause and aid in excess of $1 million has already been disbursed.

Thanking Bhutan and Nepal for its contributions, Modi tweeted, Gratitude to @PMBhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering for his decision to contribute $100,000 to the COVID-19 Emergency Fund on behalf of the Bhutanese Government. The PM expressed deep appreciation to the Nepalese government for its contribution of 10 crore Nepalese Rupees to the fund.

Deeply appreciate PM @kpsharmaolis announcement of contribution of NPR 10 crores to the COVID-19 Emergency Fund. It reflects Oli Jis commitment and support to the collective fight of SAARC countries against the pandemic, he tweeted.

PM, during the video conference, had called for nations to contribute voluntarily. The fund will be accessible to all SAARC member states.
As the nation fights its way through the present national security challenges as well as the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), stakeholders have canvassed for more professionalism in crisis communications management in Nigeria.

The calls were made in Abuja at the weekend at a book presentation on: Award-Winning Crisis Communications Strategies, authored by Yushau Shuaib, the publisher of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential.

Speaking at the event, the spokesperson of the Department of State Service (SSS), Peter Afunanya, noted that the book is not only timely but crucial to solving the emerging national crisis and security challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Afunanya said the book would go a long way in helping Nigeria deal with its crisis, as it is action-packed in the sense that it contains usable strategies that can be deployed to save lives and humanity.

In the same vein, the book presenter and ICPC Chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, recommended it for the purpose of strategy during conflict times, as we are currently facing the Coronavirus challenge in the country.

Mr Owasanoye who was represented by the Director of Public Relations, ICPC, Rasheedat Okoduwa, stressed that more than ever, the book is critical on national issues like insurgency and now we are dealing with the Coronavirus.

Also speaking, the former Director of Defence Information (DDI) and pioneer Coordinator of Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA), Chris Olukolade, described the author as one of the most qualified people to write on Award-Winning Crisis Communications Strategies, as he is a living example.

Mr Olukolade, a retired major general, who was the chairman of the occasion, further described Mr Shuaib as the doyen of Crisis Communication in Nigeria while thanking him for his contributions over the years especially in the creation of FOSSRA and other strategic outfits in the country.

The author is one person best qualified to write on Crisis Communications because he is an authority on this and popularised the coinage. If he writes a book on Crisis Communication, you can be sure it is authoritative. So public relations officers, professionals, journalists, scholars and all those interested in crisis communication will find it very useful, he asserted.

READ ALSO:

In the same vein, the Director-General National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Ahmed Nagode, agreed that there is no better time to have a book on crisis management  than now that Nigeria and the world is dealing with one form of crisis or the other.

According to Mr Nagode, who is also Chairman of Third-Estate Forum, the globe is in crisis of Coronavirus and if there is one lesson learnt from the past events, it is that we did not manage our information management effectively.

On his part, a senator, Umar Tambuwal, commended the author as someone who has made immense contributions towards national security and crisis management.

Mr Tambuwal recalled his useful contributions that helped to shape the successful passage into law of the Cybercrime Act, which according to him contained most of the useful parts of what are being clamoured by the proponents of anti-social media bill, adding that everything has been captured in the Cybercrime Act.

The Dean, School of Post-Graduate, Bayero University, Kano, Umaru Pate, commended the academic prowess of the author for remaining convincingly committed to his professional engagement against all odds.

Mr Pate described the release of the book as Timely and noted that it is very ambitious effort in trying to come up with an easy to read, fact based and tightly packaged text that can be read in brief but widely understood.

Earlier, the author of the book noted that the whole content are gamut of daily activities in crises management as well as award-winning case studies and experience he learnt and shared with bosses, colleagues, clients and from further studies.

Mr Shuaib said his desire to compile his previous experiences and presentations at capacity building programmes, Countering of Violent Extremism and Corporate Reputation Management was for the purpose of helping students and enthusiasts of public communication become more efficient and effective in their work.

Other Speakers at the event include the Spokespersons of Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and National Emergency Agency (NEMA) as well as the representatives of heads of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Central Bank of Nigeria, TETFUND and Crisis Communication Centre (CCC) among others.

The book has been endorsed by President of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mukhtar Sirajo, and that of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, as well as immediate past President of International Public Relations Association (IPRA), Bart de Vries.
WE'RE IN A WAR ZONE.

The Update: "75 million Americans are told to stay home as test reveals more coronavirus cases". Reported cases have continued to jump as the virus spreads more and more Americans are getting tested.

The United States of America had its first case on 21st January in Seattle ,Washington, and two months later more than 200 people have died and they're still counting. This is not a science fiction!

Folks, we're not out of the woods yet. But, the question is : Who is worth saving when the demand on our fragile healthcare delivery system becomes so overwhelm and unbearable?

What happens in(Ghana)in the next few weeks depends largely on us--our government, politicians, healthcare institution and in particularly, the twenty- something million inhabitants of this land--all making tiny decisions on daily basis with oversize consequence for our collective future.

In the worst case scenario, if Ghana embraces drastic restrictions, social- distancing measures and school closures, for instance, we could reduce our death rate around lower thousands, and exhale a national sigh of relief as we prepare for the our next phase of action and mop up--that is a big 'If'.

First thing first. Right now ,there is a need to slow down the spread of the contagion ,so that it doesn't overwhelm our fragile healthcare system.

My worst fear is: When we're overwhelmed by it, doctors would be forced to practice 'disaster medicine'. The term comes from wars zones and natural disasters, when emergency doctors must prioritize the order of treatment to decide who they will use the scarce resources to try to save; and who they'll let go.

In the countries where the virus is taking a toll on them ,doctors have to give priority to those who are expected to live longer. Age is not only a factor, but the older you are ,the lower you're on the priority list. And in Ghana, how much money you have , your political 'connections' and family background will ultimately be the determining factors as well.

Nevertheless, our success or failure in fighting this maniac depends on how long we're willing to endure the harsh restrictions on our lives and movements, for months, let alone for a year or more. We're talking about a country that doesn't have a single river that is not polluted by galamsey or a workable commercial food storage system in place.

Mindful of the fact that we started with checking the symptoms at the port of entries ,then hand -washing and sanitization and social-distancing. By next week or two, we might embark on curfew and total lockdown status--food and water shortages abound.

I know most people will ignore the warning signs on the wall, but this is serious than we make it sound or look. It has been predicted by the world's top epidemiologists that: "Coronavirus is the most serious respiratory virus threat since the 1918 flu pandemic. And If drastic actions are not taken to limit the viral spread, as many as 2.2 million people in the United Stated(alone) could die over the course of the pandemic".

Now picture this for a moment. If the United States of America is that vulnerable then how does it make us in Ghana? .

With that, we need to take stock of all the available hospital beds (including intensive-care beds)nation- wide. I'm sure we're way short of the projected beds needed in our hospitals. We also need to take an inventory of all the medical personnel we have(including those who are home doing nothing).This will allow us to be proactive and activate our emergency deployment plan ,when things gets worst. This is a war so we better fight it as such.

Now the fearful part: With the outbreak that has become a full -blown pandemic, all elective surgeries and other minor medical procedures to save lives will be cancelled or pushed to the curve, so as to free up staff and space to attend to corornvirus cases. What are we going to do to ordinary emergencies--stroke, heart-attacks, car accidents, etc ?

I don't want to sound like a prophet of doom, but if the numbers start to skyrocket, perhaps we may have to convert stadiums and church buildings into 'isolation wards' .But, do we have enough beds to go around? What about other logistics? What about food and water situations?

The point is, we lost the 'best opportunity' to act because we were ill-prepared. We had two months to act, yet there was a perception that" China is very far away and that nothing is going to happen here".

To reduce the numbers of the casualties, there is a need to embark on vigorous actions which are not limited to these:

1.The government should pass laws to give free extensive and affordable testing to people because some people without symptoms could still be contagious.

2.Let's deploy our armed forces and BNI officers to trace the virus 'contacts' and bring them for testing. They can also control unauthorized movement of the citizens.

3.There should be hefty penalties for those who will break the 'containment orders'.

4.The public should be well-informed(something that should have been done way earlier).Because unless the government gets the co-operation of the public, its policies may not be adhered to, and enforcement only can go so far.

5.As individuals, we need a 'sense of responsibility' and change of attitude to combat this enemy.

It's believed that the more aggressive measures put in place by the government, the faster we can slow the transmission rate. Nevertheless, this crisis can bring the worst in us--xenophobic conspiracy theories and other negative human impulses. For every crisis brings forth its own psychological and societal injuries ,as well. So we have to watch out so as to bring the best in us and be our neighbor's keepers because we have nowhere else to go.

At this point, anything that can reduce the demand on the healthcare system will be our best remedy. That will be the only weapon we can depend on. But, before that let us see this as a war. We must and should deploy all our arsenals and armed forces to get involved before it's too late.

If the Parliament House or the Flag Staff House and any other house in the nation is not safe from the virus, it's a declaration of war on our fragile nation. So it needs to be fought as such.

Our worst and really frighten days are yet to come so let keep hope alive.

Until next time .Stay tuned. Be blessed ,educated and informed.

Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi(Voice of reason)

*The author is a social commentator and a diehard concerned citizen, not a spectator.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Since the coronavirus outbreak hit, stores in Ohio and across the country have been overwhelmed with customers buying up toilet paper, paper towels, bread, dried beans, fresh meats, thermometers and several other items in record numbers.

Unfortunately, thats not likely to change now that Gov. Mike DeWine has announced a stay-at-home order. Under the order, all residents are instructed to stay in their homes, except for listed exceptions. All non-essential businesses will close. The order goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Monday and will remain in effect until April 6, at which time the situation will be reassessed.

It is important to note that grocery stores and pharmacies WILL remain open, meaning you do not have to rush out and buy a six-month supply of toilet paper, a months worth of food or a years supply of medicine, among other things. Social media has been full of stories about people unable to buy essential items or even fights breaking out over a last package of toilet paper.

Some Ohio food organizations are urging people to remain calm, as running out to the store in record numbers goes against the concept of social distancing

The food supply chain is still working! In the wake of @GovMikeDeWine Stay at Home order, Ohioans should NOT rush to the grocery store bf Monday night. That defeats social distancing rules. https://t.co/Dypw3vahJf  Ohio Farm Bureau (@OhioFarmBureau) March 22, 2020

Restaurants doing carry out and delivery will also remain open for those services under the order. You can check out cleveland.coms list of takeout and delivery options, below:

[Heres our latest Greater Cleveland restaurants takeout, delivery guide]
Export restrictions imposed on certain APIs and formulations, including paracetamol, vitamin B1 and B12, are not applicable for units in special economic zones (SEZs), according to a commerce ministry circular.

On March 3, exports of 26 APIs and formulations, including paracetamol, vitamin B1 and B12, have been put under restricted category amid the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), an arm of the ministry, said that it has received various representations from SEZ units and other exporters highlighting issues faced by them on account of the decision to put this export restriction.

"It is, therefore, clarified that the exports of restricted APIs and formulations made from these APIs are allowed from SEZ units," the circular said.

Imposing restrictions means export of these active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations require a licence from the DGFT.

SEZs, developed as export hubs, are treated as a foreign territory in terms of customs laws. These units import raw material and export final products.

The pharmaceutical industry has urged the government to lift these restrictions on the export of active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday thanked the central government for suspending train and interstate bus services in the state.

Kumar said that he had requested the Centre to stop public transport services, amid the spurt in coronavirus cases across the country.

"I thank the central government for considering my request and accordingly taking the decision to suspend train and bus services," a statement issued by Kumar said.

The CM had also urged the Centre to suspend flight operations for a few days.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Railways announced the suspension of all its passenger services from March 22 midnight to March 31 midnight and said only goods trains will run during this period.

Expressing profound grief over the death of a 38- year-old man due to COVID-19 in the state, he said the next of the kin of the deceased will receive ex-gratia, as per the state government's policy.

The CM had announced in the Assembly on March 16 that in the event of any death caused due to the disease in the state, family members will get Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia.

This coronavirus crisis is a serious one, he said, urging people to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.

He also appealed to people to refrain from hiding their travel history and symptoms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rome: Nearly one billion people around the world were confined to their homes on Sunday, as the coronavirus death toll crossed 13,000 and factories were shut in worst-hit Italy after another single-day fatalities record.

The raging pandemic has forced lockdowns in 35 countries, disrupting lives, travel and businesses as governments scramble to shut borders and unleash hundreds of billions in emergency measures to avoid a widespread virus-fuelled economic meltdown.

More than 300,000 infections have been confirmed worldwide, with the situation increasingly grim in Italy where the death toll spiked to more than 4,800 -- over a third of the global total.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a closure of all non-essential factories in a late-night TV address on Saturday.

The Mediterranean nation of 60 million is now the epicentre of the disease, which first emerged in central China late last year before marching out to the rest of the world.

Italy has now reported more deaths than mainland China and third-placed Iran combined, and it has a death rate of 8.6 percent among confirmed COVID-19 infections -- significantly higher than in most other countries.

Across the Atlantic, more than a third of Americans were adjusting to life in various phases of lockdown, including in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Other parts of the United States are expected to ramp up restrictions as well.
Medha Dutta Yadav By

No Greek since Alexander has been bitten by the India bug like Paul Evmorfidis. The founder of Coco-Mata Greek company that uses Natures wisdom as a guide and source of inspiration to create innovative products and home furniturehas taken on the challenge to cycle 7,500 km from Athens to Nepal. There is more. This sprightly 62-year-old Green Greek has decided to scale Mount Everest in an effort to create awareness and send a message to restore the relationship between human and nature.

The climate crisis is here and it is the time to act. We owe this to our planet and to ourselves, he says on his way through Delhi. The idea for this tour was born in February 2011, when Paul and his son Willem decided to go on the Amsterdam-Athens bike tour. During the trip, their bicycles developed quite a few maintenance issues, prompting Paul to create a stronger bike free of long distance hassles. Natch, the nature lover selected wood as its base material. The end-product is a fully handcrafted device. To further his commitment to nature, Paul makes sure that for every bicycle which is purchased, his company would plant a tree in the name of the buyer.

What makes him such a bicycle believer? Take the Dutch for example. They cycle everywhere. Imagine the fuel saved per person per annum. If only we can replicate that effort in a larger country such as Greece or even in India, all the money that is saved will eventually go towards strengthening the economy, he says. Putting his money where his mouth is, or rather, where his beliefs lie, the Laconia businessman set off on January 8 for the ride with the slogan: Move for Nature: Challenge yourselfSave your planet. He is accompanied on his endeavour by engineer Evangelia Paliari.

After pedalling through the diverse landscape of Hubballi, Karnataka, Mumbai and Goa, the two cyclists made a pit stop in Delhi in time to get their Nepal visas processed. Evangelia says, Our stay in Goa was the best. But in Delhi we got to experience Holi. It was fantastic how even strangers walked up to us to play with colours. And, the smiles on peoples faces are beautiful! People here are so full of warmth. But the novel coronavirus scare has upset the duos plans a bit. With the borders closing, they have little option but to fly to Kathmandu. Paul says, We have decided to go to Agra for a day and then from there to Varanasi, before flying to Nepal.

Paul was born poor in a small village in Sparta. He founded Coco-Mat with his brother Mike after spending a night on the beach on a makeshift mattress made of dead leaves and seaweed. The experience produced in him his first connection with Nature. The Indophile Greek is a regular visitor to India. He is a vegetarian, naturally drawn to Indian cuisine and counts dal makhni and rice among his favourites. He loves to amble along Old Delhis intimately narrow lanes savouring street food. His ambition? To generate awareness on conservation so that more people would take to his wooden bikes and embark on their own mythical trips.

Pauls love for nature made him select wood as the base material for his eco-friendly bike. The end-product is fully handcrafted.
Still, there are also snippets that let us see how the institution of slavery has shaped racial narratives and relationships throughout our history. A section from the memoir of Benin-born Olaudah Equiano anatomizes the difference between his experiences as a slave of African tribes and as a slave in colonial South Carolina. Equiano notes that, while he was kept separate from his African enslavers, he lived much as they did, whereas his life in America exposed him to unimaginable brutality at the hands of the slavers designed to remind black people of their dehumanization.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu instructed to create airborne forces group that will begin to supply Italy with aid on March 22

In Italy, 20% of doctors have become infected with coronavirus since the epidemic began to spread in the country. The UN reports on Twitter.

In Italy, according to the BBC, as of March 21, over 53 thousand Italians have already become infected with a deadly infection. During the day, 793 deaths from COVID-19 disease were recorded there.

However, in Russia, where mortality from coronavirus is much lower, the authorities decided to help Italy in the fight against the epidemic.

According to RBC, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu gave instructions to create a Russian Aerospace Forcesair group, which will begin supplying Italy with aid on March 22. Eight mobile teams of Russian military doctors and virologists, automotive complexes of aerosol disinfection of transport and territory, as well as medical equipment, will be delivered to the country.

As we reported before, the Ministry of Health confirmed 47 cases of Covid-19 infection in Ukraine.

Of the 47 cases identified, three are fatal. A total of 790 tests were processed in laboratories. A total of 790 tests were processed in laboratories.
Brasilia, March 22 : Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called the Governor of Sao Paulo "lunatic" for imposing a 15-day lockdown in the country's most populous state in an attempt to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In an interview to CNN Brazil, Bolsonaro on Satursday criticized steps taken by Joao Doria and some other regional Governors, to deal with the pandemic, such as quarantine and shutting airports, reports Efe news.

"To tell the truth, this is a lunatic. He's taking advantage of the situation to do politics. He is taking the opportunity to grow politically," the President said when asked about the emergency measures in Sao Paolo.

Earlier on Saturday, Doria had announced a 15-day state-wide quarantine starting Tuesday, after the Health Ministry reported that coronavirus related deaths increased by 63.6 per cent in a day, with Sao Paolo accounting for 15 of the 18 fatalities recorded.

"I want to say as governor of the state of Sao Paulo, that as of Tuesday March 24, we decree quarantine to the 645 municipalities of the state of Sao Paulo, with the obligation to close all non-essential trade and services," Doria had announced.

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro also criticized Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel for shutting down the city's airport, claiming these measures would only create an environment of fear and could lead to depression and reduce people's immunity.

The President alleged that these state governors were taking advantage of the situation to increase their political capital with an eye on the 2022 presidential elections.

"Those few governors who criticize me all the time say I don't have leadership (to fight the coronavirus). And I say to you, the 2022 election is a long way off," he said.

Bolsonaro underlined that in the face of the economic slowdown brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, his main concern was about the livelihood of people and preventing unemployment from increasing due to "measures taken by these irresponsible governors".

According to the latest official figures, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil grew by 24.78 per cent, from 907 on Friday to 1,128 on Saturday.

Of the total cases, 40.69 per cent (459) was registered in Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous state, with 46 million inhabitants, 22 per cent of the Brazilian population.

"It's flu for me and, you can be sure, for more than 60 percent of Brazilians it will be nothing. They won't know or feel in case they get infected. I understand that for the elderly and people with diseases actually getting the virus can be serious," Bolsonaro said.
Lupane, Zimbabwe  For decades, Linda Ncube, a small-scale farmer in northwestern Zimbabwe, relied on the water that flowed from Tshongokwe dam into dug-out trenches to irrigate her maize crops.

But when some two years ago the dam dried up due to poor rainfall and siltation, the impact on the 56-year-old and the other smallholder farmers at Tshongokwe Irrigation Scheme, a small community farm in Lupane district, was severe.

The temperatures were so high that our maize crop could not survive, said Ncube, a widowed mother of two who now lives with her three grandchildren. It is not only us humans that suffered but (even) our livestock as drinking water dried and grazing lands got depleted.

Over the past decade, many smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe have suffered poor harvests due to drought, exacerbating an already dire situation for millions of people in need of food assistance.

With the dam below capacity and climate change increasingly bringing unfavourable farming conditions, the community at Tshongokwe in 2018 realised it needed to find effective solutions to the crisis.

The drought was not only affecting farmers in the scheme but even our market, Soneni Dube, the chair of Tshongokwe Irrigation Scheme committee, said.

We looked for assistance from NGOs who provided us with capacity building and financial assistance to resuscitate our farming activities, she added.





Climate-smart agriculture the answer

The community decided to join Sizimele-Action for Resilience Building in Zimbabwe, a three-year consortium project aimed at boosting diversified agricultural production for more than 30,000 at-risk households in the districts of Matobo, Insiza and Lupane with assistance from NGOs and international partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

At the Tshongokwe Irrigation Scheme, whose 24 hectares of land are shared among 63 farmers, the programme drilled two solar-powered boreholes that store water in two 10,000-litre tanks. Flowing from the tanks, the water goes through underground pipes onto the drip lines to irrigate the farmers crops.

We have shifted from the old ways of doing things to the new ways, Dube said. We have stopped using flood irrigation because it does not only waste water but it washes away plant nutrients such as fertilisers. We are now using drip irrigation which saves water and nutrients critical for crop growth.

Also, the programme installed a weather station that provides early warning and in-weather season forecasts and also records surface and underground temperatures, as well as wind speed.

The station has a manual rain gauge used by the farmers daily at 8am and an automated rain gauge that sends data to the Meteorological Services Department of Zimbabwe which then issues early warning messages if needed.

We combine this technology with our local traditional ways of weather monitoring to check if the amount of rainfall is good for us to grow which types of crops and when. It also helps the nation to monitor weather in this area, said Tshongokwe Irrigation Scheme vice chairperson Ozins Ncube.

By February 20, Lupane district had received 226.1 millimetres of rainfall, which is far below the average expected level in a normal farming season running from November to April.

There has been farming here since 1980 with no problems but now there is climate change. Climate-smart agriculture is the answer [to the farmers problems), said Ahunna Eziakonwa, the UNDPs assistant administrator and regional director.

Drought cannot be prevented but can be predicted  and by predicting it, the impact can be reduced (thereby) reducing humanitarian needs.

As drought continue to ravages most parts of Zimbabwe, smallholder farmers are using solar-powered boreholes for irrigation [Farai Matiashe/Al Jazeera]

Feed the nation

Along with weather monitoring and the usage of water-efficient drip irrigation systems, the participants at the Tshongokwe scheme have adapted to the challenging climate conditions by growing drought-tolerant crops that not only grow fast but also have high yields.

Each farmer here has about 0.4 hectares [of land]. The area covered by the irrigation was divided into small pieces to accommodate everyone. We rotate crops. Last year I grew tomatoes and sold to buyers from Hwange, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, said Ncube, who currently has Michigan pea beans in her plot.

The farmers also pay a monthly sum into the scheme to cover the drilling of more boreholes until all hectares are covered by drip irrigation.

They have also set up a marketing team to attract customers for their products in nearby areas and have struck deals with big private companies that buy their produce at an agreed off-take price, according to Douglas Sayers, the schemes secretary-general.

Ncube said the earnings from her produce help her sustain her family and pay her grandchildrens school fees. Another smallholder farmer, Stella Mudzindiko, 64, said she uses profits to buy vaccines for her cattle, goats and donkeys.

Our cattle at times suffers from various diseases. So, I use the money from the plot to buy vaccines such as tick grease [a poisonous cream applied on animal skins to kill ticks]. After harvest, we use the remains from the crops as livestock feed, she said.

As for Ncube, she hopes that in the years ahead she will be able to get consistently good harvests to attract even larger private-sector demand.

I am confident, with more solar-powered boreholes, I will feed the nation, she said.
The coronavirus crisis is forcing US military planners to look at 'extraordinary circumstances' and prepare for a range of radical scenarios, including the possibility of widespread domestic violence and the deaths of the country's top politicians.

In a report published Sunday, Newsweek reveals that standby orders were issued more than three weeks ago to ready Above-Top Secret contingency plans if 'all Constitutional successors are incapacitated' and martial law needs to be imposed across the country.

'We're in new territory,' one anonymous senior military officer told the publication.

Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy is the 'combatant commander' for the United States and would lead the country if Washington were crippled by the current Covid-19 crisis.

The coronavirus crisis is forcing US military planners to look at 'extraordinary circumstances' and prepare for a range of radical scenarios, including the imposition of martial law. NORTHCOM commander Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy (pictured) would lead the country if Washington were crippled by the current Covid-19 crisis

O'Shaughnessy, 55, is a four-star general who graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1986.

The Canadian-born command pilot, who moved to the US at the age of four, was previously the Deputy Commander for the United Nations Command in Korea.

He is now the Commander of NORTHCOM, a military authority created in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, with the aim of 'defending America's homeland  protecting our people, national power, and freedom of action'.

NORTHCOM operates only in support of the government and other civil authorities, and are charged with dozens of secret assignments, including those to protect the President, Vice President and the Secretary of Defence.

Due to such contingency plans it seems highly unlikely that martial law could be imposed and that Gen. O'Shaughnessy could command the country.

O'Shaughnessy, 55, is a four-star general who graduated from United States Air Force Academy in 1986

Even if that were to happen, marital law would only be temporary measure, until a new civilian leader was installed.

However, there are currently more pertinent debates unfolding about when the armed forces and its reserves would be allowed to exercise 'emergency authority', particularly if widespread violence breaks out across the country due to food shortages, financial troubles or other chaos caused by coronavirus.

After the New York National Guard was called to the New York city of New Rochelle earlier this week to help keep containment zone in place, officials told the public that those serviceman and women were not preset to serve a 'policing function'.

Members of the Maryland Army National Guard work to set up a triage tent earlier this week. Neither the National Guard nor the Armed Forces serve a policing function

Members of the Maryland Army National Guard are pictured earlier this week

More than 26,000 people have tested positive to Covid-19 in the United States, and 346 Americans have died

However, The Pentagon appears to be taking no chances during the rapidly-evolving crisis.

In recent days they have implemented a ban on almost all overseas travel for military personnel for 60 days and issued guidance to keep 'all uniformed personnel on or near military bases', according to Newsweek

According to one military planner who spoke with Newsweek, most contingency plans are designed to be implemented for external threats, such as a terrorist incidents - but Covid-19 has upended the way that planners understand the idea of an attack.

'In scenarios where one city or one region is devastated, there's a pretty straightforward process,' they stated.

'But with coronavirus, where the effect is nationwide, we're in territory we've never been in before.'

The Pentagon appears to be taking no chances during the rapidly-evolving crisis, keeping military members close to bases
The two hundred and sixty-three Indians who were evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Italy's capital city of Rome were brought to Indo-Tibetan Border Police-managed quarantine facility in Chhawla here on Sunday.

The evacuees -- mostly Indian students -- had arrived in New Delhi earlier today from Rome on a special Air India flight. Prior to being taken to the quarantine centre, they had undergone thermal screening and immigration procedures at the Delhi airport.

The Delhi customs had provided assistance in the clearance of these passengers at the Remote Bay of the Delhi airport. Precautions were exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers were followed.

This is the second batch of Indians evacuated by the Indian government from Italy, which has reported more than 47,000 cases of the novel coronavirus.

Earlier, as many as 218 Indians -- mostly students -- were evacuated from the Italian city of Milan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
9-year-old, Diana Alvarez found dead after missing for 4 years

The authorities said that Alvarez's body was discovered by a group of surveyors working in the Yeehaw Junction area in Florida on Thursday.

Diana Alvarez, 9-years-old, when she disappeared in Lee County, Florida, in 2016. In the summer of 2016 and 2017, deputies had ordered a direct search in Yeehaw Junction, however, they discovered nothing.

At Fort Myers on the state's Gulf Coast, 18 miles away south of San Carlos Park, Diana Alvarez, 9, disappeared and nowhere to be found. Her body was found in Yeehaw Junction, 140 miles away, that ended the search on Thursday. The remains that are recovered were not been confirmed if it's Diana's, other information was added to the delay was the fact that proof uncovered on Friday.

They were alarmed when the surveyors came upon the body in Yeehaw Junction, and the remaining parts were positively identified as Alvarez through dental records. The cause of death is still not yet solved. Agents with the Lee County Sheriff's Office found the remaining parts of Alvarez, who is believed killed about four years ago.

That development joined with limitations in the development for state investigators brought on by the COVID-19 episode, prompted Judge Steinbeck to recommend and set a postponement in the trial.

Read also: Janiya Thomas: Body Found In Freezer Believed To Be Missing 11-Year-Old Florida Girl

After a thorough search in regions of Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County, Jorge Guerrero's phone was found, a family friend of Alvarez.

After moving at Sheltering Pines in 2015, Jorge Guerrero-Torres met Alvarez. He was looking for work when he moved to Lee County, he met Rita Hernandez, Diana's mother and her partner, Uribe Jimenez and welcomed him to their home.

Hernandez says her middle daughter saw him inside Diana's bedroom many times while he was staying with the family. Every time she asks her middle daughter she just starts crying. Her middle daughter was afraid to tell anyone what she saw until Guerrero was arrested because she was threatened to kill her parents and brothers. Hernandez's middle daughter told the investigators and prosecutors what she had witnessed.

He was kicked out after knowing that he has an "inappropriate relationship" with Alvarez. Guerrero was asked if he had sexual intercourse with Alvarez, he denied it but he admits doing malicious acts with her on a weekly basis.

He is believed that he's connected with Alvarez's disappearance in May 2010 and later was captured in June 2016 and sentenced to have possession of child pornography for explicit photographs of Alvarez on his phone in Fort Myers in December 2015 while he was still living with Diana's family.

He was sentenced to 40 years in prison having found guilty of kidnapping Alvarez and having possession of child pornography. A year after, the jury also accused him of first-degree murder. State Attorney Amira Fox seeks the death penalty for Guerrero-Torres' case.

Undersheriff Carmine Marceno said he trusts the arraignment would help Diana's family to start the road to the mending of their lost.

Related Article: Missing Colorado Boy Pronounced Dead, Stepmother Charged with Murder

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The Trinamool Congress, the second largest opposition party in Parliament, will not send its members of Parliament (MPs) to the two Houses after Monday, party leaders said on Sunday.

Our chief minister believes that in this hour of crisis, elected lawmakers must extensively tour their constituencies and raise awareness against novel coronavirus (Covid-19). She thinks it is more important for MPs to stay in their constituency than attending Parliament at this moment, said Trinamools Lok Sabha floor leaders Sudip Bandopadhyay and Derek OBrien in a letter. HT has seen the letter.

The Budget session is scheduled to conclude on April 3.

The Trinamools top brass plans to skip the Budget session when the government and the Opposition parties are set to have a fresh discussion on Monday morning over the latters demand for early curtailment of the ongoing session.

The Finance Bill, 2020, has been listed for passage in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Last week, it was dropped from the list and four other bills were added in the governments agenda.

The passage of the finance bill is the last step of getting Parliaments approval for the budget, which is a mandatory step for the government.

The finance bill may see a few Trinamool leaders present in the House to put forth the partys viewpoints on the budget.

The partys Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek OBrien has gone on self-isolation after he sat right next to BJP lawmaker Dushyant Singh, who met Covid-19 positive Kanika Kapoor at a party, in a meeting.

A key official told HT on condition of anonymity that parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday afternoon and their discussions centred on the Oppositions demand over curtailing the session in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Speaker will talk to the opposition leaders and government managers on Monday. There is a possibility that the government may have a rethink about the continuation of the ongoing budget session, said a senior official.

Another official added that neither any formal order nor any file has been moved so far, indicating that any decision, if at all taken, will happen only after the discussions on Monday.

Opposition leaders cutting across political lines have been demanding that the session should end as a large gathering in Parliament goes against the health advisories issued by the government itself.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Saubhadra Chatterji Saubhadra Chatterji is Deputy Political Editor at the Hindustan Times. He writes on both politics and policies. ...view detail
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Lucknow, March 22 : UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday extended the ongoing Janata Curfew in Uttar Pradesh till 6.a.m on Monday morning.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Avanish Awasthi said that the Chief Minister has "appealed that the Janata Curfew be extended till early morning and the police and administration should patrol the streets".

The Chief Minister is scheduled to hold a high-level meeting at 9.30.pm to take a decision further in the matter.

Reports said that the Chief Minister was expected to announce a lockdown for Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Noida till March 31. These districts have been reporting the maximum number of coronavirus cases.

The Lucknow metro, meanwhile, has announced that it will close its services till March 31, in line with other metros in the country.
Texting from a bed in a South Jersey emergency room on Sunday afternoon, a South Jersey woman said she was told she most likely has COVID-19, but didnt qualify for a coronavirus test because she wasnt sick enough.

NJ Advance Medias tip line has been flooded with similar stories about the availability of testing from around the state.

A shortage of available coronavirus tests and restrictions on who qualifies for them means the scope of the pandemic remains unclear, according to medical experts. New Jersey has reported 20 deaths and more than 1,900 infections from the virus as of Sunday.

Katrina Delgado, a 36-year-old mother of five from Lumberton, went to the emergency room at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly after an intermittent cough for a few weeks grew more violent and she started having shortness of breath, chest pain and a fever on Saturday.

After hours of trying to reach a doctor through an online service, she finally connected with a doc on Sunday morning and was told to go to an emergency room.

She called ahead to Virtua and was greeted by a staff member in protective gear when she arrived.

They sent out someone in gear, gave me a mask, took me back in a secret entrance and right into isolation, she said, communicating with NJ Advance Media via Facebook Messenger.

While Delgado said the ER doctor was confident she has the virus, they couldnt administer a test because Delgado wasnt sick enough  her temperature reached a high of 100.4  and the tests needed to be saved for the most serious cases.

I dont meet criteria for testing because I look too well, Delgado said, and they have a limited supply of tests and they have to be saved for critical patients .... but she is 100% certain I have it.

They said they are going to treat me as if I have the virus anyway.

She praised the staff at the hospital and said they are doing the best they can with what they are given, but shes frustrated that professionals arent getting the information they need about the scope of the pandemic.

The numbers that are being reported to the government are not accurate because there are so many more, she said. The medical analysis teams are not getting the true information they need in order to get a handle on it. Accurate statistics are very important when you are dealing with illnesses for treatment and testing purposes. It can save lives.

New Jersey has opened two drive-through testing sites, but they have been flooded with residents and quickly reached capacity on their opening days.

State officials say those who truly need the tests arent being denied.

Theres a difference between really needing the test and wanting the test, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in an interview last week. I dont believe anyone who needs the test is not getting it. We do not have a backlog with the commercial labs.

While there was a limited number of tests available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early on, doctors are now able to order them from private labs regardless of the criteria. However, residents who contacted NJ Advance Media say doctors still tell them they are limited by CDC guidelines for who can receive them.

The staff at Virtua ran a battery of tests on Delgado and hooked her up to an IV for fluids on Sunday.

Right now I still have shortness of breath and chest pain, she said as she waited for an update. They did a chest X-ray, gave me cough medicine, drew labs  they did an EKG, have me on a heart monitor ... still have a fever.

Delgado works from home as a nurse who handles insurance authorizations for hospital stays, so she hasnt been in a facility where she could have contracted the virus. I believe I got it when I was out shopping this past week, she said.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear two to 14 days after exposure and can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Experts recommend seeking medical attention immediately for someone having difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, new confusion or inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face.

The virus seems to be primarily spread person-to-person between those who are in close contact and through respiratory droplets produced when someone with the infection coughs or sneezes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those droplets can land in mouths and noses of those nearby or be inhaled into the lungs.

In the end, Delgado was told to go home Sunday afternoon, self-isolate and return to the hospital if her symptoms worsen. Her discharge paperwork indicates she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, she said.

Shes worried about protecting her husband, who has asthma, and her children from the virus, but is also saddened that she has to quarantine herself from her loved ones.

I am frustrated that when I get home I wont be able to hug and kiss my kids and husband for two weeks," she said. "I think that is going to be the most heartbreaking thing of all.

A Virtua official confirmed late Sunday that health care providers are facing challenges as more patients show up with virus symptoms.

Each day at Virtua Health, we are providing care for more and more people with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, said Dr. Reginald Blaber, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Virtua Health. Although government agencies, health care organizations and the private sector are working diligently to increase the availability of testing, the demand currently exceeds the supply. Therefore, priority is given to patients with severe symptoms or underlying health considerations.

For patients with mild to moderate symptoms, test results wouldnt change the treatment plan, according to Blaber.

These individuals can usually recuperate comfortably at home by getting lots of rest and drinking plenty of fluids, he said. They should also self-isolate, even without a confirmed diagnosis, just as they would with the flu to ensure the health and safety of their loved ones.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The coronavirus claimed its first victim in Bihar when a 38-year-old passed away after being afflicted with the COVID-19 disease.

A native of Munger in Bihar, the victim had returned from Qatar and was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna on Friday as he was suffering some kidney-related ailment.

However, the doctors attending him on Friday evening sent his samples (for corona test) to Rajendra Medical Research Institute (RMRI), which, on Sunday, confirmed about the victim being tested positive for the coronavirus. The man passed away on Saturday late night itself. However, the post-mortem report on Sunday suggested that he had tested positive and became the first COVID-19 victim here, said AIIMS Superintendent, CM Singh, here on Sunday.

The victim's body has been handed over to his family members, said, Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar, confirming about the death.

Bihar has so far tested two positive cases. While one passed away, the other, who has returned from Scotland, has been admitted to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH).

Meanwhile, the State Health Department has decided to screen all those 5000 passengers, mostly students and labourers, who have been returning by trains to Bihar from Maharashtra.

After railways informed us that around 5000 passengers are returning to Bihar in four batches on Sunday and Monday, we have made special arrangements for their proper screening at Patna, Ara and Buxar stations, said Principal Secretary, Health. If anyone has symptoms, then he or she will be quarantined. Others will be allowed to go home, he added.
File photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

China will provide Serbia with assistance in protective equipment and medical instruments, and send a group of medical experts to help it better contain the COVID-19 epidemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a recent message of sympathy to his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic.

In his message, Xi, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, extended sincere sympathies to the Serbian government and people over the recent COVID-19 outbreak in the Balkan country.

China and Serbia are comprehensive strategic partners, and the iron-clad friendship between the two countries and between the two peoples has stood the test of time and grown ever stronger, Xi stressed.

Recalling that when the Chinese people was making an all-out effort to fight the novel coronavirus disease, the Serbian government and people offered China strong support through concrete actions, Xi said he is deeply grateful for that.

China firmly supports Serbia's efforts against the epidemic, Xi said, adding that China will provide Serbia with assistance in protective equipment and medical instruments, and help it purchase urgently needed supplies in China.

China will also send a group of medical experts to help Serbia better contain the epidemic, so as to protect the life, health and well-being of the Serbian people, he added.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Serbia relations, and believes that through the joint battle against the epidemic, the two countries' time-tested traditional friendship will gain more hearty support from their people, and their comprehensive strategic partnership will grow deeper and rise to a higher level. 
Medical professionals girding for a potential spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases across Southeast Texas are especially concerned about rural communities and the ability of health-care facilities there to handle a significant outbreak.

In Jasper County, for example, a lack of specialized equipment would force doctors to transfer most coronavirus patients to hospitals outside the county. Dr. Ron McMurry, a member of the Jasper Hospital District Board, said there are likely fewer than 12 ventilators available for patients with the most severe symptoms, such as life-threatening respiratory problems, at Jasper Memorial Hospital and nearby facilities. Some anesthesia equipment could double as a ventilator, he said, but the county still couldnt meet demand.

Dr. Ray Callas of Beaumont said the region probably has fewer than 200 ventilators, which he warned is not nearly enough should it see a marked increase in severe cases in a short period of time. Since cardiac, trauma and other patients also need ventilators  and because a seriously ill coronavirus patient might need to be on the machine for weeks  the situation could quickly become dire, he added.

A lack of equipment could even force doctors into the kinds of life-and-death decisions their counterparts in other countries are already forced to make, he said.

Were following the same path right now that Italy was on, Callas said. If you match day-by-day, were all within the same projections. I dont want to panic Southeast Texas, but we dont have enough personal protective equipment and enough tests should the virus spread exponentially.

Related: Gov. Abbott: Tens of thousands of virus cases possible

But Jasper County at least had a few test kits available last week. Neighboring Newton County had none. And its closest hospital is Jasper Memorial.

More Information See More Collapse

Ive requested testing sites at Burkeville, Newton and Deweyville, but there hasnt been any response, Newton County Judge Kenneth Weeks said. Im just trying to keep everyone updated on the precautions to take. Were very fortunate we havent had any cases in East Texas. If we can keep it that way, I think well accomplish what we set out to do.

On Friday, Newton and Jasper joined three other Southeast Texas counties in creating a coronavirus screening and testing hotline.

Related: Tia Juanitas lays off 300

Callas said he has already heard of instances in which out-of-town residents have been referred to Beaumont to be tested for coronavirus after being turned away from their local emergency rooms. This increases the risk that patients could infect others as they make their way to the hospital in Jefferson County.

Then theyll get sent to Beaumont with a cough or a fever, he said, before cutting himself off. Yes, well have an increased number of cases here.

McMurry said it is important for people to remember that their local doctor or a clinic can order testing for them if they meet the criteria, but patients need to call their provider ahead of time to limit the number of people in the office who could be exposed.

How many people could be impacted is one thing we dont really know because we are so behind in the testing, he said. It would be nice if we could test everyone tomorrow, and you might find that a lot of people had it, didnt know it and recovered.

Related: 5 SE Texas counties to coordinate coronavirus screening, testing

While rural counties outside Jefferson have only a fraction of the medical equipment, officials say people who live in these areas have a couple of built-in advantages for beating coronavirus. First, theres the physical distance between homes in rural communities. Then, theres the fact that many of these residents trust and look after one another.

Most of our people know whos gone somewhere, or theyre willing to step up, tell us where theyve been and know were going protect them and not polarize them, Jasper County Judge Mark Allen said. People already have come forward if they had an issue or concern about being in this state or that state and theyve been helpful getting us a list of names of everyone theyve come in contact with.

On top of that, McMurry said, these folks are less likely to encounter at-risk people.

We dont have that many public events and we arent really attracting out-of-state travelers, he said. Its business as usual.

Related: Coronavirus could delay local elections

Allen, Weeks and others continue to stress the importance of social distancing and good hygiene.

To increase access to testing for counties that may not have been given test kits and streamline the process, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton and Orange counties on Thursday announced a unified hotline and testing process for people concerned they might have coronavirus.

Similar to the response to hurricanes and other floods, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said, teaming up with all other Southeast Texas counties amplifies the voice of each individual when lobbying for more assistance from the state and federal government.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

When the program launched Friday morning, it had about 400 test kits and only one testing site, which is located in Jefferson County.

Branick and the other judges have been looking into opportunities to obtain more test kits and plan to open testing sites in other counties.

I just want all our citizens in Southeast Texas to know the counties, the cities are here, theyre fighting, Allen said at a news conference announcing the hotline. Everyone is concerned for their well-being. Everyone will work together. Well beat this. Weve handled disasters before and well beat this. Were strong Texans.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) welcomed decisions taken by aviation regulators to provide flexibility to airlines and flight crew during the COVID-19 crisis.

Safety is the industrys top priority. Countries have a well-established licensing system to ensure this. Airlines and their employees are facing an unprecedented challenge in coping with the business and operational impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. In this extraordinarily difficult environment, we are grateful for actions to ease regulatory requirements that do not impact the safety of flights, said Gilberto Lopez Meyer, Iatas senior vice president, Safety and Flight Operations.

Examples of actions being taken by regulators:

 The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published templates which may be used by state regulators to notify EASA of the use of flexibility provisions. This allows for the extension to the validity periods for licences, ratings, endorsements, certificates and attestations of aircrew, instructors, examiners, aircraft maintenance licence holders and air traffic controllers as well as extension of Airworthiness Review Certificates.

 The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has published a decision allowing for flexibility to the validity periods for licenses, ratings, certificates applicable to flight crew and cabin crew.

 Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has recognised the need for flexibility in the delivery of classroom training and for the completion of recurrent training requirements. They have also granted the ability to extend the validity periods to some elements of training applicable to pilots, engineers, cabin crew and dispatchers.

 The UK Civil Aviation Authority has put a process in place to allow an extension to the validity of pilot and cabin crew requirements.

 In Mexico, the Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil, (AFAC) is extending the validity of permits, licenses and/or certificates for technical personnel for three months.

Aviation is built on partnership and working together. The actions taken by these regulators will provide airlines and licensed crew with the necessary flexibility for licence extensions without compromising safety. We urge others to quickly follow suit and grant similar short-term relief, said Lopez Meyer.

Iata is also offering help for airlines whose Iata Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) cannot be performed owing to COVID-19 travel restrictions that make it impossible for auditors to visit airlines, or because of other circumstances related to the current crisis. Extensions of IOSA audits are being offered for periods of up to six months, however airlines will be required to complete an IOSA safety questionnaire at a minimum of every 60 days during the extension period. The applicable Temporary Revision to the IOSA Program Manual (IPM) and affected registrations on the IOSA Registry can be consulted at www.iata.org/iosa. - TradeArabia News Service
The Covid-19 crisis is devastating for many industries, including the creative community. Almost all television and film production has now ceased globally - leaving hundreds of thousands of crew and cast without jobs. These include electricians, carpenters, drivers, hair and makeup artists and more, many of whom are paid hourly wages and work on a project-to-project basis.

This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still figuring out what economic support they will provide. So weve created a $100 million fund to help with hardship in the creative community.

Most of the fund will go towards support for the hardest hit workers on our own productions around the world. Were in the process of working out exactly what this means, production by production. This is in addition to the two weeks pay weve already committed to the crew and cast on productions we were forced to suspend last week.

Beyond helping workers on our own productions, we also want to support the broader film and television industry. So $15 million of the fund will go to third parties and non-profits providing emergency relief to out-of-work crew and cast in the countries where we have a large production base.

In the United States and Canada non-profits already exist to do this work. We will be donating $1 million each to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Covid-19 Disaster Fund , the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Actors Fund Emergency Assistance in the US, and $1 million between the AFC and Fondation des Artistes . In other regions, including Europe, Latin America and Asia where we have a big production presence, we are working with existing industry organizations to create similar creative community emergency relief efforts. We will announce the details of donations to groups in other countries next week.

Whats happening is unprecedented. We are only as strong as the people we work with and Netflix is fortunate to be able to help those hardest hit in our industry through this challenging time.

-Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer
Express News Service By

NEW DELHI: With the number of patients of coronavirus rising, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Saturday has requested the Chief Justice of India to consider declaring a four-week vacation for the Supreme Court from March 23.

In an urgent meeting convened today, the bar association has also urged for the Court to consider adjusting the lost working days of the apex court against the scheduled Summer vacation slated to begin in mid-May.

Supreme Court is scheduled to go on summer vacation from May 18 till July 5 during which vacation benches usually take up urgent matters.

The resolution of the SCBA says that further action will be taken after three weeks based on the prevelant situation at the time and has also assured that the executive committee of the SCBA has resolved to help the institution at any point in time as required.

On March 16, the top court has been carrying out restricted functioning with limited benches assembling in the Apex Court to hear only urgent matters.

The Court had also issued circulars advising persons to refrain from coming to the Court unless absolutely required as a measure to prevent crowding in the Court.

Various steps such as thermal screening of entrants, imposing a cap on the number of people entering a courtroom, and making entrants sign self-declaration forms have also been put in place for all those persons who need to enter the Court at this time.

Similarly, another lawyers body  Supreme Court Advocate on Record Association (SCAORA) also held a meeting and passed a resolution saying considering the seriousness/severity of the present situation.

SCAORA passes resolution to fight pandemic

Supreme Court Advocate on Record Association (SCAORA) also held a meeting and passed a resolution saying considering the seriousness/severity of the present situation and to curtail the outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus.
Australian reality stars ignored the government's social distancing advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by living it up across the country on Saturday.

Cast members from top-rated shows failed to keep the recommended 1.5 metres apart from each other while blissfully going about their daily lives as usual.

Love Island Australia's Shelby Bilby, 26, shared videos to her 157,000 Instagram fans defying the guidelines, with a friend physically climbing on top of her.

Risky: Australian reality stars ignored the government's social distancing advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by living it up across the country on Saturday. Pictured: Shelby Bilby

Shelby began her Saturday by posting a clip of a bikini-clad friend climbing around her body as part of a video challenge for Instagram.

She then filmed her trip to a hair salon and had her makeup done professionally.

The reality star attended a wedding in the afternoon, before spending the evening cosying up to other attendees as they danced in very close-proximity.

While on the dance floor, Shelby pretended to lick a friend as their faces touched.

Close proximity: On Saturday, Love Island's Shelby Bilby documented her day as she visited a salon, attended a wedding (left) and pretended to lick a guest (right) on the dance floor

Married At First Sight's Jessika Power, Sam Ball and Josh Pihlak also lived it up.

Jessika attended a house party in Perth with multiple people, where she drank directly from a champagne bottle and embraced several friends for selfies.

The beauty shared clips of other guests jumping into a swimming pool together.

Influencer! Married At First Sight's Jessika Power (pictured) attended a house party in Perth, where she drank directly from a bottom of champagne

Safe distance? Jessika embraced friends for selfies, and filmed other guests having fun

Sam went for food and drinks in Canberra, where he wrapped his arm around friends and was filmed doing shots with a group of women.

In Newcastle, Josh attended an event with several mates, and shared a picture of a woman lay across him and another friend.

Josh joked: 'When life gives ya corona, just put Luke Combs on repeat and tell ya best mate social distancing and curried sausages are on me tonight.'

'When life gives ya corona': Married At First Sight's Josh Pihlak (right) shared a picture of a woman lay across him and another pal as they partied in Newcastle, and joked about COVID-19

Too close for comfort! Married At First Sight's Sam Ball (pictured) didn't follow the 1.5 metre recommended social distance while out drinking in Canberra with friends

'The show must go on. Everyone, you can still get a haircut,' Gogglebox star Matty Fahd told his 38,000 followers while filming himself in a barbershop in Sydney.

His barber responded: 'You can't get corona from a line-up (haircut), cuz.'

Also in Sydney, The Bachelor's Jackson Garlick didn't let the current social distancing advice deter his gym routine on Saturday morning.

Jackson shared a post-workout picture with his arms wrapped around two other gym-goers, as they all dripped with sweat.

'The show must go on': Gogglebox star Matty Fahd (pictured) told his 38,000 followers 'you can still get a haircut' amid the pandemic while filming himself in a barbershop in Sydney

'Support': Matty's barber (pictured) responded, 'You can't get corona from a [haircut], cuz'

Their posts come after New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard urged everybody to follow the 1.5 metre recommendation on Friday.

'We are in a different time,' he said, after thousands of people flocked to Bondi Beach in Sydney on Friday, with the pictures sparking outrage across the country.

'We need to behave in different ways and that is to keep your distance. The recommendation is at least 1.5 metres. That is a sensible recommendation that people should sensibly take on board.

'Whether you are on Bondi or in a church, separate by 1.5 metres.'

Government advice reads: 'Social distancing is important because COVID-19 is most likely to spread from person-to-person.'

'So, the more space between you and others, the harder it is for the virus to spread.'

Coronavirus cases in Australia surged to 1,073 on Saturday, with 7 deaths so far.

Sweating it out: The Bachelor's Jackson Garlick (left) didn't let the current social distancing advice deter his gym routine on Saturday morning alongside several others
Stocks were poised to extend losses Monday after posting their worst week since the financial crisis, as Congressional legislation to fight the coronavirus pandemic hit an impasse in Congress.

On Sunday evening, futures for the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled more than 900 points while Standard & Poors 500 futures fell 5%, triggering an automatic shock absorber.

Investors were monitoring negotiations between Congress and the White House in hopes of a resolution on a $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package that aims to soften the economic damage from the virus. The package, however, failed to get enough votes in a key Senate procedural vote late Sunday.

Investors are looking for the number of infections to slow before markets can bottom, analysts say. The U.S., which confirmed more than 31,000 cases and 390 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, trailed only Italy and China in reported infections.

No one knows how long it will take for this to subside, says Sean O'Hara, president of Pacer ETF Distributors at Pacer Financial. What matters is how long were going to continue to stifle economic activity as a result of the spread of this virus. Until we open up commerce again, theres not much Congress can really do. Those measures will certainly be helpful once we're on the other side of this, but the market won't bottom until the number of new cases peak."

Contact your mortgage lender: Payments may be deferred as coronavirus pandemic causes worker hardships

Taxes 2020: April 15 federal tax filing deadline extended to July 15

Other news also unnerved markets. Sen. Rand Paul became the third member of Congress to test positive for the virus. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, was quarantined after a doctor who gave her a vaccination on Friday tested positive for the virus.

The key issue to look out for in the ongoing U.S. fiscal negotiations is the speed with which any fiscal package will arrive in the hands of companies and consumers, Torsten Slok, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Securities, said in a note. The longer it takes, the deeper the ongoing slowdown will be.

Story continues

Stock prices are monitored at the New York Stock Exchange, Feb. 26, 2020.

Global financial markets are likely headed for more turbulence this week as investors assess the economic fallout from business closures and layoffs. U.S. unemployment aid applications, released Thursday, are projected to surge to more than 2 million in the latest week, Goldman Sachs analysts forecast.

Investors have fretted over how badly the economy will get hit by the deadly pandemic and how many companies may go into bankruptcy due to a cash crunch. Wall Street is fearful that the virus will push the U.S. into recession.

St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard predicted the U.S. unemployment rate could skyrocket to 30% in the coming months, a level worse than the peak of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

The Federal Reserve has made a series of emergency moves in recent weeks in an effort to shield the U.S. economy from a downturn, including cutting interest rates to near zero and launching a fresh round of crisis-era bond purchases.

The massive amounts of stimulants being injected into the financial markets will likely avoid a total collapse of the global economy, Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities, said in a note. It is, however, too late to forestall a moderate to shallow recession, which has already started.

Worldwide cases of confirmed coronavirus surpassed 328,000, and there were more than 13,700 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard.

New York state has more cases than France or South Korea. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York has risen to 15,168, and the death toll in the state is 114, both highest in the nation.

Late Sunday, President Donald Trump said he activated the National Guard in California, New York and Washington to fight the outbreak.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dow: Stock futures halted for trading as investors await stimulus bill
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, on Sunday said the current outbreak of COVID-19 across the world will soon subside but will not be completely eradicated.

Mr Adeboye, who addressed his congregation across the globe via a live broadcast on Sunday, also said God had revealed to him earlier in the year that the world would experience a compulsory holiday, hence his earlier call to church members to undertake a 50-day fast in January.

The Redeemed Church, like many others across the nation, has stopped physical services, and resorted to online services in line with the directives of many governments to halt mass gathering.

The directives were given as a means of curbing the coronavirus which has so far infected about 26 persons in Nigeria and killed thousands across the globe.

I have heard one prophet say the coronavirus will soon die. And I said amen. You know prophets are greater than pastors. I heard another prophet say the world will experience rain for seven days and (it) will wash the plague away. I said amen. But I am speaking with you my children. The coronavirus will certainly subside after God has removed the plague but to say it will die, let me speak in local parlance, na lie (it is a lie), the pastor said.

He said the outbreak was Gods way of calling the attention of the whole world to godly living, irrespective of class or social standing and to show that He is still in control of human affairs.

He said this is because the compulsory holiday now affected both the low and high class citizens as most nations across the world have now locked down their communities and closed their borders.

He also disagreed with those that argue that Satan was the source of all evil and not God. He reminded them of the story of Job in the Bible.

Even Satan could not touch Job with any ailment or tragedy until God gave him express permission. The coronavirus plague is Gods way of telling the world, He is still in control. It will certainly subside and go away for a while and the world will recover, he said.

Exhortation

Speaking copiously from Psalm 91, 121, Isaiah 25 and a few other scriptures, Mr Adeboye urged Christians not to fret but to depend on God for protection in this trying time.

He said for those, who put their trust in God for their protection and provision, no plague is permitted to come near them.

He that dwells in the secret place of the almighty must abide under the shadow of the almighty. The conditions is for you to dwell and abide so you can enjoy the scriptural blessings God has promised in this end time, Mr Adeboye said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 01:24:04|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) on Sunday announced that it would suspend all its international flights, except those to five destinations as of March 27 over COVID-19 concerns.

Bilal Eksi, CEO of the THY, said on Twitter that the carrier would continue to fly to China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Russian capital Moscow, the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and New York and Washington in the United States.

The THY would also reduce the number of its domestic flights, but cargo services would continue as normal without any interruption, Eksi added.

The action will be valid until April 17.

Turkey has already suspended flights with 68 countries to contain the outbreak of COVID-19.
New York Citys mayor is preparing to order its 8.5 million people behind closed doors as it quickly becomes one of the worlds biggest coronavirus hotspots.

Bill de Blasio has called for masks and gowns to be provided as officials worldwide warn of a critical shortage of medical supplies.

He has asked President Donald Trump to have the US military take over the logistics of making and distributing medical supplies, while also requesting more doctors and other medics.

Mr de Blasio rold NBCs Meet The Press: I cant be blunt enough. If the president doesnt act, people will die who could have lived otherwise.

He urged New York City to shut down at 5pm on Sunday except for essential services and workers.

Meanwhile, the top infectious disease expert in the US has promised critical supplies will not run out.

They will be clearly directed to those hotspots that need it most, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CBS Face The Nation.

But Dr Fauci and other emergency officials did not give hard figures on the number of masks or any other supplies on their way.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged federal officials to step in quickly as hard-hit states outbid each other for ever scarcer supplies, sometimes doubling or tripling prices.

There have been more than 27,000 coronavirus cases across the US and 375 deaths.

New York state accounted for 114 deaths, mostly in New York City, where there were more than 4,400 infections, but officials warned the concentration may be more because of increased testing.

On Sunday, New York passed Washington state, the first US hotspot, in the number of fatal cases.

Donald Trump is confident about beating the pandemic (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Negotiators from Congress and the White House have resumed top-level talks on a 1.4 trillion dollars (1.2 trillion) economic rescue package for Washington, urged by President Donald Trump to strike a deal to steady a nation upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

Story continues

Mr Trump appeared confident about the nations ability to defeat the pandemic soon even as health leaders acknowledged the US is nowhere near the peak of the outbreak.

Only China, Italy and Spain have reported more Covid-19 cases than the US.

Worldwide, more than 316,000 people have been infected and nearly 13,600 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

About 150 countries now have confirmed cases, with Italy and Iran reporting soaring death tolls.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte went on live TV to announce that he was tightening the countrys lockdown.

Italy now has more than 59,000 cases and 5,476 deaths.

We are facing the most serious crisis that the country has experienced since the Second World War, Mr Conte told Italians during a broadcast at midnight.

Pope Francis looks out from the window of his studio overlooking St Peters Square (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Pope Francis again held his weekly Sunday blessing in his private library.

He has streamed the last several services since the virus started sweeping through Italy.

To the virus pandemic, we want to respond with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness, the Pope said.

He asked all Christian denominations to join in reciting the Our Father prayer on Wednesday at noon.

Pope Francis also plans to lead a global blessing to an empty St Peters Square on Friday.

The Urbi et Orbi blessing is normally reserved for Christmas Day and Easter.

Elsewhere, the long-haul airline Emirates said it will suspend the majority of its passenger flights from Wednesday over the outbreak.

Singapore, meanwhile, said it will fully shut its borders beginning on Tuesday.

In Spain, Europes hardest-hit country after Italy, intensive care units in some areas were close to their limits even before Sundays new tally of more than 28,500 infections and 1,750 deaths.

A field hospital with 5,500 beds was going up in a convention centre in Madrid and health officials warned more than 10% of the countrys health workers were now infected with coronavirus.

But there were some signs of hope. The Chinese city of Wuhan  where the global pandemic was first detected and the first city to be locked down  went a fourth consecutive day on Sunday without reporting any new or suspected cases.

Parks and other public gathering places were reopening in China as people return to work and businesses resumed.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, March 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ADC Therapeutics SA, a clinical-stage oncology-focused biotechnology company pioneering the development and commercialization of highly potent antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for patients suffering from hematological malignancies and solid tumors, today announced that Ron Squarer is to be appointed Chairman of its Board of Directors and an advisor to the Company. Peter B. Corr, Ph.D., who has served as Chairman since the Companys founding in June 2011, will remain on the board as a Director.



Mr. Squarer served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Array BioPharma, Inc. (Array) from 2012 until 2019, during which time he executed an oncology-focused research, development, and commercialization strategy that culminated in the successful commercial launches of Braftovi (encorafenib) and Mektovi (binimetinib). During his tenure at Array, the companys market capitalization grew more than 30-fold, and the company was ultimately acquired by Pfizer Inc. at a total enterprise value of approximately $11.4 billion.

Rons nearly 30-year career in the global biopharmaceutical industry includes extensive oncology leadership experience spanning commercial, clinical development and research prioritization roles, said Dr. Corr, who is also Co-Founder and Managing General Partner of Auven Therapeutics. His commercialization expertise will be incredibly valuable to ADC Therapeutics as we prepare to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Lonca in the third quarter of 2020 and continue to build out the commercial organization in preparation for the anticipated launch of Lonca in the second quarter of 2021, if approved. Im delighted to pass the Chairman role to Ron and welcome him to the Board of Directors.

Before joining Array, Mr. Squarer held positions of increasing responsibility with Hospira, Inc., a global pharmaceutical and medical device company. As Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Hospira, he was responsible for delivering $4.0 billion in annual revenue. Mr. Squarer joined Hospira from Mayne Pharma, when it was sold to Hospira in 2007. Before serving as Senior Vice President, Global Corporate and Business Development at Mayne Pharma, Mr. Squarer held leadership roles at both Pfizer (focused on oncology) and SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoSmithKline) in the U.S. and Europe.

Mr. Squarer currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the public companies Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Retrophin, Inc. He earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

Im pleased to take on the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors as ADC Therapeutics evolves from research and development into a commercial organization, said Mr. Squarer. I look forward to actively working with Chris Martin, the board and the broader team to continue preparations for the launch of Lonca and to advance the development of novel ADCs for patients suffering with hematological cancers and solid tumors.

Peter Corrs vast experience in drug discovery and development has been invaluable in steering ADC Therapeutics to the point where we are now fast approaching the commercialization of Lonca while continuing to develop our deep pipeline of ADCs. It is characteristic of Peter to pass the baton on to a Chairman with Rons depth of experience. I am excited to be working closely with Ron as he helps the Company deliver on the full clinical and commercial potential of our pipeline, said Chris Martin, Chief Executive Officer of ADC Therapeutics.

About ADC Therapeutics

ADC Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of a deep pipeline of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for patients suffering from hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The Companys lead program, Lonca (loncastuximab tesirine, formerly ADCT-402), exceeded its primary endpoint in a 145-patient pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial, demonstrating significant single-agent clinical activity across a broad population of difficult-to-treat patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The Company intends to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Lonca for the treatment of DLBCL in the third quarter of 2020, and simultaneously commence a pivotal Phase 2 trial for Lonca in r/r follicular lymphoma patients. The Companys second lead program, Cami (camidanlumab tesirine, formerly ADCT-301), targets IL2a/CD25. Cami demonstrated significant clinical activity in Hodgkin lymphoma patients in a 133-patient Phase 1 trial and is currently being evaluated in a 100-patient pivotal Phase 2 trial. Based on its mechanism of action targeting regulatory T cells, the Company is also evaluating Cami in an ongoing Phase 1b trial for the treatment of solid tumors with potential across a broad range of cancer types. ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne, Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey. For more information, please visit https://adctherapeutics.com/ .

Investors Contact

Amanda Hamilton

ADC Therapeutics

amanda.hamilton@adctherapeutics.com

Tel: +1 917-288-7023

EU Media Contact

Alexandre Muller

Dynamics Group

amu@dynamicsgroup.ch

Tel: +41 (0) 43 268 3231
A 41-year-old woman in Pune tested positive for the coronavirus disease or Covid-19 on Saturday, becoming the second patient in India with no history of foreign travel or documented contact with previous cases and fuelling fears that the country had slipped into the deadly third phase of the infection when the contagion spreads rapidly.

At this stage of the outbreak , known as the community transmission phase, the origin of any individual patients infection cannot be pinpointed to travel to a global hotspot of the disease, or documented contact with a previously infected person. This means that the virus is freely circulating in the community, making it tough for authorities to control its spread or enforce containment measures.

In countries worst-hit by the coronavirus disease, or Covid-19, such as China, Italy, Iran or South Korea, the number of infections and fatalities rose sharply once the country moved into the community transmission phase.

Also Watch | COVID-19: India observes Janta Curfew; streets and roads deserted

Late evening, authorities in West Bengal reported that a 57-year-old man, who had not travelled abroad and had no documented contact with a previous patient, had tested positive for Covid-19  indicating that more cases of people with no obvious origin of infection were showing up across the country. The case was confirmed by two state government laboratories but not by the NIV, the national nodal authority, at the time of going to print.

GOVT DISMISSES

The government dismissed claims of community transmission, and said the two cases simply represented a failure of contact tracing, a process by which authorities identify everyone a coronavirus patient has come in contact with. This is crucial in figuring out how many people a particular patient might have potentially infected.

Right now we are focussing our efforts on tracing the contacts of all the positive cases. Contact tracing is not a simple exercise we are currently monitoring over 7,000 people who have come in contact with those who tested positive. So far, there is no evidence of community transmission, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary, Union health ministry.

But experts point out that having no obvious source of an infection, or not being able to immediately trace an infection to either foreign travel or direct contact was a clear indication of community transmission. Moreover, because of a paucity in testing  India has tested just 16,911 samples so far ,one of the lowest testing rates in the world  experts had no clear idea if community transmission was occurring among patients.

IN DENIAL?

We need to expand testing to identify the infected early and treat them effectively and delay their getting into a critical stage...just the same strategy as we followed for HIV AIDS.... Yes, it (the possibility of community transmission) has been worrying me for over a week, said Sujatha Rao, former health secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, and former director general, National AIDS Control Organisation, Indias apex body for preventing HIV in India.

We have wasted time being in denial, exactly the way we were with HIV AIDS. We havent learnt lessons.

A senior health ministry official said that community transmission could only be confirmed when national surveillance network picks up a high number of positive cases. Or we start reporting 200 or 300 cases and dont know the source of a high number  50 to 60 of these cases, he added, suggesting that two or three cases that cant be explained do not confirm community transmission.

There are four stages of an outbreak. Stage I is when cases are imported by travellers from other countries, Stage II is when these travellers then pass on the infection locally to people living or working around them, Stage III is when community transmission happens and the health care workers are unable to trace the source of infections, and the last Stage IV is when the disease is widespread in a population.

India is currently in the Stage II of the outbreak, according to the health ministry.

Yes, there are cases where we havent been able to pinpoint the source of the infection. However, I will consider this to be the failure of our contact tracing efforts rather than community transmission, said the Union health ministry official.

Knowing whether there is community transmission is important as people with undetected infection could lead to an explosion in cases like in Italy, where Covid-19 cases and related fatalities shot up suddenly when community transmission began. I think it is just a matter of time that India sees an explosive rise in the number of cases, said Lalit Kant, former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at ICMR. The Pune woman was brought to the government-run Bharati hospital on March 16 with complaints of fever and breathlessness.

As per the information from her family, she started developing initial symptoms on March 3. After that, she took public transport to travel to an anganwadi and also attended a wedding in Navi Mumbai, said Sanjay Lalwani, medical director of the hospital.

Divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said four of her family members were isolated at their homes while the driver of taxi she had hired was quarantined.

We have already traced over 100 people who came in contact with the patient and also contact tracing those who came in contact with the four family members. This number may run in hundreds. A central government team has visited the hospital to decide on whether the case is of local transmission or community transmission, he added.

The case came a day after the government said it was yet to trace the origin of infection of the 20-year-old Delhi man who travelled by train from Delhi to Chennai on March 17.

In the Bengal case, the man, a resident of Dum Dum on the northern fringes of Kolkata, was admitted in a private hospital on March 16 after being ill with fever, accompanied by a dry cough, since March 13, a top state health department official said. His condition deteriorated on March 19 with the onset of acute respiratory distress syndrome and he was put on ventilator, the official said on condition of anonymity

TRACING DIFFICULTIES

Authorities argue that contact tracing becomes incredibly difficult, especially when people travel in public transport like in the case of a 46-year-old Delhi man who took the Metro for days before testing positive. Delhi authorities said they were able to trace his contacts in the neighbourhood where he lived and at his workplace, but there was no way of tracing the people on the metro.

The same was true of one of the three initial cases in India.

If you remember the first three cases of Covid-19 in India, one of them had taken multiple flights, trains and other public transport. Do you think we were able to trace all of the people on those vehicles? No. And, someone else might very well contract the infection in transit and we will not know the source. But, does it suggest community transmission? No, the health ministry official said.

To detect community transmission, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the countrys apex health research body, has been conducting surveillance testing by lifting random samples of patients suffering from severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), including severe pneumonia.

These samples are taken from people with no travel history or contact with a positive patient. All 826 samples collected during the second round of community testing in March returned negative for Covid-19, according to ICMR. With the ICMR expanding its testing criteria to include all patients hospitalised with SARI Friday onwards, early detection of community transmission is likely.

The ICMR says that there is no community transmission as of now, but my feeling is we just havent been able to pick up. Initially, we were just testing symptomatic people who had travelled abroad and those who came in contact with them, how would we then be able to detect if anyone among the 1.3 billion people have it? The revised criteria that allows for testing all patients with SARI will help in picking up community transmission, said Dr Kant.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anonna Dutt Anonna Dutt is a health reporter at Hindustan Times. She reports on Delhi governments health policies, hospitals in Delhi, and health-related feature stories. ...view detail
A quick browse of your LinkedIn account or of the news shows how some companies are stepping up in this unprecedented moment of crisis.

Its inspiring to see how some of these companies are providing support to their people.

Some are offering to reimburse their isolated staff for take out deliveries so they not only support their employees but also their community small businesses.

As we are near a total shutdown and most people are working from home, a suitable response by Toronto Hydro could be to offer half hydro rates for all of their users all day for the next few weeks until we are advised to go back to our normal lives.

Ali Naqvi, Toronto

Read more about:
* Cambodia's Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed late on Saturday that two more people were tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases in the kingdom to 53.

* Indonesia is working to prepare more health equipment as the country's death toll of the novel coronavirus has risen to 38 with the total cases climbing to 450, a government spokesman said on Saturday.

* The Department of Health of the Philippines reported on Saturday 77 more positive cases for COVID-19, the biggest single-day jump in the number of the coronavirus cases in the country. That brings the total number of the confirmed cases in the country to 307. The government urged people to stay at home to slow down the spread of COVID-19.

*Bangkok's governor Asawin Kwanmuang Saturday announced a 22-day closure of shopping malls, markets and beauty salons in the capital from March 22 to April 12 amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Another 188 COVID-19 cases were reported in Thailand on Sunday (March 22), accounting for the highest daily rate and making a total of 599 patients, according to a senior government official. There has been one death from the COVID-19 in Thailand so far.

* About 80 doctors have registered themselves as volunteers to Myanmar Medical Association (Central) for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 to this date, Dr. Win Zaw, general secretary of Myanmar Medical Association (Yangon Division) told Xinhua on Sunday. No confirmed COVID-19 case has been reported so far in Myanmar.

* Singapore announced on Sunday to deny the entry of short-term visitors regardless of their nationalities and limit the entry of work-pass holders, as the newest of a slew of border control measures. Singapore's Ministry of Health said on Saturday there were 432 cases of coronavirus patients in Singapore. Of the total, 140 cases were discharged, and two died on Saturday.

* The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 20,000 as of 1:30 p.m. local time on Saturday (1730 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The fresh figure reached 22,043, as the states of New York, Washington and California topped the chart with 10,356, 1,524 and 1,267 cases, respectively, the CSSE said.

* Major supermarkets plan to create tens of thousands of extra jobs across Britain to help keep shops open and stocked during the novel coronavirus pandemic. As of 9a.m. (0900GMT) on Saturday, 72,818 people have been tested in Britain, of which 67,800 were confirmed negative and 5,018 were confirmed positive. 233 patients in the country who tested positive for the virus have died.

* France on Saturday reported 112 new COVID-19 deaths, and infection cases rose by 1,847 to 14,459. A total of 6,172 people are hospitalized, including 1,525 patients in intensive care, of whom 50 percent are younger than 60 years old, according to figures updated by the Ministry of Health.

* Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Saturday called on the United States to abandon its unilateral sanctions against Iran, as the country is plagued by the coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. sanctions are "inhumane" as Iran is faced with an acute shortage of means to solve urgent healthcare problems caused by COVID-19, Ryabkov said in a statement.

* Russia has registered 53 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 306, official data showed Saturday. The new cases were confirmed in 18 regions of the country, with the patients visiting countries hit by COVID-19 in the last two weeks, Russia's coronavirus control and prevention task force said.

* The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spain rose from 19,980 on Friday to 24,926 on Saturday, according to the daily report published by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services. The number of deaths caused by the virus has also risen sharply from 1,002 to 1,328, while 2,125 people have now made a recovery.

* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday morning that his government is continuing to monitor the situation of the COVID-19 spread in the country and will not remove any options on the table. Trudeau did not declare a national states of emergency against the COVID-19 spread although several provinces and cities in the country have declared state of emergency. As of Saturday noon, Canada has confirmed 1,145 COVID-19 cases and 13 people died of the coronavirus.

* Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a second economic stimulus package and warned against all non-essential travel as COVID-19 continues to spread. Morrison on Sunday afternoon unveiled the AUD66-billion (US$38.2 billion) package, building on measures included in the AUD17.6-billion (US$10.2 billion) package he announced on March 13.

*The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia was 1,098 as of Sunday morning -- an increase of more than 200 from 874 on Saturday morning.

* The Chairman of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un observed the demonstration firing of tactical guided weapon on Saturday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday. The firing was aimed at re-confirming and showing Korean People's Army commanding officers the tactical characters and power of a new weapon system to be delivered to the army units, the report said.

* The Republic of Korea reported 98 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Sunday local time, raising the total number of infections to 8,897. The newly confirmed cases fell below 100 again, after recording 147 on Saturday. The figure moved above or below 100 for the past week. Two more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 104. The total fatality rate came in at 1.17 percent.

* Japan's health ministry and local governments said Sunday the number of COVID-19 infections nationwide had risen to 1,055 cases as of 10:30 a.m. local time, an increase of 40 cases from a day earlier. The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at 45, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.

* Afghanistan's Public Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz on Sunday confirmed 10 new COVID-19 cases, including the first two cases in national capital of Kabul.

* The Solomon Islands government said it will ban all non-citizens from entering the country from Sunday. According to a government statement issued on Saturday, incoming Solomon Islands citizens and residents will be permitted to enter but must undergo a strict mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

* Many countries in Latin America have imposed quarantines to stop the COVID-19 spread, as more and more confirmed cases were reported. Bolivia with 19 confirmed cases announced on Sunday that it will enter a "total quarantine" for 14 days. In Brazil, one of the hardest-hit countries in the region, the number of cases rose to 1,128 on Saturday, with 18 deaths.

* Venezuela reported on Saturday that 70 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the country and 15 people have recovered, with no local cases. In Argentina, which has reported 158 cases, authorities said that the government is "inflexible" on the mandatory quarantine ordered to stop the COVID-19 spread.

* El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele declares on Saturday a 30-day curfew over the coronavirus outbreak in the Central American country, local media reported

* Chilean Minister of Health Jaime Manalich on Saturday confirmed the country's first fatality due to the new coronavirus. The Chilean Ministry of Health reported on Saturday that the country currently has 537 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 103 new cases detected in recent hours.

* The Romanian government late Saturday declared a curfew and required citizens to stay at home as much as possible during daytime in the latest move to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Romania reported 59 more cases on Saturday, bringing its total to 367.

* Albanian President Ilir Meta on Saturday called on all citizens to respect the restrictions imposed by the authorities to fight the spread of coronavirus. As of Saturday, according to health authorities, the number of confirmed cases in Albania is 76, of which two have died and two have recovered.

* Another three victims of the novel coronavirus epidemic were registered in the past few hours in Greece, raising the country's death toll from COVID-19 to 13, officials announced on Saturday. In addition, authorities diagnosed 35 new confirmed infections, bringing the total to 530.

* The number of the novel coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 945, the Ministry of Health said Sunday. Of the 297 patients being treated in hospitals across Israel, 20 are in serious condition and 24 in moderate condition.

* A nationwide curfew will be imposed in Kuwait to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the government announced. Kuwait suspend all commercial flights starting March 13 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

* Two Palestinians in Gaza have tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first cases recorded in the Hamas-ruled enclave, a health official said early Sunday. A total of 53 Palestinians have been infected with the virus since March 5, and 17 of them have recovered, the health ministry in the West Bank said earlier Saturday.

* Local authorities in Turkey have removed some benches in parks and streets, as many elderly in the country have continued to flock to parks, stores and bazaars despite the government call to stay indoors. Turkey so far confirmed nine deaths from the COVID-19, as the total number of confirmed cases increased to 670.

* Jordan said on Saturday 15 new cases of novel coronavirus were reported in the country, increasing the total number to 99, according to the health minister.

* Iraqi Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed a total of 214 COVID-19 cases across the country including the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. Out of the 214 infected people, 17 have died and 52 others have recovered, the ministry said.

* Nigeria's government forces have rescued nine kidnapped people during their recent raids on the gunmen hideouts in the country's northwest, the military said Saturday.

* The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across Africa has climbed to 1,114 as 40 African countries reported confirmed cases as of Saturday afternoon, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Saturday.
A Nepali national has been arrested and remanded to police custody, on Sunday, for assaulting his wife and two sons - one five-year-old and seven-year-old at their Kondhwa residence.

The man has been identified as Ekendra Ramsingh Bika, 30; whereas the complainant, who is his wife, has been identified as Champa Ekendra Bika, 23, both of whom live near Buddha Vihar in Kondhwa and are natives of Accham in Nepal, said police.

In her complaint, the woman stated that her husband, who is unemployed, would beat her for not doing household chores. The man assaulted the elder son using a belt last week, and beat the younger son, using his fists on March 16.

While he left leather belt marks on the 7-year-olds face, the younger one was hit hard on his head and had to undergo CT scan at Sassoon General Hospital. On Saturday afternoon, he held the complainant by the hair and banged her nose against a wall in their house. He also punched her until she started to bleed, said the complainant.

The complainant works as a domestic worker and is undergoing treatment for injuries on her nose and face. Her employer helped her register a complaint, said police.

A case under Section 75 of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 along with Sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous means or weapons), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (insult with an intention of provoking breach of peace), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of Indian Penal Code has been registered against the man at Kondhwa police station.
The Adada State Creation Committee, Enugu State, today in Enugu, quesioned the credibility of the report on creation of additional states in the southeast that was submitted by the Ohaneze Ad-hoc Committee on State Creation, which favoured creation of Aba state rather than Adada state.

It would be recalled that one Mr. Paul Njoku, a member of the committee, in a publication Wednesday, revealed that the committee favoured the creation of Aba state.

In a swift reaction, the secretary of the Adada State Creation Committee, Enugu State, Chief James Ugwu, accused the committee of incompetence, corrupt and biased.

According to him, The assignment given to the OHANAEZE NDIGBO by the Governors Forum includes reading through all the documentations emanating from the state creation agitations, such as reports by the Willink Commission of 1957, Case for ENUGU (WAWA) STATE of 1970 and also from the creation of Old Enugu and Ebonyi states.

There is a document written in 1970 and signed by the then leaders of the South East that divided the South East into North and South, equal in size and population. Presently, the Southern Igbo has three states namely: Anambra, Imo and Abia, while the Northern Igbo has only two states: Enugu and Ebonyi.

One of the reasons why the South East is crying against national imbalance is because we have only five states while other geopolitical zones have 6 and 7 states. In view of the above, will there be justice if Aba state is created thereby making the Southern Igbos four states and leaving the Northern Igbos with only two states?

Paul also talked about economic viability of Aba and the land mass. You will notice that Adada has more land mass than Aba. It is also laughable to hear my friend saying that Aba has more manpower and educational institutions than Adada which has been housing the first indigenous and prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

You may again need to know that we have a lot of natural resources such as oil and mineral deposits untapped. In terms of local government areas, the arbitrariness in local government creation is what denied the Nsukka district headquarters from giving birth to up to six LGAs. It is the only local government district headquarters that is not a state capital in Nigeria. It is also the largest local government area in Nigeria today.

Ugwu said during submission of documents to the Ohaneze committee, the Adada team had intimated the Ohaneze Committee that a decision had earlier been taken on the first choice of the South East on state creation.

We had referred the Committee to a 10-man committee of Senators and House of Representatives mandated by the Southeast caucus of the NASS after a meeting of political leaders, past and present governors, political appointees, leaders of Ohaneze Ndigbo, leaders of thought and other opinion leaders in South East to select the most qualified state out of all the agitations from South East.

This Committee, after scrutinizing the entire documents, decided to go it democratically by voting amongst themselves. The result of the vote was as follows: Adada, 5; Orashi, 3; Aba, 2, and Njiaba, 0.

Ugwu said following the result of this vote, the Southeast had made her first choice clear, adding, Therefore, the first choice state to be created from South East is Adada State. It is important to note that until another round of a similar meeting mentioned above is convened and voting by NASS members of South East extraction, Adada State remains the first choice of the entire South East.

He described the report as a scandal and disclosed the matter had been reported to through a petition to the Office of the President -General of Ohaneze Ndigbo.

He said the right person to have received the report is the President General of Ohaneze, who in turn, would have sent the report to the Governors Forum on receipt and review of such report from the ad-hoc Committee on State Creation.

He reiterated that, No state creation request from the South East can be more qualified than Adada State. Adada met all the requirements as contained in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Part 1(1) (2) of the Creation of State and Boundary Adjustment (procedure) Act Cap.C37 LFN 2004.

All the National and States Assemblies members, Elected LG chairmen and councilors from the proposed Adada State signed. Leaders of the traditional rulers all endorsed the document of request, even though the endorsement is not a condition precedent.

If the ad-hoc Committee or the Ohaneze Ndigbo had any reason to change the earlier decision reached by the leadership of the South East, they have to reconvene another meeting of south east leaders.

Until that is done and another vote cast, Adada State remains the first choice state for creation from the South East.
Car shopping takes a lot of different steps. It is a very long process that can take weeks or months. People do a lot of research and spend a lot of time making sure they are getting the best vehicle possible for them.

There are a lot of makes and models to look through. Every company has a handful of models to choose from and every model has a handful of trim levels. There are too many choices out there, how can you be expected to search through all of them? The only way to really know if a car is the right one is to try it out for yourself.

Right now, people are rightly hunkering down at home to stay safe. Staying healthy is important, but it doesnt mean life has to come to a complete stop. During this time, customers who are interested in replacing their car or buying a new one have options. Alexander Toyota is taking the necessary precautions to protect our staff and community while still providing an excellent standard of service.

Many of the services are also available as well. Alexander Toyota offers a SmartPath service to make car shopping smarter than before. Transparent prices, trade evaluations, and payment calculations can all be taken care of online. We can deliver a car directly to customers to allow them to test drive a car from home. If your car needs service, then we also offer a concierge service to pick up your car and take it back to the dealership for service.

Many of Alexander Toyotas services can be accessed and utilized from the comfort of your own home. From test drives to ordering parts, you can still continue the car buying process if you so choose. The dealership is being cleaned and sanitized within CDC guidelines if you prefer an in-person approach.
Photo credit: VICTORIA JONES - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry recently committed to using their Instagram account to share resources about COVID-19.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex encouraged their fans to "digitally train to be a counselor," in order to help others.

Meghan and Harry also offered their support to anyone feeling "alone, or anxious or scared."

Many people are now self-isolating due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Sussexes are continuing to use their platform to support those in need.

Taking to their Sussex Royal Instagram account, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry shared resources to help anyone who is struggling right now. And the couple also suggested that a great use of a person's time during self-isolation could be to retrain as a counselor and potentially help those in need.

They wrote, "With everything going on, its a lot to take in. Many of us may feel confused. Or alone, or anxious or scared... and in isolation, some of us may just feel bored, or that you dont know what to do with yourself without your normal routine. Its perfectly normal to be feeling any of these things."

The Sussexes continued, "Our emotional well-being is challenged everyday whether we realise it or not, but our lives are usually filled with distractions. Now with constantly changing COVID coverage, we are all adjusting to this new normal and the feelings that come with it."

The duke and duchess explained:

Story continues

"But heres the good thing (because right now we need to hear good things, right?): Yes, there is isolation and physical distancing, but there doesnt have to be loneliness.

There are resources that can help us all through this process, and ways that YOU can become one of those resources. @crisistextline @giveusashoutinsta @kidshelpphone and CTL Ireland are organisations that need new volunteers now more than ever and have an open door for you to get the support you need.



- If youre home and feeling bored, you can digitally train to be a counselor and HELP someone who really needs your support! What an amazing way to use this time.



- If you feel alone, overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious, you can text one of these lines and talk it through.



- If you are in an abusive relationship and now find yourself in isolation with your abuser, these counselors are there for you. You do not need to suffer in silence.



And for those of you who dont feel comfortable texting with a stranger, reach out to your friends, family and colleagues. Phone calls and video conferencing are such a great way to feel more connected - ask if theyre okay, tell them how youre (actually) feeling, and use this time to really listen for the answer.

If there is someone you know and are worried about, your text may be the thing that saves their life."

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The Delhi Police on Sunday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in the national capital till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak, banning protests, and other gatherings.

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code bans assembly of four or more people in one place.

The order issued by Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava will come into effect from 9 pm on March 22 and will remain in force till March 31.

According to the prohibitory orders, assembly of any kind for demonstrations, processions or protests is banned. Any gathering -- social, cultural, political, religious, academic, sports, seminar or conference -- is also not allowed, the order stated.

Weekly markets (except for vegetables, fruits and essential commodities), concerts, exhibitions, etc have been banned. Guided group tours conducted by various private tour operators are also prohibited, it said.

"Any individual suspected or confirmed with COVID-19 shall take measures for preventions or treatment that is home quarantine, institution quarantine, isolation or any such person shall cooperate to render assistance or comply with the directions of the surveillance personnel," Shrivastava said in the order.

Any person contravening prohibitory orders shall be punishable under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of Indian Penal Code, the order said.

Novel coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 341 on Sunday. Delhi has reported 27 cases so far, according to the Union Health Ministry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TWIN FALLS  A week after Gov. Brad Little announced Idahos first COVID-19 case, some cities in the Magic Valley with a considerable Spanish-speaking population have yet to receive information materials in the language.

Jerome, like many other communities in the state, is relying on Spanish-speaking staff to assist people with information and announce the closure of its city offices to the public. Much of what can be accomplished depends on who is available at a given time as there is no position dedicated exclusively to public health information translation.

Nearly a quarter of Latinos in Idaho speak English less than very well, according to data from the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs Hispanic Profile Data Book. Jerome, Twin Falls and Gooding counties have Spanish-language information available outside their offices and online or through social media, but experts say that cities cannot afford delays.

In high and novel risk environments like the one we are experiencing currently, some people might be less likely to engage in information due to fear, Dilshani Sarathchandra, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Idaho, said. ... Whether fear paralyzes you or motivates you into action will also depend on availability of accurate and up-to-date information in easily accessible formats. What we should not be doing is creating additional barriers such as language barriers where people who are motivated to act are discouraged, sidelined or made to feel hopeless.

The South Central Public Health District told the Times-News last week that it relies on community leaders to reach out if there is a need for its materials in Spanish. As the situation evolves, that initiative from community leaders becomes more essential.

I would love to make all those calls myself and to make sure everyone has the resources they need, Brianna Bodily, spokeswoman for the South Central Public Health District, said. But we simply dont have the time. Theres too many counties, too many cases and too many hotspots that were dealing with.

In anticipation of an increase in demand for health information in Spanish, the health district created a Spanish hotline specifically for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which can be reached at 208-737-5965.

The health district also has information on its website that is available in all languages spoken in the Magic Valley as well as a contracted translation service that can help answer questions in any language. Any person who needs translated material may contact the health district directly.

The issue of delayed Spanish-language material is not exclusive to the Magic Valley or Idaho. The Centers for Disease Control and the White House announced new guidelines Monday that discouraged gatherings of more than 10 people to slow the spread of the virus. Those respective websites did not have updated Spanish-language material until late Wednesday.

Not having information available in all languages during a global pandemic of this scale could result in severe consequences.

Because we are battling a virus that is spreading exponentially, acting now and acting fast is absolutely critical. The time we lose now, not getting information to people and communities in languages and mediums that are easily accessible, can mean further community spread of the virus, Sarathchandra said. This can also lead to potentially new clusters of COVID-19. It is often the most marginalized groups who are least able to protect themselves under these circumstances ... who are put in even greater danger because they either do not have quick and reliable access to information in preferred languages, or outreach efforts have failed to get the information out to these groups.

The City of Twin Falls began a partnership last week that consists of emergency responders, medical professionals, schools and city employees to work in line with the health district on COVID-19 response. It reached out to King County, Washington  which has been rocked by the coronavirus  to discuss response methods. It is taking a holistic approach to mitigation efforts.

Medical advice should come from medical professionals not city staff, Josh Palmer, Twin Falls spokesman, said of the partnership. This was to make sure all departments had what they needed, what resources they had and to coordinate response with them.

The city has materials in Spanish available as well as links to the health districts information on its website. It also relies on its Spanish-speaking staff to handle questions from the public. It is directing all health questions to the health district at this time. Twin Falls is expected to declare a state of emergency Monday morning.

Littles office said last week that the specifics of COVID-19 response plans are up to individual health districts. Idaho remains one of seven states that does not have mandatory shut-downs of non-essential services or a ban on large gatherings, though Little advised residents on Wednesday to avoid eating out, gatherings of more than 10 people and to cut back on shopping and travel.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare issued a mandatory shelter-in-place for Blaine County when its cases grew to 17 last week. As of Saturday night, there were 21 cases in the county.

Blaine County hired a certified translator to get updated materials to the Spanish-speaking community in tandem with English material. The county wanted to get the shelter-in-place order translated and released in Spanish at the same time as the English one, but only received one in English.

We asked the state if they can get that done when the order comes out, Larry Schoen, spokesman for Blaine County, said of the translating shelter-in-place order on Friday before it was issued. That would be my preference, but we dont want the order to be delayed even more than it has been.

The interpreter service was not able to translate the 10-page document in time for its release, but the county did issue its shelter-in-place press release and cover memo in Spanish.

The county met with Latino leaders to discuss future handling of materials and is considering delivery methods such as text messages, flyers and social media, but some information cannot be sent through these avenues.

One of the problems is that a lot of our communications are written, Schoen said. An order like this is a long, written document, its detailed and its not really suited to a text message or a similar channel.

Schoen is soliciting input from Spanish-speakers on how to best reach these communities. Suggestions can be emailed to lschoen@co.blaine.id.us.

Latinos make up about a quarter of the Magic Valleys population, according to 2016 census estimates. While the majority of them overall speak English fluently or very well, 65% of foreign-born Latinos in Idaho dont speak English well enough to understand new health terminology, which Sarathchandra said is necessary to effectively combat the spread of the disease.

The Spanish-speaking community is a very important community in Blaine County, Schoen said. So many of our workers and residents are Spanish-speaking, so its our duty to make sure they have access to the information they need.

Megan Taros is a Times-News reporter and Report for America corps member covering the Magic Valleys Hispanic community and Jerome County. You can support her work by donating to Report for America at http://bit.ly/supportRFA.
Actors Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan came together to express gratitude towards emergency services providers as they fight against the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday at 5pm citizens across the country took to their balconies, doorsteps and windows to applaud health workers, police, government employees who are working hard to control spread of the disease.

Akshay shared a video of himself and Hrithik, perched on top of a platform next to their beach houses in Mumbai. Both of then were seen clanging utensils and clapping. Film producer Sajid Nadiadwala was also seen with them. At the beach, a few men were gathered and were seen making videos of the actors.

5mins at 5pm :With my neighbours,taking a moment to appreciate those who do not have this luxury of staying at home & working tirelessly to keep us safe.Thank you to all the essential service providers for your selfless work #JanataCurfew #BreakCorona @iHrithik #SajidNadiadwala, Akshay wrote on Twitter.

Also Watch | Covid-19: Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Deepika-Ranveer thank heroes

Their fans applauded their video. Thats how a responsible superstar can set the example! Kudos to @akshaykumar Always ready to support initiative which will help the nation! Love you sir!, wrote a fan. So nice to see three of u coming together for good act yet keeping safe distance from each other which needs to be followed by everyone at this difficult time, read another comment.

Other stars such as Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Karan Johar also took to their balconies to express their thanks.

Also read: Kanika Kapoor gets strong answer from hospital: Stop throwing tantrums like a star, behave like a patient

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Thursday, had appealed people to observe Janta curfew from 7 am to 9 pm on Sunday to avoid the spread of the coronavirus infection. Modi had urged people to express their gratitude to doctors, nurses, paramedics, municipal staff, armed forces etc. who are risking their lives to keep the nation healthy.

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Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says it is down to the club whether they make any signings during the transfer window. Conte has presented his assessment of the squad from his first two months at the club to chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici. I spoke with the club and I had my thoughts about the situation, the Italian said. I think this is the most important thing, then the club have to decide the best way to go. I can give a lot of work to clubs I worked at in the past and now in the present. I can give this and then the decisions are for the club, not for me. The last word is always for the club.
China will redirect all arriving international flights from its capital Beijing to 12 other cities from Monday to control the surge of imported coronavirus cases as the country reported its first domestically transmitted COVID-19 case after a gap of three days, officials said on Sunday.

The country's National Health Commission (NHC) said that 46 new confirmed cases were reported on the mainland on Saturday, including one domestic infection transmitted by imported cases in Guangzhou.

The NHC said Sunday six deaths were reported from China on Saturday, including five from Hubei province, taking the country's death toll to 3,261.

Coronavirus epicentre Wuhan, however, has not reported any new case for the fourth consecutive day, the health officials said.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland reached 81,054 by the end of Saturday, including 3,261 people who died of the disease, 5,549 patients still being treated and 72,244 patients discharged after recovery.

As the country saw a surge in imported infections with 45 new cases, China initiated stricter measures to prevent COVID-19 from resurfacing and creating a second wave of infections, the health officials said.

On Sunday, the government announced that all international flights scheduled to arrive in its capital Beijing will be redirected to airports in 12 other Chinese cities from Monday.

International passengers flying to Beijing will instead land in airports in 12 cities including Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing and Shenyang as their first points of entry, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement.

Passengers will go through customs clearance and quarantine at these airports, and those having passed quarantine inspection can fly to Beijing in their original flights, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

Beijing reported 13 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) imported from other countries on Saturday, bringing the total number of imported cases in the capital to 97. For the Chinese mainland, the total number of imported cases has reached 314.

The entry arrangements for the Beijing-bound international flights will be adjusted in a timely manner in accordance with the COVID-19 outbreak situation, the statement said.

By the end of Saturday, 273 confirmed cases, including four deaths, were reported in Hong Kong, 18 confirmed cases in Macao and 153 in Taiwan, including two deaths, the NHC added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Management of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) as part of its efforts to build a social security-conscious generation, has commenced the training of students as brand ambassadors in some selected university campuses.

The maiden program took place at the Navrongo campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS). The SSNIT Brand Ambassador training is meant to equip selected students on various university campuses with adequate knowledge about the basic social security scheme so they can act as peer educators on their various campuses of study and within their communities. This aimed at consolidating the gains made at the SSNIT Infoshop through continuous engagement at the peer level.

The SSNIT Infoshop is being organized by the Trust in collaboration with the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) and has so far been held at eight university campuses across the country. It is an information-sharing platform to educate students on their rights to and the importance of social security and the need to start contributing early.

The forum, which was held on the UDS, Navrongo Campus on April 6, 2019, on the theme SSNIT! Your security for tomorrow, was attended by over 1,000 students. This was addressed by the principal of the campus, Professor Albert Luguterah and the Director-General of SSNIT, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang among others

Speaking at the SSNIT Brand Ambassador training program, Professor Luguterah lauded the Trust for their conscious effort to educate the students beyond the Infoshop campaign and implored students to be mindful of their short-term youthfulness and prepare adequately for their working life which he added would begin sooner than they thought. He expressed his delight for the event being held at the UDS, Narongo campus. I am happy this programme is taking place here because I want graduates from this campus to be holistically trained for national development. He said.

The head of External Communications at the Public Affairs Department of SSNIT, Mr. Charles Akwei Garshong trained the students on how to register to be a member of the Scheme, some investments the Trust has made, the various types of benefits and the conditions under which a contributor qualifies to receive any of the benefits. The participants were later taken through practical sessions on how to calculate pensions under the National Pensions Act, Act 766.

He explained to the ambassadors that contrary to what people thought, the amount paid as pensions entirely depends on the workers. The salaries on which you contribute and number of months or years you contribute determine what you receive as pension. The formula is predetermined so the higher your salary and the longer the period of contribution, the better your pension.

The participants were taken through their ambassadorial roles and how they should conduct themselves whilst they remain ambassadors of the Trust.

Earlier, Dr. Ohene Boansi, the vice dean of students, in welcoming the team from SSNIT to the campus, expressed his gratitude for SSNIT choosing the campus for its ambassadorial program.

Fifteen selected students, led by the SRC president, Mr. Raymond Korbla Otivi took part in the two-day intensive training program which began on Tuesday, 3rd March 2020.

Mr. Raymond Korbla Otivi later expressed confidence in his team and promised that they would take up the challenge and represent the brand to the best of their ability. The ambassadors later spoke on their role and the benefits of the scheme with the university community on Radio FAS, a campus based radio station.

The next SSNIT Brand Ambassador training program takes place at the University of Energy and Natural Resources Campus in Sunyani.
Pakistan announced Saturday it is suspending for a fortnight all international passenger flights into and out of the country in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. "We are suspending international flight operations effective tonight at 8:00 pm (1500 GMT)," the prime minister's special assistant on national security, Moeed Yusuf, told an Islamabad press briefing. "No international flights will be allowed to land in Pakistan for two weeks." As of Saturday, Pakistan had tested 4,046 people for the virus, with 524 positive cases and three deaths. Yusuf said a few flights already en route to Pakistan would be able to land Sunday morning, adding that diplomats coming to Pakistan as well as cargo planes would be exempted. According to Yusuf, the suspension will "certainly create problems", as Pakistan was expecting more than 200,000 passengers, including tourists, by end of March. Observers fear the virus could spread quickly in the country of 215 million people, where health care is frequently inadequate. Pakistan's porous borders, creaking hospitals, a culture of shaking hands and hugging, and large illiterate populations in crowded urban centres mean containing the crisis could be a huge challenge. To prevent the virus's transmission, Islamabad has closed the Afghan and Iranian borders, shuttered wedding halls shuttered, and stoped schools for the remainder of the month. But Prime Minister Imran Khan said early this week Pakistan cannot afford the type of urban lockdowns currently underway in the West. Pakistan has a history of failing to contain infectious diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and hepatitis.
The Assam Police thanked people for making the "Janata Curfew" a "huge success", and urged them to remain indoors for a few hours more - till 8 AM on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to remain indoors during the 'Janata Curfew' between 7 AM and 9 PM on Sunday to check the spread of novel coronavirus.

"We request you to stay indoors till 8 am tomorrow. Pls don't move out, until extremely necessary. Let's do this in the interest of public health & safety," Assam Police said in its official twitter handle.

"We thank the people of Assam for making the #JantaCurfew a huge success, it's but a start in our fight against #CoronaVirus," it said.

Assam wore a deserted look on Sunday with markets shut and vehicles off the roads as people stayed indoors in response to Modi's "Janata Curfew" call.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also thanked people and asked them not to come out of their homes to make the exercise a 100 per cent success.

"Glad to see peoples' spontaneous support across Assam to the call of #JantaCurfew to prevent spread of #COVID19. Together let's fight against this pandemic," Sonowal said in a tweet.

In an earlier tweet, he had said he will stay at home joining the "Janta Curfew", and warned people that the coronavirus chain would not break even if a few ventures out.

The 14-hour voluntary curfew began at 7 AM, but most of the people did not come out since Saturday night.

The prime minister's appeal of the voluntary self- quarantine exempted essential services, but several pharmacies too pulled down their shutters in the state.

In Guwahati, people stayed indoors and all markets and commercial establishments were shut.

The districts also witnessed a similar picture with empty national highways and closed markets as people largely remained inside their homes.

A few two-wheelers and private cars were seen on the roads in the morning, primarily out to collect essential items such as milk and bread.

The state breathed a sigh of relief with the second test of the sample of a four-and-a-half-year-old girl turning out to be negative, hours after she tested positive.

Over 1.72 lakh people were screened across Assam till March 21 in wake of the pandemic, the Health and Family Welfare Department said.

In its daily bulletin, the department said that 26,094 passengers were screened at the six airports in the state.

While 7,181 travellers were screened at the three land ports -- Darranga (Baksa), Mankachar (South Salmara) and Sutarkandi (Karimganj), 1,38,919 people were screened at other places such as rail stations and bus stands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 06:46:21|Editor: yan

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LJUBLJANA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia dispatched emergency relief to Croatia after an earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted its capital Zagreb on Sunday morning, according to Slovenian Defense Minister Matej Tonin.

Tonin said Slovenia responded immediately to Croatia's request for assistance in the wake of the earthquake under the European Civil Protection Mechanism. And He called for continued solidarity in Europe in the face of the coronavirus outbreak and natural disasters such as the latest quake.

The relief material included 10 tents equipped to accommodate up to 80 people with 60 beds and 60 sleeping bags and 20 heating devices.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa offered Croatia help in a phone call with his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic in the morning.

The quake was also felt by people throughout Slovenia, according to the Slovenian Press Agency.

Jansa tweeted that the quake did not cause any significant damage in Slovenia and the sole nuclear power station, Krsko (NEK) on the border with Croatia has not been affected.
The hospitality sector is lobbying the Andrews government to consider it an essential service as it seeks to stave off major job losses amid a statewide coronavirus shutdown.

Restaurants and cafes have been lobbying the government for the past week to continue to offer takeaways and home deliveries as security measures tighten to restrict the spread of COVID-19.

Cafes were still crowded in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton on Sunday morning, despite new rules restricting gatherings of more than 100 people.

While venues had to allow four square metres per person, some patrons still paid little heed to social-distancing recommendations to be 1.5 metres away from each other.
The Network for Computational Modeling in Social and Ecological Sciences (CoMSES Net), which acts as an international clearinghouse for computer models and a place where modelers can share their work, could play a vital role in understanding the spread of the coronavirus and possibly be used to help find pathways to reduce its impact.

CoMSES Net, which is administered by Arizona State University, links a global network of thousands of scientists who are developing computer models that are used to understand the disease and its spread.

There are so many people worldwide now making models about coronavirus and its impacts," said C. Michael Barton, director of the Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity and a professor in ASU's School of Human Evolution & Social Change. "The best way to ensure that we have effective models for projecting the course of the pandemic and limiting its impact is if scientists can scrutinize the assumptions and algorithms of models and suggest corrections or improvement. Model code must be openly accessible for this to be possible. CoMSES Net provides a digital platform for sharing the model's code and we want to make sure other scientists and computer modelers are aware of it. This is really a very critical time for us to share these models and work together to improve upon them." Michael Barton, director of the Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity and a professor in ASU's School of Human Evolution & Social Change

Barton said the network, first set up in 2009, is truly an international collaboration - it is hosted at Compute Canada (a Canadian consortium for advanced computing), funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and administered by ASU. It includes social, ecological and environmental models focusing on the complex interactions among people and with the environment. These models could become critical technologies in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 and its social and economic fallouts.

Scientists creating computer models for simulating the pandemic and its impacts can publish their model code in the CoMSES Model Library so it is rapidly and openly available to be used by anyone around the world. The service is free of charge; the only requirement is that anyone using models from the library properly and publicly credit model authors and acknowledge CoMSES Net with citations provided for each model in the library.

The model library already hosts computer models to simulate the behavior of epidemic diseases and welcomes new contributions.

CoMSES Net invites the scientists around the world who are racing to develop new computer models for the pandemic to share their code by publishing it in the model library or other trusted FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reproducible) platforms. CoMSES Net has also opened a discussion forum dedicated modeling the virus and its consequences so that scientists can share insights about modeling this global threat.

"Rapid and global sharing of knowledge, expertise and technology are essential for finding ways to limit this immediate threat to humanity," Barton said.

CoMSES Net is directed by Michael Barton, Marco Janssen, Allen Lee and Kenneth Buetow, researchers in the Global Biosocial Complexity Initiative at Arizona State University.
The world has never quite seen anything like what we are witnessing right now. Globalization might have many advantages but we are currently reaping its downside.

The speed of transmission of the Covid-19 virus is stunning, no thanks to Globalization. This is the birth of the new world order in Pandemonium where sneezing by an individual becomes a security threat to others.

Only God knows when the current Pandemic will run its course and whether there will be multiple waves of affliction due to re-infection.

Poor personal hygiene habits and abnormal culinary practices may soon be frowned upon just as much as wearing an explosive suicide belt.

The universal spread of the corona virus and the dislocation it is visiting on all countries simultaneously means that it is now every country for itself. Do not expect aid from foreign donor nations which are equally hit.

Africans and particularly Nigerians must prevail upon their respective governments to proactively arrest the Pandemic before it becomes fully entrenched in their lands.

All countries are closing their borders, discouraging human assembly and preparing palliative measures to protect their workers and citizens from economic dislocation.

Nigeria neither manufactures face masks, hand gloves nor ventilators. If what is happening in Italy and Spain happens in Nigeria or Africa, it will be a bloodbath.

Leaders who made investments in expansionism their prime policy instead of investments in healthcare facilities at home or education of their workforce can no more travel abroad on medical tourism.

All of us must now sit at home and salvage our country, savaged by injustice, destroyed by vindictiveness, crippled by leadership incapacity even before the advent of Covid-19, together.

Anthony Chuka Konwea, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, MNSE, FNIStructE, MNICE.
Ireland has placed huge orders for Covid-19 testing equipment and protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers, health officials said on Sunday.

Some 40,000 test kits are being distributed and an additional 20,000 will be in place by Wednesday, Health Service Executive director general Paul Reid told a press briefing in Dublin.

Talks with countries, including China, are ongoing to try and ensure that 100,000 test kits arrive per week.

"Our health care system is going to be under pressure that we probably never knew previously," said Reid.

There are 785 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, where the disease has killed three people.

In addition, the HSE has added 10,000 beds, doubling its previous capacity, he said.

A total of 50 test centres will be set up across the country and a navy ship, the Samuel Beckett, served on Sunday as a test centre in Dublin.

Ireland, which normally spends 15 million euros a year on personal protective equipment, has already spent 60 million euros since January.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Authorities removed four children from a suspected methamphetamine lab after investigators executed a search warrant at a home in Foxborough on Sunday.

Foxborough police and the Massachusetts State Police Clandestine Lab Enforcement Team went to a home in the area of Green and Hampshire streets in Foxborough Sunday morning as officials conducted an investigation into a meth lab, authorities said.

Two people living inside the single family home will be summonsed to court to face charges, Massachusetts State Police said. The names of the two people were not released by state police Sunday afternoon.

Four young children have been removed from the home and taken to hospital for evaluation, state police said. Exposure to the by-products of methamphetamine and other drug manufacturing can be extremely toxic to young children, as well as pose a risk of fire and explosion.

The state Department of Children & Families was notified.

Foxborough Police are actively conducting an investigation with the Massachusetts State Police and the Foxborough Fire... Posted by Foxborough Police Department on Sunday, March 22, 2020

State police did not release any more information about what was discovered inside the home.
Studio will work on one presenter, and format of talk show changes until end of quarantine

112 Ukraine TV channel 112 Agency

The management of the 112 Ukraine TV channel took the decision to minimize the number of employees simultaneously in the office, and to air guests and experts via video communication systems.

Such measures will be introduced since March 23, due to the threat of COVID-19 transmission.

One TV-presenter shall work from studio, and the format of the talk show will be changed until the end of quarantine.

Note that in the studio of the 112 Ukraine TV Channel the guests are provided with the opportunity to perform in a separate, fully robotic studio without contacting the TV-presenters.

Thus, the 112 Ukraine TV channel is the first among all Ukrainian TV-channels to switch to remote mode, introducing work-from-home policy.

We urge our colleagues to follow the example, not endanger their employees and convey to the viewers that they also stay at home - this is the only right decision during quarantine.

The remote mode of operation will not affect the operational efficiency of the TV channel, we will broadcast all the messages of state authorities and broadcast all the information about the coronavirus infection pandemic, as well as all the news of the political, economic, cultural and social life of Ukraine and the world.

Online editions of 112.ua and 112.International have been working remotely since last week. Employees were provided with technical tools that allow them updating the news feed on the site from home, as well as supporting Youtube and Facebook broadcasts.

Also, the most operative and short summaries of the situation in the country and the world are published in the Telegram channel 112.

For our English-speaking audience: Facebook and Twitter are also available.

We will continue informing our audience with the latest news, and the quarantine mode will not affect the objectivity and speed of the materials coming.



Besides, our social responsibility is to convey to the population that it is necessary to reduce physical contacts, even if this brings inconvenience.

The decision to reformat the channel was not easy for us. But we urge all viewers to stay home, because this is the only way to slow down the spread of coronavirus, and set an example ourselves, - Yegor Benkendorf, CEO of the 112 Ukraine TV Channel, said.

In addition, the 112 Ukraine TV channel responded to the proposal of President Volodymyr Zelensky and next week shall broadcast video lessons on various subjects of the school curriculum for grades 5-11.

TV channel 112 Ukraine is an information-analytical television channel that began broadcasting in November 2013. The channel is available in packages of the largest cable operators in the country, on satellites AMOS-3 and ASTRA 4A. The channel is broadcast 24 hours a day. General producer - Artem Marchevsky. CEO - Yegor Benkendorf
Vijayawada, March 22 : Authorities in Andhra Pradesh were on Sunday trying to trace the contacts of two men who have tested positive for COVID-19.

They had returned from Paris and London a few days ago and stayed with their families before approaching hospital.

With this the number of COVID-19 positive cases in the state rose to five.

A 22-year-old man from East Godavari district was tested positive for coronavirus. He landed in Hyderabad from London on March 18 and the same day reached Rajahmundry by road.

The second patient is from Vijayawada. The 24-year-old had landed in Delhi from Paris on March 15. He then boarded a flight to Hyderabad and reached Vijayawada by road on March 17. He approached the hospital with complaints of dry cough and fever.

Both the patients were admitted to Government General Hospital, Kakinada.

Earlier, a case each was reported from Visakhapatnam, Prakasam and Nellore districts. All the patients had returned from abroad.

Authorities were working to identify the contacts of the latest cases. The health department went on alert in Vijayawada as the patient number 5 had spent three days in the city.

According to Krishna district collector Imtiaz Ahmed, the man was in home isolation on March 17 and 18. He said 500 houses around the affected person's home were identified and teams were deployed to screen the residents.

The collector said they were gathering details of the people he met since his arrival in Vijayawada. Efforts were also being made to trace the cab driver, who brought the man from Hyderabad to Vijayawada. The cab driver is learnt to have taken three people in his vehicle while returning to Hyderabad.

Since the survey was being taken up in 3-5 km radius around the affected person's house, he sought people's cooperation for rolling out cluster containment plan.

A similar exercise was being taken up in Rajahmundry as the patient number 4, who had landed in Hyderabad from London via Dubai, hired a cab to reach Rajahmundry. He stayed with the family for two days.

Officials said universal screening was on for the passengers reaching Visakhapatnam International Airport and sea ports. A total of 11,640 passengers and crew have so far been screened at these ports of entry.

The health authorities have so far tested 160 samples. Out of them, 130 samples were tested negative while the result was awaited in 25 other cases.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With New York City public schools closed until at least April 20 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), city officials are making sure students have access to free meals from Monday through Friday.

Free grab and go meals were available to all New York City students last week at every public school building, regardless of what school they attend. Schools served approximately 560,000 meals across all five boroughs last week, and participation is expected to rise in the coming weeks.

Beginning Monday, March 23, three meals a day -- breakfast, lunch, and dinner -- will be served to all New York City students at 439 hub sites citywide, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in new guidance released Friday.

The grab and go meals are available for all students Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. No registration, identification, or documentation is required. All three daily meals can be picked up at the same time. Parents and guardians may also pick up meals for their children.

The meal service will be available to all children under 18 years old.

According to the guidance, 100 of the citywide sites were high participation sites last summer, and the remaining sites are schools where more than 50% of students are eligible for free and reduced meals.

The Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) worked to identify the most medically fragile students, and the city is partnering with delivery service DoorDash to deliver meals to students whose medical needs are so significant that they shouldnt be leaving their home to get meals.

The mayors office said the city has already been in contact with those families and hope to expand to more in the future. Food delivery will also be made available to children who reside in New York City shelters.

Families can search Free Meals on schools.nyc.gov or call 311 to find a site near them. Beginning Monday, families can also text FOOD or COMIDA to 877-877 to find a meal near them.

Here is a complete list of meal hubs on Staten Island:

-- Curtis High School, St. George - 105 Hamilton Ave.

-- Barnes Intermediate School (I.S. 24), Great Kills - 750 Durant Ave.

-- Prall Intermediate School (I.S. 27), West Brighton - 11 Clove Lake Place

-- Rocco Laurie Intermediate School (I.S. 72), New Springville - 33 Ferndale Ave.

-- Dreyfus Intermediate School (I.S. 49), Stapleton - 101 Warren St.

-- Egbert Intermediate School (I.S. 2), Midland Beach - 333 Midland Ave.

-- New Dorp High School, New Dorp - 465 New Dorp Lane

-- PS 4, Arden Heights -- 200 Nedra Lane

-- PS 16, Tompkinsville - 195 Daniel Low Terrace

-- PS 18, West Brighton - 221 Broadway

-- PS 20, Port Richmond - 161 Park Ave.

-- PS 22, Graniteville - 1860 Forest Ave.

-- PS 26, Travis - 4108 Victory Blvd.

-- PS 30, Westerleigh - 200 Wardwell Ave.

-- PS 31, New Brighton - 55 Layton Ave.

-- PS 44, Mariners Harbor - 80 Maple Parkway

-- PS 52, Dongan Hills - 450 Buel Ave.

-- PS 53, Bay Terrace - 330 Durant Ave.

-- PS 54, Willowbrook - 1060 Willowbrook Rd.

-- PS 55, Eltingville - 54 Osborne St.

-- PS 57, Clifton - 140 Palma Drive

-- PS 60, Bulls Head - 55 Merrill Ave.

-- PS 69, New Springville - 144 Keating Place

-- PS 11, Dongan Hills - 51 Jefferson St.

-- PS 21, Port Richmond - 168 Hooker Place

-- PS 39, Arrochar - 99 Macfarland Ave.

-- Port Richmond High School, Port Richmond - 85 St. Josephs Ave.

-- The Michael J. Petrides School, Sunnyside - 715 Ocean Terrace

MOVING TO REMOTE LEARNING

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced students will transition to remote learning on March 23. The DOE distributed guidance about what remote learning will look like to teachers and principals last week.

Students picked up materials, including technology, to participate in remote learning when needed, according to the DOE.

Ursulina Ramirez, chief operating officer for the DOE, said during Sundays press conference that the DOE will purchase 300,000 iPads from Apple at a reasonable price to distribute to students. The DOE said the first batch of 25,000 iPads will be delivered this week. The agency will also work with T-Mobile, Verizon, and Spectrum to provide internet access.

Carranza asked parents to sign up for the NYC Schools account, which will be critically important as the DOE pushes information out and resources for remote learning needs. You can go to www.myschools.nyc for more information.

This week, some parents were trying to secure electronic devices to allow their kids to participate in online learning, which is set to begin on Monday.

In a series of tweets, the DOE said on Twitter that it is making sure every public school student who needs a device has one to learn remotely. Parents can fill out this online form here, https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices, to sign up for a remote learning device.

Using the contact information provided, the DOE will get in touch with families to discuss when and where to pick up a device. Priority will be given to students most in need, and all devices are granted on a temporary basis. There is a limit of one device per student.

While parents adjust to this new normal, its important for kids to stay focused on learning, avoid distractions and make sure there are necessary breaks during the day. Here are 10 tips for families as New York City schools move to remote learning on Monday.

***

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Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday briefed Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Islamabad's diplomatic outreach to help lift sanctions against Tehran so that it could fight coronavirus pandemic, reports Geo news.

According to a press release issued by the Foreign Office, Qureshi in a telephonic conversation with Zarif reiterated the earlier call made by Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift sanctions against Iran so that it may utilise its resources to save precious human lives.

Qureshi also conveyed his concerns and sorrow over the loss of lives during the ongoing pandemic.

Qureshi expressed "deep concern and sorrow" over the loss of lives due to the pandemic and commended the government and the people of Iran for "valiantly combatting" the virus.

Qureshi also had a telephone conversation with his Nepali counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and held detailed discussions on the situation arising from the spread of Covid-19.

The two discussed ways to enhance cooperation to combat the threat posed by the pandemic.

Qureshi talked about Pakistan's readiness to host the SAARC Health Ministers' Conference and suggested that a video conference be organised due to the prevailing global health emergency.

Foreign Minister Qureshi stated that Pakistan considered SAARC an important platform for regional cooperation.

"SAARC provided an important platform for regional cooperation. There was a need to revitalise this key Organization to tackle common challenges," Qureshi said.

The Foreign Minister also spoke to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

41 new cases have been confirmed in Sindh taking the provincial tally to 333, according to Sindh Health Department spokesperson Meeran Yousuf.

The total number of cases in Karachi is 123 including one death and three individuals, who were cured on Sunday. Pilgrims from Taftan in Sukkur account for 210 cases. This takes the countrywide tally to 686.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte will grant hazard pay for all government workers who physically report for duty during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, his longtime aide Senator Bong Go said Sunday.

Go said that an administrative order signed by Duterte will be released Monday granting the request by the Budget Department for hazard pay for government employees who need to physically report to work amid the COVID-19 threat.

These personnel, who risk their lives during this time, deserve to be recognized and be given proper compensation. They continue to work to protect our families. Lets do our part to protect theirs, Go said.

He said the administrative order will allow national government agencies, including state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations to grant hazard pay of up to P500 to all their employees and personnel in Metro Manila and other local government units who are required to physically report to work.

National government agencies, state universities and colleges will use their own funds to grant hazard pay to their employees and personnel, while government-owned and controlled corporations will use their budget for this purpose.

Hazard pay may be lower than 500 a day for employees of government corporations, local government units and local water districts in case they do not have enough funds.

Employees working in the Senate, the House of Representatives, the judiciary, the Office of the Ombudsman and other constitutional offices may also be granted hazard pay.

Work continues in the executive department, albeit from government workers homes.

The Supreme Court has decided to physically close all courts and will only let a skeletal staff operate a court if it will address an urgent matter.

Meanwhile, the House and the Senate will hold a special session on Monday at 10 a.m. to tackle a bill which will allow Duterte to realign funding for the governments COVID-19 response. Staffing will still be skeletal, with some lawmakers attending the session online.
Third LAPD Officer Tests Positive For Coronavirus As LAs Death Toll Rises To 4

A third Los Angeles Police Department officer has tested positive for CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, officials confirmed on March 22.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

In a statement, the LAPD said the officer was assigned to the departments Central Division and displayed symptoms that were characteristic of the disease earlier this week before being sent home by a supervisor.

The Department has since disinfected all of the individuals work spaces and any common areas within Central Division. We have also identified anyone who may have come in contact with the employee and directed them to a contract healthcare provider for evaluation, they said, adding that guidelines have been established for all employees who either exhibit symptoms of the virus or come in contact with someone who may be infected.

With our men and women on the front lines of this crisis, providing critical services to our city, we recognize more employees may contract Coronavirus. We will continue to ensure all facilities are clean and safe while tending to the well-being of our team, the department said.

The LAPDs statement, which did not explain the condition of the officer, comes after the Los Angeles Times reported that an officer in the Central Division, which patrols areas that include downtown LA, recently returned from vacation outside of the country, and was coughing and sweating while at work.

According to the outlet, several officers in the station raised concerns about the individual, however the affected officer was allowed to work for at least two days this week. The officer subsequently tested positive for the virus, although it is not clear if they interacted with the public. Additional officers who worked with the afflicted patrol officer are expected to be quarantined, officials told the publication.

This marks the third case of the virus among LAPD, who this week announced two others, a supervisor assigned to the Pacific Division and a high-ranking employee described as a member of the Departments senior staff had also tested positive for the disease. Both are expected to make a full recovery.

The department said the positive test results were a sobering reminder that anyone is susceptible to this virus, and encouraged all Angelenos to follow local and state guidelines of hygiene and social distancing.

On Saturday, Los Angeles County public health officials confirmed two more people in the county had died from the virus, while 59 new cases have been identified. The individuals who died were both older than 65 with underlying health conditions, officials said. One lived in Miracle Mile and one lived in Del Rey.

To date, Public Health has confirmed 351 cases of the virus across Los Angeles and four people have died while 69 positive cases have been hospitalized.
By Patricia Madej, The Philadelphia Inquirer

In need of about $1 billion in supplemental funding to battle an unprecedented drop in ridership, Amtrak has now taken aggressive" steps to cut the pay of top staff and other measures, the company confirmed Saturday.

Daily ridership is down 90% systemwide while future bookings are down 85% year-over-year, according to Amtrak.

Amtrak and our state partners estimate we need approximately $1billion in supplemental funding through the remainder of the year to make up for the unprecedented loss of ridership and revenue and to minimize employee and service impacts, an Amtrak spokesperson said in a statement.

The companys management employees now face temporary salary reductions  including a 100% reduction for its CEO  effective until at least Sept. 30, or the end of its fiscal year, according to an internal memo from Stephen Gardner, senior executive vice president and chief operating and commercial officer.

The pay cuts take effect for the first pay period in April, reflected in the employees April 17th paychecks. Incoming CEO William Flynn will succeed Richard Anderson on April 15.

Amtrak is on pace to lose $1 billion in revenue this year due to the coronavirus, Gardner wrote in the message.

Amtrak is also suspending its 401(k) matching contribution for management employees through the end of the calendar year. The measures have been taken to protect the companys future and to avoid involuntary furloughs, Gardner wrote.

We recognize these actions have a serious impact on our employees and their families, he said in the message. But we are taking this action to help protect everyone. We appreciate your support as we work our way through this crisis together.

Amtrak confirmed that it has taken aggressive measures."

In addition to a suspension of the 401K match, reduction to management pay, and its incoming CEOs deferring his salary, Amtrak is ending all non-safety-critical hiring; cutting discretionary travel, professional fees, and advertising spending; and deferring non-priority capital expenses," according to the companys statement.

Amtrak has made service changes due to significantly reduced demand in key markets, according to its website. Its Northeast Corridor service is running about 40% of normal weekday schedules, including Northeast Regional and Acela services. Keystone Service, running between Harrisburg and New York, as well as its Pennsylvanian trains between New York and Pittsburgh, have been canceled.

Social distancing measures taken by state and local officials, including Gov. Wolfs mandatory shutdown order for all businesses that arent life-sustaining, have kept people indoors and away from any transportation service.

Airlines are turning toward the federal government seeking a steep bailout, while plummeting ridership and service reductions for public transportation are likely to be a lasting pain point for agencies across the country. NJ Transit and New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority are seeking bailout funds.

In a letter Friday, Pennsylvania lawmakers turned to top congressional leaders for help, noting the financial impact of the outbreak on SEPTAs operations will be devastating."

SEPTA is taking its own difficult short-term measures including a cut to executive pay, eliminating overtime, and a hiring freeze, while it also considers further service reductions.

Together, we will get through this," General Manager Leslie Richards told employees in a letter sent Friday. "Please stay safe and know that your health and well-being and that of our customers is always my priority.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: A 38-year-old man passed away in Bihar due to kidney failure on Saturday at AIIMS Patna; he had been tested positive for coronavirus.

This is the first coronavirus casualty for Bihar and sixth for India.

The news was confirmed to the media on Sunday afternoon when the state was observing Janta Curfew.

The man who hailed from Munger, had travel history to Qatar, hailed from Munger and died before being diagnosed with the infection.

COVID-19 LIVE | India observes 'Janta curfew' as confirmed cases reach 324, five dead so far

Meanwhile, one Covid-19 positive case was also detected and admitted at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) on Sunday.

Director of AIIMS, Patna, Dr Prabhat Kumar Singh confirmed it over phone to a news channel but did not share details.

Meanwhile, t least 520 passengers were placed under home Quarantine in Bihar after being identifying them upon their arrivals of coronavirus-affected countries.

A total 3,00,052 passengers have been screened by the health officials.
At first it was just big gatherings  the conferences and festivals and concerts. Then the screws tightened bit by bit. No groups of more than 500. No groups of more than 100. Then 50 and 10, until suddenly you werent even supposed to hug a friend you found crying on the street.

Nearly overnight, the novel coronavirus has transformed everything about the way people in the Bay Area are supposed to interact. Almost as quickly, those living under stay-at-home orders here and beyond have found new ways to provide some semblance of normalcy. There may be limited physical contact, but theres a lot of online living going on.

At any given time, Edna Zhou has 10 to 15 open chats on some combination of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Shes started a virtual book club with friends, too. Theyre reading The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks, and this Saturday, theyll meet on Zoom or through FaceTime to break it all down.

Im in a weird place. Its a weird time, she said. But all this helps. Im very extroverted, and I constantly need to be in touch with people.

There are reports that the internet is already sagging under the weight of people working from home. Now, too, there are all the extracurriculars.

Lee Edwards had planned to go to dinner with his girlfriend to celebrate his 36th birthday. The restaurant canceled the reservations, so they threw a party at home. About 30 people attended  all online, over video chat.

I told everyone it was BYOB, Edwards said. Hes into wine, though, so he and his girlfriend drank a bottle of California sparkling wine. There was a White Claw. Someone was drinking red  they didnt know what (kind) it was. A friend in the wine industry was drinking a natural wine.

Courtesy Shane Barnard

His girlfriend made him a key lime pie (his favorite), and they clipped a standard-size candle to make it birthday pie-size. The guests sang into their monitors, and then he cut a slice. It was weird  I was like, You can watch me eat.

People drink with their computers a lot now that the bars are closed. Friends and coworkers pour their cocktail of choice and then pull up to their kitchen tables for virtual happy hours. It might not be the same as gathering at the neighborhood dive, but its better than nothing. And if people need some help on what to mix, bartenders are ready to go.

Now Playing: In the first days of the coronavirus shelter-in-place order, many Bay Area residents flocked to S.F.s Chrissy Field, Baker Beach, Marina Green and other popular outdoor spots. Officials have since decided to close some areas and consider shutdowns. Here's how some residents have been responding to the coronavirus pandemic and the shelter-in-place mandate.

A couple months ago, after years of trying, Gillian Fitzgerald opened her own bar in San Franciscos Mission District. Casements was a new spin on an Irish pub, and last weekend was supposed to be a celebration of St. Patricks Day. Instead, she closed the bar  two days before the Bay Area order to shelter in place.

Now, while Fitzgerald waits to reopen, every morning around 11:30 she goes live on Instagram and shows whoever tunes in how to make a simple cocktail with the odds and ends most people have on hand. On Wednesday, she shook up a Bloody Mary.

You make something that people can replicate at home, she said. Its a way to check in with my friend groups, both here and in Ireland. A way for us to have a sense of community.

As the days of isolation stretch on, more people are turning to Zoom or Twitch or WhatsApp or Discord or FaceTime to do the things theyve always done in person. DJs have gone live with hours-long sets. Drag queens have too, and viewers can tip through Venmo or Cash App. People have advertised digital-only raves on Instagram.

On April 3, Kelly Navarro is throwing Quarantined, a Live-Stream Showcase. The idea started as a burlesque show  she and a friend are planning to perform  but shes since signed up two DJs and a couple of live music acts. She has a digital bartender on hand, too.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

People are going to be home. Theyre going to be bored. Theyre going to be watching Netflix, Navarro said. Might as well give them something else to keep them entertained.

The event went up on Facebook on Friday, and by the afternoon at least 50 people were either going (in the new sense of the word) or were interested. A lot of my friends were like I dont know what I have to offer, but Im definitely excited to watch this happen.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Workout and yoga instructors have also shifted to online audiences.

Within a 48-hour period, Shane Barnard, the CEO of UrbanKick, found herself completely without work. Corporate clients dried up first. Then all the gyms closed.

I took a couple days to get my feet under me, she said. Then she started testing the waters. Would you want live virtual classes? she asked. The response was incredible.

Barnard held her first class at noon on Wednesday and 88 people tuned in. She wasnt charging, but people donated more than she ever expected they would. She says they told her, Youre helping keep me sane during this crazy time. She led another class Thursday, and 80 people showed up. On Saturday, the class hit 100. After each of the classes, people stayed online to chat. People can go on YouTube and get 1,000 different classes about how to work out, but what is special about the live classes is you literally see other people working out with you, Barnard says. That sense of connection is the most powerful thing.

That the digital togetherness could even remotely stand in for the real thing, the in-person togetherness we often take for granted, is something of a welcome surprise. Though maybe it shouldnt be  the voices and the sentiments are as real as ever.

Theres something else new, too. Again and again, people spoke about reconnecting with others. Edwards invited friends from Boston, New York and Florida  even his mom  to his birthday party. Navarro has performers tuning in from other states. Barnard has been back in touch with a friend in Illinois. And Zhou has been starting conversations with people that she usually communicates with through the occasional like. Solitude has made her feel less reserved.

It doesnt feel hollow at all, she says. It feels necessary.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Sarah Feldberg contributed to this report.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RyanKost
From Australia's Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia ramped up efforts this weekend to stem the coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control.

Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries while Malaysia deployed its army to enforce a lockdown as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 -- a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows.

Outside China -- where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people -- South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with over 8,500 cases.

While the number of infections in China has been falling for weeks, other countries are seeing the toll gather pace as the highly contagious virus takes hold.

Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

After shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents, Australia has told citizens to cancel their domestic travel plans too as the number of cases tops 1,300.

Bondi Beach and several other popular swimming spots were shut to the public after crowds of sunbathers defied a ban on large outdoor gatherings.

Pakistan suspended international flights in a desperate bid to prevent the virus spreading in a country with more than 300 reported cases.

Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tests the country's ability to fight the pandemic that has killed more than 13,000 worldwide.

Testing also has been expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people amid concerns that the more than 320 reported cases vastly understate the true scale of the health crisis.

The World Health Organization has called for "aggressive" action in Southeast Asia amid fears a major outbreak of the virus could cause some decrepit health care systems in the region to collapse.

In places where outbreaks appeared to have been brought under control, authorities are now dealing with a second wave of infections as people return from abroad.

Singapore is banning all short-term visitors to the densely populated city-state after a surge of imported cases took its total to 432 -- including its first two deaths on Saturday.

In Hong Kong, where the worst had appeared to be over, the number of cases has nearly doubled in the past week as more people fly back to the financial hub.

Guam confirmed a 68-year-old woman had died of COVID-19, in the first virus-related death in the Pacific.
In the months since the CoViD-19 pandemic began, governments around the world have been utilizing a wide range of technological devices to enforce quarantines. Advanced surveillance and tracking have been made possible by cellphone data, CCTV cameras, and drones.

Surveillance drones were used during the lockdown in China to monitor neighborhoods to ensure that residents were staying indoors. Drones were also used to spray disinfectants during the outbreak as well.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged additional governments to use similar tactics to enforce quarantines. Police in Spain have been using drones to patrol the streets and order citizens to stay home during the lockdown.

Most Americans doubted that these types of measures would happen at home, but police in California have already announced a plan to use drones equipped with cameras and loudspeakers to enforce the recently imposed quarantine orders.

In Chula Vista, a town just outside of San Diego, police purchased at least two drones from the Chinese company DJI for $11,000 each.

Vern Sallee, one of the citys police captains, told the Financial Times that the drones could be used to disperse crowds without the need for a human officer to be involved.

We have not traditionally mounted speakers to our drones, but . . . if we need to cover a large area to get an announcement out, or if there were a crowd somewhere that we needed to dispersewe could do it without getting police officers involved, Sallee said.

The outbreak has changed my view of expanding the program as rapidly as I can, he added.

Sallee also suggested that the drones could be used to give homeless people updates or orders about the pandemic, since many of them may not have access to the Internet and may be unaware of the current situation.

We need to tell them we actually have resources for themthey are vulnerable right now. It might be impractical or unsafe for our officers to be put into those areas, Sallee said.

Spencer Gore, chief executive of Impossible Aerospace, a California-based maker of high-performance drones used by first responders, admitted that the idea seems a little Orwellian, but insisted that it could save lives.

What we saw in China, and what were probably going to see around the world, is using drones with cameras and loudspeakers to fly around to see if people are gathering where they shouldnt be, and telling them to go home, Gore said.
Voters in Guinea head to the polls on Sunday in a constitutional referendum that many see as a move by President Alpha Conde to hold onto power.

The 82-year-old was elected in 2010, re-elected in 2015, but critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian.

Conde has promoted the referendum as a democratic exercise and a vote for gender equality and social reform. But it would also reset presidential term limits.

If passed, the new law would still limit the head of state to two terms in office, with each term prolonged from five to six years. But by resetting the term limits, Conde would be able to add another 12 years to his reign, when he would be 94 years of age.

Conde has not denied he will seek a new term if the referendum passes.

The president says he wants to "convince the international community he is open to criticism" but will seek a new term anyway, says Sidya Toure, the head of the opposition Union of Republican Forces (UFR) party.

According to AFP, at least 32 people have been killed, including a gendarme, since Guineans began marching in the streets last October to protest the referendum.

A delayed vote due to possible fraud

Conde postponed the original 1 March date of the referendum and parliamentary polls after discrepancies with 2.5 million names on the voter roll.

Experts from the regional body Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recommended expunging those voter names due to lack of proper identification.

Its an electoral masquerade, said Cellou Diallo, former prime minister and head of the United Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), the leading opposition party. He said that scrubbing the electoral roll had not been transparent and that the roll did not reflect the actual voters in the country.

His party, along with several other larger opposition groups, have announced they are boycotting the referendum and parliamentary election.

An additional worry is that the polls could facilitate the spread of coronavirus, with the first two cases reported in the country.
The Italian government reported 793 new coronavirus deaths on Saturday, a new one-day record that takes the country's death toll to 4,825 -- more than a third of the world's total. The announcement comes as nearly one billion are confined to their homes worldwide.

The world total of deaths climbed on Saturday to more than 11,000 as countries imposed stay-at-home restrictions, closed schools, bars, restaurants and leisure centres. Spain, another hard-hit European country, reported a 32 percent increase in deaths on Saturday.

COVID-19 infections are reported in 164 countries and territories, bringing the infected total to more than 277,106 people.

The World Health Organization warned that while the elderly and frail are especially susceptible to the virus, young people are also at risk.

Restrictions in Europe

In Italy, the death rate is at 8.6 percent as COVID-19 infections rose to 53,578. In the Lombardy region where Milan is located, more than 3,000 people have died.

After a delayed response, Britain has also imposed more stringent measures with the closure of pubs, restaurants and theatres. Switzerland has not followed suit, only banning gatherings with more than five people.

Major cities in US clamping down

The three most populous cities in the USNew York, Los Angeles, and Chicago  have imposed a lockdown, and more cities are planning to follow. Residents are expected to stay home in New York, California and Illinois, and New Jersey, where there is a number of cases, is expected to follow suit.

Non-essential travel between the US and its borders with Canada and Mexico came into effect on Saturday.

China reported no new local infections on Saturday, for the third day in a row, although 41 new infections of people who have returned from abroad has been reported.

Hong Kong logged 48 suspected cases on Friday, as many people have returned home from Europe, possibly bringing the virus with them.

China has offered help to European countries who are scrambling to locate masks; Greece received half a million masks from Beijing on Saturday.

Story continues

Numbers of infected on the rise

The Democratic Republic of Congo reported its first death Saturday.

Four government ministers in Burkina Faso reportedly were stricken with the virus, while two people died in the country. The government has imposed curfews throughout the country.

The Mauritius Health Ministry said Saturday one person had died.

There are more than 1,000 recorded coronavirus cases on the African continent.

Iran recorded 123 new deaths Saturday but refused to impose restrictions on its people. More than 1,500 people have died and 20,000 are infected.

In Latin America, Bolivia has imposed a stay-at-home order beginning on Sunday, and Columbia said it would start isolation on Tuesday.

Brazils beaches in Rio de Janeiro will be officially off limits as of Saturday. The country is banning all visitors from Europe, Australia and a number of Asian countries.

Guatemala has allowed food and pharmaceutical production to continue, but most other industries will be required to down tools as of Monday.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic have imposed curfews.
Arizona authorities are searching for man who stole more than 20 coronavirus testing kits from a health clinic.

The Tucson Police Department released images of a man who was allegedly disguised as a delivery driver when he entered the El Rio Health Center on Friday just before 8pm.

Surveillance video shows the suspect leaving in what appears to be a reddish colored Dodge Charger or similar style vehicle.

The Tucson Police Department released images of a man (left and right) who was allegedly disguised as a delivery driver when he entered the El Rio Health Center on Friday just before 8pm

Police said he was able to obtain 29 unused COVID-19 test kits (like the one above) while employees were getting ready to close for the evening

As the man walked out of the facility he was seen carrying a royal blue duffel bag.

Police said he was able to obtain 29 unused COVID-19 test kits while employees were getting ready to close for the evening.

Employees didn't realize the kits were missing until Saturday morning and called 911.

Authorities said the man is described as a Hispanic male in his 30s, approximately 5'9 to 5'11 with a large build. He has a full dark colored beard with some graying.

According to police, the stolen test kits are essentially useless to the suspect who stole them.

'These kits can only be tested in a private lab equipped with the proper tools for testing and reading results,' police said in a statement.

Surveillance video shows the suspect leaving in what appears to be a reddish colored Dodge Charger or similar style vehicle (pictured)

Employees at the El Rio Health Center (pictured) didn't realize the kits were missing until Saturday morning and called 911

Police said the stolen kits have been replaced so it has not affected the clinic's testing abilities at this time.

'It has however taken 29 testing kits out of the medical field for needed testing in the future,' police said.

Authorities warned the public to not buy kits from anyone claiming to have coronavirus test kits or COVID-19 test kits because there are currently no home test kits for the virus.

Coronavirus testing kits are already short supply in the US where the virus has infected more than 30,000 people and killed 386.

Anyone with possible information about who this suspect may be is asked to call 88-CRIME.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:36:51|Editor: huaxia

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A batch of medical supplies donated by China's Jack Ma Foundation to 54 African countries, including 5.4 million face masks, kits for 1.08 million detection tests, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 sets of protective face shields, arrived in Addis Ababa on Sunday.

ADDIS ABABA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Massive medical supplies donated by China's Jack Ma Foundation to 54 African countries arrived on Sunday morning in Addis Ababa, capital of the East African nation of Ethiopia, through an Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight.

Staff members unload the medical supplies from China at the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shoubao)

They include 5.4 million face masks, kits for 1.08 million detection tests, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 sets of protective face shields, according to the Jack Ma Foundation.

The supplies will first be distributed to countries throughout Africa which are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining 600,000 masks are expected to reach Addis Ababa and be distributed to more African nations over the next few weeks, it said.

The relief initiative forms part of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation's ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 and provide aid to afflicted communities across the globe.

Photo taken on March 22, 2020 shows the medical supplies from China at the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Wang Shoubao)

Earlier this week, the foundations had announced their commitment to donating 100,000 medical masks, 20,000 test kits and 1,000 protective suits and face shields to each of the 54 nations on the African continent.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across Africa has climbed to 1,114 as 40 African countries reported confirmed cases as of Saturday afternoon, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed on Saturday.

Collaboration and partnership with the Alibaba-led Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) hubs in Ethiopia and Rwanda is expected to prompt the distribution across Africa. The flight with the shipment landed at the eWTP hub in Ethiopia, which will help facilitate transport and distribution of donations throughout the continent.

Staff members unload the medical supplies from China at the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shoubao)

"Getting these donations to all 54 African countries, with diverse geographic conditions and different levels of infrastructure, is a great logistical and transportation challenge. We are working around the clock to make the delivery as fast as possible. " according to a Jack Ma Foundation statement.

"With our technology and eWTP Hubs, we are doing our utmost to quickly deliver these donations, so the supplies can reach those who need them most," added Song Juntao, Secretary-General of eWTP.

Staff members arrange medical supplies at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, March 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Tian Jianchuan)

This donation is part of global efforts that the Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundations have promoted to support the areas of the world most affected by the COVID-19 crisis, sourcing and delivering various types of medical supplies to countries such as China, Japan, United States, Italy, Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

Established by Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, the Jack Ma Foundation was founded in 2014 and has been focusing on education, entrepreneurship, women's leadership, and the environment. 
People in Madhya Pradesh remained indoors and streets wore a deserted look on Sunday in view of the 'Janta Curfew' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the fight against coronavirus a success.

Roadside shops and eateries also remained closed in the state.

Four districts - Jabalpur, Rewa, Seoni and Narsinghpur - have already been placed under lockdown since Saturday.

Madhya Pradesh recorded its first cases of coronavirus on Friday with four persons testing positive in Jabalpur city.

Three members of a family, who had returned from Dubai, and another person, who came back from Germany, were found to be infected.

These four people have been hospitalised and are being provided medical treatment.

After shutting schools, cinema halls and museums, authorities in several districts of the state have taken various measures, like keeping passenger buses off roads and closing down restaurants and markets.

The prime minister proposed a 'Janata curfew' on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm as part of social distancing to check the spread of the deadly virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Carolina Man Lies About Having CCP Virus for Paid Vacation: Police

A South Carolina man was charged after lying about having the CCP virus, also know as the novel coronavirus, and caused a local business to shut down, the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office said.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said 31-year-old Jeffrey Travis Long was arrested on Thursday and charged with breach of peace and forgery, the Associated Press reported.

Long worked at a call center of Sitel Corporation in Inman. He told the company that he was tested positive for the COVID-19 virus with a physician note, WHNS-TV reported.

Sitel immediately contacted the South Carolina Department of Health and asked employees who had interacted with Long to self-quarantine for 14 days.

However hospital officials told investigators that they had not seen Long within the previous two weeks, and his note did not have an official stamp from the facility, Wright said.

According to Inman Police Chief Keith Tucker, the hospital Long claimed to have seen him was not even conducting COVID-19 tests at the time.

The incident caused the business to shut down for 5 days and brought massive panic, Wright said during a press conference on Thursday.

It seems to me like the fella just wanted a two-week, paid vacation, he said. You cant do this to people.

Sitel said in a statement that Long no longer works there anymore.

Today, the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office alerted Sitel that this employee made fraudulent claims about testing positive for COVID-19, the company said. The individual is no longer employed at Sitel.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which originated from Wuhan, China and causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University, there are over 300,000 confirmed cases around the world as of Saturday afternoon, with 24,148 of them in the United States.

The number is considered to be highly underestimated because of the underreporting of cases from Mainland China.

According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), there are 173 COVID-19 cases across the state as of Sunday morning, with 3 deaths.

South Carolina had reported two new deaths, bringing the statewide total to three. According to the Department of Health and Environmental Control, both of the patients were elderly and had underlying health conditions.

The state received the first shipment of 55 pallets this week from the Strategic National Stockpile which contained N-95 masks, face shields, surgical masks, gowns, and gloves, the DHEC said on Saturday.
The island of Nantucket announced its first case of coronavirus and now officials issued a stay at home/shelter in place order to begin Monday.

Nantucket has now become the first community in the state to take the step during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nantucket Select Board and the Nantucket Health & Human Services Director with endorsement by the Board of Health voted to issue the stay at home/shelter in place order, the community announced Sunday.

The order begins Monday at 5 p.m. and will last through April 6. Officials said the order will be reviewed weekly.

Everyone living in the community is directed to stay at home.

This is not a lockdown and essential services such as grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants (including take-out and coffee shops - for delivery or curbside pick-up only) remain open for business, officials wrote. Beating this unprecedented public health threat is the responsibility of the entire Nantucket community. The health of Nantucket is in our hands.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital confirmed the first case of COVID-19 on the island Sunday. The patient is quarantined and isolated at home. The hospital is monitoring the patients symptoms.

The patient was screened and tested at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Friday, March 20, and the result was reported positive on Sunday, March 22, less than 48 hours later, the hospital said.

The hospital and the Nantucket Health Department is tracing the patients contact with other people and hospital staff.

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Nantucket Cottage Hospital is taking every precaution to keep our patients and the island community safe, said Gary Shaw, president and CEO of the hospital. We ask that community members continue to educate themselves about this unfolding situation, take it extremely seriously, and abide by all necessary safety measures including staying at home, social distancing, hand-washing and hygiene.

The decision for the stay at home order was made after officials from the community and the hospital work to flatten the rate at which the virus spreads.

If the town experiences a spike in serious cases that exceed Nantucket Cottage Hospitals capacity to care for them as is predicted by hospital personnel, people could die from inadequate access to medical care if we dont take these extreme measures, officials said.

The number of coronavirus cases in Massachusetts stood at 525 as of Saturday.

The first patient with the viral respiratory infection on Marthas Vineyard was also reported. The Tisbury Board of Health announced a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in Dukes County.

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Shocking video has emerged showing two officers at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University violently handcuff the 2020 Sophomore Class President and wrestle him to the ground after he questioned why the cops forced his friend to leave his residence hall.

On March 18 Verdant Julius, the president of the sophomore class at the historically black college, and two friends went to his residence hall to help each other pack up and move out as the school was being evacuated in light of the coronavirus epidemic.

However, a school security guard and local cop refused to allow Julius' female friend from entering the hall because she did not live there.

When Julius questioned further, the officers slammed him to the ground and cuffed him.

Shocking video has emerged showing two officers at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University violently handcuff 2020 Sophomore Class President Verdant Julius on March 18 after he questioned why they were kicking out his friend from entering the residence hall

A school security guard and local cop refused to allow Julius' female friend from entering the hall because she did not live there. When Julius questioned further, the officers slammed him to the ground and cuffed him

Harrowing video of the confrontation shows the moment an officer, who is black, gets behind Julius trying to put his hands behind his back and says: 'If you resist, Im going to mace you'

Harrowing video of the confrontation shows the moment an officer, who is black, gets behind Julius trying to put his hands behind his back and says: 'If you resist, Im going to mace you.'

Julius appears calm and says: 'Youre honestly ridiculous. Like, we could have a conversation'

When Julius raises his hands the officers try to put their hands behind his neck, pin him to a wall, then slam him to the ground.

'I promise yall, you guys are fired,' Julius is heard saying as they wrestled with him.

One cop is seen placing his hand behind the student's neck once Julius is sprawled on the floor as the other officer places him in handcuffs.

'I promise yall, you guys are fired,' Julius is heard saying as they wrestled with him and placed him on the ground

One cop is seen placing his hand behind the student's neck once Julius is sprawled on the floor as the other officer places him in handcuffs

The shocking clip, filmed by a friend, was shared in Twitter where it surpassed 1.5million views and sparked outrage among the student body and local community.

Those two officers have since been placed on administrative leave.

The University says they are aware of the incident and are investigating the matter.

'University administrators are evaluating the matter in an effort to reach an appropriate resolution. Further, we have met with the individual student, as well as Student Government Association leadership, to understand their concerns,' school officials said.

'We are aware of the video circulating this morning on #NCAT and online. We are examining all of the information related to this incident, including facts not represented in the video. A full investigation is underway.'

The incident unfolded during a tense week on campus.

In person classes on campus were cancelled on Monday due to the COVID-19 outbreak. On Tuesday the school announced most students must leave university housing by the end of the week on Sunday.

After the video went viral online a petition entitled #JusticeforVerdant went viral, demanding A&T drop charges against the student and demanding that the officers be disciplined and a police review committee to review future police hires and complaints. Julius hasn't commented on the incident

'University administrators are evaluating the matter in an effort to reach an appropriate resolution. Further, we have met with the individual student, as well as Student Government Association leadership, to understand their concerns,' school officials said

This isn't the first incident of school officer excessive force to plague the campus. Last September, a security guard at the university was placed on leave after a shocking video surfaced showing the guard punch a student in the neck at the university's student center

After the video went viral online a petition entitled #JusticeforVerdant went viral, demanding A&T drop charges against the student and demanding that the officers be disciplined and a police review committee to review future police hires and complaints.

As of Sunday that petition had 8,300 signatures, nearing its goal of 9,000.

That petition explained that Julius and his friends went to the McCain Residence Hall to help each other pack up.

The students were asked to show their student IDs to a campus security guard and local police officer and swipe into the residence hall to prove they were students.

A female friend of Julius was asked to leave because she was not a resident of McCain Hall.

Julius asked the two officers to an explanation as to why she had to leave.

In response an officer said: 'If you take one step closer I am going to have you arrested for obstruction of an investigation.'

This was allegedly the first time that Julius and his friends were alerted about any investigation taking place in the hall. It's not clear if there was an investigation or what it was about.

'No college student deserves this type of abuse and harassment from campus security guards or local police officers on their college campus -- especially during a global pandemic,' the petition said.

This isn't the first incident of school officer excessive force to plague the campus.

Last September, a security guard at the university was placed on leave after a shocking video surfaced showing the guard punch a student in the neck at the university's student center.
Several mobile teams of the Nigeria Police on Sunday invaded churches in Lagos to enforce the low congregation order of the Lagos State Government. The State government had directed that church congregation should not exceed 50 worshippers at a service towards combating the spread of coronavirus in the state.

The police were said to have stormed the Deeper Life Church opposite PHCN office on Iwaya Road, Lagos, on Sunday and stopped the service.

The Pastor was said to be carried away by the Police who dispersed the congregation to end the service abruptly.

PV: 0
Tripoli, March 22 : Libya's eastern-based army has welcomed the international call for a ceasefire to stop military action in the country in order to allow authorities to fight against the possible outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

"The general command (of the eastern-based army) welcomes the international call for a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons in order to confront the (possible) coronavirus infections," the army's spokesman Ahmad al-Mismari said in a statement on Saturday.

He added that the eastern-based army "is committed the most to the ceasefire", reports Xinhua news agency.

Earlier, Arab and Western countries, as well as the UN Support Mission in Libya, called on the Libyan parties to stop all military action in the country to allow authorities to fight against the coronavirus.

The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.

The fighting has killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 to flee their homes.

Both rival parties have imposed a curfew in Libya to prevent any possible coronavirus infections.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday telephoned his counterparts from Sri Lanka and Nepal and proposed to host the SAARC health ministers conference to firm up efforts to jointly fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement that Qureshi also proposed that a video conference could be organised first in view of the prevailing global health emergency.

During his conversation with his Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs Dinesh Gunawardena, the two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the situation arising from the coronavirus outbreak and ways to enhance cooperation to combat the threat posed by the rapid spread of the pandemic.

"Reaffirming abiding commitment to the SAARC process, Foreign Minister Qureshi reiterated Pakistan's readiness to host the SAARC Health Ministers' Conference to enhance cooperation among member countries and development partners in the health sector, with particular focus on Covid-19," the Foreign Office said.

Qureshi underscored that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) provided an important platform for regional cooperation. There was a need to revitalise this key organization to tackle common challenges.

In the context of effective efforts to combat the global pandemic, the Foreign Minister noted that Pakistan has proposed that sanctions on Iran be lifted so that humanitarian relief can be provided at this time of crisis to save precious human lives.

Qureshi further noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan has proposed that developed countries may facilitate developing countries to meet the challenge through debt restructuring so that they can use limited resources to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on their economies and provide effective relief to the poor people.

During his conversation with his Nepali counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, detailed discussions were held on the situation arising from the spread of Covid-19, reiterating readiness to host the SAARC Health Ministers conference.

The Foreign Minister noted that Pakistan has proposed that sanctions on Iran be lifted so that humanitarian relief can be provided.

The Foreign Minister of Nepal appreciated the proposal. He also expressed concerns on the humanitarian crisis in Iran.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On March 15, a batch of 236 Indians was evacuated from Iran in an Air India plane. Only three of these 236 were tested for coronavirus infection because only the three showed symptoms.

They were quarantined at the Indian Army Wellness Centre in Jaipur. The rest  233 of them  were allowed to go home without being tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. With 190 confirmed cases reported so far and four deaths, India is ahead of the curve. Is it?

Many say that the low numbers in India are a result of the fewer number of tests the country is conducting; that the number of tests mask the extent of the spread. But you cant actually mask a Covid-19 outbreak. Examples from Italy and China are proof that thousands of dead bodies that are the most likely outcome of an uncontrolled outbreak cannot be hidden. Why is the government, as many would have us believe, then playing with fire?

To answer that question it is important to answer a few other questions - what a Covid-19 test is, how it is conducted and how the disease spreads.

The disease spread

The Covid-19 contagion has touched nearly 1.8 lakh people in 144 countries. It has killed over 10,000. The spread so far has shown that every infected individual is expected to infect between two and three others on an average. In India, every infected individual is expected to infect 1.7 individuals because we are not at Stage 3, or the community spread stage, yet.

Four stages of contagion

Stage 1: When the disease is just introduced to a population. In Indias case, the disease was introduced by those with travel history to affected countries.

Stage 2: At this stage, local transmission of the disease starts. Some of those who come in contact with people with travel history to foreign countries start to get infected. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), this is the stage that India is in right now.

Social distancing is advised at this stage.

Stage 3: This is when even those who have had no known contact with an infected person, and havent even travelled abroad, start getting the disease. From here, it becomes difficult to break the chain of transmission and control the spread because those affected may not know where they got the infection from. Thats when countries announce lockdowns.

Stage 4: This is the stage of epidemic within the population and this is when it becomes a widespread outbreak.

What India is doing

India is testing people with travel histories to foreign countries, mainly the most affected ones, such as China, the US and European countries - only in case the person shows any symptoms of the disease. People coming from abroad are being asked to fill a health declaration form with the following questions:

Are you suffering from any of the following?

Fever (Yes / No)

Cough (Yes / No)

Respiratory problems (Yes / No)

If you tick yes for any of the above, you are tested, else you are free to go home. Now, if a person has left for home and then develops symptoms, she can get in touch with the authorities and get tested. If tested positive, the authorities will track down all people who the person could have come in physical contact with during this period and test them.

This method of testing leaves enough room for Covid-19 to spread.

And this brings us back to the question  just why is the government taking chances?

No coronavirus test kits made in India

Test kits to diagnose coronavirus cases are not manufactured in India and given that airlines are in lockdown, importing the kits is difficult. There are two tests - a blood test and a swab test - that confirm or rule out a coronavirus infection. Both tests are free for people but cost the government Rs 5,000 each as the government is conducting these tests free of cost.

When it all started, India had just 3 lakh testing kits available in the country. An additional 2 lakh testing kits are being procured to supplement the existing stock of 1 lakh. India is trying to control the spread of a disease that threatens each one of its 1.3 billion people... with five lakh kits. If mass testing was allowed, as is being suggested, India would have run out of kits by now.

But shortage of kits is not the only problem. India is short of laboratories too.

The first test is conducted in 67 laboratories across the country. The second, which is the confirmatory test, is conducted in just 51 labs so far, which means not every district of India has a testing lab. India, remember, has a total of 732 districts.

The government is trying to involve private labs in the effort but they arent sure where the kits are going to come from and who will bear the cost. The government has asked private labs to conduct tests for free but hasnt spelt out if it would subsidise the test or if labs will have to bear the full cost of the tests.

One of the examples being thrown at the Indian governments face is that of South Korea, which was conducting 12,000-15,000 tests by February. Now, South Korea has a population of about just six crore people, that is 0.06 billion. Comparatively, India, with a population of 1.3 billion or 130 crore, should have been prepared better, but it is not.

According to the World Health Organisation, India ranks 184th out of 191 in terms of GDP spend on healthcare. At present, government spending on the healthcare industry stands at 1.15 per cent of the GDP.

Has India lost the battle already?

For now, no. What is working for the government for now are some timely interventions. In February itself, the government imposed restrictions on those travelling to and from China. This was at a time when most European countries and the US were still allowing unrestricted travel to people from mainland China.

Covid-19 has been declared a pandemic and 10,000 people have died but just a couple of countries have so far reported more than 50 deaths - China, Italy, Iran, Spain, France, South Korea, the UK and the US.

From this lot too, cases in China and South Korea have begun to fall drastically.

Is India not heeding WHOs advice?

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, We have a simple message to all countries - test, test, test.

But in its interim guidance on Laboratory testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in suspected human cases, the WHO said: The decision to test should be based on clinical and epidemiological factors and linked to an assessment of the likelihood of infection. PCR [polymerase chain reaction] testing of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic contacts can be considered in the assessment of individuals who have had contact with a COVID-19 case. Screening protocols should be adapted to the local situation.

India says the local condition so far doesnt merit scaling up testing because India is only seeing imported cases and no community transmission so far.

India is also intensifying the random sampling of people who display flu-like symptoms but dont have any history of travel to outbreak zones to check for community transmission.

Beginning March 15, each of the 51 ICMR laboratories is to test 10 such samples every week. The exercise began on March 15. On March 18, ICMR confirmed 500 random samples of patients with symptoms of severe pneumonia and chest infection turned out to be negative.

Between February 15 and 29, the ICMR had picked up 20 samples and tested them at 13 labs. All results were negative and that is how the government decided to test only symptomatic people with travel histories.

Its not just testing; the government has aggressively advocated social distancing too, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to the nation and asking the elderly, people above 60 years of age, to stay indoors. More and more people are beginning to work from home. People are avoiding travel and unnecessary outings.

The shutting down of restaurants, cinema halls, malls and other public places is also likely to help stop the spread of the disease.

This, the PM said, shouldnt make us complacent. We cannot let the guard down. It will be months before we do that. Months before we begin to consider handshakes and hugs safe again.

Also read: DailyOh! How coronavirus could have landed from Wuhan in Italy, to how Tom Cruise matched Kelly McGillis in Top Gun
By Express News Service

KOLLAM: The police have registered a case against two people for violating home quarantine guidelines. The persons were advised home quarantine at Kundara in Kollam as they returned from Dubai recently.



However, the police received a complaint that instead of complying to the health department's instruction they are roaming around and meeting people.

COVID-19 LIVE | Confirmed cases reach 341 in India, six dead as country observes 'Janta Curfew'



"The health officials have to force them to be home quarantine for 28 days, as they were refusing to do so. We have also received a complaint against them that they abused the health staffs when they asked the persons to be quarantined," said the police.
India's largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp and Italian auto major Fiat have decided to suspend production at their factories till the end of this month in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic that has affected more than 340 people in India so far. Hero MotoCorp has said apart from India, it has also suspended operations in its other factories in Bangladesh and Colombia.

"With the safety and wellbeing of its employees as the top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, Hero MotoCorp has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities - including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh - and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020," the company said in a statement. "Employees at all the other functions and locations including the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan will continue to work from home, except for those whose physical presence is necessary to run the day-to-day essential services."

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles that makes the Compass SUV in India and Fiat Automobiles Pvt Ltd have also announced to suspend operations at their Ranjangaon factory till the end of this month.

"Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) together with Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL), FCA's joint venture manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, announced today that it will work with the Government to temporarily close operations and suspend production to protect the health and safety of employees. FIAPL will continue to be staffed with a small number of employees, who are engaged in emergency services," read a statement released by the company. "There will be no retrenchment of any plant employees as a result of the plant closure and all will continue to receive their salaries during this closure period."

India's biggest automaker Tata Motors has also said it was winding down its main Pune factory to skeletal operations by the end of March 23, Monday in preparation for a full shut down Tuesday onwards should the need arise.

"As a manufacturing organisation, we have a complex situation at hand. A large part of our workforce operates in plants and at our Engineering research centre. Their work cannot be done remotely and therefore we have people working on-site in these locations with a heightened degree of personal hygiene and safety," said Guenter Butsheck, managing director and CEO, Tata Motors in an internal note to the employees of the company.

"We have been monitoring the situation closely and all data seem to point out that Maharashtra has been the most impacted. In the interest of the safety of our employees in the state, we have decided to rapidly scale down activities at Pune site to get to skeletal operations by end of Monday, March 23, 2020, and be ready for plant closure by end of Tuesday, March 24 if the situation warrants. We shall remain in this mode till March 31 and review it in due course," he added.

Other companies are likely to follow suit in the next two days. A senior executive in a Gurgaon based company said they are likely to announce plant closure soon and arrangements are being made. Another executive who works in a Chennai based firm said operations in his factory has been significantly reduced with only half of the workforce allowed to work.

"In any case, the production schedule for March was very lean in the run-up to the transition to BS-VI regime which meant we had to completely stop making BS-IV models. So even if we shut the factory for the next 10 days, it does not make any significant material impact to us," he said. "The real impact of Covid-19 on our operations in financial terms will only be visible from mid-April onwards. If things do not improve, it will be very substantial."

Also read: Coronavirus impact: Tata Motors JLR to suspend production in UK from next week

Also read: Coronavirus update: Tata Motors may shut Maharashtra plant due to COVID-19 concerns
South Africa could face a massive shortage of hospital beds if even only a fraction of the population contract the COVID-19 coronavirus.

This is according to a report from Rapport, which said the country could have too few beds if the virus spreads along the same trajectory as in other countries.

According to the publication, experts said that South Africa would need to reduce the infection rate to only 10% of citizens if it was to stand a chance in fighting the virus.

This would mean that around 5.7 million South Africans get infected.

This is far less than the 60-70% figure which Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the country could be headed for.

Comparing to China

Rapport found that even if the conservative 10% figure was met, however, it could spell disaster for South Africas medical facilities.

In China, approximately 15% of coronavirus-infected people had to be hospitalised, while 5% needed critical care.

Rapport submitted that this figure may be lower with South Africas younger population, but if the rate of infection were to be similar, 855,000 beds would be required in the next six months.

Per month, that would come down to 142,500 beds, 47,500 of which would have to be dedicated to critical patients.

According to two studies in the last decade, South Africas hospitals would not be able to handle this number.

A study from the Institute for Race Relations showed there were only 116,400 beds across the country as of 2014, while research from the University of Cape Town in 2017 estimated 102,000 beds in 544 hospitals.

The effects could be even worse if the viruss spread is concentrated in densely-populated areas.

240 confirmed cases

As of Saturday, there were 240 confirmed cases of the virus in South Africa, up by 38 from the previous day.

At least seven of South Africas nine provinces now have cases, with the majority being in the more densely-populated provinces of Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

An expert from Wits University told The Star newspaper that South Africa would have to turn to a strict national lockdown if infections rose to between 100 and 200 per day.

Now read: South African Army on standby to enforce coronavirus restrictions
On March 19, 2020, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) which represents the worldwide recorded music industry has released the top 10 best selling albums worldwide. According to their site, the IFPI Global Top Ten Album Chart combines global sales of physical and digital album downloads to rank the top albums of the year. The chart includes physical and digital album unit sales only.

IFPI's official twitter account did a count down of the top 10.



There were a good deal of anticipation from fans of certain artists. Each predicting their own number 1's. However, very few actually predicted the top 1 in the list.







3. BTS - MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA









@BTS_twt  MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA The 6th EP from South Korean pop powerhouse BTS received critical acclaim for its confident, genre-spanning sound & was a worldwide hit, plus the 1st #1 for a Korean act in many global markets



2. Taylor Swift - Lover











@taylorswift13  Lover A very personal record, the 7th album from US pop sensation Taylor Swift is a celebration of love. Mixing bright, cheerful tones of pop, rock & country with honest lyrics and a summery aesthetic it was a critical & global success



1. Arashi - 5x20 All the BEST!! 1999-2019







@arashi5official  520 All the BEST!! 1999-2019 Containing all 56 singles released by the hugely successful Japanese band & a live video collection spanning 2 decades, ARASHIs ultimate greatest hits album was #1 biggest global album of 2019! #IFPIGlobalAlbumChart pic.twitter.com/F20s3vcvpD  IFPI (@IFPI_org) March 19, 2020

The Japanese boy band beat out releases by esteemed artists like Taylor Swift, BTS, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, and The Beatles. While it may seem to some like Arashi came out of nowhere to claim the top spot, they really didnt, as theyve been a phenomenally huge success in Japan for decades.

ARASHI  Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto  formed in 1999 and released their first single A-RA-SHI in November that year. They went on to release multiple million-seller albums over the next two decades. In June 2019, they released their 20th anniversary compilation 5x20 All the BEST!! 1999-2019 and staged the ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5x20 across Japan last year. The band, who are national icons in Japan, announced in January 2019 that they would be going on hiatus from 2021.



Heres the full top ten best-selling albums of 2019, according to the IFPI (global physical and download sales figures in brackets):



1. Arashi  520 All The BEST!! 1999-2019 (3.3 million)

2. Taylor Swift  Lover (3.2 million)

3. BTS  Map Of The Soul: Persona (2.5 million)

4. Lady Gaga  A Star Is Born OST (1.2 million)

5. Billie Eilish  When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (1.2 million)

6. Queen  Bohemian Rhapsody OST (1.2 million)

7. Ed Sheeran  No 6 Collaborations Project (1.1 million)

8. Ariana Grande  Thank U, Next (1 million)

9. Rammstein  Rammstein (0.9 million)
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Two juveniles were cited on city ordinance violations for disorderly conduct after fighting in the dining hall at MacMurray College, 447 E. College Ave., at 5:41 p.m. Thursday, according to police.

 Vanessa N. Rupe, 33, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of driving while license is suspended after a traffic stop at 2:02 a.m. Friday at West Morton Avenue and Libby Lane.

 A 14-year-old boy was arrested at 4:21 a.m. Friday on a charge of criminal damage to property after police said he threw a rock through the window of Presbyterian Church Day Care at 870 W. College Ave.

 A 14-year-old boy was cited on a curfew ordinance violation at 4:53 a.m. Friday in the 800 block of West College Avenue.

ACCIDENTS

 Ezzealldin Abbas Al-Mosawi, 28, of Jacksonville was cited on charges of disobeying a stop sign and having no valid drivers license after the car he was driving and one being driven by Mary A. Elmore, 21, of Jacksonville collided at 5:36 p.m. Thursday at North East and East Wolcott streets.

Al-Mosawi was treated at the scene but declined further treatment, according to a police report. Elmore was taken to Passavant Area Hospital for precautionary treatment, police said. She was being cited on a charge of having no valid drivers license, according to the report.

VANDALISM

 Someone threw a gallon of red paint in the back of a construction trailer in the 200 block of East State Street, according to a report filed at 8:59 a.m. Friday.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer


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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 16:55:40|Editor: xuxin

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Staff members unload the medical supplies from China at the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 22, 2020. Massive medical supplies donated by China's Jack Ma Foundation to 54 African countries arrived on Sunday morning in Addis Ababa, capital of the East African nation of Ethiopia, through an Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight. They include 5.4 million face masks, kits for 1.08 million detection tests, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 sets of protective face shields, according to the Jack Ma Foundation. (Xinhua/Wang Shoubao)

ADDIS ABABA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Massive medical supplies donated by China's Jack Ma Foundation to 54 African countries arrived on Sunday morning in Addis Ababa, capital of the East African nation of Ethiopia, through an Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight.

They include 5.4 million face masks, kits for 1.08 million detection tests, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 sets of protective face shields, according to the Jack Ma Foundation.

The supplies will first be distributed to countries throughout Africa which are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining 600,000 masks are expected to reach Addis Ababa and be distributed to more African nations over the next few weeks, it said.

The relief initiative forms part of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation's ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 and provide aid to afflicted communities across the globe.

Earlier this week, the foundations had announced their commitment to donating 100,000 medical masks, 20,000 test kits and 1,000 protective suits and face shields to each of the 54 nations on the African continent.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across Africa has climbed to 1,114 as 40 African countries reported confirmed cases as of Saturday afternoon, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed on Saturday.

Collaboration and partnership with the Alibaba-led Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) hubs in Ethiopia and Rwanda is expected to prompt the distribution across Africa. The flight with the shipment landed at the eWTP hub in Ethiopia, which will help facilitate transport and distribution of donations throughout the continent.

"Getting these donations to all 54 African countries, with diverse geographic conditions and different levels of infrastructure, is a great logistical and transportation challenge. We are working around the clock to make the delivery as fast as possible. " according to a Jack Ma Foundation statement.

"With our technology and eWTP Hubs, we are doing our utmost to quickly deliver these donations, so the supplies can reach those who need them most," added Song Juntao, Secretary-General of eWTP.

This donation is part of global efforts that the Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundations have promoted to support the areas of the world most affected by the COVID-19 crisis, sourcing and delivering various types of medical supplies to countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, United States, Italy, Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

Established by Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, the Jack Ma Foundation was founded in 2014 and has been focusing on education, entrepreneurship, women's leadership, and the environment.
New language created to bring the Gospel to millions of deaf, blind people worldwide

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Wycliffe Associates has released a new translation of the New Testament in a new concept-based language that deaf and blind people across the globe can begin learning in less than a week.

The new notation is called SUN (Symbolic Universal Notation) and it is a symbolic representation of the words in Scripture developed by Wycliffe Associates, a prominent Bible translation organization, over the course of the last four years. SUN aims to provide a pathway to Christ for millions of deaf and blind people who have no other way of effectively communicating with the world.

This is the first that I have seen or heard of anything like this in Bible translation, SUN Program Director Lori Jenkins told The Christian Post. Basically, what we have done is taken the New Testament and broken it down into the main concepts of each of the verses and each of the chapters. For each concept, we have created a symbol.

The SUN New Testament, which was finished last year, was publicly announced during a late February dedication ceremony in Orlando.

So far, Jenkins said, Wycliffe Associates has printed copies of the SUN New Testament that can be read by deaf people. It is working on producing a 3D version that can be read by those who are both deaf and blind.

According to Wycliffe Associates, SUN has the potential to reach about 56 million people with the Gospel who may not otherwise be able to access it. SUN was developed by a former volunteer named Emily Wang, who was inspired after finding out that over 600,000 people worldwide are both deaf and blind.

Wycliffe Associates estimates that there are 70 million people in the world who are born deaf and about 80 percent of them cant communicate in their local sign language.

Only about 20 percent of the deaf population of the world has access to education, Jenkins said. So the question is, How do you provide a Bible for those that have no education at all? And this is the problem that SUN answers.

Wang aimed to create a system that could be read both visually and through touch. As a Chinese-American, she was inspired by the symbols in the Mandarin language and came up with symbols that could be understood universally.

Through a team of 400 online volunteers across the United States who created symbols to represent the precepts found in Scripture, the production of the SUN New Testament took about 1.5 years.

The translation is sourced from the Unlocked Literal Bible. Dr. John Luton, a Bible translation consultant with Wycliffe Associates, reviewed the translations Gospel of Luke.



This is one of the best translations I have ever worked on, Luton said in a statement.

In order to read the SUN New Testament, users must learn the 100 core symbols and also learn how the symbols can be combined to convey additional meaning.

For those that are deaf, we're teaching them to read basically by sight, Jenkins said. We can have them reading within three to five days. We've had many people within three days basically start reading Mark 1. And the question that they have asked is How can I know this Jesus? How can I have this Jesus in my heart? We've been able to lead many people to Christ through this.

Jenkins said that SUN has been tested in nine different countries. Additionally, there has been exposure to SUN in about 16 different countries.

Basically the idea is we get people together who are going to be working with those that are deaf and those that are deaf and blind. They are the people that we teach, Jenkins explained. So we go into a country, we teach this group of people how to teach SUN to the deaf and the deaf and blind. And it's up to them to take it and spread it throughout the country.

According to Wycliffe Associates, SUN is easier to learn than braille, which can take years to master. SUN is a concept-based approach that does not rely on words or letter systems.

You already know the concept. It is just learning to associate a symbol with the concept, Jenkins detailed. We are seeing deaf people who have never learned a national sign language, they are coming to these workshops where people are teaching them SUN and teaching them national sign langauge at the same time.

So they are really learning two languages at once. What we are seeing is we are seeing their world open up and we are seeing them being able to communicate with more people around them as well as being able to have access to Gods Word in a format they already understand.

According to Jenkins, the goal is to take SUN to 40 new countries in 2020. However, she said that the goal could be impacted by travel complications caused by the coronavirus.

We are also seeing other organizations that are taking a look at this and saying, Hey we could use this in this way when we are teaching these children over here, she relayed. It has the potential to reach so many different places and different people. Its not just for the deaf and deaf and blind, you can also think about kids with autism and anybody who cant communicate on their own. This has the potential to reach them.

Wycliffe is currently working on a SUN version of the Old Testament. According to Jenkins, the translation will require the creation of additional symbols to reflect concepts found in the Old Testament, which is about twice the size of the New Testament.

I don't know how much larger our symbol base is going to grow to, Jenkins said. I dont know if it will double or not. But it might be pretty close to doubling in size.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Amid the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon due to the threat of COVID-2019, Metro Manila and Central Luzon have tallied lower crime rates during its implementation.

National Capital Region police chief PM Gen. Debold Sinas announced the crime rate in Metro Manila went down by 80 percent as a result of the quarantine.

Specifically, during the first week of the enhanced community quarantine, from March 15-20 this year, only 73 crimes were committed  compared to more than 200 in the same time frame in 2019.

Sinas added many people are following the guidelines on the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

Indeed, there is a massive decrease, a massive reduction. We are observing it kasi nga walang tao sa kalye, walang ganon pero despite everything, nanghuhuli pa rin 'yung tao natin ng mga nang-aabuso para po mapigilan po sila, said Sinas.

(Translation: Indeed, there is a massive decrease, a massive reduction. We are observing it because there is no one in the street, nothing but despite everything, our people [police officers] are still catching abusers to prevent them [from committing crimes].)

Sinas noted the decline in cases involving murder, homicide, theft, robbery, and physical injury.

The NCRPO will release a more detailed report of the decreasing number of cases in Metro Manila tomorrow, March 23.

RELATED: NCRPO: Crime incidents down since community quarantine started

In Central Luzon, Police Regional Director PBGen. Rhodel Sermonia said their office recorded an 80 percent decrease in crimes in their region.

Region 3 only had 71 cases from March 10-16 during the first week of the enhanced community quarantine.

Sermonia also released their data from March 17-21, when only 75 cases were tallied in the region. It is lower by 77.33 percent than the number of cases recorded during the same time last year.

Still, we continue to appeal to the public for their continuous cooperation in our crime prevention efforts in Central Luzon especially during these trying times," Sermonia added.

Region 3 had a significant drop in number of cases involving murder, homicide, robbery, theft, physical injury, motornapping, and rape.

The Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine took effect last March 17. It will last until April 13.
WASHINGTON  Senate Democrats on Sunday blocked action on an emerging deal to prop up an economy devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, paralyzing the progress of a nearly $2 trillion government rescue package they said failed to adequately protect workers or impose strict enough restrictions on bailed-out businesses.

The party-line vote was a stunning setback after three days of talks between senators and administration officials to reach a bipartisan compromise on legislation that is expected to be the largest economic stimulus package in American history  now expected to cost $1.8 trillion or more. In a 47-47 vote, the Senate fell short of the 60 votes that would have been needed to advance the measure, even as talks continued between behind the scenes to salvage a compromise.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) were clamped in Delhi on Sunday to prevent further spread of Coronavirus in the capital which has seen 31 positive cases of the disease. The order bans demonstrations, protests, processions among other types of assemblies for social, cultural, political, religious, academic and sports. This order together with the decision to shutdown Metro rail networks across the country including the Delhi metro network till March 31 is expected to cut down chances of community transmission of the disease through gatherings and crowds at public places.

The order which will come into effect from 9pm on Sunday n also bans the organisation of weekly markets except for essential commodities across the national capital.

Organisation of weekly markets (except for vegetable, fruits and essential commodities), concerts, exhibitions, etc is prohibited, the order states.

Arvind Kejriwal government had yesterday announced restrictions on gatherings of more than five people in the state.

The order says that there is a likelihood of fast and widespread community transmission and the measures are being taken with a view to prevent it.

Any violation of the order issued on Sunday by the Delhi Police Commissioner will be punishable under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, says the order.

The order also makes it clear that any individual either infected or suspected to be infected must follow quarantine rules and comply with directions of the surveillance person.

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Officials have told the public that buying bottled water is not needed during the coronavirus pandemic as drinking from the tap in Massachusetts is completely safe.

The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website says. Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh also reassured residents on Saturday that the viral respiratory illness is not in the citys water supply. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authorities will continue to reliably provide water that meets all health standards, he said.

Remember: its safe to drink from the tapand there is no #COVID19 in Bostons water. @MWRA_update will continue to reliably provide water that meets all health standards. https://t.co/2J7GGq7a1f  Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) March 21, 2020

If you are worried about being quarantined, stock up on medicine and food, but you do not need to buy bottled water, the MWRA said in a statement.

The emergency agency provides water and sewer services to 3.1 million people and more than 5,500 large industrial users in 61 metropolitan Boston communities, according to its website.

Water from towns and cities serviced by the MWRA - except for Chicopee, South Hadleys first fire district and Wilbraham - is treated at the John J. Carroll Water Treatment Plant in Marlborough.

Federal and state regulations require that we have emergency plans to maintain operations during a variety of different types of emergencies and we are prepared to do so, the MWRA said in its statement.

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That's a source of justified disquiet at the best of times. As the COVID-19 coronavirus was quietly beginning its spread through the population of Wuhan in December and January, a series of New York Times articles outlined the staggering amount of data that we've given up to technology companies. For all the talk of information being rendered anonymous, it's trivially easy to crack someone's identity by simple tricks like checking where they sleep each night and work during the day.

Thanks to the location and personal data that we share with the likes of Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc. via our mobile phones, the world's population is currently under routine surveillance in a manner that would have made George Orwell blanch.

Almost everyone these days carries a device that tracks their movements and shares that information with an array of companies. They may use it to offer everything from food deliveries and car rides to virtual monster hunts. It's ironic, then, that we're so reluctant to use the same capabilities to fight a pandemic that could kill millions.

In the current crisis, it's worth contemplating whether that's more of an opportunity than a danger. We're rightly concerned about surveillance when it's done by a business or a government with nefarious intent - but the word "surveillance" also describes a medical practice that's crucial in suppressing epidemics.

Identifying those who've been infected, tracing their contacts, and restricting or checking on the movements of whoever may have been exposed has been a vital step in reducing the spread of diseases for more than a century. The discipline of epidemiology dates back to John Snow, a London doctor who managed to tame an 1854 cholera outbreak by tracking who'd had direct and indirect access to a tainted water pump. Alongside more broad-based and disruptive restrictions such as closures of borders, schools and businesses, disease surveillance is still one of the few tools we have to combat COVID-19 until workable vaccines become available - and that may be 18 months away.

It's extraordinary in this context that we're not yet seeing wider use of the world-class surveillance technology at the fingertips of every phone company in the world. Instead, the very thought of such measures makes many queasy.

China has introduced scanning of QR codes so that only residents and employees can gain entry to apartment complexes and offices, as well as assigning citizens "traffic light" levels of infection risk based on their travel history. In a country where surveillance has already been used to restrict civil liberties, there are reasonable fears that those technologies could end up becoming permanent features of life. But in nations governed by democracy and the rule of law, we shouldn't let knee-jerk discomfort cause us to reject measures that could save lives in a crisis.

At present, much of the discussion is happening behind closed doors. Companies whose tracking of personal data has alarmed civil liberties activists, including Palantir Technologies Inc. and Clearview AI Inc. have been in talks with US federal and state agencies about using their tools to track the pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported this week, citing sources it didn't identify. Government representatives didn't respond to the newspaper's requests for comment about the talks.
Trump admin. urges Venezuela to release 5 Americans wrongfully detained

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Amid a global coronavirus scare, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo has called on the dictatorial Venezuela regime, which has been accused of crimes against humanity, to release five American citizens who were wrongfully detained on charges of corruption over two years ago and are in the countrys infamous Helicoide prison.

With the Maduro regime now acknowledging that COVID-19 cases are appearing in Venezuela, we are extremely concerned about the risk for the five U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident from Citgo who are currently languishing in the notorious Helicoide prison in Caracas, Pompeo said in a statement.

These Americans in detention have weakened immune systems due to cumulative health problems and face a grave health risk if they become infected.

There are 70 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Venezuela, according to John Hopkins University. Worldwide, there are over 300,000 confirmed cases in 184 countries, areas or territories, with a death toll of over 13,000.

The courts have canceled 18 hearings and the six accused, including the U.S. resident, have spent more than two years in jail without an ounce of evidence being brought against them, Pompeo said, urging that it is time to release them on humanitarian grounds.

The six, including the top executive of Citgo, a Texas-based subsidiary of Venezuelas PDVSA, a state-owned natural gas and oil company, were arrested in November 2017, three months after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the Venezuelan regime, under the pretense of an anti-corruption probe, according to The Epoch Times.

After the arrest, President Nicolas Maduro said that former Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavezs cousin was taking over as the new president of Citgo, according to the Times.

The sanctions prohibited dealings with the Venezuelan government or its state oil company to prevent the strengthening of the dictatorship of President Maduro.

In May 2018, the Trump administration secured the release of Joshua Holt, a former Mormon missionary from Utah who had been imprisoned in Venezuela since June 2016 on false charges of espionage.

Holt was released after negotiations with Washington to avoid stricter U.S. sanctions.

We hope that this gesture is read by those factions that promote aggression against Venezuela, Venezuela Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez was quoted as saying at the time.

Last week, Trump secured the release of Lebanese-American Amer Fakhoury from prison in Lebanon.

Today we are bringing home another American citizen, big thing, very big, Trump said at the beginning of a coronavirus task force briefing, according to FOX 40.

Fakhoury was accused of kidnapping, torture and murder of prisoners during the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.
During the Angelus, Pope Francis called on the Heads of the Churches and all Christians to recite together the Lords Prayer on March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation. On 27 March, the pontiff will pray in the parvis of the St Peters Basilica, with the Eucharistic adoration and Urbi et Orbi blessing. The miracle of healing the man born blind confirms the affirmation of Jesus who says of himself, I am the light of the world (John 9:5), the light that illuminates our darkness. However, it is not enough to receive the light, it is necessary to become the light.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis announced two moments of prayer for the world on 25 and 27 March, prompted by the "universality of prayer, compassion, tenderness" against the virus pandemic before which "humanity trembles.

In his address, the pontiff called on all the Heads of Churches and the leaders of all Christian communities, together with all Christians of various confessions to recite at the same time the Lords Prayer at noon next Wednesday, 25 March, solemnity of the Annunciation of Mary.

Speaking from the library of the Apostolic Palace via live streaming, right after the Angelus prayer, Francis said: On the day when many Christians remember the announcement to the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation of the Word, may the Lord hear the unanimous prayer of all his disciples who are preparing to celebrate the victory of the Risen Christ.

With this same intention, next Friday 27 March, at 6 pm, I shall lead a moment of prayer in the parvis of St Peter's Basilica [in an empty square]. I hereby invite everyone to spiritually participate through the media. We shall hear the Word of God, we shall raise our plea, we shall worship the Blessed Sacrament, with which, at the end, I shall give the Urbi et Orbi Blessing, to which is attached the possibility of receiving the plenary indulgence.

Many Catholics in Italy and around the world have loudly called on the Pope to offer such prayers at a time when liturgical assemblies have been banned in many countries because of the coronavirus pandemic in order to avoid contagion. For the past few weeks, the faithful have sanctified Sunday with prayer and biblical readings at home, or followed the Mass on television, unable to receive communion.

Before the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis expressed his thoughts about today's gospel, fourth Sunday of Lent 8th, John 9:1-41), which is centred on the episode of the man blind from birth, to whom Jesus gives sight.

This miraculous sign confirms the affirmation of Jesus who says of himself, I am the light of the world (John 9:5), the light that illuminates our darkness. He works at two levels: one physical and one spiritual. The blind man first receives his eyesight, then is led to the faith in the Son of man (John 9:35), that is, in Jesus. The wonders that He performs are not spectacular deeds, but are meant to lead to the faith through a path of inner transformation. Instead, The Pharisees and the doctors of the law persisted in refusing to admit the miracle, and asked the healed man tricky questions. But he confounded them with the power of reality.

With the light of faith, the pontiff went on to say, he who was blind discovers his new identity. He is now a new creature, able to see his life and the world around him in a new light, because he entered into communion with Christ. He is no longer a beggar marginalised by the community; he is no longer a slave to blindness and prejudice.

"The healed blind man, who now sees both with the eyes of the body and with those of the soul, is the image of every baptised person who, immersed in Grace, was torn from darkness and placed in the light of faith. But it is not enough to receive the light, it is necessary to become the light ... The seed of new life placed in us in baptism is like the spark of a fire, which purifies us first of all, burning the evil we have in our hearts, and allows us to shine and illuminate.

At the end of the greetings, Pope Francis offered his prayers for "the people of Croatia affected by an earthquake this morning. May the Risen Lord give them the strength and solidarity to face this calamity.

In concluding, the pontiff called on the faithful, as he did during this mornings Mass, to read todays gospel several times.
By Laurence Frost and Gwenaelle Barzic

PARIS, March 22 (Reuters) - The coronavirus outbreak has claimed its first fatality among French medical personnel, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Sunday, as the country prepares for an expected surge in cases.

The minister, who paid tribute to front-line medical staff during an appearance on LCI television, also said the country was counting on workers to keep essential services running despite the nationwide lockdown.

The deceased doctor was an emergency specialist working at a hospital in Compiegne, north of Paris, according to a Facebook post by one of his children, reported by public television.

"The medical profession is making a heavy sacrifice in our country today," Veran said.

Separately French supermarket retailer Auchan announced a 1,000 euro ($1,070) bonus to 65,000 of its employees for their work during the crisis, amid concerns over staffing in some critical areas of the economy and public services.

The government may roll out a tax-free coronavirus "attendance bonus" to citizens who are unable to work remotely and continue in their jobs, officials have said.

"We're asking citizens to continue mobilising to keep our economy working," Veran said. "Not for the sake of economic objectives or budgets, but because a single missing link can bring down the entire production system."

($1 = 0.9351 euros) (Reporting by Laurence Frost and Gwenaelle Barzic Editing by David Holmes)


Jawad Rahimi is a native of Afghanistan. He arrived in the United States 16 years ago after spending time as a refugee in Azerbaijan. Since then, his store in St. Louis, Missouri has become a needed part of the city center.

The area is full of empty homes and buildings. A usual day brings a continuous flow of people who come for alcohol, food or just to talk.

I think theyre addicted to me, he told the Reuters news agency. He said people exchange friendly words with him as they buy their goods in his store.

St. Louis and several other cities in Midwestern states have come to depend on people like Rahimi in urban areas.

Between 2010 and 2018, the population of St. Louis shrank by 10,000 people. If it were not for 15,000 foreigners who arrived to live in the city, the decrease would likely have been greater.

Reuters examined government data for that period. It found that immigration reversed what would have been major population decreases in 18 cities. Among them are Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Akron, Ohio. Many are cities that have depended on manufacturing.

In St. Louis and other places, immigrants are helping halt population decreases in urban areas. The cities are struggling to maintain their population as people move to areas with higher economic growth.

To officials in St. Louis, this creates a problem. Where do you find the people needed to buy homes, start businesses and keep the population from shrinking?



Betsy Cohen is executive director of the St. Louis Mosaic Project. The group aims to make St. Louiss immigrant population the fastest growing in the country. When those numbers fall, it is hard to have the growthwe want, said Cohen. Every person counts, she added, All skill lines. All families. We need people.

The immigration debate nationally often brings attention to issues like border security and separation of families caught entering the country illegally. But cities like St. Louis are looking to immigration as a way to strengthen their economies.

Recently, President Donald Trump gave state governors the power to reject refugees in their states. Only the state of Texas chose to do so. The order is being disputed in courts, but state leaders of both political parties have said they still welcome refugees.

In a January letter to the State Department, Missouri Governor Mike Parson said the new arrivals would eventually become patriotic and productive fellow Americans.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York and many other places, mainly in the Northeast and Midwest, have also come to depend on immigrants.

Some economic experts worry about the effects of population loss in some parts of the country.

Last year, economists Adam Ozimek, Kenan Fikri, and John Lettieri wrote a report for the Economic Innovation Group in Washington D.C. The report found that smaller populations provide less money in taxes to local governments. This, they found, leads to a decrease in public services and property values. So, fewer businesses start and existing ones have fewer reasons to stay.

The group argues that, while some parts of the country are losing people and others are gaining, immigration is controllable. The economists suggest that the United States could expand immigration like Australia and Canada have. They said the U.S. could do so by increasing the number of visas aimed at areas with population problems.

Im Pete Musto.

Howard Schneider reported this story for the Reuters news agency. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

addicted  adj. having an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something

urban  adj. of or relating to cities and the people who live in them

reverse(d)  v. to change something to an opposite state or condition

maintain  v. to cause something to exist or continue without changing

patriotic  adj. having or showing great love and support for your country
For performers who need crowds for a living, the shuttering of concert halls and venues hits both personally and financially.

New Mexico Health Secretary Kathy Kunkels decision to temporarily ban public gatherings of 100 people or more because of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a cascade of cancellations at concert halls such as Popejoy, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Lensic Performing Arts Center and theaters in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Violinist and Chatter co-founder David Felberg also plays in both the New

Mexico Philharmonic and the Santa Fe Symphony as well as Serenata of Santa Fe. All have canceled performances.

A lot of the work I do is freelance, he said. Basically, our livelihood depends on crowds of people. As far as performing, everythings on complete hold. Its a little scary.

More positively, the ban means he can practice more and stay home with his two children now that schools have closed.

Im definitely going to rest, he said. Maybe fix things around the house  spring cleaning.

For Jacqueline Reid, actor and co-founder of Fusion Theatre, canceling the opening of the play The Antipodes was like a little death. Reid was the director.

We were almost done with our rehearsal process, she said. Now were making calls to the team to see if everybody is available April through June. It also

involves talking to the union, because you have a contract. So its a legal mess.

I was directing this amazing group of people. No self-centered egos at all. (My husband) Dennis said hed never seen me so happy. We are all in mourning.

For actor Eric John Werner, the part of Father Flynn in the Adobe Theater production of Doubt was the role of a lifetime.

Weve been getting great reviews, he said. Its hard; Im not going to lie. The hardest part is my family didnt see it. My wife didnt see it.

I get it; I understand it. I do think its the right thing to do. Its rough.

Werner, who works for the city of Albuquerque as a management analyst, said hell try out for a part in a Vortex Theatre production when the ban ends.

Ive been in this theater community for 20-plus years, and Ive never seen this happen, he said.

Brian Haney, who played the role of the patient John in Mother Road Theatres Shining City, said that he also understands the closing but that it still hurts. Haney, who works for the University of New Mexico, had been working on the script a month before rehearsals began.

Obviously, theres a lot of work that goes into any theater production, he said. Its very disappointing not to complete the run, to get one more chance to complete the race. At some point, were going to disassemble the set, which Im sure will be very sad. Im taking a little bit of a break now.

Reid tried to sound hopeful.

You feel despair, and it lifts because you look around you and its everywhere around you  the whole world, she said. Its like a battle; you have to choose where to focus. People are cooped up for the next month. Hopefully, it will help economically (when it ends) because everyone will want to go out and celebrate life.
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Guests returning to the most elite suite at Pariss Prince de Galles Hotel last holiday season wouldnt have recognized their surroundings. During the preceding six months, the duplex had been stripped and reimagined, its decor entirely replaced with custom creations and fine art, its entry staircase grandly redone in black lacquer and bronze and its windows extended to create panoramic views of the Eiffel Tower and Sacre-Coeur.

The Art Deco landmark partnered with French crystal house Lalique and Berlin-based designer Patrick Hellmann to transform the three-bedroom space and create one of the citys most lavish getaways. And it embarked on the project somewhat out of necessity: In Pariss increasingly crowded luxury hotel market, the Prince de Galles, a member of Marriotts Luxury Collection, needs to stand out if it wants to succeed. Its counting on Laliques cachet in China, Hellmanns popularity in Russia and the hotels contemporary Art Deco design, for which it is internationally known, to attract ultra-affluent guests from around the world.

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The spacesome 1,900 square feet on the hotels highest floors plus a 1,050-square-foot terrace with 280-degree city viewsnow includes such knockout features as crystal wall panels and bedside lamps based on Laliques iconic Masque de Femme, a door with a golden mosaic in a herringbone pattern and bathrooms of dark Grigio Carnico marble, their crystal taps echoing the bubbled surface of Laliques Mossi vases. It pushes the design envelope in every way and nudges the outlay to $17,300.

The latest in a spate of new Parisian premium accommodations, the Suite Lalique by Patrick Hellmann is part of a rising trend in the French capital and worldwide: To keep up with ever-increasing competition, hotels must radically remaster and expand their penthouse suitesand create new onesor face the consequences. And they are turning to in-demand designers and collaborations with need-no- introduction brands to do so.

Story continues

The hotels hope these projects will help enhance their image and boost their bottom lines. The drive to do both has created something of an arms race in the luxury sector: Battling to outdo one another, hotels are creating an embarrassment of riches to impress the extraordinarily wealthy.

Hotels lavish attentionand budgeton these accommodations because theyre a calling card. They help define the hotels personality and create a true unique selling point, says Jack Ezon, founder and managing partner of Embark, a travel advisory that creates high-end bespoke trips.

They also have the potential to be cash cows. The return per square foot on these suites can be 5 to 100 times whats garnered by a regular room, Ezon continues. Hotels that are looking to keep their average daily rates high bank on mega-suites to attract royals, oligarchs and other ultra-high-net-worth multi-generational families.

Another part of the economic appeal: When such a suite is booked, so are a fleet of additional rooms to house the guests entourage of security detail, assistants and other professional and personal staff. The largest recent party to book the Suite Lalique, for example whose prominent guests have so far included a head of statetook nine rooms in addition to the suite itself.

Travelers are spending a lot more on lodging these days, so were seeing a big increase in luxury development, says Matt Arrants, of hospitality consultancy Pinnacle Advisory Group. It bears out in the data. According to information gathered by the Global Business Travel Association and CWT (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel), average daily rates have steadily risen over the last six years, by as much as 3.7 percent in 2018 and 2019. And when new hotels enter a market, Arrants says, existing properties definitely have to up their game. They know the consumer is going to be drawn to the shiny new object.

Suites are key for hotels here, says Philippe Leboeuf, general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Paris, which opened in 2011. He notes that competition has increased dramatically in his city: In the last decade, a Peninsula and Shangri-La have arrived, the Crillon and Le Meurice were majorly renovated, and a Bulgari and Cheval Blanc, from LVMH, will soon launch. Creating more luxurious and spectacular suites is a way to differentiate, Leboeuf says. To that end, last June his hotel debuted the four-bedroom, 4,600-square-foot Parisian Apartment suite, a $35,300-a-night penthouse by sought-after French studio Gilles & Boissier.

Paris may be emblematic of this phenomenon, but there are plenty of other cities experiencing this change. In Londonexpected to add 8,000 hotel rooms this year, 10 percent of them luxurythe six-year-old Rosewood launched its three-bedroom, 2,700-square-foot, $14,300-a-night Lincoln House this past fall in a former private event space. The project came about to ensure we stay innovative and relevant, says managing director Michael Bonsor, and that we continue to exceed expectations. Despite other similar spaces in the citysuch as the 2,850-square-foot Royal Suite at the Savoy and the 4,850-square-foot Sterling Suite at the Langhamthe Rosewood has recently had so many requests for large suites that it couldnt keep up with demand.

In Bostonwhose hotel boom will see the luxury-room count doublingthe citys longstanding Boston Harbor Hotel (BHH) carved its new penthouse-floor John Adams Presidential Suite out of former event space too. The room opened months before the citys Four Seasons One Dalton Street debuted. We knew our existing top suite product just didnt compete, says general manager Stephen Johnston. The new 4,800-square-foot, $15,000-a-night Adams suiteset under the hotels iconic rotunda, with a private elevator, a service kitchen and waterfront views through double-height glass wallsnow very much does.

Manhattan, meanwhile, may well be the only city to give Paris a run for its money as the place plus ultra of this phenomenon. The arms race arguably began here a few years back, in Midtown, when the Four Seasons debuted the 4,300-square-foot, $50,000-a-night one-bedroom Ty Warner Penthouse, designed in collaboration by Peter Marino, I. M. Pei and Ty Warner himself, the hotels billionaire owner. And now the Park Hyatt has a similarly priced, similarly sized super-suite: the three-bedroom, 59th-floor Manhattan Sky Suite, designed by Jeffrey Beers, with floor-to-ceiling windows and 360-degree views, plus an art collection that includes originals by the likes of Philip Guston and Sarah Sze.

Beyond abundant bedrooms, extensive square footage and high-touch furnishings, these suites also convey a certain home-away-from-home feeling. BHH, for its part, even turned to a firm with experience in both hospitality and residential interiors, Los Angeless SFA Design, which had created a house for the propertys owners. Not only did the hoteliers want to have the best suite in town, confirms SFA principal Rosie Feinberg, who led the project, but they wanted to have the most residential one, too.

That meant making it unique, incorporating unusually large amounts of inlaid stone, for example, and hanging a 1,200-piece, eight-foot-long custom crystal chandelier from the living areas glass ceiling. Framed Hermes scarves decorate the walls, along with original works from local artists. Bostons best florist handles the fresh flowers and plants, both inside and on the 1,000-square-foot terrace. The space includes a kitchen for a personal chef or one brought in for dinners (along with a dedicated, private service elevator), a cozy cinema room and a separate wing suitable for children and their caregivers or other members of a guests staff.

In another hallmark of this new generation of super-suites, the Adamss open floor plan echoes au courant residential design, creating a flowing space meant for entertaining as well as relaxing. At Rosewood Londons Lincoln House, the flexible living, dining and entertainment area unfolds across a wing on the third floor of the hotels landmarked 1914 Edwardian-style building. It has the feel of a series of apartments that were brought together to create a floor-through sense of space, says William Paley, whos a longtime associate of legendary designer Tony Chi and oversaw this suite.

Its not just the physical space thats getting bigger and bolder. The hotels are raising the stakes on included services and amenities, too. When youre operating in this stratosphere, butlers are all but de rigueur, so for guests of the Manhattan Sky Suite, Park Hyatt added a personal chef, airport transfers via Blade helicopters and hour-long spa services for up to six people. In addition to airport transfers, the Prince de Galless Suite Lalique comes with a personal assistant at your request 24/7 and, even more enjoyably, an on-call private bartender.

It may be the result of cutthroat competition, but this luxury-suite arms race ultimately produces something entirely pleasant, begetting what Prince de Galles general manager Gerald Krischek calls a transformational experience for guests. The Suite Lalique offers them the ability to live in this unique space in this great city as if its their own capacious and cosseting apartment, and perhaps its design might even inspire the renovation of a space within one of their homes or yachts. And its that sort of experienceand creative spark of originalitythat may ultimately be the greatest luxury money can buy.

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Edward Sapiano, a colourful and fearless defence lawyer best known for challenging authority, has died of complications of kidney disease.

Sapiano died Saturday at his farm in the hamlet of Gores Landing, north of Cobourg, said William Jaksa, a fellow defence lawyer and close friend. He was 57.

Sapiano was one of Torontos best known criminal lawyers who for decades represented many young black defendants in high profile cases until kidney failure forced him to step back from his law practice in 2014.

He returned to the courtroom for about 18 months  conducting five major trials while self-administering dialysis during breaks  until he was overwhelmed by health challenges. Last year, a donor kidney became available, but Sapiano required more treatment to ensure he was a suitable candidate for a transplant, and since then its been one complication after another, one infection after another, Jaksa said Sunday.

Sapiano remained courageous and upbeat throughout his ordeal.

Odd as it seems I am still the luckiest guy I know, at least up until a few years back, Sapiano wrote in a text message sent last Thursday to Leora Shemesh, a defence lawyer and friend. Its the intense medical intervention that is unnatural and causing my woes, in order to keep this biological mass functioning.

I hate being the subject of sorrow. You just get out there and enjoy your wonderful life and not fret about me. Ive lived a wonderful life and can navigate this part too, he said, adding several emojis.

Jaksa joked Sunday that Sapiano, who remained sharp as a tack, nevertheless had grown weak and was really, really upset that in the last few months he started using emojis.

Devastated by Sapianos death, his friends remembered him as a kind-hearted, generous, funny and eccentric man. He was also take-no-prisoners lawyer who, during the 90s, assembled files about Toronto police officers accused of misconduct, lying in court and stealing money and valuables that eventually led to charges and convictions.

In 2005, Sapiano tried to have a Superior Court judge disqualified from presiding over a murder case because of his alleged pro-Crown orientation.

Defence lawyer Stephen Bernstein became tight with Sapiano after articling with him in 1991-92 at Pinkofsky Lockyer & Kwinter, then Torontos largest criminal law firm. He recalled Sunday how it took a lot of guts for Sapiano to challenge now-retired judge Eugene Ewaschuk.

While Ewaschuk refused to recuse himself, Sapiano won respect and the case ended with a hung jury. His client was ultimately acquitted after a second trial, Bernstein said.

He would do anything possible (for a client), and it was always unusual, unorthodox, but ethical, Bernstein said. A good defence lawyer should always focus on the ethics and not be fearful of anything. In fact the Law Society guidelines tell us we have to defend our clients fearlessly, as long as its ethical. Nobody did it better than him.

Defence lawyer Nadir Sachak, another articling student that year with Sapiano, called him a mythical like individual, over the top, theatric, and obviously, absolutely brilliant. He had a way of litigating and defending clients that was very unusual and non conformist in nature.

In many ways he was on a crusade, Sachak continued. He noted, for instance, that Sapiano created Piece Options, a lawyer-operated program to get illegal guns off the street.

He wanted to leave a mark, and that mark would be the improvement of our justice system. For people who didnt know him, they saw him as brash, a bit over the top, egotistical ... like Muhammad Ali. He loved that persona, look at me, Im the best. But that was just an outward persona, an act.

Ted Royle, another defence lawyer, who had also known Sapiano for 30 years, said the University of Manitoba law school gold medallist would always do anything to help anybody out.

He was just a dynamo, always on the go, always moving, always getting involved in projects. Once he sunk his teeth into something, he never let go.

Sapiano will always be remembered as someone who pursued justice where it needed pursuing, said defence lawyer Gary Grill.

In court, he could be hard and prickly, especially if you were on the wrong side of justice, but he was indeed a warm, caring and thoughtful man, Grill wrote in a text message. I know this is said a lot, but Edward J. was truly unique. This city will never see another advocate or man like him.

Added Shemesh: He was passionate about not just the law and being a voice for those who didnt have one  but he was so passionate about justice and speaking up when it counted.

Journalist Shannon Kari, who covered Sapiano in court as a newspaper reporter before the two became friends, said he could be a showboat, especially in front of a jury, which was frowned upon by some because the Canadian legal community is still relatively conservative.

But everything he did in a courtroom was planned out and in the best interests of his clients, he said. Behind that performance was someone with respect for the law. He was an incredibly skilled advocate.

Jaksa said plans for a funeral and memorial are underway, although its likely they will be a few months away due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 01:45:18|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's main referral hospital Kenyatta National Hospital, together with its strategic partner Neusoft Medical and Megascope, on Sunday launched the CT Scan Center, Kenya National Imaging Cloud Center and Clinical Training Center to boost screening of COVID-19 and other killer diseases.

Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary for Health of Kenya said the facility that is equipped with CT scan machines sourced from Chinese firm Neusoft Medical Systems will enhance speedy and accurate diagnosis of the virulent disease.

"The launch of the CT scan center is a milestone in our efforts to leverage on modern technology to combat pandemics like COVID-19. We are now better prepared to handle the pandemic," said Kagwe.

He said the CT scan center will boost the diagnosis and management of fatal ailments while positioning Kenya as a hub for medical tourism.

"We will cooperate with doctors in China, India and Europe to reduce the cost of overseas treatment incurred by the citizens," said Kagwe adding that the CT scan center will also serve as a training hub for local radiologists.

Nicholas Gumbo, chairman of Kenyatta National Hospital, said the diagnostic facility will be connected to 37 counties to ease the screening of coronavirus.

"We are ready to combat the COVID-19 pandemic now that we have CT scan machines that can detect it accurately and relay results to doctors in a timely manner," said Gumbo.

Neusoft Medical also unveiled its clinical research cooperation program of Artificial Intelligence Software with Kenyatta National Hospital on Sunday, in order to develop and implement more customized AI software for African patients in the hospitals from 37 Kenyan counties.

After the launching ceremony, Neusoft Medical conducted a remote international diagnostic meeting with radiologists from Kenya, France, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and China using the medical imaging cloud of Neusoft Medical, sharing the successful experience in defeating the epidemic in China.

Neusoft Medical Systems is a global clinical diagnosis and treatment solution provider, which is headquartered in China.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during his daily news conference amid the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, on March 20, 2020. (Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

Cuomo Announces 4 Temporary Hospital Sites, Warns Coronavirus Could Infect Up to 80% of New York

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on March 21 announced four different sites that are being considered as locations to construct temporary field hospitals as the state battles to contain CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which originated from Wuhan, China, and causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) coverup and mismanagement of the outbreak fueled its spread throughout China and across the world.

Speaking at a press conference in Albany, New York, Cuomo named the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and locations at SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Old Westbury, and the Westchester Convention Center as potential sites for temporary hospitals.

The locations were recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers who, along with state officials from the Office of General Services, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, the Department of Health and the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, have visited and reviewed more than a dozen sites in recent days.

Upon the Governors determination, the Army Corps is expected to immediately begin work to construct the temporary hospitals, Cuomos office said in a statement, adding that each field hospital would have a capacity of 250 beds.

Cuomo warned that projections show 40 to 80 percent of the states population, or as many as 7.8 million people across the state, could become infected with the CCP virus. and said the government is taking further actions to prevent spread.

These include sending 1 million N95 masks to New York City, 500,000 to Long Island, and purchasing 6,000 additional ventilators from several different health facilities from across the state.

Every day we see the number of cases of novel coronavirus continue to rise, and we know that by all projections were going to have more hospitalizations than we can deal with in our healthcare system, Cuomo said.

We have a plan of action to help stop the spread of this virus, including expanding hospital capacity and identifying new hospital beds, and after meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers and hearing their recommendations, we stand ready for the building of temporary hospitals at four facilities in New York State. This is a public health crisis, but worse than the virus is the fear, but we have a plan and we are doing everything we can to keep the people informed and save lives, he added.

Cuomos announcement comes after he signed the New York State on PAUSE executive order on Friday, shutting down of all nonessential businesses across the state, effective as of Sunday night at 8:00 p.m.

The order mandates all non-essential workers stay at home and remain indoors as much as possible. It also temporarily bans all non-essential gatherings of any size.

According to a Johns Hopkins tally, the United States has 26,747 confirmed cases of the disease and 340 deaths attributed to the CCP virus, of which New York state accounts for 76.
North Macedonia's President Signs NATO Accession Document

March 21, 2020

President Stevo Pendarovski of North Macedonia has signed the final accession document for the small Balkan country's entry into NATO.

Pendarovski signed the instrument of accession on March 20 that will shortly make the country the 30th member of the Western military alliance.

The president was able to sign the document after Spain on March 17 became the last alliance member to ratify the membership of the former Yugoslav republic.

The Spanish parliament was forced to vote remotely on the membership because of fears of holding a session amid the coronavirus crisis.

Following the Spanish parliament's vote, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter that "with that, all allies have welcomed our soon-to-be 30th member. Congratulations, North Macedonia!"

North Macedonia was granted a protocol on accession to NATO membership in February 2019, after a 2018 agreement with Greece that changed the former Yugoslav republic's name from Macedonia, resolving a decades-long dispute between Skopje and Athens.

The United States and European allies have backed Skopje's efforts to join the alliance as part of efforts to slow attempts by Russia and China to increase their influence in the Balkans.

Based on reporting by AP, RFE/RL's Balkan Service, and Defense News

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/north-macedonia -nato-accession-documents-signed -pendarovski/30500654.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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(Reuters) - Netflix Inc said it will cut traffic by 25% on networks across Europe in a relief measure for internet service providers (ISPs) experiencing a surge in usage due to government "shelter in place" orders aimed at slowing the coronavirus outbreak.

The streaming giant, which has already deployed a way to reduce its traffic on networks in Italy and Spain by a quarter, on Saturday said it would do the same for the rest of Europe in the next two days.

Netflix said it will remove the highest bandwidth streams within each resolution category for the next 30 days in Europe wherein users might notice a slight decrease in video quality within each category.

"Our goal is simple: to maintain the quality of service for our members, while supporting ISPs who are facing unprecedented strain on their networks," the company said https://media.netflix.com/en/company-blog/reducing-netflix-traffic-where-its-needed.

Netflix said it will continue to adhere with normal procedures for all other networks "until and unless they experience issues of their own".

The world's largest streaming media service had said on Thursday it would reduce bit rates across all of its streams in Europe, in effect cutting traffic on its European networks by 25% to preserve the smooth functioning of the internet during the coronavirus crisis.

While partners in regions such as Latin America want the company to reduce its bandwidth as soon as possible, others wanted to continue business as usual, Netflix said.

Netflix had over 42 million subscribers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East at the end of the first quarter of 2019, showed an exchange filing, with the bulk estimated to be in Europe.

Alphabet Inc's YouTube and Amazon.com Inc joined Netflix in responding to a call by European Union industry chief Thierry Breton to cut picture quality to prevent overload.

Walt Disney Co's streaming service Disney+, which is set to launch in Britain and most major European markets on March 24, has delayed its launch in France by two weeks at the request of the French government.

The telecoms industry has in recent days reported a spike in data traffic on networks as thousands of people were forced to stay home in an attempt to curb the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, which has infected more than 274,800 people globally and led to the deaths of 11,389 people worldwide.

(Reporting by Rebekah Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
In view of the rising threat of coronavirus infection, acting Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Sunday directed state Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to maintain complete shutdown by closing all business establishments in the state as per the requirement.

"After a meeting with the State Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, the acting Chief Minister has asked them to maintain a complete shutdown by closing all business establishments in the state as per the requirement," said the state government officials.

The acting Chief Minister, who resigned a few days ago amid the political crisis in the state, has also directed them to maintain adequate vigilance in the state.

He also called upon the general public to voluntarily close their establishments and stay in their homes, not to organise social gatherings or undertake trips to prevent the coronavirus epidemic from spreading in the state.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data.India reported two deaths today from the highly contagious virus - one each in Maharashtra and Bihar - taking the tally to six, as per state authorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin on Sunday spoke to Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on a special broadcast as India observed 'Janta Curfew' to reduce the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

'India is working beyond that too'

Speaking about how the world is looking at India as a part of the global battle against COVID-19, he said, "It's a crisis none of us has been through in our lives. It's a public health crisis and it's also a social health crisis. It's an economic crisis and it's a crisis of global cooperation also. There are different aspects. Obviously all states, including our own government and Prime Minister are engaged in addressing, first -- the public health aspect and as you know, India is working beyond that too."

He added, "Prime Minister Modi was amongst the first global leaders to engage the region. Subsequently, it is understood that there will be a video conference of the G20 of which India is an integral part. We must acknowledge that global cooperation in this instance has not succeeded because it depends on global public goods which is transmission of information. We will have to address this crisis at a later stage but right now we should be focused on all efforts to ensure that the public health of our people is the primary concern. Economic issues are the primary concerns and social dislocation and disruption should be addressed. In all those areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our government are taking the lead."

'I feel proud as an Indian'

Speaking about the Coronavirus pandemic and the role of international forums like SAARC, G7 etc in battling the disease, he said, "It's clearly going to have a global impact because it is a trans-boundary issue. This is not an issue which is confined to any one state or any one nation. Those who stand up address their issues and work for global good will be those who will come out of this successfully."

READ | With Coronavirus cases across India on rise, TMC, NCP MPs not to attend Parliament

READ | 'Time to fight against new enemy': Akali Dal supports Centre, Punjab in fighting COVID-19

India's envoy added, "Most countries are addressing it at an international level and that's the right way to do it because global cooperation we noticed some months ago did not yield the results it should have been. We have to address that but that's at a later stage. Standing far away from Indian shores, I feel very proud as an Indian that the efforts taken to unite a country, to promote a message are all being given such importance."

India fights COVID-19

"Under this Janta curfew, no one should leave their home or gather in their neighbourhoods. Only those related to essential services should go out," PM Modi said in his address to the nation on Thursday. There are 360 active coronavirus cases in the country, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Sunday. The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic in India has gone up to seven with three fatalities being reported in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bihar.

READ | Left's Yechury shocked at Centre not emulating Kerala's COVID-19 economic relief package

READ | 'I am observing Janata Curfew strictly,' updates P Chidambaram; holds advice for later
MOSCOW  Police in the capital of Kyrgyzstan have detained about 60 people after an unauthorized rally to mark International Womens Day was broken up by a group of men.

The disorder took place Sunday at a main square in Bishkek.

Demonstrators gathered for a rally to express support for womens and childrens rights, but unidentified males barged into the gathering. Bishkek police said people from both sides were detained, but news reports said the detainees were primarily women.

The Akipress news agency cited lawyer Bakytbek Aftandil as saying those detained were released several hours later and that about 10 of them had been charged with resisting police, which carries a fine of 3000 soms ($70).
In a high-level meeting held on Saturday, it was decided that Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara will remain under lockdown till March 25, said Gujarat Chief Minister's Office.

However, shops selling daily necessities and essentials things like vegetables, dairy products, and medical items will remain open.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said that there are total 13 positive cases of coronavirus in the State.

Rupani also appealed to the people to take precautionary measures and follow government guidelines to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The Union Health Ministry has issued an advisory on ways to enforce social distancing and has suggested shutting down all educational institutions, gymnasiums, museums, cultural and social centres, swimming pools and theatres till March 31.

In India, the total number of positive cases of coronavirus has climbed to 315.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
THREE Naval Service vessels will assist with Covid-19 testing from today as the Defence Forces are also considering the use of non-essential army facilities to support the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said that Ireland is effectively doubling the size of the health service - and will use army-style field hospitals if required in the worst case scenario.

The patrol ships deployed to Dublin, Cork and Galway now join with GAA facilities including Croke Park and Pairc Ui Chaoimh in support of the massive expansion of virus testing across Ireland.

There are now 35 test centres nationwide with a further 20 under consideration.

Pairc Ui Chaoimh will, at peak operations, handle 1,000 Covid-19 tests per day.

Around 40,000 people are now waiting on Covid-19 testing - with an average waiting time of four to five days.

A number of non-essential army facilities have also been identified for potential use if the Government and HSE require greater isolation capacity in dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic.

These are in Dublin, Cork and Kildare.

However, they will only be required if the HSE premises, nursing homes and offices already earmarked prove incapable of meeting the expected isolation demands posed by the surge in Covid-19 detections.

LE Samuel Beckett has been assigned to Dublin, LE William Butler Yeats has been sent to Galway and LE Eithne has been deployed to Cork's upper docks.

The three vessels will act as support bases for onshore testing centres - with Covid-19 testing staff supported by electricity supplies, accommodation, food preparation, water supplies and even equipment storage on the berthed vessels.

However, testing will not take place on the vessels.

Instead, testing by referral will take place in large army tents erected onshore beside the berthed vessels.

LE Eithne is the fleet flagship but had been out of service for the past six months and was docked at Haulbowline Naval Base.

Further navy deployments to other ports in support of HSE viral testing will be considered with Waterford, Limerick (Foynes) and Dundalk/Drogheda being examined.

HSE boss Paul Reid said healthcare workers were very grateful for the support provided by the Defence Forces and other emergency services.

He again appealed to people to observe strict social-distancing controls to ease the pressure on testing.

HSE Public Health Specialist Dr Sarah Doyle said it was vital that anyone who had symptoms consistent with Covid-19 go into self-isolation.

"If you are waiting for a test, I completely understand that people are worried and concerned. If you are at home and if you have symptoms, you need to self-isolate."

The Defence Forces are now playing a major role in supporting the emergency services as they deal with the Covid-19 outbreak.

Army cadets have been trained to assist with Covid-19 call centre duties to support HSE staff.

Defence Forces medical teams are also on standby to assist their hospital colleagues if required.

However, there is, as yet, no indication the Defence Forces will mobilise the near 2,000 members of the part-time Army Reserve.

However, personnel on UNIFIL duties in the Lebanon have been briefed that their tour of duty may have to be extended because of the escalating virus crisis.

The 115th Infantry Battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hurley, deployed to the Lebanon before Christmas as part of Ireland's longstanding commitment to United Nations work in Lebanon.

Some troops had been expected to start rotating back to Ireland over the coming weeks having completed their six month tours of duty.

However, such rotations home are set to be suspended - and personnel in the Lebanon have been briefed that they may be asked to serve for a further three months until the Covid-19 situation eases.

One Defence Forces source indicated that this was both to avoid the potential spread of Covid-19 to the UNIFIL operations area and to minimise disruption as the Defence Forces prepares for deployment to aid the civil power in Ireland.

Israel has already warned that anyone entering its jurisdiction - whether foreign national or Israeli citizen - will have to be quarantined for 14 days to ensure they are free of Covid-19.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced that 15 districts in Uttar Pradesh would be under lockdown in the first phase till Wednesday.

The announcement came soon after the Centre and state governments decided to put under lockdown 75 districts across the country where cases of novel coronavirus pandemic have been reported.

"Fifteen districts in the state will be locked down in the first phase from Monday," Adityanath told reporters in Gorakhpur.

The districts where the lockdown has been enforced in the first phase are Lucknow, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Aligarh, Moradabad, Lakhimpur Kheiri, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Meerut, Gorakhpur and Saharanpur.

The lockdown will continue till Wednesday, he said. "I appeal to all the citizens that they should stay indoors and not venture out of their homes."



"Unnecessary crowding should be avoided, and people should avoid gathering at public places," the chief minister said. "This is because as we are standing at a juncture, where even a slight laxity can prove to be harmful."



Adityanath said officials of the police and district administration would undertake patrolling in these districts. "No activity will be done in these districts, where lockdown has been enforced. We will review the situation tomorrow," he said.

If any family needs anything in emergency, 112 service of the state police will be available, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)Mayor John Dennis said while people are encouraged to stay home during the Coronavirus pandemic they should remember small businesses. Several restaurants have moved to carry out only options.

Dennis said people should continue supporting small businesses especially during this time because for them this will have a financial impact.

If you or your family are wanting to eat out, he encourages people to order out from local businesses. He said this is one way we can help each other get through this together.

"If you want an excuse to hop in the car and get out of the house pre order a meal from one of our local restaurants or even some case our local taverns," said Dennis. "They'll walk out and safely hand it to you so that there's no potential of contamination and that'll help keep our businesses growing."

It's been a week since Governor Holcomb ordered all businesses to move to carry out only service. He said this will be in effect as long as necessary.
An Army porter was injured and several houses were damaged in villages along the Line of Control and International Border in Poonch and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistani army resorted to firing and mortar shelling, violating the ceasefire, officials said on Sunday.

Mohammad Shoukat, 26, a local youth working as a porter with the Indian Army, was injured when the Pakistan army opened fire along the LoC in Shahpur sector of Poonch around 2.45 pm, the officials said.

The Indian Army also retaliated and the firing between the two sides lasted for a brief period, he said, adding the injured was shifted to Poonch district hospital and his condition was stated to be stable.

The major ceasefire violation by Pakistani Rangers was reported from Manyari in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district where the border residents were forced to take shelter inside underground bunkers for the entire night, the officials said.

The firing and mortar shelling by Pakistan started around 9.10 pm on Saturday and continued till 4 am, resulting in damage to four residential houses and injuries to a cow, the officials said.

They said the Border Security Force retaliated effectively to silence Pakistani guns. The casualties suffered by Pakistan was not known immediately, they added.

Kathua District Development Commissioner Om Parkash Bhagat along with Senior Superintendent of Police Shailendra Kumar Mishra and senior BSF officers visited the affected villages to take stock of the situation.

We visited the affected villagers to know their well-being and convey a message to them that we stand with them, said Bhagat while assuring villagers, whose houses got damaged in the Pakistani shelling, of financial help.

The officials also promised damages to farmers whose cows and other cattle were injured.

Maya Devi, a local resident, said they had a sleepless night in the underground bunkers due to intense shelling by Pakistan.

A shell also hit a bunker, causing damage to a television set but luckily all the present including children escaped unhurt, she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At Mass at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis offers a special prayer for those who die in isolation due to the epidemic and for their family members. He talks about the wisdom of the man born blind, healed by Jesus, and the closemindedness of the doctors of the Law. He advises people to Read John, chapter 9, once, twice, three times, as many times as you want so that the feelings about Jesus passing by can come out.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis celebrated Mass at Casa Santa Marta, streamed live to help the faithful sanctify Sunday. Liturgical assemblies have been banned by government order because of fear of contagion.

In his intention, the pontiff offered a prayer for those who die alone, due to the isolation imposed by the coronavirus epidemic, and for family members who, again due to isolation, cannot assist their loved ones in the moment of passage from life to death.

Introducing the Eucharistic celebration, the pope said: Currently, we hear news about the death of so many people. Men and women who die alone, unable to take leave from their loved ones. Let us think and pray for them, but also for families, who cannot accompany their loved ones as they pass away. Our special prayer is for the deceased and their family members.

In his homily, the Pope commented on the Gospel of the day (4th Sunday of Lent, A, John 9:1-41), about the healing of the man born blind.

Referring to something Saint Augustine said (I am afraid when the Lord passes by), Francis noted that when Jesus passes by in the Gospel episode, "the true feelings of the heart, the true attitudes blossom ... the best of people and the worst of people come out.

On the one hand, he goes on to say, there is the wisdom of the blind man "with a clear, precise" and even ironic argument; on the other, there is the position of the doctors of the Law who "knew all the laws, all of them, but were fixated on them. They didn't understand when God was passing by. They were rigid, attached to their way of doing things.

Lastly, the pontiff gave some guidance. I advise all of you to look at todays Gospel, John, chapter 9, and read it at home, quietly, once, twice, to understand well what happens when Jesus passes by: Let the feelings come out.

Likewise, Let us understand well what Augustine is telling us: I am afraid that when the Lord passes by, I may not notice or recognise him, and I may not convert myself. Don't forget: Read John, chapter 9, once, twice, three times, as many times as you like.

The Mass ended with the adoration and Eucharistic blessing, and a prayer for spiritual communion.
Florence Pugh and Zach Braff left their home to pick up supplies on Saturday.

Amid statewide orders in California to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic the duo made a speedy trip to a local store - which is allowed under current guidelines - on Zach's BMW motorcycle.

The couple donned protective gloves as they were spotted making their way to Canyon Country Store in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles.

Gloved up: Florence Pugh and Zach Braff are pictured out in Los Angeles on Saturday while picking up some supplies at the Canyon Country Store in Los Angeles

The 24-year-old English born actress wore an orange fringed jacket with jeans and lace-up boots while Zach, 44, opted for a leather biker jacket with cargo pants and tan suede boots.

Back in December Florence hit back at criticism of the 20-year age gap between her and Zach.

The actress met the 44-year-old actor when they worked on the short film In the Time It Takes to Get There together and they were first spotted out together in April.

Quick trip to the store: The couple arrived on Zach's BMW motorbike

Errands: Amid statewide orders to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic the duo picked up groceries, which is allowed under current guidelines

After Zach commented with a princess emoji on one of Florence's Instagram pictures, one person wrote: 'you're 44 years old'.

Florence was not impressed with the person trying to shade their relationship and she wrote back 'And yet he got it'. This is the first time Florence or Zach have publicly acknowledged their relationship.

Meanwhile, Florence - who has had a stellar year with Fighting With My Family, Midsommar, and Little Women - previously revealed she had vowed never to work in Los Angeles again after being 'ripped apart' when she was cast in a TV pilot called Studio City alongside Heather Graham and Eric McCormack.

Reflecting on her debut experience working with director Carol Morely on The Falling, she said of Studio City: 'I went from being on this little feature where women were praised for looking the way they were and not knowing or caring about our best angles.

Biker chic: The 24-year-old English born actress wore an orange fringed jacket with jeans and lace-up boots while Zach, 44, opted for a leather biker jacket with cargo pants and tan suede boots

'Suddenly everything I was, everything Carol loved me for - my looks, who I am as a person - was getting ripped apart.

'When you go out there [LA] as a baby-face, fresh thing who is eager to please, they will make you into whatever they need to make you sell, essentially.

'You need to know exactly what you are representing when you go into meetings so if someone says, "That's really cool you don't pluck your eyebrows", that you don't f***ing, like, die and whimper. No I don't want you to cut my hair. No I don't want you to wax my upper lip.

'I have a face and hair grows out of it. Please leave me alone.'
Years from now, were sure it will make for a good story. But for now, well start this chapter at home, quarantined together and hoping the world comes back around.

Katy Campbell

Ryan Jernigan

Raleigh, N.C.

To the Editor:

Some friends are worried about how they are going to occupy themselves for weeks staying in their home. My cousin is worried about not being able to get the chocolate ice cream that she says she cannot live without. My neighbor calls me often with rumors about other neighbors who may have the virus now. I listen quietly to their complaints, but my only thoughts are about my son, who is in the middle of his shift as an E.R. doctor.

Joan S. Kaufman

Westbury, N.Y.

To the Editor:

I am a middle-class retiree with non-life-threatening health problems that require me to be homebound 75 percent of the time. Besides an element of fear, the coronavirus has not disrupted my life as much as it has for many others.

As one too experienced with self-isolation, I suggest that we reflect on the millions of people forced to flee their homes and live in refugee camps because of war and violence; people living in unsafe neighborhoods who always practice some form of self-quarantine for their physical safety; people around the world who live in abject poverty who are quarantined from a real life; the working poor who will forever feel the effects of this pandemic.

After such reflection, lucky ones like me can then spend their time reading books, listening to music, watching movies and eating takeout food. Luckier ones must agonizingly wait a spell to dine out and take in a show.

Alan Canner

Allentown, Pa.

To the Editor:

There has been a pleasant upside to our self-isolation. My husband, a retired infectious disease physician, and I are in our early 70s. So we have been distancing ourselves socially for a number of days.

Every afternoon we move into our small den to settle in and watch a foreign TV series like the one were watching now, Trapped, an Icelandic production. We binge watch several episodes, then return to the kitchen, pour ourselves a glass of wine, turn on the news and make dinner together.
M others Day can be a tough day for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. Those who have lost a mother or a child, those longing to be a mother, those who have a difficult relationship with their mother. But whats it like for single mums? Here, Rebecca Cox, single mother and blogger at The Mother Edit explains why its the best time to be thankful.

Mothering Sunday: the day where kids all over the country are being supervised shakily carrying breakfast in bed up to their mums, handing over cards, presents and flowers, telling mum to relax and take a bath while dad and the kids take care of things downstairs. Unless, that is, you live in one of the millions of single parent households in the UK. If you live in one of those homes (that make up one in four families in the UK), Mothering Sunday looks just about like any other Sunday of the year. Youll be woken at the crack of dawn with a cry, a shout, a demand for breakfast. Maybe even wet sheets or an exploded nappy to attend to. The possibilities really are endless.

Your first thought on this day may be of all the mums up and down the country receiving their aforementioned breakfast in bed, their cards, their flowers. Of the mums who have a partner to spoil them on days like today and tell them what an amazing job they are doing. Of a former partner who could have taken your beautiful but endlessly demanding child or children downstairs for you so that you could have enjoyed just one simple, blissful moment of peace and quiet. But your second thought should be of the day ahead, the one that you, and you alone have control over. Make it a good one. Not sure how? This one goes out to you.

This is a shout out to all the single mums who feel overwhelmed and lost in motherhood. Use this Mothers Day to find a little piece of yourself again. Rope in a friend or family member to have your little one for an hour or two and do something thats just about you. Have a bath, do some online shopping, read a book. Do something completely selfish and dont feel guilty about it.

This is a shout out to all the single mums who feel incredibly lonely. Youre really not alone at all. Join the Frolo app and find local single parents who are feeling exactly the same way and arrange a meet-up. Last Mothers Day I went to a Frolo dinner in London and met the most incredible group of single mums who I lean on on a weekly basis for support.

Rebecca Cox

This is a shout out to all the single mums who wont get to see their children on Mothers Day. Co-parenting can be incredibly tough sometimes, and if your ex is feeling particularly inflexible you might be without your kids. Book a Mothers Day treat with the kids to look forward to when you get them back and please, oh please, spend this day doing something completely and utterly self-indulgent.

This is a shout out to all the single mums who never wanted to be single mums. Some people choose a life of solo parenting. Some have it enforced on them. Some have to make incredibly hard choices to escape difficult situations. If you didnt picture your life this way, Mothers Day can feel like a stark reminder that youre doing it wrong somehow. Youre not. You stayed. Youre doing the job of two people now. You are officially a superhero. Buy yourself a cape and keep flying high until Fathers Day because dammit, you deserve to celebrate that, too.

And finally, this is a shout out to my mum. Who taught me that not only can you survive being a single mum, you can be the very best mum there is, and graduate on to being the very best Grandma there is, too. Find your single parenting hero, whether its your own mum, a friend, a colleague or a celebrity and remember that theyve been where you are, and not only survived but thrived.

Happy (single) Mothers Day.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 15:48:44|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in battle against the common threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 180 countries and regions around the world.

The following are the latest updates on the contagious illness.

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BUCHAREST -- The Romanian government late Saturday declared a curfew and required citizens to stay at home as much as possible during daytime in the latest move to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Interior Minister Marcel Vela said the curfew will be imposed between 22:00 and 06:00 beginning Sunday, with the exemptions for professional reasons, shopping of daily necessities, and necessary medical services.

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HAVANA -- A Cuban medical corps on Saturday arrived in the Jamaican capital Kingston to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Jamaican media reported.

Jamaica earlier this month declared the island a disaster area and requested Cuba to send medical professionals for help.

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NEW DELHI -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has risen to 315, said the official data issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Four deaths have been reported so far, and no casualty reported in the past few days.

"Total number of confirmed cases so far in the country as on March 21 at 10.45 p.m., including foreign nationals, is 315," said a statement put up on the ministry's website on Sunday.

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BANJUL -- The Gambia's government announced on Saturday night it will close borders with Senegal and suspend all flights from Monday in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"President Adama Barrow has approved the closure of the border between the Republic of The Gambia and the Republic of Senegal, effective midnight, on Monday," said a statement from the presidency.

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WUHAN -- No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported Saturday in Wuhan, marking the fourth day in a row of zero report at the epicenter of the epidemic in a months-long battle with the deadly virus.

The health commission of Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, said Sunday the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan and Hubei remained at 50,005 and 67,800 by Saturday.

Hubei saw five new deaths, four of which were in Wuhan, bringing the total number of deaths in the province to 3,144.

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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 66.

The newly reported cases are in both North Island and South Island regions of Auckland, Northland, Canterbury, New Plymouth, Waikato, Tauranga, Coromandel, and Dunedin, the Ministry of Health confirmed.

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BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland reported 45 newly imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Saturday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 314, according to the National Health Commission.

Of the 45 newly imported cases, 14 were reported in Shanghai, 13 in Beijing, seven in Guandong, four in Fujian, two in Jiangsu, one in Hebei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong and Sichuan respectively, according to the commission.

The commission said it received reports of 46 newly confirmed cases on the mainland Saturday, including one domestic infection transmitted by imported cases in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

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GAZA -- Two Palestinians in Gaza have tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first cases recorded in the Hamas-ruled enclave, a health official said early Sunday.

The patients are two Palestinians who arrived in Gaza from Pakistan through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Thursday, said Health Ministry Director-General Yousef Abu al-Reesh.

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GENEVA -- The pandemic of COVID-19 has killed 11,184 people worldwide as of midnight Friday, an increase of 1,344 deaths compared with the previous day, according to the daily situation report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on late Saturday.

A total of 32,000 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours as of 23:59 CET Friday, bringing the global cumulative number of confirmed cases to 266,073.

Outside China, 7,923 people died from the epidemic outbreak, as the virus has spread to 181 countries and regions where a total of 184,657 infections were reported.
New Delhi: Air India flight from Rome, Italy landed at IGI Airport in New Delhi at 9.15 AM with 263 evacuees, on March 22, 2020. All the evacuees have been taken to ITBP Chhawla Quarantine Facility, New Delhi. An ITBP team received the evacuees and c Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Evacuees from Rome, Italy being sent to ITBP Quarantine Facility, Chhawla in New Delhi from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in ITBP Buses, amid COVID-19 pandemic, on March 22, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, March 22 : All the 263 Indians evacuated from Rome in an Air India national passenger carrier on Sunday morning have been shifted to an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) quarantine centre here.

Soon after the evacuees landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) from Rome at around 9.15 a.m. and went through a proper medical observation, they were shifted to the ITBP's Chhawla quarantine facility in west Delhi.

Of the 263, 208 are male while 55 female and most of them are students aged between 25 and 30 years.

The evacuees were sent to the Chhawla camp in different ITBP buses after they completed the thermal scanning and immigration formalities at the airport, ITBP Spokesperson Vivek Pandey told IANS, adding their preliminary coronavirus test in Italy was found negative.

"All the 263 evacuees will be kept for a minimum of 14 days at the ITBP quarantine facility under close observation." With these evacuees, the total number of occupants currently being facilitated at the ITBP camp is 478. A batch of 215 evacuees from Milan in Italy are still there in the ITBP's Chhawla camp. They are part of those 218 who were shifted to the camp on March 15 after their evacuation from Milan. Two of them have been shifted to the Safdarjung hospital after they were found positive symptoms of coronavirus while one has been allowed to go home as he was found negative. Others are also tested negative.

This is the fifth batch of evacuees which has been shifted to the ITBP centre in Chhawla so far.

Accordingly, Air India had sent a Boeing 777 aircraft to Rome-Fiumicino International Airport in Italy on Saturday to bring back stranded Indians amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak which has claimed the lives of over 10,000 people across the globe.

As per a senior Air India official, the flight was operated on a Boeing 777 extended range (ER) aircraft.

Last week, Air India had sent an aircraft to Milan to bring back over 230 Indian stranded there.

The airline has already suspended operations on Delhi-Rome and Delhi-Milan routes till March 28.
Farmer Steve Mackenzie-Grieve opens the door to one of his grain bins at the Yukon Grain Farm near Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada February 19, 2020. Picture taken February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Crystal Schick

After failing to grow wheat in Canada's subarctic Yukon territory 15 years ago, farmer Steve Mackenzie-Grieve gave it another shot in 2017.

Thanks to longer summers, he has reaped three straight harvests. This spring he plans to sow canola on his family's 450-acre farm near Whitehorse, a city not much further from the North Pole than the heart of Canada's crop belt Saskatchewan.

"If you asked me five years ago if I would be growing wheat, I'd have laughed," said Mackenzie-Grieve, 62, who harvested some 100 acres last year.

Canada's average temperature over land has warmed by 1.7 degrees C (3 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1948, with the north warming by 2.3 degrees C, the government said in 2019.

More promising for Canada, one of the world's top grain exporters, is that its frost-free season expanded by more than 20 days on average from 1948-2016, according to a 2018 paper by Environment Canada scientists.

Large-scale farming with quality harvests remains an elusive challenge in the far north, due to short summers and lack of infrastructure to store and transport commodities. But a warming climate makes crops possible in far-flung, isolated places.

Expand Close Farmer Steve Mackenzie-Grieve holds some of his wheat yield at the Yukon Grain Farm near Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada February 19, 2020. Picture taken February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Crystal Schick / Facebook

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Whatsapp Farmer Steve Mackenzie-Grieve holds some of his wheat yield at the Yukon Grain Farm near Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada February 19, 2020. Picture taken February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Crystal Schick

Newfoundland and Labrador, with a tiny fraction of Canada's arable land, plan to add farm area the size of Toronto, the nation's largest city. The easternmost province has added 184 hectares (455 acres) of land for fruit and vegetable production since 2017, up nearly one-third, by converting public land to grow crops such as cabbages and cranberries. It aims to produce 20% of its own food by 2022 - double the existing rate, and has set aside 62,000 hectares for future farmland.

"Climate change will have a very negative climatic, social and economic impact on the province but there still may be some small offset gains by producing food," said Newfoundland and Labrador Fisheries and Land Resources Minister Gerry Byrne in an interview.

Climate change has made Canada's food prices "way more volatile" during the past five years, said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Prices of salad greens, for example, spiked due to droughts or excessive rains in California.

CANADA 'UNIQUELY SUITED'

The warming trend has led Santosh Kumar, the scientist who leads Canada's wheat-breeding program for the northern Prairies, to begin this year assessing test sites further north than ever before.

Kumar said Canada is "uniquely suited" to add arable land as it has a lot of permafrost, or ground frozen for at least two years straight, that could thaw and become available.

Russia and Canada have the greatest "frontier area" suitable for agriculture, with 4.3 million and 4.2 million square kilometres respectively, as early as 2060, based on temperature and moisture levels, though not soil suitability, scientific journal PLOS One said in a February paper. For Canada, that means a potential quadrupling of agricultural land.

Arable land made up 11% of the world's land mass in 2016, the most according to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization records dating back to 1961. Canada's arable land has dropped by nearly 5% from a peak in 2001 to 43.8 million hectares.

Expansion in Canada would mean less destruction of the Amazon rainforest and other sensitive environments for farming, said Lenore Newman, associate professor of geography and the environment at University of the Fraser Valley.

But "hoping for some magical windfall from warming is wishful thinking," as it is unknown how suitable boreal soils are for agriculture in the Northern Hemisphere, she added.

Expanding arable land can also hurt the environment as it releases carbon from the soil, the PLOS One paper said.

OBSTACLES TO EXPANDING AGRICULTURE

Whether farming in remote areas can be profitable is a key question, Kumar said. "Farmers don't want to put something in the field just because it can grow."

Chris Oram has cleared five acres of new arable land in Newfoundland in each of the last five years with a government subsidy. He grows modest volumes of corn and melons, covering young shoots in plastic in early spring to trap warmth because of unpredictable weather.

"It has been a bit hotter, but this year we never took a (corn) harvest because it was so cold and wet," Oram said.

But there are limits to expanding farm production as many vegetable growers in Newfoundland & Labrador have no access to cold storage that would allow them to supply grocers year-round.

Much of the Yukon, where Mackenzie-Grieve farms, is too rocky for crops. Unlike southern Canadian farmers, he has no commercial grain handler to buy his wheat, so he blends it in livestock feed that he sells.

"It's hard to do stuff here. We're a long ways from anywhere. You just figure out how to make it work."
The Patna All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS-P) is in the dock after it handed over the body of a patient, suffering from coronavirus (COVID-19), to his relatives on Sunday morning.

The patient, with a travel history to Qatar, was admitted to AIIMS on March 20 and died the next morning. He was suffering from chronic kidney disease. His kidneys had failed and he was on dialysis. He had been diagnosed with respiratory failure.

AIIMS-Patna Superintendent Dr CM Singh said, We received the report late, after we handed over the body to the relatives on Sunday morning.

However, Dr Pradeep Das, Director of the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), said there was no delay in giving the report.

We received the sample in the morning on March 20 and gave the report on March 21, said Dr Das.

Defending his action in handing over the body before receipt of the test report, the superintendent, AIIMS-Patna, said, The body of the coronavirus patient was handed over to his relatives properly wrapped in polythene.

Normally, the virus spreads through cough and sneezing. It is unlikely that the virus will spread through the body, though it remains on the surface for some time, added Dr Singh.

Asked about the lapses on part of AIIMS in handing over the body of the COVID-19 patient to his relatives, Bihars principal secretary, health, Sanjay Kumar said, We have passed on instructions to the Munger district administration to dispose of the body under observation, as per the standard operating procedure (SOP).

He also said that instructions were being passed on to medical colleges and hospitals that, in future, they should not hand over bodies of COVID-19 suspects to their relatives, unless they received their laboratory reports.

Kumar also confirmed having received the confirmatory report about the deceased late on Saturday evening.

I received the report around 12 midnight on Saturday. As per the SOP, the RMRIMS has to send any positive sample to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for a confirmatory test. In this case, the Indian Council of Medical Research cleared the sample and allowed the RMRIMS to release the result around midnight, added Kumar.

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Yet, he says Italian doctors don't know whether the used therapy is effective.

Scientific Director of the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Professor Giuseppe Ippolito has said in an interview for Lithuania's daily Lietuvos Rytas which therapy is being used in Italy to treat confirmed coronavirus cases.

"At the moment, we are using the World Health Organization approach based on the use of the protease inhibitors and Remdesivir. Tocilizumab  more recently," he said in the interview whose English version is available on UNIAN's website.

Read alsoItaly overtakes China's coronavirus death toll  media

Yet, he says Italian doctors don't know whether the used therapy is effective.

"At the moment, we do not know if this works. We have compassionate use for Remdesivir, compassionate use for Tocilizumab and two randomized controlled studies for Remdesivir," he said.
michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

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Last week, President Trump sounded newly serious about combating the coronavirus, calling himself a quote, wartime president. Maggie Haberman on why days later, and with the situation only worsening, the president is abandoning that message. Its Wednesday, March 25.

maggie haberman

Hello, guys.

michael barbaro

Hi.

maggie haberman

Hi.

michael barbaro

Maggie, it is Tuesday afternoon. Can you tell us about what just happened on the Fox News Channel?

archived recording (bill hemmer) Over the next two hours, the president, the vice president, and the officials tasked with leading our nations response on the virus pandemic will join us to answer your questions all across America.

michael barbaro

We just saw Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump sit for two hours at a town hall meeting  virtual town hall meeting  with Fox News from the White House, where they took questions by remote.

archived recording I think a lot of us right now are just wondering, what is the potential for a national stay-at-home order? Is this something that America could be seeing in our near future?

maggie haberman

Pence answered a bunch of questions first.

archived recording (mike pence) Carly, I can tell you that at no point has the White House coronavirus task force discussed what some people call a nationwide lockdown.

maggie haberman

Then, President Trump came on for the second hour.

archived recording (donald trump) Our people are full of vim and vigor and energy. They dont want to be locked into a house or an apartment or some space. Its not for our country. Were not  were not built that way.

maggie haberman

And his message was even louder of a message that hes been delivering for the last day or so, which is that while we have to take the coronavirus seriously 

archived recording (donald trump) You know, I dont want the cure to be worse than the problem itself.

maggie haberman

 in his words, the cure cant be worse than the disease.

archived recording (donald trump)  the problem being, obviously, the problem. And you know, you can destroy a country this way by closing it down.

maggie haberman

And by that, he means that the hits to the economy are becoming unsustainable. That it cant go on forever.

archived recording (donald trump) Youre going to lose people. Youre going to have suicides by the thousands. Youre going to have all sorts of things happen. Youre going to have instability. You cant just come in and say, lets close up the United States of America, the biggest, the most successful country in the world by far.

maggie haberman

And then he broke some news.

archived recording (donald trump) Id love to have it open by Easter. OK? I would love to have it open by Easter. archived recording Oh wow, OK.

maggie haberman

And that news was that he believes that by April 12, which is Easter, that that could be when the country and its economy are reopened.

archived recording (donald trump) Its such an important day for other reasons, but Ill make it an important day for this, too. I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter.

michael barbaro

Maggie, this seems very much at odds with the messaging coming from more local leaders and health officials in the areas of the U.S. that have been most directly hit by this pandemic so far. Im thinking, for example, of the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, who was warning New York residents 

archived recording (andrew cuomo) Look, this can go on for several months, OK?

michael barbaro

 that they should be preparing for four, six 

archived recording (andrew cuomo)  eight months, nine months.

michael barbaro

Nine months of life under isolation and shutdown to fight the coronavirus.

maggie haberman

Michael, about half an hour or so before Mike Pence started this town hall 

archived recording (andrew cuomo) You have 20,000 ventilators in the stockpile. Release the ventilators to New York.

maggie haberman

 Andrew Cuomo was pleading with the federal government to send more resources, especially ventilators, because the number of cases that are severe in New York is growing and keeps getting bigger and bigger. And it is outpacing the number of materials that they have for doctors to treat them.

archived recording (andrew cuomo) I need the ventilators in 14 days. Only the federal government has that power.

maggie haberman

You have health officials in New York, health officials in California, health officials in President Trumps own government saying we are not just a mere two or three weeks away from things going back to normal. And theyre basing that not just on idle projections, but watching what those curves have looked like in terms of the spread of the virus.

michael barbaro

Also, Maggie, help us understand how we got here and why this is the message from the president at this critical moment  when how we respond, what measures we take, and how long we take those measures really matters. And so I wonder where you think that starts. Where do we begin to understand that?

maggie haberman

Michael, you need to go back to January 22 when the president was in Davos for the World Economic Forum.

archived recording (joe kernen) Its great to see you. Thank you for joining us again in Davos. Weve done this before. archived recording (donald trump) Thats right.

maggie haberman

And he did an interview with CNBC. And at that point, the virus was already in the U.S.

archived recording (joe kernen) The C.D.C. has identified a case of coronavirus in Washington state.

maggie haberman

And he was asked by the interviewer if he was concerned that this could become a pandemic.

archived recording (joe kernen) Have you been briefed by the C.D.C.? archived recording (donald trump) I have. archived recording (joe kernen) Are there worries about a pandemic at this point? archived recording (donald trump) No, were not at all.

maggie haberman

And the presidents response was, no, not at all.

archived recording (donald trump) Its one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. Its going to be just fine. archived recording (joe kernen) OK.

maggie haberman

He didnt want to talk about it publicly at the time.

michael barbaro

And why do you think that was?

maggie haberman

Well, according to a number of people who were in contact with him, it was because he didnt want to rattle the financial markets. That he was hoping that it was going to stay under control, and the stock markets are his political weathervane, and he thinks they need to stay up in order for him to win re-election. And he didnt want to do anything to disturb that. And he didnt want to create a panic.

michael barbaro

OK. So what happened next?

maggie haberman

So after that, a couple of days later, as there were more cases and it was clear that it was spreading out of China  where it originated  the president took this move that he was widely criticized for by Democrats and even some Republicans at the time. Which was he halted a number of flights from China into the U.S.

archived recording (sean hannity) Disneys closed. archived recording (donald trump) Yeah. archived recording (sean hannity) Movie theaters are closed. Hospitals being built. I think were now up to our eighth case in the United States. How concerned are you? archived recording (donald trump) Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China.

maggie haberman

The idea was to halt the spread of the disease, keep transmissions to a minimum. He was accused of xenophobia. He was accused of making a racist move. At the end of the day, it was probably effective, because it did actually take a pretty aggressive measure against the spread of the virus. The problem is, it was one of the last things that he did for several weeks.

michael barbaro

Hmm. So the right decision in retrospect, but not accompanied by similar actions that might have contained transmission.

maggie haberman

Thats exactly right. In the same way that George W. Bush was criticized for his Mission Accomplished banner about Iraq, the president treated that moment as if it was his mission accomplished moment. He did not do anything after that in terms of alerting the public, or telling people to be safe, or telling people to take precautions. And it basically squandered several weeks within the U.S.

michael barbaro

Right. Looking back at the timeline, we can now see that on the same day that the president stopped those flights from China, the coronavirus was already being reported by the W.H.O. in Japan and South Korea, and those countries are still sending their citizens to the United States on flights that have not been stopped. So the horse is out of the barn.

maggie haberman

Exactly. It was not anything close to a whole-of-government approach. And at that point, there was a task force that was formed, and it was being led by the health and human services secretary, Alex Azar. But it was outside of the White House, and it was rife with all kinds of turf battles. And the president, meanwhile, was still trying not to talk about it.

michael barbaro

And succeeding in that, for the most part.

maggie haberman

And succeeding in that, for the most part. It was not something that came up in interviews that he did, which were mostly with friendly interviewers who werent going to ask him things that he didnt want to talk about. And look, its not as if it wasnt getting news coverage. The New York Times had it on the front page almost every day from the end of January. It was very clear that this was a global crisis, but it was not being treated as an American crisis. And I think a lot of that is because the president just was not talking about it.

michael barbaro

And do we know what information the president is receiving during this time? Is he getting a bunch of briefings  one would think he would be  that are conveying the seriousness of the approaching situation?

maggie haberman

Theres conflicting information, Michael, about exactly how specific and how alarmed the briefing materials the president was receiving were at this time. We understand that a lot of folks in the National Security Council were taking it very seriously, and that information had been passed to him. We understand that Alex Azar, the health and human services secretary, took it very seriously, but its not clear that he was sharing all of that with the president or that he was being allowed to tell it to the president. There were some people in the White House who viewed Alex Azar in particular as quote-unquote alarmist  thought that he was overstating the threat. And when the president doesnt want to take something particularly seriously, hell often poll test advisers until he finds the one who agrees with him that he shouldnt take it seriously. And I have every reason to believe that he was looking for people to affirm his sense that this didnt really need to be addressed. And one of the places that he would go to hear his own thoughts affirmed or for solace was Fox News.

archived recording (jeanine pirro) If youve ever had a question whether the mainstream media distorts, whips up, throw things out of focus or has an agenda, especially when it comes to the Trump administration, look no further than coronavirus.

maggie haberman

They were very much echoing what he believed and wanted to believe, which was that the criticisms about inactivity that he wasnt doing enough was all part of an effort to harm him.

archived recording (trish regan) This is yet another attempt to impeach the president. And sadly, it seems they care very little for any of the destruction they are leaving in their wake  losses in the stock market. All this, unfortunately, just part of the political casualties for them.

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maggie haberman

At this point, the president is in India being fitted by Prime Minister Modi, and public health officials start basically taking matters into their own hands. They start giving public warnings. One top health expert gave a press briefing where she said that 

archived recording (dr. nancy messonnier) Now, its not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen.

maggie haberman

It was no longer a question of if the virus would spread in the United States, but when.

archived recording (dr. nancy messonnier) And how many people in this country will become infected, and how many of those will develop severe or more complicated disease.

maggie haberman

And that hospitals and businesses and schools should start making preparations accordingly.

michael barbaro

Right.

maggie haberman

This was as the president was now on his way back from India, and the stock market reacted terribly to these warnings. And the president was furious. He called the health and human services secretary, saying that the remarks had rattled people. He called one of his top economic advisers, Larry Kudlow, wondering what could be done to stop the slide. But at this point, as angry as the president was, it was clear to him and to his advisers that this was no longer something he could ignore.

[music]

michael barbaro

Well be right back. So Maggie, what happens once the president recognizes that this is something that has to be addressed?

maggie haberman

The president put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the task force.

archived recording (mike pence) Good afternoon. We just completed todays lengthy meeting of the White House coronavirus task force.

maggie haberman

And that was a big moment, because this task force that had been kind of diffuse and fighting with itself was for the first time being run from the White House. And it was meant to signal that the president was taking this seriously. So Mike Pence had control of this thing for basically two weeks. And during that time 

archived recording (mike pence) Were continuing to lean into this effort in full partnership with state and local health authorities around the country 

maggie haberman

 he was trying to communicate that they were working on a plan 

archived recording (mike pence)  to ensure that we do everything to prevent the spread of the disease.

maggie haberman

To address the spread, that they were working on guidelines, that they were aware of problems with testing for this virus that have plagued this administration for weeks.

archived recording (mike pence) To mitigate its expansion and to provide necessary treatment to Americans that have been impacted.

maggie haberman

And after two weeks, Vice President Mike Pence was getting a lot of praise for his demeanor in these briefings.

archived recording (mike pence) If I may, well be back here every day. Get used to seeing us. Were going to bring the experts in. Were going to make sure and give you the best and most high quality, real time information from the best people in the world. So thank you all for being here. archived recording Thank you. Youre welcome back any time.

maggie haberman

And that became a point of concern for some of President Trumps own advisers, who didnt want to see Mike Pence get all of the attention.

michael barbaro

Huh. So the people around the president didnt want the vice resident, rather than the president, to be the one seen as quarterbacking this major national crisis?

maggie haberman

Thats right. There was concern among the presidents top advisers that it would look as if Vice President Pence was basically doing the job the president should be doing  calming a nation, giving out accurate information, sounding as if hes in charge. And that led to this idea that the president should give an Oval Office address. So on March 11, the same day the W.H.O. declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, President Trump sat in the Oval Office behind the Resolute Desk at 9 p.m., and the klieg lights came on and the teleprompter started rolling. And he gave an address to the nation.

archived recording (donald trump) My fellow Americans, tonight I want to speak with you about our nations unprecedented response to the coronavirus outbreak that started in China and is now spreading throughout the world.

maggie haberman

For the first time, he acknowledged that this could impact older people.

archived recording (donald trump) The highest risk is for elderly population with underlying health conditions. The elderly population must be very, very careful.

maggie haberman

He talked about a ban on most travel from Europe.

archived recording (donald trump) To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight.

maggie haberman

But the address, which was brief, as Oval Office addresses usually are, was seen as a disaster.

michael barbaro

Why?

maggie haberman

The President looked uncomfortable. He stumbled over the teleprompter, which he never does well with.

archived recording (donald trump) I am confident that by counting and continuing to take these tough measures, we will 

maggie haberman

And it was riddled with errors, including about the travel ban.

archived recording (donald trump)  and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade in cargo, but various other things as we get approval.

maggie haberman

He suggested that it would apply to cargo and trade. It didnt, and those mistakes sent the stock markets plummeting.

michael barbaro

Right. And my assumption was that the President hoped the speech would do the exact opposite, which is it would give confidence to the stock market and send it back up.

maggie haberman

Thats right. The markets continued to tank over the next couple of days. And aides started realizing that there had to be a major course correction or the presidency could be threatened. And the President realized this too. So on March 17 

archived recording (donald trump) I would like to begin by announcing some important developments in our war against the Chinese virus.

maggie haberman

 we saw a pretty different tone from President Trump as he talked about this virus.

archived recording (donald trump) Well be invoking the Defense Production Act just in case we need it. Last week, I signed an emergency declaration under the Stafford Act.

maggie haberman

He described it soberly. He suddenly seemed willing to answer questions without being combative.

archived recording (journalist) Do you consider America to be on a wartime footing in terms of fighting this virus? archived recording (donald trump) I do. I actually do. Im looking at it that way, because you know 

maggie haberman

He described himself as a wartime president. He seemed to be taking this seriously in all of the ways that a nation usually looks for a leader to take such a crisis seriously.

archived recording (donald trump) Its a very tough situation, here. You have to do things. You have to close parts of an economy that six weeks ago were the best theyve ever been. We had the best economy weve ever had. And then one day you have to close it down in order to defeat this enemy. But were doing it, and were doing it well. And Id say the American people have been incredible.

maggie haberman

This was dramatically different from what we had heard just a few days earlier.

michael barbaro

Well, so, Maggie, how then do we get to today, where one week later, the situation with this pandemic has only gotten dramatically worse? The virus is exploding in places like New York. The number of infections and deaths are rising across the country. And yet, the presidents message has now kind of reverted back to where it was weeks and weeks ago. His language has changed. His overall comportment and the words hes using  theyve all kind of returned to a period where he was not taking this as seriously.

maggie haberman

There have been people in the Presidents circle who, this entire time, even as the President changed his tone, still thought that some of the moves that the government was making were too aggressive. And those aides started, late last week, talking about the fact that they might want to revisit some of these guidelines and ease up on some of them for targeted groups after this initial 15-day period had ended, which is going to be March 30th. The president started getting the message in earnest on Sunday night that this is something that he needed to worry about. That there might not be an economy to return to once the country was fully back to normal. And so he tweeted on Sunday night that the cure couldnt be worse than the disease. And that was the beginning of a massive shift of the federal government, which had moved toward aggressive measures to mitigate this virus and its spread, to suddenly suggesting that they could see the end nearing.

[music]

archived recording (donald trump) We cant lose a Boeing. And we cant lose some of these companies. And companies  frankly, Bill  that were solid as, like, AAA companies. Because of whats happened over the last couple of weeks, they go from AAA to being, like, they could use a hand. archived recording Tough time. archived recording (donald trump) We cant  youre right. We cant lose those companies. If we lose those companies, were talking about hundreds of thousands of jobs, millions of jobs. The faster we go back, the better its going to be. We have a pent-up energy thats going to be unbelievable.

michael barbaro

Is there a meaningful contingency of conservative leaders, thinkers, and politicians, economists even, people in business who feel this way, who feel like theres been an overreaction to this virus in the form of shutting down the American economy?

maggie haberman

There are. Some of them are people who have been the presidents advisers on and off for a while, like Stephen Moore of FreedomWorks, whos an economist and who advised the president at various points. He wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal with Art Laffer, who the president gave the Medal of Freedom to not that long ago. And in that op-ed, they said, essentially, that the government cant sustain this. That the economy cant sustain this. And that there needs to be less draconian moves made to keep people safe but still allow the country to run.

michael barbaro

Mm-hmm.

maggie haberman

There is no public health expert in the government telling the president that these moves are too severe. There is no public health expert in the government telling the president that the curve is about to let up on the spread of the virus. Everything the president has done about this virus has been a reaction to something, and right now he is reacting to pressure to reopen portions of the economy, as the job losses are facing potential millions by April.

michael barbaro

You know, I dont know whether the President would frame it this way, but I wonder if hes forcing all of us to reckon with what is the ultimate moral dilemma of this pandemic, which is what economic and social cost were willing to pay to save some uncertain number of lives. And he seems to be saying, in effect, Im willing to take the risk that a certain number of Americans will get sick and will die for the greater economic good and health of the United States.

archived recording (donald trump) I mean, think of it. We average 36,000 people  death, death. Im not talking about cases, Im talking about death. 36,000 deaths a year. People die, 36  from the flu. But weve never closed down the country for the flu. So you say to yourself, what is this all about? Now  archived recording How did you  archived recording (donald trump) Its never been done. archived recording How did you process that? archived recording (donald trump) Not good. I wasnt happy about it.

maggie haberman

Michael, I think thats very much what hes saying. And in fairness to him, Governor Cuomo has openly voiced the same moral dilemma that he is wrestling with. Its just that Governor Cuomo came down on the other side of it, which was that there is no cost that can be put on human life.

archived recording (andrew cuomo) Yeah, my mother is not expendable. And your mother is not expendable. And our brothers and sisters theyre not expendable. And were not going to accept a premise that human life is disposable. And were not going to put a dollar figure on human life. The first order of business is save lives, period. Whatever it costs.

maggie haberman

New York has been, as we know, much harder hit than most of the rest of the country. Most of the rest of the country has not had to go through what New York is going through right now with surges in hospital stays and a number of sick people. The president says most of the country agrees with him, and maybe thats why.

[music]

But the president is taking a really large gamble, and going with his gut, that the greater good will be served for the rest of the country by trying to preserve the economic health of the country more quickly than his health experts would like him to.

michael barbaro

Maggie, thank you very much.

maggie haberman

Michael, thank you.

michael barbaro

On Tuesday night, Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease specialist and an influential member of the presidents coronavirus task force, was asked about the presidents plan to reopen the U.S. economy by Easter.

archived recording (journalist) Where are you now with this timeline of 19 days from now? archived recording (dr. anthony fauci) So thats really very flexible. We just had a conversation with the president in the Oval Office talking about, you know, you can look at a date, but youve got to be very flexible. On a literally day-by-day and week-by-week basis, you need to evaluate the feasibility of what youre trying to do.

michael barbaro

With the president standing beside him, Fauci said it would be foolhardy to ease restrictions if major parts of the country were still in the throes of the pandemic.

archived recording (dr. anthony fauci) Obviously, no one is going to want to tone down things when you see whats going on in a place like New York City. I mean, thats just, you know, good public health practice and common sense.

[music]

michael barbaro

Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today.

archived recording (narendra modi) [SPEAKING HINDI]

michael barbaro

Nationwide lockdowns over the virus continued on Tuesday with India becoming the latest and largest country to require citizens to remain indoors, in Indias case, for the next 21 days.

archived recording (narendra modi) [SPEAKING HINDI]

michael barbaro

In a televised speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Indians, quote, If you cant handle these 21 days, this country will go back 21 years. And in the United States, Senate leaders said they were nearing a deal on a historic $2 trillion stimulus bill after days of objections from Democrats over who would monitor billions of dollars in loans to American businesses.

archived recording (chuck schumer) Weve been fighting very hard that any bailout fund  money to industries that have trouble  have real oversight and transparency. Thats vitally important.

michael barbaro

On Tuesday, Democrats said they had persuaded Republicans and the Trump administration to allow an independent inspector and a congressional oversight board to scrutinize the loans, and were almost ready to support the bill.

archived recording (chuck schumer) I hope, I pray, that we can come together very quickly and pass in large numbers a bipartisan bill that will help the American people who so badly, badly, badly need our help.

[music]

michael barbaro
Dubai carrier Emirates said Sunday it has dramatically cut its passenger flight destinations to 13, down from 145.

It's a pivotal move that reflects the dramatic slowdown in traffic through the airline's hub in Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus.

The state-owned carrier said it will still fly to the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Australia and Canada.

The company had just hours earlier announced a suspension of all passenger flights, but reversed that decision after receiving requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers.

The United Arab Emirates, which is home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has all but closed its borders to travelers with exceptions for those transiting through or Emirates returning.

The state-owned carrier said it will continue to operate cargo flights through its fleet of Boeing 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods, including medical supplies across the world.

It also said the company would reduce salaries for the majority of its employees for three months, but will not cut jobs.

Airlines around the world are struggling to cover their costs and pay salaries with their fleets grounded and countries shutting their borders to travelers.

In the Middle East, airlines have lost more than USD 7 billion in revenue as of March 11, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The group says 16,000 passenger flights have been cancelled in the Middle East since the end of January.

In a statement released Sunday, Emirates said it has tried to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible" to help travellers return home amidst all the travel bans, restrictions, and lockdowns.

Emirates Group CEO and Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum described the situation as "an unprecedented crisis and said "the world has literally gone into quarantine" due to the virus and the illness it causes called COVID-19, which has infected more than 300,000 people around the world.

Al Maktoum said the company was doing well financially at the start of the year, but that the virus "has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past six weeks."



"We find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders and travel confidence returns," he had earlier said, before the company announced it would still fly to 13 destinations.

The company, which also operates an airport ground services company called dnata at locations around the world, had previously urged employees to take paid and unpaid leave.

To save costs further, it said it was temporarily reducing the basic salaries of the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, with cuts ranging from 25-50 per cent.

The company said employees will continue to be paid other allowances during this time. Junior-level employees would be exempt from the basic salary reduction.

The president of Emirates, Tim Clark, and the president of dnata, Gary Chapman, will take a full basic salary cut for three months.

"We want to avoid cutting jobs. When demand picks up again, we also want to be able to quickly ramp up and resume services for our customers," Al Maktoum said.

Emirates posted profits in its most recent fiscal year of USD 237 million, down from USD 762 million the year before.

The airline's aggressive expansion and growth helped transform its hub at Dubai International Airport into the world's busiest for international passengers. Emirates carried around 58 million passengers last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Qantas and Virgin Australia are set to shrink their domestic networks even further, after the federal government warned against non-essential interstate travel and two mainland states tightened their borders to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Qantas and Jetstar were already planning to park up to 50 planes  a third of the 150 aircraft they had decided to pull from service  at Avalon Airport in Victoria over the next week, as airlines undertake the biggest grounding of aircraft in the country's history.

Qantas and Jetstar are parking 50 planes at Avalon Airport near Geelong until the coronavirus crisis is over, six of which have arrived since Friday. Credit:Wayne Taylor

Prime Minister Scott Morrison advised people on Sunday to cancel non-essential domestic travel, including interstate, further crimping demand for internal flights.

South Australia and Western Australia have also followed the Northern Territory and Tasmania in effectively closing their borders over the next three days. The two mainland states will require people who arrive from other parts of the country to quarantine for two weeks. Rottnest Island, off the WA coast near Perth, will be considered as a quarantine zone.
The UK has announced an unprecedented stimulus plan to cushion the economic blow from the coronavirus, including paying a portion of citizens' wages for the first time in the nation's history.

Chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak unveiled on Friday what was in effect his third emergency package in 10 days as the virus threatens to cause more damage to the economy than the financial crisis of 2008.

Businesses will get a 30bn (32.6bn) tax holiday, with the government deferring value-added tax payments for a quarter. Workers whose jobs are at risk will see up to 80pc of their wages paid by the government at an unknown cost. Renters and self-employed workers will also get help.

"The chancellor's announcement is a major and extraordinary intervention," said Richard Burge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "He has clearly taken on board the scale of the crisis."

The UK government has come under heavy criticism for its slow response to the crisis.

As schools across the country closed on Friday, prime minister Boris Johnson also announced pubs, restaurants and cafes would be ordered to shut.




The Federal Government has declared it will shut down the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; and Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja from Monday, March 23, to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed by the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, in a statement on Saturday, March 21.

This online news platform recalls that three other international airports in Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt for flight operations were shut on Saturday, leaving the two most important airports in the country open.

The NCAA Director-General said the closure will last April 23, according to Nuhu, adding emergency and essential flights would be operated from both airports within the period.

Captain Nuhu said the measure is expedient due to the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic which increased geometrically from 12 to 22 cases on Saturday, noting that domestic flight operations would continue normally in all airports in the country.

Meanwhile, this is coming a few hours after Nigeria recorded 10 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the number of cases in the country to twenty-two.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed by the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire on Saturday, March 21.

The minister of health said the infection is in three states in addition to the FCT  Lagos, Ekiti, and Ogun.

This online new news platform understands that the three cases in Abuja  two males and one female  all returned from abroad between March 14 and 18 while one has been in self-isolation, the other two have not.

Ehanire also said the 10 new cases are Nigerians, and that nine of them have travel history to Canada, France, The Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom and returned in the past one week, while the tenth case is a close contact of a previously confirmed case.

According to him, Nigeria has recorded 10 new cases of COVID-19 in Lagos and Abuja.

That is a total of 22 cases in Nigeria: Lagos, 16; FCT, 3; Ekiti, 1, and Ogun, 2, he added.

The minister added that two of the patients have been discharged, and that all cases are clinically stable and receiving adequate care.

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(Bloomberg Opinion) -- With little but uncertainty ahead, Congress and the states must mobilize immediately to shift the nation to a largely vote-by-mail system by November. There are two obstacles to that goal  one practical, one political. Lurking behind both is the fear that President Donald Trump will seek to disrupt the vote to maintain power, and that Republicans and right-wing media will help him succeed.

The practical problems with voting in the midst of a pandemic are evident. Poll workers are often elderly  precisely the people who are most at risk. Some poll workers in states voting in the primary March 17 simply didnt show up. Due to years of underfunding and neglect, even after Russian interference in 2016, election infrastructure in many states is substandard.

Many states are not currently equipped to manage large-scale vote by mail. All states will send absentee ballots to voters who request one. But only five states have transitioned to all-mail elections. Others have a hodgepodge of regulations governing vote-by-mail. And when millions of votes are involved, questions about ballot design, who qualifies as actively registered, how to forward ballots when residents change address and even postage costs become more complicated. Fraud is also a more legitimate (if still limited) concern when ballots are mailed.

Yet with a pandemic potentially holding sway in November, a dramatic expansion of vote-by-mail seems the best course to protect both a vulnerable democracy and at-risk voters. Congress should pass a law requiring states to offer no-excuse absentee balloting for the November elections, writes election-law expert Richard Hasen, a professor of law at the University of California at Irvine. Congress has the power to do so, and it should fully fund the efforts. The bill has to be drafted carefully to protect all voters. But time is short.

Dale Ho, head of the voting rights project at the American Civil Liberties Union, lays out a three-part process of educating voters about no-excuse absentee voting  meaning voters dont need a reason to vote by mail  followed by ready access to mail ballots and early processing of absentee votes so that crucial states dont produce a confidence-deflating logjam in counting.

Story continues

Vote-by-mail, Hasen writes, would not only protect individuals voting rights. It would protect the democratic system, providing a good argument against an attempt to try to postpone voting in November (or worse yet having state legislatures appoint presidential electors themselves without a vote of the people). Our democracy needs to continue to function, and the election could well be a referendum on President Donald Trumps leadership during the coronavirus crisis. The worst result would be for Trumps own incompetence to provide a basis for keeping him in office longer.

And therein lies the political problem. For while there is a general academic consensus on sensible proposals to secure the vote, there is diminishing evidence that the Republican Party wishes to achieve that end. Trump, in particular, has been an election sabotage machine from the start. His 2016 campaign welcomed  special counsel Robert Muellers assessment  Russian support while Trump himself refused to say that he would concede if he lost. In an effort to subvert the 2020 election, he used the power of his office to extort Ukraine into announcing a bogus investigation of his political rival. Meanwhile, Trump repeatedly jokes about continuing in office beyond the constitutional limit of two terms.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not instill much more confidence than Trump. He told intelligence officials in 2016 that if they warned the public about Russian interference he would denounce it as a partisan attack. After the House passed election security legislation in early 2017, McConnell let the legislation die in the Senate without a hearing or vote. Only in December 2019, after a rising digital chorus of Moscow Mitch, did McConnell relent, agreeing to hundreds of millions in new funding while still refusing to allow Congress to dictate best security practices to local officials, including paper ballot trails and post-election audits to assure that votes are properly counted.

The anti-democratic virus is widespread in the GOP. Republican legislators in the swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin sought to strip the governors offices in those states of power after voters elected Democratic governors. The former GOP governor of Kentucky, Matt Bevin, initially refused to concede the election he lost in 2019, though he eventually did. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp oversaw a huge purge of voters and falsely accused Democrats of hacking the Secretary of State website when he held that office.

Trump and McConnell desperately need Democratic support right now for fiscal stimulus to cushion the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Republicans are committed to making voting more difficult in the best of times. There is unlikely to be another moment when Democrats have the political leverage to secure the election. And if the election is not secured, Trump will undoubtedly be tempted to steal it  using the very crisis he has bungled as his alibi.

Such a result would certainly justify mass demonstrations and protests. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, they would be prohibited.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Francis Wilkinson writes editorials on politics and U.S. domestic policy for Bloomberg Opinion. He was executive editor of the Week. He was previously a writer for Rolling Stone, a communications consultant and a political media strategist.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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The Czech Republic has decided to pay Nigerians and other migrants to encourage them to leave the central European country.

The offer is under a programme that focuses particularly on migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Mongolia, Russia, and Vietnam.

According to a report published on RemixNews, a Czech Republic-based newspaper, the Czech government would pay any migrants who would voluntarily leave the country and other EU countries 4,000 EUR.

The programme tagged Returns established by the Czech Interior Ministry would assist immigrants with transportation costs and integration in their country of origin, including accommodation, household equipment or domestic animal expenses.

Anyone who voluntarily leaves the country and promises not to return not only to the Czech Republic but to the EU will be eligible for the money, the report said.

Allocation for the program amounts to 60 million CZK, 75 percent is to be covered from the European Asylum, migration and integration fund. Each individual could get funds ranging between 40,000 and 100,000 CZK. First funded returns should be processed in the third quarter of 2019.
Markets are in freefall and takeovers are falling off a cliff so you would think there is surely no way a company could float their business on the stock market right now?

Wrong. One company is planning to float tomorrow  and an Italian business at that.

Supply@Me, a Milan-based fintech company, is set to join the London Stock Exchange.

Its supply chain financing helps companies access funds through its technology platform that they would normally have to go to banks for.

Supply@Me, a Milan-based fintech company, is set to join the London Stock Exchange

They can get access to funds almost equal to the value of their stock. It is similar to Greensill Capital, the company which has attracted funding from Japanese investment giant SoftBank.

The benefit is that companies receive funding that is not classed as debt on their balance sheets.

Banks, hedge funds and family offices provide the funding to Supply@Me and get a coupon for doing so.

Supply@Me will float through a reverse take-over of shell company Abal with a market value of around 200million.

Investors will hope it has dodged the worst of the market rout so that it stays at that level.

Otaq

Supply@Me is not the only company joining the market.

A marine technology firm, Otaq, is also stepping in  with a reverse takeover by listed vehicle Hertsford Capital for around 12million.

Its acoustic technology helps to protect salmon fishing by driving away seals which eat the fish.

The company also has specialist underwater cameras to detect leaks for offshore oil rigs and other equipment for the industry.

The Lancaster-based company is due to join the stock exchange at the end of the month so let's hope for its sake that market conditions don't get any worse before then.

888 Holdings

Gambling companies have been forced to rush out statements about the impact of coronavirus after the pandemic caused the cancellation of key sporting events.

William Hill suspended its dividend, while Ladbrokes owner GVC; and Paddy Power and Betfair owner Flutter both warned that profits would take an almighty hit.

The only exception is online betting firm 888 Holdings, which has yet to utter a word about the crisis and the impact on its business.

However, it will have to on Tuesday when it reports its annual results.

Scribblers at Peel Hunt don't think it has been a 'head in the sand response' though, and instead think the company is trading as expected... for now.

Aston Martin

It has been nothing short of a car crash for Aston Martin chief executive Andy Palmer since the company attempted to park itself on the stock market.

James Bond's favourite car brand was being revved up for a return to glory when it arrived in October 2018, but instead the shares quickly slammed into reverse and it was just a year before it needed to be rescued by billionaire F1 boss Lawrence Stroll.

Last week's annual report revealed Palmer will not take a bonus for this year. But worse could be round the corner.

Rumours are circulating that Stroll is lining up Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff for the hotseat.
To prevent further spread of the virus, the government imposed a weeklong curfew in Baghdad and other cities and cancelled all domestic flights.

Iraq has so far registered 214 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths.

To prevent further spread of the virus, the government imposed a weeklong curfew in Baghdad and other cities and cancelled all domestic flights.

But security forces are still struggling to enforce the lockdown.

Al Jazeeras Simona Foltyn reports from Baghdad.
The Management of the Voiceless Media and Consult has presented a posthumous award to the late Dr. David Fuseini Abdulai, who was also known as ' Dr. Choggu', for his extraordinary services to the homeless, the poor, the sick, the mentally challenged and the destitute in society through the SHEKINAH Clinic at the Headquarters of Gubkatimali in Tamale.

The award came with a citation and a cash amount of GHC2000 which was donated by the Chief Executive Officer of the Repairer Foundation, Dr. Ibrahim Anyars Imoro affectionately called Dr. Barhama who is also the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the Tamale Central constituency.

It must be added that the Repairer Foundation, as part of the award is to institute a scholarship scheme at the University for Development Studies in the name of the late Dr. David F. Abdulai through which a student will be sponsored in Mental health studies every year.

Such sponsored students would be expected to work at the Sheikinah Clinic in Tamale for some time as part of the terms of the scholarship after their studies.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Chief Akilu Sayibu of the Voiceless Media explained that Dr. David Abdulai's contribution to humanity when he was alive falls 100 percent within the objective of the Voiceless Media and deserves this recognition albeit posthumously.

According to Chief Akilu Sayibu, the late Dr. Abdulai was a rare example of humility who showed unmatched love to the very deprived and the voiceless in our society over three decades until his death on October 2, 2016.

The Voiceless Media says the decision to honour Dr. Abdulai was to continue to keep his memory alive and remind Ghanaians of the good things he did for humanity for others to emulate.

The awards ceremony which took place on the 21st March was a modest one to mirror the simplicity and humility with which the late Dr. David Abdulai Fuseini lived and wanted things done.

Receiving the award on behalf of the late husband, Hajia Mariam D. Abdulai thanked the Voiceless Media and Consult for its thoughtfulness in awarding the late husband adding that the award was the first time that a local organisation within the North has recognised the contributions of the late husband to humanity and said that the late Dr. David Abdulai will be happy in his grave for the recognition.

Some of those present at the awards ceremony were Chief Adam Cockra, a veteran Journalist and a former director at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Sheikh Yakubu Abdul- Karim, a veteran broadcaster who is also the Executive Director of a Tamale based local NGO known as the Gubkatimali.

The Northern Regional Director of Communication of the NPP Mr. Sule Salifu was also in attendance among others.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 03:11:04|Editor: huaxia

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A worker sterilizes a car in downtown Amman, Jordan, March 22, 2020. A curfew that Jordan started on Saturday to combat COVID-19 might be extended for weeks, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said on Sunday. Health Minister Saad Jaber said 13 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Sunday, bringing the overall number of cases to 112 in the country. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)

AMMAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A curfew that Jordan started on Saturday to combat COVID-19 might be extended for weeks, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said on Sunday.

The government is looking into mechanisms to deliver basic needs to citizens as they will not be allowed to go to markets, said the minister, adding that citizens need to get used to the new lifestyle under the curfew as there is a possibility it will last for weeks, the minister said in a statement.

"The next two weeks are crucial to control the spread of the virus and thus the curfew might be extended...Unfortunately, the number of those who violated the curfew reached 700 on March 22," said the minister.

"We will be firm in dealing with any violation of the curfew...We need to learn lessons from countries that lost control over the disease because of the carelessness," said Adaileh.

Health Minister Saad Jaber said 13 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Sunday, bringing the overall number of cases to 112 in the country.

One of the patients is a woman in her 80s, said the minister, adding that she is in a moderate to critical condition.

He added that a Royal Jordanian jet will head to Singapore on March 23 to bring about 21,000 medical chips for conducting tests for detecting coronavirus.

"The rest of the patients in Jordan of coronavirus are in excellent medical condition," he added.
A man with travel history from Paris tested positive for coronavirus in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

District officials said the man flew from Paris to Hyderabad and then travelled to Vijayawada on March 17.

He was admitted to a government hospital in Vijayawada on March 20 where he tested positive for COVID-19.

At present, he has been admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital and is under observation, the official said.

All others, who traveled along with the infected person from Paris to Vijayawada are also undergoing tests, the officials noted.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BEIRUT  Assolta4 TV, Fourth Estate  Lebanese Revolution TV, began testing on Feb. 17 as the first online channel dedicated to news on the popular movement that took root Oct. 17 to protest deteriorating living conditions, government ineptitude and political and economic corruption. The channel is expected to launch in about two months.

The online channel will feature interview and opinion programs on the movement's goals and demands along with news reports on living conditions and social and political issues. The programs will be posted to Facebook, YouTube and the channel's own website. Since the medium involved is an electronic platform, no license is required, but those behind the channel must notify the National Media Council of the channel's existence.

Matilda Farjallah, a journalist and television host, came up with the idea for the channel along with a group of young journalists and technicians, all of whom are working as volunteers. Friends of Farjallah donated the equipment, office and studio space.

Many people contacted me, wanting to volunteer and join the team, Farjallah told Al-Monitor. We are currently 10 people, and that is enough for now.

She explained, We, as a team, believe that changing the existing political system needs time and patience, so we wanted to establish this channel in order to bring about change and reach the Lebanon we dream of. We live in a tragedy, not a homeland, and the channel will remain even if protests and demonstrations in the streets stop.

Assolta4 will not be competing with traditional media or duplicate it's format, Farjallah said. This platform will broadcast short videos and reports and is not bound to specific times, unlike traditional media, she noted. It does not resemble Thawra TV either, which only reports on protests and events from the squares directly. Our platform doesn't only convey events, but also aims to create change.

As for project funding, Farjallah remarked, There are no funders of the project, contrary to what some are claiming. I have no money. We decided to achieve change on scant finances. I only have digital marketing, which I can do with the available capabilities.

Sonia Zgheib, a volunteer journalist, told Al-Monitor, The importance of my participation in Assolta4 lies in the fact that it is the best way through which change can be reached so that Lebanon becomes the country we want it to be, especially because this channel is not politicized and everyone volunteers for free.

I did not hesitate to communicate with those in charge as soon as Farjallah called for volunteers, Zgheib added. I participated in this experiment, which I consider to be very significant, for two reasons. First is because the main element of the revolution is the youth, and I am one of them. We are having an economic, social and even psychological war, so we want to say that the youth want a new country, and through this channel we will convey the change we seek. Second is to address other youths and tell them not to follow their parents and parties anymore.

In a video posted on Facebook, Assolta4 promoted itself under the banner Our revolution is peaceful, our revolution is popular, our revolution is for all of Lebanon. Some supporters of the mass movement expressed the belief that the new media platform is important, while others had concerns about the content.

Hadi Mounla, who is active in the popular movement, told Al-Monitor, It is impossible to form a complete opinion for or against the channel before the actual broadcast, because nothing is clear or tangible so far. But in general, such initiatives are positive, especially those that launch on social media and resonate well with youths. Yet, I think that it is necessary to allocate segments to the protests in the streets and not only to reports and programs, as the channel promotes, especially as I expect the movements on the streets to regain momentum with the beginning of summer, amid the ever-exacerbating crises in the country.

Batoul, an activist who requested anonymity for professional reasons, told Al-Monitor, The idea of a revolutionary channel, much like the newspaper 17 Teshreen, is very important in the sense that this new channel can convey a neutral voice and is not affiliated with political financiers or parties as we are used to in all Lebanese media. This is why this channel, as an idea, even before anyone can see and judge its content, is needed so people can feel that they have a free, independent platform that expresses their voices. A group of a social activists and journalists founded 17 Teshreen (17 October), releasing the first issue on Nov. 28.

At the same time, Batoul added, it is important that this channel not make the same mistake as the traditional television channels, which declared support for the revolution but still gave airtime to politicians and corrupt officials and indirectly tried to polish their image, because they are still working according to political agendas under the table while publicly supporting the revolution. Farjallah posted a video on Facebook requesting an interview with President Michel Aoun, which raised many questions, so I wonder, if that is how things are now, where can they go from here.

Ayman Mhanna, director of the SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom at the Samir Kassir Foundation, told Al-Monitor, There is a wide gap between traditional media and a very large number of viewers, especially the younger generation, who follow a new way of consuming media material. Alternative media respond to this more than traditional media, and not just television. Alternative media platforms like Megaphone, an independent electronic media platform that produces animated multimedia content to cover local news, and what it has recently provided indicate a demand for a new method in media consumption.

Globally, the experiment of alternative media demonstrates youths' yearning for new ways of consuming news, Mhanna said, but there are not many examples today of integrated [broadcast] television channels that are alternative channels, as the economic model that makes them sustainable is unavailable due to its high cost, unlike online media sites, which rely on subscription fees and ads.

According to Mhanna, there are three criteria for Assolta4's potential success and other alternative platforms like it: a yearning for something new and independent, for that independence to be melded with impeccable journalism, and the production of quality content.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 02:08:14|Editor: yhy

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BELGRADE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Sunday that Chinese medical experts are "the most valuable resource in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection."

Brnabic made the remark while meeting with the six Chinese medical experts along with Minister of Health Zlatibor Loncar and Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo.

Noting that the novel coronavirus is still under-explored, Brnabic said Serbia put its biggest hopes in the Chinese expertise.

"The People's Republic of China is a country that has remarkably confronted the COVID-19 virus and we are extremely happy to have you here with us. There are currently no people in the world who know more about this infectious disease and whose experiences would be more useful to us who are currently fighting the battle with the coronavirus. Thank you very much once again for being with us," said Brnabic, according to a release from the government's press office.

The Chinese medical team arrived to Serbia on Saturday night to share their experiences in fighting the COVID-19, as well as to offer advise on measures that have produced the best results in China in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the government explained.

At the meeting, it was agreed that Chinese experts will assist Serbian epidemiologists in monitoring the situation and adopting new measures in order to protect the citizens of Serbia to the greatest extent possible from the infectious disease caused by the coronavirus.

Medical experts from China attended a staff meeting on COVID-19 crisis chaired by Brnabic, which reiterated that isolation and self-isolation measures are the key and most effective means of combating the spread of virus infection.

So far two people died and 222 tested positive for COVID-19 in Serbia. A State of Emergency was introduced a week ago, limiting people's movements, transport and closing schools and border crossings.

The Serbian government took some stricter measures to fight the coronavirus. Restaurants in Serbia now are closed, city transportation suspended, gatherings of more than five people indoors are banned, while citizens older than 65 are not allowed to leave their homes.
Information reaching YEN.com.gh indicates that Ghana has recorded two new cases of Coronavirus.

This brings the total to 21 with one death - meaning the existing cases in the country is now is 20.

The latest two cases were confirmed via the official handle of the Disease and Surveillance Department of the Ghana Health Service.

As of Saturday morning (March 21, 2020) the total COVID-19 cases in the country were 19.

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported how Ghana recorded its first death from the novel coronavirus.

The deceased is a 61-year-old Lebanese male trader whose case was confirmed in Kumasi on Thursday, March 19, 2020.

As earlier reported by YEN.com.gh, the Lebanese man, was unwell and visited a health facility with fever (high temperature) and cough.

His sample tested positive later and was put in isolation.

But according to the Deputy Minister of Health, Alexander Abban, the Lebanese man died today, Saturday evening March 21, 2020.

The information I got from the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service is that that person [the Lebanese man] has died. He died today,

Source: YEN.com.gh
Close on the heels of neighbouring state of Telangana, the Andhra Pradesh government, too, announced a lockdown in the state till March 31 to prevent spread of Sars-Cov-2 virus in the state.

Speaking to reporters, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said except those supplying essential commodities like vegetables, provisions and milk, besides services like police, health and power supply, no other activity would be allowed in the state till March 31.

There will no public and private transport. The inter-state borders are being closed, he said.

While asking all those who had returned from abroad to be under home quarantine for 14 days, Jagan appealed all residents to stay indoors unless faced with an emergency.

Especially, children below 10 years and old people about 60 years should not come out of the homes. Even for buying essential commodities, there should not be more than 10 persons at a place at a time, he said.

The chief minister said luckily Andhra Pradesh had so far reported only five Covid-19 positive cases till now.

We have so far isolated more than 11,000 persons who returned from abroad. Yet, we shall not take chances in view of the seriousness of the epidemic. Hence this lockdown till March 31, he said.

Jagan also announced a payment of Rs 1,000 each to poor families for essential purchases to compensate for their loss of livelihood on account of lockdown.

The village volunteer system has been functioning effectively in spreading the message on Sars-Cov-2. The volunteers would be supplying essential commodities like rice and Tur Daal to the doorstep, he said.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 22, 2020 14:28 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c905b0 1 City COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-death-toll,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,hospital,medical-practitioners,doctors Free

Three doctors who tested positive for COVID-19 died in Jakarta over the weekend.

An ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist from Bekasi, West Java, died on Saturday at Persahabatan Hospital in East Jakarta. Another doctor, a 34-year-old neurologist, died at the same hospital in the early hours of Sunday.

A 70-year-old surgeon from Bogor, West Java, died at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

"Yes, it's true," Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) chairman Daeng Muhammad Faqih told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, confirming the deaths of the three doctors.

Persahabatan Hospital spokesperson Erlina Burhan also confirmed the reports.

It is true [that the ENT doctor and the surgeon died on Saturday]. The surgeon was not treated here but at RSPAD, she told the Post.

Erlina, however, did not confirm the case of the 34-year-old neurologist.

Pandu Riono, a public health expert at the University of Indonesia and relative of the 70-year-old surgeon, told the Post that the surgeon felt sick and showed symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath on Wednesday night. He was immediately sent to a local hospital and hooked up to a ventilator.

On Thursday, the doctor who treated him said he was a suspected COVID-19 patient and the Bogor Health Agency sent his throat swab sample to the Health Research and Development Agency [Balitbangkes], Pandu told the Post.

Read also: 'If not us, who else will do it?': Sweat and tears of Indonesia's COVID-19 nurses, doctors

His doctor tried to transfer him to RSPAD and Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital but both hospitals were filled to capacity," he said. "RSPAD took him in on Saturday morning but his condition had drastically deteriorated."

Pandu said he had yet to receive results from Balitbangkes. However, a doctor at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital told the family that the surgeon tested positive for COVID-19.

On Friday, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan revealed that at least 25 medical personnel in the city had tested positive for COVID-19 and that one of them had died from the disease.

As of Sunday morning, Indonesia reported 450 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, with 38 fatalities. (aly/kmt)
Bolivian President Jeanine Anez declared a total lockdown from midnight Sunday to contain the new coronavirus spread, saying the measure will be executed using the "force of law".

A curfew was already in place, restricting transit from 17:00 to 05:00, but the new lockdown is a 24-hour restriction for the next 14 days.

The measure was put in place after the Bolivian government confirmed 16 positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

President Anez said that the suppliers are granted to open in the country, and that markets, drugstores and other basic services will remain working during mornings.

International flights and terrestrial transport inside the country were suspended starting Saturday.

Bolivia is the latest of a string of countries in Latin America that has called for enforced quarantines, measures already in place in Argentina, Colombia and Honduras.

Doctors from capital La Paz protested outside of the Bolivian Presidential Palace where the announcement was made, demanding medical equipment to face the outbreak and tend to patients.

For most people, the virus 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.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

The coronavirus has infected more than 246,000 people and killed more than 10,000. Almost 86,000 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.
- 3 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Ghana, sending the total number of confirmed cases to 19 so far

- All the 3 cases have been imported into Ghana with 2 recorded in Accra and 1 in the Ashanti Region

- The three cases include a Chineses and 2 Ghanaians who returned from the UK

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Ghana has confirmed 3 new cases of COVID-19, sending the total number of cases to a total of 19 as of March 21, 2020, with all three cases being imported and not locally transmitted.

In a report sighted by YEN.com.gh on the official Twitter handle of the Ministry of Information in Ghana, the three new patients who tested positive have ranged between the ages of 27 and 81.

2 of the cases were reportedly confirmed in Accra, Ghana whilst the other was recored in the Ashanti Region of the country.

READ ALSO: Ghana's U-20 captain 'trapped' in Denmark cautions Ghanaians to take COVID-19 seriously

See the other information below:

Perhaps, the most worrying of the three is the fact that an elderly woman who is 84 years of age has been confirmed positive for the COVID-19.

It appears that she is the oldest so far of all the cases that have been recorded in Ghana and it is strongly hoped that she would also recover from the condition quickly, along with the others.

She had returned from the United Kingdom 2 weeks earlier, just as the other Ghanaian, a 55-year old who also returned to the country 2 weeks earlier.

READ ALSO: Forgive & take me back, Kojo - Girl cries like Sammy in new breakup story

The 27-year-old Chinese who also tested positive has been in the country for

A photo of a National Identification Authority (NIA) official covering himself entirely to prevent getting infected with COVID-19 during the registration has caused a massive stir online.

It is not clear the exact location the photo was taken but it is surely in the Eastern Region where registration for Ghana cards is still being undertaken by the NIA despite a ban by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

It would be recalled how YEN.com.gh earlier reported that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a Facebook Live video announced that all public and private schools including universities and churches were from March 16, 2020, to be suspended for the next four weeks.

Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

One on one with the young Ghanaian genius Angela Tabiri who has a PhD in Mathematics | #Yencomgh

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Source: YEN.com.gh
New Jersey residents are waking up Sunday to significantly tighter restrictions as officials try to slow the spread of the coronavirus - all non-essential retail businesses in the state are closed and residents are asked not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Saturday that the number of cases in New Jersey has grown to 1,327 with 442 additional positive tests and 16 total deaths. Its unclear how many people have recovered or are experiencing only mild symptoms. In the previous 10 days, New Jersey had gone from 29 confirmed cases to 1,327. The average day-over-day increase has been 51%. Some of that increase is likely due to increased testing.

For several days, non-essential businesses had been allowed to remain open until 8 p.m. Murphy also strongly suggested early last week people stay off the roads between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

But under the stricter rules now in effect, all non-essential businesses in New Jersey had to be closed until further notice by 9 p.m. Saturday and there should be no travel except for people who have jobs deemed essential, to purchase food or for medical purposes.

The essential businesses that remain open include grocery stores, food banks, pharmacies, gas stations, auto mechanics, convenience stores, banks, hardware stores, laundromats, office supply shops, pet stores, stores that sell supplies for young children and mail and delivering shops. Liquor stores have also been deemed essential.

Libraries around the state were also ordered closed on Saturday. Murphy had previously ordered the closure of indoor malls, movie theaters, casinos, gyms, amusement parks, barber shops and more.

Restaurants and bars that provide takeout can remain open. Construction sites will not be closed, and manufacturers, ports and logistics operations can continue operating with staff at minimal levels.

A look at other coronavirus related news:

New Jersey launches new COVID-19 information website: The state has a new website devoted to its response to the pandemic: covid19.nj.gov/

A new testing center will open at Kean University: The first county-run testing center will open Monday and be by appointment only. Patients must be Union County residents, first responders or essential county personnel. Patients also need to be registered through their doctor or healthcare provider to make an appointment.

Drive-thru coronavirus testing site in South Jersey ready to go but has no kits: The testing site at Camden County College on Peter Cheeseman Road in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township has the personnel and personal protective equipment but not the testing kits. An official said the site has been ready for a month.

First rapid coronavirus test approved: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid coronavirus test, which produces results in about 45 minutes. An FDA spokeswoman confirmed the approval after an announcement from Cepheid, a Silicon Valley molecular diagnostics company.

Churches offer Sunday services online: The ban on gathering of 50 or more people includes churches, so many have turned to offering online services. Heres a list.

N.J. man who dies in Pa. hospital had tested positive for coronavirus: A 61-year-old Washington Borough man resident died Friday night at St. Lukes University Hospital in Fountain Hill Pennsylvania. The mans primary cause of death was a head injury from a fall at home, but that the virus might have contributed, officials said.

Assemblyman is first elected N.J. official to test positive for coronavirus: State Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, a Bergen County Democrat, said he learned the results after taking a drive-thru swab test at the Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus on Tuesday.

Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan tests positive for coronavirus: Bryan, a Tony-Award winning Broadway composer, has been in self-quarantine for a week after feeling sick, he announced on Instagram. The 58-year-old, who grew up in Edison, added hes been feeling better every day

N.J. students weigh in on home schooling: While there are perks to learning from home such as sleeping in and more time to finish assignments, students miss seeing their friends and interacting with teachers

Coronavirus cases in the United States: There are 26,747 cases across the country with 340 deaths, as of shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University

Coronavirus cases worldwide: Johns Hopkins reported more than 307,00 cases with more than 13,000 deaths as of about 7 a.m. Sunday. Italy announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose by 6,600 with nearly 800 new fatalities from the virus that causes COVID-19. The countrys total death toll of more than 4,825 has surpassed the number of deaths in China, where the first cases emerged late last year.

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NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco, Brent Johnson, BIll Duhart, Nick Devlin, Rebecca Panico and Michael Sol Warren contributed to this report. LehighValleyLive.com staff writer Nick Falsone and the Associated Press also contributed.

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But as the clock struck five in the evening, neighbourhoods across the nation came out on their roof, balconies, equipped with bells, conch shells, utensils, firecrackers  to express their gratitude to the medical professionals, health and sanitation workers, who are leading the battle against coronavirus from the frontline. #WATCH: Singaporeans of Indian origin join in to clap and ring bells at 5 pm IST, to express their gratitude to those ...

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Digital Editor
Aihik Sur By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A city sans all activities may seem like a scene from a sci-fi movie, but that was Hyderabad on Sunday when people voluntarily stayed indoors in the wake of the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to observe Janata Curfew in a bid to beat the Coronavirus.

The usually bustling city looked abandoned while eerie silence reverberated through the empty streets on Sunday as all businesses, including at busy commercial and market areas, were shut for the day.

Despite the curfew being voluntary, the police took it upon themselves to enforce it effectively by creating check-posts across Hyderabad, and used drones to monitor the situation in the State. Several youngsters, who had ventured out, were asked by the police to head back home, while some were asked to hold placards with awareness messages.

Though the lockdown was a welcome move, the homeless had to bear its brunt as they had nowhere else to go. But the police distributed food packets to them as they solely rely on small eateries and Annapurna canteens for food, which were shut on Sunday.

#JanataCurfew comes into full force: Snapshots of South India's busy roads wearing a deserted look on #JanataCurfewMarch22.

Follow LIVE updates on #COVID19outbreak here: https://t.co/QsWCvNMtWN pic.twitter.com/bzCzbfA74M  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) March 22, 2020

Meanwhile, in other parts of the State, apart from observing the curfew, the district administration also had to ensure that the roads into the State were well-guarded. In Nizamabad, the officials have set up check-posts at Salura, Madnoor and Dharmabad that connects the State with Maharashtra. On Sunday, several vehicles were stopped at the check-posts and were not allowed to enter the State.

Similarly in Sangareddy, the police stopped a bus with 34 passengers from entering the district at Chiragpally near Zaheerabad in the early hours of Sunday. The passengers were returning from Qatar. They had landed in Mumbai and were headed to Hyderabad via Sangareddy. The bus was taken to the quarantine centre at Gachibowli.

In Warangal, the curfew was complete as farmers too stayed indoors, while tribals stopped the entry of any vehicle to their tandas by blocking the roads.Meanwhile, in response to the Prime Ministers call, the citizens came out onto their balconies and terraces and showed their gratitude to those at the forefront of fighting the Coronavirus by clapping at 5 pm.

Leaving nothing to chance

Despite the curfew being voluntary, the police took it upon themselves to enforce it effectively by setting up check-posts across Hyderabad, and used drones to monitor the situation.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday said that the faith shown by people during the 'Janta curfew' has assured him that the country will come out on top in the fight against coronavirus.

"Going by the faith shown by people in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call, my belief is that we will be able to defeat coronavirus. The public has shown awareness in these dire circumstances and they have given their stamp of approval to the Prime Minister's call by staying inside their homes and not coming out today," Rawat told ANI here.

"We see that doctors are working overtime in hospitals and paramedical staff is also working extremely hard, it is important to thank them for their contribution," he added.

The Chief Minister further urged the people that they should be ready for any hard measures. He also sought the support of businessmen and NGOs in the fight against COVID-19.

Rawat, meanwhile, clarified that the state has ample stock of foodgrain, medicines and other essential commodities.

"Even if the state has to be put into lockdown, I want to assure the people that the state government will make arrangements for home delivery of food items and essentials to their houses. We are in touch with doctors, and specialists right now and are seeking their opinions," he said.

Rawat also thanked the Prime Minister for the clarion call given in the wake of the coronavirus spreading in the country.

As per the ICMR, 341 people have tested positive for coronavirus in India as of March 22.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) want the government to increase the outreach of its social welfare schemes to workers in the unorganised sector, revamp its trade policies to become less reliant on China and announce measures for the micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) to mitigate the impact of the global economic downturn in the wake of the novel cornonavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

On Saturday, the president of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, CK Saji Narayanan, said immediate steps should be taken to ensure that the 43 crore unorganised sector workers are provided health care and a financial package to help them tide over crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Schemes such as Ayushman Bharat will be of great help to the workers in the organised sector; but we are equally concerned about the welfare of those who are daily wagers, he said.

Narnayana said the government must ensure that if factories and other units are shut down in the wake of the pandemic, employees should be paid their wages.

Holiday wages and leave with wages must be provided and workers should not have to suffer if their units are shut, he said.

The BMS chief said state government should empower local bodies and panchayats to help people in need and earmark funds for meeting daily needs of people in rural and semi-urban areas.

Another Sangh affiliate, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), wants the government to come up with a strategic plan to build its economy and become less reliant on China.

Its a mistake all countries made, of becoming dependent of China and not investing in their own economies. Pharmaceuticals, automobile, telecom, electronics and many other sectors are in danger, Ashwani Mahajan, the national co- convener of the SJM said.

He said while the government will need to come up with a short-term compensation package for workers, in the long term it will need to assess its trade and economic policies and how to bypass China.

The total number of people infected with the Covid-19 virus in the Italy is 47,021 and the number of deaths is 4,032. Italy alone has the highest number of deaths even surpassing China and the third-highest number of deaths was in Iran after China. According to a report, Chinas One Belt One Road [OBOR)], that is, Belt Road Project, is a major contributor to the spread of this infection in Italy and Iran. Despite being so far away from China, the cause of the outbreak of the coronavirus in these two countries can be easily explained by OBOR linkages, he said.

The Laghu Ugyog Bharati (LUB), an affiliate that works with the MSMEs, has made suggestions such as leniency in credit lending, tax returns and removal of late delivery penalty.

Govind Lele, the general secretary LUB, said, We have requested the government that extending the ad-hoc additional credit of 25% for working capital by all financial institutes and public sector banks until the situation is normalised should be considered and the date of payment of government taxes should also be extended till the situation improves.

The LUB has also submitted a representation to the Central government pointing out that there has been a substantial reduction in demand of goods due to closure of malls shops and weekly bazaars, which have disturbed the micro economic cycle impacting trade and industry.

It will be very supportive to the MSMEs to extend the nil interest on all loans and cash credit limits until the end of the situation, and those companies that are not cash rich should be allowed to pay only 50% of the wages to their employees if they need to shut down manufacturing till condition ease, Lele said.

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Workout at home with these apps. insta_photos

As coronavirus COVID-19 continues to spread, many of us are finding ourselves indoors and with limited or no access to local gyms. But, we still need to workout to stay healthy. There are plenty of apps available that can help you do that, either for free or through subscriptions. That means you don't have to go out and buy equipment if you don't have the budget or the space in your home. Here are some of our favorites that we've been using to stay active.

ClassPass Live

ClassPass is launching a free app with audio workouts. Source: ClassPass

ClassPass Live brings a variety of workouts to your home that make you break a sweat as much as you would at an in-person class. The instructors are motivating and break down each move with modifications so you can jump in at any level. The 30 minute classes are super efficient and can be easily stacked for a longer workout. There are a variety of cardio, strength and yoga workouts within the same app users typically use to book in-studio classes. Despite the name, ClassPass Live classes are no longer live -- the company discontinued the program last year. But, all of the previously-recorded workouts are available for free to ClassPass subscribers. In certain areas that have been mandated to reduce gatherings, such as New York City, ClassPass Live videos are the only classes users will be able to access from the app. While ClassPass buried the feature at the bottom of the home screen after discontinuing the live classes, it's now promoting them as a way to stay fit at home during the pandemic. Here's how to find the feature: Open the ClassPass app and click "Explore digital workouts"

Scroll through video or audio workout options like HIIT and strength classes targeting full body, abs, upper or lower body. The video classes are typically 30 minutes with express video workouts available toward the bottom and ranging between about seven to 15 minutes. Audio workouts are ordered by length and vary more widely.

Before starting the class, check out the "Equipment needed" section. You don't really need a heart monitor as it suggests, but this will tell you if the workout requires weights or other equipment. HIIT and yoga workouts don't require any equipment except a mat.

Stream videos from your phone or computer or mirror them onto your TV through an Apple TV or similar device. Download it: iPhone and Android.

Price: ClassPass is offering its 2,000 audio and video workouts for free while in-studio classes are suspended.

The Yoga Collective

The Yoga Collective website. Yoga Collective

The Yoga Collective app and website make it easy to search for yoga, pilates or guided meditation by type, level and length. It has plenty of options so you can choose what area of your body you want to tone and you can squeeze in a workout or meditation if you have just five minutes or a whole hour. Whether you want 10 minutes to clear your head or an hour of advanced yoga, The Yoga Collective lets you filter for almost every feature of your workout. You can choose if you want to see a group class setting or an instructor going solo and many of these workouts require no equipment except a yoga block if you want it. Plus, I like that you can stream on your phone or computer and even mirror onto a TV with an Apple TV or similar device. It lets you choose a class based on a variety of categories. You can browse by collections, like the "Morning Flow Series" or by focus, like meditation, strength or stretching, among other categories. And, you can pick from different class lengths, teachers, focus areas, fitness levels and more. Download it: iPhone and Android.

Price: The Yoga Collective has a 15-day free trial and offers plans for $15 per month or $150 for the year.

STEEZY Studio

Steezy dance workouts video. Steezy

STEEZY offers a slew of dance classes and tutorials for beginner and advanced dancers and in-between. Even if you are a terrible dancer, it's fun to take a break from your more basic weights or Pilates classes for something that doesn't even really feel like working out. These classes are high-quality (although the app can be a little buggy on my iPad when I switch between portrait mode and landscape.) But it's great to do with others if you're stuck at home with a roommate, significant other or several family members (just make a pact not to make fun of the other's dance fails). Tutorials for routines are thorough and well-paced. A class I took for a short routine was roughly 42 minutes. Make sure you have a strong internet connection to keep the video running smoothly, or opt to download the individual videos before you start. Download it: iPhone and Android.

Price: STEEZY Studio offers a seven-day free trial and then costs $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

Nike Training Club

The Nike Training Club app Nike

The Nike Training Club app offers over 200 wide-ranging workouts, from strength training to yoga to cardio. Nike made its premium features free until further notice, though in the past we found that you can combine enough of the free workouts for a quick sweat session. The workouts on the Nike Training Club app are similar to what I would do in a group fitness class or gym, so I don't feel like I'm straying too far from my normal routine. I also love that I can choose workouts that don't require any equipment, since I've never purchased any weights. I haven't found the need to upgrade to premium, so it's been great to get some thorough workouts in without having to grab my credit card. Once you log in, hit the "Workouts" tab at the bottom. You can then browse by muscle group, workout type and equipment. Before you start a workout, check what equipment is needed, the length and the intensity (all workouts range from 5 minutes to 60 minutes). You can stream videos from your iOS or Android device, or mirror them onto your TV through an Apple TV. Just be sure to have a strong internet connection to keep your workout on pace, or download the workout before you start. Download it: iPhone and Android.

Price: The app is free, and normally the premium features start at $14.99 per month or $119.99 for the year.

Pilates Anytime

The Pilates Anytime website Pilates Anytime
Germany has imposed a public gathering restriction of not more than two people on its citizens, marking yet another stringent step in the fight to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Angela Merkel, the countrys chancellor, announced on Sunday no more than two people should henceforth be seen together in public. Authorities also said citizens should keep a minimum distance of 1.5 metres between them.

Essential travels to work or support a sick family member have been deemed appropriate, according to German broadcast DW. Restaurants have been restricted to only home delivery and pick-ups.

Germany has been at the top of countries hardest hit by the rampaging COVID-19, recording about 24,000 confirmed infections as of Sunday evening, Johns Hopkins University data said.

Ninety-two COVID-19-related deaths have been recorded in Germany, and 266 infected patients have recovered.

After Italy and Spain, Germany is the next country with the highest number of coronavirus infections in Europe. But the country has managed to record fewer deaths in comparison to Italy and Spain, whose fatalities have risen exponentially in recent days. Both countries have since announced total lockdown measures to curb all but essential forms of human movement in their jurisdictions.
Bhopal, March 22 : COVID-19 scare forced the airport authorities at Bhopal to detain an Air India flight on Sunday for an hour after a woman passenger who showed flu like symptoms on disembarking, an official said.

The woman has been rushed to government Jai Prakash hospital, he said.

She along with 17 other passengers were de-planed from the flight that landed here from Delhi at Raja Bhopal Airport.

The flight was to leave for Pune after a brief stop over here and was held up for an hour, Air India officials said.

The 44 passengers who stayed on board for Pune were sanitized and checked thoroughly. All safety procedures were followed before take-off.
Emirates Airlines has announced it will suspend all passenger flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Dubai carrier today said it had made the decision amid an 'unprecedented crisis situation.'

The airline will temporarily suspend all passenger flights by 25 March.

Emirates Airlines has announced it will suspend all passenger flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak

CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: 'The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak'

The Dubai-based, government-owned airline is built on linking the East to the West.

The airline wrote on Twitter: 'Today we made the decision to temporarily suspend all passenger flights by 25 March 2020.'

CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: 'The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

'This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint.'

On Friday, the United Arab Emirates announced the first two deaths from COVID-19 in the country.

Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to the following countries until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada. The situation remains dynamic, and travellers can check flight status on emirates.com.

Sheikh Ahmed added: 'Emirates Group has a strong balance sheet, and substantial cash liquidity, and we can, and will, with appropriate and timely action, survive through a prolonged period of reduced flight schedules, so that we are adequately prepared for the return to normality.'

The Dubai-based, government-owned airline is built on linking the East to the West




The drive to find a vaccine to combat the coronavirus is well underway, writes John Whelan.

Several large pharmaceutical and smaller biotech companies are working on making new antibodies, drugs and vaccines to combat the coronavirus disease but lack of funds may yet get in the way.

The European Commission has approved funding for 17 projects involving private sector teams from different countries including Ireland.

The private sector is contributing funding to the committed funds.

The Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, has called on governments around the world to invest more.

It bluntly says that billions more will be needed.

At a minimum, it costs around 2.6bn to develop a new vaccine, the coalition says, after saying at the start of the outbreak it would inject 90m into an initial programme of vaccine development.

It aims to have potential candidates in early-stage human testing in as little as four months.

The UK government has announced 20m of additional funding, beyond the 30m it had given to CEPI. And Germany last week said it would commit 145m to CEPI.

Its a very risky business  everything is being done in parallel, youre not building on the expertise of others  but good progress is being made, said Melanie Saville, the coalitions director of vaccine research and development.

While there are no guarantees of delivering a vaccine, the aspiration is to have millions of doses available for the public to use within 12 to 18 months, the coalition said.

German company Cure Vac was caught in the media spotlight after US president Donald Trumps administration allegedly said it would fund its Covid-19 vaccine but for use in the US only.

Cure Vac subsequently denied there was any such offer.

The company received 80m from the EU so that the German start-ups research is for both EU and global use. In the US, the Biomedical Advisory Research and Development Authority, or Barda, is coordinating a series of initiatives.

But the Trump administration is putting pressure on the wide range of pharmaceutical companies located in the US to fund the research.

Private sector foundations have also offered specific funding for the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed large sums, as have the UK-based Wellcome Trust and the MasterCard Impact Fund.

The UK is expected to have its first trials on humans next month.

Researchers at Oxford University, led by professor Sarah Gilbert, indicated that animal trials will commence this week and provided all goes well, they will move directly to trials on humans to assess how effective the vaccine is at protecting against the infection.

One of the most advanced efforts in the US is being led by Moderna along with the National Institute of Health, which began vaccinating volunteers in Seattle last week.

However, big pharmaceutical companies are playing on a global scale and are going about their efforts accordingly.

Hence, Pfizer has agreed to co-develop with Germany-based firm BioNTechs a vaccine candidate.

The BioNTech product is expected to enter clinical studies in April.

In parallel, BioNTech also announced a partnership with Fosun Pharma of China to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, which it said could also begin clinical testing in late April.

Regeneron and partner Sanofi announced US-based trials of a treatment based on existing drug therapies.

While both companies have extensive manufacturing facilities in Ireland, company reports indicate that Regeneron will lead the research studies at their US labs, while Sanofi will take care of studies outside the US which are due to start in the coming weeks.

The need of the hour is fast development of any treatment or vaccine, not just to save lives but to help collapsing worldwide economies to recover.

- John Whelan is managing partner at Irish trade consultancy The Linkage-Partnership
Yankees beat reporter Brendan Kuty is reporting from the road as he drives home from the Yankees spring training camp in Tampa, Fla. He filed this head-shaking column from Florida on Saturday.

***

SAVANNAH, Ga.  Any other weekend, thousands of people would stuff historic River Street, with its cobblestone roads and old warehouses transformed into boutiques, souvenir shops, restaurants and bars. Every few feet, youd have to dodge a selfie-taker while walking along the Savannah River. Think Bourbon Street, minus the beads.

But not Saturday morning. Savannah is Georgias oldest city and its third most populated, but fears over the coronavirus, and a state of emergency declared by the mayor, had turned it into a ghost town. Aside from the occasional jogger or couples pushing strollers, the place was silent.

Jean Claude Martin, the lone street artist still working, didnt get the fuss.

Im still thinking the virus isnt real, Martin said. I think its fake.

Martin, 45, paints and sells his pieces here. He commutes 20 minutes from his home, sets up his easel, chair and his supplies in a tree-lined spot between the street and the grand Georgia Queen steamboat, which normally would ferry hundreds of tourists up and down the river. Saturday, it appeared moored until further notice.

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Martins works are stunning. The paintings are colorful and bright and detailed. Some depict scenes from his native Haiti, which he left 19 years ago for America. They were lined up and on display for anybody who wanted to buy one.

The problem: There were no buyers. There werent even any potential buyers.

Its never been like this, Martin said. Not on a Saturday. Maybe in January or February on a Monday, and it would have to be very cold. But its never like this.

It didnt bother him that he was one of the very few people going about their regular routine while most others donned surgical masks and gloves or shut their doors. They were hoping to slow the spread of COVID-19, which had killed at least 20 people and infected 550 in the state of Georgia as of Saturday night. Nationally, more than 300 people had died from the virus and at least 25,400 had tested positive for it. And It didnt bother Martin that just about everyone was scared and he wasnt.

He didnt think hed contract the virus.

He thought reports of older people being hit hardest by it were exaggerated, too.

Somebody who is old is going to die anyway, he said. Theres a lot of old people. Any time you get 90 years old, my friend, you know its too far. My grandmother is 96. She could be gone any day now.

On Friday, a man in his 30s in New Jersey died from the virus.

Martin secured his latest painting to a wooden frame with a hammer and staples.

If its your day to die, he said, nothing can stop you. If its your day to catch it, nothing can stop you. Its only God that can protect you. Theres no man in the world that can protect you, only God.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy is trying to protect us. He told residents to stay home and ordered nonessential businesses to close.

If somebody told me  No, dont go by that guy, he has the coronavirus. OK, Im going to go. Im going to go and talk to you, Martin said.

Martin added that he had heard it costs $150 to get tested for the virus. And he wondered, if the virus is real, then why has it taken the government so long to find a way to treat it? If theres one thing he believed about the virus, its this: Its a money-making scheme concocted by someone, maybe in cahoots with the government.

I think the government came up with something or some guy came up with something to get some money, he said. I dont believe in that thing.

Then Martin went back to painting and his normal life. Around him, River Street remained surreal.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.

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Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.
Bitterroot College is not a real college. It would be more accurate to say that Bitterroot College is a University of Montana outreach program. In fact, that is the name Bitterroot College was initially given in 2009 when it was formed. It was called Bitterroot College Program.

In other words, Bitterroot College is really a program that was somewhat misleadingly dubbed a college. This has caused confusion among Ravalli County residents about the status of Bitterroot College.

Calling an educational outreach program a college does not make it be a real college. This little distinction makes a very big difference, as will be shown below. Because Bitterroot College is, in fact, an outreach program and not a real college, Ravalli County residents are being asked in the upcoming May 5th election to vote for creating a real community college in Ravalli County.

Dont we already have a community college? That is the first question listed in the FAQ section of the Bitterroot Valley Community College Initiative website (www.bvCommunityCollege.org) sponsored by the Ravalli County Workforce Alliance. The answer is No. But why would residents of Ravalli County think that there already is a community college in the Bitterroot Valley? Here is why.

Back in 2007 the residents of Ravalli County voted in favor of establishing a community college in the valley. But the will of Ravalli County voters was thwarted in February 2009 when the legislature decided not to approve the voters decision to establish a community college in Ravalli County. Instead, according to the Bitterroot College website (www.umt.edu/bitterroot-college), the MUS Board of Regents instructed the University of Montana to establish what is best described as an outreach educational program in the Bitterroot Valley.

Thus, in 2009, under the auspices of the Bitterroot College Program Steering Committee, UM established the Bitterroot College Program. Many Ravalli County residents, understandably but mistakenly, thought that this was the community college they had voted for in 2007. It wasnt. An outreach program is not a community college.

To add to the confusion, in 2012 the Board of Regents decided to change the name of the program from Bitterroot College Program to Bitterroot College. That certainly made it sound like there is now a genuine college in Ravalli County. There isnt.

This becomes clearer (or more confusing) if you go to the University of Montana website and look at the page entitled Academic Units (www.umt.edu/academics/colleges-schools-and-departments). Bitterroot College is listed on this page. That creates the appearance of Bitterroot College having the same academic status as the UM College of Business, for example, or any of the other eight UM colleges listed on the page. It doesnt.

One way you can tell that Bitterroot College is significantly different than any other UM college is that Bitterroot College is the only college listed on the UM Academic Units page that is not headed by a dean. Instead, BC is headed by a director  appropriate for a mere program but inappropriate for a real college.

The status (or lack of status) of BC becomes even more confusing if you visit the website for the Montana University System (MUS). Look at the page entitled Colleges and Universities (https://mus.edu/Universities/university_main.html). You will find that Bitterroot College is included with the sixteen universities and colleges of the Montana University System (MUS). But that is incorrect. Bitterroot College is a mere program pretending to be an independent MUS college. How can you tell? Unlike the 15 other legitimate MUS universities and colleges, Bitterroot College is not accredited or guided by a charter; is not able to grant degrees of any kind; is not headed by a Dean, and, importantly, is not directly funded through the state appropriations process approved by the legislature like all real MUS units. (BC is financed by discretionary funds distributed by the Provosts office at UM.)

Why is it important for Ravalli County residents to be clear about the fact that Bitterroot College is not a real community college? Because Ravalli County residents are being shortchanged by this name-confounding sleight-of-hand. BC is inadequately funded since it is merely a program and not a college. It is doing a pretty good job under the circumstances but is unable to effectively serve the educational needs of Ravalli County because of its limitations as an outreach program.

Look at it this way. Ravalli County residents pay taxes into the state fund that support all the MUS units in Montana. But BC is not a MUS unit. Thus, the state tax dollars from Ravalli County earmarked for higher education do not come back to Ravalli County. Instead, they go to all the other counties where there are legitimate MUS units.

There is a solution to this inequity. Voting to establish an all-new Bitterroot Valley Community College as a truly independent community college in the MUS system will bring those tax dollars back to Ravalli County. And those tax dollars, together with the direct investment made by Ravalli County residents to support a real community college, will produce a substantial return on the investment for the people right here in the Bitterroot Valley. Think about that.

And then vote for establishing a Bitterroot Valley Community College District in Ravalli County on your mail-in ballot between April 17th and May 5th.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-21 22:14:57|Editor: zh

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Ai rport staff unload boxes of face masks and medical supplies from an airplane of Air China, in Athens, Greece, on March 21, 2020. Approximately eight tons of medical supplies provided by the Chinese government to Greece after Athens' urgent request arrived on Saturday morning at Athens international airport on an Air China flight.The aid consists of 550,000 masks and sets of protective gear, according to a release issued by the Chinese embassy in Greece. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Approximately eight tons of medical supplies provided by the Chinese government to Greece after Athens' urgent request arrived on Saturday morning at Athens international airport on an Air China flight.

The aid consists of 550,000 masks and sets of protective gear, according to a release issued by the Chinese embassy in Greece. Many other aid packages weighing around 10 tons, donated by Chinese enterprises and organizations, arrived on the same flight.

The supplies were collected and sent to Greece within eight days, at a time when China is still under immense pressure to contain the epidemic and medical materials are still in short supply, Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zhang Qiyue said at a handover ceremony with Greek Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias on the tarmac of Eleftherios Venizelos airport.

Quoting ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's words, "What is a friend? A friend means the single soul dwelling in two bodies," Zhang added that China and Greece have been working closely together in the fight against COVID-19, showing evidence of the deep friendship between the two nations.

"Now, when the situation in China is getting a little bit better, we are doing our very best to assist the Greek people in combating this. We believe in solidarity, we believe in cooperation. We think that solidarity and cooperation are the best weapon to combat this virus," Zhang added.

"We are deeply honored and grateful, and we hope that you will continue to show these sentiments of help and support to the Greek people," Kikilias said.

Following the handover event, Zhang told Xinhua that "the epidemic in Greece is getting more and more serious ... China and Greece are very excellent friends and partners, so we are doing everything we can to help."

During Saturday's event, the Chinese ambassador also commended the measures taken by the Greek government as "early and forceful," again thanking the Greek government for its strong support in China's fight against the outbreak.

Greek State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Environment and Energy minister Kostis Hatzidakis and Alternate Foreign Minister on European Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis were also present at the event, according to a statement from the Greek Health Ministry.

Earlier this week, Kikilias visited the Chinese embassy in Athens, where Zhang handed over to him 50,000 face masks donated by the Chinese community in Greece.

As of Friday night, Greece has registered 10 deaths from the epidemic, according to reports from the country's national news agency. Earlier, the Greek Health Ministry reported 495 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide.
On Capitol Hill, the Senate convened the rare weekend session as negotiators raced to complete the package. The Senate's goal is to hold an initial vote on Sunday and win Senate passage on Monday. The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket, businesses shutter and the financial markets are set to re-open on Monday eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the healthcare crisis and what experts say is a looming recession. Trump has largely stayed out of the details, but said on Saturday that he would be lobbying the lead negotiators. On one topic, Trump appears to be agreeing with Democrats as Washington tries to steer clear of the politically toxic bail-outs from the last economic crises.

Trump expressed a clear distaste for any industry, including the airlines, that would use federal assistance to buy back its own stock in an effort to increase profits. Banning stock buy-backs is one of Democrats' top business priorities in the emerging package. Loading Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other top White House officials were on Capitol Hill for a second day of nonstop negotiations. But no announcement was expected. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been in talks with Mnuchin, returned to Washington on Saturday and was scheduled to join Sunday's meeting. Negotiations are focused on providing direct relief to Americans, with one-time cheques of $US1200, as well as ongoing payroll support and enhanced unemployment benefits for the newly out of work.

Talks are also focused on loans to airlines and other industries blindsided by the crisis, as well as possible aid to the states and billions for hospitals and healthcare providers on the front lines of the outbreak. Loading The emerging package builds on a GOP proposal but Democrats push for add-ons, including food security aid, small business loans and other measures for workers. "We're making very good progress," Schumer said late on Saturday. "We're going to continue working though the night." On Saturday, Trump opened the daily virus briefing with a roll call of his administration's accomplishments, a week-in-review meant to rebut criticism that the White House was moving too slowly to combat the crisis.

The president pushed back against accusations that he was sluggish to act for fear of upsetting China, though he told aides last month that he had not wanted to alienate Beijing by criticising its secretive handling of the initial outbreak. Trump did not lose his temper, as he did the day before. But mixed, vague messaging still ruled the briefing. For example, as hospitals across the nation report a dire shortage of supplies to care for an expected surge of patients, Vice-President Mike Pence said the government was completing a half-billion-dollar order for masks. But none of the government officials at the briefing could suggest when the masks would reach medical facilities, a moment of confusion that caused Trump to grow visibly frustrated. Dr Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, tried not to over-promise the effectiveness or speed of medication that could possibly be used to treat the virus. After Trump had exited the briefing room, Fauci answered a question about Trump's tweet about the drugs by saying, "I'm not totally sure what the president was referring to." Trump also sowed confusion about his use of the Defence Production Act to force American businesses to manufacture needed medical supplies, saying that while he invoked the act this week, he has not yet needed to utilise it to compel businesses to mobilise, despite the pronounced supply shortage.

Pence announced that, out of an abundance of caution, he and his wife, Karen, would be tested for the virus after a member of the vice president's staff had tested positive. The result for both was negative, Pence press secretary Katie Miller tweeted on Saturday night. Pence had said the staffer, who did not have close contact with either the president or vice president, was doing well. The emerging rescue plan from Congress would be a striking intervention at enormous cost being crafted with a speed unseen since the 2008-09 financial crisis and recession. It builds on Trump's request for Congress to "go big." A central element is now $US350 billion for small businesses to keep making payroll. Companies with 500 or fewer employees could tap up to $US10 million in forgivable small business loans to keep wages flowing.

That's on top of a proposal for one-time cheques to all Americans, $US1200 per individual, $US2400 for couples, cut off at higher incomes. Democrats are pushing for increased eligibility for unemployment insurance for those who jobs are simply disappearing. For industry, the initial GOP plan called for $US208 billion in loans to airlines and other industries, which would have to be repaid. Negotiators are still hammering out whether there will be money to the states, whose governors have requested billions, as well as how much will be going to hospitals and healthcare providers. Trump acknowledged the outbreak was hurting his family's business of hotels and country clubs but said he did not know whether his business would be one of the many to seek government assistance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis nonagenarian mother Hiraba, who resides near Gandhinagar, was seen beating a utensil in response to his sons appeal to express gratitude to health professionals fighting Coronavirus by clapping or by ringing bells for five minutes at 5pm on Sunday, the day that was declared Janta Curfew for observation of social distancing measures to break the chain of the transmission of the deadly disease.

The video of Hiraba beating a plate while sitting on a chair went viral and the prime minister himself tweeted to acknowledge her participation and that of several other mothers.

Mother. Mother, blessed by you and crores of other mothers like you, doctors, nurses, security personnel, cleaning workers and media professionals and countless others like them who are fighting Coronavirus will be inspired. They will get the strength to move further in their endeavours, the PM tweeted in Hindi.

Millions of people across the country stayed indoors on Sunday in an unprecedented and overwhelming response to Janta curfew before coming out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps.

The prime minister thanked the people but said it was the start of a long battle, as he urged them to follow social distancing to stop the chain of transmission of coronavirus which has infected 360 people and claimed seven lives in India.

As the clock struck 5, the air was filled with a medley of sounds from bells, conches and beating of metal plates, with people coming out in balconies, lawns and terrace of their homes to express appreciation for medical and other staff who are on the frontline of the battle against the coronavirus.

From children to the elderly, common people to VIPs, residents of metropolitan cities to villages, all responded to Prime Minister Modis appeal to show gratitude to doctors, paramedics, police, sanitary workers, mediapersons and other personnel associated with essential services.

By evening, authorities announced a slew of extraordinary restrictions including suspension of all interstate-buses, passenger trains and metro services in the country, while 80 districts in 17 states and five Union Territories including Delhi where coronavirus cases have been reported were locked down till March 31.
Help India!

As COVID-19 brought the world to a halt, troubles faced by the people in Kashmir can be imagined, though to a much lesser extent

By Dilisha Saboor Kidwai

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Rida (name changed) recalled how Jammu and Kashmir (JK) gasped in fear on 4th August 2019 when the phone lines and internet services were suspended without the circulation of reasons behind the move. Hum sab dare hue the ki kuch bahot bada hone wala hai Rida told me. It was a day before the Upper House of the Indian Parliament would pass a resolution to turn down the conditions of the Instrument of Accession under which JK joined the Indian Union in October 1947. On 5th August 2019, Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was scrapped. Rida is a Kashmiri I went along for a walk in our college campus in Aligarh.

I cant agree more when Arundhati Roy writes that the government has gone rogue. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Article 370 as a hurdle in the development of Kashmir. Ironically he himself ended up shutting down the entire state for six long months. The rights enjoyed by the daughters of other region were not enjoyed by the daughters of Jammu and Kashmir he further said in his address to the nation after the abrogation of Article 370. If the idea was to win the people of Kashmir then they should have been given the chance to tweet about it, at least. History would remember the worlds largest democracy for the longest internet blackout.

To a question of how this loss of connectivity would have impacted the people of JK mentally, Rida replied, Itna kuch dekha hai ki isse farq nahi padta tha ab. A sense of betrayal was evident in her reply. I remembered how I cursed the authorities during a 24 hours internet shutdown in Aligarh after the Ayodhya verdict was delivered by the Supreme Court, and the troubles I faced in a six-day long internet blackout after violence that broke out in Delhi and in Aligarh in March 2020.

Even on 15th December 2019 we were deprived of internet in Aligarh before we could recognize that the voice of explosions were not of crackers but stun grenades being employed by the security forces to crush the peaceful protest by students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019. Aligarh had not been to what Kashmir had been, but we just had a glimpse of that fear, though to a lesser extent.

Rida explained me how people had to stand in long queues outside the police stations to make a call of less than a minute during the months followed by the abrogation of article 370. This was Kashmir in the 21st century while the rest of the world steps into 5G network.

The people might have gathered the mental courage to survive without the internet, but that cannot compensate their economic losses. Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) revealed in December that Kashmirs economy has seen a loss of Rs 17,878 crores. The journalists, businessmen, handicraft and tourism sector and students have been badly affected by the shutdown. My cousin who is pursuing masters didnt have a class for a single day, had to take exams anyway Rida told me. Javid Parsa, a young entrepreneur from JK, told the world through social media about how he had to travel for hours to get an OTP to pay his tax.

Kashmir ujad chuka hai, normalcy namumkin hai ab Rida said. She then questioned me Home is the safest place you would consider, right? I nodded. But what would you do if the tear gas shells are fired in your own home? And you see your people being picked up and beaten? Kaise nahi khaulega ye khun phir? The intensity with which her world hit me should hit to the people in power who are trying to portray this reality as normalcy. Ridas words reminded me of the newspaper cutting I saved in my diary in 2017. It was a case of unjust targeting of a Kashmiri student of AMU, for which he had to pay with 17 years of his life in jail waiting to prove his innocence in numerous terror cases.

When the rage hits the youth to leave the comfort of their cozy rooms and pick up the arms against the state, it speaks volumes about how the state has failed its people. The Human Rights violations and the denial of justice to the victims, as in the cases of Kunan-Poshpora and Sopore Massacre remains a blot on the democracy of India. According to a report by Office of the of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) of United Nations (UN), Indias Armed forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) remains a key obstacle to accountability.

Rida likes Aligarh for not having a drone over her head, unlike Kashmir.

Dilisha Saboor Kidwai is an undergraduate student of Geology at Aligarh Muslim University.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines stay-at-home order puts even more pressure on an already crippled economy and increases the need for a federal response to ease the minds of worried business owners, two local experts said.

David Clingingsmith, an associate professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University, said his initial impression of the governors order is that the list of essential businesses that can stay open seems kind of broad and that the new rules dont seem much more stringent than the existing recommendations.

For example, suppliers of essential businesses are included in the list, which means stores such as Best Buy that sell to retail customers and perhaps businesses, too, may be allowed to operate.

Clingingsmith said the state may end up providing more clarification about essential businesses going forward, but doing so could be a difficult task.

He agrees, however, with the governors action to stop the spread of the virus. He hopes the federal government is primed to step in and put us on a path to sort of recovering quickly.

Scott Shane, Mixon professor of entrepreneurial studies at Case Western Reserve University, said he thinks DeWine made the right call but hes concerned that the lack of a federal response is going to make some businesses start to panic and perhaps lay off workers.

Shane said he doesnt think DeWine made the order to provide for greater enforcement powers, but to impress upon the public that the situation is getting worse not better.

What we want to have happen is we have to take a temporary pause, Shane said, but with assurance from the federal government that it will help companies weather the tough time.

The governors order continues to allow a long list of businesses to remain open, including grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, hardware stores, pet stores, restaurants (for carry-out and delivery only), building trades, educational institutions (although schools are closed to students), laundromats, airlines, package delivery and many, many more.

As for what percentage of the Ohio economy will be shut down when the order takes effect, its hard for me to say, Clingingsmith said.

Whats certain, he said, is that placing limitations on the economy causes of a lot of strain on people and will lead to many layoffs.

The stay-at-home order will remain in place until at least April 6, but Clingingsmith said he wouldnt be surprised if thats extended. China had to be very restrictive for a long time to get the coronavirus under control, he said, and he doesnt think Ohio is in any better position.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses issued a statement of support shortly after DeWines announced the order.

While this order will no doubt impact many small businesses across Ohio, our states entrepreneurs have been and will continue to provide critical services during this on-going crisis," Roger Geiger, Ohio executive director of the NFIB, said in a prepared statement. I am certain that they will do their part and step up to see us through these unprecedented times.

Geiger also pointed out the need for government help.

Small business owners will be looking to their local, state, and federal leaders to continue to provide the necessary recovery tools such as economic stimulus, revenue, and leniency when it comes to taxes, credit, and regulations, Geiger stated. Historically it is small business that have led us through an economic recovery, and I am confident they will do so again.
On Friday, a doctor in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Bergen County rapidly filling with coronavirus patients said an administrator called her an alarmist for wearing a protective mask and scaring everyone when she was outside of a patients room.

The physician, who requested anonymity out of fear she would lose her job, said she kept her mask on. It is my policy to wear it. If I get sick, I cant take care of people, she said.

Defiant as she sounded, the physician admitted she is terrified. I have never been so scared of walking into work. I always feel like I am going to get sick." Wearing the mask is one way I can feel a little protected.

Five doctors and two nurses who spoke to NJ Advance Media say they are alarmed by the mixed messages from hospital administrators, who they say do not fully comprehend how desperate the situation has become.

They say they are frustrated the state Health Department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not set consistent standards on who should wear protective equipment and when. As masks and other supplies dwindle and they see their colleagues falling ill, they worry there will be a shortage of workers to treat the onslaught of patients predicted to arrive in the coming weeks and months.

Some of the health professionals interviewed are members of the New Jersey Doctor-Patient Alliance, an organization of about 300 physicians formed three years ago to give them a voice at the Statehouse on policy issues. They said the are speaking out now about the coronavirus because they are concerned their will pay the price for a lack of leadership.

I am witnessing the epidemic hit health care workers. I know doctors are coming up positive like crazy, said Stavros Christoudias of the Heritage Surgical Group in Bergen County and chairman of the Alliances board.

We are in the fog of war and its thick right now, Christoudias said. For doctors like me who work in different hospitals, its extraordinarily disorienting. Who is telling the hospitals what to do? There should be someone at the state level saying you are going to do this to protect nurses and doctors. It seems like right now they are so far removed from the battle.

Alliance members shared e-mail messages between a senior official at a Monmouth County hospital and a doctor who was forbidden from wearing a mask while performing rounds. They requested NJ Advance Media not publish the details to protect the anonymity of the doctor, who feared retribution.

We have documents from some hospital officials and administrators who are threatening disciplinary action for anyone who wears masks outside patient rooms, said Robert Morin, a plastic surgeon in Bergen County and an Alliance board member. In a high-risk area, regardless of whether people are COVID-19 positive, doctors and nurses have the right to protect themselves."

One of our highest goals is to protect the nurses. They are all hospital-employed and they cant speak out for themselves," Morin said.

A nurse working in a Bergen County hospital who requested not to be identified said she was infuriated by photographs of health care workers in protective suits, covered from head-to-toe at the mobile screening post at Bergen Community College in Paramus. She herself does not have that equipment, she said.

A medical technician carries a specimen after testing someone at New Jersey's first government-run drive-thru coronavirus testing site Friday at Bergen Community College in Paramus. This image has been digitally altered to protect patient privacy.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Adva

Just to stand outside and swab, the nurse here is is in completely different PPE (personal protective gear) than we are offered across the street at the hospital, the nurse said in an email accompanying a photo from a testing site on Friday.

She also sent a photograph of the package of masks she and her colleagues are expected to use. The box is labeled for cosmetic use only.

This is what we are supposed to wear when we care for coronavirus patients, the nurse wrote. This mask is not medical grade and it will in no way protect us.

Kerry McKean Kelly, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Hospital Association, called finding personal protective equipment the number one priority for our healthcare system right now.

We must protect our healthcare workers, but the current supply of personal protective equipment is insufficient. We cant stress enough the importance of the federal government using the full breadth of its authority to bring more PPE to healthcare workers, Kelly said.

The CDC continues to update its guidance for extending the current supply until additional products arrive. That guidance includes measures like reusing PPE or using expired PPE -- neither of which would be the norm in the usual course of care but is necessary in these extenuating circumstances, Kelly said.

Meanwhile, the hospital industry in the state has been instructed by Gov. Phil Murphys administration to harmonize its policies to preserve PPE while still protecting hospital workers and the people they care for, Kelly said.

We understand the questions and concerns of healthcare workers - they are doing heroic work under very difficult circumstances, she said.

During the daily media briefing call Sunday afternoon, Murphy was asked about whether he had heard some doctors and nurses had been discouraged from wearing masks.

On masks, thats a new one to me, Murphy replied.

Murphy added that he and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli have spoken to labor unions representing health care workers recently about a lack of harmony, lack of standards across the many health systems in our state in terms of personal protection equipment and training.

Persichilli, a registered nurse, said in an email earlier on Sunday she understands and empathizes with frontline healthcare workers. We know they want to be safe so they can deliver care, she said.

The health department is working with the NJ State Police Office of Emergency Management to centralize management of the procurement, storage and distribution of the supplies in partnership with the New Jersey Hospital Association, she said. She encouraged hospitals to follow the latest guidelines from the CDC on how to optimize supplies.

An emergency room nurse in a Bergen County hospital who requested anonymity to protect her job said that under normal circumstances, she would receive a new plastic face shield every time she encounters a new patient.

With supplies low, we are wiping them down with bleach and reusing them. After a while, it leaves these white streaks and its difficult for us -- we cant see anything," the nurse said.

Working in the ER requires you to always bring your A-game, but COVID-19 is testing her in ways shes never imagined. She said she has hid in closets for a 2-minute crying break after a patient has died.

I would love to be that nurse who is there at the bedside to calm them down. We dont have time to sit down or take a water break, she said.

Labor union representing nurses and health care workers say they are hearing similarly distressing stories and have relayed them to Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli in numerous telephone calls.

One such story involved a nurse caring for an infected physician who was brought to tears as the physician advised her not to come in the room to care for him," said Debbie White, president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees. The physician said this because the nurse did not have the necessary protective equipment. Although we know he is correct and despite this employers failure to adhere to infection control practices to keep workers and patients safe, nurses still must do their job.

We can do better and we hope that we can make a difference in bringing all parties together to ensure our facilities are all following the same rules, White said.

For more information, contact the New Jersey Coronavirus & Poison Center Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or 1-800-962-1253 if calling from out of state, or go to nj.gov/health.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
President Donald Trump sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seeking to maintain good relations and offering cooperation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest correspondence came as Kim observed the firing of tactical guided weapons over the weekend, drawing criticism from South Korea, as nuclear talks remain deadlocked.

In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, Kims sister and senior governing party official Kim Yo Jong praised Trump for sending the letter at a time when big difficulties and challenges lie ahead in the way of developing ties between the countries.

In the letter, she said Trump explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries  and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, an apparent reference to the global coronavirus outbreak. She said her brother expressed his gratitude for Trumps letter.





North Korea has repeatedly said there has not been a single case of the coronavirus on its soil. Some foreign experts have questioned that claim and said an outbreak in North Korea could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its poor medical infrastructure.

Last month, the State Department expressed concerns about North Koreas vulnerability to a potential coronavirus outbreak and said it was ready to support efforts by aid organizations to contain the spread of the illness in North Korea.

Special relations

A senior US administration official said on Sunday that Trump sent a letter to Kim that was consistent with the presidents efforts to engage global leaders during the pandemic. The official said Trump looks forward to continued communications with the North Korean leader.

Kim Yo Jong said Trumps letter is a good example showing the special and firm personal relations between the North Korean and US leaders. But she said it is not a good idea to make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about the prospect for bilateral relations.

In my personal opinion, I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries, she said. Even at this moment, we are working hard to develop and defend ourselves on our own under the cruel environment, which the US is keen to provide.

Earlier, Trump sent birthday greetings to Kim Jong Un, who was believed to have turned 36 on January 8. Senior North Korean official Kim Kye Gwan said at the time the birthday message would not lead his country to return to talks unless the US accepts its demands.

Kim and Trump have met three times and exchanged letters and envoys on many occasions since 2018, when they launched talks on the fate of Kims advancing nuclear arsenal. The two leaders have avoided harsh language against each other, and Trump once said he and Kim fell in love.

But their diplomacy has largely come to a standstill since the breakdown of their second summit in Vietnam in February 2019, when Trump rejected Kims demands for broad sanctions relief in return for a partial disarmament step.





Very inappropriate

Kim pressed Trump to come up with new proposals to salvage the negotiations by the end of last year. Kim later pledged to bolster his nuclear deterrent and unveil a new strategic weapon, and warned he would no longer be bound by a major weapons test moratorium.

In recent weeks, North Korea has fired a slew of artillery and other rockets into the sea in what experts said is an attempt to improve its military capabilities. The weapons were all short-range and did not pose a direct threat to the US mainland. A resumption of long-range missile or nuclear weapons tests by Kim would likely completely scuttle diplomacy with Trump, experts say.

KCNA said Kim watched the test firing of tactical guided weapons on Saturday with Kim Yo Jong and other top officials. South Koreas military called the demonstration very inappropriate at a time when the world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

South Koreas military said Saturday that it detected two presumed short-range ballistic missiles that flew from a site in western North Korea across the country and landed in the waters off the east coast. The weapons flew 410 kilometres (255 miles), according to South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The world is entering an economic recession and health crisis partly due to the continuing lack of imagination and capability among experts in the bureaucracy. Perhaps these supposed experts are suffering from a disease first named by C. Northcote Parkinson several decades ago: injelitance or the rise to power of incompetents who are skilled only in the arts of preventing problems from being solved by the capable.

The now legendary failure of the CDC to manage the task of developing an effective test for the virus is being compounded by the efforts of state and federal government bureaucrats to block Americans who developed their own tests, including the heroes at the Seattle Flu Study. U.S. public health officials have advised Americans not to wear face masks that work and can be made at home, and even though some countries are requiring masks to slow virus transmission.

Many millions of Americans now on lock down are paying with their liberty for the freedom accorded to a few hundred thousand travelers from China and Europe over the last two months by incompetent government agencies like Homeland Security, despite President Trumps clear intention to close the border to the disease.

And now health bureaucrats are slow-walking their testing of possible vaccines. Nowhere is this more evident than in the lethargic actions of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Massachusetts-based Moderna Therapeutics completed the worlds first candidate COVID-19 vaccine in just 42 days and rushed the first vials to NIAID on February 24. But then NIAID bureaucrats started slow-walking it. They told TIME that they and the rest of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) couldnt possibly prepare the vaccine for human testing before April, at the very earliest. Finally, perhaps due to intervention by the Trump administration, they discovered that they could, after all, begin human testing on March 16.

Meanwhile, NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci has repeatedly told reporters that no vaccine could possibly be approved in less than a year to a year and a half. In fact, one of the first times he said this, he was directly contradicting President Trump who had just said that he expected a vaccine in months, or a year at the most. The question becomes: Is Faucis bureaucracy intentionally slow-walking the approval process?

But the problem is not just bureaucratic lethargy, it is also a regulatory system that was designed to protect the public from vaccines made from attenuated pathogens, not vaccines that are synthesized in the lab. Attenuated viruses are dangerous. Sometimes they mutate within the body so that they can reproduce themselves and produce a disease. The following appears in a 2019 Medical Journal article, available on the NIH website:

A significant drawback to using attenuated pathogenbased vaccines is the risk of reactogenicity and reversion to a virulent pathogen following vaccination, usually in immunocompromised infants, elderly people or in individuals with a specific immunodeficiency. Although the use of OPV [Oral Polio Vaccine] has decreased the number of polio cases by more than 99% since 1988, there are still disease outbreaks of vaccineassociated paralytic polio (VAPP) that arise due to small genetic changes occurring during OPV replication in humans.

In contrast, synthetic vaccines cannot possibly reproduce themselves. They are constructed within the laboratory and dont have any reproductive capabilities whatsoever. The main problem for synthetic viruses is not safety, but efficacy. In other words, most of them dont work.

Fortunately, there are a lot of them under development right now. Although a few of the COVID-19 vaccines being developed, including the Oxford vaccine, are made from attenuated viruses, the rest, including the Moderna vaccine and Israels MIGAL vaccine, are synthetic.

Moreover, whether a synthetic vaccine works can be determined quickly by testing for the creation of the desired antibodies during human safety trials and by testing for effectiveness against the actual disease in animals (the closer to man, the better). There is no good reason why safety and efficacy studies for synthetic vaccines cannot be conducted simultaneously.

Even if the safety and efficacy tests are conducted sequentially, the entire procedure for testing a synthetic vaccine could be completed in just 3 months  1 month for safety testing, 1 month for efficacy testing, and 1 month for bureaucratic paperwork  according to Dr Chen Katz, leader of the group that develops MIGALs synthetic vaccines. He told Times of Israel:

The clinical testing experiments themselves are not so long, and we can complete them in 30 days, plus another 30 days for human trials. Most of the time is bureaucracy  regulation and paperwork.

Dick Morris went further than us in a March 19 op-ed. He called for skipping the efficacy testing altogether and releasing COVID-19 vaccines as soon as their safety testing is complete. He wrote:

The conventional scientists at the FDA may object to bypassing the efficacy tests. They will warn that some vaccines are not fully effective. They will want to wait until they know which shots work best. But why should we wait? If we can confer some degree of immunity on tens of millions of people, lets do it! As long as we are not hurting anyone and are fulfilling the Hippocratic Oaths admonition to first do no harm, we should go full-speed ahead!

Unlike Morris, we do not call for skipping the efficacy testing. Instead, we call for quickly conducting the safety and efficacy testing and then quickly releasing the vaccine to the public for prescription by doctors who agree to track it for effectiveness and side effects. The information reported by doctors should then be collected by NIH for constant updating on a website made available to both doctors and the general public.

An effective vaccine would stop COVID-19 in its tracks, and it would save the world from the crippling economic measures currently being attempted in a hugely costly effort to slow the spread of the virus. Trillions of dollars and many tens of thousands of lives are riding on the success of the vaccine effort. The usual bureaucratic delays are not only unacceptable, they are deadly.

The Richmans co-authored the 2014 book Balanced Trade published by Lexington Books, and the 2008 book Trading Away Our Future published by Ideal Taxes Association.
Many Americans seem to be following the recommendations of public health officials to clean and sterilize countertops, doorknobs, faucets and other frequently touched surfaces in their homes.

The problem? Many are then tossing the disinfectant wipes, paper towels and other paper products they used into the toilet.

The result has been a coast-to-coast surge in backed-up sewer lines and overflowing toilets, according to plumbers and public officials, who have pleaded with Americans to spare the nations pipes from further strain.

Many say the woes besieging the nations infrastructure have been compounded by the lack of toilet paper on store shelves, which is leading some to use paper towels, napkins or baby wipes instead.

Across the country  in Charleston, South Carolina; northeastern Ohio; Lexington, Kentucky; Austin, Texas; and Spokane, Washington  wastewater treatment officials have beseeched residents not to flush wipes down the toilet using the hashtag #WipesClogPipes.

Flushable wipes are not truly flushable, said Jim Bunsey, chief operating officer of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. They might go down the drain, but they do not break up like regular toilet paper.

The plumbing repair company Roto-Rooter issued a similar plea to its customers, and said that substituting facial tissue for toilet paper was another bad idea, unless its used in small amounts and flushed frequently.

The California State Water Resources Control Board warned this week that even wipes labeled flushable will clog pipes and interfere with sewage collection and treatment throughout the state.

Flushing wipes, paper towels and similar products down toilets will clog sewers and cause backups and overflows at wastewater treatment facilities, creating an additional public health risk in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it said.

The agency said wastewater treatment plants across California were reporting problems.

It noted that most urban sewage systems depend on gravity and water flow to move toilet paper and waste, and were not designed to accommodate disinfectant wipes and paper towels, which do not break down as easily and clog the system.

The board noted that clogged sewer lines are more than just a headache for residents cooped up in their homes during a pandemic. Spills flow into lakes, rivers and oceans, where they can harm public health and the environment, it said.

Plumbers said they were fielding an increase in calls from people working from home and self-quarantining.

We have noticed an uptick in the amount of clogged main sewer lines and, when we dispatch our technicians, we are pulling baby wipes out of the line and were seeing paper towels and Lysol wipes, Mark Russo, vice president of Russo Brothers & Co., a plumbing and heating service in East Hanover, New Jersey, said on Saturday.

These items are things that should never be flushed down the toilet, he said.
Africa has received a much-needed coronavirus care package from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.

A cargo flight containing more than 6 million medical items arrived Sunday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The supplies from Ma, the founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, will be distributed to African countries in need of supplies to battle the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight from Guangzhou, China arrived with 5.4 million face masks, 1.08 million testing kits, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 protective face shields, according to Ethiopian officials and the Jack Ma Foundation.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week pledged to distribute the supplies to other countries in Africa. Ma has sent similar shipments of medical supplies to countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America.

The virus has been slow to reach Africa but has now spread to at least 42 of the continent's 54 countries, with more than 1,100 cases confirmed. In response many African countries are imposing restrictions.

Rwanda and Tunisia have announced lockdowns, ordering people to stay at home except for essential reasons.

Kenya has banned public gatherings but has permitted normal church services to continue as long as hand sanitizing or washing facilities are provided to worshipers.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 190 million people, just three weeks ago announced the first coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa. Now with 22 cases, it stopped all incoming international flights on Saturday.

Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways, two of Africa's largest airlines, announced sweeping cancellations of international flights. South Africa has stopped allowing foreigners to disembark from incoming international flights.

In South Africa, normally bustling shopping malls in Johannesburg, Cape Town and other urban centers have few shoppers, many wearing face masks.

Although most people only experience minor flu-like symptoms from the coronavirus and recover within a few weeks, the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those who do not show symptoms. It can cause severe illness, including pneumonia, in some patients, particularly those with underlying health problems. This poses a threat to many African health systems, which experts warn do not have sufficient resources to cope with a large influx of patients needing isolation and intensive care.

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As the coronavirus infects more people around the world, conservationists are warning of the risk to another vulnerable species: Africas endangered mountain gorilla.

Congos Virunga National Park, home to about a third of the worlds mountain gorillas, is barring visitors until June 1, citing advice from scientific experts indicating that primates, including mountain gorillas, are likely susceptible to complications arising from the COVID-19 virus.

Neighboring Rwanda also is temporarily shutting down tourism and research activities in three national parks that are home to primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees.

Mountain gorillas are prone to some respiratory illnesses that afflict humans. A common cold can kill a gorilla, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, one reason why tourists tracking gorillas are not normally permitted to get too close.

Around 1,000 mountain gorillas live in protected areas in Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, for whom tourism is an important source of revenue. But COVID-19 has led to restrictive measures.

Virunga National Parks decision has been welcomed by conservationists in the region.

Paula Kahumbu, chief executive of the Kenya-based conservation group WildlifeDirect, told The Associated Press that every possible effort must be made to protect mountain gorillas because so few are left in the wild.

We know that gorillas are very sensitive to human diseases, she said. If anyone has a cold or a flu they are not allowed to go and see the gorillas. With coronavirus having such a long time of no symptoms in some cases, it means that we could actually put those gorillas at risk.

Even existing measures may not be enough to protect them.

According to Ugandan conservationist Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka with Conservation Through Public Health, a study published this year by her group and Ohio University showed that measures in place to protect gorillas from humans are not effective in practice.

The rule on keeping a safe distance from the gorillas was broken almost every time a group of tourists visited, she said.

What the research found is that the 7-meter rule was broken almost all the time  like 98% of the time, she said. But what was interesting is that 60% of the time it was tourists that broke it and 40% of the time it was the gorillas who broke it.

If close interaction cannot be prevented, she said, one measure that could potentially improve safety is requiring tourists to wear masks at all times.

Uganda has not announced a shutdown of gorilla tourism, although tourist traffic from Europe and elsewhere has dwindled.

A spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Bashir Hangi, said the decision on whether to shut down gorilla tourism is now academic as there is almost no business amid the outbreak.

Still, he said, the few tourists who come are screened for fever and other symptoms and must obey rules such as not standing within 7 meters (21 feet) of a gorilla family. Visitors from virus-affected countries who have gone through quarantine in Uganda need to produce what he called a certificate of isolation before they are permitted to track the gorillas.

Amos Wekesa, whose Great Lakes Safaris organizes gorilla tours in Rwanda and Uganda, spoke mournfully of hardly any business as tourists postpone visits or seek refunds.

The regions mountain gorilla population dropped sharply in the past century because of poaching, illness and human encroachment. Mountain gorillas have been listed as critically endangered or endangered since 1996, although their numbers are now said to be growing as a result of conservation efforts.

But there have been painful losses. Some gorillas die of natural causes, falling from trees or being killed in fights between males for territory or dominance. A lightning strike killed four mountain gorillas in February.

In Rwanda, where tourism is the top foreign exchange earner, the government has prioritized the protection of gorillas, even launching a naming ceremony for baby primates.

Tourism revenue is key in protecting mountain gorillas as authorities can use some of the money to help local communities or invest in anti-poaching activities. A gorilla tracking permit costs up to $600 in Uganda, and thousands of tourists pay each year. A similar permit costs upward of $1,000 in Rwanda.

Some worry the loss of tourist revenue during the coronavirus pandemic could further expose the primates to poachers. Virunga, established in 1925 as Africas first national park and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has long been vulnerable in a volatile part of eastern Congo.

I think this is going to have a huge impact on their sustainability, Kahumbu, the Kenyan conservationist, said of Virunga. I call on all donors and governments that support these national parks in Africa to make it easy for the parks that need to shut down to do so and survive.

Poachers could do even more damage to gorillas if they think the anti-poaching efforts have been reduced, she said.

(image credit: AP)
Mark Wahlberg opened up about his violent past in a new interview. (Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Mark Wahlberg may be one of the biggest names on the big screen, but the Spenser: Confidential star, 48, says he doesnt have all that much to do with Hollywood.

Im so out of the loop with Hollywood, the actor told the Guardian in a revealing new interview. Other than working, I go to the supermarket. I dont go to dinner parties on the scene, or screenings. I live in Beverly Hills, but it could easily be the English countryside, because I dont see anyone and I dont do anything. I dont go to awards unless I have a movie in them. I go to bed early, I get up early, I take my kids to school and Im with my wife if Im not Im working.

Its a far cry from Wahlbergs tumultuous upbringing in Boston, where the youngest of nine kids dealt with a challenging life both at home and outside.

When I walked out my door  violence is also all that was there, said Wahlberg, adding that he was always in trouble, and I was kind of little. In the circumstances where I was being preyed upon, at times, I had to protect and defend myself. Its not an easy thing to navigate as a teenage kid whos 52, 120 pounds, with grown men.

Wahlberg recognizes that he made some tragic mistakes during his youth. He found himself incarcerated after attacking a man while high on drugs in 1988, serving 45 days out of a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to felony assault.

I made a lot of terrible mistakes and I paid for those mistakes dearly, said Wahlberg, who decided to overhaul his life and do the work.

I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang any more  to say that I was going to go and do my own thing, he said. Which made it 10 times more difficult to walk from my home to the train station, to go to school, to go to work.

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I do think the one thing I have to my advantage is that I have all this real-life experience that I can apply to my work, he added. I think audiences can definitely sense authenticity. But that came with a real price.

Despite his teenage wiles, Mark says his four children arent that interested in hearing about their dads past. They make fun of it, like, Oh God here we go, Dad and his street stories, whatever Dad. Theyre not impressed, said Wahlberg. Well they dont act impressed, thats for sure.

The interview also saw the former underwear model reflecting on his early 90s Calvin Klein campaigns with supermodel Kate Moss, who has since expressed discomfort about the revealing shoots and accused Wahlberg of making unwelcome comments about her body.

I think I was probably a little rough around the edges. Kind of doing my thing, he told the Guardian, adding with a laugh that he wasnt very  worldly, lets say that.

But Ive seen her and said hello. I think we saw each other at a concert here and there, we said hi and exchanged pleasantries.

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A line from that classic 1995 television advert came to mind this week: Its good to talk. But instead of actor Bob Hoskins extolling the virtues of phone lines, the phrase found vivid application in a growing technology perfectly suited to these self isolating times we find ourselves in, writes John Daly

Stock markets across the globe may be plummeting but one video conferencing company is seeing the rapid rise of remote working impact hugely on its stock.

Zoom Video Technologies has become one of the few bright stars on Wall Street as the Covid-19 pandemic has forced ever more companies to increase the number of employees working from home.

As New York and California became the latest US states to go into some sort of lockdown at the end of last week, Zooms shares soared 44% on Friday.

Leading the shift to a more virtual work paradigm, as one bullish analyst put it, the Zoom platform provides video meetings, webinars and chat across desktops, phones, mobile devices, and conference room systems.

Founded in 2011 by Eric Yuan, the company headquartered in California, with offices around the world, has seen revenue increase by 88% in the recent financial year.

While the downward slide of global stocks wiped trillions of market value last week, Mr Yuan has added billions to his net worth in 2020, the fourth-biggest increase in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, where he now ranks at 274.

As offices across every city and region continue to shutter their doors against increasing pandemic deaths, the demand for software to facilitate virtual conferences and web meetings continues to rise exponentially.

No longer confined to just the business sector, it is now becoming a regular feature of schools, colleges, universities and even childrens playgroups as the world of work and communication moves increasingly online.

With lectures and classes suspended indefinitely, institutions across the US such as Stanford, MIT, Berkley, and Penn State are subscribing to Zoom to facilitate their virtual classes.

The company has also removed its 40-minute meeting limit on free basic accounts for schools and universities in Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, France, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Japan, Italy, as well as here.

We strive to empower our customers to accomplish more with our video-first unified communications platform, said Mr Yuan.

To have the best experience, youve got to take a different approach. Invest engineering and time into the product, and make sure it is very easy to use. Too hard and nobody is going to want to use it, he said a while back.

Prior to Zoom, Mr Yuan was one of the founding engineers and vice president at Webex.

Between 1997 and 2011, he grew his team from 10 engineers to more than 800 people worldwide, and contributed to revenue growth of more than $800m.

We are the users and we have to be happy with the solution  if employees are not happy with the product then they cannot bring happiness to our customers, he said.

In 2019, Cork-based internal communication software company Workvivo secured a significant private investment from Mr Yuan.

The Zoom chief executive said the Irish firms culture, values and technology were a perfect fit for his vision of employee communication, engagement and satisfaction.

The purpose of life is to pursue happiness, and that should always apply to your work life as well as your personal life, he said at the time, adding that engaging a workforce and making them feel valued should be a top ambition of any company.

Workvivo is making that ambition a reality, and I believe is fast becoming an essential component in the makeup of successful companies as we head into the next decade, he said.

Workvivo is already one of the worlds fastest growing providers of internal communications for companies of all sizes across 40 countries.

The investment by Mr Yuan will assist Workvivo in its plans to grow users of its unique model of internal communications.

Erics investment is a hugely significant moment in the Workvivo story, said co-founder John Goulding.

Were not just a communication tool. We bring community, engagement, enthusiasm, relevance, recognition, and fun into employee communication, he said.

While the Covid-19 virus will ultimately result in many businesses never re-opening again, it has also acted as a spur to the popular adoption of a technology perfectly poised to respond to such a global need.

If video conferencing was already well established within the corporate sector, the enforced rush to remote working has acted as a lit fuse to multiple applications of the technology in everyday life.

As more people realise that social distancing is a vital necessity rather than just a hip slogan, Zoom last week soared to the top of the Apple iOS app chart as the number 1 most downloaded app.

It was also No 6 on Googles Android chart.

With other firms, they provide a flexible way to keep the commercial world afloat in these desperate times and expands its reach into everyday life such as teaching, book clubs and social activities.

As is often the case with IT innovations, the college students have become a powerful shoulder to its wheel of progress.

Now used for everything from virtual blind dates to weekend parties, social clubs and beer pong nights, many students already refer to the current status as being in Zoom University.

It seems a suitable branding for a new age of communication.
In a shocking incident, a man in Uttar Pradesh's Badayun town, about 300 kilometre from Lucknow, allegedly killed his wife for not putting enough sugar in his tea.

According to the police sources here, the man, identified as Chandrapal Singh Chauhan, a resident of Ahirtola locality in the town, had a tiff with his wife over less sugar in his tea on Saturday evening.

Singh, who was a lawyer by profession, got so angry with his wife that he sprayed his wife of eleven years with bullets killing her on the spot, sources said.

Singh, who was the father of two children, later surrendered before the police, sources said. The police said that the lawyer claimed that the bullets were accidentally fired from the gun while he was cleaning it.

The cops, however, termed his claims as lies stating that two bullets were fired at the woman-one at her ears and the other on the face. ''It is not possible to accidentally hit someone in this way,'' said a senior police official.

A case was lodged against Singh, police said adding that the investigation was on.
Despite strong efforts, state-owned Vietnam Railways may face a downturn this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges from legal barriers.

Vu Anh Minh, chairman of the corporation, talked about the legal bottlenecks that impact its operations as well as solutions to increase efficiency and investment attraction.

Amid the current global health crisis, Vietnam Railways might be hard-pressed to maintain its 2020 targets. What are the latest impacts of the pandemic on the companys operations this year?

Vu Anh Minh, chairman of the corporation

According to a new analysis by the Asian Development Bank, the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic will have a significant impact on developing Asian economies through numerous channels, including sharp declines in tourism and business travel, trade and production links, supply chains, and health effects.

In this situation, Vietnam is not an exception and the railway sector has been hit hard by the falling number of tourists.

According to a recent report, between January 25 to February 14, average revenue of passenger trains fell by 30 per cent on-year.

In addition, between January 25 and February 26, railway transport revenue hit VND418.98 billion ($18.21 million), down 32.5 per cent on-year.

We are working with our existing partners on possible measures to increase the volume of goods per train while seeking new ones to cover losses.

For instance, recently VNR and Vietnam National Chemical Group signed a co-operation agreement on the transportation of apatite, fertiliser, and chemicals in 2020. As planned, this year the volume is likely to hit 1.6 million tonnes, surpassing last years figure by 19.7 per cent.

Many other co-operation plans are under discussion, and will come into fruition in the near future.

However, if the fatal epidemic continues to develop more seriously, our revenue might fall by 10 per cent on-year.

For years, VNR has been facing difficulties amid stiffening competition with other means of transport. What is the reason, and how does VNR plan to tackle these issues in the future?

The current hurdles include outdated railway infrastructure and the low state budget for railways. Only 2 per cent of the total allocated sum for the transport sector goes to railways, which is not enough to cover maintenance expenses.

In recent years, we have taken a number of concrete measures to increase our operational efficiency in transportation, manufacturing, and logistics.

As such, we have been focusing more on increasing service quality by improving hygienic conditions on trains and introducing new cars.

Moreover, we have concentrated on increasing train operations on short and medium-length routes, instead of focusing on long routes as we did in the past. This has yielded some initial improvements.

We have also worked with international and domestic firms on co-operation programmes to improve our situation.

For example, in 2017, VNR signed a co-operation agreement with Saigon Newport Corporation (SNP) to develop inland container depots (ICD) and warehouses at Song Than station in the southern province of Binh Duong and Dong Anh station in Hanoi. VNR is also working with other private investors to build ICDs at the stations in Yen Vien, Dong Dang, Danang, and Vinh.

However, these efforts are blocked by legal barriers, although the Law on Railway 2017 has seen some improvements.

We are waiting for the governments approval of the draft master plan in line with 2018s Decree No.46/2018/ND-CP governing the management and use of railway infrastructure assets, thus enabling us to take the next steps with our projects with SNP and other partners.

At present, the Ministry of Transport is still working on this.

More importantly, we have been working on our new restructuring plan since 2017. This will be an important legal framework for us to solve the existing problems in our apparatus and operations, thus increasing competitiveness and gaining market share.

However, the approval of the plan has been delayed for years, causing many difficulties for us to improve our operations.

What is VNR focusing on to increase operational efficiency and attraction for private investors?

While waiting for the approval of the restructuring and master plans, we continue to work on measures to improve service quality and increase efficiency.

Moreover, we work on flexible adjustments of ticket fares to attract passengers, and co-operation with tourism companies, travel agents, and industrial parks to increase the number of passengers, while promoting international transportation and working on new cooperation programmes with giants to increase the volume of goods by train.

However, none of our efforts could speed up trains unless all the impediments are dealt with.

Regarding the attraction of private investment, in recent years, foreign investment in the railway industry has remained modest, not only in Vietnam. Generally, attracting foreign investment to the railway industry is a challenge.

Recently, a number of foreign railway businesses have expressed interest in doing business with us. They include EVRAZ from Russia, the worlds number one producer of rails, Russia Export Centre Group, and others.

We hope that when all the barriers are lifted, we will have more opportunities to co-operate with domestic and international partners. VIR

Bich Thuy

Vietnam plans to develop railway industry Vu Quang Khoi, director general of Viet Nam Railway Authority, talks about the country's plan to develop railways across the country.
A group of 19 Indian students, who had sought refuge within the Indian High Commission premises in London demanding to be put on an India-bound flight despite travel restrictions back home in view of the coronavirus pandemic, were moved to a hotel on Sunday evening.

The students, mostly from Telangana, had initially refused offers of accommodation arranged with the help of Indian diaspora groups as India's ban on travellers from the UK and Europe remains in place until the end of this month.

"We have finally reasoned with them and organised for them to take taxis to a hotel in west London," said a community leader who has been working with the High Commission on arrangements for the stranded students.

They had been placed within a quarantined space, which houses the visa and consular section within the Indian High Commission building in Aldwych, central London.

Many of them had booked flight tickets back to India for later this month, in time for what is usually an Easter break period at universities in the UK.

However, India issued an updated travel advisory earlier this week, saying no travellers would be allowed entry into India after 1200 GMT on March 18 until March 31.

It triggered a last-minute dash for flights as many students took to social media to seek assistance from the Indian High Commission as their travel plans went awry in the wake of the rapid spread of the pandemic.

Diaspora groups had been working for days to try and reason with a large group of students, initially around 58, who had arrived at the doorstep of the Indian High Commission in London with their bags, demanding transit to India.

"There simply are no flights and we cannot be putting lives in danger at this stage. They were allowed entry into the High Commission building and provided food, water and temporary shelter, but some are now just camping out with their bags and baggage," the community leader said on Saturday.

The Indian mission has introduced an online registry system and has also shared contact information for a number of Indian diaspora groups trying to assist with board and lodging for panic-stricken students and Indian nationals.

Such students are being advised to seek assistance from the UK Home Office's Coronavirus Immigration Helpline.

Meanwhile, the Home Office has said it recognises the current situation is "exceptional" and will not take any compliance action against students or employees who are unable to attend their studies or work due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU-UK), a representative body for Indian students in the UK, has been fielding calls and urging students not to panic, support each other and take necessary precautions to be safe.

As the UK went into complete shutdown from Saturday, universities across the UK have said they are mindful of the plight of international students, many of whom have nowhere to go as campuses close down.

Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: "I am pleased Universities UK has confirmed institutions will be flexible and do all they can to support students to progress to higher education".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has partnered with the Ministry of Education to provide laptops worth Dh5 million to students to support distance learning in the UAE, a media report said.



"We laud First Abu Dhabi Banks support of students in the country. The bank is a strategic partner of the UAE in various sectors and we value its commitment to playing an active role in society and in supporting future generations," Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, was quoted as saying in a Wam report.



Andre Sayegh, Group chief executive officer, FAB, said: "FAB continuously strives to make valuable contributions to the wider UAE community. This initiative is a true reflection of our social responsibility, which has been a key part of our strategy and our Grow Stronger journey, throughout. We are proud to support the Ministry of Educations distance learning programme and are proud to play a role in developing the talent of the future."
- A Nigerian doctor has called out Winners Chapel for holding a Sunday service amid coronavirus pandemic

- The doctor identified as Olufunmilayo stated that the church held a full service with thousands after the Lagos and Ogun government placed a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people

- Other Nigerians joined the doctor to react to the action taken by Winners Chapel

A Nigerian doctor identified as Olufunmilayo has taken to the popular micro-blogging platform, Twitter, to call out Winners Chapel for holding a Sunday service amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The doctor shared a series of posts on the platform criticising the church. He explained that Nigeria just confirmed four new cases of coronavirus and Nigeria already has 26 cases in total.

According to him, despite everything the church still held a full service with thousands of people in attendance. He went ahead to share photos from the live stream of the service.

Olufunmilayo noted that South Korea only had thirty cases for one month until one woman went to church with one thousand people and four thousand people contracted the virus in just two weeks.

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Other Nigerians on the platform joined him to react to the action taken by the churches.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that Winners Chapel along with Dunamis in Abuja held a full service of over fifty people this Sunday, March 22.

Reacting to the report published by Legit.ng, Facebook users on Legit platform also shared their views on the matter. Read below:

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that the Redeemed Christian Church of God amended the schedule of all parishes. The church recently released a memo directing members and parishes to follow a new schedule for services.

The memo that was tagged as a slight alteration in the mode of service for parishes in Lagos and Ogun state, was signed by the assistant general overseer of the church, Pastor Johnson Folorunsho Odesola.

In the memo, Odesola directed all parishes of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Lagos and Ogun not to hold gatherings of more than fifty members. He said parishes with more than fifty members should make use of their RCCG fellowship centres.

This was done to follow the ban placed on religious meetings and gatherings of more than 50 worshipers by the Lagos and Ogun state governments to curb the spread of coronavirus.

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Bollywood diva Sonam Kapoor, who recently returned from London along with her husband Anand Ahuja, has been under self quarantine in her Delhi home, given the Coronavirus scare.A video has gone viral on the Internet where Sonam is seen interacting with her mother-in-law Priya Ahuja from her first floor window. Mrs Ahuja stands outside her home across the street as both maintain safe distance. This video especially, sent her fans, netizens and the media on a speculative drive. Check it out here.

Some reports even claimed that Sonam is pregnant. However, this news is not true as a source close to the actress informed, "The rumours of Sonam's pregnancy are false and baseless. People should check their facts and avoid publishing untrue stories."

Well, now this information should settle the rumours around Sonam's pregnancy for sure.Sonam Kapoor was last seen inopposite Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan.
Prince William is preparing to be King by taking more of a leadership role amid the coronavirus crisis. Queen Elizabeth has officially left Buckingham Palace and Prince Charles has already canceled his upcoming engagements. With the rest of the royal family taking precautions to avoid catching the virus, royal experts believe William will take on a bigger role in the monarchy in the weeks to come.

Prince William | Chris Jackson  WPA Pool/Getty Images

The royals take action amid coronavirus concerns

With Queen Elizabeth in her 90s and Charles in his 70s, they are both in the high-risk category for the novel coronavirus. To protect the future of the monarchy, the royals have taken measures to ensure Queen Elizabeth and Charles safety.

This week, Queen Elizabeth left Buckingham Palace and is expected to remain in Windsor Castle well beyond her usual Easter break. She has also canceled a number of public engagements in the coming weeks. Prince William also became the first royal to publicly address the pandemic on social media.

Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, have taken similar action. The two recently announced that they are postponing their tour of Jordan and the Republic of Cyprus.

If the coronavirus crisis continues to escalate in the UK, Queen Elizabeth and Charles will likely self-quarantine. With Prince Harry and Prince Andrew no longer working on behalf of the royal family, that leaves Prince William to pick up the slack.

Prince William to become a placeholder with Queen Elizabeth gone

Most of the senior members of the royal family have already taken a step back from their duties, and royal experts believe that William will become the temporary face of the monarchy.

According to Daily Mail, royal expert Nigel Cawthorne, who wrote the book Call Me Diana: Princess Diana on Herself, revealed that William will likely be the placeholder for Queen Elizabeth in the coming months.

It is entirely sensible for Prince William to act as placeholder for the Queen, Cawthorne shared. There has to be a physical presence to the monarchy, not just a virtual one. Hes third-in-line to the throne and in robust health like his brother, and COVID-19 is unlikely to be any serious threat for him or his wife or children. He will do a great job.

Prince William is currently second in line to the throne, so it makes sense that he would be the first person Queen Elizabeth turns to in time of crisis. Charles would be another obvious choice, but his age puts him in the high-risk group of getting the coronavirus.

If Harry were still a senior member of the royal family, he would likely be supporting his brother during the crisis. The Duke of Sussex, however, is currently in self-isolation with his family in Canada.

What kind of responsibilities will Prince William undertake?

In the event that William does take charge in Queen Elizabeths absence, his role would likely be focused behind-the-scenes. The royals have canceled upcoming engagements, so there is not a need for William to appear on behalf of Her Majesty.

But as Cawthorne noted, there are a lot of meetings and matters of the state that will need Williams attention. With most of the royals out, it will be up to Prince William to make these decisions and keep the monarchy going.

[There are] classified informal meetings on matters of state, and the monarchy is an enormous machine with many employees staying in touch with people, cities and charities across Britain and the world, he explained.

Cawthorne added that some of these important decisions will undoubtedly be forwarded to Queen Elizabeth. But there will be many face-to-face meetings that will require smaller decisions to be made.

The UK government might also rely on Prince William to be the face of the monarchy while Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle. This is especially true when it comes to dealing with heads of states and representatives from governments around the world.

The Duke of Cambridge speaks about the coronavirus

Prince William is clearly poised to take on responsibilities fit for a king, and he is already displaying qualities of a good leader in times of crisis. While the rest of the royals practice social distancing and self-isolation, William recently released a statement regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

According to Town and Country, the Duke of Cambridge just announced that help is on the way in the form of the National Emergencies Trust. The organization is currently raising funds to help out local charities and people who have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whenever and wherever adversity strikes, the people of the UK have a unique ability to pull together. The way that local communities support those affected shows the very best of our values and human nature, William shared. The publics desire to help in the wake of tragedy needs to be managed and channeled in the best possible way  which is why the establishment of National Emergencies Trust was so important.

Prince Harry, who is currently in Canada with his family, also released a message about the virus on social media. Harry admitted that the future is uncertain and that everyone needs to lean on each other for truth, for support, and to feel less alone.

Prince William has not responded to the reports surrounding his increased responsibilities.
: A 24-year old man tested positive for coronaviruson Sunday taking the total number of cases in Telangana to 22.

"A 24-year old man, resident of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, with travel history of arrival from London via Dubai has been found positive for COVID-19. He is stable and presently admitted at a designated hospital in Telangana," a media bulletin on COVID-19 said.

State Health Minister E Rajender held a meeting with health officials on the ongoing 'Janata curfew' and on the measures taken up to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The Telangana government on Saturday constituted a committee of experts to study the measures needed to control incidence of coronavirus in the state and to suggest steps based on successful models from the world over.

Separately, The Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, was invoked in Telangana on Saturday.

The officials said the Chief Minister (K Chandrasekhar Rao, who called for a 24-hour voluntary curfew)has appealed to the public to stay indoors and refrain from going out so that spread of virus can be prevented.

Hence, all citizens were requested to remain indoors and stay at home between 6 am on March 22 to 6 am on March 23, an official release said.

"Public is requested to stay calm and not panic. The State government is taking all the measures to contain the spread of the virus to protect and safeguard the public," it said.

It further said any person who has returned from any foreign country or has been in transit shall be in self-home quarantine for 14 days from the time of arrival in India, irrespective of having any symptoms or not.

Any person who has been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 must remain in home isolation for 14 days, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu reported its seventh COVID-19 case on Sunday with a traveller from Spain testing positive for the disease.

The patient is undergoing treatment in isolation, state Minister for Health and Family Welfare C Vijayabaskar said today.

"A traveller from Spain tests #Covid_19 positive. Patient is undergoing treatment in isolation," he tweeted.

The minister had earlier said that six positive cases in the state were imported cases from different regions with travel histories and were not community transmitted.

"New cases were already quarantined and in our radar. Screening is more intensified at all ports of arrival including Railway,dom.arrivals & interstate borders," he tweeted.

The minister said on Saturday that the three individuals were found to be positive for the virus. Two of them were Thai nationals while the third person is from New Zealand adding that all patients were undergoing treatment in isolation.

The Tamil Nadu government has also announced a shut down for vehicular movement of inter-state borders with Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, two people in India, a 63-year-old man from Mumbai and a 38-year-old man in Patna, have died due to coronavirus.

In Bihar, a 38-year-old man who had recently travelled to Qatar died due to kidney failure at All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday. He had tested positive for Covid-19, informed Dr Prabhat Kumar Singh, AIIMS Patna.

In Mumbai, a 63-year-old man who tested positive for COVID-19 and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mumbai passed away on Saturday night, according to the Municipal Corporation Greater Mumbai.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, total number of confirmed cases so far in the country as on March 22 at 02.30 PM including foreign nationals stands at 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China's ambassador to France Lu Shaye during a visit at the Zoo de Beauval in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, central France on Aug. 26, 2019. (Guillaume Souvant/AFP via Getty Images)

Rights Group Calls Out Chinese Diplomats Comments on French Media Coverage of Pandemic

As France deals with an escalating outbreak in Europe caused by the CCP virus, a local Chinese diplomat lashed out at French local media for their coverage of the pandemic.

Such criticism by the Chinese Ambassador in France, Lu Shaye, was entirely inappropriate, said nonprofit Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in a statement published on March 20.

This lesson in journalism for the French press is inappropriate coming from a representative of the Peoples Republic of China, a country that is ranked 177 out of 180 countries in RSFs World Press Freedom Index and is one of the worlds biggest jailers of journalists, said Christophe Deloire, RSFs secretary-general.

The group also said Lus statements were part of the Chinese regimes greater strategy to control international media coverage about China.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

Diplomats Comments

RSF pointed out that Lu had on three occasions criticized French media.

Most recently on March 15, Lu spoke to a local cable TV channel, accusing French media of using propaganda methods to brainwash Western public opinion.

In the same TV interview, Lu accused one large French daily newspaper of slander for reporting about how Chinese authorities downplayed the threat of the virus between December and February.

Lius verbal barrage against French media began in February, when he twice issued a statement on the local Chinese embassys website.

On Feb. 14, Liu condemned French media for irresponsible comments and absurdities, and their criticism bordering on paranoia. Then on Feb. 29, he said certain French media had denied facts and made fun of China.

Deloire responded by calling out Chinas lack of press freedom.

Beijings censorship of the Chinese media had a very negative impact by delaying the regimes response at the outset of the coronavirus epidemic, he said in the statement.

The virus first emerged in Wuhan, capital of central Chinas Hubei Province, in December 2019. The initial outbreak was covered up by the Chinese regime; authorities silenced eight doctors who disclosed an unknown pneumonia outbreak on Chinese social media.

One of them, an ophthalmologist named Li Wenliang, was summoned to a local police station and reprimanded for rumor-mongering, and forced to sign a confession statement.

The CCP virus has since spread to more than 150 countries. France has at least 16,018 confirmed cases of the virus and 674 deaths.

Several U.S. officials have called out the Chinese regime for concealing information about the outbreak in China, including Secretary of the State Mike Pompeo.

More recently, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Michael George DeSombre wrote that the Chinese people know their government is to blame for this pandemic, by pointing to Lis treatment as an example.

In an op-ed published in the Thai English-language daily The Nation on March 21, DeSombre wrote that if Chinese authorities had done the right thing and sounded the alarm  Chinaand indeed the rest of the world, including Thailandmight have been spared the impact on our populations.

Lus Background

Lus contempt for press freedom dates back to his previous position as Chinas ambassador to Canada, RSF said.

In 2017, Lu lambasted Canadian media for reporting on Chinas human rights abuses and urged the Canadian government to spend less time bowing down to Canadian journalists preoccupied with human rights while the two countries were negotiating a trade deal.

A diplomat should not try to intimidate the media in the country in which he is posted, much less give them instructions, said Cedric Alviani, head of RSFs East Asia bureau, in a 2019 statement after Lu was named the new ambassador to France.

The very fact that Lu Shaye is still an ambassador despite his brash words is indicative of the aggressive and uninhibited attitude with which Beijing tries to impose its propaganda outside its borders.

Lu was Chinas ambassador to Canada from February 2017 to June 2019 before taking up his post in France in July 2019. He was vice mayor of Wuhan from July 2014 to July 2015.
The idea that we could possibly bring a species back from the brink of extinction, how could we possibly turn away? Steve Anstey, general manager of Ahura Resorts in Fiji.

On a tiny island in the South Pacific Ocean, a story of hope and regeneration for a species thought to be extinct.

Steve Anstey, general manager of Ahura Resorts in Fiji, had been in hotel management for years and had always been interested in conservation. When he built a new luxury resort, Likuliku, on Malolo Levu island, he tried to take a light touch on the land. He put a fire break around the property to protect and preserve the natural forest. He also started a program to take out non-native predators, feral cats, dogs and rats, that were killing native animals and birds.

Little did he know that those two simple acts would lay the foundation for a miracle of sorts on the tiny island.

The Fijian Crested Iguana, Brachylophus vitiensis, a prehistoric resident of the islands, had not been spotted for 25 years on Malolo Island. This species existed only in that corner of the world  nowhere else.

The tropical dry forest habitat, where the iguanas live, is one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. Before climate change, it had covered Malolo Levu and nearby islands, but now, only about 1% remained, most of it in small, isolated pockets. This forest supported not only the Fijian Crested Iguana, but also many other native animals and birds.

To lay their eggs, female iguanas come down from the treetops, dig an eight-inch hole, lay three to four eggs, then leave them for nine months to incubate.

But the non-native predators had been preying on the iguanas, digging up their eggs and then devouring the young that managed to hatch. With the disappearance of their habitat and the predator problem, it was no wonder the iguanas had become extinct.

In 2010, Ansteys employees came to him, excited that they had found an injured female iguana. At first, he was confused. What did finding an iguana have to do with running a resort?

Once his manager explained that the species was thought to be extinct, Anstey knew the importance of trying to save this one. But with no veterinarians on the island, he arranged for the injured iguana to travel to the main island of Viti Levu, to Kula Wild Adventure park, where she could be treated.

Sadly, the iguana died shortly after arriving at the park. But by a stroke of luck, two leading iguana experts, Dr. Robert Fisher, from the United States Geological Survey and Dr. Peter Harlowe of Taronga Zoo, were visiting Fiji and took a DNA sample. It was sent to San Diego Zoo Global in the U.S..

The news came back six weeks later that the injured iguana had been a Malolo Levu Island Fijian Crested Iguana, one of the most endangered species on the planet. The rare species had been rediscovered.

Excitement increased when, within the next six months, employees found a baby male and a young female iguana. Over the next few years, a few more iguanas were found, creating international scientific interest.

In 2012, a team of scientists, researchers including Robert Fisher, Peter Harlow and Kim Gray, from San Diego Zoo Global, arrived. The luxury resort was now not only providing a pristine, island experience for guests on vacation, but was to become the scene of a major scientific research project. Robert Fisher acknowledged the work that Anstey had already done as the foundation for the resurgence of the iguanas.

This is called a Lazarus species, one brought back from the dead, Fisher said. The fire break and eliminating the predators were business decisions Anstey made to improve and protect his resort, but they were also biodiversity actions. Which is why the iguanas started to come back.

The scientists and the resort together created a program to support the iguanas. They would continue to eliminate the predators and increase the dry forest habitat. To do the latter, the resort started a nursery and began planting twenty species of native plants in 10-meter by 10-meter plots. The goal was to try to stitch together the remaining patches of dry forest habitat so that the iguanas could thrive.

At first, Anstey didnt even know what dry forest habitat was. But he took a leap, he listened to our advice and he invested in it, Fisher said.

Four years passed and progress seemed slow, but in 2016 they had a breakthrough. They brought in Adam Clause, a Ph.D. student studying reptile conservation, for a two-month internship to analyze how they were doing.

The wild iguana population had dipped so low, that we werent sure it was still viable, Clause said. But after Robert Fisher and Kim Gray trained me how to search for the iguanas at night, our excitement began to build, as I found new iguanas night after night.

The forest was now full of baby iguanas! In fact, the babies seemed to outnumber the adults. The teams years of hard work had paid off.

The environmental problems of the world can sometimes seem unsurmountable, Clause said. But involving local people in conservation decisions, using science to inform interventions, and building a team of people with complementary skills creates a recipe for success in recovering almost any endangered species, worldwide. This project is a shining example of that.

I got swept along in this wonderful journey of learning and was in a position to facilitate and to make it happen, Anstey said. The idea that we could possibly bring a species back from the brink of extinction, how could we possibly turn away?

The resort has now planted over 6,500 trees on their property and the local villages have followed their lead, also planting trees. Anstey hired Fijian Sia Rasalato as a group environment manager, the first in the country to have that title. Rasalato manages the project and works to educate the locals, the staff and guests about the iguanas and the work to restore them. They also have a popular program for children visiting Malolo Island Resort.

Before reforestation, the soil quality was so poor, only noxious weeds would grow.

As the dry forest has increased, the forest canopy absorbs carbon dioxide and also provides mulch, leaves and organic material on the ground to hold water, which means more water to grow plants, Rasalato said. In two and a half years, the soil has turned from red to black.

We havent had hoteliers who concentrated on the environment the way Anstey has spearheaded this project, Rasalato said. We have international companies sending employees out to plant trees. We have a far reach now.

Kim Gray, from San Diego Zoo Global, along with Robert Fisher, helped create protected mini habitats for four pairs of iguanas. In these captive breeding sanctuaries, they have hatched an assurance population of four generations of iguanas and are the only facility in the world where the iguanas hatch under normal circumstances, with no incubator. When they are mature enough, they then are tagged and released back into the wild.

To the Fijians, the crested Iguana is their national symbol, like our bald eagle. I want my children to know that there are people protecting these animals, so that they can be around forever, Gray said.

Working in this field, saving animals from extinction is a constant battle that we know were losing. And then we have this project in Fiji, such a beautiful place and people, and it gives us hope on so many levels. It makes all of our work worthwhile.

The Fijian Crested Iguana is still listed as critically endangered on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species.

Anstey has set up a foundation to continue the work he has spearheaded after he retires.

The extinction of these iguanas has been happening for hundreds of years. Weve been working now for 10, Anstey said. But so many aspects have come together. And we all love them. They are absolutely adorable, absolutely exquisite.

IUCN Red List of threatened species is listed at iucnredlist.org.

To learn more about the iguana project, visit likulikulagoon.com.

Diane Covington-Carter is an award-winning writer and photographer who writes regularly for the Napa Valley Register. Read more of her work at dianecovingtoncarter.com.
SAARC Disaster Management Centre on Sunday launched a website for information related to coronavirus pandemic in the region as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent video conference with SAARC leaders.

Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar tweeted about the website: "From regional plan to regional action! SAARC Disaster Management Centre launches a website for information related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the SAARC region, as announced by PM @narendramodi during the video conference with SAARC Leaders."

The website -- http://www.covid19-sdmc.org -- gives full data and updates about the evolving situation of the novel virus in the SAARC countries that include India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal have also joined India voluntarily in contributing to the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund. Prime Minister Modi has pledged an amount of US$ 10 million as an initial contribution from India.

Among others, the proposals shared by the leaders include continuing the consultation process through meetings at the ministerial and experts' level, identifying nodal experts to take further action on the proposals discussed during the Conference

It was also decided in the conference to formulate a comprehensive regional strategy against coronavirus through the SAARC process and other appropriate mechanisms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The number of people confirmed with Covid-19 rose to 341 across India with 26 new cases from across the country reported so far, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Sunday.

Six people have died of the respiratory disease as of Sunday and 23 have been discharged from hospitals across the country.

One Covid-19 related death each was reported by Maharastra and Bihar but the Union ministry of health and family affair is yet to confirm the fatality in the eastern state.

Maharashtra recorded 10 new Sars-Cov-2 cases on Sunday morning taking the number of patients in the state to 74 so far.

Out of these 10 cases, six are from Mumbai and four from Pune. Five among them had travelled abroad and four came in contact with earlier positive cases. Details of the remaining one case are awaited.

The rise in the Covid-19 cases comes on a day millions of people kept themselves at the homes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed or a Janta Curfew to check the spread of the deadly virus.

Roads across India, including Mumbai and Delhi, were empty as Indian Railways stopped operating its trains and Metro services were suspended as well.

The Janta Curfew began at 7am on Sunday and will end at 9pm.

India reported its first Covid-19 case on January 30 from Kerala and two more cases were reported in the next couple of days.

All three were medical students from Wuhan, the Chinese city believed to be the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, who returned to their hometown in Kerala.

All three have recovered.

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As thousands of Indians stepped out of their homes to clap for the people working relentlessly to prevent the spread of coronavirus, several senior bureaucrats of the Odisha government came out with placard at the State Secretariat on Sunday.

Senior Bureaucrats, including Chief Secretary, State Secretary, Health Secretary and Director of Health Mission (NHM) etc, came out with placard and clapped outside the State Secretariat.

Earlier, the Odisha government announced lockdown till 9 pm on March 29 in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had on Saturday urged people to stay at home and come out only for basic services.

The total number of people in India who have been infected by the virus so far as on 22 March at 02.30 PM including foreign nationals stands at 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A crossing at the border between the US and Mexico was virtually empty on Saturday as Trump's travel restrictions between the countries took effect.

The measure was announced on Friday by the US President, who closed the border for non-essential travel in an effort to curb the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Mexicans with resident and tourist visas were not allowed to cross.

Local merchants said their sales dropped substantially and now are considering asking the government for help if the situation continues.

The travel restrictions were put in place for 30 days, a period that could be extended.

Mexico is the US's largest trading partner, just ahead of Canada, while the US accounts for about 75% of Mexican exports, including autos, computers and medical devices.

Even with the exceptions, it's a major blow to border economies.

On average, nearly 60,000 cars cross from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego every day, while about 30,000 cars enter El Paso daily from Ciudad Juarez.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed more than 15,000 COVID-19 cases, while Mexico reported 203 cases.

For most people, the virus 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.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Worldwide, the new virus has infected more than 303,000 people and killed more than 12,940.
FLINT, MI  Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley is recommending city residents to voluntarily shelter in place as the coronavirus spreads in Michigan.

The self-imposed shelter-in-place order issued by Neeley asks residents to take proactive steps to protect their health and those around them, according to a news release from the city. The order will not force any businesses to close so residents will still be able to get groceries, medications and go to work, the release said.

He made the announcement Sunday, March 22 in a Facebook live post.

The self-imposed order means dont go out if you dont have to. Neeley said during his Facebook address. He added that it is not a mandate, but a request that residents stay home to slow the spread

Im issuing an advisory for a residential, self-imposed shelter in place, Neeley said. In order to slow the spread of the virus, we must take some action to be proactive versus reactive. We have to do our part.

Genessee County has reported 14 COVID-19 cases and the total number of cases in Michigan has climbed over 1,000, he said. There have been no reported deaths in Genesee County.

Related: Sunday, March 22: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Genesee, Saginaw counties see uptick in coronavirus cases

He added that it is important to continue to practice social distancing and sanitize hands, especially when visiting people in the vulnerable population.

Flint-based Dr. Lawrence Reynolds joined Neeley during the announcement. advising people to travel in small groups and practice good hygiene to stay healthy as well as protect the health of others.

Its up to us as neighbors and residents of Flint to prevent the spread of coronavirus," Lawrence said.

All departments and services in the city are still operational and available to residents, the release said. More information can be found online at www.cityofflint.com/covid-19.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Also on MLive:

Michigan governor calls on federal government for more coronavirus tests and supplies

Coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Michigan

8 people now dead from coronavirus in Michigan; infant tests positive
Dubai-based carrier Emirates has cut its passenger flight destinations to 13, down from 145.

It is a pivotal move that reflects the dramatic slowdown in traffic through the airlines hub in Dubai, the worlds busiest international airport, due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus.

The state-owned carrier said it will still fly to the UK, the US, Japan, Australia and Canada.

The company earlier announced a suspension of all passenger flights but reversed that decision after receiving requests from Governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers.

The state-owned carrier said it will continue to operate cargo flights through its fleet of Boeing 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods, including medical supplies across the world.

It also said the company will reduce salaries for the majority of its employees for three months but will not cut jobs.

Airlines around the world are struggling to cover their costs and pay salaries with their fleets grounded and countries shutting their borders to travellers.

In the Middle East, airlines have lost more than seven billion dollars (6 billion) in revenue as of March 11, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The group said 16,000 passenger flights have been cancelled in the Middle East since the end of January.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the virus has hit Emirates in the pocket (Jon Gambrell/AP)

In a statement released on Sunday, Emirates said it tried to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible to help travellers return home amid all the travel bans, restrictions and lockdowns.

Emirates Group chief executive and chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum described the situation as an unprecedented crisis and said the world has literally gone into quarantine due to Covid-19, which has infected more than 300,000 people around the world.

Mr Al Maktoum said the company was doing well financially at the start of the year but the virus has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past six weeks.

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We find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries reopen their borders and travel confidence returns, he said.

The company, which also operates an airport ground services company called dnata at locations around the world, had already urged employees to take paid and unpaid leave.

To save costs further, it said it is temporarily reducing the basic salaries of the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, with cuts ranging from 25-50%.

The company said employees will continue to be paid other allowances during this time.

Junior-level employees will be exempt from the basic salary reduction.

The president of Emirates, Tim Clark, and the president of dnata, Gary Chapman, will take a full basic salary cut for three months.

We want to avoid cutting jobs, Mr Al Maktoum said.

When demand picks up again, we also want to be able to quickly ramp up and resume services for our customers.
A few months ago, I saw a poll that Americans do not exactly trust the media:

Americans remain largely mistrustful of the mass media as 41% currently have "a great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news "fully, accurately and fairly."

Yes, the poll is about six months old, but nothing has happened to improve the credibility of the media.

Another story just came out that President Trump is not taking the virus seriously. This is the story:

U.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Donald Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting.

And then comes the next paragraph:

The intelligence reports didn't predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take, issues outside the purview of the intelligence agencies. But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak.

So the intelligence folks told President Trump there was a virus out there but not much more specific than that. They couldn't say when it would hit the U.S. or make any specific recommendations to fight the spread.

I guess that's like saying to the pilot: "Hey friend, there is some turbulence out there but we don't know where or if it will even hit your plane."

We don't need a petty bunch of reporters looking to make the president look bad.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
He claimed that he was worried that I might get too much attention, and there might be malicious comments like, from, I dont know, churches, she said. But I think deep down he was quite scared that people around him would find out that I am a lesbian.
Haley Halwany is planning to get married on Oct. 3. In fact, the York County woman has the date on her arm. But, even though the date is more than six months down the road she is worried.

Halwany of Washington Township was furloughed from her job last week. She worries about not having an income for at least 30 days or maybe even longer. And even though her wedding isnt until October she wonders if her guests will be able to travel to her wedding at Creekside Resort in Clearville, Bedford County.

Im just concerned, she said.

Haley Halwany and Justin Levendusky of Washington Township, York County. (Photo by Maret Hench, Candid Rose Photography)

But, Halwany who is engaged to Justin Levendusky, is not only concerned about her own wedding. Shes planning a number of weddings in her role as wedding sales manager and coordinator at DoubleTree by Hilton Resort Lancaster in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County and as the owner of Sweetly Spun Wedding and Events.

This is typically a busy season for Halwany and the hotel staff, and they were concerned about the impact of the of the coronavirus pandemic but, were hoping for the best.

Up until Monday we were like, well wait and see how this plays out, she said.

But with Gov. Tom Wolf asking all non-essential businesses to close last week, which later became a mandate, the DoubleTree started to reschedule weddings, beginning with all of its weddings scheduled for April.

Some of the couples were kind of shocked, Halwany said. They didnt think it was time to make that call but we had to make that call. As a business we had to reschedule.

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But scheduling a wedding is more than just reserving a venue. There are a lot of people involved, which can include everyone from photographers and disc jockeys to caterers, florists, bakeries, videographers, bands, bridal boutiques, hotels, limousine drivers, hair stylists, printers, jewelers, officiants, and more.

And rescheduling a wedding to the summer or fall means brides and grooms may not get the day of the week they want, or may have to find a different photographer or officiant if those people are unavailable. And with the new dates, there are a lot of contracts that will need amended. There may be guests that cant make the new date or may not want to travel in the summer even if the orders from the government are lifted.

Emmanuel Garcia of Manor Township and Jesseiry Zalazar of Willow Street. (Photo provided)

In some cases, brides and grooms may try and keep the wedding date in April if at all possible and have the reception later. That is the plan for Emmanuel Garcia, an assistant manager at a retail store who resides in Manor Township, Lancaster County and Jesseiry Zalazar, a housekeeper at Willow Valley, who lives in Willow Street, Lancaster County. They plan to have a small ceremony with some family and a few friends at Puerta de Refugio, a church in Lancaster, on April 11 if they are able to so. Although Garcia says that those plans are day-today because of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic.

The couple originally planned to have 129 people at the wedding ceremony and at the reception, which was also planned for the same day at DoubleTree by Hilton Resort Lancaster. They have moved the date of the reception to July 18. He has family coming from as far away as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and his uncle, who is a minister in the Dominican Republic is expected to be the master of ceremonies at the reception. Garcia believes that the number of people at the wedding now will probably be fewer than the 129 people they had expected.

It definitely put a monkey wrench into our plans, he said.

While their wedding may not be exactly how they planned, Garcia said its all about putting things into perspective.

I think were good, he said. We have faith in God. We think he has everything under control. My main concern is people that have been affected by the virus.

Justin Sloan and Meghan Butler of Camp Hill. (Amanda Souders Photography)

For Meghan Butler, who works in finance, this past Monday was a tough day. She and her fiance, Justin Sloan, who works for the Hershey Company, made the call to reschedule their April 4 wedding.

That first day and actually the first moment that we decided that we knew we had to postpone it - - I just wanted to kind of ball up and feel bad for myself," she said. "Then in the next minute you feel silly because of the other things that people are going through.

There were only three Saturdays left on the calendar for this year at Strock Enterprises, a wedding venue in Upper Allen Township, when they decided to reschedule. The Camp Hill couple ended up pushing back their wedding more than a year to April 10, 2021.

Butler said all of the same vendors are lined up except the wedding cake maker -- shed planned on retiring at the end of the year, so they are waiting to hear back from her.

Butler says she encourages other brides-to-be that have weddings planned in the near future to reschedule now. Waiting longer could affect things like venue and vendor availability.

Having to hold off on the wedding will be like starting over, Butler said. But in the end, she hopes it will all turn out as planned.

Hopefully time goes fast and its the day that we dream of, she said.

Jennifer Dunning of Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County near Collegeville and Benjamin Chronister, of Salisbury Township, Chester County near Parkesburg. Dunning grew up in Lancaster County and Chronister grew up York County. (Photo provided)

Jen Dunning and Ben Chronister are scheduled to be married May 9. And theyre holding out hope and keeping that date. But they do have a backup plan  a rain date of July 11.

Dunning is a chemical engineer and resides in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County near Collegeville and Chronister is a mechanical engineer and resides in Salisbury Township, Chester County near Parkesburg. But both are from the midstate. Dunning grew up in Lancaster County and Chronister grew up York County. So they decided to have their wedding at the DoubleTree by Hilton Resort Lancaster.

On Tuesday, the couple found out that they would have to have a backup date just in case.

Its really been a roller coaster week, Dunning said.

Dunning says they have not reached out to their vendors just yet. But, Chronister says that one big advantage about having their wedding at the Doubletree is their guests, who are traveling from several different states and other parts of the state, are staying at the hotel and they are able to move the entire block of rooms to the new date, if needed.

The couple had been planning the wedding since last June and at this point everything is on hold, according to Dunning. A bridal shower planned for this past Saturday was canceled.

They also worry that guests from other states may not be able to travel to the wedding. The couple says there is more anxiety at the moment but they say theyre trying to keep positive.

We also know there a lot more people out there with bigger challenges, Chronister said.

Halwany says the Doubletree has already rescheduled five weddings and could reschedule as many as 15 if weddings through early June are affected.

There might be a number of changes when it comes to a wedding, Halwany says. You might see someone move their wedding from a Saturday, which is considered a prime wedding day to a Sunday or a Thursday or a Monday. At the Doubletree, where wedding parties sometimes also book blocks of rooms, they have to find a date that also takes that into consideration. And between the change of dates, travel bans and the unknown, the number of guests able to attend the rescheduled wedding may be substantially fewer than first planned.

Changing the date of a wedding also could bring unexpected costs.

Rev. Kelly Jo Singleton, an interfaith minister, who says she has officiated at more than 1,500 weddings in the last 10 years, mostly in the Lancaster, York and Harrisburg areas says that although it may be a small cost, someone who has purchased a marriage license and has to reschedule a wedding will have to get a new marriage license.

That marriage license is only good for 60 days, she said.

And if your wedding is around the corner, Halwany says you may have branded items marked with the date, such as signage, napkins and favors. These would need to be changed  not to mention the invitations if they have already been printed.

I already have my tattoo on my arm so Im hoping to keep my wedding date, she said.

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But, the coronavirus isnt only impacting weddings but the many people that work to make sure that special day happens.

Sheila Kauffman designs wedding dresses and other items for special occasions. She previously had a showroom in Mechanicsburg and recently relocated her showroom, Sheila Frank, last month to 234 Union St. in Millersburg. She previously focused on customized wedding dresses but she now focuses more on her new collection of wedding dresses. One way that she markets the dresses is through trunk shows, where they are on display at bridal boutiques. Kauffman had her first trunk show at a boutique in New Jersey for a couple weeks but no one showed up at the store because of the coronavirus. She has another trunk show scheduled for a shop in the Lewistown area soon and was even trying to schedule shows outside of the country but with the coronavirus pandemic, those shows may never be scheduled.

I am worried that this will continue," she said. "My upcoming trunk shows for April and May are in limbo because we just do not know.

With the opening of a new showroom, Kauffman calls the situation terrible timing. She says that she still has some prospects for estimates for custom dresses but because of the situation, she isnt sure if she will have them as clients.

Most of my custom clients pay me on a monthly payment plan, so now I have no additional income, she said.

Kauffman is now offering virtual appointments that can be scheduled through her website and done through Skype and Zoom.

For photographer, Amanda Souders of Amanda Souders Photography in Franklin Township, York County, last week was a week of rescheduling.

I have had six weddings rescheduled in the last four days, she said on Friday.

She says that it was a difficult week for the future couples.

All of the couples are devastated, she said.

She says some couples will try to have a small ceremony soon if they can, while other couples have rescheduled for the fall or next year.

They were afraid they wouldnt get something rescheduled this year if they waited any longer, she said.

She says the coronavirus pandemic will affect her income in more than one way. With the current statewide ban, she has no way of making money unless someone is buying prints from a past wedding. And with all of the rescheduling of weddings from spring to fall, that may take a way from available dates for people that were planning to get married at the end of the year or early next year.

Singleton said she has already had to reschedule some weddings as well including one that was expected to take place this past Saturday. But she hasnt rescheduled all of them just yet as some couples are still holding onto their wedding dates to see if they can at least have a small ceremony so they can just get married. Singleton says she will of course obey government orders and CDC recommendations on the amount of people recommended at a gathering until those orders and/or recommendations are lifted.

She says some couples may want to try and keep the wedding date if they can and hold a small ceremony and have a more formal ceremony down the road, which she says isnt unique to this situation. She says for instance someone who is in the military that is about to be deployed might want to get married now and then hold the formal ceremony and celebration later down the road.

Singleton says in this situation someone might want to try and keep the wedding date if they can because there is a special meaning to the date or they may want to keep the date for insurance reasons. If someone who has been planning to get married for over a year and is leaving their job and plans to go on their new spouses insurance, that may be another the reason to keep the date if they can.

Singleton says she will serve as the officiant at the rescheduled date as long as she is available. Like other people who work in the wedding industry, that just isnt always possible since she says she typically officiates at three to five weddings a weekend from April to October and at other weddings throughout the year. And she says some couples book her as far as two years out from their wedding day. And Souders has already run into that problem. She said she had to hire an extra photographer to shoot a wedding, just so she wouldnt lose out on a contract.

And even though Halwany has been furloughed she doesnt want to keep the couples in the dark so she brought her laptop home and will be working -- responding to every e-mail and every phone call.

I have to be in communication with my couples, she said. I know my weddings in and out. I dont want to keep them hanging.

Singleton says that coronavirus pandemic is causing anxiety, stress and even sadness to what can already be a stressful time. She says that these times can be especially hard on these couples because it is a worldwide situation.

We want to stress for our couples that were there for them, she said. We have empathy for what theyre going through.

Singleton says many couples are planning for this date for a long time. She says that a lot of brides have a countdown and they know exactly how many days there are left to their wedding date. She says that even though people know that logically they have to reschedule the date -- emotionally, its not always that easy.

The heart doesnt follow logic, she said. It follows love.

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To our readers:

Since 1865, the San Antonio Express-News has been your daily paper. Through it all, we have been there for you. We will continue to be there for you, despite the difficult times our society is going through.

Im the grandson of a newspaper publisher, and Ive spent my entire life in the industry. Our business has changed a lot over the years, and it will continue to change. What wont change is the importance of independent journalism to an engaged and informed citizenry. I cant recall a time when accurate local reporting has been more important.

Over the past week, Ive received several inquiries about the physical distribution of the newspaper. First, our reporting is a protected activity and an essential business unaffected by stay-at-home restrictions. In addition, for everyones safety, we have taken extensive measures to protect our customers, as well as our operations employees and carrier agents. All of our operations facilities have undergone deep cleaning with germicidal agents and are maintained in this manner multiple times daily. In addition, anyone who handles the newspaper is required to wear sanitary gloves. The safety of our customers and our employees is my highest priority.

Every business has had to adjust to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We are adjusting, too. We are pushing back our home delivery to 7 a.m. That extra hour allows us to ensure that everyone associated with the production and delivery of the newspaper is doing their job in a safe manner. If you have questions or concerns, you can reach customer care at 210-250-2000. You can also access our most up-to-date content at ExpressNews.com.

Service to community is a touchstone for San Antonians. We are not called Military City, USA, for nothing. Three charitable organizations need our help.

The San Antonio Food Bank has launched a coronavirus preparedness campaign to provide a 14-day food supply and preparedness kits to 300,000 households. More information is available at safoodbank.org/cvprep.

The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center has warned the community blood supply is at risk due to widespread cancellations of blood drives. People can schedule individual appointments to donate, allowing for social distancing. To schedule an appointment, visit southtexasblood.org/give-now.

Meals on Wheels San Antonio needs volunteers and donations: mowsatx.org/coronavirus.

There are countless ways to contribute. Since senior citizens are at high risk for contracting the coronavirus, their safest option is often to shelter in place. In support, my wife and I are making a $2,500 donation to Meal on Wheels San Antonio and have made an appointment to give blood.

I wish you the best of health. Thank you for your dedication to our community. Thank you for supporting the Express-News. Our subscribers and advertisers our are lifeblood. I look forward to connecting with all of you on the other side of this fight.

Please feel free to contact me directly at Mark.Medici@express-news.net..

Mark Medici, publisher
VALLETTA, March 22 (Reuters) - Malta is closing all non-essential shops and services to stop the spread of coronavirus, Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Sunday, with the Mediterranean island following the lead of many other European Union states.

"All shops except those selling essential items such as food, medical services and pet shops will close from 8.00 am on Monday," Fearne told reporters as the number of confirmed virus cases in the country rose to 90.

A total 17 cases were reported between Saturday and Sunday, the highest yet seen over a 24-hour period in Malta. The island has not reported any deaths from the virus, but one man is in intensive care.

Fearne said all public gatherings, of whatever nature, were also being banned. That follows a ban on large public gatherings issued shortly after the first case was detected on March 7.

Malta has so far closed all schools, restaurants, bars and gyms and stopped court sittings. All overseas travel has been banned. Thousands of people are working from home but factories have not been closed. (Reporting by Christopher Scicluna; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Mon, March 23, 2020 00:03 660 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ca09d9 4 Inforial Free

A number of public figures visited the Raden Umar Saidvocational senior high school (SMK) in Kudus, Central Java, to share their knowledge and experiences with its students over the weekend.

Taking in turns in front of the curious students during the three-day March Festival (MARFEST) from March 12 to 14, thespeakers offered ideas, tips and strategies about how to prepare forthe fourth industrial revolution, dubbed Industry 4.0.

Sustaining hope for the future: An instructor shares professional skills during an inspirational class during the three-day March Festival (MARFEST) 2020 at Raden Umar Said Kudus vocational senior high school (SMK) in Central Java. The festival, which is supported by the Djarum Foundation, applies the freedom to learn (FTL) educational approach in its skills- and knowledge-sharing programs so vocational school students can thrive in the data-driven fourth industrial revolution. (Courtesy of Djarum Foundation/.)

Hosted for the first time by the school, which has been receiving guidance from the Djarum Foundation, the festival celebrates the spirit of "Merdeka Belajar" (Freedom to Learn) in Indonesian education.

MARFEST features 12 multidisciplinary and cross-professional expertsthrough multiple eventsthat offer everything from inspirational classes to exhibitions, and from fashion showsto musical performances.

Djarum Foundation program associate Galuh Paskamagma said MARFEST was held to prepare competent graduates to join the world of work in Industry 4.0, and that the event offered vocational school studentsan opportunity to improve their skills.

For example, the inspirational classes provided not just theories,and the featured speakers also guided participantsonputting the theories into practice.

All students are welcome to join the inspirational classes according to their interests, said Galuh.

She added that the festival's themefollowed the "Merdeka Belajar" concept that SMK Raden Umar Said Kudus had implemented, under which its students were free to choose subjects to match their interests.

Known for its animation program, SMK Raden Umar Said Kudus applied theconcept specifically forsecond- and third-year students, while first-yearstudents took general coursesin theirchosen majors.

The concept will help improve students spiritually and creatively, because they learn according to their passions, said Galuh.

The schools Animation Studio head, Agam Amintaha, agreed and said that the school had adopted the concept in 2015  before incumbent Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim launched the conceptas part of his education reform program.

We did not call it 'Merdeka Belajar'back then, but when the minister launched [his program], we recognized it as similar to what we were already applying here, said Agam, adding that the concept had undergone several improvements since it was first introduced.

Education professional Ita Sembiring, who founded MARFEST, said that the festival was created to encourage freedom to learn (FTL), a new paradigm that encouraged educational institutions to adopt a student-centered approach to learning.

Such autonomy in learning, Ita continued, was believed to empower students toward innovationandadaptabilityin preparation for joining the world of work.

At the same time, the event provided students with the "knowledge to survive" that armed them with the know-how on what steps to take after graduation, she said.

Ita said that the 12 experts were specifically invited to speak at the festivals inspirational classes on current interdisciplinary and cross-professional topicsin the working world.

The line-up ofspeakers included renowned theater actor Butet Kertaradjasa, filmmakers Naya Anindita and Mahesa Desaga, film composer Aghi Narottama, scriptwriter Bene Dion and comic book artist Muhammad Mice Misrad.

Creative inspiration: Cartoonist Muhammad Mice Misrad, known for the Benny and Mice comic strip published in the Kompas national daily, delivers an inspirational class during the March Festival (MARFEST) 2020 at Raden Umar Said Kudus vocational senior high school (SMK) in Central Java. The festival, which is supported by the Djarum Foundation, encourages the development of much-needed creative smarts to prepare students for Industry 4.0. (Courtesy of Djarum Foundation/.)

Other speakers hailed from more corporate backgrounds, such as IndiHome marketing management vice president Aulia Marinto, Kumata Studio CEO Daryl Wilson, Temotion-Tempo Animation CEO Chandra Endroputro, Sepikul Institute CEO Tommy Tjokro, dots Indonesia founder Eka Adrianie and Amithya.miafounder-owner Mia Utari.

Their topics ranged from creating characters to designing a production to attract producers, and to developing a production from multiple concepts. Otherscovered business opportunities for vocational school students in the digital era, the art of communication, writing film scripts and digital marketing for small businesses in fashion.

Kumata Studio's Daryl spoke about the animation industry, emphasizing the importance of collaboration to survive Industry 4.0 and product automation to meet demand in the era.

Daryl, who also chairs the Indonesian Animation Industry Association, praised the festival forlinking the education and business worlds.

He said Indonesia currently had 75 vocational schools specializing in multimedia and animation that produced over 10,000 graduates each year. Yet, only 5 percent of graduatesweretruly ready to work, partly because of a lack of connections between the schools and industry.

Events like this have the [potential] to link the two, he said.
Bihar on Sunday reported its first COVID-19 death as a 38-year-old man with a travel history to Qatar died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Patna, where he was admitted after seeking treatment at PMCH and a hospital in Munger, a government official said.

Another woman, who is suspected to have come in contact with one of her Italy-returned relatives, has also tested positive in the city and is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The deceased, a resident of Munger district, was admitted to the hospital on Friday with a kidney ailment, hospital superintendent CM Singh said.

Doctors noticed that he was also suffering from respiratory problems, following which his samples were sent to the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute (RMRI) here.

The man, who was on dialysis, died on Saturday, but his COVID-19 test results from RMRI came only on Sunday morning, Singh said.

The hospital superintendent also said that shortly after his death, the doctors handed over the body to the family members wrapped in a plastic bag.

Asked if his family members stand a chance of contracting the disease, he said, "A person can get infected only when another infected coronavirus patient coughs and sneezes...The transmission cannot happen from the dead body as it was handed over to the family in a plastic bag.

"I did not know that the deceased was Covid-19 positive at the time the body was handed over to his family."



All doctors and nurses attending to suspected and confirmed novel coronavirus patients are taking precautionary measures, Singh said.

He, however, did not clarify if the family members of the 38-year-old man visited him during the course of treatment at the hospital.

Official sources said the 38-year-old had visited a hospital in Munger and Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) before his admission in AIIMS.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Kumar, the Health Department Principal Secretary, said details of the deceased's travel history will be found out and necessary action will be taken as per the Standard Operating Protocol (SOP).

Referring to the second positive case in the state, he said, his department has information that the woman, a resident of Patna, came in contact with a relative who recently returned from Italy.

Efforts are being made to ascertain the number of people she came in contact with in the last few days, he said.

Door-to-door survey will be conducted within three-km radius of any home from where COVID-19 positive case is reported in the state, Kumar said.

"Everybody who comes in contact with COVID-19 patients will be traced and placed under quarantine," he asserted.

Asked if the Bihar government is planning to impose a complete lockdown in the state, Kumar said that necessary actions will be taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

At least 13 new suspected cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Patna in the past 24 hours, taking the total number at the PMCH to 23.

Earlier in the day, the AIIMS, Patna, superintendent had said six suspected patients of COVID-19 at the hospital are currently waiting for test results.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:45:29|Editor: yan

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JUBA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday announced to donate 100,000 U.S. dollars to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the purchase of protective kits and medical equipment as part of COVID-19 response in South Sudan.

Hua Ning, Chinese ambassador to South Sudan, said in a statement issued in Juba that the prevention and control of imported infections have become a prominent challenge for South Sudan.

"We are hereby pleased to announce that the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan will donate 100,000 dollars to the WHO Country Office in Juba. The donation would be used to procure protective kits including medical equipment which are urgently needed for the country," Hua said.

Hua said COVID-19 is a global pandemic and currently confirmed cases have been reported in more than 40 African countries.

The envoy said the embassy will work closely with South Sudan, WHO and international partners to contain the virus in a spirit of solidarity.

To support South Sudan's preparedness on COVID-19 at this critical moment, some other medical supplies donated by the Chinese government and Chinese companies will be delivered to South Sudan soon, Hua said.

There is no confirmed case in South Sudan so far.
Jammu and Kashmir Students Association in Dehradun has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to reduce fares of flights to Srinagar, citing hardships for students in returning home in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

Nasir Khueham, the spokesperson of the association, requested the Prime Minister and the Union Civil Aviation Minister to urgently look into the matter and provide relief to the stranded students. He also requested the two leaders to take measures to control the airfares.

"Hundreds of Kashmiri students are stranded in different parts of the country after the government ordered the closure of educational institutions till March 31 due to coronavirus outbreak. The airfares are very high and students cannot afford to spend so much," Khueham told media on Saturday.

The Centre had announced countrywide closure of all educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities till March 31 to contain the spread of COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW HAVEN  Police initiated a manhunt Sunday morning for a patient who took off from Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was being treated for coronavirus, and was later apprehended Sunday evening.

There was some initial confusion, and an apparent case of mistaken identity involving the missing patient. New Haven police said the runaway patient was later found in Milford.

Police Chief Otoniel Reyes, speaking on a 4 p.m. conference call with city leaders, said the alleged hospital runaway had been located by officers and detained in downtown New Haven Sunday afternoon.

But that account was later amended. The man was found in Milford around 7 p.m., police said later.

The patient was described by the citys Director of Public Health, Maritza Bond, as an inpatient being treated for coronavirus. He went missing from the hospital around 10:40 a.m., and police issued an advisory seeking the man, described as a homeless white male in his early 50s. A clothing description was also released.

The man left the hospital on foot and was last seen walking on York Street toward North Frontage Road, according to police Capt. Anthony Duff.

Police were preparing to use a sound truck, asking for public assistance in finding the man, before he was eventually located. Bond said there would be an investigation into the mans movements and whether he may have been in contact with other people.

Mayor Justin Elicker said there would be discussions among medical personnel and public-safety authorities to ensure this doesnt happen again.
Fashion and home retailer Cath Kidston is looking for a buyer to save the business as the corona-virus lockdown wreaks havoc on the high street.

The shop, which is known for its floral and polka dot designs, has appointed advisers from restructuring experts Alvarez and Marsal to work on a strategic review.

The firm has told potential buyers to act quickly and fears insolvency is one possible outcome if a buyer cannot be found, according to a Sky News report.

Cath Kidston has appointed advisers from Alvarez and Marsal to work on a strategic review

The move comes after fashion and furnishings retailer Laura Ashley last week filed for administration, saying rescue talks had been thwarted by the coronavirus outbreak.

Cath Kidston was set up by its eponymous founder in 1993. The British designer made a multi-million pound fortune after selling a stake to American private equity firm TA Associates in a deal that valued the business at 100million.

TA Associates sold to another investment firm, Baring Private Equity Asia, that wanted to back the companys expansion in the Far East, leading to the opening of its 100th store in Seoul, South Korea.

The retailer now employs around 800 people and has about 200 stores worldwide.

However, the company lost 27million in the last two years and a further 11million in the nine months to December 2019, according to reports.

A spokesman for the retailer said: Cath Kidston has been actively implementing a new business strategy to support the growth of the brand while managing the many pressures in the retail sector.

We have therefore initiated a process to explore options for the business, to enable the management team to continue implementing their strategy to deliver growth.
By Trend

Nine more people tested positive for coronavirus in Azerbaijan, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Minister told Trend.

The patients, who are in the special hospitals under doctors control, feel normal, their health condition is stable.

Currently, there are a total of 42 patients infected with coronavirus in special hospitals in Azerbaijan. Relevant measures for their treatment are underway.

"We once again call on citizens to follow the recommendations and demands of the World Health Organization and the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers. Citizens are required to act in accordance with self-isolation measures, to leave home only in case of serious need, to minimize contacts with other persons, not to visit crowded places and to follow other rules," reads the message.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Neighbours appear to have flouted the official two-metre rule by standing close to each other for a sing-along aimed at raising community spirits.

The group crowded together in Bishopton, Bristol, for the touching event during the UK's coronavirus lockdown, which has seen cafes, pubs and bars close their doors.

The scenes have prompted fears that other communities could be engaged in similar activities, after more than half of 2,000 adults surveyed said the virus had brought them closer to neighbours.

The government has advised people to keep their distance from each other as it attempts to stifle the coronavirus outbreak, which has seen more than 5,000 UK citizens infected so far.

Residents in Bristol pictured standing close to each other as they take part in a community sing-along to raise each other's spirits during the coronavirus crisis

A man with a guitar was also seen during the community event on March 20

Thehy were singing to a woman and her two children, who sat outside their house. Boris Johnson has advised the public to avoid all 'non-essential' public meetings

Heartwarming pictures show the group singing to each other, with one member even playing a guitar, on March 20.

Communities across the UK have taken action to support each other by setting up social media groups and checking on neighbours.

As many as 64 per cent of adults that responded to a survey by ChannelMum.com said that coronavirus has strengthened their community, with most starting to talk to neighbours for the first time.

Boris Johnson told UK citizens to avoid all 'non-essential contact' on March 16.

'Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel,' he said. 'You should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues.'

Community members stand close to each other during the sing-along. Government advice is for people to keep at least two metres apart

Community members stand near to each other for the event. It has prompted fears that others may be engaged in similar activities within their communities

Official advice published by the government tells those aged between zero and 69 to avoid social mixing in their community and, if they do come into contact, to keep at least two metres away from each other.

The advice also says residents should not have friends and family to the house and should work from home.

After cafes and public venues remained busy, as many ignored government advice, the government ordered all cafes, bars, restaurants, pubs and gyms to close by midnight on March 20.

The UK has seen more than 5,000 cases of coronavirus and 233 deaths due to the disease so far. London is at the centre of the outbreak.
From Australia's Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia have ramped up efforts to stem the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control. Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 -- a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows. Outside China -- where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people -- South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with more than 8,500 cases. While the number of infections in China has been falling for weeks, other countries are seeing the toll gather pace from spread of the highly contagious virus. Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections. Three doctors treating virus patients in Indonesia died, taking the country's death toll to 48 with 514 confirmed infections. Most cases are in Jakarta, where businesses have been ordered closed for two weeks. After shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents, Australia told citizens to also cancel domestic travel plans, with the number of cases topping 1,300. Bondi Beach and several other popular swimming spots were closed after crowds of sunbathers defied a ban on large outdoor gatherings. Pubs, casinos, cinemas and places of worship will be shuttered for up to six months starting Monday. - India curfew - Pakistan suspended international flights in a bid to prevent the virus spreading. Officials in Sindh -- the country's second-most populous province -- ordered a lockdown effective midnight. Pakistan has reported 5,650 suspected cases, 646 confirmed infections, and three deaths from the virus. In nearby Bangladesh, however, only 27 cases have been reported, with two deaths. Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tested the country's ability to fight the pandemic. Officials said every private sector worker in New Delhi must work from home this week unless they are providing an essential service. Most public transport will also be halted. Billionaire Anand Mahindra, whose vast Mahindra Group business empire includes cars and real estate, said his manufacturing facilities would try to repurpose to make ventilators. Testing has expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people amid concerns that the 360 reported cases, including seven deaths, vastly understates the true scale of the crisis. People took to their balconies in major cities after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to thank medical workers and emergency personnel by clapping or banging pots and pans for five minutes at 5:00 pm Sunday. The World Health Organization has called for "aggressive" action in Southeast Asia, fearing that a major outbreak could cripple the region's often decrepit health care systems. - Second wave - Authorities are now dealing with a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks appeared to have been brought under control as people return from abroad. Singapore is banning all short-term visitors to the densely populated city-state after a surge of imported cases took its total to 445 -- including its first two deaths on Saturday. In Hong Kong, where the worst had appeared to be over, the number of cases nearly doubled in the past week as more people fly back to the financial hub. Infections in Malaysia hit 1,306 -- more than half linked to an international Islamic gathering held last month, with attendees later returning to Singapore and Indonesia with the virus. In Sri Lanka, where 82 cases were reported, guards fired on inmates in a northern prison when they tried to break out, angry over a ban on family visits to prevent the spread of the virus. Two convicts were killed and six others wounded. Authorities also put restrictions on the sale of two malaria treatments amid fears of a run on the drugs after US President Donald Trump said that they might be effective to prevent a COVID-19 virus infection -- though scientists agree that only more trials would determine if chloroquine really works and is safe. Papua New Guinea, which has one confirmed infection, declared a 30-day state of emergency and halted domestic flights and public transport for two weeks. Guam, which has 15 cases, confirmed a 68-year-old woman had died of COVID-19 -- the first virus-related death in the Pacific. burs-amj/ch/it
Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton was forced to come clean about her legal career after rival Hayley Vernon questioned her about it on Sunday night.

After repeatedly referring to herself as a 'lawyer' on the controversial reality show, Stacey admitted she's yet to actually practice law - and is just a law graduate.

'I just got admitted to the bar - I'm not allowed to practice law,' claimed Stacey, while defending her achievements in front of all of the other brides.

'I object': Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton (pictured) was forced to come clean about her legal career after rival Hayley Vernon questioned her about it on Sunday night

According to Stacey's Linkedin, she became a Bachelor of Law in 2017 after years of studying at the University of South Australia - and also has a graduate diploma in legal practice from The College of Law.

In 2019, Stacey shared a picture proudly holding her legal admissions certificate on the steps of the Supreme Court of South Australia.

'What if I told you, you can do anything you put your mind too [sic]? Success is something you gain when you decide you cant fail,' she captioned the picture.

Truth: 'I just got admitted to the bar - I'm not allowed to practice law,' claimed Stacey, after referring to herself as a 'lawyer' on the show. Pictured: Stacey holding her legal diploma on the steps of the Supreme Court of South Australia in a picture she shared in 2019

Proud: According to Stacey's Linkedin, she became a Bachelor of Law in 2017 after years of studying at the University of South Australia - and also has a graduate diploma in legal practice from The College of Law. Pictured: Stacey and Michael Goonan filming in October 2019

During Sunday's girls' night, Hayley started mocking Stacey after she wouldn't believe her 'husband' Michael Goonan cheated without any solid evidence.

'I'm a lawyer,' cried Stacey, while dismissing Hayley's confession of kissing Michael during a production break as there was no video evidence to prove it.

Hayley laughed: 'Where did you get your law degree? Out of a cereal box? You're 25 and have had two kids, have you practiced? Please.'

'Have you practiced? Please': During Sunday's girls' night, Hayley Vernon (pictured) mocked Stacey after she wouldn't believe 'husband' Michael Goonan cheated without any evidence

Stacey hit back: 'You think you're so high and mighty, you're such a liar. You're a bulldog. I just got admitted to the bar - I'm not allowed to practice law.'

The pair continued to fight, with Hayley responding: 'You're not a lawyer, you've just studied. Would you like a tissue or a box?'

Stacey spat back: 'I'd rather you just f**k off, everyone would be much happier.'

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine
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Across New Jersey and the rest of the country, most people have begun adjusting to a new kind of home-bound life. Its all part of social distancing  an effort to drastically reduce human-to-human contact and slow the spread of the coronavirus.

And it comes with a big question: Exactly how long will we have to live like this?

Work and school, for millions of New Jerseyans, are now done at home. Large groups of people are being broken up by police. People are being asked to stay at least six feet from each other. And Gov. Phil Murphy has asked people not to leave their homes after 8 p.m.

Dr. Stephanie Silvera, an epidemiologist and professor at Montclair State University, told NJ Advance Media that no one is sure how long all this will last. But it increasingly appears that social distancing will be the norm for months, not weeks. Silvera worries that people arent prepared for that.

I have some concerns about our capability of sustaining for such a long time, Silvera said.

The most dire projections have come from a team of public health experts at Imperial College London, who warned earlier this week that the need for social distancing could last until a vaccine for the coronavirus is developed. That could be 18 long months. (One of the lead authors of the Imperial College London study announced Wednesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.)

On Tuesday, a trio of public health experts from the University of Pennsylvania  Dr. Ezekial Emanuel, Dr. Susan Ellenberg and Dr. Michael Levy  agreed in an op-ed published by The New York Times that Americans should expect social distancing to last for months. They also warned that people should be prepared to see the coronavirus come in waves rather than a single outbreak.

There are several causes for the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 timeline, Silvera said: Testing has not been widespread in the U.S. There is relatively little known about the coronavirus itself. And its unclear how willing people will be to stick with social distancing.

Its also unknown, Silvera said, if people who contract COVID-19 and recover gain a long-term immunity  which could potentially allow them to return to work. While we know some people who contract the virus dont show symptoms, its not known if those people could be carriers of the disease, unwittingly spreading it to others.

For social distancing to be effective, people need to participate. But Silvera points out that this is an unprecedented situation. Time will tell how cooperative people will be after locking themselves indoors for weeks and with no end in sight.

As the weather gets nicer, people want to get together for birthdays and the 4th of July and pool time," Silvera said.

The fear that people would have only limited patience for intense social distancing is why the United Kingdom initially held off on taking the kinds of aggressive measures that weve seen in New Jersey, according to a Washington Post report.

The question remains: How will we know when its safe to return to normal life?

The answer: When the number of new cases stops rising and then sometime after that, Silvera said. When that peak will come in the U.S. is a mystery, as a lack of widespread testing has created an incomplete picture of the true impact coronavirus has made across the nation.

Based on every amount of input we have, we are many weeks away, Murphy said of the top-of-the-curve timeline at a Friday press conference.

But even after new cases peak, social distancing will likely remain in place, Silvera said. She noted it is not uncommon for diseases to spread in waves.

We could be experiencing only the first of many crests of the coronavirus pandemic.

The idea is you want to be far enough down on the other side of the curve that you dont lift these measures and trigger a second peak, Silvera said.

NPR reported earlier this week that China and South Korea could serve as models for the rest of the world regarding what a recovery timeline  and possible future waves of the coronavirus  will look like. The two countries have witnessed their numbers of new cases plummet weeks after their respective outbreaks began.

But both countries could be seeing the start of a second wave. The BBC reported Thursday that dozens of new cases were reported in China from people who recently arrived in the country. The same day in South Korea, 152 new cases were reported, about half of which were clustered at a nursing home.

A vaccine could be what finally stops the spread of the coronavirus, but that is likely more than a year away from being developed, experts say. The process of creating a new vaccine involves a number of steps, from the creation of the vaccine itself, to the clinical trials and regulatory approvals that must follow, The Guardian reported.

Until then, people will be asked to stay inside as much as possible, avoid groups and remain at least six feet from each other in public places.

Were either all going to adjust to this as our new normal and fall into a routine, or well fight this tooth and nail, Silvera said.

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The Central government has asked all companies to ensure that workers, especially contract labour, who take leave as a precaution towards the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) should be treated to be on duty and their salaries should not be deducted. In the backdrop of such challenging situation, all the employers of public or private establishments are advised to extend their coordination by not terminating their employees, particularly casual or contractual workers from job or reduced their wages, Union labour and employment ministry joint secretary Kalpana ...

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The global rubber-tired gantry crane market is expected to reach USD 1.64 billion by 2025, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Advancements in technologies, such as Active Load System (ALS), are expected to fuel the market growth over the forecast period. Rubber-tired gantries (RTGs) equipped with ALS technology help in increasing the stability of the container during transportation.

The increasing seaborne trade due to rapid industrialization has led to the development of port infrastructure across the globe. The growth in seaborne trade can be attributed to the increasing population, especially in developing regions. Moreover, flexible taxation across various regions for the import of goods has led to an increase in incoming container traffic. This stimulates the implementation of robust container handling equipment such as RTGs.

The recent advancements in the technology have helped in increasing the efficiency of cranes during loading and unloading of the container from the ship. Cranes are being remotely controlled through a wireless medium established at a common control center that enhances driver safety and operational convenience.

The growth in vessel size due to increase in global trade has stimulated the usage of RTGs in various ports for improving container handling capacity. The equipment operates with fewer performance deviations and carries out container stacking in lower number of moves, thereby saves fuel and time of operation.

Market participants are increasingly focusing on green technology due to stringent government regulations pertaining to pollution and emission limits across various regions. Moreover, the use of RTGs equipped with electric drives can be optimized to consume less power.

Further key findings from the study suggest:

The 16-wheeler RTGs segment dominated the overall market in 2016 and was valued at USD 563 million. Easy manoeuvrability and high load carrying capacity are expected to propel the demand for these products

Electric cranes contributed remarkably toward industry growth and were valued at USD 269.1 million in 2016

Hybrid RTGs are widely adopted as they are equipped with optional diesel generator sets that are expected to prevent the downtime and keep the equipment functional

The hybrid powered RTG segment is expected to gain traction over the forecast period and was valued at USD 92.0 million in 2016. These RTGs facilitate port terminals and crane operators in reducing fuel expenses

The demand for this equipment in the Asia Pacific region was relatively higher, owing to its operational efficiency. The region is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.4%from 2017 to 2025

Ports in North America are expected to receive funding from regional governments for port infrastructure development. The funds will be invested in container handling equipment and terminal development for capacity expansion

The key industry participants include Anupam Industries Limited, Konecranes, SANY GROUP, TNT Crane & Rigging, Liebherr, ElectroMech Material Handling Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., Kalmar, Mi-Jack Products, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., and Reva Industries Ltd.

Grand View Research has segmented the Rubber-Tired Gantry (RTG) crane market based on type, power supply, and region:

RTG Crane Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

8-wheeler

16-wheeler

RTG Crane Power Supply Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

Diesel

Electric

Hybrid

RTG Crane Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

North America U.S. Canada

Europe Germany Turkey

Asia Pacific China India Japan

Latin America Columbia Mexico

MEA

Access full research report on global rubber-tired gantry crane market:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/rubber-tired-gantry-rtg-crane-market
As NHS staff were battling to save coronavirus patients overnight, thieves broke into and stole money from a cash machine at a hospital in northwest London.

Our staff restaurant at Barnet Hospital is open as normal this morning despite someone breaking in last night to steal the ATM. We have no words! Police are aware, the Royal Free London NHS Trust tweeted on Sunday morning.

It is understood the standalone ATM itself was not taken, but instead broken into and money inside removed.

When contacted by The Independent, the Met Police failed to provide information on the incident, with a press officer saying he knew nothing about it.

A Barnet Hospital spokesperson said: At a time when our staff are all working incredibly hard to care for patients with Covid-19, it is hugely disappointing that someone has broken into the ATM in the restaurant.

Though it is unclear how many patients infected by Covid-19 are being treated at Barnet Hospital, there have been 81 confirmed cases of the virus in the borough as of Saturday morning.

A nearby hospital in the capital was earlier this week forced to declare a critical incident after its intensive care unit was overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.

Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow sent a message to staff on Thursday night warning that it had run out of critical-care space.

The hospital said it called on neighbouring hospitals for help to take on additional patients. The incident was stood down after 24 hours.

Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Show all 15 1 /15 Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK The usually busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 13 March Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Ho bart's Amusement Arcade in Westward Ho!, Devon is offering toilet roll and soap as prizes in grabber machines Rob Braddick/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK An empty platform at Farringdon Station in London the morning after the Prime Minister said that Covid-19 "is the worst public health crisis for a generation" PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Shopkeepers Asiyah Javed and husband Jawad from Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk are giving away facemasks, antibacterial hand wash and cleaning wipes to the elderly in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A usually busy street in Cambridge is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 2 March James Linsell-Clark/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A hand sanitiser dispenser is seen inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on 8 March Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Maaya Indian Kitchen in Milton Keynes is offerig customers a free roll of toilet paper with every takeaway order SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Oliver Cooper[L], was sent home from school for selling spurts of handsanitiser to fellow pupils at 50p a time. He poses with mum Jenny Tompkins by their home in Leeds Ashley Pemberton/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Empty toilet paper shelves at a supermarket in London on 12 March EPA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A member of the public is swabbed at a drive through Coronavirus testing site set up in a car park in Wolverhampton Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A passenger wears a protective face mask as she travels on a bus in the City of London AFP/Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A Southampton fan wears a face mask before the match against Newcastle United on 7 March Reuters Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A loudspeaker placed in grounds of St Mary's Catholic Church in Broughattin, Dundalk, County Louth ahead of funeral mass later this morning. The loudspeaker has been placed in the grounds after the Catholic Archdiocese said that funerals and weddings should not exceed 100 attendees within the church building PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A hand sanitising station set up outside Cheltenham Racecourse during day four of the Cheltenham Festival on 13 March PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK People wearing protective face masks walk across London Bridge on 11 March AFP/Getty

The theft came hours after Boris Johnson urged the British public not to visit their parents on Mothers Day, warning the NHS was in danger of being overwhelmed by the coronavirus outbreak.

The prime minister suggested families avoid any unnecessary physical contact and try to protect their loved ones by speaking over the phone or online instead.

The UK death toll from coronavirus now stands at 240.
Philadelphia Medical Reserve Corps volunteer Emma Ewing, a sophomore at Temple University, directs cars at the city's coronavirus testing site next to Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia on Friday, March 20, 2020. The site, which opened Friday afternoon, is the first city-run drive-through location where people can be swabbed to determine if they have the coronavirus. At the time of opening, it was only for people with symptoms who are over 50 and healthcare workers with symptoms. Read more

Were bringing you the most recent updates stemming from the coronavirus pandemic to prepare you for the week ahead. Also, todays Q&A offers a history lesson about how a Montgomery County doctor fought a different outbreak, and how the decisions made decades ago could point to how officials can respond to our current conditions under this new reality.

 Tauhid Chappell (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

The week ahead

This weeks most popular stories

Behind the story with Tom Avril

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week, we chat with Tom Avril, who learned how one particular Montgomery County doctor, J. Roswell Gallagher, handled a deadly measles outbreak and examined what we can learn from past heroics to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

How did you first hear about J. Roswell Gallagher?

A colleague noticed that a Johns Hopkins University professor had mentioned Dr. Gallagher in a commentary piece for the Wall Street Journal. There was a brief description of the virus outbreak Gallagher had encountered at the Hill School. And since that is right in our area, in Pottstown, I wanted to find out more.

What resources did you use to research him?

I emailed the Hopkins professor at 11 a.m. on a Friday, and he was kind enough to get right back to me, even though he was traveling. He sent me a link to Dr. Gallaghers original study of the 1934 virus outbreak, which was published in a medical journal the following year. I quickly read the study, called him back to ask more questions, and started writing.

How can historical stories like this lend insight into current events?

I learned that in China, physicians already were trying this very same approach in treating the new coronavirus. Dr. Gallagher was treating a different virus  measles  but the idea is the same. You take antibody-laden serum from the blood of someone who has been infected, and you infuse it into other people to protect them from getting sick.

When it comes to the coronavirus, what other opportunities are there to learn from the past?

There are plenty of other lessons from history that apply to the coronavirus. For example, some Americans seem to think that a virus could never jump from animals to humans here in the United States, as this one did in a live animal market in China. But that is just plain wrong. Viruses jump from animals to humans in every country, as a result of all kinds of human activities, and it has been happening for thousands of years.

As coverage of the virus continues, what kinds of stories or issues are you going to be looking for outside of just the day-to-day breaking news?

Weve seen all the cancellations and closings in order to slow down the spread of the virus. I am looking into how well that is likely to work, and how long wed have to keep it up. Once we return to normal activity, would the virus be able to come roaring right back?

You can stay in touch with Tom on Twitter at @tomavril1 or by email at tavril@inquirer.com.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

We could always use some uplifting words during these trying times. Thanks for sharing this, @mhaubenstein.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!

#CuriousPhilly: Have a question about your community? Ask us!

Have you submitted a question to Curious Philly yet? Try us. Were listening to our readers and doing our best to find answers to the things youre curious about.

What were 

Comment of the week

Please, please dont attack small businesses. People will often see the money earned, but dont understand the expenses associated with earning that dollar. Full-time employees require him to pay several different taxes. This income level was extremely unusual and likely will not be repeated, especially after his customers stock up or go on unemployment themselves. Were operating in a vast unknown. All of my employees were paid, we took half salaries. It is a restless night indeed when youre unsure how youre going to pay people you know are depending on you for their mortgage, food or childcare.  pj_fb18d on A Philly grocer made $35,000 in sales in a day during the pandemic. Then 21 employees were let go

Your Daily Dose of | The UpSide

After he was sent to a bankrupt portrait studio in Kansas City to measure the space for a new leasing agent, architect Brian Bononi saw piles of portraits ready to be thrown out. He couldve done his job and left. Instead, he grabbed them and worked to reunite the people with their photos.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky became the first known U.S. senator to test positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19, the senators account tweeted. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person. The Kentucky Republican has been working from the Capitol in recent days and he went into quarantine as soon as he got the result. But the news quickly led to concern in Washington as he had interacted with colleagues and spoke to reporters just days before his diagnosis.

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He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.  Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020

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Senate GOP leaders insisted the diagnosis would not change plans to move forward with a rare weekend session to discuss the stimulus package. But in private, some senators have become very concerned over Pauls diagnosis, reports Politico. Sen. Jerry Moran said in a GOP lunch Sunday that Paul had been at the gym shortly before his diagnosis was revealed. The fact that the Senate gym was even open came as a shock to many considering gyms have been shut down in many major cities.

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We want to be clear, Senator Paul left the Senate IMMEDIATELY upon learning of his diagnosis. He had zero contact with anyone & went into quarantine. Insinuations such as those below that he went to the gym after learning of his results are just completely false & irresponsible! https://t.co/yqfxydsXBG  Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020

Sen. Mitt Romney said several colleagues are now trying to figure out if they need to self-quarantine. All the senators are going to seek medical advice as to what action we should take to make sure that we dont in any way spread this virus ourselves, Romney told reporters. We had a lunch together with Rand, and hope hes doing very well, but we have to determine whether any of us should self-quarantine as a result of being in the same room. Pauls staff is apparently less concerned because his office had been working remotely for 10 days, so the senator has not had contact with most of his aides.

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Why was the Senate gym open, you ask? Because members of Congress police themselves. They make the decisions!  Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 22, 2020

Paul is now the third member of Congress to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Earlier in the week, Rep. Ben McAdams, a Democrat from Utah, and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, became the first two national lawmakers to be diagnosed with COVID-19. They both developed symptoms last weekend.
The Afghan government has held its first talks with the Taliban about a prisoner swap, the U.S. envoy to the war-torn country has said.

"Prisoner releases by both sides is an important step in the peace process," Zalmay Khalilzad said in a March 22 statement on Twitter.

The talks -- held via Skype amid the coronavirus pandemic -- lasted more than two hours and were facilitated by the United States and Qatar, Khalilzad said.

The spread of the novel coronavirus has made the release of prisoners "that much more urgent," he said.

Afghanistan announced the same day the first death in the country due to COVID-19, the new strain of the coronavirus. Afghanistan had 34 confirmed cases of the virus as of March 22.

The United States last month signed a historic agreement with the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan and an end to the country's 18-year conflict.

According to a joint declaration published by the U.S. and Afghan governments on February 29, the United States and NATO would withdraw all troops in Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban upheld the commitments made in the agreement.

"All sides conveyed their strong commitment to a reduction of violence, intra-Afghan negotiations, and a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire," Khalilzad said.

The envoy said a follow-up meeting between the Afghan government and Taliban will be held in the next two days.
New Delhi, March 22 : The BJP has questioned the credentials of Ramanan Lakshminarayan who in several media interviews has predicted that India will have around 300 to 500 million cases of novel coronavirus.

Many news channels, including the BBC, India Today and top journalists like Barkha Dutt have interviewed Lakshminarayan whose prediction has triggered massive panic and scare across India.

BJP's foreign affairs in-charge, Vijay Chauthaiwale in a series of tweets on Sunday, pointed out that Lakshminarayan was found guilty in a major case of intellectual property theft and has a serious conflict of interest in another case too. Additionally, he was wrongly projected as an epidemiologist by media channels.

"First of all, he is an economist and not epidemiologist. He worked with the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) for four years. While working with the PHFI, he launched two private companies without PHFI's permission. PHFI did not renew his contract in 2016," Chauthaiwale said.

PHFI sued him for stealing it's intellectual property and won the case against him and got back it's rights, the BJP leader said adding that the court even awarded legal costs to the PHFI.

Chauthaiwale said that the economist in addition to his company CDDEP, also launched another company called Health cube, which works in the area of diagnostics. "His second venture is 'Public Health Technologies Trust' (PHTT)," he tweeted saying that he has an ongoing legal dispute with Arun Nanda of Mahindra & Mahindra regarding PHTT.

"In short, this fear mongering by Lakshminarayan needs rigorous questioning, especially with reference to his credentials, his track record and his vested interests. This is a clear case of conflict of interests," Chauthaiwale tweeted.

Sources told IANS that Lakshminarayan is a PhD in economics from University of Michigan and an American citizen. His wife Preetha Rajaram works as a health attache in the US embassy in New Delhi. He operates the CDDEP out of New Delhi and Washington, teaches part time at Princeton and runs his other company Healthcube along with a Silicon Valley-based partner Vivek Wadhwa for commercial services in aimmunology modelling'.

The PHFI, sources said, had sued the economist-turned-businessman for stealing Swasthya Slate Technology which he was supervising as Vice President Research at the time.
London: The actor, who received critical acclaim for her role as Madame de Pompadour in the "Doctor Who" episode "The Girl in the Fireplace", took to Twitter on Sunday to share the news.

"RIP Peter Myles. My dear Dad died only a few hours ago. It was the Corona Virus that finally took him," Sophia tweeted.

RIP Peter Myles. 



My dear Dad died only a few hours ago. It was the Corona Virus that finally took him.  Sophia Myles (@SophiaMyles) March 21, 2020

On Saturday, the actor shared a picture of herself, her father and her brother to her followers as a "nice memory".

"My father, my brother and I. A nice memory to share given what Dad is going through now," she captioned the picture.

Sophia previously shared a picture of her by her father's hospital bed, with him on a ventilator whilst she wore a mask and gloves.

A number of Hollywood celebrities have gone public with their COVID-19 diagnosis, including Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks and his wife, actor Rita Wilson, British actor Idris Elba, former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, "Frozen 2" actor Rachel Matthews, Daniel Dae Kim, "Game of Thrones" stars Kristofer Hivju and Indira Verma, celebrated TV host Andy Cohen, Bon Jovi member David Bryan and actor Debi Mazar.

The deadly virus has claimed over 13,000 lives across the world.
By Matthias Inverardi and John O'Donnell BONN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Two British bankers were handed suspended jail terms on Wednesday and one a 14 million euro ($14.97 million) penalty in Germany's biggest post-war fraud trial of a scam involving multi-billion-euro trades to get bogus tax reclaims.

By Matthias Inverardi and John O'Donnell

BONN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Two British bankers were handed suspended jail terms on Wednesday and one a 14 million euro ($14.97 million) penalty in Germany's biggest post-war fraud trial of a scam involving multi-billion-euro trades to get bogus tax reclaims.

The ruling is the first criminal conviction for what judge Roland Zickler dubbed "a collective case of thievery from state coffers", activity that thrived during the years after the financial crash and as banks were bailed out by the state.

"Do we all want to live in a world where everyone is ripping each other off?," Zickler said on Wednesday, addressing the defendants.

The trial comes after a years-long probe into sham stock trading, fuelling a public outcry over the government's failure to stop a scam that cost Germany more than 5 billion euros. Experts believe most of the money will not be recovered.

The conviction potentially paves the way for the prosecutions of others in the network of big global banks, hedge funds and investors who allegedly profited from the scheme. "There will be further trials," said Zickler.

The German court is preparing to set up as many as nine court chambers to deal with a string of further expected trials, a person familiar with the matter said, although this will likely be delayed by the coronavirus outbreak.

German state prosecutor Anne Brorhilker had outlined criminal charges against Martin Shields and fellow British banker Nicholas Diable, who she said organised a network of traders and lenders to make double tax reclaims with sham share trades.

Brorhilker told the court the two men made large rapid stock trades in companies - including carmaker BMW and airline Lufthansa - to give the impression of numerous owners, triggering tax rebate vouchers. She outlined more than 30 instances of double-tax reclaims totalling 447 million euros.

The court ordered Shields to pay 14 million euros, clawing back profits he had made. He received a suspended jail sentence of one year and 10 months. The judges imposed a one-year suspended jail term on Diable.

"I have made mistakes," Shields told the court during the trial. "With the knowledge I have today, I would never have become part of the Cum/Ex nor dividend arbitrage industry ... I have learned my lesson."

Shields cooperated with prosecutors during the trial. He gave detailed presentations to explain to judges how the scheme operated and told the court he would continue to help the German authorities with their work.

His lawyer Hellen Schilling outlined this cooperation in court, and said that Shields has already voluntarily repaid 3 million euros.

Diable told judges that his wedding, honeymoon, career and birth of his children had been overshadowed by the investigation, expressing regret that he had taken part in the so-called "cum-ex" scheme.

Judges also ordered MM Warburg, a bank part-owned by one of Germany's oldest banking dynasties that profited from the scheme, repay 176 million euros. A spokesman for the bank said it would appeal the decision.

'ASTRONOMICAL' TRADES

During the trial, Shields had told the court how he earned millions of euros from deals involving astronomical trades that prosecutors said were a means to make bogus tax reclaims.

The former investment banker, said the trading, known as cum ex, thrived between 2005 and 2012, as investors from around the world made multi-billion-euro trades on German companies. That allowed them to generate multiple tax reclaims.

The engineering graduate told judges he had earned 12 million euros from the trades that often were bigger than the entire market value of the companies they targeted.

Shields said the trades involved were so vast it caused financial market mishaps because it was often not possible to find and match buyers and sellers in time.

Throughout the trial, Diable, had described his work as that of a salaried technician with a focus on getting trades done rather than a mastermind.

He told judges about his modest start in the City of London, inputting data, taking lunch orders and going through rituals such as running through the office as colleagues threw things at him. He said he had no reason to believe cum-ex was illegal.

He later became a trader and worked with Shields at a German bank, before following him to Gibraltar, when Shields set up his own company.

He told the court how he entertained customers and contacts in "bars and restaurants" in London and Germany's Oktoberfest beer festival.

(Reporting By Matthias Inverardi and John O'Donnell. Editing by Jane Merriman and Rachel Armstrong)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Internet speeds have not slowed since millions of Britons started working from home, the latest figures show.

Large swathes of the population are now relying on the internet more than ever as they self-isolate due to coronavirus which has killed 281 in the UK alone.

While internet providers including Vodafone and TalkTalk have reported an increase in internet traffic, this has not resulted in slower download speeds.

Internet speeds have not slowed since millions of Britons started working from home, the latest figures show (stock image)

The average download speed in the last seven days was 44.68 mbps, broadband.co.uk figures showed.

This figure is marginally more than the previous seven days' average of 43.87 mbps.

A week in mid-February had results of 44.02 mbps.

A spokesman for the online broadband website said: '[The figure] confirms no negative change to the speeds people are getting despite the change in UK working arrangements.

'So really the message is to keep calm and keep downloading, the broadband network can handle it!'

Vodafone, which offers both broadband and mobile internet, has reported a 30 per cent rise in internet traffic across both areas this week.

TalkTalk has had a 20 per cent rise in traffic since Monday, The Sun reports.

In a bid to help with issues caused by increased demands, online gamers have been encouraged to play outside of working hours to avoid overloading the network (stock image)

In a bid to help with potential issues caused by increased demands, online gamers have been encouraged to play outside of working hours to avoid overloading the network.

Video games expert Rik Henderson told The Irish Examiner: 'As we are all removing ourself from physical social interaction for the next 12 weeks, at least, online games can provide other forms of social contact and friendship without the risk of infection.

'Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone and the like will, therefore, no doubt become even more popular as isolation continues, but we do all need to be aware of the impact on our country's network infrastructure and perhaps game at more reasonable times, in the evening, say, in order to avoid any impact on important services and work, as consumer internet connections are less robust than the usual business lines.

The normal internet speed needed to check emails and browse the web is between 1 and 5 mbps but for online gaming this can jump to more than 200 mbps.

YouTube followed Netflix in slashing video stream quality across Europe to stop the internet collapsing under the unprecedented usage

Concerns about internet speed comes as YouTube, Amazon and Netflix all slashed video stream quality across Europe to stop the internet collapsing.

The move by the three platforms follows the recommendation of EU industry chief Thierry Breton that streaming services to temporarily lower their video quality.

Mr Breton reported spoke to both YouTube owner Alphabet's CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.

Earlier this week, all major mobile networks in the UK went down, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to avoid all unnecessary travel.

People suddenly found they couldn't make voice calls on their mobile phone and in some cases calls would cut out half way through.

The move by the platforms follows the recommendation of EU industry chief Thierry Breton, pictured, that streaming services temporarily lower their video quality

The operators admitted there was a fault with equipment that linked them all together, meaning people couldn't call between networks.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: 'We're working with major broadband and mobile firms to understand their ongoing plans for keeping networks resilient, and with the Government.

'Providers are constantly monitoring traffic on their networks and keeping us informed of the measures they're taking to ensure to manage this effectively.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 00:50:21|Editor: zyl

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Police officers patrol on a road in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, March 21, 2020. The Sri Lankan Police on Saturday announced that the nationwide curfew imposed on Friday will be extended in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 across the country. Sri Lanka has so far reported 77 confirmed COVID-19 cases while over 200 are under observation in hospitals across the country. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

COLOMBO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan Police on Saturday announced that the nationwide curfew imposed on Friday will be extended in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 across the country.

In a statement, the police said that in Colombo, Gampaha on the outskirts and Puttalam district in the north western province, the curfew will be lifted at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning and re-imposed again at 2 p.m. on the same day while in other districts across the country, the curfew will be lifted at 6 a.m. on Monday and re-imposed again at 2 p.m. on the same day.

The police said the curfew will be re-imposed indefinitely until further notice.

The curfew was initially to be lifted nationwide on Monday morning.

The police further said that 130 people had been arrested for violating the curfew on Saturday by roaming the streets and transporting goods. They have been detained and will appear before local courts next week.

The police said that all liquor shops in the country will remain closed at all times indefinitely.

"Since there are adequate stocks of food and other essential items, the government advises the public not to engage in panic buying. Facilities for transporting these items have been ensured. Also, measures are in place to supply essential food items to where they are required," the police said.

Sri Lanka has so far reported 77 confirmed COVID-19 cases while over 200 are under observation in hospitals across the country.
Many churches around Tauranga are going online today as they shift their services to continue to cater to the hundreds that attend their normal Sunday gatherings.

Other churches have had to close their doors and suspend services until future notice.

Get the kettle going, make some pancakes for breakfast, or a good hearty dinner... for a viewing party this Sunday! Church Online is an opportunity to be more connected than ever before. So let's keep doing life together! says a spokesperson for Curate Church Mount Maunganui on its Facebook page.

History has shown that many times the church has gone underground, mostly during times of loss of religious freedom. NZs COVID-19 Alert Level 2 means that the disease is contained but the risk of community transmission is growing. Mass gatherings of 500 people or more in close proximity outdoors, or 100 people or more indoors, are cancelled.

Curate Church and Bethlehem Baptist are two local churches which have switched to an online church experience from today.

Joel and Katie Milage with the Curate Church Mount Maunganui music band

Curate Church

Curate Church, which has grown rapidly over the last five years expanding to gatherings at Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, Whakatane and Auckland, has gone live this morning at 8.30am, 10am, 11.30am, and will continue on with more live church online sessions today at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.

Curates goal, as stated on their website is to be a global movement and voice releasing peoples potential in Jesus, by creating communities where people can belong, believe, become and build.

As you know the situation in NZ with coronavirus is constantly developing, and as one of the largest organisations in the Bay of Plenty, we feel we have a social responsibility to partner with the Government helping slow down and prevent the spread of Coronavirus, particularly to the people most vulnerable in our community, says pastor Joel Milgate.

And so from this Sunday [March 22], all of our gatherings in all of our locations are moving to online only. And thats really exciting because it gives an opportunity for us to gather together in smaller groups and be part of it online.

We believe that its a really exciting time. Its a time where we have the opportunity to kind of shake up the way that weve been doing things.

Well be doing this for as long as we think its the wise thing to do.

Holy Trinity Tauranga. Photo: Facebook.

Holy Trinity Tauranga Church

Taurangas Holy Trinity Church in Devonport Rd has had to make the decision to close its doors until further notice.

Sadly, in light of the Prime Ministers address to the nation at lunch time on 21st March, I am announcing that all church services at Holy Trinity Tauranga from 22 March 2020, and the planned Parish Prayer meeting at 4pm tomorrow, are cancelled until further notice, writes Vicar Dale on the churchs Facebook page.

This is something that our Diocese has directed us to do and something that the wardens and I believe we need to do.

It is vitally important that we keep all our parishioners as safe as possible and that we follow our governments advice.

The churchs English as a Second Language classes on Monday are also cancelled.

Furthermore, my hope to keep our buildings open for prayer will need to be reconsidered, says Vicar Dale. Re Lifegroups and other parish groups: please consider how best to keep connected in a way that keeps everyone safe, especially those over 70 and those with medical conditions which mean they need to stay at home.

The vicar suggests that parishioners light a candle at 7pm this evening and every Sunday evening while the worship services are suspended and pray.

Pray for your families, your neighbours, our country, and those ill with the virus. Pray for our health professionals and all those on the frontline who are working tirelessly to care for our community. Pray for the lonely and the frightened. Pray for the courage and grace to be a comfort and a light to the world.

Vicar Dale plans to communicate regularly by email and share at-home worship options.

Craig Vernall, pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church

Bethlehem Baptist Church

Pastor Craig Vernall from Bethlehem Baptist Church hosted a live session this morning at 9am and will be hosting another live session tonight at 6.30pm.

Based on the government decision to limit gatherings to under 100, we are cancelling our Sunday services at the campus and going fully online, says Craig.

We will have two different live streaming services this Sunday, 22 March, at 9.00am and 6.30pm. These live sessions will be available through our website or through our Facebook page. During these sessions, there will be live hosts available to speak with and to pray with you.

If you miss either the 9.00am or 6.30pm session, dont worry. Once the sessions are finished, the videos are available to watch anytime afterward. You can watch it later on Sunday or anytime during the week.

Craig is encouraging the congregation to continue meeting in smaller groups, called Life Groups.

This is where community is really fostered and people are deeply cared for, so please take advantage of this time to keep meeting together. Your group may decide to watch the sermons together, and we will continue sending our leaders copies of the sermon group questions. If you are not part of a Life Group and want to join, contact us at https://bethlehem.org.nz/groups/.

Bethlehem Baptist is also forming plans to do video sessions and provide parent resources from their Kids, Phase and Youth ministries. Their weekly ministries - Encore, Serious Coffee, Mainly Music, ICONZ, Marriage Course - will be continuing in different capacities.

During the days on Monday through Friday, pastoral staff on site at the building will be available to talk and pray with people, and eventually, open drop-in times for reflection and prayer will be added.

Most importantly, remember that even while things have dramatically changed in one week, we are still the Church, we are still Gods people. We have an eternal hope in our God through Jesus Christ. He deeply cares for us, and He is walking alongside each of us through this crazy time. And, with Gods strength and power, we will stay in community as the Church, doing life together, says Craig.
ALBANY  With a presidential primary and a handful of state and local elections slated for April 28, New York is hoping to expand access to absentee ballots amid an unprecedented pandemic that may limit access to the polls.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office is researching whether his executive authority  recently expanded by the state Legislature  would allow Cuomo to issue a directive immediately expanding absentee ballot access, or whether the Legislature must also be involved in that decision-making. Cuomo's broad authority gives him the power to suspend statutes, local laws and other rules and regulations  but widening access to absentee ballots is a more complicated issue because the law is defined in the state constitution, Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa said during a news conference Sunday.

The state constitution currently only allows for absentee ballots if a voter is away from their county of residence, or if they have an illness or physical disability.

"I think its a good idea anyway  we should have done it a long time ago," Cuomo said. "Its especially a good idea when you dont want a lot of people going to a polling place."

The state's top legal authority, Attorney General Letitia James, has given the governor the sign-off in the meantime. On Sunday, she joined a chorus of lawmakers and other officials calling for broadened access, urging the governor to halt all in-person voting until further notice and instead send all voters ballots by mail for the presidential primary and other elections scheduled for April 28.

If we act now, we have more than a month before the presidential primary and numerous special elections across our state to take action and ensure every eligible New York voter receives an absentee ballot," James said in a release. "Lets make it easier for every voter to cast their vote without spreading the coronavirus and jeopardizing public health. Democracy should not be suspended if there is a safe alternative.

The state Legislature approved a constitutional amendment last year that would permit voters to obtain an absentee ballot without an explanation. But New York law requires any constitutional amendments to be approved by two separately elected legislatures and then voted upon by the public, meaning that the change can't move forward until at least 2021.

"We have been very supportive of both [automatic voter registration] and no-excuse absentee voting, and this crisis makes both even more important," Senate Majority spokesman Mike Murphy said in an email.

As the coronavirus' threat to the election process has become increasingly clear, two state legislators have proposed alternatives in the meantime. Assemblyman Joe Lentol, D-Brooklyn, last week introduced a bill to mandate absentee ballots for everyone voting in the presidential primary, while Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, D-Bronx, has proposed legislation allowing a person to apply for an absentee vote in the event of a public health crisis.

"We want to avoid contact from individuals, and the contact that can be made during the election process for a presidential primary could be pretty close contact in polling booths, waiting in lines for early voting or regular election day voting," Lentol said in an interview.

He added that, under Cuomo's recently expanded executive power, an order mandating absentee voting "would stand up in court." Before Cuomo postponed all village elections, which had been slated for March 18, he had issued an executive order allowing everyone voting in a March election to obtain an absentee ballot by defining "the potential for contraction of the COVID-19 virus" as an illness.

In essence, that order had the same effect as Biaggi's bill  permitting people to apply for and receive an absentee ballot because of the pandemic  while Lentol's bill would ensure that everyone voting in the presidential primary would automatically receive one.

There is another option: Postpone the elections entirely. The end of April is the estimated peak of the coronavirus pandemic in New York, Cuomo has said, and several other states have pushed back their presidential primaries amid the public health crisis. Maryland and Connecticut, which had also planned for an April 28 election, will both now hold their primaries June 2.

The timing is a bit complex in New York; some legislators have suggested moving the elections to June 23, when the state is scheduled to host its statewide and congressional primaries. That would be fine for the village and special elections  including races to fill a Buffalo-area congressional seat, a Syracuse-area state Senate opening and three Assembly posts  but would create a difficult timeline for the presidential primary, state Democratic Committee chairman Jay Jacobs said.

It takes about two weeks to certify election results and allocate delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which will be held July 13 to 16, he said. A June 23 primary would make for a "tight window," but state leaders still have about two weeks before they need to make a final decision, Jacobs said.

A Cuomo spokesman said Sunday that there are no current discussions to move the presidential primary. Jacobs noted that if Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders drops out of the race before April 28, the state may be able to cancel its primary altogether, since only former Vice President Joe Biden would be on the ballot. Otherwise, he would be in favor of absentee voting.

The Republican Party will not have a presidential primary in New York this year, as President Donald Trump is the party's only candidate. Still, the party has seats at stake in both the village and special elections, and state GOP chairman Nick Langworthy said he's been communicating with the governor's office and the state Board of Elections to make a decision that prioritizes "the health and safety of New Yorkers."

"We are committed to working together and remaining fluid to do whats best for New Yorkers as the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, Langworthy said in an email.

A spokesman for the state Board of Elections did not return a request for comment Sunday.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Albany County Executive 'begging' feds for more tests, supplies to combat COVID-19

Cuomo asks feds to set up mobile hospitals as coronavirus surges in NY

For a detailed map, check out The Times Unions New York Coronavirus Tracker

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Just days after announcing suspension of its international operations, GoAir has joined IndiGo and Air India to cut salaries in order to tide over the Coronavirus pandemic.

Airline CEO Vinay Dube, in a message to its employees, said the top leadership has voluntarily decided to take a 50 percent pay cut with immediate effect.

Dube, who mailed employees on March 21, said the measure is temporary.

Apart from reducing salaries and suspending international operations, the Wadia family-owned airline has also terminated contracts of its expat pilots, and put about one-third of its employees on leave without day.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Among its peers, IndiGo employees have taken a pay cut of up to 25 percent, and Air India, which has already cut down on employee incentives, is now considering a 5 percent cut in salaries.

Almost all of them, including Vistara and SpiceJet, have also curtailed, or completely suspended, international operations.

The airlines have been forced to take these steps after a dramatic collapse in bookings as travellers cancelled tickets, and now refrain from traveling to limit exposure to the virus. But it is yet not clear if these measures will be enough.

Advisory form CAPA India has said that the domestic aviation industry could lose up to $600 million in the first quarter of the year itself. It added that about 150 aircraft could be grounded and up to 50 percent of the jobs in the aviation industry could go redundant.

The latest communication says that five have reportedly died in India, because of the virus, and more than 300 have been reported to be infected.

The impact has been similar, and in some countries more severe, in international aviation markets. There have been lay offs, senior management have taken pay cuts and a couple of airlines have already gone bust.

Aircraft have been grounded across the globe, with American major Delta Air Lines alone grounding about 600 planes. Others have started moving cargo in passenger aircraft.

More to come

Airlines in India will be further forced to rationalise operations and reduce costs.

IndiGo, the country's largest airline, has trimmed its domestic operations by 25 percent to "match market demand over the next few week."

"Going forward, responding to the various travel restrictions imposed worldwide, most of our international flights are suspended and additionally, given the reduction in domestic demand, we are trimming our domestic India operations by approximately 25 percent for now. In this fluid situation, IndiGo will continually review operations to match capacity to demand," the airline had said.

It had made the announcement while also informing about reducing operations on March 22, when the country is observing Janata Curfew. GoAir has completely suspended its flights for the day.

In his email on cutting pay, GoAir CEO Dube also talked about the airline's plans after the Maharashtra government announced a lockdown till March 31.

"The Maharashtra Government has announced a complete lockdown of workplace for safety and security of the people and to contain the outbreak as a result of which we have also urged our employees (working out of different office across Maharashtra, except those directly involved in Operations) to work from home and support the business critical requirements and our operations team," the CEO stated.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus pandemic forces GoAir to lay off staff, terminates contracts of expat pilots
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 11:50:33|Editor: xuxin

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Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo (front L) speaks at the ceremony welcoming the Chinese medical team in Belgrade, Serbia, March 21, 2020. A team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 arrived in the Serbian capital on Saturday evening to help with the Balkan state's battle against the virus. The Chinese doctors, who specialize in such areas as infectious disease prevention (IDP), pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM), have also brought with them medical supplies urgently needed in Serbia, where 171 COVID-19 cases have been reported with one death. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu)

BELGRADE, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 arrived in the Serbian capital on Saturday evening to help with the Balkan state's battle against the virus.

The six-member expert team were greeted with warm applause of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar, Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin and other government officials at the Belgrade Airport.

The Chinese doctors, who specialize in such areas as infectious disease prevention (IDP), pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM), have also brought with them medical supplies urgently needed in Serbia, where 171 COVID-19 cases have been reported with one death.

With experience in containing the spread of coronavirus, the Chinese experts are expected to provide valuable advice to Serbia, which declared a state of emergency five days ago in an effort to curb the virus' spread and appealed to China for help.

The Chinese medical team came over with ventilators, medical masks, test kits and other medical supplies in the first batch of 16 tons of donations. The second batch are being loaded in China for another flight.

Vucic said in a welcome address that the Chinese experts' coming to help is of "immense importance for our country," and the medical aid is "life-saving."

"From now on, we will listen to everything they say. This exceeds politics. We wish to show respect to people that managed to beat the biggest enemy of today's world, the COVID-19," he said.

Vucic also thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese people for the friendship and support they extended to the Serbian people at this difficult time.

"We give them our immense gratitude, especially for sending their experts. They have proven as friends in the most difficult times when we fight for lives of Serbian people," said the Serbian president, adding "each of these ventilators means a saved human life here in Serbia."

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo said that the experts from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong came straight from the frontlines of China's battle against COVID-19.

"We are in the most difficult times, China, Serbia and the whole world. The COVID-19 virus represents an enemy to the whole mankind, and solidarity is most important at this moment," noted Chen, who also commended Serbia for its medical aid and support when China was hit hard by the virus.

"Together we are stronger. We will fight together with our Serbian friends until the final victory," said Chen.
Referring to the 14-hour 'Janta curfew' on Sunday, Narendra Modi said people can enjoy quality family time, television and some good food.

New Delhi: Describing people as valued soldiers in the fight against coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said caution can help lakhs of other lives.

Referring to the 14-hour 'Janta curfew' on Sunday, he said people can enjoy quality family time, television and some good food.

"Each of you is a valued soldier in this battle against COVID-19. Your being alert and cautious can help lakhs of other lives," he wrote on Twitter, sharing videos of people having meal at home.

He also pitched for use of digital payments to prevent the spread of the virus.

"This is the time to ensure social distancing. Digital payments help you do that," he said.

The prime minister shared videos posted by eminent people to drive home the importance of digital transactions as a means to check the spread of the disease as there is no physical contact between people, and with currency notes.

The prime minister also posted videos taken by people of deserted streets in cities including Delhi, saying, "looks like people have closed ranks to uproot the COVID-19 menace."

Modi had proposed 'Janta Curfew' on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm as part of social distancing to check the spread of the deadly virus.

In his address to the nation on Thursday, Modi had called for "resolve and restraint" to fight coronavirus and had asked the entire country to observe 'Janata curfew' on Sunday.
WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG:--- On March 11, 2020, the Supervisory Board of the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten recommended to the Minister of Finance of Curacao and the Minister of Finance of Sint Maarten that Richard Doornbosch be appointed as President of the CBCS.

The Council of Ministers of Curacao and the Council of Ministers of Sint Maarten have adopted this recommendation of the Supervisory Board. The aim is for Mr. Doornbosch to be appointed as such in mid-July, provided that by then the screening by the security services of Curacao and Sint Maarten has been completed successfully.

Mr. R. (Richard) A. Doornbosch, MBA, (1973) studied monetary economics and business economics at the University of Groningen and has been the Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. since 2016. Mr. Doornbosch is a monetary economist with over 20 years of experience in the financial sector, international organizations and public administration.

After starting his career as a management trainee at Rabobank International, he worked in various

(macroeconomic) positions at the Dutch Ministry of Finance. During the financial crisis of 2008-

2009, Mr. Doornbosch was a member of the management team of the Financial Markets Department and involved in support operations for financial institutions. In the run-up to the political reforms of 2010, he led a complete revision of the financial-markets legislation for the Caribbean Netherlands.

From 2005 to 2008, he worked at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on the international policy response to the increasing risks of climate change. He acted as a negotiator on behalf of the Netherlands in shaping the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and was a board member on the first GCF Board. As head of the International Economy and Financial Institutions Department, he participated in various international consultations, such as those held by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the OECD and IMFC Deputies.

As Alternate Executive Director at the IMF, Mr. Doornbosch co-leads the Dutch-Belgian constituency within the IMF Board. In addition to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Belgium, this constituency includes Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia,



Israel, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Ukraine. In this role, he has been involved in several financial-sector reform programs.

The Supervisory Board is pleased with the nomination of Mr. Richard Doornbosch and is convinced that, with his international experience and network of contacts, he will be an asset to the Board of the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten.
Everything in this story is real and fictional, reads the preface in acclaimed Malayalam author Benyamins new novel in translation, Al Arabian Novel Factory (Juggernaut, translator Shahnaz Habib). The literary thriller, featuring a secret and dangerous novel within a novel, is set in the aftermath of the Arab Spring in an unnamed Middle Eastern city. It is the companion novel to Jasmine Days, which won the inaugural JCB Prize in 2018.

Though originally released in Malayalam in 2014, it speaks uncannily to present times in India, with its themes of state repression and public fear. But Benyamin cuts through its heaviness with a charming lightness and dazzling quirkiness. At the Kerala Literature Festival in January, Benyamin spoke candidly to me about how he likes to change his style with every book, why it was important for him to write them as twin novels, and how translations have changed the fortunes of his novels and craft. Excerpts from our interview:

Tell us a little about what led to Al Arabian Novel Factory and Jasmine Days? Why did you write them as twin novels?

Both of them are all about the Arab revolution. I was in the Gulf for 20 years and I met many Arab people. Initially I thought they were all living there happily. But after about 10 years of knowing my friends, they revealed to me that they do have democratic ambitions. All of a sudden, the Jasmine revolution started in Tunisia, Egypt, and in Bahrain too, where I lived. Thats when I realised how frustrated they were, with thousands of people demonstrating on the streets. They broke the code and started talking against the government. Unfortunately, the protests were suppressed. Thats when I thought I should write about it. That was the idea behind both the books.

It was planned as a single novel. But when I collected the material from many areas I knew that I could not include it all in a single novel. Then I separated the material: the incidents and experiences from the period of the revolution went into Jasmine Days, and the period after the revolution into Al Arabian Novel Factory. In Malayalam, it was published as twin novels and released together, but in English, it was released one after the other. You can read either novel first and then the other, there is a connection between the two.

So you moved back to Kerala and then wrote the novels here. You were already known for writing the bestselling Goat Days. What did Jasmine Days winning a major award in translation change for you?

After winning the JCB award I got so many readers from outside India, from Europe and Latin America especially. Earlier, it was mainly the critics who told you what to read but these days readers tend to also look for books that have won an award. This is perhaps the first time that a regional book won a major award in India. The award has helped the translation process very much. Now publishers are looking for new books not only from Malayalam but other regional languages. It will help regional writing and Im happy about that.

Youre mischievous with your writing and plotting. Talk to us about how you developed your style?

Its my duty to keep readers with me till the end of the book, so I use many techniques to keep them engaged. It takes 3-4 years to get clarity on the novel, to decide from which characters perspective I will tell the story. My style develops along with the novel, and every book must be different from the precious one.

Reading Al Arabian Novel Factory is a bit surreal, given how much of it seems applicable to the situation in India today. What do you make of it?

When I wrote it, I never thought those things will happen in India. I chose to come back here because I thought it is the most freedom giving country. But all of a sudden everything changed, there is fear everywhere and no one is willing to speak openly. But I am thinking positively. Our youth is bold and strong, the kids are on the streets, and I am with them.

What kind of working relationship do you share with your translators?

I do not interfere much because it is a entirely different process of transforming the text from one culture to another. A translation into English must address a world reader and elaborate on things that a Malayalam reader already has knowledge about. In the final stage, when they share it with me, I may make some corrections. If they have any doubts, I clear them. Otherwise I give all the freedom to them. I was so happy with Shahnaz Habib, who is in New York and knows what a global reader is. The two books she translated have done very well.

Has the success of your translated novels changed the way you write in Malayalam? Do readers respond to your books differently, depending on the language they read them in?

Nowadays I think I should think about readers in other languages as well. If I use a word or an idiom in Malayalam, I do think about how it will translate or how it will be communicated to a world reader. It does affect my writing now. Readers in Malayalam connect with me as the writer of Goat Days and compare the new novels to it. English readers read more openly. The twin novels have been better received in English, because they came out at the proper time. In 2014, when they released in Malayalam, readers thought the events in the books were happening somewhere else and were not related to their lives. But now, the novels are reading well, very differently from when it was first released.

What are you working on at the moment? Does the current socio-political moment in India inspire you to write?

The current situation might come into our books after 10 years. It will lie in our mind for some time. Nowadays I am trying to write about the travels of Malayalis. It is a fictionalised account of the community and their travels around the world, their migration, their suffering.
What WHO said As the number of global coronavirus cases surpassed 300,000 and the death toll rose to 13,000, the World Health Organizations (WHO) top emergency expert, Mike Ryan, said on Sunday that countries could not simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus without public health measures to avoid a resurgence of the virus down the road. What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them, Ryan, said. If we dont put in place the strong ...

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By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 04, 2020 | 10:57 AM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY





Guests will be transported to 1928 and the vineyard will transform into "Ruby's Place", a speakeasy where the grieving family will hold services for murdered mobster Vito "The Gut" Marzetti. Those attending include the Marzetti children (Joey "The Lump", Frankie aka "Marbles", and Ruby, aka "Fingers", also the proprietor of Ruby's Place). Also in attendance: Vito's heartbroken widow Lena...or is she? Maybe she's just after Vito's hidden stash and needs her stepchildren (and the audience) to help her find it. A "G-man" enters the scene to lead the investigation into who killed Vito and to recover the loot.





The murder mystery is presented by "Murder To Go" from the Badgett Playhouse of Grand Rivers.



Dinner will be catered by Neil's Catering and includes spaghetti, fettuccine, bread, salad, dessert, tea and water. Those attending are encouraged to dress as gangsters and flappers from the Roaring 20s. Prizes will be awarded for solving the mystery. Reservations are required.



All proceeds from this event to benefit the American Cancer Society. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased by calling 1-888-362-4223 or by clicking the link below. Please print your tickets if ordering online.











The Relay For Life of McCracken County will host "Funeral For A Gangster", an interactive "murder mystery" dinner on Saturday, March 28th at 6 p.m. at Manea Vineyards, 2245 Lebanon Church Road in Paducah.

On the Net:
PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to close Frances border with Britain on Friday if Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to take more stringent measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, a French newspaper reported.

On Friday evening, Johnson ordered pubs, restaurants, theaters, cinemas and gyms to shut their doors to slow the accelerating spread of the disease, days after other European countries put their citizens on lockdown.

French newspaper Liberation, citing sources in Macrons office, said Johnsons decision came after the French leader gave him an ultimatum on Friday morning, threatening an entry ban on any traveler from the UK if there were no new measures.

We had to clearly threaten him to make him finally budge, the report quoted an Elysee official as saying.

Contacted by Reuters, Macrons office declined to comment.

Johnsons office had no immediate comment on the report.

The British government has said it is acting on the guidance of its scientific advisers as it steps up efforts to limit the outbreak.

Macron ordered stringent restrictions on peoples movement in France on Monday. Restaurants, bars and schools have been shut nationwide and people ordered to stay at home other than to buy groceries, travel to work, exercise or for medical care.

Macron also pushed for European Union member states to close the blocs external borders earlier this week.

The report echoed comments Macrons prime minister, Edouard Philippe, made in an interview on Tuesday.

If neighboring countries, Britain for instance, stayed for too long in a situation without taking these measures, then we would find it hard to accept on our soil British nationals who would have been moving freely in their own country, Philippe said.

Britain left the EU on Feb. 1 but remains in a free-movement area with the bloc until the end of the year.
(Clarifies nature of son's condition in paragraph 4)

By Victoria Waldersee

LISBON, March 20 (Reuters) - Susana Pires de Oliveira, a doctor at Lisbon's Sao Jose Hospital, has moved out of her home to live alone in an apartment owned by people she doesn't even know.

The reason for the sudden move? She does not want to risk transmitting the coronavirus to her family.

Because of her work, she could easily be a carrier of the disease, she said.

The 35-year-old, who is training to specialise in anaesthesiology, is taking no chances, the more so because she has two sons, the youngest of whom has an immunodeficiency - making him more vulnerable to the illness.

"I saw an offer on Facebook for an apartment I could stay in for free. I decided, with my husband, it was best for me to leave - to serve others, and protect my family," said a visibly tired Pires de Oliveira, who moved to the flat on Monday.

Some property owners in Portugal are offering free accommodation to health workers who are afraid of exposing families to the coronavirus they are battling at work.

In normal times, the sunny seaside country welcomes millions of tourists every summer. But increasingly stringent travel restrictions are leading to mass cancellations, leaving hundreds of rooms vacant.

As the government mobilised thousands of additional doctors and nurses to combat the virus, property owners put out messages on social media stating that their rooms were available for health workers on the frontlines.

"I don't know what I'd have done without this initiative," Pires de Oliveira told Reuters, fighting back tears.

"It's so important - for those of us who have sacrificed being home, with our children, so we can continue serving our function in the best way we can, while keeping everybody safe."

A group entitled "COVID - Solidarity Accommodation for Health Professionals", set up on Sunday evening, already has nearly 10,000 members and hundreds of posts.

'ON OUR SIDE'

Story continues

"It's all been so spontaneous, and it makes us feel that the population is on our side," 35-year-old Francisco Almeida e Cunha, who works in an intensive care unit in Portugal's northern city of Porto, told Reuters.

"We're working in miserable conditions, and fighting something so awful - these gestures really motivate us."

An initiative is underway to develop a protocol ensuring all parties are protected and that properties are properly cleaned, led by a group of landlords working with a renters' association and Portugal's tourism authority.

But many landlords are already handing over their keys.

"I know there is a group working with the authorities, but we're not waiting," said Bruno Ribeiro, who is hosting Cunha in one of his four properties in Porto and has people lined up for the others. "This is chaos. There's no time to wait."

Local governments in Porto and the Algarve have stepped in to help coordinate efforts.

"My hostel is already full," said Jorge Guiomar, who owns an eight-bed hostel in Faro, Algarve. "The people staying had been sleeping in the hospitals, afraid to go home."

Ana Viegas, 27, registers patients at Faro's hospital and is one of Guiomar's guests.

"I live with my grandmother and she has an autoimmune disease," she said. "I couldn't stay there. I found out about this on Facebook. Now I can relax, but also work longer hours, and do my job properly."

Portugal has reported 785 confirmed cases of coronavirus, far below neighbouring Spain's 17,147. Still, the health ministry expects cases to rise until the end of April. On Wednesday, the government imposed a state of emergency. (Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; editing by Andrei Khalip, Ingrid Melander and Mike Collett-White)
More than 400 people died from smoke pollution and thousands more were rushed to hospital during Australia's horror bushfire season, according to a new study.

In the first figures estimating the health impact of the blazes, the death toll from pollution is predicted to be over 10 times higher than the 33 lives lost by the fires.

More than 2,000 homes were destroyed and a billion animals perished as fires burned almost 20 million hectares across Australia's south-east.

Sydney alone suffered through 81 days of poor or hazardous air quality in 2019, with the city blanketed by thick, toxic smoke.

Scroll down for video

Far more people died from smoke pollution than bushfires during the recent horror bushfire season. Pictured a blaze near Bilpin north-west of Sydney in December

Smoke from bushfires blanketed major cities for much of December and January. Pictured is Melbourne smothered in the smoke from the East Gippsland blazes in January

Smoke pollution that blanketed Australia for months during the bushfire crisis caused 416 deaths and thousands of hospitalisations, according to research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Smoke was responsible for 1,124 cardiovascular-related hospital admissions, 2,027 respiratory-related hospital admissions, and 1,305 asthma-related emergency room admissions, according to the study.

Most cases were in New South Wales, where thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes.

The study states smoke from bushfire-ravaged regions affected large numbers of people in NSW, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

'The scale and duration of these bushfires was unprecedented in Australia,' the report states.

'Such fires have substantial social, ecological, and economic effects, including the effects on public health associated with smoke, such as premature mortality and exacerbation of cardiorespiratory conditions.'

Lead author Fay Johnston, an epidemiologist at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, estimates 80 per cent of Australia's population of about 25 million was blanketed by smoke this summer.

'The fires were unprecedented in Australia's history, in terms of vast amounts of smoke, the huge populations affected by the smoke and the long duration,' she told the Guardian.

'When you're affecting millions of people in a small way, there are going to be enough people at high enough risk that you're going to see really measurable rises in these health effects.'

The figures are 'definitely alarming', according to Chris Migliaccio, who studies the long-term effects of wildfire smoke at the University of Montana in Missoula and was not involved in the research.

The bushfire season was one of the worst in Australian history, destroying an estimated 18.6 million hectares and almost 6,000 buildings including 2,779 homes.

The 33 lives lost included 25 in NSW, three in South Australia and five in Victoria.

Earlier this month, NSW Rural Fire Service declared there were no fires in the state for the first time since July last year.

While 33 lives were lost in devastating fires across the nation, more than 400 were died from smoke pollution. Pictured is Victoria's East Gippland region, where five people lost their lives
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 10:51:07|Editor: zyl

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LIBREVILLE, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba has decided to ban all unnecessary outdoor activities between 7:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time, as the country has confirmed five COVID-19 cases.

To halt the spread of the virus in the country, people will be prohibited from going outside between 7:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. from Sunday until further notice, Bongo said.

"I ask you to scrupulously respect this measure of partial containment in a civic spirit," he said. "It's for your health and that of your loved ones."

Calling on people to remain calm, the president said that new control equipment will be delivered to hospitals.

Gabon reported its first coronavirus-related death on Friday.
As the country stayed home on Sunday to observe the Janta Curfew that Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for, doctors and healthcare workers in all government hospitals across the country are conducting drills to prepare for emergency response for handling Covid-19 cases.

During the drill, healthcare workers have been training in triaging (sorting, sifting or segregating) patients in the emergency room and conducting physical examination of people with respiratory symptoms, ensuring proper use of personal protective equipment, and frequent hand washing.

Nurses, technicians and other paramedical staff are also being trained in handling the patient during transport, and in the intensive care units (ICUs). Hospitals have to ensure no-touch thermometers, thermal imaging cameras, and limited observation and questioning, all while maintaining a spatial distance of at least 1 metre (between?), according to the health ministry standard operating procedures.

The aim is to test and train at every level of suspected Covid-19 patient contact, right from the ambulance transport to triaging to shifting of patients, and managing in wards and ICUs as per the standard operating procedures issued by the ministry of health. This exercise will come in handy especially if the number of Covid-19 suspects or confirmed cases are high. The staff at all levels should be ready, said Lav Aggarwal, joint secretary, health ministry.

Public health experts have been roped in to advise staff about the reduction of infection, supervise the handing over of discharged patients to State Surveillance teams for monitoring, and oversee proper biomedical waste disposal of the healthcare facility.

This is happening for the first time not just in India but anywhere in the world. It will be just like a fire drill or a disaster drill. This is phenomenal. This is to orient our systems towards dealing with the emergency. If there is a surge in cases, we dont have enough facilities. If we just look at critical care beds, the UK has 29 per 100,000, China has somewhere around 3.5, and India has about 2.5. The drill will help in capability orientation, said Dr Giridhar R Babu, professor and head, Lifecourse Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India.

Hospitals have to ensure reduced crowds and well ventilated spaces for patients. Hospitals across the country have deferred elective procedures and taken measures to reduce the burden on out-patient clinics.

At Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the administration on Saturday decided to not allow walk-in at the out-patient department (OPD).

The doctors will continue to give consultation to all those who already have appointments. However, walk-in OPD has been suspended for now. We will keep reviewing the situation. Around 25% of the cases coming to the OPD are usually walk-ins, said Dr DK Sharma, medical superintendent of AIIMS. The hospital usually sees over 10,000 patients in the OPD in a day.

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Following Christies announcement on March 13 in response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, the company has completed the first phase of a global review to revise the Spring and Summer auction schedule in the Americas and Europe.



A summary of provisional key changes:



 In Hong Kong, the Spring Asian Art and Luxury sales currently remain scheduled to take place 30 May to 3 June



 Christies will be consolidating international 20th Century auctions into one week in one location, New York, scheduled to take place 23 to 28 June



 In Geneva, the Luxury Week is scheduled to take place 29 June to 1 July



 In London, Classic week including Old Master Paintings and the Exceptional Sale will remain scheduled 6 to 17 July



Sale dates may be subject to change based on the relevant advice and the recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO).



Our first priority is to continue to act in the best interest of the community and our thoughts are with all those affected by the ongoing situation, said Guillaume Cerutti, Chief Executive Officer, Christies.



Christies teams in the Americas, Europe and Asia are working remotely and resiliently to adapt to the environment, focusing on serving our clients and building successful sales for our auction, private and online channels.



In Asia, Christies Hong Kong office has returned to usual open business hours. Christies Beijing and Shanghai offices are operating with reduced staff on-site and remote working arrangements where necessary; the Seoul office is open with reduced hours and continued remote working arrangements for the interim; the Tokyo office is open with reduced staff on-site and limited hours. Christies Bangkok and Jakarta offices are open to clients by appointment only.



As previously announced, all offices and sales sites in the Americas, Europe and Middle East remain closed as a precautionary measure, with all employee teams working remotely. Christies London is operating with minimal staff on-site and with all employees working remotely by 20 March.  TradeArabia News Service
Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Hrithik Roshan among others had previously praised the PM's idea of Janta curfew to combat the coronavirus

Several stars from the Indian film industry, including Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Anil Kapoor have urged people to follow Janta Curfew on Sunday, as appealed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak)

The PM made a fervent appeal to all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by the coronavirus and called for ''Janta curfew'' on 22 March from 7 am - 9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of the house.

While Akshay hailed the PM's decision for social distancing, Kamal Haasan tweeted that he fully supported the move to stay indoors on 22 March.

Check out their posts

Well done @FeverFMOfficial on your #RJCurfew campaign. We all must follow #JanataCurfew in these tough times. May we all sail through. Stay safe, stay blessed.  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) March 21, 2020

I stand in full solidarity with our Prime Ministers call for #JantaCurfew. In this extraordinary situation, we have to take extraordinary measures. Its a disaster that has befallen on us and by staying united and indoors, we can Stay Safe. (1/2)  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) March 20, 2020

Thank you, Mr @ajaydevgn for taking up arms against the biggest villain of the times  Coronavirus! Were all in this together. And every Mumbaikar will play their part to bring it down. #NaToCorona https://t.co/Sh3F0rEhnW pic.twitter.com/a5SC7j7wGh   Mumbai,  BMC (@mybmc) March 21, 2020

Bachchan, who had earlier hailed Prime Minister's statement, took to Instagram and wrote, "Tomorrow #janatacurfew, 7 am to 9 pm. I shall abide and at 5 pm clap, ring bells, blow shankh, in gratitude and honour for them that continue to work on all the essential services despite extenuating circumstances."

Check out the post

View this post on Instagram

Tomorrow #janatacurfew .. 7 am to 9 pm .. I shall abide and at 5 pm clap, ring bells , blow shankh, in gratitude and honour for them that continue to work on all the essential services despite extenuating circumstances  A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) on Mar 21, 2020 at 12:19am PDT Anil Kapoor said he hopes everyone who has a choice is home or indoors.

"And for those who can't stay in, we will stay in for you. I would urge you all to follow the #JantaCurfew tomorrow from 7 am to 9 pm and at 5 pm, let's stand tall in solidarity in our own homes and show our appreciation loudly for those who are helping us fight the virus while risking their own lives! #SocialDistancing #StayHomeStaySafe," the actor said on Twitter.

Dharmendra also took to the microblogging site and said one must act according to PM's address. "You cant kill, CORONAVIRUS with a gun. It is somewhere in the crowd. Wait and watch for another 15 days it will die its own death. Be at home, take it as an opportunity to get rid of some bad habits by doing yoga and exercise. Act according to Modi Ji's speech," Dharmendra tweeted.

Check out what Anil Kapoor and Dharmendra said

You cant kill, CORONAVIRUS with gun. It is somewhere in the crowd. Wait and watch for another 15 days it will die its on https://t.co/cYZdlmlOce at home, take it as an opportunity to get rid of some bad habits by doing yoga and exercise. Act according to Modi ji,s speech  pic.twitter.com/g7ZQxZzFd5  Dharmendra Deol (@aapkadharam) March 19, 2020

Celebrities such as Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Hrithik Roshan among others had previously applauded PM's statement on Janta Curfew.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 258 on Saturday after 35 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)
Mothers Day is here and what better way to show her you care than with a bottle of something fabulous?

Kick off the celebrations by bagging her a bubbly so brilliant shell order a dozen.

My motto is: let taste triumph over price tag.

Prosecco still has its fans, and while Im all for a glass of the fun stuff (and Ive got a belter from Aldi for 7.49), when I think of the amazing still white wine you can find for 7.99, such as Majestics Planalto 2018 from Portugal, Im tempted to suggest sticking that in a SodaStream to stretch your pennies even further.

Thankfully, Saumur in France is producing bubbly to rival the best and here in England the quality of our fizz is soaring.

And if you want to go booze-free, Ive found a peach of a bottle from Fortnums to make mum feel like a queen!
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 14:00:32|Editor: huaxia

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A team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 arrived in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, March 21. (Photo by Shi Zhongyu/Xinhua)

"This exceeds politics. We wish to show respect to people that managed to beat the biggest enemy of today's world, the COVID-19," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in welcoming Chinese medical experts.

BELGRADE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 arrived in the Serbian capital on Saturday evening to help with the Balkan state's battle against the virus.

The six-member expert team were greeted with warm applause of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar, Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin and other government officials at the Belgrade Airport.

The Chinese doctors, who specialize in such areas as infectious disease prevention (IDP), pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM), have also brought with them medical supplies urgently needed in Serbia, where 171 COVID-19 cases have been reported with one death.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic welcomes a team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 who arrived in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on March 21. (Photo by Shi Zhongyu/Xinhua)



With experience in containing the spread of coronavirus, the Chinese experts are expected to provide valuable advice to Serbia, which declared a state of emergency five days ago in an effort to curb the virus' spread and appealed to China for help.

The Chinese medical team came over with ventilators, medical masks, test kits and other medical supplies in the first batch of 16 tons of donations. The second batch are being loaded in China for another flight.

Vucic said in a welcome address that the Chinese experts' coming to help is of "immense importance for our country," and the medical aid is "life-saving."

"From now on, we will listen to everything they say. This exceeds politics. We wish to show respect to people that managed to beat the biggest enemy of today's world, the COVID-19," he said.

Medical supplies from China arrived in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, March 21. (Photo by Shi Zhongyu/Xinhua)

Vucic also thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese people for the friendship and support they extended to the Serbian people at this difficult time.

"We give them our immense gratitude, especially for sending their experts. They have proven as friends in the most difficult times when we fight for lives of Serbian people," said the Serbian president, adding "each of these ventilators means a saved human life here in Serbia."

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo said that the experts from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong came straight from the frontlines of China's battle against COVID-19.

"We are in the most difficult times, China, Serbia and the whole world. The COVID-19 virus represents an enemy to the whole mankind, and solidarity is most important at this moment," noted Chen, who also commended Serbia for its medical aid and support when China was hit hard by the virus.

"Together we are stronger. We will fight together with our Serbian friends until the final victory," said Chen. 
Delhi to ease restrictions, if Covid cases come down in next 2-3 days: Health Minister

Lata Mangeshkar health update: Doctor says,'She in ICU with Covid-19 and pneumonia, will be under observation'

Coronavirus toll in Iran touches 1,556

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Tehran, Mar 22: Iran said Saturday that 123 more people had died from coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 1,556 in the Islamic republic, one of the world's worst affected countries.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 966 more cases had been confirmed over the past 24 hours and 20,610 people were now known to have been infected in Iran.

A total of 7,635 people have recovered from the disease, he told a televised news conference.

Explained: Did Chinese police brutally thrashed coronavirus victims in a metro station?

The Islamic republic is among the three countries hardest hit by the virus with an official death toll behind only Italy and China.

The authorities have asked people to avoid all travel during the Persian New Year holidays, which usually sees almost all citizens take to the roads.

But the pleas have been ignored by many.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, around three million people have left the 13 most virus-affected provinces by road since March 17.

Jahanpour said there was "a minority who did not follow the guidelines", warning that provinces popular with tourists would not welcome visitors for the Nowruz holiday.

Some provinces have ordered hotels and other accommodation to close.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani pledged Friday that the country would triumph over the virus.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 7:54 [IST]
In cities across the United States, traffic on roads and highways has fallen dramatically over the past week as the coronavirus outbreak forces people to stay at home and everyday life grinds to a halt.

Pollution has dropped too.

A satellite that detects emissions in the atmosphere linked to cars and trucks shows huge declines in pollution over major metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Chicago and Atlanta.

More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 2020 March 1 to March 19 California California Pasadena Pasadena Los Angeles Los Angeles Pomona Pomona Malibu Malibu Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean Long Beach Long Beach Irvine Irvine 20 miles More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 California Pasadena Los Angeles Pomona Malibu Pacific Ocean Long Beach Irvine 20 miles 2020 March 1 to March 19 California Pasadena Los Angeles Pomona Malibu Pacific Ocean Long Beach Irvine More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 California Los Angeles Pacific Ocean 20 miles 2020 March 1 to March 19 California Los Angeles Pacific Ocean Source: Sentinel-5P satellite data processed by Descartes Labs

Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, as businesses and schools have closed this month and drivers have stayed off the roads, air pollution has declined and traffic jams have all but vanished.

Preliminary data from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5P satellite show that atmospheric levels of nitrogen dioxide, which are influenced in large part by car and truck emissions, were considerably lower over Los Angeles in the first two weeks of March compared to the same period last year. The car-dependent city normally features some of the highest smog levels in the country.

The 110 toward central Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, a time when traffic would normally be bumper-to-bumper. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Los Angeless famous rush-hour congestion has virtually disappeared. On Wednesday at 8 a.m., traffic in the city was moving 53 percent faster than it usually does on a Wednesday morning, according to data from INRIX, a company that analyzes traffic data from vehicle and phone navigation systems. At 5 p.m., when the freeways are typically congested, traffic was moving 71 percent faster than usual.

Theres basically no rush hour anymore, or at least not what we would recognize as a rush hour, said Trevor Reed, a transportation analyst at INRIX. He said that traffic has decreased even more sharply in the evening because thats when people are normally running errands in addition to commuting home, but many of those activities have now been put on hold.

Traffic speeds along Interstate 110 in Los Angeles were much faster than usual Normal Wednesdays, Jan. to Feb. 2020 Wednesday, March 18, 2020 60 m.p.h. Range 40 Usually, speeds dip during morning rush hour   and again in the evening. 20 12 a.m. 4a.m. 8 a.m. 12p.m. 4p.m. 8 p.m. 12 a.m. Traffic speeds along Interstate 110 in Los Angeles were much faster than usual Normal Wednesdays, Jan. to Feb. 2020 Wednesday, March 18, 2020 60 m.p.h. Range 40 Usually, speeds dip during morning rush hour   and again in the evening. 20 12 a.m. 4 a.m. 8 a.m. 12 p.m. 4 p.m. 8 p.m. Speeds for north/east-bound traffic along I-110. Source: INRIX

Similar changes can be seen in the Bay Area, where local officials on Monday ordered the regions 6.7 million residents to shelter in place. Since then, the number of cars and trucks crossing eastbound on the Bay Bridge each day between San Francisco and Oakland has fallen roughly 40 percent compared with two weeks ago, according to data from monitoring stations operated by the California Department of Transportation.

While thats a sign that people are heeding the advice of public health experts, its yet another warning that the nations economy is facing serious peril. Traffic and congestion, while often a source of annoyance, are also a telltale sign of bustling economic activity. On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California extended the shelter in place order to cover the entire state.

The satellite emissions data was analyzed for The New York Times by Descartes Labs, a geospatial analysis group. Nitrogen dioxide levels can also fluctuate with weather conditions, and experts said quantifying the precise effects of the shutdown on such pollution will take further study.

More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 2020 March 1 to March 19 Redmond Redmond Seattle Seattle Kitsap Peninsula Kitsap Peninsula Tacoma Tacoma Washington Washington 10 miles More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 Redmond Seattle Kitsap Peninsula Tacoma Washington 10 miles 2020 March 1 to March 19 Redmond Seattle Kitsap Peninsula Tacoma Washington Source: Sentinel-5P satellite data processed by Descartes Labs

Seattle

Air pollution from vehicles has likewise plummeted in the Seattle area, which had one of the earliest recognized coronavirus outbreaks in the country. Traffic patterns there changed drastically before most other cities.

In early March, local officials recommended that residents over 60 years old stay in their homes and that workers telecommute if possible. Shortly after, Microsoft and Amazon, two of the regions largest employers, told their workers to stay home.

The impact was immediate: By March 8, the number of trips into downtown Seattle during morning rush hour had declined nearly 40 percent, according to a recent report by INRIX.

But its not just commuting patterns that have shifted in Seattle. Traffic on Saturdays has also declined, suggesting that people are making fewer social and recreational trips. The data also shows that visits to grocery stores and bulk retailers like Costco soared early in the month, as residents stocked up on supplies, but have since fallen off. We saw an upsurge in panic buying in the first part of the month but that seems to be over now that people are stocked up, Mr. Reed said.

These trends, INRIX noted in its report, represented a radical departure from normal driving patterns and offered a preview of what is to come for hundreds of cities across America if the Covid-19 outbreak continues.

More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 2020 March 1 to March 19 Long Island Sound Long Island Sound Bronx The Bronx New Jersey New Jersey Manhattan Manhattan New York New York New York New York Newark Newark Queens Queens Brooklyn Brooklyn Staten Island Staten Island Altantic Ocean Altantic Ocean 10 miles More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 Long Island Sound Bronx New Jersey Manhattan New York New York Newark Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Altantic Ocean 10 miles 2020 March 1 to March 19 Long Island Sound Bronx New Jersey Manhattan New York New York Newark Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Altantic Ocean More NO 2 emissions 2019 March 1 to March 19 New Jersey New York New York 10 miles Altantic Ocean 2020 March 1 to March 19 New Jersey New York New York Altantic Ocean Source: Sentinel-5P satellite data processed by Descartes Labs

New York

In New York City, residents are less dependent on car travel than in other metro areas, but vehicle traffic has still seen a steep drop-off in recent days as office buildings, schools and restaurants have shut down. On Wednesday afternoon, rush-hour traffic moved 36 percent faster than normal as the roads cleared out, according to data from INRIX.

Separately, researchers at Columbia University have seen emissions of carbon monoxide over New York City decline more than 50 percent below typical levels over the past week  a change linked to the drop in car traffic across the city.

Weve never seen anything like the drop we saw starting last Friday, said Roisin Commane, an assistant professor at Columbia who conducts the air-monitoring work, referring to March 13. We often see dips during weekends or over holidays, but this is completely different.

Scientists caution that while the decline in air pollution over U.S. cities could have some near-term health benefits, those are likely to be relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. For one, air pollution is expected to rebound once the coronavirus outbreak subsides and people are allowed to leave their homes, and studies have found that long-term exposure to air pollution tends to have a larger impact on public health.

And any short-term benefits could easily be swamped by the broader impacts from the virus itself, from the risks created by an overloaded health care system and from the negative effects of a large recession and rising unemployment. This really shouldnt be seen as a silver lining, said Jill Baumgartner, an associate professor and epidemiologist at McGill University. Its not a sustainable way to reduce air pollution, and the long-term economic and well-being impacts of this crisis are going to be devastating for many people.
Mangaluru diocese bishop sends letter to parish priests to arrange to peal bells at 5 pm on Sunday

Mangaluru: While the country will be clapping at around 5 pm on Sunday, the churches and chapels in Mangaluru will be ringing bells at the same time as gratitude to the coronavirus warriors.



Mangaluru diocese bishop Rev Peter Paul Saldanha, in a message to all the parish priests, requested to arrange the pealing of the bells in their respective churches and chapels at 5 pm on Sunday.

"In our Catholic tradition, church bells are rung to invite people to divine services and also to announce any good or sad news. While it is possible at the individual level to applaud by clapping hands, at an institutional level, we can express it by ringing the bells. I invite all the parish priests to arrange the pealing of the bells in their respective churches and chapels at 5 pm on Sunday, he said.

This will be a humble expression of our gratitude and great appreciation of these brave men and women who render their noble and selfless service in these moments of crisis. Of course, we do also appreciate and commend the dedicated services of all the government staff," he further stated.

Extending his supports to the PM's Janata Curfew, the bishop wrote, "The coronavirus crisis has brought a lot of sorrow, fear, and anxiety among the people of the whole world. Our prime minister, Mr Narendra Modi has given a call to observe Janata Curfew on March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm. This implies that we stay indoors during that time."

"Keeping that in mind, I request that we cancel not only our public liturgical services, as it has been already instructed, but also all private services including the visits to the churches and Blessed Sacrament chapels," the Bishop stated in the letter to all the parish priests.
Rev. Georgiette Morgan-Thomas heads on the platform at Penn Station in New York to board the Amtrak #89 train which leaves at 5:51 a.m. May 3, 2019. As less people travel due to the coronavirus, Amtrak has "taken aggressive measures to cut costs to minimize employee and service impacts." Read more

In need of about $1 billion in supplemental funding to battle an unprecedented drop in ridership, Amtrak has now taken aggressive" steps to cut the pay of top staff and other measures, the company confirmed Saturday.

Daily ridership is down 90% systemwide while future bookings are down 85% year-over-year, according to Amtrak.

Amtrak and our state partners estimate we need approximately $1billion in supplemental funding through the remainder of the year to make up for the unprecedented loss of ridership and revenue and to minimize employee and service impacts, an Amtrak spokesperson said in a statement.

The companys management employees now face temporary salary reductions  including a 100% reduction for its CEO  effective until at least Sept. 30, or the end of its fiscal year, according to an internal memo from Stephen Gardner, senior executive vice president and chief operating and commercial officer.

The pay cuts take effect for the first pay period in April, reflected in the employees April 17th paychecks. Incoming CEO William Flynn will succeed Richard Anderson on April 15.

Amtrak is on pace to lose $1 billion in revenue this year due to the coronavirus, Gardner wrote in the message.

Amtrak is also suspending its 401(k) matching contribution for management employees through the end of the calendar year. The measures have been taken to protect the companys future and to avoid involuntary furloughs, Gardner wrote.

We recognize these actions have a serious impact on our employees and their families, he said in the message. But we are taking this action to help protect everyone. We appreciate your support as we work our way through this crisis together.

Amtrak confirmed that it has taken aggressive measures."

In addition to a suspension of the 401K match, reduction to management pay, and its incoming CEOs deferring his salary, Amtrak is ending all non-safety-critical hiring; cutting discretionary travel, professional fees, and advertising spending; and deferring non-priority capital expenses," according to the companys statement.

Amtrak has made service changes due to significantly reduced demand in key markets, according to its website. Its Northeast Corridor service is running about 40% of normal weekday schedules, including Northeast Regional and Acela services. Keystone Service, running between Harrisburg and New York, as well as its Pennsylvanian trains between New York and Pittsburgh have been cancelled.

Social distancing measures taken by state and local officials, including Gov. Wolfs mandatory shutdown order for all businesses that arent life-sustaining, have kept people indoors and away from any transportation service.

Airlines are turning toward the federal government seeking a steep bailout, while plummeting ridership and service reductions for public transportation are likely to be a lasting pain point for agencies across the country. NJ Transit and New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority are seeking bailout funds.

In a letter Friday, Pennsylvania lawmakers turned to top congressional leaders for help, noting the financial impact of the outbreak on SEPTAs operations will be devastating."

SEPTA is taking its own difficult short-term measures including a cut to executive pay, eliminating overtime, and a hiring freeze, while it also considers further service reductions.

Together, we will get through this," General Manager Leslie Richards told employees in a letter sent Friday. "Please stay safe and know that your health and well-being and that of our customers is always my priority.

Staff writer Juliana Reyes contributed reporting.
The stock market is plummeting, sickness and anxiety seem inescapable and yet Avery McCoy is living her best life.

The Cranford third-grader started school at home this week because of the coronavirus pandemic. She doesnt have to wake up at 7:15 a.m. on the dot anymore. She doesnt have to change out of her pajamas. And she doesnt even have to put on shoes, which is kind of a big deal when youre 8 years old.

The cherry on top? Avery and her older sister, Alex, can go to the bathroom whenever they want. No permission necessary.

I was so happy, said Avery, perfectly content with her mix of worksheets and online tasks. In class, I have to stay in my classroom for a while. At home, I can do homework outside, in my room, anywhere.

Like Avery, 1.4 million New Jersey students are staying home for the foreseeable future after Gov. Phil Murphy last week ordered a statewide shutdown of schools in response to the COVID-19 virus. Classes are continuing remotely with online learning or pencil and paper assignments. And despite one adorably glowing endorsement, the overall reviews from students are decidedly mixed.

NJ Advance Media spoke with seven students, ages 8-17, this week as the state began its foray into an unprecedented educational experiment.

Some students are thrilled. Some are annoyed. Some just want to finish talking about it so they can do something fun.

I mean, its not terrible, said Mya Corby, a junior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. But I would rather be in school, actually having the teachers there in person to help me rather than emailing back and forth.

Sure, remote learning comes with plenty of perks, students said. Theyre sleeping more, stressing less and getting school work done on their own time. Some students even said they havent lost anything by not seeing teachers, whose feelings are apparently out of sight and out of mind.

But the kids have complaints too. Its not easy being responsible for getting everything done on your own, they said. They miss their friends. The computer programs are sometimes slow. And with all due respect, some teachers appear to have gone too heavy on busy work," students said.

A lot of work has been Read this article, watch this video and then take this quiz,' said Raisa Rubin-Stankiewicz, a senior at Princeton High School. There are a lot of limitations, so its understandable.

For Rubin-Stankiewicz, a few days of virtual school is like a nice little break, she said. But shes also aware the statewide school closure could stretch for more than a month. She doesnt think home instruction provides the same education she would get in the classroom, and too long away could make her feel something no self-respecting teenager wants to admit.

I might find myself missing school, " Rubin-Stankiewicz said, as blasphemous as that sounds."

I dont think its going to work

Summer Miller has been here before.

The junior at Pinelands Regional High School in Little Egg Harbor was home-schooled until seventh grade. So when she started remote learning on Monday, she gravitated to her old seat at the kitchen table, laptop in hand.

Miller has started sleeping in, waking up between 9 and 10 a.m. instead of 6:30. But that doesnt matter as long as she gets all of her work done, she said.

Her teachers require students to answer a question of the day  such as Whats your favorite color?  to prove theyve actually logged on to Google Classroom. Aside from that, its up to students to manage their deadlines.

Some assignments can be knocked out in 10 minutes. But others seem to take longer than a typical class would, Miller said.

A normal 45 minutes in that class would be (teachers) talking, setting up, then starting it, Miller said. Now its just 45 minutes of straight work, so its a lot more than actual school... and it is kind of difficult because you are teaching yourself.

Millers math teacher wants the work done by 3 p.m. every day, the strictest of Millers deadlines, she said. A lot of other assignments have to be done within two or three days, which is just fine with her.

I will do the work, and I would think I would get something out of it, Miller said.

Shes not sure other students are taking virtual school seriously, though.

One teacher already sent a note reminding students their work is timestamped and he could see how long it took them to complete it. Miller took that as an indication kids were cheating, flying through the assignment with answers supplied by someone else.

If thats already happening, school from home wont be sustainable, Miller said.

I dont think its going to work, she said. "I feel like the kids are just going to slack off. I think some kids need a teacher saying, Do your work. Do you work. Do your work.

Helping me learn better

Jake Tadros wants you to know something.

Hes doesnt need a teacher in the room.

Tadros, a sophomore at Cranford High School, said virtual school is going great and he doesnt see any drawbacks. Like everyone else, hes sleeping in, which makes all the difference, he said.

Rather than feeling like a zombie for the first few periods and fighting tiredness all day, Tadros feels fresh sitting at his desk near the familys kitchen. Hes focused and easily retaining information, he said.

Tadros also likes having a huge time window to get his work done and feels comfortable knowing his teachers are online and available if he has any questions, he said.

I feel like this is a really sustainable way to learn, and its also helping me learn better," Tadros said. I dont see a problem with it.

But his mother would like a word.

Cady Tadros, who usually works as a flight attendant, is now home every day with Jake and his younger brother, Luke. Theres a reason her boys are getting their work done, she said.

Its mom.

I am now a principal. I am a school teacher. I am a school nurse. I am a secretary, Cady Tadros said. Its a 180 degree turn.

Where son sees plenty of time to get his work done, mother sees procrastination.

They may say All is good, but I am the one doing all the nagging, keeping checks," she said. I really do not like being the helicopter mom.

Pretty chill

Luke Tadros, 11, doesnt have too much to say.

Hes a sixth-grade boy, and he doesnt really care where school is. Classroom. Living room. Whatever, dude.

I was pretty chill, he said of his reaction to Cranfords Hillside Avenue School closing.

Now, he spends a couple hours each day sitting at a desk across the room from his brother  a laptop, math worksheet and black-and-red binder spread in front of him.

The younger Tadros has access to everything he needs, and teachers are online to answers any questions, he said.

How quickly do they respond?

I have never asked a question, he said Thursday. So I wouldnt know.

No unnecessary stuff

The McCoy sisters dont have any complaints.

Avery is just happy to be spending more time with her family. And Alex, 12, is sleeping about three hours later than normal before opening her laptop from the comfort of her bed.

They do some work, then take a break. Going outside for a couple hours or riding their bikes help keep their brains focused.

Alex, a seventh grader, said she does about two or three hours of school work each day and knows when her teachers have online office hours if she needs to reach them.

Shes not nearly as stressed as she is during the normal school day at Hillside Avenue School.

Remote learning is working out quite well for the McCoy sisters.

I feel like in real, live school there is a lot of unnecessary stuff, like extra classwork and homework, Alex said. With this, its like youve gotta do what you have to get done to learn it and turn it in. Its a lot easier.

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Hedinn Halldorrson, a spokesman for the World Health Organizations cross-border efforts in southern Turkey, said Wednesday that the WHO expects test kits to arrive in Idlib next week. He said he did not know how many kits would be sent or exactly when they would arrive. Samples can be sent to labs in Turkey in the meantime, he said.
The state of alarm that began last weekend to curb the spread of coronavirus in Spain is to go on at least until the middle of April.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the presidents of Spain's regions during a videoconference on Sunday morning that he intended to ask Congreso to approve an extension of the lockdown for two more weeks.

The current two-week period of the state of alarm was decreed last Saturday, 14 March, when the freedom of movement of the general public in Spain was first restricted.

According to the law governing the declaration of states of emergency in Spain, the government can only enforce a period of 15 days. After that time any extension and its conditions must be approved by MPs in the Congreso.

The current decree bans people in Spain from leaving their homes with an approved specific reason: to buy food, medication and to go to work, among others.
harvey weinstein

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Niagara Gazette reported on Sunday, citing "officials connected to the state prison system" in New York.

The outlet reported that Weinstein was in isolation at the Wende Correctional Facility in western New York.

A Weinstein representative told The Daily Beast, however, that the former producer's team was unaware of any such diagnosis.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Niagara Gazette reported on Sunday, citing "officials connected to the state prison system" in New York.

The outlet reported that Weinstein was in isolation at the Wende Correctional Facility in western New York.

Officials told the local newspaper that Weinstein was one of two inmates at the maximum-security prison who had tested positive for the virus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19.

Deadline reported that a New York law-enforcement official confirmed Weinstein had tested positive.

Business Insider has not been able to independently confirm the reporting. And Juda Engelmayer, a Weinstein spokesman, told The Daily Beast on Sunday that "our team ... has not heard anything like that yet."

The World Health Organization designated the coronavirus a pandemic on March 11. The disease has infected more than 329,000 people around the world, with 14,380 deaths.

The US has the third-most confirmed cases of any country, behind China and Italy. As of Sunday, there were 32,640 confirmed cases in the country and 404 deaths. New York has nearly half the positive cases, followed by Washington and California.

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison on March 11, two weeks after a jury convicted him of sexual assault and rape.

Weinstein was found guilty of one count of first-degree criminal sexual act against a production assistant, Mimi Haleyi, in 2006 and one count of third-degree rape against the hairstylist Jessica Mann in 2013.

Story continues

Prosecutors had asked Judge James Burke to deliver the maximum sentence of 29 years: 25 for the sexual-assault conviction and four for the rape conviction. Ultimately, Burke sentenced him to 20 years for the former and three for the latter. The sentences will run consecutively.

Both Haleyi and Mann gave victim-impact statements in court, urging Burke to give Weinstein the harshest possible sentence.

"I have found my voice and hope for a future where monsters no longer hide in our closet," Mann said.

Weinstein gave a statement in court for the first time at his sentencing, speaking for roughly 10 minutes and lamenting at one point that "thousands of men are losing due process."

He also said he was "confused" by the ordeal and believed that he had a good friendship with Haleyi and Mann.

"I'm not going to say these aren't great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I'm just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue," Weinstein said, according to the Associated Press.

Despite the sentencing in New York, Weinstein's legal troubles aren't over.

Beyond a potentially lengthy appeals process, he also faces more sex-crimes charges in Los Angeles, where prosecutors have charged him with rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint.

Following Weinstein's conviction, his lawyers, arguing against a lengthy sentence, suggested the 68-year-old would most likely die in prison if sentenced to more than five years, calling it "a de facto life sentence."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Food Bank provides nutritional support and life essentials

MISSISSANGA, ONTARIO, March 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In cities across the globe citizens are being asked to work from home or social distance themselves while health organizations prepare testing sites, hospital units and clinics. In response UNITED SIKHS, a global humanitarian non-profit organization has opened Emergency Food Banks in Canada to assist with the overwhelming demand for food, supplies and hygiene products to help those in need.

Recently, UNITED SIKHS has appealed to the public to avoid, panic buying of supplies. In response, the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Service stated that the food supply in Canada will remain unaffected by the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition, a warning was sent out to business owners who are allegedly taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis by overpricing goods. However, the demand for supplies is still a daily concern for homebound elderly population and families with children who are no longer able to receive daily school lunches

When the general public is asked to stock their shelves for an undetermined amount of time, they overlook a great number of families who cannot afford to do so, reports UNITED SIKHS Operations Manager, Canadian Chapter, Harpreet Singh. For those families, UNITED SIKHS is dedicated to making sure they receive the supplies they need.

UNITED SIKHS urges those who need Emergency Food Bank supplies to fill out a form here, or by contacting UNITED SIKHS directly (905) 672-2245 for assistance. Populations urged to call for this support are at- home elderly persons with pre-existing conditions, and low-income households with children.

The UNITED SIKHS EMERGENCY FOOD BANK free supplies include:

Canned goods

Hot meals

Dry goods

Medicines, (Over-the -counter meds)

UNITED SIKHS Chief Executive Officer Jagdeep Singh, urged Our seniors, children and vulnerable groups with pre-existing medical conditions are suffering the most due to this pandemic. Those who are financially able should consider donating to UNITED SIKHS today so this free Emergency Food Bank of life essentials can be expanded to everyone who needs it.

Story continues

In step with the UNITED SIKHS mission, humanitarian action is needed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and after disasters caused by natural hazards. The UNITED SIKHS goal is to always prevent and strengthen preparedness for emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reach of UNITED SIKHS is global and invites those living anywhere in the world to contact UNITED SIKHS via email at: contact@unitedsikhs.org, to activate a Sikh Aide support team in their community. Our teams run year-round to help eradicate poverty and work towards creating a healthier and happier world. For more information on UNITED SIHKS, visit: www.UNITEDSIKHS.org.

COVID-19 Sikh Guideline Materials will be distributed at more than 450 gurdwara institutions nationally.

Click here for COVID-19 resource materials in English and Panjabi.

About UNITED SIKHS: UNITED SIKHS is a U.N. affiliated, international non-profit, non-governmental, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organization, aimed at empowering those in need, especially disadvantaged and minority communities across the world. UNITED SIKHS is registered: as a non-profit tax exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in the USA; as a Registered Charity in England and Wales under the Charities Act 1993, Charity Number 111 2055; registered in Australia as a not for profit NGO (ABN 24 317 847 103); and is a registered NGO in Belgium; as a non-profit organization in Canada; under the Societies Registration Act 1860 in Panjab and as a tax exempt organisation under section 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961; under the French Association Law 1901; under the Societies Registration Act 1860 in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan; as a registered society under the Registrar of Societies in Malaysia (registered as UNITED SIKHS Malaysia Humanitarian Aid Organisation- Regn No: PPM-015-14-06042015); and an NGO pending registration in the Rep of Ireland.:

Sandy Levy

UNITED SIKHS

210-439-5951

Sandra.Levy@unitedsikhs.org


INDIANAPOLIS, March 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) will offer drive-through testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to Indianapolis area health care workers beginning Monday, March 23, as a service to the community and in an effort to protect health care providers working on the front lines during this epidemic.

Lilly announced last week that the company is working with the Indiana State Department of Health to offer testing of COVID-19 samples acquired at local hospitals, using a specialized facility at Lilly Research Laboratories. Now Lilly is expanding the service to the community by offering drive through-testing at Lilly's Indianapolis headquarters. At this time, only active health care workers are eligible, and they must have a physician's order requesting testing for COVID-19. There will be no charge for this service.

"Lilly is committed to doing what we can to help fight COVID-19 in our community. By offering testing to our active health care workers, we hope to protect both them and the patients they serve," said Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., Lilly's Chief Scientific Officer and President of Lilly Research Labs.

The group eligible for testing includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health care professionals. More information on requirements for testing and registration instructions are available at https://www.info.lillycovid19testing.com/

COVID-19 drive-through testing at Lilly is not available to the general public. Many health care workers are currently unable to receive testing through existing diagnostic facilities, and Lilly is initially focused on addressing this unmet need.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly is a global health care leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at lilly.com and lilly.com/newsroom. C-LLY

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding Lilly's efforts in regard to the novel coronavirus. These statements are based on management's current expectations, but actual results may differ materially. Other risk factors that may affect the company's results can be found in the company's latest Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

Refer to: Scott MacGregor; [email protected]; 317-440-4699 (Lilly)

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company

Related Links

http://www.lilly.com


Seoul, March 22 : South Korean giant Samsung has started rolling out a new update for its flagship Galaxy S20, which apparently focuses on camera and autofocus qualms.

The update is rolling out in international regions at the moment and to Exynos variants of the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, reports SamMobile.

The biggest change within this Galaxy S20 update is a new version of Samsung's Camera app "10.0.01.98" which apparently addresses autofocus issues and one can download the update from Settings > Software Update > Download and install.

Earlier, Galaxy S20 Ultra reviews found issues with autofocus, specifically the device had a lot of trouble locking in on its subject.

Samsung is in the process to fix the autofocus issue in S20 Ultra.

The company last month released a pre-launch software update that cites camera improvements.
Streets, roads and public places in Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh wore a deserted look on Sunday as the 'Janata curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to counter the spread of coronavirus began.

The 14-hour-long 'Janata curfew' is part of a social distancing exercise to help stop the spread of the virus. It began at 7 am and will end at 9 pm.

Showing solidarity with the prime minister's appeal, people chose to stay indoors in Union Territory Chandigarh and streets, roads and public places remained empty.

People in Punjab and Haryana also preferred to stay inside, barring a few who ventured out to purchase essentials like medicines.

"We have to help the government combat the pandemic which has gripped the world. We as citizens too have equal responsibility to ensure that there is no spread of coronavirus in the community," said Baldev, an elderly resident in Chandigarh.

Notably, with the number of coronavirus patients reaching 14 in the state, the Punjab government on Saturday night announced lockdowns in several districts, including Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.

"Establishments in districts of Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur have been closed while a partial lockdown has been ordered in Jalandhar with effect from 7 am on March 22 (Sunday) up to midnight of March 25," a government statement said here earlier.

Similarly, it has also been advised to keep establishments in Kapurthala district closed from Monday as a precautionary measure, it further said.

Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh had said the 'Janata curfew' would be implemented without coercion but with persuasion and no criminal action on any defiance would be initiated.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said during the 'Janata Curfew', essential commodities, including grocery shops, petrol pumps and chemist shops, would remain operational.

Eight positive cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Haryana.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 00:04:24|Editor: huaxia

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by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- As Turkey has adopted strict measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, millions of Syrians living in the country are still facing the risk from the outbreak of the coronavirus as they are one of the most vulnerable groups.

There are nearly four million refugees living in Turkey which hosts the world's largest refugee community. Besides 3.6 million Syrians, tens of thousands of Iraqi, Afghan and Iranian asylum seekers are scattered across the country.

In recent weeks, following Turkey's decision to open its borders to migrants traveling to Europe, thousands of asylum seekers rushed to the land border with Greece, where some of them are still camping in squalid conditions, exposed to the risk of the deadly virus.

Experts stressed that the drastic measures taken by Turkey where 947 cases have already been reported should be applied to everyone, but the refugee group has limited access to health service, causing a potential risk for the entire nation.

"Refugees are vulnerable and how can they boost their immunity to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus when most of them still can't afford enough food or other basic needs?" Didem Isci, expert of migration at the Ankara-based Bosphorus Migration Studies, told Xinhua.

The expert stressed that while the Turkish government "has until now done its utmost to accommodate millions of refugees," there is a lack of information regarding their situation facing the outbreak of COVID-19.

"As far as I can see, there has been no statement whether they still can apply to hospitals which are crowded because of the virus," Isci said.

"I can only imagine that in these extraordinary times when Turkish citizens are facing many kinds of trouble, they (refugees) are even facing more," the expert added, pointing out to the "language barrier" of Syrians who speak Arabic.

Turkey is in a state of partial lockdown with all public places, schools, restaurants, bars, cafes and borders with many states are closed. Citizens are advised to stay at home for at least two weeks while the number of confirmed cases is expected to increase.

If Syrian refugees show symptoms, they have to call the Health Ministry's hotline and ask for an Arabic translator. The ministry published last week a guide in Arabic, explaining the virus and how it is spread.

Despite these drastic measures, Syrians are continuing to work in businesses across Turkey as the government has not decided a ban on all private enterprises, advising them to take the necessary precautions.

"I am still working and my boss has distributed masks and gloves to the employees ... and explained how the virus can be transmitted, telling us to be careful," Mohammad Souri, a 24-year-old Syrian from Aleppo of Syria, to Xinhua.

The young man works in a small furniture workshop in capital Ankara's suburbs with other refugees and a Turkish workforce.

"We have been told that if the government decides to close all businesses, we will abide by it, but we don't know yet if we would get paid during the break, which would be a problem because my family depends on me," he said.

He added that the dispensary in his neighborhood where many Syrians live is treating Syrians as before with additional sanitary precautions and without notable problems for now.

Isci warned that undocumented refugees and asylum seekers who have no identification cards could eventually be denied tests and even treatment. This is a factor that would eventually threaten everyone.

"There should be no restrictions in such a crisis on tests and treatment. I am convinced that authorities, who have until now managed the refugee crisis well despite all odds, are well aware that fighting against the coronavirus is a collective action," she said.

"Everyone should respect confinement measures and personal hygiene and we are all together in this struggle," a Turkish health official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, declining to answer if any Syrians have been tested.

Besides the refugees living in Turkey for several years, Turkey is also left to deal with nearly 1 million displaced Syrians amassed near its southern border, who fled clashes in the Idlib province, Syria's last rebel-held stronghold that the Syrian government forces are trying to recapture since last December.

The United Nations said that nearly 1 million internally displaced people in Syria are seeking shelter along the closed border with Turkey in packed and muddy camps that lack basic facilities, such as toilets and showers.

Syrian officials said that there is no coronavirus case in the country so far.
Private schools will be offering parents a partial refund, a sector chief has said.

Neil Roskilly, chief executive of the Independent Schools Association, said schools were considering returning a portion of fees for the summer term.

He added: I think schools, if they can afford it, will also freeze fees for next year because they know things are tough for parents.

Private schools will be offering parents a partial refund, a sector chief has said (stock image)

I suspect a good deal of schools would be thinking along those lines.

But Mr Roskilly said that many parents are not withholding fees as they understand that schools are trying their best to maintain a continuity of education using technology.

And Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, urged parents to not withdraw fees as private schools will face the risk of closure if they lose money.

He told The Sunday Telegraph that independent schools are small businesses and are in the same boat as everyone else, adding: Schools that can provide activities on a regular basis will have to staff them and those staff will need to be paid.

In the end, a bit will depend on the ability of schools being able to demonstrate that they are doing the best that they can.

A bit will depend on the patience and generosity of parents, but schools intend to keep going as far as they reasonably can.

Mr Lenon also voiced fears that the temporary system of awarding GCSE and A Level marks could adversely impact pupils whose children mark down in practise exams.

Many parents are not withholding fees as they understand that schools are trying their best to maintain a continuity of education using technology (stock image)

He said: As far as the year 11 and year 13 are concerned, with public exams cancelled, a lot depends on whether the schools feel they need to collect evidence of academic progress from those students over the next two months particularly.

The details have not yet been announced by Ofqual, but we can be sure that statements like you can use mock exam results are bound to be inadequate because some mock exams happened months ago and some teachers quite deliberately mark down for mocks.

Many people may have made good progress since the mocks so it could be felt that schools will want to carry on setting a marking work and delivering online lessons for the next two or three months, in which case the teachers will need to be employed, the teachers will need to be paid, and thats a justification for a fee.
An eight-year-old boy is fighting for his life in hospital after he was seriously injured in a dog attack.

The child is believed to have been set upon by two Rottweilers in the horrific attack at around 4pm in the Blessington Road area of south Dublin.

The little boy was rushed to Tallaght Hospital with serious injuries before he was later transferred to Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) hospital at Crumlin.

The dog warden was notified about the incident and the dogs, believed to be family pets, have been confiscated.

A full investigation into the horrific incident is underway, led by gardai at Tallaght Garda Station.

The Irish Independent understands the dog attack took place in Corbally, Dublin 24.

Local representatives had no information on the dog attack when contacted tonight and it is believed the investigation is at a very early stage.

A garda spokesperson said last night: At approximately 4pm, a male child (8) was seriously injured following a reported attack by a number of dogs at a house in the Tallaght area.

The child was taken to Tallaght Hospital with serious injuries and has since been removed to Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, they added.
Gov. Phil Murphy kicked off his daily coronavirus briefing with a stern message to the residents of New Jersey: the state wont tolerate racism as it battles a pandemic.

The governor, without providing any details of specific incidents, decried any racist attacks against members of New Jerseys Asian population, saying diversity is the core strength of the state.

We are hearing from our Asian American communities, Murphy said in referring to the issue during a telephone news conference.

This repugnant and repulsive behavior is wrong. We are one New Jersey family. Everyone is fighting the same fight," he said. "We are going to get through this together.

While the governor refused to provide details on any incidents after he was asked by reporters, his statement came a week after a 65-year-old man was charged with bias intimidation, among other charges, after he used a racial slur" to blame another man in line for the virus.

Bias incidents also prompted the states attorney general, Gurbir Grewal, to release guidelines on the issue, stressing that COVID-19 is no excuse for racism, xenophobia, or hate," he said.

And if you have east-Asian heritage and a coworker repeatedly harasses you by claiming that Asian people caused COVID-19 or calling this the Chinese virus, your employer must take reasonable action to stop the harassment if they knew or should have known about it, according to the guidance.

Also on Sunday, Murphy said the outbreak in New Jersey continues to rapidly escalate with 1,914 total known cases and 20 known deaths in the state as health officials announced Sunday another 590 positive tests on the first full day of the latest restrictions on travel and retail businesses.

He also said Sunday he was really damned unhappy to hear stories about New Jersey residents not abiding by his stay-at-home order to combat the coronavirus outbreak and warned people should expect a law enforcement crackdown.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Delhi to ease restrictions, if Covid cases come down in next 2-3 days: Health Minister

Lata Mangeshkar health update: Doctor says,'She in ICU with Covid-19 and pneumonia, will be under observation'

India unites for balcony clap, thanking COVID-19 fighters

India

oi-Mousumi Dash

New Delhi, Mar 22: India on Sunday united responding to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to show gratitude to health workers, doctors who are working round the clock in the coronavirus fight, people across the country came out clapping and beating utensils, blowing conche, and ringing bells at the balconies.

Reportedly, people isolated themselves in their homes for days because of the shutdown over the pandemic disease which has killed seven people in the country so far, appeared in their balconies and porches minutes before 5 pm on Sunday, and tried to boost the morale of health personnel by drumming utensils and gongs.

The sound of conches, bell, utensils, and claps rang in the air for minutes in several parts of the country.

In some places people sang bhajans (religious songs) and shouted patriotic slogans to boost the morale of health workers.

Politicians, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Telangana CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, also took part in the activity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi later thanked the people of the country.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 20:01 [IST]
Currently, there are more than 500 American diplomats and other civilian government staffers working under the embassys authority in Afghanistan, as well as up to a few thousand contactors and foreign employees. (State Department officials would not disclose a more precise number of employees at the embassy in Kabul.)

But staffing cuts are coming: A recent State Department review recommended reducing the number of contractors at the embassy. Many of them were pulled back to Kabul with the closing of consulates in Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif, and at least two other diplomatic outposts around Afghanistan, as the United States military began to withdraw.

It was not clear how many positions were being cut, although the senior State Department official said a vast majority were security and other support contractors.

Staffing levels at the embassy in Kabul have vastly fluctuated over the years. In 2012, during what was known as the civilian surge, more than 1,330 American officials were working for the embassy, according to the office of the State Departments inspector general. That was up from 340 Americans in 2008, the auditors reported.

The American Embassy in Kabul has for years relied on the U.S. military for everything from transportation to food services. And if history is an indicator, the embassys fate will largely depend on how troops are pulled back.

Ten years ago, the American Embassy in Baghdad was responsible for leading the American effort in Iraq as the war began to wind down. Under American protocol, an ambassador outranks a military commander in a foreign country. But the Pentagon had pumped billions of dollars into Iraq and secured a relative, if tenuous, stability by subduing Sunni Muslim insurgents and Shiite death squads that had each terrorized the country.

There was quite a tradition of the military running this, said Mr. Hill, the United States ambassador in Baghdad at the time. It proved kind of difficult to move the center of gravity over to the embassy.
PORTLAND, Ore -- The Oregon Health Authority says a fifth person has died from the Coronavirus in Oregon.

The victim is a man in his 90's and also a veteran. He lived in Linn County. OHA says he tested positive for the virus on March 11th. He died Sunday morning at the Oregon Veterans Home. He did have underlying medical conditions.

Our hearts are heavy, said ODVA Director Kelly Fitzpatrick. This resident was a veteran who served our nation with honor and dignity in its hour of need. He was also a beloved member of our Lebanon community, and he will be deeply and truly missed. On behalf of everyone at the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs and the Oregon Veterans Home, we offer our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. We grieve with them.

The Oregon Health Authority says 24 news cases of Coronavirus are also in Oregon. Here's a breakdown of the new cases by county:

Benton: two new cases

Clackamas: one new case

Lane: one new case

Marion: three new cases

Multnomah: one new case

Washington: 13 new cases

Yamhill: two new cases

The Oregon Health Authority says four million dollars in state funding is going to Local Public Health Authorities (LPHA), Tribes and Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA- the Urban Indian Health Program in Oregon).

We believe that those funds will have a significant positive impact on our states capacity to perform COVID-19 response functions at the local level, said OHA Director Patrick Allen. Their staff are truly on the front lines of the essential epidemiological work that can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases in communities. But we know that more resources will be needed across all aspects of the response.
Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup announced on Sunday that Oswego County has its first two confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Additional information will be provided to the public via a video conference at 5 p.m.

The Oswego County Health Department reported that it has tested 104 individuals. There are 54 tests still pending.

The Cayuga County Health Department reported two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. The positive tests were two women, one in her 20s and another in her 30s. One was in direct contact with another individual who tested positive, while the other was not. The first confirmed case in Cayuga County came on Wednesday.

Cayuga County Public Health Director Kathleen Cuddy said that 74 individuals in Cayuga County have been tested after meeting the criteria for testing. The county is still waiting for the results of 45 tests.

Madison County has had three confirmed cases, according to the Oneida Dispatch. All three are in stable condition. The Dispatch reported that 70 tests have been performed on Oneida County residents. Twenty-five have been negative and 42 are pending.

There are 45 confirmed cases in Onondaga County, county executive Ryan McMahon announced on Sunday afternoon. He said that the county has done about 900 tests and has as many as another 1,000 tests outstanding.

Earlier on Sunday, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that there had been 15,168 confirmed cases across state, with 114 deaths. More than half of those confirmed cases (9,045) have coe in New York City.

Contact Chris Carlson anytime: E-mail | Twitter | 315-412-1639

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The Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi Honourable Elijah Adansi-Bonah has handed over a brand new Pick up to the Education Directorate in Obuasi.

This was part of the 365 Isuzu double cabin pickups handed over to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Education offices nationwide by the Vice President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo.

The move, according to Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is in fulfillment of President Nana Akufo Addos commitment to ensure that the education sector is adequately resourced to deliver improved learning outcomes in the country.

In a short ceremony to officially hand over the vehicle to the Education Directorate, the Mce for Obuasi commended the President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo for his investment in the Educational sector for the past three (3) years.

He said the challenges which hitherto hampered the efficiency of state institutions like the Ghana Ambulance Service, the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Educational Sector are gradually becoming a thing of the past after the government recently equipped them with vehicles.

"Government is poised to deepen decentralization hence it is working hard to resource all State institutions, all we need from the Citizenry is their continuous support", he added.

On her part, the excited Municipal Director of Education, Mrs. Regina Teni Mumuni commended the President for the ' One District One pick up ' he introduced to boost the Educational sector.

She said the vehicle will go a long way to boost teaching and learning. "The vehicles have come at a time where we are committed to increasing supervision in our schools to check teachers and students absenteeism", she emphasized.

The highly experienced Educationist advised her colleague Directors that they have no excuse this time around since Government has done its part in resourcing them to enable them to function effectively.
Four family members of a 68-year-old female patient who worked as a domestic help in Mumbai have tested negative for the coronavirus disease, or Covid-19, authorities have said.

The woman, who lives in a slum in central Mumbais Mulund, was found Covid-19 positive two days ago.

At the time, it was said to potentially be Indias first case of Covid-19 in a slum, sending alarm bells ringing because the low-income neighbourhood is cramped with many residents living in single-room tenements, making it tough to isolate the contagion.

The woman contracted the disease after coming in contact with a person who had returned from the United States, said a senior official from the state civic health department on condition of anonymity.

The department traced four high-risk contacts and  five low-risk contacts and advised them to get tested at the Kasturba Hospital to avoid further spread.

The high-risk contacts  her son,daughter-in-law, and two grandsons  were found negative late on Saturday. The five low-risk contacts have been advised two-week home quarantine.

Though the results of high-risk contacts were found negative, we have advised them home quarantine and to avoid large gatherings. Our team will keep watch on them for next 14 days, said the officer quoted above.

Contact number of doctors from Kasturba hospital have been shared with them so that then can call the doctors if they need, he added.

As a precautionary measure, the civic body has sanitised the entire slum  where roughly 20,000 people live -- and a team of health staffers deployed to check possible symptoms of coronavirus in slum dwellers. At least 500 people have been inspected as of Saturday and no one was found symptomatic.
Tamil actor Rajinikanth on Saturday backed Prime Minister Narendra Modis call for janta curfew and said everyone should stay indoors. The 69-year-old actor said the coronavirus was at its second stage in India and appealed to people to stay indoors so that it can be prevented entering the third stage.

We can prevent the virus entering third stage if people stay indoors and for that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced Janta Curfew on March 22, Rajinikanth said in a video message.

The Italian government had announced a similar curfew but people did not heed it and because of that lot of lives were lost to the pandemic and that kind of situation should not occur in India, the veteran actor said.

Everyone including senior citizens and youngsters should extend their cooperation on March 22, he said.

The actor also praised medical professionals, saying they were working selflessly to prevent the spread of the virus and as per the words of Prime Minister let us join to appreciate them and pray for their well-being at 5 pm on March 22.

Actor Kangana Ranaut also championed the initiative. Talking to Pinkvilla she said, Janta curfew is an incredible step, we should be ready for anything future holds for us and we all know practice makes us perfect, for now, if things go smooth, it will just be one day but if things derail this will come handy.

Also read: Robert Downey Jr willing to return as Iron Man for less money after Dolittle flop: report

Meanwhile, actor-politician Kamal Haasan encouraged people to follow social distancing to prevent the spread of virus and appealed to them not to take part in large gatherings.

By following that, you are preventing the virus from affecting you and your dear ones, the Makkal Needhi Maiam president said in a video message. Stay indoors and ensure you spend time with family and try to be responsible. Maintain social distance and stay safe, he added.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The politician and his son intend to undergo re-examination

Open source

MP Serhiy Velmozhny who was hospitalized with suspected coronavirus, appeared to be tested negatively for COVID-19 during a medical examination. The politician himself wrote this on his Facebook page.

Today, my son and I were hospitalized with symptoms similar to the COVID-19 virus. The first test for coronavirus showed a negative result," Velmozhny noted.

He added that in the near future the test for coronavirus will be repeated.

Now the politician and his son are in the infection ward of Kyiv City Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital, where they will undergo a second examination for coronavirus.

As we reported before, the Ministry of Health confirmed 47 cases of Covid-19 infection in Ukraine.

Of the 47 cases identified, three are fatal. A total of 790 tests were processed in laboratories.

American Center for Systems Research and Engineering at John Hopkins University announced that as of today, 11,921 deaths from coronavirus have been recorded in the world.

The largest number of deaths was recorded in Italy (4,032), China (3,139), Iran (1,556), Spain (1,375), France (450) and UK (177).
With Alabamas K-12 schools closed through at least April 5, school officials across the state are scrambling for ways to keep students learning.

For Alabamas public schools, the state education departments instructions said keeping learning going would be optional. Consider this situation similar to assisting with the prevention of the Summer Slide, state guidance read.

With schools closed, that means learning at home.

Preventing summer slide means anything from distributing worksheets to offering online resources. But not all schools across the state have the capability to do online learning, and even in those that do, the evolving crisis at the end of last week proved challenging to districts trying to do school while also preparing for the unknown.

In Decatur City Schools, Deputy Superintendent Dwight Satterfield and his colleagues started preparing their 9,000-student district weeks ago, when higher education officials were discussing whether students on their campuses could return after spring break. "It wasn't a matter of if the coronavirus would disrupt school," Satterfield said, "it was when."

"We had to consider what a pandemic would look like in terms of the school," he said.

They knew if buildings were closed, learning needed to continue. Not knowing how long a school closure would last, the district had to do all it could to prevent learning loss similar to what's known as the summer slide.

Related: Here are the Alabama schools offering meals to students

"Everything in education is foundation-based," he said. Material builds one on the other in a progression. They surveyed families and knew internet connectivity was an issue.

"Part of our planning process was figuring out how many students didn't have connectivity and those who had at least one device."

They ordered enough additional hotspotswi-fi that could be turned on for families without internet connectivityto connect about 2,500 families.

State education officials said districts couldn't require students to spend time learning, but schools were free to provide opportunities. And technically, teachers are still working even though schools are closed.

Teachers prepared 15 days of lessons for students and Chromebooks were distributed. Math and English language arts, along with ACT preparation courses for older students, would be made available through online platforms.

Schools in Decatur closed Monday, three days earlier than the state-required Thursday closing, and virtual learning began immediately.

Virtual school is going well, he said. One teacher is continuing to teach Advanced Placement Calculus, connecting with students through Google Hangouts. Another teacher is reading virtually with her kindergarten through 2nd-grade students. Principals are doing virtual updates, and one taught a math lesson virtually for his entire school, "just as a brain teaser."

Satterfield, a 30-year veteran teacher, principal, now in charge of student services, safety and operations, said he feels fortunate to be a part of a system that has resources and thinks ahead.

"We realize every system can't do what we've done," he said. And while others were questioning whether the coronavirus would disrupt school, leaders in his district knew it was a possibility. "Because we had a group of people willing to say this is a possibility, we were able to start the planning process early."

Learning online at Spring Valley School

Students at Birmingham's Spring Valley School are used to doing things differently when it comes to school. The school exclusively enrolls children with learning disabilities, and they need to be taught in non-traditional ways.

And until a few weeks ago, nobody at the 115-student private school had considered doing school online.

School director Dr. Laura Fiveash said online school is a tough go for students who need multi-sensory instruction. But Fiveash and her husband, a UAB physician began watching the coronavirus spread and knew they better figure out how to move school online.

We started communicating with parents early on. We didnt want to create panic, but wanted them to know hey, Im thinking about this, said Fiveash.

But given the challenges the hundred-plus students in her school face, how do you teach in a multi-sensory way when teachers and students can't be in the same place?

Worksheets could fill part of the need for learning to continue  "our copier ran nonstop for three weeks," she said  but students needed more than worksheets.

Enter Google Meet, an online platform for students and teachers to see each other face to face. But school officials had never given students access to the online meeting platform, even though they'd had Chromebooks for four years.

Third-grader Madilyn Yang attends Spring Valley School's online class with teacher Angela Gillespie on March 20, 2020, in Birmingham, Ala.

Students were taught how to log on to the platform, and teachers learned how to use it to teach. "Most of our teachers were really nervous at the beginning," Fiveash said.

Chromebooks and binders of information were sent home with students on Friday.

Sunday night, Fiveash told students and teachers that they would not reopen the school for students on Monday.

Distance learning would begin Wednesday. They'd have an abbreviated school day  8 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.  for younger students. Students in middle and high school grades would have a full day, learning online, with breaks for lunch and P.E., through 3:40 p.m.

"This is about structure, not just learning," Fiveash said. "And kids have got to see their friends."

Fiveash was right.

I cant wait to see my friends tomorrow, third-grader Madilyn Yang told her mother, Sarah, the night before online school started.

Sarah said when Madilyn logged in on Wednesday, it was "phenomenal for Madilyn to see her friends online. It does them really good to see their friends, Sarah said. To me, thats just as important as the academic learning.

Madilyn's learning space was set up at the dining room table so Sarah could watch, too. "It's the first time I'd watched a class. And it was neat."

The first hour of learning was all about reading, and Madilyn was engaged the whole time, Sarah said. Next was a 10-minute break and then on to an hour of math. Next was a 30-minute recess outside and away from the computer and then on to English language arts. "Right now," Sarah said, "they're studying the Titanic."

Fiveash said school officials had to determine what the bare basics, subject-wise, would be and focus on that to start with.

"If we're asking them to sit in front of a screen," Fiveash said, "I want to make sure those hours are used in the most efficient way for the most important subjects." For students in second through fifth grade, that means reading, math and English language arts.

Next for Madilyn was lunch and then one more class: P.E. That, too, was online.

Sarah said there are some technical glitches, but she's glad Madilyn is continuing her learning. Sarah's two older children attend public school, and there's no expectation for them to do school during the period schools are closed.

If public schools remain closed through the end of the school yearKansas has already announced they wont return to school this yearSarah plans to find home-schooling options for her two older children.

We cant take six months off.

Barriers, expected and unexpected

Because of the wide range of resourcesmoney and internet connectednessamong Alabamas schools, its no surprise that many schools werent able to scale up distance learning quickly.

And even Alabamas wealthiest school district ran into unexpected barriers.

Mountain Brook City Schools were ready for the pending close of schools and had an e-learning plan in place for the 4,300 students in their schools if schools closed. But the school closure announcement came after schools were closed on Friday and students hadn't taken their Chromebooks home with them.

The plan to let parents pick up Chromebooks on Monday was scrapped after multiple Mountain Brook residents tested positive for COVID-19.

"They weren't directly connected to our schools," Barlow said, "but they were close enough that we thought they might be." Teachers were worried about returning to school on Monday, so they decided to shut down for three days and regroup.

Elementary school officials started distributing Chromebooks to students Saturday morning. Learning will be optional in accordance with the states order to close.

What a morning! Thanks to our stellar MBS team, we distributed more than 1,200 Chromebooks to our elementary school families. Posted by Mountain Brook Schools on Saturday, March 21, 2020

Two and a half weeks with no structured learning is too long, Barlow said. Mountain Brook, the wealthiest community in Alabama, has high expectations for academic learning and the long break is a concern to families. "How are we going to prepare our kids for their future?"

Continued preparation was key for Spring Valley's leaders, too.

"Above all, I don't want any loss of learning," Fiveash said, adding that she regularly pops into virtual classrooms to say hello, just as she would on an ordinary school day.

They're still working on communication, Fiveash said, and that's an ongoing process. But so far, feedback from parents has been mostly positive.

And there are ongoing technical challenges. "Some people's internet is not going to work when we want to."

Grace is going to be key. If we cant be graceful through this process, its not going to work.

Day 2 in the books! We are so grateful for the support of our SVS Family. #SVSgoesvirtual Posted by Spring Valley School Alabama on Thursday, March 19, 2020

Resources: Follow our live updates. Find all of our coronavirus stories. A continuously updated vital information post. A free text-messaging service so you can receive the most urgent coronavirus updates on your cellphone. And ask questions. To sign up, subscribe to Alabama Coronavirus Urgent Alerts. A new weekday newsletter is available. You can subscribe here. Also, download our mobile app where you can receive on-the-go notifications.

Related: Alabamians who inspired us this week
The guided-missile destroyer Hohhot (Hull 161) attached to a destroyer flotilla with the navy under the PLA Southern Theater Command steams in waters of the South China Sea during a maritime training exercise in Mid-July, 2019.

By Cheng Hanping

Since late January, US warships have travelled within 12 nautical miles of the South China Sea islands in Chinese territory five separate times. Three instances happened close to one another on March 10, 13, and 15. The US took the move when the novel coronavirus was spreading in the US, which sent a dangerous signal.

The current US administration wants to shift attention from its failure in containing COVID-19 and the plummeting stock market, so it is increasing efforts to escalate tension in the South China Sea region.

The US government, including the defense department, allowed their provocative activities to go unchecked. Meanwhile, the US military, along with the Navy, is being tasked with providing additional resources and personnel to help the country combat the COVID-19 pandemic, an indication of further provocations by the US.

Trump administration has played up the moves in the South China Sea. Such a clear signal could mislead the US Navy to play with fire.

The US has sent warships, including aircraft carriers, amphibious assault and littoral combat ships, and destroyers to the South China Sea. Such intrusions could complicate the situation and may start a China-US military conflict.

The Trump administration and China hawks believe that such actions during the crucial period of the COVID-19 outbreak can shift Americans' attention by inciting nationalist sentiment. This is in line with Trump's characteristic behavior of passing the buck.

Since the outbreak started, US political circles have been chanting that this is a "Chinese virus" or "Wuhan virus," which has escalated antagonism between both countries. At this point, if the US military provokes China in the South China Sea, it could jeopardize bilateral ties.

After the pandemic, the US could draw regional claimant countries, such as Vietnam, to its side, via carrying out maritime exercises and joint military training. The US will use every means to initiate joint efforts to confront China.

In early March, the USS Theodore Roosevelt made the second-ever visit by a US aircraft carrier strike group to Vietnam to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations, and left four days later.

In the face of such provocation, China must raise its guard and should take actions, such as launching military exercises in the South China Sea. This would send a signal to the outside world, especially to the US, that the preparedness of the Chinese military in safeguarding its country has not relaxed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

(The author is a senior research fellow and professor at the Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University.)
Syrian refugee Mahmoud Ajlouni was due to pick up his new German residency permit last week but found the door firmly shut at the processing office in Berlin. "I had an appointment," he said, adding he has "no idea" when he'll be able to replace the flimsy sheet of paper that is his only official identification. As TRT World writes, for Ajlouni, the uncertainty could last weeks if not months as Germany has suspended refugee intake programmes or asylum seeker hearings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Beyond Germany, fears are also growing about the fate of migrants and refugees in the bloc as Europe takes increasingly stringent measures to fight contagion. With Europe now the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union has slammed shut its external borders to halt the spread of Covid-19.

Countries like France, Spain and Italy have also imposed lockdowns on their populations to restrict movements and halt the spread of the virus. Migrants and asylum seekers have become one of the most vulnerable groups hard hit by the crisis as public services that usually tend to the group are wound down.

Aid groups have also warned that already poor conditions in camps including in Greece could worsen, while tense scenes have already erupted in refugee accommodations in Germany.

'Disinfectant and nothing else'

In Suhl, eastern Germany, 200 police were called in after brawls broke out in a refugee home where 533 people were quarantined. Twenty-two were sent for confinement in a former juvenile prison.

The quarantines had been ordered after several cases of Covid-19 were detected among refugees in Germany. Meanwhile, people are only allowed to claim asylum at present if they can show a negative test for Covid-19 or after submitting to 14 days of quarantine.

Volunteers and non-government organisations fear that locked up in close quarters, with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities, the confinement will do little to slow the virus' spread. "Kids are still running around in the corridors," said Sophia, a volunteer working, especially with Afghan families in a Berlin home. "There's disinfectant for people's hands at the entrance, but otherwise nothing much," she adds, complaining further that now visits from outside are banned.

In the Calais area in northern France, lockdown measures and fear of infection have reduced the numbers of volunteers working with the 2,000 migrants there, putting an end to food handouts.

'Disaster'

"If the virus does spread inside a camp, it's going to turn into a disaster," warns Antoine Nehr of NGO Utopia 56. The situation is particularly worrying in Greek islands, where thousands of migrants are packed into camps without access to basic hygiene facilities.

"If people aren't evacuated from the islands, this is going to lead to a health catastrophe over the medium term," MEP Erik Marquardt of the German Greens party said by phone from Lesbos, where many migrants land after the short crossing from Turkey.

German NGO Pro Asyl has urged "European solidarity" to take in migrants from the island camps, including "more than 10,000 minors". Berlin has said it is ready to take in some of the 1,600 children the EU plans to evacuate.

For those left behind, Greek authorities have issued strict movement restrictions. Doctors without Borders is attempting to inform people on the islands about the virus.

Nevertheless, "there's not much point distributing flyers with hygiene advice if people are sleeping packed together in tents and can't keep their distance", Marquardt said.
WASHINGTON, March 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Facing unprecedented catastrophic losses due to a more than 80 percent reduction in parking demand, the nation's parking industry has requested that Congress and the White House provide immediate financial relief.

The parking industry contributes $131 billion to U.S. GDP and directly employs 581,000 workers, primarily hourly wage earners, who are facing massive furloughs and layoffs due to the collapse in parking demand across the nation.

The National Parking Association, in a letter sent to Congressional leadership and President Trump, has requested an initial $5 billion allocation to stabilize this industry.

"The nation's parking industry serves hotels, airports, hospitals, shopping centers, businesses, and mixed-use residential properties across the United States, with both privately owned and municipal parking facilities simplifying our lives on a daily basis," said Christine Banning, IOM, CAE, President of the National Parking Association. "Parking industry cash flow is collapsing and layoffs of as much as 50 percent of our employees if not more unless we get immediate relief from the federal government."

Parking contributes more than $175 billion in economic impact to GDP through direct, indirect and induced impact. Total parking industry related employment tops at nearly 1 million workers in the public & private sectorsincluding suppliers to the industry.

About National Parking Association

The National Parking Association is the nation's leading voice of the $131 billion parking industryan essential industry that contributes $260 billion in total economic activity across the country. We are the market leader in parking industry research, education and programs, and advocate for its nearly 1 million employees. We support advancing the interests of the private and public sector in parking technology, sustainable mobility, certification, advocacy, research, and education. Learn more at weareparking.org.

Contact:

Linda Gill Anderson

202-470-6304 | [email protected]

SOURCE National Parking Association

Related Links

http://weareparking.org/




SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon is temporarily boosting overtime pay for hourly workers in its U.S. warehouse to tackle an increasing number of orders due to coronavirus, according to reports.



'All hourly associates working in the U.S. Ops network will receive double their regular hourly rate for every overtime hour worked in a workweek,' Amazon reportedly said.



The hourly workers will receive double pay for overtime, up from the 1.5-times rate. It is effective from March 15 to May 9. They will qualify to receive double pay after 40 hours, the reports said.



Earlier this week, the e-commerce giant said it plans to hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers across the U.S. to meet the surge in demand from people relying on its service following the COVID-19 outbreak. The job openings would be in fulfillment centers and its delivery network. It would pay an additional $2 per hour worked over the current rate of $15 per hour or more.



Meanwhile, Amazon Chief Executive Officer and founder Jeff Bezos warned employees that the coronavirus outbreak will likely get worse before it gets better.



The company has implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees and contractors at its sites around the world - everything from increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning to adjusting its practices in fulfillment centers to ensure the recommended social distancing guidelines, Jeff Bezos said in a blog post on Saturday.



Bezos' letter comes a day after US senators sent a letter to Jeff Bezos asking him to respond to questions about how the company is keeping its warehouse workers safe during the coronavirus outbreak. The senators sent the letter two days after the first US-based Amazon warehouse worker tested positive for COVID-19.



Bezos also said in his letter that the company has placed purchase orders for millions of face masks that will be given to employees and contractors who cannot work from home. But, the company has received only few face masks. Masks remain in short supply globally and are at this point being directed by governments to the highest-need facilities like hospitals and clinics.



Bezos also clarified that his thinking is now wholly focused on COVID-19 and on how the company can best play its role.



There is no instruction manual for how to feel at a time like this, and he knows this causes stress for everyone, Bezos wrote in the letter.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Josh Duggar is Michelle and Jim Bob Duggars oldest son, and he has a pretty dark past. Though the family did their best to sweep things under the rug, Joshs sexual abuse scandal was cracked wide open in 2015.

Since then, he hasnt been able to film with the family for their TLC show, Counting On. And some fans think the older Duggar siblings intentionally avoid being photographed with him for fear of pushback from their fans.

The Duggar family | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra

Josh Duggar admitted to inappropriately touching his siblings in the early 2000s

Years before the Duggar family was famous, Josh admitted to his parents that he had inappropriately touched several of his younger sisters. Most of the abuse occurred while the girls slept. Jim Bob and Michelle sent Josh away to Christian counseling in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he would get help for the problem.

Michelle and Jim Bob responded to the situation by admitting that what Josh did was very wrong, but that a ray of hope was that he had told them when it happened. They also said that once Josh returned from counseling, they no longer thought he was a threat to their daughters at all.

Since the abuse scandal, Josh hasnt been allowed to film for the show

Once the news leaked, 19 Kids and Counting was immediately pulled from the air. Critics called for the show to be cancelled, so TLC took action and removed it from their lineup. But there were many Duggar fans who still wanted to see the other children grow up, so TLC returned the Duggars to television with the show Counting On.

Today, Counting On has finished its 10th season, and many of the Duggars are now grown up and married. Over the past 10 seasons, TLC has never allowed Josh to appear on the show.

Fans think his siblings intentionally avoid spending time with him

Fans often discuss Joshs past and how it might have impacted Michelle and Jim Bobs daughters. And those who follow the show recently took to Reddit to discuss whether the siblings intentionally avoid photos with Josh. The original poster suggested that the kids dont like to pose for photos with Josh because they fear backlash from fans  and many agreed.

I dont believe the adult kids dislike him, I just think they dont want to publicly show it for the negative push back theyd get, the original poster suggested. Josh isnt good for the brand the sisters are trying to cultivate, someone else wrote. I actually wouldnt be surprised if some of the adults dislike him! another user added. Others chimed in to suggest that John David, Joe, Jinger, and Jill showed clear dislike toward Josh in various ways on the show.

Some are shocked by the way Joshs parents treat him

Michelle and Jim Bob have outright said that theyve forgiven their son. Josh attends all family events, and its as though nothing ever happened when he was younger. At the same time, though, Jill Duggar has essentially been blacklisted from the family for reported disagreements between her husband and Jim Bob. And fans have commented on their dislike for the difference in treatment between the two.
The following question-and-answer was provided to the Reporter-Telegram from the city of Midland, which stated it was sent out by the Texas Governors Office.

In answer to all questions:

The executive orders issued related to COVID-19 mitigation in Texas are effective statewide as of midnight Friday and end at midnight on April 3, unless extended.

These orders to aid in the states efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Texas  and to save lives  are in accordance with federal guidelines issued by the President and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which include avoiding social gatherings of 10 or more people, practicing social distancing of 6 feet, and employing frequent, thorough hand washing, and surface disinfecting.

It is important to note that these orders do not mandate sheltering in place.

We want and need businesses to continue operating. Offices and workplaces may remain open, but employers should only require essential employees to report to the place of work and should, where feasible, allow and encourage employees to work from home or other remote sites.

Employees who do go to work should also practice good hygiene as well as best health practices to minimize exposure to and transmission of COVID-19.

The more Texans do to reduce their public contact, the sooner COVID-19 will be contained, and the sooner these executive orders will expire.

Do the governors executive orders apply to churches and houses of worship?

--Churches and houses of worship are not social gatherings. Places of worship are especially important in times of great community and personal need.

--We rely on all local and community leaders to prioritize the health of those they serve and to protect public health.

--Churches are capable of engaging in social distancing and the recommended hygiene and sanitizing standards.

--As long as federal and CDC guidelines are followed, individual churches, congregations and houses of worship may determine their own operating hours and service offerings. Many are already offering services online.

Do the governors executive orders apply to day care centers?

--Day care centers are critical to working Texas families, and the state deems them an essential service.

--We rely on day care operators to prioritize the health of the children and families they serve and to protect public health.

--Because peace of mind is critical for parents when it comes to their childcare needs, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services has issued strict standards for daycare operations to protect the health of the children, families and communities served.

--As long as the HHS guidelines are strictly followed, daycare centers and licensed individual providers may continue operating.

--And the state of Texas has identified expanding day care options as a high priority, especially for essential workers such as healthcare professionals.

Do the governors executive orders apply to all private businesses?

--We rely on all businesses to prioritize the health of their employees and their customers and to protect public health.

--We want and need businesses to continue operating. Offices and workplaces may remain open, but employers should only require essential employees to report to the place of work and should, where feasible, allow and encourage employees to work from home or other remote sites.

--Employees who do go to work should also practice good hygiene as well as best health practices to minimize exposure to and transmission of COVID-19.

--As long as federal and CDC guidelines are followed, private businesses may determine their own operating hours and service offerings.

--For common work areas or lunch rooms, businesses must follow federal guidelines: no groups of 10 or more people, allow social distancing of 6 feet, and ensure frequent, thorough hand washing and surface disinfecting.

Do the governors executive orders apply to all public and private schools from pre-K through elementary, high school, community college and university?

--Yes. All schools in Texas are temporarily closed through April 3 or later if extended by order.

--STAAR testing requirements have been waived for this school year.

--However, learning is not suspended. Schools are encouraged to offer online and other distance-learning options.

--The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is providing guidance to public school districts.

--TEA has created a Texas Students MealFinder Map.

--The Higher Education Coordinating Board is providing guidance to public institutions of higher education.

--Questions should be directed to local school districts, community college districts or university systems.

Do the governors executive orders closing bars and dine-in restaurants apply to walk-in pickups or the drive-through at restaurants?

--No.

--We rely on all businesses to prioritize the health of their employees and their customers and to protect public health.

--As long as federal and CDC guidelines are followed  no groups of 10 or more people, allowing social distancing of 6 feet, and ensuring frequent, thorough hand washing and surface disinfecting  restaurants may offer walk-in pickups and drive-through service.

--And we continue to evaluate best public health practices.

Do the governors executive orders apply to salons, barbers and hair stylists?

--No.

--We rely on all businesses to prioritize the health of their employees and their customers and to protect public health.

--As long as federal and CDC guidelines are followed, private businesses may determine their own operating hours and service offerings.

--While maintaining social distancing of 6 feet is difficult for personal services businesses such as salons, barbers and hairstylists, all other precautions can and should be taken by customers and service professionals.

--We continue to evaluate best public health practices.

The governors executive orders apply to gyms. Do they also apply to personal trainers?

--No.

--We rely on all businesses to prioritize the health of their employees and their customers and to protect public health.

--As long as federal and CDC guidelines are followed, private businesses may determine their own operating hours and service offerings.

--While maintaining social distancing of 6 feet is difficult for personal services businesses such as personal fitness training, all other precautions can and should be taken by customers and service professionals.

--We continue to evaluate best public health practices.

Do the governors executive orders apply to weddings and funerals?

--Even in times of emergency, it is important that we mark important milestones and celebrate as family.

--As long as federal and CDC guidelines are followed  no groups of 10 or more people, which can be fulfilled through separation of groups and allowing social distancing of 6 feet, while ensuring frequent, thorough hand washing, and surface disinfecting  wedding and funerals can be held.

--Sharing services online is also encouraged.

Do the governors executive orders apply to dentists or other medical providers?

--No. Medical health services are essential.

--We rely on all medical providers to prioritize the health of their employees and their patients and to protect public health.

--All federal and CDC guidelines should be followed.

--Dentists and medical providers may determine their own operating hours and service offerings.

Closing:

Finally, these executive orders do not prohibit you from going to the grocery store, gas station or bank.

All critical infrastructure will remain open and operational. Domestic travel will be unrestricted. Government entities and businesses will continue to provide essential services. And we want and need businesses to continue operating  safely.

Working together, we must defeat COVID-19 so that we can get back to work and enjoy the blessings of this great state.

No one responds to challenges better than Texans. We are #TexasStrong.
Fed's Bullard: Coronavirus shutdown not a recession but an investment in survival St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard speaks at a public lecture in Singapore

By Howard Schneider

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In normal times massive unemployment and a collapse in economic output would be tragic.

This time, as the coronavirus cloisters millions of Americans and shuts down the U.S. economy, it should instead be saluted as an investment in public health that lays the groundwork for a rapid rebound.

That is the view of St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard, who argues that a potential $2.5 trillion hit coming to the economy is both necessary and manageable if officials move fast and keep it simple. It may seem an unconventional view in a moment of global anxiety, but Bullard argues the shutdown measures now being rolled out are essential to shortening the course of the pandemic.

They must also be coupled with massive federal government support to sustain the population through its coming isolation and prime the economy to pick up where it left off.

To Bullard that means:

Match any lost wages.

Match any lost business.

No questions asked.

No arguments about bailouts or "moral hazard" - the sticky issue of publicly funded rescues of bad actors.

And, above all, when the losses are tallied, don't call it a recession.

Recessions are the ordinary - even predictable - contractions in activity that mark the end of normal business cycles. Bullard, who has earned a reputation inside the Fed for a penchant to rethink problems and reframe debates, said this is anything but.

"Frame this as a massive investment in U.S. public health," Bullard said in a Friday telephone interview.

"CRAZY HEAVY" JOBLESS CLAIMS? THAT'S OK

Bullard's comments came as U.S. lawmakers debated emergency economic measures worth $1 trillion or more, a figure Bullard says may underestimate what's needed.

Nonetheless it is still opening old wounds from the 2007-2009 economic crisis over who deserves what, whether corporations should get help, and how generous the government should be with workers.

The spread of the coronavirus has touched off those discussions worldwide, but with an urgency that is shredding old hesitancies. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government on Friday announced it would pick up 80% of the national wage bill for the next three months.

Story continues

Many Fed officials have called for a stronger U.S. fiscal response in recent days, but Bullard went a step further with an explicit call for the U.S. government to match what is being lost dollar for dollar.

For now, he said, economists and policymakers should turn their view of data on its head because little will make sense otherwise.

The recent jump in unemployment claims? That's a win, a sign that so-called government stabilizers are being used. The hope should be that such programs get "crazy heavy use" in coming weeks, he said.

If economic output falls by half in the second quarter, that's a win - not a record-setting defeat. It means businesses have heeded orders to close and customers to stay home.

"We are not trying to move production and income up in the second quarter. We are trying to keep it out of the second quarter," Bullard said.

"You want capital to just sit in place. Switch off the factory ... Then switch it back on."

30% UNEMPLOYMENT A POSSIBILITY

Bullard was among the large group at the Fed who at first felt the virus risk would pass with little economic damage, as have other similar health scares such as SARS and ebola.

They are all now trying to catch up, with emergency rate cuts, extensive new programs to keep markets working, and other steps to aid an economy grinding to a halt.

In line with his colleagues, he said he was ready to do more, including putting more of the Fed's direct lending powers to work if needed.

"It is early days and we are willing to do more. I am willing to do more," he said.

Bullard was blunt about the dilemma posed, saying the economics profession was "reeling" as it tries to understand what is taking place.

For now what's usually good - jobs and production - are bad, and the headline numbers are going to be staggering.

Bullard's ballpark estimate is that unemployment could hit 30%, higher than in the Great Depression and three times more than the 2007-2009 recession. Output in the second quarter could be half the norm, a hit of about $2.5 trillion.

That is unavoidable if the virus is to be contained through "social distancing" or government orders to stay at home.

KEEP EVERYONE WHOLE

All this needn't wreck the economy. Legislation working its way through Congress has begun to roll out some support.

Bullard said the "core aim" can be kept simple: "keep everyone, households and businesses whole through the second quarter." Do it with a quick expansion of unemployment insurance to cover lost wages, and through grants and loans to business to cover losses from "unemployed" capital.

From a macroeconomic standpoint, he argues, it is a tractable problem.

Again using back of the envelope math and a 30,000-foot view, he said perhaps half a trillion dollars of lost output will be accounted for by necessarily lost consumption - all the movie tickets and clothes no one buys and trips people will not take.

As to the other $2 trillion, Bullard said the federal government should borrow and distribute it to people and business.

"That is completely feasible," in service of limiting economic damage, he said. "This is a planned, organized partial shut down of the U.S. economy. We are throttling back output on purpose to meet health guidelines... Transfer income to affected households."

"Call it pandemic relief," Bullard said. "Get transfers to businesses that are affected heavily, and come out on the other side. Identical economy. Produce the same goods as before."

(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Dan Burns and Daniel Wallis)
Phuket DJ confirmed with COVID-19 calls for people to self-quarantine

PHUKET: Popular local French DJ Romain DJ Tracks Tantillo, who has been confirmed as infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, is calling people to take sensible precautions and self-quarantine if need be to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Sunday 22 March 2020, 02:14PM

DJ Romain DJ Tracks Tantillo as pictured in his video shared onlien from Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Screenshot: djtracks / Instagram

Mr Tantillo broke the news with a video shared online yesterday (Mar 21) from Bangkok Hospital Phuket, where is receiving treatment.

Please guys take it seriously. I WANT EVERYONE TO SHARE THIS VIDEO .

If you dont do it for you, do it for the others . , he wrote.

Mr Tantillo, from Paris, has lived and worked in Phuket for the past 10 years. A graduate from the Musicologie at LEcole De La Rue, he has gained recognition for his work as a deejay, producer and remixer, and is a former music director at Seduction Beach Club & Disco on Bangla Rd in Patong.

I want everyone to know that the virus is here in Phuket. People need to put themselves in quarantine and not wait [for] the government, Mr Tantillo told The Phuket News.

Im feeling well from now. But I want to aware the people here in Phuket and Thailand that the situation is serious. I might be the first case that U heard about in phuket but Im not the only one for sure, he wrote in his post online.

Make sure you all stay home and safe during the weeks coming. Dont fall into craziness, but make sure you stay aware of your body and the symptoms. Dont hesitate to go and get checked at the hospital, he said.

The call for self-quarantine comes as officials today (Mar 22) confirmed six new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Phuket, bringing the official total number of people on the island confirmed as infectedwith the disease since the outbreak began to 13. (See post here.)

So far, accoreding to official reports, no person has died from the virus in Phuket.
Governor Gavin Newsom Updates the State on Steps to Curtail COVID-19

California Gov. Gavin Newsom briefed the public today on the ongoing efforts by the state to halt the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newsom said he is directing more than $42 million in emergency funding to expand Californias healthcare infrastructure as hospitals brace for an influx of patients.

More than $1.4 million will be used to expand testing capacity at a state public health lab in the city of Richmond; $8.6 million will be used to provide new ventilators, refurbish old ones and get IV fusion pumps. American Medical Response will get about $2 million to provide COVID-19 patient transportation.

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He estimated that some 80 million Americans are under home isolation, which amounts to about one-fourth of the countrys population.

Some private companies are stepping up to the plate to provide necessary equipment, masks and ventilators for hospitals. They include Tesla, Apple and Gap, he said. One company is re-purposing old ventilators for use.

Unemployment claims in California are spiking higher over the last week, the governor said. Sunday, there were 40,000 claims; Monday, 70,000; Tuesday, 80,000; Wednesday, 125,000; Thursday, 135,000; and Friday, 114,000.

Newsom said the states need more support from the federal government, especially when it comes to critical medical supplies. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid-response test that will give people

COVID-19 results in about 45 minutes.

He also said there were three surveillance tests completed in L.A., Orange and Santa Clara counties to test people who appeared to be healthy. The testing found COVID-19 positives among those tested, which Newsom said will

give the state an idea of how many people are infected, so that resources can be re-purposed to deal with the needs of the communities.

He also said the state is negotiating with hotel owners about housing the homeless and even buying some hotels for that purpose.

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He said there are no plans to restrict access in or out of California or stop freeway traffic.

We want people to be free to walk their dogs, take a breath, exercise, take a walk or a hike and run if they want, Newsom said. We just want people to use common sense and not congregate with other people during the crisis.
L.A. Public Officials disclose update on housing solutions in light of COVID-19

Friday, March 20. Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, the public health department, and the L.A. County fair Association shared new information regarding the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The press conference was held at the Pomona Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center; the Pomona Sheraton Hotel will be a housing facility for people experiencing symptoms of the corona virus, in addition to people who need to self-Isolate. Director of Public Health, Barbara Ferrer, shared an updated count of the Corona Virus cases in Los Angeles. There was an overwhelming positive response from Angelenos in light of the Safer at home, Stay at home public order.

Supervisor of the 1st district, Hilda Solis, announced that there is a new quarantine facility in the San Gabriel Valley. In collaboration with the County Office of Emergency Management, The Pomona Sheraton Fairplex Hotel will be a housing facility for those who tested positive for COVID-19. There will be housing available for individuals that need to self-isolate in close proximity to their home. The lease term is from March 23  March 31. The Hotel is located on 601 W McKinley Ave, Pomona, CA. With 244 rooms available, it is on a first come, first serve basis. Only one person can be admitted per room. There will be full-service treatment, which includes food, medical care and supplies, with laundry services. The hotel will have security surveilling the building to ensure the safety of the temporary residency including the hotel employees. Solis wanted to bring focus to this contribution from the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel, this act of generosity will benefit the staff of the hotel as well, by keeping them employed during a time where the travel, tourism, and hospitality sanctions are struggling the most.

The Fairplex child development center will also be open to working parents with emergency and first response occupations, including law enforcement and hospital employees in the neighboring areas. In addition to that, the Pomona Sheraton campus will turn into a drive through food bank in participation with the non-profit in Lavern, Sewing Seeds for Life. Those in need of food supply can drive up and pop their trunks, volunteers will load their car with necessary provisions. Hilda Solis stated, At this moment, our communities are reeling from impacts from this crisis, from health impacts to businesses threatening closure, this is a time for compassion. She urged other communities to provide innovative ways to supply housing during the nationwide pandemic. The Sheraton in its entirety will be closed from any other public use. Hilda mentioned that the county is working relentlessly to find similar housing solutions across the L.A. region. Solis closed thanking Miguel Santana, President/CEO of Los Angeles County Fair Association and his board members for their support and partnership. She showed much gratitude for all public officials and communities working on solutions to flatten the Corona Virus curve.

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Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health, revealed the latest data in Corona Virus cases. Identified in the county of Los Angeles, there has been 61 new cases that have been reported. That brings in a total of 101 cases identified in the last 48 hours. In summary, there are 292 reported cases in Los Angeles that continues to grow. 12 cases were reported in Long beach and 2 cases in Pasadena. The median age for patients that tested positive for SARS- CoV-2 were 47 years old. There are 138 people between the ages of 18-65 that tested positive for COVID-19. Ferrer shared that younger people may have a better outcome. but are one of the largest groups of people that have been tested and are diagnosed with Corona Virus. As of March 18, 2,400 people tested for COVID-19, 10% were positive for carrying the virus. 48 people have been hospitalized at some point, and 3 new cases are currently checked into a hospital. The Public Health department are looking to provide more information around the outcome of the testing and diagnosis. Based on the international observation of the virus, the Public Health department is preparing for an increase in cases.

Chairwoman, Kathryn Barger acknowledged the positive feedback she has been receiving from the community, regarding the regional efforts to protect public health and slow the spread of the virus. Barger referenced the public order that was announced on March 19, Kathryn stated that the Safer at Home order reflects, true collaboration. Chairwoman Barger discussed how this will be enforced, she stated, Think about what this will mean if we all together abide by the request to stay safe, at home. She continued, There will be no law enforcement going out, its about truly working together to ensure of the spread of the Corona Virus is slowed down. Kathryn expressed that she received an outpour of support throughout the county. Nonprofits, local services, and faith-based organizations reached out, looking for ways that they can assist those who are struggling. She referenced the new Quarantine of San Gabriel Valley as a Good example of working together to keep our local communities safe and healthy. To find more information or latest L.A. County updates, check the following websites: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/ and https://corona-virus.la/
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 16:41:48|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday rejected the U.S. help offered to the Islamic republic over COVID-19 outbreak.

Khamenei said the U.S. officials have continuously sent messages to Iran about their offer, but Iran did not accept it since Iran "does not trust" them.

The Americans have faced shortages inside their country to deal with the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Iranian leader noted.

Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries by the coronavirus epidemic, with the total number of confirmed cases surpassing 20,000.
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Minutes after Chief Minister announced that no domestic or international flight will operate from the from Monday till March 31, a senior official of aviation regulator clarified that domestic flights will be operating as usual at the airport.

The Centre had announced three days ago that no international flight will be landing on the Indian soil from Sunday onward for a period of one week.

"Domestic flights to and from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi will continue to operate and the airport will remain functional," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said.

At a press conference on Sunday evening, Kejriwal told reporters that no domestic or international flight would be allowed to arrive at the from March 23 to March 31.

In an order, the Delhi government subsequently reiterated the same.

However, with the stating that domestic flights will continue to operate at the Delhi airport, the confusion was cleared.
Four people were seating on the Statue-facing Staten Island ferry deck on the commute to Staten Island. March 17, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Rebeka Humbrecht)

The toll that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken on Staten Island this past week is captured in these photos: Empty rush hour streets, empty grocery shelves, people wearing masks, businesses in distress and families working from home.

Even interactions in public are different now. During a recent walk, a pedestrian made eye contact and greeted me with a smile  from a safe distance, of course.

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Heading to work

South Beach biker rides to work. The early morning rush is eerily quiet around the north shore of Staten Island. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel)

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Victoria Priola

Empty streets

Hylan Boulevard and McKee Avenue on March 18, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/ Victoria Priola)

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Jason Paderon

Drive-thru testing begins

Workers in hazmat suits administer a test at the window of a vehicle, March 19, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

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Jason Paderon

The first cars line up

The first cars line up on Seaview Avenue before entering the South Beach Behavioral Health Center for their COVID-19 testing appointments. March 19, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

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John Minchillo

Bars close

Bartender Cassandra Paris wears a protective face mask before taking a farewell shot at an early closing time at 169 Bar with patrons, Monday, March 16, 2020, in New York. New York leaders took a series of unprecedented steps Sunday to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including canceling schools and extinguishing most nightlife in New York City. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

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Seth Wenig

Times Square

A woman walks through a lightly trafficked Times Square in New York, Monday, March 16, 2020. Bars and restaurants will become takeout-only and businesses from movie theaters and casinos to gyms and beyond will be shuttered Monday night throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut because of the coronavirus, the states' governors said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Staten Island Advance/Mark Stein

The Staten Island Mall

The Staten Island Mall had very few shoppers on Monday, March 16, as a handful of stores shuttered due to coronavirus concerns. Common area portions of Staten Island Mall were temporarily closed operations on March 19. Accordingly, restaurants and other stores located within the Mall, which maintain external entrances separate from a general Mall entrance, can remain open for operating hours and for takeout or food delivery services. (Staten Island Advance/Mark Stein)

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Victoria Priola

Empty shelves

Shoppers on Staten Island head to grocery stores across the borough, despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak March 15, 2019. Pictured is the inside of Super Fresh in Great Kills. (Staten Island Advance/ Victoria Priola)

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Kevin Hagen

Wall Street

A surgical mask is placed on The "Fearless Girl" statue outside the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen)

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Jan Somma-Hammel

Social distancing, Staten Island parks

Clopve Lakes Park. Bloomingdale Park. People are getting air all over Staten Island, but they are keeping their distance and perhaps staying in their own back yards because the parks seemed very quiet at around noon today. March 18, 2020 (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

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Pamela Silvestri

St. Patrick's Day 2020

Jody's Club Forest on St. Patrick's Day, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

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John Minchillo

St. Patrick's Day 2020 NYC

Dermot Hickey, left, and Phillip Vega, right, ask a pedestrian to take their picture on a thinly trafficked Fifth Avenue after expressing their disappointment in the cancelation of the St. Patrick's Day parade due to coronavirus concerns, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

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Kevin Rivoli

Visitors are no longer allowed

Kathleen Austin, left, visits with her mother-in-law, 94-year-old Marge Austin, at Westminster Manor assisted living facility in Auburn, N.Y., Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Marge Austin, right, reacts after seeing a photo of Kathleen Austin's niece's newborn baby. Visitors are no longer allowed in the building out of concern about the coronavirus. (Kevin Rivoli/The Citizen via AP)

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Jan Somma-Hammel

Computers and lunch

The early birds got the computers and lunch at PS 44 as parents in Mariners Harbor lined up at 8 a.m., March 19, 2020 (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

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Mark Lennihan

Screening for coronavirus

Health care workers screen people entering the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Global stock markets have sunk in a third day of wild price swings after President Donald Trump promised to prop up the U.S. economy through the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) AP

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Yuki Iwamura

Ghost town

Tourists stand inside The Oculus at the World Trade Center transportation hub, Monday, March 16, 2020 in Manhattan. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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Staten Island Advance

Trader Joe's

Shoppers swarm Trader's Joes on Richmond Ave. (Staten Island Advance)

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Rebeka Humbrecht

Norwegian Cruise Line

A two-year-old child on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship moored for days in the waters off of Staten Island tested positive for the coronavirus. People who sailed on the Norwegian Bliss this month contacted the Advance with their concerns following an article about the Norwegian Bliss.The cruise ship left our area on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Rebeka Humbrecht)

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Steve Zaffarano

Business owners take precaution

A sign posted outside of a Financial District restaurant mentions that there is no cash, liquor or electronics on premise on March 19, 2020, as business owners take precaution during the coronavirus pandemic. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

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Johannes Eisele

Steep losses

Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 16, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City. Trading on Wall Street was halted immediately after the opening bell Monday, as stocks posted steep losses following emergency moves by the Federal Reserve to try to avert a recession due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

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Steve Zaffarano

Meeting friends over virtual drinks

The new normal: Keeping safe enjoying virtual drinks with friends via Zoom, Friday, March 20, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

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Anthony Spennato

Enjoy your walk...

Chalk written on a sidewalk on Benton Ave., Old Town, says: Be Well, Enjoy your walk, March 21, 2020. (Anthony Spennato for the Staten Island Advance)
KAMPALA  Health Minister Jane Aceng has said that they are following up on the 84 passengers who arrived in Uganda aboard the Ethiopian Airways flight on that was also used by the Ugandan who tested positive of coronavirus.

Speaking during the press conference addressed by President Museveni in Nakasero State Lodge in Kampala on Sunday, Dr Aceng said while the passengers did not show signs of the deadly virus, their details have been extracted and relevant agencies are getting in touch to follow up.

The details of the other passengers on that plane are known, have been extracted and relevant agencies are getting in touch to follow up. Theres a call also to the people who were on that plane to voluntarily step forward for routine checks. They are just contacts. Dont stigmatise anyone please, he explained.

The minister also explained that the group was not subjected to mandatory quarantine because they were all not coming from the high risk countries.

None of the passengers on that flight were from Category One countries by the time that plane touched down in Entebbe. Therefore mandatory quarantine was not a must at that point. Unlike now where everyone coming in must be quarantined, Dr Aceng said.

With the exception of this passenger who was retained, no other passenger showed signs of Covid-19. Even then, besides high temperature, this case did not present any other of the known signs of Covid-19. However, the vigilant health teams insisted on further checks and here we are now with a confirmed case, she explained.

Dr. Diana Atwiine, the ministrys Permanent Secretary said that Most of the 84 people that were on the plane with the victim werent coming from category 1 countries and it wasnt possible to quarantine everybody on that plane. Other people were advised to self-quarantine but we will call them up for monitoring.

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Tim Robards and wife Anna Heinrich packed on the PDA on Sunday, as they enjoyed a sunny morning stroll in Sydney.

The couple opted for a break from self-isolation and held hands as they walked around the affluent Rose Bay.

It comes after production on Neighbours temporarily shut down due to a coronavirus scare, with chiropractor Tim now starring on the hit soap.

Getting some sun! Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich packed on the PDA as they stepped out of self-isolation to go on a stroll in Sydney on Sunday... after Neighbours had a coronavirus scare

For the relaxing walk, Anna showed off her trim pins in a beige skirt, which she teamed with a crisp white T-shirt and white sneakers.

The lawyer and reality TV star wore her blonde locks out and over her shoulders and dark sunglasses, with light makeup.

Tim meanwhile, also opted for a casual look, wearing a grey T-shirt and khaki shorts.

Casual: Anna showed off her trim pins in a beige skirt, teamed with a crisp white T-shirt and white sneakers

The pair looked relaxed on the outing as they walked around the water's edge.

Tim and Anna met on The Bachelor back in 2013, and tied the knot in Italy in 2018.

The couple are in a long-distant arrangement, with Tim based in Melbourne for Neighbours, and Anna in Sydney.

Long distance love! The couple are in a long-distant arrangement, with Tim based in Melbourne for Neighbours, and Anna in Sydney

Tim told Who magazine in January that while they miss out on quality time together, they 'chat five times a day on FaceTime'.

On Wednesday, it was announced that production on Neighbours had shut down due to a coronavirus scare.

But it was revealed on Friday that the long-running soap will resume filming.

Staff returned to the set in Nunawading, Melbourne, on Friday after an employee who had come into contact with a COVID-19 patient tested negative.

Producers are now taking precautions to reduce the spread of the deadly virus, including dividing up the crew and allocating work areas to enable social distancing.

As of Sunday evening, there are 1,354 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia and seven deaths.
But as the train rolled into the station, the man was struck on the platform and injured, said Officer Steve Rusanov, a department spokesman. Early reports indicated that the man may have tried to abort the suicide attempt when he was hit.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday resisted ordering a statewide shelter-in-place to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, opting to leave that decision to cities and counties. Instead, he announced plans to deploy the National Guard to help with testing, made moves to allow hospitals to expand their capacity, and warned of dire equipment shortages during a press conference.

Just hours after Abbotts speech, Dallas County issued a shelter-in-place order for its residents. Earlier in the day, the governors of Louisiana and Ohio both announced stay-at-home orders that take effect Monday. They join California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Oregon and New Jersey as states taking the most stringent steps to stop the spread.

Statewide, Texas current order mimics national guidelines that prevent gatherings of 10 or more people. It also closes restaurant dining rooms, bars, gyms and schools.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

Abbott pointed out that most Texas counties are still not reporting any cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. He said he would applaud any local authorities that implement the stricter shelter-in-place rules.

Understand this, I am governor of 254 counties in the state of Texas. More than 200 of those counties in the state of Texas still have zero cases of people testing positive for COVID-19, he said. What may be right for places like the large urban areas may not be right at this particular point in time for the more than 200 counties that have zero cases of COVID-19.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo had not issued any shelter-in-place orders as of Sunday evening. Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for Hidalgos office, said the judge was not expected to announce any updates Sunday. Mary Benton, the citys press secretary, said nothing has changed in Houston but added that she had not spoken to Turner.

If anything changes, (the mayor) will be the first to speak to the public, Benton said.

As of Sunday night, there were 146 positive cases in the Houston region, including 74 in Houston and Harris County alone. A Houston Chronicle analysis found 697 known cases statewide. About 8,700 people had been tested at the time of Abbotts press conference. Of the total positive cases, 334 had been confirmed, Abbott said. A woman in San Antonio became Texas seventh coronavirus-related death Sunday.

Abbott announced several new strategies to prepare for a surge in hospitalizations, but acknowledged that Texas still does not have enough equipment for testing or personal protection.

We have the money for it but the supplies are not available for us to be able to purchase, he said. We are asking the federal government to accelerate production and supply of personal protection equipment and COVID testing equipment.

Abbott issued executive orders to increase staffing and patient capacity at hospitals, including stopping all non-essential surgeries and allowing hospitals to add more than one bed to a room.

He waived regulations to address a shortage of nurses. He said he would allow temporary permit extensions for graduate or vocational nurses who have yet to take the nursing licensing exam. He would allow inactive nurses to reactive their license.

Among other measures, Abbott said the National Guard would be deployed this week to help hospital staff and other healthcare providers around the state. The guard would be available at drive-thru testing sites and auxiliary medical facilitates, built to handle an expected surge in patients, he said.

Abbott also announced a task force focused on global supplies of all resources needed to respond to COVID-19 in Texas, including emergency medical supplies.

Among the people on the team are Clint Harp, Vice President of Transmission Strategic Services at Lower Colorado River Authority, and Elaine Mendoza, Chairman of the Texas A&M University Board of Regents.

Abbott made clear that Texas is not getting enough help from the federal government, but did it in a far less confrontational way than Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump on social media.

The problem is the lack of availability of testing resources, Abbott said. The federal government is aware of both our demand as well as the inadequate supply and they are working aggressively to ramp up the supplies they are providing.

Jeremy Wallace contributed to this report.

julian.gill@chron.com
SEOUL - President Donald Trump sent a letter to Kim Jong Un offering help in the North's battle against the coronavirus, the North Korean leader's sister said on Sunday, while warning that it wasn't enough to improve relations.

The United States and North Korea are at loggerheads over the reclusive state's nuclear weapons program. Trump has often attempted to restart negotiations by cultivating a personal relationship with Kim.

"We view such a personal letter of President Trump as a good example showing the special and firm personal relations with Chairman Kim Jong Un," said Kim Yo Jong, who is also a senior ruling party official. Her statement was published by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim Yo Jong said Trump explained in the letter "his plan to propel the relations between the two countries of the DPRK and the U.S.," a reference to the country's formal name of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

The U.S. president also explained "his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work," the report said, quoting Trump as saying he was "impressed by the efforts made by the chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic."

Trump's letter was "consistent with his efforts to engage global leaders during the ongoing pandemic," said a senior Trump administration official, who spoke the condition of anonymity. "The President looks forward to continued communications with Chairman Kim."

Since the coronavirus outbreak in neighboring China in January, North Korea has not reported a single case of the virus. The isolated country has adopted stringent quarantine measures against the virus, calling it a matter of "national survival."

Kim's sister, however, warned against making "hasty conclusions" about the good personal relationship between the two leaders. "I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice is ensured between the two countries, not merely by the personal letter between the two leaders," Kim Yo Jong said in her statement.

Duyeon Kim, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said the response is North Korea's way of saying it still wants a better offer at the negotiating table.

"North Korea is warning that they won't be fooled by niceties or U.S. tactics and that the U.S. needs to do better," she said, adding that the North Korean leader's sister is "making it clear that Pyongyang will continue with nuclear weapons development."

This is the second known correspondence this year between Trump and Kim after Trump sent birthday greetings in January.

Kim Kye Gwan, adviser to North Korea's Foreign Ministry, downplayed the diplomatic significance of the letter at the time, saying such personal exchanges between the leaders were not enough to draw Pyongyang back into nuclear talks.

Negotiations between the two countries over denuclearization of North Korea have been stalled since a summit in February 2019 collapsed over the North's demands of sanctions relief in exchange for partial disarmament steps.

Trump had a brief encounter with Kim at a border town between the South and North in June. The two leaders at the time touted "a very good relationship," which failed to produce concrete progress in disarmament as North Korea resumed weapons tests within a month.

On the day the Korean Central News Agency reported on Trump's letter, the state media outlet also said Kim guided a successful test of "tactical guided missiles" the previous day.

"The timing almost certainly was carefully calibrated, possibly to underscore North Korea's message that it remains skeptical about the prospects of improved U.S.-DPRK ties," analyst Rachel Minyoung Lee wrote on the NK Pro website.

- - -

The Washington Post's John Hudson contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 17:53:02|Editor: xuxin

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By Ndalimpinga Iita

WINDHOEK, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Namibians on Saturday resorted to creative ways to observe the swearing in of Namibian President Hage Geingob for his second term, and Independence Day as precautionary measures were taken against COVID-19.

The Namibian government last week cancelled the country's public 30th independence celebration following recent confirmed cases of COVID-19 to ensure safety and health of all.

Instead, an exclusive event was held at the State House in Namibia's capital, Windhoek, which was live-streamed on social and local media.

Locals pursued other ways to commemorate the event.

Lucia Mweshila was determined to join the rest of celebrators at the country's 30th independence celebration on March 21 initially planned to be held at a stadium in Windhoek.

Online platforms enabled her to follow the official swearing-in of President Hage Geingob.

"My family and I followed the proceedings on Facebook. We also organized a small celebration indoors at home to celebrate," Mweshihala said on Saturday.

According to the Windhoek dweller, the family event was complemented by food, songs and spirit of unity.

"The aim is to join the nation in commemorating our independence in our way while we take precaution and adhere to health and safety measures in place against COVID-19 as communicated by the health ministry," she said.

Namibia's Ministry of Health and Social Services has enhanced public education to raise awareness about the spread of the virus, said Ben Nangombe, executive director in the health ministry.

Another Windhoek resident, Lucas Joel, said that his family ordered clothing items and accessories branded with the Namibian flag and celebrated the day at home.

"We did that in solidarity with the rest of the populace and national pride. From home, we were able to wash our hands frequently and enforce preventative measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19," Joel said.

The branded T-shirts were procured from a local entrepreneur, at the cost of 150 Namibian dollars (about 9 U.S. dollars), said Joel.

Meanwhile, creativity was not limited to urban dwellers. In the far-flung village in Oshana region, northern Namibia, Kaleni William followed the proceedings on the radio.

"They ran a live broadcast, and I was able to follow. Under normal circumstances, I would have travelled to Windhoek to attend the event. But I am distancing myself socially as precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19," said William.

Meanwhile, even though they witnessed the event via the virtual platforms and other ways, citizens are hopeful that the retained leader will boost development and address persistent social challenges.

Namibian President said Saturday that the emergence of COVID-19 is a threat to the country's prosperity, and urged that "all Namibians should embrace the spirit of unity" to overcome it.

Namibia has so far recorded three cases of COVID-19, with the government encouraging social distancing as well as a proactive precaution by inhabitants as part of measures to curb spread of the virus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 22:48:46|Editor: yan

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Brunei reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday following preliminary tests, bringing the country's total number to 88.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, one of the five new cases is a 39-year-old local man who came back from Britain on Saturday.

A patient who was in critical condition is recovering well, while another case is still in critical condition. Two patients are still under intensive care.

The ministry stated that a total of 1,651 individuals are undergoing quarantine and 3,011 laboratory tests for COVID-19 have been conducted.

The ministry added that one individual issued with a quarantine order was brought in for questioning by the police on Sunday for disobeying the order. If found guilty, those found breaking the quarantine order can be fined up to 10,000 Brunei dollars (6,898 U.S. dollars) or 6-month imprisonment or both.

A 53-year-old Bruneian man became the first confirmed case for COVID-19 in the sultanate on March 9 after returning from Kuala Lumpur, who possibly contracted the virus there during religious mass gatherings from late February to early March.
Almost 50 of the state's most senior medical specialists, physicians, and infectious diseases experts are demanding immediate and widespread isolation measures to prevent thousands of deaths in Western Australia.

In an extraordinary strongly-worded letter to Premier Mark McGowan, they have warned the measures currently in place have not slowed the spread of COVID-19 and WA's health system could collapse as soon as May.

Dr Astrid Arellano, Head of Department, Infectious Diseases, St John of God Subiaco Hospital.

The letter, which was signed by St John of God Health Care's head of infectious diseases Astrid Arellano, cosigned by former national Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon and 47 other specialists, calls for the enforcement of social distancing, enforced quarantine for confirmed cases, school shutdowns and the closure of WA's border except for only the most essential travel.

The doctors warn that without strong action and decisive leadership, "first tens, then hundreds and then thousands of vulnerable West Australians will die".
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Two Filipinos, one in Brunei Darussalam and another in India, have tested positive for the coronavirus disease, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Sunday.

Citing the Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam, the DFA said a Filipino national who tested positive for COVID-19 is confined in a health facility in that country and is reported to be in stable condition.

In India, another Filipino national was brought to a hospital in Mumbai after complaining of breathing difficulty. He was reported to have arrived in India early this month.

"The Philippine Embassies in Brunei Darussalam and in India are in close coordination with the Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam and the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Mumbai, respectively," the DFA said.

It added that it will extend appropriate assistance to the patients.

As of Sunday morning, the Philippines had 380 cases of COVID-19, with 25 deaths and 15 recoveries.

To date, the disease has killed over 13,000 people worldwide, out of over 307,200 people who have caught the virus since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December last year, according to the Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 global tracker.

Most of the confirmed cases are from Italy.
Sacut Amenga-Etego

22.03.2020 LISTEN

If there was ever anytime to be sure that so many of our people have turned themselves into zombies - acting against their own interests- this is the time. A wartime against an invisible enemy - #CoronaVirus.

To the extent that many people are not thinking about themselves or their aged family members and friends, let alone the general public health.

Rather, they are thinking about the fortunes of their political parties and how electoral benefits can be harvested from the war against #coronavirus!

This is a global war and there is a global fighting standard led by the WHO but the Ghana standard is what some of our people prefer - mediocrity even at war that affects everyone including the powerful and the less powerful, the poor and the rich equally.

What I see around me here in the European epicenter is a ravaging plague that cannot be stopped on the basis of massive resources or even the best technology or health systems.

Europe can boast of all that, yet they are overwhelmed by the ravaging coronavirus. Youll know if you are following the news.

This pandemic has been exacerbated by the concomitant infodemic.

The ability of the virus to spread or be halted is dependent on human behavior and social activities. And human behavior is reliant on information or disinformation.

The present solution has not been found in medicine (there is no vaccine yet) but in adhering to the right information and the best practices as prescribed by the world health organization (WHO).

They include social distancing (which may extend to total society lockdown as seen here in Italy, Spain and many other places in Europe and just beginning in America), proper hygiene (including constant hand washing and use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers) and smart working from home (which has become the new normal), as well as timely testing, contact tracing and self-isolation to pull the breaks on the spread of the contagion.

The deployment of the coercive powers of the state to enforce social distancing or even lockdown is informed by both disinformation and the irrationality of the majority of society. People will act against their own interests and the interests of the public - unless they are put under the use of force.

This is what every serious society is doing. Of course, every society is going at their own pace depending on the context analysis and the public health emergency forecasts pertaining to that country.

Overwhelmingly, we have seen governments and their oppositions in seriously affected countries come together with one voice to support decisive and timely action against the virus.

We have also seen opposition groups criticize governments on their improper or slow handling of the global health crisis. But many people understand that their individual health and that of the public is paramount and comes before personal freedoms.

Freedoms and privacy of populations have been put aside by Presidential and prime ministerial decrees in the general interests of public health across the globe. Travel restrictions and closure of national borders have become commonplace.

In societies that have taken this war seriously, the military and police are on the streets to make use of the conceive powers of the state to enforce total compliance to societal lockdown and social distancing.

People in Europe are in little doubt that their societies are at war. As far as people are concerned, the war against coronavirus is the third World War of the century.

Any society that gets confused about this global war against this deadly virus - even for a second - will be overwhelmed by unprecedented fatalities and preventable casualties.

By the design of providence, the virus avoided Africa for the first three months of its attack. This gave our misleaders, even the most incompetent of them all, ample time and opportunity for anticipatory planning, preparation, and preventive action ahead of its ultimate and inevitable arrival.

Instead, African governments went to sleep, preferring to spread conspiracy theories about how the virus is afraid of black people and hot tropical temperatures.

Ridiculous!

That grace period, unfortunately, has been squandered due to lack of foresight, lazy and mediocre thinking from the authorities.

The virus is now in our territories. And obviously, it is coping with the high tropical temperatures without any signs of slowing down. From two recorded and imported cases narrowed down to Ghana, my motherland, we are now reading about 19 infected people including people with no known travel history - and still counting. The community spread is in earnest. All the signs point to an unabated trend.

In the meantime, our government is engaged in rhetoric, making promises without clarity and without stated sources of promised resources. While churches are asked to close down, people can still go out and drink PITO or carouse in the night club and pubs. People are only advised to stay home.

It is even unclear if the Ghana government has taken this issue as a national security issue and whether there is a national security plan to go to war with the ravaging virus. Who plays what role in this national security plan, if there is any? We don't know. It seems our misleaders are confused in addition to their incompetence.

And that means we are in double trouble.

Our Parliament is now engaging in partisan debate on new powers sought by the President to issue emergency orders and decrees that will affect the freedoms of the people in the war against the coronavirus.

The so-called learned people are at each other's throats, speaking and writing Queens English about the Law while coronavirus is penetrating our society without gazing.

Meanwhile, some public institutions are taking advantage of the lack of firmness from the government to carry on with public activities that defy social distancing. People have had to go to court to stop the NIA from continuing to allow people to gather to register for the national identity card. Why couldn't the people themselves refuse to patronize the NIA in their own interests? It is precisely because the people cannot be relied upon to use their common sense under these circumstances that governments exists to act decisively on their behalf.

In the meantime, some rogue elements in the political opposition have found a window of opportunity under these dire circumstances to propound new conspiracy theories about the propensity and willingness of the ruling government to use the fight against the coronavirus as a ruse to put in place elections rigging machinery for far away Decembers general elections. This has gone a long away to polarise and escalate the disinformation among the vulnerable population. People are now more confused than before - thanks to misleadership.

This is Ghana for you. Every move and every action to be taken for public health is under partisan political scrutiny about related costs or lack of transparency.

So while the misleaders and the misguided followers have decided that all this partisan bickering cannot wait until we have defeated the virus, this plague continues to take firm roots in our various communities.

The number of cases is growing by the day. And instead of providing the public with the right information, the misleaders are muddying the waters with weapons of mass deception - political propaganda.

And to make matters worse, the misguided people are still following and taking partisan positions. Instead of staying at home, people are queuing for National Identification Cards which will be of no use to them in the grave when they succumb to coronavirus.

And I am very sure that if the electoral commission starts registration activities today against public health interests, some people will still go out at the expense of their health and that of the public to queue and register.

Is there any more doubt that we are heading towards a zombie apocalypse in our country?

It is about time our President and his government get a grotesque grip of the situation, be honest with the people, stop playing hanky-panky and take drastic wartime measures to contain the community spread of the coronaVirus before it escalates to overwhelming proportions.

The government cannot afford to wait for support from Western institutions like the IMF or the World Bank to fight this war. The West is overwhelmed already by this situation and waiting for their institutions to give us support to fight coronavirus is like running a fools errand. This is the time to give practical meaning to the word independence.

Source:

SaCut Amenga-Etego

Journalist/Progressive Activist/Ghost Writer

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"Serving in the military changes you. The shades and degrees of change vary for everyone, but no one is ever the same as...
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Staten Island parishioners will not be allowed to attend traditional Catholic Holy Week services due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Archdiocese of New York has confirmed.

While congregations will not be in present in church, priests will still carry out their daily scheduled masses in private.

Mass for Palm Sunday, Holy Week services, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday will all be celebrated, but privately, without congregations, throughout the entire Archdiocese, said Joe Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York.

Staten Island has 375 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Saturday, and at least four people have died on the borough as a results of the illness.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

As of 8 p.m. Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomos P.A.U.S.E. executive order will take effect, closing all non-essential businesses. According to the state, houses of worship are not ordered closed, but the order strongly recommends that no congregate services be held and social distance maintained.

Churches, therefore, may continue to be open daily for private prayer and devotion. Parishioners should check individual parish hours.

As statewide restrictions have continued to tighten, Catholic churches have also postponed sacraments including confirmation, funerals, weddings, and First Holy Communion. Baptism may be celebrated in case of emergencies.

Some parishes are still holding confessions as regularly scheduled, but with special restrictions or consideration. St. Christophers and St. Marys Churches asked in a communication to parishioners that people not stand close to one another while waiting.

Churches across the borough are also offering different ways to engage with their parishioners; St. Christophers Church in Midland Beach, for example, looks to still bless palms for Palm Sunday, which will be left outside the front door of the church.

Our Lady of Good Counsel in Tompkinsville is sending the weekly church bulletins to the congregation by mail, with a statement and inspiration from the pastor.

And some parishes, like Holy Rosary in South Beach, are engaging their devoted on Facebook.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL COMMUNITY

While students, teachers, and faculty await the return of school, the Archdiocese invited the Catholic school community to join together in a Weekend of Prayer.

Cardinal Dolan posted a recorded message for students on YouTube. He invited them to pray for those who have the virus and those who are worried they might get it  the vulnerable, and those who take care of them.

We are so grateful to them. We are praying with them and for them," Cardinal Dolan said in the video. Write your grandma and grandpa a note, neighbors a note, give them a call, and let them know you love them and that you are praying with and for them.

In a further effort to keep isolated families engaged with their faith, the communication included resources for parents to encourage students to pray and study Catholicism. Parents are the primary educators of their children, especially in matters of faith, it said.

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The Egyptian cabinet urged citizens on Sunday to only resort to official sources from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in all matters related to the coronavirus and to not pay attention to rumours on social media.

The cabinet denied the authenticity of a voice note being circulated on social media of a person claiming to be a WHO official.

"We [the cabinet] stress that the [WHO] releases all its statement on its official platforms; website www.who.int/ar or Facebook page; World Health Organisation Egypt, Twitter account twitter.com/whoegypt or through Whatsapp number 0041798931892.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi spoke earlier on Sunday calling on the nation to support the state's precautionary measures and reassuring that the country is doing well against the crisis. Egypt has so far registered 294 coronavirus cases, including 10 deaths. The country has allocated EGP 100 billion to finance a comprehensive plan to stop the spread of the virus.

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San Antonio Aquarium was ordered shut twice on Saturday by the Leon Valley Police Department after officers found the business open to the public despite an emergency declaration amid the coronavirus pandemic, police said.

The aquarium had received multiple warnings from the police but still had refused to close, officials said.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news with mySA.com:

Earlier in the week we personally advised them that they could not be open to the public, but were allowed to have no more than 9 employees present to care for and feed the animals, Leon Valley Police Chief Joe Salvaggio said.

Police were first called to the aquarium early Saturday to find the aquatic-theme business open to the public with multiple patrons inside  violating Texas, Bexar County and Leon Valley emergency declarations.

The owner, who was not present Saturday, had ignored their warnings and refused to shut down the establishment, police say. So officers issued the aquarium a citation and ordered the manager to immediately close.

Later Saturday afternoon, Salvaggio said officers returned to find more than 15 people at the aquarium for a birthday party, as well as ten employees.

Police again cited the manager and cleared out the aquarium.

Salvaggio said that if the owner violates the ordinance one more time, police will be forced to revoke their certificate of occupancy and chain the entrance doors.Salvaggio also said he is seeking additional charges against the owner.

The owner of the San Antonio Aquarium put the citizens, and now my officers in danger with his reckless actions, Salvaggio said. The last thing we want to do is to have to enforce laws that have been put in place for the health, safety and welfare of the public. We ask for voluntary compliance as the laws are in the best interest of the public as a whole.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:
Bengal govt, SC rights panel at logger heads over visit to State to probe atrocities against Dalits

Narada: After HC stayed bail, two Bengal ministers stayed the night in jail

Bengal vs Centre: Why the former Chief Secretary is bound by Centres rules

Bengal govt orders bars, restaurants to remain shut until March 31

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Mar 22: The West Bengal government on Saturday ordered all restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs, amusement parks, museums and zoos to remain shut till March 31 as a precautionary measure in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a senior official said.

The order, which aims to prevent all non-essential social gatherings, comes into effect on Sunday morning, he said.

The directive also applies to massage parlours and hookah bars, the official said, adding that strict action would be taken in case of any violation.

Coronavirus: Punjab govt orders lockdown in few districts

"In order to further check non-essential social gatherings which lead to spread of the virus from infected persons to healthy persons we have ordered the shutdown," the official said.

Three persons, with travel history to the UK, have tested positive for the coronavirus in West Bengal.

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Story first published: Sunday, March 22, 2020, 6:46 [IST]
Our Anthony Zilis spent the week telling the stories of those impacted by the pandemic in a variety of ways.
About 12 years after the US government bailed out General Motors and Chrysler, Washington policymakers are debating how to throw Boeing a lifeline as it reels from dual crises over the coronavirus and 737 MAX.

The aerospace giant, which manufactures the US presidential jet Air Force One in addition to defense and commercial aircraft, has asked for $60 billion in federal support for the US aerospace industry, but it is not yet clear how such a bailout would function.

Boeing is on the brink, prominent hedge fund investor Bill Ackman said this week. Boeing will not survive without a government bailout.

Boeings financial picture was already under pressure even before the coronavirus.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- A fire that tore through a St. George laundromat Saturday drew a large FDNY response, and left one firefighter injured.

Twenty-five units and more than 100 firefighters responded at about 3:12 p.m. to the brick, one-story commercial building at 93 Stuyvesant Pl., blocks from Borough Hall, the Richmond County Courthouse and 120th Precinct station house.

One firefighter was transported to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton with serious, but non-life threatening injuries, according to an FDNY spokesman.

The fire was placed under control just before 4 p.m.

The fire is the second in less than two years along the same commercial block in St. George.

In 2018, a homeless man pleaded guilty to starting a massive blaze near 99 Stuyvesant Pl. that ripped through several businesses.

Hector Meza, 40, let a candle burn carelessly, igniting combustibles in an alcove at the rear of the St. George Pharmacy, late on the afternoon of June 6, according to the Fire Department and statements made in court.

That fire caused significant damage to a Dunkin Donuts and a nearby pharmacy.
She parked by a stretch of warehouses along the railroad tracks and walked toward a man who turned toward her, revealing deep scratches on his face. He was alone but said he was in the midst of a conversation with his nephew. She waited until he was finished and shook his hand when he offered it, and then excused herself, went back to her truck, and as discreetly as possible, sanitized her hands. She understood he was too mentally ill to grasp the implications of the coronavirus, so she gave him some clean clothing and made a note to contact a city mental-health worker on his behalf, and then, smelling smoke, walked down the railroad tracks toward some blue tarps and the fragile-looking woman who was soon crying and saying she was scared.
By Chris Campos

Bay City News Foundation

Facing a "tsunami of need" as one food bank director said, Gov. Gavin Newsom called up the National Guard Friday to assist deliveries at the state's food banks.

Grappling with the coronavirus pandemic crisis, the governor said the executive order will provide short-term food security to isolated and vulnerable Californians and the short deployment will help to stabilize the immediate need of food banks.

The governor's office noted that many food banks have been affected by a significant decline in volunteerism, impacting logistical and local infrastructure for food distribution. The California Guard will initially deploy personnel and logistical equipment to a food bank distribution warehouse in Sacramento County and will conduct immediate site assessments statewide for those counties that have requested short-term support and stabilization.

This short-term assistance from the California National Guard allows time to mobilize AmeriCorps, California Conservation Corps and Local Conservation Corps members, and other volunteers where counties have identified serious gaps, the governor's office said.

Leslie Bacho, the head of the Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, said Saturday that her food operation has had to "completely retool" its operation protocols to ensure they can safely deliver food. "It's a tsunami of need," Bacho said, with a flood of local residents in need of nutrition at the same time they are being kept at home under the state's "stay- at-home" orders. Second Harvest has initiated a new program of pop-up food distribution sites.

Noting the importance of safety, Gunilla Bergensten of the SF-Marin Food Bank emphasized the precautions the group is taking to keep their customers and staff virus-free. Following federal health (CDC) guidelines, the charity is seeking an increase in bag donations to enable pre-packaging of supplies to cut down on lines and food handling; distributing gloves to all staff; increasing disinfection and cleaning of all equipment; reducing volunteer shifts; maintaining social distancing and starting new pop-up sites.

Delivery to shut-in elderly residents "is critical" Bergensten said Saturday. She said the pandemic's needs "are changing almost hourly."

The SF-Marin Food Bank pop-ups will be held in San Francisco on Monday: Bayview Opera House; Tuesday: Cesar Chavez Elementary; Wednesday: James Denman Middle School and Rosa Parks Elementary; Thursday: Francisco Middle School, Mission High School and Bessie Carmichael; Friday: Lincoln High School and APA Visitation Valley.

Marin pop-ups will be held Monday: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Marin City; Wednesday: Bayside MLK, Sausalito; Thursday: Marin Community Clinic, Novato and San Geronimo Valley Community Center, San Geronimo.

The state's food deployment strategy also launches the Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign, which calls on neighbors to be first line of support for California's most vulnerable residents who have been advised to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign is focused on older adults and promotes ways to safely check on your neighbors, family and friends, and will be run by California Volunteers, the state office tasked with engaging Californians in service, volunteering and civic action. The state is partnering with the social networking service Nextdoor to provide valuable information to California communities about the state's response to the coronavirus crisis.

Bacho emphasized the need for the community to "step up" to help with food and fundraising. The combination of the flood of food needs and the limitations of staffing has squeezed all charity operations. She noted that Amazon had promised a fresh truck of food donations and Raley's has stepped forward.

Bacho said that the 2008 recession crisis was "a slow build" but the pandemic has been "like falling off a dramatic cliff."

Michael Altfest of the Alameda Food Bank also said that new distribution programs are among his biggest challenges. His group is also organizing pop-up food distribution and is looking forward to the help coming from the National Guard. "Getting extra human resources," is vital Altfest said Saturday. He also emphasized the need for funding donations. "What people don't realize is that we purchase most of our food," Altfest said. He did say that the food bank has seen a surge in volunteers eager to help out. "We have 112 people who are very committed to the health of our community," he added.

But Altfest did admit, "We are all worried about the coming surge" of infected patients.

The Contra Costa-Solano Food Bank has also begun planning new distribution locations. The food bank stated online, "There will be supplemental distributions starting next week utilizing our first drive-thru food assistance method. We are so thankful for the volunteers who stepped up to put together 1,000 of our new emergency food boxes on Thursday." The Contra Costa food group has a warehouse located in North Concord.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
SPRINGFIELD  The number of people who have been confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus at Baystate Health is climbing.

As of Sunday, medical personnel have tested 600 people for COVID-19 and have received positive results for 39. Another 271 people tested negative for the virus and the medical center is awaiting results for the remaining 290 people who were tested, Baystate officials said.

On Saturday the Springfield-based health provider reported having tested 484 people, with 22 positive cases returned and 228 people found to be negative.

Baystate Health is not providing additional details on patients, such age, gender or residence.

As part of Baystate Medical Centers effort to keep up with demands created by the pandemic, a rapid response triage is being constructed outside its Emergency Department. It is expected to be completed Monday.

As of Saturday, more than 5,200 residents of Massachusetts have been tested for COVID-19 and about 10 percent of them, 525 people, have tested positive.

Two people in the state have died from the virus. An 87-year-old Winthrop man who had underlying health conditions died on Friday and a woman in her 50s from Ayer, who also had medical problems, died on Saturday, officials said.

Two people in Hampden, one in Ludlow and one in Ashfield have also tested positive for COVID-19, officials in those towns have reported.

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Baystate Health officials said in a video released on Sunday said testing abilities remain limited. The medical center does not have the capability to test patients and is working with the state Department of Public Health to have people tested.

People with minor cases, we dont have test kits for them, Dr. Sarah D. Haessler, hospital epidemiologist, said in the video.

In the video, Haessler, Dr. Andrew Artenstein, chief physician executive, and CEO Dr. Mark Keroack said old-fashioned handwashing and using hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available, following basic hygiene practices such as coughing and sneezing into the crook of your elbow or into a tissue will help prevent the disease, which is spread through droplets when someone coughs or sneezes. People can also pick it up on surfaces where droplets have fallen. People are also urged to remain at least six feet away from others.

There are multiple types of coronaviruses, but COVID-19 is new and came from an animal, Haessler said.

None of us have immunity and that allows the virus to spread very quickly, she said.

Related content:
A deserted gateway of India in Mumbai.



Nearly one billion people around the world have been confined to their homes on Sunday, as the coronavirus death toll crossed 13,000 and factories were shut in worst-hit Italy after another single-day fatalities record.



The raging pandemic has forced lockdowns in 35 countries, disrupting lives, travel and businesses as governments scramble to shut borders and unleash hundreds of billions in emergency measures to avoid a widespread virus-fuelled economic meltdown.



More than 300,000 infections have been confirmed worldwide, with the situation increasingly grim in Italy where the death toll spiked to more than 4,800 -- over a third of the global total.



Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a closure of all non-essential factories in a late-night TV address on Saturday.



The Mediterranean nation of 60 million is now the epicentre of the disease, which first emerged in central China late last year before marching out to the rest of the world.



Italy has now reported more deaths than mainland China and third-placed Iran combined, and it has a death rate of 8.6 percent among confirmed COVID-19 infections -- significantly higher than in most other countries.



Across the Atlantic, more than a third of Americans were adjusting to life in various phases of lockdown, including in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Other parts of the United States are expected to ramp up restrictions as well.



"This is a time of shared national sacrifice, but also a time to treasure our loved ones," US President Donald Trump said. "We're going to have a great victory."



As world leaders have vowed to fight the pandemic, the number of deaths and infections has continued to rise, especially in Europe -- now the main coronavirus hotspot.



Spain reported a 32 percent spike in new deaths on Saturday, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warning that the nation needs to prepare for "very hard days ahead".



Fatalities in France jumped to 562 as police officials said helicopters and drones were being deployed to boost the government's attempts to keep people in their homes.



The unprecedented measures to counter the spread of COVID-19 have shredded the international sports calendar, and pressure is mounting on Olympic organisers to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games.



The pandemic has bludgeoned global stock markets, and the United States -- the world's biggest economy -- is preparing a huge emergency stimulus package that could top $1 trillion.



Millions have been ordered to stay home in the United States.



New Jersey on Saturday followed several states in telling residents to stay indoors.



And in neighbouring New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that the disruption is likely to last for months, not weeks.



"I don't think it's possible in a city of this size for people to maintain it for much longer than three weeks before they start losing it," Yona Corn, a 35-year-old singer, told AFP.



"I think there's going to be a big mental health crisis. I worry about what's going to happen to people." The US Food and Drug Administration also approved the first coronavirus test that can be conducted entirely at the point of care for a patient -- and deliver results in 45 minutes.



Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative for the coronavirus, his press secretary tweeted Saturday. The couple had taken the test after one of Pence's staffers contracted the illness.



The drastic confinement measures follow the example of China, where the lockdown of Hubei province appears to have paid off. Wuhan, Hubei's capital, is where the virus was first detected.



France, Italy, Spain and other European countries have ordered people to stay at home, threatening fines in some cases, while Australia on Sunday told citizens to cancel domestic travel plans.



Britain has told pubs, restaurants and theatres to close and warned citizens to stop panic-buying.



China reported its first local infection in four days on Sunday. While the number of cases in the mainland has slumped dramatically since the crisis began, there are fears in Asia of "imported" cases from other hotspots like Europe.



Thailand on Sunday reported its highest daily rise in cases, taking its total to nearly 600, while India went into lockdown with a one-day nationwide "self-imposed curfew".



While the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the hardest hit by the virus, the WHO has warned that young people are also vulnerable.



Accurate COVID-19 figures are difficult to reach because many of the victims suffered from other illnesses, and infection rates are uncertain because of a lack of testing in many countries.



The coronavirus has infected more than 1,000 across Africa too, where healthcare systems are limited and social distancing measures are difficult in crowded cities.



The Middle East also remains on high alert, where Iran -- which suffered a major outbreak -- reported 123 deaths on Saturday. But the Islamic Republic has refused to join the rest of the world in imposing heavy restrictions.



El Salvador joined several central and South American countries in imposing quarantine measures on Saturday, as Colombia announced its first coronavirus death.
FILE - In this July 25, 2018, file photo, Stephen Bell, president and CEO of the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce, talks about what he hopes will be a new paper mill in Arkadelphia, Ark. A Chinese company has abandoned its plan to build a massive paper mill in southwestern Arkansas that had already been delayed by trade tensions. (AP Photo/Karen E. Segrave File)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  A Chinese company has abandoned its plan to build a massive paper mill in southwestern Arkansas that had already been delayed by trade tensions.

Sun Paper told Gov. Asa Hutchinson and economic development officials in a letter dated Sunday that it would not move forward with its plan to build a mill in Arkadelphia, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Little Rock. The company cited continued political friction and economic instability," and the coronavirus outbreak as reasons for walking away from the project.

With the likelihood of the project uncertain, it is also fair to allow the state of Arkansas to use its resources for other ventures that have less uncertainty in the medium term," Andrzej Bednarski, the company's international project director, said in a letter. At this moment, the collective uncertainties make it a better choice for both of us to abandon the project."

The letter was first reported by Talk Business and Politics.

The announcement comes after Arkadelphia officials announced that the community was marketing the 1,000-acre site planned for the mill to other potential projects. The $1.8 billion mill was announced in 2016 but has faced uncertainty since then because of trade tensions.

Sun Papers announcement that it is not continuing with the Clark County development project is disappointing but not unexpected in light of the trade wars and the global economic downturn caused by the current coronavirus pandemic," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement. We will continue to work with our local economic development leaders to attract other projects to the area."

State Commerce Secretary Mike Preston said none of the incentives that had been announced at the time have been paid to the company and the state was looking at ways to use the now de-obligated funds for other economic development opportunities.

Its a big disappointment for everyone involved," Preston said in a statement. Lots of hard work, from the local community to our state partners, went into to seeing this project succeed."

Story continues

Local government had used revenue from a half-cent sales tax in Clark County to buy the mill site, which is a few miles (kilometers) south of Arkadelphia. In 2016, officials said they expected the mill to create hundreds of jobs and employ 2,000 people during its construction. State incentives included $12.5 million for site preparation and equipment, and up to $3 million in workforce training funds.

___

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And they harm all of us. Some countries responded slowly to the coronavirus threat because they deemed it a condition primarily lethal to old people less worthy of the best efforts to contain it, the World Health Organizations director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted recently. That some of the national leaders abiding by this assessment are themselves in the highest risk group is testament to one of the fundamental truths of ageism: that it is pervasive among old people themselves in ways that threaten both personal and national health.

The news and social media have been full of similarly counterproductive messages, even cruel memes such as Boomer Remover, a descendant of last years dismissive and condescending OK, Boomer.

This matters in the era of Covid-19 because in a culture that persists in ignoring the last centurys huge gains in longevity and the obvious differences between young and much older adults, we are unable to address the needs of older Americans. It matters because the isolation necessary for slowing the rate of contagion will also cause irreparable harm to their health and have both short- and long-term economic effects. And it matters because when we accept the second-class citizenship of an entire category of human being, we set a precedent for treating others with the same disregard.

The effects of this isolation are being seen throughout the country. On Twitter, a young woman in Oregon described being called over to a car at her supermarket where a couple in their 80s sat scared to go inside lest they become infected; they handed her $100 to do their shopping so that they wouldnt starve. One of my geriatrics colleagues who cares for people in assisted living facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area told me one patient had commented that his current living situation was like being in solitary confinement and we have no idea for how long. A photo picked up by many news outlets shows a Connecticut man holding a sign outside his wifes nursing home window that said: Ive loved you 67 years and still do. Happy anniversary.

Isolation and neglect add to a history of systematic injury. The Trump administration didnt just eliminate the federal office of pandemic preparedness and dismiss or drive away scientists and experts at all levels of government; it also moved to decrease nursing home oversight and infection-control regulations. Meanwhile, although I could cite abundant data on the poor quality of many nursing homes and on the ubiquity of loneliness, neglect and mistreatment, and I could note that the facility in Kirkland, Wash., that responded so slowly to a lethal contagion had a top government rating, it is more compelling to simply ask: If you dont already live in a nursing home, are you looking forward to the time when you can move into one?
(Natural News) We can barely keep up with the numbers. According to Worldometers.info, there are now 24,000+ confirmed coronavirus infections in the USA, with 288 deaths. Things are moving at breakneck speed, and now the head of the NIH is predicting there will be 70,000 confirmed infections in the USA by the end of next week.

From InvestmentWatchBlog.com:

As many as 70,000 Americans could be confirmed as infected with coronavirus by the end of next week, marking a pretty dramatic increase in the number of confirmed cases, the director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, told his employees in an agency-wide conference call on Friday.

This doesnt mean 70,000 people will get infected next week, it means the testing is finally starting to catch up to the reality of the situation, which is rather grim.

The top health official of the State of New Jersey is now telling us everyone will get the Wuhan coronavirus. Via NJ.com:

Persichilli, the state health commissioner, has become a familiar face in the state as the woman who calmly announces how many people have tested positive and died of COVID-19 disease each day. Behind the scenes, she is the health official who has been running the states day-to-day battle against the virus.

But at age 71, Persichilli is squarely in the age range that experts are warning to be most cautious.

Are you worried, I ask, that youll get the coronavirus eventually?

She smiles.

Im definitely going to get it. We all are, Persichilli says matter-of-factly. Im just waiting.

Gosh, that almost sounds like some sort of suicide cult talk. Prepare the Kool-Aid!

Heres where the numbers are right now in terms of infections (actually the chart is already obsolete, it should say 24,000+)

And heres the chart showing deaths. Notice that neither of these charts looks anywhere near flattening. In fact, this exponential trend has only just begun:

Its not just old people who are dying, either. According to NY Gov. Cuomo, half the cases in the state are people under the age of 50.

Nearly 30% of the US population is now living under lockdown / quarantine conditions, and the virus is mostly spreading in high-density cities along the coasts.

Heres the NYT map animation from yesterday. Notice that in reality, we are already at twice the number of infections shown in this animation:

For those living in LA, its too late to bug out, so hunker down and prepare to survive

For many years, weve been urging people to get out of the cities, which I have repeatedly characterized as death traps in a national emergency event. And now, Los Angeles County has surrendered to the virus, announcing there will be no more testing and no more containment. (Sheer insanity.) Its just going to overrun the hospitals now, leading to mass death and regional collapse.

On the topic of collapsing cities, my staff wrote this story in 2017, more than two years ago: DEATH TRAPS: The Health Ranger explains why its impossible to evacuate large cities. The story contained a YouTube video which was banned under the censorship tyranny of Big Tech. Fortunately, we saved the video and its now posted on Brighteon.com.

As you listen to this, remember this was years ago that we issued this warning. From the podcast: The big long-term plan for cities like Los Angeles, the plan for the cities when the chaos really comes when the economic collapse happens, the plan is not to go in and try to police those cities. But rather for law enforcement to stand off and simply contain the violence of the city. Law enforcement, they already know that they wont be able to control the chaos in the cities the murder, the violence, the arson

Just as I saw years ago what were all seeing right now, I know whats coming next. I can see the next two years and how this plays out. Ill be covering the collapse of society and the rebuilding of the Next Society in upcoming podcasts at Pandemic.news.
Phuket Opinion: Songkran will survive

Thai officials are going to have their hands full trying to contain an outbreak of Songkran fever in three weeks time. They can cancel the public holidays, they can shut the bars, but telling Thais they cannot celebrate their own New Year is going to be a tough act.

opinionCOVID-19Coronavirusculturetourism

By The Phuket News

Sunday 22 March 2020, 09:00AM

Observing traditional Songkran blessings. Photo: TAT

Cancelling the public holidays is an obvious move to try to stem the outpouring of Thais who live and work in Bangkok from returning to their family homes in the provinces over the traditional holidays. Bangkoks estimated resident population ranges from the 8.2 million recognised in the 2010 national census (yes, were due another national census this year) to some 10.2mn by more recent estimates, but more tellingly is that the estimated daytime population ranges up to as high as 15mn people.

As many as some 6mn people on the move from a concentrated area where the COVID-19 coronavirus has been confirmed is a sincere health risk, especially when people may not even be aware that they are carrying the virus in their first 14 days of infection. More so is that the annual journey home over Songkran is for working Thais to visit their parents and grandparents, the very people most at risk from the virus.

We all understand that all the coronavirus countermeasures that have been implemented by the government so far aim to flatten the virus infection curve, and thus try to avoid the healthcare system being overwhelmed and hopefully prevent any unnecessary deaths. No one wants to to be held responsible for unleashing a 21st century biological version of Logans Run for the elderly.

The measures also aim to mitigate the economic impact of the disease, yet just the policies implemented so far in the hope of preventing the disease from spreading seem to be doing that all by themselves.

It would be nice for Thai officials to at least publicly admit this is the aim. The goal cannot be the impossible protection from the disease. It is a highly contagious virus that spreads like wildfire. It will eventually reach throughout the country, just like everywhere else in the world. To wit, the race is on to create a vaccine for the virus. We only hope that by the time a vaccine arrives COVID-19 has not already evolved into COVID-20 or 21.

Meanwhile, without rolling out domestic travel bans the likes of which Communist states would be proud of, Songkran will go ahead. Many good Thais will do their best to heed the advice to beware spreading the disease, but people will travel, they will celebrate. Officials can call it what they want, but Songkran will survive.
Teachers have been given the power to ask parents for ID and payslips to prove they are key workers  amid fears that many will lie about their jobs so they can drop off their children.

Schools across Britain shut to most pupils on Friday. But headmasters predict a meltdown after experts suggested two million pupils could attempt to attend school today.

Checks at the gates will root out those parents falsely claiming to have jobs critical to the countrys coronavirus response.

Year 11 pupils, some with graffiti-covered shirts reading 'Survivor 2020' and 'Class of Corona 2020' leave a secondary school in Odiham, Hampshire on Friday

Teachers have been given the power to ask parents for ID and payslips to prove they are key workers  amid fears that many will lie about their jobs so they can drop off their children. Pictured: A parent and a child play in London today

Private school fees could be refunded Private schools will be offering parents a partial refund, a sector chief has said. Neil Roskilly, chief executive of the Independent Schools Association, said schools were considering returning a portion of fees for the summer term. He added: I think schools, if they can afford it, will also freeze fees for next year because they know things are tough for parents. But Mr Roskilly said that many parents are not withholding fees as they understand that schools are trying their best to maintain a continuity of education using technology. And Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, urged parents to not withdraw fees as private schools will face the risk of closure if they lose money. He told The Sunday Telegraph that independent schools are small businesses and are in the same boat as everyone else. Advertisement

The move comes amid concerns that over-stretched teachers will be swamped. One head has blasted the disgraceful mob mentality of parents which may mean she cannot open at all.

Last night, the Department for Education released last-minute guidance, telling teachers how to police the children they let in based on their parents occupations.

Teachers said pet shop workers, carpet fitters, nail technicians and even sausage makers were claiming key worker status.

We know many schools will have already spoken with parents/carers to identify who requires a school place, the official document said. If it proves necessary, schools can ask for simple evidence that the parent in question is a critical worker, such as their work ID badge or payslip.

The guidance stated: If required, we recommend asking for simple evidence that the parent in question is a critical worker, such as confirmation from their employer on what their job is and how it is critical to the Covid-19 response. If any problems occur, schools should speak to their local authority.

The document also revealed that teachers will be expected to work through the Easter holidays to look after key workers children.

Hairdressers and dog groomers have also been claiming they are included on the sweeping list of jobs critical to the coronavirus response, a Times Educational Supplement survey found.

Boris Johnson at his daily coronavirus press briefing at Downing Street today

Key workers: List of critical staff whose children can attend lessons The key workers who can send their children to school are divided into eight categories: Health and social care Includes doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers; producers and distributers of medicines and medical protective equipment. Education and childcare Includes teaching staff, social workers and specialist education professionals. Key public services Includes those running the justice system, religious staff, charity workers and journalists. Local and national government Includes those needed to deliver the Covid-19 response or deliver essential public services. Food and necessary goods Includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other goods like hygienic and veterinary medicines. Safety and national security Includes police and support staff, MoD workers, the armed forces, fire services, those maintaining border security and prison staff. Transport Includes workers on air, water, road and rail transport  either passenger or freight. Utilities, communication and financial services Includes staff needed for banks and workers in the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors. Advertisement

Teaching unions urged mothers and fathers to play fair or risk a situation which will become impossible to support.

A plea was made to companies not to put profit before people and ensure parents can work from home or schedule their hours so they can look after children.

Key workers are designated as those in sectors such as the NHS, transport, the food supply chain, social services, governmental and national security roles.

However, retailer Pets At Home gave staff a lawyers letter saying they were in a critical category due to the need to keep up the sale of food and other necessary goods including veterinary medicine.

But one teacher remarked: The Government stated schools are open for children of essential workers. Dog collars are not essential.

A spokesman for Pets at Home said: 'The letter we shared with colleagues was simply intended to help them, and teachers at their childrens schools, understand what we believe to be the government guidelines.

'There is no question that NHS workers and others on the front line are the utmost priority and so we asked colleagues using this letter to also be respectful of the needs of others and the difficult decisions schools are having to take and to only apply for key worker status if absolutely necessary.

Education analysts said 20 per cent of pupils could attempt to go in today. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, yesterday said: We are getting reports of an overwhelming demand for places.

He also asked employers: Do not put profit over people. School places are there for the most vulnerable and to keep truly crucial operations running. Dr Mary Bousted, of the National Education Union, said: If schools are to limit their intake during the crisis, school leaders and teachers must exercise their professional judgment. There may have to be some difficult conversations.

Children who have one parent as a key worker should remain at home. Their other parent should look after them. Hundreds of thousands of pupils are eligible for makeshift educational provision.

But the Governments definition of key workers is too generous and has led to the risk of schools being flooded, said Neil Roskilly, chief executive of the Independent Schools Association, which has over 500 member schools.

He added: Parents are thinking not only can I get my child away and looked after but I might even be able to expect some Easter holiday cover.

Vulnerable children will still be cared for by schools, and children on free school meals will also be provided for. Schools chief inspector Amanda Spielman said yesterday: Parents need to hear the message: Keep children at home if at all possible. Support the decisions your childs school are making.

Latest coronavirus video news, views and expert advice at mailplus.co.uk/coronavirus

Parents who demand that school takes in their kids

By Simon Walters for the Daily Mail

Primary school head Jennifer Gill angrily accused parents of threatening her staff and undermining Boris Johnsons attempt to stop Covid-19 from spreading. Pictured: Mr Johnson today

A headmistress denounced the disgraceful mob mentality of non-key worker parents refusing to keep children at home.

Primary school head Jennifer Gill angrily accused parents of threatening her staff and undermining Boris Johnsons attempt to stop Covid-19 from spreading.

She said it was not the schools duty to provide emergency (child care) to protect jobs.

Miss Gill rebuked parents for acting as though having to look after your child is an inconvenience in the face of a global emergency.

And she said that as a result of the parents revolt she was seriously considering closing the entire school today to safeguard teachers.

It is the latest evidence that the public are not heeding the Prime Ministers calls for responsible behaviour.

There have been distressing scenes in shops with the elderly and health workers unable to get vital supplies of food because of panic buying.

And the Government was forced to close pubs, restaurants and cafes after pleas to stay away from were ignored. From today only the children of key workers such as NHS, police, social and care workers, mortuary workers, those involved in the food supply industry and some transport staff  around 20 per cent of the workforce  can send their children to school.

The Government decided not to follow other nations where all schools are closed, arguing that it would remove key workers from the front line in the war on coronavirus. But it means other people must look after their children, making it impossible for some to carry on working.

There have been distressing scenes in shops with the elderly and health workers unable to get vital supplies of food because of panic buying. Pictured: Empty shelves at a Waitrose supermarket in London

Some school chiefs warned last week that confusion over the definition of key worker could see schools overwhelmed, with children turned away from school gates.

The fears were reinforced yesterday by Miss Gill, of St Patricks Roman Catholic state primary school in Consett, County Durham. In a letter posted on the website of the school, which has 400 pupils, she said if parents did not believe the seriousness of the situation they should turn on the television and see the Italian army transporting coffins in the night from towns unable to cope.

Her letter says: Parents have been threatening to bring children to school next week despite not being allocated an emergency place. Due to this disgraceful mob mentality, I am seriously considering full closure on Monday to protect my staff.

School staff cannot be threatened for advice that has been issued to try to reduce deaths.

The JJ Moon's in Tooting, south London, was packed with punters on on Thursday despite the government's warnings to stay away

Emergency care is not provided to protect jobs and a place at school is not an automatic entitlement  it is a last resort to enable essential key workers to carry out their roles.

Many key workers will not need emergency care; sending your child to school puts them, your family and school staff at risk. Families where only parent is a key worker are not eligible for emergency care.

Miss Gill says she appreciates it is a challenging and stressful time but calls on parents to put the needs of the whole community first and think how their actions can harm the health and wellbeing of others.

She stresses that looking after your child should not be seen as an inconvenience when one considers the alternative. The school, which was established in 1926 and rated good by Ofsted, was contacted for comment.

Latest coronavirus video news, views and expert advice at mailplus.co.uk/coronavirus
New Delhi  India's government is facing criticism for the relatively low number of tests it's administered to detect cases of the new coronavirus, raising fears that tens of thousands of patients may be going undetected. India has tested only about 12,000 people so far, despite a capacity to test about ten times that many.

Only people who have traveled from the worst affected countries or come in contact with a confirmed case and shown symptoms after two weeks of quarantine are being tested  criteria that experts call "very narrow."

The World Health Organization has urged countries to test every suspect case, not just people with relevant travel or contact history.

But many Indians with symptoms indicative of a possible COVID-19 infection, have been turned away from hospitals as they seek tests, and that is causing increasing fear in the world's second most populous country.

Volunteers help millions of elderly Americans

Italy surpasses China in coronavirus death toll

Young people plead with strangers online to practice social distancing
LG Chem engineers are holding rigid-type battery packs at the company's battery manufacturing plant in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, Sunday. Korea Times file



By Kim Yoo-chul



"Default is the only appropriate remedy," said the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) regarding its recent default judgment over the bitter patent infringements fight between LG Chem and SK Innovation (SKI). The judgment was based on its observation of SKI's "spoliation of evidence."



A 135-page public document signed by USITC's administrative law judge, Cameron Elliott, a copy of which was obtained by The Korea Times, showed what the blockbuster LG Chem-SKI trade secrets misappropriation fight went through specifically, including actions and reactions by the two electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers.



In the document, the USITC found that SKI "deliberately sought to gain LG Chem proprietary information through the interviews and subsequent employment of LG Chem personnel, and then, after receiving information, distributed it amongst its teams with the instruction to use the information for their own work."



Since the very beginning of the dispute, LG Chem, a top-tier EV battery manufacturer claimed its patented technologies and secrets were stolen by SKI with the latter hiring the former's battery experts, "illegally," while SKI claimed its recruiting was based on an "open process."



"These examples alone are sufficient to show 'might have been' relevance to SKI's use of LG Chem trade secrets in any imported accused product. SKI's assurance that 'LG Chem has all of the evidence it needs to show any actual use of its alleged trade secrets in the accused products' is both self-serving and misses the point," the document showed.



USITC added SKI's "assertion" that "LG Chem nowhere cites evidence showing that any alleged trade secrets exists in any SKI product or process similarly misses the point of the present inquiry, which is ascertaining the nature of documents SKI destroyed that it had the duty to preserve.



The document also included other sensitive specifics of LG's claims and SKI's counterclaims over the latter's alleged theft of the former's battery secrets.



"For the reasons presented above, LG Chem's motion is granted. Respondents SK Innovation SK Battery America are hereby found to be in default, and pursuant to Commission Rule. All pending motions are denied as moot. As there are no other respondents to the investigation, and LG Chem does not seek a general exclusion order, there are no further issues in this investigation to be adjudicated. Accordingly, the investigation is hereby terminated in its entirety. This initial determination, along with supporting documentation, is hereby certified to the Commission," it concluded.



The document also elaborated "the record overwhelmingly shows both that the destroyed evidence was relevant to the issues in this investigation and prejudicial to LG Chem."



The USITC is set to make a final ruling in the case on October 5 this year. If the USITC makes it without changes from the default judgment, then SKI would be unable to import its battery cells, modules and other components and materials into the United States. At the time of the announcement of the default judgment, SKI expressed "regret" at the ruling which it said "had not fully acknowledged arguments from SKI."



Regarding its next steps after the release of the document, an official at LG Chem said it was regretful that SKI destroyed documents related to its hiding and stealing the patented technologies "for a long time" and added the company will seek compensation from SKI. But he declined to specify what type of compensation.



LG Chem supplies EV batteries to Ford Motors, Tesla and other global carmakers. Its chief rival Samsung SDI is a dominant supplier to BMW; while SKI, which was quite late in the promising EV battery market, is aiming to supply Volkswagen among others.



The SK Group's battery affiliate was on track to construct a $1.7 billion battery-production facility in Georgia, the United States, with Volkswagen procuring its batteries for vehicles manufactured at its factory in Tennessee.


SpiceJet has decided to waive off the notice period of around 20 pilots who recently put in their papers, the airlines said on Sunday, after the coronavirus outbreak drastically affected flight operations.

In an email to one of the 20 pilots, the airline stated that as passenger traffic has been disrupted due to the pandemic, it is accepting the resignation with a "reduced notice period and accordingly, your last working day shall be March 22, 2020".

The pilots of the budget carrier have to serve a notice period of six to 12 months.

"SpiceJet has decided to waive off the notice period of a few pilots (around 20 in number) who had resigned from the company. This is not a retrenchment as they were under notice period," its spokesperson told PTI.

A few days back, due to falling revenues amid the pandemic, GoAir laid off its expat pilots, announced pay cut for its top leadership and gave leave without pay to its employees.

Similarly, IndiGo last week had announced pay cut of up to 25 per cent for its senior employees.

Air India has stated that it is cutting allowances of all employees - except cabin crew - by 10 per cent due to "insurmountable dip" in revenues amid the pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the C oronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing

March 20, 2020

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

11:50 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. I had a very good telephone conversation  extremely good  with Senator Schumer a little while ago. We're working on various elements of the deal, and the Democrats are very much wanting something to happen, and the Republicans, likewise, are very much wanting something to happen. And I think it will.

I spoke with  at length with Mitch McConnell. And there's tremendous spirit to get something done, so we'll see what happens. But my conversation was very good with Senator Schumer.

I thank you all for joining us, and I'd like to begin by providing an update on what we are doing to minimize the impact of the Chinese virus on our nation's students.

With many schools closed due to the virus, the Department of Education will not enforce standardized testing requirements, very importantly, for students in elementary through high school for the current year. They've been through a lot. They've been going back and forth; schools open, schools not open. It's been all standardized testing. And, you know, it's  we're not going to be enforcing that, so I think you can let people know. I think probably a lot of the students will be extremely happy; some probably not. The ones that work hard, maybe not. But it's one of those things. Unfortunate  very unfortunate circumstance.

We've also temporarily waived all interest on federally held student loans. They'll be very happy to hear that. And I've instructed them to take that action immediately. And today, Secretary DeVos has directed federal lenders to allow borrowers to suspend their student loans and loan payments without penalty for at least the next 60 days. And if we need more, we'll extend that period of time. Borrowers should contact their lenders, but we've given them very strong instructions.

So we've temporarily waived all interest on federally held student loans. That's a big thing. That's going to make a lot of students very happy. And we have more to come on student loans  more good news for the students  but we'll do that at a different time.

This morning, the Treasury Department also announced that we're moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15. So we're moving it out to July 15th so that people will have time and people will be able to  hopefully, by that time, we'll have people getting back to their lives. Families and businesses will have this extra time to file with no interest or penalties. We're getting rid of interest and penalties.

However, if you have refunds or credits you would like to claim, you may still file. In other words, you can file early if you are owed money by the IRS. Other than that, we're moving it all the way out to July 15th  no interest, no penalties. Your new date will be July 15.

Today, our team will also provide an update on our continuing effort to prevent the transmission of virus across America's borders. And I watched what's been happening in California with Governor Newsom and, this morning, with Governor Cuomo, and I applaud them. They're taking very strong, bold steps, and I applaud them. And we're all working together. We're working very closely together, including those two governors.

But I would say, based on the call  the media was there  I think we can say that, with respect to virtually every governor on that call, I think every governor  we had almost all of them, if not all of them  and I would say that you could see for yourselves that the level of respect and esprit de corps working together was extraordinary. There was nobody angry, nobody upset. We're able to help them, and that's what we're all about. We want to help.

We're doing things that a lot of people wouldn't be able to do. But the relationship with governors and states is, I think, very extraordinary, especially under the circumstances where this just came upon us.

We're working with Canada and Mexico to prevent the spread of the virus across North America, very closely. You heard what we did yesterday with Canada. And Secretary of State Pompeo will be making a statement in a little while having to do with Mexico and the border. And Chad likewise  Chad Wolf will likewise be making a statement. This is a joint comprehensive effort in collaboration with our neighbors.

The measure and all of those measures that we're putting in place will protect the health of all three nations and reduce the incentive for a mass global migration that would badly deplete the healthcare resources needed for our people. And so we are working very closely with Mexico, very, very closely with Canada. The relationship has never been better. We're all working for the same  toward the same goal.

Our nation's top healthcare officials are extremely concerned about the grave public health consequences of mass uncontrolled cross-border movement. And that would be mostly  and even beyond  but mostly during this global pandemic.

Every week, our border agents encounter thousands of unscreened, unvetted, and unauthorized entries from dozens of countries. And we've had this problem for decades. For decades. You know the story. But now it's  with the national emergencies and all of the other things that we've declared, we can actually do something about it. We're taking a very strong hold of that. And we have before, but this is now at a level that nobody has ever approached.

In normal times, these massive flows place a vast burden on our healthcare system, but during a global pandemic, they threaten to create a perfect storm that would spread the infection to our border agents, migrants, and to the public at large. Left unchecked, this would cripple our immigration system, overwhelm our healthcare system, and severely damage our national security. We're not going to let that happen.

So we have a lot of information, and they'll be discussing that in a moment.

To confront these public health degrees [dangers], the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to exercise its authority under the Title 42 of the U.S. Code to give Customs and Border Protection the tools it needs to prevent the transmission of the virus coming through both the northern and the southern border. So we're treating the borders equally  the northern border and the southern border. It's being treated  they're both being treated equally. A lot of people say that they're not treated equally. Well, they are.

As we did with Canada, we're also working with Mexico to implement new rules at our ports of entry to suspend non-essential travel. These new rules and procedures will not impede lawful trade and commerce. Furthermore, Mexico is taking action to secure our own southern border and suspend air travel from Europe. So we're coordinating very closely the air travel going to Mexico and then trying to come into the United States.

The actions we're taking together with our North American partners will save countless lives.

At the conclusion of my remarks, Secretary Azar, Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Wolf  we're going to be also taking some questions with Tony and Deborah, who you've gotten to know very well  but they'll be discussing certain things, and I think you'll find them of great interest. We're going to be providing tremendous amounts of detail over the coming days, but a lot of it will be provided right now if you'd like to find out about it.

This has been a week of resolute action, tremendous action. Tremendous relationships have developed with people that, frankly, didn't get along. People that didn't like each other, they're now working together and maybe, even in some cases, learning about each other and liking each other. It's a nice thing.

I invoked the Defense Production Act, and last night, we put it into gear. We moved the National Response Coordination Center to the highest level of activist [sic]. I mean, if you  if you take a look at what we did, the level of activation has been increased to a grade one level, which is the highest level.

We're providing historic support to small businesses and to the states. The states need support. Normally they do this themselves, but because of the magnitude of it, the federal government has gotten very much involved in terms of getting the equipment they need. So we're helping them. It's  it's a responsibility they have, but we are helping the states a lot. That's why the governors, I think in every case, have been impressed and very nice.

We enacted legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for workers at no cost to employers. And I think it's very important. So they get paid sick leave at no cost to employers.

We're accelerating the use of new drug treatments. We're advancing legislation to give direct payments to hardworking families. Throughout our country, Americans from all walks of life are rallying together to defeat the unseen enemy striking our nation. In times of struggle, we see the true greatness of the American character, and we are seeing that. A lot of people are talking about it.

We're at 141 countries, from what they're telling me, and some of those countries are really working in a unified manner. And they're working very unified with us, almost  I could say a good  a good number of them.

Doctors and nurses are working nonstop to heal the sick. Citizens and churches are delivering meals to the needy. Truckers are making the long haul to keep shelves stocked. We've been dealing with the big stores and the big chains, Walmart  they've been fantastic  and others. They've all been fantastic. We've made it much easier for them to stock. In terms of travel and travel restrictions, we're lifting restrictions so they can get their trucks on time.

You're seeing very few empty shelves, and yet the amount of volume that they are doing is unprecedented because people want to have what they have to have, what they feel they have to have. And they're also buying in slightly smaller quantities, which is good  because we're not going anywhere. We're going to be here. So I want to thank all of those very great companies for working so well.

Americans from every walk of life are coming together. And thanks to the spirit of our people, we will win this war, and we are. We're winning and we're going to win this war. America will triumph and America will rise higher than ever before. We'll be stronger than ever before, and we've learned a lot. We've learned a lot. We've learned a lot about relying on other countries, and I can say that I think in both a very good and a very bad way. Some good things came out of it and some not so good things came out of it.

So I'd like to move now to invite our team to provide information on the new measures to prevent viral spread at our borders. And I'll start by asking Secretary of State Pompeo to speak. He's doing a fantastic job. And like everyone else, he's been working very, very long and very, very hard. And he's doing the other more normal jobs of a great Secretary of State, but he got  he got tied into this like everybody else, and he's been really doing a fantastic job.

Mike, please.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Mr. President. Before I address the efforts that we've been engaged in to push back against the Chinese virus, I want to assure the American people that, as President Trump just said, your State Department, your entire national security team is staying focused on the other diplomatic challenges around the world. Those include reducing risk to America from Afghanistan, holding the Iranian regime accountable for its malign activity. And our counterterrorism efforts against ISIS remain a priority for our team.

Our number one priority across those mission sets remains the protection of the American people. The President and our team are very focused on it.

I'll take this moment, too, to thank my team, the State Department team, who is working long hours all around the world to take care of Americans who are stuck at places around the world. I'll talk about that more in just a minute. You've all seen Dr. Birx with me. State Department officials are doing great work, but I want to  I want to give a shout-out to all of the State Department team, here in Washington and around the world, that are working overtime to help us push back against this pandemic.

Under the President's leadership this week, we've taken two important steps. First, as President Trump announced on Wednesday, the United States and Canada jointly agreed to restrict all non-essential traffic across our border. This decision goes into effect tonight at midnight. The restrictions will be reviewed after 30 days, and they exclude traffic and movement across the border for work or other essential reasons. We're grateful to have such an outstanding friend to the north who is committed, as we are, to defeating this virus.

I also want to announce today that the United States and Mexico have agreed to restrict non-essential travel across our shared border. Both our countries know the importance of working together to limit the spread of the virus to ensure that commerce that supports our economy continues to keep flowing. Here, too, the United States is glad to have a friend who is working side by side us in the fight. Secretary Wolf will talk a little bit more about the details of how we're working alongside our partner in Mexico to keep our southern border safe and secure as well.

On another note, yesterday the State Department issued a Level 4 global travel advisory. This means that all international travel from U.S. citizens should be avoided. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who reside in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States unless they're prepared to remain abroad for an extended time. If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may well be severely disrupted.

And finally, I want to talk about the disinformation that people are seeing both on Twitter and around the world  some of it coming from government, some of it coming from other individuals. I just urge everyone, as they're seeing information  information that at one time suggested somehow this virus emanated from the United States Army, this information about lockdowns that are taking place: Every American indeed, and people all around the world, should ensure that where they turn to for information is a reliable source and not a bad actor trying to create and flow information that they know is wrong.

This is a tough fight. The American people are tougher. Our diplomatic teams are working around the clock to help them keep safe both home and abroad. And we're showing, once again, the global leadership that America has always delivered. It's been great to see countries around the world rally behind what President Trump and our team are doing.

Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mike. Thank you very much. And we'll take questions right after this.

Chad Wolf, please.

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Well, let me start off by thanking the President and the Vice President for their continued leadership and commitment for protecting the American people during this crisis.

Early on, the President, again, took unprecedented actions to restrict travel from areas affected with the coronavirus. And today, DHS has screened over 200,000 individuals coming back from those affected countries. This has been an immense undertaking but one that the men and women of DHS have successfully accomplished.

Today's announcement is yet another example of the extraordinary steps the administration is taking to ensure the safety of the American public. Before I comment on the CDC order that I'm sure Secretary Azar will later elaborate on, let me first address the progress as Secretary Pompeo and others have made with our Canadian and Mexican partners regarding cross-border travel.

As we continue to evaluate common-sense measures that reduce risk and prevent further spread, it only makes sense that we have looked at the measures that our neighbors to the north and south are undertaking. And so we've been working closely with those partners since the earliest days of this virus and the outbreak. And again, as the President said earlier this week and Secretary Pompeo, we've reached an agreement  an agreement with both Canada and Mexico to limit non-essential travel across our land borders.

Let me be clear that neither of these agreements with Canada or Mexico applies to lawful trade or commerce. Essential commercial activities will not be impacted. We will continue to maintain a strong and secure economic supply chain across our borders.

A few examples of essential travel include but certainly are not limited to: individuals traveling for medical purposes, to attend educational institutions, for emergency response, public health services, and individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade. As the Secretary said, the agreements with both Canada and Mexico will go into effect on Saturday, March 21st.

Furthermore, we're also working collaboratively with Canada and Mexico to take decisive joint action regarding individuals seeking entry between our ports of entry. The CDC order directs the Department to suspend the introduction of all individuals seeking to enter the U.S. without proper travel documentation. That's for both the northern and southern border.

The CDC Director has determined that the introduction and spread of the coronavirus and the Department's Border Patrol stations and detention facilities presents a serious danger to migrants, our frontline agents and officers, and the American people.

So it's important to note that the Department currently apprehends foreign nationals from over 120 different countries around the world  the vast majority of those having coronavirus cases. Many of these individuals arrive with little or no identity, travel, or medical documentation, making public health risk determinations all but impossible.

It's also important to note that the outbreak on our southern border would likely increase the strain on health systems in our border communities, taking away important and lifesaving resources from American citizens.

Tonight  again, at midnight  we will execute the CDC order by immediately returning individuals arriving without documentation to Canada, Mexico, as well as a number of other countries without delay. So, again, CBP is positioned to execute these measures as we continue to keep our borders secure and safe.

Before I conclude, let me just wrap up by thanking the brave men and women of DHS, specifically CBP, and across the government for the work that they do day in and day out to keep the American people safe from the coronavirus. The Department has a number of frontline officers that have been  have tested positive, as well as the others who are self-quarantining. And I am doing everything that I can to protect these patriots as they continue to defend our homeland during this crisis.

Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Chad. Really good. Thank you. Please, Secretary?

SECRETARY AZAR: Today's announcement is just the latest in a long line of bold, decisive actions the President has taken to protect Americans from the coronavirus spreading across our borders.

In January, within two weeks of China's notifying WHO about the virus and with only 45 cases in China, we began screening travelers from Wuhan. Then, over time, as the outbreak evolved, the President restricted travel from China, Iran, and Europe. Our health experts say that these measures have been truly effective at slowing the virus's spread to our shores.

Just think about this: Italy and the United States both saw their first travel-related case of coronavirus around the exact same time, the last week of January. And yet, we have had precious time to continue our work around vaccines, therapeutics, and other preparations, while Italy has tragically been overwhelmed with critical patients for several weeks now.

The President today is taking action to slow the spread of infectious disease via our border. Under Section 362 of the Public Health Service Act, the CDC is suspending the entry of certain persons into the United States because of the public health threat that their entry into the United States represents.

This order applies to persons coming from Mexico and Canada who are seeking to enter the country illegally and who would normally be held in a congregate setting like a Customs and Border Protection station. It does not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.

During this pandemic, a number of health challenges arise when illegal immigrants arrive at our northern and southern borders and are taken into immigration custody. We're talking about significant numbers of illegal immigrants. From this past October through February, DHS has processed more than 21,000 inadmissible aliens at the northern border and more than 151,000 inadmissible aliens at the southern border.

CBP facilities were never designed to hold large numbers of people and to protect agents and migrants from infection during a pandemic, nor to treat them for a novel virus if large numbers are infected. When held at border facilities, these migrants risk spreading the virus to other migrants, to CBP agents and border healthcare workers, and even the United States population as a whole. In such circumstances, the kind of social distancing measures the CDC and the President have recommended are simply not possible.

On top of that, any resources that we are using to reduce the risk of infection among CBP agents, healthcare workers, and migrants in these facilities are drawing on American  an American healthcare system that is already fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

That's why the President and his administration are taking these important steps to keep Americans and our immigration system safe from these health risks as part of our whole-of-government approach to combatting the coronavirus.

Thank you, Mr. President, for the work that you've been doing throughout this crisis to slow the spread of the coronavirus and to keep our country safe.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. If I could ask Tony or Deb, please.

DR. BIRX: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. So we continue to review the data very carefully from around the globe, as I know many of you are. We continue to see signs that, again, individuals under 20  19 and under  may have severe disease, but majority and all have recovered to date. We still see that same trend.

And, frankly, from Italy, we're seeing another concerning trend: that the mortality in males seems to be twice in every age group of females. This should alert all of us to continue our vigilance to protect our Americans that are in nursing homes.

This requires all of the community. And when you see the sacrifices that many Americans have made  the sacrifices that the service industry has made to close their restaurants, close their bars, and so that the spread is discontinued  and then you really understand how all of Americans must make the same sacrifice.

We continue to ask you to follow the presidential guidelines of no groups coming together of more than 10; that, if anyone in the household is sick, that everyone quarantines in the household together; and that we continue to focus on those who have the most vulnerability to this illness.

Now, to the moms and dads out there that have children with immunodeficiencies or other medical conditions: We don't know the level of risk. And I know you will also protect them in the same way. There just is not enough numbers at this time to really tell them if they're at additional risk or not in the same way that adults are.

I don't have any new data. I can see the look on your face as saying, "Is she seeing something new?" I don't have any new data, but I think it's important for us to be as honest with the American people as we can. And when we don't have data, be very clear that we don't know.

Finally, no one is immune. I sometimes hear people on radio or others talking about, "I'm immune to the virus." We don't know if the contagion levels are difference in age groups, but we know it's highly contagious to everyone.

Do not interpret mild or moderate disease as lack of contagion, or that you're immune. You just happen to have a better immune system and the ability to fight the virus in a way that maybe older people or people with existing medical conditions can't.

And that's why it's very important at this moment, that all of you carry that message about the sacrifices that many have made, particularly our service providers and our frontline healthcare workers. They are making that sacrifice every day so that every American can move through this well. But we need every American following the presidential guidelines.

Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Tony, please.

DR. FAUCI: Thank you very much, Mr. President. I just want to underscore a couple of things that I've said a few times to this group. You may recall that just a week ago or so I said the two pillars, the two elements of our capability to contain the infection and the surge of infections in this country rely on two things: keeping infections from coming from without in. We've been very successful in doing that with China and with Europe. Now we have the northern and southern border issues. There's a fundamental public health reason for doing that, because we cannot be preventing people from coming in from one area when they can actually go into the other. So that's an important reason. Understand that there's a public health reason for doing that.

The second thing  and I think it's really important  is what happened in New York today, where Governor Cuomo mentioned about an hour ago some rather strong issues that have been addressed with his recommendations  not recommendations; essentially, orders.

Now, we have a group of recommendations and guidelines that are applicable to the entire country. You know them; we've been over them. Yet there are places, regions, states, cities in this country that are being stressed much, much more than the country as a whole. Clearly, one of them was Washington; another one was California. Governor Newsom made some very important, difficult decisions. Today, Governor Cuomo did the same thing. And I want to say I strongly support what he's doing.

And one thing, as a New Yorker myself  for those of you who haven't figured out from my accent that I'm from New York  as a New Yorker, I know what New Yorkers can do. We're tough. I was in New York City on September 11, 2001, and I know what the New Yorkers can do. So please cooperate with your governor, cooperate with your mayor. It's very important.

Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Tony. Mike?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's great. Thank you, Mr. President. The White House Coronavirus Task Force met this morning and we continue, at the President's direction, to bring the full resources, not just of the federal government, but in full partnership with our state governments, businesses around America, and a partnership with the American people to respond to the threat of the coronavirus.

And I know I can speak on behalf of the President with confidence when I say how inspired we are by the way the American people and American businesses are coming together to help defeat this virus in our country. Millions of Americans are putting into practice the President's 15-day guidelines, and we encourage everyone, even those that are not in areas with significant outbreak, to review these guidelines over the next week and more, and put them into practice. And you'll continue to do your part.

Later today, we'll be talking with manufacturers around the country. And the President I continue to be inspired by the way American industry is stepping forward. We have businesses around the country that are literally volunteering to retrofit plants to help us meet the needs of our healthcare workers and our healthcare system in confronting the coronavirus.

As the President mentioned yesterday, following his decision to put FEMA in the lead  the emergency declaration  we actually met with all the nation's governors from the FEMA National Response Coordination Center. The President and I, our entire team at the federal level, couldn't be more grateful for the efforts of all of our governors in implementing the guidance that is being issued not only from our task force, but also in taking strong measures in their own communities to protect their citizens.

We want to urge every American to heed your local authorities. Listen to their guidance. And also do your part to slow the spread.

We reiterated to all of the governors that the President, by putting FEMA in the lead, will continue to implement a plan that is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported that puts the health of America first.

We have received a report today, as the President mentioned, on our legislative team on Capitol Hill. We're working with Republicans and Democrats at this very hour to pass an economic recovery package that the President described. And we hope to see the Congress act on that early next week.

On the subject of supplies, we continue to make steady progress on testing. Thanks to the President's involvement of commercial labs, the public and private partnership, more and more Americans are being tested every single day.

And tomorrow, Admiral Giroir and FEMA will update the American public on the status of testing and our support of state-based testing efforts that are literally expanding by the hour.

On the subject of medical supplies, we continue, at the President's direction, to pursue every means to expand the supply of personal protective equipment for the extraordinary and courageous healthcare workers that are ministering to the needs of people impacted by the coronavirus. We have a policy of procuring, allocating, as well as conserving the resources that we have in our system.

And now that the President worked with the Congress to make industrial masks fully available for hospitals to be able to purchase, to be able to use as protective equipment, we're more encouraged than ever about the availability of those important N95 masks to our healthcare facilities.

And over this weekend, we'll be announcing a major procurement from the federal government of N95 masks, as well.

We're also encouraged that we're finding new alternatives to increase the supply of ventilators. We've mentioned that we have a federal stockpile, some 20,000 ventilators on standby, but that doesn't count the tens of thousands of ventilators that are in our healthcare system around the country.

But the President has challenged us to work to free up other ventilators from other sources around the country. And there are two different ways that we're doing that. Number one, in our recent discussion with anesthesiologists, we've literally identified tens of thousands of existing ventilators that can be retrofitted and converted to be ventilators for people struggling with the coronavirus.

But also, on the President's behalf and on behalf of all of our task force, we want to continue to urge every American and every American hospital and healthcare facility to postpone any elective medical procedures. This will free up bed space, free up hospital capacity for people that are struggling with the coronavirus, and it will also free up equipment that our healthcare workers need.

It is inspiring that we continue to receive reports that businesses around America are donating N95 masks to their local hospitals. Businesses large and small are donating hundreds, in some cases millions, of N95 masks. And I know  I know how grateful the President is and we all are.

And let me close by saying, as all of our experts have said many times, while the threat of serious illness to the average American from the coronavirus remains low, every American can do your part to reduce the burden on your health, on your family, the burden on our healthcare system and especially the threat to the most vulnerable among us by putting into practice the President's "15 Days to Slow the Spread."

And as the President said at the outset of his remarks, I know that millions of Americans are doing that just now. And the greatness of the American character is shining forth.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mike. Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you. Go ahead. Kaitlan.

Q You had a call with Senator Schumer. He says you've now agreed to invoke the Defense Production Act to actually make those medical supplies that hospitals say are in severe shortage. So two questions: Is that what you're doing now?

THE PRESIDENT: It is. I did it yesterday. We invoked it, I think, the day before we signed it  the evening of the day before  and invoked it yesterday. We have a lot of people working very hard to do ventilators and various other things. Yes.

Q So you're using it now to tell businesses they 

THE PRESIDENT: We are using it.

Q  need to make ventilators, masks, respirators?

THE PRESIDENT: We are. We are. For certain things that we need, including  including some of the very important emergency  I would say ventilators, probably more masks, to a large extent. We have millions of masks, which are coming and which will be distributed to the states. The states are having a hard time getting them. So we're using the act. The act is very good for things like this. We have millions of masks that we've ordered. They will be here soon. We're having them shipped directly to states.

Q So you said you had only  you were signing this but not invoking it  this is what you said yesterday  and that you would only do so in a worst-case scenario.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Last 

Q So are we now at a worst-case scenario?

THE PRESIDENT: We  we need  no, it's no different, other than we need certain equipment that the states are unable to get by themselves. So we're invoking it to use the powers of the federal government to help the states get things that they need, like the masks, like the ventilators.

Yeah, Steve.

Q Given what Governor Cuomo has done in New York, is there any more consideration to a national lockdown to keep people in their homes?

THE PRESIDENT: I don't think so. Essentially, you've done that in California, you've done that in New York. Those are really two hotbeds. Those are probably the two hottest of them all, in terms of hotspots. I don't think so, because you go out to the Midwest, you go out to other locations and they're watching it on television but they don't have the same problems. They don't have, by any means, the same problem.

New York, California, Miami  the governor is doing an excellent job. Governor DeSantis in Florida. We have some pretty hot spots in Florida too. But we're generally  and the State of Washington, of course, but that was largely  if you look at it, it was one nursing home that had problems like you wouldn't believe.

So, no, we're working with the governors and I don't think you'll  I don't think we'll ever find that necessary.

Q So we're about a week into your 15-day guidelines. Are you happy with the progress? Would you like to see the 15 days extended?

THE PRESIDENT: I am happy. I am happy with it. We'll have to see what the results are at the end of 14 days, let's say. We'll know by the 15th day to see what we do. But I'm certainly honored by the way the American people are working  because it's work. It's work not to work. This is the first this has ever happened. And we're working out a tremendous financial package for them so they don't work. Whoever heard of this? Usually, you work out a financial package to get people working. We're asking people not to work. Social distancing  a new terms that's become probably the hottest term there is.

So, no, I'm very honored by the way the American people are taking this, I mean, so seriously.

Yes, John.

Q Mr. President, a question for you and a question for Dr. Fauci, if I could. There's been some concern among Democrats on Capitol Hill that the phase three fiscal stimulus is weighted too much in favor of corporations and not enough in terms of individuals. What did your conversations with Senator Schumer yield on that front?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that really all of that is being discussed right now. And we talked about, as an example, buyback  stock buybacks. I don't want to have stock buybacks. I don't want people spending  I don't want some executives saying, "We're going to buy 200,000 shares of stock." I want that money to be used for the workers, and also for the company  to keep the company going. But not for buybacks. I would  I mean, I haven't spoken to a lot of the Republicans or Democrats on it. We discussed it. And I  I don't like buybacks. I didn't like them the first time.

Q Are you and Senator Schumer 

THE PRESIDENT: So we're discussing  we're discussing that and we're discussing many things.

Q Are you on the same page with Senator Schumer?

THE PRESIDENT: We're not so far away, I'll tell you. We're not very  we're not very far away.

Q And to Dr. Fauci, if I could. Dr. Fauci  this was explained yesterday  there has been some promise with hydroxychloroquine as potential therapy for people who are infected with coronavirus. Is there any evidence to suggest that, as with malaria, it might be used as a prophylaxis against COVID-19?

DR. FAUCI: No. The answer is no. And the evidence that you're talking about, John, is anecdotal evidence. So as the Commissioner of FDA and the President mentioned yesterday, we're trying to strike a balance between making something with a potential of an effect to the American people available, at the same time that we do it under the auspices of a protocol that would give us information to determine if it's truly safe and truly effective.

But the information that you're referring to specifically is anecdotal; it was not done in a controlled clinical trial. So you really can't make any definitive statement about it.

THE PRESIDENT: I think, without saying too much, I'm probably more of a fan of that than  maybe than anybody. But I'm a big fan, and we'll see what happens. And we all understand what the doctor said is 100 percent correct. It's early. But we've  you know, I've seen things that are impressive. And we'll see. We're going to know soon. We're going to know soon  including safety.

But, you know, when you get to safety, this has been prescribed for many years for people to combat malaria, which was a big problem. And it's very effective. It's a strong  it's a strong drug. So we'll see.

Q It was also fairly effective against SARS.

THE PRESIDENT: It was a very  it was, as I understand that. Is that a correct statement  it was fairly effective on SARS?

DR. FAUCI: John, you've got to be careful when you say "fairly effective." It was never done in a clinical trial. They compared it to anything. It was given to individuals and felt that maybe it worked. So 

Q But was there anything to compare it to?

DR. FAUCI: Well, that's the point. Whenever you do a clinical trial, you do standard of care versus "standard of care plus the agent you're evaluating. That's the reason why we showed, back in Ebola, why particular interventions worked.

Q Mr. President, about the possible therapies yesterday, Mr. President, you said that they were for, quote, "immediate delivery." Immediate. We heard it from doc- 

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, well, we were ordering  yes, we have millions of units ordered. Bayer is one of the companies, as you know. A big company. A very big, very great company. Millions of units are ordered, and we're going to see what happens. We're going to be talking to the governors about it, and the FDA is working on it right now.

The advantage is that it has been prescribed for a totally different problem, but it has been described [sic] for many years, and everybody knows the levels of  the negatives and the positives. But I will say that I am a man that comes from a very positive school when it comes to, in particular, one of these drugs. And we'll see how it works out, Peter.

I'm not  I'm not saying it will, but I think that people may be surprised. By the way, that would be a game changer. But we're going to know very soon. But  but we have ordered millions of units. It's being ordered from Bayer, and there is another couple of companies also that do it.

Q For clarity, Dr. Fauci said there is no magic drug for coronavirus right now, which you would agree. I guess, on this issue then 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, I think we only disagree a little bit.

Q  so let me just ask, though: Is it possible that  sorry.

THE PRESIDENT: I disagree. Maybe and maybe not. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. We have to see. We're going to know. We're going to know soon.

Q Is it possible  it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving Americans a false sense of 

THE PRESIDENT: No, I don't think so.

Q  hope, and misrepresenting the preparedness right now?

THE PRESIDENT: No. No, I don't think so. I think that  I think it's gotten 

Q The ship is not yet ready to sail. The not-yet-approved drug

THE PRESIDENT: Such a lovely question. Look, it may work and it may not work. And I agree with the doctor, what he said: It may work, it may not work.

I feel good about it. That's all it is. Just a feeling. You know, I'm a smart guy. I feel good about it. And we're going to see. You're going to see soon enough. And we have certainly some very big samples of people, if you look at the people. You have a lot of people that are in big trouble. And this is not a drug that 

obviously, I think I can speak for a lot of  from a lot of experience, because it's been out there for over 20 years. So it's not a drug that you have a huge amount of danger with. It's not like a brand-new drug that's been just created that may have an unbelievable monumental effect, like kill you.

We're going know very soon. And I can tell you the FDA is working very hard to get it out. Right now, in terms of malaria, if you wanted, you can have a prescription. You get a prescription. And by the way  and it's very effective. It works.

I have a feeling you may  and I'm not being overly optimistic or pessimistic. I sure as hell think we ought to give it a try. I mean, there's been some interesting things happened and some good  very good things. Let's see what happens. We have nothing to lose. You know the expression: What the hell do you have to lose? Okay?

Q So what to do you say to  the units that were ordered  the units that were ordered.

THE PRESIDENT: Jon, go ahead.

Q I'll just follow up. Nearly 200 dead. What do you say to Americans who are scared, though? I guess, nearly 200 dead; 14,000 who are sick; millions, as you witness, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?

THE PRESIDENT: I say that you're a terrible reporter. That's what I say.

Go ahead.

Q Mr. President, the units that were just declared 

THE PRESIDENT: I think it's a very nasty question, and I think it's a very bad signal that you're putting out to the American people. The American people are looking for answers and they're looking for hope. And you're doing sensationalism, and the same with NBC and "Con-cast." I don't call it  I don't call it "Comcast," I call it "Con-cast."

Let me just  for who you work  let me just tell you something: That's really bad reporting, and you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism.

Let's see if it works. It might and it might not. I happen to feel good about it, but who knows. I've been right a lot. Let's see what happens.

John?

Q Can I get back to science and the logistics here?

THE PRESIDENT: You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Q The units that were ordered, are they for clinical trials or are they for distribution to the general patient population?

THE PRESIDENT: We are going to  as I understand it, we are going to be taking samples in New York. Governor Cuomo very much is interested in this drug. And they are going to work on it also, after they get a certain approval. We're waiting for one final approval from the FDA. We'll see what happens.

But we'll use it on people that are not doing great, or even at the beginning of not feeling well.

Q So this would sort of fall under the modified auspice 

THE PRESIDENT: And, John, what do we have to lose?

Q So this would sort of 

THE PRESIDENT: Wait, John  it's been out there for so long. We hear good things. Let's see. Maybe it works and maybe it doesn't.

Q I understand all of that. I'm just thinking the application here. So that would be under, sort of, a modified compassionate access?

THE PRESIDENT: We're doing that, I guess. And that's that's what it's called.

Yes.

Q I would like Dr. Fauci, if you don't mind, to follow up on what the President is saying. Should Americans have hope in this drug right now? And, sir, I would like to follow up on Peter's question here. Could you please issue  address Americans in this country who are scared right now? This is a very valid concern that people have.

DR. FAUCI: No, there really isn't that much of a difference in many respects with what we're saying. The President feels optimistic about something  his feeling about it.

What I'm saying is that it might  it might be effective. I'm not saying that it isn't. It might be effective. But as a scientist, as we're getting it out there, we need to do it in a way as  while we are making it available for people who might want the hope that it might work, you're also collecting data that will ultimately show that it is truly effective and safe under the conditions of COVID-19. So there really isn't difference. It's just a question of how one feels about it.

Q Is there any reason to believe it's not safe?

DR. FAUCI: Well, certainly as a drug  any drug, John, has some toxicities. The decades of experience that we have with this drug indicate that the toxicities are rare and they are, in many respects, reversible. What we don't know is when you put it in the context of another disease, whether it is safe.

Fundamentally, I think it probably is going to be safe, but I like to prove things first. So it really is a question of not a lot of difference. It's the hope that it will work versus proving that it will work. So I don't see big differences here.

THE PRESIDENT: I agree. I agree.

Q Sir, your message to Americans who are working at home, who have their children in their homes right now, who are homeschooling 

THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Here we go. Go ahead. Let's go.

Q  doctors who say they don't have the masks they need to do their jobs. Your message to them?

THE PRESIDENT: My message to the American people is that there is a very low incidence of death. You understand that. And we're going to come through this stronger than ever before.

If you get it, if you happen to get it, it is highly unlikely. It's looking like it's getting to a number that's much smaller than people originally thought, in terms of the ultimate  the ultimate problem, which would be death.

My message to the American people is, number one, you've done an incredible job. Incredible. What you've gone through  it's been incredible. It wasn't their fault. It wasn't their fault. It wasn't the fault of 140 other countries where this has happened. And there is tremendous hope. And I think we're going to come out stronger, better, bigger, in every way. I think we're going to be a better country than we were before. And we learned a lot. We learned on reliance  who to rely on, who not to rely on.

But our country  our country has been incredible, the way they pulled together  including the fact that I just spoke to Senator Schumer. We had a wonderful conversation. We both want to get to a good solution. But it's been, really, for me  watching and seeing people, that weren't speaking, getting along well because we all have one common aim, and that's to get rid of this invisible enemy, get rid of it fast, and then go back to the kind of economy that we had, and maybe even better.

Yeah, please, in the back. No, in the back, please.

Q Mr. President, I have two questions if you'll indulge me. The first question is: Many small businesses are concerned that they have weeks, not months, and are worried about how long it'll take assistance to get to them.

THE PRESIDENT: We're going to be helping them a lot. We're going to be focused  a big focus on  including my conversation with both Mitch and with Chuck  a big focus of that conversation with small businesses, because they are really the engine behind our country, more so than the big ones. They are the engine behind our country.

Q The second, if I may, sir: Are you concerned about members of Congress that may have used information they learned on updates to sell stocks and profit off of this?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not aware of it. I saw some names. I'm not  I know all of them. I know everyone mentioned  Dianne Feinstein, I guess, and a couple of others. I don't know too much about what it's about. But I find them to all be very honorable people. That's all I know. And they  and they said they did nothing wrong. I find them  the whole group  very honorable people.

Yeah, please.

Q Can I follow-up, Mr. President? So the whole group would include Richard Burr, the head of the Intelligence Committee, and it also would include Kelly Loeffler. And so the question is whether or not they should be investigated for that behavior.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, it also includes Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat. You didn't mention her name. Why didn't you mention her name? And I think she's a very honorable person, by the way, so I'm not saying  but, you know, it's interesting that 

Q So, any senator. Any senator 

THE PRESIDENT:  you mentioned two people but you don't mention one that happens to be a Democrat.

Q Any senator. Any senator, should they be investigated for this behavior?

THE PRESIDENT: I don't know, because I'd have to look at it. Possibly. But I find them to be honorable people.

Yeah.

Q You said the other day you compare yourself  you see yourself as a wartime President right now, leading the country through this pandemic that we're experiencing. Do you really think, you know, going off on Peter or going off on a network is appropriate when the country is going through something like this?

THE PRESIDENT: I do, because I think Peter is  you know, I've dealt with Peter for a long time. And I think Peter is not a good journalist when it comes to fairness.

Q But he's asking for your message to the country, and then you went off on Peter.

THE PRESIDET: Oh, I think it's a good message because I think the country has to understand that there is indeed, whether we like it or not  and some of the people in this room won't like it  there's a lot of really great news and great journalism, and there's a lot of fake news out there.

And I hear it all and I see it all, and I understand it all because I'm in the midst of it. So when somebody writes a story or does a story on television and I know it's false, I know it's fake, and when they say they have, "15 sources have said" and I know there's no sources. There's no sources; they're just making it up. I know that and I call Peter  I call Peter out but I call other people out too.

And, you know, this is a time to come together, but coming together is much harder when we have dishonest journalists. It's a very important profession that you're in. It's a profession that I think is incredible. I cherish it. But when people are dishonest, they truly do hurt our country.

Yeah, in the back. Please, go ahead.

Q Mr. President, China has been in communication with the United States and also WHO about coronavirus 

THE PRESIDENT: Right. That's true.

Q  since January.

THE PRESIDENT: That's true.

Q And the U.S. shuttered its border to travelers from China on February the 2nd. Also, Wuhan has been in lockdown since January the 24th, and this all happened almost two months ago. Why did you say if you could have known earlier? And also, you have been calling coronavirus 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I have to say this: We have  and I can speak for myself, but I have a very good relationship with China and with President Xi. I have great respect for President Xi. I consider him to be a friend of mine. It's unfortunate that this got out of control. It came from China. It got out of control. Some people are upset. I know  I know President Xi. He loves China. He respects the United States. And I have to say, I respect China greatly and I respect President Xi. Okay?

Please.

Q Can I ask more about the stock buybacks? Many of the airlines and Boeing did stock buybacks. Is this a deal-breaker for you in this (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT: No, but I never liked stock buybacks from their standpoint. When we did a big tax cut, and when they took the money and did buybacks, that's not building a hangar, that's not buying aircraft, that's not doing the kind of things that I want them to do.

And we're now talking about buybacks. We didn't think we would have had to restrict it because we thought they would have known better. But they didn't know better, in some cases  not in all cases, obviously; some people did an incredible job. They built plants all over the country.

I mean, you see what's happened. I mean, we were doing  until this invisible enemy appeared, we were  I mean, we never had an economy like this. But there were some companies that used that money to buy back stock, driving up the price of the stock artificially, in many cases. I don't like that. I don't like it.

And as far as whether or not we'll have that, allow them  when we give them money  because we have to keep these great companies in business because of the workers; frankly, for the most part, because of the workers. The workers are my number one concern. But the way we take care of the workers is we have to keep the companies going.

I am fine with restricting buybacks. In fact, I would  I would demand that there be no stock buybacks. I don't want them taking hundreds of millions of dollars and buying back their stock, because that does nothing.

Yeah. Please.

Q Thank you very much. One for Dr. Fauci and then hopefully one for you.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Sure.

And one thing: Secretary of State Pompeo is extremely busy, so if you have any question for him right now, could you do that? Because  you know what I'd like to do? I'd like him to go back to the State Department or, as they call it, the "Deep State Department." If you don't mind, I'd like to have him go back and do his job. So does anybody have any question?

Please.

Q Mr. Secretary 

(Cross-talk.)

SECRETARY POMPEO: Go ahead. Do you want to call on somebody?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. How about you. Only  only for the Secretary.

Q The exemptions on work travel  can you define that? Is all work travel  anyone with a work visa can still cross the border? Can you define the measures that you're taking?

SECRETARY POMPEO: It's a great question. We're working  we have real concern about H-2A visas, particularly agriculture workers that need to get across. We're going to make sure that we do everything we can to keep that part of our economic lifeblood working between our two countries. DHS and the State Department will work together. We want to make sure and keep commerce between Canada, the United States, and Mexico alive, functional, and prepared for the day that this economy bounces back like we expect that it will.

Q Mr. Secretary 

Q Mr. Secretary 

SECRETARY POMPEO: Right back there, and then 

Q Mr. Secretary, the Mexican government has not announced any travel ban on Europe. Have you been in touch with them as to when they're going to do this and what it is that they're telling you?

And then a second question: They also are telling us  said in a press conference this morning that they will not take back any non-Mexican citizen. Any other third parties will have to  we don't know what will happen to them. So can you address what will happen to those third-country immigrants that you are saying they will not be allowed to enter the U.S., and Mexico is saying that they will not be allowed to stay in Mexico either, or sent back from the U.S.?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I'll take the first one, and then, Chad, I'll give you the second one. With respect to travel into Mexico from outside, I spoke with Foreign Minister Ebrard a couple of times about this. I'm very confident we're going to get to a really good place that protects the Mexican people and the American people from those who might be traveling into places where we've got designations  the Schengen Zone, from China  so that they're not coming into Mexico and then coming into the United States. I'm very confident we'll do that, and we'll make that announcement shortly, together.

Q Mr. Secretary 

THE PRESIDENT: Chad. (Inaudible.)

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Again, as we implement the CDC's order, again, we're going to take a number of individuals that cross the border illegally and repatriate them or remove them quickly back to Mexico, back to the Northern Triangle, and back to any other country. So we're going to do that in a rapid fashion.

We'll continue to work with Mexico to make sure that Mexican nationals go back as well as other populations.

Q But are you sending Guatemalans back to Guatemala or Cubans back to Cuba? What would you do 

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Yes.

Q  with those third countries that are non-Mexicans?

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: So, we're doing all of the above. We're going to be sending, again, individuals back to Mexico, individuals back to Northern Triangle countries, Cuba, Haiti, all of the  again, 122 different nations that we see nationalities that come across that border, we'll be sending them back individually to their countries, but also working with Mexico to send additional populations back there as well.

THE PRESIDENT: And just to put it, you know, when you said  before, you said the non-Mexicans going to Mexico. We're not sending them to Mexico; we're sending them back to their own countries, not to Mexico. Why would Mexico take people that aren't from Mexico? We're sending them back.

In the case of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, a lot of other countries, they go back to the country from where they came. Okay?

And, Mike, please.

Q For the Secretary of Defense 

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes, John.

Q Secretary Pompeo, on the issue of disinformation, is there any particular locus for this disinformation, or is it diffused?

SECRETARY POMPEO: It's pretty diffused, unfortunately. But we've certainly seen it come from places like China and Russia and Iran, where there are coordinated efforts to disparage what America is doing in our activity to do all the things that President Trump has set in motion here.

Q Other than what you're doing this morning, what you are doing to fight back?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Lots of things. Lots of work. One of the things we want to make sure is the American people go to trusted sources for their information. But we've made clear, we've spoken to these countries directly that we don't  that they need to knock it off, that we don't approve of it. And then there are a handful of other things we're engaged in to make sure that the right information is out there and accurate information is given.

This idea of transparency and accurate information is very important. It's how we protect American people from something like this ever happening again.

Q Mr. Secretary, the Peace Corps volunteers?

Q You're saying you want the American people to be coming to trusted sources of information. Does it undermine you at all when the President stands up here and he attacks news outlets, calling us untrustworthy?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Does somebody else have a question?

Q Mr. Secretary, the Peace Corps volunteers have all 

Q Is that not a legitimate question?

Q Sir, the Peace Corps volunteers 

THE PRESIDENT: Please. You're another one.

Q In terms of Americans who find themselves stranded in places where there are no longer flights to get back to the United States, what efforts are being made to help them?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I appreciate that question. So, we're doing lots of things. We've had a couple places in particular: Peru and Morocco. I think we've had the first two, maybe three now, flights out of Morocco. We're going to work to get people back. We're urging individuals, when they can get back on their own  they traveled there on their own  when they can get back there on their own, they ought to try to do that. But we are  we have a team stood up at the State Department, the repatriation task force that is working each of these instances.

So we've heard from individuals, members of Congress. We're trying to get Americans back from these places where air travel has been disrupted. And we'll get that done over time. We'll get it done successfully.

Q Do you have sense of how big that problem is?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Steve. Go ahead, please.

Q How long 

Q Is there any sense of just how that problem is, how many people 

SECRETARY POMPEO: We don't know the  we don't know the full scale of it yet, but we think we have the largest number identified, and we're working. If there are  those who are watching that are someplace, you can go on the State Department website, you can log into, I think, STEP.gov, and go to STEP and log in, and we'll track and we'll try to get everybody back just as fast as we can.

THE PRESIDENT: Steve?

Q Mr. Secretary, how long are these border restrictions likely to last along the south and north borders?

SECRETARY POMPEO: They'll last as long as we need to do it to protect the American people from the virus. I couldn't tell you how long it's going to last.

Q And since we have you, have you determined whether Iran is responsible for that rocket attack last week?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So 

THE PRESIDENT: Maybe we shouldn't say that.

SECRETARY POMPEO: So let me just  let me just get back to you on the answer to that. And what we can 

Q Sounds like a "yes."

THE PRESIDENT: We know plenty.

SECRETARY POMPEO: What we can say  what we can say with certainty is this: We've made clear all along that the Iraqi Shia militias are funded, trained, equipped by the Iranians. And we've urged the Iranians not to do that. We've told the Iranians that they will be held responsible for those attacks when they threaten American lives.

Q About the Peace Corps volunteers? For the Peace Corps volunteers that are in 60-plus countries, have they all been returned?

SECRETARY POMPEO: You know, I don't know if they're all back or not yet. I know that they were directed to come back. I know that most of them are back. I couldn't tell you if we have all of them back yet. I don't know.

Q And then Secretary  Secretary Esper is not here, but to get tests to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are you able to give us a progress report on the status of that, if they're all able to get tests?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I don't know the answer to that. I know we have State Department officials, too, who are concerned and want to make sure we get them tests, our team as well. And we're working on that. We've had significant success on that to date. There are a few places we've not been able to get them, but we will. We'll get them.

Q Secretary Pompeo, how exactly are you going to get those Americans back? And do you have any plans to get the military involved in that?

SECRETARY POMPEO: We're going to use all the tools we can. These first efforts are combined commercial/private flights that will fly in, bring them back  bring them back to a destination here in the United States. So we'll do that.

There are some that will travel back other ways as well. And we have worked with the Department of Defense to say, where there is space available, we'll be able to bring them back on those flights, as well. It's a whole-of-government effort to make sure we get them back.

Q So DOD will be involved?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Again, they're going to help us every place they can. Secretary Esper and I have talked about a couple times.

Q Thank you, Secretary. Question on Iran again. Is there any consideration to relaxing sanctions on Iran during the coronavirus crisis since they've been particularly hard hit?

SECRETARY POMPEO: That's an important question. The whole world should know that humanitarian assistance into Iran is wide open. It's not sanctioned. We've offered to provide assistance to the Iranians as well. I talked with Dr. Ted Rose from the World Health Organization about this. We're doing everything we can to facilitate both the humanitarian assistance moving in, and to make sure that financial transactions connected to that can take place as well.

There is no sanction on medicines going to Iran. There's no sanctions on humanitarian assistance going into that country. They've got a terrible problem there, and we want that humanitarian medical healthcare assistance to get to the people of Iran.

Q But the sanctions themselves, no  no movement?

SECRETARY POMPEO: We are  we are working to do all the things we've had in place for the first three years here to deliver security for the American people.

THE PRESIDENT: They know the answer. Ira-  they know the answer  Iran. The leaders. They know the answer to your question.

Q Mr. Secretary, was it appropriate for the President to call your department the "Deep State Department" at a time when thousands of diplomats are working very hard around the world to combat this pandemic?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I've worked for the President for three years now. I know how much he values the people that work on my team. I know, when I was the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, how much he valued the work we did. I know that he watches our team  Dr. Birx  all of the team that's working to push back against this virus to keep America safe. I know how much he values them.

THE PRESIDENT: What a good answer.

Yes, go ahead.

Q Mr. President, can I 

SECRETARY POMPEO: True.

THE PRESIDENT: It's very true too.

Go ahead.

Q Mr. President 

THE PRESIDENT: No, behind you.

Q I apologize.

THE PRESIDENT: Please, go ahead.

Q I have two questions. The first is to Secretary Pompeo. NewsHour has learned that the CDC picked up that there was some sort of virus happening in Wuhan  the coronavirus happening in Wuhan as early as December. When did the CDC start letting other agencies know that there was something in China happening  that this coronavirus was happening? And then when did the whole-of-government approach start to happen?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So I'll let the CDC  or, Dr. Fauci, do you want to talk to that?

Q (Inaudible.)

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, Secretary Azar, please. Yeah.

SECRETARY AZAR: So we were alerted by some discussions that Dr. Redfield, the Director of the CDC, had with Chinese colleagues on January 3rd. It's since been known that there may have been cases in December, not that we were alerted in December.

Q Then, Mr. President, the other question I had for you. When 

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me  we'll do it in a second. Let Mike  he has to get back  he has to get back to work.

SECRETARY POMPEO: May I just say  may I just say one more thing? There's been some discussion about China and what they knew and when they knew it. And I've been very critical. We need to know immediately. The world is entitled to know. The Chinese government was the first to know of this risk to the world. And that puts a special obligation to make sure that data  that data gets to our scientists, our professionals. This is not about retribution. This matters going forward. We're in a  we're in a live exercise here 

THE PRESIDENT: Should have 

SECRETARY POMPEO:  to get this right.

THE PRESIDENT: Should have let us know.

SECRETARY POMPEO: We need to make sure that even today, the datasets that are available to every country, including datasets that are available to the Chinese Communist Party, are made available to the whole world. It's an imperative to keep people safe.

We talk about the absence of datasets, not being able to make judgments about what to do. This is absolutely critical. This transparency, this real-time information sharing isn't about political games or retribution. It's about keeping people safe.

And so when you see a delay in information flowing from the Chinese Communist Party to the technical people who we wanted to get into China immediately to assist in this, every moment of delay connected to being able to identify this risk vec-  the risk vectors, creates risk to people all around the world.

And so this is why it's not about blaming someone for this, this is about moving forward to make sure that we continue to have the information we need to do our jobs.

Q And staying with you, Mr. Secretary, what message do you think it sends to other countries when you have the President of the United States lashing out at reporters?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I've had my frustration with reporters too. All I ask when I talk to the media is that you listen to what we say and report it accurately. And it's frustrating. It's frustrating when you 

Q But what message does it send to other countries though?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  when you say that that doesn't happen, it's enormously frustrating.

We have a responsibility to tell the American people the truth. And those who are reporting on what it is we're doing and saying have an equal responsibility to report accurately.

Q But what message does it send to countries when you're lashing out at reporters?

Q Do you have any evidence (inaudible) when it's not accurately being reported? That the news media is not accurately reporting?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I've seen  I've seen many things at the State Department being reported wildly and inaccurately on 

Q Anything specific you can cite?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  on multiple occasions. And I have spoken to those reporters about it each and every time, and I'll continue to do so.

Q Mr. President, Senator Johnson is suggesting 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I'd rather have  if you could finish up with the Secretary of State.

SECRETARY POMPEO: I think I've worn them out, Mr. President.

Q Let me ask you both 

THE PRESIDENT: Is everybody finished  Secretary of State?

Q Let me ask you both if that's all right. Mr. Secretary, Senator Johnson has suggested that you and the administration may be overreacting. He said, "We don't shut down our economy because tens of thousands of people die on the highways. We don't shut down our economy because tens of thousands of people die from the common flu. At worst, 3.4 percent of Americans will die from this virus," he said. What do you say to people that have that view? That's 11 million people he's talking about.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I can just say the entire world is agreeing with us because they're all  they all have their choice, and everybody is doing the exact same thing. We want to shut it out, and we can do that. And we'll see what happens in two weeks, in three weeks. But if we can save thousands of lives, and even millions of lives, potentially  you don't know where it goes. But you could be talking about millions of lives.

So if you look at the world  I mean, you have some very smart people in the world. You have some smart leaders in the world. And everybody is doing it the way we're doing it. I think we're doing a better job than hopefully most, if not all. We're doing a very effective job. But we'll  we'll know better in 14 or 15 days.

But, you know, you're talking about hundreds of thousands  and maybe more than that  numbers of people. And, you know, we can bring our finances back very quickly. We can't bring the people back.

Q Mr. President, to follow up on that, there are millions of people out there that share that view that say, "I don't really need to shut things down. I don't really need to stay away from the stores. I don't  I can go to the beach." And those people making multiple actions exponentially, it's the difference between life and death, isn't it?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, I agree with that. But I think I'd like to have Anthony answer that, because to be honest, that's what he does. And he  we have a lot of  a lot of very talented people telling us what they think we should do.

DR. FAUCI: Thank you, Mr. President. Well, first of all, I think that's a false equivalency to compare traffic accidents with  I mean, that's totally way out. That's really a false equivalency.

When you have something that is new and is emerging and you really can't predict totally the impact it's going to have  and you take a look at what's gone on in China, and you see what's going on right now  right now, in Italy, and what's happening in New York City  I don't think with any moral conscience you could say, "Why don't we just let it rip and happen, and let X percent of the people die?" I don't understand that reasoning at all.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, so, Secretary of State will be leaving. Any other question for him? Go ahead. In the back. Please. In the back for Mike.

Q Thank you, Mr. President 

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me, I didn't call on you. Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Two things. In New York, where cases are doubling every day, they fear that supplies are going to run out in a matter of weeks. Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio called on you to mobilize the military to deliver urgent supplies. Yesterday, he said, quote, "The fate of New York City rests in the hands of one man. He is a New Yorker and right now he is betraying the city he comes from." I've personally spoken to emergency department nurses who say that they're being told not to wear N95 masks because supplies are so low. So how do you respond to those remarks by Mayor de Blasio? And there's nurses and doctors 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I just think this: I'm not dealing 

Q  looking to you. When will those supplies arrive?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, I'm not dealing with him. I'm dealing with the governor. And the governor agrees with me, and I agree with him. So far, we've been very much in sync. I guess they're not agreeing with each other, necessarily.

But the relationship with New York  I love New York. I grew up in New York, as you probably have heard, and the relationship has been very good. And I think government and the governor have been getting along incredibly well with the federal government.

Okay.

(Cross-talk.)

Q A question for Secretary Wolf, if I could. Just on illegal entries of people who are OTM, how will the turn-back process work? Will they be taken to a common area and then put on the plane and sent back to Northern Triangle countries or others? I mean, how would that process work?

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Again it's a  it's a public health crisis, so what we're trying to do is limit the amount of contact that we have with these individuals, not putting them in Border Patrol facilities, ICE detention facilities, and the like.

So it's going to be very rapid. We're going to obviously take them into custody and then  and then send them back to a port of entry or other means. So it'll be very quickly. It won't be the 6 or 7 or 10 days that we currently have. It'll be

much more rapid.

Q But if they are OTM, will you  will they be taken to an airfield nearby or 

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: That's correct. That's correct.

Q And sent back (inaudible)?

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Absolutely.

THE PRESIDENT: Any  anybody?

Q Mr. President, can we ask about the checks, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: About the what?

Q The checks to Americans. The bill that is proposed creates sort of tiers of checks for incomes.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. It will be.

Q Do you believe, philosophically, that makes sense?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're working on it. Well, I believe in a lot of things. I want to get workers money. And whichever way the best way to get it  and I want to keep the businesses open too, because without the businesses, they're not going to be getting money for very long.

But we're going to be  we're going to be talking.

Q But in that bill, as it's written, is there enough money or do you want to see it juiced up?

THE PRESIDENT: If there's not, we'll do something later, I am sure. I am sure we'll do something.

Q Mr. President, the Wall Street analysts are predicting that unemployment numbers could skyrocket next week by  some analysts say as many as 3 million people applying for unemployment, which would be a historic number in a one-week spread. So is a thousand-dollar check going to cut it? Is that going to be enough?

THE PRESIDENT: We're not talking about a thousand-dollar check. We're talking about much more than that. We're also talking about doing phases. If this doesn't work, we're going to keep doing until we get it going. And, frankly, once we get the economy back and once this enemy is defeated  the invisible enemy, as I call it  once it's defeated, we get the economy back, it's going to all come back to us very quickly. It comes back very quickly.

We have a tremendous economy. We do numbers like no other country has ever done before. Number one in the world, if you go back two weeks  and still, obviously. But if you go back two weeks, number one in the world, by far. That money comes back to us very rapidly. We want to keep it  we want to have it so that when we  not "if," but when we win the war with the invisible enemy  when we win it, these companies can immediately start  not that they have to start rebuilding, which takes a long time.

Steve.

Q Are you confident that those are 

THE PRESIDENT: Steve. Please. Please.

Q  jobs that will come back if someone applies for unemployment next week?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm  I'm confident. I am confident.

Q What projections for job losses in March and April are you hearing?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're looking at different numbers. We have a best case and not best case, but the big thing is to defeat the virus. Once that virus is defeated, Steve, I think everything else falls in place very rapidly. I think you're going to have a tremendous upswing.

A lot of people agree with me. A lot of  if you look at your stock market geniuses  some of whom are not geniuses, but they think they are  a lot of people think that I'm right about that, that once we defeat the virus, I think you're going to have a very steep  like a rocket ship. It's going to go up and everything will be back, and I really believe we're going to be stronger than ever before.

Yeah, go ahead.

Q On the issue of supplies, you've told governors to try to find whatever supplies they can on their own.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Absolutely.

Q But some of them are now saying when they go to try to buy them, they're being outbid by the federal government.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you heard my news conference yesterday. So, you know, that's not 

Q So what  so what do you expect those governors to do?

THE PRESIDENT: I mean, that was  that was sort of yesterday's news. No. That does happen because they want to buy supplies. We want to buy as a backup to them, in case they can  and sometimes that will happen.

But regardless of who gets them, when they need them, we're getting them to them. Now, we're doing the Production Act. We're doing it very much. And we have a lot of things cooking right now at a high level.

Remember this: Nothing like this has ever happened before. Over 140 countries. And you have supply chains that are broken down for two reasons: because they can't supply that much and because people are sick. They can't be on the chain. So you have a lot of interesting things all over the world. You have supply chains that broke down because of the illness and also because of the fact  the quantity.

But we're getting it ordered. We're getting it done. And the  if you just have to  look, some of you were at the call yesterday where I spoke with the governors  almost all of the governors  and every one of them was very impressed with what we've done.

Go ahead. In the middle, please.

Q Mr. President, there are reports that the Labor Department has told states not to disclose their unemployment numbers. Do you agree with that decision?

THE PRESIDENT: I'd have to talk to him. I would have to talk to Secretary Scalia.

Q And just one more clarifying question, if I could, on the DPA. I just want to be clear: Are you saying that the administration is requiring these industries to create these products or just asking?

THE PRESIDENT: You know, so far, we haven't had to. It's an amazing thing that happened. We're getting calls from automobile companies. We're getting calls from other companies, saying they have plant capacity, they want to make ventilators, they want to make other things. We are literally being besieged, in a beautiful way, by companies that want to do the work. They want to do the job. They want to help us. They want to help our country. So we haven't had a problem with that at all.

Q Mr. President, how do you help out states and localities that are trying to bid on things like ventilators and other items but are being outbid by the federal government?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, when they call us, they let us know. If there's a conflict, they will call us and we will drop our bid because we want them to go first because they're point  they're point of sale. So we've had four or five instances where literally that was happening because you know we're both trying to get stock. And if we're going against, they will call us  the smart ones, frankly, will call us, and we will immediately  we want them to buy it because it gets to them quicker if they buy it. Okay? We're really 

Q Do they know that they're able to do this?

THE PRESIDENT: They know that. And it's happening more and more, where they're calling and they're saying we're bidding against each other. They want to get it. They'll get it much quicker that way.

Go ahead, please.

Q Mr. President, I have a question for Secretary Azar. There are labs across the country that don't have the testing supplies they need. What specific actions is the administration 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's going very well, I tell you what.

Q What specific actions are being taken?

THE PRESIDENT: We inherited an obsolete deal and we've made a good thing out of it. I haven't heard that question in a while, but go ahead.

SECRETARY AZAR: Yeah. So, first, we're making tremendous progress, in terms of lab testing. Tens of thousands of tests are being done every single day, both through the CDC and the public health labs, as well as now through the private sector commercial labs. They're getting to scale. They have supplies. They have high throughput.

We do hear anecdotally, occasionally, of, say, a public health lab or another one that has a concern about this supply or that supply.

Through FEMA, we actually are standing up a laboratory task force to answer those questions. Usually, it's that the lab people do not understand that there are actually alternative supplies in the marketplace that they are perfectly free to use. We've actually had to put out some common myths and truths about that.

For instance, the other day, we were getting calls from governors, saying, "We don't have swabs. There are no swabs. There are no swabs." Our supply people went in the open marketplace and bought 200,000 swabs in the open market, and I just sent a letter to every governor, sending them swabs.

So some of it is just they aren't listening or checking with us about all the freedom, all the capacities out there. It's a complex system, with 330 million Americans and all of these labs, so sometimes there's a lab that doesn't understand how much flexibility they have and how much supply there is out there. And we're working through the new FEMA Integration Center to help correct that for folks.

THE PRESIDENT: Do you want to say about the tests? Tell them how that's working.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, as I said, more and more tests are being performed every day. And as we learn about the results that are being reported around the country of coronavirus tests, our experts continue to look at the numbers and see that some 90 percent of Americans that are tested do not test positive for the coronavirus and so it can give you a sense of the magnitude of testing that's going on. We have the number of cases that we've reported today, but it's  it's, in some cases, near to 10 times that that have been tested.

But let me also emphasize how important it was, in answering these questions for governors and local officials, that the President stood up FEMA and the National Response Center where we briefed governors yesterday. Now every governor and their state department  state health departments have the ability to reach out with  to our regional FEMA administrators. And that's how, as the President said, we're sorting out those potential conflicts between very significant federal purchases and procurements and  and as hospitals and state governments are purchasing as well.

I think the new, streamlined system  operating now in all 50 states in our territories, of governors and states, going through their regional administrator for FEMA  is going to make it more possible for us to ensure that our hospitals, our healthcare providers have access to what's available on the open market and elsewhere.

Q Mr. Vice President, you're the head of the task force. You've seen the numbers. You've spoken to average Americans. You're a former governor. What do you say to Americans right now who are watching and who are scared?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I would say: Do not be afraid; be vigilant. All the experts tell us that the risk of serious illness to the average American for the coronavirus is low. But we need every American to put into practice the President's coronavirus guidelines, "15 Days to Slow the Spread." Because the coronavirus is about three times more contagious than the flu, according to our best estimate. And you can contract the coronavirus; have very mild symptoms, if any; not even be aware that you have it; and expose someone who is vulnerable to a very serious health outcome.

That's the reason why we're encouraging people to avoid groups of more than 10; to not eat in restaurants, but to use drive-throughs; to wash their hands on a regular basis. And particularly, we're going to continue, as the President has directed us, to focus on the most vulnerable population, which are seniors with serious underlying health conditions or anyone with an underlying immunodeficiency. It's those people we need to care for, but it's going to take all of us working together to make sure they're safe.

Q But I just wanted to get a clarification because you just said that you haven't had to require companies to up their production of medical supplies, but you've said last night you invoked the DPA.

THE PRESIDENT: But I didn't say that. No.

Q I'm confu-  are you requiring them or 

THE PRESIDENT: When we need something  when we need something  because of the act, when we need something, we order something.

And, as you know, two days ago, I invoked the act, which was a big step. I'm not sure that it had been done before, certainly not very much. And when we need something, we will use the act.

What has happened is, before we even go out, many, many companies  great companies  companies in a totally different business are willing to do things and make things. Because that's what they do; they make product. They're willing to make product for us  medical product  that we need very badly for the states that the states can't get  they haven't been able to get.

And, you know, most of the states, in no way did they do anything wrong. They were stocked up. They were all equipped. Unfortunately, they've never had a thing like this. So they need help from the federal government.

Q But you haven't actually directed any 

THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead.

Q This is important. You haven't actually directed any companies to start making more ventilators or masks, right?

THE PRESIDENT: I have. I have. Yes. I have.

Q How many companies?

THE PRESIDENT: A lot. A lot.

Q So you are requiring them.

THE PRESIDENT: And they're making a lot of ventilators and they're making a lot of masks.

Go ahead, please.

Q Which ones? What companies?

THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. Please.

Q Mr. President, partially following up on that, are there automakers right now who are retooling their production facilities to make ventilators or to make masks?

THE PRESIDENT: I can't say they are, but they will be very shortly because we're working with one in particular  the ones to make ventilators. They called us yesterday and they're already  we're working on a transaction. They're going to make ventilators. They say they've done it before, which surprised me. But they can do it very easily.

Q Secretary Azar, sir 

THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead.

Q This is partially for you, partially for Secretary Azar. You said yesterday that you had spoken to Carnival Corporation's chairman.

THE PRESIDENT: Carnival. Yeah.

Q Yes. And he said that he could donate some ships 

THE PRESIDENT: No, not donate. That's not the word  "donate."

Q Or not "donate." Okay. "Lend." Lend.

THE PRESIDENT: He didn't  he's not giving them. He's going to let you use them.

Q Okay.

THE PRESIDENT: I spoke with Micky Arison, who is the President  chairman, CEO, and owner. I think he's got every title you can have.

Q Okay. And he could lend some ships to potentially be hospitals.

THE PRESIDENT: He said to me that he was willing to, if we need ships  if we need ships for helping people, that Carnival would be absolutely willing to help us in Los Angeles, in New York, wherever they may be  in Miami, where they're very big. If we needed something, they would be willing to.

So far, we haven't needed to. And we're bringing the big hospital ships up in California. We haven't. We're working with the Governor of California, as you know  with Gavin  and we haven't made a determination. We're also talking  the folks would like it in Seattle. So we're discussing where it can be most useful.

We've spoken with Governor Cuomo and we're bringing the big hospital ship up in two weeks, and we're going to have it in New York Harbor or someplace in New York Harbor.

Q Okay. So my question is, one, it sounds like you haven't taken them up on it yet, but that you could.

THE PRESIDENT: No, I have taken them up. I said, "If we need it, I'll let you know." That's called taking them up.

Q And secondly 

THE PRESIDENT: Right now, we don't need it.

Q The cruise ships have a lot of frequently contacted surfaces. And so this is where you come in, Secretary Azar, potentially Dr. Fauci. Do you have concerns about the cruise ships being used as hospitals?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I can tell you they're very clean and also those surfaces, the germ, as you know, the virus disappears over a period of time. And these ships are very clean. They've been kept very clean. They've been gone over. But the virus, as you know, if it is on a surface for a certain  they have, actually, charts. Different kinds of surfaces, it disappears over a period of time.

Q Why not just use hotels?

THE PRESIDENT: I mean, I  what are you trying to get at? Go ahead.

Q Well, that's what I'm asking. Why not just use hotels?

THE PRESIDENT: It disappears. The virus disappears when it's on surface after a certain number of days or, in some cases, hours, depending on the surface it's on.

Go ahead. Please.

Q Thank you. A quick follow-up. So, can you say  can you name any of the companies that you've asked to start making these ventilators or facemasks?

THE PRESIDENT: I will be, but first I want to get the approval from the company because I don't want to be doing that.

Q Okay. Well 

THE PRESIDENT: I assume they'd like it, but I'll let you know.

Q Okay. Well, thank you. And this is for Dr. Fauci 

THE PRESIDENT: We have one company that has openly stated, and it is General Motors.

Q So that's one of the  did you  did the government ask General Motors?

THE PRESIDENT: It's one of the companies, But I didn't speak to them about announcing it, but I'll announce it. I'm sure they wouldn't be  but we have others also.

Q Okay, thank you. And so, for Dr. Fauci, there is new research out from  that the CDC has released, that many of the people that have  or that 13 percent of the people with the coronavirus got it from someone that was asymptomatic. So my question is: Does that change the way  the approach that should be taken? And do you think that's the case? Or, I mean, do you think that  or do you not agree with that research?

DR. FAUCI: Yeah. The recommendations that are here applies to whether you're in physical contact with someone who could be infected with symptoms versus asymptomatic. I don't really think it changes anything.

Certainly, there is some degree of asymptomatic transmissibility. It is still not quite clear exactly what that is. But when people focus on that, I think they take their eye off the real ball, which is: The things you do will mitigate against getting infected, no matter whether you're near someone who is asymptomatic or not. It's the same thing. Physical separation and the care that's outlined here is going to take care of both of those things.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. I have a question about testing. When will every American who needs a test get a test and be able to get a test? And why not have medical equipment being shipped right now to hospitals who need it, to 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you're hearing very positive things about testing. And just so you understand, we don't want every American to go out and get a test.

Q We're talking about the people who need a test.

THE PRESIDENT: Three hundred and fifty million people  we don't want that. We want people that are sys-  that have a problem, that have a problem with  they're sneezing, they're sniffling, they don't feel good, they have a temperature. There are a lot of different things. You know them  you know them better than I do. So, ready? We don't need that.

But what we are having is we're having  these private labs have come and they've been really fantastic. And we also have a great system for the future. Because, as I said, we inherited  "we," meaning this administration  an obsolete, broken system that wasn't meant for anything like this.

Now we have a system that you can see because  look, we're well into this and nobody is even talking about it, except for you 

Q There are Americans 

THE PRESIDENT:  which doesn't surprise me. Which doesn't surprise me.

Q There are Americans though who say that they have symptoms and they can't get tests.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Well, okay 

Q What do you say to the Americans who are scared that they have symptoms and can't get a test?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Well, okay. I'm not  I'm not hearing it. But we don't want everybody to go out and get a test because there is no reason for it.

Yeah.

Q What about some Americans who have symptoms who can't get a test?

Q Mr. President, I want to ask 

THE PRESIDENT: We'll do one more after this.

Q So I wanted to ask Dr. Fauci, because Kevin Hassett is one of the people who is now suggesting that the real way to get to the end of this  for life to return to normal  is for every single person living in this country to be tested. That way, you could see who is contagious and you could then have people who don't have it go back to work.

Is there any possibility that this country could ever get to a point where every single person could be tested, and how long would that take?

DR. FAUCI: Thank you for the question. I've heard that before. I don't see  I don't connect the dots there. I don't see how testing everybody in the country is going to help you to implement this. This should be implemented universally, at least at this level, for everyone.

The things we spoke about a while ago, that you want to really ratchet it up  like Governor Newsom is doing California, like Governor Cuomo is doing in New York  are how you put an end to this outbreak. Testing is important. It would be nice to know and there are certain things you could do, but let's not conflate testing with the action that we have to take. Whether or not you test, do this.

I'm not  I'm not putting down testing as an important issue, but people seem to link them so much: that if you don't have universal testing, you can't respond to the outbreak. You really can.

THE PRESIDENT: But I do think  and that's after listening to Tony and everybody else that is an expert, I do think it's important that not everybody be tested. If you feel great and if you have no symptoms whatsoever, it's a  it's just not a good thing to be doing.

All right. Steve, please.

Q A question for Dr. Fauci. Yesterday you mentioned the possibility of aerosol transmission of the virus. How likely is that to happen?

DR. FAUCI: The possibility of aerosol transmission always comes up when you have situations like that. It comes up with influenza. It came up with SARS, in which there was a documented, you know, one-off episode of some aerosol transmission. Aerosol means that it could stay in the air for a period of time because it's in a droplet that's very small and doesn't go down.

Is it possible that there is aerosol transmission? Yeah, it certainly is. But clearly, what we have seen in the situations where people have gotten infected from the areas that we have experienced  China, South Korea, now Europe  most of it is in a situation where people are close enough to each other that a symptomatic person will have a real droplet transmission. So I'm not ruling out the possibility that it's aerosol. But again, it's not going to substantially change doing this.

Q Dr. Fauci, a quick follow-up, if I could, just on the testing issue. Let me just ask this in a very simple way: What is the demand pressure on testing in this country and are we meeting it?

DR. FAUCI: I get the same calls that many of you get. That someone goes into a place who has a symptom and wants to get a test. And for one reason or other  multiple logistic, technical, what have you  they can't get it. That is a reality that is happening now. Is it the same as it was a few weeks ago? Absolutely not. Because as the Secretary and others have said, right now that we have the private sector involved, the availability, not only just availability, but the implementation of the availability is getting better and better and better.

Having said that, I understand and empathize with the people who rightfully are saying, "I'm trying to get a test and I can't."

Q So is that a way of saying we are not yet at a point where we are meeting the demand pressure?

DR. FAUCI: Well, the answer is, yes, John. We are not there yet because otherwise people would be never calling up, saying they can't get a test.

Q Mr. President 

THE PRESIDENT: Do you want to finish that, Mike? Go ahead. You might want to respond to that.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I just can't emphasize enough about the incredible progress that we have made on testing  all of your reporting and media outlets aro
Sumi Sukanya Dutta By

NEW DELHI: Social distancing is the best form of combating Covid-19 but enforcing it for a prolonged period poses a huge challenge in India, according to most experts.

Social distancing is not a choice but a necessity and the most effective way to contain the spread of virus otherwise the results could be drastic, said Dr Alexandar Kuruvilla, chief health strategy officer at digital healthcare platform Practo.

On the lines of the World Health Organisation guidelines, the government has suggested maintaining a distance of at least one meter between from those experiencing even mild symptoms of the virus like cold or cough.

But with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, India faces a completely different challenge. One of the main reasons for this is the high population density rate.

India is among the top 25 most densely populated countries. It is estimated that nearly 460 people live within every square km on average.

The countrys population is often compared with Chinas but a point often missed is that the neighbouring country has a population density of less than 150 given its huge land size.

And thats not all. The average population density statistics do not truly reveal the extent of the problem for India.

In states such as Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala, the population density is double the national average.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are also among the most populated states in India, home to nearly 40 crore people.

These figures put into perspective the degree of proximity experienced in India, suggesting that social distancing measures that meet the WHO guidelines may be near impossible.

There is also the question of transport to contend with. For the majority of Indians, second-class rail travel remains the only affordable means of transport. Indias trains are notorious for being overcrowded, a consequence of high demand and limited scheduled routes, said Dr Priyanka Singh, a community health expert. In cities, people often travel in overcrowded buses and local trains.

By 2017 estimates, over 23 million passengers travel on Indias 11,000 trains ever day.

With no other viable alternative for transport, trains could effectively become giant incubators of the highly contagious infections such as Covid-19.

Mere social distancing might not be enough in the absence of a robust health surveillance system.

In Wuhan, China, where the disease originated, authorities used mobile phone apps to keep track of peoples movements.

Colour codes on mobile phones in which green, yellow or red designated a persons health status let guards at train stations and other checkpoints know who to let through.

I read about a very interesting account of an Indian living in China who needed to travel from Beijing to Hubei, the worst-hit province, at the peak of the epidemic there, said Oommen John, a senior health researcher with the George Institute of Public Health, New Delhi.

That person was received by a government worker after arriving in Hubei and through an app he needed to feed his symptoms a few times a day. But the system did not solely rely on that too and workers were sent to his place a few times every day to check on him.

John insisted that India too needed a more effective monitoring of those who are high at risk.

So far, our approach has been dependent on verbal disclosure by the travelers and their thermal screenings but given long incubation of the disease that is not a foolproof method.

John cited the example of Andhra Pradesh that has now prepared a data base of 1 million people of which 7,000 with a travel history or their close contacts have been identified as high risk.

They are now being followed up very actively, that model may be worth emulating elsewhere too.

Diseases spread fast in populated areas

Increased population densities and unhealthy living conditions in urban slums can ease the transmission of infections. Migration may also increase vulnerability to disease.

Infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS among others have had a large impact on demographic trends, altering the age structures of heavily affected countries. Therefore, population density is a major factor.
In her new book, Emilie Holmes, founder of London-based Good and Proper Tea, shares tips for the perfect brew

Whether youre a loose leaf aficionado or make your morning cup with tea bags, youll know that to make a cup of tea you only need two thingsthe tea itself and hot water. Getting the water right, therefore, can make the difference between a good cup and an unpalatable onebad water making even the best leaves taste lackluster.

Freshly Drawn Water

For the liveliest cup of tea youll need freshly drawn water. That means dont just flip the switch on your kettle and reheat water thats been sitting there alreadyfill your kettle afresh. The best flavor is drawn out of the tea leaves using oxygen-rich water. Water that has been sitting a while, or more likely boiled over and over again, will lack oxygen, leaving your cup of tea tasting flat.

Not only is this one of the easiest ways to improve your morning brew, it is also a good one to get right for the sake of the environment. Although ditching full kettles of old water is no good thing, according to the Energy Saving Trust, if we all got into the habit of filling the kettle with only as much water as we need (rather than filling it to the top each time) that could save enough electricity in a year to power nearly half of all the street lighting in the U.K.

Hard or Soft Water?

Truth be told, tea will always taste at its absolute best when brewed using the same local spring water that is used to nurture the tea plants at origin, but thats no use to us at home! Depending on where you live, youll likely know whether your area has hard or soft water.

For example, unfortunately for Londoners, the water is very hard due to the high levels of naturally occurring calcium carbonate (the chalky substance that causes limescale) and magnesium compounds, making it a less than ideal starting point for tea. This mineral-rich, hard water is alkaline and tends to produce a thick, chalky, and sometimes even metallic-tasting cup. It is also slow and inefficient at extracting flavor.

Soft water, on the other hand, is acidic. Though that makes it much more efficient in dissolving flavor, it tends to happen too quickly, meaning your brew will often over-extract, leaving it tasting bitter and astringent.

There is a happy medium to be foundas close to pure spring water as possible in terms of acidity, with a pH of around 7. If your local tap water is excessively hard or soft, therefore, youll need to filter it. Youll be amazed by how much more vibrant the tea looks, and how much more youll taste in the cup.

Water Temperature

Now youve got the water quality sussed, its time to think about the temperature of that water. Different teas brew best at different temperatures, and getting it right can be the difference between a deliciously smooth cup and an unpleasantly bitter one.

For example, green teas contain high levels of amino acids, responsible for sweetness and fresh, delicate aromas, as well as polyphenols, such as tannins, which deliver more astringent, bitter characteristics. While the latter are dissolved in water just off the boil, amino acids dissolve at around 140 degrees F, so to bring out the most desirable sweet, fresh flavor notes of a green tea, we need to lower the temperature of the water. Making this simple adjustment often turns a green tea hater into a fanatic, because green teas brewed with boiling wateras they so often arecan be unpleasantly bitter.

On the other hand, water that is not hot enough can, for other teas, leave your cup lacking. Those same polyphenols are key to delivering flavor in black teas, and they are not released unless the water is just off the boil. To get the full flavor that the description of the tea promises, youre therefore best following the instructions carefully in this book.

As a general rule of thumb, black teas and herbs like heat, while oolongs, greens, and whites need you to bring the temperature down. You can achieve this at home by either switching off the kettle before it reaches a boil, or by flipping the lid of the kettle once boiled and allowing the water a few minutes to cool before pouring it over the leaves. Even betterget yourself a temperature-controlled kettle.

For hundreds of years, the Chinese have simply watched the water as it is heated in order to determine the temperature, observing the way the water, and more specifically the size of the bubbles, changes as the temperature rises. So if youve got a glass kettle or even a pan on the stove, use this simple method for getting the water temperature right for your type of tea:

Shrimp Eyes: The first small bubbles appear on the base of the pan158 degrees F.

Crab Eyes: The bubbles have expanded to the size of crabs eyes, with the first wisps of steam coming off the surface of the water176 degrees F.

Fish Eyes: The bubbles grow larger still and now start to gently rise to the surface185 degrees F.

String of Pearls: Streams of bubbles now rise to the surface200 degrees F.

Raging Torrent: What we call a rolling boil212 degrees F.

Brewing Guides for Popular Teas

Darjeeling (Black tea)

Origin: Darjeeling, India

Grown on the steep slopes of the Himalayas, Darjeelings, known as the champagne of teas, are highly sought-after the world over, thanks to their unique, wine-like profile. While the first plucking of the year, or first flush, is crisp, floral, and delicate, the musky sweetness of the more full-bodied second flush Darjeeling makes for a deliciously fragrant afternoon teabest enjoyed without milk.

Tea Leaves: 3 grams (1 rounded teaspoon) per 7 fluid ounces water

Water Temperature: Just boiled

Brew Time: 3 minutes

For the Perfect Cup: Brew 3 grams (1 rounded teaspoon) of good loose leaves in 7 fluid ounces of freshly boiled water for 3 minutes.

Iron Goddess of Mercy (Tieguanyin) (Oolong tea)

Origin: China

Among the most popular and certainly the best known of the Chinese oolongs, Iron Goddess of Mercy undergoes a medium oxidation and long, careful baking over bamboo. The resulting infusion is honey-sweet and smooth, with notes of roasted chestnuts and dried fruit.

Tea Leaves: 2.5 grams (1 teaspoon) per 7 fluid ounces water

Water Temperature: 200 degrees F

Brew Time: 46 minutes

For the Perfect Cup: Brew 2.5 grams (1 teaspoon) of good loose leaves in 7 fluid ounces of 200-degree-F water for 46 minutes. Good quality leaves can be re-infused multiple times.

Dragon Well (Longjing) (Green tea)

Origin: China

The most famous of Chinas green teas, originating from Zhejiang province, these spring-green leaves are shaped and fired by hand in hot woks. Not only does this process give them their characteristically flat, sword-like appearance, the pan-firing also lends this green tea its distinctive buttery sweetness and notes of roasted chestnuts.

Tea Leaves: 3 grams (1 heaped teaspoon) per 7 fluid ounces water

Water Temperature: 176 degrees F

Brew Time: 4 minutes

For the Perfect Cup: Brew 3 grams (1 heaped teaspoon) of good loose leaves in 7 fluid ounces of 176-degree-F water for 4 minutes. Good quality leaves can be re-infused multiple times.

Excerpted with permission from Good and Proper Tea: From Leaf to Cup, How to Choose, Brew, and Cook With Tea by Emilie Holmes and Ben Benton. Published by Kyle Books.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center students started Life-Support to assist essential health care providers with daily tasks.

The effort was inspired by a group of students in Lubbock who put together a similar program a few days ago, said Rebecca Meiser, a third-year medical student at TTUHSC of the Permian Basin.

The first- and second-year medical students have been taking online classes for about a week now, she said. Because clinical rotations have been suspended, the Permian Basin students started Life-Support because they have the time right now.

At this point we have put together a list of people willing to help out  The list includes what people are willing to do to help out providers who are working crazy hours or having to adjust their schedule or to adjust to the grocery store thats being closed earlier or things like that, Meiser said.

Life-Support participants will be offering their time to TTUHSC employees for services such as babysitting, pet sitting, grocery shopping, dog walking, while the employees respond to coronavirus cases.

Meiser said shes studying for her Step 2 exam -- the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge -- but otherwise she has more free time. She said so far, 10 students have volunteered but she doesnt know many health care providers have signed up for help.

She said she has been spending a lot of time studying. The deans office and the medical school have been keeping students updated and are invested in keeping students safe and healthy with emphasis on their mental health, she said.

TTUHSC will transition from face-to-face instruction to online instruction on March 30. TTUHSC president Dr. Lori Rice-Spearman said the university has students who are in two different situations -- students who are on campus in Lubbock and students who are doing clinical learning experiences.

This is an effort to really focus on the health and safety of our student body, Rice-Spearman said.

She said students are in health care facilities and private facilities all across the United States, completing their clinical internships. She said most health-related academic programs have their own specific accrediting bodies. She said the facilities and accrediting bodies determine and drive how the university responds with the students and their clinical situations.

ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) (last) week put out information that all third- and fourth-year medical students are no longer allowed to participate in clinical experiences, Rice-Spearman said. So, those are things that are not driven by the university, but by the accrediting body.

She said the university is doing everything they can to work with students who are affected to find alternative experiences, but they also have to honor what the accrediting body is requiring.

The university sent out an email to students with resources available to them and frequently asked questions they might have. In the email, students were informed that the TTUHSC Counseling Center, Our Legacy Now Student Foundation -- a student led organization that provides emergency financial assistance to students who are experiencing unanticipated hardship -- and the TTUHSC Nurse Hotline are available to students.

The email also stated spring commencement ceremonies have been postponed. Students who have completed all degree requirements will receive diplomas at the end of the semester.

There is an academic transition task force for the entire university that includes six campuses. The task force is looking at specific things the university can do so graduation is not delayed, while realizing that there are some things that are out of their control. However, there is a possibility that some of the academic programs will need to be extended into the summer until the hours are completed, she said

Rice-Spearman said the Centers for Disease Control has some very specific guidelines about personnel who are allowed to interact with COVID-19-suspected or infected individuals.

For the most part, our students are considered non-essential personnel, she said. Will they potentially be in that facility where there has been a positive case? Yes, but they will not be interacting directly with that patient.

During this uncertain time Meiser said it is inspiring to see how the health care system is responding.

It makes me feel privileged to be a part of a health care system that cares so deeply about the community, she said. It is really inspiring to see how people are stepping up, and how the health care system as a whole is responding to it. It makes me excited for the point in my career where -- hopefully this never happens again -- but it makes me excited for the point in my career where I could be a really active contributor and help people.

Meiser said students are trying to support the health care system and model the behavior for the community.

Were really trying to do what little we can to support the health care system and trying to model the behavior that we would love to see from the community for dealing with this crisis, such as social distancing and maintaining good hygiene, while checking in on your neighbors or friends that may be vulnerable and may need help or support during this time, Meiser said.
The coronavirus has now spread to at least 177 countries and killed tens of thousands.

Some countries and regions have been hit harder than others. Daily life has come to a virtual halt, the global economy is facing its worst downturn since the Great Depression and medical facilities continue to face a shortage of crucial supplies.

Many charities and organizations are helping those affected by the pandemic. Here is what you can do to support them.

Not sure where to give?

Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. There are organizations that focus on medical services, relief supplies and more.

Want to simply give money?

GlobalGiving is a large global crowdfunding community that connects nonprofits, donors and companies. It has set a goal of reaching $5 million in donations. Money received will go toward sending emergency medical workers to communities in need, providing medical supplies to hospitals and helping deliver essentials to families.
Though several animal shelters in Pennsylvania closed the doors of their adoption centers during the coronavirus pandemic, they continue to operate  and theyve seen a rise in inquiries about fostering animals.

The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area are not doing in-person adoptions after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the closing of non-life-sustaining businesses, but both remain in operation, with the HSHA introducing virtual adoptions.

With its physical location closed through at least March 31, the HSHA started offering virtual adoptions Wednesday. The virtual adoption process starts with an online application, and once approved, an applicant can schedule an appointment with the HSHA to get acquainted. From there, the applicant would be eligible to adopt the same day.

The response has been very positive, director of marketing and outreach Amanda Brunish told PennLive. People appreciate that we are finding innovative ways to continue to get pets adopted despite the limitations that we are all currently dealing with.

Both organizations said interest in adoption increased after the impact of the coronavirus became apparent over the course of the month. The PSPCA saw a great deal of adoptions at its sites in Philadelphia, Lancaster and Danville, plus the Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs.

The PSPCA hopes to offer adoptions by appointment in the near future, but with so much unknown, we will simply have to wait and see, PSPCA director of public relations Gillian Kocher wrote in an email.

We have closed all of our locations to adoptions in an effort to protect our staff and the public at this time, Kocher wrote. However, we have seen a huge uptick in foster interest and are working hard to place as many animals in homes as possible, even if they are only temporary. We are constantly re-evaluating and may return to limited adoptions by appointment in the near future. This situation is very fluid, as you can imagine.

Kocher told PennLive the PSCPAs foster and rescue coordinator received hundreds of emails about fostering animals last weekend, which helps both the animals and organization in multiple ways. People interested in fostering an animal can apply online and will hear back from the PSPCA within 48 hours.

We have seen an uptick in those interested in fostering while they are quarantined at home, Kocher wrote.

This helps in so many ways, of course it lightens the load of our animal care team, it provides the dogs and cats with a respite from the shelter and ultimately will help them find homes and hopefully engage more people to continue fostering when we return to a sense of normalcy. Additionally, it frees up space in our kennels should our intake increase, which we think it might as time goes on and if the quarantine continues.

Kocher said the PSPCAs humane law enforcement officers are still rescuing animals and responding to calls of potential abuse across the state. The longer the coronavirus pandemic continues, the PSPCA is anticipating an increase in calls, so people interested in fostering animals can help the organizations rescue efforts in the future.

The veterinary clinic at the PSPCAs Philadelphia headquarters has remained open to help people with pets in need, though its operating as appointment-only. The PSPCA is also operating a curb-side clinic in Philadelphia, where owners wait outside while their pets are seen inside, Kocher wrote.

The HSHA is operating in a similar manner and offering almost all our services with proper social distancing and increasing our already high cleaning, sanitation, and disinfection protocols, Brunish said.

The veterinary resource center is still taking appointments, but it is postponing elective surgeries. The HSHA is also using a system where pet owners do not have to enter the organizations building.

Both organizations are keeping an eye on an uncertain future. Brunish said the HSHA has already been forced to cancel fundraising events, while Kocher reiterated the PSPCA can only operate with donations and support from the community.

Were hopeful people will remember the animals in this time of need for all of us, Brunish said.

Kocher stressed that the PSPCA is attempting to continue its mission while also keeping its staff safe, and the organization is attempting to evolve as the situation changes around the state and around the country.

We are proud to be a resource for the community, for homeless pets, for victims of animal abuse, and we are committed to upholding this dedication during this challenging time, Kocher wrote.

Follow PennLives coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here.

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Daniel Gallen covers the Philadelphia Eagles for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Follow PennLives Philadelphia Eagles coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
~One shot dead, Chinese Supermarket robbed on Saturday. ~

PHILIPSBURG: --- Police have their hands full on the Dutch side of the island where business seems to be business as usual despite the lockdown and quarantine called by the EOC and Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.

Even though residents are asked to stay at home due to the spread of COVID-19 there is an increase of armed robberies, vehicular break-ins and a broad daylight robbery that led to the death of a man on Sunday.

While Police is yet to release any information on the broad daylight murder and the armed robbery which took place on Saturday on Pondfill Road at a Chinese Supermarket it is clear that much more has to be done to ensure safety and security of the people during the worldwide pandemic COVID-19.

KPSM along with the Minister of Justice needs to sit around the table and formulate a plan as to how they will further secure the businesses that can operate during the quarantine period. Somehow more police must be in certain areas to protect these businesses as they open to provide the necessary supplies that are needed for survival.

Clearly, due to this pandemic and shutdown, many people on St. Maarten will eventually lose their jobs and income which already have vagabonds committing heinous crimes. How long more will it take before drastic actions are taken to provide proper safety and security to the people of this once Friendly Island?

If the Dutch side wants to have a grip on the criminal activities currently taking place they will have to implement some stringent measures like the French side, whereby everyone leaving their homes must have a valid reason to do so or if not they will face fines or imprisonment. More police presence is needed everywhere on the island.

After the senseless killing Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs informed the nation that she requested the Dutch Military assistance via the Governor of St. Maarten. Jacobs said that the request was made to prepare for the possible outbreak of the COVID-19.

The Prime Minister also indicated that businesses that are allowed to conduct business this shutdown must close their doors by 6 pm.

Below is the address was given on Sunday afternoon by Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.
Erasing anxiety from daily life isnt an option for most people today. But therapists, clergy and meditation specialists say there are simple and accessible ways to overcome debilitating panic.

Coping skills, said Rick Hanson, a psychologist and a senior fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, help you reframe the situation youre facing. Its not a matter of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, its about creating resilience.

Here are tips from professionals.

Every day: Set goals, find joy and call a friend.

For people who may be feeling down or afraid, psychologists Julia Hitch and Andrew Fleming recommend a three-prong, daily approach for coping. The first, mastery, requires setting a reachable goal for the day, whether its practicing the piano for 20 minutes, trying a new recipe or exercising. A second daily essential is finding an element of pleasure: eating a delicious snack or taking a bath, for instance. Then comes connection, which in the age of Covid-19 means calling or video chatting with a friend or relative to take ourselves outside of isolation and into a circle of fellowship.

Take mental inventory of your well-being.

When he feels anxiety seep in, Dr. Hanson, who creates guided meditations for the digital platform Simple Habit, said he takes a few slow, deep breaths and reminds himself of what is true in this exact moment. Then he takes stock, telling himself, In this moment, your heart is beating. Youre breathing in this moment. No saber-tooth tiger is coming after you in this moment.
On Sunday 22nd March, the Janata Curfew initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government came into effect. PM Modi requested citizens of the country to observe a self imposed curfew between 7 am in the morning to 9 pm in the evening on Sundays and limit social interactions. Brands show their support for this timely move by the NDA government by releasing tactical print and digital communications to raise awareness amongst consumers.

Some brands who missed the print bandwagon, however, leveraged digital to deliver their support.

We are in this together. Lets practice social distancing and stay safe.

Stay in.#SocialDistancing #JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/jKt3c58U61  KFC India (@KFC_India) March 21, 2020

Gear up for the evening!#HappyToStayIn #JantaCurfew #JaquarGroup #Covid19 #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/hEpzP30jrk  Jaquar (@JaquarGroup) March 22, 2020

Applying brakes is an act of mindfulness. This Sunday, take a break and stay home.#JanataCurfew pic.twitter.com/wUkbYAA85y  Maxxis Tyres India (@MaxxisTyreIndia) March 22, 2020

Time to be with family. #jantacurfew22march #JanataCurfewChallenge #JanataCurfew #ISupportJantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/TLQgXnXzLb  Bharatmatrimony.com (@bharatmatrimony) March 22, 2020

View this post on Instagram Standing together in support of the #JantaCurfew. A post shared by McDonald's India (@mcdonalds_india) on Mar 21, 2020 at 7:28pm PDT

View this post on Instagram Dont come to Burger King, let the King come to you! Order safe deliveries from our kitchen to your doorstep on Swiggy or Zomato. Stay home, stay safe. . . . . . #SocialDistancing #Covid19 #WorkFromHome #FoodDelivery #StayHome #CrownStandard A post shared by Burger King India (@burgerkingindia) on Mar 19, 2020 at 2:13am PDT

View this post on Instagram From our family to yours... #JantaCurfew #StayIndoorsStaySafe A post shared by Pizza Hut India (@pizzahut_india) on Mar 21, 2020 at 10:15pm PDT

View this post on Instagram Stay home, stay safe. #SafetyFirst A post shared by Cafe Coffee Day (@cafecoffeeday) on Mar 21, 2020 at 11:59am PDT

Also Read:

This is how top ad & communications honchos plan to spend their Curfew Sunday

Viacom18 urges viewers to join in and #PauseForACause. Cheer and Applause.
Sanz presided over Madrid from 1995 until 2000, leading the club to two European titles, a Spanish league title and a Spanish Super Cup title.

Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz passed away on Saturday from the new coronavirus, his family said. He was 76.

Sanz had been in intensive care since the beginning of the week while being treated for the virus.

Sanz presided over Madrid from 1995 until 2000, leading the club to two European titles, a Spanish league title and a Spanish Super Cup title.

Under Sanz, Madrid ended a 32-year drought in Europe by winning its seventh European trophy in 1998.

His son Lorenzo Sanz Duran wrote on twitter that his father did not deserve this end.

He wrote, "He did not deserve this end in this manner. One of the best, most courageous and hard working people I have seen in my life. His family and Real Madrid were his passion."

Real Madrid, in its official release, conveyed condolences to the family.

"The club wishes to convey its condolences to his wife Mari Luz, his children, Lorenzo, Francisco, Fernando, Maria Luz (Malula) and Diana, as well as his family and friends. Our condolences are shared by all madridistas," read the statement.

With inputs from The Associated Press

Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi urges Egyptians to stay home for two weeks after more than 300 COVID-19 cases reported.

Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said his government is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic with full transparency and denied allegations the infection rate is being suppressed.

Egypt has recorded 33 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry said on Sunday, raising its total number to 327. The ministry confirmed four new deaths, bringing the number of fatalities to 14. But speculation that the real figures are higher has circulated on social media in recent weeks.

More:

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on governments across the Middle East to be more forthcoming with information about new virus infections to contain its spread in the region.

We have dealt with the subject since the beginning and like always with full transparency  All health ministry and government statements reflect the reality we are living in, said el-Sisi in a televised address.

Why would we hide anything from you? he asked, adding those questioning the official data want to make people feel insecure.





I call on Egyptians to stay at home for two more weeks, he added.

Help us get over this stage, or the scale of infections will be higher. I say this because the medical definition of this virus is that it spreads rapidly, el-Sisi said in his first public comments on COVID-19.

He said his government has earmarked 100 billion Egyptian pounds ($6.4bn) to fund the plan to confront the coronavirus crisis.

Tough measures

Egypts military said a senior officer died following his infection from the coronavirus. The military said Major General Khaled Shaltout was infected while participating in sterilisation, which the military has been carrying out across the country.

The military said it has sterilised and disinfected public institutions and several squares in the capital Cairo and other cities to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Shaltout was the highest official infected by the virus to date in Egypt.

Egyptian authorities have imposed tough measures to limit social interaction in the country of 100 million inhabitants.

They have closed schools and universities, ordered cafes, restaurants, nightclubs, sporting clubs and malls to close by 7pm (17:00 GMT), and told many public sector employees to avoid the workplace.

Egypt on Thursday halted air traffic until the end of March.

On Saturday, the countrys religious authorities ordered the closure of all mosques and churches and banned communal prayer gatherings for at least two weeks.

During his address, el-Sisi announced a number of economic measures, including reducing natural gas and electricity prices to industries, and postponing repayment of loans for small and medium-sized companies.

Other measures included the central banks allocation of 20 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.3bn) to support the countrys stock exchange.
By Express News Service

COIMBATORE/TENKASI/NAGERCOIL: Three persons tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Sunday, taking the total number of cases in Tamil Nadu to nine. Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar, in a tweet, said a 64-year-old woman who arrived from California tested positive and is undergoing treatment at Government Stanley Hospital in Chennai.

A 43-year-old man who arrived from Dubai tested positive and is undergoing treatment at Government Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. Earlier, a 25-year-old woman at ESIC Hospital in Coimbatore, who had recently come back from Spain, also tested positive on Sunday. All three are stable. Health officials said the 25-year-old, a native of Coimbatore, is pursuing her masters degree in Spain. She had come to New Delhi on March 16, took a flight to Bengaluru and from there boarded the Cannanore Express and arrived at Coimbatore on March 17.

On arrival, she went to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital with her father, but was told to quarantine herself at home and come back if she developed symptoms. On March 19, she went to hospital again with her sister as she had fever and was admitted to the isolation ward, where samples were taken. Later, she was shifted to ESIC hospital.

Coimbatore woman stable, family members in home quarantine

Her condition is stable and her family members have been told to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days. CMCH Dean B Asokan said her family members, the cab driver who drove her home from the railway station, doctors, nurses and medical staff who were in close contact with her will be tested soon. Official sources said the department will try to contact her co-passengers on flight and train.

Meanwhile, the minister reiterated the 49-year-old Thailand national who died at CMCH days ago tested negative for COVID-19. He died of other causes. However, two persons who travelled with him tested positive on Saturday are being treated at IRT Perundurai Medical College in Erode. The duo, were among six, who had arrived in the district on March 11 and stayed in two mosques. After the duo tested positive, the mosques and houses they visited were disinfected and their associates were quarantined. Three persons who came in close contact with them are also under observation.

No visible symptoms



Meanwhile, sources at Tirunelveli Medical College said the 43-year-old man who returned from Dubai did not show any visible symptoms of COVID-19 and was admitted only due to his travel history. On Sunday, his blood sample tested positive. However, he is stable now, sources said. As regards his travel history and people in contact, Deputy Director of Health Varadharajan said, He arrived at the Madurai airport on March 17 from the Gulf and reached Radhapuram in the car of a co-passenger. He stayed at his friends house. As he was aware of the spread of the virus, he had been wearing a mask since he landed. On Saturday, he arrived at the hospital with his friend. As he has now tested positive, we have kept him in the isolation ward. At present, his co-passengers and friend are under isolation and will be monitored. Further investigation on his background being conducted now, sources said.

Sent back to Kerala



A Kadayanallur-based woman and her two children, who landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport from Dubai on Saturday night with symptoms of cornavirus infection, were not quarantined in Kerala but sent to Tamil Nadu in an ambulance. However, the Tamil Nadu police and revenue officials stopped the vehicle at Puliyarai check-post on Sunday and sent them back to Kerala. An official said, They should have been quarantined in Kerala for 14 days. Sending them to Tamil Nadu is against the guidelines issued by the Centre. However, Thiruvananthapuram District Medical Office said that they are unaware of sending the three people to Tamil Nadu.

They had sent only two men belonging to Tenkasi as their samples tested negative. A media bulletin from the Health Department released earlier on Sunday said all the patients who are tested positive for COVID 19 in Tamil Nadu are stable and under treatment. One of the patients was discharged and under home quarantine. The bulletin said a total of 9,424 passengers who arrived in Tamil Nadu from abroad are under home quarantine for 28 days. As many as 198 asymptomatic passengers from countries that have been severely affected by coronavirus have been quarantined in facilities near the airport.

City tops list

Of the passengers under home quarantine, a total of 2,921 are from Chennai. The second highest number is in Thanjavur district (592). So far, 443 samples from passengers have been sent for testing.


A woman is fighting for her life after sustaining serious injuries during an attack at a house in north London.

Police were called just after 6.30pm on Saturday, 21 March, to a critically injured woman at an address in Penniwell Close, Edgware.

A woman, aged in her 50s, was taken to hospital where her condition is critical.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The man is known to the injured woman.
Social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus was on full display in Rensselaer County Court last week at the quadruple murder trial of James White.

The jury of six men and six women sat at least one seat apart before Judge Debra Young. Four jurors sat in chairs just outside the jury box. Alternate jurors sat in the gallery  a section typically reserved for observers.

A large container of New York state hand sanitizer was nearby.

The focus of the courtroom was the trial of White, 39, who is accused of murdering Brandi Mells, 22; Shanta Myers, 36; and Myers' two children: Jeremiah Myers, 11, and Shanise Myers, 5, on Dec. 21, 2017 inside 158 Second Ave., Troy.

Another focus loomed in the courtroom and courthouse  the potentially deadly coronavirus.

On Tuesday, Rensselaer County Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf, one of the prosecutors, told the judge they were all engaged in a "pandemic beat-the-clock."

On Friday, jurors listened to graphic and grim testimony from Justin Mann, White's alleged accomplice and the prosecution's star witness who described a horrific slaughter akin to a slasher movie. But the jurors listened safely away from one another.

Kurt Haas, the defense attorney for White, acknowledged the atypical circumstances.

It is a very unique situation, one I never anticipated being in, Haas told Law Beat, noting that the judge, defense and prosecution have made every accommodation possible to stop the spread of the virus.

Its a little bit more unique than most cases just because of the social distancing, Haas said. It doesnt change the jurys ability to hear and to see, to digest all of the testimony. Theyre just sitting further apart from each other.

The White trial is unique in that it represents court activity at a time when the legal world of the Capital Region and rest of the state is nearly dormant due to COVID-19.

State court officials announced on March 13 that any new criminal and civil trials that had yet to begin would be postponed. The exceptions were cases like the White trial in which lawyers had already delivered opening statements. On the federal level,the 32-county Northern District of New York, which includes Albany, postponed jury selection for all civil and criminal cases until April 30.

On Thursday, the murder trial in Monroe County of Aries Ash, 31, that began on March 2, was declared a mistrial and adjourned until April 21, when a new date for trial would be chosen. Prosecutors alleged Ash shot, dismembered and burnt the body of 34-year-old Maximillion Cook, 34, and kidnapped and robbed another man in Rochester, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The Monroe County jurors were split into two jury boxes to provide distance between them. Ash's defense attorney, Paul Guerrieri, had moved for a mistrial because "everything is changing so drastically and I worry about my own safety, co-counsel's safety, my client's safety," the newspaper reported Wednesday.

"We're trying to prepare for the next witness," his co-counsel Melissa Wells-Spicer said, according to the report, "and at the same time, our minds are distracted."

Last Monday, the coronavirus prompted Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon to postpone the murder trial of Joseph H. Belstadt, who is charged with the 1993 murder of 17-year-old Mandy Steingasser.

"I had to make a decision that was one of the toughest I've ever made. We're going to stop," Sheldon told the jury, the Buffalo News reported. A new trial date was expected to be scheduled on April 29.

It would have been impossible to hold any trial in the Albany County Judicial Center this past week  it was closed after a deputy who works in the courthouse was diagnosed with the illness.

It is a trend that will continue. On the federal level, the sentencing of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere in Brooklyn, scheduled for April 16, was moved to May 21. The reason was the attorneys for Raniere  the former Halfmoon self-help guru and now convicted sex trafficker and racketeer  will be unable to speak to him in the Metropolitan Detection Center beforehand due to a 30-day prohibition on lawyer visits with inmates prompted by the outbreak.

And on the state level, judges in Brooklyn and Queens were diagnosed with COVID-19, as were an attorney in Nassau County and a court employee in Rockland County.

New York State is experiencing an increase in cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and it is expected that the virus will continue to spread, the Unified Court System said on its website. Please be assured that the New York State Court System is monitoring developments closely and is working with our partners at all government levels to take appropriate measures as the situation progresses, and to ensure that courthouses statewide are prioritizing the health and safety of all visitors.
A video has reemerged of former president George HW Bush hailing the doctor leading the current administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic as an inspiring national figure, while Donald Trump continues to contradict his top health official in the face of the crisis.

During a 1988 presidential debate, then-candidate Bush -- who served as US president from 1989 to 1993 -- pointed to Dr Anthony Fauci when asked to cite modern-day "heroes" who "inspire" Americans.

"Probably never heard of him", he said. "He's a very fine research... top doctor at the National Institutes of Health, working hard doing something about research on this disease of AIDS."

The video provides a contrast with what appeared to be Dr Fauci's quiet agitation with the president's rant against his "deep State Department" and the spread of disinformation about the application of an anti-malarial medicine to combat the virus, which Mr Trump also repeated on Twitter.

 Top US health expert Dr Fauci buries head in hands after Trump refers to State Department as 'Deep state department'

As the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Fauci has had to refute Mr Trump's ongoing contradictions and unproven medical claims that the president echoes on social media and in his frequent briefings from the White House, amplified to millions of people.

Asked about whether the drug was a promising solution, Dr Fauci said that "the answer is no".

He said the president's alleged evidence is "anecdotal" and that there is no "magic drug" to combat the Covid-19 virus.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Dr Fauci admitted that he has to "publicly say something different" than whatever the president says, though Mr Trump has not yet been "pissed off" with his frank remarks.

He said: "I don't want to embarrass him ... I don't want to act like a tough guy, like I stood up to the president. I just want to get the facts out. And instead of saying, 'You're wrong,' all you need to do is continually talk about what the data are and what the evidence is."

Despite Dr Fauci and other health officials' frequent public headbutting with the administration's inflated and overconfident claims, he says that he believes the president "absolutely" understands the pandemic's threat.
Disney+, the streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, is the latest online content provider to temporarily lessen bandwidth usage in Europe as the continents network and servers handle never-before-seen usage levels during the coronavirus outbreak.

The move comes ahead of the streamers scheduled launch in several European countries next Tuesday, specifically the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.

As for its launch in France, the Mouse House is pushing back Disney+s launch there for another two weeks, to April 7th.

Downgraded: Disney+ is the latest online content provider to be temporarily lessening bandwidth usage in Europe as the continents network and servers handle never-before-seen usage levels

Disney+ joins a growing number of streaming platforms asked by the European Union to lessen their load, as unprecedented numbers of viewers remain homebound and online watching video content.

After the coronavirus (and the potentially fatal disease it causes, COVID-19) wreaked havoc in Italy earlier this month, other countries in Europe and around the world have implemented increasingly restrictive measures to prevent people from going outside and gathering together, in an effort to slow the spread of the pandemic.

Thierry Breton, the European Unions commissioner for internal market first appealed to streamers such as Netflix earlier this week, in a bid to ease mounting pressure on European networks.

New problems: Disney+ joins a growing number of streaming platforms asked by the European Union to lessen their load, as unprecedented numbers of viewers remain homebound and online watching video content

The move comes as European audiences eagerly await access to the Disney+ slate of content, which includes the full libraries of Disney animated classics, Pixar and Star Wars.

And while they will be able to watch on the platform starting this coming Tuesday, video quality on everything, including the highly anticipated show The Mandalorian, will be temporarily downgraded from high definition quality to standard.

Kevin Mayer, chairman of Disneys Direct-to-Consumer and International division, made an announcement about their decision on Saturday, according to Variety.

Excited: The move comes as European audiences eagerly await access to the Disney+ slate of content, which includes the full libraries of Disney animated classics, Pixar and Star Wars

In line with Disneys longstanding commitment to act responsibly, we are responding to the request of European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton to work together to ensure the smooth functioning of the broadband infrastructure, Mayer said.

In anticipation of high consumer demand for Disney+, we are proactively instituting measures to lower our overall bandwidth utilization by at least 25% in all of the markets launching Disney+ on March 24th. In the coming days, we will be monitoring Internet congestion and working closely with internet service providers to further reduce bit rates as necessary to ensure they are not overwhelmed by consumer demand. We look forward to the launch of Disney+ and hope it will provide a much-needed respite for families in these challenging and trying times, he concluded.

France, which was supposed to be included in the countries receiving Disney+ this week, asked Disney to hold off the launch for another two weeks, presumably for similar reasons concerning the potential for a network bandwidth overload.
Medical personnel administer a coronavirus test at a drive-through testing facility Saturday in Lake Elsinore. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Mayor Eric Garcetti on Sunday said Los Angeles residents need to do a better job of following orders to practice social distancing, announcing the closure of city golf courses, group sports facilities and beach parking lots in Venice.

The weekend was marked by growing alarm from public officials as many people, rather than staying close to home, packed beaches, parks, and hiking and bike trails.

This weekend we saw too many images of too many people crowding beaches or canyons beyond their capacity," Garcetti during a Sunday evening briefing. "Too many people, too close together, too often. The longer we do that, the more people will get sick, and the more people will die. Theres no way to sugarcoat that.

On Sunday afternoon, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority announced that it was closing its popular parks and trails, including the parkland owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Parking lots and access roads also will be closed.

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area also announced some closures at Solstice Canyon beginning Monday. And earlier Sunday, the city of Santa Monica announced that it also would close its beach parking lots because of the "large number" visitors and advised people to avoid the beaches, bike paths and Palisades Park.

Today is not the day to go to the beach," City Manager Rick Cole said in a statement. "We know that its difficult to stay at home when the weather is so nice, and being close to the beach is one of the primary reasons why we love to call Santa Monica home. Yet this is a time when we must take the guidelines from our health officials to heart."

Garcetti said officials would consider closing beaches if necessary. Late Sunday, the Laguna Beach Police Employees Assn. released a statement pressing the Laguna Beach City Council to close all city beaches and parks immediately.

The pleas came as the number of California coronavirus cases reached 1,793, with 35 deaths.

Story continues

On Sunday night, President Trump approved a request by Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a major disaster in the state to help it respond to the pandemic with "mass care" emergency assistance, unemployment aid and disaster legal services, among other relief.

"Unfortunately, California has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19," Newsom wrote to Trump. "Besides California being home to nearly 40 million people, which itself poses significant logistical issues few other states face, California partnered with the federal government in several extremely complex and challenging repatriation missions, which strained California's resources and impacted California's healthcare delivery system."

Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be shipping mobile hospital units to the state within the next 48 hours. California is in line to get eight of them for a total of 2,000 beds. New York and Washington states will get 1,000 beds each, he said.

The Navy hospital ship Mercy, which is based in San Diego, also will be deployed to Los Angeles. The ship can be on station in L.A. in "a week or less," FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor said. It would not be used to treat COVID-19 patients but to take other patients in an attempt to relieve the burden on hospitals, Gaynor said.

In addition, Trump announced that he has signed paperwork to have the federal government pay for National Guard deployments in California, New York and Washington. The National Guard will remain under the control of state governments, but the federal government will cover the cost, as is typical in disaster scenarios.

Newsom on Friday deployed the California National Guard to assist food banks statewide that are serving residents whose needs have not been met because of supply chain problems and temporary food shortages during the pandemic.

The rapid-fire announcements came as Los Angeles County on Sunday reported an additional death related to the virus, the county's fifth. The Culver City resident was older than 65 and had underlying health conditions, the county Department of Public Health said.

The county recorded 71 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 409; 132 of those were announced in the past 48 hours. Eighty-four people have been hospitalized, public health officials said.

"Please know that the actions you take today to stay 6 feet away from others and limit all non-essential activities outside your home are the best way for us to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement.

The first inmate within Californias prison system has tested positive for COVID-19 at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, state corrections officials announced on Sunday night.

The officials also said that five workers have tested positive for COVID-19. Two are at California State Prison, Sacramento, outside of Folsom; one is at Folsom State Prison; and two are at the California Institution for Men in Chino.

The prisoner in L.A. County was in stable condition and being treated on site, according to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Riverside County on Sunday also reported another death related to the virus, the sixth there. Information about the person who died was not immediately available.

And Monterey County announced its first death of a resident due to complications from the virus. The person was hospitalized and had an underlying medical condition, officials said Saturday.

We are facing a historic public health challenge and know this is a very difficult time," Dr. Edward Moreno, the county health officer and director of public health, said in a statement.

Experts, meanwhile, warned that the number of U.S. deaths would rise in the months ahead.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious-diseases specialist, said Sunday that although the United States was not necessarily on the same trajectory as that of Italy  which has the worlds largest coronavirus-related death toll  were going to get hit, theres no doubt about it.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said in an interview on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday that some aspects of Italys crushing death toll, which reportedly tops 5,000, were not yet fully understood by scientists.

If you look at the dynamics of the outbreak in Italy, we dont know why they are suffering so terribly, he said, adding that many of us believe that early on they did not shut out as well the input of infections that originated in China and came to different parts of the world.

U.S. prospects may have been improved by bans on travel from China and Europe.

We have from the beginning been able to put a bit of a clamper on outside cases, Fauci said.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Sunday ordered the Sylmar Courthouse closed for three days after a deputy public defender assigned to the courthouse tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, the court said in a news release.

Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile was notified Saturday that the attorney had tested positive last week after caring for a relative who also tested positive, the court said. Affected judges and staff will self-quarantine for 14 days, it said.

The courthouse handles juvenile delinquency cases in two courtrooms, and both have been cleaned and disinfected, officials said. Cases on the calendar for the next three days have been moved to the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. The Sylmar Courthouse is scheduled to reopen Thursday.

Ten more cases of the coronavirus infection have been reported at a South Bay assisted living facility, the Kensington Redondo Beach, according to the Daily Breeze. Six of them are staffers, and four are residents, the paper reported.

Administrators said earlier in the week that one resident and two staff members had tested positive, raising fears of an outbreak in the high-end assisted living home.

Amid the steady rise in cases, Gov. Newsom on Saturday pleaded for residents to avoid unnecessary social contact after scattered reports across the state that some people had been flocking to the coast, gathering with friends or failing to follow social-distance orders.

The governor stressed that even those who didn't show any symptoms of COVID-19, including young adults who appear to be less likely to become gravely ill if they do contract the illness, needed to cooperate for the good of others in their communities.

The governors stay-at-home order will remain in effect until further notice and could be changed as conditions warrant, according to a statement released by the governors office. Issued under broad powers granted to the governor under the states Emergency Services Act, Newsoms executive order is enforceable by law.

But people continued to crowd California's beach areas Sunday, as recent rains gave way to mild weather.

At Torrance Beach, people were well spread out on the sand, but the narrow walking path beside it was jammed by 10 a.m.

At Long Beachs Junipero Beach, besides the occasional mask- and glove-wearer, all seemed to be going as normal on Sunday morning.

The sun shone down on beach goers, young and old: basketball players using all three hoops, bikers, joggers, rollerbladers, men doing pull-ups on the outdoor exercise machines, women exercising on the grass, standing fewer than 6 feet apart.

Along the shore, a family of three, wearing masks, took a walk. A lone fishermen waded knee-deep in the water, with his family nearby. When he felt a tug, he called two children nearby to help pull the line. Strangers, including the family, gathered to see the spectacle up close.

On Friday, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia expressed frustration at his fellow residents for not following his guidance.

Seriously people, you need to practice social distancing. I am seeing tons of people out there acting like theres no crisis, he wrote on his personal Twitter page.

Or possibly, it was the governor's order that led people to the beach, to spend time outdoors in one of the few remaining places available.

At least for Jaushay Rockett, 36, that was the case.

This may have sparked something, he said. This may have sparked people to be creative and go outside. It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing.

Rockett was playing basketball outside because "everything's been closed," including his usual indoor gyms and courts in Signal Hill and Compton, he said. Initially, he believed the order to stay indoors would be more strict, but he saw people outdoors seemingly living their lives as usual. It appeared there were more people at the beach than usual.

Im thinking it was gonna be like martial law, he said. Everybody is out  until they make it mandatory. Theyre going to have to really lock down the city for people to stay indoors.

Rockett was taking precautions to stay safe. He made sure to keep a distance from people, besides his family friends with whom he played ball. After a game, he said, he wipes his hands and the ball with Lysol and goes straight to the shower.

Clifford Aquino and Ryan Castro, both 28, were displaced from their gyms in Cerritos. They decided that Long Beach, where there are plenty of outdoor gyms and paths to run, would be a good replacement to get in a workout.

This is only Day 2, said Castro. It sucks.

It does suck, but you have to find different ways to stay active, Aquino said.

Aquino said he feels safe using the workout machines because he can keep his distance from people. If one area is too busy, he finds another, or chooses another activity to do. He said he wipes down each machine with Lysol wipes before using it.

Castro said he had been a consistent runner before, but stopped a while back. Now, because he has so few options, hes getting back into it.

Both have gone hiking and tried different, also busy, beaches.

Maybe Californians just cant help a little sunshine, Castro said.

A little bit of sun while we have it, its like their last chance before the rain comes down, he said. Huntington Beach was worse than this.

In addition to pushing residents to heed social distancing orders, California leaders are also working to marshal much-needed resources to prepare for a possible surge in coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

Newsom said Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, had pledged 1 million medical masks to be donated specifically to Californias coronavirus efforts. And he said manufacturers in Los Angeles garment district and in Northern California had reached out to sew additional masks if needed.

A key need in California and across the country is ventilators, necessary for some of the most serious COVID-19 patients, and the governor cited new efforts by two entrepreneurs to assist in producing the medical equipment. Newsom said that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc. and Space X, had promised to use the supply chains that support his companies for help in assembling ventilators. The governor also said that K.R. Sridhar, chief executive of Bloom Energy, agreed to help quickly modernize some 200 older ventilators that the state had on hand. The original manufacturer, Newsom said, had estimated that doing so would take about a month.

California, like other states hit hard by the pandemic, has seen a shortage of complete testing kits. Those challenges have hindered the ability of public health officials to get an accurate assessment of the virus spread. Newsom, who said he had had encouraging conversations with President Trump on additional federal help, said coronavirus testing needed to do more than just document the numbers of ailing state residents.

My team is no longer providing me just the number of people that have tested positive. Theyre equally weighting the number of people that have tested negative, Newsom said. The bottom line for us is we want to know what the spread is. We want to know if were bending the curve. We want to know if our stay-at-home orders are effective.

In addition to California, New York has been hard-hit by the virus. Cases are concentrated on the West and East coasts, and New York City is home to about one-third of those. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, appearing on NBCs Face the Nation on Sunday, said, New Yorkers and all Americans deserve the blunt truth: It is only getting worse.

And in fact, April and May are going to be a lot worse, he said.

Fauci said federal resources were being clearly directed toward hot spots that need it most.

In California, Newsom pointed to efforts in Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara counties to use testing as a form of what he called community surveillance to better understand local health conditions.

These were just broad random tests that were done with people that were otherwise young and healthy and thought they were perfectly healthy, Newsom said.

The results, he said, allowed health officials to improve their use of already scarce medical resources.

California officials have said that the current count of COVID-19 cases is a gross underestimation because of the lack of tests. Testing picked up last week, but healthcare authorities said they still didn't have anything close to a firm estimate of how many people had been infected.

About 25,200 tests had been conducted in California, by both commercial and private labs, as of 2 p.m. Friday, the state Department of Public Health said Saturday. Results for more than 12,700 of them were pending.

A growing number of the cases in California are instances of community transmission, in which the person diagnosed had not recently traveled or been in contact with another confirmed case. Those cases indicate that the virus is spreading locally within communities.

Community transmission has been identified in California since late February, and since early March, most of the cases in the state have been unrelated to international travel, the state Public Health Department said Saturday. Therefore, the state will no longer collect information about travelers returning to California from countries with confirmed outbreaks of COVID-19, the Public Health Department said.

From Los Angeles Griffith Park to Westside beaches, Southern California greeted its first weekend of a public health stay-at-home order with pluck, humor and notable kindness. At a Granada Hills Starbucks drive-through line, customers paid it backward. And in a Laurel Canyon neighborhood, residents opened their windows for a Youve Got a Friend singalong.

Still, there were some rough spots: Overflowing lines at markets and food giveaways continued to ratchet up anxiety and some harsh encounters. The first reported coronavirus infections among Los Angeles police officers, with three testing positive last week, gave reason for added worry. And Los Angeles city officials scrambled to open five more emergency shelters for homeless people.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Venice Beach Boardwalk, the Grove shopping center and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills all went mostly bereft of visitors over the weekend. Usually crowded streets were mostly open, and parking spaces were free for the taking.

But along the coast in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades, cars lined up for parking lots at Will Rogers State Beach and nearby Temescal Gateway Park. A few roller skaters and cyclists wore masks and gloves, though those could not be seen on the surfers enjoying a stunning blue-sky day, with views all the way to Santa Catalina Island.

Be a good neighbor. Be a good citizen. Those young people that are still out there on the beaches thinking this is a party time  grow up, Newsom said during a news conference on Facebook and Twitter on Saturday afternoon. Its time to wake up, time to recognize its not just about the old folks. Its about your impact on their lives. Dont be selfish; recognize you have a responsibility to meet this moment.

Complaints of noncompliance have popped up on social media and apps such as the neighborhood forum Nextdoor.com. The Marin County Sheriffs Office on Saturday tweeted out a photo of people congregating on the coast, imploring residents to stay home.

We understand the communities' frustrations with the large amount of people traveling to the coast today and not practicing social distancing. We are working with the public health officers to address the issue. Please stay at home! the Sheriffs Office said.

Times staff writers David Lauter, Hailey Branson-Potts, John Myers, James Rainey and Jack Dolan contributed to this report.
A health expert last week stated that everyone is afraid to err, but no action would be worse than making a mistake in a pandemic. Fear, however, of making decisions seems to be more prevalent in the U.S. than it once was. We can see this in many ways.

Some have suggested that our response to the coronavius outbreak has been overly dramatic, and will cause more damage in totality than would a more restrained response. There are so many unknowns with this virus, and data sources are not always trustworthy. For example, data out of China are interesting. Shanghai has a population of more than 24 million, and has reported only three deaths from the virus. The center of the outbreak was Hubei Province, where the virus killed more than 3,000 people out of a population of more than 58 million, which accounted for over 96% of all deaths in China.

If the Chinese are to be believed, they either contained their outbreak of the virus, or they are suggesting that it can be maintained without draconian methods.

Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede attempted to identify differences in cultures. One important difference was uncertainty avoidance, or a societys tolerance for ambiguity. Cultures that score high on this measure typically have strict codes of behavior, and lots of laws and guidelines. The U.S. was traditionally rather low on this measure, but that has changed dramatically.

Evidence includes the following:

First, our culture has become overly bureaucratic. Organizations now spend more time creating procedural rules and guidelines than actually doing something. Everything is specified in advance, and no decision can be made without first consulting with HR456-43A. Procedure seems to have become more important than outcome.

Second, for all practical purposes, we allow anyone to be sued by anyone for almost any reason. A popular hill for sledding in the winter must be fenced and put off limits because someone might be hurt and the owner will surely be sued. Water buckets come with warning labels that a person should not put their head into the bucket when it is filled with water.

Third, rigid adherence to ideologically correct norms. This is one of Hofstedes prime tests for uncertainty avoidance. A person must not say the wrong thing, and must avoid any behavior that correct groups disapprove of.

In such a risk-averse society, if someone must decide to allow an action that could possibly transmit an unknown disease, they are going to ban the action and hope that the consequences arent worse than the disease. At the same time, the culture will have little tolerance for ambiguity. People will welcome rule-bound dictates and being told exactly what they can and cannot do.

Such a society will drift toward strong leadership. In the U.S., every time we have had a national-level emergency, the average citizen has emerged with less individual freedoms and a wider tolerance for more dictatorial government.

Hopefully, we will emerge from this crisis differently.

Dennis Clayson is a marketing professor at the University of Northern Iowa. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect those of the University of Northern Iowa.

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Setting an adorable example of friendship in the time of coronavirus, neighbours and veteran actors Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher were recently seen interacting with each other from a safe physical distance.

While 'Mr India' actor Anil Kapoor chose to visit his friend, who recently returned to India, by standing outside his house, Kher greeted him from his balcony to ensure they are physically distant from each other.

Both the superstars were quick to make a video of the short interaction and post it in their social media.

In the videos, Anupam Kher is seen saying that we are neighbours and are speaking to each other from the balconies, to which Anil replied, " Kya kare yaar, Sunita (Anil's wife) nahi aane degi tujhe andar."

Anil Kapoor's reply was indicated towards the fact that people returning from foreign countries in India are advised to quarantine themselves to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Later in the videos, Anil Kapoor is seen singing the famous iconic song, ' Tere Ghar ke saamne' to which Anupam Kher replies by bursting out with laughter.

"As responsible citizens, we should do this. It is okay sir, we will meet after 15 days (quarantine period)," Kher said.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher who returned from New York to Mumbai after four months on Friday decided to keep himself in self-isolation as a precautionary measure amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Self-isolation has been adopted by many Bollywood celebrities as a precautionary measure to help check the spread of COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Akufo-Addo has announced that the Ministry of Health is engaging the services of retired and new health professionals to augment that of its current staff as the country braces itself for a possible surge in the number of Coronavirus infections.

Ghana as at 21:30 hours today [March 21, 2020] has confirmed 21 cases of COVID-19 .

In an address to the nation, President Akufo-Addo was amazed by the response of the retired health professionals to the call.

The Ministry of Health is mobilizing new and retired health care professionals to augment our preparedness in dealing with the possible surge in infections. It is heartening to hear the number of healthcare professionals who have stepped forward to offer their services.

The President also indicated that as part of measures to check the internal spread of the virus, contact tracing has been intensified as every person who has come into contact with infected persons will be tested and the necessary steps taken.

The Ministry of Health will not only step up its contact tracing efforts but will also see to it that all persons who have been identified as having come into contact with infected persons are tested for the virus. More personal protection equipment are being acquired to beef up supplies for our frontline health workers. 50,000 additional test kits have been ordered and are being expected in the country shortly, add the President. Ghana to close all borders from Sunday

President Akufo Addo added that the borders of the country are to be closed from midnight on Sunday, March 22 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The border closure is to last for two weeks, according to the President.

All our borders; by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday, he said in the address to the nation.

Coronavirus patient dies in Kumasi

The Lebanese patient among those confirmed to have contracted the novel coronavirus in Ghana has died .

The deceased, a 61-year-old man, reported to a health facility in Kumasi with a fever and cough.

His temperature was 39.4 degrees Celcius.

It is not clear whether his death was a direct result of the virus.

A Deputy Minister of Health, Alexander Abban, told Citi News that the information I got from the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service is that that person [the Lebanese man] has died. He died today.

There have been 15 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection this past week raising Ghana's total to 21.

Find below the full statement by the President

Fellow Ghanaians, good evening. This is the third time in the last ten (10) days that I have come into your homes to give you an update on the progress of our fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. I am going to be providing you regular updates.

On Sunday, 15th March, I briefed you about the enhanced measures taken by Government to deal with the virus, which has, so far, infected nineteen persons (19) in the country. Unfortunately, one (1) person, who tested positive for the virus, but had serious underlying health complications, passed away in the early hours of today. I am reliably informed that all the other eighteen (18) persons are doing well, and are responding to treatment. Indeed, eight (8) of them are being managed from their homes, in isolation.

I am deeply humbled by the widespread nature of the support from you, the Ghanaian people, for the measures I have taken so far. Let me also commend both sides of Parliament for the expeditious and responsible manner in which they handled the passage of the Imposition of Restrictions Act, to which I have given assent.

This morning, I chaired the daily Inter-Ministerial Committee Meeting on our Coronavirus Response to review the current position. I am encouraged by the numbers of Ghanaians that are observing the prescribed social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols announced earlier. However, it has become necessary to take additional measures to stem the spread of the virus, and protect the lives of our people. We must do everything within our power to contain the spread of the virus.

Firstly, all our borders, that is by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks, beginning midnight on Sunday. Anybody who comes into the country, before midnight on Sunday, will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus. This closure will not apply to goods, supplies and cargo.

Secondly, the Ministry of Health will not only step up its contact tracing efforts, but will also see to it that all persons who have been identified as having come into contact with infected persons are tested for the virus. More personal protection equipment are being procured to beef up supplies for our frontline health workers. Fifty thousand additional test kits have been ordered, and are expected in the country very shortly.

Thirdly, the Ministry of Health is mobilising new and retired healthcare professionals to augment our preparedness in dealing with a possible surge in infections. It is heartening to hear of the numbers of retired healthcare professionals who have stepped forward to offer their services, just as it is to note the Ghanaian entrepreneurs who have responded to this crisis by producing greater quantities of sanitisers and 'Veronica buckets'. Let me reiterate my appeal to members of the pharmaceutical industry to scale up their domestic production of pharmaceutical products. Government will do its best to support them.

As I have stated before, there will be a constant review of the measures announced, and, if necessary, enhanced.

Fellow Ghanaians, the cases of localised infections require that we maintain strict self-discipline, and continue to practice prescribed social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols in all aspects of our daily lives. We must wash our hands regularly, use alcohol-based sanitisers, stop shaking hands, and avoid unnecessary close body contact. I am pleading with each and every one of you, comply with these measures. Our survival is in our own hands.

Whilst we continue to adhere to these measures, and ramp up our efforts to defeat this virus, I urge all of us, also, to seek the face of the Almighty. So, on Wednesday, 25th March, 2020, I appeal to all Ghanaians, Christians and Muslims, to observe a national day of fasting and prayer. Let us pray to God to protect our nation and save us from this pandemic. I thank the men and women of God who prayed for the nation with me on Thursday, and with the Vice President on Friday, for their intervention.

I applaud the efforts and courage of Ghanaians in the forefront of the fight against the virus  health workers, immigration officials, customs officials, civil aviation officials, airport staff, port health officials, police and military personnel, and other essential service providers  for the yeoman's work you are doing. Our nation is deeply in your debt.

Fellow Ghanaians, all that Government is doing is intended to achieve five (5) key objectives  limit and stop the importation of the virus; contain its spread; provide adequate care for the sick; limit the impact of the virus on social and economic life; and inspire the expansion of our domestic capability and deepen our self-reliance.

There are obvious difficulties ahead of us, and we should all brace ourselves to face them. I will be transparent with you, and not shirk from sharing with you the realities of our situation. But, I am determined to take whatever steps are necessary to safeguard our society, our economy and our future. I remain confident that together, and by the Grace of God, we shall overcome. This, too, will pass.

May God bless us all, and our homeland Ghana, and make us great and strong.

Have a good night, and I thank you for your attention.
New Delhi, March 22 : Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to observe Janata Curfew on Sunday, about 7 crore traders throughout the country and 40 crore of their employees have decided to stay at home, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said.

The apex traders' body also urged PM Modi to announce a national lockdown in view of rapidly growing numbers of COVID-19 to help prevent its possible community transmission.

"About 60,000 commercial markets and 40,000 trade associations having 7 crore traders and 40 crore of their employees are all set to stay at home observing Janata Curfew today on call of PM Modi," CAIT said.

The General Secretary of CAIT, Praveen Khandelwal also added, "We are writing to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend complete national lockdown till March 31. All traders are ready to observe lockdown for the country's safety." The New Delhi Traders' Association (NDTA) has already announced that one of India's most visited marketplaces, Connaught Place, will remain closed for Monday as well.

"We will follow the government's order with regard to lockdown but for now we have announced that markets in our area will remain shut for Monday as well. Decision for later days will be announced on Monday evening," Atul Bhargava, president of NDTA told IANS.

According to Bhargava, showroom owners in Connaught place have already witnessed 90 percent fall in business and over 1700 showrooms are facing heat of decreased footfall due to coronavirus threat.

Meanwhile, popular market places in national capital saw deserted roads, with traders in markets like Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Khan Market, Chandhni Chowk market, Connaught Place and others observing Janata Curfew and kept shutters of their shops down.

Earlier, McDonald's India on Saturday said that it will keep all its restaurants in North and East India closed on Sunday to observe 'Janata Curfew'.

The announcement came in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a 'Janta Curfew' on March 22 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections.
ROCHESTER, N.Y.  With a sprinkling of holy water, and a prayer of protection, the Rev. Juan Benitez performed blessings on Rochester and its suburbs  from 2,000 feet above.

Benitez took to the air last week, with parishioner and pilot Anthony Daniele, to bless his community as priests had done in his native Colombia when he was a boy.

"The intention was just to tell the people that they are not alone," he said. "Many people are afraid ... they have never seen this in their lifetime. In these moments, the church becomes someplace to find comfort."

Yet the churches are empty.

As a boy, it was violence that kept people in their homes. Today it is the novel coronavirus, and the fear that it will spread.

Back on the ground, he is saying Mass this weekend inside the cavernous sanctuary of St. Louis Parish in Pittsford, New York, where, just two weeks ago, he looked out on 250 to 300 faithful for every service. Last weekend there were maybe 80, spread throughout the pews. Now there is himself, two other priests, the organist in the balcony and, on occasion, a camera operator to stream the service to people at home.

"To say Mass in an empty space is awkward," Benitez said. "But we know many people are following us."

Truckers brave coronavirus outbreak to deliver goods: "If we stop, the world stops"

The congregation numbers some 1,600 families, he said, with a range of ages and is active in outreach to refugees and the poor. For now the services are livestreamed on Facebook, but the church is working on other platforms and, being in the time of Lent, more broadcasts to encompass Holy Week and Easter celebrations.

Father Juan Benitez of St Louis Catholic Church of Pittsford, New York.

"In the beginning, when we suspended all the masses, people were upset," Benitez said. "They were feeling that we were abandoning them."

And so it was, on Thursday morning, unable to bless them individually, or as a congregation, he took to the sky to bless the city.

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Daniele's Diamond DA42 twin-engine turbo prop plane lifted off from the Rochester airport headed south, flew counter-clockwise around the community then zig-zagged across the city. Instead of climbing to a typical 6,000 to 8,000 feet, Daniele said, he got permission from Rochester air traffic control to fly low.

He would slow to 80 knots, or roughly 90 mph, Benitez would open the window and reach out one of the bottles of holy water he brought for the occasion. Then he would say a prayer  "extended to everyone," Benitez said, "praying for the whole world and the whole country."

The flight lasted about an hour.

The other day, Benitez received a picture from one of his parishioners of her three teenage children, huddled together on the floor, watching something on a smartphone. She wrote to Benitez that they hadn't been so close since they were little. But spending time together, they were "calm, in peace."

When he rises to address his congregation from the empty church on Sunday, he will deliver a message of family.

"The world is stopping. This is an opportunity in the midst of a crisis," Benitez said. "One of the positives things is families are together. ... Good things could come. Families could strengthen their bonds.

"The message is, 'Don't worry. God is with you. Enjoy your family, your people ... be at peace, eat well, rest and rechange energy. And of course, be safe."

Follow reporter Brian Sharp on Twitter @sharproc.

Fact check: Did Bill Gates predict the coronavirus in 2015?

Opinion: Anthony Fauci is a coronavirus hero

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: As coronavirus spreads in New York, priest drops holy water from plane
Staff at major companies are working from home as Vietnam records a rising number of new coronavirus cases in Hanoi and HCMC.

E-commerce company Tiki has let thousands of office workers nationwide work from home for a week until March 22.

Ride-hailing Be Group let staff work from home starting March 16 until further notice. This is the second work from home period the company imposed amid the coronavirus outbreak, the first in early February.

U.S. coworking space WeWork, having closed some facilities globally, still operates in Vietnam, but have suspended all crowd-gathering events to limit contagion. The company has let some employees work from home.

Other companies like consumer goods producer Unilever and manufacturer Bosch have also let their Vietnamese staff work remotely.

Company leaders are still making efforts to ensure performance, requiring their employees to "check-in" in the morning and hit their targets.

"An employee in my department had indirect contact with an infected person, so our boss let all staff work from home. We still have to check in at 8.30 a.m. via video call," said an employee in HCMC.

Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung on Wednesday advised citizens to refrain from leaving home amid the rising number of confirmed infections in the city.

Vietnam has recorded 94 novel coronavirus cases in 15 cities and provinces. Seventeen patients had been cured and discharged from hospital.
India's envoy in the UK on Sunday called on Indian citizens stranded in Britain due to the travel restrictions back home to fight the coronavirus pandemic and act responsibly during these "trying times".

High Commissioner Ruchi Ghanashyam sought to reassure Indians worried about their immigration status due to expiring visas, saying that the Indian authorities have been in contact with their UK counterparts, who have said that no one will be "unfairly penalised" for events beyond their control as a result of COVID-19.

"I appeal to all Indian citizens to stay calm and follow the advisory issued by the NHS (National Health Service) to address the challenge of COVID-19. Let us remain prepared to fight the challenge and not panic," Ghanashyam said in a statement.

She said that while flights to India remain suspended until March 31, the mission is in constant communication with the Indian authorities and will communicate any change to the travel advisory as soon as possible.

"The FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) has conveyed to us: 'The Home Office is working urgently on guidance for Indians and those of other nationalities in the UK whose visas are due to expire but are currently unable to leave due to the impacts of COVID-19.

"While that work is ongoing, foreign nationals in the UK do not need to be concerned about their immigration status," the statement said.

The High Commission urged all Indian nationals to follow the NHS and Public Health England advice on social distancing and other safety precautions, such as frequent washing of hands to help combat the spread of the deadly virus.

"These are trying times. We should stand strongly together wherever we are and help each other," said Ghanashyam, as she thanked diaspora groups and organisations offering their assistance to stranded Indians in the UK.

"Our strong resolve to stand together, help each other and strictly follow the advice of local health agencies will help the world come out of this challenge. Together we will emerge stronger," she said.

The message came as at least 19 Indian students camped out overnight on Saturday within the area usually reserved for the visa and consular section of the Indian High Commission in central London, which remains suspended during the ongoing shutdown.

The students, largely from Telangana, have demanded that they be put on a flight back to India and have refused all help with alternative accommodation.

"There are serious safety concerns as they are within a confined space without any personal hygiene facilities. We are trying to reason with them," said a diaspora group leader who has been working on resolving the impasse.

Meanwhile, Indian students, professionals and tourists who were due to travel back to India before India imposed a strict travel ban on travellers from the UK and Europe earlier this week have inundated the Indian High Commission in London with calls and queries about wanting to return to India.

The UK, meanwhile, remains in shutdown as it battles with an accelerating spread of coronavirus cases, which topped 5,000 as the death toll hit 244.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Bloomberg) -- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said it plans to donate more than 10 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine sulfate, a malaria drug touted by President Donald Trump as a potential treatment for the coronavirus, to help U.S. hospitals meet a potential surge in demand.

The Israeli company is one of the worlds largest makers of hydroxychloroquine, a less-toxic version of chloroquine, which is used in malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Though the treatment hasnt yet been approved for use in patients with Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Trump said Thursday he has urged health authorities to expand its use.

Teva will donate 6 million tablets to U.S. hospitals through wholesalers by March 31, and more than 10 million within a month, the company said Thursday. All subsequent product manufactured and shipped to wholesalers will also be donated.

U.S.-traded shares of the Israeli drugmaker roses 7.7% to $7.72 at 9:39 a.m. in New York on Friday.

Officials from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and Food and Drug Administration approached the generic-drug giant this week asking if it could increase shipments of hydroxychloroquine, Teva spokeswoman Kelley Dougherty said in an interview. The health officials and U.S.-based Teva executives held multiple phone calls throughout the week.

We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as demand for this treatment accelerates at no cost, said Brendan OGrady, the executive vice president of Tevas North America commercial unit. Immediately upon learning of the potential benefit of hyroxychloroquine, Teva began to assess supply and to urgently acquire additional ingredients to make more product while arranging for all of what we had to be distributed immediately.

Were directly responding to a need that was brought to us by the U.S. government, Dougherty added. This is a unique situation. We acknowledge that this is not currently for on-label use. But we are responding to the government and the promise that is being seen in the use of this product for Covid-19.

Representatives for HHS and FDA didnt respond to requests for comment.

Mylan NV said separately Thursday it would immediately restart manufacturing hydroxychloroquine pills at its West Virgina facility to meet expected high demand if the medication is shown to be effective against the disease. Germanys Bayer AG said that it had donated 3 million tablets of Resochin, a chloroquine treatment, to the U.S.

Still in Question

More than a dozen generic drugmakers, including Teva, Mylan and Novartis AGs Sandoz unit, manufacture hydroxychloroquine, which comes with few major known side effects, is relatively inexpensive and is widely used around the world. Its also been been touted by Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk as a potential treatment, and China has been testing it as well.

Still, its not clear whether the malaria drug will work against illness caused by novel coronavirus. A March 10 review of existing research found theres little solid proof one way or the other. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said Thursday the drug would be tested through a large, pragmatic clinical trial.

Amid increasing demand for the experimental Covid-19 treatment for off-label use, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists found that hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets were in short supply in March, according to a Thursday report. The FDA, however, hasnt identified the drug as in shortage.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
On February 12, the day after Chinese President Xi Jinping sounded a clarion call for all hands on deck, during what he called a critical stage in Chinas battle against the coronavirus outbreak, a distraught woman called out for help at the epicentre of the disease.

I am suffering from sustained mild fever and shortness of breath, wrote the 25-year-old, who would only give her surname Liu, from the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan, under a citywide lockdown as local authorities scrambled to contain the rapidly spreading disease. I am on my own, I do not dare to go to the hospital as I am afraid of getting infected.

The message, sent via the Tencent Trusted Doctors (TTD) application developed by Chinas biggest social network operator, quickly reached health officials in Wuhans Hongshan district, who arranged a hospital test for the single woman. TTDs chat software, used by 17 million people since its 2014 launch, is one of the hundreds of smartphone-enabled applications and innovations that have kicked into high gear to help China beat back the Covid-19 outbreak.

During the initial days when epidemiologists struggled to find the cause and transmission path of the then little-known disease, Chinese authorities resorted to the most primitive way to block its spread, locking an estimated 50 million people under quarantine across dozens of cities. Now, as the focus of the global pandemic shifts offshore from mainland China, the countrys technology companies are using their participation in the worlds largest health crisis to turbocharge the deployment of so-called HealthTech solutions.

Workers enforcing a quarantine at a residential compound in Wuhan in Hubei province on February 13, 2020. While epidemiologists scrambled to find the cause and transmission path of the virus, authorities resorted to the most primitive measure to contain its spread, locking an estimated 50 million people under quarantine. Photo: China Daily via REUTERS

Remote access to health services, from consultations to the sales of medical products, is the entry point into the nascent, fast-expanding HealthTech market, especially in a country with the worlds largest population of smartphone users.

There are at least seven platforms in the market that connect doctors with patients. TTD, which claims to connect 450,000 certified doctors with 17 million patients in a single platform, offered online consultation to Wuhan residents  who were put into quarantine on February 11  for a token 1 yuan, instead of the usual 49 yuan. That enabled TTD to quadruple its consultations during the first five days of the Lunar New Year, compared with the same period last year.

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Doctors looking at a CT scan of the lungs of a patient undergoing treatment for a respiratory tract infection. HANDOUT PHOTO

Also doing its part is TTDs competitor Ping An Healthcare & Technology, better known as Ping An Good Doctor, a unit of Chinas largest insurer Ping An. The applications daily sign-ups for free online Covid-19 consultations soared 10-fold between January 22 and February 6, compared with a 21-day average in January.

Asias most valuable technology company is also in on the rush, with Alibaba Health Information Technology connecting an average of 200 patients per day to each of its networks specialists in respiratory diseases since its January launch for Hubeis residents.

As the deployment of big data, artificial intelligence and technologies related to the Internet of Things (IoT) speeds up, digital health care will emerge as the new key infrastructure of the industry, said Gary Wang Qiang, senior vice-president of Alibaba Health, a unit of this newspapers owner Alibaba Group Holding. Backed by Alibabas technological advantages, Alibaba Health can innovate quickly in the realms of drugs retailing, chronic diseases management, online health care and digital public health service solutions.

Visitors to the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai gaze at smart gadgets displayed by Ping An Good Doctor on August 29, 2019. Photo: SCMP

Digital health care solutions have long been a key application within Chinas internet technology boom, even before the current pandemic changed the way people interact, live and work.

Targeting medical needs unmet by Chinas hospital-centric health care system that lack primary general care, online health care platforms including 111 Incs 1 Clinic, WeDoctor, Spring Rain Doctor and Haodaifu Online sprang up in the past decade.

Relative to many nations, China has more experimentation on internet hospital and online pharmacy service deliveries because of big unmet needs and hence the potential for improvement in the nations health care system, said Helen Chen, head of L.E.K. Consultings China biopharmaceuticals and life sciences practice.

SCMP Graphics

Telemedicine is also a nascent development in the US, held back partly by the fact that physicians are licensed by states.

It is starting to gain ground but has not taken off to the extent it has in parts of Asia, but I think it will change after Covid-19, said Brad Loncar, chief executive of Kansas-based investment firm Loncar Investments and compiler of the Loncar China BioPharma Index.

If you are a physician in Kansas, you would not be able to do telemedicine with a patient who is in California if you are not licensed there, Loncar said. Some of the telemedicine companies help doctors who actively use their service to get licensed in many states, but that is rare and expensive.

That may change soon, as President Donald Trump said on March 13 that the US federal government plans to waive laws to enable tele-health in certain situations, and ease some federal licensing requirements to enable interstate medical care.

Preparedness for pandemics by country. SCMP Graphics

In China, lengthy waits for services have long been the features of hospitals, where health care takes up 9 per cent of government spending, less than half of the budget in Britain, Japan and Germany.

Many rural residents often make long trips to big city hospitals due to the concentration of the nations best medical resources there, despite health care reforms including the assignment of city doctors to rural communities.

China had 18 doctors for every 10,000 inhabitants in 2018, a fraction of the 24 per 10,000 in Japan, 26 in the US and 28 in Britain, according to the World Health Organisation. Chinas doctors are also more overworked, less respected and underpaid than their overseas counterparts, according to L. E. K Consultings Chen.

Preparedness for pandemics by country. SCMP Graphics

To reduce hospital trips and infection risks during the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing early this month covered for the first time such online follow-up consultations for certain common and chronic diseases in the national health insurance scheme. Previously, consumers had to pay, except at one hospital in Gansu province that was conducting a pilot in late 2019 to include online consultations in the scheme, according to a Pacific Securities report.

Doctors are not allowed to arrive at a diagnosis for patients online without physical check-ups, or prescribe drugs under existing regulations in mainland China. This means most health care services are still provided offline.

To make their business models work, online platform operators typically have to build a huge national user base, from which they develop multiple revenue streams. They include general and specialist doctors recommendation and appointment booking, repeat consultation for chronic diseases, and online sales of drugs and health-related products.

A man wearing a protective mask walking through thermal scanners at the security check at the Capital International Airport in Beijing on 17 March 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE

While Ping An Good Doctor  Chinas largest health care platform  boasts over 315 million registered users, only 3 million are monthly fee-paying users. The company is expected by analysts to earn its first profit next year, as it turns more users into paying customers for its family doctor packages, aiming them at the fast-growing middle-class, which is increasingly willing to pay to get faster medical services by private doctors. It is also helping government hospitals build internet hospital platforms in Zhejiang and Henan provinces to broaden its revenue stream.

Rival TTD differentiates itself through an online-plus-offline strategy that includes a large network of its own clinics. The firm was formed through a 2018 merger of Tencent Doctorworks online clinical platform with Trusted Doctors network of 450,000 online specialists and day surgery centres.

Dr. Mark Mak, Founder of Roborn Dynamics with the robot ME1 during the TDC (Trade Development Council)'s Entrepreneur Day press preview at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on 16 May 2018. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Besides connecting patients with doctors, technology is also going deeper and broader into the search for a cure for Covid19. Damo Academy, Alibabas research unit, has an analytical tool that can distinguish Covid-19 from other strains of respiratory tract infections through computerised tomography (CT) scans of patients lungs. A second tool cuts the diagnostics time to 30 minutes, from several hours. The analytical tools, deployed at 26 hospitals in Alibabas hometown in Hangzhou, are also being offered to Italy and France.

Robots have also been deployed to pick out suspected coronavirus carriers from a crowd. Hong Kong start-up Roborn Technology designed a mobile robot equipped with thermal scanners that can live-stream temperature readings to a control centre, and can send an alert when necessary. Commercial deployment at various government departments are expected soon, Roborns co-founder Mark Mak Hin-yu said in an interview with South China Morning Post.

Preparednes for pandemics by country. SCMP Graphics

When it comes to digitalising the health care supply chain, executives with a technology background may have different approaches from those coming from the medical field.

Why go to hospital when you have a mobile phone? Thats a technology peoples view of health care, TTD president Martin Shen, an Australia-trained physician-turned-health care information technology entrepreneur, said in an interview during the JP Morgan health care conference in January.

The health care practitioners view is: how do I use technology to make health care delivery better?, Shen said. We provide an online and offline integrated health care experience.

After raising over US$250 million from investors, TTD plans to launch a completely integrated family doctor services, including general and specialist care and day surgery through to dental and ophthalmology.

Three decades ago all surgeries were performed in hospitals, now two-thirds are performed in day surgeries worldwide, Shen said. Redefining health care in the 21st century is our goal.

Through greenfield projects and acquisitions, it plans to expand its network from 107 clinics currently  almost half of which in Shenzhen  to over 400 by the end of next year, Shen said. It will focus on 30 cities, within each it aims to have a citywide network presence, he added.

SCMP Graphics

While some rivals are expected to follow suite, he said success will depend on whether the right company culture, health care and clinics management expertise can be established.

For 111, whose founders are former senior executives at computer and e-commerce firms, digitalising the drugs supply chain will remain its focus, even though it has over 2,000 in-house and affiliated doctors providing online follow-up medical consultations and prescription extensions.

Bulk sourcing from 150 drug manufacturers, 111 also helps 210,000 pharmacies in China cut procurement and administration costs by pooling their orders through its online wholesale platform.

The start-up will invest this year to link up its platform with public hospitals in mid-size cities and towns, and offer online seminars to inform doctors about new drugs as part of its services to drug makers, said chief executive Liu Junling.

As Beijings health care reform resulted in faster new drugs approval and the allocation of more funding for innovative drugs prescription, he expects most pharmaceutical firms will be busy launching new drugs this year.

One can safely bet that lots of new drugs will be launched in China, Liu said. If we could play a role in helping to commercialise them, we can accumulate many chronic patients, to whom we can provide mobile App-based services such as health education, medicine adherence monitoring and online drugs refills.

Professor Anthony Ng Chi-fai from the Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), demonstrates the da Vinci Xi Surgical System  owned by Chinas Fosun Group  at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin on 13 January 2019. Photo: Nora Tam

As the online pharmacy industry grows, regulatory issues have also arisen, such as how to ensure prescriptions presented online are genuine. To address the issue, several provincial government-run pilot prescription drugs distribution platforms have been set up to link up the hospitals pharmacy dispensing systems to those of online drug distributors, and 111 is actively participating in them, Liu said.

There are also safety mechanisms to check the identities of consumers who uploaded their prescriptions, and most pay with online payment Apps, which provide another layer of identities authentication, he said, adding that 111 excludes a small number of high risk prescription drugs from its offering.

The coronavirus pandemic has sickened 2244,517 people in 160 regions and countries around the world, as of Friday . Mainland China, where the disease was first reported, had no new confirmed cases for the second day, with 33 per cent of the global caseload and a third of the worldwide death toll.

For Liu, who sought help through TTD in Wuhan, it was a false alarm as her test came back negative for the coronavirus from her community hospital; it was a case of flu, combined with a panic attack, her doctor said, according to the application provider.

Additional reporting by Peggy Sito

Illustration: Henry Wong

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Coronavirus claimed its first



victim in Gujarat on Sunday after a 67-year-old man, who had tested positive for the infection, died at a private hospital here, officials said.

The man, with travel history to Delhi and Jaipur, was admitted to the hospital on March 17 with complications related to kidney and asthma. On March 21, he tested positive for coronavirus as well, they said.

"The man, a coronavirus positive patient, diedat a private hospital here on Sunday afternoon," Surat Collector Dhavalkumar Patel confirmed.

Seventeen others have tested positive for coronavirus in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
T he UK's coronavirus death toll rose to 281, with the youngest to die aged just 18, as the number of people infected surged to 5,683.

All 37 people aged between 18 and 102 who were announced to have died in England after testing positive for coronavirus were in vulnerable groups including with underlying conditions, the NHS said.

They included five deaths at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, four at St. Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and four at Croydon Health NHS Trust.

On Sunday, seven deaths were announced in Wales, while four were announced in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.

The latest number of cases, announced by health officials, are the number of people who have tested positive for the virus since the outbreak began, as of 9am on Sunday.

Columbia Road is packed with people / AFP via Getty Images

At the same time on Saturday, 5,018 people were confirmed as testing positive for the virus.

It came as the Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte went on live TV to announce he was tightening the countrys lockdown and shutting down all production facilities except those providing essential goods and services.

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We are facing the most serious crisis that the country has experienced since the Second World War, Mr Conte said during a broadcast at midnight.

He cautioned citizens to be calm and patient, insisting there was no alternative than to impose further restrictions.

Punters go for a drink before pubs and bars close to stop Coronavirus 1 /14 Punters go for a drink before pubs and bars close to stop Coronavirus People outside O'Neills pub, in Clapham, London PA A man wearing a protective face mask sits in a pub, on the day Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered all pubs to close in response to the number of the coronavirus disease cases REUTERS Lot of people went to the pub, despite Boris Johnson asking the nation not to be tempted to have one last drink REUTERS People at a Cardiff nightclub after Boris Johnson announced that all pubs, restaurants and gyms were to close Matthew Horwood Boris Johnson, is seen on a television screen in a pub in London as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues REUTERS A man drinks in the BrewDog pub in the Cowgate Getty Images Staff wear face masks at Mussel & Steak restaurant in Edinburgh Getty Images The Bricklayer's Arms pub in West Putney displays a sign warning customers it has closed 2020 Getty Images People are seen drinking inside a pub in London Getty Images The Alexandra pub in Worthing, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close tonight PA Pub goers enjoy a final evening of drinking in a J.D. Weatherspoon's in London Getty Images

Scientists have argued avoiding even one infection means scores more are prevented down the line.

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During his weekly Sunday blessing, Pope Francis urged all Christians to join in reciting the Our Father prayer next Wednesday at noon.

To the virus pandemic, we want to respond with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness, the pope said.

Francis, who began streaming his audiences earlier this month due to virus concerns, said he would also lead a global blessing to an empty St Peters Square on Friday.
NEW YORK (AP)  On the day after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a global pandemic, Joe Ferguson was given a batch of court-ordered evictions to carry out in his job as constable in Tucson, Arizona.

He knocked on doors in the majority Hispanic community of South Tucson, told residents to gather personal effects, clothing, medications and pets, and watched as some families became homeless.

Ferguson says he strongly opposed the evictions, with the Arizona court system requiring him to toss people out of their homes even as the nation was going into a deeper state of lockdown and panic over the coronavirus.

To serve the best interests of the entire community, while were all facing a public health epidemic, we should allow people to stay in their homes, so that we dont stress our shelters, our hospitals and our first responders, Ferguson said.

Then on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced a proposed $1.5 trillion package that he said includes immediate relief to renters and homeowners" by suspending evictions and foreclosures for 60 days.

But, it turns out, the vast majority of renters will not be covered by the protections.

That's because the Department of Housing and Urban Developments plan only covers single-family homes with loans through the Federal Housing Administration  roughly 8 million homeowners, most of whom are not under foreclosure, according to HUD.

That compares to the roughly 43 million households who rented in 2019, according to the U.S. Census. Roughly half rent their home from an individual investor, while the other half rent from a business or multi-unit property owner. The ones renting from a business will not receive any protections, according to HUDs proposal.

While housing advocates praised the Trump administration package as an important first step," they said that by excluding renters, an often economically vulnerable population, it does not go nearly far enough.

Susanna Blankley, coordinator of the Right to Counsel NYC Coalition, said shes concerned for renters and others who wont be covered by Trumps moratorium.

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It will help a lot of people but ... its a very limited subset, Blankley said. Its not nearly enough.

We need big-scale solutions," said Andrea Shapiro with the Metropolitan Council on Housing, a New York-based advocacy organization.

The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Renters tend to have lower incomes than their homeowner counterparts and cannot tap into the equity in their homes for a credit line it in case of an emergency. And a disproportionate number of renters are African American, Hispanic and other minorities.

Housing advocates say the situation in the United States reveals a bigger crisis with affordable housing that goes beyond the current virus emergency. And they have grave fears about what happens next, when tenants and homeowners face back payments and are still broke from being jobless.

Officials in more than three dozen cities and states, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York state, have put in place their own policies to halt evictions, foreclosures and utility shutoffs out of concern that the economic fallout from massive job losses will push many people to the brink of homelessness at a time when they need to stay in their houses and apartments.

The measures vary in scope, and have included a monthslong reprieve for renters and homeowners who can show that their inability to pay is related to the coronavirus upheaval.

But the majority of states and localities have yet to step in to stop people from losing their homes.

At this point, with so much uncertainty for so many people who have not thought of themselves at risk of homelessness, to have any type of relief is helpful, said Jeff Smythe, chief executive director of Hope Atlanta, a homelessness prevention organization in Georgia. The state had an eviction rate of 4.7% in 2016, more than double the U.S. average, according to data analysis by the Eviction Lab.

Behind all of this is the bigger crisis, Smythe said. Not having enough affordable housing, not having livable wages and the disparities around income are still with us.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed an order this week meant to stop nonpayment evictions by the Atlanta metropolitan areas public housing authorities for 60 days. The moratorium is a key component of our collective community efforts to prevent further exposure and spread of this virus, Bottoms said in a statement.

In Chicago on Thursday, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced that he was delaying enforcement of all eviction orders until April 30. During a televised address, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot asked property owners to "show grace" with tenants. "No one needs the added stress of evictions, certainly not now," she said.

And in Michigan on Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order halting eviction-related court proceedings until the state's coronavirus emergency has passed. The order, which will remain in effect through April 17, allows tenants and mobile home owners to stay put even if they aren't current on their rent.

In Detroit, which has one of the nations largest African American majorities and has been particularly hard hit by foreclosures since the 2008 height of the mortgage crisis, homeowners will need relief beyond whats being offered in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, said Nicole Small, vice chair of the city's Charter Commission.

Foreclosures are stripping away the culture and fabric of the city of Detroit, Small said. Home ownership is something thats really important, especially to the black community, and now you have a lot of people who have owned homes for decades and they're actually becoming renters because they don't have any other options."

The practices and the policies are so aggressive in order to displace people but the remedies and relief, they are so few and far between," Small said.

Housing advocates also said they were concerned with how economically at-risk individuals would prove that they qualify for the relief being offered by local governments.

Folks who are performers or play music, who pick up bar-tending shifts here and there, who do various kinds of gig work are not going to show loss of income because there isnt a steady stream to begin with, said Deepa Varma, executive director of the San Francisco Tenants Union, a housing advocacy group.

We dont see how folks are going to catch up when theyre already barely making rent as it is, Varma said.

There are growing calls for a national rent holiday long enough to help those who have lost jobs regain or find a solid financial foundation.

People shouldnt have to ask, Do I use my last few dollars to get a bag of rice and beans, or do I hold onto that money to pay my rent?' said Shapiro, of the Metropolitan Council on Housing in New York. We shouldnt just bail out the airlines and the banks.

Thats why Black Lives Matter Houston co-founder Ashton Woods has launched a petition asking Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to suspend rent, mortgage and utility payments. On Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court halted state court eviction proceedings until after April 19, and paused evictions until after April 26.

For the most part, if you're black and brown, you're getting it a lot harder with the systemic racism and xenophobia," Woods said. "Now, we have a pandemic where people are scared to go to the doctor, let alone miss work, because they still have to pay their rent.

___

Aaron Morrison and Kat Stafford are members of the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Morrison reported from New York and Stafford from Detroit. AP Business writer Ken Sweet in New York and AP writer Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.



Follow Morrison on Twitter at http://twitter.com/aaronlmorrison. Follow Stafford on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kat__stafford.
Employees stand in the empty dining room of a Sacramento, California restaurant on March 17, 2020.

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Restaurant owners and employees are creating GoFundMe pages and other crowdsourced funds to help support workers laid-off during the coronavirus shutdown.

New York City and other cities and states across the nation limited restaurants, bars, and cafes to delivery and takeout only to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Some GoFundMe pages started by employers have raised more than $68,000 to help laid-off workers.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Restaurant workers and owners in New York City and other places around the country are trying to raise money for employees laid off during the coronavirus shutdowns.

New York City reduced all restaurant, bar, and cafe operations to take-out and delivery services only on Tuesday in an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The curtailment on restaurants and other eateries has been enforced in other cities and states including Florida, California, and Washington.

As foot traffic grinds to a halt in some of the country's most populous areas, restaurant owners and food-service employers are feeling the financial repercussions. In order to keep their businesses afloat, restaurant owners have laid-off thousands of restaurant workers in New York City alone.

That's why employees and employers alike have taken to the internet to start crowdsourced funding for workers laid-off during the coronavirus shutdowns. Dozens of local GoFundMe pages in cities like Austin, Texas, Seattle, Washington, and Atlanta, Georgia  as well as other online sourcing for donations  were launched for laid-off workers to support their families, pay rent, and buy groceries, according to a report by Eater.

Some of the pages such as New York City's Matter House and Grovehouse GoFundMe pages have raised more than $65,000 and $68,000, respectively.

"My heart is broken that we had to close our doors at Estela, Altro Paradiso, and Flora Bar," Matter House wrote on its GoFundMe page. "While we hope and pray this is temporary, these times are incredibly overwhelming, uncertain and stressful for us all, especially our staff."

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Smaller funds such as Heisler Hospitality's Employee Fund in Chicago raised more than $10,000. But they're not the only ones. Dozens of other pages trying to raise money for employees plaster the GoFundMe website.

Most of the restaurant's GoFundMe pages end with a message similar to Matter House's, "As we continue to be safe and take care of each other, please consider making a donation to help support our family. Every single dollar counts."

If you want to donate to a local organization raising money near you during the coronavirus outbreak check out GoFundMe.

Read the original article on Business Insider
China and the United States begin clinical trials for Coronavirus Vaccine. Still, President Trump is likely to push the Chinese to withhold any successful vaccine they develop from the United States.

China has received a lot of criticism for hiding the danger of the coronavirus presented. President Trump is now targeting China as being responsible for the pandemic. The Presidents attacks on the Chinese now put our nation in peril of being deprived of quick access to any vaccine they develop.

Here in the United States, the first phase of a clinical trial last week in Seattle for a novel coronavirus vaccine, records show, as the worlds scientists race to find a way to combat the deadly pathogen. The Chinese trial began on March 16, the same day as the U.S. announcement  and is expected to continue until the end of the year, according to a filing in the countrys Clinical Trial Registry, dated March 17.

A staff member involved in the government-funded coronavirus vaccine being tested told AFP on Sunday

Volunteers of the COVID-19 phase one trial have already started receiving the vaccine,

There are 108 participants in the Chinese study, aged between 18 and 60, who will be tested in three groups and given different dosages. They are all residents of the central city of Wuhan  where the new coronavirus that can develop into the potentially deadly disease COVID-19, which first emerged late last year.

As the coronavirus pandemic rages and governments step up protection measures, pharmaceutical companies and research labs around the world are working with haste to develop both a vaccine and treatments for the virus and the disease it can turn into. There are currently no approved vaccines or medication for the new disease, which has killed more than 13,000 people and infected almost 300,000 worldwide. Still, here in the United States President Trumps unwillingness to use the tests for the virus offered by the World Health Organization, we may be looking at the infections of far more people than the official 300,000 number.

The vaccine trial announcements come amid an escalating a trade war and escalation of the feud between the U.S. and China over President Donald Trump enraging Beijing by calling the coronavirus the Chinese virus.

Chinas nationalistic Global Times published an opinion piece last week, noting the development of a vaccine is a battle that China cannot afford to lose. However, the effort to develop a vaccine by China or the United States could take another year to 18 months, assuming they succeed.

An antiviral treatment called remdesivir, made by U.S.-based Gilead Sciences, is already in the final stages of clinical trials in Asia and doctors in China as anecdotal evidence it is effective in fighting the disease. Still, its going to take randomized trials to allow scientists and physicians to know for sure if it helps or whether patients would have recovered without it.

President Trumps continued attacks on the Chinese could backfire. China has warned for decades it would take back, by force if needed Taiwan. The Chinese could decide to invade Taiwan just as the coronavirus pandemic hits the United States at its worst.
By IANS

NEW DELHI: India is capable of conducting 10,000 coronavirus tests a day and conducted 5,000 tests last week, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), here on Sunday.

Speaking to the media, ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava said the testing capacity could be increased above 10,000, if needed.

"In the last one week, we have tested 5,000 cases and the total could be around 15,000. It's important that indiscriminate testing is not done. Those returning from abroad should go for isolation," he said.

On indiscriminate testing, Bhargava said people were running for tests. "We ensure that unless there are symptoms, there should not be any test, but isloation," he said and added, it was essential to understand the ailment.

"About 80 per cent of the people will experience cold-like fever and will recover. 20 per cent may experience cough, cold, fever, and some of them may need admission to hospital," he said.
Taxi firm Uber will sell its Uber Eats takeaway delivery business to rival Deliveroo within two years, analysts believe.

The move would leave just two main delivery rivals in the UK, which is dominated by Just Eat  Britain's biggest online takeaway company  and comes as demand for takeaways online soars during the coronavirus crisis.

Analysts at respected City outfit Jefferies believe the new owner of Just Eat  Takeaway.com  will 'choke' its two smaller rivals with an aggressive strategy including slashing delivery fees that will force them to merge.

Taxi firm Uber will sell its Uber Eats takeaway delivery business to rival Deliveroo within two years, analysts believe

In their detailed note, industry experts Giles Thorne and Sebastian Patulea said: 'If executed well, Takeaway's actions could/should drive its competitors into each other's arms.'

As well as dropping the minimum order values, getting rid of delivery fees, and snapping up new restaurant partners, they expect the newly owned Just Eat to move away from the gig economy model.

That would stifle the supply of riders at Uber and Deliveroo as most would rather be employees at Just Eat, the analysts argue.

The outbreak of Covid-19 has triggered a spike in orders online as people self-isolate at home and with many supermarket shelves empty.

The Jefferies analysts said they believe the Competition & Markets Authority would approve a merger of Deliveroo and Uber Eats in the UK, even though the regulator is probing the deal for Amazon to buy a stake in Deliveroo.

They wrote: 'We've spoken in this note of the rising regulatory tide against big US internet, so the sale of Uber Eats to Deliveroo would be a laudable backing of a national champion (Deliveroo being a UK private company and founded in London).'
Sydney: Australia announced a $38 billion spending plan to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, as citizens were told to cancel domestic travel plans to slow the virus spread.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the latest Aus$66 billion announced sunday brought government and central bank measures to support the economy to Aus$189 billion or nearly 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

"These extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and we face a global challenge like we have never faced before," he told reporters in Canberra.

Small businesses and non-profits will receive cash subsidies of up to Aus$100,000, unemployment payments will be temporarily doubled and pensioners will receive Aus$750 cash.

Workers whose income has fallen by at least 20 percent due to the coronavirus outbreak will be able to access their retirement funds early, with those facing hardship allowed to withdraw up to Aus$20,000 over two years.

Frydenberg said the economic shock was now expected to be "deeper, wider and longer" than was believed just 10 days ago and additional measures would be required.

The country appears poised to slip into recession as a result of the coronavirus outbreak after a record 29-year run of economic growth.

Australia has recorded more than 1,200 cases and seven deaths from COVID-19.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was also "moving immediately" to recommend against non-essential travel, warning stronger measures were imminent to deal with localised outbreaks.

Australia has already sealed off its borders, putting in place an unprecedented ban on entry for non-residents in the hope of stemming the rise of COVID-19 infections.

New South Wales state on sunday announced a shutdown of non-essential services, with supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations among those businesses that are exempt.
Russia on Sunday sent the first of nine military planes which are to take a total of 100 army virus experts and medics to Italy to help fight the coronavirus pandemic there.

The Russian defence ministry said the aid mission was agreed by President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

They spoke on the phone Saturday evening, the Kremlin said.

The military transport planes arrived overnight at an aerodrome outside Moscow and eight medical teams were ready to fly out with mobile aerosol disinfecting units and medical equipment, the defence ministry said.

The first plane took off Sunday and was due to land at the Pratica di Mare military airport outside Rome, the ministry said.

The planes are set to fly out a group of around 100 people including specialists on viruses and epidemics from the defence ministry who have "significant international experience of fighting epidemics," it said.

The ministry said that the experts had previously taken part in fighting Ebola, African swine fever and anthrax outbreaks.

Russia has a total of 306 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far. Italy's death toll reached 4,825 on Saturday.

Putin visited Italy in July last year and has often spoken of his long friendship with former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 23:08:55|Editor: yan

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ISLAMABAD, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to temporarily lift sanctions on Iran, one of the worst-hit countries by COVID-19.

"I want to appeal to President Trump on humanitarian grounds to lift the sanctions against Iran till the COVID-19 pandemic is over," the prime minister said on Twitter.

"The people of Iran are facing untold suffering as sanctions are crippling Iran's efforts to fight COVID-19. Humanity must unite to fight this pandemic," he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday, conveying his country's "deep concern and sorrow" over the tragic loss of innocent lives in the COVID-19 spread, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

Qureshi said that the pandemic was one of the greatest challenges confronting humanity in a century, and successfully overcoming it necessitated both compassion and innovation, the ministry said in a statement.

"Qureshi also reiterated the earlier call made by Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift sanctions against Iran, to enable it to utilize its resources to save precious human lives," the statement said.

The two countries also discussed a range of prospects of enhanced bilateral cooperation and coordination at the border to deal with the ongoing pandemic, the statement added.
New Delhi: The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on sunday said it has suspended production at all its sites across the globe until March 31, 2020 in order to safeguard its employees against COVID-19.

Besides, automaker Fiat has also suspended manufacturing operations in the country till the end of this month to check the spread of the contagious disease.

"With the safety and wellbeing of its employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, the company has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities  including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh - and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020," Hero MotoCorp said in a statement.

Employees at all the other functions and locations including the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) at Jaipur in Rajasthan will continue to work from home, except for those whose physical presence is necessary to run the day-to-day essential services, it added.

Similarly, automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) together with Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL), FCA's joint venture manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, said that it will suspend manufacturing till March 31, 2020 to protect the health and safety of employees.

"The temporary suspension is in response to the increasing prevalence of positive COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and particularly in Pune," the company said.

The two-wheeler major said it has been proactively monitoring the situation since the early stages of the breakout of COVID-19, and had rolled-out a slew of measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its employees and also, thereby to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
COVID-19 has caused a major blow to one of the areas largest industries: tourism.

The region is currently functioning at less than 10 per cent of what it would be during the month of March, one of the regions most important times for visitation and sales, says Andrew Siegwart, president of the Blue Mountain Village Association. Tourism in Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties accounts for more than $400 million dollars in annual sales, so even a short downturn will have an impact on our economy.

Blue Mountain Resort suspended operations on March 15, closing all lift operations, base lodges, attractions and rental services.

The best we can, we have moved our teams to shutting down for ski season and preparing for green season and have transitioned many staff to start working from home, says Tara Lovell, manager of public relations for Blue Mountains Resort. The majority of our stores and food service operations have closed for the time being with a small number open to serve guests who are staying on resort or in the community.

The Scandinave Spa, which is normally one of the areas busiest attractions is also feeling the impacts of COVID-19. All Scandinave Spa locations across Canada suspended their operations effective March 16.

We have been 100 per cent negatively affected in the day-to-day visitation and have cancelled 100 per cent of our massage bookings through March 31, says Mylisa Henderson, director of sales and marketing for Scandinave Spa. Calls to book in the future have also been 90 per cent less than our usual booking volume.

Tim Hendry the director of communications and economic development for the Town of the Blue Mountains (TBM) says there have been active phone calls between local businesses and tourism leaders throughout the community.

Regionally there is a lot of conversation around business continuity and relief efforts once this pandemic settles or passes, Hendry says. There is currently a survey circulating to businesses asking for details relating to the economic impact COVID is having on their business.

The survey, which both Siegwart, Henderson and approximately 50 other local business owners have participated in, has been brought forward by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO).

COVID-19 is having an immediate and devastating impact on the tourism industry. What our survey shows is the extent to which some businesses are already laying off workers, with further layoffs expected, reducing operating hours and in many cases closing as a result of an unprecedented number of cancellations and reductions in bookings. Were relaying this data directly to both the provincial and federal, said Beth Potter, president and CEO of TIAO in a press release.

The survey is already showing the devastating effects of COVID-19, less than one week after most businesses closed their doors.

Data collected between March 12 to 16 from 2,000 respondents shows an 80 per cent drop in hotel reservations, reports of mass layoffs and, in some cases, bankruptcy. Thousands of dollars in revenue has already been lost and 100 per cent of all group bookings are being cancelled.

Were hopeful that there will be immediate significant economic support to both small and large operators. The announcements from the government are encouraging but we need the detail behind the support packages and the implementation plans urgently, said Potter. What is clear from this report is that we need a substantial and urgent economic stimulus package covering wage protections, tax credits, small business loans and utility costs. If not, as our stakeholders are telling us, the tourism industry in Ontario might never recover in its current form.

Siegwart says he is hopeful the economic support includes support for individuals and small business owners as well as forward-looking support that will help businesses reinvigorate tourism to the area.

While the complete economic impact will likely not be fully understood for a few weeks or more, we are working closely with our partners across the region, RT07, the province and the federal government to prepare and execute a recovery program that will be meaningful for the industry and, most importantly, our visitors and community, Siegwart says. Our competitive advantage in South Georgian Bay is our productive collaborative networks, I have seen them in action over the past weeks and have full confidence in this communitys ability to work together.

Hendry says the towns role in this is to make sure information is being shared and that all of the business owners have the opportunity to voice their concerns and participate in surveys like this one.

It will come down to a political perspective of the town council and the provincial ministries to make sure the needs of the businesses within the TBM are reflected within the relief packages and strategies put forward, Hendry says.

Henderson says she would like to see further local measures taken by the municipality to help local business owners.

We will ask the TBM to financially support all businesses impacted by COVID-19 by deferring municipal taxes, utility charges and other local costs for at least 60 days (similar to the announcement made by the City of Toronto), she says. We would also ask the town to be shovel-ready with strong economic initiatives once this crisis is over and work with our regional tourism organizations to promote our region.

As the local industry waits, alongside the rest of the world, to see the full economic impacts of COVID realized, many employees of these local businesses have been laid off or shifted into different roles.

Businesses in the Village are working hard to keep as many employees as possible, says Siegwart. However, temporary layoffs are taking place where business volumes have dropped significantly.

He adds that the Village is working with other local sectors, such as agriculture, which is facing a shortage of workers due to the closure of the border, to find opportunities for employees looking for work.

We are also appreciative of all the support being provided to affected workers by the federal government, he adds.

The Scandinavian Spa has paid 100 per cent of its staff wages through March 27, but has had to send layoff notices as of March 28.

Contracted registered massage therapists will qualify for the new compensation plan announced by the federal government, she adds. As local business owners, we are concerned for the wellness and viability of our employees, suppliers and partners. The financial impact on every business, family and the tourism industry generally will not be fully realized until everyone is back to their normal routines.

COVID 19 Impact on Ontario Tourism Operations survey will run until 8 a.m. on March 23. If you are a local business owner or are involved in the tourism industry, you are asked to participate in order to collect the data required to adequately determine the amount of financial support needed by the tourism operations in the region.

Melissa Twist, director of regional tourism with South Georgian Bay Tourism says residents can support the area and local businesses through this time by shopping online, ordering takeout/delivery from local restaurants, supporting them online with good reviews, showing love on social media, donating instead of requesting refunds, and purchasing gift cards now that you can use at a later date.

The local business community is resilient and they are coming together to support each other during this difficult time, Twist says. They are trying to stay positive and are looking ahead to when the dust settles to have a great plan of action in place so that they can come out of this stronger than ever.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, center, and his communications director, Fabio Wajngarten, are flanked by President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at Mar-a-Lago on March 7, 2020. Wajngarten tested positive for the new coronavirus just days after the trip. (Alan Santos / Brazilian Presidential Press Office)

As the coronavirus pandemic tightened its grip in Brazil early last week, with confirmed cases already numbering in the hundreds, leading officials met to plot out measures to combat the crisis. The lower house speaker, the president of the Senate, the minister of health and even the chief justice were there. Brazils president, Jair Bolsonaro, was not.

This is not all that people are saying, he told reporters that day, referring to the deadly virus. Even in China, its practically over.

Now, less than a month after the coronavirus arrived here, with the country reporting more than 1,000 cases and double-digit deaths, the president is still struggling to adopt an air of urgency. As a consequence, the political establishment seems to be taking steps to isolate Bolsonaro.

We will vote on the issues that Brazil needs not because of the president, but despite the president, said Sen. Sergio Olimpio, a Bolsonaro ally who has grown estranged from the president in recent months.

Bolsonaro rose to power in the 2018 election as a far-right candidate, attracting Brazilians tired of being ruled by the leftist Workers Party, which had lifted millions out of poverty but also had been embroiled in a massive corruption scandal.

Many hoped the weight of the presidency would moderate Bolsonaros divisive visage. But, after more than a year in office, the list of his political enemies keeps growing. And, even as the country looks for leadership to fight the pandemic, many have ceased to believe the president has it in him to unite Brazil.

Leaving him talking to himself is the best option, an editorial in Brazils largest newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, said Saturday.

The last straw for some came on March 15, when Bolsonaro joined a controversial demonstration called by his supporters. During that rally, according to a count by local news media, Bolsonaro touched 272 people.

His behavior seemed particularly shocking because more than 20 officials whom he had had contact with in previous days had tested positive for the coronavirus, including two ministers. The president said his own tests came back negative twice, but he has so far refused to share his results with the media.

Story continues

A day after the demonstration, Janaina Paschoal, a state congresswoman in Sao Paulo who had campaigned with Bolsonaro in 2018, voiced her shock at the president's attitude.

I regret my vote, she said. The authorities have to unite and ask him to step down.

In an interview, Paschoal backtracked from that request, saying officials have to concentrate on the crisis and not on toppling the government. But several other conservatives have also voiced their dissatisfaction in recent days  and not just because of his reaction to the pandemic.

So far the president has failed to lift Brazils economy, a major campaign pledge in a country that has struggled economically for the last five years. In 2019, the economy grew only 1.1%, and the Brazilian real is among the worst-performing currencies this year.

Bolsonaro has also been criticized for attacking the Supreme Court, which has refused to provide legal backing for some of his measures, and he also has often blamed Congress for his administrations meager achievements.

Two weeks ago, Francisco Razzo, a popular conservative author, publicly announced regret and shame for having voted for Bolsonaro.

Its increasingly explicit that his interest is to attack institutions, to govern like populists do, he said. He is interested in power and in identifying and attacking enemies.

Perhaps none of Bolsonaros feuds are more dramatic than the ones he has had with the governors of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two states worst hit thus far by the pandemic. Both governors campaigned with Bolsonaro in 2018, but now have an eye on the 2022 presidential campaign.

During the last week, the president has given a number of interviews criticizing their decisions to close schools and restrict transportation to combat the coronavirus.

We are doing what he isnt, which is to lead the process, lead the fight against the coronavirus, not minimize it, said Sao Paulo Gov. Joao Doria.

As the number of coronavirus cases has multiplied, congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the president's three sons, took to Twitter to blame China, the countrys most important trading partner. The Chinese ambassador to Brazil demanded an apology and tweeted that the congressman seemed to have a mental virus that was infecting the friendship between the two countries.

President Bolsonaro tried to make amends by calling Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who didnt answer, according to the newspaper Valor Economico. The Chinese wanted a formal apology from the presidents son.

As many give up on the president for leadership, the medical crisis mounts. Minister of Health Luiz Mandetta said recently that if the government is unable to curb transmission, the countrys health system would collapse by the end of April.

Kept from gathering in the streets, Brazilians have protested against the president by banging pots and pans by their windows for four consecutive days. At the same time, opposition forces have no plans to attempt ousting the president, for fear of making the crisis even worse.

Congressman Alessandro Molon, an opposition leader, said his colleagues' energy is concentrated on fighting the public health crisis and the economic fallout.

The president is the only one who hasnt understood that its time to join efforts, to unite, Molon said. But if he continues to act irresponsibly, the people will push [for his removal], regardless of Congress wishes.

As Bolsonaro's troubles increase, conservatives and leftists have begun speaking the same language for the first time in years. On Friday, many stood by their windows to applaud health workers, instead of decrying the president.

These tragedies always make us remember the values that root our society, said Razzo, the conservative author, regardless of what the president does.

Andreoni is a special correspondent.




At least 14 people have escaped from Coronavirus quarantine centre in Gambia.

Naija News learnt that the Gambian authorities were yesterday searching for 14 people who broke out of a hotel where they had been quarantined as a coronavirus precaution and escaped, health officials, said.

The 14 people were said to be among 32 passengers who arrived on a flight from the United Kingdom on Wednesday and placed in quarantine in the hotel located in the capital Banjul.

Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh in a statement broadcast on Thursday said that some quarantined passengers apparently became aggressive, broke down the hotel gates and ran away.

The Gambian Health Minister added that the incident was very, very detrimental and created risk for the entire nation.

Gambia, recorded its first coronavirus case on Tuesday, when a young woman who had contracted the disease flew into the country from the United Kingdom

President Adama Barrow had on the same day announced measures to contain the deadly Covid-19, such as closing schools and placing arrivals from the affected country in quarantine.

Underscoring the difficulty of enforcing the rules, a health ministry director, Modou Njie, said that many passengers on Wednesday were uncooperative from the outset and squabbled about boarding the bus to the hotel.

The health ministry director added that 14 people in total later fled quarantine. We are looking for them. We are trying to ascertain the nationalities of those who escaped, Njie told AFP.

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Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not provides a striking new answer to the classic question of why Europe industrialized from the late eighteenth century and Asia did not. Drawing significantly from the case of India, Prasannan Parthasarathi shows that in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the advanced regions of Europe and Asia were more alike than different, both characterized by sophisticated and growing economies. Their subsequent divergence can be attributed to different competitive and ecological pressures that in turn produced varied state policies and economic outcomes. This account breaks with conventional views, which hold that divergence occurred because Europe possessed superior markets, rationality, science, or institutions. It offers instead a groundbreaking rereading of global economic development that ranges from India, Japan and China to Britain, France, and the Ottoman Empire and from the textile and coal industries to the roles of science, technology, and the state.





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Kolkata's Bidhan Nagar area bears a deserted look in view of the nationwide shutdown - Janata Curfew - announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of deadly COVID-19 (coronavirus), on March 22, 2020. (Ph Image Source: IANS News

Kolkata's Bidhan Nagar area bears a deserted look in view of the nationwide shutdown - Janata Curfew - announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of deadly COVID-19 (coronavirus), on March 22, 2020. (Ph Image Source: IANS News

Kolkata, March 22 : The West Bengal government on Sunday ordered complete lockdown of Kolkata, six entire districts and municipal and district towns besides some rural areas in other parts of the state from 5 p.m. on Monday to Friday midnight to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The order, covering whole or part of all the 23 districts in the state, was given under the West Bengal Epidemic Disease COVID-19 regulations, 2020, framed according to relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

"The government of West Bengal hereby notifies 'complete safety restriction' with effect from 5 p.m. on March 23 to midnight of March 27," said the order, which would come into effect across identified urban and rural areas for prevention and containment of coronavirus.

The order stipulates complete restrictions on public transport services including operation of taxis and auto-rickshaws, closure of all shops, commercial establishments, offices and factories, workshops and warehouses.

"All foreign returnees and other such persons so required by the health personnel are directed to remain under strict home quarantine for a period as directed by the local health authorities," it said.

The order issued by the Chief Secretary also asked people to stay at home and come out only for basic services while strictly following the social distancing guidelines.

The government also prohibited congregation of more than seven persons in public places and warned that violators would ve punished under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.

Apart from the entire Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, six entire districts - Howrah, West Burdwan, Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur - have been brought under the ambit of the restrictions.

Establishments and services excluded from the restrictions are banks and ATMs, food, including public distribution system, groceries, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, bread and milk selling, e-commerce of groceries, food items and home delivery of food, petrol pump, LPG gas and media.

Health services, medicine shops, optical stores, manufacturing units engaged in production of essential commodities, telecom, internet, Information Technology and Information Technology enabled services, postal services, fire, civil defence and emergency services have also been exempted from the restrictions.

Other exempted services including law and order, ourts and correctional services, police, armed forces and paramilitary forces, electricity, water and conservancy services.

District Magistrates and Municipal Commissioners have been made the competent authority to decide in case there is doubt over any establishment being essential or not.

Four persons have been detected with coronavirus infection in Bengal so far.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  In an effort to maintain the prescribed social distancing measure against COVID-19, priests are encouraged to go around the streets to bless palms on Palm Sundayand this time, without the use of holy water.

Traditionally, Catholics gather at the church to have their palms branches blessed.

However, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged Catholics to instead stay at home and celebrate the Palm Sunday mass on TV or online this year, in light of the growing threats of the coronavirus pandemic.

For the blessing of palms, the faithful who will be following the celebration on TV can hold their palm branches (or any available branch of leaves) while the prayer of blessing of Palms is prayed by the Presider, CBCP said. In this case, those who follow the celebration on TV, there is no need for Holy Water to bless the Palm branches.

After the mass, presiders are also asked to go around the streets of their parish to bless the palmscarried by the faithful while at their homeswithout the use of holy water.

CBCP explained that blessing with Holy Water might cause commotion. Instead, priests are only asked to make the sign of the cross as they pass through the streets, with a lector reading the Passion Narrative along the way. CBCP also suggested that a loud speaker be used to make people aware that the priest is passing by.

It further instructed that these must be done with only two to three ministers accompanying the priest to avoid gathering of people.

The guidelines issued by CBCP are intended "to keep a balance of the centrality of the celebrations of the Paschal Triduum and the demands of the measures to stem the transmission of the Covid-19."

In this time of intense quarantine due to the spread of the COVID-19, almost everything and everyone is affected. Our social, economic and religious life are painfully hit by the social distancing that is a necessity this time of pandemic to stem the transmission of the virus, CBCP said.

It emphasized that these preventive measures "do not change the traditions of the Church but rather are temporary precautions during this time of crisis."

Palm Sunday, which falls on April 5 this year, marks the start of the Holy Week for the Catholic Church. During this week, Catholics celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As of March 22, health authorities have recorded a total of 380 COVID-19 cases in the country. Of these, 15 have already recovered, while 25 resulted in death. Authorities continue to urge the public to exercise preventive measures such as social distancing, frequent washing of hands, and covering the mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, to help contain the spread of the viral disease.
In line with Omans plan to combat COVID-19, the Board of Directors of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has announced a series of additional measures for the benefit of the companies and factories in the various industrial cities.

Madayn held an emergency meeting to discuss the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on the sultanates industrial sector.

Madayns board hailed the measures announced on March 19, 2020 by the sultanates government to mitigate the implications of the current situation, which include exemption from fees for a period of three months for the companies and factories based in the industrial cities.

Madayns new measures comprise the following:

*Suspending financial claims due from the companies during the second quarter of 2020;

*Exemption from late payment penalties, which is estimated at 6 per cent during the first half of 2020;

*Exemption from financial penalties which were registered on the companies as of January 1, 2020;

*Continuing in providing the services of Masar Service Centre without any service charges until the end of 2020;

*Scheduling the financial dues of the companies during this years second quarter to the second half of the year, with the possibility of rescheduling them to the coming year 2021;

*Suspending the financial claims due from the companies during March and April;

*Stopping claims for correcting violations with the exception of those related to the public health;

*Postponing the fees of activity licenses to the second half of the year. Companies with expired licenses will not be stopped from practising their activities;

*Any activity licence will not be suspended due to non-payment of rent until the end of 2020;

*Extending the allowed period to commence construction works for the new investors from six months until the end of 2020; and

*Extending all deadlines granted to the companies to commence operations until the end of 2020.

-- Tradearabia News Service
Gujarat's Health and Family Welfare Department on Sunday said that the death of a 69-year-old man from Surat is confirmed to be caused due to co-morbidity and was also tested positive for COVID-19.

"One COVID-19 positive patient, male 69 years, died today in Surat hospital. He was having co-morbid conditions," Gujarat's Health and Family Welfare Department said.

One female having a comorbid condition died in Vadodara, though her COVID-19 tests report is awaited.

"One female, 65 years, died in Vadodara hospital but her test report for COVID-19 is awaited. She was also having comorbid conditions," Health and Family Welfare Department added.

Earlier today, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said that the names of the 18 people, who have been tested positive for COVID-19 in Gujarat would be declared soon.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said that there are a total of 13 positive cases of coronavirus in the State.

Rupani also appealed to the people to take precautionary measures and follow government guidelines to contain the spread of coronavirus.

It was decided in a meeting on Saturday that Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara will remain under lockdown till March 25. However, shops selling daily necessities and essentials things like vegetables, dairy products, and medical items will remain open.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cambodias Ministry of Health reported 31 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Sihanoukville late Sunday night, with all the cases linked to a French tourist group in the coastal town.

The new cases were reported in a 36-member tour group, of which 31 have now tested positive for the virus. Twenty-nine French nationals tested positive on Sunday, with two other French men, from the same group, testing positive on Saturday.

Additionally, two Cambodians, who accompanied the group as tour guides, have also tested positive for the disease, according to a Ministry of Health statement released late Sunday night.

The 31 new cases take Cambodias tally to 84 COVID-19 cases, with a recent spike of 74 cases since Sunday, March 15.

As Cambodia has seen a significant increase in cases, both its neighbors  Vietnam and Thailand  have closed all land borders with the country. While Cambodia has ordered the closure of schools, cinemas and other gatherings, has yet to impose a lockdown across the country.
It wasnt always easy for companies to get the courts to intervene when competitors were suspected of stealing trade secrets. That changed in 2016, when Congress passed a tough law, the Defend Trade Secrets Act, to allow businesses to more easily go after competitors in federal court if they felt they had stolen a product or idea.

Since then, cases have proliferated at the federal level. That pleases some prosecutors, as well as companies seeking to protect their intellectual property. But some legal experts and other observers worry it could have a chilling effect on the job-hopping that has made Silicon Valley a hotbed of new businesses and innovation for decades.

The crackdown has swept up even employees like Ana Rosario, who was on maternity leave when she found out she was facing federal charges.

A user experience researcher, Rosario had worked at fitness tracker maker Jawbone before making the jump to its archrival, Fitbit.

Fitbit was acquired by Google in November, and Jawbone is defunct, but just a few years ago, wearable devices were the darling of tech investors, and both San Francisco companies were worth billions of dollars. Fashionable fitness trackers adorned the wrists of celebrities, athletes and tech workers alike.

In the summer of 2018, Rosario and five others, including her former manager, Katherine Mogal, found themselves accused of spiriting sensitive data from Jawbones servers and handing it over to Fitbit. They faced felony charges under the new law. Acting U.S. Attorney Alex Tse said the case went to the heart of innovation and economic development in Silicon Valley.

In February, a jury found Mogal not guilty. Her lawyers argued that she had merely sought to back up her work computer because she found Jawbone didnt have an automated system to preserve files in the event of a crash.

The charges against Rosario and the other defendants were dropped after the verdict in Mogals case.

Brian Feulner / Special to The Chronicle

It is the solemn duty of the United States to seek justice in all its cases, and to evaluate the appropriateness of charges at all times, not just at the point of indictment or trial, David Anderson, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, said in a statement when the charges were dismissed. Our assessment of these cases led us to the firm conclusion that only an immediate dismissal of the criminal charges against all defendants would be in the interests of justice.

Andersons office did not make the top federal lawyer in the region available for questions.

Rosario said she had followed the advice of Fitbit attorneys and looked to delete from her external hard drive any sensitive information or studies Jawbone saw as proprietary while sitting with the head of IT at the company. She said she even bought a second hard drive for personal files not related to her work, intending to give the one with any company files back to Jawbone.

The charges against Rosario, Mogal and the others came as Jawbone and Fitbit were doing their own legal jousting, and the tougher federal law governing trade secrets led to other prosecutions in the Bay Area, long the center of the worlds tech industry, where such secrets are especially precious.

They also signify a change in attitudes among companies and employees toward jumping from employer to employer  a phenomenon that has marked Silicon Valleys business culture as distinct from others for decades, as author and scholar AnnaLee Saxenian noted in her 1994 book, Regional Advantage.

Tech workers moving freely from one company to another created some of the most valuable companies on the planet; the practice, once thought unseemly by some businesspeople, dates back at least to the 1957 departure of the Traitorous Eight from Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to form Fairchild Semiconductor.

But the once common practice is now increasingly risky, as companies consolidate and seek to protect their invaluable code, hardware designs and business practices, according to Margaret OMara, a professor at the University of Washington who has written extensively about Silicon Valley.

The way the valley evolved for a very long time was employees moving back and forth between small and midsized companies, particularly at the early enterprise stage, OMara said. Silicon Valley was a hardware joint until about three decades ago when software took over, ushering in a new era in intellectual property, she added.

Fred R. Conrad 2016

Trade secrets and intellectual property are different when its a physical object, she added, noting that it becomes more complex when something valuable is made by crossing a persons brain and a companys immense resources.

Now theres de facto enforcement limiting peoples abilities to go to a competitor and create a competing enterprise, and so much of the secrets are wrapped up in a person, OMara added.

Perhaps the most well-known recent case of a person embodying that valuable knowledge is that of Anthony Levandowski, a former Google engineer who joined Uber to work on technology for self-driving cars.

Once worth millions, Levandowski has filed for bankruptcy, and he pleaded guilty last week to the theft of Googles trade secrets. He was also at the center of high-stakes federal litigation between Google self-driving spin-off Waymo, which alleged trade secrets theft, and Uber. The case resolved with Uber handing over almost a quarter of a billion dollars in stock.

At play in these cases is also the changing approach to this kind of litigation by the federal Justice Department, which sees trade secrets cases as intertwined with national security.

Prosecutions during the Cold War were ... designed to keep critical dual-use technology out of the hands of the Soviets and their surrogates, said Joe Russoniello, who served twice as the U.S. attorney in charge of the San Francisco office, from 1982 to 1990 and from 2008 to 2010, in an email.

Russoniello said those cases were different in scope and consequence from the industrial espionage cases brought to protect the crown jewels of U.S. technology from theft by friendly competitors, including U.S. allies like Japan and Taiwan.

The third category were cases brought against employees who walked out the door to a competitor with critical technology often part of the bargain offered to a potential employer, Russoniello added. We had a lot of cases in each category.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In a report from legal analytics firm Lex Machina, trade secrets litigation in federal courts held relatively steady from 2009 into 2016, but rose after the passage of the federal law. The report found that the number of cases jumped from 860 nationwide in 2016 to 1,134 in 2017.

Rosario said facing the specter of federal prosecution for two years deeply affected her.

I feel like I put my personal life on hold because of this, she said.

Im now a mom, and I want to be strong for my child, Rosario said, her voice wavering. All I could think about was I want to be a strong mom.

Mogal also said the case had personal and professional ramifications for her. When the charges were filed, she was working for Facebook, which put her on leave for weeks so the company could ensure that no sensitive information from Jawbone had made it onto its systems.

How the Justice Department decided to bring the charges in the first place is still not clear.

Fitbit declined to comment for this story. The successor company to Jawbone, Jawbone Health, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

One of Mogals lawyers, Randy Luskey, has a theory.

Were seeing that in a number of civil trade secrets disputes between two companies, plaintiffs have begun attempting to refer the case and the allegations to federal prosecutors, he said. One of the main reasons they do that is to seek external validation for their claims and theories, and to gain leverage in the civil litigation.

But Rosario said she still has questions for the government.

They said Im going to take this precious time from you and your family. Your mental well-being, your professional growth, said Rosario, who still works in tech. Are they going to apologize?

Editors note: This story misidentified the federal official who spoke about dropping charges against the Fitbit employees. He is U.S. Attorney David Anderson.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@

sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
Since in-person town hall meetings are off the table for the foreseeable future, Congressman Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, and Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm held a telephone town hall about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and governments response at the state and national level.

During his opening statements, Steil pointed to the two bills that have passed the house in response to the pandemic but admitted that the countys capacity for testing for coronavirus was lagging behind.

I think none of us are satisfied with where we are in terms of testing, Steil said. (But) many federal agencies are taking important steps to move this forward.

Palm did not mince words about the severity of the epidemic; on Friday the state shared the sobering news that three Wisconsinites have died from coronavirus.

Weve got more than 200 positive cases now, Palm said. This is hard and Im very sorry to say that I do expect this situation to worsen. We know from what weve seen in other countries and other states that COVID-19 will affect thousands of Wisconsinites.

Some of those Wisconsinites will experience mild symptoms, but Palm and Steil emphasized the need to look out for one another, particularly vulnerable populations.

Palm also wanted to recognize that Wisconsin businesses, particularly restaurants and taverns which have been ordered to close except for take-out, are being hit hard by measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Please know that by following this order, you are helping slow the spread of this disease and saving lives, Palm said.

Helping the helpers

During the Q&A portion, Dorothy, a nurse educator from Whitewater said she was very concerned about the shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) available to health care providers.

Steil said in addition to hearing from doctors and nurses across the state, he spoke with Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling on Thursday about the need for first responders to have access to PPE.

Steil said the third coronavirus response bill, which is still being negotiated in the Senate, makes this issue, front and center to make sure were doing everything we can to make sure our healthcare providers have the protection and equipment that they need to stay safe.

Palm brought up the issue that because coronavirus is a pandemic, the U.S. and Wisconsin is competing with other counties and other states for these supplies. In Wisconsin, Palm said a number of businesses have expressed a desire to help manufacture additional equipment.

Those are active conversations and work that is going on now and we are hopeful, Palm said.

How long can this last?

A couple callers questions were about the economic impacts the outbreak could have. Karen from Racine asked about assistance for gig workers who have fallen through the cracks since they do not qualify for unemployment insurance.

Steil that discussion has been part of the negotiations for the third coronavirus bill, which he hopes will provide some assistance to unemployed gig workers. Palm said that is also a conversation being had at the state level and that she would pass along those concerns to the governors office.

A small business owner named Lisa from Mukwonago asked, what the strategy is to get the economy back up and running once the risk diminishes.

Steil emphasized that all the precautions Lisa mentioned that are hurting the economy  staying home, practicing good hygiene  will also help the economy because it will shorten the timeline for how long the epidemic will affect everyday activity.

Thats a question we all want to know, Steil said. A lot of that is going to be reading the data that comes back in the days ahead and its going to be a situation where were listening to our state and national health experts as we determine next steps in this crisis.

Palm said that all state departments  the Department of Labor, Insurance Commissioner, Workforce Development  are part of discussions on how to adapt and help people weather this crisis so they are able to rebuild.

Steil emphasized in his closing statements the importance that everyone pay attention to reliable sources of information, such as the Center for Disease Control and other health officials, and take precautionary measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

This is a time where were all in this together. Its going to be a challenging time, I am confident that we will get through this, Steil said. There will be a hardship in the days and weeks ahead but we will be stronger and we will come out of this. Its a time to reflect for all the great things we have in our country and reflect in prayer for our ability to ultimately get through this.

This is a time where were all in this together. Its going to be a challenging time, I am confident that we will get through this. There will be a hardship in the days and weeks ahead but we will be stronger and we will come out of this. Its a time to reflect for all the great things we have in our country and reflect in prayer for our ability to ultimately get through this. Congressman Bryan Steil, Wisconsin 1st District, R-Janesville

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A top Edinburgh University professor predicted a coronavirus-like crisis two years ago and says that the government missed several opportunities to contain the pandemic.

Devi Sridhar, 35, professor of global public health at the university, made the prediction to an audience at the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in May 2018.

She said that a farmer in China would get infected by an animal, that infection would then spread to the local community before getting on a plane and hitting the UK.

The startling observation will pile further pressure on the government and its response to the pandemic, with Ms Sridhar adding that we 'should not have been this surprised' by the spread of the virus.

However, she lavished praise on China's response to the virus, contrasting it with the UK's.

A frequent commenter on the virus and its impact on Britain, her remarks at the Hay Festival were shared to Twitter last week, with people praising her insight.

During a discussion of government preparedness for serious health threats, she said: 'The largest threat to the UK population is someone in China who has been infected from an animal.

'Then they get on a plane to the UK. What good is it for the UK to be worried [only] about what's happening here? It's about those interconnections across the world. If you want to solve those problems, you can't do it on a go-alone approach.'

After the clip of her analysis spread through Twitter, Ms Sridhar took to social media to discuss how Boris Johnson's government have been handling the crisis.

She said: 'I hope I'm not being overly critical but this is not the first virus to emerge from this kind of setting and many things have been done in a way they should not have been done. We should not have been this surprised.'

Lambasting the government response, on Thursday she highlighted how scientists were confused by its advice.

Devi Sridhar, 35, professor of global public health at the university, predicted a coronavirus-type outbreak at the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in May 2018

The startling observation will pile further pressure on the government and its response to the pandemic, with Ms Sridhar adding that we 'should not have been this surprised' by the spread of the virus

She said: 'I still don't fully understand who the government is listening to and what is the goal.'

The professor also highlighted what she sees as several missed opportunities to contain the virus in the UK.

She said the first opportunity was in late January when The Lancet, Britain's leading medical journal, published an account of the treatment of coronavirus patients in Wuhan.

This, she said, was the signal for the UK to get testing ready and in place.

Ms Sridhar said the WHO mission report from February 24 was the next big missed opportunity.

That said that the impending pandemic was 'extremely dangerous' and that China had resorted to 'the most ambitious . . . agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history'.

Ms Sridhar said that this should have pushed the UK to run simulations to estimate how the virus would have affected the country.

The Prime Minister was eventually forced to close all pubs, restaurants, cinemas and theatres after people continued to flout social distancing regulations but it is not yet known what impact this will have

In a tweet, she said : 'It makes me feel nauseous how little action was taken early on. Academic navel-gazing and political in-fighting instead of bold decisive action.'

The professor said the UK's slow action had led to the country being behind in the battle against the virus.

It comes as Britain's coronavirus death toll jumped to match the number of fatalities recorded in Italy two weeks ago, fanning fears the UK is just a fortnight away from being plunged into a comparable crisis.

Yesterday, the number of coronavirus deaths in the UK jumped to 233, mirroring the figure in Italy on March 7.

And chilling statistics reveal that the UK's trajectory is even outstripping that of Italy, which recently surpassed China in suffering the world's biggest death toll.

Scientists are also forecasting that Britain is braced to follow Italy's rapid spike in cases.

Ministers in Rome have been forced to plunge all 60million citizens into lockdown, while ordering all non-essential businesses to shut.

But despite the clampdown on person-to-person contact, which has been praised by the World Health Organisation for helping to stem the spread of infection, the death toll continues to spiral, yesterday soaring up 739 to 4,825.

Professor Francois Balloux, from University College London, forecast the UK was braced to go the same way as Italy.

He said: 'The trajectory of the epidemic in the UK is so far roughly comparable to the one in Northern Italy, but with the epidemic in Northern Italy two to three weeks ahead of the situation in the UK', according to the Telegraph.

'It is [also] possible that a lockdown strategy similar to the one imposed in Northern Italy may be adopted by the UK and other countries at some point in the future.'

The British government were slower to enforce preventative measures in response to the global pandemic, initially standing firm against a tide of European action which saw schools, pubs and restaurants close.

But as Covid-19 threatened to 'overwhelm' the NHS, Boris Johnson has tacked to order an effective shutdown.

The goal, which he repeatedly hammers home at daily Number 10 press conferences, is to 'flatten the curve' of the rate of infections so the NHS does not creak under the load of fresh cases.

The Prime Minister has laid bare the gravity of the situation, and revealed the UK should be braced to be pounded with an Italian-like situation.

Mr Johnson said: 'The numbers are very stark and they are accelerating. We are only a matter of weeks - two or three - behind Italy.

'The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand.

'The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing. Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread - then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed.'

Yet while the government has begun to mirror the shutdown in Italy, it has stopped short of confining people to their homes.

And Britain is still lagging behind in carrying out testing of suspected cases.
Evens body was carried to the cemetery by a burial party in biohazard gear, photographs of the private ceremony show. The funeral was limited to 20 mourners, each keeping at least six feet apart from the next. The nurse who cared for Even in his final days apologized on social media that his body could not be washed in the ritual way, as antiviral safety protocols now trump tradition.
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine provided an update Sunday on the coronavirus impact on Pennsylvania.

There are 479 positive cases in 33 counties, 108 cases more than yesterday. Approximately 47 of those cases require hospitalization, roughly 10% of the cases. Around 4% have require intensive care and 2% required ventilators.

Levine said the state is working on remodeling studies of worst-and-best case scenarios, but exact numbers of those were not available.

The update was streamed online. You can watch it here, or through the embed below.

March 22 Coronavirus Update Join us as we provide an update on COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. Posted by Pennsylvania Department of Health on Sunday, March 22, 2020

Levine said that tests being conducted by the health department are being prioritized for health care workers and cluster areas of the outbreak. She also discussed mass-testing sites available in the southeast corner of the state.

She emphasized that those not showing symptoms should not be tested.

MORE: Where are Pennsylvanias coronavirus cases? Map, details on known cases as of March 22, 2020

Levine said that state numbers are being done at noon and that county numbers being released at a different time of day may cause a discrepancy for a short amount of time.

She said that there is the available of testing deceased people for COVID-19, but thinks those numbers would be very low. There is no approved approved home test for testing for the virus, she said.

Levine said there are no plans to close down takeout and delivery from restaurants. She said that pharmacies are allowed to remain open.

She said discussions are being had with local officials and the governors office regarding of a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order, but there is no news beyond what was said Saturday. She emphasized that people must still be able to leave their homes to get food and groceries.

Levine said that there has been no discussion regarding reversing the order to close non-life-sustaining businesses. She said if a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order comes down, discussions would be made regarding that list of businesses.

MORE:

Coronavirus myths debunked: why your hairdryer wont kill the virus and rinsing your nose with saline wont help

Bookstores, home improvement centers and clothing shops: What major retailers are open or closed over coronavirus?

We will always be here, Giant company president says as stores struggle to keep shelves stocked amid coronavirus

Feeding the children: More school districts step up with stopgap lunch programs during coronavirus closures

Events canceled in central Pa. because of coronavirus

Coronavirus home test kits are coming out Monday: Heres how to get one, the cost, and more
U.S. expands supply of COVID-19 protective equipment

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:49, March 21, 2020

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Friday that the country is making efforts to secure more masks for health care workers as well as more ventilators for sick Americans who may need treatment.

"We continue at the President's direction to pursue every means to expand the supply of personal protective equipment," Pence told a White House daily press briefing.

"We have a policy of procuring, allocating as well as conserving the resources that we have in our system," he said, adding that the government has identified tens of thousands of ventilators that can be retrofitted and converted to help COVID-19 patients.

Pence urged every American to postpone elective medical procedures over concerns of insufficient ventilators.

With coronavirus cases soaring, doctors, nurses and other front-line medical workers across the United States are facing a dire shortage of masks, surgical gowns and eye gear to protect them from the virus.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the federal government will send "millions of masks" to states.

"We have millions of masks which are coming which are distributed to the states. The states are having a hard time getting them," Trump told reporters at the briefing.

Also on Friday, American company 3M said that since the COVID-19 outbreak, it has doubled its global output of N95 respirator masks to a rate of over 1.1 billion per year, or nearly 100 million per month.

The industrial giant is increasing its investments, primarily in the United States, to expand its global capacity by over 30 percent in the next 12 months, the company said.

"This pandemic is affecting us all, and we are doing all we can to support public health and especially our first-responders and those impacted by this global health crisis," said Mike Roman, chairman and chief executive officer of 3M.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 18,563 as of 19:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (2300 GMT) Friday, with 227 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

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President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov kick-started a spring tree planting campaign in celebration of International Day of Nowruz in Turkmenistan.

The campaign kick-starting ceremony took place in the Nowruz Valley near Ashgabat with participation of the leaders of the Mejlis (parliament), government, higher education establishments, mass media, administrations of Akhal province and the city of Ashgabat. The head of state planted a young juniper tree, thus giving a start to a new stage of tree planting. Others followed the Turkmen leader.

The tree planting campaign was held in all regions of the country. In the whole country, 1 million 604 thousand 200 trees have been planted. Other than planting new trees, special emphasis was placed on taking care of trees planted earlier.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2022
A mother who was infected with the coronavirus couldnt smell her babys full diaper. Cooks who can usually name every spice in a restaurant dish cant smell curry or garlic, and food tastes bland. Others say they cant pick up the sweet scent of shampoo or the foul odor of kitty litter.

Anosmia, the loss of sense of smell, and ageusia, an accompanying diminished sense of taste, have emerged as peculiar telltale signs of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and possible markers of infection.

On Friday, British ear, nose and throat doctors, citing reports from colleagues around the world, called on adults who lose their senses of smell to isolate themselves for seven days, even if they have no other symptoms, to slow the diseases spread. The published data is limited, but doctors are concerned enough to raise warnings.

We really want to raise awareness that this is a sign of infection and that anyone who develops loss of sense of smell should self-isolate, Prof. Claire Hopkins, president of the British Rhinological Society, wrote in an email. It could contribute to slowing transmission and save lives.
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Airbus confirmed on Sunday it would resume only partial aircraft production when its French and Spanish factories reopen on Monday after a four-day shutdown to tackle health concerns over the coronavirus.

Some French labor unions said on Saturday it had been decided that production would resume at a slower than normal rate.

In a statement late on Sunday, the European planemaker said its production and assembly work would "partially resume" in France and Spain on Monday, following health and safety checks.

France and Spain host some Airbus civil and military assembly lines and manufacture parts needed to preserve Airbus operations in other countries, mainly in the UK and Germany but also at satellite assembly sites in the United States and China.

Workstations will only open when it is safe to do so, Airbus said, without saying how steeply its production would fall.

France's CGT union criticized the move, saying it put not only Airbus factories and surrounding populations but those of a wider supply chain at risk. It said workers should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to return to work.

In its statement, Airbus said it had carried out extensive work with unions to ensure the health and safety of its employees, while securing business continuity.

The halt for deep cleaning and the re-spacing of workers on production lines were echoed by similar steps at some suppliers last week. But there are fears that shortages in the supply chain could quickly disrupt output again, industry sources said.

U.S. rival Boeing is also leaning toward a temporary stoppage at its twin-aisle jet factories, people familiar with the matter told Reuters last week.
By Trend

As many as 123 Azerbaijani citizens have been evacuated from Hungary by charter flight, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Hungary Vilayat Guliyev told Trend.

"Azerbaijanis in Hungary can be divided into three groups. The first group are those who live and work here for a long time and they are not going to leave the country because of the coronavirus spread. The second group are students. More than 800 Azerbaijanis study in Hungary with the Hugaricum scholarship. The third group includes tourists, businessmen who came to Budapest for a few days. After Wizzair suspended flights on March 15, we contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrange a charter flight. Azerbaijan showed maximum activity and care for its citizens, as a result of which, a charter flight to Budapest was carried out, on March 18 to transport 123 Azerbaijani citizens, including 50 students to their home country. We keep in touch with the citizens of Azerbaijan in Hungary. We invite all of them to register at the embassy in order to facilitate communication with them. In general, the situation is under control. We have a hotline around the clock. We are ready to help our citizens at any time. This is our job, said the ambassador.

Regarding the situation in Hungary, Guliyev noted that the country is successfully combating the spread of coronavirus.

"On March 16, a state of emergency was declared in Hungary, all borders were closed. There are also news about the possibility of declaring curfew in the country. About 112 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Hungary, 117 have been quarantined, seven have recovered and five have died from the virus. In general, the country has a calm atmosphere, people cooperate with the authorities, there is no hype, the shops are full of products, he concluded.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Senate Democrats blocked a massive coronavirus stimulus bill from moving forward Sunday as partisan disputes raged over the legislation that's aimed at arresting the economy's precipitous decline.

Lawmakers had hoped to pass an enormous $1.8 trillion bill by Monday, but on Sunday night they were scrambling to revive talks, with the stock market poised for another sharp drop and households and businesses fretting about an uncertain future.

Negotiations continued even as the initial procedural vote fell short, with 47 senators voting in favor and 47 opposed. The tally was well short of the 60 votes that were needed to move forward. The number of "aye" votes was especially low because five Republicans are quarantined over coronavirus fears.

Although senators of both major parties and Trump administration officials vowed to continue negotiating - around the clock if necessary - the vote was the latest negative signal about Congress' ability to come together around the legislation, which aims to inject close to $1.8 trillion into businesses and households. Policymakers are scrambling to address a spike in layoffs and businesses gasping for assistance as millions of Americans stay home to avoid contagion.

Ever since Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., introduced the legislation Thursday night, senators have missed one self-imposed deadline after another to reach a deal. The vote Sunday evening was delayed three hours so talks could continue after it became clear it would fail, but no resolution was reached and it failed anyway.

McConnell set another procedural vote for 9:45 Monday morning and dared Democrats to block it, noting repeatedly that the vote would come shortly after the opening of the stock market.

"Right now, they're not there," President Trump said from the White House with the vote underway. "But I think that the Democrats want to get there. And I can tell you for a fact, the Republicans want to get there. And I don't think anybody actually has a choice."

Indeed, the sheer magnitude of the potential calamity kept lawmakers at the bargaining table as negotiators on both sides said they must deliver to slow the financial landslide that is disrupting millions of businesses and households by the day.

At the same time, McConnell said it was time for Democrats to "take 'yes' for an answer" and accept a bill that he said incorporated many of their ideas. Democrats, though, said McConnell's bill was tilted too far in favor of corporations and did not include much oversight for $500 billion in loans and guarantees that could go to firms selected by the Treasury Department.

Senate Democrats and Republicans spent Friday and Saturday negotiating over the legislation with both sides saying they'd made progress, until McConnell announced late Saturday that he was moving forward on drafting a bill even though there was not yet a final deal. Each side quickly blamed the other for the breakdown.

After the vote, McConnell angrily lectured Democrats about the outcome. Republicans had hoped to move forward to final passage of the legislation on Monday, a goal that now looks improbable.

"The notion that we have time to play games here with the American economy and the American people is utterly absurd," McConnell said. "The American people expect us to act tomorrow and I want everybody to fully understand if we are't able to act tomorrow it will be because of our colleagues on the other side continuing to dicker when the country expects us to come together.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., came to the floor a short time later to declare that Republicans were the ones behaving unreasonably by trying to advance what he called a partisan bill.

Democrats said that despite some concessions on the part of Republicans, the GOP bill still had too many flaws and did not do enough to shore up the health care system and help average Americans.

"Now, let me be clear: the majority leader was well aware of how this vote would go before it happened, but he chose to move forward with it anyway - even though negotiations are continuing, so who's playing games?" Schumer asked, before adding a hopeful note: "Can we overcome the remaining disagreements in the next 24 hours? Yes. We can and we should. The nation demands it."

"We are at the point where both sides have come a long way towards each other," McConnell said Sunday on the Senate floor. "And each side has to decide whether to continue elbowing and arguing over the last several inches, and risk the whole thing . . . or whether to shake hands and get it done."

A major sticking point is a $500 billion pool of money for loans and loan guarantees that Republicans want to create, which some Democrats are labeling a "slush fund" because the Treasury Department would have broad discretion over who receives the money. There is little precedent for a program with a similar size and scope.

"They're throwing caution to the wind for average workers and people on Main Street and going balls to the wall for people on Wall Street," Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said of Republicans.

Trump seemed to acknowledge such concerns on the part of Democrats while insisting that he did not want to offer bailouts.

"I don't want to give a bailout to a company and then have somebody go out and use that money to buy back stock in the company and raise the price and then get a bonus," Trump said. "So I may be Republican, but I don't like that. I want them to use the money for the workers."

The implications for the standoff became more dire as concerns about the economy intensify. Several senators feared the on the markets if they do not reach an agreement by Monday morning. Underscoring the spreading dangers, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Sunday became the first senator to announce that he had tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. He had worked out with fellow lawmakers in the Senate gym that morning.

Not long afterward, GOP Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, both of Utah, announced that they'd be going into self-quarantine because of being in contact with Paul; Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., had self-quarantined earlier after possible brushes with infected individuals.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meanwhile, suggested that House Democrats might chart their own course and release their own bill, which could put the Democratic-led House and the Republican-led Senate on different tracks and delay final agreement on any deal. The White House had expressed hope that a bill could be signed into law by Monday.

"We will be introducing our own bill and hopefully it will be compatible" with what's happening on the Senate side, Pelosi said after a late morning meeting with McConnell, Schumer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The stock market has lost 10,000 points in six weeks, and some analysts believe more than 3 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week. Much of the U.S. economy is frozen as Americans stay home and cut back on spending, fearful about the coronavirus outbreak. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has grown sharply in the past few days, a rise that does not appear to be slowing.

The economic conditions appear to be dramatically worse than first predicted. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard told Bloomberg News in an interview Sunday that the unemployment rate could hit 30% between April and June because of mass layoffs, which would be worse than what occurred during the Great Depression.

In addition to $500 giving billion in loans and loan guarantees to businesses, states, and cities, the Senate GOP legislation would appropriate $350 billion for small businesses that is meant to help prevent more layoffs. It would also send $1,200 checks to many Americans, bolster the unemployment insurance system, and disburse a broad range of emergency funds to help reinforce hospitals and other areas.

The Senate bill would be by far the largest financial rescue ever attempted by Congress, dwarfing legislation passed during the financial crisis of 2008.

Typically, when large pieces of legislation become too contentious, lawmakers will try to scale it back to focus on areas of agreement. That could prove complicated this time because of dire warnings about the size of the economy's dramatic contraction. The bill includes massive funding streams for households and businesses, and prioritizing one over the other could cause significant issues in the economy.

For example, the direct payments to households would appropriate $1,200 per qualifying adult and $500 per child at a cost of about $250 billion. The cash disbursements in the new agreement would phase out for people with incomes of $75,000 and above. The legislation also includes about $100 billion for hospitals and about $250 billion to beef up state unemployment insurance programs - both major priorities for Democrats.

But many other parts of the bill are meant to address problems flagged by companies, many of whom have said they will be forced to scale back much of their operations if they don't receive aid soon.

The biggest subset of this $500 billion fund would be $425 billion in loans and loan guarantees meant to rescue "eligible businesses, states or municipalities." This part of the bill has attracted particular attention from Democrats, some of whom have said it would give the Treasury Department broad sway to direct funds to specific companies that have appealed to the White House. President Donald Trump has already talked about how he wants to help the cruise industry and the hotel industry, but dozens of other industries have pleaded for assistance as well. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called the bucket of money a "slush fund to boost favored companies and corporate executives - while they continue to pull down huge paychecks and fire their workers."

This section also includes $50 billion for passenger airline companies, $8 billion for cargo air firms, and $17 billion for companies deemed critical to the U.S.'s national security. The legislation does not include many restrictions on the companies that receive these funds. For example, companies are required to maintain the same employment levels that they had as of March 13 "to the extent practicable," but it does not define what practicable means.

The bill does appear to prohibit stock buybacks at firms that receive the emergency loans and gives the Treasury Department the opportunity to take equity stakes in the firms so taxpayers could benefit if a firm regains its financial footing.

The $350 billion small business program appeared to have broad bipartisan support, but processing this program could be a major logistical challenge because of the potential number of firms that could seek to have government support.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee, said there is a "very strong general agreement" that small businesses will be able to obtain loans up to 250% of their one-month payroll. That money, as long as it is used for businesses expenses such as paying workers or providing their benefits, or to cover rent, will be entirely forgiven, Rubio said.

Also sought in the bill is about $100 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for a variety of public health and other needs, and there are several tax and health policy changes.

Mnuchin said the sweeping economic package is designed to last for 10 to 12 weeks, and the administration would revisit whether it would seek additional assistance from Congress. He said on "Fox News Sunday" that he expected a vote on the package Monday morning, but the prospect of such a development appeared dim as talks dragged on Sunday.

Democrats have argued that without protections for workers, companies receiving bailout money could fire their employees and pocket the taxpayer assistance, which would undermine the purpose of the federal aid. Republicans have said, though, that the program needs to be up and running immediately to help the economy before it is too late.

The dynamic on Capitol Hill partly results from lingering resentments among Senate Republicans over the last coronavirus relief bill, a $100-billion-plus package enacted last week; it was negotiated between Pelosi and Mnuchin. Many Senate Republicans were unhappy with paid-sick-leave provisions in that bill but voted for it anyway.

The enormous package being negotiated is Congress' third coronavirus relief bill. The first one, enacted this month, appropriated $8.3 billion for the public health system, vaccine development and other needs.

- - -

The Washington Post's Paul Kane contributed to this report.
RED BLUFF, Calif.- On Saturday morning, it was business as usual at the Red Bluff Farmers Market.

"Yeah, this is more you know, not so overcrowded," says Randy Zill, who lives in Red Bluff.

He tells Action News Now that he opted to shop at his local farmers market to help out local businesses.

"I shy away from big grocery stores with you know a lot people involved in the stores," says Zill. "It's better to be safe."

Because of the stay-at-home order, local honey vendor, Nina Clifford, was surprised to see a high turnout.

"People you know were keeping their distance a little bit," says Clifford. "Staying nice and patient, but it was nice to see a lot of people came out today to get what they needed."

Market manager Jessica Coombs tells Action News Now that they made sure to take extra precautionary measures to ensure a safe and healthy environment.

"Food production and food being available is considered vital right now and we felt more comfortable right now because we are an open-air market," says Coombs.

Some noticeable changes included more spaced-out booths and available hand sanitizers and gloves for people to use.

"The vendors went ahead and bagged, pre-bagged everything to keep it enclosed," says Coombs.

The Red Bluff Farmers Market will continue to run every Saturday from 9am to noon.

"Were going to keep monitoring CDC recommendations and Californias recommendations," says Booth. "We dont want to go against anything, but at this point we are advocating to keep it open."

They're hoping people will come out to support their local businesses.

"Especially in a time like this, when you know, everyone is kind of feeling the pinch, coming down to your local farmers market is an amazing thing to stay local, support local, and know that youre eating healthy food that people put their heart and soul into the community," says Clifford, a local vendor.
Over 850 million children and youth, roughly half of the world's student population, had to stay away from schools and universities in the light of the coronavirus pandemic according to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"As of March 17, 2020, 850 million youth and children, which is roughly half of the world's student population, had to stay away from schools and universities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Nationwide school closures are in place in 102 countries and local shut downs in 11 other countries, This represents more than a double in the number of learners prevented from attending educational institutions, with further increases expected," UNESCO said.

It further said that the scale and speed of the school and university closures represent an unprecedented challenge for the sector.

"Countries around the are racing to fill the void with distance learning solutions but the uncertain duration of the closures adds further complication to their efforts. These range from hi-tech alternatives like real-time video classes conducted remotely to lower-tech options such as educational programming on radio and television."

The impacts of school closure are difficult to overstate and many of them extend beyond the sector.

The disadvantages of interrupted learning are disproportionate for underprivileged learners who tend to have fewer educational opportunities outside school.

Moreover, many children and youth rely on free or discounted school meals for healthy nutrition. When schools close, nutrition is compromised.

Working parents are more likely to miss work to take care of their children when schools close. This results in wage loss and decreased productivity.

School closures place an additional burden on schools as parents and officials redirect children to schools that are open.

This then leads to school dropouts. It is a challenge to ensure children and youth return and stay in school when schools reopen, especially after protracted closures.

Schools are hubs of social activity and human interaction. When schools close, many children and youth miss out on social contact that is essential to learning and development.

UNESCO is also launching a Global COVID-19 Coalition that brings together multilateral partners and the private sector, including Microsoft and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), to help countries deploy remote learning systems so as to minimize educational disruptions and maintain social contact with learners.

"The current situation imposes immense challenges for countries to be able to provide uninterrupted learning for all children and youth in an equitable manner. We are stepping up on our global response by creating a coalition to ensure a fast and coordinated response. Beyond meeting immediate needs, this effort is an opportunity to rethink education, scale-up distance learning and make education systems more resilient, open and innovative," said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

"Difficulties rise exponentially when school closures are prolonged," said Stefania Giannini, UNECO's Assistant Director-General for Education. "Schools, however imperfectly, play an equalizing role in society and when they close, inequalities become far greater."

UNESCO will further host regular webinars and virtual meetings to allow country representatives opportunities to share information on the effectiveness of approaches used in different contexts, building on the success of its ministerial videoconference of March 10 that brought together 73 countries.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Addis Ababa: Africa has received a much-needed coronavirus care package from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.

A cargo flight containing more than 6 million medical items arrived on Sunday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The supplies from Ma, the founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, will be distributed across the continent to help African countries battle the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

Ethiopia's national coronavirus co-ordinator, Dr Shumete Gizaw (centre right) with medical supplies from a shipment sent to Addis Ababa on Sunday. Credit:AP

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight from Guangzhou, China arrived with 5.4 million face masks, 1.08 million testing kits, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 protective face shields, according to Ethiopian officials and the Jack Ma Foundation.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week pledged to distribute the supplies to other countries in Africa. Ma has also sent shipments of medical supplies to countries in Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
Actor Arjan Bajwa, best known for films such as "Rustom" and "Kabir Singh", says his aim is to do selective but good work, which should have a lasting impact on the audience.

Bajwa broke out after he starred opposite Priyanka Chopra in Madhur Bhandarkar's "Fashion" but since then, the actor has mostly played supporting parts in movies such as "Guru", "Crook", "Bobby Jasoos", "Rustom" and "Kabir Singh".

"For me it is not always about the length of the role or being the face of the film but what people take back home or what leaves an impact on the audience. There have been films where I have played quintessential hero or a negative role and people have liked it.

"I want to do interesting stories and not do regular run-of-the-mill story. The intention is to do work that will be remembered. I am glad people remember my work in most of the films I have done. The recall and repeat value does matter," Arjan told PTI in an interview.

The 40-year-old actor said it isn't a conscious decision on his part to do less work as there have been moments when a potential opportunity for him has been sabotaged..

"I look for very selective stories. I look for stories that excite me. But then there are times when I want to do films and people have different agenda to not cast you. All those directors should be answerable for that. Let's not get into it and take names," he said.

Arjan has now ventured into the digital space with "State of Siege: 26/11". The actor said he agreed to the show as it offered him the chance to play a defence personnel.

"I have wanted to do a role that is of a defence personnel or like people in the army for a very long time. The offer came through this web-series. It was very exciting to play the role of a commando."



Arjan's role is inspired by Col Sunil Sheoran, the NSG (National Security Guard) head, who led the commandos in the fight against the terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

"For this role, we had to give attention and importance to smallest of things. We interacted a lot with second-in-command of the unit Col Sandeep Sen, he was the consultant and the supervisor on our show.

"He narrated us a lot of stories of Col Sheoran, he taught us how to behave like commandos. Besides all this, we did a lot of training in boot camps, weapon training, how NSG operates and about the whole operation."



The actor said his web-show "State of the Siege" narrates the story through the eyes of NSG commandos, which he believes should be told to the world.

"The films that have come earlier have had the point of view of cops or of people who have suffered or died but not of defence services, like NSG in this case, who actually flushed out the terrorist and finished this operation.

"Everybody knows they came from Delhi and that's it and they know nothing beyond that, I don't think many people would even know the full form of NSG. We need to tell a story from their point of view, I believe they were the heroes, who took control of the situation and neutralise the terrorist."



The series also features Arjun Bijlani, Mukul Dev, Vivek Dahiya, Tara Alisha Berry, Sid Makkad, Vikram Gaikwad in pivotal roles.

The eight-episode series is based on Sandeep Unnithan's book, "Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11" and has been directed by Matthew Leutwyler. The crime-thriller series is streaming on ZEE5.

Besides "State of Siege: 26/11", Arjan said he will soon start work on two films and two web-series.

"One web-series is a drama-thriller, which was supposed to start by March end but now considering the situation it will be pushed, everything has come to a grinding halt. Another series is a political drama, it will start mid-year. I can't disclose anything in detail.

"Both the films are in thriller space, one is in a cop thriller and another is a horror kind of thriller and they should start in the middle of the year," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Donald Trump insisted Sunday that it isn't the federal government's fault that states can't get necessary medical equipment to address the coronavirus outbreak.

'@JBPritzker, Governor of Illinois, and a very small group of certain other Governors, together with Fake News @CNN & Concast (MSDNC), shouldn't be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings,' Trump tweeted Sunday morning.

'We are there to back you up should you fail, and always will be!' the president vowed.

But the Illinois governor shot back at the president.

'You wasted precious months when you could've taken action to protect Americans & Illinoisans,' Pritzker retorted on Twitter.

'You should be leading a national response instead of throwing tantrums from the back seat,' he continued. 'Where were the tests when we needed them? Where's the PPE?'

'Get off Twitter & do your job,' Pritzker demanded.

Donald Trump took aim at governors who have been critical of the federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak, claiming their own 'shortcomings' are to blame for a lack of medical equipment and supplies

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker is especially critical of Trump, claiming in an interview Sunday morning that he only received a 'fraction' of equipment he requested

Pritzker shot back at the president on Twitter, telling him to 'get off Twitter & do your job' and criticizing Trump for 'throwing tantrums from the backseat'

Several governors, including New York's Andrew Cuomo, have said they are working closely with the president to ensure they receive medical supplies and equipment to meet the growing demand of hospitals and medical centers.

Others, however, like Pritzker, claim the federal government isn't doing enough and says of the states: 'We're all competing against each other.'

'We have received some PPE [protective personal equipment] in the past couple of weeks  about a quarter of what was an original request,' he said in an interview with CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning.

'We're going to receive another shipment of PPE later today or tomorrow from FEMA  but it's a fraction still of what we requested,' he continued. 'We need millions of masks and hundreds of thousands of gowns and gloves and the rest. Unfortunately, we're getting, still, just a fraction of that. So we're out on the open market, competing for these items that we so badly need and we're succeeding in some ways but we still need more.'

Trump has taken to holding daily press briefings to update the press and Americans on the progression of the coronavirus pandemic and what is being done at the federal level to address the outbreak.

He said this week that governors should use their own supply chains and connections to obtain medical equipment and supplies, claiming it would likely be faster than waiting on it from the federal government.

Some governors were furious over this suggestion, demanding that they be sent more masks, ventilators and respirators to deal with the growing demand at hospitals and medical centers.

While Trump holds his daily briefings with the coronavirus task force at the White House, Andrew Cuomo has held a daily update as he leads the state with by far the most cases of the respiratory disease.

A Vanity Fair reported claimed her sources who are in touch with the White House say Trump is 'furious' that Cuomo's briefings are getting better reviews than his own.

'My sources who are in touch with the White House, several people told me that one of the things driving this is that the president has been furious and frustrated at New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who has been holding these very widely well-received early morning press conferences and, in the president's view, has sort of hijacked the news cycle,' the reporter said in an appearance on MSNBC's Am Joy Sunday.
The 18th season of American Idol continues at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 22, and 8 p.m. Monday, March 23 on ABC.

After that, there are reports that the shows production company, Fremantle, has sent the contestants home and that pre-production work for the first live show scheduled for March 30 has been suspended as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

STREAM: ABC on : ABC on Hulu.

Hollywood Week is underway on American Idol.

Sundays show will feature duets with the contestants choosing their own partner from amid the other contestants. Solo performances will air on Monday.

American Idol is hosted by Ryan Seacrest. The in-house mentor is Bobby Jones and judges are

Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

Of our Pa. performers only one was on the televised show  Louis Knight. He sang Aint No Mountain High Enough and did move on to the next round.

The other, Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader Kyle Tanguay was not seen on the episode.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that the government is playing its part in combating COVID-19 pandemic but the citizens should also rise to the challenge by practicing safety.

"I said this yesterday in my address, and it cannot be stressed enough - Only we can protect ourselves. Each of us must realise the gravity of the threat, stay indoors & wash our hands regularly. By protecting yourself, you also protect those around you," Kejriwal tweeted.

"Yes, the Govt has an important role to play. We are taking all steps necessary to save lives and will lockdown where required. We are boosting our healthcare, providing relief to those hurt by the economic fallout. But as citizens, it is our duty to ensure minimal social interaction," he added.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data.

India reported two deaths today from the highly contagious virus - one each in Maharashtra and Bihar - taking the tally to six, as per state authorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By AFP

SYDNEY: Australia on Sunday announced a $38 billion spending plan to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, as citizens were told to cancel domestic travel plans to slow the virus spread.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the latest Aus$66 billion announced Sunday brought government and central bank measures to support the economy to Aus$189 billion -- or nearly 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

"These extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and we face a global challenge like we have never faced before," he told reporters in Canberra.

"Today's announcement will provide hope and support for millions of Australians at a time when they need it most."

Small businesses and non-profits will receive cash subsidies of up to Aus$100,000, unemployment payments will be temporarily doubled and pensioners will receive Aus$750 cash.

Workers whose income has fallen by at least 20 percent due to the coronavirus outbreak will be able to access their retirement funds early, with those facing hardship allowed to withdraw up to Aus$20,000 over two years.

Frydenberg said the economic shock was now expected to be "deeper, wider and longer" than was believed just 10 days ago and additional measures would be required.

The country appears poised to slip into recession as a result of the coronavirus outbreak after a record 29-year run of economic growth.

Australia has recorded more than 1,200 cases and seven deaths from COVID-19.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was also "moving immediately" to recommend against non-essential travel, warning stronger measures were imminent to deal with localised outbreaks.

He said work-related trips, the transport of essential supplies and travel on compassionate grounds could continue but people should cancel any other travel plans ahead of the upcoming Easter school holidays.

"More stronger measures will be coming and they will be coming in more localised areas to deal with outbreaks," Morrison said.

"What that means is, what may be necessary in a part of Sydney may not be necessary at all in... other parts of the country."

Australia has already sealed off its borders, putting in place an unprecedented ban on entry for non-residents in the hope of stemming the rise of COVID-19 infections.

Three Australian regions -- the island state of Tasmania, South Australia state, and the Northern Territory -- have also implemented a 14-day self-isolation period for all visitors.

New South Wales state on Sunday announced a shutdown of non-essential services, with supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations among those businesses that are exempt.

Morrison said political leaders would meet Sunday evening to consider stricter isolation rules.
Chandigarh, March 22 : Fourteen family members and friends of a 70-year-old man, who died due to a heart attack and had tested coronavirus positive, were also diagnosed positive in two Punjab villages, health officials said on Sunday.

Seven more people who came in contact with Baldev Singh, who had travelled to Germany and Italy, tested coronavirus positive.

Those who tested positive mostly belonged to S.B.S. Nagar district. They comprised his three sons, daughter-in-law, daughter and his granddaughter.

Health authorities carried out tests of 17 people and 14 of them have tested positive so far.

S.B.S. Nagar Deputy Commissioner Vinay Bublani said the administration has sealed Sujjon and Chikka villages from where these patients belonged to prevent the further spread of the virus.

Baldev Singh, the first death in the state, had landed at Delhi airport on March 7, and proceeded to Punjab the same day.

Doctors said he had diabetes and hypertension, and was confirmed as COVID-19 positive on March 18.

As the state's coronavirus cases spiked to 21 with eight reported on Sunday, the Punjab government on Sunday announced a compete lockdown of non-essential services as a preventive step against coronavirus till March 31, becoming the second state after Rajasthan to enforce a shutdown.

At a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, it was decided that all essential government services will continue and shops selling essential items such as milk, food items and medicines will remain open.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Urging people to take government's advisory of self-isolation seriously amid the rising cases of coronavirus in the country, megastar Salman Khan on Sunday shared a video message for fans.

The 54-year-old actor took to Twitter to share the video message in which he is seen urging people to stay at home.

"Ye public holiday nahi hai bhaai, ye bada serious maamla hai.. ye sab band karo, please wear masks, wash your hands and stay clean," said Khan.

"What is the problem in doing all of these things if it saves hundreds of lives? Please follow this... it is a matter of lives," he added.

Like many other Bollywood celebrities actor, Salman Khan is also in self-isolation as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

So far, there have been 324 positive cases of coronavirus in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects military exercise at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Yonhap



US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un detailing a plan to develop ties, state media reported Sunday citing Kim's powerful sister, but she warned their good personal relationship is not enough, as a hiatus in disarmament talks drags on.



The statement by Kim Yo Jong came a day after the nuclear-armed North fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Saturday, the latest such action it has taken this year.



"In the letter, he... explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries of the DPRK and the US and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work," an apparent reference to the coronavirus pandemic, Jong said in the statement reported by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



A senior administration official confirmed Trump sent a letter to Kim, "consistent with his efforts to engage global leaders during the ongoing pandemic.



"The President looks forward to continued communications with Chairman Kim", the official said.



While the letter reflects "excellent" ties between the two leaders, Jong warned that broader relations between their two nations are different.



"We try to hope for the day when the relations between the two countries would be as good as the ones between the two top leaders, but it has to be left to time and be watched whether it can actually happen," Jong said.



Analysts say the North has been continuing to refine its weapons capabilities more than a year after a summit between Kim and Trump broke down in Hanoi. The deadlock is over sanctions relief and what North Korea would be willing to give up in return.



Pyongyang is under multiple sets of United Nations, US and other sanctions over its weapons programmes.



Jong praised Trump's "efforts to keep the good relations he had with our Chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations."



But she said "nobody knows how much the personal relations would change and lead the prospective relations between the two countries, and it is not something good to make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about it."



Trump, whose closeness to Kim and other global strongmen has raised concerns at home, is seeking re-election in November's US election.



Jong said bilateral dialogue "would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries, not merely by the personal letter between the two leaders."



Pyongyang set Washington a unilateral end-2019 deadline to offer fresh concessions, and in late December Kim declared the North no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.



On Saturday Kim observed "the demonstration fire of (a) tactical guided weapon," to demonstrate the characteristics "and power of a new weapon system to be delivered" to army units, KCNA reported on Sunday.



In addition, Kim spoke of "tactical and strategic weapon systems in the development stage," the report said.



Late last year, Kim had threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon.



After the latest test, a US State Department official reiterated Washington's call on the North "to avoid provocations, abide by obligations under UN Security Council Resolutions, and return to sustained and substantive negotiations to do its part to achieve complete denuclearization."



Seoul's unification ministry earlier this month said the drills are aimed at strengthening "internal solidarity" while "attracting the attention of the US and South Korea and pressuring their change in attitude."



Shortly before the latest launch, KCNA reported that the rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, would convene on April 10.



The event would involve gathering nearly 700 officials in one place, analysts said. Such events have been banned in many parts of the world to curb the spread of new coronavirus.



Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told AFP earlier that Pyongyang is likely struggling with the pandemic, even though the regime has not reported any cases.



The UN Security Council has said it would make humanitarian exemptions to sanctions on North Korea to help it fight the coronavirus. (AFP)


Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 22:26:24|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have intensified the crackdown on crimes of counterfeiting seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and other farming supplies during the plowing season, public security authority said on Sunday.

Du Yan, an official from the Ministry of Public Security, told a press conference that public security departments at various levels have made progress in the investigations into farming supplies-related criminal cases.

Police in provinces including Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu and Fujian have cracked a number of cases involving the manufacturing and selling of counterfeit and low-quality seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and veterinary drugs.

In one case involving a bio-tech company in the southern China's Hainan Province, police seized more than 50 kinds of counterfeit pesticides with a total worth of over 19 million yuan (about 2.67 million U.S. dollars).

Public security departments have strengthened the collection of clues to counterfeiters' dens and detection of online sale of fake farming supplies, said Du.

Police operations have targeted all the links, elements and chains of the cases to root out such crimes.

Cooperation between the police and departments of agriculture and market regulation has been strengthened in information sharing, product examination and case transfer.

Du said the ministry will continue to strengthen coordination and guidance for law-based, prompt and harsh crackdowns on such crimes.
Each site has a full-time person assigned to disinfecting the premises, she said. Flower-sniffing was discontinued some time ago.

Puchi-Saavedra said mobs of patients have descended on her store parking lots  forced to wait their turn outdoors because, per federal crowd-size recommendations, she no longer allows more than 10 at a time inside.

Most patients are very grateful and thankful, for the steps being taken to protect their health, she said. Others are angry about whats going on. And maybe they are scared.

To avoid long lines, her shops are switching to an online and telephone ordering system, one that sends patients a text when their orders are ready for pickup. Several other local dispensaries have also indicated on their websites that they are moving to online ordering.

Pima County is home to almost 31,000 registered medical-marijuana patients, according to the Arizona Department of Health, which oversees the industry. Cancer, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder are among the top conditions for which cannabis was prescribed.

The industry has become a sizeable local employer since 2010, when medical marijuana became legal in Arizona.
Pakistan ends international air traffic; coronavirus cases top 500

Saudi Press Agency

Saturday 1441/7/26 - 2020/03/21

Islamabad, Mar 21, 2020, SPA -- Pakistan on Saturday announced the suspension of all international flights for two weeks in order to prevent the further spread of coronavirus in the country, dpa reported.

In a separate announcement, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled all its international flights until March 28.

The number of coronavirus patients in Pakistan has now reached 534, Health Minister Zafar Mirza said.

He said that three people have died of Covid-19 and around 1.4 million people in the country have been screened so far.

The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan decided against a nationwide lockdown, but has taken a number of steps to control the spread of the virus.

--SPA

16:26 LOCAL TIME 13:26 GMT

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Officers at the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit train in first aid and extinguishing fires in a simulated bomb attack during a counterterrorism drill on Friday at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point. (China Daily)

By Gu Mengyan and li bingcun in Hong Kong

Over 250 officers train to tackle bomb attacks as terrorism-like acts surge Hong Kong police carried out an interdepartmental drill on bomb attacks on Friday, as part of the force's strengthened efforts to contain the city's rising homegrown terrorism.

As concerns mount about local terrorism after recent seizures of homemade bombs and explosives commonly used by terrorists worldwide, the police have also been considering invoking a rarely used law on terrorism that would allow heavier penalties for stronger deterrence.

More than 250 officers from the police force, fire services department, customs and immigration took part in the drill at Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point - a check point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

The exercise simulated an explosion at a public transport interchange and a suspected bomb attack at the departure hall.

The city has seen an increasing number of incidents involving homemade bombs near the boundary.

There have been at least four bomb plots in two weeks between late January and early February, including one at Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and another at the Lo Wu railway station.

The police arrested 17 people on March 8 in relation to these incidents in citywide raids during which they seized 2.6 tons of explosive chemicals. Some of them were charged with conspiring to cause an explosion likely to endanger lives or cause serious damage to property.

The police force is also considering deterring such acts with anti-terrorism legislation. Earlier, Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung said police and the Department of Justice were studying the possibility of prosecuting these extremists under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance. This would be the first such prosecution under the ordinance in Hong Kong since it was introduced in the city in 2002.

Hong Kong's legal experts agreed that the legislation could be an effective way to deter such terrorism-like acts.

Barrister Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok, chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, told China Daily that if the suspects were found to be launching the attacks for political ends, penalties could be increased by charging them under the anti-terrorism legislation.

The suspects had claimed responsibility shortly after the bomb attacks and plots, threatening more such violent acts if the government doesn't agree to their demand of a total shutdown of the city to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Hong Kong has also recently seen a number of gasoline bomb attacks against police stations.

Song Sio-chong, professor at the Research Center of Hong Kong and Macao Basic Law at Shenzhen University, also said it was appropriate to charge people involved in such incidents under the anti-terrorism legislation.

Song said their actions, which are well-organized and could cause great danger to the public, are verging on terrorism. He urged police to take decisive action against such behavior.
My father told me the other day on the phone that hed never seen anything like what was happening in America before. Not in my lifetime, he said.

Well, pops is 91 and as I told him, thats a very long time indeed.

This week has been disorienting on the Opinion desk, with our editors and writers spread out in semi-isolation working from home. I bet you can relate.

But helping lead our team as each day the realization of just how big a challenge the novel coronavirus is posing to our health, our economy, perhaps even our way of life has meant one eye-opener after another. As journalists, we often find our faces, and certainly our ears and eyes, pressed right up against the news  good or ill, big or small  as tightly as humanly possible. That means were often among the first to hear from doctors, police, scientists, those who are ill and suffering, the business leaders worried about their disappearing revenue and intractable expenses.

That proximity to the story can take its own toll, of course, and weve been busy reminding each other to step back when possible, to get some sleep when you can, to eat, check in on your family and friends and basically take care of yourselves and each other. I can only imagine the levels of stress home health attendants, physicians, nurses, bus drivers, teachers, inmates and jailers are facing these days. These and so many others.

Actually, I dont have to only imagine. We hear from a lot of folks  through letters, calls and submitted essays  about their own lives and the way they are navigating our current situation. This week on the front page of our Outlook section we included four stories from ordinary Houstonians who shared in their own words how they are getting by.

But for all that, this story of Houston and the coronavirus is so huge, so important and frankly at times so terrifying there is no way weve been able to hear about all the ways the virus has turned your lives inside out.

Toward that end, Id like to invite all our readers to send us a small essay  call it a letter if you like  about how youre coping. What is keeping you up at night? What is helping you sleep? What changes has this meant for you and your family? Are you getting the help you need? In short: whats on your mind?

You can send an email to viewpoints@chron.com and include COPING in the subject line. Or you can use our letters form online: https://www.houstonchronicle.com

/opinion/submit . Wed like to print as many of them as we can, so please keep them under 200 words. Include your name, address and a phone number and email so we can get in touch if needed.

Be safe, everyone.

Lindenberger is an editorial writer, columnist and deputy opinion editor.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 00:35:53|Editor: zyl

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ADDIS ABABA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across Africa has climbed to 1,114 as 40 African countries reported confirmed cases as of Saturday afternoon, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Saturday.

Ahmed Ogwell, Deputy Director of Africa CDC, confirmed to Xinhua on late Saturday that as 40 African countries reported 1,114 COVID-19 cases, the death toll due to the pandemic has also climbed to 28 across the African continent as of the stated period.

According to the Africa CDC Deputy Director, the number of confirmed cases has registered close to 100 new cases on Saturday, in which about 39 African countries had reported a total of 1,021 confirmed cases as of Saturday morning, eventually registering an increase of about 93 new cases by Saturday afternoon.

The number of deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic has also soared to 28 as of Saturday afternoon, registering five new deaths from the Africa CDC's earlier situation update issued on Saturday Morning that was a total of 23 deaths.

Ogwell also stressed that the African continent "is in the morning of the COVID-19 outbreak," as he emphasized that the rate in the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in Africa requires "fast action to flatten the curve."

Figures from the Africa CDC also show that the highly coronavirus affected African countries include Egypt 285, South Africa 240 and Algeria 102 as of Saturday afternoon. South Africa and Algeria, which had confirmed a total of 202 and 82 COVID-19 cases by Saturday morning respectively, have also reported about 38 and 20 new cases on late Saturday, respectively.

The Africa CDC's latest report on the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the African continent has also identified about 319 new cases in a single day since the center's report on Friday. The Africa CDC had on Friday reported some 795 COVID-19 confirmed cases coming from 36 African countries.
Australians should avoid all non-essential travel, including interstate and longer distances across the country, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison warns more restrictions from state and territory governments will be "inevitable".

Mr Morrison said on Sunday that any sort of travel that is not part of someones normal life, such as going to the shops or to work, should be avoided to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has advised all non-essential travel across the country be stopped. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"We will give you as many rules as we can and as many guidelines but we need you to think carefully about what you are doing and your behaviour and the impact it has on others," Mr Morrison said.

"This is incredibly important. It is not just about each of us individually but the person standing next to us, the person who lives across the road, the elderly resident in the same apartment building as you or whatever you might be."
Dubai's banks have come together to offer a comprehensive relief package to help their customers ease financial pressures in the current economic environment caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The measures announced by the banks seek to support the UAE Government and the UAE Central Bank six-month economic stimulus package and the Dubai Government three-month economic stimulus package to support the business sector in the UAE and Dubai.

Following the directives from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, leading Dubai banks including Emirates NBD, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates Islamic, Mashreq and Commercial Bank of Dubai have joined the effort to provide relief to their customers.

Measures by commercial banks with effect from April 1 to June 30, 2020 (Emirates NBD, Mashreq and Commercial Bank of Dubai) are for:

*Individual customers: -Retail loan customers who have been placed on unpaid leave by their employers can approach the bank for repayment holiday of up to three months with zero interest and fees.

*Customers who have availed personal loans, auto loans or mortgages can apply for a one-month repayment holiday with zero fees.

*All first time home buyers can benefit from a 5% increase in the Loan-to-Value ratio (LTV) and full waiver of processing fees. A refund of charges on cash withdrawals done using debit cards on all ATMs of other banks across the UAE.

*Credit card customers can benefit from interest-free installment plans for all school fee payments as well as grocery purchases with no processing fees for up to 6 months. This is in addition to existing attractive low interest, installment plans available for higher tenors across all retail purchases.

*Customers who may need to cancel their travel bookings done on their credit and debit cards will receive a refund of the foreign currency transaction fees charged by the bank.

*Customers using credit cards for cash withdrawals will enjoy 50% reduction in the cash advance charges.

*Small Business Customers: -Small business customers who have availed merchant loans, equipment loans or business vehicle loans and have been impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 situation, can apply for a repayment holiday of 3 months with zero interest and fees.

*Reduction of the monthly minimum balance required for basic business banking account to Dh10,000. Also the minimum balance charges for the basic business banking account will be waived for a period of 3 months.

*Business Banking Customers: -Business Banking customers with working capital facilities who are impacted by the ongoing Covid 19 situation are encouraged to contact their respective relationship managers to achieve an optimal financial solution.

*Wholesale Banking Clients: -Relief measures prioritise key industry sectors contributing to the UAE economy that have been most affected in the current situation, including healthcare, aviation, hospitality, retail, event management, consumer goods and education, by offering refinancing, repayment deferrals or lower repayments where required.

*Reduced bank charges for digital trade transactions for all trade finance customers. Customers using the digital platforms are offered a significant reduction in transaction processing and handling fees and new activations at zero cost for the next three months.

The banks are also providing their customers with enhanced credit and trade lines to manage ongoing operational costs.

*Trading clients: -The banks have announced support for affected customers trading in the UAE bourses by offering suitable instalment payment plans against additional collateral to help them regularise their margin trading positions.

*Respective Relationship Managers will continue to work alongside and support customers faced with margin calls on their share portfolios.

*Measures by Islamic Banks with effect from April 1 to June 30 (Dubai Islamic Bank and Emirates Islamic).

*Individual Customers and Cardholders: -Customers who have availed personal finance, auto finance or mortgages can apply for a one-month repayment holiday with zero fees Debit Cardholders can now withdraw cash for free from any other Banks ATMs in the UAE.

*Customers using credit cards for cash withdrawals will enjoy 50% reduction in the cash advance charges.

-Credit Cardholders can avail 0% Easy Payment Plans (EPP) on school fee transactions with zero processing fee.

*Credit Cardholders can benefit from special pricing on EPP & Cash on Call, and 0% on Balance Transfers.

*Cardholders can request refunds on foreign currency charges related to Travel/Hotel cancellations.

*Customers with Existing and New Finance Facilities: -Financially impacted customers (unpaid leave, other valid reasons) can request up to 3 deferred monthly installments without fees and profit charges.

*Debt consolidation solution can be provided upon request.

*Finance to property value for first-time home buyers increased by 5% (up to 85% for UAE Nationals & up to 80% for Expatriates).

*Priority Banking Customers: -Priority Banking Relationship Managers are always available to support customers.

*Margin Calls for customers trading on stock market: The two banks will work alongside and support those who are faced with margin calls on their shares portfolio. The two banks encourage members facing this situation to get in touch with their Relationship Managers to discuss and agree on optimal solutions.

*Business Banking Customers: -Digital Account Package: Waiver of minimum balance fee for maintaining a minimum balance requirement of Dh10,000, until 30 June 2020.

*Deferment of three months instalment upon request for clients with a Business Finance facility.

*Commercial Banking customers with Finance facilities from the two banks and whose businesses are affected by the current situation, can contact their Relationship Manager, to discuss restructuring solutions.

*Customers can benefit from all the advanced features of the two banks digital platforms at discounted rates.

*Wholesale Banking customers: -Customers with working capital facilities who are impacted by the ongoing Covid19 situation are encouraged to contact their respective relationship managers to achieve an optimal solution.

*Relief measures will support key sectors affected by the Covid 19 situation by offering need-based refinancing, repayment deferrals or lower repayments where required.

*Reduced charges for digital trade transactions for all trade finance customers. Customers using the digital platforms can get a significant reduction in transaction processing and handling fees and new digital platforms activations at zero cost for the next three months.

*Customers will also be encouraged to use the two banks digital platforms for their Cash Management needs at considerably reduced charges.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates NBD said: "Emirates NBDs measures support the plans that have already been put in place by our nations wise and visionary leadership to keep the UAE safe and prosperous."

"The health, safety and economic well-being of our customers and the community are our highest priority. Our measures to support and protect our stakeholders, as part of our Group-wide business resilience and continuity plans, are aligned with the directives of the Dubai leadership to develop solutions for defusing any obstacle that can potentially hinder our progress. We recognise the need to protect those most vulnerable and are committed to lending a helping hand during this uncertain time," he added.

The Dubai banks have also announced that all their branches continue to remain open to serve customers. The banks have undertaken precautionary measures across their branch network, ATM & cash deposit machine locations, including additional deep cleaning and sterilisation protocols.

Furthermore, they have implemented training on safety guidelines, social interaction and preventative hygiene practices for all frontline staff.-TradeArabia News Service
Authorities in Gaza on Sunday confirmed the first two cases of novel coronavirus, identifying them as Palestinians who had travelled to Pakistan and were being held in quarantine since their return.

The United Nations has warned that a COVID-19 outbreak in Gaza could be disastrous, given the high poverty rates and weak health system in the coastal strip under Israeli blockade since 2007. Following the confirmed cases, a World Health Organization (WHO) delegation arrived in Gaza to assess the situation, a Palestinian security source said.

Gaza's health ministry said the two people who tested positive had been held in quarantine since their return from Pakistan on Thursday and had not interacted with the wider population. "These two cases were recorded among those who returned to Gaza ... (and) did not mix with the residents of the Gaza Strip," deputy health minister Yousef Abu Al-Reesh told reporters. The sick, identified as two men, were in stable condition, the health ministry said.

Israel has enforced a blockade on Gaza since 2007, when Islamist group Hamas seized control of the territory. Israel argues the measures are necessary to isolate Hamas, considered a terrorist organisation by most Western countries. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

Movement in and out of the territory -- which was severely restricted by Israel and Egypt before the pandemic -- has tightened in response to the coronavirus threat.

Authorities in Gaza have said that more than 2,700 Palestinians are in home-isolation, mostly people who had returned from Egypt. A civilian group called the Al-Shajaiyah initiative hit the streets of Gaza City on Sunday after the cases were confirmed, working to clean the street with sanitising spray.

"We in the Gaza Strip have been under siege for 14 years and the possibilities (to protect ourselves) are very limited," said Ahmad Al Wadya, a doctor helping to coordinate the effort.

The head of the WHO's Palestinian office, Gerald Rockenschaub, told AFP this week that Israeli restrictions and political tensions have caused Gaza's health facilities to deteriorate over the past decade.

Gaza has only 60 intensive care unit (ICU) beds for its two million people and not all are operational due to staff shortages, he said.

In response to the pandemic but before the Gaza cases were confirmed, Israel had announced an increased supply of medical equipment to Gaza, according to the branch of the Israeli military responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian Territories, COGAT. Supplies already delivered included 600 testing kits and 1,000 protective suits, COGAT said last week.

Hamas authorities are also working to build up to 1,000 new isolation rooms near the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Matthias Schmale, the Gaza director of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, told AFP this week that it would be "an illusion to think you can manage (an epidemic) in a closed-off space like this".

"Everything I am hearing is if the outbreak reaches the magnitude where you need more than 60 ICU beds to treat, it will become increasingly difficult and could well turn into a disaster of gigantic proportions," he said.

Palestinians suffering from cancer and other serious diseases are currently allowed to leave Gaza through Israel for treatment inside the Jewish state or in the occupied West Bank.

It is not yet clear if Israel, which has imposed tight restrictions on its own population in response to the pandemic, will allow seriously ill coronavirus patients to be transferred from the Strip.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mike Pence encourages Americans to pray, keep donating to church

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As churches have made the hard choice of suspending services, churchgoing Americans should continue to send their donations as ministries are playing a vital role in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, Vice President Mike Pence said at a White House press briefing Saturday.

Americans are responding to the novel coronavirus pandemic with common sense, compassion and generosity, Pence said and praised religious leaders and faith communities for their continued service.

Making the hard choice to suspend services, to have online services, even while those ministries are continuing to support food banks and come alongside of the most vulnerable, he said.

And of course the chorus of prayers that is coming up from communities of faith around the country is making the difference that it always has in the life of this nation.

He and President Donald Trump had promised to remind people that on the weekends that youre not in the pews, its still a good idea, if you can, to go ahead and make that donation. He explained that all the ministries are continuing to play a vital role in our communities and we encourage your continued support.

Also on Saturday, Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, tested negative for coronavirus, according to a statement tweeted by his press secretary, Katie Miller, The Hill reported. A member of the vice presidents staff had recently tested positive for COVID-19.

As of early Sunday, there were over 300,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in 184 countries, areas or territories, with a death toll of over 13,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In the United States, the number of confirmed cases jumped to more than 26,000 with more than 340 deaths.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Saturday issued a stay-at-home order for nearly all of the states 9 million residents, according to NBC News.

We must flatten the curve and ensure residents are practicing social distancing, Murphy said. Even with this order in effect , life in New Jersey does not have to come to a complete standstill.

California, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania are among the states that have taken such desperate measures.

However, amid the coronavirus scare, stories of hope and resilience are emerging.

Last week, a 90-year-old Seattle woman, Geneva Wood, who contracted coronavirus at a senior care facility, recovered, according to CBS News. A CDC investigation found that 62 percent of the roughly 130 elderly residents had become infected at Life Care Center and more than a quarter of them have died.

Wood has five kids, 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren.

Her grand-daughter-in-law, Kate Neidigh, said, The love of her family had been a driving force in everything she did pre-coronavirus. No way was this going to change after-the-fact.

Meanwhile, a recent video clip of a 6-year-old girl teaching a Bible verse, 2 Timothy 1:7, from memory to her 7-year-old brother to calm his fears over the novel coronavirus pandemic is going viral on social media.

My son Brandon has crippling fear cause of his #autism. His sister taught him a scripture she learned at @FellowshipMiss2 Church to help, tweeted Sheletta Brundidge, a mother of four and childrens author, with the video. Stop letting your fear of #Coronavirus be bigger than your faith in God. Plead The Blood, pray and wash your hands. Amen!

Governments around the world are scrambling to limit the spread of the coronavirus and are facing criticism of anxious citizens and journalists.

At the press briefing Saturday, President Trump defended his administrations response in the initial days of the coronavirus crisis.

I get a lot of credit for having closed our country very early to a very heavily infected country, China, he said. Unfortunately, China  I wish China would have told us more about what was going on in China long prior to us reading about it.

President Trump was responding to a report in The Washington Post claiming that U.S. intelligence agencies issued ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus but Trump and lawmakers played down the threat.
More airlines suspend flights serving Taiwan amid pandemic

ROC Central News Agency

03/21/2020 07:28 PM

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) More airlines have decided to suspend flights serving Taiwan amid plummeting demand and increasingly tight border controls set by governments around the world, including Taiwan's, to keep the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at bay.

Thai AirAsia said Saturday it will cancel all international flights from March 25 to April 25, including the Taoyuan-Chiang Mai route between Taiwan and Thailand.

AirAsia said its Taoyuan-Sabah flights and Kaohsiung-Kuala Lumpur flights between Taiwan and Malaysia, as well as all long-haul flights starting with the code D7 will be canceled from March 19 to 31, while flights from Taoyuan to Nagoya in Japan will be canceled from March 19 to April 24.

Jetstar Asia Airways said it will suspend all flights between March 23 and April 15, and Malindo Air said its Taoyuan-Kuala Lumpur flights will be canceled between March 19 and April 30.

China Airlines said it will cancel Taoyuan-Delhi flights throughout April.

Other airlines have previously announced suspensions of service to and from Taiwan, including Air New Zealand, Emirates, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France.

Taiwan's government decided earlier this week to bar most foreign nationals from entering Taiwan starting March 19, and foreigners allowed into the country and Taiwanese are required to undergo a 14-day home quarantine upon arrival.

That and similar border controls elsewhere have further blunted demand for air travel in an already depressed industry, forcing airlines to cut back on flights across the region.

(By Yu Hsiao-han and Lee Hsin-Yin)

Enditem/ls

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One of the worlds biggest airlines, Emirates, is suspending all passenger flights starting from Wednesday.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will shut down passenger services for its national carrier  one of the worlds largest airlines to fall victim to the economic effect of the new coronavirus.

The Dubai-based carrier says the decision was made to preserve business viability and to ensure there were no job losses.

There are 153 confirmed cases in the UAE, of which 38 have recovered.

The death toll there stands at two.

Kurt Hofmann, aviation journalist at Air Transport World and Aviation Week, discusses the outcomes with Al Jazeera.
It has been announced that longtime Standardbred racing participant Eclee 'Chubby' Scott passed away on Saturday, March 14 at the age of 74.

Scott, who was a resident of Yonkers, New York at the time of passing, trained horses for decades.

Most recently, Scott was working as a caretaker for trainer Mike Forte.

Trot Insider will update this notice with additional information when it is received.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Eclee Scott.

(With files from the USTA)
WEST OLIVE, MI -- There are four more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa County.

The latest cases announced Sunday, March 22, by state health officials brings the countys total to six cases.

Statewide, there are 1,035 confirmed cases and eight deaths as of Sunday afternoon.

Elsewhere in West Michigan, Kent County remains at 20 confirmed cases and there are no positive cases yet reported in Kalamazoo and Muskegon counties, according to updated figures released Sunday afternoon by the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Allegan County, which reported its first case on Saturday, remains at one case.

Ottawa County Health Department officials were not immediately able to provide further details on the additional cases.

Ottawa County Health Department spokesperson Kristina Wieghmink said she hopes to have an update on the cases Monday. The departments communicable disease team, she said, is working through the weekend.

Related: Ottawa County now has 2 cases of coronavirus

PREVENTION TIPS

Michigans State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. It has shared the following tips:

What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases:

RELATED STORIES:

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus

Coronavirus cases top 1,000 in Michigan

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closes hair and nail salons, tattoo shops due to coronavirus
Ontario is partnering with municipalities and First Nations to open as many as 50,000 child care spaces for essential workers across the province in centres that will be free and available 24-7, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said Sunday.

The spaces, to be available in the coming days will initially serve front-line workers including doctors, nurses, lab technicians, paramedics, firefighters, police and correction officers, he told reporters.

The heroism they are demonstrating on a daily basis ... is something that we need to reciprocate with some support, he said, adding the list of workers eligible for the service can be expanded.

I accept there are other people, other workers throughout our economy who are critical to the supply chain and we will continue to discuss that with cabinet and with stakeholders, he said.

All licensed child care centres in the province were ordered closed last Tuesday to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Public schools were shuttered March 12.

Toronto officials have been working with the province for a week to amend the order so that it could open four-city operated child care centres for essential workers, said Councillor Joe Cressy, chair of the citys board of health.

In the wake of Sundays announcement, registration will begin as early as Tuesday with a goal of opening by the end of the week, he said.

We are moving mountains to get them open as soon as possible, he said in an interview Sunday.

Free, 24-7 child care for children up to age 12 is unprecedented in the city, added Cressy, who has been closely involved with the plan.

This initiative  which staff are working to get up and running as quickly as possible  will help the heroes we are relying on to fight COVID-19 with their child care needs in the wake of the provincial emergency, Mayor John Tory said in a statement.

The city is working closely with Ontarios chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams and Torontos medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa to ensure that every site follows the appropriate public health standards and protocols, Cressy said.

Since social distancing is not possible when caring for young children, the city will be taking additional measures such as daily screening of children and families, increased cleaning and reduced group sizes, he said.

Cressy said the level of commitment from municipal essential workers, from TTC drivers to janitors has been massive, and that the city is working with the province to ensure they also become eligible for the service.

We have expressed our hope that it is as broad as possible to account for the range of front-line workers. We are also committing that we will have the space to accommodate them, he said.

Just as these front-line and essential workers have our citys back, we want to have their back too, he added.

For parents not on the front-lines, Lecce acknowledged the hardship many are facing as some private and non-profit child care programs continue to charge fees while their centres are closed and urged operators to be as reasonable as possible.

Well continue to look into the matter with hope for a resolution. We dont want to see families on the hook for services not rendered, he said.
The Nigeria police would commence screening of criminal suspects for possible traits of coronavirus before sending them into detention, police chief Muhammad Adamu said on Sunday.

Consequently, only hardened criminal suspects would now be recommended for detention in police cells across the country.

The police chief directed that adequate measures be emplaced to screen persons to be committed into police custody, police spokesperson Frank Mba said in a statement Sunday evening. He reiterates that detention of suspects must be reduced to the barest minimum and that only very serious cases such as terrorism, armed robbery, homicide and other non-bailable offences should warrant detention.

Mr Adamu also said all police colleges and other training facilities have been closed in compliance with federal directive on closure of all public schools.

The directive comes as Nigeria faces an increasing number of COVID-19 infections alongside other countries across the world.

Governments at all levels have been imposing a wide array of measures aimed at slowing down the spread of the highly contagious disease, with the police as the first law enforcement authority saddled with enforcement.

Social distancing, which involves staying home, avoiding large gatherings and abstaining from touching one another, has been strongly recommended towards tacking the virus.

Mr Adamu said the police would enforce existing government advisory and observe all public safety guidelines as enumerated by health institutions and experts across the world.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 22:30:38|Editor: huaxia

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Like Chen and Hassan, there are a large number of Chinese and Iranians extending their helping hands as brothers and sisters to fight against COVID-19 in Iran.

Photo taken on March 21, 2020 shows the official account of the Iranian Embassy in China on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

by Xinhua writers Meng Yifei, Chen Lin, Wang Pan

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Since March 5, Chinese businessman Chen Cangsong and his Iranian friend Hassan Tavana have been working around the clock, busy with gathering donations from all over the world and then sending them to Iran, where the COVID-19 epidemic is raging.

Both Chen and Hassan serve on the Business Council of the United Nations Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities Alliance based in Quanzhou, in the southeastern Chinese Province of Fujian, where they have sent a rush shipment of supplies, including over 80,000 medical masks and 3,000 goggles, to Iran.

Chen is busy dealing with the influx of messages from donors in member companies scattered in 16 countries. "We have our phones work day and night to make sure no donation is missed as sometimes messages come around midnight or before dawn," Chen said.

Like Chen and Hassan, there are a large number of Chinese and Iranians extending their helping hands as brothers and sisters to fight against COVID-19 in Iran.

Photo taken on March 18, 2020 shows a box of donations received by the Iranian Consulate General in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

INFLUX OF DONATIONS

Recently, the official account of the Iranian Embassy in China on the Chinese social media platform Weibo has seen thousands of Chinese netizens post their best wishes for Iranians and the country's success in the fight against the epidemic.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Within 24 hours after the Iranian Embassy set up a donation channel on Weibo, about 567,000 U.S. dollars' worth of donations had poured in.

"It is beyond our expectations, it surprised and impressed me," Ramazan Parvaz, consul general of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Shanghai, said Wednesday.

Besides funds, medical supplies like face masks, goggles, protective garments and ventilators have been donated by Chinese people from various walks of life.

In Beijing, Liu Zhengchen and his colleagues at the Beijing New Sunshine Charity Foundation have dispatched five shipments of medical supplies to Iran, including testing kits, protective garments, ventilators and pulse oximeters.

"In our hardest time fighting against COVID-19, Iran donated three million medical masks to us. Now that our situation is getting better, it's time for us to help them," said Liu.

Chinese medical team members meet with Iranian medical experts in Tehran, Iran, March 7, 2020. (Xinhua)

On March 11, Guangdong Wanyang Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (GWP) delivered 11,000 masks and 400 pairs of medical rubber gloves it had collected from its business circles to the Iranian Consulate General in Guangzhou.

On March 17, 50,000 masks from Shanghai-based travel agency 54Traveler arrived in Tehran on Tuesday and were waiting to be distributed.

On March 18, the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries sent a batch of surgical masks as a donation to the Iranian Consulate General in Shanghai.

"While the epidemic in China is easing, the situation abroad is worsening. We can feel the pain brought by the epidemic to people of other nations so we want to do more to help," GWP chairman Liao Yibing told Xinhua.

On his Twitter account, Ambassador of Iran to China Mohammad Keshavarz Zadeh expressed his gratitude over the Chinese aid, saying that all the donations would be airlifted to Iran as soon as possible.

JOINT FIGHT

"The sons of Adam are limbs of each other, having been created of one essence. When the calamity of time affects one limb, the other limbs cannot remain at rest." These words by the Persian poet Sa'adi were cited by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif when he expressed his solidarity with China as the Asian country was fighting an arduous battle against COVID-19.

Ten days after Iran reported its first confirmed case on Feb. 19, a medical team sent by the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) arrived in Tehran. At that time, China was in the thick of battle against COVID-19.

Upon their arrival in the early morning, the experts immediately engaged in exchanging experience on combating COVID-19 with their Iranian counterparts, and promoting bilateral cooperation on medicine and health.

Chinese medical team members meet with Iranian Red Crescent Society officials in Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2020. (Chinese Embassy in Iran/Handout via Xinhua)

Zhou Xiaohang, head of the team and also head of the Disaster Relief and Health Department of the Shanghai Branch of RCSC, told Xinhua whenever they went to the Health Ministry of Iran to check and count the donations from China, local staff would approach them and say: "China, thank you!"

"The Chinese delivered to Iran what we need urgently. They are real friends of Iran," Abalfazl Delkhasteh, a student at Shahid Beheshti University in Iran, told Xinhua.

Masih Daneshvari Hospital is one of Tehran's designated hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, where a nurse in the respiratory department who only gave her name as Somayeh told Xinhua that the hospital has developed plans for clinical treatment based on China's experience and recommendations.

"China is one of the first nations to support Iran in this fight. Chinese donations and expertise exchange with affected countries, including Iran, stands out not only as a humanitarian gesture, but also as responsible behavior on the part of a global power," said Hassan Ahmadian, assistant professor of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Studies at the University of Tehran.

"The Chinese have provided Iran with all of their experiences in dealing with the virus. This generously provided information has helped Iran," said Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran.

Besides medical supplies and experts from China, other materials which have proven useful during China's COVID-19 fight are also being used and widely circulated in Iran, including Chinese traditional medicated soaps and an electronic guide on COVID-19 prevention and control compiled by Chinese expert Zhang Wenhong.

An online Chinese-Persian group of volunteer translators initiated by a Chinese university student has attracted over 200 volunteers from both China and Iran, who are working to share anti-COVID-19 knowledge with embattled Iranians.

A member of an online voluntary Chinese-Persian translation group works in Yining of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)

In different cities of China, common people like Liu Zhengchen, Liao Yibin and Chen Cangsong are still busy with handing over donations to foreign countries, including Iran.

"The virus does not know borders. In the era of global integration, helping others is also helping ourselves," Liao said.

Touched by the Chinese people's kindness for Iran, Iranian student Abalfazl said, "I believe that by going through this epidemic together, the relations of our countries will become closer and stronger."



(Xinhua reporters Xu Xiaoqing, Yang Kai and He Xiyue in Shanghai, Lv Guangyi in Guangzhou, and Wang Jian and Li Rui in Cairo also contributed to the story.)

(Video reporters Wang Pan, Meng Yifei, Lv Guangyi and Huang Guobao.)
Muhajid Ahmed Bello, known in showbiz as "Fancy Gadam", has released a new single aimed at sensitising the masses on the need for self-hygiene during these worrying moments of Coronavirus pandemic



The single titled "Corona" is produced by Dr. Fiza and was sung in the Dagbani Language.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Fancy Gadam said he was worried about the misinformation especially in our local dialects and among the less educated.



"The motive behind this new single is to use my local dialects to engage and educate the illiterates about the Coronavirus pandemic.



"We can help disseminate safety guidelines because it seems the non-English speaking masses are being misinformed. A lot of artistes have used English Language to create awareness so I thought it wise to inform and educate people in our local dialect," he said.



Fancy Gadam added that, "we need to collectively fight the deadly disease and lets pray for the nation and hopefully Allah would wipe this virus away from the surface of the earth".



Audio slide of the new song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wPMlIwWcKQ

Source: GNA









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Linkedin Laurent Banguet (Agence France-Presse) Los Angeles, United States  Sun, March 22, 2020 19:07 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c9d78a 2 Lifestyle coronavirus,COVID-19,donation,health,united-states,delivery,pandemic Free

From grocery shopping for the elderly to delivering meals or offering free classes online, acts of kindness during the coronavirus pandemic are providing uplifting moments of joy in a United States beset by anxiety.

In California, the most populous state in the nation and one of the hardest hit by the virus, thousands are using internet apps to offer their services to neighbors in need.

In San Diego, for example, a Facebook group created to coordinate volunteer efforts -- San Diego Community Volunteers -- said it has seen a huge uptick in the number of people offering to help, going from 50 members to 400 in a matter of days.

Elsewhere, the popular restaurant chain Puesto, which was forced to shut down because of the virus, gave away some 500 free care packages this week.

"We will come back strong with tacos for everyone," the restaurant said in an Instagram post after announcing it was shutting down.

Supermarkets across the country have also reached out to help seniors, putting in place special hours for people 65 and over to ensure they avoid crowds.

The supermarket chain Raley's, based in northern California, said that as of March 21, it was starting a special program offering a pre-selected bag of groceries at a reduced price for seniors and people in need.

In Walnut Creek, near San Francisco, where residents have been ordered to stay home, a dentist is offering free emergency dental services to ease the congestion at hospital emergency rooms.

David Nisenboyn said he first consults by phone and video before determining whether to receive a patient.

Read also: [UPDATED] Anti-COVID-19 initiatives: Helping Indonesia fight the outbreak

'I've got plenty of time'

"I've got plenty of time to do consults if necessary ... we've got three weeks of lockdowns!" he said.

Further north, in the neighboring state of Oregon, the Shine Spirits distillery is turning byproduct into a hand cleaning solution with 80 percent alcohol.

In the small town of Coos Bay, also in Oregon, coffee shop owner John Beane is hosting virtual story times for kids after shutting down his cafe.

"We come from the theater and stories which are always a part of the shop," Beane, the owner of So It Goes Coffeehouse, told AFP. "Some of the very best parts of our work are the brilliant and curious children that we see mostly every day.

"Their schools are closed for now, as we are, and we have a lot of parents now at home taking care of them," he added. "This was something we thought we might be able to do well for them."

In Washington state, the city of Seattle -- the country's coronavirus Ground Zero -- music venues are trying to soothe fears over the pandemic by broadcasting live virtual concerts.

Celebrated Seattle-based author Ijeoma Oluo for her part has launched a relief fund to help artists who have been severely affected by the outbreak.

"I know that so far every speaking engagement I had for the next month has been cancelled or postponed, and Im in the very rare and privileged position to be able to weather this financially," she wrote on the GoFundMe page.

"This fund is aimed at helping those in the greater Seattle arts community who have been financially impacted by cancellations due to COVID-19, with priority given to to BIPOC artists, transgender & nonbinary artists, and disabled artists - but we will try to help as many artists with need in Seattle as we can," she added.

As of Friday morning, the fund had raised nearly $200,000 of its $300,000 target.
The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has reiterated calls for further reduction in fuel prices at the pumps.

The comments follow the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors' appeal to petroleum consumers to be circumspect in their demand for decreases in fuel prices at the pumps.

Brent crude, which was selling for about 66 dollars on January 2nd, 2020, is now going for about 29 dollars as at March 20.

A price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia led to the drop in crude oil prices on March 9, 2020, the lowest in four years.

On the local front, however, the prices of petrol and diesel at the pumps have only dropped by an average of about 5 percent.

In justifying the lack of an appreciable reduction in prices, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Hosi, at a press briefing, explained that Oil Marketing Companies have been taking a hit for a long time, and would need a little space to recover their losses.

But the Executive Director of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, Duncan Amoah, says the OMCs are being unfair to consumers.

Sometimes the OMCs under-recover because they eat into their own margins. So it might not necessarily mean they are making losses, but rather they are making reduced profitsbecause if you have a margin of 67 and you drop to 40, it doesn't mean you are not making anything, you've lost 27 which would have been part of your profit. What is not fair to consumers is for you to say that the fact that you've dropped that 27, you will now sell at a high price to recoup the 27 you lost in the past.

Duncan Amoah further urged the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors and the Oil Marketing companies to renegotiate their business terms with banks in the country in order to pass on the reduction in oil prices to consumers.

Maybe as a group you should be able to renegotiate with the banks because of the high volume of business you do with them because if they are making so much and you are making so little; eventually you can't pass on any reliefs to the consumers.

citinewsroom
LOS ANGELES, March 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Parking Management Services of America (PMSA) is following the guidance of U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on preventing the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. PMSA is taking preventive measures by reminding its employees about frequent hand washing, while regularly cleaning and disinfecting their operated parking facilities and equipment. More importantly, PMSA is asking all parking attendants and other employees to stay home from work if they are feeling sick.



Employees and vendors are required to alert PMSA if they are infected or exposed to someone who is known to be infected with COVID-19. If an employee calls in sick and indicates they have flu-like symptoms, they will be required to stay home until they are symptom-free and/or see a doctor and get released.



PMSA is requiring positive confirmation that their staff is healthy before they can return to work. If an employee states that they have COVID-19 or have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, PMSA will require them to stay home, contact their local health department, and not return to the work until they are released. The parking company will then conduct an investigation to understand the direct contact(s) the infected worker had with other workers so that it can understand which areas the worker provided services to determine potential contamination and apply proper disinfection.



PMSA has also added a COVID-19 update page on their website for all future updates.



"At this time, PMSA has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 within our company," says Eric Vargas, founder and CEO of PMSA. "Our company's primary concern is the safety and wellness for all of our clients, our job sites, and of course our staff and their families. PMSA will be sending email updates to all of our clients as new information is made available to us!"



PMSA provides services for the following segments within the parking industry:



Contact:

Parking Management Services of America (PMSA)

818-546-8586



Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12814998



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Parking Management Services of America (PMSA) Inc.
WASHINGTON  Connecticuts robust defense industry is protected from some of the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis because it is essential to the national security of the nation.

But that doesnt mean defense contractors are not feeling pain, and some  especially those with many commercial clients, like Sikorsky and Pratt & Whitney  could be forced to lay off or furlough workers if COVID-19 has a severe economic impact on those non-military clients or their supply chain is badly disrupted.

Defense contractors worry that sending employees home for their safety could delay production and put them in breach of contract with the Pentagon. Problems with suppliers also threaten the delivery of military hardware on time.

On Friday, the Defense Department declared that defense contractors are critical infrastructure to national security, a designation that comes with a requirement to maintain a consistent, normal work schedule despite the outbreak of coronavirus.

But the Pentagon has given the states defense contractors little guidance on how to operate during the crisis. Instead, the Defense Department has delegated decision-making authority to individual contracting officers, so a patchwork system is in place.

Some companies, including Lockheed Martin, which owns Sikorsky, have urged all employees who can work from home to do so. Shipbuilders such as General Dynamicss Electric Boat have allowed workers to take unpaid leave to care for children now that schools are closed.

East Hartford jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney, which has about 10,000 workers in Connecticut, is working on a system that will allow its employees to work from home.

But when defense work has to be done in secure facilities, or a production line, the option to work from home seems unrealistic.

James Hart, president of the AFL-CIOs Metal Trade division, which represents workerS at Electric Boat, said the companys office staff and engineers are able to work at home. But blue collar workers, theyre not able to telework, he said.

One way or another, most of the manufacturing workforce is still reporting to work, although some in staggered shifts that reduce the numbers of people working at a plant at one time.

And, besides allowing employees - especially those who think theyve had exposure to COVID-19  to work at home, Lockheed Martin said it has limited international and domestic travel, and visitors to our locations unless necessary for business.

Lockheed Martin also said we are actively engaged with our customers on mission priorities, and we are working to mitigate disruptions in the supply chain where possible.

A Sikorsky source said there have been no layoffs or furloughs at its Connecticut facility. And she said there are no current problems with the supply chain, but also said that there could be changes in that situation.

Pratt & Whitneys customers include both the Pentagon and the worlds major airlines, which have been hard hit by the coronavirus halt to most airplane travel.

This week, Aerospace Industries Association President Eric Fanning called for Congress to give companies like Pratt & Whitney and its suppliers aid in a $1 trillion coronavirus response bill thats under negotiation.

Our people, products, and common supply chain help to power our economy and to provide our warfightersmany of whom are currently deployedthe world-class capabilities and tools they need to defend our nations security, he said.

Reverberating impact

But Fanning said right now, extraordinary challenges to our workforce and our heavily integrated supply chain are reverberating across Americas industrial base, which in turn, is having a major and measurable impact on our economy.

Liz Power, spokeswoman at Electric Boat, said the company has not furloughed any workers, nor has any company employee tested positive for coronavirus.

We are allowing our supervision to be as flexible as possible with their teams  allowing employees to work at home if feasible, flex start and stop times and alter schedules and make other arrangements to help our employees manage unprecedented circumstances, she said.

Hart said the Metal Trades union is working with the company on safety issues. We have to keep working, but we have to be cognizant of science, he said.

Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the nature of defense manufacturing work makes it easy for many workers to practice social distancing on the job, which means keeping at least six feet away from everybody else. People are naturally spaced out, he said. If you are a welder, other people arent standing three feet away.

But there are childcare issues now that schools are closed. And while being on the job may not pose any problems, defense companies should lock up break rooms to address the problem of social gathering, Harrison said.

While the Pentagon has not issued a general directive to the defense industry, its top acquisitions official, Ellen Lord, has instituted a daily phone call with the Aerospace Industries Association, National Defense Industrial Association, Professional Services Council, National Association of Manufacturers, and Chamber of Commerce to make sure there are no major problems in the defense industry that would impact the nations war-making capabilities.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 05:46:00|Editor: yan

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ZAGREB, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A series of earthquakes hit Croatian capital Zagreb Sunday, leaving some 30 people injured with one child in critical condition.

The first earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted the city at 6:24 local time (0524 GMT), according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, which previously measured the quake at magnitude 5.3.

It was the strongest earthquakes in Zagreb since 1880 when a 6.3-magnitude quake devastated the city, local media said.

Around 30 weaker aftershocks ensued during the day with the strongest one measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale at 7:01 a.m. (0701 GMT).

The city has suffered severe material damage, especially its upper-town historic core. Dozens of buildings were ruined and many cars parking along city streets were damaged by fallen bricks.

Part of the north tower of the most famous Zagreb Cathedral, which was built in the 13th century and severely damaged in the 1880 earthquake, collapsed.

The parliament building was also damaged. As a result, the next session will take place at a different location.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that Croatia would seek support from the European Union when assessing the extent of the damage.

The quakes, causing people to flock to streets, will further complicate the country's anti-coronavirus measures, including a shutdown of all public spaces to limit social contact.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said that coronavirus is still the biggest problem in the country, which has recorded 254 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday afternoon.

The minister said that further measures will be introduced to stem the coronavirus outbreak, such as limiting travel between cities and closing down markets.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  President Donald Trump sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seeking to maintain good relations and offering cooperation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Kims sister said Sunday.

The latest correspondence came as Kim observed the firing of tactical guided weapons over the weekend, drawing criticism from South Korea, as nuclear talks remain deadlocked.

In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, Kims sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, praised Trump for sending the letter at a time when big difficulties and challenges lie ahead in the way of developing ties" between the countries.

In the letter, she said Trump explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries ... and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, an apparent reference to the global coronavirus outbreak. She said her brother expressed his gratitude for Trump's letter.

North Korea has repeatedly said there hasnt been a single case of the coronavirus on its soil. Some foreign experts question that claim and say an outbreak in the North could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its poor medical infrastructure. Last month, the State Department expressed concerns about North Koreas vulnerability to a potential coronavirus outbreak and said it was ready to support efforts by aid organizations to contain the spread of the illness in the North.

A senior Trump administration official said Sunday that Trump sent a letter to Kim that the official said was consistent with Trump's efforts to engage global leaders during the pandemic. The official said Trump looks forward to continued communications with the North Korean leader.

Kim Yo Jong said Trumps letter is a good example showing the special and firm personal relations between the North Korean and U.S. leaders. But she said its not a good idea to make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about the prospect for bilateral relations.

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In my personal opinion, I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries, she said. Even at this moment we are working hard to develop and defend ourselves on our own under the cruel environment which the U.S. is keen to provide.

Earlier, Trump sent birthday greetings to Kim Jong Un, who was believed to have turned 36 on Jan. 8. Senior North Korean official Kim Kye Gwan said at the time that the birthday message won't lead his country to return to talks unless the U.S. accepts its demands.

Kim and Trump have met three times and exchanged letters and envoys on many occasions since 2018, when they launched talks on the fate of Kims advancing nuclear arsenal. The two leaders have avoided harsh language against each other, and Trump once said he and Kim fell in love.

But their diplomacy has largely come to a standstill since the breakdown of their second summit in Vietnam in February 2019, when Trump rejected Kims demands for broad sanctions relief in return for a partial disarmament step.

Kim pressed Trump to come up with new proposals to salvage the negotiations by the end of last year. Kim later vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent and unveil a new strategic weapon, and warned that he would no longer be bound by a major weapons test moratorium.

In recent weeks, North Korea has fired a slew of artillery and other rockets into the sea in what experts say is an attempt to improve its military capabilities. The weapons were all short range and did not pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland. A resumption of long-range missile or nuclear weapons tests by Kim would likely completely scuttle diplomacy with Trump, experts say.

KCNA said Kim watched the test firing of tactical guided weapons on Saturday with Kim Yo Jong and other top officials. South Korea's military called the demonstration very inappropriate at a time when the world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

South Koreas military said Saturday that it detected two presumed short-range ballistic missiles that flew from a site in western North Korea across the country and landed in the waters off the east coast. The weapons flew 410 kilometers (255 miles), according to South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff.

___

Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report.
Jeremy Collins, a U-Haul representative, said that for serious conditions in the world, weve typically offered people a free month of storage. (Storage rates for a 5-by-10-foot unit typically start from $99.95 per month).

Virtual Karaoke, Bingo and Trivia

The six-year old Gaythering hotel in Miami, which caters to the L.G. B. T. Q. community, has taken its weekly karaoke, bingo and trivia nights online.

The drag queen Karla Croqueta hosted a virtual karaoke night on Instagram on Monday, March 16 from 8 to 10 p.m., which drew 485 viewers. We sang Britney Spears Toxic and Salt-N-Pepas Shoop and we could have kept going, the co-owner Alex Guerra said. Virtual Trivia nights are on Wednesdays at 8 p.m., and Bingo nights are on Thursdays at 9 p.m., on the propertys social media channels.

Virtual travel stories for children

When kids are stuck at home, they can still travel the world through storybooks, said the author Sucheta Rawal, who has written a series of five Beato Goes To books, in which the main character, an explorer cat, visits places from Greenland to Japan.

Children around the world are invited to join 30-minute-long live session to meet the author and listen to a book reading; sessions are held on her Facebook page.

Culinary lessons and wine tastings

Silvia Grossi, executive chef of the 44-room villa, Il Salviatino, in Fiesole, near Florence, Italy, has taken to social media to host cooking lessons from her own kitchen.

She said that these are easy recipes that can be created with ingredients most people already have in their homes  flour, spices, canned foods and eggs, for example. Her Instagram stories are conducted in Italian and have had an uplifting response, she said. Its incredible how connected we are, even when apart.
At Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, an elderly man leaves the emergency room wearing a mask outside the temporary testing area. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues its steep climb in California, many local emergency rooms remain eerily quiet, doctors say, giving them time to prepare but also time to agonize about what could be coming their way.

The L.A. County-USC Medical Center, the flagship hospital of the second-largest municipal health system in the country, can often feel like a war zone, said a physician who works there and spoke on the condition of anonymity. But in recent days, it has been strangely quiet.

Poor people who often use the emergency room as a combination urgent care and doctors office have stayed away, he said. They have stepped up and the nonemergency [patients] that used to overwhelm our waiting room really have stayed home. The ER waiting room has never been this empty."

Another physician, at Kaiser in Los Angeles, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the joke among the staff is that the only people showing up in their emergency room, "have coronavirus or are having a heart attack."

An emergency room physician working at hospitals in San Bernardino County told The Times on Saturday morning, "patients are actually listening and the ER is just being used for emergencies."

ER doctors aren't the only emergency workers noticing the strange calm.

In L.A., fewer people are making 911 calls than at this same time last year, and fewer of the ambulances dispatched are taking patients to the hospital.

L.A. Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said that in the past week, emergency transportation to local hospitals has been down by about 20% over the previous year.

People are staying in their residences. They are being aggressive about hygiene and they are practicing social distancing, including [while] driving, Scott said. Weve seen a decrease in traffic collisions.

No doubt some people are refraining from using emergency services out of a sense of social responsibility. They don't want to overburden the system in a time of crisis. But there's another obvious reason for the slowdown: People are terrified of getting in an ambulance or entering an emergency room where they might contract COVID-19.

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At Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, doctors treat about 300 patients on a normal day. On Friday, they saw only 220, said Dr. Arthur Jey, an emergency medicine doctor who supervises the residency development program.

Self-isolation might prevent some injuries and other reasons for seeking help, but Jey said he was also concerned that patients with serious medical problems, such as strokes or heart attacks, might be waiting until the last possible moment to seek medical attention because they are scared of the virus.

People who should be coming in are coming in later than they should, he said.

Administrators at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services confirmed that emergency room volume is down at County-USC Medical Center. There are a few reasons, said Dr. Hal F. Yee, the system's chief medical officer. It's the end of the usual flu season and there have been fewer traumatic injuries because people are following the advice to stay home.

"It is possible that people are avoiding the emergency room for the sake of social distancing, but we certainly hope that nobody is doing that if they have a medical emergency, Yee added.

Fear of contracting the new, untreatable disease is also weighing, heavily, on the minds of emergency workers. Many say they are facing dangerous shortages of protective gear, especially the sturdy N95 face masks that are believed to be effective at blocking the virus.

Like her colleagues around the country, the San Bernardino ER doctor is deeply concerned about a critical shortage of the masks.

She described somewhat chaotic rationing of the equipment that is available and the lengths some of her co-workers are going to in an effort to conserve.

"Theyre just wearing it the entire day and sterilizing it and guarding it with their life. I dont use that term lightly, its real."

At one of the hospitals where she works, administrators have discouraged staffers from walking around in the masks when they're not dealing directly with a coronavirus case for fear of worrying other patients and employees who don't have access to protective gear.

As an independent contractor, the doctor said administrators don't have as much power over her. So she wears her mask  obtained on her own outside the hospital  whenever she thinks it's appropriate.

But nurses are direct hospital employees so they're not as free to buck the system.

"Ive never been told by administrators not to wear a mask. If they told me that I would laugh in their face," she said. But she's worried about the nurses. "It does me no good to survive this if they all die, I cant do their jobs!"

The anxiety of waiting and wondering how bad things are going to become is taking a serious toll and creeping up when she least expects it, especially at home with her kids.

"Today, my baby was begging me to pick him up and I had to stop myself and think twice," she said.



"It makes me very sad and scared, and I dont want to scare my kids...and it's only going to get worse."

At County-USC Medical Center, face shields are in high demand because they protect healthcare workers during the most high-risk procedures, such as intubation when the virus can be diffused into the air.

Staff members have been told the hospital has only a few hundred of them, said the doctor interviewed by The Times. If they wear one to treat a high-risk patient, they can dispose of the shield, but if the patient appears to be low risk, they have to wash the shield and reuse it.

Theres a sense of fear among the staffers, not just for their own health but for the well-being of family members and significant others.

Tents have been erected at the Saperstein Emergency Center entrance to the Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center on the Westwood campus as hospitals are straining under coronavirus but the big wave hasn't hit yet. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

Everybody knows its going to get bad," the doctor said, "but nobody knows exactly when.

Emergency room nurse Angelica Jaime said that at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, patients with legitimate medical needs are still coming, but those seeking treatment for paper cuts are a thing of the past.

We used to have patients who come to the ER for refills of their prescription because their doctors couldnt fit them in, Jaime said.

Now, she said, the public seems to grasp what she and her colleagues have always known: No one should be in the ER if they are not dying. Honestly.
Fiona Ma stood with her mother at the doorway of their house on South Benson Street as officers walked in front of them and under the yellow tape. The 20-year-old peeked outside, taking in a rare breath of fresh air after a week of being cooped up inside. Dozens of feet away, the officers flashlights revealed an array of shell casings in front of a blue sedan parked on the west side of Benson.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture COVID-19 testing kits on "a war footing".

In an interaction with leaders of the pharmaceutical industry, Modi said that the Centre has already approved schemes worth Rs 14,000 crore for production of critical drugs and medical equipment.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "In order to ensure production of critical drugs and medical equipment, the Centre has already approved schemes worth Rs. 14,000 crore. We will also work to maintain the supply of APIs. Urged pharma industry to manufacture COVID-19 testing kits on a war footing."

In a video conference with various stakeholders associated with the pharmaceuticals industry, Modi reviewed preparations to combat COVID-19. He said that this sector has a key role in creating a healthier India.

"I am sure the pharma industry will not only ensure the maintenance of supply lines of essential medicines, medical kits and equipment, but also in a time as critical as this, they will focus on innovation and cutting-edge research," he said in another tweet.

According to an official release, the Prime Minister said that pharma producers and distributors have a crucial role to play in combating the challenge of COVID-19. He said that not only does the industry need to ensure maintenance of supply lines of essential medicines, medical kits and equipment, it should also try to come up with new and innovative solutions.

He said that the government is committed to helping the industry in maintaining the supply of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), underlining the importance of the manufacture of such APIs within the country.

The Prime Minister requested the industry leaders to work on manufacturing RNA diagnostic kits for COVID-19 on a war footing.

He asked the medicine retailers and pharmacists to be on constant vigil to ensure that black marketing and hoarding of medicines is avoided and supply of essentials maintained. He suggested that wherever feasible, the supply of medicines in bulk may be avoided.

Prime Minister said that in this hour of need, it is imperative for the industry to work continuously and also ensure that there is no shortage of workforce in the pharma sector.

He suggested exploration of home delivery model to allow for maintenance of social distancing at pharmacies, and also promotion of usage of digital payment mechanisms to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Pharmaceutical Associations said that they are committed to maintaining the supply of essential medicines and equipment, and are also working on developing vaccines. They said that the government's policy announcements for the Pharma sector will give the sector a huge boost.

The Prime Minister appreciated the dedication and commitment of the industry and the zeal with which they are working.

India has reported 315 positive cases of COVID-19 till Saturday as state governments across the country have been ordering partial or complete lockdown in their respective states.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A couple from Bengaluru is stranded in Spain after they went there to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Pratap Nandakumar and his wife Amulya, residents of Vidyaranyapura, left the city on March 9 after booking a flight via Duniya Travels. However, while they were trying to return to India, airport authorities didnt let them board the flight, saying they did not have a valid VISA to travel via the UK.

Nagaraj Rao, a friend of the couple, said, The couple tried to cancel the trip, but Duniya Travels staff misled them saying there is nothing to worry about in Spain. Now, they are stuck in Madrid. However, their luggage is said to have reached the city on Friday, and their families were informed about it. Prathap, an aerospace engineer working with a private firm in Yelahanka, sent a video to his family, informing them that he and Amulya have run out of clothes and money.

The couple stays in a service apartment, but the owner has told them to vacate as they are closing down the premises on March 23. The couple, who is great distress, has requested the Indian Embassy to make arrangements for their return. Meanwhile, family members of the couple have appealed to the state government in this regard.

Speaking to TNIE, Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, said, We have information that a total of 36 Indians are stuck in Spain, and have informed the Indian Embassy to make arrangements there itself, as its not possible to bring them back to India at this stage. We will take a call after March 31.

WATCH | Coronavirus outbreak: Europe edging towards total lockdown
New Delhi, March 22 : A day after being denied permission to land in India, KLM's flight with 117 Indians who were stranded in Amsterdam will land in New Delhi later on Sunday evening.

Accordingly, the flight from Amsterdam is expected to land around 8.30 p.m. (IST).

"After receiving clearance from the Indian authorities, KLM has arranged an additional flight - KL869/22 March from Amsterdam to Delhi," the airline said in a statement.

"KLM is committed to do everything it can to repatriate as many travellers as possible while ensuring to abide and respect government regulations."
Lebanon summons US envoy over Israel operative's escape from country

Iran Press TV

Friday, 20 March 2020 10:55 PM

Lebanon's foreign minister has summoned the US ambassador to Beirut over the escape of an Israeli operative from the country with the help of the American embassy despite a travel ban imposed on him.

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti summoned US Ambassador Dorothy Shea On Friday, asking her to explain "the circumstances of Amer al-Fakhoury's transfer abroad from the US embassy," AFP quoted Lebanon's National News Agency as saying.

The development came after leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement slammed al-Fakhoury's departure from the country as an "escape" organized by the US and a "flagrant violation of (Lebanese) sovereignty."

In a televised speech earlier on Friday, Nasrallah condemned smuggling out of the Israeli operative, who was jailed in Lebanon on security charges.

Nasrallah said during the time that al-Fakhoury was in prison, the US continued for months to exert all forms of pressures on Lebanon and even threatened its authorities to secure al-Fakhoury's release from prison.

"The US even threatened Lebanese judges, some of whom refused to release al-Fakhoury and some of whom finally yielded to the pressures," the Hezbollah leader said, adding, "The US threatened to blacklist several Lebanese figures and to halt military support to Lebanese army in order to get al-Fakoury out of jail."

A former member of the pro-Israeli South Lebanon Army (SLA), al-Fakhoury was also the former head of the infamous Khiam Prison, which was opened in 1984 by the SLA after Israel created a security zone in southern Lebanon.

Former prisoners have accused al-Fakhoury of ordering the torture of thousands of detainees in Khiam prison before Israel withdrew its forces from Lebanon in 2000, ending 22-year occupation of the southern part of the country.

A security source said on Thursday that al-Fakhoury left the country in a helicopter from the US embassy heading to an unknown destination, but the embassy did not comment on the report.

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Pakistan's Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif returned from London on Sunday amid the coronavirus crisis to be with the people of the country and serve the victims of the deadly disease, a day after the government suspended all international flights for two weeks to check the spread of COVID-19.

Shehbaz, who is the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, landed at the Islamabad international airport where he was screened for coronavirus.

"Just landed in Islamabad maintain a distance from one another and try to stay at your homes so that none of us are forced to part with our loved ones due to this virus. Love you all," he tweeted after his arrival.

Shehbaz, 68, said that he is returning to Pakistan on the direction of Sharif.

"I believe my services are needed in Pakistan at this time of crisis. Nawaz Sharif has asked me to help victims of the coronavirus and be among the masses during their time of need, he tweeted.

In a brief chat with media after his arrival, Shehbaz said that Pakistan would fight against the deadly coronavirus like a nation and defeat it.

"The country is going through a tough time at the moment. That is why my brother and I decided it would be best for me to return before all international flights were banned. We will fight this (virus) together," he said.

Pakistan on Saturday suspended all international flights for two weeks and curtailed train services as coronavirus cases surged to 730 in the country.

"From 8 pm tonight, all incoming international flights are being suspended for two weeks," a statement issued by the government said.

Meanwhile, Shehbaz said that the treatment of his brother will start soon as his cardiologist has returned from leave.

Nawaz Sharif, 69, is currently in London after getting bail from a Pakistani court in a corruption case on medical grounds. Shehbaz accompanied his brother to London in November.

He said that PML-N is united under Sharif's leadership.

We are working as one team under Nawaz's leadership, he said.

Before his departure from London, Shehbaz tweeted that he was going back to be with the people of Pakistan at the time of crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia's military transport planes will deliver eight mobile brigades of military medics and special disinfection vehicles.

The Russian military will start sending medical help to Italy from Sunday in order to help it battle the new coronavirus after receiving an order from President Vladimir Putin, Russias Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Putin spoke to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday, the Kremlin said, saying the Russian leader had offered his support and help in the form of mobile disinfection vehicles and specialists to help the worst hit Italian regions, Reuters reported.

Read alsoItaly overtakes China's coronavirus death toll  media

Italy recorded a jump in deaths from coronavirus of almost 800 on Saturday, taking the toll in the worlds hardest-hit country to almost 5,000.

The Russian Defense Ministry said military transport planes would deliver eight mobile brigades of military medics, special disinfection vehicles, and other medical equipment to Italy starting from Sunday.

Russia itself has reported 306 cases of the virus, most of them in Moscow, and one coronavirus-related death.
Eric Most and Rachel McLaughlin share a kiss right after they cut their wedding cake at their reception at Knowlton Mansion. Read more

Rachel McLaughlin and Eric Most

Jan. 25, 2020, in Philadelphia

Hello there

As soon as he saw the pretty woman with long, brown hair, Eric knew he had to say hello. He crossed the room full of Drexel University students, gathered for a spring 2013 party hosted by Erics roommate, Shane, and Shanes girlfriend, Delancy, and met Rachel.

We hit it off, just immediately, said Eric, a computer science major from Midlothian, Va.

He was a really good listener  one of the few people Ive ever met who listens as much as he talks, said Rachel, who grew up in Holmdel, Monmouth County, N.J., and was in Drexels nursing program, where she met Delancy. When he did talk, he was so passionate about the things hes interested in, and he was really funny.

As they had the getting-to-know-you conversation, Rachels phone rang, and she took the call and talked for a minute or two before hanging up. Who were you on the phone with? Eric asked. Its my mom! she said.

Oh! Eric said, a bit surprised. Does she know youre at a party?

Yeah, Rachel said, wondering if he would think she was weird to be talking to her mother while partying with her friends.

It was definitely a little bit weird, Eric said. But not bad weird.

Despite the fun they had together, the night ended without the two exchanging contact information. Rachel woke up wishing they had, and her wish was soon granted by a text from Eric, who had asked Delancy for her number.

Next came movie nights and other group outings and then, one night, it was just the two of them walking around campus, getting some food, filling in many of the blanks that remained. Two weeks later at Moshulu, they gave each other titles: Girlfriend. Boyfriend. But it was really just formalizing what had already happened, Rachel said. It was always exclusive.

Her kindness and compassion, her thoughtfulness for others, are the big things I love about her, Eric said. Shes a very kind and giving person.

For Rachel, same same.

The first time I told him I loved him was when we visited his family. He was so kind and respectful to his parents and sister, she remembered. She also enjoys the way Eric gets her to slow down and appreciate life, even though he is as driven as she is. He supports me in everything I want to do. He always has my back. Hes very loyal. I knew for a long time he would be a really good husband.

After graduating, they both stayed in Philadelphia, and in summer 2016, they moved to their Center City apartment.

Eric, who is now 26, is a software developer for Susquehanna International Group (SIG), in Bala Cynwyd. Rachel, now 27, is a pediatric oncology nurse at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

The engagement

For the past 50 years or so, Erics familys summers have centered on a small, rustic cabin on Little Eskutassis Pond in Maine. In July 2019, Rachel joined Eric and his parents, Christine and Doug, and his sister, Ramona, for the second week of his stay at whats just about his favorite place on earth.

The two rowed out on the water one afternoon to cast lines. The lake was beautiful and the time together lovely, but the fish were not biting. As Rachel reeled in her last cast, Eric moved and made their small boat tilt. What are you doing? she asked.

He had knelt.

I know we didnt have the best fishing day today, but I feel like I caught something way better than a fish, Eric said. Will you marry me?

Completely gobsmacked and utterly delighted, she said yes. And then she had a question for Eric: How did he pull this off in secret?

In part, with the help of her parents, Donna and Alan. A short while after receiving their blessing, Eric and Donna went to Donnas favorite jeweler where she helped him pick out the perfect ring for Rachel.

It was so them

The couple married in an interfaith ceremony at the Knowlton Mansion beneath a huppah built by Eric and Kyle, Rachels sister Victorias boyfriend. In the weeks prior, Rabbi Joysa Winter asked Rachel and Eric to separately send her their answers to questions about the other, then wove the words into a very personalized ceremony. She told our love story to the guests in a way that it felt like vows to each other, Rachel said. All ceremony songs were instrumental versions of themes from Broadway shows theyve seen together.

The reception for 100 featured the Philly Keys pianists, plus a drummer, and guitarist. They did a request-type show, and it was really fun, Eric said. The couple launched the reception with a choreographed first dance to Queens Youre My Best Friend. They took lessons for a month, and, despite Rachels fears about her not-that-great-at-dancing feet, pulled it off splendidly.

Awestruck

All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera began to play, and Rachel, flanked by her parents, began walking down the aisle toward Eric. I felt a lot of emotions all of a sudden, he said. I was just really happy, and feeling a lot of good things.

Rachel loved the part of the ceremony that featured the words she and Eric had written about each other. You tell someone you love them all of the time. It was nice to hear the explanation of exactly why they feel that way, and to relive the time when you are first going out with somebody and they are falling in love with you, she said.

The budget crunch

A bargain: The couple hired the Philly Keys for a bit more than a DJ, but significantly less than the least-expensive wedding band they found. We definitely thought we were getting a big upgrade over a DJ, and I think it was a more enjoyable time for people than what it might have been if we had a standard band with a set list of pop hits, said Eric.

The splurge: We really wanted awesome photos, and when we were having our planning discussions, we agreed this was the one thing we didnt want to compromise on, Rachel said. They chose photographer Rebecca Barger solely because they love her work and said the cost was very reasonable for the quality and quantity of photographs received. The bride is also glad she treated the mothers and bridal party to professional hair and makeup.

Honeymooning

Two weeks in Costa Rica, including beach time, long ziplines over a scenic river valley, and hikes in the rain forest that ended with soothing soaks at their hot springs resort, Tabacon.

Behind the scenes:

Officiant: Rabbi Joysa Winter.

Ceremony and reception: Knowlton Mansion, Philadelphia.

Food: Conroy Catering, Philadelphia.

Music: The Philly Keys, Philadelphia.

Photography: Rebecca Barger Photography, Jenkintown, Pa.

Flowers: Offshoots!, Philadelphia.

Brides attire: Designed by Maggie Sottero, purchased at Cinderella Bridals, Matawan, N.J. https://www.cinderellabridals.com/

Grooms attire: Enzo Custom, Philadelphia.

Hair/Makeup: Taffeta and Hair & Makeup Design, Hammonton, N.J.

Transportation: Limo Today, Bensalem, Pa.

Dance Lessons: Moving Image Dance Academy, Philadelphia.
As Pennsylvania officials mull the possibility of a shelter-in-place or lockdown as other states have done to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, one Pennsylvania city is already taking those steps.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney on Sunday issued a stay-at-home order for the entire city, which goes into effect at 8 a.m. Monday, NBC 10 is reporting.

The order prohibits gatherings outside of a single household with a few exceptions, according to reports.

As of Sunday, Pennsylvania was reporting 479 cases of the coronavirus. The highest concentration is in Philadelphia, its suburban counties and the adjacent Lehigh Valley.

Two deaths have been reported so far statewide.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered the closure of the physical locations of non-life-sustaining businesses.

States like California, New York and Illinois have taken more stringent measures, quarantining residents to their homes unless it is absolutely necessary to leave. Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine hinted at that possibility on Saturday as the state sees exponential growth in the spread of the coronavirus.

In Philadelphia, Mayor Kenney said he was forced to implement the measure because there still were too many people not taking it serious, NBC 10 reports.

Philadelphia alone had 91 confirmed cases on Sunday.

According to reports, under the order, Philadelphia residents shall remain at home unless engaged in a list of essential personal activities, which include:

Obtaining essential goods and services from essential businesses,

Seeking medical attention,

Caring for family members, friends or a pet in another household,

Performing essential jobs,

Exercising outdoors while maintaining social distance,

Leaving for educational, religious or political reasons,

Leaving out of reasonable fear for health and safety or at the direction of law enforcement.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
In Nandita Das' film, Manto, the great story writer, who loved Bombay beyond distraction, finds himself under pressure from family, in the midst of the post Partition carnage, to leave for Lahore. Shyam, film star and friend remarks, "You are not such a Muslim that you have to leave for Pakistan." "Enough of a Muslim to be killed, in a riot," retorts Manto. The irony is that Manto was an atheist. Circumstances had imposed on his name an identity he was otherwise not comfortable with.

Haven't some of us experienced this identity superimposition on the basis of our names? A few days ago a former Foreign Secretary took my breath away: he addressed me in tones that would have flattered the Sheikh of a Muslim seminary. In such extreme circumstances would you blame me if I am tempted to reintroduce myself. "Look that is not me at all." In fact, what I wrote after the Moradabad riots of 1982, is what I am, give or take an inflection or two. Prior to that date, no journalist had ever taken that approach to the theme. Pardon me for repeating what I wrote 38 years ago. It may help to beat the current amnesia.

"Whenever events like Moradabad take place some of my friends turn to me with sympathy which generally leaves me cold because I guess I am a minority in my own community for reasons more than one.

My credentials as a good Muslim are quite as suspect as Ghalib's were. "I am half a Muslim", he said when, in the course of a litigation, a magistrate asked him to declare his religion. "I drink but I do not eat pork." However, my children generally describe themselves as Muslims while filling up school admission forms, although I wonder why such questions should ever be asked. Before you hastily trace my attitude to my anglicized education let me dispel the notion straightaway. Yes, I did have my schooling in an Anglo-Indian institution of sorts in Lucknow, but the home in which I grew up was a deeply religious one even though the likes of the Imam currently in the news would not have been allowed within miles of it.

My grandfather, like Dryden, always maintained that "Priests of all religious are the same", but some he respected, even befriended for their scholarship and conversation. I remember sitting through many a theological discourse, with Maulana Nasir-ul-Millat holding court; among the participants was one Mr Gurtu, a Kashmiri Pandit.

A moulvi of little distinction was hired ostensibly to brush up my arithmetic but actually to put me through my first paces in 'namaz'. His efforts at proselytization were supplemented by my mother's; she augmented our meager library with biographies of the prophets and the great Imams.

There was a quaint little mosque in the compound of our house in the village, Mustafabad, near Rae Bareli. Since we visited the village only during school holidays, marriages, deaths and births, it was not difficult to maintain a certain discipline and be seen in the mosque, at reasonable frequency, often only to please grandfather.

We were groomed into believing that Islam was the most dynamic of religions but we found it equally easy to accept that it was Islam's interaction with a greater civilization that resulted in Dara Shikoh, Rahim, Kabir, Amir Khusro, Raskhan, Nazir Akbarabadi, Ghalib, and Anis. Nowhere in the Muslim world is there a monument, like the Taj or Fatehpur Sikri.

Folks these days are ignorant of the 18th century poet Nazir Akbarabadi's poem "kya kya likhoon main Krishna Kanhaiya Ka baal pan" (How should I write about the beautiful childhood of Lord Krishna) or Mohsin Kakorvi's "Samte Kashi se chala janibe Mathura badal" "jab talak Brij mein Kanhaiya hai yeh Khulne ka nahin" (The clouds are moving ecstatically from Kashi to Mathura and the sky will remain covered with the beautiful clouds as long as there is Krishna in Braj). These lines were written by the Muslim poet to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad? In the region I was raised in, 'Sohar' was a song sung during a woman's confinement. My mother's favourite sohar was "Allah Mian, hamre bhaiya ka diyo Nandlal" (Oh my Allah, give my brother a son like Lord Krishna).

What does all this nostalgia have to do with "contemporary realities", a friend asks.

Well, I guess I am no pandit but I do know a bit about "contemporary realities". I know how Partition ruptured the fabric, bits of which I still keep with me. I also know about the status reversal experienced by the Muslims in independent India, particularly with the decline of the feudal order. It was the self-confident Muslim elite which found it easy to extend patronage to the beautiful aspects of Hindu culture: after all, Krishna Leela was preserved in its entirely in the Kathak style evolved in the Muslim courts.

With the decay of the feudal order, the lower middle class, always given to religiosity gained upward mobility. It is upon this class that the clergy dominated parties feed and which forms the central nervous system of the sort of fundamentalism on show. I also know of a certain pan-Islamic sentiment among the Muslims and I guess that the RSS does not like it. All this and more I have been aware of for quite some time.

It must, therefore, be a considerable intellectual failure on my part that in spite of all this I am unable to disengage myself from the folks who moulded me in my formative years. The credo they lived by is no longer part of the contemporary ethos.

Call it private grief, call it indifference, or both, but I find it, increasingly difficult to have a readymade response to Moradabad, Jamshedpur or Aligarh. And when friends turn to me with sympathy when such madness erupts, I feel a sort of numbness and have a strange feeling that they are addressing the wrong person." (Saeed Naqvi is a senior commentator on political and diplomatic issues. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com)
Bahrain today (March 22) announced several stringent measures to tackle Covid-19 pandemic including a ban on meeting of more than five people and closure of all commercial outlets from March 26 onwards, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



Public Security Chief Lieutenant General Tariq Al Hassan announced that all gatherings consisting of more than five people have been banned, said the report http://www.gdnonline.com

Al Hassan warned that strict measures will be taken against any violators, it stated.



Meanwhile, Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed Al Zayani has announced that all commercial outlets - except hypermarkets, cold stores, bakeries, pharmacies and banks - will be closed from March 26, said the GDN report.



In another development, Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh has urged the public to commit to staying indoors and only leave the house for necessities.



She was speaking at a press conference also attended by Al Zayani, Al Hassan, Covid-19 Control and Monitoring Committee Head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani and Covid-19 Task Force head Dr Jameela Salman.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health announced the death of a 51-year-old female Bahraini national who was suffering from underlying and chronic health problems, and was registered as an active case of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The deceased female had returned from Iran via the International COVID-19 Repatriation Programme (ICRP) earlier this month and had not entered the general population. The individual, upon arrival to Bahrain, was placed in isolation and received extensive 24-hour treatment from a specialised medical team.

The Ministry highlighted that excluding three cases, all other active COVID-19 cases remain stable and that all patients are receiving treatment from a specialised medical team following guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Cabinet members hold an emergency workshop at the Government Complex Seoul, Saturday, when they agreed to return 30 percent of their salary for four months to fund the efforts to contain COVID-19. / Yonhap



By Kim Rahn



President Moon Jae-in and high-ranking government officials will return 30 percent of their monthly salary over the next four months to help fund nationwide efforts to combat COVID-19.



The Prime Minister's Secretariat said, Saturday, that Cabinet members and heads of government agencies decided to do this during an emergency workshop presided over by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at the Government Complex in Seoul that day.



Their salary will be returned to the state coffers, and the finance ministry will use the money for quarantine efforts and support for people financially hit by the pandemic.



Moon, Chung, and minister- and vice minister-level officials will join the move, which will be applied to salaries this month through June.



"They agreed on the partial salary return to share pain with the people," the secretariat said in a press release.



An official of the secretariat said other high-level civil servants may follow suit.



Hours after the plan was made public, South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo said he would join the move.



"I'll join it if it can be even a little bit of help in overcoming the economic crisis caused by COVID-19," Kim said on Facebook. "I've been thinking of many ways to help the local economy, but I couldn't carry them out as they would be in violation of the Election Law. I'll return my salary to the state coffers so the money can be used in efforts to combat COVID-19."



But Kim expressed hopes that the salary return campaign would remain only for high-ranking officials. "Mid- and low-ranking working-level public servants have already been having a hard time for the coronavirus-control efforts, and I don't want them to feel pressured," he wrote.



The public response to the move was generally positive, with many internet users saying it was desirable for ranking officials show their willingness to share the hardship of the people.



At the same time, many urged lawmakers to do the same, or at least return a higher portion of their salary, criticizing them for doing nothing practical to aid the people but waste taxpayer's money.



"If any political party has its members return at least 30 percent of their salary, I'll cast my vote for it in the April general election," a blogger wrote on the Daim portal.



Reading such public sentiment, some ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) members have called for lawmakers' participation in the campaign.



Rep. Park Beom-kye suggested returning 50 percent of their salaries. "It is an emergency situation, and we need to do more if we can," he wrote on his Facebook.



Rep. Kim Du-kwan also said sharing the people's hardship was the duty of a responsible government and ruling party. "I hope the money returned by DPK members will be used to aid financially strained companies so they will not have to dismiss workers," he wrote on Facebook.


Person Hands Opening Mailbox To Remove Newspaper

I discussed one big change that could help Canadians with their next tax return when this year started. That change was an upward adjustment to the Basic Personal Amount (BPA) that allows Canadians to pay no federal income tax up to a certain amount. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the ruling Liberals vowed to bring the BPA to $15,000 by 2023.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been a global game changer. This crisis has already inspired changes in how Canadians will file in 2020. This is due to the $82 billion aid package that was pushed forward by the Canadian government. The stimulus package includes $27 million in emergency aid for workers and businesses and $55 million in tax deferrals.

Lets look at some of the ways Canada Revenue Agency has provided relief in 2020.

Two new government programs



In response to this crisis, the federal government has rolled out two brand-new programs. The $10 billion Emergency Care Benefit will provide $450 a week for 15 weeks for workers who are quarantined or sick. It will also provide relief for parents who are forced to stay home to care for their children due to school closings.

The $5 billion Emergency Support Benefit will provide funding to recently unemployed Canadians. It targets those who do not qualify for Employment Insurance (EI). However, there are still details to be unveiled from the Canada Revenue Agency on this second program.

Tax deferral

At this time of the year, most Canadians will have been actively preparing their tax return ahead of the April 30, 2020, deadline. The whirlwind of changes brought about by measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak has spurred the government to grant Canadians some breathing room. Thus, the Canada Revenue Agency will defer the filing due date for the 2019 tax returns of individuals until June 1, 2020.

However, individuals who expect to receive benefits under the GSTC or the Canada Child Benefit are encouraged to avoid a delay, so they can ensure their entitlements for the 2020-21 benefit year. The CRA will allow all taxpayers to defer the payment of any income tax amounts until after August 31, 2020.

Story continues

Relief for Canadian businesses

Many businesses have already been hit hard by the COVID-19 shutdowns. The government has proposed to provide eligible small employers a temporary wage subsidy for a period of three months. This subsidy will be equal to 10% of remuneration paid during the period. The total works out to a maximum of $25,000 per employer. Businesses will also benefit from the tax deferral and start payments after August 31, 2020.

Bonus: Seeking relief on the markets

The package from the government will provide some breathing room for Canadians and businesses that may be struggling right now. Investors may want to seek relief of their own in this volatile market. Fortunately, there are high-quality dividend stocks trading at a discount in the bear market.

Fortis is still one of my favourites. The company has delivered over 45 consecutive years of dividend growth. Its stock offers a quarterly dividend of $0.4775 per share, representing a 3.8% yield. Shares of Fortis possess a favourable price-to-earnings ratio of 13 and a price-to-book value of 1.3 at the time of this writing.

The post Canada Revenue Agency: 3 Huge Changes for Taxpayers in 2020 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Ambrose O'Callaghan owns shares of FORTIS INC.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - The Congolese Prime Minister, Clement Mouamba, on Saturday evening in Brazzaville, ordered the immediate closure of all land, sea and air borders until further notice, following the confirmation of a new case of Covid-19 in the country
Film producer Ritesh Sidhwani has called out people



who are sending him "insensitive" messages on Whatsapp about his niece for undergoing coronavirus test.

The filmmaker posted a lengthy statement on Twitter, saying his sister's daughter recently returned from London and underwent test for COVID-19 at Kasturba Hospital after she developed a fever and cough.

However, even before her test results were declared, Sidhwani said people had already started spreading rumours about her health.

"But while the medical report was still awaited, a certain WhatsApp Medical College had already declared her positive. And they don't just reveal her identity but also spell out where she resided.

"While this so caring WhatsApp Medical College was advising everyone to stay home! There's no advise on not stigmatising anyone even if they test positive. Not to forget these are our so called 'friends and neighbours' who don't care a damn about the privacy of a young little girl," Sidhwani wrote.

The producer said his niece has now been tested negative for coronavirus but she will still be taking "precautionary measures" for the next two weeks.

"I would like to thank BMC for the exemplary work being done by the doctors and staff at Kasturba Hospital in taking extraordinary care of people visiting for tests! My niece was all praises for the facility and hospitality extended by the medical staff. Thank you for your selfless service and dedication," he added.

Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 283 on Saturday after 60 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
All non-essential services will be shut down within the next 48 hours in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory to slow the spread of coronavirus after a spike in confirmed cases.

Premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews released separate statements assuring supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and home delivery services would stay open during the 'comprehensive shutdown'.

But bars, restaurants and cafes will likely be forced to close in the coming days.

ACT chief minister Andrew Barr later announced the territory would do the same within the next two days.

The historic announcements come as the number of cases of COVID-19 Australia-wide spiked to 1,349, including 533 in NSW and 296 in Victoria.

Schools will also be operating as usual in NSW on Monday, although the premier is planning to make further announcements on education in the morning.

Victoria will bring school holidays forward by a few days by closing all schools on Tuesday.

Mr Andrews would not confirm when schools are likely to reopen.

Scroll down for video

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (right) will close all non-essential services within the next 48 hours in the state to slow the spread of coronavirus

Partygoers who attended the Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List (pictured) on March 15 have been asked to self isolate

Both leaders will further detail their plans in a national cabinet meeting alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday evening.

Wes Lambert, chief executive of the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association is fiercely lobbying for both states to allow restaurants to stay open for take away and delivery purposes.

'Businesses need to be able to continue to employ staff for food delivery and takeaway, which we think is essential,' he said.

There are now 533 cases of coronavirus in NSW alone - and 1,349 nationally. That number is expected to rise

WHAT WILL CLOSE IN VICTORIA, NSW AND THE ACT AND WHAT WILL STAY OPEN? WHAT WILL STAY OPEN: Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and convenience stores Home delivery, freight and logistics services Schools (In NSW, pending Monday announcement) NRL season WHAT WILL CLOSE: Bars, restaurants and cafes AFL season until May 31 Schools (In Victoria, from Tuesday) All bars and restaurants in NSW will be forced to close within the next 48 hours as the premier implements total shutdown of non essential services ( Pictured: Club 77) Petrol stations will remain open in New South Wales and Victoria despite Sunday's announcement UNKNOWN: Public transport Nightclubs Theatres Cinemas Gyms Leisure centres Bottle shops Advertisement

'About 36 per cent of meals are eaten outside the home, so you're talking about a substantial amount of extra purchasing at grocery stores if you don't allow food delivery.'

Supermarkets throughout Australia are already struggling to cope with extra demand as a result of panic-buying.

NSW Health on Sunday confirmed 97 new COVID-19 cases overnight, bringing the state's tally to 533 and the national count to 1,349.

Empty tables at a restaurant in Circular Quay in Sydney on Saturday. Bars, restaurants and cafes will all likely be forced to close in the coming days

Several of the new diagnoses were made in backpackers in the Bondi area - just a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison was forced to close the famous beach when thousands of people flouted social distancing measures.

'There were two recent parties that some of the cases attended where the cases may have acquired their infections,' a spokesman for NSW Health said.

Those two parties were the Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List on March 15 and a party at Club 77 on the same date.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) is also seeking approval to implement a total lockdown in his state at a scheduled national meeting on Sunday night

Pictured: A Menulog delivery driver. Home delivery services will stay open during the 'comprehensive shutdown' though

The announcement comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned thousands of people who flouted the social distancing measures and flocked to Bondi Beach to soak up the sun this weekend.

'What happened at Bondi Beach yesterday was not OK and served as a message to federal and state leaders that too many Australians are not taking these issues seriously enough,' he told reporters on Sunday.

'State premiers and chief ministers may have to take far more draconian measures to enforce social distancing.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'The more Australians themselves assist us in this fight against the virus to protect lives and livelihoods, the more and better able we are to ensure that Australia comes out stronger on the other side.'

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is also seeking approval to implement a total lockdown in his state at a scheduled national meeting on Sunday night.

The state is expected to request permission to temporarily close schools from Tuesday. The state government will go ahead with the plans even without federal approval, the ABC reported.

In the meeting, politicians are also expected to discuss shutting off certain 'COVID-19' red zones from the wider community, similar to what was introduced in parts of Europe to slow the spread.

The policy would give state authorities the ability to prevent residents from coronavirus hotspots from travelling to less infected areas.

The prime minister has imposed further travel restrictions, placing a ban on all non-essential travel.

Mr Morrison said Australians would still be able to travel for work-related activities, but said people who had interstate trips planned for the upcoming school holidays should cancel them.

Even within states, people should scrap travel which isn't part of their standard routine, Mr Morrison said.

A Woolworths supermarket in Bondi Junction in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Supermarkets will also stay open during the shutdown

Tasmania, the Northern Territory and now South Australia and Western Australia have entirely closed their borders in response to the COVID-19 threat, forcing anybody who returns to enter a mandatory 14 day self isolation period.

In Western Australia, there were 30 new cases diagnosed overnight, including seven people who required hospitalisation and two in a critical condition.

One of the patients is doctor from Royal Perth Hospital, who is directly linked to another from the same hospital who previously fell ill with the virus.

Beachgoers are seen at Bondi Beach on Friday (pictured) despite the threat of coronavirus

Scott Morrison said he will enforce 'draconian' measures for Australians who ignore social distancing rules

Federal and state leaders will meet again on Sunday evening to discuss stronger measures to deal with local outbreaks.

A childcare worker from the Smeaton Grange Young Academics Centre is also among the new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Any children or staff who went to the centre between March 2 and March 16 are being told to self isolate.

All beaches in Sydney's eastern suburbs have been closed on Sunday, including Bondi, Tamarama, Maroubra and Coogee.

Beachgoers seemingly ignored warnings about the closure of the beach on Sunday morning

On Sunday afternoon, beachgoers were ordered off the sand at Balmoral, in Sydney's north, as Mosman council followed police instructions to close the beach.

Dee Why, Freshwater, Long Reef, Manly, Curl Curl and Palm Beach were all shut earlier on Sunday.

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said about 450 people who showed up at Bondi Beach on Sunday morning were told to leave.

Beachgoers at Bondi Beach on Friday, a day before the iconic Sydney beach was closed to the public

'We are not doing this because we are the fun police. We don't close these public spaces because we want to punish people,' he told Channel 7's Weekend Sunrise.

'Some people are just stupid and want to take the risk. Some people think they are above the law.'

The beaches are closed after images of people cramming on to Bondi Beach were widely condemned amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Rangers were on hand to help move people along from the beach on Sunday after Mr Morrison closed it due to lack of social distancing

Under regulations introduced to control the spread of the deadly virus, outdoor gatherings of 500 people or more have been banned.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard urged young people to take the COVID-19 threat seriously, saying 'the problem is just over the horizon, on the basis of the numbers that we're now seeing'.

'It's a serious matter. Save yourself and save your family,' Mr Hazzard told reporters on Saturday.
Police in the capital of Kyrgyzstan have detained about 60 people after an unauthorized rally to mark International Women's Day was broken up by a group of men.

The disorder took place Sunday at the main square in Bishkek.

Demonstrators gathered for a rally to express support for women's and children's rights, but unidentified males barged into the gathering. Bishkek police said people from both sides were detained, but news reports said the detainees were primarily women.

The Akipress news agency cited lawyer Bakytbek Aftandil as saying those detained were released several hours later and that about 10 of them had been charged with resisting police, which carries a fine of 3000 soms ($70).
People gather on Clearwater Beach during spring break despite world health officials' warnings to avoid large groups on March 18, 2020 in Clearwater, Florida. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Florida College Students Contract COVID-19 After Spring Break Trip: School

Five college students from the University of Tampa contracted the CCP virus after they returned from a spring break trip, according to the school.

UT has been notified that five UT students, traveling together and with other UT students during Spring Break, have tested positive for COVID-19. We sincerely wish our students, and any others who may be affected, a full and rapid recovery, the school wrote in a statement on March 21.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

It comes after several elected officials, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, called on spring break revelers to leave the beaches and engage in social distancing behavior.

Miami Beach shut down its beaches in response to the pandemic after some spring breakers defied officials orders.

We must all act as if we are infected and take every precautionary step to prevent transmitting this virus, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez told local news outlets.

Last week, one revelers response to the pandemic went viral on Twitter.

If I get corona, I get corona, spring breaker Brady Sluder told CBS News in response to questions about whether he believes its a good idea to party during the outbreak that has left thousands of people dead.

At the end of the day, Im not gonna let it stop me from partying, he continued. You know, Ive been waiting, weve been waiting for Miami spring break for a while, about two months weve had this trip planned.
Click here to read the full article.

Consider this writer impressed.

Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 does a spectacular job of synthesizing the style of The Next Generation with that of The Original Series  and the result is something new altogether.

More from IndieWire

What does that mean? Well, think about this: weve got a race of higher life forms that look somewhat human, but in manner are clearly not. Their women are scantily clad, unnaturally hued, and a tad spacey. Their men, shirtless, leave no impression at all. And they all live in a kind of Eden where any disruption to their utopian ways could result in an apocalyptic, deus ex machina solution. They also use giant space flowers as weapons!

This could be the setup of any number of Original Series episodes. But then you throw Brent Spiner in the mix as a self-described mad scientist and Jean-Luc Picards speechifying and youve got a dash of Next Gen added to the mix. The combination of the two results in a synthesis that could be the defining aesthetic of Star Trek: Picard.

Other than Nepenthe, this is surely the best episode of this uneven series to date, and it began with a bang: a space battle between La Sirena and Nareks Romulan craft upon emerging from the transwarp corridor. Theyd traveled 25 light years in 15 minutes and emerged above the world Coppelius  a name that has its origin in a strange E.T.A. Hoffmann story. More on that later.

Seven of Nine pilots what was once The Artifact over Coppelius herself, the Borg cube emerging from its own transwarp tunnel with a satisfying thwang (spectacular sound editing in this episode). All of this reminds one of the classic real-time strategy games Star Trek: Armada and Star Trek: Armada II which depicted transwarp corridors very much the same way. (Those games were the best.)

Story continues

Giant flowers from the surface of the planet suddenly appear, each enveloping these ships in orbit and causing them to crash down onto the surface  including the Cube.

Our heroes venture over to the cube to see who survived, and, reuniting with Seven of Nine and Elnor, Picard learns that Hugh sacrificed himself trying to expel the Romulans once and for all.

Raffi uses the cubes sensors to search for the Romulan fleet following in their wake: its 218 warbirds. Lets hope the denizens of this planet have quite the greenhouse to grow more of those deadly flowers!

It turns out they do not. After bidding farewell to Elnor and Seven  a lovely exchange in which Seven says Keep saving the galaxy, Picard and the captain replies, passing the torch, Thats all on you now  they visit the settlement where the synths have been growing their community. This is where were to believe the rest of Datas children were either made or settled. And theyre living life like its a hippie commune, doing public calisthenics and tai chi in the town square.

This is where the title comes into play. Et in Arcadia Ego is the name of a Nicolas Poussin painting in which shepherds read the inscription on a tomb. Arcadia is the central region of the Peloponnese. It was a quiet rural area sparsely populated during the time of ancient Greece, when most Greeks lived in cities along the coast. The Greeks considered Arcadia to be a pastoral paradise away from the strife of urban life  and yet death is found even here, as exemplified by this tomb. And in Arcadia, I am is the literal Latin translation, though most interpret it as Even in Arcadia, I am, meaning that you can never escape death no matter where you travel.

This whole time wed thought Bruce Maddox had been the one to get this community off the ground, but it turns out a silver fox walks forward with a jaunty greeting: its Brent Spiner as Dr. Alton Inigo Soong! He looks exactly like Data wouldve looked if he were a real human who got old and soft, as Soong puts it.

How odd. Now, of course, Star Trek has always suddenly sprung never-before-seen family members on us, from Spocks never-previously-mentioned brother Sybok in The Final Frontier and Spocks never-previously-mentioned sister Michael Burnham on Discovery. So its possible that Dr. Noonien Soong, the robotics prodigy who created Data and his evil brother Lore, could have had a flesh and blood son. Even though a previous episode of Next Gen established Soong had no children.

Its possible.

But something seems off about this Dr. Alton Inigo Soong. Alton Inigo? Could that be any closer to alter ego? And the way he describes his father  he had me but he created Data a fact he never let me forget  suggests not just a little bit of resentment toward Data. That account conveniently elides the fact that his father created Lore first, a robot who was a little too human  whose personality was driven by emotion more than logic. He could fit in much better than Data could. What made Data a better person was that he constantly strove to be human, even though he found it so difficult  he could never even use contractions in speaking, something that came naturally to Lore. That Lore didnt have to strive to be human meant he lacked a moral center. Lore was driven by his jealousy, his greed, his lust for power.

Lore also had a connection to Hugh, Jonathan Del Arcos late, dearly missed ex-Borg, when he came to control a group of ex-Borg in the two-part Next Gen episode Descent.

Calling it now: Dr. Alton Inigo Soong is Lore, and he sent Soji to Hughs Borg Cube, possibly hoping that shed learn more about the Admonition from Narissas crazy aunt who saw it. Shed have to fit in completely with the other doctors on the cube, so Soong wiped all memory from Soji that shes an android  eventually shed come into contact with her and learn what that Admonition was all about.

One of Soongs other Soji lookalikes, Sutra (whose skin looks like its covered in bullion flakes, as if shes a victim of Auric Goldfinger) has a theory: the Admonition was not a warning for organics to destroy all synthetics, lest the Apocalypse should happen. It was a message for synthetics about how to summon an even more advanced, eternal alliance of synthetics that spans galaxies. When they arrive theyll wipe out all organic life in the galaxy to protect and preserve the synths who felt they were under threat. And in this Admonition is a frequency synths can use to make first contact.

Who are these all-powerful synths from far away? We know from the episode I, Mudd in The Original Series that an advanced civilization once resided in the Andromeda galaxy until a supernova destroyed them, leaving only their sentient androids behind. Sounds a lot like what happened to the Romulans. Could these higher level androids have already arranged the Romulan supernova as a preemptive strike?

Turns out, Soji didnt need to get this glimpse of the Admonition from Narissas aunt at all. Because coming right to this settlement on Coppelius is Agnes Jurati, who saw it herself: Sutra performs a mind-meld with her and gets the frequency to contact these higher-level robots. Now the stakes are this: to protect themselves from the Romulan invasion fleet, will the androids of Coppelius become the very thing the Romulans want to destroy them for in the first place? Is it worth saving yourself if you become a monster in the process?

Sutra clearly thinks so, and shes going a long way toward proving the Romulans right. But she has to convince the rest of the androids that such a drastic step is merited. She needs to murder one of their own first and pin it on the Romulans: she sends one of them, a very open-hearted and naive android named Saga, to check in on Narek, who theyve imprisoned after their flowers brought his ship to the ground. And Sutra arranges it that Saga is killed and Narek freed so that it looks like he was the one to kill her. Passions will run high and the androids will turn to the most extreme measures.

And goading them on this whole time? Dr. Alton Inigo Soong, who apparently feels unconcerned about being destroyed along with the rest of the organics in the galaxy. When Picard tries to give a rousing speech about how they will all find a safe harbor in the Federation, he mockingly shuts him down, noting that the Federation didnt listen to him before about saving the Romulans  why would they now? This seems exactly like something Lore would do. We also see that hes been working on a mind transfer project to place the consciousness of people whose bodies are failing them into fresh android bodies.

So now Picard and his makeshift crew stand between two warring factions, with both sides hostile to them: the Romulans, who want nothing but to destroy all synthetic life, and the androids who are going out of their way under Sutras leadership to prove the Romulans right. What side will Soji ultimately take in this whole showdown?

Oh, about Coppelius: That was the name of a character in Hoffmanns short story The Sandman from 1816. Hoffmann loved tales about inanimate objects granted sentience (he also wrote The Nutcracker). Coppelius is the villain of the piece: a lawyer obsessed with the alchemical arts who begins taking shining masses out of the fire and hammering them into face-like shapes without eyes. A rival alchemist actually does succeed in creating a lifelike automaton (one who succeeds in passing as human), and this rival calls the android his daughter. But Coppelius comes into possession of the automaton/android and uses it for his own nefarious purposes. Coppelius and his rival have a knockdown, drag-out fight about the purpose of the android and which one of them created its eyes and which created its clockwork: Is the thing that makes it appear human as important as its underlying programming? Sounds a bit like whatever Dr. Soong here was saying about how Bruce Maddox was the expert when it came to mind transfer while his own skills lay elsewhere.

Will Dr. Soong ultimately be revealed as Lore? Who knows. But his villainy seems pretty much assured no matter what.

And with that we only have one episode of Star Trek: Picard Season 1 to go. How will this wrap up?

Grade: A-

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(Natural News) Cases of coronavirus in Austria topped 2,000 Thursday as infections rose at a double-digit rate. The increase in number comes even as most people are now staying at home. In response to this, officials will extend border controls to more countries.

Austrias Health Ministry confirmed that the country would extend controls to its borders with Hungary and Slovenia starting Friday. Prior to this, the landlocked Alpine country had already implemented controls on its borders with Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. As of reporting time, only the countrys borders with the Czech Republic and Slovakia remain open under the European Unions Schengen scheme.

The existing border controls had already caused congestion at crossings with Germany. Meanwhile, prior to the announcement of the extensions, long queues had already formed at the border with Hungary due to travel bans imposed by the latters government.

In addition to roads, Austria also has limited train services to other countries. Rail operator OBB has now limited train service to and from Germany, taking only German citizens. Meanwhile, train connections to Switzerland have been suspended outright. (Related: EU proposes closing ALL borders, effectively placing mainland Europe under lockdown.)

Meanwhile, officials confirmed that public transport has been cut by 90 percent while the volume of private traffic is down by 45 percent in cities. This is, in part, due to emergency laws that came into effect on Monday that restricted movement within the country. State broadcaster ORF has reported that breaking these laws can lead to hefty fines of up to 3,600 ($3,864).

Caretakers and farmers affected by travel restrictions

The delays at the border have especially affected Serbs, Romanians and Bulgarians, said Interior Minister Karl Nehammer. This has caused some concern as some of these are caregivers for elderly Austrians.

Aside from caregivers, another group affected by the travel restrictions are farmers. With seasonal workers not able to show up due to travel restrictions, Austrian farmers have warned that they would not be able to harvest asparagus, strawberries and salad greens.

Infections are on the rise

Despite the countrys drastic measures to control the spread of the virus, the number of new infections in Austria has increased to 25 percent. Meanwhile, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober mentioned that the Alpine province of Tyrol continues to remain a hotspot for the virus, despite having been on lockdown since Thursday. A popular tourist region, Tyrol placed several ski resorts under quarantine and has not allowed people to leave their villages and towns unless its to cover basic needs, provide services of general interest or get to work.

While the number of new infections in Austria is on the rise, the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the country is still small, since its early in the curve. Anschober attributed that to the fact that the country has had relatively fewer cases in the elderly than almost all of the other EU states. Most of the infected in Austria fall between the ages of 45 and 55, followed by those between 25 and 45, then followed by those over 65  the highest risk group. Because of this, most of the cases, roughly 90 percent, have not resulted in hospitalization, said the minister.

In spite of the numbers, or perhaps because of them, some Austrians seem to not be taking the outbreak seriously. Reports have come in that state that many Austrians are using their time off from work imposed by the containment measures as an excuse to go on excursions and hiking tours. In response to this, Vice-Chancellor Werner Korger has made calls for people to stay at least one meter apart from one another to minimize the risk of spreading the disease. The government, however, has stopped short of actually closing all parks and playgrounds nationwide.

Sources include:

UK.Reuters.com

Metro.co.uk

NationalPost.com
NHS workers do their shopping at Tesco supermarket in Newcastle-under-Lyme as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues. Newcastle-under-Lyme, Britain March 22, 2020 REUTERS/Carl Recine

Britain on Saturday urged people to act responsibly when they shop for food and stop hoarding so that there was enough for health workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

"Be responsible when you shop and think of others," Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice told reporters.

"Buying more than you need means that others may be left without and it is making life more difficult for those front line workers, such as our doctors and nurses and NHS support staff," Eustice said.

During the coronavirus crisis, manufacturers have produced around 50% more food than they usually do, Eustice said.

Meanwhile, the British government is hiring former Nestle executive Chris Tyas to oversee a "war room" set up to ensure the country's food security as the coronavirus crisis deepens, Sky News reported on Saturday.
Two persons were booked here on Sunday for violating government's directions to contain the spread of coronavirus, police said.

Arun Sharma, who recently returned from Brazil, did not quarantine himself at home for 15 days, despite being advised by authorities, they said.

A case has been registered against him under IPC section 188 (disobedience of an order), the police said.

In another case, Sukhrajpal Singh was booked for holding a religious gathering at his home in Sarchur village, ignoring the government's directions of not organising mass gatherings.

Hundreds of people attended the event at his home, they said.

Singh was booked under IPC sections 188 and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ontarios hospitals have been given broad new powers over doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers as the fight against COVID-19 ramps up, with unions asking health care executives to tread carefully.

The measures under the provincial state of emergency declared by Premier Doug Ford include the cancellation of vacations and carte blanche in transferring employees to where theyre needed most.

Volunteers can also be pressed into service doing work usually performed by staff, freeing them up for other duties, and temporary workers of all stripes hired as needed, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said.

On the best advice of Ontarios chief medical officer of health, and in response to clear and urgent requests from our frontline health service providers, the province is taking decisive action, Jones added in a statement.

The new powers come as the health care sector looks to drastic conditions at swamped hospitals in Italy and moves by neighbouring New York state, facing a deluge of cases, to set up temporary new hospitals with help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Our window is closing, Dr. Joshua Tepper, president of North York General Hospital, tweeted in a link to a New York Times story about the devastating situation in Italian hospitals as the number of deaths surge.

Ontario hospitals will be able to override collective agreements with staff unions to ensure we can continue to be responsive and nimble as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases grows, Jones said.

For example, staff can now be transferred between different hospital facilities or to work in nearby assessment centres for the new coronavirus.

Work schedules and shifts are also subject to change, while staff and volunteers can be re-trained as needed for redeployments.

While normal protocols are important in routine times, these extraordinary steps will ensure our health sector workers are there, where and when they are needed, to care for Ontarians and support our extensive efforts to contain this virus, Jones said.

The order is in place for the next two weeks unless renewed under the state of emergency.

A leading health care union sounded a note of caution.

We know that we are in crisis and remain committed to caring for patients, said the Ontario Nurses Association. If not done carefully and thoughtfully, any redeployment of nurses and health-care professionals could put both patients and front-line nurses at risk.

Representing doctors, the Ontario Medical Association said the coronavirus situation is unprecedented and doctors are ready to do what is necessary for patients.

In our experience, open communication between hospitals and their staff (medical and otherwise) will lead to the best solution.

Health Minister Christine Elliott thanked doctors, nurses, other health care workers and frontline staff for their extraordinary dedication and commitment in the face of growing adversity.

Ontario had its fourth and fifith deaths related to COVID-19 on Sunday and the total number of cases rose by 47 to 424 to date.

Of that number, eight have now been cleared, up from five previously. Another 8,381 people are awaiting test results as the backlog for results continues to grow. A total of 17,634 people have tested negative.

At least four of the new cases listed Sunday are in their 20s or 30s.
India is under a 14-hour long curfew on Sunday to limit the fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic in the country, where 324 people have so far been found to have contracted the disease.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an address to the nation last week urged citizens to stay indoors from 7am to 9am--a move that he said would be a crucial test for a country to assess its abilities to fight the pandemic. "Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against the COVID-19 menace," Modi tweeted minutes before the curfew commenced. ...
- A false news about pesticide spraying to perform by military choppers all over the country has been circulating on social media

- The bogus announcement said that special military helicopters will do the spraying to fight the spread of coronavirus disease

- The Philippine Air Force then released a statement to debunk the false claims

- PAF also urged the public to stay updated from reliable sources and avoid spreading fake news

PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed

The Philippine Air Force debunked false claims circulating over social media stating that special military helicopters will spray pesticides in the skies all over the country to help kill the spreading coronavirus disease.

In a report by Inquirer.net, the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines released a statement to discredit the circulating fake announcement.

According to the bogus post going around Facebook and other private chat groups on March 21, Today, special military helicopters will spray pesticides against the Corona virus in the skies all over the country, so you must stay indoors after twelve o'clock at night. And remove all clothes which are outside.

When you hear the sounds of airplanes at night, it is for you to know that it is related to this matter (COVID-19), it added.

The Air Force then said the news is not factual through its official social media page.

The Philippine Air Force would like to inform the public that the circulating news on PESTICIDE SPRAYING by military helicopters all over the country after 12 midnight to combat COVID-19 is NOT TRUE. There are no military aircraft that will be deployed for such activities, it clarified.

We urge the public to stay updated from reliable sources and avoid spreading FAKE NEWS, PAF added.

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In a previous report by KAMI, the Department of Health on March 22 revealed that Secretary Francisco Duque III was tested negative for COVID-19.

The novel coronavirus disease has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the Philippines, there are already 380 confirmed cases as of March 22.

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Source: KAMI.com.gh
Seven Grand Princess cruise ship passengers quarantined at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield all with no symptoms  tested positive for the coronavirus, The Chronicle has learned, as the first batch of swab results from the voluntary testing came back Friday.

The seven individuals have been sent to a care facility outside Travis for continued care, a federal official familiar with the Travis quarantine and testing told The Chronicle.

The test results raise questions about the quarantine and the fact that two-thirds of the 858 passengers isolated on Travis Air Force Base have declined to be tested, often at the encouragement of federal health officials. The federal official said that the seven positives out of 110 tests would not change the optional testing, including for loved ones who may have been living in quarantine with the infected passengers.

There is no mandatory testing due to contact with a positive individual, said the official, whom The Chronicle agreed not to name because this person was not authorized to speak to the media. Theres no change to the release plan.

Requests for comment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Travis Air Base officials were not immediately returned Saturday.

A total of 308 passengers volunteered to be tested earlier this week, but the rest of the results have not returned yet. All of the Travis passengers who had not tested positive or been hospitalized with symptoms while there had staggered release dates, starting Monday and ending Friday.

The large group of passengers was monitored by federal health officials during their stay, getting temperature checks twice a day. Despite Vice President Pences vow that all the passengers would be screened for the virus, only a third agreed to the testing. Passengers said administrators dissuaded them, saying the 14-day quarantine was sufficient and a test could potentially delay their release. Others said the testing numbers would have been higher if offered when passengers first arrived at the air base, but there were not enough tests, personnel or protective equipment.

John Swartzberg, a UC Berkeley infectious disease expert, said even with the positive test results of asymptomatic passengers, decisions on releasing them back into the general public are incredibly nuanced.

If these people were in the quarantine and they did not cross infect each other, then the 14 days of being in quarantine is a reasonable plan, he said. Its not perfect, but nothing is perfect with this.

There is a very, very small chance of getting ill after two weeks, Swartzberg said. He added that studies are showing there are asymptomatic coronavirus carriers and that infected individuals without symptoms can remain contagious.

Those are big unknowns and its impossible to write a policy where somebody gets released and absolutely does not release the virus, he said. There is also evidence of coronavirus false-negative test results, he said, so even testing is not foolproof.

George Rutherford, a UCSF professor of epidemiology, agreed that the 14-day quarantine should be sufficient  with complete isolation.

If there was transmission in the quarantine facility, then its another story, Rutherford said.

Now Playing: As Bay Area deals with the Coronavirus there are fewer people out in the city and in the streets making the Bay Area look and sound different as the population practices social distancing. Video: SFGATE

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

That has been a hot topic among passengers who spoke to The Chronicle. Many complained about how logistics were handled after they disembarked from the cruise ship, saying they were put on crowded buses with people removing their masks to eat next to each other.

Photos circulated in those first days of passengers crowded into a lobby and other common areas. One passenger from the Sacramento area told The Chronicle he has repeatedly complained about the lax nature of food deliveries and common areas. For a while, passengers all got coffee from the same spigot, he said.

I firmly believe this quarantine was handled with great incompetence, he said in an email with photos of the intermixing. He asked to not be named due to the tense atmosphere on the base among passengers and federal officials. The Chronicle agreed not to identify the federal official or the former passenger in accordance with its policy on the use of anonymous sources.

Rutherford also urged that close contacts of the seven new infected passengers be further scrutinized.

Inside the newsroom Anonymous sources: The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on sfchronicle.com. See More Collapse

Id insist on testing close contacts (for instance, a spouse that shared the room), but I think Id let the others go if they were asymptomatic after 14 days, he said in an email. Its a judgment call.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni
Brittany Virginia Lucille Harris and Dr. Naseem Neon Beauchman were married March 21 at the home of Ms. Harriss parents in Oakland, Calif. Leon F. Beauchman, the father of the groom and a Universal Life minister, officiated. The couple had originally planned to wed at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., before the Centers for Disease Control recommended that events with 50 or more people should be postponed.

The bride, 33, is a senior vice president at Wells Fargo in San Francisco. She graduated from Brown and received an M.B.A. from Harvard.

She is the daughter of Dr. Glenda F. Newell-Harris and Robert L. Harris of Oakland. Her father is a lawyer, who retired as the vice president for environmental affairs at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco. The brides mother works in Oakland as a doctor of internal medicine and is a regional medical director at Corizon Health, a privately held prison health care contractor based in Brentwood, Tenn.

The groom, 37, is an orthopedic surgeon at Valley River Orthopedics in Merced, Calif. He graduated from the University of California at Davis and received a medical degree from Yale.
Coronavirus infection rates continue to rise sharply across south-east Asia, with concern growing about whether numerous countries will be able to control the outbreak.

Singapore Airlines has slashed 96 per cent of its flights, with 138 of its 147 planes grounded. Just a handful of routes will be kept open, which spells bad news for Australians who were hoping the global aviation hub would remain open as a route of last resort home.

The city-state reported 23 more cases on Monday, including 18 imported cases from overseas, to take it to 455 positives overall. Until recently Singapore had been widely praised for its handling of the coronavirus crisis, but recent rises in infections, most from overseas, has prompted it to significantly tighten its entry requirements for travellers.

Indonesia is now reporting 579 infected people and 49 deaths as of Monday afternoon.

That death toll is the highest in south-east Asia and suggests the total number of cases is significantly higher than official figures. Government officials took journalists on a tour of the athlete's village for the 2018 south-east Asian games, which has been turned into a treatment centre, on Monday.

Bali's reported cases have doubled from three to six, but there are fears that the province - a favourite holiday destination for Australians - is massively under-reporting case numbers because of a shortage of testing.

Health Ministry spokesman Achmad Yurianto said 4000 rapid tests were conducted in South Jakarta on Sunday. Another 125,000 kits will be distributed around Indonesia on Monday. This comes after many delays in the start of rapid testing but also suggests there could be a significant rise in numbers soon as tests begin to roll out at scale outside the main island of Java.

The Philippines reported eight more coronavirus deaths, taking it to 33 in total - the second highest in the region. But only 16 new infections were reported, meaning the total is 396 people. This suggests that the Philippines, like Indonesia, is still under-reporting total infections because of a lack of testing.

Vietnam is now reporting 121 positive cases, including many foreigners who have travelled to the country. The country has cracked down on arrivals from overseas to try to stop the spread of the disease.

In Malaysia has now reported 1306 cases of infection, including 11 deaths. It is now setting aside emergency funds to purchase medical equipment such as ventilators and gowns for its hospitals.

Thailand reported 122 new infections on Monday, down from Sunday's rise of 188 new cases. There are 721 infections in the country now.
22.03.2020 LISTEN

On the 28th of October, 2019 the United Progressive Party made a proposal to the government to consider the legalization of Medical Marijuana under strict legislation.

We explained that this will help the presidents "beyond aid" agenda as he would not have to make available $100m dollars to fight COVID-19 contrary to his finance minister statement suggesting the unavailability of the money but applications have now been made to the IMF for $35m. This is embarrassing.

Jamaica has since not recorded any case of the COVID-19. Maybe there's an explanation to that but I am optimistic it's the healing tendency of the plant that has kept COVID-19 out of JAMAICA for now. If the president had just listened he wouldn't have to borrow to tackle a pandemic which we were warned about.

The government should consider;

1. Locking down Accra for the cases are increasing faster every day.

2. doubling the salaries of workers and paying them earlier to help them stock and prepare adequately.

3. Provide a stimulus package for business. Etc

It is not enough to just reduce fuel prices by a tinny percentage and that's it.

We need to look into legalizing marijuana and tapping all the benefits it presents.

.......Signed.........

Chief Bukari Kuoru

General Secretary Ag.
A law, set to take full effect in April that will ban people from smoking indoors in government buildings and other places in Japan, appears to be backfiring as outdoor smoking is making a brash comeback in all the wrong places.

As smokers find it increasingly difficult to find designated indoor smoking areas, they are turning to neighborhood parks to light up and drawing the ire of nearby residents for the unwanted smoking and cigarette butts left scattered about.

Government agencies find themselves between a rock and a hard place as they try to appease the general public from a smoking nuisance while using a loophole to bring back outdoor smoking areas at their own facilities to satisfy the country's smoking culture.

At the end of February, on the ninth-floor roof of the Okayama city hall in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, more than ten employees gathered around ashtrays for a smoke break in an open space demarcated from nonsmokers only by white lines.

"It really helps out for people like me who can hardly find any places to smoke any more. I appreciate that at least some consideration is given to smokers," said one male government employee who was on the roof having a smoke.

Under the revised Health Promotion Law, which partially took effect last July, government agencies, schools and hospitals started banning people from smoking indoors, and more establishments such as bars and restaurants are to face similar rule changes from April.

Fines of up to 300,000 yen ($2,700) could be imposed on smokers and up to 500,000 yen on facility managers for breaking the law.
Postmen and university students promoting the work of the National Election Committee's Daejeon branch encourage people to vote in the April 15 general election at the Daejeon Post Office, Thursday. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



The protracted COVID-19 outbreak has become a major variable in the upcoming general election while other political matters are gaining little attention in the shadow of the all-consuming virus issue, according to political watchers, Sunday.



Watchers say voters are more likely to vote without enough information about the candidates and their promises, as well as the parties, than in previous elections, as the media has been focusing on the virus spread and containment despite the elections being just around the corner.



Political pundits have presented different expectations over voter turnout and how the pandemic will affect the result of the elections. Some said the turnout will be lower than before but others say it will remain at similar levels to previous polls.



Park Myoung-ho, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Dongguk University, said voter turnout will be lower than previous elections as people will be reluctant to risk lining up and going inside a closed room to cast their vote.



"When the voter turnout is low, it usually means young voters do not come out to vote as older voters' turnout doesn't change much. If so, it will be advantageous to the conservative opposition bloc," Park said. "People in their 30s and 40s and the elderly, 60s and over, show clear support for liberals and conservatives, respectively, but those in their 20s are mostly swing voters, and their votes will decide which bloc will win."



Choi Young-il, a political commentator and adjunct professor at Kyung Hee Cyber University, also said he expects voter turnout to fall compared to previous general elections. But he said the conventional notion that such a drop in the turnout will bring advantages to the conservatives, currently the opposition, is no longer valid.



"Until the early 2000s, it had been considered that a lower turnout gives advantages to the conservatives as the fall was more likely to be among young voters," Choi said. "But this is not the case in recent years; what's more important is how strongly the enthusiastic supporters will unite, either for the liberals or conservatives."



Choi also said young voters are no more supportive of the liberal government and some of them have chosen to be the "new conservatives." "We see young men and women's gender hatred of each other, online petitions to ban entries from China over the virus fear, and 1 million signatures for an online petition to impeach President Moon Jae-in. The formula that the young generation is liberal, doesn't work anymore."



Shin Yul, a political science and diplomacy professor at Myongji University, said voter turnout will not be affected much by the pandemic, as turnout is an expression of people's desire or willingness to show their "anger" toward the current administration.



"If more people believe the government has done well with the COVID-19 situation, voter turnout could be low as they do not feel the need to express their anger, thus bringing an advantageous situation to the ruling party. But recent surveys have shown that more than 80 percent of voters said they will vote in the upcoming election," Shin said. "Conventional thought that a high turnout is advantageous for liberals will not be valid in the upcoming election, when the voters want to judge the government."



Kim Jun-seok, a politics professor at Dongguk University, said other political issues have not gained attention and only the assessment of the Moon government's response to the virus outbreak has remained as a valid variable in the upcoming election.



"A high turnout would be bad news for the ruling party when the general election is usually considered as a judgment of the current administration," Kim said.



Political watchers also say this election result is especially hard to predict when there have been many election rule changes, with "satellite parties" of the exiting parties being set up, and voters not being well-versed in such political maneuvering.


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The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Sunday said it has suspended production at all its sites across the globe until March 31, 2020 in order to safeguard its employees against COVID-19.

Besides, automaker Fiat has also suspended manufacturing operations in the country till the end of this month to check the spread of the contagious disease.

"With the safety and wellbeing of its employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, thecompany has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh - and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020," Hero MotoCorp said in a statement.

Employees at all the other functions and locations including the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) at Jaipur in Rajasthan will continue to work from home, except for those whose physical presence is necessary to run the day-to-day essential services, it added.

Similarly, automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) together with Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited(FIAPL), FCA's joint venture manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, saidthat it will suspend manufacturing till March 31, 2020 to protect the health and safety of employees.

"The temporary suspension is in response to the increasing prevalence of positive COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and particularly in Pune," the company said.

The two-wheeler major said it has been proactively monitoring the situation since the early stages of the breakout of COVID-19, and had rolled-out a slew of measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its employees and also, thereby to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Hero MotoCorp Chairman Pawan Munjal, through two digital town hall meetings held in quick succession last week, has already conveyed the organisation's commitment to stand by the employees despite the severe disruptions caused by the ongoing situation, it added.

The task force set-up by the ChairmanMunjal is constantly monitoring the developments through regular video conferencing and tele-meetings to ensure that safety and business-continuity plans are up-to-date and effective, it said.

Similarly, FIAPL said it had already implemented increased sanitary processes coupled withimprovements to protect employee safety, including thermal screening and extra buses for the work commute ensuring minimal social distancing.

"During this closureperiod, the Ranjangaon plant will also undertake intensified cleaning and santisation, including total fumigation to ensure a safe return for employees," the company said.

FIAPL will continue to be staffed with a small number of employees, who are engagedin emergency services, it added.

"There will be no retrenchment of any plant employees as aresult of the plant closure and all will continue to receive their salaries during thisclosure period, the company noted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fashion giant H&M will redirect its suppliers to manufacture thousands of masks, gowns and gloves for doctors.

It said it would use its 'purchasing opera- tions' and transport networks to deliver masks to hospitals 'as soon as possible'.

The firm may also buy kit from existing mask manufacturers in its bid to help fight coronavirus.

H&M will redirect its suppliers to manufacture thousands of masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and use its 'purchasing operations' and transport networks to deliver them

Helena Helmersson, who took over as chief executive in January, said: 'We see this as a first step in our efforts to support in any way we can.'

This week Louis Vuitton's parent LVMH ordered 40m masks from China for France, after switching its cosmetics factories to making hand sanitiser.

Yesterday Brew Dog, a British craft beer company, delivered hand sanitiser made at its distilleries to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary's Intensive Care Unit.
For two years, public opposition to Essex Countys profiteering from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention has been a major feature of local politics. How do County Executive Joe DiVincenzo and his loyal Board of Freeholders respond? By taking even more ICE money, according to their projected 2020 budget. While raking in nearly $50 million from President Donald Trumps cruel immigration policies, they spend a paltry $750,000 on funding immigrant legal defense.

With the coronavirus threatening to devastate vulnerable populations in prisons and jails (where ICE detainees are held in Newark), it is a moral imperative that DiVincenzo and the freeholders overcome their lucrative complicity in immigrant detention and publicly demand that ICE release its detainees before catastrophe strikes. New Jersey prisons and jails should also immediately expedite release programs.

Whitney Strub, Newark

Lets not criticize President Trump

These are tough and unprecedented times in the United States. This is the first time in my life when we are living in a police state, i.e., prevented from living free lives. We need to stick together, not undermine our leaders.

It upsets me when I read criticism of President Trump by The Star-ledger and op-ed articles. The world is trying to gain facts on this virus. No one would have predicted the full nature of this. We can only make decisions based on the data we have at this time. Has President Trump been perfect? No, but no one is. He has and is doing everything he can to limit the spread of this. He has assembled the best team to analyze the situation and advise the US citizens. He is getting the facts out everyday.

A common criticism is that the president is being too positive on the state of affairs. Do generals in a tough battle focus on the negative or do they encourage the troops to press on to continue the fight? This is what leaders do. They rally the troops to, in this case, keep fighting this virus.

Brian Flynn, Roseland

Listen to a virus expert, not Trump

President Donald Trump has been an information disaster since day one of the COVID-19 crisis, first by telling everyone it was a hoax, so we did zero preparation. Then when the virus was in the U.S., he tried to downplay everything with misinformation. Disbanding the pandemic response team was a real boner, and appointing unqualified people to key positions made it worse.

The real danger is there are still people out there who believe his old messages and ignoring the warnings. I am listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci. He is the leading U.S. authority on infectious diseases. Trump just makes stuff up as he goes along.

Joseph Marra, Seaside Park

Disgraceful self-focused activism

Altruistic (selfless) activism is an important component of democracy in the United States. It is disgusting that self-focused activists are trying to convince a small group of parents from the Lincoln Annex School to oppose an infusion of $50 million into New Brunswick Public Schools (Parents slam district for plan to knock down school to make way for cancer center).

The self-focused activists are yelling in school board meetings in an effort to convince the board to hurt more than 9,000 students by rejecting at least $50 million for a significantly larger, state-of-the-art school that will free up classroom space in other schools. The activists do not tell the parents that the Pathways School that their children will go to (while a new school is being built) is much nicer than the Lincoln Annex School that needs to be torn down. They do not tell the parents that millions of dollars were spent to clean up asbestos in the old Lincoln Annex School and that any new site will likely need significantly less cleaning up.

Fortunately, the smart residents of New Brunswick will not be manipulated by these activists. How could anyone who truly cares about the city be against improving public schools and saving lives with a new $750 million cancer center?

Dale Caldwell, Vice president, New Brunswick Board of Education

The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
Ruchir Sharma, the head of Emerging Markets and Chief Global Strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment, has warned of looming global economic crisis in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Sharma, who's also bestselling author of books like The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in a Post-Crisis World, believes that if the coronavirus outbreak is not controlled by May, it can lead to an economic crisis similar to the Great Depression of 1930.

During an interview with India Today, Sharma talked about the ongoing situation as an unprecedented moment in global history in terms of economic crisis. "The early estimates suggest that the global economy will contract by about 5 per cent. The last time the global economy contracted was in the 2008-09 global recession. There have been about 7 global recessions over the last century. And it is very rare for the global economy to contract as such. Because, countries like China and India always register some positive growth. So this is unprecedented nature of the shock."

He said the world was staring at the worst financial crisis if the virus was not contained by May. "People are expecting around 1 per cent of contraction if the normal activity resumes by May this year and if that does not happen, we are looking at the worst global recession since the Great Depression," he added.

He also maintained that the world was already expecting 2008-type recession. "At the very least, what people are looking for now is that the global economy suffers a similar kind of recession that it suffered in 2008-09. If this rolls on, we are looking at something far greater and the only parallel then will be a great depression," he added.

Calling the current economic scenario a complete shock, Sharma said this (economic impacts due to coronavirus outbreak) is the fastest that has ever happened. "Even during the global financial crisis, the cracks appeared in late 2007 and early 2008, it sort of rolled over and then in September and October it was a complete bloodbath. Till mid-February, hardly anybody was even moving their global growth estimates based on what was happening out here...all of a sudden we have gone, within a month, to now pricing in a recession of that magnitude, and that shows up in the stock market too."

The stock market has fallen so quickly over such a short period, he said. "The typical bear market in the US, where the stock market falls by 30 per cent happens over 15 months. This time, we have seen a 32 per cent decline in 18 days. That's never happened before even during the global financial crisis."

The world should now prepare for the worst while praying for the best, Sharma said, while maintaining that it was getting split between the haves and have nots. "The US is thinking about the stimulus, which is 5 per cent of their GDP and that's the direct stimulus. But countries like India cannot spend anywhere close to that if they are required to," he added.

Maintaining that India does not have the fiscal headroom it had in 2008-09 financial crisis, Sharma said India couldn't do that now. "If the government does that, it'll require some of the deficit to be monetised, which needs the RBI to be able to help you do that. You are looking at a scenario then, where the rupee will take a big hit. We could see a sharp fall in the rupee very quickly," he said.

Talking about the Chinese economy suffering its worst crisis ever, Sharma said it was an unprecedented moment in the history with the Chinese economy too, which has never contracted in the past 40 years. However, now it's expecting to contract by at least 5 per cent. He added the Chinese economy was expected to grow 1 or 1.5 per cent for the entire financial year.

"It's so hard to know as to when the Indian economy is going to grow," he added. Sharma said India would not grow at 6 per cent even under normal circumstances. "After the pandemic, I think that the Indian economy can grow at 3 per cent if China's going to grow at 1.5-2 per cent, it'll be a miracle given what's going on."

On the issue of no direct impact of the pandemic on India and its position among the emerging economies, Sharma said: "Given our limited exposure to trade and China, one can argue that impact is bit less. But, our ability to respond to this crisis is very limited as compared to some other countries given our starting point on the fiscal situation."

Talking about what the developed economies like the US were doing in times of the crisis, Sharma said: "The most important date after Christmas, which doesn't change, is April 15, which is the filing of your tax returns. It is sacrosanct. They have pushed it back. So, what you are seeing is an incredible amount of flexibility on part of governments and a lot of trial and error too, in terms of what works and what doesn't."
Senate Republicans have proposed giving the Federal Reserve access to $425 billion in funding that it could use to extend emergency support to flailing businesses or struggling localities  an approach that would keep central bankers at the center of the coronavirus economic response in ways that could prove politically fraught.

Republican lawmakers proposed increasing a Treasury Department fund that would be used to cover losses on the Feds emergency lending programs as part of a sweeping government rescue package. While their effort to advance the bill failed on Sunday evening, it is likely a template for what lawmakers will eventually approve.

Republicans view the Fed as a key player in offsetting the economic havoc being wrought by the coronavirus. That is partly because the Fed can take a limited amount of funds and deploy them widely: The central bank only needs the funds as a guarantee against losses, meaning the $425 billion could be leveraged to support far bigger programs. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday seemed to suggest that the backstops could amount to $4 trillion.

We can lever up to $4 trillion to help everything from small business to big business get through the next 90 to 120 days as we win this war, he said on Fox News.
Sixty is the new 45, 80 is the new 60, and 100 is  well, really dang old. But even centenarians know that once you stop learning, you star...
(Newser)  Linda Scruggs and Mike Rustici trained for months to hike the winding trails leading to Machu Picchu's complex of Inca ruins. So they were thrilled when their flight landed earlier this month in the Peruvian capital. They did part of their trek but wound up trapped in a Lima hotel room for days, not knowing how or when they would get back to the USlike thousands of tourists and people living abroad as nations closed borders to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the AP reports. Scruggs texted Saturday that they were finally boarding a chartered flight from Lima back to the US, but their plight illustrates the desperation people stuck abroad experienced as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Peru's president, for example, has already declared an emergency.

story continues below

The virus has caused more than 11,000 deaths around the world, but the figure goes up every day and Americans abroad said they feel abandoned by the State Department. They said embassies did not initially help them or return their phone calls and emails and that they were finally told to check embassy websites for updates and try to charter flights out of the countries on their own. While Scruffs and Rustici got out, other tourists remain stuck, and some are running low on blood pressure pills and other medication. Catherine Ferguson, a 77-year-old Nebraska resident stuck in Morocco with her husband and 10 other Americans, said Nebraska officials have been in touch and are trying to help. But the clock is ticking. "We really don't want to be here when things get worse in Morocco," Ferguson said.

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
Kabul, March 22 : More than 40 members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) were killed in Taliban attacks in the last 48 hours despite the long-awaited peace agreement that the militant group signed last month with the US to reduce violence in the War-torn country, it was reported.

The attacks took place in Zabul, Kapisa and Baghlan provinces, TOLO News said in a report on Saturday.

On Friday evening, four members of the local police and public uprising forces were killed in a Taliban attack in Kapisa's Nijrab district.

Districts MPs have said that 10 local police personnel were also killed in the attack.

Kapisa lawmakers also said that Ilyas, a former mujahideen leader, was killed in the attack by the Taliban in Nejrab.

But the government has rejected these figures.

Meanwhile, local officials in the northern province of Baghlan said that at least two local policemen were killed by the Taliban on Friday night after the insurgents attacked their checkpoint.

This attack came a day after at least 17 members of the Afghan army and the police were killed in an assault on a checkpoint, according to the Ministry of Defense Afghan government leaders and the US embassy in Kabul and NATO's representative in Afghanistan condemned the attack.

"We strongly condemn Friday's attack in Zabul & offer our condolences to the brave ANDSF and their families. Afghan security forces honor Afghanistan by their dedication and service. In the midst of a global pandemic and on Nowruz, attacks like these are obscene. Time for peace is now," the US embassy in Kabul tweeted.

After the US-Taliban peace agreement was signed on February 29 in Doha, the Taliban stopped its attacks against foreign forces but gradually increased armed strikes on Afghan forces, which have continued despite several warnings from the government.

The deal calls for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to open the way for intra-Afghan negotiations.

The deadline for the release was March 10.

President Ashraf Ghani has agreed to release 1,500 prisoners, gradually, ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations.

But the Taliban has opposed this plan leading to a delay in the talks.
In one of the biggest setbacks for security forces in Chhattisgarh, Maoists killed 17 troopers in an encounter in Sukma, police said Sunday.

Police have found the bodies of the 17 jawans of state police in Minpa jungles of Sukma where a fierce encounter took place on Saturday.

Chhattisgarh police had said on Saturday that more than a dozen security personnel were reported missing after the encounter while 14 injured jawans were injured and were brought for treatment to Raipur, about 400 km north of the site of the fighting.

Seventeen bodies of jawans of state police has been recovered by the rescue teams sent in the jungle till now, said Chhattisgarhs Director General of Police (DGP) D M Awasthi

Fifteen automatic rifles including 10 AK-47 of the security forces are missing, a police official said.

Awasthi said the encounter began at around 1 pm on Saturday near Korajguda hills in Chintagufa area when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Maoists operation.

There were multiple encounters after 1pm, which took place in that area till evening. After the force came back we found that 17 jawans of state police were missing and 14 were injured, said Awasthi.

The operation was launched by the polices District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) had launched the operation from Chintagufa and involved 150 security personnel,

A large reinforcement was sent to encounter spot on Sunday morning, the DGP said.

The police chief said members of the team involved in the encounter said about a dozen Maoists sustained bullet injuries. But the search team did not find any bodies of Maoists.

The DGP further said that the encounter took place with Battalion Number One of CPI (Maoist), which is led by Mandavi Hidma.

There were about 300 Maoists who were led by Hidma  We have information that the cadres of other states have also gathering near Minpa, the DGP added.

Saturdays loss was the biggest for security forces since April 24, 2017 when Maoists killed 25 CRPF personnel in an ambush near Burkapal in Sukma.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ritesh Mishra State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh. Reports Maoism, Politics, Mining and important developments from the state. Covered all sorts of extremism in Central India. Reported from Madhya Pradesh for eight years. ...view detail
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 20:06:53|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Medical experts from China and Italy have held a video conference on the treatment of senior people infected by the novel coronavirus.

The aging population form a very important part of the Italian culture, and they are vulnerable group for the virus, according to Gianni Genga, director general of the Italian National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing.

The Italian experts asked for experience from their Chinese peers.

It is important to differentiate the symptoms of infection among the elderly, Luo Guangwei, with the Wuhan No.1 Hospital in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

"It is necessary to take their temperatures and ask for their medical history because the first signs are not necessarily fever and respiratory symptoms," Luo explained. "It is also important to ask if they have fever, cough, fatigue and a lack of appetite."

The Chinese doctors also mentioned the importance of psychological intervention.

The Chinese experts will share more experience and answer questions, said Zhang Junhua, with the Health Human Resources Development Center under the National Health Commission.

"We look forward to increasing exchanges and scientific and research cooperation between Chinese and Italian medical research institutions," Zhang said.
It's fairly easy to predict the impact COVID-19 will have on cargo volumes at the Port of Charleston over the next few months: A substantial dip as the virus continues to spread through Europe and North America followed by a corresponding rebound as supply chains replenish.

What isn't so clear is the long-term impact the pandemic will have on U.S. consumers.

"We would expect a 15 percent to 20 percent shortfall in volumes in March and April accounted for by a lot of (canceled) sailings in Asia and the fact that the Asian factories have really only come back to work 100 percent (last) week," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the State Ports Authority. "That seems to be materializing as we thought with the idea that maybe April is going to snap back a little quicker. We are getting some anecdotal evidence of people who have a lot of shipments on the water ..." that will lead to higher volumes in May and June.

"I think longer term we have to know what is happening with the U.S. economy consumption-wise," he said.

The early indicators are not good. Factories, restaurants and other businesses are suspending production or shutting down entirely, which means workers in those industries will face layoffs or furloughs and have fewer dollars to spend. Events are being canceled and fewer people are choosing to fly as the U.S. government issues travel warnings.

"This is unusual in that it may prove faster acting than past downturns," Jay Shambaugh, director of the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution, told The New York Times. "The drop in oil prices and drop in financial markets alone, and when you add those to the impact of the virus and the hit to global demand, at some point that has spillovers to the U.S. economy."

Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told clients last week that second-quarter growth domestic product is expected to drop 10 percent on an annualized basis. That's after a 2 percent decline in the first quarter.

"Discretionary consumers' spending  that is, consumption excluding housing, health care, food and energy  accounts for some 39 percent of GDP, and some of the major components are set for massive second-quarter meltdowns," Shepherdson told clients, according to a Yahoo! Finance report.

Less demand means fewer cargo boxes full of consumer goods moving through the Charleston port's terminals. But the ultimate impact is impossible to predict until the coronavirus is under control and consumers feel confident enough to venture out of their homes.

A quick, but small, measure of the impact can be seen in the cruise industry, which recently put a 30-day moratorium on voyages, including those from Union Pier in downtown Charleston. The authority typically earns about $700,000 per month from pleasure ships like Carnival's Sunshine  a fraction of the profit realized from container ships.

Newsome said the Port of Charleston will continue to operate as normal, but the SPA is taking some steps to keep its workers safe.

All discretionary events and most travel have been canceled. Staff is ramping up cleanliness efforts. The port policeman at the authority headquarter's front desk in Mount Pleasant, for example, is sanitizing the doors every hour. Workers have been asked to maintain "respectful distances" from each other. And many external visitors are being asked to call instead of visit in person.

"We've learned we can do a lot by phone, I guess that's the best way I can put that," Newsome said.

Volvo recall

Volvo Cars is recalling several models because the automatic emergency braking system might not detect obstacles and stop the vehicles as designed.

The recall includes 2019 and 2020 V60, S90L and V90 models as well as the S60 sedan Volvo builds at its $1.1 billion manufacturing campus off Interstate 26 near Ridgeville.

The company says in government documents that a software-hardware incompatibility glitch causes the problem, according to an Associated Press report. If the system doesnt work as intended, it can increase the risk of a crash, Volvo said in documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

"This is a global recall and affects most cars assembled around the world in 2019," Volvo spokesman Jim Nichols told The Post and Courier. "There have been no injuries or crashes as a result of this issue and Volvo Cars is being proactive out of an abundance of caution. Customers will be notified if their vehicle is affected and can take their car to a Volvo retailer for a complimentary software upgrade."
Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House are pushing toward resolution on a ballooning USD 1 trillion-plus economic rescue package, as President Donald Trump urged a deal to steady a nation shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic.

With a population on edge and financial markets teetering, all sides indicated late Saturday that a deal is within reach. At issue is how best to keep paychecks flowing for millions of workers abruptly sidelined by the crisis.

Talks also narrowed on a so-called Marshall Plan for hospitals as well as industry loans to airlines and others all but grounded by the virus outbreak and national shutdown. The post-World War II Marshall Plan helped to rebuild Western Europe.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Saturday all sides were very close to a bipartisan resolution.

McConnell instructed committee chairmen to assemble draft legislation. Officials put the price tag at nearly USD 1.4 trillion and said that with other measures from the Federal Reserve it could pump USD 2 trillion into the US economy.

"We are poised to deliver the significant relief that Americans need with the speed that this crisis demands," McConnell said.

Talks will resume Sunday morning when the top four congressional leaders of both parties are set to confer privately at the Capitol with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in hopes of striking a final accord.

A spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said there is not yet an agreement. Spokesman Justin Goodman said Democrats look forward to reading the draft and further negotiations.

Everybody's working hard and they want to get to a solution that's the right solution, I think we're very close," Trump said at Saturday's briefing, striking a confident tone about the nation's ability to defeat the pandemic soon.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate convened the rare weekend session as negotiators raced to complete the package. The Senate's goal is to hold an initial vote Sunday and win Senate passage on Monday.

The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket, businesses shutter and the financial markets are set to re-open Monday eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the healthcare crisis and what experts say is a looming recession.

Trump has largely stayed out of the details, but said Saturday that he would be lobbying the lead negotiators.

On one topic, Trump appears to be agreeing with Democrats as Washington tries to steer clear of the politically toxic bailouts from the last economic crises.

Trump expressed a clear distaste for any industry, including the airlines, that would use federal assistance to buy back its own stock in an effort to increase profits. Banning stock buy-backs is one of Democrats' top business priorities in the emerging package.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other top White House officials were on Capitol Hill for a second day of nonstop negotiations. But no announcement was expected.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been in talks with Mnuchin, returned to Washington on Saturday and was scheduled to join Sunday's meeting.

Negotiations are focused on providing direct relief to Americans, with one-time checks of USD 1,200, as well as ongoing payroll support and enhanced unemployment benefits for the newly out of work.

Talks are also focused on loans to airlines and other industries blindsided by the crisis, as well as possible aid to the states and billions for hospitals and healthcare providers on the front lines of the outbreak.

The emerging package builds on a GOP proposal but Democrats push for add-ons, including food security aid, small business loans and other measures for workers.

"We're making very good progress, Schumer said late Saturday. "We're going to continue working though the night. On Saturday, Trump opened the daily virus briefing with a roll call of his administration's accomplishments, a week-in-review meant to rebut criticism that the White House was moving too slowly to combat the crisis.

The president pushed back against accusations that he was sluggish to act for fear of upsetting China, though he told aides last month that he had not wanted to alienate Beijing by criticizing its secretive handling of the initial outbreak.

Trump did not lose his temper, as he did the day before. But mixed, vague messaging still ruled the briefing.

For example, as hospitals across the nation report a dire shortage of supplies to care for an expected surge of patients, Vice President Mike Pence said the government was completing a half-billion-dollar order for masks.

But none of the government officials at the briefing could suggest when the masks would reach medical facilities, a moment of confusion that caused Trump to grow visibly frustrated.

Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, tried not to over-promise the effectiveness or speed of medication that could possibly be used to treat the virus.

After Trump had exited the briefing room, Fauci answered a question about Trump's tweet about the drugs by saying, "I'm not totally sure what the president was referring to.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
World boosts anti-virus measures as COVID-19 tightens hold in past week

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 15:22, March 21, 2020

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The world is scrambling to pool resources and upgrade measures in fighting the deadly coronavirus as it spread further in the past week with repeat record-breaking single-day caseloads.

COVID-19 seems to reach a new and tragic milestone every day, as more than 210,000 cases have been reported globally, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday at a press conference.

The number is a sharp rise on the 153,517 confirmed cases as of Sunday.

"Every loss of life is a tragedy," Tedros said, calling it "motivation" to do everything to stop transmission of the virus.

Italy, an epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported 17,506 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours as of midnight Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 104,591, according to the daily situation report released by the WHO late Friday.

In Italy, 627 patients died of COVID-19 in a 24-hour span on Friday, the highest single day of deaths, bringing the country's COVID-19 death toll to 4,032, according to official data. In the 24 hours prior to Friday, 427 people had died.

The country announced on Friday that it would call up the military to help enforce a national coronavirus lockdown in the hardest-hit parts of the country.

Across the Atlantic, the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States reached 16,605 with 216 deaths Friday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The country is now trying everything to expand supply of protective equipment. Vice President Mike Pence said on Friday that his country is trying to secure more masks for health care workers as well as more ventilators for sick Americans who may need treatment.

Pence urged every American to postpone elective medical procedures over concerns of insufficient ventilators.

With coronavirus cases soaring, doctors, nurses and other front-line medical workers across the United States are facing a dire shortage of masks, surgical gowns and eye gear to protect them from the virus.

Meanwhile, Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, urged the United States to remove sanctions as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Islamic republic edged toward 20,000 on Friday.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani asked the American people to press Washington to lift sanctions against Tehran, according to Iran's presidential website.

"U.S. sanctions have targeted major sectors of Iran's financial and economic system, which has inflicted hundreds of billions of dollars of loss to Iran's economy and people," said Rouhani.

In a rare relief to people worrying about the epidemic, the pace of daily new infections in South Korea has shown marked signs of slowing since earlier this month, according to a report by the Yonhap news agency.

But the authorities are still on high alert over new clusters of infections, including at a call center in Seoul's Guro district and nursing hospitals in Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province.

In the thick of the world's fight against the pandemic, the WHO called on people to remain hopeful and cited the case of Wuhan in China.

Wuhan, a city that has borne the brunt of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, provides hope for the rest of the world that even the most severe situation of COVID-19 can be turned around, said Tedros.

Calling it a "success", he noted Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, reported no new cases for the first time since the epidemic outbreak started.

According to the Health Commission of Hubei Province, no new infections or suspected cases of the novel coronavirus were reported on Thursday in Wuhan, marking two days in a row of zero reports at the epicenter of the epidemic in a months-long battle with the deadly virus.

"The experience of cities and countries that have pushed back this virus give hope and courage to the rest of the world," Tedros said at a daily briefing.

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Americas evolving response to the coronavirus pandemic  now responsible for stay at home orders in New York, California, Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey  dominates the editorial cartoons again this week.

Toilet paper hoarding is a theme. So is social distancing, the art of staying six feet away from other people to avoid catching the virus. Another hot topic is youthful invincibility: the mistaken beliefs by young people that coronavirus isnt a serious threat, and that they can continue to socialize without consequence.

Cartoonists also commented on the heroism of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, the shortage of medical supplies needed to protect them, testing delays, the challenges of home-schooling the kids, Wall Streets swoon, elections being held in a time of restrictive public health measures, and criticism of President Donald Trumps handling of the crisis.

Presidential politicking is still going on, with online events replacing rallies. Sen. Bernie Sanders continues to campaign, although former Vice President Joe Biden has a large lead in delegates. Cartoonists are still making fun of the two septuagenarians competing for a chance to challenge the incumbent.

In non-coronavirus news, Tom Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it was Sunshine Week, which celebrates government transparency.

Cartoons were drawn by Bill Bramhall, Dana Summers, Drew Sheneman, Scott Stantis, Walt Handelsman, David Horsey, Phil Hands, Joel Pett and Joey Weatherford of Tribune Content Agency; and A.F. Branco, Mike Luckovich and Michael Ramirez of Creators Syndicate.

View more editorial cartoon galleries.
C helsea star Willian is desperate to join his family in Brazil, comparing solitary life in London's coronavirus lockdown to a "war zone".

The 31-year-old, whose contract is set to expire in the summer, is trying to get permission to be with his wife and daughters.

Chelsea's Cobham training facility was partially closed after Callum Hudson-Odoi returned a positive test for coronavirus earlier this month, and every first-team player was immediately told to self-isolate.

Meanwhile, the panic sparked by Covid-19 has left supermarkets struggling to cope with demand as people stockpile products in anticipation of extended periods cooped up indoors.

Willian explained: "In the markets, it's like a war. I'm alone. I'm trying to get authorisation.

"My wife and daughters are in Brazil. Other players are going, being close to family at this moment."

It is unclear at this stage whether Willian would be granted an immediate return to the UK if the Premier League season resumed on April 30.

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Milagro Jones, a student at L.A. Trade Tech College. Campus services he counts on, like healthcare, the library, meals and a work-study job, are not available during the crisis. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

On Wednesday morning, Los Angeles Trade Technical College student Milagro Jones logged onto his laptop from a one-bedroom apartment in south Los Angeles to attend an online class on human evolution. His 5-year-old daughter, Lydia, at home from preschool, played nearby.

This was supposed to be the first day of online courses after the Los Angeles Community College District announced it would suspend most in-person classes due to the novel coronavirus.

To Jones' surprise, nobody else  not even the teacher  was online.

"I didn't know why," he said.

At the nation's largest community college district, communication about the coronavirus has been confusing. Less than half of the faculty had been trained in "distance education" before the pandemic hit. Employees lacked access to systems to enable working from home. There were not enough laptops for students and teachers to access online instruction.

Many staff, faculty and students across the nine-college system say the response to the virus has been inadequate.

We were caught kind of flat-footed, said Deirdre Wood McDermott, who teaches public speaking and is chair of the language arts and humanities department at Trade Tech. Were trying to build the plane while were learning to fly.

The uneven response is disrupting the lives of students who rely on campuses not only for education, but also for essential services such as food, healthcare and help with financial aid forms.

The vast majority of the district's 230,000 students come from low-income households. Many are food and housing insecure. An estimated one-fourth have children of their own to care for. Their ability to complete their higher education goals is tenuous even under ordinary circumstances.

District officials said they are following their emergency plans and protocols and are regularly pushing out information to students, faculty and staff. But, they said, COVID-19 has created a situation nobody could have planned for.

Story continues

"This situation that we are in is completely unprecedented," Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez said. "To say that we have not planned for an emergency is completely false. To say that we have not planned for a pandemic is true."

"We're changing as the environment is changing," board president Andra Hoffman said. "It's been ... a challenge."

The district created a COVID-19 response team earlier this month to come up with immediate plans of action for health and safety and continuity of operations. Officials have approved $450,000 for supplies and overtime for custodial staff, purchased VPN licenses so more employees can work from home and placed orders for thousands of laptops. They are also rolling out a new platform for online counseling three months ahead of schedule.

Originally administrators said colleges would begin online instruction March 18, but a few days later they voted to cancel classes for a full week and move spring break up in order to give faculty more time before having to begin classes online March 30.

Jones wasn't aware of that latest change, which was why only he logged on this past Wednesday.

"The response has been confusing," he said. "I've been told different things by different faculty ... You get one thing on email and then it's different in person."

Angela Echeverri, president of the districts academic senate and a microbiology teacher at Mission College, said only about 2,000 of the districts 5,000 faculty are certified in distance education.

"You can imagine how we're scrambling here," she said. To train 3,000 faculty in a week  I can't even tell you how overwhelming that is."

As the coronavirus emergency intensified, with group gatherings restricted, the training itself was forced online.

One counselor showed up for in-person training Monday, where she said she was in a room with 30 to 40 other faculty members, including visibly sick ones, and no hand sanitizer.

Even if faculty and staff can ultimately switch to online education, many students will still struggle.

"Some students view our community colleges as their safe place ... related to where they get their food, to where they get their childcare support, to where they get a sense of safety and comfort," Rodriguez said. "No matter how well we do ... to provide an online platform, theres still going to be some dislocation and some trauma that students will experience."

Teissy Angel, an undocumented "Dreamer" student at Southwest College, works full-time as a caregiver for an adult with intellectual disabilities. She normally gets up around 6 a.m., makes her lunch and goes to campus to attend class. Then she drives to Culver City, where she works from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

Angel, 25, has relied on the school library to access expensive textbooks. She also runs a student club that invites local activists and social justice leaders to come talk to students. Most crucially, she helped establish a resource center for "Dreamers" like her on campus, where she would go two or three times a week to use the computers, print course material to read on breaks from her job, and attend workshops on financial aid, legal matters and stress relief.

Though she has a computer and internet at home, "it's not like I can sit and do all my assignments [at once]," she said. When she can't pay her internet bill, she resorts to a Starbucks or McDonald's to use Wi-Fi  but that won't be an option any more, as patrons can no longer gather at the sites.

"I fear that I'm not going to be able to pass my classes," said Angel, who is currently on track to transfer to a four-year college in fall 2021. Her professors seem understanding so far.

For some classes, especially in career and technical education, online instruction is simply not possible.

"Ultimately in my areas theres only so much you can do on paper, only so much you can do online," William Elarton-Selig, head of the construction, maintenance and utilities department at Trade Tech, said at an emergency Board of Trustees meeting March 14. "You have to be able to drive the nail, you have to be able to screw the parts together ... or [students] wont have an education thats of any value to them."

Meanwhile, clerical and custodial staff said they felt "abandoned" by the administration and unclear on the guidelines of whether and where to work.

"My members were calling me saying, 'Are we the only ones coming to work today?'" said Steven Butcher, executive secretary of the union that represents clerical and technical staff.

Staff members were particularly worried about having to use sick and vacation days if they stayed home, but district officials said no employees would lose pay or be penalized for staying home due to the coronavirus.

At the core of the emergency, though, are LACC students like Em Owens, 19, of Southwest College, who doesn't have internet at the studio apartment she shares with her brother in Long Beach. Normally she goes to the library for Wi-Fi, but now she plans to rely on friends' houses or a mobile hotspot from her phone, which is slow.

Rodriguez said the district is working with internet companies and philanthropists to provide free internet and laptops to students who need them.

And Jones, the single parent who attends Trade Tech, illustrates the struggles  and determination  of many. He has been in and out of homelessness since birth. He got his GED in 2011, while he was incarcerated.

Jones, 30, started at Trade Tech as a full-time student last summer and intends to get an associate degree and transfer to a four-year institution in 2021. His financial aid covers tuition but he is relying on savings and other assistance to cover expenses.

He recently qualified to enroll in a program that comes with a grant to buy books and 20 monthly meal tickets  but now the bookstore and cafeteria are closed. He was hoping to finalize a work-study placement on campus this semester, where he expected to earn $14 an hour, but now thats on hold, too.

"It's a hurdle," he said.

But Jones is undeterred. "I've been through a lot in life," he said. "I'm resourceful, I'm resilient. I'm not gonna let anything hold me back."
New Delhi, March 22 : The Union Health Ministry here on Sunday said the states had been asked to make arrangements to deal with increasing number of coronavirus cases and take care of the poor.

Addressing the media, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said the Centre at a meeting with states told them to "allow only essential services in 75 districts and stop all the non-essential services." He said the state governments could increase the number of districts, depending on the situation. These measures, he said, were vital for breaking the chain of coronavirus transmission.

"The states have been directed to take care of the poor and vulnerable," Agarwal said.

A meeting was held on Sunday with the state Chief Secretaries by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
As coronavirus cases ballooned in Europe, several countries imposed or planned new restrictions to curb the spread. Britain told panic buyers to calm down, and California and three other US states directed tens of millions of people to stay at home.

Last night the total number of coronavirus cases globally stood at 305,179. There have been 12,988 recorded deaths, while 94,677 people have recovered. Of the 197,514 patients currently infected, some 188,135 (95pc) are in a "mild condition" while 9,379 (5pc) are either "serious" or "critical".

British authorities yesterday told people panic buying and hoarding food to calm down, pointing to a video on social media showing an exhausted nurse driven to tears by finding shelves bare after her shift. Meanwhile, the British government said it would pay an 80pc share of private sector wage bills to discourage bosses from firing staff. The UK saw 56 new deaths yesterday, with case numbers rising by 1,035 to 5,018.

On the Continent, Italy imposed further draconian restrictions on public life as the death toll leapt by 793 to 4,825 - more than 3,000 of the deaths have been in the Lombardy region. Over 53,500 people have been diagnosed with the virus in the country, up more than 6,500 in a day. Italy also reported that the death rate for men is double that for women.

Spain said it would turn a Madrid conference centre into a giant military hospital, as Europe's second-worst outbreak claimed another 285 lives. In France, another 112 new deaths were reported, taking the death total to 562.

Germany's caseload rise 10pc to 22,084. Berlin may enforce a nationwide curfew if the country's 83 million people fail to keep their distance from each other this weekend. Germany is readying an emergency budget worth more than 150bn to shore up jobs and businesses at risk from the impact of the outbreak.

In the US, New Jersey's governor is expected to follow four other states - California, New York, Illinois and Connecticut - in demanding that millions of Americans close up shop and stay home to slow the spread of infection. The total number of known US cases has climbed past 24,116 in a surge that health officials attributed in large part to an increase in diagnostic testing. More than 288 Americans have died. Economically, the coronavirus stimulus package being negotiated by the US Senate would be worth more than $2 trillion - about 10pc of GDP.

China has reported a record rise in imported coronavirus cases as students and expatriates returned home from the US and EU, sparking fears of a second wave of infections just as the country recovers from the initial outbreak. All 41 of the new confirmed cases in China were imported from overseas, the country's National Health Commission said.

Iran's death toll rose yesterday by more than 100 to 1,556, and the total number of people officially reported infected now exceeds 20,000.

Markets everywhere retreated last Friday after investors who had welcomed the week's fiscal measures ran for cover. The US said it will send a special energy envoy to Saudi Arabia to work with the kingdom on stabilising the global oil market

African cases of the coronavirus have topped 1,000 and at least 40 of Africa's 54 countries are now affected. However, many commentators have speculated that the seeming slow onset of the coronavirus on the Indian sub-continent and in sub-Saharan Africa is in fact rapid, and may perhaps be obscured by poor testing regimes.
Egypt's health ministry announced four new coronavirus fatalities on Sunday, the highest death toll in one day since the virus was first detected in the country in February.

The ministry also announced 33 new cases of the virus, bringing the total to 327 and the total deaths to 14.

The new fatalities were a 51-year-old woman, an 80-year-old man, a 73-year-old man, and a 56-year-old man, according to health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed.

All the new patients are Egyptian citizens who had come into contact with previously detected cases, said Megahed, adding that they have been quarantined in accordance with the regulations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The spokesman noted that 15 cases were cleared on Sunday, including seven foreigners and eight Egyptians, raising the total number of cases that have been discharged from the isolation hospital to 56.

Those are out of a total of 74 cases who have since tested negative for the virus.

Egypt has allocated EGP 100 billion to finance a "comprehensive" plan to stop the spread of the virus, in addition to other economic packages to support different sectors and social groups, including the vulnerable.

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With the increasing its spread across Africa, the continent received a much-needed care package from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.

A cargo flight containing more than 6 million medical items arrived Sunday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The supplies from Ma, the founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, will be distributed to African countries in need of supplies to battle the spreading Covid-19 pandemic.

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight from Guangzhou, China arrived with 5.4 million face masks, 1.08 million testing kits, 40,000 sets of protective clothing and 60,000 protective face shields, according to Ethiopian officials and the Jack Ma Foundation.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week pledged to distribute the supplies to other countries in Africa. Ma has sent similar shipments of medical supplies to countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America.



The virus has been relatively slow to reach Africa but has now spread to at least 43 of the continent's 54 countries, with more than 1,100 cases confirmed. In response many African countries are imposing restrictions.

Mozambique confirmed its first case Sunday and cancelled all visas to the country, closed schools and banned gatherings of more than 50 people.

Kenya announced new restrictions Sunday, after it confirmed eight new cases, bringing its total to 15. It closed all bars and restaurants as of midnight Sunday and halted all services at churches and mosques, saying that houses of worship had not implemented safe social distancing. Kenya also suspended all passenger flights effective Wednesday and closed the border posts to neighboring Uganda, except for the transport of cargo.

In Burkina Faso, the U.S. ambassador, Andrew Young, announced on his personal Twitter account Sunday that he has tested positive for the virus, He is in quarantine and local sources say he has not gone to a hospital.

Burkina Faso has 75 cases and four deaths as of Sunday, one of the highest number of deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.

Young is the first U.S. ambassador to say that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and the second ambassador in Burkina Faso to contract the virus, according to diplomats. Earlier this week Italian ambassador, Andrea Romussi, told AP he was positive, but was feeling fine. Burkina Faso's government has also been badly impacted by the virus with at least four Cabinet ministers confirmed as positive.

Burkina Faso's president on Saturday announced a curfew and shut the borders for two weeks, but health officials are concerned the number of cases will grow exponentially in the coming weeks and could worsen the West African country's already dire humanitarian crisis.

Almost 800,000 people are internally displaced due to attacks linked to Islamic militants and more than 2 million people are in need of aid.

"The number of high level officials and VIPs who have tested positive is a concern, but I hope that this does not distract from the fact that this virus is indiscriminate in who it will infect," said Jackie MacLeod, head of mission for the Rescue Committee in Burkina Faso.

We need to make sure that while this will bring more attention to Burkina Faso, this attention should not have an adverse affect on the humanitarian community's ability to safely and responsibly deliver aid to people who do not have access to same level of care as Ambassador Young.

Rwanda and Tunisia have announced lockdowns, ordering people to stay at home except for essential reasons.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 190 million people, just three weeks ago announced the first case in sub-Saharan Africa.

Now with 22 cases, it stopped all incoming flights on Saturday.

Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways, two of Africa's largest airlines, announced sweeping cancellations of international flights. South Africa has stopped allowing foreigners to disembark from incoming international flights.

South Africa announced 34 new cases, bringing its total to 274. Normally bustling shopping malls in Johannesburg, Cape Town and other urban centers have few shoppers, many wearing face masks.

Although most people only experience minor flu-like symptoms from the and recover within a few weeks, the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those who do not show symptoms.

It can cause severe illness, including pneumonia, in some patients, particularly those with underlying health problems.

This poses a threat to many African health systems, which experts warn do not have sufficient resources to cope with a large influx of patients needing isolation and intensive care.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday ordered flags in the state to fly at half-staff in honor of a state representative from the Mahoning Valley and a Cincinnati-area police officer who died within the past week.

DeWine ordered flags lowered in Mahoning County to honor Rep. Don Manning, a Republican freshman from New Middleton, who died Friday at age 54 after experiencing chest pains earlier that day.

He also ordered flags lowered in Hamilton County to commemorate the death of Springdale police officer Kaia Grant, who died Saturday during a car chase, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

DeWines orders regarding Manning and Grant also applies at the Ohio Statehouse, Vernon Riffe Center and Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus, according to a news release.

Both orders are in effect until March 29.

The governor, separately, asked last week that Ohio residents should fly American and state flags outside their homes to show unity as the state and country grapple with the fallout from the coronavirus. DeWine said his wife Fran made the suggestion, and many Ohioans have obliged their request.

Read more:

One officer dead, another injured, after police chase ends on I-275 in Springdale

Ohio Rep. Don Manning of the Mahoning Valley dies

Photos: We spotted lots of flags across Greater Cleveland after Gov. Mike DeWines message to show them for unity
Ever since the coronavirus outbreak, which has so far killed thousands of people across the world, South Korea has worked aggressively on measures to tackle the pandemic, and succeeded too.



A South Korean firm has developed a simple tester that it said could detect if a person is infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) in just 10 minutes, according to local news site Media News1.

The company, PCL, a provider of in vitro diagnostic products, said its breakthrough testing kit, named COVID-19 Ag GICA Rapid, can check nasal discharge for the presence of the virus within 10 minutes with an accuracy rate of around 85 per cent.



South Korea prepares 10 minute Coronavirus test and ramps up production to 300000 kits per week to make available for export to requesting countries @ChairmanAnuj @adgpi @indiannavy @IAF_MCC @DefenceMinIndia @drajaykumar_ias pic.twitter.com/jOA8apjl0W  India Research Centre (@IndiaResearchC1) March 22, 2020





The testing can be done at home, just like a pregnancy test, and will help in removing the stigma associated with going out and getting a test done. It also cuts the risk of exposure to other people.

Having developed the kits, South Korea is now exporting these to several other countries which are facing dearth of testing and screening measures, which may lead to increase in deaths due to the virus.

Other countries such as China and Japan have also made such rapid test kits and are mass producing them from testing in home country and donation.

Xinhua / Redux

South Korea has shown remarkable decline in the number of coronavirus positive cases, all due to robust screening in place.

South Korea immediately began testing hundreds of thousands of asymptomatic people, including at drive-through centres. South Korea employed a central tracking app, Corona 100m, that publicly informs citizens of known cases within 100 metres of where they are, said a report by The Guardian.

March 16 onwards, South Korea started to screen all people arriving at airports, Koreans included.

According to worldometers.info, a website completing real-time data on coronavirus statistics, there are 308,540 cases and 13,069 deaths worldwide due to the novel virus.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The self-imposed 14 -hour Janata curfew is total in the state when three hours of self-isolation has been completed. The curfew began at 7 am and will end at 9 pm.

All the roads were seen empty in the state and people are busy cleaning their houses as part of containing the Covid-19 spread.

#India wears a deserted look, as cities participate in the Janata Curfew urged by PM @narendramodi.



PHOTO|ENS#JantaCurfew #Covid_19india



Follow LIVE updates here: https://t.co/bdoSIRBOzx pic.twitter.com/QBGGoE8GeG  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) March 22, 2020

All the transport services including KSRTC kept off the roads and all the shops except emergency services were seen locked.

Private taxi and autorickshaws also joined the curfew. In the front of Secretariat, the agitators also left home giving solidarity to the Union and state governments to combat the disease threat.

The train services were also cut shortened. In Kochi, the metro rail services are not operating as it already informed that they will not operate on Sunday.



However, the government has issued strict instructions to ensure that essential services shouldn't be hit.

The chief minister has said that delivery of milk and water shouldn't be interrupted and hospital canteens, including those in private hospitals, should remain open throughout Sunday. Petrol pumps would also remain open.

The curfew was called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that the state government would also join to the curfew as part of the collective effort to combat the threat of virus.
By The Associated Press Mar. 22, 2020 | 01:15 PM | WASHINGTON

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday that he had tested positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus , becoming the first member of the Senate to report a case of COVID-19. He said in a tweet that he was feeling fine and was in quarantine.

Paul, an eye surgeon, said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He said he was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.

Paul, a deficit hawk, was among eight Senate Republicans who voted against a House-passed bill last week that provided more than $100 billion to boost testing for the coronavirus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers. He also was only Republican senator who opposed an earlier bill authorizing $8.3 billion for initial response to the coronavirus.

The senator was on Capitol Hill this past week, including at a luncheon Friday among GOP senators. He spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday afternoon, addressing the cornonavirus and an amendment he sponsored that would pay for virus relief efforts by withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

A spokesman for Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said Moran briefly saw Paul at the Senate gym Sunday morning and that he shared that information with GOP colleagues at a policy meeting. Moran followed CDC guidelines and kept a safe distance between him and Sen. Paul,'' spokesman Tom Brandt said. Moran has spoken with the attending physician at the Capitol and has been told he does not need to self-quarantine, Brandt said.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Republican senator, said on the Senate floor that lawmakers will consult with the attending physician about all senators who have been in contact with Paul.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said he was praying for Paul and noted that Paul's health is compromised. Paul, 57, broke several ribs in 2017 when a neighbor assaulted him over a long-standing landscaping dispute. Paul, who was later awarded $580,000 in damages and medical expenses, had surgery last year to remove part of a lung damaged by the assault.

Two House members, Reps. Mario Diaz Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah,, have tested positive.

The Senate was in session Sunday seeking a bipartisan response to the pandemic. If approved, the bill would be the third measure Congress has approved in response to the coronavirus this month.

The White House has increasingly emphasized that testing should prioritize the elderly and health care workers who have symptoms of the virus. While most cases of COVID-19 are mild and tens of thousands of people have recovered, older people and those with underlying health problems are at higher risk for more serious problems, such as pneumonia.

We dont want everyone to go out and get a test because theres no reason for it," President Donald Trump told reporters in a briefing Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells people to seek testing if they have certain symptoms of the flu-like illness caused by the coronavirus  fever, cough and trouble breathing  and if they have traveled recently to an outbreak area or have been in close contact with someone who is infected. They should first be tested for the flu and other routine infections.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Sun, March 22, 2020 12:03 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c8bee3 2 News Emirates,Airlines,Dubai,travel,coronavirus,COVID-19,United-Arab-Emirates,Etihad-Airways Free

Dubai carrier Emirates Airlines announced Saturday it would suspend flights to dozens more cities, taking its total route closures past 100, in a bid to forestall the spread of coronavirus.

The United Arab Emirates on Friday announced its first two deaths from the disease. Total recorded infections in the UAE stood at 153, of which 38 have recovered.

The latest suspensions by Emirates Airlines take the carrier's total closed routes to 111.

The airline normally serves 159 destinations.

"In response to the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak around the world, Emirates is taking extra steps that go above and beyond industry and regulatory requirements to ensure our customers' health and comfort," the company said in a statement.

Emirates said flights to some destinations would be suspended for up to three months while others, including to Paris, Frankfurt and Islamabad were stopped "until further notice".

Read also: Emirates offers leave to staff as virus saps demand for travel

Abu Dhabi's carrier Etihad also announced on Saturday it was suspending flights to some 40 cities in China, India, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Italy.

Gulf countries have imposed various restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus, particularly in the air transport sector.

The UAE has stopped granting visas on arrival and forbidden foreigners who are legal residents but who are currently outside the country from returning.

And on Saturday the UAE announced it was temporarily closing beaches and other public areas, including parks, movie theaters and gyms, to contain the spread of the virus.

Restaurants and cafes, however, could remain open if they provide a home-delivery service and limit client capacity to 20 percent, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said on Twitter.

The new measures would remain in effect for two weeks, pending review, it added.
- John Lloyd Cruz and his fellow actor Mon Cofiado were recently spotted together at a beach in Cebu

- Photos of the actor together with Mon and the rest of his family went viral after it was uploaded on social media

- In his online post, Mon revealed that they went to Cebu for his birthday celebration

- It can be worth noting that John Lloyd is still on a hiatus from the showbiz industry in spite of his latest film appearances

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Mon Cofiado recently held his birthday celebration at the White Beach in Saavedra Moalboal, Cebu.

For his birthday celebration, Mon went with his family and even invited his fellow actor, John Lloyd Cruz.

KAMI learned that the actor also uploaded photos from his birthday celebration in Cebu on his personal social media account.

Source: Facebook of Mon Cofiado via PUSH

Source: Facebook

Source: Facebook of Mon Cofiado via PUSH

Source: Facebook

Furthermore, Elias Modesto, the son of John Lloyd with Ellen Adarna, was also spotted in the said birthday celebration.

Source: Facebook of Mon Cofiado via PUSH

Source: Facebook

Source: Facebook of Mon Cofiado via PUSH

Source: Facebook

It can be worth noting that the actor is still on a hiatus from the showbiz industry even though he recently appeared in Servando Magdamag and Culion during the previous Metro Manila Film Festival.

The said photos also garnered various reactions from netizens on social media.

"Sa kanya muna siguro ang bata kasi si Ellen kailangan mag self quarantine."

"He looks carefree and happy. Nice to see him like that."

"Ellen na Ellen si Elias!"

"Mukhang mas healthy ang itsura ni JLC ngayon, dati sobrang payat niya."

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As reported earlier by KAMI, Ellen Adarna posted a hugot line on her MyDay which clearly caught the attention of many netizens. She began it with a somewhat innocent line referring to the ongoing enhanced community quarantine.

John Lloyd Cruz is a popular actor and commercial endorser in the Philippines. He is currently on a showbiz hiatus to focus on raising his child named Elias Modesto.

POPULAR: Read more news about John Lloyd Cruz

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Have you seen the movie Parasite already? Here are our thoughts on the Best Picture Oscar winner. If you watched the film, let us know if you agree with our host Christine! Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel !

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 00:14:52|Editor: yan

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MADRID, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday that his government was seeking to extend the current state of emergency, which was declared on March 14, for another 15 days after the end of the initial period.

The extension is expected to win approval on Tuesday at a meeting of Sanchez's cabinet and further ratified by the Spanish parliament on Wednesday, local media reported.

Sanchez described his decision to seek extension of state of emergency, which will maintain restrictions on people's movement and keep Spain under virtual lockdown, as "one of the most drastic solutions adapted by all of the countries in the region."

He said he knew it was "uncomfortable for everyone to be confined at home and it is affecting the lives of everyone," but insisted that "experts agree it is an effective measure in the fight against the coronavirus."

Sanchez announced his decision after holding a video conference with the leaders of Spain's 17 autonomous regions.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spain rose to 28,572 on Sunday, and 1,720 people have lost their lives to the disease, according to Spanish health authorities.

The health authorities also revealed that among the 28,572 people infected by the virus, 3,475 are health workers. A total of 2,575 people have recovered from the disease.
As state and local officials clamp down with restrictions on public gatherings during the outbreak of the coronavirus, local human services agencies are also following social distancing rules by canceling events.

The Stamford-based Childrens Learning Centers of Fairfield County has temporarily shut down its programming and recently canceled an annual fundraising benefit, which would have featured Grammy winner Gloria Gaynor.

The benefit is the agencys most important fundraiser, accounting for 20 percent of its overall fundraising goal, said Marc Jaffe, CEO of the organization.

Agency leaders are asking benefit supporters to consider converting their gift to a 100 percent tax-deductible donation amid the coronavirus outbreak, which is affecting vulnerable people acutely.

Continued financial support will help ensure CLC can reopen to serve working families as soon as possible, Jaffe said in a statement. Contributions will be used for scholarship funding for families who cant afford the cost of care.

Anyone interested in supporting the agency, can make a donation at www.clcfc.org.

To request a refund or to designate monetary support as a donation, ticket holders can contact Corey Paris at coreyparis@clcstamford.org or 203-653-1337. For more information, call Jaffe at 203-653-1326.

The Carver Center in nearby Port Chester, N.Y., has also called off its spring benefit  one of its major fundraisers.

Its May 2 Kentucky Derby-themed benefit is canceled  with no plans to reschedule.

Agency leaders expected to draw 250 to 300 people to the event that last year raised about $300,000 in its inaugural year, about 10 percent of the agencys overall budget, said Anne Bradner, CEO of the Carver Center.

Essentially, were reaching out to people who mightve been in that room, and more, and saying Carver Center cant do what it does without this amount of funding, she said of last years attendees.

Last week, Carver Center staff developed a new fundraising plan: They are asking individuals to donate whatever sum of money they had planned to give during the spring benefit. Those interested in supporting the agency can do so by visiting www.carvercenter.org/carver-cares-challenge/.

The goal is to raise $300,000 by May 2. Currently, the agency has raised $40,000.

The real issue for us is we are trying to serve our community in their time of need, said Bradner.

Were giving out hundreds of bags of food to people in the community, who cant afford to go to the grocery store and hoard groceries, she said. So, what were doing is really critical, and if we dont have funding, we cant stay open to do the work.

The center primarily helps immigrants and low-income families. It serves 300 families a month through the food pantry, known as the Carver Market, and nearly 400 children in its elementary after-school program. It also runs a middle school program, a teen center and citizenship classes.

Our heart breaks for people who are getting sick. Our heart breaks for people who are going to be out of work. Our heart breaks for the people who are scared, who are hungry, Bradner said. So, we are trying to be part of the support system.

For more information, contact the Port Chester Carver Center at 914-305-6010.

tatiana.flowers@thehour.com
A number of aged-care facilities in the state late last week banned visitors entirely because the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. Loading A nursing home in Macquarie Park, near Uniting Arrunga in Ermington, was badly affected as the virus spread through Sydney. A 90-year-old was the latest of three people at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge to die from the virus after having initially tested negative. The two other residents of the lodge in Macquarie Park also died, with a 95-year-old woman succumbing to the coronavirus on March 4 and an 82-year-old man on March 8.

Other passengers aboard the Ruby Princess said they were still encouraged to meet in large numbers for meals and at concerts "while the rest of the world was ... in lockdown." Glen and Marjorie Willardson, from Salt Lake City, Utah, said they had raised concerns with two passenger service representatives, expressing that they felt the cruise "should not be continuing on," but they were told all was well. "People were coughing and sneezing all around us ... and we continued to meet in large numbers in the dining rooms, the large theatre for evening entertainment, the buffet area, and all around the ship ...when the rest of the world was in an epidemic and lockdown, Mr Willardson said. When the ships commodore announced last Sunday that the Australian government had ordered the ship back to Sydney early, Mr Willardson said he and his wife "cheered." "We had been stressed beyond measure about what was happening on board," he said.

A spokesman for Princess Cruises said its onboard medical team was "rigorous" in treating some guests who reported flu-like symptoms. "In line with protocols [the team] reported these cases to NSW Health, which in turn requested swabs," he said. "Notwithstanding this assessment, tests for COVID-19 are not conducted on cruise ships. The protocol is for swabs to be tested by the relevant public health authority and this was done." He added that the cruise was regarded as low risk for COVID-19, "as NSW Health has stated publicly." On Thursday around 2700 passengers were allowed to disembark without being questioned about their health, because the vessel had been deemed "low risk" by NSW Health as it had come from New Zealand. A day later, four passengers tested positive for coronavirus.

The total number of confirmed cases among passengers is 26, with 17 passengers and one crew member diagnosed in NSW and another eight passengers who are now interstate. Brad Hazzard said on Saturday that in hindsight he would have kept the 2700 passengers on board the Ruby Princess, while his federal counterpart Greg Hunt criticised NSW for not following correct procedures. On Saturday evening an additional 97 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in NSW, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 533. As well as the Ruby Princess, another four cruise ships that recently docked in Sydney have been linked to confirmed cases. Loading

One case each on two separate Voyager of the Seas cruises, which docked on March 7 and March 18, two cases on the Ovation of the Seas, which also docked on March 18, and one case reported in New Zealand from the Celebrity Solstice, which docked on March 20. NSW Health on Sunday night released a statement saying the assessments on cruise ships entering the state's ports has exceeded federal government protocols. "NSW Health undertook a full assessment of the Ruby Princess, notwithstanding under the National Protocol in place, it could have chosen not to do an assessment," a NSW Health spokesman said. "NSW Health again followed the National Protocol that states 'the ship may be allowed to continue the voyage while samples are being tested'." The spokesman said NSW Health will go beyond the national and state protocols and will hold all ships in port until any patients highlighted as having respiratory issues are tested for COVID-19.

No further passengers are expected to dock in Sydney, only crew. "All passengers and crew have been notified and advised to self-isolate for 14 days and monitor symptoms. Investigations are continuing." A spokesman for the federal Department of Agriculture said all four cruise ships had "complied with their pre-arrival reporting requirements under the Biosecurity Act 2015". Ruby Princess reported 128 people on board who became ill or showed signs of illness in the 14 days prior to reporting, while Voyager of the Seas reported 81 people and Celebrity Solstice reported 11. The spokesman said illnesses that are reported include those that are "not listed human diseases" such as gastroenteritis.
>>> 65th founding anniversary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party congratulated

In the message, the CPVCC has lauded the sound leadership of the LPRP over the past 65 years, especially during the 35-year reform.

The achievements the Lao Party has recorded not only hold significance to national construction, defence and development in Laos, but also serve as a great source of encouragement to the Vietnamese Party, State and people, the message said.

The Party, State and people of Vietnam believe that their Lao counterparts will reap greater attainments in the reform process, successfully building a Laos of peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity.

The message of congratulations highlighted recent important achievements made by the Party, State and people of the two countries, as well as the flourishing friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

It said that the bilateral relationship has constantly been deepened across fields, contributing to the national construction and safeguard in each nation.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Party, State and people expressed their sincere thanks for great and valuable support provided by the Lao side for Vietnam during its struggle for national liberation in the past, and in national building and safeguarding at present.

Vietnams Party, State and people will work closely together with the Party, State and people of Laos to further foster the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity, for the sake of the two countries people, and for peace, stability, cooperation in the region and the world, the message said.
Lotus is the iconic flower of Dong Thap province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Food, drinks and various products made from lotus are popular among local residents.

Lotus pond in Dong Thap province (Photo: vovgiaothong.vn)

After finishing his biochemistry master's program in France, Ngo Chi Cong from Cao Lanh city, Dong Thap province, decided to start his own business with lotus.

Cong said it was difficult to preserve lotuses because the flowers petals quickly wilt after harvest. It took Cong 6 months to do research and develop a technology to dry and preserve lotuses.

With the modern and environmentally-friendly technology, Cong is now able to add different shades to the lotus petals while preserving the natural scent of the blossoms and keeping their freshness and liveliness for up to one year.

Ngo Chi Cong, Director of Khoi Minh Thanh Cong limited company, said, I collect lotuses directly from local farmers. I hope that this will generate stable income for farmers and encourage them to continue their work of growing lotuses in Dong Thap.

Ngo Chi Cong is working on a lotus (Photo: Nong nghiep newspaper)

Congs company has utilized lotuses to turn them into high-value souvenirs and products. Wallets, notebooks, paintings and baskets made from lotus leaves have become attractive products as gifts and souvenirs in Vietnam and other countries. Lotus biscuits, wine, tea and milk are considered luxury products.

Most recently, Cong succeeded in processing and making Vietnamese conical hats made from naturally-dyed lotus leaves. He is also working on making high-quality thread from lotus roots for the textile industry, which will bring a source of revenue dozens of times higher than preserved lotuses.

Ngo Ngoc Anh started her business by making clean incense from lotuses. Ngoc Anh, head of Lien Tam incense manufacturing workshop, said, Lotus incense is made from lotus skin which helps protect the environment. I am so proud as I can do something for the community and my homeland. I hope that people use lotus incense not only for worshipping but also experiencing new products from lotus.

Ngoc Anh said lotus incense is made totally from natural materials, without using any chemicals or artificial fragrance. This kind of incense does not emit much of smoke which is environmentally friendly.

Dong Thap province now has more than 150 hectares of lotus. Secretary of Dong Thap provinces Party Committee Le Minh Hoan said the province will create favorable conditions for start-up businesses working on lotus.

He noted, Dong Thap province will restructure lotus ponds to assure stable material areas. We are targeting at producing organic products with clean technology. VOV
Gov. Baker holds a short press conference on Saturday with only Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders.

Governor Says Army Corps Sussing Out Patient Capacity Options

BOSTON  The state's COVID-19 command center has been in discussions with the Army Corps of Engineers about expanding patient capacity.

"Earlier today, we had a very productive conversation with U.S. Army Corps about ways they could potentially support the commonwealth and its citizens and its health-care system," Gov. Charlie Baker said at Sunday's coronavirus update. "During this outbreak, as most people know, the Army Corps has expertise and skills in designing and building critical infrastructure in a big hurry in times of need."

The governor said the Corps is looking at structures that can be easily modified into patient facilities, with a focus on plumbing, electrical load and time constraints.

He described the guidelines as a "cookbook with models" that will require structures with the right ingredients.

"I mean it's dizzying how organized and structured they are because they've done so much of this," he said. "So literally, it's like they show you what the cookbook is. And then they say to you, the kinds of places we believe our cookbook would work best in your area would be things like ... college dorms."

College dorms are one thing the state has quite a few of, the governor noted, and added that some colleges have indicated they might be willing to consider it. Other options might be very recently closed nursing homes.

"We got a sense for the kind of work that they can do here in the commonwealth and identified, along with several other folks, including people from the private sector facilities that could possibly be either converted, or modified to provide additional medical care capacity," the governor continued.

He also anticipated the number of cases of the novel coronavirus to rise as testing expands. The state Public Health Lab is now being bolstered by two private laboratories with more expected.

"Over the past two days, the number of tests completed in a day in Massachusetts has nearly doubled from 520 on Wednesday to 962 yesterday," Baker said. "That represents about an 85 percent increase in the number of completed tests. ...

"We certainly expect that we'll see an increase in the number of positive test cases, as well."

A second private drive-through testing center has opened at the AFC Urgent Care in Waltham; the first is a CVS in Shrewsbury that was announced on Thursday.

Some 300 child-care centers will open on Monday across the state to provide child care for parents in critical service sectors, including grocery workers. All early child-care centers were ordered closed with the exception of those made exempt by the state.

"We know that child care is especially critical piece of emergency services, and that it allows our frontline workers to continue their battle against COVID-19, and to continue their work," the governor said. "These need to be implemented safele and the sites should only really be used as a last resort."

A list of sites should be up on the Department of Early Education and Care's website Sunday morning.

 The National Guard was activated this past week to provide support. The governor said he expected that mayors and towns seeking Guard help would be doing so through their regional state Emergency Management Agency contacts.

 Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders confirmed that an inmate had tested positive at Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater and that protocols were being followed in sanitizing the facility and tracking and testing those in contact with the individual.

 Baker reiterated that the president has now said he will not get in the way of states buying critical supplies. The president had earlier last week told states to order their own materials but they had been blocked by the federal government buying up critical supplies.

"We immediately put a bunch of orders in with a number of vendors, American companies for the most part, and we'll look forward to seeing those get processed," he said.

 The governor again said he would not impose a "shelter in place" at this time, noting states that have are still allowing residents to shop for supplies.

"We will make decisions based on data, and guidance that we get from public health experts from state and federal authorities, and based on the facts as we understand them on the ground," he said.

Municipalities and boards of health have imposed their own restrictions within the state's framework, Baker said.

"You know, every decision I made since I got into this was either too much or too little," the governor said. "And I think we should all remember that there are trade-offs associated with every one of these, the economic consequences of these decisions for regular people no longer having a job through no fault of their own are profound.

"And if you make decisions to deal with one piece of this puzzle, you better be absolutely sure, especially if it has huge consequences over here, that you're making the right one and you're going to get maximum value out of the decision you make over here."
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Harare, Zimbabwe  Mon, March 23, 2020 01:09 660 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206ca1adc 2 World Zimbabwe,Africa,church,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,religious-gathering Free

A Zimbabwe spokesman warned people against flocking to church Sunday in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even claimed that worshippers risked going to hell.

"A quick survey around town [in the capital Harare] shows a lot of religious activity above 100 people," government spokesman Nick Mangwana said on Twitter.

"Lets be responsible. All of us will die. And then go to hell," he said.

The government has banned gatherings of more than 100 people to ward off the spread of the new coronavirus.

The southern African country, whose healthcare system has been eroded by two decades of economic decline, has so far recorded two cases of COVID-19.

Harare resident Joyce Ndlovu said her church had staggered masses so that none would exceed 100 faithful.

"Not going to church on Sunday is not an option," she said. "So we have decided to not all go at the same time."

Meanwhile around 40 cars were seen in the carpark outside a Methodist school frequented by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, an AFP correspondent said.

Mnangagwa last Tuesday declared the new coronavirus pandemic a "national disaster" as he banned gatherings of more than 100 people.

But the next day he held a political rally in the east of the southern African country attended by several hundred people.

Also, despite ordering his ministers not to travel abroad, a ban he said applied to himself, the president travelled to Windhoek for the inauguration of his Namibian counterpart Hage Geingob.

Angolan and Botswanan presidents Joao Lourenco and Mokgweetsi Masisi were also present at the event attended by several hundred people.

Botswanan civil servants have been ordered not to leave the country, while in Angola, Lourenco decreed the closure of land borders and banned commercial flights as well as gatherings of more than 50 people.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives to make a press statement on the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Chancellery, in Berlin on March 22, 2020.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made the decision to self-quarantine in her home after having contact with a doctor who tested positive for the coronavirus, making her the latest world leader to take precautions after possible exposure to the rapidly spreading disease.

Merkel was informed after a press conference Sunday that a doctor who administered a pneumococcal vaccine to her Friday afternoon tested positive for the virus, according to her spokesman Steffen Seibert.

Merkel decided to immediately quarantine herself in her home, Seibert said. She will be tested regularly over the coming days and will continue to conduct her duties as chancellor from home. Her decision to self-quarantine comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate across Europe.

Earlier Sunday, Merkel announced that Germany was banning meetings of more than two people in public for the next two weeks to contain the spreading virus, bringing life in the European Union's largest economy to a virtual standstill. Exceptions to the rules are being made for people who live together and for work-related gatherings

"The great aim is to gain time in the fight against the virus," Merkel said during a press briefing Sunday.

Germany is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world, with more than 23,000 people who have tested positive, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At least 92 people have died from the virus in the country.

Europe is in a state of lockdown as the epicenter of the global pandemic has shifted from China to countries like Italy, Spain, Germany and France. These countries, the key economies in the EU, have closed all nonessential shops, crippling economic life in the bloc of nations that share the euro currency. Italy has the highest number of reported infections outside China, followed by Spain, the United States, Germany, Iran, France and South Korea.

Germany has effectively closed its borders temporarily with France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg to stop the virus from spreading.

As the pandemic spreads, there is growing concern that world leaders like Merkel could contract the virus, potentially impacting critical functions of government.

U.S. President Donald Trump tested negative for the virus after contact with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's press secretary, who tested positive. Bolsonaro tested negative. Vice President Mike Pence also tested negative after a member of his office tested positive. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife tested positive for the virus.
President Trump doesnt talk about his grandfathers death, and he is hardly the only descendant of a victim of the 1918 pandemic who seems to be unaware of that part of his family history. Until recently, at least, the world had largely forgotten the 1918 flu pandemic, even though it took more American lives than World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined. There were few novels or films chronicling the experience then, and there have been few since. Most newspapers and radio stations were slow to report on it.

Its really weird, said Nancy K. Bristow, a history professor at the University of Puget Sound and the author of American Pandemic: The Lost Worlds of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. There was a complete silencing of that narrative of trauma. It feels so tragic because peoples lives were torn apart by this.

Among those people were the family of Frederick Trump, whose death came early in the curve, at a time when no one fully realized that they were in the midst of a pandemic. New Yorks close living quarters, its location as a shipping center, and its position as a hub for soldiers during World War I made it an ideal cesspool for the flus spread, but many doctors dismissed the early cases, often thinking that they were routine ailments; it was an era when deadly disease was a more common part of life. And yet, looking back, Frederick Trumps death was a signature of that pandemic, which not only hit both the young and the old, but also many people like him, seemingly in their prime, healthy middle years.

It hit his son Fred  Donald Trumps father  especially hard. It was so immediate, he couldnt take it in, said Gwenda Blair, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and the author of The Trumps: Three Generations of Builders and a President. Ms. Blair interviewed Fred Trump about his fathers passing in 1991. She was among the few biographers to have had access to the family and to have investigated their genealogical history. He was very matter of fact about it, she said.

It just didnt seem real, Fred Trump told her. I wasnt that upset. You know how kids are. But I got upset watching my mother crying and being so sad. It was seeing her that made me feel bad, not my own feelings about what had happened. (Five days after Frederick Trumps death, his brother in law, Fred Schuster, also died, likely of the flu as well, according to Ms. Blair.)
(Natural News) As at March 17, close to 7 million Californians across seven Bay Area counties have been ordered to shelter in place to try to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

For at least the next three weeks, residents of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Marin, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and the city of Berkeley will have to hunker down inside their homes. These measures are the most stringent implemented thus far in the United States, after what many have deemed an unforgivably slow federal response to the virus.

As people prepare to ride out the storm, an increasing number of 9-1-1 calls have been placed by concerned Californians to report coughing coming from their neighbors homes. (Related: Coronavirus spreads on the East Coast: DCs first patient is a minister, New York City firefighters banned from responding to COVID-19 cases.)

Id like to report loud coughing coming from next door

As people grow increasingly concerned about getting infected by those around them, police departments report receiving an increasing number of calls from members of the community convinced that their neighbors sneezing or persistent coughing must mean that they have been infected with COVID-19.

The Desert Sun reported:

In many cases, the calls are forwarded to the fire department where paramedics are also dispatched to directly provide any needed medical attention before transporting the person to an area hospital.

That it takes a lab test to determine whether a person is actually positive for the virus doesnt matter. The concern is real and each call, no matter how infrequent, is a request for help that law enforcement personnel must take seriously and handle professionally.

While some of these calls are undoubtedly the product of fear and have no real basis for concern, authorities treat each and every call as a warning of a serious potential threat, and police officers have no choice but to respond.

Unfortunately, these calls place police officers at increased risk of contracting the disease themselves, though they make a point of complying with the latest directives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a bid to protect themselves. (Related: Travelers appalled by lack of screening at NYC airports amid coronavirus outbreak.)

First responders at higher risk

Officials have expressed concerns about police officers being at increased risk of contracting the coronavirus because of the large number of calls they are responding to from potentially infected members of the public.

Neil Gallucci, president of the California Peace Officers Association, warned that extra precautions need to be taken to avoid the worst-case scenario of a first responder contracting the virus and then spreading it to others.

If that happens enough, we worry about calls for service, Gallucci told the Desert Sun. Were prepared to deal with issues that come up, but its a concern chiefs worry about.

Gallucci added, however, that since police officers all receive special training about maintaining sanitary conditions and are being extra vigilant at the moment, it is unlikely that a first responder would become infected in this way.

As reported by the Desert Sun, emergency personnel know that they have to expect heightened levels of concern and fear from members of the community, and are aware of the need to determine whether there is a real cause for concern.

As such, dispatchers were initially instructed to check with callers whether they or the person they were calling about had recently traveled to countries like China, Iran or Italy where COVID-19 outbreaks were first reported.

However, as the pandemic has taken hold in the United States, the nature of dispatchers questions has changed, and callers are now simply asked whether they or the person theyre calling about has had any contact with an infected person.

And brave police officers are standing by to respond to every single call.

Dont miss out on the important stuff; stay updated at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

USAToday.com

DesertSun.com

LATimes.com
WASHINGTON - Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first case of COVID-19 in the Senate and raising fears about the further transmission of the virus among Republicans at the Capitol.

Paul, an eye surgeon, went into quarantine Sunday after learning his results. He said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He said he was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.

His announcement led Utahs two GOP senators  Mike Lee and Mitt Romney  to place themselves into quarantine, stepping away from negotiations as the Senate worked on a $1.4 trillion economic rescue package for the coronavirus crisis. At least five senators, including Paul, were in self-quarantine Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

The coronavirus has hit the Senate today, said McConnell, R-Ky. Its not just back in our states but right here in the Senate.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona elected in 2018, chastised Paul on Twitter, saying his decision to return to the Capitol after he was tested  but before he learned the results  was absolutely irresponsible.

Sinema said she has never commented about a fellow Senators choices/actions. Never once.

But she added: This, America, is absolutely irresponsible. You cannot be near other people while waiting for coronavirus test results. It endangers others & likely increases the spread of the virus.

Other senators, including Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, had gone into self-quarantine while they awaited the results of a coronavirus test. Both were negative.

Responding to criticism on Twitter, Pauls office said, We want to be clear, Senator Paul left the Senate IMMEDIATELY upon learning of his diagnosis. He had zero contact with anyone & went into quarantine. Insinuations ... that he went to the gym after learning of his results are just completely false & irresponsible!

Pauls office did not say when he was tested. Representatives of his office could not immediately be reached for comment.

President Donald Trump called Paul a great friend and said hes always there when we needed him.

Pauls diagnosis came after two House members, Reps. Mario Diaz Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah, tested positive for the virus. Trump said the positive test results showed the virus was hitting quite close to home. Its a terrible thing thats going on.

Paul and other lawmakers are going to be fine, Trump said. I hope theyll be fine.

Paul, a deficit hawk, was among eight Senate Republicans who voted against a House-passed bill last week that provided more than $100 billion to boost testing for the coronavirus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers. He also was the only Republican senator who opposed an earlier bill authorizing $8.3 billion for the initial response to the coronavirus.

The senator was on Capitol Hill this past week, including at a luncheon Friday among GOP senators. He spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday afternoon, addressing the cornonavirus and a failed amendment he sponsored that would have paid for virus relief efforts by withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

A spokesman for Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said Moran briefly saw Paul at the Senate gym Sunday morning and that he shared that information with GOP colleagues at a policy meeting. Moran followed CDC guidelines and kept a safe distance between him and Sen. Paul, spokesman Tom Brandt said. Moran has spoken with the attending physician at the Capitol and has been told he does not need to self-quarantine, Brandt said.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Republican senator, said on the Senate floor that lawmakers will consult with the attending physician about all senators who have been in contact with Paul.

Romney said he was praying for Paul and noted that Pauls health is compromised. Paul, 57, broke several ribs in 2017 when a neighbour assaulted him over a long-standing landscaping dispute. Paul, who was later awarded $580,000 in damages and medical expenses, had surgery last year to remove part of a lung damaged by the assault.

The Senate was in session Sunday seeking a bipartisan response to the pandemic. If approved, the bill would be the third measure Congress has approved in response to the coronavirus this month.

The White House has increasingly emphasized that testing should prioritize the elderly and health care workers who have symptoms of the virus. While most cases of COVID-19 are mild and tens of thousands of people have recovered, older people and those with underlying health problems are at higher risk for more serious problems, such as pneumonia.

We dont want everyone to go out and get a test because theres no reason for it, Trump told reporters Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells people to seek testing if they have certain symptoms of the flu-like illness caused by the coronavirus  fever, cough and trouble breathing  and if they have travelled recently to an outbreak area or have been in close contact with someone who is infected. They should first be tested for the flu and other routine infections.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FEMA Chief: Medical Supplies Now Being Sent to Hospitals

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirmed that urgently needed medical supplies like masks are now being shipped to hospitals from the U.S. national stockpile.

Theyre shipping today, they shipped yesterday, theyll ship tomorrow, FEMA administrator Peter Gaynor told ABCs This Week on Sunday. The agency has declared New York state, which has the most confirmed CCP virus cases in the country, a major disaster area last week.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

The masks are among hundreds of thousands of millions of things that were shipping from the stockpile, he added.

I cant give you the details about what every single state or what every single city is doing, Gaynor told ABC. But Im telling you that we are shipping from our national stockpile, were shipping from vendors, were shipping from donations. It is happening. The demand is great.

Gaynor didnt elaborate on whether hospitals would become overwhelmed with virus patients before the masks arrive.

We are shipping. All those supplies, to all the demands, all the asks, all the governance, every day  were prepared to go to zero in the stockpile to meet demand, Gaynor said, noting a shortage of CCP virus test kits and protective equipment.

My eyes are focused today, tomorrow, the next day, in order to beat this coronavirus, he said.

On CNNs State of the Union Sunday, he said that states, cities, and hospitals that dont have medical supplies to go ahead and buy them on the market if need be.

People gather at the entrance for the New York State Department of Labor offices, who closed to the public due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., March 20, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 32,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the United States, along with 400 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.

The White House coronavirus task force said on Saturday that 600 million N-95 masks were ordered for American health care workers.

Gaynor told reporters during the briefing that every single governor across the country is looking for the exact same thing, so its a balance but added that the masks are out there now.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump formally approved FEMA aid after New York was declared a major disaster.

Federal funding is also available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures, FEMA said in a statement.
The son of the first Garda officer killed in the Troubles has called for an all-island truth and reconciliation process.

Garda Richard Fallon was shot on Arran Quay in Dublin in the course of a bank robbery by members of Saor Eire, a republican terrorist group.

The 43-year-olds murder sparked outrage and OConnell Street was lined with mourners on the day of his funeral.

Half a century on, a ceremony had been planned with the unveiling of a plaque to mark the 50th anniversary of his murder. However due to the coronavirus crisis, that has been postponed.

The police officer, pictured with his family (Family handout/PA)

Garda Fallons son Finian told the PA News Agency it sparked such a reaction as it was the first death of an Irish policeman on duty since 1942.

People compared it to John F Kennedys funeral in terms of the size, people were lining OConnell Street to support him, Mr Fallon said.

I was four at the time  I remember bits of it, remember walking up to the graveyard, coats all around me, I threw a daffodil in after the coffin.

Mr Fallon said he does not expect justice, but simply wants to know the truth and has called for an all-Ireland truth and reconciliation process.

I dont expect to be made whole by the process, but I do think the government and others should acknowledge what went on  unfortunately the state hasnt acknowledged its part yet and I think it is somewhat cowardly, to be honest, he said.

It's just gone on so long, people are dying, people are ill, I think time is running out for any kind of justice to be done.Finian Fallon

There is a peace but its not necessarily peace for the victims. The victims are still living with their suffering.

Its unfortunate and disrespectful to those who suffered that they are not given a full account of what went on.

Mr Fallon said there was controversy from the start over where the guns which killed his father had come from.

The same year saw the Arms Crisis during which Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney were dismissed as cabinet ministers for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle arms to the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.

Neither were convicted, with charges against Mr Blaney dropped while Mr Haughey and the other alleged conspirators were found not guilty.

Finian Fallon said time is running out for justice to be done (Family handout/PA)

There were allegations made in the Dail that the guns that killed him came from government sources, Mr Fallon said.

Its just gone on so long, people are dying, people are ill, I think time is running out for any kind of justice to be done.

I think there should be an all-island or across-the-islands truth and reconciliation process, not just this kind of piecemeal, delayed reaction. Its just not working as far as I am concerned, from a victims perspective.

The South African model has been very much criticised but I think that information is very important for us to know what went on and when it went on.

There is an Irish government file on his death which has not been fully released yet. The government released some of it to an author a few years ago.

As far as I am concerned, my fathers death was part of the arms trial chronology, I dont believe the arms trial would have taken place if he hadnt been killed. I have been told that my fathers death was the beginning of the end for arms imports.

I would like to have a formal statutory-based process of truth recovery that would be held in the open, and be open and transparent.

Mr Fallon, the youngest of five siblings, said his fathers death destroyed his family.

I can remember standing on his feet as he was walking backwards, the way you do with your father, I remember his rough old-style Garda uniform, Im told I used to speak to him from my cot and continued to do so after he died for a few months, he said.

My mother never really recovered from his death, she was destroyed by it.
KALAMAZOO, MI  Those skilled with a sewing needle are being called on to lend a hand locally as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow throughout the state and nation.

Anyone who has sewing ability is being asked by Kalamazoo County to help create and donate face masks that would be distributed to the community partners that work with high-risk individuals.

Examples of recipients would include first-responders, as well as those who work at hospitals, shelters, long-term care facilities and are involved in other businesses where human contact occurs regularly, according to a news release from the county.

We know there is a supply shortage across the nation with masks and other PPE (personal protective equipment)," County Administrator Tracie Moored said. This is a way that we can prepare now locally and have our community help us take action to protect our most vulnerable residents and our front-line workers.

As of March 21, there were still no reported cases of coronavirus in Kalamazoo County. Of 56 tests submitted to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 22 had come back negative and 34 were still pending, according to information posted on the county website.

County officials expect that to most likely change soon.

Statewide, the number of reported coronavirus cases jumped to 787 on Saturday  an increase of 238 cases since Friday, according to data released by the MDHHS.

With four new deaths reported on Saturday, the statewide death total climbed to eight. West Michigan also had its first death as a result of the virus reported on Saturday  a man in his 70s who died in Kent County.

Visit the Kalamazoo County website for detailed instructions, types of acceptable fabrics and a pattern for creating masks.

Once complete, masks can be dropped off at the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department, located at 311 E. Alcott St. in Kalamazoo. Drop-off hours are between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Bronson Healthcare is also collecting homemade masks and other new/unused personal protective equipment at certain locations in Kalamazoo, Portage, Battle Creek, Paw Paw and South Haven. For more information on what is being accepted and where, visit www.bronsonhealth.com/coronavirus-covid-19.

Those who do not live in the Kalamazoo area and are able to help are encouraged to contact their local health departments to see if there is a present need for homemade masks near where they live.

Another resource people can turn to if they wish to help is a group that began in southeast Michigan on Friday called Mask Crafters. The group is quickly developing partners across the state and country and identifying where needs exist. For more information, please visit https://covidmaskcrafters.org/.

Read all of MLives up-to-date coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Also on MLive:

8 people now dead from coronavirus in Michigan; infant tests positive

West Michigan coronavirus victim really felt I was dying

Expanding coronavirus testing is top priority for Kalamazoo County health officer

First coronavirus death confirmed in West Michigan; 7 total statewide

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closes hair and nail salons, tattoo shops due to coronavirus

Saturday, March 21: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
Confronted with a dizzying drop in prices, oil firms face a real challenge as they try to cut investment spending in order to survive a coronavirus-induced collapse in demand coupled with a Russia-Saudi Arabia price war. Investment in oil exploration and production was set to hit just over half a trillion dollars this year according to the French research body IFPEN, as firms sought to maintain and expand output. But the emergence of the coronavirus, which has seen nations across the world confine citizens at home and shutter businesses to slow its spread, has upended all forecasts. The International Energy Agency, which advises oil-importing nations on energy policy, now expects the first annual drop in oil demand since 2009 during the global financial crisis, as the global economy tips into recession. The main international benchmark, Brent crude, has fallen from just shy of $60 per barrel to under $25 this week, before regaining some lost ground. The main US benchmark, WTI, tumbled from nearly $54 to just over $20. Not all of the drop is due to the coronavirus. The price of oil had been supported for the past couple of years by production limits agreed by the OPEC oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia and a number of other producers including Russia. However Russia and Saudi Arabia failed to agree earlier this month on deeper cuts to take account of falling demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia subsequently slashed prices and announced it would boost output and Russia followed suit, leading to the vertiginous drop in prices. - Cut and shift - "All companies in the sector will be seeing what more they can do to cut costs, shift their activities to the lowest cost fields they can, trim investment and think hard about what dividend they can pay," said Professor David Elmes at Warwick Business School. While reducing investment is relatively easy in the near term, the longer prices remain low the more firms will need to look at shutting down production that is more expensive, such as offshore. "For the majors, the prospect of $30 per barrel of oil or below for a period of time is an extreme challenge," said Biraj Borkhataria, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. He said that if these prices persist more than six months, then oil majors would need to cut into the generous dividends they pay -- which is why they are prized by many investors -- and that prospect has already been partly incorporated into their share prices. - 'Unprecedented' - Saudi Aramco says it will cut investment to $25-$30 billion this year, a modest drop on the $32.8 billion it spent last year. "Based on this unprecedented environment, we are evaluating all appropriate steps to significantly reduce capital and operating expenses in the near term," said Exxon Mobil Corporation's chief executive Darren Woods. British oil major BP is targeting a 20 percent drop in spending this year, its chief financial officer Brian Gilvary said in an interview on Bloomberg television. There are also many smaller oil companies who may struggle. "The medium-sized independent companies will be hit hard," said Moez Ajmi at auditing firm EY in France. "Decisions will be taken to delay projects and we'll see restructurings of debt." The boom in shale oil production made the United States the world's top producer and even a net exporter, but the industry is fragile. Many of the independent shale firms have been built on debt and even before the drop in prices had trouble turning a profit, according to analysts. - Poor returns - Environmental activists can barely hide their joy at the difficulties the oil industry faces. "We consider it is pretty much good news considering that these (exploration and development) projects shouldn't see the light of day given the urgency of climate change," said Cecile Marchand of the French chapter of Friends of the Earth. She acknowledged abandoning these projects may not be permanent unless major political and economic policy changes are made. Marchand also warned of the risk of "a concentration of the market in the hands of the majors who are more resilient that the small firms." Elmes at Warwick Business School said some positive outcomes were also possible. The European oil and gas majors have already indicated they intend to reduce their reliance on these fuels and become more active in renewables such as wind and solar. "There will be intense discussions on what they can do to move faster," he said. The industry as a whole may also find it is no longer the darling of investors. "Bankers will throw up their hands and bend to the pressure from institutional investors now demanding transparency for the emissions associated with their investments," said Elmes. "The profitability of the oil and gas sector used to be attractively high but now it has the worst return over the last five years across 33 different industries," he noted.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after being informed a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for coronavirus.

Her spokesman said she was informed about the doctors test shortly after holding a news conference on Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Delhi will be locked down from 6 am on March 23, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday, saying 'extraordinary measures' are required to contain the spread of the new coronavirus after six locally transmitted cases surfaced in the national capital.

IMAGE: Deserted street outside Jama Masjid during Janta curfew, in New Delhi, on Sunday. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

The lockdown will continue till midnight on March 31, Kejriwal said at a joint press conference with Lt Governor Anil Baijal.

No public transport will operate and Delhi's borders will remain sealed during the lockdown, but the essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue, he said but added that 25 percent of the DTC buses will run to transport people associated with essential services.

He informed that all domestic and international flights were being suspended in Delhi.

Dairies, milk plants, grocery shops, chemists and petrol pumps, ATMs, e-commerce services of essential items like food and medicines will remain open, he said.

'Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Delhi will be under lockdown from tomorrow 6 am until March 31. Certain exceptions have been made to ensure essential items are available for purchase and basic services continue to operate,' he tweeted after the press conference.

At the press conference, Kejriwal said of the total 27 cases reported in Delhi, six were locally transmitted from one person to another while 21 contracted it abroad. The six cases are those who were in contact with people who returned from COVID-19 hit countries, he added.

'The way this virus has spread across the country, especially in Italy, Iran and China, whose examples are before us. We have examples of countries which have dealt effectively that clearly shows that the sooner its (coronavirus) spread is checked, the better.

'We know people will face difficulties, but lockdown is necessary to contain the spread of coronavirus,' he said.

Delhi government has issued the Delhi Epidemic Diseases COVID-19 Regulations 2020 under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 for preventive and containment of the virus.

The Health and Family Welfare department of Delhi government issued a detailed order notifying the lockdown in whole of the national capital, stipulating various restrictions.

The restrictions include no operation of public transport including private buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws. All shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices weekly bazaars will be closed.

The order stated all motorable and non-motorable borders of Delhi with Haryana and UP will be sealed. Movement of inter-state buses trains and Delhi Metro trains will be closed.

'All domestic/international flights arriving in Delhi during this period will be suspended,' stated the order.

However, a senior official of aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation clarified that domestic flights will be operating as usual at the airport.

The Centre had announced three days ago that no international flight will be landing on the Indian soil from Sunday onward for a period of one week.

"Domestic flights to and from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi will continue to operate and the airport will remain functional," the DGCA official said.

Construction activities and all religious places will also be shut.

The essential services excluded from restrictions include law and order and magisterial duty, police, health, fire, prisons, fair price shops, electricity, water, municipal services, print and electronic media, teller operations including ATMs, food items, groceries, general provision stores, take-away delivery in restaurants, petrol pumps, LPG cylinder agencies, e-commerce of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

Gathering of more than five people will not be allowed and strict action will be taken if anybody violates the lockdown.

"People coming out of their homes for essential things will not be asked anything and they will be trusted for which they would be coming out."

The private sector will have to pay salaries to their employees during the lockdown.

The companies will not deduct salaries, the CM assured.

Compliance of the order will be ensured by authorities including additional chief secretary(transport) Delhi government, the chairperson of New Delhi Municipal Council, the chairperson of Airport Authority of India and the Delhi Police Commissioner.
Mongabay

By Rachel Meyer and Basten Gokkon

It had rained all morning across Jakarta on the first Tuesday in February. The rivers in the Indonesian capital quickly filled up, carrying all kinds of debris toward the Java Sea. In one of the citys largest waterways, a Dutch-made device was trapping some of the trash to prevent it from washing out into the ocean.

The Interceptor 001 had been shipped to Jakarta in early 2019 by its inventor, the Rotterdam, Netherlands-based nonprofit organization The Ocean Cleanup (TOC). The prototype has been on a trial run since May 2019 near the mouth of the Cengkareng drain, which connects the citys notoriously garbage-laden Angke River to the Java Sea.

Jakartas prototype is the first generation of a device that TOC aims to deploy in 1,000 of the worlds most polluted rivers in just five years. The organization estimates these waterways are responsible for carrying 80% of ocean trash out to sea, with the remaining 20% of marine trash coming from around 30,000 other rivers.

There are two Interceptors currently installed, the second on the Klang River in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to Chris Worp, TOCs managing director, the group plans to deploy another Interceptor to the Rio Ozama in the Dominican Republic this month, and a fourth to southern Vietnam.

Donors from all over the world have invested millions of dollars in TOC to help the organization accomplish what it says are ambitious and novel solutions to the scourge of oceangoing trash. But the process has not been smooth. Mongabay visited the prototype in Jakarta in February and found issues with the device. Now, TOC is facing allegations that it copied the design of another successful river cleanup device patented more than a decade ago.

Competing designs?

The river-cleaning project is part of The Ocean Cleanups overall goal to reduce the amount of trash in the ocean. CEO Boyan Slat founded the organization in 2013 to create an open-ocean device that would remove all plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years. After many iterations and much media attention and criticism from scientists, a 160-meter (525-foot) test design collected and retained ocean plastic for the first time in October last year.

Over the course of the project, many scientists encouraged the organization to focus its efforts on rivers, where they said a cleanup device would be more effective. TOC took heed in 2015, when it began developing the Interceptor.

The Interceptor is powered by solar panels atop its white exterior shell. Each devices unique number is painted on one of its long sleek sides, facing to the banks of the river. At water level, a long waste barrier protrudes upstream, allowing the force of the current to push trash toward the devices mouth. There, a conveyor belt lifts debris out of the water and deposits it onto a platform inside the device that shuttles trash to one of six dumpsters. Once the containers are full, a local team takes them to shore to be emptied.

The latest Interceptor design can extract 50,000 kilograms (110,000 pounds) of plastic per day  double that under optimal conditions  and can hold 50 cubic meters (1,770 cubic feet) of garbage, according to TOCs website. The prototype in Jakarta has about one-fourth to one-fifth that capacity, and holds the trash in small crates instead of dumpsters. As a result, it needs to be maintained and emptied more frequently.



During the Interceptors splashy unveiling event last October in Rotterdam, Slat called it the first integrated system that you can bring anywhere in the world and install within days.

Thats just not so, according to John Kellett, founder and president of Clearwater Mills LLC. In 2014, Kellett installed a device called the Waterwheel Powered Trash Interceptor in the Jones River in Baltimore, Maryland. This device, dubbed Mr. Trash Wheel, uses booms to funnel trash to its mouth and a conveyor belt to lift trash out of the water. A key difference from TOCs Interceptor is that a water wheel powers the conveyor belt and solar-powered water pumps keep the wheel going when the current is weak. Due to its success, Baltimore now has three trash wheels, and Clearwater Mills is working in California, Texas and Panama to bring its design worldwide.

They were aware of our efforts, experience and success when they developed their river device in secret and publicly dismissed it while borrowing heavily from our technology, Kellett told Mongabay of TOC.

In an email addressing these claims that Kellett shared with Mongabay, he informed TOC that Clearwater Mills had patented its devices design more than a decade ago. Kellett also told TOC that he thought their changes make it more expensive, less effective and harder to maintain.

We would love to see that the resources and efforts allocated to this global crisis are used effectively and that we are not duplicating efforts or working at cross purposes, he told Mongabay.

Worp acknowledged that the two devices share similar elements, but said TOC started its design from scratch. It would be like saying one car is the same as all the others, he said. We obviously know about the other systems that are out there, but weve really taken this from a different angle to find a scalable, high capacity, high efficiency solution.

According to Kellett, TOC has approached some of the organizations that Clearwater Mills is working with outside Baltimore to offer them an Interceptor instead. Worp denied this, and told Mongabay that his team doesnt see any other solutions as competitive.

Getting the public involved in trash

For both organizations, finding a solution to river pollution goes beyond the cleanup devices.

Theyre providing an opportunity to educate the public and inspire people to become part of the solution, Kellett said of the three devices his company deployed in Baltimore, which have spurred countless local environmental activities and educational programs.

According to Worp, several school groups have visited the Interceptor prototype in Jakarta. Community engagement is important to The Ocean Cleanup because it ultimately relies on local organizations to operate and maintain the devices.

Some scientists are skeptical about TOCs goal of targeting so many rivers in vastly different parts of the world. Andrew Gray, a hydrologist at the University of California, Riverside, studies small mountainous watersheds that expel a large amount of sediment to the ocean during strong storms. These storms can be destructive to any man-made device, he said.

[These storms] that are probably discharging most of the plastics, are the kinds of events that youre not going to have a trash boom up because the hydrodynamics are far too aggressive, he said.

Gray also said the Interceptor would need to be incredibly versatile to accommodate a variety of river sizes.

Win Cowger, a graduate student in Grays lab, pointed out the unpredictability of natural systems.

Whenever you apply one solution  one device  to a broad range of ecosystems and a broad range of circumstances, it tends to have some implications that you might not have expected, he said.

Rainy days in Jakarta

Early this year, Jakarta experienced one of its worst flooding disasters in recent years. Torrential rain, with a record-breaking intensity, showered Greater Jakarta for almost 16 hours through New Years Eve and into New Years Day. Most of the citys rivers flooded their surroundings. The Interceptor was found damaged after its waste barrier broke loose.

The water volume in the Cengkareng drain increased significantly, but never overflowed its banks, according to Muhammad Khusen, the leader of a waste-collecting worker group in the subdistrict where the Interceptor is located. He said it was the rivers strong current that damaged the devices waste barrier, but TOC engineers were able to repair it the following day.

When Mongabay visited the device a few weeks later, in February, the rains were constant, albeit less intense than at the start of the year. While the Interceptor was undamaged, waste had piled up on the barrier and clogged up the devices opening.

Workers were using long poles to try to break up the clog, which included a lot of large organic material like branches, bamboo and banana tree trunks, and feed the debris bit by bit into the Interceptor.

A team of three workers has been assigned to collect the trash and maintain the device every day, Khusen said. But on the day of Mongabays visit, he had to call in reinforcements. As many as 10 workers were on hand throughout the afternoon to help clean up the collected debris after an earlier attempt failed to get much done. When the workers went home at 3 p.m., only about 20% of the trapped debris had been taken out.

Workers and officials told Mongabay it was impractical to collect all of the trapped debris, largely because of the configuration of the device. For instance, Khusen said the waste-trapping barrier was so thin that his crew couldnt stand on it to push or pull the debris into the devices mouth. He said he preferred pontoon-style barriers they can stand on.

Another challenge is the 2-meter (6.6-foot) opening of the processor, which Khusen said is too small for large waste to freely pass. Sometimes, he said, he has to call in additional human resources to handle big items, like a sofa, spring bed, and even a dead cow that turned up.

I thought this device was sophisticated, Khusen told Mongabay. Apparently, theres still so much manual work needed. Id say it still has a lot of shortfalls.

Lambas Sigalingging, head of operations at the North Jakarta water department, shared similar sentiments. Lambas said the devices lack of movement made it unsuitable for rivers in Jakarta that rarely have much current unless it rains.

So, if we dont [actively] catch the debris, how is it going to clean itself? Meanwhile, the Interceptor is standing still, he told Mongabay in a phone interview. This device would be effective, I think, if the current was strong.

Lambas said Jakartas environment agency owns three waste-trapping barriers installed upstream from the Interceptor in the Cengkareng drain. His own team operates other devices in the citys rivers, including garbage-collecting boats made by the German company BERKY, excavators, and floating polyethylene barriers. Some of these needed less labor to operate than the Interceptor, he said.

Lambas said he has shared the challenges his team faces operating the Interceptor with The Ocean Cleanup team at meetings. But he said he hasnt seen much improvement to the device yet. According to Lambas, the devices trial run has been extended twice  first until December and then until this April.

But I must stress this with you: Im not the one to say whether the Interceptor is effective or efficient, Lambas said. I cant answer that because theres the [TOC] research team that assesses its efficiency and effectiveness.

Worp said the Interceptor is effective in the Cengkareng drain and has removed a large amount of trash that the booms upstream could not. He also told Mongabay that TOC is talking with operators in Jakarta to assess what happened during the heavy rains earlier this year, and that his team does respond to feedback from workers. For example, he said, TOC replaced labor-intensive collection bags with crates last year.

He also reiterated that the device in Jakarta is a prototype, and the lessons learned from it have led to adjustments to the second generation of Interceptors, such as the ability to accommodate larger debris loads.

However, he admitted the Interceptor will not suit every river. It is definitely not the solution for all, and we will be looking at further solutions as we tackle more and more rivers going forward, he said.

According to TOCs website, the group is now coordinating with governments around the world to begin deploying Interceptors on a large scale.

This article was originally published on Mongabay.com.

Mongabay is an environmental science and conservation news service. This article has been republished under the Creative Commons licence.
Telangana was placed under complete lockdown till March 31 and people asked to remain in homes as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus as the total number of COVID-19 patients in the state rose to 27 with six fresh cases on Sunday.

The day witnessed total shutdown with people participating voluntarily in the 'Janta curfew' proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help check the spread of coronavirus.

Making the announcement after chairing a high-level meeting to discuss the situation in the state, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said all inter-state borders of the state will be closed for vehicles barring those carrying essentialgoods such as medicines.

Requesting the people to confine to their homes during the lockdownperiod but for buying essential items, he also announced an assistance of 12 kg rice and Rs 1,500 cash to the econmically weaker sections to cushion the lockdown's expected impact.

The over week-long lockdown has been announced under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, which as invoked in Telangana on Saturday, he told reporters here.

If we should show the same spirit as we did today (Janta curfew) till March 31, we will be able to stop the spread of the disease. Telangana will be under lockdown till March 31, he said.

He further said people more than five in number should not gather and such cases would be seriously dealt with. People should maintain at least three feet distance from others when they come out, he said.

Only one person from a family will be permitted to come out for purchasing essential goods such as medicines, milk and vegetables. People consciously need to take a decision for coming out. Dont feel that the Government is putting pressure, he said.

Maintaining that theimpact of the lockdown will have an effect even after it would be lifted, Rao said 12 kg of rice and Rs 1,500 cash will be given to all 87.59 lakh white ration cardholders in the state in the next two-three days.

The government would immediately release Rs 2,417 crore for the initiatives, he said.

Government departments that come under essential services such as power and health will work normally and others will work on rotation with 20 per cent staff, Rao said.

All activities related to the education department will be closed and the further decisions will be taken on March 31 only, he said.

As per the Act, during the lockdown period all labourers and private employees should be paid their salaries, by their respective employers.

Giving out details of the six fresh cases, he said they included two patients each who came from Dubai and London and one from Scotland.

Rao thanked the people for making the Janta curfew a success.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Rao over phone and appreciated the successful conduct of 'Janta curfew' in the state, a release from the CMO said.

Roads in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana wore a deserted look on Sunday as citizens remained indoors at several places in the city and across the state from Sunday morning and shops and eateries remained closed.

Rao, who supported Modi's initiative, had on Saturday called for a 24-hour voluntary curfew from 6 am on March 22 to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

State-run Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses did not operate while the Hyderabad Metro Rail too remained closed. But five trains have been kept on stand-by to attend to any emergency.

Telangana reverberated with clapping sounds on Sunday evening with Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Rao led the state in applauding healthcare providers and others for their service in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, police in Sangareddy district of Telangana on Sunday "caught" a total of 37 passengers, who returned from Qatar and landed in Mumbai on Saturday night and were travelling in a private bus from Mumbai to Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh via Hyderabad.

Home quarantine was stamped on their hands. We stopped them and shifted them to a quarantine centre in Gachibowli in Hyderabad," Sangareddy District Superintendent of Police Chandra Shekar Reddy told PTI.

Similarly, one man who came from Australia recently and had quarantine stamp on his hand was caught at the Bhongir railway station after he was found travelling on a train from Hyderabad to Nagpur when fellow passengers alerted the authorities.

The Australia-returned man has been shifted to state-run Gandhi hospital, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
We need some positive news now more than ever. So it was lovely to hear about the unexpected and unconventional wedding of Kilkenny hat designer Siobhan Daly to her fiance Jack Conroy on Monday evening.

Siobhan & Jack taking their wedding photographs in Kilkenny County Council carpark

Siobhan literally pulled this wedding out of a hat! The couple were due to be married later this month on March 27, in front of 240 guests. Guests were flying in from Dubai, San Francisco and Manchester. Siobhan's dress from Jeutonic Bridal had been delivered, so it was all systems go for the big day.

That was until the night before Leo Varadkar made his restrictions announcement on Thursday March 12. On Wednesday evening, March 11, Siobhan had a bad feeling that their wedding might not happen. So the couple decided that they would bring it forward and get married immediately with just a handful of family members. Siobhan says "we didn't want to be rash, so I asked my dad who is very level headed and he said under the circumstances, it wasn't a bad idea at all."

The next morning, Siobhan contacted their priest Fr. Roderick Whearty and he informed them that he had availability on Monday, March 16 at 4pm. Just four days away.

The next phone call, or text message in this case for Siobhan was to contact her fiance Jack. Her text read are you free Monday at 4pm, to which he replied yes, lets get married on Monday at 4pm!

Siobhan contacted a small group of Kilkenny wedding suppliers to help with pulling the last minute wedding together. Everyone was on board and delighted to help the couple, that was until Sunday. The day before the wedding, many suppliers had to decline their services due to recommended social distancing. Siobhan said her heart went out to Shane Rice in Zuni as he said it was the hardest phone of the day, i.e. to ring a bride and cancel her wedding meal the day before her actual wedding.

Holding back the tears

All this time, the bride never cried with everything that was happening. She was keeping her chin up and making it a happy and memorable time, but she did come to a breaking point with one more phone call they received on that Sunday. "I was holding it all together until we received a call from Jack's parents, saying that they couldn't attend because they were in the high risk category. It was a hard decision to go ahead without them".

The next morning, Siobhan, Jack and the handful of wedding guests pulled it all together for the big day. Siobhan told me "I telephoned Fr. Whearty and our photographer Evelyn McNamara first thing on Monday morning to see if they were still available. Thankfully they were and everyone in our families did the rest."

The Bride with her Dad 'Richard Daly' as he gives her away

"We just wanted to get married and our families knew that. Jack's sister who is a horticulturalist did the flowers, both my sisters sang, Mum made dinner and I wore a dress from Zara."

The Wedding Day

Siobhan and Jack were staying with her parents, and in keeping with the unconventional day they went for a walk in the Castle park together that morning. That afternoon her mother cooked a meal for six of the family, who all seat apart at the large dining room table.

The small wedding party

"There was no wedding banquet, no wedding dress, no hair and make-up but fortunately I was able to make my own head piece on the morning of our wedding, just hours before arriving at the alter!" said Siobhan.

The couple drove separately to the church and took their wows in front of a handful of guests, who stood at the required distance apart at Folkstown Church. They took their beautiful wedding photographs afterwards in the carpark of Kilkenny County Council, so they could capture the magnificence of Kilkenny Castle in the background.

Siobhan & Jack outside Folkstown Church

When they returned home after the ceremony and photographs, Siobhan said they popped open a bottle of Moet champagne that she was saving and they sat in front of the fire watching TV, while still in their wedding clothes!

Siobhan told me she received hundreds of messages on line after announcing their surprise nuptials. "Strangers sent us virtual toasts and messages saying that they were deeply touched by our happy news and how we had made their day. Lots of people posted about how love conquers all."

The happy couple

Siobhan informed me that they have deferred everything from their March 27, 2020 wedding to March 16, 2021. "We will celebrate our wedding on our first year anniversary and I am so looking forward to wearing my wedding dress for the first time, to our first dance, the speeches and being in a room again with all our family and friends.

We wish them the happiest of futures together. Congratulations Siobhan and Jack and thank you for sharing your beautiful story with us.

#PositiveNews

If you have any positive news stories that you would like me to share, please send to Siobhan.donohoe@iconicnews.ie

#StaySafe
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Public gatherings throughout the U.S. continue to be shut down in anticipation of the new coronavirus COVID-19. Churches, too, are widely canceling their weekly services.

Last Wednesday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear urged churches to cancel weekly services. Some questioned whether his advice targeted churches too specifically (he didnt mention similar events), especially considering that Kentucky had relatively few confirmed cases.

On Monday, the White House recommended that Americans Avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people for the next fifteen days. As state instructions to cancel gatherings become more common, urgent, and mandatory, how should churches respond?

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

First, regular gatherings are not an optional part of the Christian life. Christians are commanded to meet together in Hebrews 10:25. Many New Testament commands on how Christians are to treat one another are difficult, if not impossible, to obey unless Christians are regularly gathering together. The New Testament describes the church as Christs body (Colossians 1:24); bodies cannot long exist while separated. Therefore, Christians should not abandon our typical church gatherings on a whim.

The legal question of whether government may restrict religious gatherings is relatively straightforward. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act codified a specific legal test, under which the federal government may only substantially burden sincere religious belief when it has a compelling interest in doing so, and does so in the narrowest way possible. First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty legal defense group, noted temporary action to reduce the spread of a global pandemic is almost certainly a compelling reason.

That said, most Christians are not lawyers. How can church leaders and members approach this issue wisely?

Dual Responsibilities, Dual Authorities

Western ideals of religious liberty are premised upon the idea that political and religious institutions have different responsibilities and, therefore, different authorities. The states responsibility is of this world (see John 18:36); the churchs responsibility is of the world to come. The state exists to establish order and execute justice so that humans may flourish. The church exists to proclaim the Word of God and build up the body of Christ so that people may be reconciled to God. Both institutions are good and gracious gifts from God.

As a general principle, the states authority is of this world; the churchs authority is of the world to come. The state has the exclusive right to use force, taxation, laws, and judicial rulings to provide for national security, public health and safety, moral justice, economic prosperity, and more. The church has the exclusive right to determine dogma and membership and to distinguish false religion from true.

This concept of religious liberty is rooted in Scripture. The Bible teaches that all authority is delegated by God Almighty, the King of Kings. God authorizes both the state (Romans 13:1-7) and the church (Matthew 18:15-20) to wield power in their appropriate areas, and he holds both state (Psalm 2:10-12) and church (Revelation 2:12-23) accountable.

Domain of the Body, Domain of the Soul

It is wrong for the state to usurp the spiritual authority of the church. Singling out churches for closing implies the states hostility. Thus, under normal circumstances, it is inappropriate for the state to dictate when a church can meet or how it can operate  or maybe even impose requirements which negatively affect church operations and religious exercise.

But emergencies are different. Certain foreseeable natural disasters (such as pandemics, hurricanes, etc.) can present temporary but substantial risks to public gatherings. The state has no control to prevent such disasters. By prohibiting public gatherings during such hazards, the state is properly fulfilling its duty to protect life in the best way available.

Just as the state may not run the church, so the church may not run the state (though it must speak clearly on issues of right and wrong). Virology is not theology, nor is public health the same as public worship. If the state determines that the danger from a deadly pathogen is such that all public gatherings must be suspended, the church should not automatically second-guess or contradict that decision.

Dont Be Reckless, Dont Be Fearful

While Christians should be prudent, we should not be fearful. Our natural, God-given instinct can run amok if we heed the frenzied media coverage. This can lead to sin if we let our fear of the virus overtake our fear of God. Jesus reminded his disciples not to fear those who can only kill our bodies, but to fear God, who has power over both our bodies and our souls (Matthew 10:28).

Christians have a duty to continue living as the body of Christ, even if we may not do so in large gatherings. This is more than a duty; its also our joy. God is glorified when his people stand out from the world, and nothing sets Christians apart like trials.

Most importantly, Christians must never forget or abandon their central message: God came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, and died as a substitute for us, satisfying the just wrath of God against mans wickedness. Those who trust in God for salvation are counted righteous, reconciled to God, and promised eternal life with him. The churchs good news of eternal hope, which is immune to viruses, economic woes, and any other worldly calamity, is a message sorely needed in these uncertain and scary times.
India is leaving no stone unturned in its fights against coronavirus. In the wake of the dramatic rise in the positive Covid-19 cases across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier this week, urged citizens to observe a day of curfew and stray home to follow the Janta Curfew today.

While citizens were getting a taste of what a complete lockdown would feel like, the Indian Railways today announced the suspension of all almost all its major services across the country until March 31 to tackle the growing menace of coronavirus. Besides this, metro rail operations, interstate bus services have also been suspended till March 31. Heres breaking down the scenario into quick points.

1. Indian Railways has announced that all passenger train services will remain suspended till March 31.

2. Western and Central Railways have also cancelled suburban local services till March 31.

3. Mumbai local train services stand suspended till March 31.

4. Interstate passenger bus services have also been suspended till March 31.

5. Metro rail services on all operational networks across the country will also be suspended till March 31, 2020.

On Sunday, March 22 all malls, shopping arcades, bazaars, markets, dine-in restaurants, nightclubs, stores, theatres, schools, et cetera have been shut across the country under the compliance of Janta Curfew.

All nationals have been urged to stay home other than those who work with essential services like hospitals, police, et cetera. Only ration stores, grocery shops, hospitals, pharmacies and essential service providers are operational today. In a first, Delhi Metro shut down for 24 hours on Sunday.

India has reported over 300 positive cases of coronavirus so far. The cases have seen a dramatic spike in the past two weeks. The proposed shutdown of public sites and services has been done to avoid any community transmission of the coronavirus disease and avoid cases from escalating any further.

The country has reported 6 deaths with over 300 positive coronavirus cases. The virus has reached more than 150 countries and affected over 3,00,000 people. Italy and Iran continue to remain worst affected from Covid-19.
By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES  In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, public health officials have made it clear: There is no pill, vaccine or supplement that can cure or prevent the virus.

But that hasnt stopped scam artists from trying to take advantage of peoples fears.

In Peru, a curandero claiming to have a pact with the devil promised to treat coronavirus among other ailments. On Craigslist, a now-removed post claimed: I think I found how to prevent coronavirus  from my grandmothers herbal remedy recipe card. And a televangelist recently promoted his Silver Solution on his show, suggesting the concoction would boost the immune system and kill the virus within 12 hours.

These are just a few examples of people who are trying to capitalize on the coronavirus panic, and there are countless others  from price gougers selling hand sanitizer for hundreds of dollars to fake at-home coronavirus test kits coming from out of the country.

MORE: Coronavirus myths debunked: why your hairdryer wont kill the virus and rinsing your nose with saline wont help

Officials are aggressively pursuing scammers, threatening legal action if they continue.

The FDA has issued warning letters to seven entities that it says have made false claims about coronavirus cures or treatments, including The Jim Bakker Show, which is already facing legal action from federal and state agencies.

Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer and county Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey have formed a coronavirus task force dedicated to scouring the internet and brick-and-mortar stores for fraudsters and price gougers.

Feuers office is already investigating two Los Angeles: CEN Group LLC., which on its website, SafeBabyHealthyChild, promoted vitamin C as a coronavirus treatment, and the website MondernBeyond.com, which was selling face masks claiming to reduce the risk of getting the coronavirus by 95.99%.

So far, CEN Group LLC. has complied with requests to take down the false claims, Feuer said.

On March 12, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at Los Angeles International Airport seized six plastic bags containing fake coronavirus home testing kits that were shipped from the United Kingdom. Dozens of vials inside the plastic bags were labeled Corona Virus 2019nconvd (COVID-19) and Virus1 Test Kit, according to CBP.

Feuer said his coronavirus task force is on the lookout for other fake at-home test kits advertised online.

The city attorney wouldnt talk about the details of each investigation, or how many cases his office was following, but he promised: Scam artists who are targeting Angelenos are going to confront our office and were going to take them on.

The crackdown comes as normal day-to-day activities are grinding to a halt across the country. In the Bay Area, seven counties are under a shelter-in-place order, and in Los Angeles County, bars and restaurants have closed or prohibited dining in. Nearly 900 people in California have tested positive for the virus and 17 have died so far. Experts say in the next year, up to 70% of the population will become infected.

Officials say that not only do the false claims for cures and tests fuel the national anxiety, they could prevent sick people from seeking the help they need, or discourage healthy people from adopting best practices such as social distancing and washing their hands.

Scam artists who emerge during a health crisis are nothing new. Any time a new panic arises, they seize the opportunity to prey upon a frightened population, as was the case with SARS in 2003 and the H1N1 virus in 2009, another outbreak during which we heard about colloidal silver. Some scammers touted it a cure-all, insisting that it could get rid of cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes and numerous other diseases. Others pushed counterfeit Tamiflu pills as a cure.

When people are at this state, theyre willing to try almost anything, said April Denise Thames, an associate professor of psychology and a clinical neuropsychologist at USC.

On a recent show, Jim Bakker a televangelist who spent almost five years in jail in the 1990s for defrauding followers into buying memberships and retreats that supported his extravagant lifestyle said of his colloidal silver product: Weve tested, it works on just about everything.

Holding the black Silver Solution bottle, he asked a guest: This influenza that is now circulating the globe, youre saying that silver solution would be effective?

It hasnt been tested on this strain of the virus, but its been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours the woman responded. Totally eliminate it. Kills it. Deactivates it.

Bakker is now facing a lawsuit in the state of Missouri, and New York officials have ordered him to stop promoting his colloidal silver products, which have since been removed from his website. Feuer has also taken aim at Bakker, saying his office is collaborating with federal and state officials that have already targeted the televangelist.

Representatives of The Jim Bakker Show, which airs in Los Angeles on satellite and cable TV, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Boise, Idaho, a business called Herbal Amy, which was selling products developed by herbalist Stephen Buhner, received a warning letter from the FDA.

According to the letter, the Herbal Amy site claimed that Buhner analyzed how coronaviruses infect tissuesand herbs that are useful to interrupt that process and that Stephen Buhner has used this with other corona virus infections, including SARS, it works well.

By Tuesday, the website had taken down those statements and added a note warning that the products were made in a kitchen and were not FDA-approved. The website also noted that herbs high in demand, such as Chinese skullcap root, were sold out.

As people are concerned about their immune systems, these and many other immune herbs are being sold out across the nation, the site read, before directing people looking for such products to google Stephen Buhners herbs.

In response, Buhner said though hes not happy about Herbal Amys claims and that the company used his name without permission, he believes in the effectiveness of herbal medicines in some circumstances. He said he is not affiliated with Herbal Amy or any other company selling his herbs.

Despite the existence of a few antiviral pharmaceuticals the only real treatments that Western medicine has developed for viral infections are vaccines, Buhner said in the statement. Unfortunately, vaccines for new organisms generally take a year or so to develop, hence my desire to create an herbal protocol that people could begin using to boost their immunity to, and disrupt the tissue infections of, this specific coronavirus strain.

Facebook, Amazon and other major companies have banned and removed advertisements and posts about bogus cures. In addition, Amazon has blocked or removed millions of products suspected of making misleading claims about the coronavirus. Facebook has done the same, and has instigated a new policy about certain medical supplies:

We are temporarily banning advertisements and commerce listings that sell medical face masks, a Facebook spokesperson said. Our teams are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency for their own benefit.

When panic and fear are pervasive, people are more likely to fall victim to these types of claims, because their decision-making skills could be impaired by the heightened anxiety, Thames said.

In times of uncertainty and distress, theres a tendency for people to be reactive, Thames said. Were all vulnerable to it.

Officials say that seniors, whose decision-making skills may be diminished by age, are more frequently targeted by scammers looking to make money or steal peoples identities. The health risks and panic caused by the coronavirus makes them even more vulnerable to scammers claiming to have a quick fix for the virus.

On the other hand, younger adults and teenagers may be susceptible to scams because, Thames said, they will often think with emotions, so if something looks good or exciting, the thought often is, Why not? 

Others who have a distrust of the public health system or dont have the means to obtain the care they need sometimes search for alternative forms of healing, putting them at risk as well.

Ive had several patients come to me and say, I heard this works about some herb they heard about, and they would prefer to try that than any type of Westernized medicine, Thames said. Its a complete scam, because its not backed by scientific evidence of any kind.

The scams also show up via emails and robo calls.

One robo call claiming to be associated with the World Health Organization said: The WHO is informing you that you applied for a coronavirus vaccine and today is the last day to address it. If you have any questions, press 9 for help. The message is then repeated in Chinese.

Emails might disguise themselves as helpful resources from official sources, such as the WHO or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When users click through, they are actually allowing access to personal data like passwords or credit card details or downloading malicious software, said Nikolas Behar, a cybersecurity expert.

Behar said these types of online scanners are always pervasive and looking for new targets. The coronavirus is simply the flavor of the month.

Officials and experts say protecting the public will be, to a great extent, a matter of how well health officials can disseminate educational information to those at risk.

Thames said the public should be educated about the rigorous scientific process that cures and vaccinations need to go through before becoming available to the public.

There needs to be a wide public information campaign by our national health experts about some basic issues  where [they] make clear theres no home testing, there are no cures for coronavirus, and there is no medication that one can take.

The more pervasive the campaign would be, in many languages, the better.

2020 Los Angeles Times
An Air India special flight carrying 263 Indians evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Italys capital city of Rome, landed at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning .

The evacuees -- mostly students -- will be taken to an Indo-Tibetan Border Police-managed quarantine facility in Chhawla shortly after undergoing thermal screening and immigration at the airport. The passengers are being handled at the isolation bay  far away from other terminals and would be taken out from a separate gate for compulsory quarantine, a Delhi airport official said.

Delhi Customs continue to provide its assistance in clearance of the 263 passengers from Rome at the remote bay at the airport. All precautions being exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers being followed. #COVID19 https://t.co/0qZvARpQ7G  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2020

The national transporter had on Saturday deployed a Boeing 777 with 12 crew members to rescue stranded Indian citizens in Rome, Italy, amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

The relief flight AI 1122 from Rome landed at 9.16am in Delhi with 263 passengers on board. A big salute to our gallant crew and ground staff, Air India officials said.

The crew members had been provided with hazmat suits for safety, one of the officials added. Centre may need to deploy another flight as more than 500 are estimated to be stranded in Italy at the moment.

This is the second batch of Indians evacuated from Italy. Earlier, as many as 218 Indians were evacuated from the Italian city of Milan.

263 Indian students & compassionate cases departed for India by special AI flight from Rome fulfilling our commitment to ensure their safe return home. Sincere  to @airindiain & Italian authorities @DrSJaishankar @harshvshringla @MEAIndia @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/RmdxdKqfKH  India in Italy (@IndiainItaly) March 21, 2020

Meanwhile, Italy on Sunday announced its biggest day-to-day increase of infections, which rose by 6,600 with nearly 800 new fatalities from the virus that causes COVID-19. The countrys total death toll of more than 4,825 has surpassed the number of deaths in China, where the first cases emerged late last year.

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As Capital Region business owners shut their doors over the weekend in accordance with a societal shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus, they reflected on their futures with anxiety and tempered optimism.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that all non-essential businesses would have to shut down by Sunday night in attempt to halt the virus, which infected over 15,000 New Yorkers as of Sunday afternoon.

Business owners expressed shock as they faced their new realities Sunday.

Its very surreal. Weeks ago I never would have thought wed be in this position, said Marianne Barker, co-owner of Impressions of Saratoga in Saratoga Springs.

Barker has been in business for 42 years, which she said works in her favor because shes experienced the ebbs and flows of the industry. But shes still worried about whether her doors will ever open again.

Obviously we are worried now thinking how long this is going to take, she said. Im trying to stay optimistic.

Further south, The Back Room Antiques and Collectibles, located in Cohoes, had a 50% off sale on everything over the weekend. The owner there said she is not making any profit so she has been unable to pay the rent or electric bill.

The state ordered that until further notice, only what are deemed essential businesses can stay open, such as grocery and home improvement stores, and pharmacies. Various bookstores statewide, including the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza and Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, have sent a letter to Cuomo urging him to consider their establishments essential and "ensure the survival of our businesses." The letter said many bookstores have moved to curbside pickup or delivery, much as restaurants have been allowed to do.

For newer business owners, the situation has brought even more stress. Connie Medina, for instance, just opened Your CBD Store New Scotland in Albany in December.

This is like, Here, first-time business owner, lets throw this curve ball at you and see how you deal with it, Medina said. This is sink or swim, basically.

Medina applied to a disaster relief program hoping for some financial aid, but the idea of closing down a store she put so much into and was watching steadily grow remains heartbreaking.

I would have definitely doubled my numbers from December to now, Medina said. It really does put a damper on things because I saw how good business is doing.

Those who have been in business longer are feeling more optimistic, knowing they can rely on a loyal customer base and decades of experience.

Were in America, everything is going to pass over, said Mark Carter, who owns Taysha Florist on Henry Johnson Boulevard. Ive been blessed to be here enough years to people who love flowers, and Im in a good location.

Despite his optimism that this too shall pass, Carters business already took a hit as people canceled funerals he was supplying flowers for. He received an order of 1,500 roses Thursday - as he does every Thursday - and has to figure out what to do with the leftovers.

While concerns abound, though, entrepreneurs are getting creative with ways to keep their businesses open while their storefronts are closed.

For instance, Carter, Medina and Barker are all looking into selling their products online and through social media, and offer curbside pickups or no-contact deliveries.

Deryl McCray, who has owned Bricks Barber Shop on Central Avenue for 20 years, is working on setting up a space in his basement to keep serving some longtime clients.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Im concerned about some of my guys, weve got 11 barbers, he said. Most of our guys have reached out to clients and let them know theyll be available for home services.

And as businesses are forced to close their doors, some are pointing out that business owners of color in communities of color will be disproportionately economically impacted.

Youre taking community establishments, places of gathering and engagement  when you take that from a community as a whole youre impacting it in ways where the repercussions are different, said Anthony Gaddy, co-founder and president of the UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce.

Gaddy raised concerns about unequal access to capital that will be heightened, and the potential of increased predatory lending as more businesses look for bailouts.

The chamber plans to have conversations with members starting Monday about how they can continue their businesses and what resources they can rely on.

To an entrepreneur, their business is anything but small, Gaddy said. We have to focus on saving peoples lives but we have to be mindful that peoples livelihoods are at stake as well.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Albany County Executive 'begging' feds for more tests, supplies to combat COVID-19

Cuomo asks feds to set up mobile hospitals as coronavirus surges in NY

For a detailed map, check out The Times Unions New York Coronavirus Tracker

To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.
I have led several large organizations, including one in the federal government, and have learned a number of hard lessons about responding to crises. I am distressed that the federal response to a major health emergency does not seem to reflect even the most basic management principles. Here are six things that could dramatically improve Americas response to the coronavirus outbreak:

1. It is what it is. The first priority is to understand what the problem actually is, versus what you want it to be. Talk to the experts and get as much data as you can about the situation today and where you are headed in the future. Hard numbers help avoid he said/she said debates. This does not imply that you need only to get the numbers and that decisions make themselves  no seasoned leader believes that. But it does mean that you have the best information at any given moment. You can try hiding from reality, but sooner or later it will catch up with you.

2. Over-communicate the facts. Tell people the truth and tell it often. If you dont know, say that you dont know and outline the steps that you are taking to get better information. Even bad news, effectively communicated, can have a positive effect on the listener. One of the worst things that can happen in a crisis is to lose the trust of people  they will be reluctant to accept your recommendations in the future.

3. Be prepared. Understand what you might need and find ways to procure those items. For example, if hospitals think that they will need ventilators, call a number of manufacturers of similar technologies and tell them to immediately shift production to ventilators. Give them simple designs from other manufacturers so that they can start right away. If federal bureaucrats object that this violates procurement law, have the President sign exemptions to those regulations. If you are concerned about fraudulent suppliers, triple the penalties associated with false claims. All of this can be done in one day.

4. Think about the consequences of your actions. At first glance, a decision might seem obvious, but further thought could show that it is actually counterproductive. Limiting travel from other countries that have high infection rates is a good idea. However, jamming thousands of people from virus hot-spots into airports is guaranteed to communicate the virus among them and across the country. Think two, three, or even more moves into the future.

5. Get all the help that you can. Thinking that you are smarter than everyone else is a prescription for disaster. Rarely can one organization, even one as large as the federal government, solve problems on its own. Collaboration between the public and private sector is essential, but so too is collaboration between nations. Listen to what others have learned; dont repeat their mistakes. Buy products that they may have on hand and even consider inviting some of their experts to help.

6. Look ahead to victory. Even while the United States was embroiled in the Second World War, it was planning what it would do when it achieved victory. Now is the time to think about how we will readjust to a new normal, how we will apply lessons learned in the current crisis, and how we will rebuild economic and social institutions following a traumatic event.

None of this is magic. It is not even inspired leadership. It is nothing more than Management 101. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, our federal government seems challenged to apply these basic principles. We havent a moment to lose in changing that.

Stephen Younger, of Los Alamos, recently retired as director of Sandia National Laboratories. He holds a Ph.D. in physics, and has written extensively on national security and other topics.
Panaji, March 22 : The Goa government on Sunday extended the 'Janata Curfew' by three more days, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane confirmed.

"It has been extended by three days by the Chief Minister. A decision to extend it further will be taken by the CM at the end of the three-day period," Rane said here on Sunday.

Meanwhile, roads and public spaces in Goa wore a deserted look on Sunday, in view of the Janata Curfew announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The 'Janata Curfew' on request of PM Modi and the state government has been 100 per cent successful. We should not step out of our homes after 9 p.m. too. Everyone needs to co-operate to take on coronavirus. Please co-operate with the police. I thank all doctors and medical staff on behalf of the state government," Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a video message.

Calling for Janata Curfew, Modi had said it was necessary to prevent spread of coronavirus.

At 5 p.m. people could be seen stepping in the open outside their homes or in balconies in residential colonies clapping and clanging utensils, as requested by Modi in order to thank the medical fraternity for their efforts to rein in the viral pandemic.

"Everyone in the colony coming out at 5 p.m. today and clapping. I appreciate all the work they (medical fraternity) have done, not only in India, but all across Goa," Rane said.

Goa's beaches, markets and towns wore a desolate look. On Saturday, the Goa government imposed Section 144 of CrPC under which it mandated business establishments, including restaurants, to remain shut on Sunday.

Leader of ppposition Digambar Kamat said that preventive measures like the Janata Curfew should continue. "As it is now clear that social distancing is the only effective step in controlling the spread of coronavirus, the need to extend the Janata Curfew is the right step. I appeal to all to follow the government directives and remain safe at all times," Kamat said.

He also urged the Chief Minister to take advice from experts and ensure that the supply of essential commodities for daily use continues, in view of the curfew being extended further.
Letting it go proved difficult; even when the manuscript had been sent to the editors and she wasnt allowed to touch it, she worked on it on a separate document at home.

Not long before the workshop, Pham had the idea for Vince, her handsome, charismatic main character, a 16-year-old just out of juvenile detention and at a crossroads. While the tender portrait she paints is based on one of her relatives, "at the same time I enjoyed dramatising his beauty, making him more and more fictional".

Some of the most intense discussions she had with her editor, Patrick Mangan, involved him wanting her to tone down "my otherworldy descriptions of Vinces beauty". Always self-assured, she stuck to her guns. "For me its obvious that its from Sunnys perspective, we see him through her very idealistic eyes."

Part of the book is based on her fathers life. Chau Pham left Vietnam as a refugee aged 17, travelling on a boat for 10 days before reaching an island in Indonesia. "The incidents of children dying on boats and pirates coming on board and stealing all the gold and a lot of sexual abuse, thats true, and its not unique, thats the sad thing," Pham says. "Its very common to a lot of refugees."

He ended up in America, where he completed high school, studied and worked in computer science. Returning to Vietnam in 1989, he met his wife Han and they had Kim; the family moved back to America but emigrated to Australia when Vivian was nine months old. She says his story has been reimagined with a lot of poetic licence.
The Hyundai Motor India has suspended its manufacturing operations in Chennai from Monday (March 23, 2020) till further notice due to the the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the car manufacturers said: "Hyundai Motor India is a responsible and caring brand. The safety, health and hygiene of its employees, customers, business partners and the communities is of utmost priority in every situation.

Keeping this in mind, Hyundai Motor India Ltd will be taking the preventive counter-measure of suspending its Manufacturing operations at the Chennai facility from Monday, 23rd March 2020 till further notice to stop the spread of corona virus (COVID-19) - a global pandemic.

We will await further notifications from State Government to resume plant operations."

Earlier, Hondo India too temporarily shutdown its operations across all four manufacturing plants with immediate effect till further notice.

On Sunday, India saw 81 new coronavirus positive cases, the highest in a single day to take the number of infected to 396. Two more people died taking the total toll to seven.
Sole traders and small businesses reeling as a result of coronavirus have been offered some relief in the governments latest $66 billion stimulus package.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Sunday job seekers Newstart allowance would be doubled and made available to casuals and sole traders with both the assets test and waiting period waived.

Sole traders would also be able to access $10,000 of their superannuation this financial year and another $10,000 next financial year tax free if their turnover decreased by a minimum of 20 per cent.

Cherrybrook Travel employees Elizabeth Ellis, Caroline Daley and Judy Mahony in the office in Westleigh Village. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Small businesses that employ people will be provided with up to $100,000 with a minimum payment of $20,000.
souvonik2k wrote:

Scientists recently documented that influenza spreads around the world more efficiently in the modern era due to commercial air travel. Symptoms of a pandemic-level flu are severe enough that the ill would likely cancel or reschedule air travel, but an infected person can travel across the globe before the first signs appear. Further, if symptoms develop while someone is still on a plane, the infected person's cough can spread the virus easily in the enclosed and closely packed environment.



Which of the following would best minimize the role air travel can play in the spread of influenza during a pandemic?

(A) installing air filtration systems in the planes to kill any flu virus particles flowing through the filters

(B) requiring air travelers to receive flu vaccinations far enough in advance of the trip to provide protection against the disease

(C) refusing to allow children, the elderly, or others who are especially vulnerable to flu to travel by air during a pandemic

(D) requiring all air travelers to wash their hands before boarding a plane

(E) conducting medical examinations during the boarding process to weed out passengers with flu symptoms

Official solution :

(B) CORRECT

58. (B). You are presented with a paragraph of premises and asked to resolve the problem they present: how tominimize the spread of flu via air travel. The correct answer will need to rely specifically on the premises and will notrequire you to make any inferences or assumptions.(A) The passage states that the infection can be spread by coughing. The flu virus, therefore, can reach the otherpassengers in the closely-packed environment before it enters any filters that might kill the virus.. Vaccines provide significant protection against developing the virus (not 100% protection, but youare asked to minimize the impact of air travel, not eliminate it entirely). If all passengers are vaccinated against thevirus, many of those who otherwise would have developed the disease will not, and, therefore, wont spread it toothers.(C) Anyone can contract the virus and subsequently spread it; the mentioned populations are merely especiallyvulnerable to it. Infected people traveling to another place can infect children, senior citizens, and others who havestayed in their home regions.(D) The passage states that the infection can be spread by coughing; while it may be true that the virus can also spreadvia hand contact, this information is not stated in the passage.(E) The passage states that people who develop symptoms before travel begins likely would not make the trip; weedingout those with observable symptoms, then, wont minimize the role of air travel because there arent that manypeople in this category. The larger danger is those who may be infected but have not yet developed symptoms.
Lost star Daniel Dae Kim has credited an antimalarial drug for his recovery from coronavirus.

Taking to Instagram on Saturday evening the 51-year-old said he felt 'back to normal' and had not needed hospital treatment.

Kim, who will remain in self-isolation until Monday, claimed to 'have no symptoms' other than congestion and believes that the antimalarial drug Hydroxychloroquine was the 'secret weapon' to his recovery.

Good news: Daniel Dae Kim took to Instagram on Saturday evening to give followers an update on his COVID-19 diagnosis, after coming forward with his diagnosis on Thursday

'I am happy to report that my progress has continued and I practically feel back to normal. I am lucky enough to be in the 80% of diagnosed cases that have not required hospitalization,' revealed the Hawaii-based actor in the nearly seven-minute video.

Kim's personal physician prescribed him a 'drug cocktail' that consisted of the antiviral medicine TamiFlu, the antibiotic Azithromycin, a Glycopyrrolate inhaler, and the antimalarial drug Hydroxychloroquine.

Though all of the medicines worked in conjunction to aid in Kim's healing process, the actor stated that Hydroxychloroquine was the 'secret weapon.'

According to Kim, the drug 'has been used with great success in Korea in their fight against the coronavirus' and was the drug mentioned by President Trump during a White House press conference earlier in the week.

All of the info: Kim, who will remain in self-isolation until Monday, claimed to 'have no symptoms' other than congestion and believes that the antimalarial drug Hydroxychloroquine was the 'secret weapon' to his recovery

President Donald Trump has continually pushed drugs used for malaria as a treatment option for coronavirus and his embrace of them has caused twinges in the medical community.

'This would be a gift from heaven, this would be a gift from god if it works. We are going to pray to god that it does work,' the president said Saturday.

However Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has 'cautioned' about their use.

Dr. Tony Fauci said President Donald Trump was 'talking about hope' when he bragged that malaria drugs could be a 'gift from god' to cure coronavirus

'The president is talking about hope for people and it's not an unreasonable thing to hope for people,' Fauci said at daily White House press briefing

'My job is to ultimately prove without a doubt that a drug is not only safe, but that it actually works,' he said

Kim addressed this. '[Fauci] said that evidence suggesting the drug was promising was anecdotal and that is correct. It means it was studied, but only based on personal accounts,' said Kim, who cautioned viewers to remember that he was not a doctor.

'Well, add my name to those personal accounts because I am feeling better.

Not enough: The Hawaii Five-0 star was able to naildown his diagnosis thanks to a coronavirus test kit, but the actor stated that he would not undergo another test due to the shortage

'I won't say this is a cure and i won't say definitively that you should go out and use it, but what I will say is that I believe it was crucial to my recovery,' worded Kim carefully. 'I believe the entire mixture of drugs was crucial to my recovery.'

Another crucial point the actor brought up was that he began taking his 'drug cocktail' prior to the onset of the virus' signature fever.

Daniel refused to speak in specifics about his dosage, since it was 'tailored specifically' to him, but he encouraged people to visit their doctors and found out the dosage that would work most efficiently for them.

The Hawaii Five-0 star was able to nail down his diagnosis thanks to a coronavirus test kit, but the actor stated that he would not undergo another test due to the national shortage.

'There just aren't enough tests for everyone who needs them,' he said. 'This continues to be a serious problem in our country, not to mention the shortage of medical supplies.'

To conclude his lengthy video, Kim noted that he 'won't be addressing the politics of this issue' in his personal health updates going forward.

'My political beliefs may not be the same as yours, but especially in times like this what's most important is that we put people over politics and take care of one another.'
George Soros seems to have developed a special dislike of the State of Israel. He has rewritten Middle Eastern history to better jibe with his idea of the poignant and difficult case of victims turning perpetrators. Soros, much like the virulent anti-Semitic graphic daily propaganda in Arab, Palestinian, and Iranian newspapers, has been comparing Israels self-defense against repeated attempts of annihilation by Islamist/Arab terrorists to Nazi atrocities. The successful defense against terrorism, especially preemptive actions, is never appropriate in Soros book.

His history of how Israel fought for its independence could have been written by Noam Chomsky or Yasser Arafat: After the war [World War II], Jews resorted to terrorism against the British in Palestine to secure a homeland in Israel, Soros writes in his book, The Bubble of American Supremacy. Subsequently, after being attacked by Arab nations, Israel occupied additional territory and expelled many of the inhabitants. Eventually, the Arab victims also turned perpetrators, and Israel started suffering terrorist attacks.

This Soros interpretation denies the number of Arab invasions and the brutal tactics that led Israel to occupy the lands these attacks were launched from in the first place. As for the expulsions, many left because the surrounding Arab nations ordered them to leave. The Arab plan was to kill all the Jews as soon as possible and move back. For defending themselves, the Jews are getting what they deserve, in Soros mind. By surviving Arab/Muslim violence all these years, and by defending themselves, the Jews in Israel and elsewhere bear the responsibility for rising anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activities.

In November 2003, as Operation Iraqi Freedom was underway and anti-American and anti-Israeli/anti-Semitic demonstrations spread throughout Europe, Soros for the first time appeared at a meeting of the Jewish Funders Network in New York, making these remarks: The policies of the Bush administration and the Sharon administration contributeto the rise of anti-Semitism. He assured his audience that once Bush and Sharon were removed from office, the world would go back to not hating Jews. If we change that direction, then anti-Semitism also will diminish. I cant see how one could confront it directly, he said. The wide and sharp denouncement of Soross statements as "biased, bigoted [and] absolutely obscene did not affect his determination to hold Israel accountable, as displayed in 2016 in leaked Open Society Foundations (OSF) documents.

The 2016 DC Leaks revealed that OSFs progressive national security policies included plans to hold Israel accountable for alleged breaches of international law. This plan entailed generous donations to Palestinian, pro-Palestinian, and anti-Zionist Israeli and Arab human rights NGOs in Israel, which aim to undermine the countrys democracy within and to lobby the U.S. Congress, the European Parliament, the United Nations, and other international and foreign governments and organizations and media in efforts to delegitimize the Jewish State of Israel.

From 2001 to 2015, OSF and other Soros-related foundations funneled nearly $10 million to various liberal Jewish and Palestinian groups to intensify anti-Israel propaganda. In 2010, for example, the OSF pledged $100 million over 10 years to Human Rights Watch (HRW), whose funding was dwindling following a scandal concerning its Saudi fundraising activities in 2009. The HRW is a powerful organization that for decades has been promoting the Palestinian cause, including support of the BDS, while demonizing Israel.

The OSF has also been funding organizations known for supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, including virulent anti-Israel, pro-BDS individuals and groups affiliated with known Palestinian terrorist groups, especially the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization designated as such by the U.S. EU, Canada, and Israel. The Israeli governments February 2019 report Terrorists in Suits, provides detailed information on the ties between NGOs promoting BDS and terror organizations.

Expert testimony before Congress in 2017 has documented that one of the oldest Palestinian terror organizations controls important elements of the international operations of the unincorporated entity (the BDS movement) under which the U.S. Domestic Terror Affiliates operate.

Some examples of OSFs terrorist-linked Palestinian NGOs include the Gaza-based NGO Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), claims to be Dedicated to protecting human rights, promoting the rule of law, and upholding democratic principles in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In reality, the PCHR is a major actor in the Palestinian efforts to delegitimize Israel, spreading outlandish war-crimes allegations against Israel, and employing Lawfare to galvanize international pressure and punitive measures against Israel in the legal realm The PCHR has multiple links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PCHRs 2017 annual report lists Foundation Open Society as a contributor, with at least $650,000.

Other Palestinian NGOs linked with the PFLP, Adalah and Al-Haq, have also received funding from OSF. Despite denials, OSF did not stop funding these and similar groups. According to the OSF's grant database, in 2011 and 2012, the organization gave al-Haq $100,000 each year. In 2014, al Haq received $309,000 from OSF; $400,000 in 2016, and two grants totaling $891,630 in 2017.

Adalah, an Israeli NGO with branches in the U.S., conducts legal warfare (Lawfare) campaigns against Israel in international courts and other legal forums, presents Israel as a racist and undemocratic state, and has working relations with the PFLP.

The 2016 DCLeaks of OSF documents revealed that from 2001 to 2016, Adalah received $2,688,561 in 14 grants from the OSF. In 2016, Adalah was granted $400,000 from OSF, and about $218,000 in 2017 (NIS -$756,000), a total of $3,306,561 million.

Adalah established branches in the U.S. through the Adalah Justice Project (AJP), with branches in Illinois, Boston, and New York. According to NGO Monitor: Adalah is a member of the UN-OCHA Legal Task Force, led by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The task force coordinates legal responses by 14 Palestinian, Israeli, and international NGOs, including those with ties to the PLFP.

The OSF and other Soros-related charities frequently use Tides Center, which serves as a pass-through distribution center for a large number of foundations. In 2016, for example, Tides received $4.53 million from the George Soros Foundation to Promote Open Society, (where his son Jonathan Soros serves as vice-chairman, and his heir Alexander Soros is a board member).Tides is "a public charity, which, through donor-advised funds, acts as a fiscal sponsor to smaller charities.

Tides regularly passes funds from Soros's various foundations, not only to organizations promoting progressive/socialist causes in the U.S. but also to groups such as Dream Defenders, "which Tides lists on its website as Social Venture partner.

Dream Defenders was 'initially formed "to protest Stand Your Ground' laws," in 2012 in Florida. Soon after, it was "repurposed to serve the anti-Israel BDS movement." Dream Defenders openly "support and promote the mission of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a U.S.-designated terror organization. The PFLP has used bombings, shootings, and plane hijackings to achieve its political goals." Dream Defenders and its members endorsed the PFLP and espoused its tactics by backing PFLP terrorists on social media and at various public events. It brings people to the Middle East to meet with PFLP members and PFLP-affiliated organizations. In March 2016, Dream Defenders put together an alternative school curriculum that includes the PFLP as one of nine "heroes" that should be used to teach "rebellion" strategies and tactics. On its website, Dream Defenders offers the BLACK OUT: History, Rebellion Curriculum Toolkit, grades 6-11 (common core compatible) saying: the curriculum toolkit was created by traditional and radical educators in Dream Defenders membership body. Rebellion features nine organizations including; Left Roots, FRELIMO, Brown Berets, Sandinistas, Young Lords, Zapatistas, South African Student Movement, Black Panther Party and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Just like the Dream Defenders, the group identifies with the PFLP's struggle, stating: "They [the PFLP] want to be free from global imperialism. They want liberation. They want equal rights.

Another major U.S. charity that also supports many Palestinian groups, including BDS activists with ties to the PFLP, is the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which in June 2018, authorized Tides Center to give a $160,000 grant to AJP.

The anti-Israel activities of the Dream Defenders, al Haq, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and Adalah are no secret. They have been publicizing them for years. And the OSF often hypes these groups on its Grantee Spotlight page.

While the OSF denies supporting BDS groups directly or indirectly, the evidence shows that the OSF disregards the proof that these groups promote the BDS and have close ties to the PFLP, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) -- all U.S.-designated terrorist groups.

A feeble attempt at plausible deniability was made by Soros spokesperson Michael Vachon who in April 2019, while denying Soros' organizations support of BDS groups, admitted that at times they simply don't know how their support is used: The foundation cannot track every project connected to every organization that it has supported over the decades" he stated.

But Soros, a well-known micromanager, has made it perfectly clear, "I run one of the largest foundations in the world and I am personally, deeply involved." (emphasis added).

Transparify -- the only global transparency rating group for think tanks -- surveyed the major "200 think tanks in 47 countries worldwide." Their 2016 analysis rated Soros' Open Society Foundations (OSF) as "highly opaque," with the rating of "0." "Additionally, it was the only think tank in the United States to score so low." Yet, the OSF still operates as a charity, receiving and also disbursing funding from the U.S. government, the EU, and other international bodies, often without acknowledging such collaboration.

The OSFs flagrant funding of groups known for their support of Palestinian efforts to eliminate Israel and collaboration with Palestinians terrorist groups and individuals, shows that the OSF and other Soros foundations as well as the organizations they use to pass funds to terror-affiliated groups disregard their fiduciary responsibilities, launder money, and violate the spirit of U.S. laws banning support of terrorists. Since financial assets are fungible, and BDS groups with links to the PFLP are known to collaborate financially while contributions have been made using laundered money, violating U.S. laws banning support of terrorists either financially or in kind.

Because of the veneer of advocacy of human rights, environmentalism, and other popular causes, NGO support of terrorist groups is particularly pernicious. Professionals, businesses, and financial institutions can be and are attacked as succumbing to simple greed. Not so the NGOs. Never has adherence to the admonition caveat emptor been more widely ignored.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced a complete lockdown in the capital as a step to contain the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown will begin from 6 am tomorrow (March 23) and will continue till midnight of March 31.

"Before it gets too late, we have decided to impose lockdown in Delhi from 6 am tomorrow (March 23) till midnight of March 31," said Kejriwal here in a press conference.

The Chief Minister along with Delhi's Lieutenant General Anil Baijal informed that essential services have been exempted from lockdown.

"Essential services exempted from lockdown. Dairies, grocery shops, chemists and petrol pumps to remain open," he said.

However, no public transport services including private buses, autos, e-rickshaws will be allowed to ply in Delhi and only 25 per cent DTC bus fleet will continue to ply on roads in the capital.

"No public transport services including private buses, autos, e-rickshaws will be allowed during the lockdown period in Delhi. Only 25 per cent of the DTC bus fleet will continue to ply on roads of Delhi to carry people involved in essential services," he said. Metro services will also remain suspended in the capital till March 31.

Moreover, all domestic flights into Delhi will be banned from tomorrow till March 31. The move is aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus by ensuring "social distancing and encouraging people to stay at home for the time being."

Giving relief to private and contractual employees, the Chief Minister said: "All private offices will remain closed but the employees - both permanent and contractual - will be considered to be on-duty. The companies will have to provide them with a salary for this duration."

There are 27 cases in Delhi - 6 of them fall under the category of transmission, 21 had come from foreign countries, the Chief Minister said.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Better defaults, a better CLI and better heuristics. Oh, and TypeScript 3.8.

After a long and careful consideration, we decided to change the default values for the trailingComma , arrowParens , and endOfLine options. We made the CLI more intuitive. And we've finally dropped support for Node versions older than 10, which had grown to become a huge maintenance hassle and an obstacle for contributors. Read below in details.

Highlights

JavaScript

Improved method chain breaking heuristic (#6685 by @mmkal)

Previously, any method call chain of length three or longer would be automatically broken into multiple lines. The new heuristic is based on the complexity of the call arguments in the chain, rather than simply on the chain's length. Now, if chained method calls have arguments which aren't easy to understand at a glance (e.g. functions or deeply-nested objects), the chain is broken. Otherwise, they're allowed to remain on one line. See prior issues #3197, #4765, #1565 and #4125 for context and examples.

To get best results, make sure your value for the printWidth option isn't too high.

if ( foo . one ( ) . two ( ) . three ( ) === bar . four ( ) . five ( ) . six ( ) ) { } if ( foo . one ( ) . two ( ) . three ( ) === bar . four ( ) . five ( ) . six ( ) ) { }

Ultimate fix for Closure-style type casts (#7791 by @thorn0, #7011 by @evilebottnawi)

Prettier has been trying not to corrupt these JSDoc type assertions since v1.6.0, with mixed results. As type checking based on JSDoc becomes increasingly common, we've been getting new bug reports about this syntax. The bugs were tricky because the required parentheses around the expression weren't part of the AST, so Prettier didn't have a good way to detect their presence.

Finally, we used the createParenthesizedExpressions option of the Babel parser to represent parentheses in the AST using non-standard nodes. This helped fix all the reported bugs.

Consequently, Prettier won't recognize JSDoc type casts if the flow or typescript parser is used, but this is reasonable as this syntax makes little sense in Flow and TypeScript files.

const nestedAssertions = ( ( x ) ) ; const nestedAssertions = x ; const nestedAssertions = ( ( x ) ) ;

Reference documentation for this syntax: Closure Compiler, TypeScript (with --checkJs ).

TypeScript

Prettier now supports the new syntax added in TypeScript 3.8:

CLI

Test whether passed globs are names of existing files before treating them as globs (#7587 by @fisker)

Since file names in Linux can contain almost any characters, strings like foo*.js and [bar].css are valid file names. Previously, if the user needed to format a file named [bar].css , a glob escaping syntax had to be used: prettier "\[bar].css" (this one doesn't work on Windows, where backslashes are treated as path separators) or prettier "[[]bar].css" . Because of this, important use cases were broken. E.g. lint-staged passes absolute paths and knows nothing about the escaping syntax. Now, when Prettier CLI gets a glob, it first tries to resolve it as a literal file name.

It's finally possible to run prettier --write . to format all supported files in the current directory and its subdirectories. Directory names can be mixed with file names and glob patterns (e.g. prettier src "test/*.spec.js" foo.js ).

Also, the order in which files are processed has changed. Previously, all the files were sorted alphabetically before formatting. Now, their order corresponds to the order of the specified paths. For each path, the list of resolved files is sorted, but the full sorting of the resulting combined list isn't done anymore.

There are also changes in how Prettier CLI reports errors if passed patterns don't match any files. Previously, Prettier CLI printed a "No matching files" error if it couldn't find any files at allfor all the patterns together, not for an individual pattern. In Prettier 2.0, the CLI also prints such errors for individual patterns.

Breaking changes

API

Fix config overrides pattern matching to include dot files (#5813 by @chrisblossom)

Previously, configuration overrides weren't applied to files whose name had a leading dot.

Drop support for Node versions older than 10 (#6908 by @fisker)

The minimal required Node version now is 10.13.0. For our contributors, this means there is no need anymore to jump through hoops to make tests pass on Node 4.

Change default value for trailingComma to es5 (#6963 by @fisker)

Before version 2.0, Prettier was avoiding trailing commas by default where possible. This made the resulting JavaScript compatible with now very old environments such as IE8, but implied some missed opportunities.

Prettier has included an option to configure trailing commas since its early days, and an initiative to change the default value has been out there for over three years. Finally, the default value becomes es5 instead of none in Prettier v2.0.

If the old behavior is still preferred, please configure Prettier with { "trailingComma": "none" } . There is a possibility that the default value will change to all (meaning even more trailing commas) in a future major version of Prettier as the JavaScript ecosystem further matures.

prettier.util.mapDoc has been removed.

Use prettier.doc.utils.mapDoc instead.

has been removed. Use instead. prettier.util.isNextLineEmpty has been updated.

Use isNextLineEmpty(text, node, locEnd) instead of isNextLineEmpty(text, node, options) .

has been updated. Use instead of . prettier.util.isPreviousLineEmpty has been updated.

Use isPreviousLineEmpty(text, node, locStart) instead of isPreviousLineEmpty(text, node, options) .

has been updated. Use instead of . prettier.util.getNextNonSpaceNonCommentCharacterIndex has been updated.

Use getNextNonSpaceNonCommentCharacterIndex(text, node, locEnd) instead of getNextNonSpaceNonCommentCharacterIndex(text, node, options) .

Change default value for arrowParens to always (#7430 by @kachkaev)

Since version 1.9, Prettier has had an option to always wrap arrow function arguments with parentheses. In version 2.0, this behavior has become the default.

const fn = ( x ) => y => x + y ; const fn = x => y => x + y ; const fn = ( x ) => ( y ) => x + y ;

At first glance, avoiding parentheses in the isolated example above may look like a better choice because it results in less visual noise. However, when Prettier removes parentheses, it becomes harder to add type annotations, extra arguments, default values, or a variety of other things. Consistent use of parentheses provides a better developer experience when editing real codebases, which justifies the change.

You are encouraged to use the new default value, but if the old behavior is still preferred, please configure Prettier with { "arrowParens": "avoid" } .

Change default value for endOfLine to lf (#7435 by @kachkaev)

Early versions of Prettier were formatting all files with the *nix flavor of line endings (

, also known as LF ). This behavior was changed in #472, which allowed preserving Windows line endings ( \r

, also known as CRLF ).

Since Prettier version 1.15, the flavor of line endings has been configurable via the endOfLine option. The default value was set to auto for backwards compatibility, which meant that Prettier preserved whichever flavor of line endings was already present in a given file.

That meant Prettier converted mixed line endings within one file to what was found at the end of the first line. However, line endings in separate files could still remain inconsistent. Besides, contributors on different operating systems could accidentally change line endings in previously committed files and this would be fine with Prettier. Doing so would produce a large git diff and thus make the line-by-line history for a file ( git blame ) harder to explore.

You are encouraged to use the new default value for endOfLine , which is now lf . It may be also worth checking the option docs to ensure your project repository is configured correctly. This will help you avoid a mix of line endings in the repo and a broken git blame . If the old behavior is still preferred, please configure Prettier with { "endOfLine": "auto" } .

If you use Travis CI, be aware of the autocrlf option in .travis.yml .

Cache plugin search results (#7485 by @fisker)

Previously, Prettier searched the file system for plugins on every prettier.format call. Now, search results are cached. The cache can be cleared by calling prettier.clearConfigCache() .

Options: useFlowParser ( --flow-parser in CLI) has been deprecated since v0.0.10 .

Option values: parser : babylon (renamed to babel in v1.16.0), postcss (renamed to css in v1.7.1), typescript-eslint (an old alias for typescript ) proseWrap : true (renamed to always in v1.9.0), false (renamed to never in v1.9.0) trailingComma : true (renamed to es5 in v0.19.0), false (renamed to none in v0.19.0)



Remove the version parameter of prettier.getSupportInfo (#7620 by @thorn0)

Since Prettier 1.8.0, it was possible to pass a version number to prettier.getSupportInfo to get information on the languages, options, etc. supported by previous versions. This interesting but apparently not very useful API kept causing maintenance problems and has been removed in Prettier 2.0.0.

Other changes

JavaScript

Always add a space after the function keyword (#3903 by @j-f1, @josephfrazier, @sosukesuzuki, @thorn0; #7516 by @bakkot)

Previously, a space would be added after the function keyword in function declarations, but not in function expressions. Now, for consistency, a space is always added after the function keyword. The only exception is generator declarations where function* is treated as a whole word.

const identity = function ( value ) { return value ; } ; function identity ( value ) { return value ; } const f = function < T > ( value : T ) { } ; const g = function * ( ) { } ; const identity = function ( value ) { return value ; } ; function identity ( value ) { return value ; } const f = function < T > ( value : T ) { } ; const g = function * ( ) { } ;

Fix unstable formatting of labeled statements with comments (#6984 by @clement26695)

loop1 : const i = 3 ; loop1 : const i = 3 ; loop1 : const i = 3 ; loop1 : const i = 3 ;

Fix formatting of logical, binary and sequence expressions in template literals (#7010 by @evilebottnawi)

` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ foo || bar } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ foo | bar } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ ( foo , bar ) } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ foo || bar } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ foo | bar } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ ( foo , bar ) } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ foo || bar } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ foo | bar } ` ; ` 111111111 222222222 333333333 444444444 555555555 666666666 777777777 ${ ( foo , bar ) } ` ;

Fix unstable formatting of logical expressions (#7026 by @thorn0)

const averredBathersBoxroomBuggyNurl = bifornCringerMoshedPerplexSawder === 1 || ( askTrovenaBeenaDependsRowans === 2 || glimseGlyphsHazardNoopsTieTie === 3 ) ; const averredBathersBoxroomBuggyNurl = bifornCringerMoshedPerplexSawder === 1 || askTrovenaBeenaDependsRowans === 2 || glimseGlyphsHazardNoopsTieTie === 3 ; const averredBathersBoxroomBuggyNurl = bifornCringerMoshedPerplexSawder === 1 || askTrovenaBeenaDependsRowans === 2 || glimseGlyphsHazardNoopsTieTie === 3 ; const averredBathersBoxroomBuggyNurl = bifornCringerMoshedPerplexSawder === 1 || askTrovenaBeenaDependsRowans === 2 || glimseGlyphsHazardNoopsTieTie === 3 ;

Format throw like return (#7070 by @sosukesuzuki)

function foo ( ) { throw this . hasPlugin ( "dynamicImports" ) && this . lookahead ( ) . type === tt . parenLeft . right ; } function foo ( ) { throw this . hasPlugin ( "dynamicImports" ) && this . lookahead ( ) . type === tt . parenLeft . right ; } function foo ( ) { throw ( this . hasPlugin ( "dynamicImports" ) && this . lookahead ( ) . type === tt . parenLeft . right ) ; }

Fix indentation in ternaries nested in conditions of other ternaries (#7087 by @thorn0)

const foo = ( number % 10 >= 2 && ( number % 100 < 10 || number % 100 >= 20 ) ? kochabCooieGameOnOboleUnweave : annularCooeedSplicesWalksWayWay ) ? anodyneCondosMalateOverateRetinol : averredBathersBoxroomBuggyNurl ; const foo = ( number % 10 >= 2 && ( number % 100 < 10 || number % 100 >= 20 ) ? kochabCooieGameOnOboleUnweave : annularCooeedSplicesWalksWayWay ) ? anodyneCondosMalateOverateRetinol : averredBathersBoxroomBuggyNurl ; const foo = ( number % 10 >= 2 && ( number % 100 < 10 || number % 100 >= 20 ) ? kochabCooieGameOnOboleUnweave : annularCooeedSplicesWalksWayWay ) ? anodyneCondosMalateOverateRetinol : averredBathersBoxroomBuggyNurl ;

Tweak function composition logic for decorators (#7138 by @brainkim)

Because decorators modify the line following, splitting a decorator calls arguments onto multiple lines can obscure the relationship between the decorator and its intended target, producing less-readable code. Therefore, the function composition logic introduced in #6033 has been changed to exclude decorator calls.

export class Item { @ OneToOne ( ( ) => Thing , x => x . item ) thing ! : Thing ; } export class Item { @ OneToOne ( ( ) => Thing , x => x . item , ) thing ! : Thing ; } export class Item { @ OneToOne ( ( ) => Thing , x => x . item ) thing ! : Thing ; }

Correct semicolon placement in empty return statement with comment (#7140 by @sosukesuzuki)

return ; return return ;

Respect whitespace significance in HTML template literals (#7208 by @saschanaz)

Prettier had been adding newlines for every HTML template string, which could lead to unexpected whitespace in rendered HTML. This doesn't happen anymore unless --html-whitespace-sensitivity ignore option is given.

html ` <div> ` ; html ` <span>TEXT</span> ` ; html ` <div></div> ` ; html ` <span>TEXT</span> ` ; html ` <div></div> ` ; html ` <span>TEXT</span> ` ;

Remove unnecessary parens when yielding JSX (#7367 by @cola119)

function * f ( ) { yield < div > generator </ div > ; } function * f ( ) { yield ( < div > generator </ div > ) ; } function * f ( ) { yield < div > generator </ div > ; }

Keep parentheses around comma expressions in default export declarations (#7491 by @fisker)

Omitting these parentheses makes the code invalid.

export default ( 1 , 2 ) ; export default 1 , 2 ; export default ( 1 , 2 ) ;

Fix edge cases with parentheses around optional chaining (#7500 by @thorn0)

( foo ?. bar ) ( ) ; new ( foo ?. bar ) ( ) ; foo ?. bar ( ) ; new foo ?. bar ( ) ; ( foo ?. bar ) ( ) ; new ( foo ?. bar ) ( ) ;

Don't wrap undefined in parentheses in conditional expressions within JSX (#7504 by @fisker)

Previously, parentheses were added around any expression except null . Now, undefined is excluded too.

foo ? < span > loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jsx </ span > : undefined foo ? < span > loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jsx </ span > : null foo ? ( < span > loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jsx </ span > ) : ( undefined ) ; foo ? ( < span > loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jsx </ span > ) : null ; foo ? ( < span > loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jsx </ span > ) : undefined ; foo ? ( < span > loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jsx </ span > ) : null ;

Keep comments position for assignments/variables (#7709 by @sosukesuzuki)

const foo = bar ; const foo = bar ; const foo = bar ;

TypeScript

Babel as an alternative parser for TypeScript (#6400 by @JounQin & @thorn0)

A new value for the parser option has been added: babel-ts , which makes use of Babels TypeScript plugin. The babel-ts parser supports JavaScript features not yet supported by TypeScript (ECMAScript proposals, e.g. private methods and accessors), but it's less permissive when it comes to error recovery and less battle-tested than the typescript parser. While Babels TypeScript plugin is quite mature, ASTs produced by the two parsers aren't 100% compatible. We tried to take the discrepancies into account, but there are most likely still cases where code gets formatted differently or even incorrectly. We call upon you, our users, to help us find such cases. If you see them, please raise issues. In the long run, this will help with unifying the AST format in future versions of the parsers and thus contribute to a better, more solid JavaScript parser ecosystem.

Fix formatting of complex types in arrow function return type annotations (#6901 by @sosukesuzuki)

export const getVehicleDescriptor = async ( vehicleId : string ) : Promise < Collections . Parts . PrintedCircuitBoardAssembly [ "attributes" ] & undefined > => { } ; export const getVehicleDescriptor = async ( vehicleId : string ) : Promise < Collections . Parts . PrintedCircuitBoardAssembly [ "attributes" ] & undefined > => { } ; export const getVehicleDescriptor = async ( vehicleId : string ) : Promise < Collections . Parts . PrintedCircuitBoardAssembly [ "attributes" ] & undefined > => { } ;

Print JSDoc-only types as is instead of throwing errors (#7020 by @thorn0)

Another fix related to error recovery. Should come in handy to those who migrate from Flow to TypeScript.

function fromFlow ( arg : ? Maybe ) { } Error : unknown type : "TSJSDocNullableType" function fromFlow ( arg : ? Maybe ) { }

Don't print trailing commas after rest elements in tuples (#7075 by @thorn0)

A rest element is always the last element of a tuple type. Nothing can be added after it.

While TS is okay with this comma, Babel doesn't parse it

In function parameters and array destructuring, such a comma is a syntax error. Keeping it in tuples is inconsistent.

type ValidateArgs = [ { [ key : string ] : any ; } , string , ... string [ ] , ] ; type ValidateArgs = [ { [ key : string ] : any ; } , string , ... string [ ] , ] ; type ValidateArgs = [ { [ key : string ] : any ; } , string , ... string [ ] ] ;

Fix indentation of arrow functions in variable declarations followed by comments (#7094 by @sosukesuzuki)

This could happen with code written in the no-semicolon style if the statement after the variable declaration was prefixed with a semicolon to avoid ASI issues.

const foo = ( ) => { return } ; [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] . forEach ( bar ) const foo = ( ) => { return ; } ; [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] . forEach ( bar ) ; const foo = ( ) => { return ; } ; [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] . forEach ( bar ) ;

Fix printing of comments in function types (#7104 by @thorn0)

type f1 = ( currentRequest : { a : number } , ) => number ; type f1 = ( currentRequest : { a : number ; } ) => number ; type f1 = ( currentRequest : { a : number } ) => number ;

Fix formatting of comments for function-like nodes (#7144 by @armano2)

interface foo1 { bar1 ( ) bar2 ? ( ) ; bar3 ( ) bar4 ? ( bar : string ) : string ; ( ) : string ; ( bar : string ) : string ; new ( a : string ) : string new ( ) : string } type foo7 = ( ) => void type foo8 = ( a : string ) => void let foo9 : new ( ) => string ; let foo10 : new ( a : string ) => string ; interface foo1 { bar1 ( ) ; bar2 ? ( ) ; bar3 ( ) ; bar4 ? ( bar : string ) : string ; ( ) : string ; ( bar : string ) : string ; new ( a : string ) : string ; new ( ) : string ; } type foo7 = ( ) => void ; type foo8 = ( a : string ) => void ; let foo9 : new ( ) => string ; let foo10 : new ( a : string ) => string ; interface foo1 { bar1 ( ) ; bar2 ? ( ) ; bar3 ( ) ; bar4 ? ( bar : string ) : string ; ( ) : string ; ( bar : string ) : string ; new ( a : string ) : string ; new ( ) : string ; } type foo7 = ( ) => void ; type foo8 = ( a : string ) => void ; let foo9 : new ( ) => string ; let foo10 : new ( a : string ) => string ;

abstract class Test { abstract foo12 ( a : string ) : void abstract foo13 ( ) } Error : Comment "foo" was not printed . Please report this error ! abstract class Test { abstract foo12 ( a : string ) : void ; abstract foo13 ( ) ; }

Fix printing of mapped types with the template type omitted (#7221 by @cola119)

type A = { [ key in B ] } ; type A = { [ key in B ] : } ; type A = { [ key in B ] } ;

Fix edge cases of printing index signatures (#7228 by @cola119)

Even though index signatures without type annotations or with multiple parameters aren't valid TypeScript, the TypeScript parser supports this syntax. In line with the previous error recovery efforts, Prettier now makes sure its output still can be parsed in these cases. Previous versions produced unparseable code.

type A = { [ key : string ] } ; type B = { [ a : string , b : string ] : string ; } ; type A = { [ key : string ] : } ; type B = { [ a : stringb : string ] : string } ; type A = { [ key : string ] } ; type B = { [ a : string , b : string ] : string } ;

Fix printing of comments in empty type parameters (#7729 by @sosukesuzuki)

const a : T < > = 1 ; Error : Comment "comment" was not printed . Please report this error ! const a : T < > = 1 ;

Flow

Add support for symbol (#7472 by @fisker)

A new AST node type was introduced in flow@0.114.0, now it's recognized.

const x : symbol = Symbol ( ) ; Error : unknown type : "SymbolTypeAnnotation" const x : symbol = Symbol ( ) ;

Add support for decorators (#7482 by @fisker)

@decorator4 class Foo { @decorator1 method1 ( ) { } @decorator2 @decorator3 method2 ( ) { } } SyntaxError : Unexpected token ` @ ` , expected the token ` class ` ( 2 : 1 ) @decorator4 class Foo { @decorator1 method1 ( ) { } @decorator2 @decorator3 method2 ( ) { } }

Fix private class field declarations (#7484 by @fisker)

class Foo { #privateProp : number ; } class Foo { privateProp : number ; } class Foo { #privateProp : number ; }

CSS

Don't lowercase element names in CSS selectors (#6947 by @ark120202)

Previously, Prettier already preserved casing of unknown element names, but it did lowercase names of HTML elements. This caused issues when CSS was applied to a case-sensitive document and there was an element with the same name as in HTML, which is the case in NativeScript. Prettier now always preserves original casing.

Label { } label { } Label { }

SCSS

Don't add extra comma after last comment in map (#6918 by @fisker)

Previously, when trailingComma set to es5 , an extra comma was added after last comment in an SCSS map.

$my-map : ( 'foo' : 1 , // Comment 'bar' : 2 , // Comment ); $my-map : ( "foo" : 1 , // Comment "bar" : 2 , // Comment, ); $my-map : ( "foo" : 1 , // Comment "bar" : 2 , // Comment );

Fix whitespace in SCSS concatenation (#7211 by @sasurau4)

a { background-image : url( $test-path + 'static/test.jpg' ); } a { background-image : url( $test-path + "static/test.jpg" ); } a { background-image : url( $test-path + "static/test.jpg" ); }

Less

each is supported now (#5653).

is supported now (#5653). !important was being moved out of mixin call parameters (#3544).

was being moved out of mixin call parameters (#3544). Comments in rulesets passed to mixin calls caused duplicate semicolons (#3096).

::before was broken in mixin call parameters (#5791).

HTML

Comments in pre tags caused bad formatting of following closing tag (#5959 by @selvazhagan)

< details > < pre > </ pre > </ details > < details > < pre > </ pre > </details </ details > < details > < pre > </ pre > </ details >

Don't treat colons as namespace prefix delimiters in tag names (#7273 by @fisker)

In HTML5, colons don't have any special meaning in tag names. Previously, Prettier treated them the XML way, as namespace prefix delimiters, but no more. In practice, this means that tags whose ancestors have colons in their names are now treated as usual HTML tags: if they're known standard tags, their names can be lowercased and assumptions can be made about their whitespace sensitivity; custom elements whose names are unknown to Prettier retain the casing of their names and, if --html-whitespace-sensitivity is set to css , are treated as inline.

< with: colon > < div > looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog block </ div > < DIV > block </ DIV > < DIV > block </ DIV > < DIV > block </ DIV > < div > block </ div > < div > block </ div > < pre > pre pr e </ pre > < textarea > pre-wrap pr e-wrap </ textarea > < span > looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > </ with: colon > < with: colon > < div > looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog block </ div > < DIV > block </ DIV > < DIV > block </ DIV > < DIV > block </ DIV > < div > block </ div > < div > block </ div > < pre > pre pr e </ pre > < textarea > pre-wrap pr e-wrap </ textarea > < span > looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > </ with: colon > < with: colon > < div > looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog block </ div > < div > block </ div > < div > block </ div > < div > block </ div > < div > block </ div > < div > block </ div > < pre > pre pr e </ pre > < textarea > pre-wrap pr e-wrap </ textarea > < span > looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > < span > inline </ span > </ with: colon >

Do not throw on broken HTML (#7293 by @fisker)

< div > < span > < TypeError: Cannot read property 'start' of null < div > < span > < </ span > </ div >

Fix srcset parse error (#7295 by @fisker)

< img srcset = " /media/examples/surfer-240-200.jpg " > Error: Mixed descriptor in srcset is not supported < img srcset = " /media/examples/surfer-240-200.jpg " />

Fix error thrown on unclosed tag in pre tag (#7392 by @fisker)

< pre > < br > </ pre > < pre > < hr > </ pre > TypeError: Cannot read property 'start' of null < pre > < br /> </ pre > < pre > < hr /> </ pre >

Fix inconsistent formatting of self-closing tags (#7395 by @fisker)

< span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > < span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > </ span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > < span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > </ span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > < span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span > </ span > < span > < input type = " checkbox " /> </ span >

Fix empty lines unexpectedly added after table tags (#7461 by @ikatyang)

< table > < tr > </ tr > </ table > < div > Should not insert empty line before this div </ div > < table > < tr > </ tr > </ table > < div > Should not insert empty line before this div </ div > < table > < tr > </ tr > </ table > < div > Should not insert empty line before this div </ div >

Format value of HTML class attribute (#7555 by @fisker)

< div class = " foo bar baz " > </ div > < div class = " another element with so many classes even can not fit one line really a lot and lot of classes " > </ div > < div class = " foo bar baz " > </ div > < div class = " another element with so many classes even can not fit one line really a lot and lot of classes " > </ div > < div class = " foo bar baz " > </ div > < div class = " another element with so many classes even can not fit one line really a lot and lot of classes " > </ div >

Format value of HTML style attribute (#7556 by @fisker)

< div style = " color : red; display :inline " > </ div > < div style = " color : red; display :inline; height: auto; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; " > </ div > < div style = " color : red; display :inline " > </ div > < div style = " color : red; display :inline; height: auto; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; " > </ div > < div style = " color : red ; display : inline ; " > </ div > < div style = " color: red; display: inline; height: auto; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; " > </ div >

Support <!-- prettier ignore --> for text (#7654 by @graemeworthy)

Previously, it worked only for tags. Useful for protecting various macros and pre-processor commands from being corrupted by formatting.

A super long string that has been marked as ignore because it was probably generated by some script. A super long string that has been marked as ignore because it was probably generated by some script. A super long string that has been marked as ignore because it was probably generated by some script.

| Dogs | Cats | Weasels | Bats | Pigs | Mice | Hedgehogs | Capybaras | Rats | Tigers | | ---- | ---- | ------- | ---- | ---- | ---- | --------- | --------- | ---- | ------ | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 0 | | Dogs | Cats | Weasels | Bats | Pigs | Mice | Hedgehogs | Capybaras | Rats | Tigers | | ---- | ---- | ------- | ---- | ---- | ---- | --------- | --------- | ---- | ------ | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 0 | | Dogs | Cats | Weasels | Bats | Pigs | Mice | Hedgehogs | Capybaras | Rats | Tigers | | ---- | ---- | ------- | ---- | ---- | ---- | --------- | --------- | ---- | ------ | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 0 |

Vue

Format vue SFC containing JSX script (#7180 by @sosukesuzuki)

< script lang = " jsx " > export default { data : ( ) => ( { message : 'hello with jsx' } ) , render ( h ) { return < div > { this . message } < / div > } } </ script > < script lang = " jsx " > export default { data : ( ) => ( { message : 'hello with jsx' } ) , render ( h ) { return < div > { this . message } < / div > } } </ script > < script lang = " jsx " > export default { data : ( ) => ( { message : "hello with jsx" } ) , render ( h ) { return < div > { this . message } < / div > ; } } ; </ script >

Don't print sole string literals in attributes on a new line (#7479 by @fisker)

< template > < MyComponent :attr1 = "`loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong $ {template} literal value`" :attr2 = "'loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong string literal value'" /> </ template > < template > < MyComponent :attr1 = " `loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong $ {template} literal value` " :attr2 = " 'loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong string literal value' " /> </ template > < template > < MyComponent :attr1 = "`loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong $ {template} literal value`" :attr2 = "'loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong string literal value'" /> </ template >

Fix indentation of Vue expressions (#7781 by @fisker)

< template > < MyComponent v-if = " long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_1 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_2 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_3 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_4 " :attr = " `loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog string 1` + `loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog string 2` " /> </ template > < template > < MyComponent v-if = " long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_1 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_2 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_3 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_4 " :attr = " `loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog string 1` + `loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog string 2` " /> </ template > < template > < MyComponent v-if = " long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_1 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_2 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_3 && long_long_long_long_long_long_long_condition_4 " :attr = " `loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog string 1` + `loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog string 2` " /> </ template >

Angular

Unofficial rudimentary support for some of the most used directives of AngularJS 1.x (#6869 by @thorn0)

While there are some syntax incompatibilities (one-time bindings and the precedence of | ) between the expression languages of the old AngularJS and the new Angular, overall the two languages are compatible enough for legacy and hybrid AngularJS-based projects to be able to benefit from using Prettier. Previously, when Prettier formatted AngularJS templates using the Angular parser, it formatted expressions only in interpolations. Now, some of the most used AngularJS directives are formatted too, namely: ng-if , ng-show , ng-hide , ng-class , ng-style .

< div ng-if = " $ctrl .shouldShowWarning&&!$ctrl.loading " > Warning! </ div > < div ng-if = " $ctrl .shouldShowWarning&&!$ctrl.loading " > Warning! </ div > < div ng-if = " $ctrl.shouldShowWarning && !$ctrl.loading " > Warning! </ div >

Fix formatting of i18n attributes (#7371 by @thorn0)

Prettier 1.19 added support for formatting i18n attributes, but putting the closing quote mark on a new line broke custom ids. This is fixed now.

< div i18n-prop = " Special-property|This is a special property with much important information@@MyTextId " prop = " My Text " > </ div > < div i18n-prop = " Special-property|This is a special property with much important information@@MyTextId " prop = " My Text " > </ div > < div i18n-prop = " Special-property|This is a special property with much important information@@MyTextId " prop = " My Text " > </ div >

Handlebars (alpha)

Fix superfluous line breaks in ConcatStatement (#7051 by @dcyriller)

< a href = "a-very-long-href-from-a-third-party-marketing-platform {{id}} longer-than-eighty-chars" > Link </ a > < a href = "a-very-long-href-from-a-third-party-marketing-platform {{id}} longer-than-eighty-chars" > Link </ a > < a href = "a-very-long-href-from-a-third-party-marketing-platform {{id}} longer-than-eighty-chars" > Link </ a >

and

< div class = "hello {{ if goodbye true}} {{ if goodbye false}} {{ if goodbye true}} {{ if goodbye false}} {{ if goodbye true}} " > Hello </ div > < div class = "hello {{ if goodbye true}} {{ if goodbye false}} {{ if goodbye true}} {{ if goodbye false}} {{ if goodbye true}} " > Hello </ div > < div class = "hello {{ if goodbye true}} {{ if goodbye false}} {{ if goodbye true}} {{ if goodbye false }} {{ if goodbye true}} " > Hello </ div >

Fix a falling mustache issue (#7052 by @dcyriller)

< GlimmerComponent @ progress = {{aPropertyEndingAfterEightiethColumnToHighlightAWeirdClosingParenIssue}} /> < GlimmerComponent @ progress = {{aPropertyEndingAfterEightiethColumnToHighlightAWeirdClosingParenIssue }} /> < GlimmerComponent @ progress = {{aPropertyEndingAfterEightiethColumnToHighlightAWeirdClosingParenIssue}} />

< p > Hi here is your name, as it will be displayed {{firstName}} {{lastName}} , welcome! </ p > < p > Hi here is your name, as it will be displayed {{firstName}} {{lastName }} , welcome! </ p > < p > Hi here is your name, as it will be displayed {{firstName}} {{ lastName }} , welcome! </ p >

< div > "hello! my parent was ignored" {{# my -crazy-component "shall" be="preserved"}} < This is = "preserved" /> {{/ my -crazy-component}} </ div > {{# a -normal-component isRestoredTo = "order" }} < ThisWillBeNormal backTo = "normal" /> {{/ a -normal-component}} < div > "hello! my parent was ignored" {{# my -crazy-component "shall" be="preserved"}} < This is = "preserved" /> {{/ my -crazy-component}} </ div > {{# a -normal-component isRestoredTo="order"}} < ThisWillBeNormal backTo = "normal" /> {{/ a -normal-component}} < div > "hello! my parent was ignored" {{# my -crazy-component "shall" be="preserved"}} < This is = "preserved" /> {{/ my -crazy-component}} </ div > {{# a -normal-component isRestoredTo='order'}} < ThisWillBeNormal backTo = 'normal' /> {{/ a -normal-component}}

Support printing inline Handlebars in HTML (#7306 by @dcyriller)

< script type = "text/x-handlebars-template" > {{component arg1= 'hey' arg2=(helper this .arg7 this .arg4) arg3=anotherone arg6= this .arg8}} </ script > < script type = "text/x-handlebars-template" > {{component arg1= 'hey' arg2=(helper this .arg7 this .arg4) arg3=anotherone arg6= this .arg8}} </ script > < script type = "text/x-handlebars-template" > {{component arg1= 'hey' arg2=(helper this .arg7 this .arg4) arg3=anotherone arg6= this .arg8 }} </ script >

Fix stripped value from AttrNode (#7552 by @bantic)

< ul class = "abc def" > </ ul > < ul class > </ ul > < ul class = "abc def" > </ ul >

Preserve whitespace control characters (#7575 by @mahirshah)

{{~# if bar}} if1 {{~ else ~}} else {{~/ if ~}} {{# if bar}} if1 {{ else }} else {{/ if }} {{~# if bar}} if1 {{~ else ~}} else {{~/ if ~}}

GraphQL

Improve detection of separator between interfaces (#7305 by @fisker)

Even though using a comma to separate multiple implemented interfaces is deprecated syntax, in order to support legacy use cases, Prettier keeps the original separator and doesn't wilfully replace commas with ampersands. Previously, however, this logic contained a bug, so the wrong separator could end up in the output. This is fixed now.

type Type1 implements A, B {a: a} type Type2 implements A, B & C{a: a} type Type1 implements A & B { # { & <-- Removing this comment changes the separator in 1.19 a: a } type Type2 implements A & B & C { a: a } type Type1 implements A, B { # { & <-- Removing this comment changes the separator in 1.19 a: a } type Type2 implements A, B & C { a: a }

Markdown

0. List 1. List 2. List 0. List 1. List 1. List 0. List 1. List 2. List

Fix HTML formatting broken if the beginning tag starts after a list item (#7181 and #7220 by @sasurau4)

Previously, when Prettier formatted an HTML tag placed just after a list item, it would insert indent and break the relationship of open and close tag. Now, Prettier no longer changes anything.

- A list item. < details > < summary > Summary </ summary > < p > - A list item. </ p > </ details > - A list item < blockquote > asdf </ blockquote > - A list item. < details > < summary > Summary </ summary > < p > - A list item. </ p > </ details > - A list item < blockquote > asdf </ blockquote > - A list item. < details > < summary > Summary </ summary > < p > - A list item. </ p > </ details > - A list item < blockquote > asdf </ blockquote >

Fix formatting of multi-line footnote (#7203 by @sasurau4)

Here's a statement[^footnote]. [ ^footnote ]: Here's a multi-line footnote walking back the above statement, and showing how it's all totally bollocks. Here's a statement[^footnote]. [ ^footnote ]: Here's a multi-line footnote walking back the above statement, and showing how it's all totally bollocks. Here's a statement[^footnote]. [ ^footnote ]: Here's a multi-line footnote walking back the above statement, and showing how it's all totally bollocks.

MDX

Add support for JSX fragments (#6398 by @JounQin)

<> test <World /> test </> 123 <> test < World /> test </> 123 <> test < World /> test </> 123

Fix JSX parsing bugs introduced in Prettier 1.19 (#6949 by @Tigge & @thorn0)

MDX parsing for JSX failed when encountering JSX elements that where not parsable as HTML, such as <Tag value={{a: 'b'}}>test</Tag>

< Tag value = { { a : ' b ' } }> test </ Tag > < Foo bg = { ' red ' } > < div style = {{ display: ' block '} }> <Bar >hi </Bar> { hello } { /* another comment */} </div> </ Foo > SyntaxError: Unexpected closing tag "Tag". It may happen when the tag has already been closed by another tag. For more info see https://www.w3.org/TR/html5/syntax.html#closing-elements-that-have-implied-end-tags (1:35) > 1 | <Tag value={ {a : 'b' } }>test</ Tag> < Tag value = {{ a: " b " }}> test </ Tag > < Foo bg = { " red "}> < div style = {{ display: " block " }}> <Bar>hi </Bar> {hello} {/* another comment */} </ div > </ Foo >

CLI

Support file extensions .cjs and .yaml.sed (#7210 by @sosukesuzuki)

$ prettier test.cjs test.cjs[error] No parser could be inferred for file: test.cjs $ prettier test.cjs "use strict" ; console.log( "Hello, World!" );

Respect --ignore-path when prettier executes from a subdirectory (#7588 by @heylookltsme)

Changes the filename used when filtering ignored files to be relative to the --ignore-path , if present, rather than the current working directory.

This CLI flag, never properly documented, was supposed to make Prettier CLI read input from stdin, but Prettier CLI does so anyway when not given any file paths or glob patterns. So the flag was redundant. Now that it's been removed, if you use this flag in your commands, you'll see a warning: "Ignored unknown option". This warning is just information. It doesn't prevent the command from doing what it should do and doesn't affect the exit code.
Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Ben McAdams have become the first members of Congress to test positive for the coronavirus, a grim new indicator of the virus's aggressive spread.

On Friday, Rep. Joe Cunningham, of South Carolina, and Rep. Mike Kelly, of Pennsylvania, also confirmed they tested positive. Cunningham said it came after coming into contact with another member of Congress.

On Sunday, the office of Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, also confirmed via Twitter he tested positive for the coronavirus.

"He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events," the tweet said. "He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person."

McAdams said he developed cold-like symptoms after returning to Utah from Washington, D.C., which developed into a fever, dry cough and labored breathing.

"I am still working for Utahns and pursuing efforts to get Utahns the resources they need as I continue doing my job from home until I know it is safe to end my self-quarantine," he said in a statement.

He and Diaz-Balart both urged Americans to take public health recommendations seriously.

According to The State newspaper and WIS-TV, Cunningham said in a statement that he feels fine but has lost his sense of smell and taste since March 17. He's isolating himself to not spread the disease.

Diaz-Balart said in a statement that he is "feeling much better" after being the first congressman to announce a positive test.

"We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times," he said.

A statement did not detail how Diaz-Balart may have contracted the disease.

At least 14 other lawmakers have announced steps to self-quarantine or otherwise isolate themselves as a precaution after coming into contact with an infected individual.

CNN contributed to this report.




China is now producing 200 million masks a day, and its still coming nowhere close to meeting global demand as the spread of coronavirus continues and front-line health care workers are being asked to re-use protective gear intended for one-time use.

And while factories globally are pivoting to help meet the shortage of dire medical equipment, getting masks to the people who need them most will take time many doctors and nurses dont have.

Liz Klinger, for one, decided shes not going to wait.

My mom is a nurse, and she told me they werent being provided masks on her floor, which was obviously kind of concerning. Shes older, shes not as healthy as she used to be, and it got to the point that if she stays here she might get a severe case and die, Klinger tells SFGATE. And I was hearing through the grapevine that my moms experience was far from the only experience like that  U.S. healthcare workers across the country need masks.

So Klinger, a Bay Area native who co-founded a smart vibrator company 2013, decided to find a way to get them masks right now. In just under a week, Klinger and Chloe Alpert  Klingers long-time friend and the CEO of Medinas Health, which helps hospitals manage medical equipment inventory  launched mask-match.com, a site built for two groups of people:

Im a healthcare worker, and I need masks, reads one clickable link.

I want to help, and I have masks to give, reads the other.

The site is simple: If you have either N95 masks or surgical masks, you fill out a quick web form with your contact information, your location (so they can find the closest person to you with the greatest need) and how many masks you have.

If youre a health care worker, you do the same (contact info, address for masks to be shipped to, how many masks you need) along with a way to verify your current status as a health care worker.

Then Mask Match does the rest, with Klinger, Alpert, and a small number of volunteers manually providing people who have masks with an address to send them to (theyre hoping to automate the process more in the coming days as requests increase), and then  once things are shipped  a tracking number to the health care worker.

In less than 48 hours since launching Thursday, Mask Match had more than 1,000 requests for masks and more than 200 people offering to provide them.

One of the first [requests] we got was someone talking about how they were being told to staple N95 masks together in order to keep using them, Klinger says. Another health care worker said his wife, who also works in health care, is pregnant, and both of them were worried. A lot came from rural clinics who have zero supply right now and their office managers are unable to source anything because theyre a small clinic in the middle of the US trying to compete with the entire world in getting masks right now.

The list goes on, and on, and on, and Klinger has made it her goal to be a stop-gap between now and whenever global production catches up.

I dont expect it to be a forever thing, but I hope it can be used to patch up what has been severely lacking in the system. To make healthcare workers feel like theyre not alone, she says. Its what we have to do. It could take up to 6-8 weeks for some of these hospitals to get masks. Supply is so scarce, products being stolen, counterfeit products are being sold online, its like, this whole thing, its a mess.

Klinger points to the fact that so many hospitals have different policies regarding accepting donations  some accept masks, some dont, some are locking up masks for later when the healthcare system is really pressed, and some are discouraging healthcare workers from bringing in their own.

Its complicated for who needs what where, says Klinger, who is working more overtime than usual to fill both the needs of Mask Match and her CEO responsibilities at Lioness. At least with peer-to-peer matching we know. A lot of people requesting masks are also planning to distribute to coworkers and while its not perfect, it is fast moving. Its all happening much more quickly than waiting for things to come top down, or manufacturing/production to catch up. Its basically opening up a new channel of supply that previously wasnt really going to much of anywhere.

Klinger said Alpert has been working with partners with larger production capabilities to add those into the pipeline as well.

In the meantime, theyre busy getting tracking numbers for the first batch of matches to health care professionals  which has been received with open arms.

The response were getting from them is just gratitude, thank you in all caps with a bunch of exclamation points, she says.

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Grant Marek is the Editorial Director of SFGATE. Email: grant.marek@sfgate.com | Twitter: @grant_marek
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Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, March 22, 2020 14:39 661 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206c91121 1 National coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free

If the Indonesian authorities failed to take drastic measures to slow down the spread of COVID-19, the country could have tens of thousands of cases by April, or shortly before Idul the Fitri holiday, scientists have warned.

Disease surveillance and biostatistics researcher Iqbal Ridzi Fahdri Elyazar and his team at the Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit (EOCRU) have used the geometric sequence method to see, how much time it would take for the number of cases to double in Indonesia.

Based on their calculations, Indonesia could be grappling with up to 71,000 COVID-19 cases by the end of April.

Iqbal and his team noted that the doubling time for Italy and Iran, which currently have the highest COVID-19 death toll, was five and seven days, respectively. The doubling time, they added, would be longer for countries that have taken a rigorous approach to contain the outbreak. South Korea, for example, had a doubling time of 13 days and China 33 days.

For Indonesia, the number of COVID-19 cases doubled in three days, jumping from 172 positive diagnoses on March 17 to 369 on Friday.

The shorter the doubling time, the more dangerous it is, Iqbal told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The team decided to use Italys and Irans doubling times to map the possible exponential rate in Indonesia. By using this geometric sequence, it found that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases could reach between 11,000 and 71,000 by the end of April.

This prediction, Iqbal said, was meant to push the government to take massive and effective measures to handle the outbreak and also to raise awareness about the importance of social distancing.

Doubling time, he said, depended on the ability of the virus to infect, the magnitude of the case findings and the effectivity of intervention.

Seventy-one thousand cases might sound scary, but that is what would happen without proper intervention () The President has urged the public to practice social distancing and we hope everyone is listening to him so we can decrease the doubling time () We have to do it faster and more effectively.

He added that clear, transparent information about the places visited by COVID-19 patients was important to reduce the exponential growth rate of the disease so that people can avoid these areas.

According to the projections of Hadi Susanto, a professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Essex in England and the Khalifa University of Science and Technology in the United Arab Emirates, the peak of COVID-19 in Indonesia would be around Ramadan, which is expected to take place from April 23 to May 23.

Assuming that even after a lockdown is imposed and people are still working and conducting business as usual and there are only two groups of people, the healthy ones and the sick ones, 50 percent of the population could be infected within 50 days after the first case was announced by the President on March 2, he said.

We use Jakarta as a sample with a population of around 10 million. At its peak, the virus could infect 50 percent of the population, Hadi told the Post on Friday.

He went on to say that if there was no lockdown policy and people could easily enter and exit the capital, then the pandemic will not reach a peak and the number of sick people will continue to grow.

This is my pessimistic prediction, formed with a simple mathematical model. And of course, I hope that Im totally wrong, he said.

Achmad Yurianto, the Health Ministrys disease control and prevention director general, told a press conference on Friday that the government had prepared 1 million test kits for massive testing.

Between 600,000 and 700,000 people are at risk [of contracting COVID-19], he said, adding that only those with a greater risk of infection would get tested.

A group of researchers at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Center of Mathematical Modelling and Simulation previously estimated that the outbreak would end in the middle of April and infect some 8,000 people.

Nuning Nuraini, one of the researchers, said the team had used a parameter estimation model based on the spread of infection in South Korea, which has been praised for its aggressive prevention measures and widescale rapid testing.

One such measure was providing drive-through COVID-19 testing centers that were able to test thousands of people, catching the infections early and rushing patients to hospitals to curb the spread of the disease.

The ITB researchers modeling is more optimistic compared to others. However, on Friday, after the government announced that the nation had recorded 369 positive cases, Nuning said they could no longer use South Koreas parameters to estimate the epidemics profile in Indonesia, as the confirmed cases here kept increasing significantly.

She added that the situation could be better and the rate of infection could be suppressed.

But if our intervention methods are not effective, then the peak can shift, as Hadi explained. Everyone must work together to prevent the spread of the disease. If this doesnt happen, then the number of cases will not decrease. The Spanish influenza pandemic killed one-third of the worlds population. Do not let that happen again.

Meanwhile, according to Panji Hadisoemarto from Padjadjaran Universitys School of Medicine and a senior researcher at the universitys Center for Sustainable Development Goals Study (SDGs Center), all the mathematical modeling of COVID-19 made by scientists was meant to provide the government with reliable information to estimate the diseases transmission impacts and evaluate the effectivity of mitigation efforts currently being used.

We have to make sure that intervention is effective and enforced; [the government should give] more than just a recommendation. And the faster the intervention, the better.

Arya Dipa contributed to this story from Bandung

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article contained an error on the figure from the group of researchers in ITB. The figure has been corrected to 8,000, not 800,000 as previously stated.
NY State to Begin Testing Malaria Drug in COVID-19 Battle

By Margaret Besheer March 21, 2020

New York's governor said Saturday that the state would conduct trials immediately on a malaria drug combined with an antibiotic that has showed promise in a French study in treating COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus.

"There is a theory the drug treatment could be helpful," Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters Saturday during a news conference.

He said there were people in serious condition and that the state's health officials were comfortable trying the treatment on those patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was sending New York 10,000 doses of the drugs, known as hydroxychloroquine (a malaria drug) and Zithromax (an antibiotic).

"As soon as we get those doses, we will work with hospitals, doctors and families on using those drugs and seeing where we get," Cuomo said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also touted the potential of the drug combination to be "one of the biggest game changers" in the fight against the coronavirus.

Cuomo said New York was also working with several drug companies on possible antibody therapies and vaccines.

New York state has the most coronavirus infections in the country, with more than 10,300 cases as of Saturday morning.

The governor said the high numbers were the result of robust testing to detect the virus  more than 45,000 tests have been administered so far.

"We are taking more tests in New York than anyplace else," he said. "More tests per capita than China or South Korea. We are also taking more tests than any state in the United States of America."

New York has carried out double the tests of California or Washington state, which have large numbers of cases.

Cuomo's biggest concern continued to be the potential for cases to overwhelm the state's health care system. Work was ongoing to increase capacity to meet the growing need.

Some 30,000 ventilators are needed, and his team has identified 6,000 for purchase. With many other states and countries scrambling to buy the critical equipment, Cuomo said the purchase of 6,000 was a "big deal."

The state is also racing to procure and manufacture enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers. Some New York apparel manufacturers are converting their operations to produce masks and gowns.

Cuomo also said plans were underway to increase the state's 50,000 hospital beds to 75,000. This will include the construction of four 250-bed fully equipped field hospitals. He said he was looking at suitable sites for them, including a large convention center in New York City.

Health officials continue to tell New Yorkers to stay indoors as much as possible, but young people continue to defy the order, thinking they are less vulnerable to the virus. But in New York state, 54% of cases are among 18-49-year-olds.

"So you are not Superman and you are not Superwoman," Cuomo said. "You can get this virus and you can transfer the virus."

He urged everyone to observe social distancing, ideally remaining 2 meters apart.

One spot of bright news: Cuomo said a hot spot of cases in the New York City suburb of Westchester appeared to be cooling down after a containment zone was imposed.

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Gov. Kate Brown implored Oregonians to stop crowding public spaces during spring break Sunday because of concerns about spreading the novel coronavirus COVID-19.

But she did not issue an order for people to stay home, though officials and health workers in the state have asked her to take that action.

On Friday night, the governor tweeted Sunday morning, I asked all Oregonians, on the eve of spring break, to stay home and stay healthy."

Unfortunately, she added, our trails and beaches were packed this weekend.

Brown admonished Oregonians who disregarded her earlier instructions to stay home and stay healthy.

Some Oregon beach towns reacted Saturday to the influx of visitors by asking them to leave.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Brown verbally directed Oregonians to stay at home. But she has not issued a formal order, which has placed her at odds with local officials and medical professional groups.

I know this is difficult for everyone, Brown said in her twitter thread. But, these actions are necessary to save lives. Please stay at home. Its a matter of life or death.

As of Saturday, 138 people in Oregon had tested posted for COVID-19 and four people had died. By Sunday, a fifth death was reported and the total number of cases stood at 161.

The governor also acknowledged this is likely just the beginning for Oregon.

We just have to look to Washington, California, and New York to see the storm that is coming," she wrote. But we still have time to change its course.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
THE River Feale, swollen with the heavy rains of the past few weeks, is causing untold damage at the Abbeyfeale Town Park, according to local councillor Liam Galvin.

And he warned there was a danger the park might have to be closed, as a result. I am not trying to frighten anyone but it is borderline to closing, he said.

The problem, he explained, was the river was washing away sections of the bank on the park side. The original boundary fence had already been washed away and replaced and now the new fence was at risk of being washed away, he explained.

This, Cllr Galvin said, was happening after work was carried out by Irish Water to divert the river. (This was done because of the risk that the meandering river would completely bypass the water treatment plant.) But, the councillor continued, the river was now coming around the bend and going straight into the bottom of the park.

Cllr Michael Collins supported Cllr Galvin, and said: Somebody has to take responsibility for that river.

Otherwise, he warned: We are going to end up with possible serious injury or death

Gerardine Mann, secretary of the Town Park committee said this week the erosion of the bank was a massive concern for them. We had a fine big bank, she said. But the old boundary as well as land behind it had been washed into the river the new boundary was very close to the edge, she said.

Read also: Limerick angler vows to block up pipe bringing raw sewage into river

The committee, she added, had hoped, as part of their long-term plan, to put in a riverside walk and a fishing platform there. There is no way either of those can happen unless something is done, she said. Someone has to look at it.

At the Municipal District meeting Cllr Francis Foley said other landowners along the Feale were also concerned about river erosion. Bit by bit they are seeing the land being eroded there, he said. He had visited lands in the Feales Bridge area, he added, where landowners were concerned that trees would be taken by the river and would get stuck in or knock the Kerry bridge.

He also pointed out that there were other houses, neighbouring the Roches on New Street, that could be in difficulty because of the river. It is a major major problem along the River Feale, he said. We cant take it on on our own as council.
The Congress on Sunday demanded a special package for MSME and agriculture sectors, besides more testing and medical facilities amid a spurt in coronavirus cases.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said special incentives should be given to doctors and paramedics working in this tough situation.

Thanking people to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps this evening, Surjewala demanded that the government provide health workers personal protection equipment like masks and gloves.

"Through social media, Let us now demand from the government that personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) like N95 masks, Gloves, Face Shields, Goggles, Head Covers, Rubber Boots, Disposable Gowns etc are provided to the health workers so that they can avoid coronavirus infection," he said in a series of tweets.

"We are proud of our doctors, nurses and supporting staff, special financial incentives should be given to them for risking their lives in their fight against the coronavirus. The government should announce it immediately," he said.

The Congress spokesperson said the government should arrange adequate number of ventilators for coronavirus patients as presently only 30,000 ventilators are available for the population of 130 crore.

"About 95 per cent of those ventilators are already in use for patients suffering from other diseases," he said.

"Adequate number of isolation beds should be arranged so that they may be treated and infection does not spread. So far only 1 Isolation bed is available to the 84,000 countrymen, which is quite insufficient," he noted.

He said samples of all people under surveillance and those coming into contact with coronavirus patients should be tested and a strict action must be taken against black marketeers of masks and sanitisers.

"Lakhs of daily wage labourers, MGNREGA workers, adhoc- temporary workers, farmers and those working in the unorganized sector have lost their employments due to COVID-19. The Government should provide direct cash financial help to them," he said.

He said the agriculture sector, the biggest employment generator, has suffered a setback due to COVID-19. "The unseasonal rains and hailstorms across India have further added to their woes. The Government must announce a special relief package for the agriculture sector," he demanded.

Surjewala noted that shopkeepers, businessmen, especially MSMEs have suffered huge losses due to COVID-19.

"The government should provide special relief package in which necessary tax breaks, interest subvention and deferment of liabilities should be provided to them," he tweeted.

He also pointed out that middle class and the salaried people are facing serious problems due to COVID-19. "Monthly EMI is the way for most facilities for them. The Government must consider a deferment of EMIs for them," he demanded.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ten-year-old magician Aidan McCann from Maynooth has landed himself a four-episode gig performing his magic corner on the Ellen DeGeneres show, and he is making some Hollywood connections.

Young Aidan, 10, recently met Joe, Kevin and Nick Jonas on the Ellen show for his premier of Aidans Magic Corner and he took the trio on a spellbinding journey through some of his coolest magic tricks, allowing the brothers to take part in some pretty fantastic illusions. Aidan delighted the Jonas Brothers with card tricks and unbelievably accurate birthday guesses.

Introducing the fun new series of clips, Aidan had a few jokes to kick things off.

Now that Ive met Ellen, I thought I would take advantage of her impressive group of friends, he said of his time hanging with the Jonas Brothers.

The trio were similarly impressed each time Aidan whipped up something new, ultimately culminating in one seriously sweet magical showcase that proved the young illusionist truly knew his stuff.

On Sunday of last week, Aidan had a whale of a time with Bridesmaids comedian Melissa McCarthy who was on the show to promote her new talent show Little Big Shots.

Aidan attends Brennan Performing Arts in Maynooth and he is a pupil at St. Marys Boys National School, Maynooth.

According to his auntie Fiona, Aidan will continue his Magic Corner on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for the next few weeks.

Hes having a ball and there are some exciting celebrities joining his magic corner over the next few weeks then hes back to LA soon for more recordings, she explained.

Aidan got his big break on Irelands Got Talent last year, making it all to the way to the semi-finals.

WATCH AIDAN AND THE JONAS BROTHERS BELOW
Russia Registers 53 New Coronavirus Cases, Total Toll Reaches 306 - Monitoring Centre

Sputnik News

14:26 GMT 21.03.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has registered 53 new cases of the coronavirus in 18 regions over the last 24 hours, which brings the total toll of those infected to 306, the country's coronavirus response centre reported on Saturday.

"Over the last 24 Hours, Russia registered 53 cases of the coronavirus infection in 18 regions", the centre said in a statement.

According to the statement, 17 cases were detected in the Moscow region, six in the capital of Moscow, five in the Republic of Tatarstan, four in the Nizhny Novgorod region, three in the Sverdlovsk region, two each in the Tula and Kaliningrad regions and St. Petersburg, as well as in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic and the Krasnodar region, among others.

The centre added that 16 patients, including three foreign nationals, have recovered since the outbreak in the country.

Earlier in the week, Moscow region's Governor Andrei Vorobyov put the region on high alert due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus. The regional authorities prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people, while schools, colleges and universities switched to remote learning.

So far, Russia confirmed 253 cases of coronavirus disease across the country.

The World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March. More than 280,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 11,800 fatalities.

 Sputnik

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 21:06:40|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A gunman who was planning a terror attack was killed near the city of Ufa on Saturday, the country's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said Sunday.

The security service stopped the gunman's car and asked him to surrender, but he opened fire and was killed in an exchange of fire, the committee said, adding that neither law enforcers nor civilians were hurt.

The committee said the man carring a gun and a homemade explosive device was plotting a terror attack. An investigation is underway.
NYC Health have released a graphic new memo detailing the dos and don'ts of having sex during the coronavirus pandemic.

And their top piece of advice is to take matters into one's own hands while in lockdown - and to avoid orgies.

The NYC Department of Health issued a two-page memo Saturday listing its advice on how people can enjoy a healthy sex life while still protecting themselves from being infected with coronavirus.

The advice contained therein sent social media into a joke spiral, but also garnered praise from those who commended the document's inclusive nature.

NYC Health published a two-page memo Saturday featuring its recommendations about how people can still satisfy their sexual urges during the coronavirus pandemic

The memo was posted on the city government agency's website just one day before the lockdown goes into effect for the 19million residents of New York State Sunday night.

The memo, titled 'Sex and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),' begins by stating: 'All New Yorkers should stay home and minimize contact with others to reduce the spread of COVID-19.'

Then, it goes on to posit the pertinent question on many home-bound New Yorkers' minds: 'But can you have sex?'

Instead of offering up a straight yes or no answer, NYC Health presents a variety of 'tips for how to enjoy sex and to avoid spreading COVID-19.'

After reminding readers about how the coronavirus is spread - 'through direct contact with their saliva or mucus' - the agency states that the virus has been found in the stool of people of have caught it, but 'not yet' in either seminal or vaginal fluid.

Keeping in line with the current social distancing advice and lengthy hand washing to prevent the spread of coronavirus, NYC Health says that when it comes to having sex, 'You are your safest sex partner.'

'Masturbation will not spread COVID-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex,' the memo reads.

Social media users were quick to make jokes about the sexual health memo's recommendations, but they also praised it for its inclusivity and range of issues covered

If going it alone isn't an option, the agency says that the second safest bet is having sex with someone you live with, as 'Having close contact  including sex  with only a small circle of people helps prevent spreading COVID-19.'

The agency urges people with sexual urges to avoid hopping in the sack with anyone outside their household, but that 'if you do have sex with others, have as few partners as possible.'

Sex workers or people who habitually meet their sex partners online are urged to consider 'taking a break from in-person dates' and using video dates, sexting or chat rooms as an alternative.

The agency then reminds readers that kissing is an easy way to catch or pass on coronavirus, due to the act's inherent transmission of saliva into mucus membranes.

'Avoid kissing anyone who is not part of your small circle of close contacts,' the agency says.

More than 26,000 people have tested positive to Covid-19 in the United States, and 346 Americans have died

NYC Health then goes on to provide specific recommendations about how to protect oneself when participating in various oral or anal sex acts, recommending the use of condoms ad dental dams as a way to limit exposure to saliva or feces.

There is also a section in the memo devoted to properly disinfecting sex toys and touch screens used for video chats, watching pornography or 'anything else.'

The detailed information is being appreciated by readers.

'Whatever you do in your personal life is your own business, but maybe this is not a good time to be having orgies outside of the house and bringing it all home,' Brian Magallones, 45, told the New York Post.

Meanwhile, over on Twitter, the memo has sparked a variety of jokes and also good will.

'The city wants us to do our civic duty and masturbate,' wrote one tweeter.

'Choking the curve,' another tweeter commented.

'The government said SEND NUDEZ,' another tweeter joked.

Twitter users were also quick to praise the city for its willingness to discuss the topic and the inclusivity it demonstrated in the document.

'Kudos to New York State for again leading the way on this. I cant think of another municipality that would both release something like this, and address issues that other governments would even be afraid to touch,' one person tweeted, adding, 'Like butt stuff.'

'This is excellent - factual, matter of fact, nonjudgmental,' tweeted another person.
Heres are the latest coronavirus pandemic developments around Pennsylvania.

Case numbers.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania stood at 399 as of midnight, with two deaths, according to the latest reports from Johns Hopkins Universitys Coronavirus Resource Center. There were 26,747 confirmed cases nationwide.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health will likely be updating its count later Sunday.

There were 63 confirmed cases across Pennsylvania one week ago.

Business battles.

Several sectors of the economy are still fighting to get their industries off the Wolf Administrations non-life-sustaining business closure list, which the governor has said he intends to begin enforcing Monday morning.

One of the biggest battles appears to be raging over Wolfs desire to shut down most aspects of the commercial construction industry. House Speaker. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, and industry leaders continued to pepper the governor with letters on Saturday to get him to narrow his closure list.

Today I sent a letter to Governor Wolf urging him to do the same as Governors in New Jersey, California, Illinois, and New York to allow highway construction to continue while implementing virus control procedures. pic.twitter.com/sP1bbNLM1m  Speaker Mike Turzai (@RepTurzai) March 21, 2020

Meanwhile, many individual businesses have filed for site-specific waivers from Wolfs Department of Community and Economic Development.

Economic rescue package.

Top-level negotiations between Congress and the White House are pushing toward resolution on a ballooning $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package, as President Donald Trump urged a deal to steady a nation shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic.

A central element is now $350 billion for small businesses to keep making payroll. Companies with 500 or fewer employees could tap up to $10 million in forgivable small business loans to keep paychecks flowing.

Thats on top of a proposal for one-time checks to all Americans, $1,200 per individual, $2,400 for couples, cut off at higher incomes.

The Pennsylvania Primary

Wolf and state legislative leaders were reported to be deep in discussions on a deal to delay the April 28 primary election. According to a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer, all sides are talking about moving the primary to June 2. Several other Eastern states that had been scheduled to hold primaries on the same day have already changed their dates.

Sunday morning services.

More and more churches have cancelled traditional worship services, but many are pressing forward with high-tech alternatives including livestreams, Facebook live or YouTube broadcasts of services.

Extension of tax deadlines

Pennsylvania has joined the federal Internal Revenue Service in pushing the filing deadline for 2019 income tax returns to July 15.

Penn State Health employee tests positive

An employee at one of Penn State Healths out-patient practices has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the hospital on Saturday.

Penn State Health said the person was sent home as soon as symptoms were recognized. The small number of patients the employee may have interacted with have been informed and advised to self-quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms.
A French doctor has become the country;s first medic to die from coronavirus, according to the country's health minister.

Olivier Veran said he heard on Saturday a physician had passed away after testing positive for Covid-19.

It was the first time a doctor working in a hospital has died from coronavirus in France to his knowledge, he told radio station RTL.

Mr Veran said he was not able to share any more information at this time.

More than 14,000 have been infected with coronavirus in France to date, with 562 reported deaths  the third highest in Europe after Italy and Spain.

The number of recovered patients stood at more than 1,500 as of Sunday.

Speaking to French radio about the doctors death, the health minister said he wanted to draw attention to the extraordinary courage that doctors, nurses, firefighters and everyone who helps save lives show every day.

France has been on lockdown since last Tuesday as the country battles the pandemic, with people only allowed outside under certain circumstances, such as to buy groceries or medicine.

Emmanuel Macron, the president, told a crisis meeting on Friday that the country was at the start of the crisis.

We have taken exceptional measures to absorb this first wave, but weve started a race against the virus, he said.

Mr Macron has also said he plans to build a field hospital in the northern Alsace region, where hospitals have been overstretched due to rising coronavirus cases in the area, according to officials.

France has the seventh largest number of Covid-19 infections in the world, according to a tally on Sunday.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Mr. Charney and Mr. Siriano are each designing their own washable, reusable masks. They are not medical grade, though Mr. Siriano intends to make masks that meet F.D.A. standards as soon as he can acquire approved materials and patterns, and begin prototyping. Karla Colletto is planning to replicate masks made by 3M, using patterns and fabric sent from that long-established hospital supplier.

The moves follow the decision by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the European luxury giant, and LOreal and Coty, the beauty conglomerates, to use their facilities to produce large quantities of hand sanitizer for European hospitals. In Spain, Inditex, the parent company of Zara, is also looking into refitting its textile factories to make hospital gowns.

As an industry, fashion has been particularly affected by the mass business closings  and particularly active in offering resources to assist the fight against the coronavirus, stepping up as governments and the medical community scramble to respond to the crisis. In the same way automotive factories and upholsterers were retooled during World War II to supply the military, fashion is rethinking its manufacturing capabilities.

The Swimwear Story

A week ago, our machines were humming along, Karla Colletto said via phone on Saturday. During normal business times, her Vienna, Va., factory can produce 800 to 1,000 pieces of swimwear each week.

But like many other companies, as the coronavirus diagnosis count rose in the United States, the made-to-order swimwear company decided to cease production. Ten percent of its orders had already been canceled and the rest postponed, said Lisa Rovan, a co-founder of the brand, with Ms. Colletto.

Yet as their factory went dark, Ms. Colletto and Ms. Rovan were formulating a plan to bring as many of their 40 employees (including two dozen sewers) as possible back to work making masks and gowns for hospitals in need.
Noida: The district magistrate (DM) of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Brajesh Narain Singh, has ordered to seal Block B residential area of Sector Alpha 1 in Greater Noida after a 31-year-old man was found positive for novel coronavirus (Covid-19) on Saturday night. All the residents of the locality have been asked to stay in self-quarantine from Sunday morning, 10am, till Tuesday, 7pm. The total number of Covid-19 positive cases in the district has gone up to 6.

The infected person had returned from Dubai recently and his sample was taken on March 18. The National Centre for Disease Control informed health officials that the person, who has Dubai travel history, has tested positive around 9.30pm on Saturday.

We are in the process of collecting details about the infected persons family and the sanitisation work of the area is going on. The area has been sealed as a precautionary measure, said Prasoon Dwivedi, sub-divisional magistrate, Gautam Buddh Nagar.

Officials told the residents of the society that any violation of the orders of the DM related to the ban on entry and exit of people from the housing complex will call for legal action under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

We are in the process of tracing all the contacts of the sixth Covid-19 patient. Our officials have gone to his residence to find out family details of the person. The area has been sealed as per the orders of the DM as a precautionary measure, said Dr Anurag Bhargava, chief medical officer, Gautam Buddh Nagar.

The infected person is admitted to Government Institute of Medical Sciences. The person lived with four family members and all have been quarantined, added Bhargava.

On Saturday morning, one more person from sector 74 was found positive for the Covid-19 after he returned from Europe. All the residents living in his society have been home quarantined for two days as per the orders of the DM.
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A hospital in Long Branch is letting expectant moms bring only a single person with them into the facility, in an effort to stem the escalating coronavirus spread in New Jersey.

Monmouth Medical Center has implemented a one partner policy for its labor and delivery unit that a spokesperson said it without precedent at the hospital.

This is in addition to a no-visitor policy throughout the hospital and the emergency department, the hospital said in an announcement posted to its website on Saturday.

Upon arriving, both the mom and designated partner will first go to the emergency room for a thorough screening and testing for coronavirus symptoms, including a sore throat, fever or cough, the hospital said.

Anyone who has had close contact with a person who had, has or is suspected of having, the coronavirus, should not accompany the expectant mom to the hospital.

The designated partner must remain with the expectant mom throughout her stay, and may not transfer their duties to any other person, the hospital said.

Expectant moms will not be allowed any other visitors during their stay.

The hospital said it may order additional changes if needed.

Monmouth Medical Center ranked fourth in New Jersey with 5,697 babies born in 2019. It delivers the most babies of any hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The coronavirus outbreak in New Jersey worsened on Sunday, with 1,914 total known cases and 20 known deaths as health officials announced Sunday another 590 positive tests on the first full day of the latest restrictions on travel and retail businesses.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

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In this weeks deep dive into the archives of The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and Mobiles Press-Register, we find a Birmingham grocers sign showing his familys business was being shut down by construction of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in 1969 after more than 40 years in downtown.

Theres also four orphans from a 1932 tornado, a 112-year-old Cherokee preacher who was a fixture of downtown Bessemer, a rocket man celebrating Lurleen Wallaces inauguration, a Hueytown drug raid of a van, a Walker County health van and a woman who turned a train caboose into her home.

This feature regularly includes photographs from the Associated Press, Library of Congress and Getty Images.

For more historic Alabama photographs, visit our Alabama Vintage Instagram account and the AL.com vintage photos page.

Any topics youd like us to explore on our Vinatage Insta or an old photo you would like us to find? Drop me a line at jgray@al.com.
N Korea fires two projectiles into Sea of Japan: South Korea's military

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 March 2020 1:02 AM

North Korea has fired two projectiles appearing to be short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, South Korea's military says.

A statement issued by the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Saturday said the launch originated from North Pyongan province, which is just above the capital Pyongyang on the west coast of the Korean peninsula.

Japan's coast guard also reported on Saturday that North Korea appeared to have fired a missile, which landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone waters.

There was no immediate confirmation from the North.

The development came less than a month after a previous missile launch in early March when North Korea launched two unidentified projectiles eastward into the sea from the Wonsan area on the country's east coast.

Earlier on Saturday, North Korea's official KCNA news outlet said the country's leader Kim Jong Un guided an artillery fire competition between combined units of the North Korean army on Friday.

The new missile launch came over three months after Pyongyang declared an end to a moratorium on its missile tests.

At a party meeting in late December last year, North Korean leader declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by an agreement with the US because Washington was not upholding its end of the bargain.

The North Korean statement came after the US repeatedly refused to relieve any of the sanctions on the North.

The United Nations Security Council, the US, South Korea, and other bodies have slapped multiple sets of sanctions on Pyongyang over its weapons programs.

International efforts to de-escalate the rising tensions between Pyongyang and Washington resulted in three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump, but little tangible progress was made afterwards.

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Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to use his leadership position to urgently instruct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly track and monitor spending by federal agencies and state governors to combat coronavirus or COVID19 pandemic in Nigeria.

SERAP said this would remove the risks of corruption and mismanagement in our healthcare systems that are already weakened by systemic corruption.

In the letter dated 20 March, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: Coronavirus crisis requires quick responses but it also requires corruption safeguards to ensure public funds are well spent, and promote access to basic public health and other services to those most in need.

SERAP said: By prioritising transparency and accountability in the spending of funds to combat coronavirus, your government will be taking preventive measures to ensure that the efforts to reduce the spread of the pandemic and promote the health and safety of Nigerians are not compromised by corruption.

SERAP expressed concern that systemic corruption in the health sector across the country would hurt the federal and state authorities responses to the coronavirus crisis.

The letter, read in part: The challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic also show the urgent need for your government to improve Nigerias health systems and to encourage state governors to commit some parts of their security votes to provide additional resources towards strengthening the health systems within their states.

Your government ought to move swiftly to increase spending on efforts to combat coronavirus in the country and provide funding support to Nigerians that are most affected by the crisis, by presenting COVID-19 budget/spending plan to the National Assembly and setting up a COVID-19 trust fund to which wealthy individuals and others should be encouraged to contribute.

The proposed increase in spending of funds on COVID-19 means accountability for those funds should be top of your governments list of priorities, if it is to remove opportunities for corruption that can undermine initiatives to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The EFCC and ICPC should ensure that anyone found to have mismanaged or stolen public funds meant for addressing the coronavirus pandemic are effectively prosecuted and punished.

We also urge you to take urgent measures to ensure that health sector services in federal institutions and agencies are strengthened and that the appropriate corruption risk assessments are implemented and monitored.

The lessons from the Ebola crisis is that even in times of public emergencies, there are those who aim to profit from others most affected by the crisis. Monitoring the spending on coronavirus would help to apply the lessons of the Ebola crisis and prevent corruption, which characterised the efforts to combat it in some countries including in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where patients reportedly paid bribes to access health services.

Corruption in the spending of funds to combat coronavirus will undermine public trust in any efforts by your government to bring the spread of the pandemic under control, and deny access to basic public health services toNigerians who need the services most.

Monitoring the spending of public funds budgeted to combat coronavirus would also ensure respect for human rights and contribute to ensuring that Nigerians who cannot afford to pay bribes are not denied access to testing and treatment, and that high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals subject to quarantines are not abusing the systems.

We will continue to closely monitor the situation and where appropriate invoke the Freedom of Information Act and take legal action to ensure transparency and accountability, and full respect for Nigerians human rights.

The right to health provides that health facilities, goods, and services should be: available in sufficient quantity, accessible to everyone without discrimination, and affordable for all, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.

These obligations mean that your government should ensure that accurate and up-to-date information about the number of identified cases and spread of coronavirus in the country, access to services, service disruptions, and other aspects of the response to the outbreak is widely available and accessible to all.

The right to health also imposes obligations on your government to minimize the risk of occupational accidents and diseases including by ensuring health workers and others involved in the coronavirus response have information and adequate protective clothing and equipment they need.

This request is consistent with Nigerias international anti-corruption and human rights obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. Nigeria has ratified these treaties.

Under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Your government is obligated to take effective steps for the prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases.

As the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which monitors state compliance with the covenant, has stated, the right to health is closely related to and dependent upon the realization of other human rights, including the rights to food, education, human dignity, life, non-discrimination, equality, and access to information.

We hope that the aspects highlighted will help guide your actions in acting to ensure the effectiveness of any efforts to combat the coronavirus crisis in Nigeria. We would be happy to discuss any of these issues in more detail with you.

Kolawole Oluwadare

SERAP Deputy Director

22/03/2020

Lagos, Nigeria

Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]

Twitter: @SERAPNigeria

Website: www.serap-nigeria.org

For more information or to request an interview, please contact Kolawole Oluwadare on: +2348160537202
: The sixth positive case of



coronavirus was registered in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, officials said.

The sixth patient is the wife of the person who tested positive for coronavirus in Visakhapatnam on March 17 upon his return from Mecca. She contracted the virus from her husband, they said.

Special Chief Secretary (Health) K S Jawahar Reddy said the first patient, who tested positive for the novel virus in Nellore, has recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Subsequently, one case each have been registered in Ongole, Vijayawada and Rajamahendravaram besides the two in Visakhapatnam.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The traditional face-to-face campaign to convince people to fill out their 2020 Census forms has grounded to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic, forcing communities to switch their complete count efforts to social media and digital channels. It's also forced the U.S. Census Bureau extend the national deadline for the count by two weeks.

The pandemic was an unanticipated scenario in 2020 Census planning, U.S. Census officials said Friday from Washington D.C. during a national telephone press conference. Theyre retooling field operations, advertising campaigns and setting new deadlines to get the nations population counted by Dec. 31 as required by law.

Switching plans is happening locally too.

We put on a full-court press for a complete count. Certainly the coronavirus pandemic has put this off track, Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler said.

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Keeler made a robocall on March 12 when the first census forms showed up in mailboxes across the country. But Cohoes had to cancel its census-promotion events and shut the Cohoes Public Library where residents were to have access to computers to fill out their forms. Now it's a push to get the same message out digitally.

The U.S. Census Bureau is dealing with the unsettled environment in which states are ordering shutdowns of business and directing people to stay home, said Albert E. Fontenot Jr., associate director for decennial programs, who is leading the count.

"This is not anything any of us could have anticipated or planned. Of all of our worst nightmares of things that could have gone wrong with the census we did not anticipate this set of actions," Fontenot said.

"We are adjusting operations as needed," Fontenot said. "The plan for the 2020 Census is resilient and adaptive.""

Mark Castiglione, executive director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, said this was the first time that people had the option on filling it out online, by mail or over the phone. But getting them to do so was following traditional methods.

The city of Albany was mobilizing its libraries, churches, schools, barbershops and other organizations to reach out to residents to complete their census forms. All of those groups are shuttered.

The City of Albany Census Complete Count Committee is working diligently to transition to a fully digital outreach plan that includes social media contacts, emails, and phone calls from our communitys trusted voices, said David Galin, who chairs the committee and is Mayor Kathy Sheehans chief of staff.

While we have cancelled many of our upcoming public outreach events due to COVID-19, we will continue to work very hard to ensure every resident of Albany is counted, Galin said.

Fontenot echoed what Galin and Keeler said. The Census Bureau is urging local organizations to get online to remind people through social media and email to return their census forms.

As of Saturday, the reports after a week of filings show that 16.7 percent of the nations households have completed their census forms, according to the census bureau. In New York state, 14.3 percent of households have filled out their forms.

Across the Capita Region, Schenectady County has the highest completion rate so far with 18.8 percent, followed by Albany County at 16.8 percent, Rensselaer County 16.2 percent and Saratoga County, 15.3 percent. Statewide, Niagara County has the highest percentage reporting at 20 percent. Hamilton County, which is the state's least populous county, hasn't cracked 1 percent as just 0.4 percent have filed their census forms.

Among the four region's major cities, Saratoga Springs has seen 19.7 percent of its households file their forms. Schenectady is next at 15 percent while Albany is at 14.5 percent and Troy is 14.2. Among the smaller cities, Watervliet is at 16.6 percent, Rensselaer 15.7 percent, Cohoes 14.1 percent and Mechanicville 14 percent.

In the towns, Colonie is leading Albany County communities with 20.6 percent return rate and Rensselaerville lags all others at 11.1 percent. North Greenbush at 23.3 percent is the top town in Rensselaer County with Berlin at the bottom with just 3.3 percent. Providence at 19.9 percent in Saratoga County leads all other towns and Day is far behind at 2.1 percent. In Schenectady County, Niskayuna is at 23.8 percent while Duanesburg is at 18.3 percent with the county's lowest rat of return.

In response to the coronavirus, the census bureau is pushing back its deadlines from early April to May for starting door-to-door outreach to get a complete county. Instead of the July 31 deadline for finishing the count, this has been extended to Aug. 14. This is part of a complete overhaul of the schedule for the census. Fontenot said census officials are meeting daily to monitor the evolving situation.

Students who live off-campus still are supposed to be counted in the communities where they attend school on the April 1 Census Day. They still are expected to fill out forms saying so even if theyve returned to their parents homes.

Well have to adjust our off-campus outreach strategy significantly because it relied heavily on peer-to-peer, in-person door knocking by student employees in midtown, which was set to begin after spring break, said Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, a spokesman for the University at Albany.

We were already planning to do a lot of digital outreach, so well just double-and triple-down on that, including on social media and with direct e-mail outreach to students living off campus, Carleo-Evangelist said.

Students living in on-campus dorms will be reported by colleges and universities from those addresses when those lists are filed with the census bureau.

The coronavirus delays and operational pauses come after the Trump administration attempted to add a citizenship question according to the bureau, a move that critics said would discourage undocumented immigrants from participating when the Census is intended to count all people regardless of citizenship status. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to block the administration from adding the question in 2019.

"One of the best ways you can help your community right now and one of the best ways you can support a wide variety of public health (efforts) is by completing your 2020 census online today," said Ali Ahmad, associate director for communications for the U.S. Census Bureau.

"The current situation underscores the need for census data," said Fontenot. "Census results are used to inform planning and funding for hospitals, health clinics and emergency preparedness, even school lunch programs."

The Census Bureau has received 2.8 million applications and hired more than 600,000. There's been a dramatic up-tick in people applying for jobs with the 2020 Census, perhaps correlated to business closures and layoffs in many states. Timothy P. Olson, associate director for field operations for the U.S. Census Bureau, said 8,000 people are applying for census jobs daily.

All hiring and training of applicants has been frozen until April 1. "We are urging people to consider applying because we may need more temporary employees than originally planned for, Olson said.
- The coronavirus has badly affected a New Jersey family after they lost four of their members to the deadly virus

- A woman lost her life and that of three of her children to the virus while other family members are in quarantine or critical conditions

- About twenty other relatives are also undergoing quarantine as they anxiously await their test results

The coronavirus pandemic is definitely not a joke as it has led to countries being shut down and cultural activities that are known for drawing crowds to be halted.

The pandemic has threatened to bring the world to its knees as it spreads quickly and also leads to death despite there being no known cure for it.

A New Jersey family had been badly hit by the pandemic after losing four members to the virus only days and hours apart.

73-year-old Grace Fusco with her 11 children in a recent family photo. Photo: The New York Times

Source: UGC

73-year-old Grace Fusco, and three of her children have died as a result of the virus while three more of her children have been hospitalised with two in critical conditions, as reported by the New York Times.

The familys spokesperson, Ms. Paradiso Fodera, who is also a cousin to the matriarch, said that Mrs Fusco reportedly died unaware that two of her eldest children had already died before her because of the virus.

The eldest child, Rita Fusco-Jackson, was 55 while her son, Vincent Fusco Jr. was in his mid-50s.

While speaking with CNN, the spokesperson Fodera said: "The family's biggest concern is that we have four members of one family who have passed, two on life support and one stable.

Speaking further, she said that 19 other family members who are awaiting their test results are anxious as they have no idea whether they have been infected or not.

According to reports from New York Times, the coronavirus infection appears to have been spread across the family during a dinner they had earlier in the month.

This is so sad. RIP to the dead.

Just recently, Legit.ng reported that Nigerian rapper, Olamide, warned fans to stay safe as he said that coronavirus is indeed real.

The rapper said this after rocking a full face mask to protect himself from the disease.

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All schools to close on Island

Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK has today announced that schools in the Isle of Man will close to most children from the end of the school day on Monday, 23 March 2020 until further notice.

Dhoon School and Ballasalla School which will close from tonight because of staffing pressures.

The decision has been taken in conjunction with school leaders as the Island strengthens measures to protect the Island and its residents against the coronavirus pandemic.

Three additional cases have been confirmed in the Isle of Man, taking the total to five.

Government advice is that all children should stay at home, where possible, and follow the guidance on social distancing if they go out to exercise.

All 5 high schools and 9 primary schools with special education needs support will remain open to provide care for vulnerable children and those who parents are classed as key workers critical to the Islands Covid-19 response.

University College Isle of Man will provide a limited service to assist students who are completing their courses.

Efforts are also being put in place to assist remote working for school children in order to support their educational needs while they are at home.

The Chief Minister said: Now is the time to close the Islands schools to help suppress the spread of Covid-19 and ensure our health services retain the capacity to protect vulnerable members of our community. The public health benefits of keeping schools open has shifted and the decision to close will strengthen our response to the pandemic. I recognise that many parents will have little choice but to take time off work to look after their children at home, but this a necessary step.

He added: I am grateful for the help and advice from the teaching leadership group. They, like me, have the best interests of the children at the forefront of their minds.

Schools are putting together online resources and homework packs to support home educating. Parents and children can also take advantage of free e-learning materials provided by entities such as the BBC.

Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson MHK said: At this stage we do not know exactly how long schools will remain closed. Updates will be provided as the situation evolves. This is an unsettling time for our parents and children and we will do everything we can to offer advice and practical support. We would encourage as much educational activity at home as is feasible and efforts to keep children physically active while complying with strict social-distancing rules.

He added: The Department of Education, Sport and Culture has been working with school leaders to establish how we will provide a safe environment for the children of key workers and vulnerable children. Schools will be in touch with those who qualify.
KAMPALA, UgandaAs the coronavirus infects more people around the world, conservationists are warning of the risk to another vulnerable species: Africas endangered mountain gorilla.

Congos Virunga National Park, home to about a third of the worlds mountain gorillas, is barring visitors until June 1, citing advice from scientific experts indicating that primates, including mountain gorillas, are likely susceptible to complications arising from the COVID-19 virus.

Neighbouring Rwanda also is temporarily shutting down tourism and research activities in three national parks that are home to primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees.

Mountain gorillas are prone to some respiratory illnesses that afflict humans. A common cold can kill a gorilla, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, one reason why tourists tracking gorillas are not normally permitted to get too close.

Around 1,000 mountain gorillas live in protected areas in Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, for whom tourism is an important source of revenue. But COVID-19 has led to restrictive measures.

Virunga National Parks decision has been welcomed by conservationists in the region.

Paula Kahumbu, chief executive of the Kenya-based conservation group WildlifeDirect, told The Associated Press that every possible effort must be made to protect mountain gorillas because so few are left in the wild.

We know that gorillas are very sensitive to human diseases, she said. If anyone has a cold or a flu they are not allowed to go and see the gorillas. With coronavirus having such a long time of no symptoms in some cases, it means that we could actually put those gorillas at risk.

Even existing measures may not be enough to protect them.

According to Ugandan conservationist Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka with Conservation Through Public Health, a study published this year by her group and Ohio University showed that measures in place to protect gorillas from humans are not effective in practice.

The rule on keeping a safe distance from the gorillas was broken almost every time a group of tourists visited, she said.

What the research found is that the 7-meter rule was broken almost all the time  like 98% of the time, she said. But what was interesting is that 60% of the time it was tourists that broke it and 40% of the time it was the gorillas who broke it.

If close interaction cannot be prevented, she said, one measure that could potentially improve safety is requiring tourists to wear masks at all times.

Uganda has not announced a shutdown of gorilla tourism, although tourist traffic from Europe and elsewhere has dwindled.

A spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Bashir Hangi, said the decision on whether to shut down gorilla tourism is now academic as there is almost no business amid the outbreak.

Still, he said, the few tourists who come are screened for fever and other symptoms and must obey rules such as not standing within 7 metres (21 feet) of a gorilla family. Visitors from virus-affected countries who have gone through quarantine in Uganda need to produce what he called a certificate of isolation before they are permitted to track the gorillas.

Amos Wekesa, whose Great Lakes Safaris organizes gorilla tours in Rwanda and Uganda, spoke mournfully of hardly any business as tourists postpone visits or seek refunds.

The regions mountain gorilla population dropped sharply in the past century because of poaching, illness and human encroachment. Mountain gorillas have been listed as critically endangered or endangered since 1996, although their numbers are now said to be growing as a result of conservation efforts.

But there have been painful losses. Some gorillas die of natural causes, falling from trees or being killed in fights between males for territory or dominance. A lightning strike killed four mountain gorillas in February.

In Rwanda, where tourism is the top foreign exchange earner, the government has prioritized the protection of gorillas, even launching a naming ceremony for baby primates.

Tourism revenue is key in protecting mountain gorillas as authorities can use some of the money to help local communities or invest in anti-poaching activities. A gorilla tracking permit costs up to $600 in Uganda, and thousands of tourists pay each year. A similar permit costs upward of $1,000 in Rwanda.

Some worry the loss of tourist revenue during the coronavirus pandemic could further expose the primates to poachers. Virunga, established in 1925 as Africas first national park and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has long been vulnerable in a volatile part of eastern Congo.

I think this is going to have a huge impact on their sustainability, Kahumbu, the Kenyan conservationist, said of Virunga. I call on all donors and governments that support these national parks in Africa to make it easy for the parks that need to shut down to do so and survive.

Poachers could do even more damage to gorillas if they think the anti-poaching efforts have been reduced, she said.

 Tina Smole in Kampala, Uganda, contributed.
Months before coronavirus fears hit the United States, business was slow at Mediterranean Breeze, a family-owned Greek restaurant near Washington, D.C.

Terry Kasotakis is the restaurants owner. Both he and Paul Johnson, the general manager, were sure business would improve when the weather got warm.

We were just kind of (waiting) for April because we have a big outdoor section and it's very popular, and it holds a lot of people, Johnson said.

Last week, business at the Virginia eatery was down 90 percent.



The state of Virginia has told police to enforce a 10-person limit in restaurants. Several U.S. states have ordered all restaurants to close their dining rooms in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The governors of California, Connecticut and at least six other states are among those who have ordered restaurants and bars to close their dining rooms. The businesses are now limited to delivery or carry-out service only.

The U.S. Congress is considering measures that would expand loans to small businesses affected by coronavirus. Those loans would not make up for financial losses, but they could make it possible for a restaurant or bar to stay in business.

The problem with a small restaurant, if you close, you still have to pay your insurance, you still have to pay an electric bill, you still have to pay rent, explained economist Michael Hicks. He works at Ball State University in Indiana.

Hicks notes that even with loans a small business will still lose money, but you'll still be able to open, perhaps.



Anwar Halteh owns Waterfront Pizza in Foster City, near San Francisco, California. He expects to lose 70 percent of his business, but he thinks his restaurant will survive.

I expect (carry-out) to give us maybe 30 percent of business, but we cut down our overhead by 80 percent so we should be able to be okay, he says. I only keep three people in the whole restaurant cleaning and cooking.

Halteh says he does not have the money to keep paying the employees no longer working in the restaurant. But he believes things will go back to normal.

I think, after its over, everything's going to be a booming economy, he said.

The general manager of Virginias Mediterranean Breeze can only hope business will soon be back to where it was.

"I'mhopeful that the virus situation will start to subside in the next five to 10 days, although I know a lot of the professionals are saying that's not going to be the case, Paul Johnson said.

He added that the 15-year-old restaurant cannot survive more than a month under these conditions.

The local businessesthose are the ones that are really hurt here, said Johnson. He hopes more people will give their carry-out business to family-owned restaurants like Mediterranean Breeze.

Im Pete Musto.

VOAs Dora Mekouar reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

manager  n. one who organizes at a business

bar  n. a place where people go to drink alcohol

delivery  n. to being to someone

insurance  n. a payment made to protect against fire or accident

rent  n. the price of using a house or store that belongs to someone else

overhead  n. the cost of business

booming  adj. growing quickly

subside  v. to end

professional  n. one who is educated and does a high paying job
U.S. airlines on Saturday warned they will have to furlough workers unless Congress approves a $58 billion aid package that includes grants, not only loans, as the industry reels from the impact of coronavirus.

Senate Republicans last week proposed legislation that included a $58 billion in aid for passenger and cargo carriers, but in the form of loans airlines would later have to repay.

"Time is running out," wrote the CEOs of Southwest, Delta, Alaska, American, United, JetBlue, Hawaiian, UPS Airlines and FedEx, and their lobbying group, Airlines for America, to congressional leaders. It was one in a series of grim messages from airline chiefs and labor unions this week about the abrupt collapse in bookings that coronavirus caused and the potential toll on workers. "Unless worker payroll protection grants are passed immediately, many of us will be forced to take draconian measures such as furloughs."

U.S. airlines employ close to 750,000 people and large carriers are now shrinking their international networks to the smallest in decades, cutting thousands of domestic flights, parking hundreds of jets and urging employees to take unpaid leave, in a bid to save cash as demand crumbles.

Hundreds of aviation workers are already out of a job. Some 2,400 airport concession worker have been idled as have close to 300 catering workers, according to the Unite Here union. Minneapolis-based Compass Airlines, a regional carrier with 1,300 employees, said last week that it plans to shut down after its clients, Delta and American, reduced flights.

Delta said Friday that it expects its second-quarter revenue to fall 80% or by $10 billion. Some 13,000 of the company's roughly 91,000 employees have volunteered to take unpaid leave but CEO Ed Bastian told staff that more volunteers are needed.

United plans to cut 90% of international service scheduled for April and warned it may have to lay off thousands of workers if Congress doesn't act fast enough. It said Saturday that it will reinstate some flights between several European cities, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Seoul, South Korea to the U.S. to help displaced passengers.

Without "sufficient government support by the end of March, our company will begin to take the necessary steps to reduce our payroll in line with the 60% schedule reduction we announced for April," CEO Oscar Munoz, the airline's president, Scott Kirby, who takes the helm next month, and several labor unions told employees in a memo. "May's schedule is likely to be cut even further."
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/22/2020



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[ Spoilers Warning: This article contains spoilers revealing whether Usman and Lisa are still together and if the : Before the 90 Days couple has married].

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So did Lisa and Usman break up or are they still together? Did the couple get married?

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Lisa and Usman are getting to know each other in Nigeria on Season 4 of : Before the 90 Days, but jealousy and other issues may stand in their way of happiness. So is the couple still together or did they break up? And did they ever get married?Lisa, a 52-year-old hospice caregiver from York, PA, and Usman "SojaBoy," a 30-year-old rapper from Nigeria, are one of the couples starring on : Before the 90 Days' fourth season, which premiered late last month on TLC.Lisa, who previously divorced an unfaithful and verbally-abusive man, said leaving the marriage was the best thing for her and her 15-year-old daughter, whom Lisa said she worked hard to support financially.Lisa said Usman, an entertainer in Nigeria who has over 20,000 followers on Instagram, had contacted her on Facebook two years prior to when filming started and they videochatted immediately so Usman could prove he wasn't a catfish.Lisa didn't understand why a Nigerian celebrity would be interested in her, but a love song he had allegedly written for Lisa confirmed his feelings for her, at least in Lisa's mind.It didn't take long for Lisa to fall for Usman, and so she planned a trip to Nigeria so she could meet him in person. Not only was it going to mark her first time to Nigeria, but the trip was going to be her first time out of the United States.Lisa said their relationship was built on trust but she had an issue with the "thirsty" women who followed him on social media.Lisa didn't like women constantly reaching out to and calling Usman. She therefore asked him to tighten up his social-media profiles after seeing some flirty comments had been left by fans, such as heart emojis. (It appears Lisa has something in common with fellow star Angela Deem !)Lisa revealed Usman had already proposed marriage to her and so they planned to wed once she traveled to Nigeria and then apply for a spousal visa so Usman could move to the United States.Lisa was warned Usman would tell her anything she wanted to hear in order to come to America and receive a Green Card, but Lisa believed otherwise."I feel like this is an opportunity for me to have a love that I have never experienced in my life," Lisa gushed."But the one thing I am worried about are his female fans, and I need to make sure he has been faithful to me. But I won't know until I travel to Nigeria and see him face to face."In the second episode of the series, Usman promised Lisa that he loved her and she shouldn't worry about his fans, but she knew the temptation for him to cheat was always there.Usman told Lisa they could hold hands in public but not in his family's house since he's Muslim. Lisa, a Christian, admitted her biggest fear was Usman's mother not giving her a blessing to wed.Usman said his mother feared Lisa was taking him to the United States so he could be a slave, which appeared to shock Lisa, but Usman was certain his mother would accept her and grow to love her as well.Lisa asked Usman to be by her side 24 hours a day once she arrived in Nigeria. She expected them to have quality time, with none of his friends around to steal the attention she wanted from her man."If my life is one week [or] one month with this man, I've lived a full life," Lisa told her friends before she left America.Lisa's friends were worried about her safety in Nigeria and being kidnapped or something along those lines, but Lisa gushed, "If I die in Nigeria, I'll die a happy woman because I'll be with the man I love."Lisa planned to attend a premiere party with Usman for his new music video, and she couldn't wait."He's absolutely the man of my dreams. If this is a scam, it's going to break my heart and I will not recover from it," Lisa said in a confessional.In Episode 3 of the series, Lisa was shown flying over to Nigeria to meet her 30-year-old fiance.Usman lived with his two friends in one room but said he was very successful in the music industry.Before Lisa's arrival, Usman went to hang out with a couple of friends, and he said his dream is to become the king of hip-hop and R&B in America. Usman had hopes to take over the world with his music.Usman's friends were surprised to see a photo of Lisa because of her age, but Usman said age didn't matter and there's more to beauty than what's on the outside. Usman told his friends Lisa is 49 years old, and they were absolutely shocked.Usman's pal Joseph wanted Usman to focus on music, especially in light of the fact Usman had said Lisa was a very jealous woman. Usman did admit Lisa made his career more difficult because Lisa spoke to his fans whenever he posted something on social media."I just have to try to tolerate her," Usman said in a confessional, before telling his pals he had already decided to be with Lisa forever and always.When Lisa arrived, Usman had a hotel room ready for her, complete with roses and a stuffed bear. He said he was very excited and nervous, noting it was rare to have a white woman travel to Nigeria for a man.Usman brought his two roommates along for the trip and hoped that wouldn't be a problem for Lisa. He also said if he didn't find himself attracted to Lisa, there was going to be a big issue.When the pair reunited in the airport, they hugged and kissed. Usman told the cameras he was "in heaven" and in "paradise," holding his love, and Lisa expressed how Usman was even more handsome in person. She called him "so damn hot."Usman admitted Lisa had "a bit more belly" than he was expecting. He said he would've liked her to have a bigger chest with a little waist and big hips, but he said Lisa had a big heart and that's what mattered most.Usman's roommates were surprised to see Lisa had "a tummy" as well, but Usman insisted he was happy and everything was fine.However, Lisa said Usman wasn't paying much attention to her once they got in a car, and she hoped he wasn't going to break any more promises he had made her. After traveling 20-plus hours, she wanted a romantic night with Usman, and his friends were hindering that for her.Once Lisa and Usman made it to the hotel, Lisa kicked his friends out -- and Usman had no problem with that. The couple got settled into a nice room, and the romance began once she saw Usman had roses for her."Are you looking forward to sex with Lisa?" a producer asked Usman."Umm, despite the fact she's not the kind of woman I am attracted to, she still has the lady's part and I still have the guy's part, so it's going to be cook -- groovy, cruising. Oh my God!" Usman replied.Lisa was more than ready to introduce "the sexual part" into their relationship since she claimed they had established every other aspect of a relationship already.In the latest episode of : Before the 90 Days, Lisa and Usman woke up next to each other for the first time in Nigeria after "making love."Lisa said one thing had led to the next and it happened, but she admitted there was "a big cultural difference" when it comes to making love -- "American vs. "Nigerian."Lisa explained she had to teach Usman how to have oral sex because he didn't even know what it was. Meanwhile, Usman said Lisa was "70 percent good" in bed out of the 100 percent he had been expecting, but he noted that was good enough for him.Lisa confirmed she and Usman had decided against using a condom and it was his first time having unprotected sex. Usman told Lisa he "loved it" without protection.Usman's friends didn't think Usman would disobey his mother if she didn't like Lisa and demanded they not proceed with a wedding, so Lisa began to worry about whether she'd be able to win her future mother-in-law over.Lisa realized Usman had lied to her because he originally insisted his mother's opinion wouldn't affect their relationship going forward. Now that Lisa was in Nigeria, Usman had changed his tune and revealed they absolutely needed permission from his mother to go through with a wedding.Lisa acknowledged Usman's mother might stand in their way of a lifetime of happiness.Before meeting Usman's mom, Usman drove Lisa three hours to Kaduna, a big city in Nigeria, where he actually lived and worked in the music industry.On the drive over, Lisa didn't appreciate people blowing up Usman's phone all the time, and Usman pointed out she's "very jealous" and "even more controlling in person." Usman claimed he didn't even know who was calling him at one point.When Lisa discovered Usman bathed with a bucket and had a toilet that swiveled, she thanked God they were staying in a hotel.Usman spoke to his friends about how he needed to address Lisa's attitude because he didn't want her to do anything that might jeopardize his career or relationship with co-workers.Lisa and Usman not only are still a couple, but they are reportedly married!Photos of what appeared to be Lisa and Usman's wedding ceremony leaked online last year by Starcasm.One picture appeared to show the couple holding their Nigerian marriage certificate.Lisa reportedly chose not to wear any makeup on her wedding day at Usman's request, and Lisa changed her name to Usman's mother's name when she got married.Based on posts Lisa has made on Facebook, she and Usman reportedly began dating in June 2018 and then tied the knot on August 30, 2019.Usman also shared a post on Facebook in December 2019 that showed a screenshot of a text message Lisa had sent him in which she talked about converting to Islam, Starcasm reported."Wasn't for your mom or anyone in our lives, not even you," Lisa allegedly wrote, "this was a decision that I made for myself."Lisa reportedly received her fair share of backlash on social media after revealing she's married to Usman, but it doesn't really seem to phase her!Lisa is clearly a feisty woman who brushes insults right off her back.When one fan reportedly wrote to Lisa, "I wish you were faithful tho," she reportedly replied, "What do you mean my husband is faithful to me. Keep moving."Lisa then went off at the online troll and, according to Starcasm, wrote, "She is a typical Nigerian b*tch an ppl from my husband area wonder why he married a WHITE AMERICAN WOMAN. FACT STANDS I AM A GOOD WOMAN SO LET MY HATERS COME @USMAN SERIOUSLY ILL F**KING MAKE HER CRY."The commenter continued to allege Usman had been "f-cking around" on her, advising Lisa to get checked for sexual transmitted diseases."Jealous much b*tch? Get in line to kiss my white a**," Lisa reportedly responded."You mad bc I married Usman Sojaboy no wonder Nigerian men are choosing to marry anyone but a Nigerian woman like you."In addition to being a musician, Usman is also reportedly an actor in Nigeria.Want spoilers? Click here to visit our Spoilers webpage!
Press Release

March 22, 2020 MESSAGE ON WORLD WATER DAY Today, we join the international community in the observance of World Water Day and in taking action to achieve our collective goal of ensuring access to safe and adequate water, while guaranteeing sanitation for all. Access to water is a basic human right, not just a privilege of the wealthy few. We have a big task at hand: To provide sustainable supply to the millions of Filipinos who still do not have access to safe and clean water. This is especially needed during this time of global health crisis, when washing hands and good personal hygiene are among the best practices to fight and contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus and other infectious diseases. Paano malalabanan ang sakit, kung wala na ngang tubig na pamatid uhaw, ay wala ring panghugas ng kamay? We call on the concerned government agencies and private concessionaires to do their part in addressing water scarcity. We do not want to repeat the past mistakes or negligence of not providing an ample warning for water shortage that could have easily been mitigated or avoided if the families were properly informed. Governments and leaders around the world should also work double time in developing and implementing humane projects and infrastructure that can facilitate the supply of water and reduce the harmful effects of climate change. Tandaan po sana natin ang halaga ng tubig bilang bukal ng buhay. Alalahanin natin ang ating mga kababayan na nagkakapaltos ang paa at nagkakandakuba sa layo ng nilalakad, makapag-igib lang ng tubig. Sa bawat basura o duming itinatapon sa mga ilog at estero, isipin natin ang peligrong hatid nito sa panahon ng sakuna gaya ng pagbaha at delubyo. Sa halip na pagsasayang at pagkakait sa mas nangangailangan, hayaan naman nating umagos sa matagal nang mga nagdurusa ang pag-asa para sa isang marangal na pamumuhay. (Sgd.) LEILA M. DE LIMA PNP Custodial Center, Camp Crame 22 March 2020
Kerala has gone into a self-imposed shutdown following the call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to observe 'Janata Curfew' on Sunday that was fully supported by the state government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Barring essential services, all others including state transport utility Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Kochi Metro, autos and taxis, have suspended their operations.

Main roads and streets wore a deserted look with people choosing to stay indoors and the shops and establishments have also voluntarily downed shutters.

Extending solidarity to the Janata Curfew, Vijayan and his Cabinet ministers are spending the day in their respective residences.

Some state ministers also posted videos on social media which showed them cleaning their houses and adjoining premises putting the free time to good use as advised by the chief minister a day earlier.

Local administrations too have extended their full support to the Janata Curfew, the Fire fighting department carried out cleaning drive of roads and markets in a bid to keep the state safe from COVID-19.

Kerala has reported 52 COVID-19 cases so far, out of which 24 cases were reported in the the last 48 hours.

The state is, therefore, using the social distancing measure of Janata Curfew to good use. Temples, churches, and mosques in the state too followed the guidelines issued by the state government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reminded people to express their gratitude towards those who have been at the forefront of combating coronavirus and extending essential services without fearing for their safety.

"Do remember, 5 PM this evening for 5 minutes...Be on your terraces, balconies or windows to express gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 so that our nation becomes free from COVID-19," Modi tweeted.

In his address to the nation on Thursday, he had lauded the hard work of medical professionals, sanitation staff, airline crews, delivery persons and media personnel among others.

Modi had asked people to express gratitude to them by giving a five-minute standing ovation at 5 pm on Sunday by clapping, beating plates or ringing bells.

On PM's call, the country is observing 'Janta curfew', or a self-imposed home isolation by all citizens, on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Labour's controversial general secretary Jennie Formby will head a list of pro-Corbyn figures to be 'purged' by expected new party leader Sir Keir Starmer, it was claimed last night.

Backers of Sir Keir are urging him to stamp his authority on the party by replacing Ms Formby as well as removing party official Karie Murphy, a former chief of staff to outgoing leader Mr Corbyn.

Current party chairman and key Corbyn ally, Ian Lavery, is also expected to be sacked, with insiders saying that the new leader will need his own 'enforcer' to begin the process of ridding the party of 'lunatic Lefties'.

Labour's controversial general secretary Jennie Formby (pictrued) will head a list of pro-Corbyn figures to be 'purged' by expected new party leader Sir Keir Starmer, it was claimed last night

But one senior frontbencher loyal to Mr Corbyn warned last night that a Starmer purge of the Left would make a mockery of his claim to be the unity candidate.

The frontbencher said: 'If Keir comes in with a plan to settle scores, he will immediately alienate the Left.

'That won't bring us together  it'll split the party even further apart.'

With less than two weeks to go in the leadership race, Sir Keir is seen as the clear favourite ahead of so-called Corbyn continuity candidate Rebecca Long Bailey and former frontbencher Lisa Nandy.

Backers of Sir Keir are urging him to stamp his authority on the party by removing party official Karie Murphy (left) as well as current party chairman and key Corbyn ally, Ian Lavery (right)

Labour insiders say that Sir Keir has been careful not to 'trash' Mr Corbyn's record in order to woo the support of those of the party's 500,000-plus membership who are still loyal to the outgoing leader.

But one moderate MP said last night: 'That will have to change in one respect if and when he wins. 'He must remove key people who are too associated with the Corbyn era and put us back on the path to winning.'

The MP said that must include replacing general secretary Ms Formby and Ms Murphy as the two party officials too closely linked with the 'disaster' of the Corbyn era.

Sir Keir (left) is seen as the clear favourite ahead of so-called Corbyn continuity candidate Rebecca Long Bailey (right) and former frontbencher Lisa Nandy (centre)

He added that it was up to the party's ruling National Executive Committee to decide on replacing Ms Formby but that if Sir Keir won the leadership contest, the NEC would soon have a 'pro-Starmer majority'.

Last night, insiders said one possible replacement as the party's chief official would be Labour's former head of governance, Emilie Oldknow.

Chester MP Chris Matheson has been mentioned as a possible candidate as the new party chairman who would act as Sir Keir's 'enforcer' within the party structure. Sir Keir could not be reached for comment last night.

But one supporter doubted that he would begin his leadership if he won by 'picking fights with colleagues'.

The result of the contest is announced on April 4.
Yoga Guru Ramdev on Sunday appealed to people to make 'Janta curfew' successful by being responsible and staying at home. He also appealed to people to perform Yoga to live a healthy life.

"We have to make this Janta curfew a success by staying at home and being responsible. Senior citizens and children should stay home for at least one month and should adopt a healthy lifestyle by doing meditation and Yoga to fight the coronavirus," Ramdev told ANI.

On being asked about the lockdown of the country he said that the upcoming two months are very crucial for the nation.

"The upcoming two months are very crucial for the country. We are going through stage three of the disease and if this turns into a community spread our nation would face immense difficulty in controlling it," he said.

He said that India does not have enough hospitals and ventilator beds for treating a huge number of infected people by the pandemic.

"Everyone needs to be very careful, patient and should follow government instructions to tackle the disease successfully," he said.

He also performed some 'asans', aimed to boost the immunity of the body, that may be helpful in fighting the coronavirus.

The nation is observing 'Janta curfew' today after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid emphasis on individual "determination" and "restraint through social distancing" in fighting the global pandemic and called for a 'Janta curfew' today to prepare for challenges of the future.

Following Prime Minister Modi's message, several famous personalities including politicians from various parties, sportsmen and celebrities have also come out in support of the social exercise.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While March is Fraud Prevention Month, Brandon police are reminding Brandonites that fraudsters work every day of the year  and being aware of the scams helps protect people from falling victim.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/3/2020 (662 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Brandon Police Service public information officer Sgt. Kirby Sararas is warning the public that fraudsters are still at it. (File)

While March is Fraud Prevention Month, Brandon police are reminding Brandonites that fraudsters work every day of the year  and being aware of the scams helps protect people from falling victim.

As of Feb. 29, 7,804 Canadians have reported frauds, and 4,119 Canadians have fallen victim to fraud, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

In 2019, 19,285 people across Canada were victims of fraud, losing $98 million to various schemes.

"All frauds are preventable if you know the signs," said Brandon Police Service spokeswoman Kirby Sararas. "If you are aware of these trends that are out there, you can stop this from happening to yourself and you wont be the victim."

Locally, a common phone scam thats been going around is fraudsters pretending to be government or police agencies asking for money to avoid prosecution or arrest, Sararas said.

Theres different messaging that can be used in order to get people to go further into the conversation, Sararas said, and the fraudster asks for some sort of payment to avoid a warrant or further legal consequences.

Some of these callers can even clone the phone number of a legitimate government agency  such as Brandon Police Service  to show up on call display.

"No government agency is going to request payment in order to mitigate prosecution or a warrant for your arrest  thats not how we do business," Sararas said. "If someone is demanding payment and if you dont pay youll be arrested, thats a red flag."

The safe transaction exchange zone outside of the Brandon Police Service headquarters. (Submitted)

If a caller is asking you to send money in the form of a gift card or bitcoin, that is also a huge red flag, Sararas said.

"These things are very hard for authorities to trace, and its near impossible for authorities to get complainants money back or to be able to prosecute because often the fraudsters are not in our jurisdiction, or even in Canada," Sararas said.

Another phone scam that has been resurfacing recently is the grandparent scam, where fraudsters pose as a child or a grandchild in need of help, she said.

Once the caller gets someone on the line thinking theyre speaking with their relative, the call is transferred to a supposed lawyer who tells the victim that their loved one is in serious financial trouble and needs help.

"A lot of people dont realize that its not actually their family member who is making this request until theyve already sent thousands of dollars," Sararas said. "We have not noticed this (scam) here lately, but I have heard its cropping up in other areas."

If you get a robocall, the best thing to do is to just hang up, Sararas said.

"Far too often, Canadians are too polite and I think a lot of these fraudsters are trained to keep us on the line by baiting us  knowing in our nature were going to be polite and stay on the line," Sararas said. "Dont even continue, just hang up."

An ongoing scam that often targets people online is catfishing, Sararas said, where fraudsters pretend to be someone else online to lure someone into a relationship and, eventually, coax money from them.

Catfishing scams prey on the young and the old  anyone who is vulnerable, lonely and looking for someone in their life, Sararas said.

"It does happen here, but unfortunately people who do fall victim are either so involved with the person who is scamming them, is so brainwashed that they dont accept, arent aware or dont acknowledge that they are the victim of a fraud," Sararas said. "If they do come to terms with the fact theyre being scammed, its really embarrassing for them to come forward."

Because of this, Sararas said catfishing scams are under-reported.

"It is important for family members and loved ones to recognize those signs and have a conversation with that individual if you see the signs," Sararas said.

Scammers even lurk on local buy-and-sell pages, Sararas said, such as Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji and eBrandon.

"If someone gets an offer from someone wanting to purchase whatever theyre selling, and the person says theyre going to send a moving company to pick up the item, or they send a cheque worth way more than the asking price and ask (the seller) to mail the difference back to them  thats a scam," Sararas said.

Buyers and sellers are encouraged to meet in a neutral place, Sararas said, such as the safe exchange zone in the parking lot of the Brandon police station.

"People are more than welcome to buy and sell in our parking lot where it is monitored and they can feel safe and secure," Sararas said. "I also recommend only accepting cash. We still see a lot of cheque frauds and people trying to pass third-party cheques, altered cheques or stolen cheques."

If you receive a fraudulent call or other type of scam, you can report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or through the website at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.

If you are the victim of a scam and have sent money to an individual, or believe youve come across a new fraud police might not yet be aware of, contact BPS at 204-729-2345.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
He lost everything in Oz bushfire, now Covid fear delays his return

It was just before Christmas last year when personnel of the Australian police urgently knocked on the doors of a resident of Bega Valley district in New South Wales, some seven hours away from Sydney. Evacuate now, the personnel told him.

The resident, a doctor, quickly gathered whatever belongings he could, dumped them in his car and left. Within a matter of hours, the deadly bushfires in Bega Valley swallowed his house and all that remained was ashes.

The doctor, Akash Raj Saxena, who hails from Hyderabad, was shattered and so was his family back in the city.

I will return but it may take a couple of months more, he told them even as he tried to pick up the pieces.

But the turbulence in his life seems unending. If Australian bushfires snatched away everything he had, the deadly coronavirus has come in the way of his return to Hyderabad. His repeated attempts to get in touch with the Indian High Commission in Australia have proved futile.

I had booked my ticket to India for April 4 and was looking forward to return to Hyderabad. But the worldwide coronavirus outbreak has ruined my plans. Over the last fortnight, I have repeatedly tried to get in touch with the Indian High Commission but no one is answering or even getting back despite leaving several messages. I dont know what to do now, Dr Saxena told Deccan Chronicle over phone from Australia.

Still trying to come to terms with the massive loss he suffered in the bushfire, Dr Saxena says he is lucky to be alive despite the bushfires ruining everything around him.

While the Indian government has banned all international flights, the Australian government has advised people like us not to travel at least till June. The last four months of my life have been very depressing and when I was looking forward to visit my family coronavirus has ruined it, he says recalling how he was not able to communicate with his family during bushfires as all network was down.

There was complete blackout here for major part of January. By mid-February, when things started looking normal came the news of coronavirus by the month-end and now everything has gone haywire, Dr Saxena says.

He says that he has not yet given up his efforts to contact the Indian High Commission.

I lost my mother four years ago and my father is old now. My brother also does not keep well. I have to be in Hyderabad at least by June otherwise things will get very difficult for me here and my family in Hyderabad, he said.

Dr Saxena says that while the situation due to coronavirus is getting worse in Australia, it has come as a double blow for people like him who suffered heavily due to the bushfire and now due to the killer virus.

With reports now emerging that coronavirus cases could explode in India in the near future, I am worried about when I would be home. Though I am making efforts from my side, I am keeping my fingers crossed, he says
New Delhi/Tehran, March 22 : The Supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Sunday accused the US of spreading novel coronavirus, furthering the ongoing hostility between the two countries.

So far, over 1,500 people have died and around 21,000 infected in Iran by the deadly covid-19, which originated in Wuhan city of China. In the US, 348 people have been killed and over 26,000 tested positive for the virus.

On Sunday, Iran's supreme religious leader, Ali Khamenei, tweeted, "The US government has declared a few times that they are ready to help Iran with medicines to fight the Corona outbreak." "That's strange," Khamenei remarked sarcastically. "First, based on the words of your own officials, you face shortages in the US. So use what you have for your own patients." "Second, you're accused of having created coronavirus. I don't know how true it is. But when there's such an allegation, can a wise man trust you? You could be giving medicines that spread the virus or cause it to remain. Experience shows you can't be trusted and you do such things." On Tuesday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had blamed China and the Iranian regime for the "Wuhan virus" and called Tehran an accomplice of Beijing. "Instead of focusing on the needs of the Iranian people and accepting genuine offers of support, senior Iranians lied about the Wuhan virus outbreak for weeks," Pompeo had said.

Three days later, the Trump administration imposed new rounds of sanctions against Iran, amid growing calls for lifting economic pressure on the Islamic republic. The US, however, said humanitarian assistance to Iran was wide open and not sanctioned.

"We are doing everything we can to facilitate the humanitarian assistance moving in and to make sure that the financial transactions connected to that can take place as well. There is no sanction on medicines going to Iran, there is no sanctions on humanitarian assistance going into that country. They've got a terrible problem there and we want that humanitarian, medical assistance to get to the people of Iran," Pompeo on Friday said.

The Iranian government has imported over 170 million masks from abroad and sought $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to fight the pandemic.
Medha Dutta Yadav By

Portraiture is his calling card and the camera is his weapon. Two iconic images that come to mind when the work of photographer Rohit Chawla is mentioned are of Vikram Seth and contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. The Vikram Seth image appeared on a magazine cover in 2014 and spoke volumes on the Supreme Court judgement on Section 377 which dealt with the issue of decriminalising homosexuality.

Says Chawla, The credit goes entirely to the writer who agreed to do something as unconventional as that. The Suitable Boy author was captured most unsuitablywith unruly hair and unshaven face, holding up a board stating: Im not a criminal. Chawla recalls, When I landed up at his (Seths) place at seven in the morning, he opened the door in this state. Rather than let him shave and dress properly, I insisted on shooting him the way he was. Reluctantly, he agreed. The incident summarises what Rohit Chawla is aboutinsistence on the unconventional aesthetic of reality and making a statement. He wants his images to be as honest as possible. They are about me and my subject, he says.

Lack of ceremony makes each image stand out. Rohits career curve began with advertising, which he outgrew to choose magazine work. I got tired of creating the beautiful lie. I soon realised that I enjoyed journalistic work more than advertising, he smiles. He believes in the power of the staged image.

Merely shooting a monument at dusk or a man sleeping on a rickshaw or a wrinkled face in Ladakh wont cut it anymore. You can succeed only by creating a language of your own, he says. Ai Weiweis photo, shot in Lesbos in Greece on the lines of the drowned three-year-old Syrian boys viral image, raised uncomfortable questions. At the end of the day, a photographer is only known for about 10-15 great images, he signs off. Chawla is still shooting.

A believer in making a statement, Chawla wants his images to be honest. Lack of ceremony makes them stand out.
The mission of Island Harvest Food Bank is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island. The PSEG Foundation provided the Island Harvest Food Bank a grant of $45,000 to address rising food insecurity, including children who do not have access to school feeding programs because their schools are temporarily closed because of the public health crisis. Island Harvest Food Bank, which relies mostly on donations of surplus food by commercial food establishments, wholesalers, supermarkets, and individuals, has seen a decline in those donations recently. The grant will purchase food to ensure an uninterrupted supply for people who rely on supplemental feeding programs served by Island Harvest Food Bank.

"PSEG Long Island employee volunteers support Island Harvest throughout the year," said Daniel Eichhorn, president and COO, PSEG Long Island and Island Harvest board member. "During this difficult time, we are grateful that the PSEG Foundation is able to provide this grant to continue our support and help Island Harvest's efforts."

"Island Harvest Food Bank is grateful for the generous support of PSEG Long Island employees and the PSEG Foundation to help us increase our efforts to get much-needed food support to people in Nassau and Suffolk counties impacted by the coronavirus pandemic," said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. "PSEG Long Island is a longtime, valued partner in our hunger-relief efforts, and their generosity will help us through some of the extraordinary roadblocks we are encountering, including purchasing large quantities of food to meet the demands during these uncertain times."

The PSEG Foundation is a 501c3, not-for-profit organization that aims to build sustainable and thriving communities by fostering equity, safety, and diversity and inclusion, as well as supporting the environment, education and workforce development in the communities we serve. The PSEG Foundation provides grants to groups in communities served by PSEG and its subsidiaries; Foundation giving is separate and distinct from PSEG Long Island's operational budget.

PSEG Long Island customers that are experiencing difficulties as a result of the outbreak and would like additional time to pay bills are encouraged to visit www.psegliny.com/myaccount.

To stay connected with PSEG Long Island and manage their accounts, customers can log into My Account, chat or email, register for MyAlerts for text and email updates, download the free PSEG Long Island mobile app, and follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and Twitter.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Food pantries, mobile markets and home-delivery services for low-income families on Staten Island remain operational, even as most other services in New York shut down to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Weve seen a little more traffic than normal, but thats why were here," said Rev. Kathlyn Barrett-Layne, as she helped package food Saturday at Reach Out and Touch Ministries in Port Richmond.

Barrett-Layne and other food pantry and delivery workers are among those New Yorkers placing themselves on the front line in the midst of a global pandemic thats now resulted in a citywide shutdown.

Project Hospitality on Staten Islands North Shore announced recently it would begin serving soup kitchen take out and prepared food pantry bags.

In a recent Facebook post, the group explained that many of its workers are seniors, and therefore, more at risk of dying if infected with the virus.

We have taken precautions to reduce health risks Including the practice of social distance even as we keep the needs of the poor close to us," read the post.

On Friday, photos showed the groups executive director, Rev. Terry Troia, donning a mask as she helped in delivering meals to Staten Islanders in COVID-19 isolation.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

At Our Lady of Good Counsel food pantry in Tompkinsville, a donation-by-appointment policy has been waived in light of the pandemic.

Anyone who comes in who needs food, well give it to them," said pantry worker Oscar Lopez.

Unfortunately, said Lopez, the number of food donations for the 50 or so families serviced at the pantry have dipped. He speculated that people are scared to come in.

On Saturday, City Harvest continued to distribute produce to the Stapleton Houses and Harbor Houses in Mariners Harbor as part of the mobile markets program. Workers have adjusted operations to comply with CDC guidelines for social distancing," a spokeswoman said.

With NYC public schools closing, City Harvest is committed to continuing operations to feed all children and families in need of food right now, and our Board is tripling all gifts. Visit https://t.co/bQip9Z28wQ to donate now. #wearecityharvest pic.twitter.com/EKbFSmLc2b  City Harvest (@CityHarvest) March 17, 2020

In addition to food, service organizations across Staten Island are asking for sanitizer, wipes, masks and Lysol.

There are some places where it is nearly impossible to reduce risk, read the Project Hospitality post. The church-based shelters that still open their doors each night to strangers whom we call friends, to volunteers who lay down their lives each night next to the homeless who call these church cots home. Please pray for all our volunteers and our staff."

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Michael Abadies love for the ao dai  Vietnam's traditional long gown  began nearly 30 years ago when he first saw his then-future wife donning the traditional attire in New York City.

American expat Abadie has spent the last three decades photographing Vietnamese women donning the traditional dress in Ho Chi Minh City, where he has chosen to settle with a Vietnamese wife who also shares his love of photography.

It is not rare to catch Abadie roaming downtown Ho Chi Minh City taking photographs of local women in ao dai  a tight-fitting, long-sleeved silk dress worn with silk pants typically on national occasions, such as the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, or in schools and universities on particular days of the week.

After 30 years of photographing Vietnamese women, the walls of Abadies house in Binh Thanh District are now covered in his photos, with those that he has deemed not worthy enough to put on display filling the entirety of five portable hard drives.

To Abadie, the collection is so sacred he has even shipped two of his photo-filled hard drives to the U.S. for safe-keeping.

A picture says a thousand words

When he is not out asking ao dai-clad women to take photos, Abadie spends his time sitting with his wife, poring over pictures from his massive collection, reminiscing of the unique story behind each shot. The connection he feels to each photo is, perhaps, one of the main reasons why he rarely exhibits his work.

The photos are a rainbow, not just a collage of different colored ao dai, but a blend of Vietnams diversity.

Though many of his subjects are Kinh  an ethnicity that accounts for 85 percent of Vietnams population, Abadies work is, in fact, a celebration of the Vietnamese women of all ethnicities and from all walks of life.

Dozens of his photos feature ethnic minority women donning traditional Hue-style purple ao dai, HMong ethnic women from the countrys northern mountains, rural Kinh women who still traditionally blacken their teeth believing it gives them beauty, and urban high school girls in Ho Chi Minh City heading to and from school.

The collection amounts to more than a million photos cataloging the evolution of style and street life in Vietnam, all centered around the countrys traditional dress, people, and landscape.

Currently, he spends his time snapping photos on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street, Pham Ngoc Thach Street, and occasionally Nguyen Van Binh  the citys famed book street.

Each woman who allows him to take her photos is gifted an email account to access the pictures and a compliment spoken in Vietnamese.

The journey to Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam first made its way onto Abadies radar in April 1976, when he met his then-future wife, Tuyet Le, in New York City. According to Abadie, it was love at first sight. Soon, Le became Abadies first ao dai model and the couple would spend hours together taking pictures, with Abadie photographing Le in a white high school ao dai she had brought with her when she moved to the U.S. from Vietnam. It was not long before the two tied the knot.

In 1985, Les relatives visited the couple in the U.S., arousing Abadies curiosity about his wifes home country.

Three years later, in 1988, Abadie and Le decided to try and visit Vietnam though, at the time, it was extremely difficult for Americans to obtain a Vietnamese visa.

Eventually, with the help of a tolerant ambassador, they were given permission to enter the country via Thailand.

On November 22, 1988, Abadie and Le touched down at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and were astounded at the thousands of bicycles weaving their way through the city streets. Abadie was so enamored he immediately started snapping photos.

Between 1988 and 1995, the couple visited Vietnam for one month each year, during which time Abadie would take many photos of Vietnamese women in ao dai near the countrys popular tourist destinations and landmarks.

When Vietnam and the United States finally normalized relations in 1995, the couple made a permanent move to the Southeast Asian country where Abadie began work as a risk manager for a petroleum company.

The friendly smiles on [the Vietnamese people's] faces have stayed the same over the last several decades, he said.

When asked by an Australian traveler on a bus whether or not he liked Vietnam, Abadies response was simple: If not I would have gone back to the States ages ago!

American Michael Abadie and one of his dogs in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Ngoc Hien / Tuoi Tre

Happy wife, happy life

Abadie is proud of the relationship he has kept with his models over the years, and Le insists that she is more than happy that he has been pursuing his passion.

Le explained that she is not bothered that her husband prefers to take photos of other women, rather than using her as a model.

According to Abadie, he is fortunate to have a Vietnamese woman who understands him and has faith in his work.

To him, having a wife who shares his passion is lifes greatest delight.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
In the last three months, the world has been ravaged by the Covid-19 outbreak.

As at Sunday, over 180 countries including Nigeria have reported at least a case of the disease.

Cases have continued to rise in Europe, the U.S, Asia and Africa.

In Nigeria, the number of infections is still increasing, while the country is also battling its perennial Lassa fever outbreak.

Here is a round up of some of the stories which made headlines last week.

Coronavirus: Over 300,000 people now affected globally as Nigeria records 27 cases

The number of confirmed cases in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic across the world surpassed 300,000 Sunday morning, data from worldometers.info has shown.

In spite of efforts by many governments to block its path, the virus continued to spread across many countries in Europe, the U.S. and Africa over the weekend.

As at time of reporting, the virus has spread to all continents except Antarctica. At least a case of coronavirus has been reported in 188 countries, including Nigeria.

As at Sunday 11:15 GMT, a total of 311,982 people have been infected with 13,071 deaths reported globally.

Coronavirus: Lagos nightclubs continue operations despite govt directive

Despite rising cases of confirmed coronavirus infections in Nigeria, some night clubs in Lagos are still defying governments advisory and remained open to their customers.

PREMIUM TIMES visited eight night clubs across the nations commercial capital on Saturday evening and observed that six of them were bustling with revellers, despite warnings against mass gatherings as a way of stalling the spread of coronavirus.

PREMIUM TIMES visited Aways Lounge, Swallows Place, Daizey Lounge, Spicy Lounge and Lavalon Lounge  all operating around high-brow Lekki -Ajah neighbourhoods.

Coronavirus: Abuja records fourth confirmed case

Another new case of COVID-19 has been reported in Abuja, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has disclosed.

This implies Abuja now has four cases of COVID-19.

The new case was reported at 11:00 a.m. Three of the previous cases in the Nigerian capital were reported last week.

Coronavirus: NMA directs striking doctors to resume work

Barely three days after resident doctors in Abuja declared an indefinite strike, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) directed that all unions affiliated to it should go back to work until the ongoing Coronavirus (Covid-19) is contained.

All Nigerian doctors are members of NMA as other doctors associations like the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) are affiliate members.

The ARD members are protesting, among others, the failure of the government to make complete payment of their over two months basic salaries.

Coronavirus: Global death toll over 10,000

The global death toll from the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak has exceeded 10,000, data from worldometers. info has shown.

As of Friday 08:09 GMT, the number of infections has increased to 246, 464 and killed 10,049 worldwide.

Also, 182 countries have reported at least a case of COVID-19. This implies that only about 15 countries have not reported a case.

Woman With Coronavirus Gives Birth To Healthy Baby

A woman who tested positive for coronavirus gave birth to a healthy baby at an Athens hospital, Greek media reported on Thursday.

The 24-year-old woman and her partner had both tested positive before the delivery on Wednesday, but the first test on the baby came back negative for COVID-19.

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The virus is not transmitted by the placenta, the director of maternity at Attikon Hospital told Greek national broadcaster ERT.

South Africa Fortifies Border Fence With Zimbabwe Over Coronavirus

South Africa said Thursday it would erect or repair 40 kilometres (25 miles) of fence along its border with Zimbabwe to secure porous entry points in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Meandering along the Limpopo river, the Beitbridge border between South Africa and Zimbabwe is prone to illegal crossovers, especially by economic migrants who often crawl through broken sections of the fence.

Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille announced she had invoked emergency procurement procedures to build or repair fencing on either side of the Beitbridge Border post

Group decries increasing rate of drug abuse among youth

An Enugu-based group, Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP), has expressed dismay at the rising wave of drug abuse among the youth in Nigeria.

The Programme Manager of the organisation, Evelyn Joseph, said this in Enugu on Friday at a two-day media training organised by the Society and funded by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

According to her, a survey conducted by National Bureau of Statistics and Centre for Research and Information in Substance Abuse showed that 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15 to 64 had used drugs.
This season sees all kinds of newness in swimwear at Brown Thomas, with the store adding five new brands to its line-up. Fashion-fans' favourite Ganni meets the demand from customers who require pieces than can easily be worked into an apres-beach look.

"You can imagine someone pairing this [Ganni swimsuit on page 19] with a skirt, and it would look fabulous," says Brown Thomas lingerie and swimwear buyer, Rachelle Hanley. Swimwear is where the most promising developments in eco-friendly fabrics are happening, something Ganni prioritises, using recycled nylon throughout its range.

"That's something we're really seeing coming through with swimwear - it's one of the areas leading the charge with eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics," Rachelle says. "Often, recycled nylon and polyester fabrics have a water-resistant factor to them. Almost every brand is using recycled materials for some part of their collection; that's only going to increase.

Eres - a brand owned by Chanel and previously only available in Eres's own stores - is new, and exclusive, to Brown Thomas this season. "They have a lovely pared-back, French aesthetic," Rachelle says of the label, adding, "They manufacture everything themselves, so all of their fabrics are completely unique to them. Everything has an element of support and lift, so they are a great go-to investment brand."

If you're after an absolute over-the-top vibe, see WeWoreWhat, American influencer Danielle Bernstein's line, which will go in-store next month. The aesthetic - crop tops with puff sleeves; large frilled details on shoulders - reflects the fact that as we are increasingly less likely to sit in the sun to tan, we are equally less interested in basic shapes that are designed to avoid tan lines.

"That's what you're seeing in the bikinis, they're a bit more statement-piece. It's about showcasing your style as much as you would with your clothes at any other time," Rachellle says.

Also new to the store this season is Balmain, which offers a pared-back, sporty, monochrome look. For fans of the brand, details from their signature mainline pieces have been worked into the swimwear collection.

Dolce&Gabbana's swimwear line is also new, and is already in store; expect its hallmark beautiful floral prints. "It's about buying something that is going to make you feel great about yourself, will be supportive, and is made of really good-quality material," Rachelle says of spring/summer 2020.

Priorities we can certainly get on board with.

Photography by Polina Vinogradova

Video of the Day

Styling by Darren Feeney

Words by Liadan Hynes
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 18:53:08|Editor: mingmei

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Workers from Macheng City of Hubei Province arrive at Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, March 22, 2020. The chartered buses carrying 216 workers from Hubei Province arrived at Kunshan City on Sunday. It's the first batch of chartered buses dispatched from Jiangsu Province to low-risk areas of Hubei Province to help workers there return to work here. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)
As the spread of the Coronavirus continues and hospitals are struggling to provide basic kits to healthcare workers on the frontlines, tech companies are really eager to help. The latest announcement comes from Apple, which says that theyll be shipping 2 million N95 face masks for healthcare workers across hospitals in Europe and the US. In the past 24 hours, cases of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, have spiked in the US, while European countries such as Italy, UK, Germany, France and Spain already have their healthcare systems in a state of overload.

Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19. Were donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you, says Tim Cook in a tweet, in the early hours of today. This has also been announced by the US Vice-President Mike Pence. Protective equipment supplies are in serious short supply in hospitals in US and Europe, putting healthcare professionals caring for Coronavirus patients, at great risk of catching the infection themselves.

Yesterday, Alibaba founder Jack Ma announced they are sending emergency medical supplies to various countries in Asia as they struggle with the Coronavirus. Go Asia! We will donate emergency supplies (1.8M masks, 210K test kits, 36K protective suits, plus ventilators & thermometers) to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka. Delivering fast is not easy, but we'll get it done! he said. Alibaba has also donated as many as 2 million masks and medical protective equipment for healthcare workers in many countries in Europe as well as 500000 testing kits and 100000 masks for medical professionals in the US too. Xiaomi Italy had also tweeted earlier this month that they are donating N95 face masks to the Italian Civil Protection Department.

Apple had earlier announced that they are making $15 million donations to fight the COVID-19 spread. The company has also closed physical retail stores in all regions except Greater China till further notice and has informed Apple Card users that they can skip the payments for the month of March without interest.
Cesar Pastrana, 33, was killed during a fight with another inmate earlier this week, according to authorities in Georgia

Cesar Pastrana, 33, was killed during a fight with another inmate in Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia, last Friday, eight years into his life sentence for multiple counts of child sex abuse.

A Georgia Department of Corrections spokesman said Pastranas death was being investigated as a homicide, but refused to say how he was killed, whether it was connected to his crime, or name the man suspected of killing the pervert.

'Agents have reason to believe offender Cesar Pastrana died as a result of injuries sustained during an altercation involving another inmate on March 13,' GDC said in a statement.

'Medical personnel responded and life saving measures were performed.

'He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 12:15pm by a hospital physician.'

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Pastrana was first arrested in February 2012, days after a weekend-long lock-in event sponsored by the citys NorthStar Church, where he worked as a volunteer.

Pastrana was sentenced to life in prison at Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia (seen above). He admitted in court to molesting several boys in 2011

Another adult at that event was told about claims Pastrana had molested minors at an event held at his home in 2011.

One of the youngster suffered a physical injury as a result of the abuse he endured.

Pastrana initially denied the claims against him, and was axed from his role by the church.

He later admitted his crimes including child molestation and sodomy in court.

Two of the nine children he targeted were relatives.

Pastrana had previously been dismissed from a teaching assistant job at a school after inappropriate conduct towards a student.

He passed a background check before starting work at NorthStar.
A total of 128 samples of likely to be coronavirus cases were tested out of which 4 are positive while 107 samples were found negative and results of 17 samples are awaited, West Bengal's Health and Family Welfare Department said on Sunday.

"West Bengal government has strengthened the surveillance and control measures against the disease. A total of 128 samples of likely to be coronavirus cases were tested out of which 4 are positive while 107 samples were found positive and results of 17 samples are awaited," West Bengal's Health and Family Welfare Department said in a bulletin on coronavirus.

"Till date 22725travelers from COVID-19 affected countries have been identified and placed under surveillance. For 616 of them, the surveillance period has been over.40 are admitted in isolation facility on date. Rest 20745 are under home surveillance. As of today total 80063 travelers/persons have been screened at Kolkata and Bagdogra Airport and 516979 persons have been screened at seven Land Border Check Points along Nepal and Bangladesh. Also, 4964 crew members of ships have been screened in three Ports," the bulletin added.

The bulletin also claimed that the health condition of all persons under surveillance is stable including both the patients admitted in Isolation.

"A 24X7 control room is operating in the State Head Quarter. Isolation facilities with a total of 428 beds have been arranged in different Medical Colleges, District Hospitals, Sub-divisional Hospitals and Multi-specialty Hospitals across the State," the bulletin read.

The health department also advised people to take precautionary measures to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"People at large should follow the cough etiquette by covering the nose and mouth using handkerchief/towel while sneezing/coughing and do frequent hand-washing with soap and water. Those who have arrived from the COVID-19 affected countries should remain under home quarantine for 14days from the date of arrival in India, even if they do not have any symptoms," department advised through the bulletin.

Earlier today, the state government had ordered the suspension of all interstate bus services till March 31 as a preventive measure to check the spread of coronavirus.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in India rose to 341 on Sunday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

A total of 16,999 samples from 16,109 individuals have been tested for COVID-19 as of 10:00 am on March 22, as per ICMR data.

India reported two deaths today from the highly contagious virus - one each in Maharashtra and Bihar - taking the tally to six, as per state authorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday evening ordered a lockdown of Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts, besides 14 other districts in the state, from March 23 to 25. The other districts facing a lockdown are Agra, Lucknow, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lakhimpur Khiri, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Kanpur, Meerut, Aligarh, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Pilibhit and Saharanpur.

The districts under the Phase-1 of lockdown will be cleaned and sanitised. Police patrolling will continue in these districts. We appeal to the people not to move out to public places and also to perform their religious duties at home. The lockdown will be from March 23 till March 25 and a review will be taken up on March 23, CM Adityanath said.

The lockdown was announced after the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister held a meeting with chief secretaries of all states. The state governments were advised to allow only essential services to operate in 75 districts, where Covid-19 cases or casualties have been confirmed. The state governments were told to increase the list as required.

People across the state stayed indoors on Sunday, in view of the Janta Curfew call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from 7am to 9pm. The UP CM had advised people not to move out after 9pm.

We are waiting for the detailed order from the state government and the list of measures that will be taken during the lockdown, said BN Singh, district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar.

Ghaziabad district magistrate, Ajay Shankar Pandey, could not be reached despite repeated attempts.

Ghaziabads senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kalanidhi Naithai, said on Sunday evening, The store owners who deal in essential commodities like milk, vegetables, ration, grocery, medical supplies, etc, should open their shops. In case anyone tells them to shut their shops, they should immediately contact the police on 9454403434.

Public transportation is also set to be affected with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced the suspension of all Metro services until March 31.

A spokesperson for DMRC said that all the estimated 290-odd trains will be at the depots, where regular cleaning and sanitisation will take place. At present, about 62 lakh passengers use the DMRC network every day.

The Noida police, following the lockdown announcement, shut Noidas borders with Delhi and Ghaziabad. However, ambulances and vehicles ferrying essential commodities were exempted from the enforcement.

The movement of public from Noida to Delhi and other neighbouring places has been restricted, but the essential services will continue, Shriparna Gongulee, additional commissioner of police (Noida), said.

The CM also announced that UP State Road Transportation Corporations interstate buses and buses to Nepal have been suspended. During the lockdown period, UPSRTC bus services will be suspended and interstate connectivity will be shut. People should avoid public gatherings, as a small lapse can result in problems. There will be continuous patrolling by police. About 3,000 four-wheelers and about 1500 two-wheelers will be deployed to help people with various issues, including getting essential supplies. We will ensure that all PRV112 will stand for helping people, Adityanath added.

He said that about 2,200 vehicles of the 108 (ambulance) helpline, 2,270 vehicles of the 102 (ambulance) helpline and another 250 advanced life support-ambulances are in deployment to ferry people to hospitals.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Peeyush Khandelwal Peeyush Khandelwal writes on a range of issues in western Uttar Pradesh  from crime, to development authorities and from infrastructure to transport. Based in Ghaziabad, he has been a journalist for almost a decade. ...view detail
As women globally celebrate the 2020 mothering Sunday, the Archbishop, Province on the Niger, and Bishop of Awka Diocese (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Chibuzor Alexander Ibezim has advocated for more empowerment and integration of women for new scopes and opportunities, towards ensuring and promoting societal balance and equity.

This was contained in a goodwill message released by the Bishop, to herald the celebration, and in which he also frowned at the perceived injustices being meted out to women in the global society.

According to him (quoting the United Nations), the labour force participation rate for women aged 2554 is 63% compared to 94% for men; a global mismatch, he opined, shows that women and girls continued to be segregated in work places and by extension suffering from extreme poverty.

He condemns, in its entirety, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) or Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), which he described as a 'global pandemic' that affects one in 3 women.

He said, "Let me use this mothering Sunday to call on companies in Nigeria to be gender sensitive by building an inclusive workplace in order to entrench gender diversity in workplace.

"I am of the believe that in order to attract and retain talented women in companies gender diversity would be a deliberate act by the industry to give opportunity for more women to join the labour force. This, I believe will not only bring about inclusiveness and dynamism in the economy but will engineer competitiveness and growth in the companies.

"I passionately appeal to companies and organizations to discard gender inequality in workplace and promote gender diversity by integrating women for new scopes and opportunities needed for societal balance."

He expressed optimism that a deliberate and collective rise against gender inequality would be a great step towards poverty reduction, sustainable development, good governance and a progressive society.

Reiterating that women empowerment brings in inclusive, fair and balanced society; the Anglican prelate said, "I advocate actions targeted at empowering women in all facets of life and career by shunning domination by a single sex in work places. Women should be considered in leadership roles and not be stereotyped or discriminated. Individuals, be they women or men, people with right attributes should be given leadership roles.

"I challenge women already in position to mentor others and as well assist other women to advance in their chosen careers. I encourage organizations to improve on their childcare support facilities as lack of childcare and inadequate childcare support from organizations reduce chances of female participation in some career belts.

"I warn that women should not be subjected to torture and harassment in workplaces as it deters them from aspiring to break the glass ceiling. Workplaces should not be unsympathetic to working mothers."

On the increasing rate of domestic violence, the Archbishop tasked women to imbibe the virtue of endurance and tolerance, and to continue showing love, allowing 'reason' to prevail and enjoying their marriage rather than kill their spouse whenever provoked.

He said, "Violence against women must not be tolerated, but women must bridle their tongues always and respect their husbands. Men, I charge you to love your wives.

"People should be able to jaw jaw and resolve their problems rather than resort to killing their spouse."

On $5bn Abacha loot, the Archbishop said, "I was shocked to hear that the Federal Government has no records on the spending of about $5 Billion Sani Abacha loot between 1999 and 2015.

"It is disgraceful for such a whopping amount to be retrieved ,spent and there is no records according to Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami. The FG said it has recovered $ 630 Million since 2018 of the $5b."

Reacting to the recent explosion that rocked Lagos State, Archbishop Ibezim said, "The news of the explosion took me aback as I am pained such could still happen to our people in this century.

"I commiserate with the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Archbishop Alfred Martins, for the disaster at Bethlehem Girls College, Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin Lagos for losing the Education Director, Administrator of the school and some students who died in the unfortunate fire incident.

"I commiserate also with other churches of Christ affected by the inferno after the blast, the government and people of Lagos State, as well as the families and relations of those who lost their lives, and property in the fire incident.

"May God console you all in Jesus Name. Amen."

Dr. Ibezim further used the opportunity to register his notions on some trending tropical cum societal issues, including Boko Haram insurgency, sex/cash for marks trend in the higher institution, ongoing ASUU warning strike, among others, calling on the appropriate authority to do the needful.
Finance Less Than 3% of US Citizens Overseas Report Foreign Accounts Each Year Reports Bambridge Accountants New York



21.03.2020 21:53:51 - FATCA is failing with less than 3% of US citizens overseas reporting foreign accounts each year according to a review by the Enrolled Agents and accountants Bambridge Accountants New York.



Under intrusive tax laws, US citizens are required to report foreign bank accounts and financial accounts to the IRS and the US Treasury each year or face penalties starting at $10,000.



(live-PR.com) - FATCA is failing with less than 3% of US citizens overseas reporting foreign accounts each year according to a review by the Enrolled Agents and accountants Bambridge Accountants New York.



Under intrusive tax laws, US citizens are required to report foreign bank accounts and financial accounts to the IRS and the US Treasury each year or face penalties starting at $10,000.



Less - FATCA is failing with less than 3% of US citizens overseas reporting foreign accounts each year according to a review by the Enrolled Agents and accountants Bambridge Accountants New York.Under intrusive tax laws, US citizens are required to report foreign bank accounts and financial accounts to the IRS and the US Treasury each year or face penalties starting at $10,000.Less than 3% of US citizens living abroad report their foreign accounts to the US

Of those that did report to the IRS, only 73% made the separate report to the US Treasury

Penalties for not reporting start at $10,000 for the IRS and a separate $12,921 for the US Treasury

The figures support the US Treasury report that the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is not working



The firm, which specializes in handling the tax affairs of US expats in London and UK expats in New York and California, has reviewed the reporting figures issued by the US Government Accountability Office.



If $10,000 or more is held outside the US in foreign bank accounts, investments and pensions, a report is required each year. The Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR, also known as FinCEN 114) is made to the US Treasury and filed online by June 15, 2020.



The most recent figures show only 204,009 US citizens living overseas made the report. Of an estimated 9 million US citizens living overseas, that is less than 3% who are reporting each year.



Failing to file the foreign assets report gives a penalty starting at $12,921.



In addition, you are also required to file a report of foreign assets in your US tax return if you are over the threshold  less than 1% of Americans overseas filed the report. The penalty for not filing is $10,000, increasing by $10,000 every 30 days to a maximum of $50,000.



The report from the US Treasury in 2018 on FATCA concluded "Despite Spending Nearly $380 Million, the Internal Revenue Service Is Still Not Prepared to Enforce Compliance With the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act".



The report made recommendations for the IRS - 1) establish follow-up procedures and initiate action to address error notices related to file submissions rejected; 2) initiate compliance efforts to address taxpayers who did not file a Form 8938 but who were reported on a Form 8966 filed by an FFI; 3) add guidance to the Form 8938 instructions to inform taxpayers on how to use the FFI List Search and Download Tool on the IRSs website; 4) initiate compliance efforts to address and correct missing or invalid TINs on Form 8966 filings by non-IGA FFIs and Model 2 IGA FFIs; 5) expand compliance efforts to address and correct the invalid TINs on all Form 1042-S filings by non-IGA FFIs and Model 2 IGA FFIs; and 6) initiate compliance efforts to compare Form 1099 filings with valid TINs to corresponding Form 8938 filings.



Alistair Bambridge, partner at Bambridge Accountants, explains: US expats can struggle with taxes, the law is complex, introducing the added level of reporting your foreign assets twice seems to have missed most Americans living overseas.



Many US expats are unaware they need to report all their financial accounts outside the US back to the US Treasury each year. These accounts are reported using the Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR - FinCEN 114). Although it is intrusive, there is nothing to pay as long as the FBAR forms are filed  if not, the penalties can be severe.



Contact Alistair Bambridge,



Bambridge Accountants has offices in London and New York, specializing in US expats around the world.



www.bambridgeaccountants.com

than 3% of US citizens living abroad report their foreign accounts to the USOf those that did report to the IRS, only 73% made the separate report to the US TreasuryPenalties for not reporting start at $10,000 for the IRS and a separate $12,921 for the US TreasuryThe figures support the US Treasury report that the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is not workingThe firm, which specializes in handling the tax affairs of US expats in London and UK expats in New York and California, has reviewed the reporting figures issued by the US Government Accountability Office.If $10,000 or more is held outside the US in foreign bank accounts, investments and pensions, a report is required each year. The Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR, also known as FinCEN 114) is made to the US Treasury and filed online by June 15, 2020.The most recent figures show only 204,009 US citizens living overseas made the report. Of an estimated 9 million US citizens living overseas, that is less than 3% who are reporting each year.Failing to file the foreign assets report gives a penalty starting at $12,921.In addition, you are also required to file a report of foreign assets in your US tax return if you are over the threshold  less than 1% of Americans overseas filed the report. The penalty for not filing is $10,000, increasing by $10,000 every 30 days to a maximum of $50,000.The report from the US Treasury in 2018 on FATCA concluded "Despite Spending Nearly $380 Million, the Internal Revenue Service Is Still Not Prepared to Enforce Compliance With the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act".The report made recommendations for the IRS - 1) establish follow-up procedures and initiate action to address error notices related to file submissions rejected; 2) initiate compliance efforts to address taxpayers who did not file a Form 8938 but who were reported on a Form 8966 filed by an FFI; 3) add guidance to the Form 8938 instructions to inform taxpayers on how to use the FFI List Search and Download Tool on the IRSs website; 4) initiate compliance efforts to address and correct missing or invalid TINs on Form 8966 filings by non-IGA FFIs and Model 2 IGA FFIs; 5) expand compliance efforts to address and correct the invalid TINs on all Form 1042-S filings by non-IGA FFIs and Model 2 IGA FFIs; and 6) initiate compliance efforts to compare Form 1099 filings with valid TINs to corresponding Form 8938 filings.Alistair Bambridge, partner at Bambridge Accountants, explains: US expats can struggle with taxes, the law is complex, introducing the added level of reporting your foreign assets twice seems to have missed most Americans living overseas.Many US expats are unaware they need to report all their financial accounts outside the US back to the US Treasury each year. These accounts are reported using the Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR - FinCEN 114). Although it is intrusive, there is nothing to pay as long as the FBAR forms are filed  if not, the penalties can be severe.Contact Alistair Bambridge, alistair@bambridgeaccountants.com , +1 646 956 5566.Bambridge Accountants has offices in London and New York, specializing in US expats around the world. Contact information:

Bambridge Accountants New York



442 Broadway, New York, 10013



Contact Person:

Alistair Bambridge

Partner

Phone: 646 956 5566

eMail: eMail



Web: http://www.bambridgeaccountants.com

Author:

Alistair Bambridge

e-mail

Web: http://bambridgeaccountants.com

Phone: 44 (0)20 3797 1432 21.03.2020 21:53:51 -

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.
- President Uhuru Kenyatta declared national prayer day in light of the current coronavirus situation in Kenya

- The Head of State led the nation in prayers held at State House on March 21 as the country grappled with COVID-19

- Several boda boda operators and mechanics held a similar service in Ruaka street where they were joined by members of the public

As President Uhuru Kenyatta was leading the nation in national prayers at the State House, boda boda riders and mechanics in Ruaka held a similar service over coronavirus.

In viral photos seen by TUKO.co.ke on Saturday, March 21, the boda boda operators knelt down on the street while lifting their hands up to seek God's grace as Kenya grappled with COVID-19.

READ ALSO: Body of missing Nation journalist found at City Mortuary

Boda boda riders praying at Ruaka shopping centre. Photo: Lemiso Sato Emmanuel.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Uhuru amjibu Makau Mutua, asema hata sayansi inahitaji maombi

The president had declared a national day of prayer after Ministry of Health announced the global infection had reached Kenya.

Earlier on the day, Uhuru asked members of the public to continue praying for Kenya saying it was only God who could command every sphere of human life regardless of the challenges.

The mechanics and boda boda prayers were joined by other members of the public for the prayers. Photo: Lemiso Sato Emmanuel.

Source: Facebook

The Head of State was reacting to lawyers Ahmednasir Abdullahi and Makau Mutua who had claimed the government needed to channel its energy to science instead of prayers to combat COVID-19.

"There are those who are saying we need to depend on science and not prayers. I want to tell them even science needs God. A nation prospers when it believes in it's maker. Our God is a listening God. Our national anthem recignises that; God of all Creations," Uhuru said.

President Uhuru (in shirt) led the country in prayers at the State House on March 21. Photo: State House Kenya.

Source: Facebook

By Friday, March 20, Kenya's confirmed cases were seven, however, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe warned the coming two weeks were critical as far as containment was concerned.

"Figures from other countries show that 14 days after getting the first patient there is a surge. It is better for us to get ready now," he noted.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly.

God is punishing Kenyans with Corona Virus: Corona Virus in Kenya | Tuko TV.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
I hope Gov. Phil Murphy will see Assembly Bill 3845 for what it is: a way to bypass the controls the governor wants to implement on businesses receiving grants and tax waivers from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The bill, which passed both houses of the Legislature unanimously under emergency procedures, broadly gives authority to the EDA to make grants during times of economic disruptions or declared state emergencies. The bill went to Murphys desk on March 19, in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

A-3845s vague wording provides no criteria or accountability for businesses that can receive tax breaks, possibly under controversial EDA programs that had been suspended. These corporate welfare programs favored a handful of politically connected businesses and executives, and they must be ended.

The current situation will certainly have a negative effect on New Jerseys precarious finances.

Some companies and people will always do the right thing, while others will see how they can profit from other peoples misery. That old saying about how the failure to learn from history dooms us to repeat our mistakes certainly applies to A-3845.

Carol Rhodes, Sewell

Trump acted on COVID-19 as others dithered on impeachment

In a letter earlier this month (Suddenly, Trumps serious about coronavirus hoax ), writer Paul Bunkin found fault with President Donald Trump regarding availability of tests for the coronavirus.

His opinion ignored the political timing of these new criticisms of Trump right after the unsuccessful impeachment attempt.

While the main dictionary definition of politics is something like pertaining to the art, development and practice of establishing government and governing, note that words can have more than one meaning.

A second meaning of politics could be the practice of expressing opinions to obtain results from elected officials and political parties, regardless of truth, accuracy, or adherence to good-governing principles.

An example of this second meaning is when one party throws mud at another, regardless of the first partys attempts at constructive plans to control a dreaded virus.

The news media and the Senate were still tied up with impeachment on Jan. 31, when Trump implemented a travel ban on entry to the United States from China, the original country that reported the outbreak. Trumps acquittal vote in the Senate did not occur until Feb. 5.

Todays prattle involves too many eligible voters who hate politics and do not vote, or vote in misdirected ways. We should follow the ideas of the Founding Fathers.

Gerald Keer, Turnersville

Imagine if outbreak took place 40 years ago

The coronavirus outbreak is making life increasingly difficult for many people.

But, there is one valuable device that we didn't have only a few short years ago.

With the advent of personal computers, there are two things that can be accomplished when employees and students have to be confined to their homes.

Students can continue their education remotely and many employees are able to work online.

David M. Levin, Vineland

Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Nancy Carter-Bradley is told her treatment will have to go on hold due to COVID-19

Nancy Carter-Bradley

A PENWOOD mother is feeling the effects of COVID-19 in a way that many people may not have thought possible.

Nancy Carter-Bradley, 44, has stage three brain cancer and last week was told that she may not be able to continue with her course of chemotherapy because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The mother of two, whose children went to Woolton Hill Junior School and The Clere, was first diagnosed with cancer in 2005.

Son Toby is now a soldier in the 1 Rifles and daughter Freya, who is currently at home in isolation with her parents, is a third year medical student at Cardiff University.

For the last 14 years Mrs Carter Bradley has been in remission until autumn last year, when she was told the cancer had returned.

As a result, she was immediately put on a course of chemotherapy for a year.

Just five months into the treatment, she was given the news by her oncologist at Charing Cross Hospital, London, on Thursday that her chemotherapy would have to stop.

Mrs Carter-Bradley, who has an Instagram account documenting her journey  @avocadofairy  posted a video to her 8,000 plus followers, after receiving the news, in which she says: I had a very difficult meeting with my oncologist whos basically had to put my chemotherapy for cancer on hold due to COVID-19.

The hospital is at full capacity already and for the foreseeable future the beds will be used for ventilated patients and all doctors are having to go and do frontline duties.

Obviously having my chemo stopped  paused, whatever  is absolutely terrifying, but I am not alone 

She said she has been contacted by 100s of people in the same predicament and she has created an Instagram hashtag #stayathometosavechemopatients, which since it went up on Thursday has already attracted posts from around the world.

At the end of the video, Mrs Carter-Bradley goes on to plead to people to take heed and follow Government guidelines to practice social distancing.

If youre out  if youre not following the guidelines  youre very likely to transmit this and make people ill and fill up the hospitals and then people like me cant have my treatment.

She may have to wait a further three months before the chemotherapy is resumed because no-one will be available to run the clinics, so she is currently looking for some other way of receiving the treatment she needs.

Mrs Carter-Bradley said: The consequences of people not listening and not practicing social distancing are far-reaching. Please, please stop and think about what youre doing.

You only have to look at whats going on in mainland Europe to see what could happen here in the next few weeks and as I know first-hand its not only people who get the virus that will be affected and could die.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 10:18:41|Editor: zyl

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WASHINGTON, March 21 (Xinhua) -- It has never been "so critical" that the nations of the world act "for the common good of humanity" as COVID-19 continues to spread, renowned American public intellectual Robert Kuhn said.

"There has never been a time when international cooperation is needed more urgently than it is right now -- both to battle and contain the COVID-19 pandemic and to sustain and bolster the world economy," Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, said in a recent email interview with Xinhua.

"If climate change is the world's most serious chronic problem, then COVID-19 is the world's most serious acute problem. I never imagined that dealing with a real pandemic would ever become so grave so quickly," he said.

"And frankly, I never took it all that seriously," he said. "But the pandemic has burst into planetary consciousness, and dramatically demonstrates the global critical significance of 'shared future' thinking," said Kuhn, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Kuhn said stemming the spread of "pandemics" or disease falls under a vision of a "shared future," as do climate control, preventing terrorism, thwarting the spread of drugs and organized crime, and promoting scientific research.

Noting China has sent "battle tested" medical teams to countries currently under siege, Kuhn said, "China begins to bear the world's experts with contemporary, real-world experience in containing the novel coronavirus."

China's experience in containing the contagion has contributed significantly to the world's efforts to stop the pandemic and return to normal ways of life, he said.

"In so many ways, the nations of the world must act for the common good of humanity, especially in wake of the growing pandemic, and it behooves people of goodwill everywhere to work to transform the rhetoric into reality," Kuhn said.

"'Shared future' is an evocative phase, offering a much-needed new way of thinking for the world, conveying a great hope," he said. "In light of the global pandemic, the global community must take collective ownership of the grand vision."

"The vision is vital for our turbulent times. All nations should recognize humanity's common destiny so that together we can build a bright future," he said.
This is a chance to help.

The economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic can already be felt in many homes in Connecticut. With businesses and schools forced to close, many people have lost their source of income, leaving them unable to pay for basic necessities such as food, rent, utilities and rent, even urgent needs for infants.

Help-A-Neighbor is a new emergency drive to help meet some of those needs efficiently. The Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time are working together with nonprofit agencies Family Centers, Person-to-Person, Domus and Building One Community, which collectively serve many of the most vulnerable members of the community.

In the days and weeks to come, we will publish stories about neighbors in crisis. Included with each story will be an estimated dollar amount to meet their identified needs. The agencies will channel 100 percent of donations to the clients, and within days of being received.

So many families are living on the edge of a financial crisis every day, Family Centers CEO Bob Arnold said. Now that COVID-19 has left hourly employees and those working in the service industry unemployed, basic living necessities have become difficult to afford.

Family Centers provides human service programs to more than 20,000 residents in Stamford, Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien.

Person-to-Person serves those communities as well as Norwalk, Wilton, Weston and Westport. Among other things, it provides food and clothing to families in need.

Domus provides services for at-risk youth, and Building One Community delivers assistance to immigrants. Both are based in Stamford.

The Help a Neighbor campaign couldnt have come at a better time, and gives Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time readers an opportunity to pitch in and help those in the community who need it most, Arnold said.

To donate, go to helpaneighbor.isecuresites.com.

Case No. 1  Pam is a single mother who just gave birth to her second child. She also is the sole provider for her 7-year-old daughter. They dont have a support system. Due to the pandemic and the arrival of her baby, Pam is unable to work or shop for her newborn due to store closures and insufficient funds. A gift of $500 would help her pay for baby supplies, food and medical expenses.

Case No. 2  Jeannie is a single mother of three children. She suffers from multiple immune system disorders and her two youngest children have asthma  making them susceptible to COVID-19. Her job recently shut down due to virus precautions and her income has taken a major hit. To make matters worse, her refrigerator broke and she is trying to keep her food fresh by using coolers and ice. A gift of $500 would help Jeannie purchase the refrigerator her family needs.

Case No. 3  Lisa is a single mother of three elementary school-age children with a baby on the way. With her impending birth, she was told not to work during the COVID-19 pandemic and has lost a significant part of her income. A gift of $500 would allow Lisa to care for her growing family during these uncertain times.

Case No. 4  Ben has been working in construction all his life, but recent health issues forced him off the job. The pandemic has made it hard for him to earn supplemental income. A gift of $500 would help provide stability for Ben.

Case No. 5  Eva lost her job due to the changing nature of her field of work related to the virus outbreak. She did preparations to enter a new career, but the current situation put those plans on hold. Furthermore, she is owed years of back unpaid child support. A gift of $500 would provide much-needed stability for Eva.

Case No. 6  Karen is the mother of two young sons. She has no extended family in the area who are able to provide support. With schools and after-school programs closed, Karen is worried about the coming weeks as she scrambles to find affordable child care for her sons while she goes to work. A gift of $500 would help Karen pay child-care expenses during this difficult time.

Case No. 7  Cheryl is a grandmother taking care of her six grandchildren. She has limited support due to family circumstances that do not allow the childrens biological mother to be in their lives. With the schools closed, the children are at home. While they are receiving bagged lunches from the schools, Cheryl knows she will run out of food quickly and income will be limited. A gift of $500 would help her to purchase food and cleaning supplies.

Case No. 8  Esther is a single mother of four who struggles to pay her bills every month. She works as a caregiver in an assisted living facility in Greenwich. The closure of all public schools has altered her daily routine, causing her extreme anxiety and distress. A gift of $500 would help Esther pay for child care and groceries.

Case No. 9  The pandemic has turned life upside-down for Jasmine and her family. Her husband was informed that due to his companys financial constraints, he will not receive commission he is owed. The loss in income has put a strain on the familys ability to pay for necessities such as food. To compound matters, Jasmines son was forced home from college, adding another mouth to feed. A gift of $500 would add stability to this family.

Case No. 10  Wanda is a grandmother who is the main caregiver for her three young grandchildren. She relies on Social Security to cover almost all of her living expenses in addition to the needs of her grandchildren. With limited mobility, no car and few family members who are in a position to help, Wanda has struggled to take care of her needs along with the needs of her grandchildren. She used to take care of neighborhood children to supplement her income, but the virus has made that impossible. A gift of $500 would help Wanda pay for necessities such as toiletries, cleaning products and food.
Two more persons were tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Noida while a Canadian woman of Indian-origin, was cured of the COVID-19 infection at the King George's Medical University here and was discharged, officials said on Sunday.

"The Indian-origin woman from Canada, who was the first COVID-19 case admitted in KGMU, was discharged on Saturday. She has been told to go into self-isolation for the next 14 days. At present, there are seven COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at KGMU," KGMU spokesperson, Dr Sudhir Singh told PTI.

A total of 11 Covid-19 patients have been cured and discharged, said Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, Joint Director/State Surveillance Officer of Up's Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) said here in a statement on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in another statement, the Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said, "Total number of samples found positive in the state are 29 (Agra-8, Ghaziabad-2, NOIDA-8, Lucknow-8, Lakhimpur-Kheri-1, Moradabad-1 and Varanasi-1).

"On Sunday, two COVID-19 positive cases were reported from Noida, while one from Varanasi was reported positive on saturday night," it said.

Those who recovered and were discharged in the state include seven in Agra, two in Ghaziabad, one in Noida and one in Lucknow, said Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, Joint Director/State Surveillance Officer, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) said here in a statement issued on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Indian-origin woman from Canada had tested positive for the contagious disease on March 11.

She had come to India on March 8 to meet her relatives here and complained of mild fever two days later, following which she was admitted to the isolation ward of the KGMU, the official said.

Dr Agarwal also informed that three new laboratories have started functioning for diagnosis of coronavirus at SGPGI in Lucknow, Command Hospital in Lucknow and Meerut Medical College.

Public curfew has been observed successfully and completely across the state.

As per the reports available till now, mock drill has been undertaken at more than 80 hospitals across the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A total of 136 teams of two police personnel each have been deployed to keep tabs on those who have returned from foreign countries in the past few weeks, in a bid to curtail the spread of Covid-19, said K Venkatesham, commissioner, Pune police, on Sunday.

Our staff will be checking up on hundreds of people requested to observe self quarantine after having returned from abroad, said Venkatesham.

The commissioner has also urged people to follow guidelines prescribed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The management of co-operative housing societies must guide and assist those observing self quarantine. In case any assistance is required, contact 1800-233-4130, said commissioner Venkatesham.

After the announcement by Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on implementation of Section 144 across the state, the director general of police, Maharashtra, held a video conference with the police chiefs of major cities and called for appropriate orders to be passed by the inspector generals of respective areas. Venkatesham and Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner Sandeep Bishnoi attended the conference together.
Shimla, March 22 : Almost complete voluntary shutdown on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Janata curfew' to prevent coronavirus spread was observed on Sunday in the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh.

Almost all towns and villages witnessed deserted streets with shops and business establishments closed to mark the pan-India solidarity.

Reports of the shutdown of shops and other establishments were received from the state capital, Rampur, Theog, Solan, Dharamsala, Palampur, Kullu, Una, Bilaspur and other places.

With state-run roadways and private transport completing shutting their services, buses were off the roads.

The entry and exit of all contact carriers and inter-state carrier buses were banned, except limited services not exceeding 10 per cent with proper arrangements of sanitisation only to most frequent destinations like Delhi, Haridwar and Chandigarh by state transport buses from March 21 midnight onwards.

In Shimla, a majority of shops were closed in various localities. People avoided morning walks.

However, the supply of milk was normal.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday urged the leaders of all political parties to give wholehearted support to the government to check the coronavirus spread. And, there is adequate stock of essential commodities.

Chairing an all-party meeting here, he said the government would deal the cases of hoardings and profiteering of essential commodities sternly.

The government has decided to postpone the date of payment of various public utility bills like electricity and water without any extra charges.
There can be complete lockdown in Pakistan as the deadly coronavirus disease Covid-19 is rapidly spreading across the country, media reports have said.

There are 730 positive cases of Sars-CoV-2 virus now in the country, the maximum (396) being in the southern province of Sindh. The Punjab province has 137 cases of Covid-19, Balochistan 103, Gilgit-Baltistan 56 and Khyber Pakhtukhwa 10.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah urged people in Karachi on Saturday to self-isolate voluntarily for three days. The province has been under partial lockdown.

The Pakistan government had recently said that number of Covid-19 positive cases can see a spurt as more than 5,000 pilgrims who recently returned from Iran have spread all over the country.

These pilgrims were held at Pakistans Taftan border crossing (in Balochistan) with Iran, one of the countries worst affected worldwide by the virus, but due to negligence of officials in enforcing quarantine, the number of cases spiked.

As a result of the rapid increase, the government on Saturday suspended all international flight operations for two weeks. The ban will remain in effect till April 4, according to an official statement.

From 8 pm tonight, all incoming international flights are being suspended for two weeks, said a government statement. National carrier PIA, however, will be allowed to bring back its planes. Cargo flights will also be allowed.

Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad ordered reduction in number of trains running in the country from March 25. We have decided to suspend 34 trains out of total 142 running in the country while another eight trains will be suspended from April 1, he said.

Overall, 1.4 million people have been screened so far at entry points since the start of the outbreak, media reports said.

The reports further said that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi asked his German counterpart Heiko Maas for relief in the form of repayment of loans so that the country can focus on dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak.

He told his German counterpart on phone that united efforts were needed for dealing with the pandemic that has emerged as a major challenge for the entire world, said media reports.

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has demanded New York City come up with a plan to limit the density of its public areas as weekend crowds appear to ignore officials' warnings to stay indoors and limit contact with other people during the coronavirus pandemic.

He said that "the density level in the city is wholly inappropriate".

"I don't know what they're not understanding", he said during a briefing on Sunday. "This is not life as usual. .... It's insensitive, it's arrogant, it's self-destructive, it's disrespectful to other people, and it has to stop, and it has to stop now. This is not a joke and I am not kidding."

The number of Covid-19 cases in the state has ballooned to more than 15,000, more than half of all confirmed cases in the US, after known infections spiked by more than 4,000 over the weekend. Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city has emerged as the nation's viral "epicentre" as city and state officials clash with Donald Trump over the emergency response.

Governor Cuomo said New York City officials must "come up with a plan" to enforce self-quarantine efforts within 24 hours, suggesting that the crisis could disrupt for up to nine months.

"I'm open to anything, but it has to be done quickly", he said. "How many times can you say you're being reckless and selfish? ... That's us at our best, the community of New York. I need to be able to rely on you. That means you need to be responsible for you and your actions."

He also has asked the US Army Corps of Engineers to immediately erect temporary hospitals in four locations and has called on FEMA to construct four 250-bed field hospitals in New York City, though he warned that the state still is short on supplies and staff to meet what is likely to be a surge in patients in the coming weeks.

The governor told Mr Trump to "cut the red tape, cut the bureaucracy" and work quickly to get emergency hospitals and supplies to states as the number of available beds begins to whittle down and supply stocks diminish.

Governor Cuomo's blunt, daily updates underline the chasm between increasingly strict local efforts and the federal response, with Mr Trump's daily briefings often containing conflicting information, overconfident claims and denials of responsibility in the midst of a growing crisis.

The governor has urged the president to "immediately" implement the Defence Production Act  which would compel companies to produce relevant equipment and supplies  and nationalise the production of medical supplies, which would relieve New York and other states from competing with other hospital systems for prohibitively expensive equipment.

The governor said: "Time matters, minutes count, this is literally a matter of life and death."

He has also called for New Yorkers to cancel all elective noncritical surgeries, as of Wednesday, which could free up "25 to 30 per cent" of hospital beds.

Hospitals also have been mandated to increase their capacity by 50 per cent but he has asked them to aim to increase their capacity by 100 per cent.

 People queue for drive-thru coronavirus testing on Staten Island, New York

Though the majority of deaths in the state have involved people over 70 years old with underlying health conditions, the governor cautioned that as much as 80 per cent of the population could be infected with the virus and to act accordingly.

He said: "This is not a short-term situation. This is not a long weekend. ... All we're trying to do is slow the spread ... It's going to work its way through society. We will manage that capacity."
The mutual fund industry will continue to function, even though the Maharashtra government announced a complete lockdown on private offices till March 31 in the wake of the fast-spreading novel coronavirus.

A fund official said, Since stock exchanges will continue to function as normal so all SEBI-registered companies such as mutual funds will remain open. So, financial services have been exempted from this rule.

Many asset management companies have asked their employees to work on a rotational basis to ensure their safety and smooth functioning of mutual fund operations

We have asked employees to come on alternate weeks. One lot comes one week then the office gets completely sanitised and the next week other lot comes in, said a spokesperson from Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund.

IDFC Mutual too has laid down strict rules. An e-mail to employees of IDFC Mutual Fund stated, In line with the steps taken by central and state governments to stem the spread of Covid-19 and to ensure safety of our employees, partners and customers, IDFC AMC has encouraged its employees to work from home till there is a visible improvement in the situation on the ground. A lean team of sales and operational staff will brave their way to our offices to handle critical functions. Further, in branches with more than 2 employees, we have instructed employees across functions to operate on a rotational basis."

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The fund houses have also asked teams to minimise visitations and hold virtual meeting/conferences wherever possible.

Large corporates/HNI clients are advised to send their transaction requests on dedicated mail ids with cc to your RMs. Similarly, we request our distributor partners to send transaction request to CAMS branch directly rather than asking your staff to go to each AMCs front office, IDFC MFs e-mail to employees stated.

COVID-19, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, has now spread to 184 countries and territories, killing more than 11,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands in quarantine.

The highly infectious disease is spreading rapidly in Europe and the United States, forcing the shutdown of offices, schools, cafes, cinema halls and malls - basically upending normal life.

India is also seeing a steady rise in cases. So far, it has reported five deaths and 295 confirmed cases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address to the nation, appealed citizens to show "resolve and patience" to tide over the crisis.

He has called for a "Janata curfew" on March 22 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that the janta curfew announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have been imposed a week ago to check the spread of coronavirus in the state and country.

Raut also hinted that the Maharashtra government could take tough steps and extend the public curfew beyond the 14-hour self-imposed curfew on Sunday.

Two persons have died of coronavirus in Maharashtra while 74 people have tested positive so far.

Raut said that people are not taking the appeals for staying indoors and not travel unless required. He said highly populated and densely countries such as India are prone to catch coronavirus infection.

Todays curfew should have been imposed eight days back. This is my personal opinion. The government and its machinery can do their study. I feel Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray may increase curfew further considering the todays scenario. The appeals to people will not suffice and some strong decisions need to be taken ruthlessly to save the state and country from coronavirus, Raut said.

Also read: Number of Covid-19 cases soar to 341 in India: ICMR

The Sena leader, who is also the executive editor of party mouthpiece Saamana, had advocated a lockdown for Mumbai in an editorial a few days back.

He also added that opposition parties at the Centre and in Maharashtra should work with the government during the public health crisis. Now is the time to save the state and country, and not look to save their chairs. An all-party meeting should be convened, he said.

On Saturday, the Maharashtra government ordered industries in the Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial belt near Pune to observe an indefinite lockdown with immediate effect to contain coronavirus which has infected 63 people so far in the state.

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Rhodes University

Rhodes University urges vigilance and greater civic responsibility

A report is doing rounds on social media alleging that a Rhodes University student who arrived at OR Tambo Airport from the USA, on Thursday, was allowed to proceed to his private residence in Makhanda instead of the mandatory quarantine site for all arrivals from designated high-risk countries.

Rhodes University is aware of the alleged incident. The matter was reported to the local police and health officials who, in turn, reacted swiftly ensuring that the student was placed under quarantine.

The matter was also reported to the relevant District and Provincial authority.

The housemates of the student are also under self-quarantine at their shared private residence. They will be monitored for the mandatory 14 days period for any symptoms.

Following a meeting today, with the local Police and Makana Health sub-District representatives at Rhodes University, Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, appealed for calm and strict adherence to the prescribed standards and guidelines in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guidelines include a prohibition of sharing of unverified information regarding COVID-19.

"Each one of us as individual citizens, have to play an active role in adhering to the national guidelines in line with the declaration of the national state of disaster. We must take it as our civic duty to protect one another, not just in compliance with what is prescribed, but as part of our responsibility to one another," Dr Mabizela said.

Source: Communications

Please help us to raise funds so that we can give all our students a chance to access online teaching and learning. Covid-19 has disrupted our students' education. Don't let the digital divide put their future at risk. Visit www.ru.ac.za/rucoronavirusgateway to donate
Lagos State

Government says it plan to plant no fewer than 230,000 tress between now and

the end of the year even as its urged residents to imbibe a clean, improved and

enhanced positive approach to a climate friendly environment in order to

encourage agro-forestry.

The Special Adviser State Governor on Agriculture, Ms.

Abisola Olusanya who made this known over the weekend on the occasion of Y2020

International Day of Forest explained that these measures become imperative in

order to discourage tree felling as well as prevent flooding in the State.

She noted that the underlying effects of climate change had

over the year led to loss of properties all over the world stressing that the

theme of this years celebration which is Forests and Biodiversity was aimed

at promoting education for the love of forests, underscoring the importance of

education at all levels in achieving sustainable forest management and

biodiversity conservation.

The importance of todays celebration cannot be over

emphasized especially against the background of the effects of climate change

resulting from the destruction of our forests which in turn have killed

millions, displaced millions and have led to the loss of properties and

structures worth billions of dollars all over the world, Olusanya noted.

She explained that climate change effects, which include

water stress, flooding, earthquake, earth movement, flash flooding, erosion of

different types and degrees were due to the uncontrolled removal of forests

leading to 13 million hectares of forests been destroyed annually.

According to Olusanya, deforestation accounts for about 20%

of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change

regardless of the importance of forests

which are the most biological- diverse ecosystems on land.

The Special Adviser opined that over 1.6 billion people of

the world population including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures depend on

forests for livelihoods, medicines, fuel, food and shelter adding that this led

to a prediction in 2011 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that by

this year, if the rate of deforestation was not seriously reversed, the country

would lose her entire forest cover.

Olusanya recalled that in 2011, the world experienced a

series of unprecedented effects of climate change such as ice and glaciers

melting, flooding, flash flooding, erosion, forest fire, drought and water

stress caused by mans unguided and careless actions such as clearance of

forests and green areas for housing, road construction and other infrastructural

provisions with little or no regard for prevention of forests that houses

biodiversity which are into millions of discovered and undiscovered species

that support life.

Lagos was not left out of the sad experience as on

July 10th, 2011, low and high lands were flooded while some areas such as

Thomas area in Ajegunle, Ikorodu were eroded. These sad events would have been

prevented if there are sufficient green areas (Forests), a function it

performed during the Tsunami in Japan on 11th March 2011 to emphasize the

importance of Trees.

This in Y2018 led to flooding which affected 80% of

the country and triggered more than 600,000 displacements that would have been

prevented if there are green areas (World Bank report, Jan. 28 2020). This has

also resulted to displacements of wildlife from their natural habitats such as

reported in Omole, Gbagada and other places in the State where monkeys and

baboons invaded houses. Various flora and fauna are endangered or going into

extinction such as Khaya ivorensis, Mitragyna stipulosa and Manatees just to

mention but a few in the State just like it is all over the world, she

averred.

Olusanya disclosed that Lagos today had over 600,000 hectare

of agricultural land being bastardized by surface miners leading to the fear of

the host communities being submerged.

The Special Adviser stressed that presently, the efforts at

reforestation cannot be said to be proportional to the rate of exploitation

which put the country at risk of losing its entire forest cover which might

lead to continued experience of unfavorable climatic change effects occasioned

by the continued release of harmful gases that would have been sequestrated by

the forests.

Olusanya acknowledged that it was on this premise that the

United Nations General Assembly held on 21st December 2012 chose 21st March of

every year as the International Day of Forests where member States were

encouraged to hold outreach activities to create awareness on the importance of

forests and particularly to raise awareness of the importance of forests to

people and their vital role in poverty eradication, environmental

sustainability and food security.

According to her, sustainable management of all types of

forests were at the heart of unlocking challenges of conflict-affected,

developing and developed countries for the benefit of current and future

generations.

Therefore in line with the THEMES agenda of the

present administration to have a conducive environment for living and

conducting of business and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of making

life better for citizens of member States of the UN, the awareness the

celebration of International Day of Forest is providing should help all residents of Lagos to join hands

with the Government to have a clean, improved and enhanced positive climate

friendly environment that will encourage scientific agricultural

practice(Agro-forestry) that will in turn reduce hunger and improved economic

situation of all,, Olusanya averred.

She therefore urged residents to plant and protect trees,

protect forests and save bio-diverse life for this generation and generations

to come as well as to educate and raise the awareness of all and sundry on the

importance of protecting the remaining forest cover especially in the State

which its forest cover was estimated to be less than 0.2%.

Olusanya thereafter joined others including the Permanent

Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya, stakeholders and

environmentalists to plant trees to commemorate the celebration in the State.
22.03.2020 LISTEN

One person out of the 19 persons who had earlier on tested positive for COVID-19 died in the early hours of Saturday, March 21, due to the patient's serious underlying health complications.

The rest are doing well and responding to treatment, with eight of them being managed from their homes, in isolation.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced this on Saturday night in his third national broadcast to update the nation on COVID-19 in the country.

However, shortly after the national broadcast, the official Ghana Health Service website updated the total case count, reporting two more cases to make it 21, with one death.

The President said the health authorities had also begun contact tracing to test all those who had come into contact with the affected persons.

Fifty thousand (50,000 ) additional test kits, which had been ordered, the President announced, were expected soon to augment those in existence for effective diagnosis.

The health authorities were also mobilising new and retired health professionals to deal with the disease.

He urged the public to strictly comply with the prescribed health protocols and preventive measures - washing of hands with soap under running water; covering one's mouth when coughing and sneezing; avoiding handshakes; and frequently using alcohol-based sanitizers.

Citizens should also eat healthily and have enough sleep to enhance their immune system.

Additionally, the President asked citizens to seek the face of God and declared a national day of fasting and prayers on Wednesday, March 25, to ask God's intervention to curb the spread of the virus.

The Government has earmarked the cedi equivalent of $100 million to implement its preparedness and response plan, part of which would be used for the construction of critical health facilities, procurement of materials and supplies, as well as for public education.

All the measures being taken, the President said, were geared towards achieving five key objectives.

They are; limiting and stopping the importation of the virus; containing the spread of the virus; providing adequate care for the sick; limiting the impact of the virus on social and economic lives; and inspiring the expansion of the domestic capability to deepen self reliance.

The pandemic has, so far, claimed more than 10,000 lives and affected over 200,000 people globally.

---GNA
JIMMA, Ethiopia - On a busy back street in the hometown of Ethiopia's prime minister, Nobel Prize-winner Abiy Ahmed, two men sipping coffee and chewing khat tried out a new pastime: having a heated political disagreement in public.

Africa's second-most populous country is heading into its first multiparty campaign season after Abiy lifted a ban on opposition parties, dissolved his own ruling party that controlled life here with an iron fist for nearly three decades and scheduled elections for this August.

Abiy's promise to transform Ethiopia into a full-fledged democracy has earned him widespread praise abroad - and is why some Ethiopians aren't as worried as they once were that speaking critically of the government could lead to a knock on their door by the intelligence services.

But the openness has also laid bare a deeply polarized country, riven by political and ethnic rivalries entrenched by Abiy's predecessors. Rather than uniting the country, democratic politics could derail violently right at their outset in Ethiopia, especially if Abiy's government denies the opposition space to campaign openly.

The elections are a high-stakes gamble for Ethiopia's future. Despite widespread poverty, unemployment and ethnic violence that has uprooted millions from their homes, Ethiopia remains stable enough to broker regional peace agreements - including with neighboring Eritrea - and Abiy's promise of economic reforms has landed the country billions of promised dollars in foreign loans and investment. Major political violence would scuttle those ambitions.

In an attempt to preempt such violence, officials say, the government has begun to dispatch security forces to clamp down on opposition gatherings and restrict internet, phone access and physical movement across a vast opposition stronghold where people have been detained in droves and some killed in custody. Critics see the makings of a crackdown on dissent. Rights groups and journalists have reported cases of arrests and disappearances of vocal opposition leaders and supporters.

In speeches, Abiy has forcefully rejected ethnic politics and re-christened his party the Prosperity Party - an anomaly in a sea of coalition and opposition members whose names explicitly denote ethnicity. (Ethiopia is split into nine semiautonomous ethnic regions.)

The power of the Prosperity Party "in the coming election will draw on the fear of ethno-nationalism, for people's personal well-being - and even the survival of the nation," said Abel Abate, an Ethiopian political analyst. "But there is lots of nervousness, lots of tension, lots of suspicion toward the PP from all corners of the country."

Abiy's platform is particularly unpopular in two ethnic regions: Tigray, in the far north, where power was centered during previous governments before he wrested it away; and his own Oromia, home to the country's biggest group, the Oromo, who make up at least a third of the national population and whose ethno-nationalist leaders helped Abiy gain power but now want Oromo interests to be put first.

Sitting across from each other on this back street in one of Oromia's largest market towns, Hassen Mohammed Isa, 30, and Isak Macha, 35, enacted a two-man version of Ethiopia's national political debate.

"Abiy's ideas are great, but we see that he is surrounded by chameleons of the past regime," said Isak, who, like an enormous but uncounted percentage of Ethiopians, is unemployed. He gets jobs unloading trucks every once in a while but relies mostly on the largesse of family and friends. He supports an Oromo nationalist party that promises to bring wealth back to Oromo areas that its leaders say was hogged by smaller but more powerful ethnic groups under the previous government.

Hassen is a rare success story in Jimma and holds a degree in laboratory technology. He supports Abiy's vision of an Ethiopia in which national identity comes before ethnic identity.

"The way (Isak) is thinking - you see, most people in Ethiopia haven't even passed class eight in school. That is why when you let these groups operate freely, ethnic politics becomes bigger than ever. Every perceived insult raises the possibility of a riot, and every riot can start a war," he said.

"Friend, this is a country where most people have nothing, absolutely nothing," Isak shot back. "Only when we figure out today, then we think about tomorrow. How do we get the best tomorrow? We are ready to believe anything. I want to live a life just like you."

Both the ruling party and the opposition will have to rely on coalitions of ethnic parties to prevail in the election. But while the Prosperity Party has a unifying figure in Abiy the opposition is more scattered.

Jawar Mohammed, an Oromo media baron who spent years in exile in Minnesota before Abiy came to power, recently returned and is fashioning himself as Abiy's main foe - though he has not publicly announced his candidacy and has been locked in battle with the government to recognize his Ethiopian citizenship after he said he renounced his American citizenship.

His supporters are often fanatical, and when security forces tried to arrest him last October, riots broke out that resulted in almost 100 deaths. That spark looks likely to be ignited again and again over the course of the campaign season, but Jawar says he preaches nonviolence to his supporters and claims clashes have only been instigated by security forces under Abiy's orders.

"If the army is deployed, there will be blood. And that, well, it comes down to Abiy. If there is violence, it will begin at his command," he said on a recent Sunday at his residence in the capital, Addis Ababa, where he ate a meal of injera and lentils while scrolling through Facebook, where his Oromia Media Network has more than 1 million followers.

Jawar's anti-Abiy argument has gained steam among new supporters because local officials from the ruling party have prevented his Oromo Federalist Congress party from holding numerous public meetings. Last month in Jimma, for instance, the opposition party was denied permission to use a stadium for a rally on the grounds that the campaign season hadn't officially begun, but then the Prosperity Party was allowed to hold a rally in the middle of town on the same day.

"They brought oil, sugar, T-shirts and had a rally on the same day we had requested ours," said Samira Kamil, a local Oromo Federalist Congress leader. "Preaching democracy but being a dictator - that's Abiy for you. We're not even able to introduce ourselves to the people and this election is meant to be free?"

In the days after the rally, she said, she began getting phone calls from unknown numbers - raspy voices issuing veiled threats - and was followed on the street by suspicious men. She was arrested on Feb. 26, charged with "disrupting a meeting" and released on bail two days later in what she said was an attempt to intimidate her.

Taye Dendea, spokesman for the Prosperity Party in Oromia, where Jimma is located, said the Oromo Federalist Congress was denied permission for a meeting in part because they "engaged in inciting conflict, saying that if they win, they would retaliate the previous misdeeds," and that the Prosperity Party had not organized its own rally but that supporters of Abiy had come out onto the streets on their own volition.

Abiy and Jawar were once friends and worked together to usher out Ethiopia's old political guard and build the cornerstones of democracy. Now Jawar says Abiy is a wannabe authoritarian.

"I came to the opposition side not to create chaos," Jawar said, "but to make them competitive, to make the election a real election, to make Abiy feel like he has to run for the money."

The concerns over deepening ethnic divides seems to portend a future at odds with the plaudits Abiy received after initiating his raft of reforms.

"The government will apparently continue to do what it has done in the past: restrict public space while allowing the ruling party to use them abundantly," said Abate, the analyst. "Instead of an opening of political space, it may ultimately be a narrowing."

- - -

Ermias Tasfaye Daba contributed to this report.
On Friday, with several hundred new cases reported, Khan told a group of TV anchors that he hoped the coming of hot and dry weather would mitigate the outbreak. He urged people to stay at home but remain calm, saying that panicking is more dangerous for us than coronavirus. He said he was still reluctant to impose a nationwide lockdown because it would harm the working poor.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Arrest: Gal Barak, the Israeli thought to be behind Xtraderfx, has been linked to a raft of crooked firms

M.F. writes: I was contacted by investment company Xtraderfx and told that it would transfer my frozen credit balance of 680 to my NatWest credit card. I agreed and gave my card details, but as a precaution I also asked NatWest if a credit was pending.

I was told that in fact two debits were in the pipeline, one for 680 and a second for 5,000. I had authorised neither, but the bank said they could not be stopped, and the money was taken.

Xtraderfx was a cryptocurrency scam that hid behind Gpay Limited, a Bulgarian-owned business based in Slough, Berkshire.

The Financial Conduct Authority put a warning on its website in 2018, saying that it was unauthorised, so operating illegally.

You told me you invested 6,000 followed by a further 2,000, but by early 2019 there was only 680 left.

Last September, you were suddenly contacted again by Xtraderfx, which offered to return the cash to your NatWest card, but instead it helped itself to a further 680 and then 5,000.

When you telephoned the bank and explained that you were expecting a credit, not two debits, NatWest allowed the funds to be charged to your card.

However, when you received your monthly statement, it showed that the total of 5,680 had been handed over to a company called Cauri.

This is a real payments firm, authorised by the FCA, but it is also a firm you had never heard of, and which you had certainly not authorised to collect a penny.

Unravelling this has taken several months. NatWest told me the payments had already left your account when you called, and it produced recordings of some of your conversations with the bank but admitted that others, including your very first call when you say you tried to stop the payments, had not been recorded.

I argued that even if you had authorised payments to Xtraderfx, it was not acceptable to see the cash go to a different firm with which you had absolutely no relationship, even if it said that it was collecting the money on behalf of Xtraderfx.

Eventually, NatWest agreed to try to claim a chargeback  not because you had been cheated by Xtraderfx, but because an intended credit might have 'accidentally' turned into two debits. But even then, things did not go smoothly.

The bank asked you for your password for Cauri, despite being told you had never heard of it. Chargeback rules allow 45 days for objections to be raised, and just as the 45 days came to an end, Cauri raised an objection and clung on to your cash.

But by this stage, even NatWest had grown suspicious. The bank told me: 'Cauri rejected our attempt at a chargeback, claiming that a cryptocurrency account had been credited. We believe the cryptocurrency account belongs to a scammer and have shared our concern with the merchant acquirer.'

A NatWest spokesperson explained: 'We sympathise with Mr F, who has been the victim of a scam, and appreciate that this has been a very distressing experience for him.'

In light of this, despite not being able to snatch back your money, NatWest itself is refunding it to your card as a gesture of goodwill.

As for Xtraderfx, it was really run from Sofia in Bulgaria, not from Slough. Its alleged boss, Israeli businessman Gal Barak, has been arrested and held for extradition to Austria, where police have been investigating a network of crooked investment companies said to be linked to him.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
Local restaurants in Plainview are being encouraged to temporarily close their dining rooms and develop curbside pickup and/or delivery services in a precautionary effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

With many travelers along Interstate 27, it is prudent to take these precautionary steps and do our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19, states a letter to the local restaurants shared with the media by the City of Plainview. The letter was written on behalf of the Plainview Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Corporation and the City of Plainview.
Gov. Phil Murphys executive order to close all non-essential retail business has forced gun dealers, who were experiencing a spike in sales amid the anxiety surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, to shut down.

On Saturday, the online service used to process background checks for firearm dealers, the New Jersey National Instant Criminal Background Check System, told stores they can no longer process requests.

Per Executive Order 107, (Murphy) is ordering the residents of New Jersey to stay home, directing all non-essential retail businesses closed to the public, a notice on the online system states. At this time, the order includes New Jersey Firearms State Licensed Dealers.

The order does not specifically name gun dealers as a non-essential business. However, it also doesnt list them among those deemed essential, such as liquor stores, office supply shops and grocery stores.

In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker in his executive order considered firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers an essential business for purposes of safety and security.

New Jersey gun owners and Second Amendment advocates take issue with Murphys position on firearm dealers.

Gov. Murphy surrounds himself with armed guards, said Alexander Roubian, president of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society. Clearly he understands the benefit of the Second Amendment. Why is his life more valuable?

Roubian pointed to the spike in gun sales in recent weeks as proof why these businesses should be considered essential.

When the police have no legal obligation to protect citizens, which was upheld by the United States Supreme Court, yes, any person would believe gun stores that sell many tools for self-defense is extremely essential, he said.

NJ Advance Media reported Thursday that gun shop owners were working long hours to keep up with demand.

It has been relentless, said Joe Hawk, the owner of Guns & Roses in Toms River.

Hawk said he was fielding calls from desperate customers asking what he had in stock.

Theyre not even asking the price, he said.

Kyle Sherman, a co-owner of Shore Shot Pistol Range in Lakewood, reported last week having his busiest day in years. On Sunday, he said he can live without selling guns, but would still like to provide ammo.

I consider us essential business because we not only supply everyday citizens with ammunition and firearms, he said, but also local retired and active police officers.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio  Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wants to send postage-paid absentee ballots to millions of Ohioans as part of his plan to complete the states presidential primary election, delayed over coronavirus concerns.

LaRose on Saturday announced his plan, which would send postage-paid absentee ballot applications to every registered voter who hadnt yet cast an early vote for the primary, which was postponed from March 17.

Voters who complete the application would get the postage-paid ballots, which they could submit until June 2, when LaRose wants to hold in-person voting.

But the plan would allow LaRose to call off in-person voting by April 24, if Ohio health officials havent rescinded the public-health order that closed the polls in the first place by then.

LaRoses plan, which he said is backed by Gov. Mike DeWine, would require approval and funding from state lawmakers.

State officials are working to figure out how to finish the election after the DeWine administration effectively postponed it through the public-health order issued hours before polls were to have opened. They say it was necessary for safety reasons, and to make sure voters werent forced to choose between their health and their right to vote.

A flurry of lawsuits has resulted, and more are possible, making it likely that courts will play a role in approving whatever the legislature comes up with. Among those who have sued are a Republican state representative whos up for election, a judicial candidate from the Toledo area and the Ohio Democratic Party, who all say state officials lacked the authority to postpone the election.

Voter-rights groups, pushing to allow Ohioans to register to vote during the newly-created voting period, have threatened to sue as well.

State officials have said they did the best they could in an emergency situation.

The Ohio House is believed to favor holding an all-mail vote, targeting April 28 or thereabouts as the final day to accept ballots. Education groups have pushed for an earlier date, citing pending school levies and other local tax issues.

But LaRoses staff have said its impossible to print applications, mail them out, accept them and send ballots, all while giving voters reasonable time to complete the steps, in that shorter timeframe.

No date before June 2nd is logistically possible, LaRose wrote in the Saturday letter to lawmakers. (Scroll down to read the full letter.) We simply cannot put a postage-paid absentee ballot request in the hands of each eligible voter and afford them reasonable time to cast a ballot any earlier. A plan that does not afford every Ohioan an opportunity to vote free of charge would be unconstitutional.

As of now, LaRose has told county elections boards to accept mailed-in ballots while preparing for an in-person day of voting on June 2.

Before the election was postponed, 523,522 Ohioans had cast early ballots. Ohio has roughly 8 million registered voters.

Read other recent Ohio elections news:

Although mail-in voting continues, Ohios postponed primary remains clouded by legal, political disputes

Voter rights groups accuse Frank LaRose of breaking the law by not extending voter registration amid coronavirus outbreak

Talking about the behind-the-scenes story of Ohios postponed election: Video

Ohio polls remain closed following overnight ruling from Ohio Supreme Court

Citing health emergency, Ohio officials to order polls closed on Election Day, despite judges ruling
Tourism, hospitality, aviation, transportation and restaurant businesses have ground to a halt nationwide as India braces up for the third stage of the potentially intense coronavirus outbreak since case zero on January 30.

While hospitality is projected to report over Rs 30,000 crore of loss of revenue during 2020, India's aviation sector will report losses in excess of Rs 8,200 crore in the coming quarter as international and domestic flights stay grounded.

The brunt of these shutdowns will be borne by the unsuspecting employees across sectors impacting lives and livelihood. The National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) has warned that even 10-20 per cent job losses among its 7.3 million employees in restaurants across the country would mean up to 15 lakh unemployed. Something that would have severe social consequences.

Just as economies around the world have notched up coronavirus war chest totalling nearly $3.5 trillion-bigger than the size of the Indian economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Task Force to decide on an economic package for India as well. Meanwhile, apex industry association CII has sought Rs 2 lakh crore to be pumped into the Indian economy as a stimulus to ride over the COVID-19 crisis.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Delhi govt announces complete lockdown from 6 am on Monday

Novel coronavirus has come at a particularly inconvenient time for the Indian economy as quarterly GDP growth rate is at a multi-year low of 4.7 per cent. In a recent press conference, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das admitted that India is not immune to the pandemic and could face slowdown in domestic growth. This crisis has even raised concerns over the country's economic health in the next financial year.

Sectors across the board are feeling the pinch as anxiety over the pandemic increases. Panic buying has increased demand in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). OTT platforms have seen a sharp rise in subscriptions and usage as more employers are allowing employees to work from home. But that's about it. On the flipside, aviation, tourism, hospitality, automobile, gems and jewellery, apparel and even pharmaceutical companies are staring at drastic reduction in business.

Here is how coronavirus is ravaging through some of India's most prominent industries one after another:

Aviation

Airlines have got a raw deal with the coronavirus outbreak. With travel and visa restrictions in place, Indian aviation sector saw fares crash by as much as 40 per cent on certain air routes. Several air carriers, including Vistara, GoAir, SpiceJet, have suspended international flights amid dwindling demand and fares.

As per global aviation consultancy CAPA, private domestic carriers are expected to post consolidated losses of up to $600 million (Rs 4,500 crore) in just one quarter. As for national flag carrier, estimates suggest that it could lose Rs 3,700 crore during the same period. This pegs the overall estimated losses to Rs 8,200 crore. The losses will be primarily due to curtailed flight schedules, slide in new bookings, large-scale cancellations, and rescheduling of flights.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Telangana man skips quarantine to get married; 1,000 guests attend

Hospitality

Restrictions on travel have directly impacted the hospitality sector. According to estimates by hospitality consultancy Hotelivate, hotel chains in India are staring at a loss of $4.2 billion to $4.7 billion in revenues due to coronavirus outbreak. Loss to the organised market, which is about 5 per cent of the total lodging sector in India, is estimated to range between $1.3 billion and $1.55 billon. This amounts to an erosion of 27-32 per cent of the overall revenues as compared to the previous financial year.

Disruption due to coronavirus could result in 18-20 per cent erosion of nationwide occupancy across the sector, and 12-14 per cent drop in average daily rates (ADRs) for the entire 2020. The hospitality sector is also likely to be impacted by large-scale cancellations and drop in room rates.

Tourism

Tourism sector which accounts for 10 per cent of India's GDP is bleeding with growing visa restrictions and new travel advisories coming into play. "...suspension of visas from all countries to India is expected to have a substantial impact on the foreign tourist arrival in the country which was already witnessing a drop due to the prevailing situation. We have received close to 35 per cent cancellation queries from travellers planning their trip to foreign destinations," Sabina Chopra of Yatra.com recently told Business Today.

Low numbers of foreign tourist arrivals has impacted business of luxury hotels in Udaipur, Goa and Kerala, as room rates in Indian hospitality sector in India have tanked by nearly 18 per cent.The situation is even worse in the aviation sector where fares have crashed as much as 40 per cent in the past week on a lot of routes.

ALSO READ: Pakistan reports 730 active coronavirus cases; shuts all international flights

Auto

With more focus on stocking essentials, buyers have stopped going to car dealerships. According to industry body Federation of Automobile Dealers Association, footfalls in dealerships have gone down 45 per cent by the mid of March. This has led to a 70 per cent decline in sales. The industry that is preparing for transition to BS-VI emission norms from April 1, 2020 has a new problem at its hand. There are no buyers for the BS-IV cars sitting in the inventory.

"In the past week there has been drastic drop in sales and customer walk-ins have reduced to a trickle as caution sets in due to fear of spreading of the virus. Counter sales has fallen by 60-70 percent across auto dealerships in these past few days," FADA President Ashish Harshraj Kale recently said. "The situation has worsened... with partial lockdown situation in many towns and cities and a few district magistrates have started issuing notices of closure of shops and establishments including auto dealerships to stop the spread of virus."

The Supreme Court has already refused to grant any relaxation for liquidating the BS-IV inventory. In other words, no BS-IV vehicles can be registered after March 31, 2020 and dealers will have to sell them before then. FADA has approached the apex court once again with its plea for an extension in deadline for BS-IV vehicle registrations. Some dealers even risk closure if their BS-IV stocks are not cleared.

Even the transition to BS-VI regime seems difficult as supply of parts and vehicles from China has been hit due to coronavirus. Overall, the industry is looking at a very bleak outlook for March.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus update: Global hunt for medicine intensifies

Apparel

According to A Sakthivel, Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council, the deeply integrated global value chain of the apparel sector has been impacted by disruptions in both exports and imports.

India exported $16.2 billion worth of garments in 2018-19. The apparel sector contributes to 43 per cent of India's textiles exports in value terms and enjoys 5 per cent share in the country's overall exports. Apparel sector is also the largest employment provider after agriculture and employs 129 lakh workers, 65-70 per cent of which are women.

But growing restrictions over coronavirus are likely to take a toll on orders and import of raw materials. Buyers staying away from shops due to fear of infection, at a time when apparel makers are trying to introduce new spring summer collection in the market, has put some pressure on the apparel industry.

Amid growing signs of trouble, India's apparel exporters have asked RBI to take steps to ease the working capital crunch faced by the industry in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. They want the apex bank to facilitate faster clearance of banking and packing credit.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus impact: Railways cancels all passenger trains till March 31

Pharmaceuticals

Initially, Indian pharmaceuticals industry was facing troubles in importing raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from China. Although this snag has been resolved, uncertainties have grown on the exports front, especially to the markets in US and Europe. With travel restrictions between Europe and the US, Indian pharma companies are unsure of product offtake in these regions.

"Most pharma companies are export oriented with high exposure to US and Europe. Their economies are expected to slow down with precautionary measures on trade, which could have a cascading effect," said Geojit Financial Services.

And within India, although the inventory levels are marginally down, there are sufficient stocks across categories for more than a month. Industry bodies have ruled out any price rise for consumers as medicine prices are governed by price control order and cannot be passed on to customers.

Meanwhile, the recent decline in crude oil prices could bode well for pharmaceutical manufacturers in India. "At the same time prices of raw materials like APIs have increased due to cut in availability from China which is the largest source, impacting profitability of the sector. On a positive note, these raw materials are derivatives of crude oil and the current huge drop in oil prices will benefit them in the medium-term as businesses normalise," the agency added.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus update: Here's a list of 62 test centres for COVID-19

Gems and jewellery

Retail sales of gems and jewellery in India have tanked 80 per cent in last 10 days as buyers are not going to retail stores. On export front, business fear losses could go as high as 50 per cent amid movement restrictions.

"For the last ten days, people have not been coming to retail outlets to buy jewellery and many have shut shops. We estimate a loss of 80 per cent business and this may worsen in the coming days as more restrictions are announced. We don't know how long it will continue," said Ananthapadmanabhan, chairman, All India Gems and Jewellery Domestic Council (AIGJC)

FMCG

Unlike most sectors, FMCG has been an unlikely gainer from the outbreak. Panic buying has increased consumption in FMCG sector across the country. Consumers have been hoardingbasic food items such as milk, curd, rice, atta, oil and lentils, as well as personal care products such as soaps, handwash and sanitisers due to fear of a lockdown.

Moreover, online grocery platforms are witnessing a huge influx of buyers as they are avoiding brick-and-mortar stores amid the coronavirus contagion. E-commerce platforms have been complaining of running out of stocks of necessities especially products such as handwash and hand sanitisers.

This has led to FMCG companies stepping up production to keep up with the demand. Amul has increased its production by over 20 per cent in order to meet the increased demand. Godrej Consumer has shelved its plans to increase soap prices and is instead going all out to increase production and cater to increased demand. Similarly, ITC has doubled production across its food and personal care business to ensure availability. However, experts have predicted that ramping up production may not result in higher revenue growth for manufacturers.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus update: What's shut, what's open in Delhi?

OTT platforms

With companies and government announcing work from home and governments shutting down cinema halls and multiplexes, OTT platforms have seen a rise in subscribers and usage As restrictions remain in place, and people stay at home, this trend is expected to pick up. However, putting out content on schedule will be a problem as production process is being hampered.

What analysts say

Earlier this week, in view of the coronavirus outbreak, ratings agency Moody's Investor Service slashed India's economic growth projection for financial year 2019-20 to 5.3 per cent. Standard & Poor's Global Ratings went on to lower India's GDP growth estimate for FY20 to 5.2 per cent. Both had similar reasons - disruptions in global economy due to coronavirus.

"On the demand side, inoperability analysis for three sectors namely Transport, Tourism and Hotels show significant impact on demand and hence output. On an aggregate basis, we estimate that the impact of a 5 per cent inoperability shock could be 90 basis points on GDP from Trade, Hotel and Transport and Transport, Storage and Communication segment that could be spread over FY20 and FY21, with a larger impact in FY21," a recent SBI Ecowrap report said.

Meanwhile, government increased duties on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre - the steepest hike in eight years - after global oil prices fell. The idea is to shore up money which can be used to bear the emergency expenses arising due to coronavirus, and rollout a fiscal package to help badly hit sectors tide over these tough times.

"The increased excise revenue from oil should not be used for bridging the fiscal gap and pleasing the markets; rather sound economics demands it must be used as a fiscal package for income support to the people working in the unorganised sector who are already facing the brunt of loss of jobs," SBI Ecowrap report on Thursday said.

ALSO READ: Soon an indigenous ready-to-use kit to test coronavirus for just Rs 500
SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a 2.7-meter reflecting telescope. This summer, it's crew will include Wahconah teacher David Dahari.

Q&A: Wahconah High Teacher to Participate in NASA Program for Educators



Wahconah science teacher David Dahari is participating in a NASA program this summer. DALTON, Mass.  Wahconah Regional High School science teacher David Dahari is looking out of this world to get some real world experience.

This winter, Dahari was selected to participate in the 2020 NASA Airborne Astronomer Ambassador program.

As one of 28 teachers selected from 13 states, Dahari will have the opportunity this summer to train at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, Calif., and study aboard the agency's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a modified Boeing 747 carrying a 100-inch diameter telescope.

Participants in the program receiving training in astrophysics and planetary science content and teaching techniques.

It promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the 18-year teacher, who is in his 10th year at the Central Berkshire Regional high school, where he teaches physics and chemistry.

It is not the first time Dahari has sought experiences outside the classroom that he can bring back to his students.

"My job is to teach these kids, to inspire them," Dahari said recently. "But I spend a lot of my time not doing science. I'm a science teacher but not a scientist.

"This gives me a fresh glimpse of what scientists are doing around the globe right now. If I can bring that back to my classroom to help the next generation of scientists, that would be icing on the cake."

Dahari spoke to iBerkshires.com at length about his past encounters with such experiential learning and his expectations for the AAA, a partnership between NASA and the California-based SETI Institute.

Question: How did you get interested in this program?

Dahari: Lately I've been feeling like I've been needing more professional development, more to keep me abreast of all the different topics that are happening. Being in Western Mass is a little tough. We're not in a city, and there are not a ton of science teachers who teach the same things you do.

I've been looking for other professional development opportunities, and last year I had an amazing one. I got an opportunity to go to Washington State to work at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory [LIGO]. While at this facility for a weeklong program, I was doing a little research and seeing how I can teach modern physics concepts to my students.

And there were people there who had done a lot of other professional development opportunities.  One of them mentioned to me about this [NASA/SETI] program, and I said, That's one I need to try out for.' It's NASA-sponsored and astronomy-based, which is my passion, outside of physics.

Q: What was involved in applying?

Dahari: I filled out a form that had all kinds of questions about my teaching and the next generation science standards and all different kinds of instruction and my knowledge in basic science.  They got back to me and said: We really like what you offered, and we'd like to talk to some administrators in your district and arrange a memorandum of understanding, which basically shows that the district is committed to supporting me through this.

Whenever I leave for professional development, the district is committed to getting me a sub and that kind of thing.

Then I guess they had a panel comprised of some previous members of the program and some scientists and whatnot, and they made a decision from the applicants and I was chosen.

I was super excited. To be honest, I've known for quite some time, since basically early January, but I wasn't able to say anything because NASA put an embargo on it until they did the press release. My principal knew and [Central Berkshire Assistant Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis] knew and my wife knew. But I wasn't able to tell the students or anything like that.

Q: How have experiences like the LIGO trip last summer helped you in the classroom?

Dahari: First of all, what's amazing about a facility like LIGO is that they employ so many different kinds of people. There are so many different engineers, so many scientists and, obviously, educators. Just to see all these people working together, solving problems is amazing.

I guess a naive view of what happens at an observatory is that it's just scientists looking at the stars. What they're actually doing is solving problems -- software bugs, physical things with the geography. To see all these people working together and realize the curriculum kids are learning physics or chemistry is so much more than how an object flies through the sky or how two molecules react to form something else. There are so many more pieces to thinking about these problems.

I can give the kids a problem to solve, and it's OK that there are a lot of problems. That's what the scientific process is. It's figuring things out. It's all about putting it together, observing what you can observe, recognizing there are issues you have to overcome and pulling on different resources and solving those problems.

Q: What else?

Dahari: Another way is, specifically, there are amazing physics topics that we discussed and saw in action at LIGO. In my regular physics class, I just did a whole unit on modern physics, and I pulled all kinds of activities and ideas from that summer program, and we worked through them.

Q: Do you have the same kinds of expectations from the NASA/SETI program?

Dahari: I do, but there's an additional component to the Airborne Astronomy Ambassador program that the LIGO program didn't have. When I come back from my summer experience, next year I am going to be teaching specifically for a few weeks a NASA-inspired curriculum for part of the year.

I say NASA-inspired because they created the framework to it, but part of what I'm doing is adding to it with my cohort of educators.

Q: And that's something you'll be able to utilize in all your classes.

Dahari. Yes. I teach three sections of honors physics, one section of chemistry and one section of AP Physics. I'll teach it in all those classes because they're all physical science based classes.

Q: Are there benefits that you will be able to share with other members of the faculty?

Dahari: Definitely.  We're doing something here at Wahconah called instructional rounds. Basically, it is a way for schools to solve problems they have in schools. As a faculty, we choose a problem of practice that we're interested in solving. We get together as a faculty and pinpoint what questions we want to ask. The goal is to figure out how we want to improve on those problems of practice. We non-evaluatively take turns observing each other. Nothing goes on our record, but we're looking for specific things, like student engagement.

I think going to programs like [LIGO and AAA] where I not only am getting outside experience but also learning best practices in science education will reflect well and possibly offer some solutions to problems of practice that we have.

The other way is that, as far as science teachers go at the school, we all are very close to each other and very good at sharing our experiences in the classroom, both formally and informally at department meetings and lunch. We're great about sharing with each other what works and what doesn't work. Doing this kind of professional development is inspiring to colleagues but also informative to them as far as what best practices are.

Q: So what is your schedule with the AAA program?

Dahari: I'm taking a few different trips. One component is these weekly or sometimes every other week webinars. We have webinars with our cohort hosted by scientists and educators who run the program at NASA.  In the last one we had last week, we spoke about the scientific instruments that are aboard SOFIA, the observatory I'll be going on. We talked about the science behind each of those.

There's also a graduate level astrophysics course I have to take that I've started. I'm learning a ton about the science of infrared astronomy through that.

Then there's also the actual flight week. I'm going to Palmdale, Calif., the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, that's where SOFIA is in the spring and summer. I'm going to be doing observing runs. What that means I get to fly in this observatory  with the scientists and maybe do some data analysis as well. When I'm not flying, I'll be at headquarters doing other work with those scientists.

Also, there's another workshop in the summer, and I don't know exactly where it will be. The location will depend on the pool of teachers. If you look at the list of schools, I think there are two on the East Coast  so it's most likely not going to be on the East Coast. But there will be a workshop where we spend a lot of time developing the curriculum and getting ready to teach future students.

Q: And that curriculum will be ready for next fall.

Dahari: Yes, we'll be ready to start teaching it next year.  I'm so excited about this.
Eerily quiet roads, devoid of traffic, deserted markets and empty community spaces marked citys residential and industrial sectors on Sunday as Gurugram went into lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. As most of the citys hubs remained shut, on account of administrative orders as well the janta curfew, Gurugram turned into a ghost town.

Condominiums across the city barred entry to outsiders and domestic staff, while residential areas, such as Sushant Lok-I, sectors 57 and 14, and Nirvana Country in Sector 50, shut their gates closed to stop any movement to and from the societies.

There was little or no traffic movement at the citys usual traffic bottlenecks on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and the Kherki Daula toll plaza. Buses and shared autos also stayed off the roads.

Kherki Daula toll plaza, which is generally a major bottleneck, saw passage of few vehicles on Sunday. (Yogesh Kumar/HT Photo)

Hospitals and essential services, such as pharmacies, were the only places where public presence could be detected on Sunday. At the Civil Hospital in Sector 10, there was a sharp reduction in the number of visitors, compared to the last few days, as only a few people were waiting to give their samples for the Covid-19 test. Till noon, five samples were collected, said officials.

A couple, residents of Sector 15, said that they had to wait for an hour for their turn. The sample collection process is slow. Since it was an off day, we expected the rush to be less than what we experienced on Saturday, said the man, who had recently visited European countries. We wanted to get ourselves tested since travel history is a criterion for the Covid-19 test, the woman, who was seated at a distance from her husband due to cough, said.

There was little rush at private hospitals too. A senior security official at a prominent private hospital said that footfall had been comparatively lower than the last few days. The crowd is 50-70% smaller, due to the janta curfew. Further, the hospital administration took a few precautionary steps to manage the situation. No billing activity took place on Sunday and one attendant was assigned per patient, he said.

Shopkeepers closed stores at the Arjun Marg market in DLF Phase-1 on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

On Sunday, members of various residents welfare associations (RWAs) across the city undertook monitoring drives to ensure that safety norms are being adhered to. However, many residents said that they were forced to confine themselves to their homes, as groups of people were not allowing them to even step out of their apartments.They said that the curfew, instead of being self-imposed, as asked by the Prime Minister, was being forced on them.

Many who went for a morning walk on Sunday were forced to return home. We were confronted by other residents when we stepped out around 6.30am. People started shouting at us and asked us to return home. Soon after, people started name shaming us on the societys WhatsApp groups for violating the janta curfew, a senior citizen, residing in Fresco Apartments in Sector 50, said.

The confrontation was diffused after the RWA intervened and asked residents not to panic or circulate hateful messages against others. Nilesh Tandon, Fresco RWA president, said that there was some confusion over the Prime Ministers address, which was interpreted in different ways. People were confused whether isolation under janta curfew meant sticking to their respective apartments or the larger condominium complex. Some people stepped out for their morning walks within the condominiums complex, as usual. Senior citizens, especially, find it difficult to break their routine. Accordingly, we had shared advisories stating that the elderly could walk with their family members without forming groups, shaking hands or talking to each other, said Tandon.

Residents of DLF Hamilton Court show their appreciation for those engaged in essential services. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Residents of Ivy Apartment in Sector 28 said they were denied permission for the morning walk and were confined to their homes. In response to the Prime Ministers call, all movement, except in case of medical emergencies, was curtailed, said Vijay Chopra, RWA president, Ivy Apartment, Sector 28.

Residents said the day was unlike any other Sunday they had experienced in the city. Everybody in our complex followed the lockdown today (Sunday). None of the household helps came in and there was hardly any activity. The silence was eerie but couldnt be avoided. Social isolation has become imperative now, said Shalini Vig, a resident of Hamilton Court in Sector 28.

The only significant activity of the day was at 5pm, when the residents came together, albeit at their respective balconies, to show their appreciation and gratitude to people employed in essential services. Vig, along with others from her complex, also participated in a five-minute musical drill in the evening.

(With inputs from Archana Mishra)

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Published on 2020/03/22 | Source

Korea's largest cherry blossom festival has been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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It is the first time since its inception in 1963 that the annual festival, which was due to kick off on March 27 in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, will not be held.

The city government said that it puts priority on the health and safety of the public amid the epidemic, while acknowledging that the festival brings a huge boost to the local economy.

"We will come up with measures to offset the economic fallout from the cancellation and work to make next year's festival even more special", the city government added.
Seattle, March 22 : Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has replied to US Senators who raised questions on his warehouse employees' safety amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

Four US Senators, including Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, sent a letter to Bezos last week, asking him how the company is keeping its warehouse staff safe as an Amazon warehouse worker was tested positive for COVID-19 at the company's Queens, New York facility last week.

"There is no instruction manual for how to feel at a time like this, and I know this causes stress for everyone. My list of worries right now like yours," Bezos said in a company blog post late Saturday.

"Much of the essential work we do cannot be done from home. We've implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees and contractors at our sites around the world," the Amazon CEO said.

Several warehouse employees have told CNN Business they feel the company should be doing more to shield those at the core of its business who can't do their jobs from home.

Bezos said the company is ensuring everything from increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning to adjusting the company's practices in fulfilment centers to ensure the recommended social distancing guidelines.

"We are meeting every day, working to identify additional ways to improve on these measures," he stressed.

According to him, Amazon has changed its logistics, transportation, supply chain, purchasing, and third party seller processes to prioritize stocking and delivering essential items like household staples, sanitizers, baby formula and medical supplies.

In a letter sent to Bezos on Friday, US Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sanders and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said. "Any failure of Amazon to keep its workers safe does not just put their employees at risk, it puts the entire country at risk" "This isn't business as usual, and it's a time of great stress and uncertainty. It's also a moment in time when the work we're doing is its most critical," said Bezos.
US President Donald Trump has extended cooperation to North Korea in the fight against coronavirus in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the state-run news agency Yonhap reported on Saturday.

"In the letter, he also explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries of the DPRK and the U.S. and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic," said Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader's sister, as quoted by Yonhap.

Trump in his letter outlined a plan on developing relations between the two countries and "expressed intention to cooperate in the area of epidemiological measures", as well as commended Kim Jong Un's efforts to "protect the North Korean people" from the epidemic threat.

"We regard it as good judgment and proper action for the US president to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our Chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations and think that this should be highly estimated," she said.

Earlier on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korea had fired two projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea. This is the third test that has been conducted by Pyongyang this year.

"They were fired northeastward from areas near its western county of Sonchon in North Pyongan Province at 6:45 a.m. and 6:50 a.m., respectively," the JCS said, adding that they flew around 410 kilometres, reaching a maximum altitude of around 50 km.

"South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing other specifics," JCS added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Doctor Who" actor Sophia Myles' father Peter Myles has passed away due to the coronavirus.

The actor, who received critical acclaim for her role as Madame de Pompadour in the "Doctor Who" episode "The Girl in the Fireplace", took to Twitter on Sunday to share the

"RIP Peter Myles. My dear Dad died only a few hours ago. It was the Corona Virus that finally took him," Sophia tweeted.

On Saturday, the actor shared a picture of herself, her father and her brother to her followers as a "nice memory".

"My father, my brother and I. A nice memory to share given what Dad is going through now," she captioned the picture.

Sophia previously shared a picture of her by her father's hospital bed, with him on a ventilator whilst she wore a mask and gloves.

A number of Hollywood celebrities have gone public with their COVID-19 diagnosis, including Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks and his wife, actor Rita Wilson, British actor Idris Elba, former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, "Frozen 2" actor Rachel Matthews, Daniel Dae Kim, "Game of Thrones" stars Kristofer Hivju and Indira Verma, celebrated TV host Andy Cohen, Bon Jovi member David Bryan and actor Debi Mazar.

The deadly virus has claimed over 13,000 lives across the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
But some of Mr. Trumps economic advisers, including the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and the director of his National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, believe that antagonizing China over strategic issues threatens economic cooperation that is required in an interconnected global economy in which China holds many of the cards.

The hardened messaging from Washington has infuriated Chinas government, whose officials and news outlets have fired back, accusing the United States of an attempt to deflect blame offshore  and even of producing the virus: This month, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman pushed a conspiracy theory online that the U.S. Army might have taken the virus to Wuhan.

China also has significant leverage over global health supplies. American officials have criticized China for buying up a vast portion of the global supply of medical masks, and called for bringing the supply chains that produce pharmaceuticals, medical devices and protective gear back to the United States.

President Trump is in a very difficult situation, because he still needs the cooperation of the C.C.P. on many things  not just on the economy but on this virus, Mr. Bannon said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. We are still coupled.

Mr. Trump seemed to acknowledge as much on Friday, when he couched some of his earlier criticism of Chinas government. I respect China and I respect President Xi, Mr. Trump said, calling the Chinese leader  with whom he has spent months trying to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement  a friend of mine.

Such comments were more common from Mr. Trump a few weeks ago, when few known coronavirus cases existed in the United States and large parts of China were under lockdown. But the language shifted as the United States proved incapable of halting the viruss spread, and China appeared to be getting its outbreak under control, emboldening officials to chastise Washington.

Some Trump officials and Republicans in Congress say the crisis has underscored an urgent need to reduce Americas economic dependence on Beijing. The White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has helped draft an executive order that would require the federal government to buy more American-made pharmaceuticals.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 10:40:08|Editor: zyl

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BANJUL, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Gambia's government announced on Saturday night it will close borders with Senegal and suspend all flights from Monday in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"President Adama Barrow has approved the closure of the border between the Republic of The Gambia and the Republic of Senegal, effective midnight, on Monday,"said a statement from the presidency.

The border closure, for a period of 21 days, was based on an agreement with Senegal, expert advice and the regional and global developments of the COVID-19 situation, said the statement, citing the continuous movement of people as a "high risk of contracting the disease."

Meanwhile, the western African country said the decision will not affect essential services, such as movement of security personnel, food supplies, and healthcare services and the related activities.

The Gambian government has also declared the closure of the airspace to all flights except for medical and cargo flights, beginning Monday for 21 days as well.

Gambia, with its land territory almost completely surrounded by Senegal, has so far confirmed one case involving a 28-year-old woman who returned from Britain on Sunday. And Senegal has reported 56 cases.
: A young male tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday morning taking the count of confirmed cases in the city to six, officials said.

The number of positive cases in the Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula have spiked to 11 in 5 days.

According to the Union Territory Administration, the man is the secondary contact of the 23-year-old-female who returned from England on March 15 and tested positive for coronavirus on March 18. The area of residence of the latest person to test positive has not been confirmed by the authorities.

The fresh case was admitted Chandigarhs Government Medical College and Hospital on Saturday and his samples were tested at the citys Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.

Track coronavirus live updates here,

Earlier, the brother, mother and cook of the first positive case tested positive for coronavirus followed by a 38-year-old woman who worked at a beauty salon who came in contact with Chandigarhs first coronavirus case.

All these four positive cases were from Mohal. But no fresh case has been reported from Mohali.

Also read: Covid-19: How it will change the world

Reports of three persons who were suspected to be infected are negative. Reports of three other persons are awaited which can only be confirmed by evening, Mohali Civil Surgeon Manjit Singh said.
The threat was always there. We were warned, but we probably didnt know that we didnt know how to take heed. Then it crept in like a thief in the night. Im not speaking about the Covid-19 Novel Coronavirus, but rather the political moonwalk that is placing many of our CARICOM and Caribbean neighbors under the spell of dictatorship, in the guise of democracy.

While we hear the D-word and think shudderingly of Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, and Mugabe, we try to comfort ourselves that those guys are thousands of miles and centuries away from where we find ourselves now. But the ills of a susceptible public then have not waned in this 21st Century there are very many people who simply want to follow, and be acknowledged; causes and morals notwithstanding.

Dictatorship in the Caribbean has had a long history. A few keys names (in no particular order) come to mind:

- Manuel Noriega, Panama (1983-1989)

- Forbes Burnham, Guyana (1964-1985)

- Augusto Pinochet, Chile (1973-1990)

- Hugo Chavez, Venezuela (1999-2012)

- Rafael Trujillo, Dominican Republic (1930-1961)

- Francois Duvalier, Haiti (1957-1971)

- Fidel Castro, Cuba (1959-2006)

In fact, the generally accepted definition of a dictatorship is a government or social situation where one person makes all the rules and decisions without input from anyone else.

Seven years ago, Lesroy W. Williams was the mouthpiece for the breakaway Labour faction that would eventually become Team Unity. His words then, on the topic of dictatorship, rings eerily true today, about the current administration. He wrote:

Although Caribbean leaders would retort by saying that their leadership is a far cry from the likes of those in Africa because it is not as blatant, it is however deadly subtle. Also, we can look closer to home in the Caribbean and Latin America to find our own dictators... ...Caribbean Constitutions give too much power to prime ministers who wield this wild power over the legislature that they sometimes begin to think and act that they, the prime ministers, are the legislature.

When a prime minister can manipulate the legislature, thereby making the Speaker a mere puppet; when Caribbean elections are won by rigging and padding voters lists; when the press is seriously hamstrung in doing its work... ...when politicians use money to bribe people at election time and where there is no transparency in campaign financing in the absence of legislation to regulate it; when ordinary folks are lied to about the true state of the economy... ...when people are victimized because they have opposing political views and others cowed into silence for fear of losing their means to a daily bread; when politicians support garrison politics and badmanship... ...when politicians criticize the judicial system when it does not rule in their favor... ... then we are faced with the ingredients of dictatorship.

With what can only be described as the shameful fiasco that was the 2020 Guyana General Election, the threat of dictatorship again looms its head. An incumbent President seemingly having control over the Guyana Election Commission, to the point that the tally for the pivotal Region Four is obfuscated by tactics directly out of the Dark Ages. An Observer mission, headed by the respected former Prime Minister of Barbados, being threatened with expulsion. And a martyr, felled by police bullets. Now the courts have been drawn in, with the first bone of contention being if the national judicial system can adjudicate on national affairs.

This certainly seems the fuel to ignite budding dictatorial tendencies in the region, not least of all, our very own St Kitts and Nevis.

For those with longer than nine-day memories, the current Team Unity administration was built around change and a rejection of a Labour party governance that spanned four terms. Political fatigue, we cried. We wanted change. Change came in the form of a petulant child of the Labour movement, who seemed to be impatient to be handed the reigns of leadership, and so went on to form his own Labour party.

The sparse support Tim Harris had six years ago was influential enough for him to secure one seat and become Prime Minister, and securing the dubious record as being the most minority leader in the history of the Western Hemisphere. The extract from Williams above was a direct attack on Douglas Labour movement, but re-read today, it is a perfect description of the Harris administration.

Making the Speaker a puppet, interfering with the electoral list, cash bribes, suspicious campaign financiers, victimization, nepotism, batsmanship and consorting with criminals are all shining hallmarks of Team Unitys time in power. Maybe it would not have been too bad to have had a PAM Prime Minister, but the delicate Shawn Richards felt he was not up to the task, as his limit on leadership apparently stops at Opposition politics.

One of the first things that Harris executed at his victory was to remove the diplomatic travel allowance to the Opposition Leader, which, while not illegal, goes against the spirit of cooperation and governance, and was the first hint of vapid, vitriolic, vexatious and vindictive things to come from Harris.

Ironically, so was his term started, so does the sunset on it with the same diplomatic passport issue. This may not be good for any superstitious TU party supporters.

An uncharacteristically docile Douglas calmly accepted the ruling against him by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, only to get on the soapbox a few hours later to say he abides by the ruling and sees a great opportunity to refresh his mandate by the people.

This is certainly not the same old fiery Douglas, but a wiser, more chess-minded politician. On the other hand, Team Unity still seem to be stuck on the checker's board, having spent massive sums of taxpayer dollars to secure a favorable judgment, via the astronomical costs of Senior and Queens Counsels. It would have made much more sense if there were some awards at the end of it, which makes the entire court matter an academic exercise since Douglas diplomatic passport has not been valid for travel for the past couple of months.

But before Team Unity could finish patting themselves on the back, shots were fired at the Basseterre Police Station, in a sobering reminder that our entire government is beholden not to the people, but to about three dozen hardcore criminals  murderers, drug dealers and bandits. The criminal underworld is scenting an election in the air, and have decided to ask for an increase in their hush-money, otherwise known as the Poverty Alleviation Programme.

It ties back to the use intimidation tactics to control the electorate when polls are called in certain nations. Most leaders leverage on their national security forces (Venezuela, Guyana etc), while others look to the criminal element to control their Opposition rivals (Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago etc).

Harris seems hell-bent on becoming the Caribbeans newest dictator. Hell be the worst kind, as his initial ascension to power was not via popular vote, but by forming a coalition and forcing his way to the top. Hes partnered with the Butcher of Tivoli retired Major General Stewart Saunders to woo and pacify Basseterres killers, while lettering them keep their guns.

Hes put his sister to practically run the judiciary, while his brothers run the prison and the national bank. Cousins, nieces, and nephews rake in top dollar in make-work positions. His financiers are shady, corrupt and have no allegiance to St Kitts nor Nevis they are total outsiders. Questions abound about the transparency of the Elections Commission, which is also the watchful eye of the Harris clan.

What about the reports of voter cards and passports being distributed as freely as post-hurricane rations? What about the Spanish criminal underworld that has taken root in Monkey Hill and environs? What of the move to change boundaries on the eve on an election  a battle he lost as a member of a sitting government previously?

Harris has an army of public servants who are being paid as Team Unity social media trolls, who are only sowing hatred and disunity and are unable to intelligently discuss basic issues.

Its almost as if Harris is following real-time, the doctrine being written by Granger.

And now, Harris has the perfect opportunity to play the dictator master-card and use the current COVID-19 lockdown to his political advantage. Now that many commentators have anticipated such a tactic, it will be even more brazen for Harris to attempt to execute it.

It must not be forgotten that the key influencers and strategists who were responsible for Harris ascension to office  Condor, Astaphan et al  have walked away from him; leaving him bereft of ideas and a winning impetus for a political campaign.

Stakeholders at large are expecting the big man to implode under the mounting pressures of calling the election, breaking of the peace treaty, a global economic downturn and all the ripple effects of the Novel Coronavirus.

As the eighth smallest country in the world, St Kitts and Nevis is in the spotlight; from being the idyllic, quintessential getaway spot, the island is now a hotbed of political confusion, division, and distrust. Serious crime is on the rise once again, with government burying its head in the sand and refusing to address the skyrocketing reports of robberies, rapes, and violence towards tourists.

A lack of leadership, they say. We will change it, others say. But it may all depend on what Harris says.



Joel B. Liburd
Public health experts believe full-scale attempts to suppress the spread of the coronavirus are now needed as NSW and Victoria move to lock down schools, restaurants and non-essential businesses.

Several modelling scenarios circulated this week among Australian medical analysts and academics warned the business-as-usual approach, even with social distancing, would lead to almost one million cases in the next month.

Balmoral beach in Sydney is closed as authorities try to enforce social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Australian-born Professor Adam C. Palmer, a faculty member in Pharmacology and Computational Medicine at the University of North Carolina, warned the actions of Australians to protect themselves and their families "cannot come soon enough".

He told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Australias window of opportunity to avoid catastrophe was "closing soon".
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2020) The currently seen fluctuations of prices for oil are not particularly rejoicing but not dramatic either, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said on Friday, adding that the company was ready for the currently developing scenario.

"Of course, fluctuations, with oil prices falling to such a low level as we see today, do not make us particularly happy, but do not make us feel any drama unfolding either," Sechin told reporters.

The Russian energy company was ready to see oil prices decreasing dramatically due to the potential collapse of the OPEC+ oil production cuts deal, Rosneft CEO went on to say.

"We were ready for this scenario initially, when the extension of the OPEC+ agreement to another quarter was discussed," Sechin recalled.

Sechin also expressed the belief that the oil market was going through a crisis due to several factors, such as politics, sanctions and the coronavirus.

"The oil market is going through a crisis. Some factors are objective, and others are subjective, let us try to puzzle it out. For example, is there such a factor as political cycles? Yes, there is. The elections in the United States, for instance. The possible change of government in Saudi Arabia. This should be taken into consideration. The coronavirus factor obviously has some influence: a decrease in transport operation, aerial vehicles rejection and isolation of some of global regions  all this certainly reduces consumption," Sechin said at the International Review program on Russia-24 broadcaster.

"There is one more factor that I would like to draw your attention to, the factor of sanctions. It should be taken into consideration that it influences OPEC member states, apart from others. For example, Iran and Venezuela. Some restrictions have been imposed on Russia, certainly," he added.
Hanbok designer Lee Eun-yim, better known by her brand name Lee Rheeza, died of natural causes on Saturday. She was 85. / Yonhap



By Kang Hyun-kyung



Hanbok designer Lee Eun-yim, better known by her brand name Lee Rheeza, died of natural causes on Saturday. She was 85.



Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, her family said Lee's funeral will be held with only family members in attendance.



Lee, founder of the Lee Rheez Hanbok Institute in Seoul, was a first generation hanbok designer who was lauded for her elegant A-line skirt. The traditional Korean attire for women consisted of an upper garment, called jeogori, and a skirt, called chima. The original design of the lower garment took the form of a jar-type skirt which made the wearer look bulkier.



Lee modified it into a chic A-line skirt to make the wearer look thinner and elegant.

In a media interview, she said her hanbok design was inspired by American actress Vivian Leigh's dress in "Gone with the Wind" movie.



It was also the brainchild of her endeavors over the years to make herself look good in the traditional attire. Tall and thin, she said she didn't look good whenever she wore hanbok and thus came up with a design that would make her look so in the traditional costume.



Several former first ladies have worn Lee's hanbok when they accompanied their husbands on overseas trips for summit diplomacy. She made a hanbok for Lee Soon-ja, the wife of former President Chun Doo-hwan; Kim Ok-sook, the wife of former President Roh Tae-woo; and Kwon Yang-sook, the late President Roh Moo-hyun's wife.



Studying English literature at Chungnam National University, Lee was a fashionista and made her own hanbok even before she opened her shop.



Lee lifted the profile of hanbok designers from simply clothing manufacturers to designers. When she started her hanbok business at a sublet of her cousin's outlet store in Dapshimni, Seoul in 1968, the term "hanbok designer" didn't exist. Those who made hanbok were mostly married women and they were treated as garment workers rather than designers. Guests would call these women "ajumma," which means married women and, at that time, also implied that the women had no particular professional expertise.



Lee said she instructed her cousin to call her "Mrs. Designer" whenever her guests came over to her shop and asked about her whereabouts.



"It was a skillful tactic that I intentionally encouraged my cousin to call me such, because back then people were not aware of design and thus had no respect for that kind of expertise," she said in an interview.



She was design-savvy. She tried to catch the unique characteristics of her guests and tailor-made hanboks for them.



Confident about her skill, Lee charged four times more for her hanbok designs than any average bespoke attire cost at that time. Some of her guests complained about the costly design and left for other designers. But they returned to her shop upon realizing that there were no others like her who could create hanbok as elegantly as she did.



After just three months, her thriving business enabled her to open her own hanbok shop in more spacious premises near the original location.



She made hanbok for celebrities and the wives of Korean diplomats. Korean beauty queens also wore her hanbok at international beauty pageants.



Since her first fashion show in 1974 at the now Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, Lee hosted hanbok fashion shows in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and China. She was also invited to Paris to showcase her hanbok.



Lee is survived by her husband Hwang Yoon-ju, a daughter and two sons.


New Delhi: The Air India Crew onboard a special flight that evacuated 263 Indians from the coronavirus-hit Italian capital Rome, have been advised home quarantine as per the established norms of the company, an official of the national carrier said.

The special flight had returned to New Delhi carrying 263 Indians - mostly students - on Sunday morning. Later in the day, they were sent to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police-managed quarantine facility in Chhawla here.

Prior to being taken to the quarantine centre, the passengers had undergone thermal screening and immigration procedures at the Delhi airport.The Delhi customs had provided assistance in the clearance of these passengers at the Remote Bay of the Delhi airport.

Precautions were exercised and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling passengers were followed.This is the second batch of Indians evacuated by the Indian government from Italy, which has reported more than 47,000 cases of the novel coronavirus.

Earlier, as many as 218 Indians - mostly students - were evacuated from the Italian city of Milan.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-23 01:14:48|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed three more deaths from COVID-19 and 19 new cases, bringing the total number of the infected to 233.

The new cases included eight in the capital Baghdad, six in Sulaimaniyah, two in Najaf and one in the provinces of Karbala, Muthanna and Erbil, the ministry said in a statement.

So far, a total of 233 cases have been confirmed in the country, 20 of whom have died and 57 others have recovered, according to the ministry.

Earlier in the day, the Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi, who heads the Iraqi crisis committee to contain COVID-19, said in a press conference that the crisis committee took several measures, one of which is to extend the curfew across the country until March 28 at 11:00 p.m. (2000 GMT).

The curfew excluded the security, service, and health institutions and diplomats, as well as authorized media, pharmacies, gas stations and the commercial movement of goods and food.

It also extended the suspension of the schools and universities, as well as the international flights from and to Iraq until March 28.

On March 15, the committee took several measures to contain the spread of the disease, including imposing a week-long curfew in Baghdad from March 17 to 23.

To help Iraq cope with the spread of the novel coronavirus, a Chinese team of seven experts arrived in Baghdad on March 7.

They are working with their Iraqi counterparts in the fight against the viral respiratory disease, which has largely been under control in China through a nationwide campaign since late January.
An aerial view of Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County, Calif., where reports say inmates are being monitored for the novel coronavirus. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Early release from prison is on the table as a state task force begins discussions on how to navigate California's incarcerated population through the coming storm of the novel coronavirus.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller on Friday ordered the task force during a telephone status hearing. The hearing was for updates on prison mental health but instead dwelt almost entirely on COVID-19. The task force's first meeting was Saturday, involving lawyers for the governor's office, corrections department, Department of State Hospitals and those representing prisoners in long-running litigation over prison conditions.

At Mueller's direction, said plaintiff's attorney Michael Bien, "population is on the table."

The corrections department has steadfastly declined to answer questions about how many inmates are under watch with influenza-like illness, how many have been tested for COVID-19 and how many are under quarantine.

After a decade of sustained effort to reduce health-threatening overcrowding, California's prison system remains at 134% capacity, with more than 114,000 inmates in state prisons built to hold 85,000. Another 8,700 prisoners are in camps and contracted private lockups.

Despite mounting pressure from civil liberties groups such as the ACLU and advocates for inmates, prison systems across the United States have so far resisted calls to reduce their COVID-19 threats by releasing prisoners. Jail systems, however, have adopted such programs, including those in Los Angeles, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties.

The state repeatedly has staved off federal court threats to order inmate releases with major changes in sentencing laws, a shift of low-risk offenders to county jails and cancellation of contracts for out-of-state private prisons. During that litigation, the state has crafted policies for early release and lists of prospective prisoners, looking at those who are elderly, frail or close to finishing their sentences.

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As of Saturday, the California Department of Corrections said that no inmates have yet tested positive for COVID-19, though it announced three employees were infected  two at the California Institution for Men and one at California State Prison-Sacramento, located outside Folsom. A San Quentin State Prison employee who previously was reported to have tested positive ultimately was a negative case, the department said.

Some 1,800 inmates were affected when two cellblocks at San Quentin were put on lockdown because of reports of influenza-like illness. Internal documents obtained by The Times show multiple blocks at the California Health Care Facility, the state's medical prison outside Stockton, locked down a week ago for "influenza like illness."

The Sacramento Bee has reported other inmates being monitored for possible COVID-19 at Mule Creek State Prison.

Corrections officials have progressively taken steps to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus in California prisons, halting visitation, volunteers and education programs, and screening employees for infection risk at the entrance.

A department memo filed in federal court showed transfers between prisons were also largely halted, though prisoners in need of mental health crisis care were still being moved around the state. Documents obtained by The Times, for instance, show inmates arriving one day last week at the Stockton facility from four prisons, including San Quentin.

Prison medical workers have been instructed to use only regular surgical masks around prisoners quarantined with influenza-like illness, not the higher-quality N95 masks.

A nurse at the state medical facility, speaking anonymously because she feared retribution for making a public comment, said she is worried about the safeguards in place while working among patients on "COVID-19 surveillance rounds."

"We do not have any masks, not even the flimsy masks," she said.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation issued a statement Saturday evening clarifying its position on protecting its inmate population and empolyees against the spread of the coronavirus.

We are continuously evaluating and implementing proactive measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep our CDCR population and the community-at-large safe," the department said. "Additional measures will continue to be developed based on the rapidly-evolving situation. Our top priority is the safety and security of the incarcerated population and the public.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle pleas for all people on Sunday to see the light in Lord as the world battles the wrath of the coronavirus disease 2019.

Tagle, now the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples based in Rome, Italy, led the Laetare Sunday mass at the Pontificio Collegio Filipino. Today also marks the fourth Sunday of the Lenten season in Catholic Church.

Tagle said that people should allow the word of God to reign in these trying times to give hope in the dark situation faced by the world now.

It is quite providential that this set of readings is presented to us as the whole world seems to be walking in darkness because of this pandemic. So, we allow the word of God and the celebration to somehow lead us in hope and even with rejoicing, spiritual rejoicing for Gods actions for leading us from darkness to light, Tagle said.

Tagle continued these times of darkness can be a way by Jesus for the people to see the reality in others, especially those who are risking their lives in fighting the disease.

The darkness is there. But Jesus might be leading us to see Him and to see reality in others in a new light, he said.

The Filipino cardinal also stressed that little and simple things in life can be used as instruments to see the light in the Lord during these trying times.

We dont see the value of little things. We look for big, big stupendous extravagant things. Yun lang naman pala, laway lang pala. Lupa lang pala, said Tagle.

[Translation: We dont see the value of little things. We look for big, big stupendous extravagant things. But it is only saliva. And soil too.]

Tagle made comparisons of his homily to todays Gospel, where a blind man was given sight by Jesus.

He also linked his speech to the current situation in the world now during the COVID-19 scare. But Tagle reminded the people to make their eyes smile amidst the difficult situation.

Some people are complaining, I dont see your face anymore because you are wearing mask. I dont know whether you are smiling or not. Hey! It means you only have associated smile with the lips. Start looking at the eyes. Eyes smile, he added.

Tagle reminded the people to see what is pleasing to the Lord. Listen to the Lord. Act accordingly to what you have heard from Him. And seeing as he sees us. We need more light in the Lord.

As of this writing, there are now 307,341 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the whole world. The Philippines has 380 cases, along with 25 deaths and 15 recoveries.
Amid rising cases of Coronavirus and scare of a widespread outbreak, Coimbatore District Collector informed on Saturday that Tamil Nadu borders with Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have been closed. The state has reported four Coronavirus cases, of which one has recovered. However, the official said that no positive cases have yet been detected from Coimbatore district.

"As per the government orders, all borders connecting to Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have been closed along with the Walayar borders connecting Tamil Nadu and Kerala," said DC Rasamani.

He further stated that interstate public transport services have been stopped since Saturday morning.

READ | Coimbatore Collector Inspects Tamil Nadu-Kerala Border

Meanwhile, Sujit Kumar who is Coimbatore district Superintendent of Police, said that all 13 border check-posts connecting Tamil Nadu to other states are being monitored. "Around 500 police personnel have been deployed in the border areas and they are assisting the health official team present at the borders," he said.

READ | Tamil Nadu Gears For Janta Curfew In Its Fight Against Coronavirus

Tamil Nadu ready for 'Janta Curfew'

Public transport including buses and metro rail services will be suspended on Sunday on account of the 'Janta Curfew' called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the country's fight against the deadly virus. Following Modi's appeal, the State government also announced a series of restrictions including suspending metro rail services even as autorickshaws would stay off the roads.

READ | PM Modi Praises Tamil Nadu Govt's Initiatives To Control Coronavirus

Coronavirus Crisis

The Coronavirus pandemic has so far infected over three lakh cases worldwide, with the number of deaths nearly 13,000. The hardest-hit region, after China, is Italy, Iran and South Korea, where number of cases are rising by the hour. India has so far reported at least 300 confirmed cases and four deaths.

(With agency inputs)

(Photo: ANI)

READ | Coronavirus LIVE Updates: PM Modi Appeals To People To Stay Put Wherever They Are
Ms Kliman said time will tell how prepared schools are for a shutdown. "This is unprecedented. We've never had this happen," she said. "And the other thing that may make it somewhat more difficult is that we don't know how long this will go for." Sue Bell, president of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals, said schools had been preparing for a shutdown for weeks, however not all schools had live video "set up and ready to go". "It might be that students take home assignments that they're going to be working on and emailing their answers or their work into teachers. It will take on a huge range of looks."

Ms Bell said schools' capacity to cope with the new reality would also ''depend how long it goes on for''. "I think everyone will have something they can work with students on, and it will vary over the coming weeks.'' Ms Bell said whether children's learning would suffer, being at home, would depend on many factors including "how long it lasts, what their parents are able to work with them on, and do. "There's lots of reading and online activities that kids can do if they have access to the internet.

It's going to be a difficult time but we will have to work together." Gail McHardy, executive officer of Parents Victoria, which represents parents of public school students, welcomed the holidays being moved forward, but said parents needed to know how a shutdown would work.

We need people to be really calm and sensible and schools will feed that information [to them] accordingly. Ms McHardy said school communities would need to rise to the occasion and support each other. Where schools didnt have the capacity to teach online, she said clever, creative teachers" could help come up with ideas to make the most of limited resources at home. She urged the government to support parents who had to both work and support their kids. Were waiting on that information to come through. Theyre working out how to support those people on the front line because they are parents too.

One parent, Patrick Daly-Andrusiak, of Frankston, said he and his six-year-old daughters mother Claire expected some kind of disruption to the school term, but they were definitely not prepared. We are both working; Claire is also at uni. It seems like Claires work will also close, so thatll be our way of accommodating the extended holidays, he said. I think the call is probably the right one if were wanting to contain the virus and deal with it as efficiently and effectively as possible - its probably a bit overdue honestly. Until now, Mr Daly-Andrusiak has kept his daughter Scarlett in school. We wouldve preferred to take her out earlier, but couldnt really think of a way financially sustainable way to do that with both of us and all our parents still working. Kate Greenwood, a Woodend mother of two primary-school aged children, said she and her husband were relieved that a decision about schools had been made and there was now less uncertainty.
The Karnataka Health Department on Sunday said that a total of 26 positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed till now.

"Till date 26 COVID19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state which includes one death," said an official from the Health Department.

Earlier, Sindhu B Rupesh, District Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, informed that a 22-year-old man from Bhatkal who had returned from Dubai on March 19 has tested positive for coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday confirmed 360 positive cases of coronavirus in the country including foreign nationals.

"Total number of confirmed cases so far in the country is 360 (including 41 foreign nationals), as on March 22 at 6.30 pm," said an official from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

The official also said that of the 360 people, 24 people have been cured and discharged.

Till now, seven deaths due to coronavirus have been reported, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MAY 5 ELECTIONS

Gov. Ralph Northam is urging people to apply for absentee ballots as soon as possible for the May 5 municipal elections. The Fredericksburg Voter Registrars office has posted a step-by-step guide for doing this at fredericksburgva.gov/534/Voter-Registrar. Residents can also call:

Fredericksburg: 540/372-1030

Orange: 540/672-5262

PARKS

Programs and rentals are suspended at county parks, but fields and trails are open locally and at state and most national parks. Buildings and facilities, such as restrooms, may be closed. Entrance fees have been waived at Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. Fishing is permitted at Old Mill Park and City Dock in Fredericksburg. Visitors should practice social distancing.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

All schools are closed, at least through March 27; Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg through April 14; Stafford through April 15. School administrators are available by phone and email.
Kathmandu, March 22 : With the cancellation of all spring mountaineering expeditions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) on Sunday urged the country's government to utilize this opportunity to clean Mount Everest.

NMA President Santa Bir Lama said this period of time "can be used in cleaning up the mountain and resolving the much-talked waste problems".

"Crisis can be turned into an opportunity," he told Xinhua news agency.

Spring is the major season for expeditions, which sees the flow of hundreds of foreign and domestic climbers, Sherpa guides, high attitude workers, base camp staff among others in the 8,848-metre high mountain, with a large amount of garbage produced every year.

In the wake of no human footstep and movement in the world's highest peak this time, mountaineering organizations and climbers believe that this was the perfect time to clean up those garbage and make the mountain clean.

Lama further said it was the right time to conduct cleanup and give message to the whole world that the Himalayas are pristine and garbage free.

Everest is often portrayed as the junkyard at the highest attitude with its slopes covered with oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, ladders, bottles and plastic items, as well as human excrement.

In 2019, at least 10,000 kg of rubbish and four dead bodies were cleared off from the mountain under the initiation of local rural municipality, different stakeholders and the Nepal Army.

According to Lama, this cleanup campaign would not just help in clearing off dead bodies and other solid waste from Everest, but would also creat job during the crisis.

"Sherpas are dependent upon spring season for income generation. Since they are staying idle at homes without any income, the cleanup campaign would provide them a means for livelihood," the president said.

NMA has already requested the government to consider the proposal of cleanup campaign this spring before May, but hasn't received any response.

Kami Rita Sherpa, the record-holder climber with 24 Everest ascentS, believes that the cleanup campaign would give a positive message to the environment conservationists and mountaineering fraternity across the world.

"I am ready to take part in the cleanup campaign or even lead if the government agreed. It's our mountain and cleaning it is our own responsibility," Sherpa told Xinhua news agency.

Sherpa said the area below Camp IV is cleaner owing to a one-month cleanup campaign.

However, there was still a large chunk of garbage in and above the spot as it's a risky task to conduct cleanliness in the fragile weather.

Since spring expeditions were put off, 50-year-old Kami Rita plans to ascend the mountain for the 25th time in autumn season along with other foreign clients.

According to Department of Tourism, no campaign can be launched immediately as the whole country is fighting to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Cleanup campaign is definitely a good initiative, we held several round of discussions too. But since the country can go on lockdown anytime depending upon the scenario, we can just wait and see for now," Meera Acharya, the Department's director, told Xinhua.

Mount Everest has not only been an identity of the Himalayan nation but also a major source of revenue.

According to Nepali regulation, every foreigner needs to pay $11,000 as royalty while a local climber has to pay around $650 to scale the mountain.
The arrangement seemed a happy one. But then, the coronavirus happened.

By January, Lachlan Murdoch knew the virus was coming. Hed been getting regular updates from the familys political allies and journalists in his fathers native Australia, an Australian News Corporation staff member told me. The Fox host hes closest to, Mr. Carlson, had been a rare voice on the network urging Mr. Trump to act more urgently. Even Mr. Hannity had hosted Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, early on his show and warned of the risks.

But as the crisis took hold, there were more than two weeks of statements like Laura Ingrahams assertion on Feb. 27 that Democratic criticism was more unsettling than the virus and Mr. Hannitys allegation on March 9 that political opponents were trying to bludgeon Trump with this new hoax. Finally, after an obscure Fox Business host, Trish Regan, ranted that the coronavirus issue was another attempt to impeach the president, the network pivoted.

The damage Fox did appears likely to extend beyond the typical media hits and misses. I asked Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Public Health Institute, who appeared on Fox News recently, whether he believes people will die because of Foxs coverage.

Yes, he said. Some commentators in the right-wing media spread a very specific type of misinformation that I think has been very harmful.

The communications chief at Fox News, Irena Briganti, said, The cherry picking of clips from our opinion programs is the definition of politicizing this serious threat, as is irresponsibly attacking Fox News in the middle of a pandemic that has evolved considerably over the last few weeks. She added, Suzanne Scotts exceptional leadership of Fox News Media throughout this crisis is unprecedented, and she is committed to both protecting our employees while keeping the audience informed 24/7 on all our platforms and providing an important public service.

There are a lot of theories about what went wrong at Fox: that the networks dug-in hostility toward climate science spilled over to medicine, or that its executives cared about ratings above all else. But interviews with 20 current and former Fox staff members and Murdoch family associates in recent days paint a different picture: The network is in thrall to the president and largely beyond the control of the family that owns it.

When Lachlan Murdoch started to hear complaints about the coronavirus coverage on Fox, a person who has spoken to him said, he mistook it for the usual partisan noise.
We have 40,000 colleges, over 1,000 universities, more than 35 crore students and over 10 lakh teachers in India. I urge all students and teachers to come together and help us keep the entire country safe by spreading awareness about COVID-19.

All over the globe, people are trying their best to protect themselves from the new enemy. Amid such a global as well as national health crisis, it is easy to succumb to fear and panic.

We have been receiving multiple requests from students, teachers and parents to postpone exams and shut down schools and colleges.

Precautionary measures for examination and evaluation centres were circulated in all educational institutions.

However, the anxiety among examinees and their concerned have only increased. Assessing the current stressful situation, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has taken a few initiatives for the safety of the students and teachers, to ensure a panic-free state.

These decisions have been based on scientific evidence and are motivated from the intent to avoid local risk of infection. Our objective is to delay the growth of the virus and flatten the peak of the pandemic.

The MHRD has ordered educational institutions, including the Central Board of Secondary Education, the National Institute of Open Schooling and all universities to postpone their examinations and reschedule them after March 31, 2020.

All evaluation work has also been rescheduled to after March 31, 2020.

Many Kendriya Vidyalayas have also either postponed or completely cancelled their annual schoollevel exams.

Besides the above, we have also decided to postpone the JEE Mains since the examination requires examinees to travel to different towns.

As we have to make sure that JEE Mains does not clash with rescheduled dates of the CBSE and other board examinations, we will reassess the situation and the revised date for JEE Mains will be announced on March 31, 2020.

The UGC, AICTE, NTA and NCTE will also postpone their exams to April. Now, the question arises: will students study get impacted during the closure of schools/colleges? The answer is no.

There are multiple initiatives run by the Ministry that ensure continuity of learning and access to essential services for all students.

The focused approach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Digital India has also supplemented digitalisation of education, which makes it accessible anytime and anywhere.

Our digital schemes like SWAYAM Prabha will not let the studies of students get hampered while staying at home. The following are some initiatives and how they can help students from home.

SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds): As the name indicates, it is a portal that fosters self-study. It offers massive open online courses via tutorials, lectures and discussion forums.

Apart from graduation and postgraduation courses, it also includes 28 course modules developed by the NCERT in 12 subject areas for classes IX-XII.

DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing): It can help students, teachers and parents get learning material in a very engaging format.

Besides the website, it is also available as an app and has received over 55 lakh app downloads so far, having delivered 11.8 crore content sessions and 26 crore minutes of usage.

In fact, the CBSE delivers weekly Creativity and Critical Thinking Practice Tests for classes VII to X in science, mathematics, Hindi and English through the portal.

As of today, 14 feature content, 1,937 textbooks, 66,113 learning materials, 9,865 practice and test materials and 2,267 teaching materials have been uploaded on DIKSHA. You can visit the portal at diksha.gov.in.

SWAYAM Prabha: For those parents whose children are glued to the television screens, SWAYAM Prabha is an ideal solution.

It is a group of DTH channels that provides quality content for higher education from esteemed colleges.

In addition to this, timeslots of four hours daily have now been approved for selected states to offer school education content.

For instance, Channel 31 Kishore Manch telecasts e-contents approved by the NCERT on a 24x7 basis for classes XI-XII in all subjects.

Channel 8 broadcasts high quality, visually and graphically enriched content in physical and earth sciences to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

E-pathshala: This offers educational material for students and teachers through a portal as well as an app, now also available on the UMANG app of the government.

The material comes in various formats like audio, video, e-book, flipbook and now even in augmented reality format.

The portal has 1886 audios, 2,000 videos, 696 e-books (e-pubs), 504 flip books and 70 augmented reality e-content on class IX and X science textbooks.

NROER (National Repository of Open Educational Resources): It is a collaborative platform that provides access to a large number of educational resources from primary to tertiary level in multiple languages. The platform also offers gamification.

It has a total of 14,527 files including 401 collections, 2,779 documents, 1,345 interactive, 1,664 audios, 2,586 images and 6,153 videos on different topics in different languages.
New Delhi, March 22 : Mining major Vedanta Ltd on Sunday announced the setting up of a Rs 100 crore fund to support daily wage workers, and employees along with healthcare measures for the communities staying in and around its plant locations.

As part of other measures, Vedanta will not cut salaries or layoff any staff, including temporary workers during this crisis period, the company said in a statement.

"Vedanta Ltd today announced setting up of a dedicated Rs 100 crore fund as part of its endeavour to join ranks with the Government of India to combat the widespread outbreak of deadly COVID-19. The fund will cater to three specific areas -- livelihood of the daily wage worker, employees and contract workers, preventive health care and will provide timely help to communities in and around various plant locations of the company," it said.

The group has also decided to provide special one time insurance to cover Vedanta's employees and their families against coronavirus. Further, all mobile health vans in operational areas will aide in preventive healthcare and each business unit will contribute towards the livelihood of daily wage earners around plant locations like tea sellers and vegetable vendors, the company said.

Anil Agarwal, Executive Chairman, Vedanta Resources Ltd, said that corporate houses should assist the government in the fight against this deadly virus by contributing to the best of their ability so that the nation has adequate resources to take care of its citizens and provide both medical and financial assistance.

"This fund is a first step on Vedanta's behalf and we will increase the corpus if the need arises. Further, we will also assist the communities at our various locations in case of loss of livelihood. I request every citizen in the country to stay safe and act responsibly and I am deeply concerned about our people but if we stay positive and take adequate precautions, we will emerge stronger," he said.

The company further said that Vedanta and its subsidiaries have been working closely with communities across their locations on multiple development initiatives.
The United States (U.S) reportedly ranked number three for the number of cases registered for the virus. However, it should be noted that different testing criteria in various countries and rapidly changing numbers might indicate some caution on that list. According to a CNN report, the number of cases increased and as of March 23, 414 people have died as a result of the Coronavirus.

As mentioned in CNN's tally report, the highest number of deaths was in Washington (94). New York followed in second with 53 deaths. In addition, the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, confirmed there were 10,356 cases.

Approximately 54 percent of individuals affected by the coronavirus were between the ages of 18 and 49.

During a news conference, Cuomo addressed his message to younger people that they were not "Superman" and "Superwoman." He explained you can still get the virus and transfer it to someone else. In other words, someone close to you could get very sick.

As testing for the coronavirus increased more cases are confirmed

As of Saturday evening, 23,649 cases were confirmed. This has helped to start identifying those who have contracted the virus and receive medical attention.

The United States just surged into having the 3rd most cases of the Coronavirus in the world. pic.twitter.com/nHaLWTze8P  Shaun King (@shaunking) March 21, 2020

Vice President Mike Pence said during a White House briefing that 195,000 Americans were tested.

As part of this testing, it did not include county hospitals or health care labs.

With a growing number of patients testing positive a problem is developing in healthcare. Specifically, healthcare workers have urged state leaders to replenish medical supplies because they are running out.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Weather Channel confirms 25,000 cases

The Weather Channel reported cases for the coronavirus (COVID-19) is estimated to be above 11,000 in New York. Data tracked by Johns Hopkins has calculated 25,000 people have tested positive and the number continues to climb.

The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is around 354,000 people.

Exaclty 15,495 people have died because of the virus.

Worldometers tallies cases happening in real-time

The website dedicated to providing data in real-time has the USA in third place. The total number of COVID-19 cases is 40,841 with total deaths at 483. On the other hand, total cases recovered is 187.

BREAKING NEWS: United States Now Has Third-Most Coronavirus Cases in the World, Just Minutes From Having Most New Cases Daily



Source: Worldometers data. pic.twitter.com/Z1G823XIQe  Seth Abramson (@) (@SethAbramson) March 22, 2020

States have begun to implement lockdowns and shutting down schools. Moreover, the lockdowns in some states have included closing down businesses, restaurants, and cafes.

Is a nationwide lockdown possible?

It is impossible to predict when will a national lockdown will go into effect. As reported by Business Insider, California and New York were the first two states to enforce lockdown measures.

As states tackle the pandemic it is a matter of time until the federal government enacts a lockdown. China, Italy, France, Spain and other countries around the globe have prompted lockdowns.

The government is in the process of drafting a $1 trillion economic stimulus plan. The initiative is meant to rescue the U.S economy from falling into a costly recession.

Where to find useful COVID-19 health information

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, and other health agencies have all the latest details on prevention.

Make sure you are following safety measures prescribed in your county, city or state. Minimize your comings and goings outdoors unless you have to grocery shop or have a medical emergency.

#COVID19: Be KIND to address stigma during #coronavirus. 



 Everything you need to know about this new respiratory illness  https://t.co/yMzKstKrcw



Remember: wash you hands.  pic.twitter.com/NwSGGykgF9  PAHO/WHO (@pahowho) March 21, 2020

Viral Stories and news reports continue to report non-stop about the COVID-19. Stay informed about the latest happenings using reliable sources.
Helen Yaffe, a specialist in Cuban and Latin American development at the University of Glasgow has testified that Cubas Interferon Alfa-2B, is now being used to combat the effects of COVID-19. It was used in China, she wrote in a blog published by the London School of Economics on 18 March.

Yaffe said Cuba was able to develop the drug because of its early entry into the biotech industry, which allowed it to harness international expertise and develop medicines to fight dengue fever and meningitis.

COVID-19 emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December 2019, and by January 2020 it had hit Hubei province like a tidal wave, swirling over China and rippling out overseas.

The Chinese state rolled into action to combat its spread and care for those infected. Amongst the 30 medicines chosen by the Chinese National Health Commission to fight the virus was a Cuban anti-viral drug called Interferon Alfa-2B, which has been produced in China by the Cuban-Chinese joint venture ChangHeber since 2003.



Cuban Interferon Alfa-2B has proven effective for viruses with characteristics similar to those of COVID-19. Cuban biotech specialist Dr Luis Herrera Martinez explains that its use prevents aggravation and complications in patients, reaching that stage that can ultimately result in death.

Cuba first developed and used interferons to arrest a deadly outbreak of the dengue virus in 1981, and that experience catalysed the development of the islands nowworld-leading biotech industry.

The worlds first biotechnology enterprise, Genetech, was founded in San Francisco in 1976, followed by AMGen in Los Angeles in 1980. One year later, the Biological Front, a professional interdisciplinary forum, was set up to develop the industry in Cuba.

While most developing countries had little access to new technologies (recombinant DNA, human gene therapy, biosafety), Cuban biotechnology expanded and took on an increasingly strategic role in both the public-health sector and the national economic development plan. And this despite the US blockade, which obstructed access to technologies, equipment, materials, finance, and even knowledge exchange. Driven by public-health demand, it has been characterised by its fast track from research and innovation to trials and application, as the story of Cuban interferon shows.

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PHOENIX  The risks from coronavirus are leading to criminal justice changes in Arizona that would have previously seemed impossible in such a law-and-order state: Some elected sheriffs are calling for the release of certain offenders from jail and urging police agencies to issue citations rather than arrest people.

So far, 50 inmates have been released in Coconino County, and the sheriff of Pima County has proposed a series of steps to reduce his inmate population, such as either releasing 135 people jailed on probation violations or sending them to state prisons. Its unclear whether releases related to COVID-19 have occurred in Maricopa and Pima counties, Arizonas two most populous counties.

Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll, who worked with the courts to reduce his jail population through methods such as bond reductions, said he wasnt advocating for amnesty for people accused of committing crimes and instead was trying to take necessary steps to protect inmates, jail workers, court employees and the public during a pandemic thats forcing profound changes on American life.

This isnt a pass for people to commit crimes, Driscoll said. We will still issue citations. All the agencies are doing whats necessary on enforcement. But we are just trying to minimize the people coming through the jails and the criminal justice system. People will still be held accountable for violations of law.

At least 104 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Arizona, leading to one death. Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher said Friday night the person who died was a city employee in his 50s with underlying health conditions.

The man, whose name was not released, worked for the Aviation Department at a remote location and had minimal public interaction at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and related facilities, Zuercher said in an email to city employees.

The employees death was a heartbreaking loss for our community that hit close to home for city workers, Mayor Kate Gallego said on Twitter.

The Navajo Nation on Friday broadened a stay-at-home order beyond one community to apply to all reservation residents. All non-essential businesses also were ordered to close on the reservation, which includes parts of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.

We are getting many reports of people still being out in public and putting elders and everyone at risk, tribal President Jonathan Nez in a statement.

In another development, the state has received a shipment of medical supplies from a federal stockpile for use during the outbreak, Gov. Doug Duceys office announced Saturday. The more than 440,000 items of personal protective equipment include face shields, gloves, surgical gowns and two types of masks that will be provided to county health departments for use by hospitals and medical professionals, Duceys office said.

Also Saturday, the federal Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix said it was notified that a hospitalized veteran has tested positive for the virus. The hospital said in a statement the veteran was being treated in isolation and the risk of transmission to other patients and staff was low, KNXV-TV reported.

For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, older adults and people with health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

No cases have been reported in Arizonas jails and prisons, though they are believed to be vulnerable spots for the spread of the coronavirus because inmates with compromised health live in close quarters.

Across Arizona, sheriff employees have suspended jail visitation, are checking to see if people being booked are showing symptoms and have taken inventories of gloves, masks and other supplies.

To limit contact with jails, Driscoll said people charged with misdemeanors should be issued citations rather than be arrested. In most nonviolent felony arrests, officers should submit reports to prosecutors who will issue warrants that will be handled later.

Driscoll said people who commit crimes such as aggravated assault, domestic violence and homicide will continue to be arrested and booked into jail.

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzones office, which has custody of 7,500 inmates, said the sheriff has no intention of prematurely releasing inmates without court orders to do so.

Should circumstances obligate him to consider unorthodox steps he will be pragmatic in his decisions, the agencys said in a statement. Public safety will always be the dominant influence in his decisions.

In an email Monday to sheriffs employees, Penzone said officers should use citations rather than make arrests in cases where it is appropriate and doesnt endanger the public. I empower you to make the best, safest and most ethical decision in these circumstances, never negating ethical standards, Penzone wrote.

At least one defendant in metro Phoenix has asked a judge to release him from jail, but that request was denied earlier this week.

In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier wrote on Wednesday that his detention center cant handle a large number of quarantined inmates, saying his commanders are hindered by the size of the jails population and its lack of housing space.

Napier proposed suspending the sentences of people who serve their sentences on weekends or requiring them to complete their punishments all at once. Napier also wants the courts to consider commuting the sentences of all people convicted of a nonviolent misdemeanor who have served half of their sentences.

Napier wrote that he was discouraging  though not prohibiting  local police agencies from booking people on misdemeanors.

Napier later told the AP in an email that his memo was intended to guide discussions with a county administrator on opportunities to reduce the jail population. Napier said sheriffs cant unilaterally spring people from jail and that releases are a matter for judges and prosecutors.

Pima County Public Defender Joel Feinman framed the need to reduce the jail population as an issue of human decency to protect people who are too poor to pay a bond.

We are condemning poor people to illness and death because they are poor, Feinman said. Not because they are a threat to the community, but because they are poor.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said it goes against the nature of law enforcement leaders to advocate for the release of people charged with crimes, but its imperative now to take preventative efforts in jails.

This is unprecedented, Estrada said. No doubt about it. We have to use a lot of common sense for this.

___

Associated Press journalist Paul Davenport contributed.
KEY WEST, Fla.  In the end, said passengers who fled a cruise ship because of a coronavirus outbreak at sea, the evacuation and journey back to the United States was more harrowing, chaotic and frightening than their ill-fated maritime voyage.

Weak and sick from no food for nearly 24 hours, several passengers fainted. Two went into respiratory distress. Others had fevers so high that they had to be separated from the rest of the travelers aboard the chartered flight. Several had severe coughs.

This was almost as much of a debacle as the cruise was, said Jennifer Catron, a former medic who spent the entire 9 1/2-hour flight providing medical care. At one point, she took over the in-flight announcements and begged passengers to donate spare peanuts to help revive those who were passing out from low blood sugar.

It was probably scarier than the cruise, Catron said of the flight, which landed at about 6:30 a.m. Friday and then idled on the tarmac in Atlanta for about five hours, because health officials learned that three of the evacuees had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The test results became known to officials during the flight, triggering the hourslong delay that frustrated, angered and scared those on the plane. The Carnival Corp. confirmed that the tests were taken before the passengers left France, but the results came while the plane was en route.

The return trip itself had been a harrowing all-night odyssey, with busloads of the passengers stuck for hours in Marseille, France, before boarding the flight to Atlanta.

The long voyage had been doomed almost from the start.

The Costa Luminosa cruise ship, owned by Carnival, left Fort Lauderdale on March 5. Its destination: Venice, Italy.

Three days later, an Italian woman was evacuated in Puerto Rico because she had symptoms of the coronavirus. Her test results were delayed, and it took a week for the ships captain to enact strict sanitary protocols.

Another man, who had been on an earlier leg of the trip, died of the disease in the Cayman Islands on Saturday. The same day, several passengers with symptoms got off the ship in the Canary Islands.

It made our cruise actually living hell, said Anna Smirnova, 67, from California. People were scared, and nobody knew what to do next.

The cruise was to be a grand affair with stops in Antigua; Puerto Rico; Malaga, Spain; the Canary Islands and Marseille. But Antigua and Spain would not let the 1,400 passengers disembark.

Since last Saturday, the passengers had been isolated in their cabins. The ship arrived Thursday at Marseille where the Americans, Canadians and French were allowed to get off.

French health authorities tested a few dozen people who had fevers, and French media reported that 36 of the French peoples tests came back positive. Carnival said French authorities have not shared that information with the company.

Before the test results for the Americans were known, the passengers climbed aboard buses and headed to the airport, where they sat in a parking lot for five hours. They then took a red-eye that the cruise line chartered, with nothing but juice and snacks.

It was so crowded. There were so many sick people coughing, said Nilda Caputi, 82, who lives in Fort Lauderdale. It was horrible. Im old, but Im healthy. These people were really sick and very old, in wheelchairs with a pitiful cough.

In emails sent from the plane, Catron chronicled the journey: This plane is a medical disaster, she said at one point, adding that one man looked about 60 with bronchitis like coughs and like he was going to fall over at any minute.

This is NUTS! she wrote.

Catron said the crew considered diverting the plane to Bermuda, but feared if they did, local hospitals would turn them away once they learned the passengers had been aboard a cruise ship with travelers who had the coronavirus.

Once the plane landed in Atlanta, Kelea Edgar Nevis, 47, texted journalists in real time whenever someone fainted.

7:58 a.m.: Another HOUR. Were stuffed in here like sardines and its hot.

8:09 a.m.: People are starving.

8:11 a.m.: People are starting to gather. Were going to have a mutiny on here shortly.

8:30 a.m.: Even the crew doesnt know what were doing as we race across runway after runway to who knows where.

9:20 a.m.: Everyone is up in arms.

At 9:46 a.m., more than three hours after landing, Nevis wrote that the plane no longer had toilet paper or tissues. Still no food since lunch yesterday French time, she texted. Catron called 911.

Eventually, health officials removed sick passengers before the others walked off the plane.

Nobody told Catron or the others, they said, that two people from Florida and one from Massachusetts had tested positive for the virus.

Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the plane was diverted to a remote part of the Atlanta airport and that all the passengers were screened. The sick passengers were separated, she said.

CDC is working with the state of Georgia and other federal partners to determine a plan for these passengers, she said in a statement. Passengers with no symptoms upon arrival were given health information advising them to stay home for 14 days after returning from travel, monitor their health and practice social distancing as they continued to their final destination.

Several passengers acknowledged that they or someone in their party had high temperatures when the CDC checked. But as long as their temperatures fell after repeated tries, they were allowed to go home.

Passengers said they booked flights to California, Arizona, Florida and elsewhere across the United States and Canada.

Nordlund did not respond to questions asking whether it made sense to allow people who had been instructed to self-isolate to travel on commercial aircraft, potentially exposing them to other passengers.

We got off the plane and you had to mark off a form asking, Do you have a fever? Do you have a cough? I put that I had a fever and I went through secondary screening, because I was feeling terrible, said Kelly Edge, a passenger from Miami. I watched three-quarters of the people from the ship, and they did not do that. They marked themselves safe, got their temperatures taken and that was it.

They are roaming free, she continued.

Edge said she went to an urgent care clinic afterward.

A fever is considered a telltale marker for the coronavirus, which has killed more than 10,000 people globally. (However, the man who had been aboard the Costa Luminosa and died in the Cayman Islands never had a fever, hospital officials there said.)

A Georgia state official who was not authorized to speak about the case said the three people who tested positive for the coronavirus were not exhibiting symptoms, and that 13 others, who were sick on the plane, had not been tested.

In the early afternoon, the passengers were being sent to a hangar for screening. State officials said they had encouraged the Department of Health and Human Services to send two commercial buses to the airport to be standing by once the screening was complete.

In a statement, Carnival said that its affiliate, Costa Crociere, which owns Costa Cruises, worked closely with the French health authorities to conduct medical screenings and interview guests to prioritize those who required additional evaluation.

Ten of the evacuated American and Canadian passengers had been tested in France, and three came back positive.

We are working closely with CDC and Georgia health officials to determine next steps, the company said.

The company did not say why they let the people leave without medical attention, food or test results. Nor does Carnival know whether the people who disembarked in the Canary Islands tested positive.

There are still 864 crew and 719 passengers from other countries on the ship, which is off the coast of southern France. More people were disembarked Friday, but the Italians will be returned to Savona, Italy.

Catron decided that flying home to Virginia would be irresponsible, and she said she was trying to find a place to spend the night in Atlanta.

We had so many medically unstable people who should never have been on that plane, she said. It was the most irresponsible thing I have ever seen.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The degree of solidarity that greeted Leo Varadkar's latest address on Covid-19 was remarkable. Save for the odd detractor, most people seemed to be reassured by the underlying message, and to think that the Taoiseach had struck the right note again, even if he did forget to mention the guards.

Micheal Martin should be worried. The Fianna Fail leader is beginning to look worryingly peripheral.

The unanimity in Ireland at a time of national crisis, with people laying aside their differences and coming together in the common good, is the way things ought to be, and stands in stark contrast to the toxic divisiveness of post-Brexit politics in the UK. The latest opinion poll in Britain finds that the number who think the government in London is under-reacting to the crisis, and the number who think it's getting it about right, are evenly matched, but it splits on party lines. It's unlikely that this will change any time soon. It hardly speaks of a very united United Kingdom.

The solidarity in Ireland comes at a price, though. The first is the hostility to anyone who fails to respond to the spirit of togetherness in the "right" way. When Joe Brolly dared to say that he found the Taoiseach's speech "nauseous" and an "insult to people's intelligence", ridiculing Leo's call for children to keep doing their homework when what he wanted was more substance, it was as if he'd kicked a puppy.

Different speeches work on different people. Most in Ireland responded positively to the softer, empathetic style of Leo Varadkar. Others would prefer the more no nonsense tone adopted by Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands, who told Dutch citizens that most of them would get the virus but that he didn't intend at that point fully locking down the country. All leaders need to "read" their own people.

An even more dangerous side to the solidarity, unfortunately, was the turning of negative sentiment on to outsiders, in this case Britain.

Those most praiseworthy of the Taoiseach did not just seem to be breathing a sigh of relief that the country's leader had provided them with what they needed at a time of national emergency, they immediately set about using his speech as a weapon to attack Britain. The most striking example came from celebrity economist David McWilliams, who tweeted: "The UK is a rogue state."

He did so without context, but presumably meant it as a response to the UK's resistance at the time to shutting down schools, as well as to reports that the government in London was relying on the concept of "herd immunity" to provide long-term protection against the coronavirus.

Such reports were an over simplification of what was a fluid and developing situation, but condemning Britain as a "rogue state" proved hugely popular. The tweet has been liked on Twitter 3,000 times.

Simultaneously, there were plenty of other people who should know better claiming that the British government had made a deliberate decision to cull old people, or to prioritise the economy over human life, which would be monstrous if true. Plenty in Ireland went so far as to brand Boris Johnson as "fascist", a sure sign that all pretence of intelligent discourse was being swept away on a wave of populist rabble-rousing.

In large part, this over-reaction to what Britain is doing stems from the fear Irish people feel about the future. Being scared rarely makes people behave well.

Many people were expressing the same sentiments in the UK; the overwrought hashtag #ToryGenocide was trending on social media for days as opponents of Boris Johnson demanded that the country take the same measures now in place in Italy and France and go into total lockdown.

Whether or not the UK is taking the right approach is a valid debate. I certainly share those same concerns. My own daughter returned this week from London, and is currently following official advice by going into self-imposed isolation, and the relief for us all when she finally left UK air space was immense. At a time of national crisis, one clings to the familiar.

It also makes sense that everyone internationally should adopt the same measures. The evidence, both in Asia and in previous epidemics, is that a radical shut down of the country works.

It still doesn't answer the question of what critics think the British government should do if its chief medical and scientific advisers are urging them to take certain actions.

In Ireland, it appears that we would have them fire those advisers and seek however many alternative opinions are needed until they come into line. That's one option all right, but it would not be without serious implications of its own.

The assumption behind this new wave of coronavirus-induced Anglophobia is that the British must either be mad or bad; but while different countries, including Britain and Ireland, may be adopting individually crafted approaches to flattening the curve, the various plans have more in common than not.

Sweden has still not closed its schools, bars or cafes, and the Dutch chief medical officer continues to believe that herd immunity, while not "an aim in itself", is essential to strengthen the impact of the other measures being adopted. Is every country which does not do exactly what Ireland is doing a "rogue" state?

The reason the approach of other countries does not incite the same enmity in Ireland, of course, is that we don't share a land border with them. It's only natural that there will be a greater concentration on what the UK is doing, but care also needs to be taken about what message this outpouring of vitriol sends out to unionists in Northern Ireland.

First Minster Arlene Foster was the target of an extraordinary level of hostility for standing by the advice of the Stormont Executive's own chief medical officer that schools should stay open, even as the centrist, non-sectarian Alliance Party was also resisting angry demands to follow Dublin's line. Schools in the North have closed, but even that has not tempered the animus towards unionists, suggesting that fear was just a convenient excuse to justify ancient tribal prejudices.

Joe Brolly's reluctance to be swept away by the Taoiseach's speech actually spoke to a profound cultural difference between North and South, best expressed in the late Seamus Mallon's description of himself both as a "old style nationalist in the Parnellite tradition" and a "straight talking Ulsterman". Many people just didn't want to hear any of those voices when they were feeling the warmth of coming together to do what they regarded as the right thing.

Health Minister Simon Harris offered a timely corrective to all that national self-congratulation about our response to the coronavirus by warning that Irish people are still not taking social distancing seriously enough, saying bluntly: "This is not the summer holidays."

It's a bit rich of us to complain about the Brits when our own personal behaviour, such as letting children home from school still mingle freely, leaves much to be desired. The UK also moved much more quickly to ask old people to isolate for the next 12 weeks.

What would be said if unionists started accusing Dublin of putting Northern lives at risk by not doing the same?

For now, the solidarity to which the Taoiseach's address gave expression still persists; but, if the surge of this virus is not contained in the coming weeks, hindsight will inevitably spark a backlash against the strategy adopted by Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris. It's then that the national spirit will be tested.

There's no reason yet to worry that the Taoiseach's determination to slow the spread of the virus with consent and consensus, rather than a more "authoritarian response", will not hold fast; but if it doesn't, then solidarity should not be achieved at a price of rounding on The Other, even if they are "only" Brits. Years of fighting over Brexit have already raised Anglophobia to dangerously toxic levels.
While Jyotiraditya Scindia did not cover himself in glory by defecting to the BJP, he managed to unseat arch-rival Kamal Nath as chief minister. Beaten for the first time in an electorate battle in May 2019, Jyotiraditya, (Bal to friends and close family friends) turned restless and edgy in December 2018 when the Congress leadership (Sonia and Rahul Gandhi) picked veteran Kamal Nath as state party chief ahead of him. Jyotiraditya sulked and sulked but sources close to Sonia maintained that an informal headcount conducted among newly elected Congress MLAs had given Nath a thumbs up.

Sitting in central hall of parliament, Maharaja Bhanu Pratap of Narsingarh (Bhanu Pratap died in January 2019), one of the subjects of erstwhile Gwalior empire, had succinctly explained why Jyotiraditya had lost the battle for chief ministers post. There are two reasons for it,

Bhanu Pratap, himself a former parliamentarian, had told veteran journalist Nirmal Pathak and few others: Everyone knows Maharaj Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh but he knows very few there. Secondly, the maharajas kurta reportedly does not have pockets. The reference to kurta and pockets was an allusion to Scindias (in)famous inability to spend money and extend patronage.

It just seemed the other day when during March-April 2018, Scindia and Nath had teamed up to keep Digvijaya Singh out. This was the time when Madhya Pradesh state polls were round the corner. They often spoke with a sense of camaraderie. We are one. You can check with Jyoti..., Nath would often tell me.

Jyotiraditya, a little more guarded, would say he is open to the idea of supporting anyone that the party high command entrusts responsibility. At that juncture, these regional satraps seemed making a conscious bid to keep Digvijya, who was busy doing a 1,100-mile long Narmada river parikarma on foot, out of race.

In early December 2019, the Congress emerged victorious in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Virtually everyone in the Congress and outside expected Rahul, who was 87th president of the grand old party, to usher in some young blood. However, his three-act play turned out to be a disaster. The Congress three leaders  Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Bhagel  earned their jobs in Bhopal, Jaipur and Raipur, respectively, not just through grit and hard work, but because of some last-minute, behind-the-scene deliberations as well.

Regardless of Maharaja Bhanu Prataps uncharitable comments, Jyotiraditya kept counting heavily on Rahul. They had known each other from the age of four, went to Doon School and St Stephens College together. Both left their respective courses (Jyotiraditya was enrolled in BA Pass and Rahul in History Hons).

However, as the 87th president of AICC then, Rahul turned a tad neutral. The weighty office of Congress president perhaps deprived him from currying a favour to his friend. This was crucial to the events that unfolded in early March 2020. As someone had remarked once, Friendship is the most beautiful gift of God. If you have a loyal best friend, you are the happiest person in this word, but if that one loyal friend betrays you, you get disappointed and hurt. For dispassionate observers, Jyotiradityas subsequent moves were a curious mix of him creating his own heartbreak through expectations or nursing a deep grudge against Gandhis for honouring their promises.

For the record, the choice of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief minister on December 13, 2018 was strictly on the basis of number-crunching. Jyotiraditya supporters till date claim that they had won 26 of the 34 seats in the Gwalior-Chambal region, as against Naths 24 out of 38 Assembly seats in the Mahakaushal region. That was when former CM Digvijaya Singh took centre-stage, sharing a photograph of 31 newly-elected MLAs calling on his son Jaivardhan, who had won from Raghogarh principality falling under erstwhile Gwalior Empire. The subtle message was that Jyotiradityas support of 26 MLAs meant little when a non-contender like Jaivardhan had 31 MLAs behind him.

While this battle carried on, Kamal Nath, in Bhopal, messaged party bigwigs to say over 80 MLAs from various Congress factions, smaller parties and independents were with him. Rahul went public demonstrating his confidence in Jyotiraditya by ensuring that he was by his side when he travelled from Delhi to Jaipur, Bhopal and Raipur for the three swearing-in ceremonies. The idea was to showcase the young face of the party when, in effect, the old guard was calling the shots.

The story of old guards grip on the Congress and Sonia Gandhi is fabled and without any plausible explanation. By the time Rajya Sabha polls were announced, Jyotiraditya had already negotiated his political future with the BJP. The Stanford-educated MBA turned out to be far more pragmatic than his father Madhavrao who, despite having lived a large of his life under the Jan Sangh influence, had chosen to make his destiny. As authors Vir Sanghvi and Namita Bhandare wrote in their biography, Madhavrao chalked his own destiny, remained liberal and one of the most secular politicians in the country.

The Congresss preference for Digvijaya Singh remained puzzling. Here is a politician who has been twice chief minister, parliamentarian, AICC general secretary, MPCC chief, state minister to nagar palika head. His son and nephew were ministers in the Nath cabinet, while another 15 ministers owed allegiance to him. If the high command urged him to vacate Rajya Sabha seat for Scindia or let some of his camp followers to step down, disgruntled Scindia loyalists would have found berths in the state cabinet. But somehow, Sonia and Rahul chose not to turn proactive. They kept believing that either BJP would not take a dynast or Jyotiraditya would not cross the laxman rekha. Jyotiraditya turned out to be a kite who decided to fly against the wind, not with it. Sonia's masterly inactivity boomeranged.

(ORF Fellow and Journalist Rasheed Kidwai is Author of Neta Abhineta, Bollywood Star Power in Indian Politics. Views expressed are personal)
The bustle of the University of Montana died down for spring break as usual, but then it kept dying. Drew Marriner watched as his friends living in the Knowles Hall dorm with him left Missoula, most with no plans to return. He was planning to spend spring break and the rest of his semester in town, but by the time this story is ink on the page, Marriner, a wildlife biology freshman, will be on a flight home to Hanover, Massachusetts.

My parents are panicked, were getting emails telling us we shouldnt be coming back from spring break, he said. So Im a little disappointed, not really ready to go home yet. Its been a great year here in Missoula. To go back early, theres not a whole lot there. Its not necessarily that theres nothing to do  I guess annoying is the word that comes to my mind.

Hes passed the time since Montanas first coronavirus cases were reported mainly stuck in his dorm room, which he said was isolating but also somewhat relaxing. He spends evenings playing video games or listening to music with the remaining few guys on his floor. He said he wasnt concerned about keeping distant from them because theyve been doing everything together  if one has it, they all have it by now.

But with more new cases reported everyday in the state and officials attempting to stem the spread of coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, the Montana University System advised students who left campus, and especially those who left the state, to not come back if possible.

Montana university students across the state, from Billings to Havre to Dillon, are working through the challenges that come along with a global pandemic. Those include isolation and uncertainty, lack of access to essentials such as the internet, and remote learning for hands-on programs such as diesel technology and horsemanship.

By the time officials asked students not to return to campuses, many had already left, leaving behind belongings they may not have planned to live without long term. Students are being asked to gather their things now or wait until the end of the semester to come pack up their dorms, so Marriner said he is moving his things into a storage unit in the basement as he prepares to leave town in a hurry.

As for his classes, he had already planned on taking those online, albeit not from the East Coast, as the announcement came a week ahead of the ask to vacate. He said he would prefer to be in class with his professors, but hed heard from many of his faculty and figured it would be OK.

Students werent forced to vacate their dorms, as some dont have access to the internet or other tools necessary for remote learning at their family homes, if they even have a family home to which to return, UM spokesperson Paula Short said. Those students are welcome to stay in the dorms.

Professors and instructors have been at work over spring break finding the best ways to teach a class that isnt present, mainly through the internet. Short said that UM was working a small handful of classes through an approval process that would allow some limited in-person options if absolutely necessary. But even at some of the other MUS campuses with extensive hands-on degrees, such as MSU Northern, the line was drawn absolutely.

No classes will be meeting in person in Havre, even in programs like diesel technology and nursing, which Caleb Hutchins, an instructional designer for the Office of Teaching and Learning Excellence at Northern, described as very hands-on.

To answer how we are making that transition, its a case-by-case basis, he said. Some of these labs, well be able to replicate parts of what they do online with video demonstrations. Some are looking at virtual simulations from textbook companies and industry training components that exist, these are available sometimes online.

But asked about whether all classes will be ready to go on Monday when classes resume, he was less optimistic. While he said every class will likely have something to do, it may not be exactly what was planned.

The nursing program, they have a pretty good plan to replicate clinical hours that meets accreditation standards. Theirs is online simulations, he said. Some of the others it might take a while, and there probably will be some disruption in delivering those classes. The key is for instructors to be in touch with students, and for them and us to be transparent with students about where things are at.

A couple hundred miles south, at UM Western, another campus with plenty of hands-on programs not ideally taught online, like horsemanship, is finding ways to head online. Operating on a block schedule, the Dillon campus was already on spring break when Montanas first COVID-19 cases were reported. Officials there decided to extend spring break an extra week, giving students and professors enough time to move to remote learning without the burden of a week of in-person classes.

Adrianna Pittman, a junior at Western, works as a residence hall assistant, but was among the students asked to move out of the dorms. Shes also one of the students who does not have internet access at her family home, and said she was definitely somewhat anxious about moving to remote learning.

Fortunately shes from about 20 miles outside Dillon, she said, and plans to commute into town with her mom every day to access her classes from the internet on campus. She said the library was still open, but staff were closing down enough computers to keep people at least the recommended 6 feet apart.

Im not going to lie, Im slightly stressed, she said. Also being an RA, things are just crazy. But I think overall, everyone is doing their best at adapting. Every kid has a different situation. Our seniors are worrying about graduating and getting all their experiential learning. Right now I cant say much more about whats working or whats not. Once this next week starts, well find out.

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Nia Vardalos has revealed she was unable to travel to attend her father Constantine's funeral due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 57-year-old actress said the widespread focus on self-isolation as authorities around the world try to slow the spread of the illness meant she was unable to fly to Canada for her dad's memorial.

'Because of #socialdistancing we could not give him the large funeral he earned with his life,' the My Big Fat Greek Wedding star revealed on Instagram on Thursday.

RIP: Nia Vardalos has revealed she was unable to travel to attend her father Constantine Vardalos' funeral due to the coronavirus pandemic. Her father Constantine [R] seen here with her onscreen dad, Michael Constantine

The heartfelt post showed her actor father on the set of his daughter's film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.

The screen veteran played the role of 'Chanter' in both that film and its predecessor.

He passed away on March 12.

Nia described her dad as having 'impeccable timing' -even in death- in an interview with Variety on Friday.

'If he had gone 14 days ago when they werent acknowledging the global threat, we all would have gathered and... could have spread something,' she told the industry publication.'

'I think my father knew he was keeping people safe.'

The Hustler actor's funeral was livestreamed from the church, per Variety.

Strange times: 'Because of #socialdistancing we could not give him the large funeral he earned with his life,' the My Big Fat Greek Wedding star revealed on Instagram on Thursday. Nia seen here last November

In her Instagram post, Vardalos put out a call for people to donate to their favorite charities in her father's memory.

'Please repost, tag your favorite celebrities with this post and tag your favorite charity. We can do good,' she wrote in the caption.

'As we #StayHome during #Covid19 to protect my mom, all parents, each other, and the globe, lets move past the toilet paper hoarding jokes and the videos from celebs. We can do this.'

'Donate money, masks, gloves, food, anything. I am grateful for my life, this last week of mourning made me even more sure that giving back and connectivity is the way forward.'
Amid the surge in the number of positive coronavirus cases, the number of flights flying from Goa airport has been reduced to 18 from 77, while three chartered flights ferried back 1,000 foreigners on today, Goa Airport Director Gagan Malik said on Sunday.

"A total of 1,000 foreigners returned to their country today through three chartered flights to the destinations in Russia and the United Kingdom. As against the daily flights of 77, Goa airport saw traffic of only 18 flights on today," Malik told ANI.

"State has witnessed a hundred per cent response to the call of Janata Curfew. Our staff clapped for service providers who are providing their services to countrymen in these situations. Airport Authority of India operations and housekeeping staff were on duty as usual to help Airlines and the passengers," Malik added.

People across the state on Sunday came out on their balconies sharp at 5 p.m. to clap, clang utensils and ring bells to express their gratitude to those providing essential services amid Coronavirus Pandemic.

Several people standing in their balconies of the buildings and also on the main door clapped for the commitment of service providers, including doctors, soldiers, sanitation workers, among others for their selfless services to the countrymen in the current Coronavirus outbreak situation.

Earlier today, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant requested people to stay indoors and assured them that he is monitoring the healthcare situation amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The country observed 'Janata Curfew' today after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid emphasis on individual 'determination' and "restraint through social distancing" in fighting the global pandemic and called for a voluntary curfew today to prepare for challenges of the future.

Following the Prime Minister's message, several famous personalities including politicians from various parties, sportsmen and celebrities have also come out in support of the social exercise.According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Air India stated on Sunday that vigilante resident welfare associations (RWAs) and neighbours were ostracising and calling police on its crew members, who went abroad as a part of their duty.

"It is alarming to note that in many localities, vigilante Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and neighbours have started ostracising the crew, obstructing them from performing their duty or even calling in the police, simply because the crew travelled abroad in the course of their duty," the airline said in a press release.

These "vigilantes" had "conveniently" forgotten that many a spouse, parent, sibling, child and near and dear ones were brought home safely from coronavirus-hit countries by the Air India crew, it added.

The national carrier has earned the praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers for rescuing stranded Indians from foreign countries in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday itself, it brought back 262 Indians stranded in Rome in a special flight.

"We would like to appeal to all concerned, particularly the law enforcement agencies, to ensure that our crew are treated with the courtesy, respect and freedom that every citizen of this country deserves, especially in light of the fact of their having undertaken flight duties to affected countries to bring back Indian citizens," the airline said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
London: A group of Indian students have sought refuge within the premises of the Indian High Commission in London overnight demanding to be put on a flight to India despite the travel restrictions in place in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The group of 19 students, mostly from Telangana, have refused offers of alternative accommodation arranged with the help of Indian diaspora groups as India's ban on travellers from the UK and Europe remains in place until the end of this month.

"The Indian community has tried to help them. Initially it was a group of 59 students, 40 of whom have been allocated alternative accommodation but the remaining 19 are being completely unreasonable and refuse to move," said a community leader, who has been working with the High Commission on making arrangements for the stranded students.

Many of them had flights booked back to India for later this month, in time for what is usually the Easter break period at universities in the UK. However, India issued an updated travel advisory earlier this week to say that no travellers would be allowed entry into India after 1200 GMT on March 18 until March 31.

"There simply are no flights and we cannot be putting lives in danger at this stage. They were allowed entry into the High Commission building and provided food, water and temporary shelter, but they are now just camping out with their bags and baggage," he said.

The students have been placed within a quarantined space, which houses the visa and consular section within the Indian High Commission building in Aldwych, central London.

It had triggered a last-minute dash for flights as many students took to social media to seek assistance from the Indian High Commission as their travel plans went awry in the wake of the rapid spread of the pandemic.

The Indian mission has introduced an online registry system and has also shared contact information for a number of Indian diaspora groups trying to assist with board and lodging for panic-stricken students and Indian nationals.

"I am an Indian citizen, currently in Newcastle, United Kingdom on student visa. My visa expires on March 24, 2020. I was to travel back to India on March 23, 2020 and all the flights are being cancelled due to the COVID-19 as per Indian rule. What should I do," wrote one student in an appeal to the High Commission.

Such students are being advised to seek assistance from the UK Home Office's Coronavirus Immigration Helpline. Meanwhile, the Home Office has said it recognises the current situation is "exceptional" and will not take any compliance action against students or employees who are unable to attend their studies or work due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU-UK), a representative body for Indian students in the UK, has been fielding calls and urging students not to panic, support each other and take necessary precautions to be safe.

As the UK went into complete shutdown from Saturday, universities across the UK have said they are mindful of the plight of international students, many of whom have nowhere to go as campuses close down.

Universities minister Michelle Donelan said: "I am pleased Universities UK has confirmed institutions will be flexible and do all they can to support students to progress to higher education."

According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, the death toll from the virus globally has risen to 13,044 with more than 307,104 cases reported in over 171 countries and territories.

As of Saturday, there are 5,018 confirmed cases in the UK and 233 people have died due to the deadly coronavirus that first emerged in China's Wuhan city last year.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper repeatedly confronted FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor on Sunday morning over the shortages of masks and other safety gear hospitals across the nation are facing amid the coronavirus crisis, explicitly noting that Gaynors answers dont elicit confidence.

Tapper kicked off his interview with Gaynor on CNN's State of the Union by pressing for specifics, asking the FEMA chief how many masks the federal government has at this moment and when they will arrive at local hospitals.

Gaynor insisted that theyve been shipping from national stockpiles for weeks, but that the demand on these items was global. He added that theyre also looking for commercial sources and donations to help fill the need.

Its not just about the federal government buying it. Its also about those hospitals and other facilities. If you find it on the market, go ahead and buy it, Gaynor said. FEMA will reimburse you for it. This is a shared responsibility.

Tapper wondered aloud, Do you have any specific numbers on how many masks the federal government has been able to acquire and how many have gone out the door to hospitals? This prompted the FEMA administrator to merely reply that it is a dynamic and fluid operation.

Tapper, growing increasingly exasperated, pushed back: Do you have even a rough number?

I cant give you a rough number, Gaynor admitted. I can tell you that its happening every day. My mission is operational coordination of all these things and thats my focus. Whether its supplies, vents, you name it, were finding it, identifying it, and shipping it to those who have requested it.

The CNN anchor, meanwhile, noted that the inability of the federal government to give a number in terms of masks alarms people and makes them believe that masks arent being shipped.

Im not saying thats the case, but without a number, that doesnt fill people with confidence, Tapper added.

He also went on to play clips of governors sounding the alarm that their hospitals dont have enough equipment to handle the surge of coronavirus patients, asking Gaynor if he could let them know when theyd receive the needed supplies. Gaynor once again refused to give a definitive answer, instead saying they were focused on priorities and hotspots such as New York City and California.

Story continues

After Gaynor demurred when asked how many masks, tests, and ventilators governors have requested from FEMA, Tapper gave voice to the frustration many are feeling.

Again, nobodys doubting the sincerity of your effort. But the lack of numbers is alarming because it makes people think maybe we dont have a full understanding of the problem.

Tapper went on to note that even though President Donald Trump has already invoked the Defense Production Act, it doesn't appear that he has actually ordered any companies to manufacture needed supplies.

Has the president, as of now, Sunday morning, ordered any companies to make more of any of these critical supplies? Tapper asked.

No, and we havent yet, Gaynor replied. It really is leverage, I think, to demonstrate that we can use it. The president can use it any time... Its happening without using that lever.

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Deliveroo has seen restaurant sign ups jump by 86 per cent in the past two weeks as the coronavirus shutdown forces businesses online.

As many as 3,000 businesses have joined the online food delivery service in the last month as they look for alternative ways to reach their customers.

Boris Johnson ordered all cafes, bars and restaurants to shut their doors by the end of Friday as the government ramped-up efforts to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Confirmed cases in the UK surged by 1,000 yesterday to 5,018. There have been 233 deaths from the virus in the UK since the outbreak began.

Deliveroo said it had seen sign ups jump by 86 per cent in the past two weeks as businesses are forced online

A sign in the window of a Hare & Tortoise in Chiswick, London, urges customers to go online

The restaurants signing up to the platform include large chains, local family favourites and high-end Michelin starred-restaurants, the chain told MailOnline.

The food delivery giant has also slashed its joining fee to help struggling restaurants during this time of uncertainty.

'We are here to deliver for restaurants who want to carry on offering their amazing food to families at home during this difficult time,' CEO Will Shu said.

'We are working with restaurants to optimise their operations for delivery, and we are doing everything we can to make sure people still have access to the food they want and need.'

A sign in the window of a Zizzi's in Camberley also calls on customers to order through Deliveroo

Uber Eats has waived delivery and joining fees for restaurants during the crisis.

And Just Eat has said it will cut its commission fees by 33 per cent until April charged to restaurants on orders by 33 per cent to help those that are struggling.

Signs have popped up in restaurant windows across the UK urging customers to order a takeaway from them.

A sign in Hare & Tortoise on Chiswick high street, London, reads: 'Dear customer, sorry we are only able to do takeaway online and Deliveroo orders for the time being. Pop in and make your order to go!'

A sign in an Honest Burgers restaurant also called on customers to order through Deliveroo or pick up inside.

Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero have said they will start offering takeaways.

Delivery services have also launched new contact-free services, aimed at reducing fears of the virus being transferred.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday, March 22, said that the number of deaths and infections in the UK were continuously rising adding that they cannot disguise or sugarcoat the threat' of novel coronavirus COVID-19. He also said the current situation in the country was similar to what was in Italy two or three weeks ago. This comes as the UK reported 5,683 cases of infections and 281 deaths.

'Stay Away'

In a Mother's Day message to citizens, Johnson reportedly said that the single best present people could give their mothers was to 'stay away' and spare them the risk of catching a 'very dangerous disease' adding that statistics show that older people are much more likely to die of coronavirus. Talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, the British PM said that the numbers in the UK were 'stark', adding that they were only two to three weeks behind Italy.

Read: Indian Envoy In UK Reassures Nationals Stranded In Britain, Appeals For Calm

Read: Calls, No Hugs: UK Moms Spend Mothers Day Far From Family

Talking to media, Johnson said that Italy has a 'superb' health care system and yet the disease has overwhelmed them. He then went on to say that unless they make a collective and heroic national effort, it would soon be likely that NHS would be overwhelmed.

This comes as the British government recently asked 65,000 former nurses and doctors to return to work, as per international media reports, citing the health ministry of the United Kingdom. The ministry also reportedly asked all the final year medical students to work at the NHS frontline.

Ruth May, the chief nursing officer for England announced, We cant do it alone, so I am urging all recent former nurses to lend us your expertise and experience during this pandemic because I have no doubt that you can help to save lives."

According to reports, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has written to more than 50,000 nurses whose registration lapsed in the last three years. Meanwhile, the General Medical Council will reportedly write to another 15,500 doctors who have left the register since 2017.

(Image Credits: AP)

Read: UK Asks Retired Nurses And Doctors To Return Amid Coronavirus Battle

Read: Virus 'accelerating' In UK As Fears Grow Of Italy-like Trajectory
India is likely to see a drop of 5-10 per cent in the quantity of fuel sales owing to COVID-19 restrictions. The decline in purchases of petrol, diesel, and jet fuel is set to dampen the annual consumption figures of the current financial year and also 2020-21.

This will be a repeat of what happened in China, where demand for all commodities, including petroleum products and steel, had shrunk after the epidemic surfaced in Wuhan, leading to the accumulation of vast stocks. A reprise of this has been seen in India during the initial three weeks of the epidemic. Based on an ...
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Muhammadu to instruct the anti-graft agencies, EFCC and ICPC, to track and monitor spending by federal agencies and state governments on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

SERAP, in a letter to President Buhari posted on its Twitter handle on Sunday, said the monitoring will check mismanagement in the healthcare system that is already weakened by systemic corruption.

It said the EFCC and ICPC should ensure the prosecution of anyone found to have stolen public funds meant for addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

SERAP also urged President Buhari to encourage state governors to use parts of their security votes to provide additional resources towards strengthening the health systems within their states.

The 36 state governors, under the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum on Wednesday, had asked the minister for health, Osagie Ehanire, to give them an estimate to set up functional test and isolation centres in every state in the country.

READ FULL STATEMENT

By prioritising transparency and accountability in the spending of funds to combat coronavirus, your government will be taking preventive measures to ensure that the efforts to reduce the spread of the pandemic and promote the health and safety of Nigerians are not compromised by corruption.

concern that systemic corruption in the health sector across the country would hurt the federal and state authorities responses to the coronavirus crisis.

The challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic also show the urgent need for your government to improve Nigerias health systems and to encourage state governors to commit some parts of their security votes to provide additional resources towards strengthening the health systems within their states.

Your government ought to move swiftly to increase spending on efforts to combat coronavirus in the country and provide funding support to Nigerians that are most affected by the crisis, by presenting COVID-19 budget/spending plan to the National Assembly and setting up a COVID-19 trust fund to which wealthy individuals and others should be encouraged to contribute.

The proposed increase in spending of funds on COVID-19 means accountability for those funds should be top of your governments list of priorities, if it is to remove opportunities for corruption that can undermine initiatives to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The EFCC and ICPC should ensure that anyone found to have mismanaged or stolen public funds meant for addressing the coronavirus pandemic are effectively prosecuted and punished.

We also urge you to take urgent measures to ensure that health sector services in federal institutions and agencies are strengthened and that the appropriate corruption risk assessments are implemented and monitored.

The lessons from the Ebola crisis is that even in times of public emergencies, there are those who aim to profit from others most affected by the crisis.

Monitoring the spending on coronavirus would help to apply the lessons of the Ebola crisis and prevent corruption, which characterised the efforts to combat it in some countries including in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where patients reportedly paid bribes to access health services.

Corruption in the spending of funds to combat coronavirus will undermine public trust in any efforts by your government to bring the spread of the pandemic under control, and deny access to basic public health services to Nigerians who need the services most.

Monitoring the spending of public funds budgeted to combat coronavirus would also ensure respect for human rights and contribute to ensuring that Nigerians who cannot afford to pay bribes are not denied access to testing and treatment, and that high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals subject to quarantines are not abusing the systems.

We will continue to closely monitor the situation and where appropriate invoke the Freedom of Information Act and take legal action to ensure transparency and accountability, and full respect for Nigerians human rights.

The right to health provides that health facilities, goods, and services should be: available in sufficient quantity, accessible to everyone without discrimination, and affordable for all, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.

These obligations mean that your government should ensure that accurate and up-to-date information about the number of identified cases and spread of coronavirus in the country, access to services, service disruptions, and other aspects of the response to the outbreak is widely available and accessible to all.

The right to health also imposes obligations on your government to minimize the risk of occupational accidents and diseases including by ensuring health workers and others involved in the coronavirus response have information and adequate protective clothing and equipment they need.

This request is consistent with Nigerias international anti-corruption and human rights obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. Nigeria has ratified these treaties.

Under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

Your government is obligated to take effective steps for the prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases.

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As the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which monitors state compliance with the covenant, has stated, the right to health is closely related to and dependent upon the realization of other human rights, including the rights to food, education, human dignity, life, non-discrimination, equality, and access to information.
South African military forces may be deployed to patrol the streets in a bid to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. This is according to a report in the Sunday Times.

The report stated that if there is a spike in coronavirus infections in the country, the armys deployment would delay the need for a national lockdown.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told the Sunday Times that if current restrictions do not limit the viruss spread, the army will soon be patrolling the streets to enforce them.

We might have to begin to bring in the army to go out and work around the people, talk to them about hygiene, getting them to go sanitise, and so on, said Mkhize.

This follows the health minister stating that between 60% and 70% of South Africans are likely to contract the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Mkhize added that while most South Africans will get the virus, only about 20% will be seriously ill.

As of 21 March, the number of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in South Africa had risen to 240. This means that cases of the virus rose by 38 from the day before.

Military officials, however, stated in the report that the South African National Defence Force cannot afford a lockdown.

The defence force, they said, has analysed its resources and found that it does not have sufficient personnel or equipment.

The report added that the military official said they would not be able to secure quarantine sites in districts across the country, would have to recall all soldiers deployed to the borders, and still the police would have to assist.

National lockdown

The report stated that if current restrictions  which include travel bans and preventing gatherings of over 100 people  fail to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a subsequent national lockdown could be put in place. If a lockdown fails to stop the spread, a national state of emergency could be introduced.

Mkhize said the government would gradually impose stricter measures as the virus spreads before the worst case of a national shutdown, stated the report.

The government is also looking at area-specific lockdowns to contain epicentres of the virus.

Once areas with uncontrolled outbreaks are identified, lockdowns will be applied before a countrywide lockdown, stated the report.

Gauteng warns of lockdown

Gauteng Premier David Makhura has also warned that a national lockdown for South Africa may take place unless the coronavirus spread is contained.

Gauteng has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak and currently has 125 confirmed cases.

A lockdown may just be where we are all headed and the decision to do so has to be made by our national leadership, said Makhura.

We will raise it with the President. We are watching these numbers very closely and we are worried, said Makhura.

Now read: Google launches coronavirus website
Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has paid tribute to her on the 11th anniversary of her death.

The TV personality, 32, declared he would 'never ever stop loving' the Big Brother star, and told how he'll be lighting a candle to mark the day.

Jade passed away from cervical cancer aged 27 in 2009. She married Jack just one month before her death on Mother's Day.

Sad loss: Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has paid tribute to her on the 11th anniversary of her death (pictured in 2019)

Speaking to The Sun on her anniversary, Jack said: 'Many years may have passed since Jade died but the pain doesnt get any less. I still love and miss Jade as much today as I did the moment went to sleep.'

Referring to government advice that citizen should adopt social distances amid the coronavirus outbreak, he added: 'It is particularly hard today as I wont be seeing my own mum as normal so will spend a lot of time on my own.'

He continued: 'But Ill be lighting a candle for Jade. Its the same one each year, a large candle we got on our wedding day. I know I will never meet anyone like her again.'

Jack added that he hoped her memory would live on and that people will 'remember her smile' and zest for life.

Forever: The TV personality, 32, declared he would 'never stop loving' the Big Brother star, and told how he'll be lighting a candle to mark the day

He also send out a message to Jade's mum Jackiey Budden as he admitted they had lost touch since the star's death.

Jack's words come days after he revealed his family saved his life after he experienced suicidal thoughts following her tragic death and told how he would be dead if it wasn't for his loved-ones stepping in.

Speaking to The Sun, Jack told how his brother one day came home to find 'bottles of tablets' sitting in front of him.

Gone too soon: Jade passed away from cervical cancer aged 27 in 2009. She married Jack just one month before her death on Mother's Day (pictured in February 2009)

Discussing the ordeal to the publication. he said: 'I did have suicidal thoughts for a while, just thought whats the point in all this?

'Ive lost everything and never felt so low in my life, my brother came round one day and found me sitting with bottles of tablets in front of me.'

The TV personality went on to explain that his mental health has suffered in the wake of the star's death, adding that he lives with 'acute anxiety.'

He continued: 'My mental health has suffered a lot since Jade died. Ive got acute anxiety which is very hard to deal with. I went on medication for a while, but I didnt really like it. To be honest, I probably didnt give it a chance. Im not one for taking tablets.'

Heartbroken: Jack's words come days after he revealed his family saved his life after he experienced suicidal thoughts following her tragic death and told how he would be dead if it wasn't for his loved-ones stepping in

Jack went on to say how coping with 'simple things' was difficult amid his anxiety, adding that things feel like a 'big deal' to him.

Speaking further about the pain he's endured since her death, Jack added that everyday he wakes with a 'constant sick feeling', adding that he used to drink to get rid of that feeling but has since cut down.

He added that the upcoming anniversary of her death on Sunday will be 'hard' to deal with, even more so as it falls on Mother's Day.

It comes months after Jade's former partner Jeff Brazier admitted the decade since his her death has been 'tremendously difficult'.

So sad: 'Ive lost everything and never felt so low in my life, my brother came round one day and found me sitting with bottles of tablets in front of me' (pictured in February 2008)

Tough: Speaking further about the pain he's endured since her death, Jack added that everyday he wakes with a 'constant sick feeling', adding that he used to drink to get rid of that feeling but has since cut down (pictured in 2008)

The 40-year-old star also opened up about how their sons Bobby, 16, and Freddie, 15, had grown into 'wonderful young men' after adjusting to the trauma of their mother's death.

Speaking to Barrow-in-Furness based paper The Mail in November, Jeff said the last 10 years had been 'tremendously difficult - that's the only way I can really put it. There's been ups and downs, but we've come through it together.'

The star - who wasn't in a relationship with Jade at the time of her passing - went on that to say that his sons were 'coming of age' and 'have grown into wonderful young men. I'm hugely proud of them.'

Difficult: Jade Goody's ex Jeff Brazier, 40, admitted the decade since her death has been 'tremendously difficult' (pictured: the pair in 2003 during Jade's first pregnancy)

Heartbreaking: Jeff also opened up about how their sons Bobby, 16, and Freddie, 15, had grown into 'wonderful young men' after adjusting to the trauma of their mother's death (pictured in 2005)

He revealed the anniversary of Jade's death, which coincides with Mother's Day is 'hard' because of the 'cruel coincidence'.

The date 'stirs up a lot' for his two sons but that the family would never stop talking about Jade because she was their mother.

He added his job was to be 'respectful' towards the reality star's memory by ensuring she 'lives on' through her children.
The late President & Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Musa YarAdua GCFR, on June 25, 2009, proclaimed a 60-day unconditional amnesty period for militants in the Niger Delta as a step towards resolving the protracted insecurity in the region. The terms of the Amnesty include the willingness and readiness of militants to surrender their arms unconditionally, renounce militancy and sign an undertaking to that effect.

In return, the government pledged it's commitment to institute programmes to assist their disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and provision of reintegration assistance to the militants. These are major preconditions to address wider developmental challenges in the Niger Delta.

The objectives of the Amnesty programme are highlighted to contribute to security stabilization in the Niger Delta through the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and sustainable re-integration of ex-militants as a precondition for medium and long term development.

Successive government over the years have sustained this program down to the current administration of President Mohammadu Buhari and since inception of this programme, the Special Advisers to the President has all been from the South-South geopolitical zone except between January 2011 to 2015 when Kingsley Kuku from Ondo State in Soth Weast headed the agency. It is crystal clear that the Niger Delta region is made up of 6 states of the South South, one from South West and 2 states from the South East and for the South South and South West to have had the position from 2009 till 2020, it is only normal in all manner of fairness for the position to shift to the remaining zone of the South East.

In the face of the many marginalization of the Igbo nation (South East), it will be to the delight of the zone and for equity that the South East zone holds the position of the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty to balance things up and ensure that a sense of belonging is given to the South East people. The President is advised to make proper scrutiny and be fair enough to appoint the next Special Adviser to coordinate the Amnesty programme from either Imo or Abia state to restore the confidence of the south east people in his administration.

Martin Okorowu is a Correspondent of The Nigerian Voice, Owerri, Imo State and can be reached via email - [email protected] or contacted by phone - 07038306570.
Iran's former health minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi says he warned top officials about the dangers of novel coronavirus last year, but they did not heed his advice. He also lambasted the Islamic Republic authorities for their "mismanagement" of the deadly virus crisis in the country.

"Since late December, I was warning about the spread of the coronavirus and presenting the country's senior officials, including the honorable President, and my proposals to contain it," Ghazizadeh wrote on his Instagram page on Sunday, March 22.

It is for the first time that a prominent Islamic Republic politician reveals that Iran had been hit by the deadly virus long before the authorities publicly announced its outbreak.

On February 19, local news outlets disclosed that two people were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the city of Qom. On the same day, the Ministry of Health announced that both had died.

Two days later, under public pressure, the ministry reported three new cases of coronavirus all in Qom, the main center of Shiite seminaries in Iran.

Ghazizadeh, Minister of Health (2013 to 2019) in President Hassan Rouhani's administration, says he decided back in November not to go public but rather pass on his warnings confidentially, believing it could be more effective.

Lambasting the methods used in Iran to contain the novel coronavirus, Ghazizadeh has asserted, "With such methods, we cannot get rid of the 'uninvited guest,' and it will take more victims."

Despite numerous reports on the outbreak of the coronavirus and its related deadly disease, Covid-19, the Islamic Republic authorities kept silent about it. It took them weeks until they were forced to admit the outbreak on February 19.

Nonetheless, the official news agency of President Hassan Rouhani's government, IRNA, cited an "informed source" at the presidential office as saying on Sunday, "Dr. Ghazizadeh's claim about expressing his concern to the President in late December, cannot be confirmed."

Ghazizadeh, an ophthalmologist, resigned in early January 2019, to protest budget cuts.
Even as the world practices social distancing in the wake of the spread of coronavirus, filmmaker Hansal Mehta on Saturday took to Twitter to share a picture of his son on the occasion of World Down Syndrome Day.

Sharing a picture of his son, he wrote: Its World Down Syndrome Day. And my son is truly special. And truly unique. His son, whose name he didnt share, can be seen sitting on a sofa with his eyes closed, as if in meditation.

It's World Down Syndrome Day. And my son is truly special. And truly unique. pic.twitter.com/8CB828iaxx  Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) March 21, 2020

The picture and tweet was inundated with affection as people showered love on the boy. Filmmaker Milap Zaveri wrote Big hug to him and shared a hugging face emoji along with it. Trade analyst Sumit Kadel said: God bless him.

Another user wrote: Sir, you are a gem of a person. You always stand up for the right. Your son is gift to mankind. His kind and beautiful soul only adds to us as humans. God bless you & him forever and a day! Another person wrote: i think people of India lacks empathy for those affected with #DownSyndrome. The efforts put in by the parents like you and also the other family members of those affected is overwhelmingly great. I salute you all sir. #respect.

Also read: Kanika Kapoor gets strong answer from hospital: Stop throwing tantrums like a star, behave like a patient

Hansals last film as director was Omerta in 2018. He was the creative producer of Anupam Kher starrer The Accidental Prime Minister. He is currently working on his next film, Turram Khan, now renamed Chhalaang, which stars Rajkummar Rao and Nushrat Bharucha in lead roles. The film is being jointly produced by Ajay Devgn, Luv Ranjan, Ankur Garg and Bhushan Kumar. The film was supposed to release on January 31 this year was postponed to March 13. However, with the outbreak of coronavirus, the film seems to have been indefinitely postponed.

A number of big releases have met with a similar fate. Akshay Kumars Sooryavanshi, which was to release in April, has been postponed indefinitely. Hollywood biggie Fast and Furious 9 will now release only in April next year

Follow @htshowbiz for more
For over a decade, the white-nose fungus has devastated populations of bats all over eastern Canada and the United States. Millions of bats have died from the disease called the white-nose syndrome or WNS. Scientists have identified the cause as the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which they think entered the region accidentally from Europe.

Asian and European bat populations are not as affected by the pathogen. One reason for this, scientists think, is because the Eurasian bats have immune systems already familiar with it. Another possible reason is the fact that the North American wintering homes have a high fungal density, and whenever bats return each year to roosts there, they get re-infected.

These points were reported by researchers in an eight-year study. Co-author Virginia Tech disease ecologist Joseph Hoyt said the bats almost immediately become re-infected the moment they return to their contaminated roosting sites. They took into consideration 101 wintering roosts worldwide. In each site, the number of bats was counted, and sample swabs were taken from the animals, the ceilings, and the walls. They found that as winter began, the fungus was considerably more abundant in the roosts in North America compared to those in Asia and Europe. In addition, nearly all of the animals in the former have already been infected shortly after settling down to start their hibernation period. The infection in these animals was more serious. Not surprisingly, mortalities were also much higher.

Since the fungus thrives in colder conditions, the bats are susceptible only during the winter. Hibernating bats also physiologically lower their body temperature in order to save more energy, so that they have enough nutrient stores to last the entire winter. The colder conditions combined with the cool bodies of the animals are the perfect conditions for the fungus to grow.

In WNS, white growth is seen on the wings and muzzles. The affected bats experience restlessness, move more, and wake up more frequently. This causes them to burn more fat reserves that they can afford for the winter season. Aside from the restlessness, the infection itself also causes energy burn up, as shown by a study by scientists from the University of Wisconsin..

The WNS infection shows visible signs at the latter stage of the disease. By this time, the affected bats have already undergone dehydration and acidification and a host of other bodily changes that are life-threatening. If they can somehow manage to survive and their immune system is healthy, then they can survive until spring. For Eurasian bats, they only typically get infected later in the winter season, which gives them a better fighting chance for survival.

When summer comes, a drop in P. destructans colonies also occur in the roosts in Eurasia, which may be due to competition with or consumption by other microorganisms. Unfortunately in North America, the fungus propagates due to the lack of natural enemies. This is the negative impact of introduced species on wildlife populations unfamiliar with them, which can wreak havoc on ecosystems and even cause extinctions.

Hoyt's team hopes to help North American bats recover by applying disinfectants to reduce the fungal colonies and simulate Eurasian conditions.
Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said on March 20 that EU and US authorities have yet to limit the import of garment products from Vietnam.

During a meeting of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)s steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, Anh said the recent suspension and cancellation of several orders from the EU and US was merely made by purchasers due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Director of the MoITs European and American Market Department Ta Hoang Linh said upon hearing the news, the department held a working session with the EU Delegation to Vietnam and the US Embassy.

The EU officials affirmed the EUs border shutdown is meant to protect peoples health. Goods and services to the EU, especially necessities such as food and medicine, are still circulating so that the policy is not directly impacting Vietnam  EU trade, he said.

Linh added that due to the closure of retail systems in Europe and the US, necessities such as footwear and apparel have been hit.

He said the MoIT will continue working closely with trade offices in the two markets to offer support to Vietnamese footwear and apparel exporters in the near future.

Director of the MoITs Industry Department Truong Thanh Hoai suggested allowing debt payment delay to businesses in the field, as well as boosting exports to China, the Republic of Korea and Japan when the epidemic is under control.

Concluding the event, Anh said the situation required new scenarios with more drastic actions, thats why deeper and more updated analyses are needed.

Under any circumstance, he asked the sector to act in compliance with the Government and Prime Ministers directions.

Data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that Vietnams garment exports to the US remained high in the first two months of this year, reaching 2.3 billion USD./.VNA
More than 1,000 migrant workers departed their hometown in Hubei for the city of Hangzhou in east China on Saturday after the virus outbreak situation eased across Hubei Province.





A total of 1,071 migrant workers in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture set out for Hangzhou on a special train on Saturday morning. These migrant workers possess health codes that would exempt them from observing the 14-day quarantine rule once they arrive as Hangzhou and Enshi recognize each other's health codes.





Li Jinggui, from Jianshi County, boarded the train with his wife and two children. "My boss has been asking me to go back because the factory needs workers. I'm glad to get back on the free train," he said.





The train rides are managed by local human resources authorities. No passenger is allowed to get off the train halfway to prevent risk.





More than 5,000 people from Enshi work in Hangzhou as part of the east-west cooperative poverty reduction program. They work in electronics, manufacturing and service sectors in Hangzhou.





Since mid-March, hundreds of employees in the prefecture have arrived at Hangzhou by bus.





By Wednesday, all cities and counties in Hubei had been labeled as low risk except for Wuhan. These cities, counties and districts have no newly confirmed cases in the last 14 days, and thus are categorized as low-risk regions.




As the pace and availability of coronavirus testing in Louisiana accelerates, the numbers of cases and deaths have begun to grow rapidly, according to Louisiana Department of Health data that showed 763 known cases and 20 deaths as of Saturday evening.

The number of known cases was up by 42% from Friday. And while the majority of known cases are still in the New Orleans metro area, the virus appears to be spreading across the state, with 35 of Louisiana's 64 parishes  including many rural ones  now reporting known cases.

Much of the increase is due to the huge jump in the number of tests processed in recent days as commercial testing has ramped up. Saturday marked the first day when the number of private tests outpaced those done by the state. Just over 2,000 tests have now been reported by commercial labs, while the state's lab, which was the sole test provider in Louisiana through much of the outbreak, has completed 1,294 since testing began.

New Orleans jail medical staffer tests positive for coronavirus, raising fears about further spread A medical staffer at the New Orleans jail has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials confirmed Saturday, underscoring inmates f

Before Friday, the LDH had only reported the number of tests processed by the states lab, though LDH did include positive tests performed by private labs. Until recently, the number of private tests in Louisiana was negligible.

Of the known cases in Louisiana, about 55% are in Orleans Parish, and another 22% percent are in neighboring Jefferson Parish, meaning that the center of the outbreak in Louisiana remains New Orleans, where the death toll now stands at 15. That number includes six deaths at Lambeth House, the senior-living complex in Uptown New Orleans.

East Baton Rouge Parish, the largest parish in the state by population, now has 18 known cases. Lafayette Parish has six.

+10 In coronavirus fight, New Orleans companies transform themselves to make sanitizer, masks Earlier this week, the New Orleans distillery Porchjam was making its Bolden Vodka, while nearby the firm GoodWood NOLA was milling oak planks

The jump in cases Saturday comes as Gov. John Bel Edwards and other public officials have taken increasingly drastic steps to try and stem the spread of the virus. During press conferences this week, Edwards has warned that despite the efforts of the public to avoid large gatherings and practice "social distancing," the number of cases is all but certain to keep rising as more people are tested.

As private testing has grown, the proportion of Louisiana tests returning a positive result has started to fall. The rate, as of Saturday evening, was 23%. In the early days of the virus, the number had been averaging around 35% in Louisiana.

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The high rate of positive tests early on was partly a reflection of the fact that tests, because of their scarcity, were primarily being given to people who were severely ill. The threshold for a test has been reduced with broader availability of testing kits.

The new data show that of 1,371 tests tallied since Friday evening, about 16% were positive.

More people are expected to have access to tests in coming days. New Orleans and Jefferson Parish officials announced Saturday they were expanding coronavirus testing to the general public at three drive-through testing sites in the area. Testing at those sites had initially been restricted to first responders and health-care personnel.

Beginning Sunday, any individual with a fever and other symptoms can be tested at the two New Orleans sites, in the Mahalia Jackson Theater parking lot and the parking lot at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena. Up to 250 people can be tested each day.

Jefferson Parish announced its drive-through testing center at the Alario Center in Westwego would be available starting Saturday to members of the public showing symptoms, with a limit of 250 tests per day.

All three sites are open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily or until their test limits have been reached. The tests are free. People who want to be screened will be tested for fever. Results will be available by phone in three to five days.

Meanwhile, the health department also loosened its coronavirus testing criteria on Saturday, dropping a requirement that patients first test negative for the flu. That requirement had been put in place amid a serious shortage of coronavirus tests and was aimed at determining whether symptoms were caused by the flu instead.

People seeking a coronavirus test will still need to show symptoms of illness  including a fever over 100.4 degrees  but won't need to have tests done to rule out the flu first, said Kevin Litten, an LDH spokesman.
Five of the ten people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Maharashtra on Sunday got the infection through local transmission, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

The remaining five had a history of foreign travel, he added.

"Today, as many as 10 people tested positive of which five got the infection locally. Remaining five got infected abroad and returned to India," Tope said at a press conference here.

"It is certainly a matter of concern as cases of local transmission are increasing," he added.

The total number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra has now risen to 74.

Of the 10 new cases, six are in Mumbai and four in Pune.

A health official informed that the Centre had decided to stop flights into the country, starting from tonight, in a bid to block the "primary source" of the virus.

"But those who are carrying the infection should be identified, tested and treated. We need cooperation of people in terms of travel history so that further transmission can be stopped," the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Berta Lou Middlebrooks holds a sign up to the window for her son outside.

It is so good to see you, and I love you, she signed it: Momma.

Middlebrooks is very close to her son, Quinton Gaines Middlebrooks, 69. They used to live together, and since she went to the nursing home hes spent most days by her side as a visitor. Now he sees his 90-year-old mother from outside her window.

Its pretty disheartening for both of us because we hug each other and give each other a kiss on the cheek, he said.

Middlebrooks is in good spirits although she can no longer leave her room. She entered the Perry County Nursing Home in Marion about a month ago after falling and breaking a bone connected to her hip. Shes hoping to head home in a few weeks after doing rehab.

Shes got a good personality, kind of funny a little bit, telling little funny things and making you laugh and all, he said.

He said hes worried about her, but the nursing home is the best place for her right now.

Berta Lou Middlebrooks holds up a sign for her son from her bedroom in the nursing home in Perry County.

Nursing home Medical Director Dr. William Lee stops by the home Thursday to visit some patients. He points out an outdoor seating area where patients often gather. But everything has quickly changed. As of today, residents families are not allowed to come inside. And rules change every day.

(Usually) If they want to eat out here, they can eat out here. They can play rook. Sometimes we have music. A guy will bring a horse, he said. Its also where people smoke.

Large ashtrays sit on picnic tables under a large carport. Rows of rocking chairs remain empty, and a white nursing home van sits parked nearby.

The doors of the nursing home are locked. Lee passes a staff person scrubbing down a wheelchair with a hose and enters in through a back maintenance door, now being used for all access to the facility.

Dr. William Lee stands near the back door of the nursing home where residents typically gather

The homes administrator, Sharon Phillips, has worked with Lee for 29 years since she started as an activities assistant.

She says shes never dealt with anything like this.

Madness, she said. Cause its so fluid, you might get one thing in the morning and then its a little stricter by that afternoon as far as information were getting.

She says she gets multiple emails a day with new research and shifting guidelines from the CDC, the Alabama Department of Health, the Alabama Nursing Home Association and others.

Rocking chairs sit empty where nursing home residents typically congregate outside

For now, the home is isolating patients in their own rooms. Phillips says theres been some consternation, but the more lucid patients understand.

She says her approach shifted almost two weeks ago when she realized this disease might be serious after Alabama had its first confirmed case.

Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris has since issued an order banning all visitors to nursing homes in the state.

The nursing home has a disaster plan, but this scenario is distinct Phillips says.

Sharon Phillips stands with Dr. William Lee near the only door staff are using during the coronavirus outbreak

Weve had to think about our residents getting it or staff getting it, and what are we going to do when some of our residents get exposed to it? she said.

The plan is to quarantine any infected patient within the nursing home unless complications require a trip to the hospital.

But Lee says he isnt too worried about the states limited supply of ventilators for coronavirus complications, about 800 estimated by the Alabama Hospital Association. He doesnt believe it will get to that point.

Modeling from the Imperial College in London predicted up to 2.2 million deaths in the United States in a worst case scenario where hospitals are overrun and ventilators are in short supply.

If weve got every respirator in the state tapped out, it is Armageddon-ish. It is Old Testament," he said, but added he didnt think it would get that bad: "I just dont see it happening.
Bravo! Cucina Italiana has closed permanently at Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township.

The move comes after state Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non life-sustaining businesses to close its doors on March 19 in an effort to thwart the spread of COVID-19. Many area restaurants have managed to stay afloat financially by delivering food or offering curbside takeaway.

A restaurant manager confirmed the closure to Lehighvalleylive.com Sunday and said doors officially closed this past Thursday. A sign on the front door of the building at the malls outdoor lifestyle center also informed patrons of the shut down:

We have made the difficult decision to close this restaurant. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you through the years.

The reason behind the closure is unclear; the manager declined to provide a reason. A spokeswoman for the public relations firm handling the Lehigh Valley Mall referred questions to Bravo!, stating, Lehigh Valley Mall does not comment on behalf of its tenants. A Bravo! spokesman did not immediately return a request for information.

A sign on the front door of the eatery Sunday, March 22, 2020 thanks customers for their patronage.

FoodFirst Global Restaurants, the parent company of Brio and Bravo! restaurants, in January reportedly announced changes. Among them included renaming Bravo! Cucina Italiana as a casual dining brand called Bravo Italian Mediterranean. Some closures, such as in Spotsylvania, Virginia, followed, according to a published report.

Bravo! has 23 locations in 12 states, according to the chains website. The Whitehall Township location was removed Sunday from the website. The chain is known for its full-service, upscale affordable Italian menu options, such as chicken, seafood and beef dishes, as well as pasta and pizza.

The lifestyle center at Lehigh Valley Mall opened in 2007. It includes upscale shops such as Pottery Barn, Sephora, Yankee Candle, the Apple Store, and other eateries, such as Bonefish Grill and Chipotle.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email her. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Elizabeth Olsens rise to fame didnt come on the backs of her famous sisters, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. With the Disney+ WandaVision series set for release in Dec. 2020, and five Marvel movies behind her, this Olsen sibling is taking over the world, one superhero project at a time. Heres why Elizabeth once said she couldnt credit her work to her sisters  and why she wouldnt want to.

Elizabeth Olsen is the younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen

Actresses Elizabeth Olsen, Ashley Olsen and Mary Kate Olsen | Donato Sardella/Getty Images for LACMA

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen rose to superstardom via the sitcom, Full House, starting in 1987. Younger sister, Elizabeth Chase Lizzie Olsen, was born two years later (1989). In total, Elizabeth has three siblings and two half-siblings.

While the twins worked on a sitcom set, Elizabeth took ballet and singing lessons as a child, according to IMDb. Her acting career began at 4 years old. She didnt obtain her first real role until the 1994 TV movie, How the West Was Fun.

From there, Elizabeth had a cameo on Full House, opposite her sisters, but didnt reach critical acclaim until 2011 with her breakout role in the film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Its hard to believe now that the graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School in NYC studied abroad in Moscow, Russia, but almost quit acting altogether.

A media feeding frenzy stifled Elizabeths desire for the spotlight

When reports surfaced amid sister Mary Kates eating disorder, the media almost became too much. Elizabeth previously told The Guardian why the whole fame thing didnt factor into any of the Olsens decision to act.

I never thought about working on movies or television as something super-special that all these super-special people get to do. Neither did my sisters, and they were on camera from the age of a year old onwards, she said.

My parents had very little to do with my sisters job really, at least not after getting them that first job. They always did what they could to hook them up with the right people to handle things, like being child stars and managing assets and running production companies and so on, but they never pretended they could do it well themselves.

Elizabeth looks to her sisters for guidance and advice

While Mary Kate and Ashley continued acting, Elizabeth remained focused on school, only dabbling in acting as a hobby. She said her sisters fame made her more determined to study.

I knew I wanted to be an actor, but I also didnt want to start working when I was under 18, she said.

Now, she looks to the twins for guidance having been in the business longer, with more experience.

Whenever I feel like Im ready to package some project of my own, theyll probably be the first people Ill talk to for advice. Also, I love their fashion lines  I practically live at their clothes company when Im here, she said.

Elizabeth never relied on her sisters fame to get a job

Perhaps it was due to the pitfalls Mary Kate and Ashley had along the way that urged Elizabeths parents to intervene to some degree. By the age of 10, Elizabeth retired from acting to just be a kid.

My parents made me write down a pros and cons list. And the cons just piled up. So I figured Id keep acting as a hobby until I was older, she said, adding she already felt the pressure alluding to nepotism.

I decided that as long as I felt confident and worked hard for it, instead of having it handed to me, no one could take that away from me. I dont have any insecurity about it. I never got any job because of my sisters. I could have pulled a few strings through them, but I never needed to.

Playing Wanda Maximoff  aka Scarlett Witch  in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise may not have been a part of Elizabeths original plan. Now, she considers herself the kind of theatre person who loves auditions whether she lands the role or not. With that kind of attitude, only bigger and better things are on the way.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Sunday became the first known lawmaker in the upper chamber to test positive for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus.

Paul's office announced on Twitter he is asymptomatic and was tested for precautionary reasons because of his extensive travel, adding that he did not have any direct contact with a known infected person. Paul will now work from his Kentucky home under quarantine, but he expects to be back in the Senate when that period ends. Staffers at his office in Washington, D.C., began working remotely 10 days ago, and have subsequently had very little contact with the senator, though Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Paul's colleagues in the Senate are seeking medical advice about whether they should self-quarantine.

He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.  Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020

Paul, a deficit hawk, delayed the Senate's first coronavirus aid bill last week in an effort to include an amendment that would slash other parts of the congressional budget so the government could pay for the relief package. The amendment failed, and Paul ultimately voted against the bill.

Two other members of Congress, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah), have also tested positive for coronavirus.

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India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Millions of people across the country stayed indoors on Sunday in an unprecedented and overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janta curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus, coming out briefly at 5 pm to show gratitude to health and other essential service providers with sounds of bells, conches and claps.

The prime minister thanked the people but said it was the start of a long battle, as he urged them to follow social distancing to stop the chain of transmission of Coronavirus which has infected 360 people and claimed seven lives in India.

Rail, bus air services to remain suspended: Services that will be hit during Janta curfew

Coronavirus: What is 'Janta Curfew' on March 22?

Here are the Highlights on Janta Curfew:



Newest First Oldest First Today India came together even while staying in our homes.



While we are at home there are many who are selflessly performing their duties.



Thank you to each one of you for putting us before yourself.



The discipline & commitment we showed today needs to continue.#JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/Cda4z9L4R7  Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 22, 2020 Sachin Tendulkar expresses his support and to congratulate everyone for being able to come together even while staying away from each other, I whole-heartedly commend fellow citizens for spiritedly responding to @PMOIndias call & making #JantaCurfew a success. This shows our resolve to contain #Covid19 spread and emerge from the crisis as a stronger nation.  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 22, 2020 Wholeheartedly commend fellow citizens for making Janta Curfew a success, tweets President Kovind. Meanwhile a lockdown would continue in 75 districts across the country. The Janta curfew came to an end at 9 pm. The entire nation stayed indoors as suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian Medical Association (IMA) writes to PM Narendra Modi appreciating his 'gesture of motivating the public to show gratitude towards the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who are risking their lives to contain the #CoronavirusPandemic'#Covid_19india #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/TmWrPcEw7o  OneIndia (@Oneindia) March 22, 2020 Indian Medical Association (IMA) writes to PM Narendra Modi appreciating his 'gesture of motivating the public to show gratitude towards the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who are risking their lives to contain the CoronavirusPandemic' https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1607623#.XneDAHggt_E.whatsapp Modi thanks people for expressing gratitude towards those helping fight coronavirus STANDING OVATION to lakhs of #coronawarriors who are selflessly leading the battle against #coronavirus

These are our heroes who're risking their lives so we all #StaySafe



Deepest gratitude to @narendramodi ji who has inspired each citizen to follow #socialdistancing pic.twitter.com/qM2jJ1PIuV  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) March 22, 2020 Leading the applause to Corona warriors, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Twitter wrote: L K Advani too joins in. He was seen ringing a bell in support of the doctors. Night curfew was imposed in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya on Sunday to tackle any emergent situation and ensure safety of people, amid concerns over coronavirus threat. The night curfew has also been imposed to prevent incoming vehicles from Assam from entering the district via Malidor area, according to a senior government official. PM Modi says that this the beginning of a long fight. 75 districts have announced a lockdown until March 31. These included four GoAir flights and one each of IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet. Seven flights were cancelled at the Jammu airport on Sunday in view of the 'Janta Curfew', an Airport Authority of India official said PM urges people to stay at home and not to start celebrating as soon as the Janata Curfew ends at 9 pm. Public and private vehicles coming into Karnataka from neighbouring states to be stopped. This excludes goods vehicles, passengers travelling under unavoidable circumstances & vehicles carrying essential commodities. The Dawar Battalion of the Snow Leopard brigade too took part in the clapping exercise as suggested by PM Modi. The Sonitpur district administration of Assam ordered the shutting down of weekly 'haats' and cattle markets till March 31 to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus. District Magistrate Manvendra Pratap Singh said the preventive measure has been taken under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. ll types of commercial vehicles, including buses and tempos, will remain off the roads in Assam till Tuesday in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the state's apex transport association announced on Sunday. The All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA), the apex body with around 20,000 vehicles registered with it, will evaluate the situation on Tuesday and will take a further decision. Andhra Pradesh CM announces free ration to poor and Rs 1000 per family in view of lockdown. Lockdown declared in entire Telangana till March 31 by state government to fight coronavirus. Only essential services allowed. People asked to remain in homes by CM. Lockdown declared in entire Telangana till March 31 by state government to fight coronavirus. Only essential services allowed. People asked to remain in homes by CM. The Chandigarh put the Union Territory and joint capital of Punjab and Haryana under lockdown till March 31, suspending all non-essential services as well inter- & intra-city public transports from midnight to curb the coronavirus spread. The restrictions under the lockdown will come into effect from midnight tonight, an order issued by Chandigarh Administration under the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, said. Goa Governor Sathya Pal Malik too came out to clap in support of the doctors leading the fight against coronavirus. Heartwarming to see colleagues stand up and be counted not only in carrying out their duty in these difficult times but also in paying gratitude to other warriors who are working round the clock to eliminate the threat of #Covid19. #5Baje5Minute #JantaCurfew pic.twitter.com/fG0MqYpKYK  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) March 22, 2020 Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the bell ringing campaign to applaud the services of people who are working to contain the outbreak of coronavirus in the country. Seven districts of Haryana, including Gurgaon and Faridabad, were on Sunday put under lockdown by the state government to curb the coronavirus spread. Five other districts, put under lockdown from Sunday 9 pm are Sonipat, Panipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak and Panchkula, said Chief Minister M L Khattar, adding the measure is being taken to prevent spread of the coronavirus spread. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar thanked the central government for suspending train and interstate bus services in the state. Kumar said that he had requested the Centre to stop public transport services, amid the spurt in coronavirus cases across the country. The Nagaland government has announced an indefinite lockdown in the state from Sunday midnight in view of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said. The country is observing a 14-hour-long 'Janta curfew' since 7 am. Chief Secretary Temjen Toy told media persons that though no positive coronavirus case has been reported in the state so far, the precautionary measure has been taken as per the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday declared 16 services as essential in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. According to an order issued by Secretary Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Simrandeep Singh, the essential services will include supply of groceries, fresh fruits, vegetables, medicines and other pharmaceuticals. Manufacturing of health and medical equipment, banks, ATMs, dispensing of petrol and diesel at pumps, milk shops and dairies and related products are the other services included in the list. The states in North East strictly followed the Janta curfew. Scores of people came out on their balconies and clapped. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that 15 districts in the state would be under lockdown in the first phase till Wednesday in wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The announcement came soon after the central and state governments decided to put under lockdown 75 districts across the country, where cases of novel coronavirus have been reported. Stars and celebrities stood united during the Janta curfew. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the country to observe Janta Curfew on Sunday. This will be a symbol of self-control, every person of the country should choose 10 people and inform them - through phones etc - about this and urge them to stay at home. In a special address to nation on coronavirus outbreak which has affected over 100 countries across the world, PM Modi appealed to all the fellow countrymen to contribute their bit in breaking the chain of spread of novel coronavirus by following this novel method of social distancing. No trains, buses or metros will be available on Sunday in the wake of janta curfew that has been announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While almost all services will remain closed essential services such as media, medical services, police will not come under the purview of the curfew. Celebrities and industrial bodies have appreciated PM Modi's efforts in fighting the dealy coronavirus and have extended support for Janata curfew today. The self imposed curfew will begin at 7 am and end at 9 pm today. Residents are advised not to step out of their homes today. This is to ensure that one does not come in contact with any person outside ones immediate family members. The curfew is a voluntary one and is not being imposed by law. Emergency services such as fire, ambulance and hospitals will operate. They will respond to calls for help. The health ministry has designated helpline numbers -- +91-11-23978046 and Toll Free No: 1075 for reporting COVID-19 related cases. There would be no trains, buses or metros today. The PM in his address asked the people to stay of the roads and public places during the janta curfew, which will be in place for 14 hours between 7 am and 9 pm on Sunday. While almost all services will remain closed essential services such as media, medical services, police will not come under the purview of the curfew. No passenger train will originate from any railway station in the country from midnight to 10 pm on Sunday in view of the "Janta curfew. Mail and express trains will also stop services from 4 am on Sunday. All suburban train services to be reduced to a bare minimum as well. The Indian Railways has cancelled 245 trains in order to restrict unnecessary travel due to the coronavirus outbreak. GoAir has announced that it would suspend all flights on Sunday when the janta curfew will be in force. Indigo has said that it would operate only 60 per cent of its domestic flights on Sunday. Vistara will operate on a reduced network on Sunday, 22 March on account of Janta curfew. Passengers who have been affected by cancellations will be contacted soon, Air Vistara spokesperson said. The Delhi Metro has announced closure of all its services on Sunday. There are however no plans as yet to shut down public bus services as yet. Ola and Uber have advised drivers to stay off the roads. However the app services will be functional in case of an emergency. 95,000 autos in Delhi have extended their support to the Janta curfew. 15 traders in the national capital would down shutters. The Noida Metro Line Corporation will suspend Aqua Line services and the city bus service. In Gujarat no government buses will ply on Sunday. In Tamil Nadu, the bus and metro rail services will remain suspended. Private operators too have extended their support. Operations of Lucknow Metro will also remain suspended. All pubs malls, theatres, bars across the country will remain shut. The BMTC in Bengaluru would operate with limited capacity and based on demand. As India would witness a lockdown down, the Centre has announced that there is no evidence of community transmission of coronavirus as yet. Major temples in Mathura have been closed for three to 10 days in view of the coronavirus pandemic, temple authorities said. The Punjab government Saturday night ordered lockdown till March 25 in several districts including Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar in view of the rising coronavirus cases in the state, officials said. The Akola district administration has ordered a lockdown between March 22 and 24 in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak during which all establishments except those selling essential items will remain closed.
The U.S. State Department has chartered two flights Monday to begin evacuating hundreds of Americans who are stranded in Guatemala.

Guatemala suspended all air travel except for cargo flights on March 16 in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

"We do not know when civilian flights will resume in Guatemala after these U.S. government-coordinated charter flights, but urge travelers to continue to check the availability of commercial flight options," the State Department said.

While the department encourages Americans abroad to travel commercially when possible, the virus has made that more difficult.

On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence said the State Department had brought 3,000 Americans home from countries where they were stranded.

Pence, speaking to reporters at the White House, urged Americans abroad to enroll in the department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program by going to the program's website or by calling 888-407-4747.

On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at the White House that the department had established a repatriation task force to help Americans trapped outside the country.

"Were trying to get Americans back from these places where air travel has been disrupted," he said. "And well get that done over time. Well get it done successfully."

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House while flanked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a briefing on the latest development of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

Three chartered flights left Morocco for the United States on Saturday. Those boarding the flights signed a promissory note to reimburse the federal government for $1,485 at a later date. Federal law requires Americans to pay for the cost of their tickets. The State Department says the cost of the tickets may be higher than commercial fares.

A flight with 264 Americans on board departed Lima, Peru, on Saturday. The department said it would arrange for additional charter flights in the coming week.

The State Department said Sunday that anyone needing to board the repatriation flights from Guatemala will need to come to Guatemala City, as the flights may depart on short notice.

Story continues

The department said Americans should wait for word from the U.S. Embassy before heading for the airport: "You will not be permitted to enter the airport without confirmation from the U.S. Embassy of a seat on the flight."

No one with flu-like symptoms will be allowed to board, the department added.

Seats are prioritized for U.S. citizens and their family members, and legal permanent residents.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: US charters flights to evacuate Americans from Guatemala
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are honouring mums all over the world in celebration of Mothers Day.

On Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared an Instagram post to their official account that reads: Mummy. Mum. Mom. Mama. Granny. Nan. Thank you.

The couple captioned the picture: No matter what you call your mum, this Mothers Day in the UK, we honour the mums all over the world who do so much every single day, and now more than ever.

Thank you.

In response to the post, many wished Meghan, who gave birth to the couples first child, Archie Harrison, on 6 May 2019, a happy first UK Mothers Day.

Happy First official Mothers Day to you Meghan. I hope you are happy and thriving! one person wrote.

Another commented: Happy first Mothers Day Meghan!

While this is the duchesss first UK Mothers Day, it is not the first time she and Prince Harry have celebrated her first Mothers Day as a mother - as the couple celebrated the American version of the holiday last year on 12 May, just days after Archies birth.

At the time, the couple shared a photo of Meghan holding the newborns feet.

Paying tribute to all mothers today - past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered, the duke and duchess captioned the picture. We honor and celebrate each and every one of you.

Today is Mothers Day in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, and several countries across Europe. This is the first Mothers Day for the Duchess of Sussex.

It is likely that the couple, who are currently residing in Canada after formally stepping down from their senior roles in the royal family, will celebrate a second Mothers Day this year, on Sunday 10 May.

Earlier in the day, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also shared a Mothers Day post on Instagram, where they shared a photo of Prince William and Prince Harry with their late mother Princess Diana and a photo of Kate Middleton and her mother Carole.
EDWARDSVILLE  The longest part of Tuesdays city council meeting came during the public services section, when aldermen discussed approving Glen Carbons request to continue using the citys water system while it waits for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agencys (IEPA) approval to change sources.

Glen Carbon has been trying to remove itself from the citys water system for more than a year now. Its most recent attempt was squelched by the IEPA after several other cities in the nation experienced issues with water source switches. Instead, the IEPA told Glen Carbon to create and run testing loops of water from Edwardsville and Illinois-American Water and send results to IEPA monthly. Glen Carbon has been using city water since 1996.

Tuesdays meeting was novel in that it marked the first city council meeting held at the Wildey Theatre, owing to the coronavirus. Two elected officials, Alderman Chris Farrar and Alderwoman Janet Stack called in by phone. Those aldermen and city staff who attended respected social distancing rules during the meeting. Audience members had to wash their hands thoroughly and submit to body temperature scans before admittance.

When it came time to discuss keeping Glen Carbon on the citys system through December 2020 and potentially through April 30, 2021, two council members, SJ Morrison and Jack Burns, voted no due to the rate the village will be charged.

The village requested a $4 per 1,000-gallon fee. During a committee meeting last week, that amount was raised to $5.50 per 1,000 gallons, approved and forwarded to council for action. On May 1, the city is scheduled to raise its in-city water rate from $5.19 to $6.49. Before last January, the village paid an estimated bulk rate between $1.89 and $2.20 per 1,000 gallons.

Morrison asked why the village is rate going up in a different manner than the citys rate. Burns said the city wants to be neighborly to the village and the cost difference has to do with the citys distribution and production costs. Burns admitted that he changed his opinion on Glen Carbons rate since last week. What he at first thought was an acceptable rate, he said last night was excessive one.

Alderman Will Krause asked him to clarify his position, then Alderman SJ Morrison asked him if that meant he was okay with Edwardsville residents paying $6.49? Burns reminded everyone that the city lacks the villages administrative, billing and collection costs.

Mayor Hal Patton said comparing the citys entire water system to Glen Carbons was apples and oranges. City residents pay for the production, delivery and upkeep of the entire system. The village wants a bulk rate to get the water then it will pump it through its own distribution system to its residents with its own set of charges.

Patton mentioned the city has run a water deficit for a long time; the account is currently about $5.7 million in the red, which is one reason the citys water rates went up last May for the first time in many years.

Alderman Craig Louer said the $5.50 idea was his as a compromise to revamp some city infrastructure and not have the village pay for things that are clearly the citys responsibility to pay. He noted the city is four to five years away from breaking even on water.

Morrison said the logic of what they propose escapes him. He noted that city residents werent charged enough either for many years. A few weeks ago, during a committee meeting, he requested a way to spread out the rate hikes over time to mitigate the financial hardship a $1.30 per 1,000-gallon increase would generate and he was rebuffed.

Im going to have a hard time supporting this, knowing our residents are paying more, Morrison said.

Glen Carbon Village Administrator Jamie Bowden attended the meeting and he said village residents pay about $6.50 per 1,000 gallons, including the villages administrative costs.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at (618) 659-5735
Church removes pews from sanctuary to give drunken revelers a place to sleep off hangover

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A 17th century church in London replaces its pews with camp beds and invites drunkards from nearby streets to sleep in its premises with the hope that they will sober up.

Volunteers of St. Annes, which is part of the Church of England and situated in Londons Soho area, go to the streets every Friday and Saturday between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in search of those who are vulnerable and bring them back to the church, where they are offered water and beds, just as Jesus reached out to all people, The Sunday Times reported.

Sometimes the church seeks the help of paramedics from St. John Ambulance for people with more serious health conditions, the newspaper added.

Jesus reached out to all people no matter who they were or what theyd done; He acted for the vulnerable, the churchs resident priest, the Rev. Simon Buckley, was quoted as saying. I dont sit here in judgment on people whove decided to get bladdered on a Friday night. I dont know what theyve been through that week, added Buckley, who earlier worked as a puppeteer for the satirical television show "Spitting Image."

The initiative is part of a scheme run by Westminster city council.

Drinking culture has changed, Buckley said. When I go out into Soho on a weekend and even on a Thursday Im shocked by the number of people still drinking right into the early hours of the morning.

There is no consensus within Christianity on whether a believer should drink alcohol. While some enjoy the practice, others abstain.

Patrick Nelson, president of Dordt Theological Seminary, earlier told The Christian Post that while the Bible does not expressly forbid the drinking of alcohol, nevertheless it does forbid us from getting drunk from the drinking of alcohol.

Both the Old and New Testament speak of the practice, giving it mixed reviews.

You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, says Leviticus 10:9. Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise, reads Proverbs 20:1.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, says Ephesians 5:18. Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses, reads 1 Timothy 5:23.

In November 2018, a LifeWay Research poll found that among Protestant Christians in the United States, Lutherans are most likely to say that they consume alcohol while Pentecostals are least likely.

In the poll, over 75 percent of Lutherans answered yes when asked if they drink alcohol. Meanwhile, 62 percent of Methodist respondents responded with the same answer.

By comparison, just 43 percent of nondenominational Christians, 33 percent of Baptists and 23 percent of Assemblies of God/Pentecostal Christians said that they consume alcohol.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Metals and mining giant Vedanta Ltd on Sunday announced setting up of a Rs 100-crore fund to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The fund will be utilised to provide preventive healthcare to daily wage workers, company employees and contract workers in and around various plants of the company, Vedanta said in a statement.

"I commit 100 crore towards fighting the pandemic. We will increase the corpus if the need arises," Anil Agarwal, executive chairman, Vedanta Resources Ltd, said.

As part of other measures, Vedanta said the company will not cut salaries or fire any of its staff, including temporary workers during this crisis period.

Besides, the company has also decided to provide a special one-time insurance to cover Vedanta's employees and their families against COVID-19.

Further, all mobile health vans in operational areas will aide in preventive healthcare and each business unit will contribute towards the livelihood of daily wage earners around plant locations like tea sellers and vegetable vendors.

The fund will cater to livelihood of daily wage workers, employees and contract workers, preventive health care and provide timely help to communities in and around various plant locations.

Agarwal further said, "The world is currently putting up a spirited fighting against COVID19.

It is critical that corporate houses should assist the government in the fight against this deadly virus by contributing to the best of their ability so that the nation has adequate resources to take care of its citizens and provide both medical and financial assistance."

Vedanta Ltd is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Ltd.
By Express News Service

KANNUR: After it emerged that Covid-19 has been confirmed in a person hailing from Kadirur here, who flew out to Oman from the Kannur International Airport (KIAL) earlier this month, the district administration and health department have started firefighting operations in the area. Though it is said he might have got infected during the bus journey from Muscat to his workplace in the Sultanate, the authorities have got down to work to deal with possible transmission of the deadly virus in the locality was on February 8 that the Kadirur native had reached his house in connection with the treatment of his father.

He had visited Baby Memorial hospital, Kozhikode and Indira Gandhi Cooperative hospital, Thalassery for the purpose. Before flying back to Oman, he had visited some of his relatives at Vadakara and Ancharakkandi. Even eight days on since his departure, none, including his family members, has so far shown any symptoms of the disease.

Though it is matter of relief to the health department and district administration, they have already identified 62 persons who had close contact with him during his stay at Kadirur. They have been asked to enter home isolation.
Wellness checks for older residents are being offered by the Rohnert Park Senior Center during the shelter-in-place order, the city announced Friday.

Residents who know a senior who could use a social wellness call can contact Cindy Bagley at (707) 588-3452 or cbagley@rpcity.org to have them added to the center's phone list.

"Social distancing is important, but it could also affect the health of the elderly, isolating them when they may be most in need of assistance, the senior center said in an announcement. "The city is making calls to seniors to say hello and check in on them every few days."

The wellness checks will continue through the shelter-in-place order.

The annual Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco will be postponed to Sept. 20 due to the novel coronavirus, organizers said Friday.

The 12-kilometer race, known for colorful and wacky costumes, had been set for May 31, but was pushed back four months after discussions with city officials, organizers said.

"The health and safety of our participants, staff and volunteers is our utmost priority, and we are grateful to the City for their flexibility and assistance in selecting this new date to ensure this legacy event takes place for the 109th consecutive year," race organizer said in a statement posted on the race's site.

All existing 2020 Bay to Breakers registrations will be automatically transferred to the new date.

Refunds will not be offered and if a registrant isn't able to make the new date, they have the option to defer their 2020 registration to the 2021 race.

Although registrants will get credit for the amount they have paid already, there is a $20 administration fee to process a deferral.

Full details can be found at BayToBreakers.com.

The Oakland Police Department confirmed Friday evening that an employee who tested positive for the novel coronavirus is a police officer.

Officials said the officer, the first department employee to test positive, hasn't been to work since Sunday and currently is self-quarantined offsite and is recovering.

The department said it has taken immediate action and precautions to protect the health and safety of all of its workers and is following Alameda County's health order and protocols and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's protocols for COVID-19.

Police officials said that in preparation for COVID-19 their field officers received advance training about the virus from the Oakland Fire Department.

The department said it has personal protective equipment, including face masks and gloves, for its officers and the city began conducting COVID-19 tests for officers and other first responders starting on Friday.

Two men have been sentenced to prison for their parts in two burglaries, Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced Friday.

Luis Chavez, 33, was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the burglary of C&N Tractor of Watsonville, and Jose Yanez, 36, 36, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for the same burglary and an additional burglary of the Marina Club, prosecutors said.

Both men are suspected gang members and committed the crimes for the benefit of the Norteno criminal street gang, prosecutors said.

On May 29, 2019, Yanez and two other gang members used crowbars to break into the Marina Club card parlor in Marina and stole an ATM machine, prosecutors said.

Security camera footage showed the burglars with their identities concealed entering the business after hours.

Yanez was seen on video surveillance stealing the get-away vehicle that had been taken the night before from William's Roofing yard in Castroville, prosecutors said.

On June 3, 2018, Yanez and Chavez broke into the C&N Tractor store in Watsonville when smashing the front window with a brick closed the business.

A safe and tools were taken during the burglary. There was a loss of around $6,000 in tools and damage reported due to the burglary.

Prosecutors said Yanez and Chavez were seen trying to sell the tools, and the witness reported the incident to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

Port of Oakland officials said Friday that they've launched a blog to provide up-to-the minute reports on how the novel coronavirus is impacting their operations.

The blog, which is on the Port's website, includes updates from the Port and the Oakland International Airport, which it runs.

Both facilities have been declared essential operations and are functioning normally despite the shelter-in-place order issued by the health officers of Alameda County and other Bay Area counties on Monday.

A blog post on Friday morning reaffirms that all Port operations remain open, even though California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded the shelter-in-place order statewide late Thursday.

The orders imposed by the county and the state exempt trade and transportations such as the Port's seaport and airport.

The exemptions also apply to other supply-chain businesses such as railroads, freight haulers and warehouse operators, according to the Port.

A Singapore-based shipping company was fined $1.65 million in federal court in Oakland this week for dumping oily bilge water into the ocean during a voyage last year from the Philippines to the Richmond.

In addition to the fine, Unix Line PTE was placed on probation for four years and ordered to implement an environmental compliance plan as part of a sentence on Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Jon S. Tigar in Oakland.

The company had previously pleaded guilty to a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.

Unix Line admitted that its crew members on the Zao Galaxy, a 16,408 gross-ton tanker, knowingly failed to record the discharge of oily bilge water without the use of required pollution-prevention equipment during the voyage last year, according to U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson of the Northern District of California.

The Zao Galaxy set sail from the Philippines on Jan. 21, 2019, heading to Richmond with a cargo of palm oil. On Feb. 11, 2019, when the ship arrived in Richmond and U.S. Coast Guard examiners discovered that a ship officer directed crewmembers to discharge oily bilge water in a way that bypassed the vessel's oil water separator, Anderson said.

The discharges were purposely omitted from the Zao Galaxy's oil record book when it was presented to the U.S. Coast Guard during the vessel's inspection, officials said.

Last October, Unix Line was indicted by a federal grand jury for obstruction of justice and a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. Under a plea agreement, Unix Line pled guilty to one count of a

The prosecution was the result of a yearlong investigation by the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Investigations Division of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco.

San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department will expand its free emergency childcare hours, which provides childcare for low-income families affected by the novel coronavirus, in order to support healthcare workers, city leaders said Friday.

The expanded hours start on Monday at all 35 Recreation and Park Department sites from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and are meant to assist healthcare workers who need childcare during the statewide shelter-in-place order but typically work 12-hour shifts.

In addition to the expanded hours, the city will also begin providing childcare to children of Disaster Service Workers, essential Department of Public Health employees, and San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium.

"Front line health care and essential employees like doctors and nurses need to have childcare that they can rely on as they focus on responding to COVID-19," Mayor London Breed said in a statement.

California State University Board of Trustees Chairman Adam Day announced on Friday that Cal State East Bay President Leroy Morishita and two other university leaders have postponed their retirements in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Day said Morishita, CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White and Cal State Northridge President Dianne Harrison will continue in their respective roles through this fall.

Morishita, who's been president of Cal State East Bay since July 2011, announced last September that he planned to retire effective at the end of the current academic year.

White said last October that he planned to retire this July and Harrison announced last November that she planned to retire effective June 30.

Day said that searches to replace the three university leaders will recommence later this year.

The U.S. Census Bureau is delaying all field operations until April 1 as a result of the nation's efforts to delay the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

In an announcement Wednesday, bureau officials noted that 11 million American households had already responded to the census and that people are still strongly encouraged to "self-respond" by going online to 2020census.gov.

However, in order to help stop the spread of the virus, the bureau is suspending all field operations for two weeks.

"The Census Bureau will continue to evaluate all 2020 Census operations," bureau officials said in a news release. "Should any additional adjustments need to be made, the Census Bureau will communicate these changes broadly and promptly."

Also Wednesday, the bureau announced that its count of the country's homeless population has been postponed from March 30 to April 29, that it will continue to pay census employees during the suspension of activities and that enumerators, who are expected to be deployed in late-May, will be trained online and won't be allowed to gather in groups of more than 10.

Since the bureau's announcement, California and several smaller jurisdictions around the country have implemented shelter-in-place directives and people are being called upon to rigorously practice "social distancing."

All this in an effort to slow the COVID-19 disease, which grew to more than 15,000 U.S. cases and 201 deaths as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. Census is the decennial effort by the federal government to count every person living in the country.

The data collected is used to apportion trillions of dollars in federal spending to state and local governments and supports dozens of social service programs that provide food and medical assistance, school construction and housing programs, among others.

PG&E is donating nearly 1 million protective masks from the supply it keeps on hand for crews responding to fires and construction zones, to distribute to California hospitals and first responders, company officials said Friday.

The 480,000 N95 masks and 470,000 surgical masks will go to the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, for hospitals and those on the front lines facing a critical shortage of protective equipment.

The company maintains a supply of masks for utility crews working in construction zones or responding to wildfires, Andy Vesey, PG&E CEO and president said.

PG&E is donating as many as possible to Cal OES, but maintaining sufficient numbers for field workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare for the upcoming fire season, Vesey said.

In addition, PG&E employees also are collecting masks and other equipment from their personal emergency kits to donate to hospitals and emergency services responders in their local areas.

The utility and the PG&E Corporation Foundation is also contributing $1 million to nonprofits that are helping people facing food shortages, as well as small businesses that are impacted by public health emergency. The donations come from shareholder funds, not customers, PG&E said.

Benicia on Tuesday enacted a moratorium on utility service disconnections and late fees for non-payment due to the COVID-19 coronavirus emergency and the resulting closure of city offices.

The city has also extended deadlines for business license tax and transient occupancy tax payments.

The utility service moratorium is for both residential and commercial water and sewer customers. The tax deadline extensions will apply until June 15to all businesses.

"We know that the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 emergency and the current shelter-at-home order has created a financial strain on our residents and businesses," City Manager Lorie Tinfow said in a statement. "We are extending due dates to relieve some of the stress in dealing with the current situation."

The city is making its most flexible payment plan available to utility customers indicating an impact or hardship as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. Customers should fill out the Payment Arrangement Agreement online at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/UtilityBilling and email it to utilitybilling@ci.benicia.ca.us.

Although city offices are closed to the public, customers can make payment by telephone at (866) 344-1979; online at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/UtilityBilling; or via the drop box (do not leave cash) in front of City Hall, 250 East L St.

Customers with questions about starting or stopping water services or other service-related issues can go online to www.ci.benicia.ca.us/UtilityBilling and fill out the appropriate form, then email it to utilitybilling@ci.benicia.ca.us.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Femi Fani Kayode, a former minister for aviation and a peoples Democratic party(PDP) chieftain has lambasted president Muhammadu Buhari over his failure to address the nation following the coronavirus pandemic.

Read Also: Coronavirus: Fani Kayode Reacts As Enugu Patient Dies In Isolation Centre

Speaking via his official Twitter handle on Saturday, he said his continued silence mean he is either dead and another person is the one in the presidential villa or he is not human but a shape-shifting reptilian and cold blooded extraterrestrial from outer space.

He wrote:

It is either Buhari is dead &Jubril is in the Villa or the entity that claims to be our President is not human but a shape-shifting reptilian & cold-blooded extraterrestrial from outer space. How else can you explain the fact that he has refused to address Nigerians on Covid 19?
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But while the successes are well known, investors should not ignore the very many unprofitable companies that simply burn through all their cash and collapse.

So should GWR Group (ASX:GWR) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

View our latest analysis for GWR Group

Does GWR Group Have A Long Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. When GWR Group last reported its balance sheet in December 2019, it had zero debt and cash worth AU$2.1m. Importantly, its cash burn was AU$2.9m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from December 2019 it had roughly 9 months of cash runway. That's quite a short cash runway, indicating the company must either reduce its annual cash burn or replenish its cash. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

ASX:GWR Historical Debt, March 22nd 2020

How Is GWR Group's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

In our view, GWR Group doesn't yet produce significant amounts of operating revenue, since it reported just AU$897k in the last twelve months. As a result, we think it's a bit early to focus on the revenue growth, so we'll limit ourselves to looking at how the cash burn is changing over time. With the cash burn rate up 18% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but investors should be mindful of the fact that will shorten the cash runway. GWR Group makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.

Story continues

How Easily Can GWR Group Raise Cash?

Given its cash burn trajectory, GWR Group shareholders should already be thinking about how easy it might be for it to raise further cash in the future. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash to fund growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

GWR Group's cash burn of AU$2.9m is about 18% of its AU$16m market capitalisation. Given that situation, it's fair to say the company wouldn't have much trouble raising more cash for growth, but shareholders would be somewhat diluted.

How Risky Is GWR Group's Cash Burn Situation?

On this analysis of GWR Group's cash burn, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap was reassuring, while its cash runway has us a bit worried. Summing up, we think the GWR Group's cash burn is a risk, based on the factors we mentioned in this article. On another note, GWR Group has 5 warning signs (and 3 which are potentially serious) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
While experts disagree on the scale of the impact on workers, the hit is likely to be swift and severe.

With the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic still far from clear, researchers in the United States are struggling to come to grips with many American jobs could be lost to the crisis.

Many economists suggest that even with an unprecedented intervention by the federal government and the US Federal Reserve, millions of jobs could be permanently erased within months.

On Thursday, a US government report showed that 281,000 Americans were let go from their jobs the previous week  a 33 percent spike over the last report. But many analysts believe the number is set to skyrocket.

Goldman Sachs economists see initial jobless claims jumping to 2.25 million when data is released next week  an eightfold increase, and also a record. Bank of America sees three million Americans filing for initial unemployment insurance. More conservative estimates are targeting one million jobless claims.

When jobs are lost  even temporarily  financial lives are derailed, placing families and individuals under enormous stress.

Some businesses, though, may never recover, resulting in permanent job losses. It depends on the trajectory of the economy and how quickly it can bounce back from the coronavirus blow.

Goldman Sachs sees US economic growth plummeting 24 percent between April and June and unemployment peaking at 9 percent in the coming months.

Those predictions  like most for the US and global economies of late  could be revised yet again.

Right now, economists believe that the disruption will be temporary for many sectors of the economy and that many people who have been laid off over coronavirus closures will likely have a job again on the other side of this crisis.

But lost wages, sinking investments and insecure futures might extend well beyond 2020.

Sounding the alarm

As lawmakers on Capitol Hill horse trade over what could be a $1 trillion-plus economic stimulus package to offset the ravages of coronavirus, economists are sounding the alarm about the stakes for American workers.

The measures needed to contain the virus inevitably will reduce demand for a host of services, and there will be massive job losses, said Brad Setser, a senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. It is vital to put in place effective policies to provide income support to those who currently cannot work.

Setser told Al Jazeera that containing the spread of the virus necessitates measures that will precipitate a steep fall in economic output.

Once the virus is contained, then the economy should recover, he said, but steps need to be taken now to preserve those jobs.

Robert Scott, a senior economist at the progressive-leaning Economic Policy Institute, says the US needs a huge fiscal stimulus. But he does not believe that US President Donald Trump and Congress will produce a package that sufficiently stems the bleeding.

Im not betting my pension on it, he told Al Jazeera.

Scott believes workers are facing a bigger shock than the one delivered by the 2008 financial crisis.

We lost more than 6.2 percent of total jobs in the Great Recession, he said, noting that the labour force has swelled since then. If this recession is only that large, 9.5 million jobs will be lost. I fear that it could be larger, said Scott, confirming that 10 million job losses is not out of the question.

Scott  like many economists  thinks low-wage service workers will be hit hardest, while higher-wage professional workers in areas such as law, accounting, finance and management will remain employed  with generous sick leave, vacation policies, and the ability to telework.

Scott Sumner, an economist with the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told Al Jazeera that travel, transportation, energy, and services where people interact  such as restaurants and hotels  will be the most severely impacted by job losses. He said that construction and manufacturing could also suffer large layoffs, furloughs and pay reductions.

Sumner is predicting that the economic toll could be the worst since the 1930s. However, if a vaccine is commercialised by late 2021, he believes the duration should be much shorter than the Great Depression.

Analysts are hedging their forecasts, noting that until the outbreak peaks, it is hard to predict when the US economy will bounce back from the crisis.

Robert Kahn, director of global strategy and global macro at risk advisory and consultancy firm Eurasia Group, told Al Jazeera that because the US economy is starting from a strong position, many firms will try and retain labour.

Kahn believes the top priority for US officials should be to address the urgent needs of the sick and vulnerable, while the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, should keep unleashing crisis-era measures to make sure banks can still extend credit to businesses that need it.

As for workers, Kahn said, those that can work remotely will do better than those who need high engagement to find or perform work.

Workers best-positioned to weather the storm

Moodys Investors Service has compiled a list of sectors it believes have the lowest exposure to COVID-19 fallout including the IT software, telecoms, food and beverage retailers, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

Daniel, who asked Al Jazeera to withhold his surname to protect his privacy, is a data scientist working under contract for the Social Security Administration. He said his employer has been very supportive in challenging times.

We have a normal work schedule, just remote, he said. I dont see any changes.

Though he acknowledges his position feels less secure than [permanent federal] employees, right now hes not worried about being laid off.

Antwan, who also asked Al Jazeera to withhold his surname, is a Baltimore truck driver who works for a private transportation company that delivers goods to supermarkets.

Everything will stop, but they want us to keep coming to work, he said.

His partner LaToya, who also asked that her full name not be used for privacy reasons, works for mobility company Transdev. She thinks her job is secure, since chemotherapy and dialysis patients will continue needing medical transportation.

We trust in the Lord, said Antwan, describing God as a healer and protector. Hes taken care of us thus far, and hes gonna continue.

Daniel Broh-Kahn, a Baltimore liquor store proprietor, told Al Jazeera, Were extremely busy, though there is concern that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan could soon opt to shut down all non-essential establishments, forcing him to lay off his entire staff, all of whom work part-time.

One of our employees is going to the mountains, the safest place in the country right now, he said, referring to the US state of West Virginia  the last to register a positive coronavirus case.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 04:30:14|Editor: zyl

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PARIS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- France on Saturday reported 112 new COVID-19 deaths, and infection cases rose by 1,847 to 14,459.

A total of 6,172 people are hospitalized, including 1,525 patients in intensive care, of whom 50 percent are younger than 60 years old, according to figures updated by the Ministry of Health.

With grim figures suggesting no near sign of a slowed down spread of coronavirus, the ministry reiterated the absolute necessity to respect the barrier gestures and the confinement rules.

Earlier in the afternoon, Minister of Health Olivier Veran told press that next Monday the government's scientific council will make an announcement on the length and extent of the emergency measures.

France has been under lockdown since Tuesday. Only journeys for professional reasons, the purchases of basic necessities or essential health and family needs are allowed. Non-compliance with the rules risks a fine of 135 euros (145 USD).

Till Saturday noon, 867,695 checks have been carried out across the country and 38,994 fines were issued, said the police.

In his press conference, the health minister also announced that France had ordered "more than 250 million masks", intended in particular for health personnel who denounce a dire shortage of the protective gear.

Some 70 million masks had been delivered, mostly to hospitals and health professionals, since the last week of February. Currently France has a "state stock" of 86 million masks, including 5 million FFP2 masks, the rest being surgical masks, said Veran.

"We anticipate a need of 24 million masks per week,"said Veran,adding that for the distribution of masks in next two weeks, priority will be given to health workers and people caring the elderly.

The government was aware from the start (of the epidemic) that this situation "was going to be a difficulty," said Veran. "We are working day and night to increase the production and import of protective masks."

In early March the French government decided to requisition all stock and production of masks in the country.
- A Nigerian pastor has told his congregation that coronavirus does not exist in Nigeria

- The pastor identified as Talknado claimed that coronavirus cannot survive in Nigeria

- Talknado said the country has corrosive anointing and coronavirus cannot stand against Nigerias anointing

A Nigerian pastor identified as Talknado has held a service this Sunday, March 22, talking to his congregation about the coronavirus pandemic. The pastor claims that the virus has not entered Nigeria because it cannot survive in the country.

In a video now circulating social media, the man of God was heard saying that the virus does not stand a chance against Nigerias corrosive anointing. He said once the virus enters Nigeria it would stop all over the world.

The pastor continued as his congregation cheered and hailed him. He said Nigerians have been lied to because the Italian man who allegedly brought the virus to Nigeria was not shown to the people.

PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app

He also said the government lied that the virus needs to be treated with N620 million. He joked saying that someone had a meeting with the virus and it told the person the amount that is needed to eradicate it.

Talknado even chastised his fellow pastors who are changing prayer points for coronavirus. He added that God would not give Nigeria a disease that takes both the lives of the good and bad. He said Nigeria is number one right now because the virus can not enter the country.

PAY ATTENTION: Do you have news to share? Contact Legit.ng instantly

Meanwhile, a Legit.ng correspondent recently went out to speak with some residents in Abuja about the pandemic virus and one of the respondents confidently said that coronavirus only affects rich people.

The unidentified man said that the deadly virus does not affect poor people because they do not have the money to treat it. The man compared the lifestyle of the rich and poor, noting that the rich are more vulnerable to the disease.

I dont receive AC. I walk under the sun from morning till evening. We are very strong, so, Im not afraid of coronavirus, the man told Legit.ng. The unnamed man attributed the pandemic to bad leadership but maintained his stance about the pandemic affecting rich people.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better

Coronavirus: Are Nigerians really afraid of COVID-19? New survey reveals more | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
Sichuan Expressway Company Limited (HKG:107), which is in the infrastructure business, and is based in China, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$2.46 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$1.77. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Sichuan Expressway's current trading price of HK$1.78 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Sichuan Expressways outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

Check out our latest analysis for Sichuan Expressway

What is Sichuan Expressway worth?

Good news, investors! Sichuan Expressway is still a bargain right now. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is HK$2.67, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Whats more interesting is that, Sichuan Expressways share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

What does the future of Sichuan Expressway look like?

SEHK:107 Past and Future Earnings, March 22nd 2020

Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. Though in the case of Sichuan Expressway, it is expected to deliver a negative revenue growth of -4.1% over the next couple of years, which doesnt help build up its investment thesis. It appears that risk of future uncertainty is high, at least in the near term.

Story continues

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? Although 107 is currently undervalued, the adverse prospect of negative growth brings about some degree of risk. Consider whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to 107, or whether diversifying into another stock may be a better move for your total risk and return.

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on 107 for a while, but hesitant on making the leap, I recommend you research further into the stock. Given its current undervaluation, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future.

Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters  the fundamentals  before you make a decision on Sichuan Expressway. You can find everything you need to know about Sichuan Expressway in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Sichuan Expressway, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Popping to grandmas for tea, visiting the GP, meeting friends for after-work drinks, or going in to work at all  its all off the timetable for most of us for the foreseeable future.

But with a global health emergency to deal with, sadly, we have no choice. And no matter how resilient we think we are, many of us will feel the emotional toll of this seemingly ever-changing and alarming situation.

To add to this, thousands, if not millions will already be facing uncertainty over their livelihoods, with some finding their jobs dry up altogether.

Britons facing a long period of isolation as a result of the coronavirus pandemic need to take care of their mental heath

And there are relentless reports about mass suffering, death, and being plunged into a recession.

The one in three Britons who are already living with a mental health problem will now be faced with adjusting to video appointments with counsellors and anxiety about access to their life-saving medication.

So how do we protect our minds in times of unpredictable chaos?

Thankfully, the Mental Health Foundation has created a set of guidelines.

From pre-shopping meditation, to strict social-media limits, here are science-backed rules for remaining calm in these unprecedented times

A situation thats out of our control is one of the most common triggers for feelings of extreme anxiety. Our brains feel as though we are standing at the top of a bottomless pit and cant see a way out.

This virus is new, and many of our questions will remain unanswered.

One way to handle uncertainty is to anticipate stress. If you prime yourself to expect things to be difficult, it makes it easier to cope with.

Say, out loud, that you are about to encounter a difficult time, we simply do not know what will happen  and that is OK.

If it makes you feel stressed or worried, recognise that feeling and perhaps note it down. Acknowledging the truth of the situation helps the brain accept it and move on.

Focus on the things you can control, such as putting out the washing or telephoning a friend in need.

A common source of stress at the moment is trips to the supermarket. A sea of empty shelves appears almost apocalyptic. But all supermarkets have said nothing is going to run out, its just that theres huge demand. If youre tempted to join in panic-buying, limit yourself to one unnecessary item per shop.

Eventually, youll stop doing it altogether. If youre feeling highly stressed already, avoid shopping until later.

Or practise mindfulness meditation or breathing exercises before venturing out.

We have our own mindfulness website, bemindful.co.uk.

Another important thing to consider at this time is our use of social media. Nine out of every ten tweets I see at the moment are about Covid-19. I look at Twitter to find out whats happening. But never does it give my brain the sense of reassurance it is craving.

Logging on simply draws attention to areas of dispute, questions and missing information, increasing feelings of anxiety. Instead, set two or three short periods aside daily to look at news and social feeds.

Or, agree with family members or housemates to a 30-minute debrief session at the end of the day, when you can discuss the issues freely.

Stick to trusted sites such as NHS England (nhs.uk), Public Health England and the Government website (gov.uk). And what about WhatsApp? While its a great tool to help you stay connected with family, maybe you should limit the use of WhatsApp groups if youre in any, or even gracefully bow out of them altogether. Such groups are often full of unreliable he-said-she-said commentary and will only fuel panic.

Aside from panic, this new, rather strange, way of life could also trigger feelings of sadness and, in severe cases, depression. Regular routines are essential for our identity, self-confidence and purpose. Losing routine is a known risk factor for depression. So, as tempting as it might be to stay in pyjamas all day, dont.

Start your day at roughly the same time as you usually would. Get dressed, even put your shoes on if needs be, and make yourself presentable. Try to keep away from the bedroom during the day  otherwise your brain may feel it is an appropriate time to sleep.

And, crucially, fit some exercise into your daily routine, even if its only for 20 or 30 minutes.

Physical movement releases chemicals in the brain that are essential for regulating mood.

But what if youre confined to one room for months on end, without any personal space?

There is a way to live peacefully, even while on top of one another. Assign a different space in the house for each person during the day. Split the housework and have a strict schedule of who does what, in which room, and when. This will add to a sense of ownership over a portion of space.

But at the end of the day, do something collaboratively to reinforce the fact you are all in this together  perhaps a family dinner or a group breathing exercise.

There is no denying that the current situation is deeply concerning  but view it as a much-needed opportunity to catch up on sleep, a time to reconnect with families, build connections with neighbours and get involved in community outreach.

Studies show that volunteering is an effective mood-booster. You could collect shopping for a neighbour, or phone a long-lost, lonely relative. Organisations such as Next Door, Meet Ups UK and local council websites will have a list of a variety of initiatives designed to help isolated individuals at this time. Remember, you are not alone in this.

Visit mentalhealth.org for more information and support.

Mum who says lockdown made family closer

When the Governments self-isolation rules were extended to 14 days for entire families, mother-of-four Katy Walton from Bath, left, wondered how shed cope. Katy and her husband have two sets of twins under the age of 11  all boys.

Her three-year-old son Austin had had a high temperature and he had been in isolation for a week. Then, on Tuesday, her eldest son developed a suspicious cough.

We have only a modest four-bedroom house and its chaotic at the best of times, says Katy, a PR executive. Yet she has been pleasantly surprised at how she and husband Ross, 37, an IT manager, have dealt with the extraordinary situation.

Katy Walton from Bath, pictured, is self isolating with her two sets of twin sons, two of whom

She says: Id never usually be able to spend this much quality time with them because of drop-offs, pick-ups and deadlines.

Its been oddly nurturing.

We can all eat and chat together, the older boys have rediscovered Monopoly, and weve been playing with Lego, watching movies and sharing more intimate conversations.

Government guidelines advise against close contact, but Katy says: If I was to tell them to be quarantined to their room, it wouldnt be great for their mental health.

If theyve got it, wed all be infected anyway.

Empty supermarket shelves dont faze this family either.

Weve been making do with a strange set of products wed never normally use, Katy says.

But its introduced the kids to new, nutritious meals. Ive tried to help the boys see it as a shared sense of adventure.
April 15 has become synonymous with tax-filing day ... but not this year. Due to coronavirus concerns, the IRS has decided to give taxpayers until July 15 to safely complete their returns and file them. The announcement, made on March 20 via Twitter by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, doesn't have all the blanks filled in yet. But this is what we know so far: Q: My taxes are already done, and I know that I owe money. I should just wait until July 15 to file and send in my payment then, right? A: If you have already completed your tax return, you should still send in your return as soon as possible but can delay submitting payment until the new July 15 deadline. By filing your completed 1040 earlier, you will have more time to make and plan for the potential financial moves necessary to arrange your payment. It also allows the IRS to review your tax return and agree to your tax liability. In the event you made an erroneous tax deduction, claimed a tax credit you should not have, or made some other arithmetic mistake, you will have more time to prepare in the event the IRS disagrees with the information stated on your return. Q: What if I expect a refund, on the other hand? Should I file right away? A: If you expect a refund, filing your tax return sooner is always better, because this puts more money in your pocket sooner. Waiting to file until the deadline provides an interest-free loan to the federal government and limits your ability to have access to your money. In current circumstances, the federal government would want you to file your return immediately in order to claim this refund. Doing so would provide more potential money to circulate in the economy and guard against an impending economic recession. Q: Could this July 15 filing delay have any impact on me receiving my refund on time? A: Much like any circumstance where waiting until the last minute could cause a rush and stress available resources, waiting until this new July 15 filing deadline could result in delays for receiving your tax refund. If you believe you will be owed a tax refund and you can prepare your own tax return or use tax software to help you, you are encouraged to do so immediately. Q: In the past I've heard you should file as early as possible if you're worried about scammers stealing your identity and claiming your refund. Is that still true? A: Sadly, by delaying the deadline, this could result in greater potential for identity fraud. By allowing scammers more time to file a return and claim a refund on your behalf, the opportunity to defraud you of your refund is greater. As a result, filing as soon as possible is always recommended because even if you owe taxes, you will have until July 15 to submit payment.

In the event you expect a refund, the safest way to file your tax return is by e-filing your 2019 tax return and then opting to have your refund directly deposited into your bank account. This will get you your refund sooner and safer, assuming the provided info is correct. By e-filing, the IRS can process electronic tax returns and refunds much faster than it can handle paper returns and sending checks through the mail. Q: I may need even more time than July 15. Can I file for an extension? If so, will the extension date be Oct. 15, or will it be even later? A: At this time, it would appear that an extension to Oct. 15 is available per the IRS website. However, no specific guidance has been given since this announcement about any changes to an extension beyond July 15 to the usual Oct. 15 deadline. As a result, it may remain in place as of this writing, though this situation is rapidly evolving, and it could change at any moment. It might be best to view July 15 as the official deadline and prepare accordingly. Q: Will the due date for my state tax return be delayed too? A: In alignment with the decision to defer filing and paying your federal income taxes, many states have issued automatic extensions as well. They have done this in the hope of providing financial relief to Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. You will need to verify whether your state has made such accommodations by checking this list or checking directly with your states tax agency on their website. Q: Can I wait until July 15 to make 2019 contributions to my IRA or HSA? A: Yes. The IRS has confirmed that because the due date for filing federal income tax returns has been postponed to July 15, the deadline for making contributions to your health savings account or individual retirement accounts for 2019 is also extended to July 15, 2020. Q: Do I still have to make an estimated tax payment for the first quarter of 2020 on April 15? A: IRS Notice 2020-18 states that all estimated tax payments originally due on April 15 for the 2020 tax year do not need to be submitted until July 15. Further, there will be no penalties and interest assessed on these balances due. Q: Clearly there are some details left to be worked out. How should I keep on top of things? A: Watch major media outlets like Kiplinger, directly through the Treasurys Press Releases page, or through the White Houses daily media briefings with the president and his staff. Q: Has pushing back Tax Day like this ever happened before? A: It would appear no national deferment in the deadline has occurred before. However, large-scale natural disasters have delayed certain geographies from filing on the usual April 15 deadline in the past. Q: What do CPAs like yourself think about all this? A: In some sense, I am sure many feel a relief to have more time to prepare tax returns on behalf of their clients. Instead of having the usual three-month window (rough amount of time between when most people receive the necessary documentation in early to mid-February to prepare a return and the tax filing deadline), taxpayers will have almost double the time this year. On the face of the announcement, it seems like a rational decision to delay the tax payment deadline to July 15, because this would keep an estimated $300 billion in the economy.

However, had the April 15 filing deadline remained in place as it originally was, this would have forced people who likely will receive a refund to file and receive their money sooner. By delaying both dates, this grants many the ability to delay paying, but it also removes any urgency for those due a refund to file sooner as well. That money could have been put back into the economy sooner had the April 15 filing deadline remained static. Q: Do you have any other advice? A: Despite the added time, if you are due a refund, file as soon as you are able. If you need assistance preparing your return but have fear of straying far from your home, some tax software companies like TurboTax, H&R Block, and others offer live assistance from a tax professional. However, you can also prepare your own return for free through this same software available through the Free File Alliance. Finally, as communities across the nation and world deal with an unprecedented health pandemic, many cities and regions may feel the painful impact of the temporary closure of businesses, schools and other public facilities and the cancellation of events. At the most extreme, like here in California, many must deal with shelter-in-place orders and quarantines. Undoubtedly, these actions will go a long way toward flattening the exposure curve and ensuring our health facilities can handle the outbreak in a manageable way. However, this social distancing and resulting economic impact are likely to bring financial uncertainty for many people. People could experience a loss of income and lifestyle due to workplace closures, business hardships, or from the illness itself.

As a result, please try to keep in mind there are a number of actions you can take financially as you plan for the potential impact of the coronavirus on you and your family and friends in the short and long term. Several measures from the federal government aim to lighten the financial burden on Americans in the form of temporary student loan relief, business continuity funding, voluntary mortgage forbearance in the event of financial hardship, and potentially stimulus checks delivered directly to the members of the American public most harmed by this health emergency. While my family hopefully escapes this event relatively unscathed from a health perspective, my wife and I are using this event as a time to reassess our financial situation. We are also planning for how our family might continue should something unexpected befall one or both of us now that we have a son. This includes considering what items and terms we would want memorialized in our wills, reviewing our life insurance needs, reconsidering how we invest money in the stock market or other alternative investments, as well as identifying what items exist in our budget that simply dont improve our happiness or push us toward our life goals. Much like having more time to prepare your tax return, by working remotely and spending a great deal more time together as a family, we have gained more time to reassess what is most important in our lives. Given the significance of this event many will relate to for years to come, I would recommend considering how you can align your decisions with what makes you happiest. While we dont entirely know where these circumstances will lead, having a sound financial plan can help.
Marijuana plants cultivated under special grow lights. Medical cannabis patients in Pennsylvania now have the option to not have to enter a dispensary to pick up their medicines. Gov. Wolf essentially allowed home delivery by taking the limit off the number of patients each caregiver may serve. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Read more

Medical marijuana patients -- many of whom are immunosuppressed -- wont have to enter cannabis dispensaries in Pennsylvania to pick up their meds.

Gov. Wolf has temporarily suspended regulations that require all dispensing to occur inside a dispensary. Patients may now go to a cannabis retailer and have their product brought to their cars by a budtender.

Alternatively, approved caregivers now may deliver medical marijuana to an unlimited number of patients.

Wolf has the power to change the regulations under the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued on March 6 in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. The suspension of the marijuana regulations will continue for as long as the emergency proclamation is in effect.

In a related development, sales of medical marijuana spiked more than 20% nationwide last week to an all-time high, analysts said, as patients flocked to dispensaries fearing that they would not be able to buy their cannabis in the event of a lockdown.

In Bellmawr, N.J., on Tuesday, municipal police said more than 100 card-carrying patients were already in line at 6 a.m. at the Curaleaf dispensary. The queue later grew to 200 people and snaked around the building, said Chief William Walsh. Some of those customers -- including cancer patients -- waited three hours to pick up their medications.

They were hit unexpectedly, Walsh said. People were parking wherever they could and not always legally.

Marijuana dispensaries in Pennsylvania were deemed essential businesses, akin to a pharmacy, under a edict issued earlier this week.

With the current situation with the virus, this allows patients to pick up their medicines in the parking lot without having to interact with many other people, said patient advocate Luke Schultz. Its important especially because so many have compromised immune systems or are not in the best of health.

Physicians in Pennsylvania can recommend medical marijuana to their patients to treat nearly two dozen serious ailments, including cancer, chronic pain, and anxiety.

The governor also relaxed regulations limiting the number of a patients that a caregiver can serve. There was no maximum number of patients listed in the states notice.

Relaxing that provision essentially makes home delivery possible for all Pennsylvania patients.

These changes will save lives, and we can all be proud of that," said State Sen. Daylin Leach, (D-Montgomery), who has been agitating for the health department to allow home delivery since early this month.

In addition, caregivers will no longer require background checks to renew their state-issued cards and renewing patients no longer have to visit their recommending doctors in person to renew their certifications. Physicians will be allowed to recommend up to a 90-day supply.

Since the beginning of the medical marijuana program in Pennsylvania, the state has required that each patient enter a dispensary to buy and retrieve cannabis medicines.

This allows us to have a low- to no-contact service that will increase social distancing and lower the chance of COVID-19 spreading," said Mike Badey, CEO of Keystone Shops, a dispensary chain with outlets in South Philadelphia, King of Prussia, and Devon.

Badey said Keystone Shop dispensaries will put some equipment in place to provide parking lot delivery by late Sunday.

Badey said he had asked the health department on March 9 for pickup service and home delivery.

We asked for the moon, and though we didnt get the moon, were happy with the result, Badey said.

Patients can use online ordering to speed up the dispensing process at most dispensaries.

Under the relaxed regulations, the Department of Health will allow dispensary employees to go out to a patient or caregiver vehicle, retrieve the necessary identification cards, go back inside to dispense the product, and deliver to the vehicle.

In all cases, the vehicle must be located within the property line boundaries of the dispensary.

Were really grateful to the governor and Department of Health, said Chris Visco, CEO of TerraVida Holistic Centers in suburban Philadelphia. This allows us to treat our most vulnerable patients.
Bengaluru, March 22 : Karnataka on Sunday closed its inter-state border to contain the spread of Coronavirus by preventing movement of people and vehicles from neighbouring states, an official said.

"At an emergency meeting chaired by chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa at his home in the city's northern suburb, the state government has decided to close its borders with the neighbouring states to restrict inter-state movement of people," the official said in a statement here.

Karnataka has a common border with Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

"People living in cities and towns have been advised not to visit their villages in the state or other states," noted the official.

The state government has also decided to postpone the 10th class (SSLC) board exams from March 27 to a later date.

"The 1,700-bed state-run Victoria hospital in the city centre will be converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital to admit positive cases and for separate isolation," the statement said.

Tests for diagnosing suspected COVID-19 cases will be conducted in more state-run and private hospitals across the state with the help of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in New Delhi and the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune in Maharashtra.

"Domestic passengers will also be screened at all the 7 airports across the state, including Bengaluru, Belagavi, Bidar, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru and Mysuru in addition to international passengers at Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports," the statement said.

The state government has decided to distribute foodgrains for next two months in advance to all ration card-holders across the state.

All elections, including the March 26 Rajya Sabha bypolls in the city have been postponed until further notice.

State Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayana, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Industries Minister Jagaidsh Shettar, Health Minister B. Sriramulu, Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar and eminent cardiologist Devi Shetty participated in the meeting of the taskforce set up to fight the virus menace.

"A 24x7 war room will be set up at the state-run Balabrooie guest house in the city centre to coordinate the government's measures in tackling the medical crisis brewing from the fatal communicable disease," the official added.

Karnataka registered 21 cases of COVID-19, with one more patient testing positive at Dharwad in the state's northwest region on Sunday.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
In the time of coronavirus, I headed to southern Utahs remote canyon country to do some extreme social distancing.

All I knew when I emerged a few days later in western Colorado was that the world was confusing. I half-expected to find empty highways and shuttered businesses. What I witnessed was an armada of black SUVs, loaded down with passengers and skis, all headed to the resort town of Telluride. This was mid-March.

Clearly, a lot of folks were determined not to let a deadly pandemic get in the way of their ski vacation. It occurred to me then that perhaps things werent so bad, after all. If that many people were still headed for the slopes, the crowded restaurants, bars and supersized petri dishes  er, hot tubs  then surely the danger of the virus had passed, right? Wrong.

What I was witnessing was just one instance of an ad hoc, failed response to a crisis. It resembled a magnified version of the global response to climate change in which half the population is in panic mode, while the other half insists on life as usual.

I saw this play out in even starker relief in the supermarket in Montrose, which serves as a supply town for mountain towns to the south, including Telluride. The parking lot was packed, and at first glance things inside seemed fairly typical for a ski season Saturday. The avocados and bell peppers were stacked high in the produce section, and the fancy cheese bin was overflowing. Then I noticed the potatoes were all gone.

I hurried back to the rice and beans aisle only to find what I ascertained to be high-risk folks  older, frail-looking  staring at empty shelves. It was the same with the dried pasta section, where all that remained were a few boxes of gluten-free stuff. I grabbed them and anything else that would give me sustenance for the next week or so while I lived and worked out of my car.

Back out in the parking lot, a massive Cadillac Escalade and a handful of Chevy Suburbans were lined up in front of the liquor store. One woman told her companion to move the car closer because weve got way too much to carry.

Then it felt like a cascade: Meetings were cancelled, my kids were being ordered to vacate their college dorms immediately, giving them little choice but to get on planes and fly across the ocean back to Bulgaria, where I live. Restaurants were shutting down. Meanwhile, the ski vacationers were stocking up on booze. Did they think theyre immune? Or did they believe President Trump when he first downplayed the virus, even calling it a hoax?

Its tempting simply to roll ones eyes: Theyll get what they deserve, while those who hole up in their houses and try to do their part to mitigate the virus spread will stay healthy.

Unfortunately, it doesnt work that way. By continuing on with their lives, the vacationers could negate the efforts of the conscientious crowd, and likely spread the virus to the people working in the restaurants, hotels and shops.

Climate change is no different. It does little good for one person to reduce their carbon footprint if all around them everyone else  with the encouragement of the federal government  drills for oil, burns natural gas or coal and consumes without limits, as if the climate catastrophe were just another media fixation.

What we need to battle both this virus and climate change is a coordinated, society-wide response. We need leaders who arent afraid of taking bold, decisive action, regardless of how it might impact the stock market or the bottom line of political donors. It truly is a matter of life and death.

That same day, March 14, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis took decisive action: He ordered every ski area in the state to shut down and then imposed restrictions on public gathering places. San Juan County, home of Telluride, went farther: mandatory lock-down, shelter in place, all tourists and nonresidents must leave, and mandatory testing of the entire population by a private company.

Now we just need the same kind of resolve to tackle the climate crisis.

Jonathan Thompson is a contributor to Writers on the Range.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about Western issues. He is a freelance writer and author of the forthcoming novel, Behind the Slickrock Curtain.
Amid rising cases of coronavirus in India, the central government on Sunday asked all states to ready health facilities earmarked exclusively for treating COVID-19 patients to ramp up their capacity to manage such cases in the country.

Addressing reporters on the preparedness of the government for prevention and containment of the disease, Health Ministry officials said the country has the capacity for conducting around 60,000-70,000 COVID-19 tests per week, with private labs also roped in to conduct such tests, provided they fulfill the defined criterion.

"States have pledged that they will earmark hospitals exclusively to treat COVID-19 patients," ICMR director Balram Bhargava said.

"For example, in Delhi, AIIMS' division of National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Jhajjar (Haryana) -- which has around 800 beds -- would be used only to treat COVID-19 patients, he said.

On the approval given to private labs to conduct coronavirus tests, Bhargava said there have been 60 registrations so far and more applications are under consideration.

Four private labs in Maharashtra and one each in Gujarat and Karnataka have so far been given approval to conduct COVID-19 tests, says the website of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Besides 111 government labs are already functional in this regard, he said, adding the most important thing to remember is that indiscriminate testing is not to be done and the thrust should be on isolation".

On allegations that the country was not conducting enough tests, Bhargava said India has so far conducted around 15,000 to 17,000 tests for coronavirus. He added that France has conducted 10,000 tests per week, UK 16,000, US 26,000, Germany 42,000, Italy 52,000 and South Korea 80,000 tests.

The ICMR director asserted that a lockdown is the most essential thing for breaking the chain of transmission.

We are doing an evaluation on the basis of the COVID-19 cases and deaths reported so far in the country. Such an evaluation can help us to gauge how many more such cases and deaths can increase by Tuesday, he said.

Responding to a question over the delay in allowing private labs to conduct tests for COVID-19, Bhargava said pricing was never an issue and more so government labs had the capacity to conduct such tests.

"We wanted to ensure the safety of lab personnel and their handlers because this is a biosecurity hazardous virus. We wanted to ensure they (private labs) had the full capacity for that. Secondly, these labs were roped in on the basis of the requirement in view of so many passengers returning from other countries," he said.

The central government had on Saturday recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs 4,500.

All private laboratories which have NABL accreditation for real-time PCR SA for RNA virus will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests, according to the guidelines issued by the ICMR for COVID-19 testing in private laboratories, which were notified by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday night.

The National Task Force recommends that the maximum cost for testing should not exceed Rs 4,500. This may include Rs 1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test, the guidelines said.

Meanwhile, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health talked about the availability of ventilators in the country in the wake of the current health emergency.

"Depending on the number of cases, isolation beds and ventilators will be ramped up. An order to procure 1,200 new ventilators has been placed. We are ready to face any emerging situation," he said.

Stating that breaking the chain of transmission was the biggest challenge in front of them, Bhargava highlighted that it is very important that all those who have come from abroad be isolated and quarantined.

Elaborating further on the nature of the virus, he said 80 per cent of the patients may get light cold and fever and recover on their own without getting to know whether they were infected by coronavirus.

He said 20 per cent may have symptoms like cough, cold and fever, out of which only 5 per cent require hospitalisation.

Those hospitalised are given supportive treatment. In some cases, new drugs are being tried, the official added.

India reported three more coronavirus deaths on Sunday, including the first casualties from Bihar and Gujarat, taking the toll to seven and the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 341.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A mother whose baby has been diagnosed with Covid-19 is warning other mothers about how to spot potential tell-tale signs in their own children.

Laura Pearson, from Cardiff, described the 'very distressing' 48 hours during which her six-month-old son Gruff started to fall ill with a fever of 39 degrees and the frantic attempts that she and her husband made to get him seen by a doctor.

'My other half started developing symptoms first, in the early hours on Wednesday morning - high temperature, chills, aches and a mild cough,' said the 35-year-old freelance communications consultant who lives in Pontcanna.

'It was nothing too bad though, so we managed it the best we could by isolating him in the spare bedroom as best as possible - although, with a baby to look after, that's easier said than done.'

Laura Pearson (pictured with her son), from Cardiff, described the 'very distressing' 48 hours during which her six-month-old son Gruff started to fall ill with a fever of 39 degrees

But then, on Thursday, Gruff himself began to show coronavirus symptoms of his own.

'He developed an on-and-off dry cough, but then began feeling very hot,' said Laura.

'I called our GP because I couldn't get through on the NHS 111 helpline and we were told to to monitor his condition via the website whenshouldiworry.com, which was set up by medical researchers at Cardiff University.

'But, as Gruff's temperature hit 39 degrees we even put out a request to friends on Facebook for a new thermometer because we couldn't believe the reading on ours and thought it might be broken.

'Gruff was crying in pain and inconsolable - so we rang the out-of-hours GP number and they advised us to go to hospital.'

On Thursday, Gruff (pictured) himself began to show coronavirus symptoms of his own

Also suffering from bloody diarrhoea, which some medics have named as a less-known by-product of Covid-19, Laura added that she and her husband took Gruff to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

There they were admitted to a coronavirus triage centre set up at the onsite Noah's Ark Children's Hosptal.

'The staff there were great and Gruff was assessed by a very nice doctor behind a face shield and mask. He told us he had all the classic signs of the illness,' she said.

'We were then told to go home, look after him and self-isolate for two weeks. Now, as both my partner and Gruff seem to be over the worst of it, the biggest danger is that I get it too.'

And Laura wanted to alert others to the symptoms.

'Our son went from a happy and alert little boy to very listless and just not himself at all,' she said.

'I'd just say to trust your instincts as every parent knows their child and what's normal for them.

'We've just got to pay a waiting game now until we're all out of the woods.'
SYRACUSE, N.Y.  A Syracuse woman in her 20s was turned away at an urgent care facility in New York City before she returned to Syracuse and then tested positive for COVID-19, the woman told the Washington Post.

The woman and her mother were shopping in New York City on Saturday when she began to cough and feel tired, she told the Post on the condition of anonymity.

On Sunday, she went to an urgent care facility, but physicians there declined to give her a test, she told the Post.

"I got tremendously worse, she said.

Her temperature rose to 101 degrees Fahrenheit and she got a terrible headache. Her mother drove her back to Syracuse, and she was given a coronavirus test on Monday morning at an unnamed physicians office.

She entered the facility through the back of the building, was given a mask and asked to sit in a room that was not being used, the Post reported.

A doctor entered her room in protective gear while other staff stood outside the door.

They were kind of freaking out because theyre like, oh my God, its in Syracuse! the woman told the Post.

The positive test result made the woman the third confirmed case in Onondaga County, coming shortly after an elderly couple tested positive here.

The woman and her family are under a home quarantine order, the Post reported.

The womans testimony was included among other interviews with people who tested positive for the virus, some reporting mild symptoms and others badly sickened by the illness.

Patrick Lohmann covers breaking news and many other topics. He can be reached at (315)766-6670 or via email at PLohmann@Syracuse.com.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a news conference in Berlin on Sunday about the coronavirus. (Michael Kappeler / Associated Press)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine at home in her central Berlin apartment after coming into contact Friday with a doctor who later tested positive for the coronavirus, her office announced Sunday.

Shortly after the 65-year-old German leader announced a further clampdown Sunday outlawing nearly all public and private gatherings, the government released a statement saying she was in quarantine at home because a physician who administered her a pneumococcal vaccine had since tested positive for the infection.

The chancellor decided immediately to go into quarantine at home, the government statement said. She will be tested regularly over the next few days because a test at this point would be inconclusive. The chancellor will continue working in her quarantine at home.

Merkel did not know about the positive test until right after the news conference ended, an official said.

Merkel had spent 20 minutes talking to reporters about new rules on social distancing in Germany that the federal government and 16 governors agreed to during a teleconference Sunday aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus after the number of confirmed cases in Germany rose toward 24,000. The new rules outlaw more than two people from gathering  with the exception of immediate family members  and will be in place for at least two weeks. The regulations also provide power to police to investigate and break up private house parties.

The rules fall slightly short of lockdown provisions imposed in neighboring countries France, Belgium, Denmark and Poland, as well as in other European Union countries Italy, Spain and Ireland.

German leaders including Merkel, who grew up behind the Iron Curtain in then-Communist East Germany, have been consciously sensitive about temporarily restricting civil liberties in part because of the nation's totalitarian past.

For someone like me, who fought hard to be able to travel freely and move about freely, that would be justifiable if absolutely necessary, she said last week.

Story continues

Merkel told reporters Sunday that her life had changed dramatically in recent days.

I canceled almost all of my appointments in which people come in here to my offices to see me or to places where I would normally visit, she said. My life has changed completely and is mainly made up right now of telephone calls and video conferences.

Among the other new restrictions imposed Sunday are: closure of hairdressers, massage studios and tattoo parlors; and restaurants limited to takeout and delivery. Most other shops and businesses in Germany were already ordered closed last week.

The overwhelming majority have understood whats needed, she said, referring to a sharp decline in public activity in recent days. This is how were going to save lives.

Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.
Gandhinagar, March 22 : The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has found the combination of Hydroxygloroquine and Azithromycin to be very effective against the dreaded coronavirus. According to the Gujarat government, the ministry will shortly be framing the protocols for the medicines to be authorised for the treatment of coronavirus in the country.

Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary of Health and family welfare Department, Gujarat, said on Sunday, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a video conference meeting yesterday with the pharmaceutical companies in the country, where a Gujarat representative discussed on the combination of hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin to be very effective against the coronavirus. There are scientific evidences establishing that fact too." "Shortly the ministry will be issuing the protocols for the medication for the treatment of corona, maybe this evening," added Ravi.

The Gujarat health secretary said, "The Cabinet secretary of the Union government held a video conference with all the state's chief secretaries and health secretaries and reviewed the situation across the nation. It was found that the Janata Curfew met an overwhelming response across the nation."
President Donald Trump sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seeking to maintain good relations and offering cooperation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Kim's sister said Sunday.

The latest correspondence came as Kim observed the firing of tactical guided weapons over the weekend, drawing criticism from South Korea, as nuclear talks remain deadlocked.

In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central Agency, or KCNA, Kim's sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, praised Trump for sending the letter at a time when big difficulties and challenges lie ahead in the way of developing ties" between the countries.

In the letter, she said Trump explained his plan to "propel the relations between the two countries ... and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work," an apparent reference to the global coronavirus outbreak.

She said her brother expressed his gratitude for Trump's letter.

North Korea has repeatedly said there hasn't been a single case of the coronavirus on its soil.

Some foreign experts question that claim and say an outbreak in the North could cause a humanitarian disaster because of its poor medical infrastructure.

Last month, the State Department expressed concerns about North Korea's vulnerability to a potential coronavirus outbreak and said it was ready to support efforts by aid organizations to contain the spread of the illness in the North.

A senior Trump administration official said Sunday that Trump sent a letter to Kim that the official said was consistent with Trump's efforts to engage global leaders during the pandemic.

The official said Trump looks forward to continued communications with the North Korean leader.

Kim Yo Jong said Trump's letter is "a good example showing the special and firm personal relations" between the North Korean and US leaders.

But she said it's not a good idea to "make hasty conclusion or be optimistic about" the prospect for bilateral relations.

"In my personal opinion, I think that the bilateral relations and dialogue for them would be thinkable only when the equilibrium is kept dynamically and morally and justice ensured between the two countries," she said.

"Even at this moment we are working hard to develop and defend ourselves on our own under the cruel environment which the U.S. is keen to 'provide.'"



Earlier, Trump sent birthday greetings to Kim Jong Un, who was believed to have turned 36 on January 8.

Senior North Korean official Kim Kye Gwan said at the time that the birthday message won't lead his country to return to talks unless the US accepts its demands.

Kim and Trump have met three times and exchanged letters and envoys on many occasions since 2018, when they launched talks on the fate of Kim's advancing nuclear arsenal.

The two leaders have avoided harsh language against each other, and Trump once said he and Kim "fell in love."



But their diplomacy has largely come to a standstill since the breakdown of their second summit in Vietnam in February 2019, when Trump rejected Kim's demands for broad sanctions relief in return for a partial disarmament step.

Kim pressed Trump to come up with new proposals to salvage the negotiations by the end of last year.

Kim later vowed to bolster his nuclear deterrent and unveil "a new strategic weapon," and warned that he would no longer be bound by a major weapons test moratorium.

In recent weeks, North Korea has fired a slew of artillery and other rockets into the sea in what experts say is an attempt to improve its military capabilities.

The weapons were all short range and did not pose a direct threat to the US mainland.

A resumption of long-range missile or nuclear weapons tests by Kim would likely completely scuttle diplomacy with Trump, experts say.

KCNA said Kim watched the test firing of tactical guided weapons on Saturday with Kim Yo Jong and other top officials. South Korea's military called the demonstration "very inappropriate" at a time when the world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

South Korea's military said Saturday that it detected two presumed short-range ballistic missiles that flew from a site in western North Korea across the country and landed in the waters off the east coast.

The weapons flew 410 kilometers (255 miles), according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One of Kelly Loefflers most appealing traits to Republicans who embraced her for a coveted Senate appointment  her ability to self-fund a competitive election this fall through immense wealth  is suddenly looking like a serious liability for her and the GOP.

Loefflers rivals in a special election pounced on revelations that the recently appointed senator dumped millions of dollars in stocks after a classified Covid-19 briefing in January  damaging her bid against a formidable GOP opponent in Rep. Doug Collins, a close ally of President Donald Trump. Collins is seizing on the stock trades by Loeffler, whos married to the head of the New York Stock Exchange.

Collins told POLITICO in an interview Friday that Loeffler needs to explain to Georgians and Americans what happened here, and why it happened.

To have sold and then bought stocks that benefit them personally is just very, very frustrating, Collins said. "And it's very disheartening for those of us who have been in public service."

This is just not something you want to see, being perceived as profiting off a crisis, Collins added, though he did not call on her to resign or face an Senate Ethics Committee investigation.

Loeffler denied doing anything inappropriate, saying the stocks were sold by third-party financial advisers, and that she did not use information from private briefings about the coronavirus to benefit herself financially. She reported selling between nearly $1.3 million and $3.1 million worth of stocks owned jointly with her husband between late January and mid-February. She also reported jointly purchasing between $200,000 and $500,000 of stock in two technology companies.

I don't direct the activity. I'm not involved in the investment decisions, Loeffler said in an interview on CNBC Friday afternoon. I made that decision many years ago for the position I had in financial services  that I would not get involved in investment decisions."

Story continues

The Georgia special election is already perilous for Republicans, given that it is an all-party contest that will go to a January runoff if no candidate receives a majority in November  a likely outcome given the crowd of contenders. Three Democrats are in the race currently: Rev. Raphael Warnock; former U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver; and Matt Lieberman, son of former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). Warnock has endorsements from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Stacey Abrams, the former gubernatorial candidate.

Loeffler has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Gov. Brian Kemp, who appointed her to the seat to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson, who resigned late last year due to health concerns. But Collins also has some significant allies in the state, and he is running an insurgent campaign attempting to outflank Loeffler as an ally to Trump, who has not taken sides in the race.

One Georgia Republican operative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Loeffler was in a perilous political situation caused by the revelations about her stocks specifically because, in the all-party November contest, another Republican was on the ballot.

They can't just appeal to partisan loyalties and say, 'Don't believe these storylines. This is a media attack,' the operative said. People have somewhere else to go if they're uncertain about her, and that's a really dangerous place to be.

The accusations of self-dealing while the U.S. copes with the unprecedented coronavirus crisis  combined with reports that other senators, including Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), also sold off stocks before the market crashed  represent a major early test for Loeffler, a first-time political candidate on whom Republicans are counting to keep a contested Senate seat in GOP hands as Democrats mount a charge to retake the chamber in this year's elections.

Some Democrats immediately called for Loeffler's resignation following the initial report from The Daily Beast about the transactions, which came in the days and weeks following a private briefing for senators on the coronavirus. Others called for an investigation by the Ethics Committee.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Lieberman said in a statement that Loefflers actions were incredibly disappointing and shameful. Warnock, national Democrats' preferred candidate in the race, called the transactions deeply disappointing and said they should be investigated.

Tarver, the former U.S. attorney, said Loeffler should resign.

This is more than just poor judgment, Tarver said. This is downright wrong and everything thats wrong with Washington. Were in the middle of a pandemic the likes of which many of us having never seen. We need honest leadership in Washington, and its clear were not getting that with Sen. Loeffler.

Stephen Lawson, a spokesperson for her campaign, said Loeffler "has done absolutely nothing wrong" and hit both Collins and Democrats for "spending their time launching baseless attacks" against the senator.

Burr, who also faced swift condemnation for his sale of stocks in recent weeks, asked the Ethics Committee to review the matter. Loeffler, who did multiple cable news interviews Friday to push back on the reports, said in the appearance on CNBC that she was happy to answer any and all questions and would submit to whatever review is needed, but she has not called on the Ethics Committee to look into the matter.

I think we have to make sure that all the rules and laws are followed, Loeffler said on CNBC. I think they are being followed, at least in my case I know they are. I can't speak for other people. But that's certainly what securities laws are for. That's what ethics rules are for. That's what I'm very confident we are complying with, have always complied with and will continue to do."
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is working on a multi-pronged mandate to slow the spread of coronavirus, but she is not expected to issue the full-fledged stay-at-home order that Portland-area officials want.

Her actions include the closure of all state parks as of Monday. Current campers must leave by 1 p.m. Monday and day-use areas will close at 5 p.m.

We would have preferred an orderly shutdown of the system and to remain open for daytime visits, but our concern for the effects on rural health care systems requires us to move up and expand our plans, Lisa Sumption, director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, said in a press release. We know this will cause a disruption, since were suspending service to everyone, even people who live near a park. Reducing contact between people is more important than recreation at the moment.

The governors other expected actions reportedly include shutting down all businesses involving skin-to-skin contact between staff and customers, such as hair and nail salons; ordering retailers to enforce appropriate spacing between customers; and closing most or all government offices to the public. Brown said last week that she also was considering closing gyms and theaters.

The final order could yet change as deliberations are ongoing.

On Sunday, Brown issued an executive order temporarily blocking residential evictions in Oregon. This is both a moral and a public health imperative. Keeping people in their homes is the right thing for Oregon families, and for preventing the further spread of COVID-19, she said in a press release.

The chairs of the Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas county commissioners  who represent 1.8 million Oregonians  on Sunday sent a letter to Brown requesting even stronger action.

We ask that you move boldly to protect the residents of this great state by issuing a clear Stay at Home, Stay Safe Executive Order, said the letter from Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington, Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury and Clackamas County Chair Jim Bernard.

As the Chairs of the most populous region in the state, we are preparing to be hit hardest. But heres what we know: our public health officials, as well as our hospital systems, are telling us that the time to act is now.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Friday that his city was prepared to unilaterally issue a stay-at-home order as early as Monday but preferred that it include other jurisdictions.

Other Portland-area mayors also have supported such a decree, as have some health organizations. However, there is contradictory statistical modeling about the pace of the virus spread in Oregon and whether existing social distancing measures are sufficient. Those have included banning large gatherings of people and restricting restaurants, coffee shops and bars to only take-out orders or delivery.

Negotiations were going on through the weekend, involving state and local officials and key legislators.

The Legislatures Joint Special Committee on Coronavirus Response meets again at 9 a.m. Monday to discuss proposals from the governor, lawmakers and the public. The tentative plan is for a one-day special legislative session this month to deal with the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, March 23 2020

Tempered traffic: Significantly fewer vehicles than usual traverse Jl. Sudirman in Jakarta on Sunday as government institutions and private companies allow employees to work remotely to curb the spread of COVID-19. Bank Indonesia has cut its forecast for Indonesias economic growth this year from 4.6 to 4.2 percent to account for the effects of the pandemic.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has declared a two-week state of emergency in the capital and has urged offices to suspend operations as COVID-19 containment efforts, but questions persist over whether companies would comply with the directive given the lack of enforcement.

Anies urged Friday that all corporations close down their offices and operational facilities and arrange for their employees to work from home for the next two weeks. Those unable to do so were instructed to reduce their employee numbers to essential staff only.

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This is a very unfamiliar and scary time for all of us. During this uncertainty there is one question I keep hearing, Are our hospitals prepared? Our hospitals have been preparing for events like this and while COVID-19 is new, preparing for responses to disasters is not new to hospitals. Emergency preparedness training is a year-round activity that is done within each facility, system and region. Hospitals treat patients with a variety of infectious diseases daily. These patients are isolated and treated in appropriate spaces by trained staff using specialized equipment.

When there is a threat of a disease that could cause a surge of patients, each individual hospital steps up its preparedness and coordination activities. Hospitals share information and best practices, but also deploy the specific strategies that will work best in their facilities and in response to the changing situation.

A surge will happen, but the impact depends on how collectively successful we all are at minimizing community spread. Basic precautions are essential. Hand washing, disinfecting surfaces and physical distancing are truly critical. Those who think that all these safety measures are overblown need to realize this coronavirus is truly novel  meaning there is no natural immunity in the population and no natural barrier to rampant spread. We must create physical barriers and separation.

The good news is that our state government has been making all the right choices and is aggressively attempting to flatten the curve of a surge of patients hitting the health-care system all at once. Remember, the New Mexico Department of Health Coronavirus health hotline is 855-600-3453.

Hospitals are served by incredibly competent, caring and capable caregivers and leaders. We like to say that hospitals are always there, ready to care. But therein is our challenge. In times of crisis, the community looks to their hospitals as the source for everything. This is a tall order. Thats why patients without symptoms are being asked to not go to an emergency room just for a check-up. The worried well need to heed the public health advisories that have been widely published by Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health. Stay home and contact your primary care provider for non-emergencies and for illnesses that do not have the specific symptoms of COVID-19. From what we know, COVID-19 presents with a fever, a dry cough and shortness of breath. Those are different than the congestion, colds and allergies so many of us get in the spring.

If the inevitable surge cannot be mitigated, it will be overwhelming to our already stressed health-care system. Hospitals are working actively with federal and state public health officials to secure all needed resources: supplies, staff and space, i.e., hospital beds. In normal times, hospitals are lean organizations. Supplies arrive through just in time factory direct sources. Health-care professional shortages are well known. Hospitals have little excess capacity with many running at 90% occupancy. Any surge will severely tax the system.

However, federal, state and local government, along with hospitals have emergency plans in place to redistribute resources and coordinate responses. Part of that focus is to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep health-care workers on the job and protected. The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department is working to support health-care workers with access to child care. 

As the governor said in last weeks address, We are all in this together.

New Mexicos 46 hospitals appreciate all that the public is doing each day, sacrifices they are making for the well-being of their families and communities. We accept this challenge before us and are at the ready to serve.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-22 11:33:30|Editor: huaxia

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Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a U.S. expert on China, also chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, speaks in an interview with Xinhua in Los Angeles, the United States, Oct. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Gao Shan)

"There has never been a time when international cooperation is needed more urgently than it is right now -- both to battle and contain the COVID-19 pandemic and to sustain and bolster the world economy," Robert Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, said.

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Xinhua) -- It has never been "so critical" that the nations of the world act "for the common good of humanity" as COVID-19 continues to spread, renowned American public intellectual Robert Kuhn said.

"There has never been a time when international cooperation is needed more urgently than it is right now -- both to battle and contain the COVID-19 pandemic and to sustain and bolster the world economy," Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, said in a recent email interview with Xinhua.

"If climate change is the world's most serious chronic problem, then COVID-19 is the world's most serious acute problem. I never imagined that dealing with a real pandemic would ever become so grave so quickly," he said.

A passenger wears a face mask on a subway train in New York, the United States, March 17, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

"And frankly, I never took it all that seriously," he said. "But the pandemic has burst into planetary consciousness, and dramatically demonstrates the global critical significance of 'shared future' thinking," said Kuhn, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Kuhn said stemming the spread of "pandemics" or disease falls under a vision of a "shared future," as do climate control, preventing terrorism, thwarting the spread of drugs and organized crime, and promoting scientific research.

Noting China has sent "battle tested" medical teams to countries currently under siege, Kuhn said, "China begins to bear the world's experts with contemporary, real-world experience in containing the novel coronavirus."

China's experience in containing the contagion has contributed significantly to the world's efforts to stop the pandemic and return to normal ways of life, he said.

Chairman of Italian Red Cross Francesco Rocca (6th R, back) poses for photos with members of Chinese aid team at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, March 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

"In so many ways, the nations of the world must act for the common good of humanity, especially in wake of the growing pandemic, and it behooves people of goodwill everywhere to work to transform the rhetoric into reality," Kuhn said.



"'Shared future' is an evocative phase, offering a much-needed new way of thinking for the world, conveying a great hope," he said. "In light of the global pandemic, the global community must take collective ownership of the grand vision."

"The vision is vital for our turbulent times. All nations should recognize humanity's common destiny so that together we can build a bright future," he said. 
After months of minimizing the threat to the United States, President Donald Trump jumped feet-first into the coronavirus fight this week with vows of quick fixes to the testing problem, claims about potential cures, and efforts to rope in agencies that had inexplicably been excluded, like FEMA.

The show of action played well in the White House briefing room and with the public, but has had a different impact behind the scenes. Health-agency officials and outside advisers to the administration, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described a chaotic situation in which leaders rushed to address presidential requests that sometimes seem to come on a whim while losing focus on longer-term challenges.

Trumps drive to announce unfinished initiatives created a need to make good on half-baked promises, said one senior official  who, like other Americans, learned about some initiatives only when the president announced them at the White House podium.

For instance, no one in the White House had devised a national strategy for obtaining and distributing the necessary supplies in the likely months-long fight against the pandemic that lies ahead, said three people with knowledge of the planning efforts. Those supply-planning efforts are only now underway.

How is there not a national supply strategy yet? asked one official involved in the effort, warning that the infamous shortage of coronavirus tests is set to be replicated with other shortages across the health system. Hospitals are going to run out of basic commodities.

The U.S. health system already has been plagued by shortages of test-kit chemicals, swabs and personal protective equipment for health workers, problems that are set to worsen as coronavirus case numbers rise and demand spikes. A government effort to obtain replacement test swabs required the U.S. military this week to airlift the specialized swabs from a factory located in coronavirus-stricken Italy.

Meanwhile, leaders in coronavirus hotspots like Seattle and New York City have effectively abandoned efforts to conduct broad testing on residents, instead urging them to stay home given the shortages  an acknowledgment that efforts to contain coronavirus have failed and they need to prioritize limited supplies. Local officials also are making unusual crowdsourcing appeals.

Story continues

We need companies to be creative to supply the crucial gear our healthcare workers need. NY will pay a premium and offer funding, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted on Friday. If you have any of these unused supplies, please email COVID19supplies@esd.ny.gov.

A sympathetic HHS staffer compared Cuomos plea to an Internet auction. Were facing a pandemic and the governor has to basically turn to eBay for supplies, the staffer said.

Trump has worked to tamp down concerns about insufficient tests and supplies, saying that the flurry of federal, state and local efforts will be sufficient. If California can get a mask sooner than we can get it for them, through all of the things we're able to do, we'll end up with a big over-supply, the president said at a press conference on Saturday. At some point this is going away.

Spokespeople for the Trump administration defended its planning and coordination for the coronavirus outbreak. Weve been working since January with American manufacturers to prepare for responding to the outbreak and will continue to coordinate closely with private suppliers and our federal partners to ensure that resources are going where theyre needed, an HHS spokesperson said.

The White House said that Trumps leadership had sparked an "unprecedented collaboration" of government and private industry to curb the virus spread and ramp up the response. The president has no higher priority than the health and safety of the American people and he is working around the clock to ensure we emerge from this crisis healthy, safe, and strong, said spokesperson Judd Deere.

Inside the Trump administration, officials are continuing to sort out which teams are responsible for elements of coronavirus response, part of an ever-shifting patchwork of alliances and strategy, while working to manage the presidents unpredictable requests. Five officials said that Trump had grown appropriately concerned about the coronavirus outbreak after weeks of ignoring or playing down the threat, but that the administration is now rushing to solve issues that could have been addressed months ago, like obtaining the necessary supplies for the nations emergency stockpile.

Officials also are sniping over whether to institute even more aggressive actions to prevent coronavirus transmission. Health officials are calling for stricter measures that would keep more Americans at home, for longer, but policy officials warn that the resulting economic damage could cause other, long-lasting harms.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency this week took over responsibilities that had rested with the Health and Human Services department, the latest attempt to get a handle on the worsening outbreak.

FEMA is now leading federal operations for #COVID19 on behalf of the White House, administrator Pete Gaynor tweeted on Thursday night, as some projects like drive-through test sites shifted from the health department. The agency is also taking on a larger role handling supply and distribution issues, Gaynor and other officials said at Saturdays briefing.

The tendency is to think of FEMA as a disaster management agency, said Craig Fugate, who ran FEMA during the Obama administration and said he had no knowledge of the Trump administrations strategy. Its actually an all-hazards agency and FEMA could add structure, planning, location to the coronavirus response, with its regional offices and staff with crisis-management experience.

Some officials and outside advisers have questioned why FEMA had not been given more authority earlier in the response given the agencys operational expertise in responding to disasters. Two individuals said that HHS Secretary Alex Azar had focused on protecting his leadership role, which has shrunk as Vice President Mike Pence took over the broader response and deputies whom Azar had originally sidelined  like Medicare chief Seema Verma and Surgeon General Jerome Adams  have emerged as key figures in White House strategy.

But a person familiar with HHS strategy said that Azar had pushed weeks ago for FEMA to be involved. The hold-up was instead linked to the federal responses rotating leadership  as Pence abruptly took over for Azar at the end of February  and administration worries that states would be further confused over who was in charge.

Secretary Azar and HHS have been and continue to be wholly supportive of a whole-of-government approach and in particular the important role FEMA is playing in coordinating the federal governments response to COVID-19, an HHS spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, a SWAT team of government officials and outside technocrats, backed by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, spent the week working around-the-clock to deliver the drive-through testing sites that Trump publicly promised, POLITICO first reported.

But the focus on drive-through testing also creates a new problem  draining limited supplies and other resources that could be used for high-priority patients in hospitals.

Its all short-term thinking right now, said one official involved in the response.

Theyre desperate to expand testing  which is a good idea  but I dont know whether the president, the vice president and others at the top understand the trade-offs, added an adviser to the effort. It feels like each of these problems is a mini-crisis being run by a mini-team in the government.

Trumps own involvement has caused additional headaches. Health department officials were confused on Wednesday after Trump announced that an exciting FDA announcement was on the way  particularly because Food and Drug Administration officials had yet to greenlight new drugs that Trump sought to fight the virus, The Wall Street Journal reported.

While Trump did hold a Thursday press conference with FDA Commissioner Steve Hahn and other officials, the event largely rehashed existing policies and work that had already been announced. Trump on Friday also repeatedly made claims about an unproven coronavirus treatment, prompting infectious-disease scientist Anthony Fauci to try and walk back the claims from the White House podium.

Meanwhile, the president has repeatedly touted unfinished projects, like announcing on March 13 a Google website that he said would help coordinate testing. But the actual site, which rolled out a week later, is instead a collection of information and links. Trump on Friday also claimed that General Motors has openly stated it would produce medical supplies. But GM has not publicly committed to producing more supplies, although the company is working with ventilator specialist Ventec to boost its production, according to a joint statement rushed out on Friday after Trumps remarks.

"All options are on the table on how GM can help Ventec build more ventilators," a GM spokesperson said.

The chaotic response also has trickled down to individual hospitals, clinics and doctors, which have struggled to get answers on supply chains and fought to protect their equipment.

Sen. Bill Cassidys office reached out to the White House on Wednesday after learning that University Medical Center in Louisiana was informed that a new lab-testing machine, due to arrive on Monday, had instead been requisitioned by government officials for a higher priority coronavirus situation.

We thought the machine was a high priority in Louisiana given the fast rate that things were spreading, said a spokesperson for Cassidys office, noting that the state has become a hotspot for coronavirus transmission. The White House later assured Cassidys office that the machine would go to Louisiana next week, as originally intended.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has spent weeks competing with states and hospitals to obtain medical supplies and quickly build up national reserves. Every single governor across the country is looking for the exact same thing, FEMAs Gaynor said at Saturdays White House press briefing, responding to questions about shortages.

Some experts said the president would be better served by developing a national strategy to allocate limited resources to the neediest areas while obtaining new ones, say experts, noting that dozens of individual components in the health system are at risk of being quickly diminished in the initial crush of cases  from the intricate chemicals needed for tests to the basic supplies that couldve been rapidly produced months ago.

Were seeing a run on swabs, said a former official, arguing that the Trump administration should have anticipated the worldwide demand for the specialized, low-cost swabs needed to do the testing. How on Earth did we let this happen?

Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, listed off the supply shortages that already are plaguing hospitals.

They say they dont have reagents for the diagnostic kits, they dont have swabs for the kits, they dont have the N95 masks, theyre running out of gowns and gloves, said Inglesby, whos called on the White House to overhaul its approach and assign specialists, such as the Pentagons Defense Logistics Agency, to solve the supply-chain problems.

I don't think we should see these as spot shortages that will soon be resolved with significant effort, Inglesby added. We will be using large amounts of these supplies for a long time. COVID will be with us for a long time  we need a long-term solution.

Meanwhile, Trump on Saturday was asked about the plan to contain coronavirus as the nation enters day 6 of the White Houses 15-day campaign to slow the virus spread, and specifically whether additional measures needed to be taken.

The president declined to detail next steps, saying only that leaders would know more next week.

Well have to see what the result is, Trump said.


The spread of the coronavirus across the U.S. and within Louisiana could dramatically overwhelm the capacity of hospitals to care for patients, leaving the American health care system unable to care for tens of thousands who are either infected with the virus or need medical attention for other ailments, according to a new analysis by Harvard researchers.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, health professionals and elected officials have been warning that the highly contagious and virulent disease posed a unique threat because of the sheer number of people who could require significant care. The analysis by the Harvard Global Health Institute, released this week, provides some of the first concrete projections of just how extreme the crisis could be if the virus is not contained.

Caring for all those who could require hospitalization could force the U.S. to increase its capacity to 3.5 times what is now available, which would require adding hundreds of thousands of beds in a short time frame. Louisiana, which is relatively more ready than most states, would still need to nearly triple its capacity and find space for nearly 16,000 more patients at a time under a worst-case scenario.

And the projections are grimmer when it comes to the specialized equipment needed for intensive care units, needed for the sickest and most vulnerable patients. Only one region of the state, a small area around Slidell, would have ample ICU beds under the researchers most optimistic model.

The most extreme scenario contemplated by the study would see Louisiana short nearly 5,000 ICU beds at a time -- each representing a patient who could die without critical care.

Almost every community is going to need more beds under our most generous assumptions, but some will need far more, said Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, and K.T. Li, professor of Global Health at Harvard.

In New Orleans, one respiratory therapist told ProPublica that his hospital had not been prepared for the sheer volume of coronavirus patients and that its ICU had already essentially become a ward for patients with the virus.

There is a very real possibility that we might run out of ICU beds and at that point I dont know what happens if patients get sick and need to be intubated and put on a ventilator, he said. Is that person going to die because we dont have the equipment to keep them alive? What if it goes on for months and dozens of people die because we dont have the ventilators?"

State and local authorities, as well as hospitals themselves, say they're doing what they can to free up beds and to add new ones. But it's not clear whether those efforts will be sufficient.

Gov. John Bel Edwards sounded a similar alarm earlier this week, when he said that models being run by the state -- which his staff has declined to publicly share -- showed the state's hospital capacity, particularly in New Orleans and Jefferson, being overwhelmed by the end of next week under a worst-case scenario. The number of COVID-19 cases in Louisiana has continued to climb since then, with 763 positive cases identified across the state as of Saturday evening.

This is early, but our trajectory is basically the same as what they had in Italy, Edwards said. And if theres anything I said today that ought to get peoples attention, its that.

In Italy, the death toll has been rising steeply into the thousands, and doctors have had to make soul-crushing decisions to allow some especially sick and elderly patients to die because there aren't enough ventilators to take care of everyone.

Experts and officials have repeatedly emphasized that the best way to ensure hospitals have enough bed space, equipment and staffing available is to "flatten the curve," to slow the spread so that new coronavirus cases do not exceed the resources available. Thats the goal of restrictions on public gatherings and warnings for residents to stay home.

+4 Charting coronavirus scenarios for hospital bed shortages in Louisiana New estimates from the Harvard Global Health Institute predict that the number of patients hospitalized due to the coronavirus, also known as 

In New Orleans, the center of the crisis in Louisiana with 418 cases as of Saturday, health director Dr. Jennifer Avegno said she was worried about projections that showed how quickly hospitals could run out of capacity.

Its frightening, Avegno said. Doctors and health care workers have been talking about this possibility for many, many years, so its not a surprise to us. Thats why, as I said, our hospitals are being as judicious as they can, as creative as they can.

The Harvard experts developed their model using data from the American Hospital Association, breaking the country into regions that represent where patients typically seek specialty care regardless of jurisdictional lines. They added data from the Census Bureau, predictions on how quickly the infection would spread and data on the proportions of patients who will need hospitalization.

New Orleans jail medical staffer tests positive for coronavirus, raising fears about further spread A medical staffer at the New Orleans jail has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials confirmed Saturday, underscoring inmates f

The researchers then estimated how many hospital beds would be needed under a range of scenarios. In the best case, they modeled the effects if the virus infected 20% of the population relatively slowly, essentially a scenario with a relatively flat curve over 18 months. The worst-case scenario models a rapid spread of the disease to 60% of the population over just six months, with little or no flattening at all.

Notably, the model does not account for the disease spreading at different rates in different communities. That could bode poorly for New Orleans in particular, which has been an early hotbed of coronavirus cases.

The study was released earlier this week, in conjunction with reports by ProPublica and The New York Times on what it might mean for health care systems.

Louisiana fares relatively well in the model compared to other states, but thats little solace, given that it would still need several times the number of beds it currently has. And the number of additional resources needed varies widely across the state.

Every community is going to need more beds under our generous assumptions, but some communities are going to need far more beds, Jha said.

According to the model, every hospital region in Louisiana except for Slidell, Lake Charles and Shreveport would be over capacity even if the virus spreads slowly and is contained to a fifth of the population.

In a worst-case scenario, the region covering Metairie and the north shore would need more than four times the beds now available.

+10 In coronavirus fight, New Orleans companies transform themselves to make sanitizer, masks Earlier this week, the New Orleans distillery Porchjam was making its Bolden Vodka, while nearby the firm GoodWood NOLA was milling oak planks

Even with some extra beds available in Slidell, the New Orleans area as a whole would run out of beds under any scenario considered by the researchers, and would need to more than triple its current count under the most dire projections.

Particularly worrying is that Louisiana's intensive care units are projected to be straining even under the rosiest projections. And because of the equipment they require, adding ICU beds is more difficult than simply adding rooms.

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In a worst-case scenario, Slidell would need 2.5 times the number of ICU beds it now has, while Alexandria would need almost 10 times its current capacity.

The region covering Metarie and the North Shore would need more than 550 additional ICU beds, requiring more than 6.6 times the total number available there now, under the most serious scenario.

The model also does not factor in staffing or supplies, both of which are expected to be stretched as the pandemic continues.

The same message the researchers data is sending  that hospitals could be overwhelmed even in a moderate outbreak  is an alarm bell that state officials said theyve been ringing.

Dr. Joe Kanter, assistant state health officer, said hes asking hospitals to direct any and all provisions they have toward acute, lifesaving care.

The directive to the hospitals is clear: Its to immediately begin preparations to surge across the board, Kanter said.

That means canceling elective surgeries and other procedures that can be safely delayed. It also means hospitals should be figuring out where and how to add beds, whether it means doubling up in patient rooms and or turning conference rooms into inpatient wards.

+2 As coronavirus death toll climbs, nursing homes fear supply shortages, residents' isolation As the unfolding coronavirus crisis continues to spread, leaders at some of Louisiana's most vulnerable facilities  nursing homes and senior 

And it means hospitals should be considering whether doctors who might find themselves with free time amid elective procedure cancellations  such as anesthesiologists  should be ready to jump in on acute care, Kanter said.

Kanter said he's hoping social distancing will prevent hospitals from fighting a huge surge, while giving researchers time to develop more treatments and potentially a vaccine.

Its a bit different to get 2 feet of rain over two hours or two days, he said.

The governor said Wednesday that state officials are considering whether they can use space in hospitals that have recently closed around the state, or in Veterans Affairs hospitals, if necessary.

In one critical aspect, each of the scenarios modeled by the researchers represent a conservative prediction. Their figures assume that the total number of cases will be equally spread over the course of the time periods they considered. In reality, the researchers expect that they will actually follow a curve, meaning when infections peak, health care systems will be even more overwhelmed.

In New Orleans, at the epicenter of the outbreak in Louisiana, city Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Collin Arnold was blunt when asked whether he was concerned about hospital capacity.

Very, was his reply.

Ochsner Health, the statewide hospital nonprofit with a main campus in the New Orleans area, said it was expecting to open up 100 new ICU beds across the state in the coming weeks as it prepares.

Were ramping up capacity and making sure we can take a bigger influx of patients, Ochsner President and CEO Warner Thomas said. But those beds will only represent a roughly 6% increase in ICU capacity, according to the researchers data.

Tulane Lakeside Hospital took the most dramatic action in the state this week, announcing a shutdown of its ER starting Friday to move staff to Tulane's downtown New Orleans hospital, where a surge is expected.

Also in New Orleans, University Medical Center has added ER space in tents, according to a statement from emergency room physician Dr. Jeff Elder. LCMC Health, which operates the hospital, is also redeploying health care professionals to areas of need, he said.

In Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lakes staffers started talking weeks ago with their colleagues in Washington state, where the outbreak has been especially bad, according to Dr. Chris Thomas, director of quality and patient safety.

Our Lady of the Lake repurposed two areas in the hospital that had ICU potential and equipped beds for coronavirus patients who need ICU-level care, Thomas said. He said he expects staffers to be able to treat critical symptoms from coronavirus, but the challenge is the possibility of too many patients needing that level of treatment at once.

Its not the virus, its the volume, said Thomas, a pulmonary and critical care specialist, in an interview.

The hospital hasnt had to boost staffing levels yet, he said. But he said that if the virus continues to spread, having enough staff will become a challenge.

I view this as Baton Rouge has one health care team now, Thomas said. Were the inpatient acute health care team, and the community is part of that health care team  The challenge now is the help in the community has to be on the front side.

In Lafayette, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center is focusing on keeping its patient census down, limiting outside visitors and preserving PPE supplies, according to Dr. Frank Courmier, medical director for pulmonary and critical care.

He said the hospital's surge plan includes expanding ICU capacity in most patient rooms "with modified ventilator equipment we have on-site."

At St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, projected to need the largest increase in ICU capacity, administrators are monitoring the capacity of the ER, ICUs, labs, imaging centers and other areas where patients are treated and tested, according to Will Knous, spokesman for Christus Health System.

Our hospitals will continue to balance the needs of caring for patients with COVID-19 while providing vital services to others in the community who need care, he said.
Emergency medics routinely make critical treatment calculations based on their patients' chances of survival. But as the coronavirus pandemic overwhelms hospitals, physicians are facing the prospect of large-scale triage that some say resembles the stark choices of war. The virus has infected 300,000 people worldwide and claimed more than 13,000 lives according to official figures, with healthcare systems in the path of the pandemic struggling to cope. In Italy, the current epicentre of the disease that first emerged in China, medics are already faced with grave choices over which patients to save and other countries are bracing for surging numbers of desperately ill patients. Many people who catch COVID-19 do not need hospitalisation, but those who develop the most serious symptoms of the respiratory infection can require critical care. But which patients should get a limited number of ventilators? "Yes, we are going to be called upon to prioritise between the patients,? Bertrand Guidet, head of the intensive care unit at Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris, where the numbers of coronavirus patients have already begun to increase. "In the words of the (French) president Emmanuel Macron we are at war, and well it?s called triage, like on the battlefield where we leave the most gravely wounded because we think they will die," he told AFP. It is also necessary to maintain capacity over the longer term, said Guidet. "The patients who present themselves now must not be privileged over those who will arrive in a week or 15 days, we must not saturate everything immediately." He said that while the current pandemic presents an acute challenge for emergency medics, they do have established guidelines to help them make these decisions. "We are not starting from scratch, these are decisions we make every day," said Guidet. Normal evaluation criteria includes "the wishes of the patient", their general state of health and the severity of their symptoms, he said. - 'War surgery' - Regardless of whether or not there are enough machines, putting the most fragile patients on life-support can be "senseless", experts say. But in the event of conflict or disaster -- from earthquakes to tsunamis and now coronavirus -- the criteria to decide who is given life support become increasingly strict. In Italy, where the battle to save as many people as possible has raged for weeks, this is a daily reality for doctors. "We're in no condition to attempt what are called miracles. It's reality," Christian Salaroli, an anesthesiologist at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo told the Corriere della Sera newspaper earlier this month. "I tell myself it's like war surgery... It's decided by age, and health. As in all war situations." As infections continue to rise relentlessly, frontline health workers across the world are preparing to make similar decisions. Philippe Devos, an anesthesiologist in Liege, Belgium said in crisis situations respirators are prioritised for those with "the best chance of survival". "As far as possible, we will try to make sure it is not a lottery," he said, highlighting criteria such as age and the underlying health of the patient. - 'Huge moral weight' - In early March, as the virus overwhelmed hospitals in Italy's worst hit northern region, the Italian body of anesthesiologists and intensive care professionals, Siaarti, published ethical guidelines that said an age limit for intensive care treatment "may ultimately need to be set". But age alone is too simplistic a criteria, experts say. Guidet said he had admitted an 85-year-old patient to intensive care at his Paris hospital who had COVID-19 but had no prior underlying illness and had been completely well before that. On the other hand, he said there would be no place for someone in their 40s who had severe cirrhosis and continued to drink. These are the same principles as for organ transplant waiting lists, said Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the New York University Groceman School of Medicine. "People have been dying every day for decades not getting a transplant,? he told AFP. With the influx of coronavirus patients, the decisions will fall heavily on doctors' shoulders. "Most hospitals have rules to help the doctors, but in reality, people will not follow rules, the senior doctor will decide, because it's moving too fast," he said. That is a "huge moral weight" to bear, said Devos. "We go into medicine to heal people. Not to make choices about who can live." Hospitals in nations hit by COVID-19 are facing surging numbers of patients Those who develop the most serious symptoms of the respiratory infection can require critical care
A 2008 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council said warmer temperatures are the single greatest threat to the survival of trout in Americas interior West.

FWP will be collecting otolith bones of trout throughout the monitoring sections in 2020 to obtain accurate age information, according to an agency press release. The data will be used to estimate annual mortality rates for rainbow and brown trout for comparison with other sections of the Madison and other rivers to better understand mortality rates and to provide insight on causes.

Anglers

July and August are prime months for tourism in Montana. Between 2015 and 2017 an FWP study found July to be the busiest month on the upper Madison River.

Since 2011  the same year water temperatures began trending up  the average high temperature in nearby Ennis ranged between 81 to 89 degrees, with an average of 85 degrees over the past nine years. In that same time span the hottest day averaged 93 degrees with spikes as high as 95 and 96 degrees.